these had faith and kept it to the death and yet as the Apostle here witnesseth they all notwithstanding that died how is it then that Christ saith If any man keep my sayings he shall never see death Oh how mysterious is the word of God Answ and what a riddle to fleshly wisedom and humane â—nse It 's to be believed and held for true by faith not to be judged of as true or false by the verdict of our sense certainly both Christ and his Apostles said the truth he that keeps his sayings shall not see death and yet these that kept his sayings for before Aâ—â—ahâ—m was Christ was and his sayings they were that he received did all die yea the Apostle here hints a solution to that doubt of the appearing contradiction in them when he saies these all dâ—d in faith for in this very thing that they died in faith they were so preseryed that they did not see death for this very faâ—h in which they died carried them above sense and took their eye off from death and set it upon life so that they saw souâ—d felt experimented life in death even when they dâ—ed according to the flâ—â—h yet the then lived in their spirits their bodies did but sleep in death while their spâ—its lived above death being made partakers of Jesus Christ as he word of God to be made flesh who is the resurrection and the life and the very death of death putting it to death they passed through the shadow of it but they saw not felt not found 〈…〉 of it they saw God in their death and the sight of him â—o â—ook up and filled their eye that they could not see death Or 2. they saw not that death that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for ever for indeed that is death and worthy the name of death the second death the other the first death Rom 3.12 the condemnation that came by the first man upon all men that spent it sell upon Christ being by the wise and mercifull God â—a slated upon him 2 Tim. 1.10 and he hath abolished it so in and by himself that nothing but the carcasse and shadow of it abideth for us to see or grapple with so that he that sees but it sees not death properly but only the shadow and shell of it Its life power and proper vigour is by the death of Christ swallowed up abolished and gone he then that never sees the second death sees not death for there is no other death by way of punishment of man for his sinne that 's propeâ—y death but it remaming and that hath no power upon Christ or any in him the just shall live by faith in the midst of the shadow of the other death and he shall live out of the way and danger of this second death he shall never be hurt of it either by the bearing it or fearing it his faith shall keep him from the first and being exercised carry him through and above the second and he shall never be overcome or over-powred by it thence blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection Rev. 20.6 that hath part in Christ the first begotten from the dead the resurrection and the life that in their spirits are raised with him and shall have their bodies raised with the just at his glorious appearing Seeing then that we must all needs die Appliâ— and that 's our portion in the flesh and there is a way by which we may so die as not to see death viz. to die in faith what wisedom is it to take that course that we may so die that we may see no death when we die feel no sting in death finde it but a shadow that hath no deadly substance in it nay rather finde it lighted with the glory of eternall life seen and tasted through it that we may see life in death a life beyond above and without death Oh how terrible is death to men when they see death in it when they experiment and feel a sting in it the sting of a self-condemning conscience and the pricks of the second death in the first death When they see death and nothing but death when life is hid from their eyes and so their hearts and thoughts die within them together with or before their bodies when they die full of despair strangers from and hopelesse of ever finding the life of God that will be a black griesly day to a soul that sees not life in it what need then to cry to God here so to teach us to number our daies that we may apply our hearts to Wisedom the wisedom of God in its sayings reproofs counsels cals that it powring out its spirit upon us and opening its precious words to us we may be filled with faith and courage and be in such a state as in which to see no death that we may so believe and live in and by faith in the power and exercise of it that in all our dying conditions yea when we come to breath out our souls we may die in faith die according to faith and not according to sense Even some believers not living and dying in an exercise of faith are many times filled with sorrow fears faintings especially in their dying cases because they judge not and so die not according to faith they judge according to sense they feeling pain and feeling temptations and seeing griesly things represented to them by Satan they are affrighted and rerrified at them though they be false illusions whereas exercising faith and so judging according to it they are carried above and get the victory over sense and temptation Let us therefore so follow on after wisedom that her words may dwell richly in us that her spirit may be a spirit of faith in us that we may live in faith and have a living exercise of faith in all conditions so shall we also dying have our hearts born up by faith and shall be enabled to lay down our tabernacle with peace and joy as that will leade us and not with trouble as sense would carry us and unbelief affright us while we judge of God and Christ life and death sinne and righteousnesse according to faith and not according to carnall sense and philosophicall speculations we shall be from seeing death when we die yea shall finde and feel life in the shadow of death according to that Joh. 5.24 He that heareth my Word and believeth on him that sent me hath eternall life and shall not come into judgement but is passed from death to life and that Joh. 11.25 26. I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live and he that liveth and believeth shall never die Those all died in faith Faith Ay but what is faith and how may a man come by it Object The Apostle in this Chapter Heb. 11.1 tels us what it is Answ It 's 〈◊〉
and embraced by them the discerning of divine truths as propounded is a means to perswasion and so to believing Joh. 6.40 Every one that sees the Son and believes on him c and is it self augmented and flows in more upon the soul through believing but is not it self faith without perswasion nor can it be so called these worthies in their faith saw and were perswaded they were not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Children of unperswasibleness disobedient to the heavenly vision like men that see things at a distance presented to them but yet cannot be perswaded they are indeed the things they seem to be because they know not how or which way such things should come there and they must have their reason satisfied in that or else they will think it 's an illusion and strong misapprehension in their senses No it is not so with faith though they saw but afarre off yet they were perswaded of the truth and certainty of what was shewed them and of what in that shewing they did see In which they differed from many that now though they have the Gospel more nearly clearly and plainly presenting the things of God to them yet they are not perswaded of them they see such things affirmed but cannot think they are so as they seem to be affirmed of they exalt their reason and cannot deny themselves and be willing to become fools to follow the word of God and to come to its sayings they have many questions nauseously lie upon their stomacks through the exercise of their fleshly wisedom of which they are sick and in which they must be fore-satisfied or else they cannot be perswaded like Nicodemus How can this and that be Can a man enter into his mothers womb again and be born a second time or like old Zachary how can persons so stricken in years have the prâ—mise of a childe made good unto them or those in the wildernesse Can God prepare a table c. But so it is not with faith it saies not Rom. 10.6 7. Who shall ascend up into heaven to fetch down Christ or Who shall descend into the deep to bring him up it raises not up questions it stumbles not through its reasonings but is perswaded through the consideration of Gods authority They were perswaded and yet it rests not there neither but as it follows of these holy ones 3. They embraced them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and saluting or kissing them ay this is the completive intrâ—nsecall act of faith the faith which the just do live by It 's not a bare sight and perswasion but such as in which the heart liketh and closeth with the things presented and whereof they are perswaded It 's possible a man may see and be perswaded of truth and yet not like but hate it not salute and embrace it but turn his back upon it and reject it Mat. 21.38 some were perswaded that Christ was the heir yet were so far from embracing him that they added Come let us kill him even so many a man when he sees a truth which reproves his way and is not for his turn his lust purpose or design though he see and be perswaded it's true yet his heart loves it not but boggles against it he cannot like to entertain it the young man that came to Christ Mat. 19.22 could not nor did object against Christs doctrine nay it seems he was in some measure perswaded it was true why else should it have troubled him and made him sad had he given no credit to it it would never have come so near his heart he would lightlier have got rid of it but yet he could not embrace or welcome it though there was a precious promise set before him yet he could not like it upon those terms on which it was propounded it was not his case alone many could like to have the happinesse promised in the Gospel and are perswaded that upon such and such terms they might and should have it who yet not liking those terms do not embrace it like Boaz his kinsman Ruth 4 4 6. he could like to have redeemed Naomies lands till he came to see the terms that it would spoil his own inheritance and upon these terms he would none of it many would own and embrace truth were it not that it would spoil them of their self-interests if it leade them not to such self-deniall But this divine faith here spoken of carries the heart above those stumbles and makes it with chearfullnesse and joy to welcome the glorious grace and promised portion that truth presents it upon its own terms It so acts the will and affections too that they like what the soul sees in truth and is perswaded of and take it home and give it the best entertainment they possibly can it unites the soul unto the promise and the promise findes a subsistence in the soul It 's as a march that God hath propounded and the soul accepts it upon Gods terms owns loves sides with and rejoices in it upon which follows 4. They confessed themselves strangers and pilgrims in the earth thereby declaring plainly that they seek a countrey Here we have faith compleated inwardly in its own essence further perfecting it self in its fruit and operation as the tree may be said to be perfected in its bearing fruit Here 's an inward hope and expectation of the thing promised and in that a seeking after it a countrey another and a better state a new heaven and a new earth Act. 3.21 that 's the ultimate thing promised the state of restauration of all things and therein the full enjoyment of God now through faith that is through the word of promise seen 1 Pet. 1.3 perswaded of and embraced they are begot to a living hope and that puts the soul upon pressing after the glory promised and purges the soul from the earthly affections that fill the hearts of those that have not so beleeved all they had before were now nothing to what they see and were perswaded of and embraced These promises or things promised are so welcome to their souls though yet they possesse them not but only have the faith of them that earth and world and all things here are not to be compared with them they reckon themselves not at home till they enjoy them their mindes are after them and off from these things that they lived upon before these better things were revealed to them Here 's mortification on effected both in minde and conversation the affections removed from the things below and set upon these things that are above taken off from present enjoyment and advantages for enjoying the world and set upon the promised future happinesse the heart is taken and gone after another city and countrey and that heart-belief and inward affection produces mouth and practice-confession to salvation they confessed themselves strangers and pilgrims in this earth they finde not herein a
us and canst thou have faith in his bloud before thou knowest whether he shed any for thee that thereby thou mightest know he shed it for thee faith in the bloud of Christ is this through the knowledge and belief of his bloud shed to be imboldned to approach to and rely on God and expect good from him as from one that thereby hath testified his good will toward thee and opened a way of accesse to himself and to his Kingdome for thee that thou mightest come to him and hope in him for it It 's strange that Christs bloud should give thee boldnesse to rely on God when thou knowest not whether ever it was shed for thee or that thou hadst any thing to do with it thou sayst it was shed for all that believe and thou believest c. That it was shed for all that believe is not questioned but that very believing is to be in that bloud Now the doubt is of thy believing in it before thou feest Gods word hold it forth as shed for thee that so thou mightest know it 's shed for thee I say that believing of thine was not a right believing in it that preceded thy belief of it by divine testimony to be shed for thee It was shed for enemies and ungodly that being preached to them they might believe in it as well as for them as believing in it that they might be sanctified and saved by it If thou believest in it or thinkest to have salvation by it because of thy former self-actings to sorrow and to reformation then is not this faith right because not springing from the word yea thou inverttest the order of the Apostle Tit. 2.11 12. 3.4 5. he tels us they were saved from their filthinesse and disobedience and led to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts by the grace the love and pity of God to man appearing and thou first art led to reform and alter and deny thy lusts and to believe as thou thinkest before thou apprehendest his grace and then drawest an inference of his grace from those thy works and denials thou endeavourest and conceitest thy self to work well and thereupon buildest an opinion that God loved thee and Christ came and died for thee this faith springs from thy works and not from the word the testimony of God is not believed by thee Oh but thou wilt say Even all those frames were begotten by the grace of God in thee else thou couldest not have had them and it was in hearing his word that thou wast led to them Ay but what meanest thou by grace the good will of God in Christ fore-manifested to thee in the word of the Gospel No for that thou sawest not but fetchest in by consequence upon thy changes what then a certain secret insensible working of power in thy heart to perswade thee to confesse thy sins and mend thy actions and do better then formerly Now thou speakest in the dialect of that Pharisee Luk 18.10 11. He had such a like considerce that he was a righteous justified person and was in state of grace but how came he by it he trusted in himself he saies not to be made righteous but that he was now a righteous one one that should have benefit by the Messias in his coming and should partake of the promises he fetched the arguments of his confidence from himself and yet what he speaks of as in him he attributes to Gods grace as if he had wrought it in him God I thank thee that I am not thus and thus he doth not ascribe it to himself but to God and it 's not likely but he thought God had perswaded him so and so to walk by what he had heard of his will in the Scriptures in the law of God he thought of a secret working of power in the word but he never apprehended or believed the grace that is the good will of God as it was preached to Abraham in the Gospel and promise he was ignorant of Gods righteousnesse 1 Cor. 10.13 Gal. 4.23 24. he was born of the bond-Woman his changes and righteousnesse sprang not from love and grace fore-apprehended but from the Law enjoyning and adding promises to mans observation and therefore this plea would no serve him his confidence was not currant nor did God accept him Such is thy profession thou findest it said If thou believest thou shalt be saved which in it self only considered is but like a legall promise and nothing differs from it for that saies if thou dost thus and thus thou shalt live or be saved but herein the Gospel differs from it that it laies down a foundation of love demonstrated from God to a sinner in the first place to move him impower and enable him to the thing required of him so doth not the law but only holds forth a conditionall promise upon obedience and while a man sees or closes with no more of the Gospel the Gospel is but a legall doctrine to him it 's not the Gospel he sees not the love declared the glad tidings of Gods good will to him a sinner and ungodly in the gift of Jesus in the belief of which he should be principled to the thing required but I say thou meeting with such a conditionall promise thou endeavourest after faith and humility and fruits and from thy self-endeavours changes and self differings which thou thinkest are notable fruits of faith thou concludest and trustest in thy self that thou art righteous a believer a justifyed one and so that Christ is thy Mediatour and died for thee and attributest this to God as if thou wert no enemy to grace but a Preacher of it in opposition to free-will and thus many men do whenas they never yet saw or discerned what grace is nor had any other principle in what they did but the law its threats and promises and their own will whence though they have as strong confidence of their being righteous as the Pharisee had yet it is but a strong fancy and groundlesse conception of faith the bottom of it is a legall covenant and their own work and endeavour not the word of the Gospel the declaration of grace they receive not the word that should beget it I know they say they beleeve all the Scriptures from the beginning of Genesis to the latter end of the Revelations but come to the point let us examine thee in the testimony of God whereof the Apostle Paul was made a Preacher a Crier or Herauld for the obedience of faith we finde it 1 Tim. 2.4 5 6 7. Dost thou beleeve this God wils all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth and that Christ gave himself a ransome for all c. by and by they crie our A damnable heresie I see it there written but I am not perswaded it is meant as it was spoken I cannot embrace it Well how then God hath good will to none but an elect number in the