〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as the paraphrase hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the argument and demonstration of things not seen of invisible things that are not the objects of sense but that are declared in the word of God such is the vertue and power of faith that it gives as great a certainty of those unseen things to the soul or minde as can be made over by any scientificall demonstration for so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a demonstration to the minde not a presentation to the bodily essence as the Greek Scholiast upon it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Faith presents invisible things as visible how to the minde and hope which hope also springeth from it and is upheld by it as it there follows it 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 too the basis or subsistence of things hoped for It so presents divine things to the minde that it also draws in the soul to trust in God and hope for good from him and the good things it hopes for faith gives bottom to and enables the soul to act towards them as if they had a reall existence as was before noted Rom. 10.17 And for the way to come by this faith the Apostle tels us Fides ex auditu c. Faith is by hearing by that means God â—fiâ—ctâ—th it whence that in Isa 55.3 Hear and your souls shall live 〈◊〉 but it 's not every hearing that produces this faith but that which iâ— by the word of God the hearing of the Gospel or word of faith that 's both mother and nurse of it from that it springs and by that it 's nourished in listening to that God puts forth his mighty arm and enables the soul to believe as sometimes he did to the Israelites by the brazen Serpent and to Naaman in the waters of Jordan to heal them He that hears my Words and believes on him that sent me c. Joh. 5.24 Hearing the Word is the way to believe in God First God declareth the truth which is truth when declared by him not made truth by our believing this truth heard perswades the soul by the divine power and spirit which is therewith ministred to close with what it hears and closing with what it hears the same power and spirit doth therethrough further while therein are opened excellent things as the hatred and justice of God against sin and yet his love mercy and good will in Christ toward the sinfull soulâ— c. pâ—swade the soul to embrace and close with Christ himself of whom the truth witnesseth and unto whom as its proper body and fountain as God is in him and he is God it leadeth and so the soul is by thâ— Word heard and through the divine power of God therein brought unto Christ and in and through Christ unto God by the beam to the body of the Sun and in that to all that fountain fullnesse of glorious light that sils that body and makes it so glorious But indeed the nature of this saith in which these holy men of God died and which is of so glorious use in life and death is in the text it self by â—cts and operations notably laid forth and described I shall briesly and but briesly touch upon them These all died in faith not having received the promises faith stands not in mens having in possession oâ— actuall fruition the things promised for then faith and sense should be confounded but 1. they see them the promises afar off That 's the first act of this faith though alone of it self it is not faith for it 's said of some they have seen and hated Joh. 15.24 yet this is I say the first act of this faith or the first act tending to this faith through which the following acts are also generated where this is rightly seated and the abiding in this and of this is that in and through which the other acts are carried on too and perpetuated this act being the first product of the Word heard and that which most immediatly springeth from it for while God speaketh he presents in his speakings truth to the soul and the soul hearing and receiving in the word spoken findes therein and therewith a divine power illuminating and giving light to it and power of discerning that light as if the light of the Sun coming to a blinde man in a dungeon should both present light to him and in the same moment give him a faculty and power of seeing thus in Psa 119.130 the entrance of thy word giveth light and giveth understanding to the simple the soul receiving or looking upon divine word sees things set before it that it never so saw before as his own vilenesse and filthinesse and Gods goodnesse and compassions and the great and glorious things in his way his Son to be met with and enjoied But these are said to have seen them afarre of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isa 46.10 God shews the end from the beginning things to be done never so long time hence yet being revealed in the word and there presented are by faith seen indeed men not hearkning to the word misse of much light and knowledge therein held forth and see not many things which in wist viewing or diligent attention they might come to see things afar off the things promised which were not of a long time to be performed whence neither had they so full and clear a sight of them as those that see them in nearer times as things seen afar off at a great distance are not so fully and clearly seen as when they are seen nearer hand Now they are brought near to us these being the last times yea some of these promises that they saw through the word at a distance are already in part performed and are become Gospel declarations to us as the coming and resurrection of Christ of the former whereof Mary could in her time say much more may we now He hath holpen his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spake to our forefathers to Abraham and to his seed for ever Luk. 1.25 And the Apostle Paul declares the latter as another step of the performance of these promises saying we declare unto you good tidings how that the promise that was made unto the fathers God hath fullfilled the same unto us their children in that he hath raised up Jesus from the dead We believing see them by faith as things already done and they are the grounds of our believing in him for those further things contained in those promises which are yet unfullfilled and which we are to expect the performance of in his season but then there must be with this seeing a further act even that that follows in the next place of them viz. 2. They were perswaded That 's the second act in this divine faith it 's not a bare speculation of truths in the proposition without a perswasion that they are truths and worthy to be heeded
resting place they have a better home and that they seek after I know others may utter such like words upon other principles as men seeing the brevity and uncertainty of mans life may think they have here no staying continuance as Cicero the heathen Philosopher speaks somewhat to that purpose I go saith he out of this life Ex hâc vitâ ita discedo tanquam ex hospitio non tanquam ex domo commorandi enim diversorium naturâ— nohis non habi tandi dedit as if I went out of an Iâ—â—e not out of my dwelling-house for nature hath given us here a place to bait in only not to dwell in Thus a morall man may be led to say by the sense and knowledge he hath of this lifes uncertainty and passing swiftnesse but their confession proceeded from their faith in an earnest seeking after Gods heavenly promises the belief of Gods word and the complacency they had therein in the expectation of the things set before them made them so to reckon themselves as strangers and pilgrims in the earth and therefore not to love or covet after the enjoiments of the earth not to minde to return back into their own countrey whence by faith they had departed to follow after God all see they cannot here alwaies continue but all know not that they have a better countrey and therefore all that so see are not mortified in their mindes to the things whose vanity they see all reckon not nor so walk as if they reckoned themselves strangers and pilgrims in the earth seeking another countrey Two things we may principally note from what hath been said he to about the nature of faith and efficacy thereof 1. Note 3. That that divine faith that will indeed do us good in death stands in the word of God the word of the promise or Gospel closes with and springs from that sees is perswaded of and embraces the testimony of God held forth in that 2. Note 4. That that divine faith is exceeding operative and working inwardly and outwardly embracing the heavenly things propounded it leads to look for expect and seek them and to despise these earthly things in comparison of them Tit. 2 11 12. It leads to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for the blessed hope the promised inheritance at the appearance of Christ Jesus It 's neither a groundless humane conception and presumption nor an empty barren and idle speculation It 's such an heart-closing with the word as in which the word is vigorous in the heart and brings forth fruit unto eternal life this in both parts we have seen already in the opening of the text they saw them afar off and were perswaded and embracing them confessed that they were but strangers and pilgrims in the earth Would we have faith or would we that have any measure of it grow Applic. therein let us take heed to the word the word of faith the doctrine of the Gospel and let us be swift to hear slow to speak or make confessions or protestations of our faith further then that heard effecteth them in us be more ready to hear what God saies to us then to boast our selves of what is in us or to offer the sacrifice of fools Eccl. 5 1â— such as the power of the truths we hear spring not up in us much more be we slow to speak against the Gospel of God because we comprehend it not with our reason or to be wroth and offended thereat because it comes to lay us low and pull down our proud swelling conceptions Hearken diligently and your souls shall live Isa 55 3. And so would we be means to bring others to faith preach we and hold we forth the word to them not our dictates and placitas but Gods word the Gospel as attested in the Scripture that men may believe as the Scripture hath said for to such faith is the promise made Joh. 9.38 He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall slow rivers of living water and for such believers Christ hath praied Joh. 17.20 for them that shall believe through their word Joh. 17.10 Gal. 4.28 the word given by Christ to his Apostles whom he sent out into the world preach the word of promise for of that it is that the heirs are born that shall enjoy the inheritance the word of the death and of the resurrection of Jesus Christ for men which is part of the promise made to Abraham as was shewed before that 's the foundation doctrine upon this foundation build them and then exhort them to walk worthy thereof in all well-pleasing There 's many a mans faith detected to be vain by these two things by its want of a right bottom and by its want of right fruits and operations 1. Thou saist thou believest and trustest in God but according to what dost thou believe it's with many a man because of and according to their works diligence endeavours sense feelings not according as it is said in the word to us as it 's said of Abraham he believed according to what was spoken to him So shall thy seed be Ro. 4.17 Now as that 's not right faith that carries not on the soul after God and causes it not to seek the countrey promised so neither is that right faith that springs from mans own strifts and endeavours after the love of God as that 's not a good faith that 's without works so neither is that good that 's bottomed upon thy works It 's the character of true beleevers in Act. 18.27 that they beleeved through grace not through works I believe saies one that Christ died for me and is a Mediatour for me Well but how camest thou by that faith whereupon is it grounded why they will say perhaps from the word Well let us see how the word evidenced it to thee why I found such and such effects wrought in me I was convinced of my evil way and humbled and mourned and reformed and was thus and thus changed therefore I perceived that I was one of the elect of God and Christ died for me Oh but now believest thou not according to the word but deceivest thy self grounding thy faith of Christs mediation upon thy works or the effects of law and conscience in thee c. I fear when thou comest to the triall thy works will be found light and vain What dost thou tell me of fruits and effects of faith evidencing thine election before and as the ground of thy believing Christ a Mediatour for thee No changes or fruits will evidence election but such spring from faith in Christ in whom the election is nor is there any faith rightly in Christ as now come but in his bloud and mediation Rom. 3.25 by his bloud We have accesse to God to believe in him and approach to him and see his love to
then is nothing with them to trim up themselves and wear and eat and drink the best to play and game and perhaps do worse things these they will not deny the flesh they will please it what they can here because they think it shall have no pleasure or good hereafter But oh take heed to the Scriptures both Pharisees and Sadduces erre in not knowing and believing them Mat. 27.29 ye erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God they pretend to know them better then others while they can pervert them more then others and while they pretend a more spirituall understanding of them they contradict the spirit of understanding speaking in them and through fraud and subtlety seduce the simple seeming at first to speak as they till they winde them into their snares as Tertullian observed of them in his times De Res Car. they would say to the simple-hearted Vae qui in hâe carne non resurrexerint Wo to them that rise not in this flesh which the simple hearted hearing oftentimes were led to judge they meant honestly and according to the Scripture only whenas they meant saies he Dum in hâc carne sunt that rise not while they are in this flesh and so by one part of truth seemingly confessed the rising of our spirits here by faith with Christ they would by little and little undermine the faith of the simple-hearted and doctrinate them not to matter and then to deny the resurrection of the body running themselves and them that listened to them into the errour of Hymenaeus and Philetus 2 Tim. 2.17 that say the resurrection is already past in whose very footsteps many also now walk not knowing the Scriptures yea departing from the Scriptures and not acknowledging the power of God thence say they how should the bodies that are long since dead and divers waies dispersed and that have endured so many transmutations be possibly raised and how can the world it self contain them as if they did not believe God Almighty and that all things are possible to him beyond our thought to whom I might say with the Apostle Act. 26 8. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead But I say again minde we the word of God and so minde and keep it that we may be kept by it in the faith from this dangerous errour of the wicked dream not with them of all our resurrection here no coming of Christ but what they meet with here no performance of promises but what they have here all enjoyments and fullnesse and perfection here sure if that was true Paul was very low and ignorant to them when he saies he had finished his course 2 Tim. 4 8. and kept the faith and yet adds henceforth is laid up for me the crown of righteousnesse which God the righteous Judge shall give me at that day he had done his work and yet he had not received his reward it was but laid up for him and laid up to be given him not in this but in that day in another day the day of Christs appearance sure then the Apostle was out here too when he said these all died in faith and yet had not received the promises Nay the Apostle ' Paul instructs us that we shall not one prevent another in the receit of them 1 Thes 4.15 They that live at the coming of Christ shall not prevent them that are asleep They that now live shall not have them till Abraham Isaac and Jacob have them nor they before we have them Heb. 11.40 the dead in Christ shall be first raised at his coming and the living changed and both be caught into the air up together to meet him certainly they say false then that say Christ is come to them in his glory and they are raised and have the promises all they look for or all that any shall have and yet many of their brethren died without them and are not yet raised and if we will believe them never shall be and many yet are uncalled to them But beloved regard we not their sayings but know them to be false and vain and look we to Christ that died for us and rose again and know that as he rose so shall we also and together with Abraham and the Patriarchs and Prophets and all the Saints shall be caught up at his appearance to meet him 1 Thes 4.18 as the Apostle exhorts us comfort we one another for our deceased brethren with these sayings And indeed what comfort could we have for one another in respect of them if we believed that all their portion they are to have they have had it already and when they and we die our spirits go to God and our bodies to the dust and ther 's an end of the matter we shall never enjoy them again there shall be no resurrection away with such unchristian and unsavours conceptions and let ns where we have believed hold fast the faith and not upon any pretence or by any Philosophy or vain deceit of man depart therefrom let us live in it that we may die in it or according to it And thus I have given you a view of the text I suppose you expect I should now return to our present occasion and say something about our deceased brother Truly the text is such a comment on him as that we might go over it again and apply it to him or you might understand that spoken of these Worthies here as if said of him he believed the Gospel and had insight in it and oftentimes rejoiced much in it was perswaded of it embraced it loved it counted himself a stranger and pilgrim in the earth walkt with that contempt and carelessenesse of it how it thought of him and esteemed him as if he judged it not his habitation but had his eye as indeed he had upon a better countrey an enduring city that hath foundations he lived in this world as if he had his heart in another world not regarding nor scarce suffering the honours of this world or of this place to be thrust upon him his name was nothing to him for the Gospels sake that he would approve whoever disproved him he would stop his ears against and not endure to hear of their sayings who deny Christs mediation and impugn the doctrine of the resurrection and professing his joy and comfort to be therein and in the hope he had therethrough of an enduring happy condition for justice uprightnesse and honesty it was his aim and endeavour and therein hath not left many to exceed I doubt I may say to equallize him we may say of him the righteous man is taken away and the mercifull man from amongst us In both which respects I fear many will misse him as the loins of the poor blessed him alive so I doubt they will finde cause of mourning for his death as he affected not honour with men so did he not long enjoy it God not judging us worthy the improvement of his abilities for the good of the Town perhaps because no better respected when more able by them he was more like the self-denying Olive then the aspiring bramble he looked upon earths honour as a burthen having his chief desire upon that which is from heaven therefore God hath taken him from his burthen to give him his desire in a word he was upright in his life faithful to the truth to his death patient under affliction though long in great pain and very desirous of his dissolution that he might be with Christ Let it be ourcare to imitate him in these good steps that with him and all those who through faith and patience have looked after the promises of God we may in due time be raised up and brought to inherit them I shall only adde an Epitaph upon him and I shall leave both you and him * ⎠* FINIS AN EPITAPH QVi cum vixit erat Major major moriendo est Morte repurgatus quam fuit ipse prius Majestatis erat brevita cadaveris umbra Vix ea majestas illius umbra brevis Spe laetus multumque gemens mala publica corpus Mandat humo plenam numine caelo animam In English thus This man alive was May'r now dead is more Advanc't death bettring him then heretofore Short shade o' th corps of Royalty he was That Royalty scarce shadowed what he was Who joy'd in hope did publike woes condole Left earth his corps to heaven his gracefull soul FINIS