have recited these Words the more fully that you may clearly see what is the Doctrine and Language of the Church of England And this I hope we All take to be good Doctrine For my part I think it is I might add if it were necessary a great deal more As that where it tells us That Man cannot make himself righteous by his own Works neither in Part nor in Whole For that were the greatest Arrogancy and Presumption of Man that Antichrist could set up against God to affirm that a man might by his own Works take away and purge his own Sins and so justifie himself But Justification is the Office of God only and is not a thing which we Render unto him but which we Receive of him by his free Mercy and by the only Merits of his most dearly beloved Son and our only Redeemer Saviour and Justifier Jesus Christ. But I leave those who would see more of it to seek it in the first second and third Parts of the Sermon of Salvation the first second and third parts of the Sermon of Faith and the first second and third parts of the Sermon of Good Works And indeed the nature of the thing will not bear it that any Works of our own should even in part Justify us For Justification being an Act of God Remitting our Sins for the Ransome and Satisfaction made to his Justice It cannot be that any thing which we can now do can be any part of such Ransome or Satisfaction For all that we can do is but part of what is due for the present As our Saviour tells us When we have done all we are unprofitable Servants we have done but what was our Duty to do And there is nothing of Surplusage which might accrew toward Satisfaction for what is past Like as a Tenant who is run deep in Arrears of Rent cannot by paying part of the Growing Rent for the future make Satisfaction for the Arrears allready incurred For this growing Rent was due allso If it be said as perhaps it may That on this account we must renounce our Faith allso For neither doth Faith Satisfie Gods Justice or Deserve our Justification I say so too That Faith as a Grace or Faith as a Work doth not justifie us But onely as by it we embrace the Righteousness of Christ by which Righteousness alone so embraced we can be Justified And I say so the rather because our Church says so too in these words The true understanding of this Doctrine We be justified freely by Faith without Works or that we be justified by Faith in Christ onely Is not that this our own Act to Believe in Christ or this our Faith in Christ which is within us doth Justify us for that were to count our selves to be justified by some Act or Vertue that is within our selves but the true meaning thereof is That allthough we Hear Gods Word and Believe it allthough we have Faith Hope Charity Repentance Dread and Fear of God within us and do never so many Works thereunto yet we must renounce the merit of all our said Vertues of Faith Hope Charity and all other Vertues and good Deeds which we either have done shall do or can do as things that be far too weak and insufficient and unperfect to deserve Remission of our Sins and our Justification and therefore we must Trust onely in Gods Mercy and that Sacrifice which our High-Priest and Saviour Jesus Christ the Son of God once offered for us on the Cross to obtain thereby Gods Grace and Remission of Sins Original and Actual And as great and as godly a Vertue as the lively Faith is yet it putteth us from it self and remitteth or appointeth us unto Christ for to have onely by Him Remission of Sins and Justification So that our Faith in Christ as it were saith unto us thus It is not I that take away your sins but it is Christ onely and to him onely I send you for that purpose forsaking therein all your good Vertues Words Thoughts and Works and onely putting your Trust in Christ. Nevertheless because Faith doth directly send us to Christ for Remission of our Sins and that by Faith given us of God we Embrace the Promise of Gods Mercy and of the Remission of our sins which thing no other of our Vertues or Works properly doth therefore Scripture useth to say That Faith without Works doth Justify So that according to the Doctrine of our Church neither our other Works and Graces nor even Faith it self as a Work or as an Habit or Grace in us doth Justify us But onely as it Accepteth and Embraceth the Righteousness of Christ for which alone our Sins are Remitted and We Justified not for any thing done by us Which Accepting or Embracing the Promise of God and Salvation by Christ therein offered is not so much an Act of the Understanding Assenting to a Truth for thus the Devils believe and Wicked men as an Act of the Will Accepting of it and Consenting to it and Trusting in it which the Devils and Wicked men have not This being the language of Our Church I would not willingly depart from it or gratifie the Papists so far as to join with them in reproching our Church as Decrying good Works because we say We are not Justified by them If any shall yet say That when they affirm We are not Justified by Faith onely but by Works allso they mean not That either the one or the other doth Merit Gods Favour and the Remission of our Sins but onely That both Faith and Works are necessary to the Party Justified and That by Justification they mean all that is required to make one a Good Man and one qualified for Heaven and Salvation which cannot be without these I say The meaning is good But so to speak is not to speak Distinctly and like a Scholar but to speak confusedly and to Jumble together those things which in themselves are very Distinct. For in order to Salvation there are many other things necessary beside Justification There is Election Regeneration Justification Adoption Sanctification and as the fruits hereof a Holy Life with Perseverance therein to the end Of which Divines use to speak distinctly and consider separately what belongs to each Election is the Act of God which we are not curiously to pry into nor can we know it otherwise than as the Effect discovers it in time Justification is an Act of God allso and as to a person peccant it is the Remission of Sins upon which we are in Gods account reputed as Just or Innocent and this onely for the Satisfaction which Christ hath made not for any Work of ours And this Satisfaction of Christ is by us embraced by Faith accepting this Salvation offered by Christ not by any other Grace Adoption is an Act of God likewise whereby he reputes us his Children and Heirs of his Kingdom which is for the Merits of Christ Purchasing Heaven
metaphor or mystical expression as we are plainly told Isai. 3. Say ye to the Righteous It shall be well with him for they shall eat the fruit of their doings But Wo to the wicked it shall be ill with him for the reward of his hands shall be given him In the other two places Rom. 1.17 and Gal. 3.11 the Emphasis seems to ly on the word Faith The just shall live by Faith or The just by Faith shall live 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For here the main point in Question was in both Epistles concerning Justification to Life Whether by Works or by Faith And the Conclusion was That by the Deeds of the Law shall no flesh be Justified in the sight of God for by the Law cometh the knowledge of sin But being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. In confirmation of which truth the Apostle cites this testimony out of Habakkuk For it is written saith he The Just shall live by Faith And proves it further from the examples of Abraham and David Who were Justified he tells us not by Works but by Faith To whom God imputed Righteousness with works Thus in the Epistle to the Romans And in like manner in that to the Galatians He argues That Abraham's Believing was accounted to him for Righteousness And That in him the Gentiles also are Justified by Faith And do thereby become the Children of faithful Abraham And this he there also confirms by the same testimony That no man is Justified by the Law in the sight of God is evident he tells us For the Just shall live by Faith or The Just by Faith shall live That is Being justified by Faith we shall obtain Life or become Happy Being Justified by Faith we have Peace with God So that the stress of the Proof from this Testimony is laid upon those words By Faith Not of Works but by Faith We have now therefore dispatched these two things from these Words First That this Happiness whatever it be belongs only to the Just the Righteous the Godly Person and to no other That is to those whom God in favour shall repute so And therefore it concerns Us if we would partake of this Happiness to make sure to be of this number That we be such as whom God will account Righteous Otherwise how ever we may flatter our selves or what ever opinion others may conceive of us God tells us His Soul shall have no pleasure in us Secondly That it is by true Faith in Jesus Christ and no other way that we can be reputed Just or Righteous in Gods sight Not for any Righteousness of our own not by works of Righteousness which we have done Our Works perhaps may look glorious in the sight of Men but not in the eyes of God that we should in His sight be justified by Them Our Works may serve to justifie our Faith We may shew our Faith by our Works and By Works is Faith made Perfect But it is our Faith must justifie us Abraham believed God as there is follows and it was imputed to him for Righteousness If Abraham were Justified by Works saith S. Paul he had whereof to Glory but not before God But Abraham's Believing God for so it follows was accounted to him for Righteousness And this God would have so to be That Himself might have all the Glory of his Grace And That Man may have nothing to Glory in nothing to boast of Now to him that worketh as there it follows the Reward is not reckoned of Grace but of Debt But to him that worketh not but Believeth on him that justifieth the Vngodly his Faith is counted to him for Righteousness And David allso as he further argues describeth the Blessedness of that Man to whom God imputeth Righteousness without Works that is not upon the account of Works saying Blessed are they who 's Iniquities are forgiven and who 's sins are covered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not Impute sin Not He that hath no sin for then no man would be blessed but to whom it is not Imputed Who ever therefore would be thus accounted Righteous in Gods sight must be contented to Disclaim his Own Righteousness as to any thing of Merit therein and accept of this Imputed Righteousness on the account onely of Christs Righteousness and Merits to the benefit of which we are intituled by Faith in him So far is the Doctrine of S. Paul from the Popish Doctrine of Merits and Supererogation as if we were able to do no onely as much as is sufficient but more than is necessary to make us Just on the account of Works But when we thus exclude the Merits of good Works as to our Justification We do not deny the Necessity of them as to our Practice For it is not every Faith or every thing which a presumptuous wicked person shall call Faith that will Justifie us in the sight of God But such a Faith as works by Love and By Works is Faith made perfect Not an Idle Lazy Faith But an Operative a Working Faith a Faith that purifieth the Heart A Living a Lively Faith But Faith without Works is Dead and can in no other sense be called Faith than as a Dead man or the Picture of a man may be called a man A Faith in the Heart which doth produce Holyness in the Life For without Holyness no man shall see God For it was never the design of S. Paul nor of our Church neither when shee saith Wee are Justified by Faith onely to derogate from the Necessity of Good Works But he doth directly Assert it And he doth not without some Indignation Disclaim that consequence that some would slanderously fasten upon his Doctrine of Free Grace and Justification by Faith onely What shall we say then Shall we continue in Sin that Grace may abound God forbid And as to those for some such there were who as a consequence of his Doctrine did affirm that he said Let us do evil that good may come thereof He says They do slanderously report it and That their condemnation is just But you will say If we be Justified as our Church tells us by Faith onely what need is there of Holyness or a Godly Life I say Much every way For we must be Sanctified as well as Justified if ever we be saved And though Justification and Sanctification go allways together For God Justifies none whom he doth not also Sanctify yet the Notions of the one and the other are very different And whatever some would slanderously insinuate of those who exclude Good Works from Justification as if they were Enemies to Good Works and held That by Faith a man may be saved let his Life be never so Wicked It will be found in experience That they are not less zealous of good Works who think
that Holyness belongs to Sanctification than those that do thus Calumniate them And very often they who talk most of being Justified by good Works have least of them to shew 'T is I know the business of the Papists to confound the Notions of Justification and Sanctification to make way for their Justification by Inherent Righteousness that is if they would speak out by Holyness For what else is Inherent Righteousness Now That we are Sanctified by Holyness no man denies But is it by Holyness therefore that we are Justified or is not this to make Justification and Sanctification all one And truly the Papists have some Reason so to do For it is a Doctrine by which they get Money As being the foundation of Indulgences and Popish Pardons upon purchasing out of the Popes Treasury somewhat of the Merits of other men who are supposed to have had enough and to spare for those who have none of their own But why any of Us should be fond of that Doctrine who have no such Bargains to drive and that directly against the Doctrine of our own Church I do not see And indeed the Papists themselves how much soever they talk of the Necessity of good Works for Justification do rather hold There is no necessity of them at all either to Justification or Salvation For there is no man so Wicked and devoyd of Holyness and Good Works but that by virtue of their Priests Absolution or at lest by the Popes Indulgence he may go directly to Heaven without any thing of Holyness of Good-works other than giving Money to a Priest by their Doctrine without so much as touching at Purgatory by the way 'T is but by way of Commutation paying so much Money in stead of Holyness and a Good Life and all is safe However since it is amongst us agreed on all hands for I know of no Protestant that doubts it that there is a Necessity of Holyness and the practice of Good Works and a Godly Life if not upon the account of Justification at lest upon the account of Sanctification Let us all make it our business to be Fruitful therein And if we cannot agree upon the punctilio on what Account it is necessary Let us at lest agree upon the Practise of Holyness and a Godly Life In so doing we shall approve our selves to God adorn his Gospel make our own Calling and Election sure obtain the testimony of a good Conscience in our own Breast and pass the more comfortably toward the Completion of that Happiness which the Text promiseth That the Just shall live by Faith And thus I have briefly run over the Doctrine of the Text with some consequents thereof according to the Two Empases allready mentioned There is a third to be after mentioned but before I leave these and come to it I shall further amplify by way of Application on each of them And first as to that Emphasis on the word Just the Just shall live by Faith Which restrains the benefit of this Promise whatever it be to the Just or Righteous person Especially being attended with an Exclusive of those that be otherwise as here it follows But if any man draw-back my Soul shall have no pleasure in him And therefore if we would be entituled to be Benefit we must make sure of the Qualification that we be Just and Righteous persons Where allso we are not to consider the word Just in a strict acceptation so as onely to denote Justice strictly taken as contradistinguished to Holiness Temperance and other virtues But as comprehensive of all that is necessary to denominate a person a Just or Righteous man a Good man a man as here the phrase is in whom the Lord will have pleasure or whom he will be well pleased with For though a Good man a Gracious man an Holy man a Just or Righteous man a man after Gods own heart are different Names in Scripture yet are they but as so many Inadequate Conceptions of the same Thing and all denote the same Person and as other concretes are often predicated one of another and one put for another As in Mat. 1.19 Joseph being a Just man and not willing to make her a publick example was minded to put her away privily That is a good man a kind man a merciful man For the Moderation here intimated as contradistinguished to what Severity might have been used was rather an act of Mercy than of strict Justice But it was a just man a good man a vertuous man that used this moderation And so is the word Just in the Text to be understood as comprehensive of all those Graces and Virtues necessary to make a good man And here if ever that saying will hold good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Justice is comprehensive of all Virtue So that it is not inough here to say I do no man wrong or I live honestly among my Neighbours though that be Good But art thou endued with all Virtue and all the Graces of Gods Spirit and dost accordingly live a Godly Righteous and Sober life as our Church phraseth it or as St. Paul more largely Denying Vngodliness and worldly Lusts live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearance of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Who gave himself for us that he might Redeem us from all Iniquity and Purify to himself a Peculiar People Zealous of Good Works If not It is not the name of Christian or a pretended Faith that will secure against a Wicked Life And he that lives a Vicious Wicked Life whether he pretend to be saved by Faith or to be saved by works he shall be saved by Neither while he continues so S. Paul reckons up a great Catalogue of such livers 1 Cor. 6. under the title of Vnjust or Vnrighteous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Know ye not that the Vnrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Be not deceived neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor Effeminate nor Abusers of themselves with mankind Nor Thieves nor Covetous nor Drunkards nor Revilers nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God And if any find himself within this Catalogue or other the like Let him take heed to make sure of what follows Such were some of you But ye are Washed but ye are Sanctified but ye are Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Observe they must be Sanctified as well as Justified No Vnclean thing may enter there Secondly As to that Emphasis on the words By Faith in contradistinction to Works which S. Paul principally pursues in the business of Justification in the Epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians where this Text is cited Our Church directs in a good even way between the Popish Doctrine of Merits and the loose Practice of Licentious livers That is We should so Practise Good Works as yet
not to Trust in them to be Justified by them either in Whole or in Part. As to Justification she tells us in the 11 th Article That we are Justified by Faith onely and that this is a Wholsome Doctrine and full of Comfort And as to Good Works she tells us in the 12 th Article That though they do not Justifie but follow after Justification yet are they pleasing and acceptable unto God are the necessary fruit of a true and lively Faith and by which it s known as a Tree by its Fruit. And in the Homily or Sermon to which the Article refers she tells us the same more fully That there can no man by his own acts works and deeds seem they never so good be justified and made righteous before God But every man of necessity is constrained to seek for another righteousness or justification to be received at Gods own hands That is to say the forgiveness of his sins and trespasses That this justification or righteousness which we so receive of Gods Mercy and Christs Merits embraced by Faith is taken accepted and allowed of God for our Perfect and Full Justification That all the world being wrapped in sin by breaking of the Law God sent his onely Son our Saviour Christ into the World to Fullfill the Law for Vs and by shedding of his most pretious bloud to make a Sacrifice and Satisfaction or as it may be called Amends to his Father for our sins to asswage his Wrath and Indignation conceived against us for the same That sinners when they turn again to God unfeignedly are washed by this Sacrifice from their Sins in such sort that there remaineth not any Spot of Sin that shall be Imputed to their Damnation That this is that Justification or Righteousness which S. Paul speaketh of when he saith No man is justified by the Works of the Law but freely by Faith in Jesus Christ And again he saith We believe in Jesus Christ that we be justified freely by the Faith of Christ and not by the Works of the Law because that no man shall be justified by the Works of the Law That Although this Justification be Free to Vs Yet it cometh not So freely to us that there is no Ransom paid therefore at all But God hath tempered his Justice and Mercy together that he would neither by his Justice condemn us to the Everlasting Captivity of the Devil and his Prison of Hell remedyless for ever without Mercy Nor by his Mercy deliver us clearly without Justice or payment of a Just Ransom And whereas it lay not in us that to do He provided a Ransome for us that was the most precious Body and Blood of his own most dear and best beloved Son Jesus Christ. Who beside this Ransome Fullfilled the Law for us Perfectly With much more to the same purpose Shewing That Christ Alone hath payd the Whole Ransome and made Full Satisfaction to God's Justice and that our Righteousness or Good Works come not in for any Share or Part thereof as if by them we should at lest in Part be justified This Doctrine I know is not pleasing to the Socinians nor to the Papists Not to the Socinians Because they Deny that any such Satisfaction is made to Gods Justice at all For if they should allow that Christ alone were able to make a sufficient Satisfaction for the Sins of All they must allow him to be more than Man And therefore in order to the Denying of his Divinity they deny his Satisfaction too Nor to the Papists For though they allow a Satisfaction to Justice Yet they would have this to be done at lest in Part by our selves To make way for Purgatory and consequently for Popish Pardons For if we must pay part of the Debt our selves Christ having not payd the Whole and have not payed it in this Life we must either pay it in Purgatory or else by way of Commutation pay Money for the Popes Pardon to be excused from it But Wee who are not concerned for either of these As neither denying Christs Divinity nor being obliged to maintain Purgatory Have no reason to depart from the Language of our own Church Now to make this the more clear our Church observes further That there are Three things which must go together in our Justification Vpon Gods part his great Mercy and Grace Vpon Christs part Justice that is the Satisfaction of Gods Justice or the Price of our Redemption by offering of his Body and shedding of his Blood with fullfilling the Law perfectly and throughly And upon Our part true and lively Faith in the Merits of Jesus Christ which yet is not ours but by Gods working in us So that in our Justification is not onely Gods Mercy and Grace but his Justice also Which the Apostle calls the Justice of God And it consisteth in Paying the Ransome and fullfilling the Law And so the Grace of God doth not shut out the Justice of God in our Justification but onely shutteth out the Justice of Man that is to say the Justice of our Works as to be Merits of deserving our Justification And therefore S. Paul declareth here nothing upon the behalf of Man concerning his Justification but onely a true and lively Faith which nevertheless is the Gift of God and not Mans onely working without God And yet that Faith doth not shut out Repentance Hope Love Dread and the Fear of God to be joyned with Faith in every man that is justified But it shutteth them out from the Office of Justifying So that though they be all present together in him that is justified yet they justify not all together Nor the Faith allso doth not shut out the Justice of our good Works as necessary to be done afterwards of Duty towards God for we are most bounden to serve God in doing good deeds commanded by him in his holy Scripture all the days of our Life But it excludeth them so that we may not do them to this intent to be made Good by doing them For all the good Works that we can do be unperfect and therefore not able to deserve our Justifiction But our Justification doth come freely by the meer Mercy of God And of so great and free Mercy that whereas all the World was not able of their selves to pay Any Part towards their Ransome it pleased our heavenly Father of his infinite Mercy without any our desert or deservings to prepare for us the most precious Jewels of Christs Body and Blood whereby our Ransome might be fully payd the Law fullfilled and his Justice fully satisfied So that Christ is now the Righteousness of all them that truly do believe in him He for them payd the Ransome by his Death He for them fullfilled the Law in his Life So that now in him and by him every true Christian man may be called a Fullfiller of the Law For as much as that which their Infirmity lacked Christs Justice hath supplied I
for us whereby we are entituled to that Purchased Possession And this by us is Accepted by Faith allso And all those are Relative Acts of God towards us rather then Works wrought in us But Regeneration and Sanctification are Works of God wrought in us by his Spirit and produce not one a Relative but a Real change Whereby is wrought in us a New Nature or as the Scripture calls it the New Man or the New Creature whereby Holyness and the Graces of Gods Spirit are Begun and Increased gradually till we come to that of the perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ to that Perfection which we shall attain in Glory And the Practise of Holyness and a Godly Life toward God and toward Man are the Fruit and Effects of such Holyness and Sanctification and necessary allso to Salvation So that Holyness and a Good Life with the Works of Piety Charity and other good Deeds are indeed Necessary to Salvation but belong properly to Sanctification rather than to Justification And I would Ask those Men who choose to speak otherwise Whether they think that beside Justification there is such a thing as Sanctification The Papist if he would speak out must say roundly There is not For when they say we are justified by Inherent Righteousness that is by Holyness they leave nothing for Sanctification But We who think that Justification and Sanctification though of the same Person be different Notions Why should we not rather refer Sanctify to Sanctification If it be said That the Justified and the Sanctified person are the same and therefore we need not so nicely distinguish between Justification and Sanctification I say 'T is true the Persons be the same But the Notions be different And though we may truly say Justus est Sanctus or Justificatus est Sanctificatus yet not Justificatio est Sanctificatio He that is Justified is Sanctified but not that Justification is Sanctification And a little Logick would teach a Fresh-man That Concretes may be predicated one of another when the Abstracts may not We may say that Homo est Animal but not that Humanitas est Animalitas Or that Homo est Albus but not Humanitas est Albedo If lastly It be thought Advantageous to the Practise of Holyness and a Godly Life to say that we are Justified by it I say Neither is this Necessary For this is as well done by preaching the Necessity of Regeneration and Sanctification as without which we cannot hope for Salvation And then the Exercise of Holiness and a Godly Life comes in properly in its own place as the necessary Effect of Sanctification And in this capacity it is that our Church without derogating any thing from the necessity of them doth place Good Works as the necessary Fruits of that Faith which Justifies and a Pretense of Faith without these she esteems to be not Faith but Fancy And therefore though shee exclude them as hath been said from the Office of Justifying yet thinks them necessary to be joined with Faith in every Person that is justified And makes it the Office and Duty of every Christian man unto God not to pass the time of this present life unfruitfully and idly not caring how few good Works we do to the Glory of God and the Profit of our Neighbours Much less to live contrary to the same For that Faith she tells us which bringeth without Repentance either Evil Works or no Good Works is not a right pure and lively Faith but a dead devilish counterfeit and faigned Faith as S. Paul and S. James call it For even the Devils Know and Beleeve That Christ was born of a Virgine That he fasted fourty days and fourty nights without meat and drink That he wrought all kind of Miracles declaring himself very God They beleeve also that Christ for our sake suffered most painfull Death to redeem from Everlasting Death And that he Rose again from Death the third day They beleeve that he Ascended into Heaven and sitteth on the Right hand of the Father and at the last end of this World shall come again and Iudge both the quick and the dead These Articles of our Faith the Devils Beleeve And so they Beleeve all all things that be written in the New and Old Testament to be true And yet for all this Faith they be but Devils remaining still in their damnable state lacking the very true Christian Faith For the right and true Christian Faith is not onely to believe that holy Scripture and all the foresaid Articles of our Faith are true But also to have a sure Trust and Confidence in Gods merciful Promises to be saved from everlasting Damnation by Christ Whereof doth follow a Loving heart to Obey his Commandements And this true Christian Faith neither any Devil hath nor yet any man which in the outward Profession of his Mouth and in his outward Receiving of the Sacraments in coming to the Church and in all outward appearances seemeth to be a Christian and yet in his Living and Deeds sheweth the contrary So that Our Church is far from allowing an Idle Lasy Life much less a Sinful and Wicked Life to accompany Faith But tells us that where there are Faith is not There is indeed she tells us a Faith which in Scripture is called a Dead faith which bringeth forth no good Works but is idle barren and unfruitful which is by S. James compared to the Faith of Devils And this is not properly called Faith as a Dead man is not a Man But as he thus readeth Caesar 's Commentaries Beleeving the same to be True hath thereby a Knowledge of Caesar 's Life and notable Acts because he beleeveth the History of Caesar Yet is not properly sayd That he Beleeveth In Caesar of whom he looketh for no help or benefit Even so he that Beleeveth That all that is spoken of God in the Bible is True and yet liveth so Vngodly that he cannot look to enjoy the Promises and Benefits of God Although it may be sayd that such a man hath a faith and belief To the Words of God yet it is not properly sayd That he beleeveth In God or hath such a Faith and Trust In God whereby he may surely look for grace mercy and everlasting life at Gods hand but rather for indignation and punishment according to the merits of his wicked life If then they phantasy that they be set at liberty from doing all good works and may live as they list they trifle with God and deceive themselves And it is a manifest token that they be far from having the true and lively Faith and allso far from knowledge what true Faith meaneth For the very sure and lively Christian Faith is not onely to Beleeve all things of God which are contained in holy Scripture but allso is an earnest Trust and Confidence in God This true lively and unfeigned Christian Faith is not in the Mouth
and outward Profession onely but it liveth and stirreth inwardly in the Heart This Faith doth not ly Dead in the Heart but is Lively and Fruitfull in bringing forth Good Works This true Faith will shew forth it self and cannot long be Idle For as it is written The Just man doth Live by his Faith Deceive not your selves therefore thinking that you have Faith in God When you live in Sin For then your Vngodly and Sinfull Life declareth the contrary whatsoever you Say or Think With much more to the same purpose Shewing the Necessity of Good Works to our Salvation though we be not Justified by them With many serious Exhortations to the Preacher of them And this is that safe way which I sayd our Church directs in this point To be Fruitfull in Good Works not as to be Justified by them But as the Necessary Fruits of that Faith by which we are Justified Thus have I considered the Words The Just shall live by Faith according to both these Emphases allready mentioned That on the word Just or Righteous as contradistinguished from the Wicked And that on the word Faith as contradistinguished from Works in the point of Justification But beside those Two already mentioned there is yet a Third Emphasis of which these words are capable And which I think is principally intended in this place By Life as is already shewed is meant Happyness as on the contrary by Death is meant Misery Now the Christians Life of Happiness is commonly distinguished into that of Grace and that of Glory That of Glory is to be expected hereafter and is the Completion of our Hapyness or as the Apostle calls it the End of our Hope even the Salvation of our Souls That of Grace is the Exercise of our Faith here Which the Text calls Living by Faith And S. Paul elsewhere The Life which I now live in the Flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God And this I think though not Exclusive of the Life of Glory is that which is here principally and most emphatically intended when he saith The Just shall live by Faith And this I judge not barely from the Form of the Words themselves which stand equally fair for all those Emphases already mentioned but from the Scope of Content which lookes this way For such is the Richness of the Scripture language That comprehensive Words are improvable to different Purposes according as a different Accent or Emphasis may be putt upon them and all included within the general Scope of them Now if we look back to Vers. 19. and those that follow we find the Apostle Paul whom I take to be the Author of this Epistle and so doth our Church of England as appears by the Title which our Translators prefix to it Or whoever else were the Author of it of which we need not here be very solicitous After he had before cleared that Doctrine That the Legal Offerings and Sacrifices were but Types of that One Oblation of Christ And This the Accomplishment of what was Presignified in Them Makes this Vse or Inference from that Doctrine Having therefore Boldness to enter in the Holiest by the Bloud of Jesus By a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the Vail that is to say this Flesh Let us draw near with a true Heart and full assurance of Faith having our Hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience and our Bodies washed with pure Water Where beside the Assurance of Faith he presseth allso for Holyness of Life both in Soul and Body And that both Singly and Jointly in Publike and Private As which we are not onely to Practise Our selves but to Promote as we have opportunity in others allso For so it follows And let us consider one another to Provoke to Love and Good Works Not forsaking the Assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is And having then intimated the Dangers which hereby they might incur as Reproches Afflictions Spoiling of Goods and the like of Themselves and their Friends being made a Gazing-stock themselves and Companions of those that were so used Enduring patiently the spoiling of their goods c. Not onely from the common practise of Wicked and Profane men who are ever prone to scoff at the Power of Godliness walking after their own Lusts having a Form of Godliness but Denying the Power of it But especially at a Time and Place wherein it was not countenanced by the Publike Authority the Government being the Heathen And that therefore they had need of Patience that after they had done the Will of God they might receive the Promise Their chief Reward not being in present Possession but in Expectance onely Yet should they not be Discouraged For yet a little while and he that shall come Will come and will not Tarry The Reward will certainly come in due Season 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at the appointed time and not be put off beyond that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it will not be Delayed too long or as in Habakkuk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it will not come too late but at the End it shall speak and not Ly. And in the mean time The Just shall live by Faith But if any man draw-back my soul shall have no pleasure in him So that the Words are manifestly a Direction and Encouragement for the Exercise of our Faith while we are yet but in Expectation of the Promised Reward which is hereafter to be completed So to Live by Faith here that we be not Disappointed of our Hopes hereafter And the same he pursues in the following Chapter Giving us Great Examples of Living by Faith and the Advantages of so doing in Abel Enoch Noah Abraham Sarah Isaac Jacob Joseph Moses and a many more throughout the whole Eleventh Chapter And then Exhorts them in the beginning of the Twelfth Chapter That being compassed about with so great a Cloud of Witnesses they should themselves do as those before had done The great Doctrine of the Text therefore is this That it is our Duty and it is our Privilege to Live by Faith That is to Live in a constant Exercise of that Grace upon all occasions It is our Duty which we Ought to do And it is our Privilege that we May do it It is our Duty to Trust in God And it is our Privilege that we have a God to trust in Nor doth this Duty and Privilege concern these onely to whom this Epistle was particularly directed the Christian Hebrews But it looks Backward to the First Ages of the World and Wider than the Jewish Nation I say first It looks Backward to the first Ages of the World Nor onely before the Coming of Christ but even before the Establishment of the Jewish Church To Abel Enoch Noah before Abraham and then to Abrabraham Isaac Jacob Joseph before Moses All which are sayd to Live
somewhat of Faith requisite to put them into a capacity of Receiving a Cure S. Paul at Lystra seeing the Cripple impotent in his feet and perceiving that he had Faith to be Healed sayd to him Stand upright And Christ to Mary Magdalene Thy Faith hath saved thee And again to one of the ten Lepers Thy Faith hath made thee whole And to the Father of the Demoniack praying him to have Compassion on them and heal his Son If thou canst Beleeve saith Christ all things are possible to him that Beleeveth who thereupon replied Lord I Beleeve help my Vnbelief and obtained the Cure And contrarywise of his own Countrey-men it is sayd He did not or could not do many mighty works there Because of their Vnbelief And though Miracles be now ceased yet the Effects of Faith are not And in pursuance of Gods Promises That Whatsoever we ask in Prayer Beleeving we shall Receive We may still expect a suitable Supply Especially if we take it with that Limitation that If we Ask any thing according to his Will he Heareth us And will accordingly Grant us the things we Ask in Faith or at lest what shall be Better for us And this is to Live by Faith Now if thus as is sayd we can Live by Faith and while we be Faithfull in the discharge of our Duty Trust God upon his Promises and from Him Fetch a supply of Strength and Grace Direction and Consolation This will naturally work in us 1. An humble Submission to his Will The Will of the Lord be done Not as I will but as Thou wilt 2. A quiet Contentment in every Condition It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good We are Less than the Lest of thy Mercies Thou hast Punished us Less than our Iniquities deserve Why doth the living man Complain It is the Lords Mercy that we are not Consumed because his Compassions Fail not 3. A Patient Waiting Gods leisure He that Beleeveth maketh not Hast. The Vision is for an Appointed Time and in the end it will not Ly Though it Tarry Wait for it It will surely come 4. An Acquiescence in Gods Wisdome as to Events Casting our Care upon the Lord who careth for us Not by a Supine Negligence or Carelessness as wholly unconcerned But while we are Carefull to do our Duties leave the Care of Success to God who hath Promised That He will not leave us nor forsake us And that All things shall work together for Good to them that love God So that if things be not just as we could wish they will at lest by so as God sees Better for us And if singly some things may seem for our Hurt yet taken all together they will Work together for Good 5. An assured Hope that in the End All shall be well how contrary so ever things may seem at present As Children of faithfull Abraham Who against Hope Beleeved in Hope That he might be the Father of Many Nations Not considering his own Body as now dead nor the Deadness of Sarah 's Womb Nor Staggered at the Promise of God through Vnbelief Being fully perswaded that he who promised was Able to perform And this both as to the Church of God in general That the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it And as to Our selves in particular As Knowing whom we have Trusted and that He is Able to Keep what we have Committed to him That He who hath Begun a good Work will perfect it unto the day of Jesus Christ That none is able to pluck us out of our Fathers hand That Nothing shall be able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord That the Lord shall deliver us from Evill Work and will preserve us to his Heavenly Kingdome To whom he Glory for ever and ever Amen FINIS Job 2.4 Deut. 30.15 Ver. 19. Jer. 21.8 Gen. 2.17 1 Tim. 5.6 Joh. 11.25 Ver. 29. Hebr. 9.27 Rev. 20.6 Rom. 8.13 Ver. 6. Joh. 3.15 16. Gal. 3.11 Heb. 10.38 Hab. 2.4 Heb. 10.38 Dr. Pecock Exod. 14.19 20. Isa. 3.10 Ver. 11. Rom. 3.20 Rom. 5.1 Rom. 1.17 Rom. 4.2 5 6. Gal. 3.6 7. Ver. 11. Tit. 3.5 Jam. 2.18 Ver. 22. Ver. 23. Rom. 4.2 Ver. 3. Ver. 4. Ver. 5. Ver. 6. Ver. 7. Ver. 8. Gal. 5.6 Jam. 2.22 Acts 15.5 Jam. 2.20 Heb. 12.14 Artic. 11. Rom. 6.1 Rom. 3.8 Rom. 6.22 Mat. 1.19 Theognid Tit. 2.12 Ver. 13. Ver. 14. 1 Cor 6.9 Ver. 10. Ver. 11. (a) Article II. Of the Justification of Man We are accounted righteous before God onely for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith and not for our own Works or Deservings Wherefore that we are Justified by Faith onely is a most Wholsome Doctrine and full of Comfort as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification (b) Article 12. Of Good Works Allbeit that Good Works which are the Fruits of Faith and Follow After Justification cannot put away our sins and endure the severity of Gods Iudgement yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively Faith in so much that by them a lively Faith may be as evidently known as a Tree discerned by the Fruit. Luk. 17.10 Eph. 1.14 Eph. 4.24 Gal. 6.15 Eph. 4.13 1 Pet. 1.5 Gal. 2.17 Heb. 10.19 Ver. 20. Ver. 22. Ver. 24. Ver. 32 33 34. Ver. 33. Ver. 34. 2 Pet. 3.3 2 Tim. 3.5 Heb. 10.36 Ver. 37. Hab. 2.3 Heb. 10.37 Ver. 38. Heb. 11. Heb. 12.1 Heb. 11.4 5 7. Ver. 8 9 20 21 22. Gen. 2.17 Levit. 18.5 Ezek. 20.11 Gal. 3.11 12. Rom. 10.5 6. Heb. 10.39 Heb. 11.2 Ver. 8 9. Ver. 1$ Ver. 13. Ver. 14. Ver. 15. Ver. 16. Ver. 26. Ver. 27. Ver. 35. Ver. 36. Ver. 37. Ver. 39. Ver. 4$ January 6. Gal. 3.14 Ver. 8. Ver. 7. Ver. 9. Ver. 11. Heb. 11.3 Psal. 14.1 2 Tim. 1.10 Tit. 1.11 1 Cor. 11.16 Mat. 12.41 42. Luk. 11-31 32. Joh. 11.24 Mat. 22 23-32 Jam. 2.19 Luk. 9.23 Mat. 10.38 Mar. 8.34 Mat. 19.21 Mar. 10.19 Joh. 12.25 Heb. 11.8 Ver. 9. Ver. 17. Ver. 18. Ver. 19. Ver. 24 25. Ver. 26. Ver. 33. Ver. 34. Ver. 35. Ver. 36. Ver. 37. * Mr. Gataker in his Adversaria Cap. 44. thinks that for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should rather be read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Because Vivicumburium or Burning alive being a punishment then frequently inflicted on Christians of which in this Catalog of suffrings there is no other mention he thinks it more likely that it should thus be here mentioned with such a Paronomasia which the Apostle seems to affect than that in the Enumeration of their Torments should be here inserted their being Tempted And our Church seems to favour this Reading which in the second part of that Sermon of Faith where this place is cited at large hath it thus Some have been Racked some Slain some Stoned some Sawn some Rent in pieces some Beheaded some Brent without mercy and would not be delivered because they looked to Rise again to a better state Ver. 38. Ver. 39. Act. 19.22 Ver. 23. Ver. 24. Act. 21.13 Heb. 11.7 Prov. 14.16 Prov. 22.3 Prov. 27.12 Exod. 9.20 Ver. 21. Prov. 14.9 Prov. 10.23 Prov. 7.22 Ver. 23. Mat 12.41 Luk. 11.32 Jonah 2.4 Ver. 5. Ver. 8. Ver. 9. Gen. 19.14 Ver. 24 25. 2 Pet. 3.3 Ver. 5. Luk. 13.3 5. 2 Pet. 3.10 1 Thes. 5.2 Ver. 3. Psal. 1.1 Wisd. 5.3 Ver. 4. Ver. 5. Ver. 7. Deut. 29.19 Ver. 20. Ver. 21. Deut. 17.13 Heb. 11.9 Ver. 10. Ver. 11. Ver. 20. Ver. 22. Psal 10.14 Prov. 16.3 Prov. 3.15 Psal. 37.5 Ver. 7. Ver. 9. Psal. 18.2 Joh. 15.4 Ver. 5. Gal. 2.20 Joh. 1.16 Joh. 7.37 38 39. Joh. 4.14 Isa. 12.3 Rom. 8.26 Phil. 2.13 Collect for Easter Week Phil. 4.13 Jam. 1.5 Ver. 6. Jam. 4.2 Ver. 3. Ver. 15. Heb. 4.2 Act. 14.9 10. Luk. 7.50 Luk. 17.19 Mar. 9.22 Ver. 23. Ver. 24. Mat. 13.58 Mar. 6.5 6. Mat. 21.22 1 Joh. 5.14 Act. 21.14 Mat. 26.39 1 Sam. 3.18 Gen. 32.10 Ezr. 9.10 Lam. 3.39 Ver. 22. Isai. 28.16 Hab. 2.3 1 Pet. 5.7 Heb. 13.5 Rom. 8.28 Gal. 3.7 9. Rom. 4.18 Ver. 19. Ver. 20. Ver. 21. Mat. 16.18 2 Tim. 1.12 Phil. 1.6 Joh. 10.29 Rom. 8.39 2 Tim. 4.18
the more Rational Without considering If they must at lest allow Eternity to Matter why not rather to a Wise and Knowing Agent Onely because their Wickedness hath made them think it their Interest That there be no God to call them to account for it And therefore would fain perswade themselves That there is none And think there is nothing so Absurd which they would not rather Beleeve than That there is a God And what is sayd of the Creation of the World may be equally applyed to the Immortality of the Soul the Resurrection of the Body and the Eternal state of Bliss or Misery hereafter according as Men have or have not approved themselves to God and others of like nature Of all which what ever faint Conjectures or doubtful Traditions the Heathen might have from the Light of Nature they were yet much in the dark till Immortality was brought to Light by the Gospel Not that I take pleasure to Decry Disparage Depreciate or Invalidate that Light which Nature and Reason afford us toward Reveiled Truthes For this I think we ought rather to Cherish to Enforce and Improve what we can rather than to Enervate or Elude as of great subserviency to that of Faith For while we study to Elude these Arguments we are so far doing their Work who would Elude the Scripture too For even where we cannot from Nature alone conclude an absolute Certainty so as to Stop the Mouths of those that love to Cavil or as the Apostle speaks list to be Contentious Yet if this afford us from considerations Natural and Moral Probable Arguments and a Multitude of them all concurring to shew That it is not Impossible not Improbable but very Likely that these things May be so It is a great Preparative to the Beleeving of a Revelation that says It is so And such Arguments we find the Apostles did oft make use of to very good Purpose and with very good Success A Cloud of Witnesses though each singly may seem but Cloudy may afford a considerable Light like the Stellae Nebulosae in the via Lactea And Probable Arguments though not singly Demonstrative yet where there be Many of them and those Concurrent and Nothing to the Contrary Experience tells us in affaires of all natures create at lest Violent Presumption and oft obtain a firm Assent And 't is seldome we have a greater Evidence either for Determining Civil Affairs or for Stating the Hypotheses of Nature There is none of us can Doubt but that there is such a place as Rome though we have not seen it and though of all those who have Told us so there is no one who might not possibly have told a Ly. But a Concurrence of many Probabilities passeth for a sufficient Proof And such Arguments how ever we now look upon them as not Demonstrative were yet of such force with the Heathens who had no better Light to Determine them at lest with the Wisest of them that they judged it a matter at lest of great Probability if not of absolute Certainty That the Souls of men are Immortal and That there is a State of Rewards and Punishments after this Life Who shall therefore rise up in Iudgement with the men of this Generation and Condemn them who disbeleeve it under a greater Light But when all is done the Fullest and Clearest Evidence is from Revelation Whereby what to Reason was very Probable is to our Faith made Certain The Jews indeed had some better Knowledge of these things than the Gentiles had Not onely their great Rabbi's but even Ordinary persons and those of the other Sex According to that of Martha concerning Lazarus I know that he shall Rise again in the Resurrection at the last day And the Sadduces before the Resurrection of Christ and the full Discovery of the Gospell expostulating with Christ concerning the Resurrection is an Argument that though themselves did disbeleeve it it was an Opinion commonly received by the rest of the Jews That the Dead should rise again But They had it by Revelation not by Natural Light onely Now these Great and Momentous Truthes which God hath vouchsafed thus to make known we are to Beleeve by Faith And that not onely so as to give Credit to them as matters of News for thus the Devils Beleeve and Tremble But so to Beleeve as to Live sutably so to Live as becomes those who Beleeve such things Secondly As we are thus in general to beleeve the Word of God So particularly to beleeve the Commands of God And so to live as becomes those that beleeve these to be God's Commands That is To Obey them and Conform our selves unto them however contrary to our perverse Inclinations If Christ command us To Deny our selves To take up our Cross and follow him To sell all if need be and give to the Poor To Leave House or Brethren or Sisters or Father or Mother or Wife or Lands for His sake and the Gospell yea or Life it self To pull out a Right Eye or Cut off a Right Hand in case they Offend or part with what is as dear to us as these We must Obey it Thus among the many Examples in the following Chapter By Faith Abraham being Called of God Obeyed and went out he knew not whither forsaking his Countrey and his Fathers House in Obedience to Gods Command and Sojourned in the Land of Promise as in a Strange Land By Faith Abraham when he was Tryed Offered up Isaac And he that had received the Promises Offered-up his onely begotten Son Of whom it was sayd That in Isaac shall thy Seed be Called Without disputing How this was consistent with the Bowels of a Father or How unacceptable News it would be to Sarah when she should hear it or How consistent with that great Promise wherein all the Nations of the Earth were concerned That in his Seed that is in Isaac and what should proceed from him all the Nations of the Earth should be Blessed He presently addressed himself to this hard Task to the Obedience of this unexpected Command Leaving it to God who he knew was able to Reconcile his own Promise with his Command By Faith Moses chose rather to suffer Affliction with the Children of God than to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin for a Season Esteeming the Reproach of Christ greater Riches than the Treasures of Egypt On the same account the Three Children would rather venture on a Firy Furnace and Daniel on the Lyons Den than not Obey the Commands of God Which here I suppose the Apostle intimates when he tells us of those who by Faith stopped the mouths of Lyons and Quenched violence of Fire Others were Tortured 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not accepting deliverance Endured cruell Mockings and Scourgings Bonds and Imprisonments Were Stoned were Sawn-asunder were Tempted or Burned alive were Slain with the Sword they
for a City which hath Foundations a Firm and well Founded City instead of tbose Flitting Tabernacles who 's Maker and Builder is God And his Trusting to these Promises made him so cheerfully to Obey those Commands By Faith Sarah received Strength and obtained a Child when she was past Age Because shee judged him Faithful who had Promised By Faith in the Promise she was the better qualifyed to receive the Accomplishment of it By Faith Isaac Blessed Jacob and Esau concerning Things to come Himself Beleeving the Truthe of them By Faith Joseph when he Died made mention of the Departure of the Children of Israel out of Egypt as Beleeving the Promise of the Land of Canaan and gave Commandement concerning his Bones With many more whom I forbear to mention Who all by Faith Trusted to the Fullfilling of those Promises which God had made And here allso as we said before we must so Beleeve as to act accordingly And what the Hebrews say of their Language Verba Sensus connotant Affectum is true of other Languages too Words of Speculation imply suitable Action We must so Beleeve the Promises of God as to Trust in him to Rest upon him to Depend on him who hath so Promised A Christian Faith is not so much Fides as Fiducia Not barely an Act of the Vnderstanding but of the Will and Affections And 't is generally agreed by better Criticks than those that Laugh at it that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are the Scripture-phrases is somewhat more than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And answers to what in the Old Testament is called Trusting in God or Putting our Trust in Him It is not onely Deo Credere but Deo Fidere or Considere Deo se Credere To Trust God To Commit our selves to him as the phrase is Psal. 10. The Poor Committeth himself to thee or as the Margin reads it out of the Hebrew Leaves himself to thee Or to the same purpose Leanes upon thee innititur Deo as we have it phrased elsewhere Commit thy works unto the Lord Trust in the Lord with all thy Heart and Leane not to thy own Vnderstanding Commit thy way unto the Lord Trust in him and he shall bring it to pass Or as the Margin tells us it is in the Hebrew Roll thy way upon the Lord Devolve restuus in Deum and as there it follows Rest on the Lord and Wait patiently for him Roll thy self on the Lord and Rest in him and Wait patiently For Evil-doers shall be cutt off But those that Wait on the Lord shall inherit the Earth If any Object as I find some have done against this Language as less Significative and Improper to express the Nature of Faith and the Workings thereof Because to Rest in God and Rely on him to Depend upon him to Lean on him to Commit or Leave our selves to him to Roll our selves upon the Lord and the like Scripture Expressions are but Metaphors 'T is true they are so But so is allso the greatest part of Humane Discourse And if we Bar Metaphors we must Exclude the greatest part of what is Sayd or Written Whatever Author we look into we shall hardly find One Sentence that hath not in it More Tropes than One. When the Psalmist says The Lord is my Rock my Fortress my Strength in whom I will Trust my Bucler my Horn of Salvation and my High Tower These are all Metaphors But their Meaning is easily understood And when we Trust a Friend upon his Word to Help us in Distress and tell him We Rest upon him We Rely upon him we Depend on him we Commit our business to him and Leave it with him Expecting that he will not Fail us or Disappoint us and suffer us to be Vndone to be Overcome to be Run-down to be Ruined These are all Metaphors But of frequent Use and as Easily Understood and more Emphatically significative than if we should Study for Proper Words or Coin new ones when we find none ready made to our hands to signify the same as Fully without Trope And if we should according to the Farsy of the Age which affects Exotick words of Latin or French Extraction rather than good old English though to the same Sense instead of Resting and Relying make use of Acquiescence and Recumbence the case is still the same At lest the Modish and Romantick Speakers should not find fault with it Nor should we look upon it as Canting to make use of such Language as the Wisdom of God thinks fit to Teach us in Holy Writ and which as is said we do commonly make use of without Scruple in all Humane Affaires Bur further As Living by Faith on Gods Promises implies a Trusting to him or Resting on him So it implies allso a Fetching Strength from him and a supply of Grace for the performance of what Duties he requires of us Our Saviour tells us That as the Branch cannot bear Fruit of it self except it abide in the Vine and receive supply of Sap Juice and Nourishment from it So neither We except we abide in Him and accordingly receive Supply from him For without him we can do Nothing And S. Paul tells us That the Life which he lives he lives by the Faith of the Son of God and that it is not so much Himself that liveth as Christ liveth in him It is of His Fullness that We receive Grace for Grace 'T is the Spirit which he giveth us that is the Well of Water Springing up to Everlasting Life And it is by Faith that We Draw Water from these Wells of Salvation When we know not what we should Pray for as we ought It is this Spirit that helps our Infirmities and makes Intercession for us When we cannot of our selves even Think as we ought It is God worketh in us both to Will and to Do of his good pleasure Or as our Church phraseth it It is by his speciall Grace Preventing us that he puts into our Minds good Desires and by his Continual Help we bring the same to good Effect Or as S. Paul of himself I am Able to do all things through Christ that strengtheneth mee Now this Strength from God we fetch by Faith If any man lack Wisdome and the like we may say of other Supplies Let him ask of God and it shall be given him But let him ask in Faith nothing wavering Yee Have not because Ye Ask not and Yee Ask and Have not because yee Ask Amiss And it is the Prayer of Faith that saveth the Sick and the like of other Mercies The Word Preached did not Profit them who are there spoken of not being mixed with Faith in them that heard it And for want of such Exercise of Faith we may oft Loose those Mercies which otherwise we might obtain And even in Miraculous Cures there was