perfect works as any man yet he confesseth he was not perfect Phil. 3. 12. so likewise here we know but in part 1 Cor. 13. 10. perfection is not yet come in the world to come it may come Heb 12. there we read of the spirits of just and perfect men then men are made perfect but they are not perfect in this life I answer 't is true therefore there is a double perfection First A perfection Answer of degrees to be perfectly perfect and so no man can be perfect by any perfection inherent indeed the Covenant of works requires this perfection but the Covenant of grace doth not indeed when we come to glory there shall be this perfection but not in this life in this life the Lord only subdues our sins but casts them not into the bottom of the Sea til the life to come therefore this perfection cannot be looked for upon earth Therefore secondly There is another perfection and that is a perfection by way of sincerity and uprightnesse Job 1. 1. Job was a perfect and upright man Now this perfection differs from the other five wayes the perfection God requires in the Gospel from that in the Law First The Law stands upon performances as well as the will and desire The difference between Legal and Evangelical Perfection and a man is not perfect unlesse he perform all as well as desire to doe it But now the perfection of the Gospel is without these performances indeed that man labours for as many performances as he can but it may be onely by desires Rom. 7. 18. Paul was perfect by Evangelical Perfection he was upright before God yet he could not reach performances no he had a will to be good he did unfeignedly desire to be godly and serve God in every thing unfeignedly endeavouring after godly courses yet could not attain to that which he did desire So it was with Nehemiah and all the good people of God Nehem. 1. 11. O Lord I beseech thee lot thine ear be attenâ—ive tâ— the prayers of thy servants who desire to fear thy name He could hardly say that he did perform it but he did desire it he could hardly say he did love and obey God and doe his will but this he would say he did desire to doe it and unfeignedly desire it as Solomon saith Prov. 21. 21. He that followeth after righteousnesse and mercy findeth life He doth not say he that reacheth in he cannot reach it may be but he that followeth after it shall have life it is a sign that he hath the life of justification and that he shall have the life of glory Secondly The perfection of the Law it stands upon quantities as well as upon qualities truth it is not satisfied though a man be never so truly holy and religious unless man hath quantities and is so much holy But now the perfection of the Gospel indeed it will have as much quantity as a man can but yet it will stand with truth though a man hath not that quantity of humiliation and self-denial and power against sin yet if he have it in truth he is Evangelically perfect in some measure he is sincere and upright before God as Solomon saith of his Father 1 Kings 13. 6. M. Father had great mercy according as he walked before thee in truth He doth not say he walked before thee in legal perfection he was perfectly righteous but he was truly righteous he was humble in truth and godly in truth and zealous in truth he had none of all these things to the utmost yet he walked before thee in truth So Josh 24. 14. Fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth He doth not say serve him as if you should doe every thing he commands but doe it in truth and sincerity Now sincerity is when there is no commandement but a man sets himselfe to doe it there is no sin but he labours to avoid it and there is no right manner but he sets himself to doe it in the right manner to his power this is the perfection of the Gospel Thirdly The perfection of the Law stands upon full measure whether a man have power or no that is nothing to the purpose the law will have all holiness and righteousness whether a man hath power or no But now the perfection of the Gospel by way of sincerity it looks at what measure God hath given and bestowed and no more but what God hath given and enabled a man to doe as you may see the Lord doth not require the gain of ten talents when he gave but five nor the gain of five when he gave but two the widows two mites were accepted and taken for a good and sincere gift because she gave all that she had Luke 21. 4. as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that a man hath not The law will have perfection whether a man hath power or no or else it will damn a man but in the Gospel a man may say as Peter to the lame man Silver and gold have I none but such as I have that give I thee Lord such a memory and such parts and gifts have I not but such as I have that give I thee according to that measure of knowledge I have according to that grace I have I will give it thee If a man can say thus he is accepted not according to that he hath not but according to that he hath as it was in the law of Moses Levit. 5. 6 7. Atrespasse-â—ffering should be a lamb or a kid but if a man were not able to give that then two turtle doves or two young pigeons if he be not able to give that let him give two or three handfuls of fine flowre Levit. 5. 11. So Levit. 14. 20. Let him give according at he can get he shall be accepted according to that This is the perfection of the Gospel according to the help and assistance God gives a man and according to the means God affordâ— a man it shall be accepted Fourthly The perfection of the law admits of no failings if a man fails no matter though it be out of infirmity the law condemns him the law requires perfection without failings but the perfection of the Gospel by way of sincerity admits of failings as the best gold hath his allowances so it is with a true Christian he may be sincere and upright though he hath a thousand failings as it is said of David 1 Kings 15. 5. He did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord in all things but onely in the moâ—ter of Uriah That indeed would not stand with sincerity his sincerity was quite in a swoâ—m then that could not stand with sincerity if he had gone on to sin in that fashion he could not have been sincere but in all other things he did that which
will be all up at the first and will go out though they never go to the journeys end it is with a new convert at his setting out towards heaven as it was with the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt there was a mixed multitude went up with them Exod. 12. 38. why the plagues of God had wrought upon many of the Egyptians and they would go up with them but they would not go into the land of Canaan but returned back again the true Israelites that were affected truly they only went into the Land of Canaan â— but a mixed company went up with them so when a man sets forth towards heaven there is a mixed company in that mans bosome goeth along with him mixed joy and fear and hope and even corrupt nature is raised up at first for you must think the fears of God lying upon the soul and the newness of Religion he was in hell before now he is in heaven that will raise up even corrupt nature for a time a man will seem to be so affected and so lively now after a while these mercenary Souldiers this mixed company go back again and leave nothing but the bâ—re sanctified affections and now the man seems to be deader then he was as if he had lost all and may be he complains he is not the man he was he was thus and thus moved before and enlarged to good duties now he is down the wind I say this doth not follow it is even as if a man that hath bought a bushel of pease at the Market when they are shell'd and the pods are off and none but the bare pease left should complain he hath less then he had at first so it is here there is nothing gone but the meer trash and husks when a man is first converted there is a great deal of trash with it a great deal of corrupt nature that will leave a man in the lurch afterwards yet it follows not but the man hath the same sanctified affections he had formerly Secondly Violent commotions may stir a man and make him seem to 2. Violent Commotions be more affected then he is there are many seem to be full of life whereas if they were searched to the bottome there is nothing but violent commotions that will come to nothing a child of God at first setting out may be marvellously quickned stirred and seem to be mighty zealous and fervent when in truth the greatest part of this is nothing but violent commotions aâ— little grace will seem a great deal when there are these violent stirrings this man will make a greater shew then the same godly man afterwards when he hath more grace a great deal as James and John seemed to be very zealous Luke 9. 54. as zealous as Elias you will say were they not affected when they saw the Samaritans would not receive Christ oh thought they they deserve to be burnt down to the ground Wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven to consume them as Elias did they could have been content to have fired whole Towns that would not receive Christ you will say this is admirable but these were nothing but violent commotions now when Christ had stilled these violent commotions will you say they were grown cold and dead and not so lively as formerly you know the torrent though it run not so violently as in a great flood yet still it runs so it is here may be a godly Minister at his first entrance puts forth himself more and preaches as if he would fly in the face of the ungodly afterwards he preacheth more gently and evenly shall we say he is grown more dull and dead and not so well affected as before no he may be more affected so for a private Christian it may be so soon as ever God turned his heart and inclined him towards his heavenly Kingdom and made him look out for the good of his soul we shall have hm pray with such violence and such extended passages he will reach forth himself in the confession of sin as if he would trample upon himself and in his petitioning for grace as if he would wrestle with God and in his acknowledging of Gods goodness as if he were affected more then thousand Christians besides but afterwards when he comes to have his eyes better enlightned to see what a deal of froth was in these things and how dead he is in regard of true saving life now he begins to be ashamed of himself he doth not lay them down but he would have them in more truth Now shall we say this man is more dead and lesse affected then he was before no but this man hath less violent commotions Thirdly Indiscretion will make a man seem to be more affected then indeed 3. Indiscretion he is as a godly man that is rash and indiscreet let this man reprove a sin he will be so zealous and earnest nay he will be so cholerick that if you do not yeild presently he is in a combustion afterwards when God gives him more knowledge of his waies and more discretion to reprove sin he will not be so cholerick and in such a passion hath this man lost his affections now no this doth not follow he may keep his affections still and it may be hates sin a thousand times more then he did before but he goes another way to work and deals more composedly and gravely and zealously for the good of the mans soul as when Paul saw the Philippians so loving in the midst of all his afflictions and sufferings for the Gospels sakâ— sending him so many hundred miles a great present to relieve him in his necessity what doth he do doth he bid them abate their love no eu 〈…〉 use in it more and more saith he but let it be with knowledge and judgment Phil. 1. 9. a man that is of a loving nature when he hath pared off all foolish charity and all vain and proud charity whereby he doth things out of pride ostentation and vanity as he will do when he comes to have more understanding if he do not discern and compare himself with the word of God he may seem to abate in his love but he is not less loving but more judicious So Samuel at first he was so zealous against Saul when he had sinned against Gods commandment that he would not stay with him by any means no saith he you have rejected the word of the Lord when Saul confessed his sins and entreated him to stay and was very earnest no by no means what stay with a wretch that hath rejected the word of the Lord 1 Sam. 15. 26. yet afterwards he did stay will you say now Samuel was grown cold and less affected against sin no but he was more judicious he begun to consider certainly if I do not stay it will be a disparagement to the Lords anointed I may disparage the Lords ordinance and
me understanding and I shall keep thy Law as who should say if ever any man doth sâ—n against thy Law it is because he doth not understand himselfe therefore 〈◊〉 see how eager he is that God would give him understanding that he miâ—ht understand his wayes and understand what his will is that so â—e 〈…〉 ht do it that he might understand it savingly powerfully and deliver his Law into his heart God delivers his Law into every manâ— heart but saith he grant me thy Law graciously he prays that Psal 119. 29. God would not only deliver his Law to his understanding but in a gracious manner â—a man nevâ—â— sins against God but his understanding is deceived when we are proud we are deceived for we think too well of of our selves when we are worldly we are deceived for we think the world is better then it is so when we are dead to good duties we are deceived for we look upon Gods wayes and ordinances as if they were not such admirable things it is through the deceitfulness of our understandings that we give way to sin Now if our understandings were strengthened we should be fenced against the deceivableness of sin that when the Devil comes with his delusions and the temptations of the flesh with false colours to put us upon sin the understanding would be strong and see the weakness of all such reasons every man follows reason reason is a strong thing and leads all the world no man doth any thing but he hath some reason for it the worldly man hath some though not true reason why he is so carnal he is afraid he shall not know how to live therefore we should be earnest with God to strengthen our understandings that we may see the baseness and beggery and folly of all such vile reasons as these if the understanding were sound it were a marvellous strong thing A wise man is strong yea a man of knowledge encreaseth strongly Prov. 24. 5. Therefore I say we should labour to have sound understandings that God would give us to know his Word as it is and to look upon things as they are that the world may not seem to be otherwise then it is and our names and credit or any thing in the world may not seem to be more beautiful then they are that we may look upon things in their own colours that we may have light if we had the light that comes from above we should be marvellous strong as Paul saith Let us put on the Armour of light So Heb. 10. 32. saith he After Rom. 13. 12. you were enlightned you endured a great fight of affliction When they had true light come into their hearts that they durst not be impatient then though they had mighty afflictions upon them they endured them they had light come in they could not rise up against God if our knowledge were strong our corruptions would be weak our carnal hearts would be weak we should not be so able to goe against God and his commandements I can doe nothnig against the truth saith Paul why he had a strong light he saw so clearly that it was the truth of God and it 2 Cor. 13. 8. was the way to be damned for ever to goe against it and he saw so clearly what an admirable thing the truth was that he could do nothing against it as Joseph saith How can I commit this great wickedness c He had such a light and so saw the nature of the evil that he durst not do it for a Gen. 39. 9. world the understanding is a very strong thing see it in that which is in wicked wretches what a deal of strength hath that little knowledge of God that is in their hearts when a wicked man knowes that his courses are of the Devil and he is informed and reads it in the Word of God he knows his wayes are condemned of God I tell you this knowledge keeps a great deal of stir in his heart and makes his conscience afraid and sometimes qualms come over his heart and sometimes makes him resolve I will be a drunkard and adulterer no more it makes him that he cannot goe so freely about his wicked courses Mark 6. 20. When Herod knew John Baptist was a godly man this made him fear him So when Saul knew assuredly that David should be King though he went out to destroy him he let him goe nay a very persecutor if he knows they be the people of God he persecutes it will make his very heart ake and will make him give over his persecution except he be marvellous strong Isa 11. 9. Why how will God bridle persecutors The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. There shall be such a deal of knowledge that they shall not be able to hurt in my holy mountain nay this knowledge may make wicked men mightily to deny themselves Balaam though he was greedy after riches and preferment yet when he knew that it was Gods mind that he he should not curse Israel he should provoke God saith he If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold I cannot goe beyond the word of the Lord c. Nay knowledge may work Reformation After they escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 2. 20. Now if knowledge be such a thing where it is not rooted soundly in the mind then how strong would it be if we did get our understandings soundly informed if we would get knowledge rooted in us the very knowledge that God hath commanded us to serve him and fear him that he hath revealed his wrath from Heaven upon all disobedience that Christ is the Saviour of the world it would strengthen us against sin and to doe good therefore let us labour to have strong minds Secondly Let us labour to have a strong will as David had Psalm 119. 15 16. I will meditate in thy precepts I will delight my selfe in thy statutes I will not forget thy word You see how absolutely he is set upon it I will do thus and thus and I will not do the contrary this is a strong Will and therefore you see what admirable things he could do because his Will was strong what is the reason people are so weak they cannot resist sin they cannot give over such a lust they cannot get life and quickning in prayer and other duties if an Enemy come they cannot put it up if affliction come they cannot bear it patiently if they are called to stand for God they cannot put off carnal fears this is the weakness of our Wills if our Wills were absolutely set that way we should be marvellous strong and break through all oppositions all the strength of a man lies in the Will of a man if a mans Will be set upon a thing he will go through fire and water he will do it therefore we should labour that our Wills may be
that maintaines for matters of Faith and walks for matters of manners according to the Scriptures Now if a Church hath no better mark then Antiquity it is a false Church Another mark of a false Church is universality when they have no other 2. Universality mark to shew but that the most are of their side they can shew the greatest bulk if you go and count there is most of their number a great deal this is a sure mark of a false Church yet the Church of Rome makes use of this mark for they consute our marks of a true Church and will have multitudes to be their mark and by this we may see they are Antichrist Rev. 13. 12. so Rev. 13. 8. All that dwell upon the earth whose names were not written in the book of the Lamb worshipped the beast the reprobate are the greatest part of the world now here he saith all that dwell upon the earth almost shall worship the Beast if this were the mark of a true Church Christ had miscounted himself when he counted his flock a little flock Luke 12. 32. Fear not little flock c. And again he saith Strive to enter in at the straight gate c. He describes a true Church by the fewness and not by the universality of it therefore what a madness is this to make universality a note of a true Church Thirdly Another is succession of Pastors from the Apostles times to this 3. Succession of Pastors very day this they make a mark of a true Church O say they we can shew succession down from Peter here at Rome even to this day The Protestants are not able to shew this this is a poor mark Caiâ—phas that condemned Christ could shew succession from Aaron so a Church may be a Church that renounceth Christ and is an Antichristian Church and yet may shew succession and other Churches as Alexandria and others can shew succession as well as Rome so that succession of Pastors is nothing unless they can shew succession of Doctrine Fourthly Unity They make that to be a mark of the true Church and 4. Unity this is a false mark too others say they have not unity among them but we have unity thus you may as well prove the Divels in Hell to be a Church for there is unity as our Saviour saith If Satan be divided against Satan how can his Kingdom stand so Acts 4. 27. you may see what an unity was there they were all of one knot and one mind there was a marvellous great unity among them all to condemn Christ the Church must be proved to be a true Church before unity can be brought to be any sign of it for the more unity is in a wicked way the more hellish is the conspiracy Fifthly Miracles is a note of a false Church now the Papists say We 5. Miracles can shew miracles for our Religion where can you shew miracles Christ saith we may know Antichrist and his adherents by this Mat. 24. 24. there shall arise false Christs c. False Christs and such as make as though they were Christians and the people of God and come to you in the name of the Lord and they may shew you signs and wonders to make you believe them but they are the Divels signs and they shall be very strong to delude the world so 2 Thes 2. 9. the Apostle shews us that the coming of Antichrist shall be after this manner therefore no marvel that they plead signs and wonders and apparitions of the dead from their doctrine of the Mass and Purgatory and prayers for the dead c. this is an argument that their Church is Antichristian that which is a true Church according to the Scripture needs no new miracles therefore Calvin and Luther that propounded nothing but the truth of the Scripture they need bring no miracles to confirm it if indeed they had brought any new doctrines of their own heads they had need to have brought miracles to confirm them but when they brought nothing but what they could prove out of the Scripture Scripture-miracles were enough to prove this Sixthly Another mark is pompe and stateliness a Church may come to 6. Pompe and stateliness have no other mark but this that it is a goodly and stately Church a pompous kind of serving God things are set ouâ— pompously this is rather an argument of an Antichristian Church for the Kingdom of Christ is not of this world and that which is highly esteemed amongst men is abonimable in the sight of God Lastly They make outward prosperity and happiness to be a mark of 7. Outward happiness and prosperity the true Church of God but this is rather a mark of a Synagogue of Satan For all that live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution 2 Tim. 3. 12. And if any man will be my Disciple saith Christ let him take up his cross and follow me I say the Kingdom of Christ is not of this world therefore prosperity and felicity is not a sign of a Church of God thus we see that a Church that was once a true Church of God may come to be no true Church they may lose all the true notes of a Church of God and have no other notes but such as prove it to be no true Church but rather a Church of Infidels and unbelievers The first reason is because the Church of God is Catholique that is Reas 1. Because the Church is Catholique it is not tied and pent up in any place God may carry it where he will he may set up his Church in what Country and Town and Family he will and choose what particular person in the whole world he will God is not tied to any therefore when the Jews bore themselves upon this that they were the Church and Gods Ordinances and Oracles were appropâ—iated to them they came at the first hour of the day at the first hand but if the Gentiles were a Church it was but at the second hand they came but at the eleventh hour he takes up a parable Mat. 20. and saith they that are last shall be first c. and he gives a reason shall I not do what I will with mine own so God may do with his Ordinances and gifts and graces of his spirit he may bestow them where he will he may give his Gospel to a Kingdom and take it away at his pleasure and he may stay as long as he will and be gone when he will Secondly God doth not need any place any people though a place be 2. God needs no place or persons never so glorious and stately and though it be never so admirable a Church God doth not need that Nation but if it grow maleâ—ert and stiffe and stubborn against him the Lord will make them know he hath no need of them and cares not for them as the Jews when they bore themselves upon this that they were
dayes he could not chuse but be scorned and derided but what cared he he would be a just man and was perfect in his generation though it were a devillish generation yet he was an upright man and would not doe as the world did but he would draw near to God and walk with him from day to day So it is said of Job Job 1. 2. That he was an upright and perfect man though Job lived in a blind corner out of the Church and setting aside 304 generally the whole Countrey were Heathens and Pagans and he was as an Owl in the Desart yet he would not doe as the world did but keep himself to God So Luke 1. 6. Zachary and Elizabeth were both righteous before God c. You know the times were then very bad and all the devotion that went for currant was nothing but to be zealous of humane inventions and traditions and worshipping God after the imaginations of men this was the holiness of the world yet the Text saith this man and his wife would be righteous before God and walked in all the Ordinances of God blameless not in the Ordinances of the Scribes and Pharisees but they were righteous before God and walked in all the Ordinances of God blameless Then this may serve to reprove these dayes and times and places of Vse 1. Reproof ours where we live where are hardly any upright people we may say of them as the Prophet Micah said of his time Micah 7. 2. The good man is perished off the earth As who should say we had a great company of godly and holy people religious Ministers painful in their places and abundance of private Christians faithful before the Lord but now there is hardly an upright man there are so many drunkards and adulterers so many unclean persons so many covetous there are so many mockers and enemies to sincerity so many complementers with God so many ignorant nay willingly ignorant though they live under the means of knowledge so many that have a form of golinesse but deny the power thereof so many that are come to the birth but have no strength to bring forth they will never come to be godly indeed there are so many that are dead-hearted and never were quickned by Jesus Christ nor endued with the life of the spirit of grace that we may say as Solomon saith A faithful man who shall finde Prov. 20. 6. Many fathers we have among us but a faithful father who shall finde that doth discharge his duty towards his children many Masters we may finde but who carries himself towards his servants as he ought to doe so we have many in place of Authority that might stand for God and hinder sin and doe some good in their places but a faithful man who shall finde but here one and there one rare birds and they are the offscouring of the world and are hated and mocked and persecuted so we have a great many that have gotten a great deal of light God hath awakened their consciences and made them see their miserable condition but a faithful man that doth discharge a good conscience in that place wherein he is that carries himself uprightly under the means of grace under the Word under the preaching of it under Gods Ordinances such a man where shall we finde as David saith Psalm 12. 1. Help Lord c. He had occasion through the persecution of Sâ—ul to travel thorough the most of the Towns of Israel and all were so loose and licentious and carnall and worldly and serving the times and pleasing and humouring the Court he saw the Countrey so empty of goodness that he prayeth Help Lord c. and as the Lord saith Isa 1. 21. How is the faithful City become an Harlot c. So we may say How is the faithful City become an harlot a faithful Town that hath had the Word sincerely taught that hath had many walking sincerely in obedience according to the Word in some measure and hath set up the power of the Word in their Families but what is become of them there was judgement and righteousnesse but now where is it there was truth and truth could have abode but now it can have no admittance But how may we complain that our faithful Countrey is become an harlot I doe not speak of Papists and Turks and Pagans but of the Church of God the faithful are diminished from among the sons of men Secondly This may serve to humble the best of all Gods children it Vse 2. Humility may serve to ashame us before God to think what a deal of corruption is in our hearts if David might complain of himself how much more may we Lord saith he thou dost require truth in the inward parts Psal 51. 6. As who should say Lord how far am I from it who would ever have thought that Davids heart should so play fast and loose that ever he should sâ— abuse Vriah his faithful servant that ever he should so abuse Bathsheba that good woman and bring her to sin If David himself may thus complain how much more may we complain and loath our selves for the deal of rottenness that is in our hearts O what windlings and fetches are there Austin himself saith I can hardly tell when to believe my own heart so I say what a company of windings and turnings and tricks and startingâ—oles are there in the hearts of Gods people sometimes we are ready to think we have the good we have not and what evasions have we to put off any good duty if we have not a minde to doe it what put offs what tricks to slip our neck out of the collar if we doe not like it what a company of deceits are in the heart So what a company of slights to doe evil such a company of blindinâ—s and besottings and carnal reasons and foolish arguments as if we did well in doing it whereas it is but the falseness of our hearts As Mr. Hearn saith It is better for a man to be delivered up to the Devil then to his own heart We read of a man delivered up to Satan as Paul saith and yet we read that that man was brought home again but we never read of any man brought home that was delivered up to the corruptions of his own heart therefore if God hath made us see the falsenesse of our own hearts and made us humble our selves before him for it and made us to endeavour more and more aâ—ter sincerity what a mercy of God is this but the people of God have cause to comâ—lain of the falseness of their hearts Thirdly Is it so that we must be upright then let this serve to exhort us that we would be upright more and more for this is that which the Lord doth look for and especially look for What though we should do things never so good for the matter yet if we do them not with an upright heart all is nothing though
other doth not now this coming is by faith and this we have here in the text He that cometh unto me c. Now before I come to handle this point I must premise something concerning faith Namely that it is not only a bare assent of the minde that all good things are in Christ but it is a confidence for the having of all the good things that are in him it is not only the first act of faith Namely an assent to the truths of the Gospel that God hath put all treasures of eternal life in his Son this I will not speak of because all both Papists and Protestants agree in this that faith is an assent of the minde this is a controversie on neither side therefore I will omit it But it is the second part or act of faith which is the believing that in the Lord Jesus Christ he shall have eternal life which is an act of the heart and this is that which I will stand upon it is a confidence in God and Christ for all good things when a man doth not only believe that all the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ but when a man doth fiducially and confidencially bear himself and rest upon Christ for all these things he comes to Christ for all good he looks for this I will prove to be an act of a justifying faith and that I may not be mistaken I will distinguish 3. Confidence in natural man 1. In the power of God There is a confidence in the power of God a natural man may believe the power of God and yet not have a justifying faith all that had miraculous faith did believe the power of God but the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13. 2. If I had all faith that is all miraculous faith even to the removing of mountaines without charity it were nothing Secondly there is an unrooted confidence of the will which may be in a natural 2. Unrooted in the will man as a natural man may believe that Christ is the only hope of Glory the only way the Truth and the Life the only one for whose sake he shall be accepted as he may assent to this so he may have a kinde of unrooted confidence in these things which may procure a great deal of peace to his conscience this is that which Divines call a temporary faith Mat. 13. for a time they do believe c. A natural man may not only believe Christ but believe in Christ in some sense truly he cannot but in an unrooted manner there may be such an act put forth though it be not rooted in the heart this you may see John 2. 23 24. Many believed on Christ saith the text yet he would not commit himself unto them he would not trust them with mercy and grace and favour he would not trust them in regard of his own body and safety they were not right for all that and yet they did not only believe Christ but in some sense and in an unrooted manner they believed on Christ therefore there is not only a firme assent to the truth which may be in a natural man but also some kind of confidence Thirdly there is a presumptuous confidence in God and Christ for salvation 3. Presumptuous which the workers of iniquity may have they may not only believe the general truths of the Gospel but have some kind of confidence in Christ though not so good as the former for that reformes a man and makes him follow Christ till persecution come and may be in persecution too till he be weary but this is not so good you shall have a drunkard a prophane person he hath confidence in Christ that God heares his prayers accepts his duties and will provide for him our Saviour Christ speaks of such Matth. 7. 22. He tells us of many that shall be confident in him how they have done wonderful works in his Name and eate and drank in his presence and have heard him preach in their streets and yet are but workers of iniquity I do not mean this neither these are but false confidences Now there are two godly considences gracious ones such as are only in Gods 2. Confidence in the godly 1. Special perswasion of Gods love Elect and not in all Gods Elect neither but only in such as are effectually called and yet come not within this definition of faith The first is that full special perswasion of the heart a man may have true justifying faith though he never attaine to this for justifying faith is a confidence in Christ for justification now this special and full perswasion of the heart is not only an affiance in Christ for justification it doth not only apprehend Christ for justification but it apprehends justification it self now this must needs be after justifying a man must needs be justified before he can confidently apprehend justification he must first be justified before he can say he is justified the object must be before the act Thus it goeth justifying faith must needs be before justification and justification must be before the sense and feeling of justification before a man can feel and apprehend he is justified the cause goeth before the effect in order of nature for a man is justified by faith Now if a man know he is justified then the thing must be true before he knows it is so now here they differ that faith is a confident apprehending of Christ for justification and this full special perswasion of the heart is not only a confident apprehending of Christ for justification but an apprehending of justification it self Now true justifying faith may be without this Job 13. 15. Though he kill me yet I will trust in him That is suppose that I were at an utter losse that I knew not whether God will slay me yet slay me or not slay me perish or not perish I will trust in him Imagine God deliver me up and will none of me yet though he kill me I will trust in him I do not say I am at this losse that he will kill me blessed be God I am not in this case but if I were at this losse that he would kill me for ought I knew yet I would trust in him so that we see this confidence may be without this full perswasion of heart Secondly there is another good confidence that comes not within this definition 2. A constant expectation of faith and that is a constant expectation and this is the daughter of faith Ephes 3. 12. This confidence whereby the soul hopes in God differs from the confidence of faith for this confidence is an effect of faith it is by faith Now these two differ thus the confidence of hope is that which a man hath for the future having of those things that for the present a man believes now the confidence of faith is the confident apprehending of Christ for the having of them John 3. 36. He that believeth in