been made a partaker of the benefits of Christ but I perceive I cannot apprehend them by faith Comforter Of thy self thou canst not Phil. 4.13 but in that Christ who strengtheneth thee thou canst do all things God willeth and heartily willeth thee to believe for to that intent he offereth thee the word that by it through the efficacy of the Holy Ghost he may enkindle faith in thy heart and resist not the working of the Holy Ghost and thou shalt quickly see a plentiful â—â—uit of the word For if God â—â—artily willeth thee to believe he will also work in thee that belief if thou do not by an actual stubbornness resist his will Thou sayst thou canst not believe and yet thou art forced to confess that thou breathest after Christ and desirest his benefits that very breathing that desiring is the beginning of faith The holy Spirit will certainly perfect that work of faith which he hath begun in thee only see that thou interrupt not his saving working Thou oughtst not to resolve first to have a sense and motion of faith enkindled in thy heart before thou wilt hear meditate upon and receive the word of the Gospel This is a perverse opinion which see thou entertain not this is a perverse order which see thou follow not Thou must begin at hearing and meditating on the word in the School of the holy Spirit by that means thou shalt be brought to faith and by faith to the sense of faith Thou sayst thou canst not believe thou oughtest therefore to hear meditate on and receive into thy heart the word Luk. 11.13 that thou mayst be able to believe God giveth his holy spirit to them that ask him and yet we cannot without grace ask the holy spirit so God giveth faith to those that pant and yet without the beginning of faith we cannot pant Faith begins in the heart with some strugling it is encreased and perfected also therein with some striving and what we cannot do of our selves we can by his help who hath said Joh. 6.44 None cometh unto me except the Father draw him Whosoever heareth and learneth of my father he cometh to me He that cometh unto me I will not cast out If thou art not yet drawn pray that thou maist be drawn hear and learn that thou maist come unto Christ The small number of good works Tempted True and living faith alwayes worketh by charity Gal. 5.6 and on the contrary that faith that hath not works is dead in it self As the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also Jam. 2.17.26 Now I see no great number of good works that might give a clear testimony of my faith When I would do good Rom. 7.21.18 evil is present with me To will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I find not Comforter Thou dost well indeed to judge of the light of faith by the beams of good works for as the works that are not done from faith are not truly good works so the faith that is without works is not true faith but a vain perswasion and an empty picture Mat. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works saith our Saviour 2 Pet. 1.10 Give all diligence saith Peter to make your calling and election sure Therefore from works we must pass a judgment on faith and this is a third property of faith that as it has contrition going before it and instead of an essential form a true trust in Christ so it hath new obedience always following of it Therefore as I said thou dost well to judge of the light of faith by the beams of good works but in the meanwhile take heed that thou think not those only to be good works that by their outward shew are great in the eyes of men and are free from any stain of sin cleaving to them By good works is understood chiefly the inward renewing of the heart and the kindling of those spiritual motions in the hearts of those that are born again by the holy Ghost Therefore holy thoughts a good purpose a true fear of God a sincere love unto him and ardent calling upon him are truly good works although they are not perceived nor seen of men Psal 45.14 The Kings daughter is all glorious within outward works bear witness of that inward glory of renovation Wherefore if thou have nothing else to offer to God offer a good will a holy purpose to live godly Offer to God thine heart thou hast offer'd all things Yield thy self wholly to God's will cleave to it resign thy will to it 1 Cor. 6.17 and thou shall be one spirit with him If thou shalt do this outward works will readily follow because the spirit of God dwelling in thee will drive thee forwards to good works of all kinds and where there is not an outward power to work there God will be pleased with a good will within And thou hast no reason to hope to be free in this life from the stain of every infirmity our works please God not in that they are every way perfect but because they proceed from a true faith in Christ and are offer'd by his beloved children as a thank-offering Acknowledge therefore that testimony of good works that they bear of faith be not cast down acknowledge their imperfection and the stain of sin that cleaves to them be not too much exalted Want of merits Tempted God is just and his judgments are just therefore he 'l give the reward of eternal life to none where there has not gone before the merit of good works What therefore is my hope what my trust seeing my works are imperfect vile many wayes defiled and no way meritorious Comforter Nay but eternal life is not a due recompence of our deserts but a free gift of God in Christ and for Christ's sake Rom. 6.23 Bern. ser in Annunc col 106. For the merits of men are not such as that for them eternal life should become a just debt and God should do an injury to a man not to pardon him For to omit that all merits are the gifts of God and that so man rather becomes a debtor to God for them than God to man what are all merits to so great glory All the saints confess that before God none is clear Exod. 34.7 that a Isai 64.6 all their righteousnesses are before God as a menstruous cloth that none b Psal 130.3 can stand at Gods judgment seat if he will mark iniquity that when c Luk. 17.10 they have done all that God hath commanded they are but unprofitable servants what place can there therefore be here for merits Bern. serm 22. in Cant. col 555. Gers lib. 4. de consol Theol. pros 1. What man from his either wisdom righteousness or holiness can presume upon a sufficiency for salvation what man
insubsistence of words pag. 43 Falling from the covenant of Baptism pag. 48 The uncertain reception into the covenant of Baptism pag. 52 The unworthy receiving of the Lords Supper pag. 57 Weakness of faith pag. 59 The not perceiving of faith pag. 62 An inability to believe pag. 65 The small number of good works pag. 67 Want of merits pag. 70 The accusation of the Law pag. 73 The accusing of conscience pag. 76 Late repentance pag. 78 Doubting of the grace of God pag. 81 Want of due preparation pag. 86 Doubting of the indwelling of the Spirit pag. 89 Doubting of perseverance pag. 94 Satans wiles and strength pag. 98 The falling away of many pag. 101 Doubting of being written in the book of life pag. 104 The fear of death pag. 107 The sting of death pag. 111 The pains of death pag. 117 Untimely death pag. 119 Services farther owing to the Church pag. 122 Short life brought upon ones self pag. 124 The love of this life pag. 127 Separation from wife children kindred pag. 131 Stopping of the ears in death pag. 134 The seeming unprofitableness of Redemption pag. 137 The horrour of dust pag. 139 The incredibility of the resurrection pag. 147 The flames of Purgatory pag. 153 The rigour of the last judgement pag. 156 A prayer in sickness pag. 164 To these are added The Christians Triumph over Death pag. 169 Divine Contemplations and Soliloquies upon Death and Eternity pag. 198 Divine Poems upon death pag. 217 Divine CONSOLATIONS Against the FEAR OF DEATH And the TEMPTATIONS befalling them that draw near thereto The forerunners of Death The Tempted I Am opprest with sickness 2 Cor. 1.9 the forerunner of Death and have received the sentence of death in my self I see I must leave this life than which nothing is more pleasant this world than which nothing is more adorned the house of this body than which nothing is more dear The Comforter Thou wast not created for this miserable and momentany but for a blessed and eternal life Wisd 2.23 for God made our first Parent without corruption to immortality Nor wast thou redeemed by Christ for this fading and toilsom but for that everlasting and most happy life in the heavens for it is a certain and undoubted saying That Jesus Christ came into the world 1 Tim. 1.15 to save sinners Neither wast thou called of the holy Spirit by the word to the kingdom of Christ that thou mightst live here a little while but that thou mightst pass from the kingdom of grace to the kingdom of glory from the Church Militant to that Triumphant from a valley of tears into a field of joy for if in this life only we believed in Christ and had hope 1 Cor. 15.19 we were of all men most miserable Wherefore seeing thou must be brought through the gate of death to that life for which thou wert created of the Father redeemed of the Son and for which thou hast been sanctified by the Spirit reject not I pray thee Luk. 7.30 the gracious counsel of God against thy self but readily obey God that calls upon thee Deaths Trident. Tempted The thoughts of Death affright me the dreadful shape of that enemy disturbs my mind it shows me its sting 1 Cor. 15.55 which is death it threatens me with its cruel three-pointed weapon while it presents to my eyes and heart the Anger of God the accusation of the Law and the cruelty of my sins Rom. 6.23 in that death is the wages of sin and by sin death hath invaded me Rom. 5.18 as it has done all the world Comforter But I advise thee that being seriously and heartily sorry for the sins thou hast committed thou look to him that died for thee on the altar of the Cross that thou mightest not be liable to eternal death Turn thine eyes from the outward shew of death and turn them to Christ who by his death hath destroyed him that had the power of death Heb. 2.14 that is v. 15. the Devil And hath delivered us who through fear of death were all our life-time subject to bondage He is death unto our death Hos 13.14 he is a sting unto the hell we had deserved Joh. 11.25 He is the resurrection and the life he that believeth in him though he were dead v. 26. yet shall he live And whosoever liveth and believeth in him shall never die 1. Cor. 15.22 So that as in Adam that is because of sin derived from Adam upon us and of actual sins added thereto we are all liable to death and at length must die even so in Christ the captain of life and conqueror of death through faith are we all made alive Which that our Captain of life confirms with a solemn and serious oath Verily verily I say unto you Joh. 5.24 He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life And again Joh. 8.51 Verily verily I say unto you If a man keep my saying he shall never see death Therefore believe Christ who is the truth Joh. 14.6 believe him promising believe him swearing Luk. 21.33 Heaven and earth shall pass away but the words of Christ shall not pass away The anguish of sin Tempted I begin to remember my sins Psal 51.7 for I was not only begot conceived and born in sin but I have increased this sum of original and hereditary debt with manifold and most grievous actual sins all my life long how therefore can I hope God will be merciful to me whom I have so oft offended how shall I conceive any comfort in death seeing death is the due reward to my sins and a beginning of a second and eternal death to them that are not reconciled to God Comforter Look unto Christ hanging on the altar of the Cross and pouring out the price of thy redemption even his precious blood for thy sins 1 Joh. 1.8 The blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God cleanseth thee from all sin He is the propitiation for thy sins 1 Joh. 2.2 and for the sins of the whole world For he came not into the world to be ministred unto Mat. 20.28 but to minister and to give his life a ransom and price for the sins of many And that thou mightst not at all doubt of this matter therefore from heaven which is the throne of truth by an Angel which is the spirit of truth was brought that most sweet and comfortable name of Jesus and given to this our Mediator before he was conceived for what is Jesus but a Saviour Luk. 1.31 Mat. 1.21 Joh. 1.29 For therefore was this name given to Christ because he saves his people from their sins This is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world 1 Tim. 1.15 This is that Jesus Christ that came into
perfect it By it thou art liable to death and all that troop of calamities miseries and diseases which precede death An insufficient sorrow Tempted I acknowledge and perceive that I was not only born and conceived in sins but also that God hath been offended by me by divers manifold and great transgressions I perceive this and I am heartily sorry but may be that sorrow is not sufficient as not being answerable to the faults nor an equivalent satisfaction for my transgressions Comforter True the grief and trouble of conscience that arises from the consciousness of sin can never answer the grievousness and deformity of the sins seeing God is an infinite good that is offended sin an infinite evil that is committed and the punishment of hell prepared for sinners is infinite how then by thy contrition canst thou satisfie the infinite justice of God and expiate his infinite wrath Christ hath performed that which of thy self and by thy own strength thou couldst not he hath made an infinite and equivalent satisfaction for thy sins If thou couldst have satisfied by thy self if thou couldst have done away thy sins by thy own contrition and grief what need had there been for Christ to have come down from heaven and to have laboured so long under the weight of the Cross Isai 43.24 Thou hast made him to serve with thy sins and hast wearied him with thine iniquities He has trodden the wine-press alone and of the people there was none with him Look therefore that thou think not that the grief of thy contrition either can be or ought to be so great as that it should answer to the greatness and deformity of thy sins but therefore and for this end doth God require a true confession of sin and a sincere contrition of heart that the free remission of sins which thou obtainest through Christ apprehended by faith may take place Christ preacheth but it is to the meek that is Isai 61.1 Luk. 4.18 Mat. 9.12 the humbled in spirit he heals but it is the broken-hearted For the whole have no need of the physician that is those that think themselves to be well He preaches remission but it is to the captives that is to those that are sensible of the spiritual captivity of sin for that man desires not to be freed from bondage that thinks himself free in every respect He preacheth sight Joh. 9.41 but it is to the blind that is to those that lament the spiritual blindness of their heart for they that say they see their sin remaineth They that say they are rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing know not that they are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked He preacheth forgiveness but it is to the broken and contrite in heart The Lord killeth 1 Sam. 2.6 and maketh alive he bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up He kills by contrition that he may make alive by consolation he bringeth down to the grave by the hammer of the Law that he may bring up from the grave by the comfort of the Gospel The weight of sorrow Tempted Troubles have compassed me about my heart is broken and overwhelmed my sins come flocking before me which grievously torment my conscience and strive to bring me down to hell Psal 32.3 there is no quietness in my bones from the terror of the Lord my soul refuseth to be comforted 77.2 v. 3. I am troubled and my spirit is overwhelmed I see no place whither I can flee and seek a remedy of my sins Comforter If thou wilt flee flee to Christ He friendly inviteth all that labour under the weight of sin Mat. 11.27 and are pressed with the yoke of that evil mistress Iniquity Hide thy self in his wounds until the tempest of God's anger be overpast Rom. 3.25 Christ is the propitiatory to which thou maist flee by a true faith and rest under the shadow of his wings Psal 42.1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks so thy soul being even spent by the heat of thy sins and the anger of God thirsteth after Christ the fountain of living water springing up to everlasting life If thou comest to him he will not refuse thee nor thrust thee from him for thus run the promises Rev. 22.17 Whosoever thirsteth let him come and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely 21.16 To him that thirsteth will I give of the well of life freely Mat. 11 28. Come to me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest In me and through me ye shall find rest to your souls v. 29. Him that cometh unto me Joh. 6.37 I will not cast out With a faithful heart embrace these words of Christ which are the words of eternal and immoveable truth let thy heart propound to it self these his promises Psal 27.8 and seek the face of God Put Christ as in the midst between thee a sinner and an angry God Appeal from the throne of God's severe justice to the throne of mercy prepared for thee in and by Christ The infernal hawk follows hard after and persecutes thy soul let it flee therefore like a fearful and frighted dove to the elifts of the rock Cant. 2.14 which are the wounds of Christ Moses accuseth thee therefore sigh that Christ may interceed for thee Thy conscience is troubled Bern. Serm. 61. in Cant. but let it not be cast down from hope and trust but remember the wounds of Christ Aug. in Medit. Let the firmness of all thy trust be in the wounds of Christ which flow with the streams of mercy and want no holes whereby they may flow out Idem Serm. 22. in Cant. Let the Passion of our Saviour Jesus Christ be thy last refuge and the only remedy of thy sins It can help thee when thy wisdom fails thy righteousness is not sufficient the merits of thy holiness are of no avail And this is another and indeed an essential property of true faith to look with the eye of the heart on Christ hanging on the cross from his wounds to hope for and draw a remedy for a mans own wounds to rest upon him with a sincere trust of heart and as it were to wrap ones self in his most holy merit For this is the voice of true faith Behold me thou who on the cross didst die And to my sins thy side a shelter give My heart pants after thee my sins pass by By sin I dye but by thy blood I live If therefore being pricked for thy sins thou hunger and thirst after righteousness Bern. Ser. 22. in Cant. believe on him that justifieth the ungodly and being justified by faith alone thou shalt have peace with God Confess thou art not worthy Lib. 1. vit Bern. cap. 13. nor canst obtain the kingdom of heaven by thy own merits but let this be thy trust
of thy soul that he would prepare himself a meet habitation in thy heart Chrysost in 1 Cor. 11. thou considerest the greatness of those things that are present and set forth in the holy supper and thou considerest the largeness of the divine gift thou hungrest and thirstest after righteousness Matt. 5.6 and therefore thou shalt be filled those sins shall not hurt Luk. 15.20 which please not Thou hastenest with tears to thy heavenly Father thou grievest for thy sins and thou desirest to satisfie the hunger of thy soul with this heavenly food vers 22. doubt not but that the most bountiful Father will kiss and receive thee with joy he will give thee the first robe of innocence he will cloath thee with the garments of salvation he will put a ring on thy hand he will seal thee with his holy Spirit vers 23. he will put shoes on thy feet he will direct thee in the way of peace and righteousness he will fill thee with the flesh of that sacrifice that was slain on the altar of the Cross and was offered for a sweet savour to him Lay aside therefore all fear of eating unworthily he that is most unworthy in his own eyes is accepted with God he that displeaseth himself pleaseth God he that in himself is broken with true contrition of heart is lifted up again by the most bountiful hand of God Weakness of faith Tempted Faith is altogether requisite to the wholsome use of the Lord's supper and the partaking of the promises of the Gospel seeing to the partaking of an alms there is not only required the hand of the giver but there must also be the hand of the receiver But now my faith is weak the ship of my heart being tossed with various storms of temptations totters and casts me down from the firmness of faith Comforter Weak faith is yet faith and faith does not therefore lay hold on Christ and in Christ the grace of God forgiveness of sins and life eternal be-because it is strong but because it is faith a strong faith embraces Christ more strongly yet nevertheless a weak faith also does not reject Christ but savingly lays hold on him The faithful servant of God Christ thy saviour breaketh not the bruised reed Isa 42.2 nor quencheth the smoaking flax but receiveth him that is weak in faith most bountifully Rom. 14.3 The least spark of faith is the work of the Spirit because of our selves as of our selves we cannot as much as think a good thought 1 Cor. 3.5 but to will and to do is from God Phil. 2.13 therefore God will not despise his own work which he hath begun in thy heart by his holy Spirit but will perfect and confirm it Isa 66.13 As a mother comforteth her children so doth the Lord comfort us Now a mother treats an infant far more tenderly and has a greater care of it than of the rest that are grown up so God rejecteth not one weak in faith but takes care to heal and strengthen him as one languishing If ye shall have faith as a grain of mustard-seed and shall say to this mountain Remove from hence to such a place it shall remove Mat. 16.20 and nothing shall be impossible to you saith the Truth If a miraculous faith can do so much as to remove mountains though it hardly equal a grain of mustard-seed why cannot salvifick faith do the same even remove mountains of temptations and doubts be it never so weak and feeble God's strength is perfected in our weakness 2 Cor. 12.9 see therefore thou be not cast down in mind for the weakness of thy faith but rather look upon the strength of God God can water what is dry heal what is wounded bend what is stiff foster what is cold reduce what goeth out of the way Only acknowledge the weakness of thy faith and lean so much the more on the divine word for as the word is the seed of faith so also the nourishment Pray with Christs disciples Luk. 17.5 Lord encrease our faith and with the father of the Lunatick Mark 9.24 Lord I believe help thou my unbelief The not perceiving of faith Tempted My faith is not only weak but sometimes I perceive no faith at all in my heart nor do I call upon God with that fervency of spirit as can pierce the clouds I fear therefore lest my faith be quite perished and extinct and if faith be extinct what hope or safety can there remain to me I examine my self 2 Cor. 13.5 and lo I perceive not faith in my heart I shall therefore be of the number of reprobates Comforter The spirit helpeth our infirmity as it were by putting his hand under us For as we know not what we ought to pray for nor how to pray as we ought but in the mean time the Spirit interceeds for us with unutterable groans so sometimes we perceive not what or how we believe but the Spirit cherisheth and preserves faith in our heart A spark may lie hid rak'd up under the ashes although it appear not outwardly so faith sometimes dwells in the inmost recesses of the heart though it be not perceived of our selves Wherefore though thou perceivest no faith gather not presently from thence that all thy faith is perished and dead seeing thou yet desirest longest and art willing to believe that desire that longing that willing proceeds from faith Moreover 't is one thing not to perceive we believe and another not to be willing to believe that is a sign of languishing but this of obstinate stubbornness Christ does verily dwell in thy heart by faith Eph. 3.17 although thou do not manifestly feel that indwelling of grace even as the holy Spirit that inward comforter hath an holy dwelling in thy heart although he sometime withdraw from thee the sense of that comfort As Abraham the father of the faithful Rom. 4.8 against hope believed in hope so thou oughtest to rely upon the word against thy sense As we ought to captivate every thought to the obedience of faith 2 Cor. 10.5 so do thou captivate thy not feeling of thy faith by faith that is receive the word in thy heart and firmly cleave to it The seed lies hid under the clods of the earth when it does not as yet thrust forth so much as a blade so the seed of faith lies hid in the heart although the fruit thereof do not as yet fully and plainly appear In sleep thou perceivest not faith but who will say that faith is then perished so in this temptation a certain sleep as it were has oppressed thy soul so that thou perceivest not the motion of thy faith but far be it that thou shouldst therefore suppose faith extinct An inability to believe Tempted I breath indeed after my saviour but I both feel and grieve that I cannot believe I could have wish'd indeed that I might have
conscience anew for the relapses of sin are very dangerous In this life there is yet time for pardon time for grace time for quieting conscience In this life the book of conscience may yet be mended out of the book of life But at the last judgment the books will be opened Rev. 20.12 and among them the book of conscience also in which before all the world shall be seen writ in fair letters all the sins of men that were not in this world blotted out by true contrition by faith and amendment of life Before that day of judgement come and the time of grace be past thou maist have a fair hope and sure trust that the blood of Jesus Christ Heb. 9.14 who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God will purge thy conscience from dead works to serve the living God Late repentance Tempted I am at last indeed sorry for having so wounded my conscience I do at last desire a remedy for my wounds at last I have a desire to keep a good conscience for the future but I fear lest my repentance be too late I am a fraid lest the divine grace being so oft rejected by me should also reject and forsake me Late repentance useth to deceive many Aug. de vera falsa poenit c. 17. and that repentance that proceedeth from a dying man he ought to fear lest it dye also Comforter No but there is nothing too late which is true and sincere Cypr. tract 1. cont Demetr While a man is in this life there is no repentance too late there are some who being called come into the Lords vineyard at the eleventh hour of the day Mat. 20.9 and obtain the reward of grace No delay of time prejudiceth God's justice or piety Fulgent Epist 7. Repentance is never late with God in whose sight as well past things as future are always accounted for present Behold the example of the thief on the cross who having confessed Christ with his mouth on the tip of whose lips as it were his soul was ready to depart obtains pardon of sins and a free promise of an heavenly paradise Heb. 3.13 Whilst it is called to day so long God doth earnestly will our conversion As long as the heavenly bridegroom delayeth his coming Mat. 25.5 so long the gate of grace and forgiveness is open A man's whole life even the last hour of it is granted for space to repent in Isai 65.2 The Lord stretcheth forth his hand all the day long Joh. 6.37 nor does he cast out any that cometh unto him at what time soever he come Have a care therefore that thy repentance be true and sincere and thou needst not fear it will be too late If when death approaches thou therefore repent because thou art deprived of opportunities to sin that is a false repentance for thus thou leavest not thy sins but they leave thee If thou therefore repent because thou seest the punishment of thy sins near that is also a false repentance for it proceeds from a love of thy self not from a sincere love of God It proceeds not from the hatred of sin but from the irksomness of a most just punishment Therefore that thou maist truly and heartily repent grieve for thy sins so often committed and therefore grieve because thou hast so often and so grievously offended a most gracious God by them In Christ seek for pardon of thy sins and firmly resolve to employ the remainder of thy life wholly in the service of God submit thy self to God and be humbled in thy heart before him permit to his will what and how great punishments a thousand times deserved he will inflict on thee that it may appear thou repentest out of an hatred to thy sin and not to thy punishment Such a contrite and humbled soul will be a most acceptable sacrifice to God for so he saith by the Prophet Psal 51.19 Isai 66.2 To whom will I look but to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and that trembleth at my word Doubting of the grace of God Tempted I feel in my heart indeed a deep contrition and sorrow for my sins nor do I altogether despair of the mercy of God but in the mean time my heart is shaken with the waves of doubts nor am I yet certain of the free pardon of my sins I hope well indeed but in the mean time I humbly doubt The consideration of God's mercy raiseth me up but the thought of my unworthiness presseth me down again I am turned to God and therefore I hope well I turn but late therefore in part I doubt still Comforter But I will put under thy staggering faith such strong props as whereon thou maist lean against all the storms of doubtings For that doubting is not an humble confession of our unworthiness but a dangerous opposing the faith we owe to God's promises nor is there any reason strong enough why we should doubt in late conversion and repentance seeing the divine clemency doth offer a most certain promise of remission of sins to all that heartily repent Attend first therefore to the immoveable truth of all God's promises Whosoever confessing and grieving for their sins seek for pardon of them in Christ and make a firm purpose of amendment of life to them hath God promised his grace forgiveness of sins and eternal life Joh. 13.15 Whosoever believeth in the son shall not perish but have everlasting life vers 18. 1 Joh. 5.12 Mark 16.16 He that believeth in him is not condemned He that hath the son hath eternal life He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved He that hath promised these things is God whose word is firmer than heaven and earth who is truth it self 2 Tim. 2.11 who is faithful and cannot deny himself or his word What therefore God offers with undoubted promises thou must accept with an undoubted faith and there is no reason thou shouldst object the infirmity of thy Nature which cannot embrace the promises with so great assurance of reliance for this is a fault of thy Nature which should be amended by the efficacy of the holy Spirit As thou believest not in Christ by thy natural strength but by the working of the holy Ghost so by the grace of the same Spirit thou maist be ascertained of the mercy of the heavenly Father against all inherent doubtings of corrupt nature 1 Joh. 5.10 He that believeth not God hath made him a liar As much as thou doubtest so much thou losest of thy faith thou must therefore resist that doubting which is not to be set off with the specious name of humility for humility ought to rise from the consideration of our unworthiness and yet in the mean time never the less a firmness of trust ought to arise from the meditation of God's promises Therefore hath God come forth from the secret throne of his Majesty