Father his infinite merits to plead with him for supply of all grace and mercy to us and thus he comes to be an infinite way of conveyance of good to the souls of his people and so to be all and in all to them both here and eternally that is the third particular how Christ comes to be the way of conveyance But now the fourth and that is to instance in some speciall things we have from God and to manifest that Christ is all in all in those things As now first in the point of justification and the pardon of our sinnes the acceptation of us as righteous that is the great thing we stand in need of from God Christ is all in all to us here this is the tenour of the Gospell Rom. 3. 24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ Luther hath this expression concerning justification sayes he in the point of justification there Christ and faith must be onely put together they must be alone and nothing else with them but in our conversation there indeed comes in good workes just as it is between the bridegroom and the bride the bridegroom and the bride are alone in the bride chamber but when they goe abroad there they have their traine and servants attending them so he compares justification to the bride chamber none but Christ and faith must be there but when they come abroad in their conversation then all other graces attend them and good workes come in but Christ is all in all here First It is not all we have done no nor all that we can possibly doe that can be our justification You will say true we have for the present done but little I but suppose any of you should doe your utmost in any particular that God requires you will say I hope if I doe what I can God will accept it of me no you mistake exceedingly if you thinke so people are very apt to look upon God as if the termes between God and them were no other then thus God he is a pittifull and a mercifull God and 't is true we are weak and can doe but little but yet doing what we are able God he will accept the will for the deed no God accepts not the will for the deed in point of justification It is true in those that are already justified God in the performance of duty accepts the will for the deed so as to take delight in them but in point of justification as to pardon of sinne and acceptation to righteousnesse there he must have perfect obedience and though we endeavour never so much yet unlesse we can bring God a perfect righteousnesse we are undone for ever yea woe to Abraham and woe to Isaac and woe to Jacob and woe to David and Daniel and to all the Prophets and Apostles notwithstanding all their righteousnesse if they had not had a righteousnesse beyond what was in themselves If they had not had a perfect righteousnesse to tender to their Father they had been utterly lost for ever therefore it is not for thee to rest upon this that thou doest what thou canst and hast good wishes and desires and the like for were all the righteousnesse of all the righteous men that ever were in the world in one man it would not be sufficient for his justification I but it may be you will say true I can doe but little of my self but if God enable me then he will accept of me Nay further it is not what God enables thee to doe that can be the formallity of thy justification such are the termes between God and thee that there is nothing thou canst doe of thy self or canst be enabled to doe that is accepted of him for thy righteousnesse to eternall life But it may be said it is true though God should enable me yet there may be imperfections but God is mercifull and will passe them by therefore I adde another consideration that it is not onely what thou canst do or canst be enabled to doe but 't is not Gods mercy added if barely considered as the mercy of God as a creator to his creature and not under this consideration through Christ and accepting a righteousnesse beyond thy own that can eke out thy justification This is a great mistake many think that that which they have in themselves and what they are able to doe is but little but when they have done something if God will come then and adde his mercy to it that they think will eke it out no it is not that and mercy together that is thy justification I say mercy out of this notion we are speaking of And that you may understand it yet more clearly consider it thus the work of Gods mercy in justification it is not of this use that it should be our justification or should eke out what we are wanting in for our justification but the work of Gods mercy in justifying a soul is to take him off from himselfe to unbottome him and to make him see and be sensible of his own unrighteousnesse and uncleanesse this is a great and mighty work of Gods mercy I remember Luther sayes of himselfe that while he was a Papist he was not obedient out of worldly respects for a livelyhood and the like but he did what he did out of conscience and yet sayes he afterward after he knew God in Christ That which I counted gain was losse unto me He did not think it enough to do what he did out of conscience and that Gods mercy should make up the rest no he was taken off of that way 'T is not the work of mercy to do this but to discover to the soul a righteousnesse of a higher nature even of the mediator God and man and to enable the soul by faith to tender up that righteousnesse to God the father for satisfaction this is the worke of Gods mercy in point of justification The mistake of the way of Gods mercy having an influence into our justification is a very dangerous mistake and we had need be very wary in this great point of justification for all depends upon it I remember Luther in this sayes he it is an easie matter to say we close with Gods grace and the righteousnesse of Christ alone in the point of justification till the soul be brought to a conflict and then 't is the hardest thing in the world to doe it and the people of God have found it so in the time of trouble of conscience that 's the first that Christ is all in all in point of justification Secondly he is all in all in point of adoption so sayes the Scripture Gal. 3. 26. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus and Chapter 4. v. 4. 5. But when the fulnesse of the time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the
then it is an evidence to it self I meane thus It is therefore possible for a soul to know its own good condition and its interest in Christ meerly by the very work of faith it self though for the present it be not able to argue aposteriori from the effects of faith yet it may argue apriori faith may evidence it self Many Christians goe on in a doubting way meerly because they think they must have evidences of their faith by some effects that follow their faith and till then they can have no comfort t is true where true faith is there wil be fruits and effects of it but certainly if you could learne this mystery of the Gospel to finde an evidence in faith it self you would sooner come to comfort And it is a safer way a great deal as thus if you have doubts about your condition and feare your sinnes are not pardoned and that you have no interest in Christ the way to be freed from these doubts and feares is by renewing the act of faith it self by presenting to your souls the riches of the grace of God in the Lord Jesus and by viewing the glory of that see if it will not draw out your souls to believe And if upon this your hearts stirre not for the present set these things before your souls againe and turne not from renewing the acts of faith to pore upon your corruptions and then say you can see no interest that you have in Christ but look upward againe and againe and by the very viewing of them a vertue will come in to draw the heart to believe As by presenting the law there is an efficacy to terrifie and afright so by presenting the glorious things of the Gospel there is an efficacy to draw out faith And then you are to renew the very primitive work of faith that is to close with Christ and to cast your selves upon the freenesse of the grace of God in Christ and though you finde in your hearts such and such corruptions and are ready to say shall such a one as I am so polluted and defiled cast my self upon the grace of God in Christ yet lay hold upon Christ and you have as much reason to doe it from thence as from any thing and therefore this must be thy course to renew this primitive act of thy faith again and again I but yet my doubts and feares remaine but if thou wouldest have an evidence to it againe again a thousand times over and at last there will be an evidence of the act of faith it self But you will say this may be presumption to cast ones self upon the free grace of God in Christ I answer this is no presumption because the very act it self gives thee a right to all that is in God and Christ Now presumption is when a man takes that which he hath no right to and if a man doe that to which he hath no right before yet if that he doth give him a right it is no presumption But you will say this is a licentious way gives liberty O do not wrong faith when thou though thou canst see no reason for it in the want of sight and sense canst venture thy selfe upon the riches of the grace of God in Christ it is the most glorious work that thou canst possibly doe in this world shouldst thou be able to live to overcome all thy corruptions and to doe the greatest service imaginable it could not be so glorious a work as this And it is the most difficult thing in the world and therefore no doctrine of liberty that soul that can goe through all the difficulties of faith that can overcome its infinite guilt and the terrours of the law and notwithstanding all that comes between God and it can venture upon the free grace of God in Christ may overcome all the difficulties in the world Many other things might have been in urging of this as now though we are in the dark and sight and sense and all is gone yet exercise faith and if thou wouldest study to magnifie God as a Christian this is the onely way There is a notable instance of credit that Alexander gave to his Physitian and the example of the trust he put in him did mightily honour him before all his Nobles Alexander being sick one sends to him and adviseth him to take heed of Philip his Physitian for that one had feed him to poyson him his Physitian brings him the potion and Alexander gives him the letter and drinkes the potion presently intimating that he would not believe what was reported of him and this was a mighty honour done to his Physitian and so when thou hast no evidence in thy selfe yea when thou hast many temptations that speak ill of the free grace of God in Christ and that tell thee Christ hath left thee and forsaken thee and that it would never be thus and thus with thee if Christ intended any good to thee and when temptations are in their greatest heat and speak the worst of Christ Now to venture thy soul upon Christ Christ will take it as the greatest honour thou art capable of doing to him and it is the readiest way to advance the riches of his grace and mercy And be afraid of unbeliefe as well as of presumption be afraid least thou shouldest not magnifie the riches of the grace of God in Christ which is his great designe amongst the children of men I thought to have laid downe something to shew what encouragement we have to believe in case of want of evidence when we are in the dark and can see no light and to have given rules to help our faith But I will conclude with this one use By what hath been delivered you may all see what an excellent and admirable grace faith is and of what use it is O brethren in these times wherein there is such feare trouble and distraction now to have faith to give a subsistance to all the things that God hath spoken of a subsistance to all the glorious promises that God hath made to his people what a wonderfull blessing is this now exercise faith and by faith give a subsistance to all these promises make them a foundation to rest upon be willing to venture all you have your Estates names liberties lives for the furthering and fulfilling the glorious promises which God hath made unto his Church and if you have faith that gives foundations to those promises you will doe so And though we see nothing but darknesse and misery upon the world yet let us exercise faith if the hour of temptation be yet to come as who knowes then we shall have need of faith and faith onely in such darknesse can helpe us to light And for preparation for such times labour to strengthen faith and by what you have heard you may see what stead faith will stand you in in any danger It is a great comfort to a Christian that though
excellency and glory that there is in God to know much of God in his own essence and being and elevates the sould to converse with God in a higher way abundantly then reason can doe though it is true a great deal of God is understood by reason And then by faith the soul comes to know what riches there are in these excellent and glorious things of God It first sees them in God and then after that it sees this God to be infinitely willing to communicate and let out himself to his creature And then by faith the soul converseth with the deep and glorious councels of God between himself and his Son It sees into the great designe God had in sending his Son into the world for the working and bringing to passe those high and glorious intentions he had in communicating himself to the children of men through a mediator Again faith converseth with the great things of the covenant of grace and there sees into those unsearchable riches as the Apostle speaks that have no footsteps in the creature so the word signifies we cannot see them by reason or the creature A speciall object faith works upon is the covenant of grace in the Gospell and it sees the riches that are revealed there And faith receives the testimony of the holy Ghost the holy Ghost is appointed by the Father and the Son to witnesse these great things to manifest to the soul the deep things of God those things that are but meer notions otherwise to the heart of a man the spirit of God discovers these to the soul and so faith working upon these objects and closing with them as the proper spheare for it to move in it makes all those glorious things that are revealed concerning the happinesse of those that God intends eternall good unto substantiall and reall to the soul such things as the soul can build upon and dare venture its self and its eternall estate upon and we had need have a good foundation in those things we are content to venture our eternall estate upon and because it must be the work of faith when God intends to save the soul to have such apprehensions of the Gospell as to be willing to venture its eternall condition upon it therefore it had need have a sure foundation and hence faith is the substance of things hoped for and gives a reall being unto these things And as it makes them reall and substantiall so there is another thing included in this word It makes them present though they are but things hoped for yet by faith they have a present subsistence to the soul they are lookt upon by faith as now subsisting though in themselves they doe not faith partakes much of the nature of God it hath a kinde of omnipotent power in it out of nothing to create something there are many excellent works of faith and amongst the rest this is a speciall one to give a being to that which in itself hath none to make it for the present a substantiall reall being to the soul the work of faith in this kinde is very observable for evill things that are very high faith can make them at a mighty distance and for good things that are never so far off faith can make them to be as present to it Observe what the Scripture speakes of it this way first for evils that are very nigh and encompasse us round about when we are in the midst of them faith can put the evill at a distance as Psalm 91. 7. A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come nigh thee not come nigh thee If he had said it shall not be upon thee it had been somewhat but to say it shall not come nigh thee this is a strange kinde of expression how could it be said not to come nigh him when thousands fell on the both hands and he was in the midst of it it was by faith faith put that at a distance which was just upon him The strength of reason will help one when the plague is a great way off then a man thinks I am safe enough because farre enough from it but suppose the plague come into thy house into thy chamber now to believe a promise it shall not come nigh thee here is a mighty work of faith faith puts evils present at a farre distance And then on the other side for good things that are absent a great way off faith can make them as if they were really subsisting therefore Heb. 11. 13. It is said of the Fathers that they saw the promises afarre off and embraced them the word in the originall is saluted the promises now friends when they salute must be nigh one another their faith made the promises which were a great way off to be with them as if present therefore it is said of Abraham that he saw Christs day and rejoyced and the Scripture speaks of taking hold of eternall life and that we doe by faith and of being in heaven receiving the end of your faith T is not you shall receive but now you are receiving Psalm 108. 7. 8. God hath spoken in his holinesse I will rejoyce I will divide Sechem c. Gilead is mine Manasseth is mine marke is mine he presently concludes as if the thing were already done for it was so by faith faith gives a present subsistence to things Reason it self hath a great deale of power to make things that are future to be as present both in evill things and in good In evill things a man that is a contemplative man and hath a wicked heart he will fetch the sweetnesse of his lust and sinne which is a great way off and make it as present by mediation and roling it up and down in his thoughts in a way of discourse and so acts his sinne contemplatively though he may be in hell before he act it really Now as reason and discourse can fetch in a lust and make it as if it were present so reason can goe a great way in making a future good thing as if it were present And this is the difference between a rationall creature and a sensuall a sensuall creature is only for the things that are before it but now reason can fetch things that are absent and make them as present and in regard of this God hath a mighty advantage of mankinde either for the bringing of his wrath upon them or for bestowing happinesse upon them as you can fetch in your lusts that are absent and make them as present to you in your thoughts by the work and discourse of reason so by the worke of this faculty God can make evils and plagues though future yet to be as present with you And in this respect the wofull evill of those that perish eternally may be set out dreadfully namely thus they being reasonable creatures by the work of their reason they may fetch in all the
misery that they shall indure to eternity to fill up every moments misery that all the misery they shall indure to eternity they shall possesse it presently and together and therefore the torment of a brute creature is infinitely short of a reasonable suppose a brute beast were in hell yet its misery would come infinitely short of a mans because a brute creature apprehends no more misery then that instant but now if a reasonable creature be in torment and knowes it shall be in it eternally by thought and discourse it can fetch into that very instant all the paine that it must endure for ever And so for happinesse those that are saved shall be infinitely happy every moment because they shall fetch in all the happinesse they shall have to eternity to make them every moment happy this is the work of reason Now if reason can make future things to be as present how much more can faith that is not only reason elevated but is a principle higher then reason as it is in dispaire a man that dispaires brings hell to himself before he is in hell and makes hell that is absent as if it were present Hence some in their dispairing have cryed out they were in hell as Francis Spira he said he was in hell and hell fire was upon him because by dispaire that which is future hath a reall kinde of subsistance in the heart of a man as if it were now present Now as dispaire brings in the reallity of Gods wrath that is future and makes it as present so faith brings in the reallity of Gods love and mercy that is to come and makes it as present and it is as genuine a work of faith to make future things present as any work of faith Now I should have shewn you in what respects faith makes things present that are to come and what is the work of faith in them But briefly it makes all things present that are to come First because it sees all things as certain as if they were already if a man have a bond of one for a hundred pounds that he is sure off he sayes here is a hundred pounds because of the certainty of it Secondly because faith lookes upon the possession of things that not only they shall be but that now there is a possession of them and that two wayes First Christ our head is gone before to prepare mansions for us and in our name to take possession of heaven therefore we have taken possession in our head and then Secondly we have the first fruits of the spirit the first fruits of the glorious things of heaven and in that regard we our selves have taken possession and therefore they are as present to faith Thirdly there is such an infinitenesse in eternity that the time that is to be before we have ful possession is not considerable therefore faith lookes upon them as present And then Fourthly faith eyes the things of heaven continually and they are therefore present because they are alwayes in the eye of faith And Fifthly the presentnesse of them is seen in this because the Saints enjoy all in God for this is the happinesse of heaven to see all glory and blessednesse in God Now faith doth something of this here faith inables us to see great things in God Now the enjoying communion with God for the present and beholding of heaven in God and seeing all things in him this must needs make a present reall subsistance of them to the soul Thus I have spoken briefly of faiths being the substance of things hoped for For the use If faith be the substance of things hoped for and gives being to things so high and glorious as the things of God are First then certainly faith it self must needs be a very substantiall thing faith is not a conceit and notion for it gives reality and substantial being to those things the world counts conceits faith is the most substantialest glorious thing in the world It is that in the working of which the power of God appeares more then in any thing in the world therefore in Ephes 1. 19 20. there are some six or seven gradations of the wonderfull power of God that appeares in the working of faith Now that must needs be an exceeding substantial thing that hath such a mighty power of God in working of it God doth not use to put forth extraordinary power for the doing of ordinary things Now when he speaks of faith he sets out his power in a glorious manner and in an extraordinary way and thereby tells us that faith hath some great matter in it And indeed faith hath much in it though it be a grace that empties us of our selves yet it is that whereby the believer is enabled to doe one of the most glorious workes that ever creature was enabled to doe as now for a poor soul to see its self in its own filth under sinne and guilt and to see the wrath of an infinite deity incensed against it to see the infinite justice of God requiring satisfaction and the infinite holinesse of God hating of sinne to have the accusations of conscience of Satan of the world and being sensible of all this yet to lay hold upon a mediator between God and man and to trust in a righteousnesse beyond it self and to tender it up to God the Father for a full attonement and satisfaction and to venture its self and eternall estate upon it and being unholy and filthy in it self yet to unite it self to God in as neer a union for the kinde of it as possibly a creature can have with the Creator next the hypostaticall union of the humane nature of Christ with the divine I say for faith to be able to doe this it is a high and most glorious work and there is an abundance of the power of God appeares in it By this how may we discover the vanity of the faith of the greatest number of people in the world who have nothing but meer emptinesse in them their very faith is only a notion and no marvell then if all things they believe be but notions they can doe nothing with their faith You say you hope and believe and trust in Gods mercy but what can you doe with your faith what reall substantiall work of faith is upon your hearts when faith comes there comes the mighty power of God and his wonderfull glory into the soul that creats as it were and gives substantiall being to the most high and glorious objects in the world therefore know that faith is not a dead slight empty thing in the soul but it hath a mighty operation upon the hearts of men and women and certainly that faith that must save a soul must have high and glorious operations in the soul Againe if faith gives a substantial being to things hoped for then we must learne to strengthen and exercise our faith in the things we hope for which of us doe not
hope for great and glorious things as I gave you a hint of them Now let faith be exercised and strengthened in these things if all those blessed things we spak of were present to the soul O how would our hearts be above the creature how should we look upon all things here below as dung filth drosse how would our thoughts be raised in the admiration of spirituall and heavenly things how would our spirits be taken up in wondering at the glory of God that appeares in these things how would our hearts be enflamed with love to God! how would our conversations be in heaven for the present what heavenly thoughts and heavenly affections would be in us in all our wayes and how would we venture to goe through fire and water for God! to doe any thing suffer any thing be any thing for God And did our faith make such glorious things as these reall and substantial to us how substantial would our duties and services be Why is it then that our duties have so much vanity in them are so empty having nothing but circumstance in them certainly brethren if our faith gives a subsistance to such blessed glorious things of eternal life it will likewise give a subsistance to all our duties and services that we shall not tender to God empty and dead services Consider this you who though you dare not omit duties yet what empty duties doe you tender to God your works should be the works of faith and faith should give them a subsistance as well as it gives your hopes therefore satisfie not your selves with that faith that will not give a subsistance to your duties and doe not think it will give a subsistance to such glorious things we speak of Thus much of the first particular Faith is the substance of things hoped for I would faine speak a little of the second It is the evidence of things not seen There are two things here First that the things of grace spiritual and heavenly things are things not seen And secondly that faith gives an evidence to those things First that grace spirituall and heavenly things are things not seen The Apostle sayes Gal. 5. 19. 22. the works of the flesh are manifest but when he comes to the workes of the spirit he sayes the workes of the spirit are these he doth not say they are manifest for indeed they are things that are not seen though t is true the operations of them appear yet there is no externall work of grace but an hypocrite may doe it therefore the workes of the spirit cannot be said to be seen either by the eye of sense or reason And then for the things of heaven sayes the Apostle 2 Cor. 2. 18. While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporall but the things which are not seen are eternall I might here discover to you how it comes to passe that spirituall and heavenly things are not seen unto sense and reason Many arguments I thought to have given to discover this I must but cull out two or three particulars The riches of a Christian in spirituall and heavenly things are like the riches of the Sea it may be outwardly you see nothing but hideous waves and a great deal of filth I but the riches are at the bottome and the riches of the earth are within and hidden they doe not appear so the riches and treasures of a Christian are things not seen they are things that are in the very bosome of God in the very heart of God Now as no man knowes the things of a man but the spirit of man so no man knowes the things of God but the spirit of God and him to whom God doth reveal them And then they are things that are beyond the principles of reason they are too high and so too glorious for such a faculty as reason is if an object be too glorious for sense it destroyes the sense so these objects are too high for reason and and therefore cannot be seen by reason And the blindnesse of man naturally is such that he cannot see these things And chiefly God so orders things in his providence that he goeth a quite contrary way as to sense and reason to that which he hath promised I say it is the way of God to hide his glorious excellencies by seeming to goe in the wayes of his providence directly crosse to what he hath promised we might shew how God hath hid from sense and reason his mercy to his own people that of Abraham is considerable there were two promises God made to Abraham the one of going out of his own country and carrying him to a land flowing with milk and honey the other that he would make his seed as the stars of heaven for multitude and that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed Mark now if Abraham had not had something to evidence that which was not seen he could never have seen the faithfulnesse of God in these promises for when he was gone out of his own country he comes to Ganaan the country promised but as soon as he was there he was ready to starve and was faine to flye to Egypt and if he had not had faith he would have fallen off and have been ready to turne back againe And then for the second promise That in his seed all the Nations of the earth should be blessed Abraham goeth on seaventy yeares and his wife had no childe and it ceased to be with her after the manner of women she was old and Abrahams body dead and after he had a child he must kill him and being saved Isaac must be forty yeares before he is married and when he is married he must have no childe in twenty yeares and in the first hundred and fifty yeares after the promise there was but seaventy of all his seed yet this was the promise that in his seed all the Nations of the earth should be blessed thus God seemes to goe crosse to what he promised We might instance also in Jacob God commands Jacob to returne from Laban and after that mark how God followes him First his uncle Laban followes him with thoughts to slay him Secondly In his Journey his wives nurse dyeth Thirdly his wife dyes Fourthly Dinay is ravished Fifthly his two Sons Simeon and Levy commit that villany that makes him stink in the nostrils of the people of the land Sixtly Esau comes to destroy him and all this in that journey that God commanded Jacob to take Now if Jacob had not had faith to look through these to the things that might encourage him in his way to things not seen it had been impossible he should have gone on So when God brings Israel to Canaan you know what a way they goe about through the wildernesse when they were come to Canaan a land flowing with milk and hony God
he be in the dark in many things as there are many truths now disputed about Churches and the like yet to know he hath that in him that will make the things of eternall life evident to him It is a wonderful blessing of God to have a principle that gives subsistance and evidence to such things as these are How exceedingly would many poor souls rejoyce if they might have an evidence but of some one truth of religion as the truth of a deity which reason gives light in they are so pestred with Atheisme that they would give a thousand worlds to be rid of it Now if this be so great a mercy to have that which doth evidence onely one principle of religion what a glorious mercy then is it to have faith to evidence all the glorious things of God and to make them cleare and plaine to you you can remember there was a time when you thought them fancies and conceits but now you see them as cleare as the light of the Sun and you would not now for a thousand worlds but you saw them as you doe Hereafter brethren when we shall see them not by faith but by sense O how shall we blesse God then that we had before an evidence of these things made to our souls What would have become of us if we had not had an evidence to cleare those things to us that lead to this glory to evidence the righteousnesse of God in Christ for eternal life I saw these things subsisting and evident before and now God reveales them fully to me whereas on the other side those that want a principle of faith to make them substantiall and evident to them when they shall come to be substantiall and evident to their sense O what a horrid terrour will it be unto them then you will say O Lord that I had seen these things before my heart then would never have been taken so with the things of the world I ran madly upon the vanities of the world to get riches and honours and I thought I was the onely happy man and that those things were the onely substantial and reall things and those things that I heard the Preacher speak of I thought them to be but notions and conceits but now I see they are reall and substantiall O miserable man that now I am O the work of faith that can make those that are of weak parts to see the great things of God James 2. 5. Hearken my brethren sayes the Apostle God hath chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith To understand the great things of faith that poor men should understand the great the deep the glorious things of God that were hid from the foundations of the world it is a wonderful work therefore when John sent to Christ to know if he were the Messias Christ gives this as one argument The poor receive the Gospel Mathew 11. 5. Why was that an argument that Christ was the Messias was it not rather an argument against him that the poor did it if the great ones had done it it had been an argument No The poor receive the Gospell And that those that are poor and weak in other things should have this mighty work wrought in their souls to be able to receive Christ and the Gospel this is an argument of the mighty power of God Brethren to have the use of the eye of the body by which we can see the great works of God the Sun Moon and Stars and can take notice of the glory of God in these this is a great blessing what man would be willing to loose the sight of his eyes to gaine a world because it discovers so much of the glory of God Now if the eye that receives onely these naturall things be so preecious O then what is it to have a principle within us an eye of faith clearly to evidence the great things and glorious councels of God unto us if a christall that can receive colours into it from without be precious O what is the christall of faith it may well be called precious faith for it receives into the soul the glory of God and the excellencies of Christ and the great things of eternall life And these are brought into the soul by faith in the reallity and power of them to raise the heart and to fill it with all joy and peace in believing and to carry the soul through all the troubles of this world O the eye of faith is a precious eye the eye of sense is precious because we can see visible objects by that but the eye of reason is more precious because that can make things seen which are not seen by the eye of sense reason can discourse up to God himself and it is the wonderfull excellency of a reasonable creature that God hath given him that ability that he can discourse so from the effect to the cause and from one cause to another till at last he gets up to God the first being of all This is an admirable indowment we should blesse God for but now if the use of reason have such an excellency in it because by that we have an evidence of reasonable things to us then still goe higher and labour to have a right esteem of this precious faith that gives unto us such evidence of the glorious things of God even that faith that God puts into our hearts on purpose that by it we might be able to receive into our souls those glorious and hidden mysteries of godlinesse that doe infinitely concerne our eternall peace This Sermon was preacht April 25. 1641. JOHN 8. V. 36. If the Sonne therefore shall make you free ye shall be free indeed IN this Chapter we have Christ continuing of his contest with the wrangling peevish Jewes in answering all that they said notwithstanding they snarled at every word almost that past But however it was with the multitude yet there were some that were taken with what he said for in vers 30. it is said As he spake these words many believed on him at least there were some beginnings of faith or some preparations to it And Christ tells them vers 31. That if they continued in his word then they were his disciples indeed as if he should say it is not enough that you are stirred for the present and professe you believe in me I will not take you for my disciples unlesse you continue in my word how often doe the flashes that are upon the hearts and consciences of men vanish and come to nothing they continue not in the word of Christ and therefore are not his disciples Christ tells them further that they must understand more concerning their condition then yet they apprehended And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free v. 32. as if he should say though you have some confused apprehensions of things for the present yet it is but very little you know of your
cut then thou art gone for ever For after death comes judgement In the meditation of this point me thinks I cannot but look upon God as beholding all the children of men in their fallen lost sinful and miserable estate with pity and compassion saying poor creatures they have sinned against me and have made themselves liable to eternal wrath which they understand not which they are not able to beare well a little time I will grant unto them to sue out their pardon and to come in and make up their peace with me and I will give them meanes for that end but let them look to themselves for according to the improvement of the time that I now give them so shall it be with them to all eternity if they neglect it they are gone for ever mercy then shall doe them no good so that the tenour upon which we all hold our lives it is no other then as a malefactor condemned to dye who hath granted to him through the favour of the Prince a little time of reprieval and some intimation withal given of a possibility in that time to sue out his pardon and according as he spends that time so it shall be with him for life or death Thus I say we all hold our lives we are all condemned before the Lord onely God hath out of his infinite grace provided a way and meanes of salvation for the children of men and gives us a little time we know not how long whether two or three dayes but as long as we live to look about us to provide for the making of our peace with him and if that be neglected all is gone and we are undone for ever great things then doe depend upon this uncertaine small time of our lives It is reported of Alexander that when he went against any City he did use to set up a lampe burning and would make proclamation that whosoever came in while this lampe was burning should finde favour and have his life but whosoever staid till this lampe was out he was but a dead man and must expect no mercy brethren know that God hath set up a lampe and our life is this lampe and God proclames Whosoever comes in while this lampe is burning shall finde mercy but if you stay till the lampe be out there is nothing but eternal misery to be expected Now this lampe of your lives may not onely goe out upon the consumption of the oyle but it may be put out by accidental meanes and if this lampe be once out and your work not done you are lost for ever We read 1 Kings 6. 7. that when Solomon was preparing the Temple he made all things so ready before hand that there was no noise of axe or hammer heard there Whosoever God intendeth for a living stone in the glorious Temple of Heaven he squares and fits them here there is no noyse of repentance and sorrow for sin after this life what is to be done must be done here nothing will doe it hereafter Whatsoever thou hast to doe doe it with all thy might for there is no work nor device nos knowledge nor wisdome in the grave whòther thou goest Eccles 9. 10. and Chapter 11. vers 3. In the place where the tree falleth there it lyeth Which way thou fallest when thou dyest that way thou shalt lie eternally if Godward then God is thine for ever if sinward then misery and destruction is thine for ever Eccles 12 7. Then shall the dust returne to the earth as it was and the spirit shall returne unto God who gave it The souls of wicked men doe returne to God that gave them as well as the souls of the godly that is they doe presently returne to God to receive the sentence of their eternal doome from him and to be stated in their everlasting condition there is a mighty change in the soul immediately after it is departed from the body and is brought to stand before the glorious God to be stated in its eternal condition There are twelve houres in the day sayes Christ wherein a man may worke but the night comes when no man can work John 9. 4. The time of this life is thy working time I but the night is coming and then no man can work Revel 6. 8. And I looked and behold a pale horse and his name that sat on him was death and hell followed him Hell immediately followes death where death surprizeth any in their natural condition that have not finished the work of making their peace with God 2 Cor. 5. 10. We must all appeare before the judgement seat of Christ to receive according to what we have done in the flesh whether it be good or bad It is not according to what we doe afterwards but according to what we have done here in the flesh so it must be with us for ever There can be no repenting no believing after this life body and soul being parted the whole man is not capable of a work of God upon it And besides immediately after death God takes all meanes away you shall never heare Sermon more never have admonition more never have good connsel more never have any working of Gods spirit more to draw you soules to Christ And not onely so but God then withdrawes himself so fully in regard of all the common workes of his spirit that there is a kinde of stating the soul in sin which yet cannot so properly in regard of God be said to be sin as evil so that it shall be impossible for thee to doe any thing but sin as the Saints though while they live here they have many lusts and corruptions in them yet immediately after death their souls are so fully possessed of the spirit that then they cannot sin so on the contrary though wicked men while they live here have divers common gifts of Gods spirit and many restraints upon them yet immediately after death they are so fully separated from God and God so fully withdraws himself from them that it is impossible for them to doe any thing else but sin and rebell against God and blaspheme him to his face There was in Adam in innocency a possibility not to have sinned there is in us while we live in this world an impossibility but that we should sin but in the world to come there is in the Saints an impossibility that ever they should sin and look how the impossibility is on the one hand with the Saints so is the impossibility directly contrary on the other hand with the wicked therefore the wicked must needs be stated in an everlasting evil condition There is no more possibility for the damned souls in hell ever to doe any thing but to blaspheme God then there is a possibility for the Saints in heaven ever to sin against God And yet further at the great day Christ gives up the kingdome to the Father and then there will be another manner of administration then before
brought them to the worst part of it for the south part was the hottest and dryest and barrennest part of the countrey thus God seemes to goe on in crosse wayes and this hides the excellency of the things of God and hence it comes to passe they are not seen If it be so then that the things of God are not seen to a carnall eye and require more then reason to apprehend them First it should make us cease wondering that men of excellent parts and reason doe not see the things of God but slight them be not offended at this they are things not seen it is a great deceit in many who think that because such and such men have larger abilities of reason then others to understand naturall things that therefore it must needs follow they have deeper apprehensions of spiritual things and yet men reason thus what you poor simple men and women understand these things when there are great Schollars and learned men that see them not this argues a carnal heart as if the strength of reason could make men apprehend more then faith can doe You know what Christ sayes Father I thank thee that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes Math. 11. 25. Notwithstanding such expressions of Christ yet we see the temper of the men of the world alas they look upon religion as a most foolish and ridiculous thing and so for strictnesse in the wayes of religion when a man shall see another very earnest about a thing that he thinkes is of no consequence at all he cannot but impute folly to him so when the men of the world see the people of God servent and zealous about those things that they can see no excellency in and see them willing to venture and suffer for them they count this folly and madnesse when Christ being in danger of his life John 18. 37 38. tells Pilate that he came into the world to bear witnesse unto the truth sayes Pilate what is truth speaking in a slighting way as if he had said you come here to answer for your life and you had need look to that and what doe you talk of truth now your life is in question So carnall men when they see others venture their estates and lives for poor inconsiderable things as they esteem them they count this folly and why doe they doe so because the things of God are not seen Therefore in spirituall and heavenly things we must alwayes endeavour to beat down reason and to advance faith sayes Luther In the things of God we must not continually be asking the reason for they are the things that are not seen Nay sayes he faith kills the beast reason in spiritual things Though it is true being kept under faith there is good use of it yet it is as a beast to be slaine that so we may see the more of spirituall things I meet with a story in a book of a company of Bishops that were gathered together and there was a Philosopher with them who disputed against the Christian faith and he argued so subtilly that he non-plust the Bishops Now there was a godly man a poor weak man there and he desired he might have liberty to dispute for that they were so non-plust in and though at first they were afraid he would spoyle the cause through his weaknesse yet at length they gave him leave to speak and he propounds certaine principles of religion to the Philosopher and said to him doe you believe these things and said no more but doe you believe these things and upon this the Philosopher yeilds I have heard sayes he nothing all this while but words but now I finde a divine vertue come into me that I can no longer resist the Christian faith and this meerly upon the propounding of the objects of faith with urging upon him Doe you believe certainly in the things of faith we must believe before we can understand them fully our faith must sometimes help us to conceive and not alwayes our conceiving help to us to believe we finde this in Peter John 6. 69. And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ the Son of the living God mark we believe and are sure He doth not say we are sure and believe but first believe and then are sure by believing we come to be sure There are many they would faine be sure that Christ died for them that their sins are pardoned and that they are the children of God and they endeavour to make this out by arguments from the effects and would try themselves by such and such notes but we should rather and in the first place goe the way the Apostle doth here we believe and are sure we should cast our souls upon the truth of the word and by believing come to be sure So much for the First the things of God are things not seen But now faith that doth evidence and make them cleare We know in whom we have believed 2. Tim. 1. 12. and the mercies of God in Christ are called The sure mercies of David Acts 13. 34. Faith is not a meer notion imagination or conceit but t is that which makes all sure and certaine to the soul I should have answered a case here whether or no there may not be faith without assurance that is without assurance of a mans own salvation by Christ Certainly it must needs be a great mistake to put that upon the being of faith which is the riches of faith for so the Scripture calls assurance a man may be able to carry on his Trade though he be not rich and a man may be a believer though he be not rich in assurance now assurance is the creame of faith the riches of faith I should have shewn also how farre faith can be an evidence where there is doubting Onely thus the assurance we have by faith building upon the word and drawing conclusions from divine principles for that I should have spoken of how faith draws things up to an evidence by divine and spirituall principles and what these principles are but we cannot stand to open this but it is so farre an evidence that the soul can venture upon it as I told you before faith is a foundation that the soule dare venture upon as that Martyr said though I cannot dispute for the truth yet I can dye for the truth Where faith comes with a convincing light though there may be doubts and fears and temptations yet it can trust and depend and the soul resolves if I perish I will perish here let all the world say what they will I finde this is the way and whatever comes of it I will not goe back and by this meanes over-powers the soul and carries it through opposition and so faith is an evidence Many things should have been spoken by way of application As First If faith be an evidence to other things and makes them seen