The Souls Vocation, Part 3 (3 of 6)

The Souls Vocation · Part 3 (3 of 6)

p. 384Thirdly, if wee conſider the manner of Gods working upon the ſoule in beleeving, the Lord doth not concurre in an ordinary common kinde of providence; as meeting with ſome power and p. 385abilitie in the ſoule to helpe forward the worke, as God moves, and wee move, and wee are co-workers with God in ſeverall paſſages; and ſo it is in all the workes of ſanctification which comes after faith. There is ſtill ſomething that concurs with God in the worke, but now it is a true miracle, hee findes nothing in the ſoule, but meere feares and oppoſitions at firſt; and therefore Divines doe truly ſay, that it is more to make the ſoule beleeve, than to create a world, for in the creating of the world, the Lord had no oppoſitions, he onelyonly ſpake the word, and all was made; but now ſinne and Satan, and the world and all, ſet againſt the poore ſoule. If a man gets a knocke by the Miniſtery of the Goſpell, and begins to be humbled, then carnall friends begin to perſwade, and every man hath a blow to hinder him from receiving the powerfull impreſſion of the Word of God; ſo that the Lord in this worke findes more fierce oppoſitions, than in any worke; and moreover, when theſe oppoſitions are oppoſed and removed, and the Lord comes into the ſoule, the ſoule is very emptie, and cannot receive nor cloſe with any grace. As it is with a dead man, hee hath no power to quicken himſelfe, as. Epheſ. 19.20. What is the exceeding greatneſſe of his power to us ward, who beleeve according to the working of his mighty power which hee wrought in Chriſt, when he raiſed him from the dead: the ſame Almighty power which raiſed up Jeſus Chriſt from the dead, the ſame power the Lord puts forth in bringing a dead ſoule to beleeve: p. 386So that as the dead body hath no living vertue in it ſelfe to quicken it ſelfe, ſo the ſoule hath no ability to beleeve of its owne ſelfe: but ſee how the Apoſtle cannot content himſelfe to ſpeake of this worke of God, you ſhall ſee five degrees in it, what is the exceeding greatneſſe of his power to us that beleeve. Firſt, the power of God: Secondly, the greatneſſe of it: Thirdly, the exceſſiveneſſe of this greatneſſe: Fourthly, the exceſſiveneſſe of that mightineſſe: Fifthly, the working of all together: ſo that there is the exceeding greatneſſe, and the exceſſive greatneſſe, and the mightineſſe of that exceſſiveneſſe, and then the worke of all: as if he had ſaid, view you the heavens, ſearch all the ſtories, and behold all the miracles that ever God wrought, and there is none equall to his, to bee compared with this worke of beleeving. I ſay of faith as Iacob did of Reuben, Gen. 49.3. Reuben thou art my firſt borne, my might, and the beginning of my ſtrength, the excellency of dignities, &c. So I ſay of faith, it is the firſt borne of all other graces, it is the might of God, and the beginning, and the excellency of the might and power of God: for as the firſt borne hath a double portion appointed by God, ſo this is the firſt borne, and hath a double portion of that Almighty Spirit of his.

So then if it be ſo, that all the parts that ever a man had, and all the higheſt privileges, and meanes, and duties, cannot reach this worke, and are not able to worke faith, but are too feeble to worke faith: and if it bee ſo, that this worke is p. 387extraordinary great, and ſo are the hindrances to be removed, and none but Chriſt can doe it; and if faith bee ſupernaturall, the oppoſition againſt this worke of God bee ſo fierce, let then every man that heares the word of God this day, yeeld that it is unconceivable how it is done, and therefore much more out of our power to worke it in our owne ſoules: therefore you that have heard, and underſtand the minde of God, that out of ignorance have beene deceived, to you I now ſpeake, you are to be intreated in the name of the Lord, to goe home, and ſay, and take ſhame to your ſelves, and confeſſe your owne folly; thou that haſt made it a eaſie worke to beleeve, ſaying, if people were but judicious to underſtand the Scriptures, it were eaſie to beleeve; now take ſhame to your ſelves, and ſay thus, Lord, the truth is, I condemned ſuch and ſuch a poore ſoule, I heard ſuch a man a mourning, and ſaying, hee could not beleeve; in the meane time I thought it was eaſie, or elſe they wanted wit; but I thought that by my parts and abilities, and becauſe I was able to ſee the depth of Scriptures, that therefore I could beleeve, and that it was an eaſie matter to doe it: but poore deluded creature that I was, I ſee now that I am no more able to beleeve out of my owne power, than to pull the ſunne from the heavens: conſider it ſadly, and know, that he that beleeves, muſt beleeve through grace, therefore parly with the promiſe, and ſay, Lord, I muſt beleeve through grace: it is not parts nor privileges, meanes nor duties, I muſt beleeve through p. 386duplicate page p. 387duplicate page p. 388grace: if I could meditate till my eyes ſunke into my head, yet Lord it is through that grace that I muſt beleeve, through that grace of thine; inable thy ſervant, and ſtrengthen him in hearing, prayer, and all meanes, that I may receive the good and benefit of faith to my comfort: and brethren, whenſoever yee appeare before the Lord in the uſe of the meanes, doe not ſticke upon the meanes, and ſay, now I ſhall beleeve, but looke to him, that by all theſe can doe more than thou canſt doe; and ſay, Good Lord, thou haſt appointed the ordinances to worke faith, and the meſſengers have knockt at the doore of my heart, and would faine have had me come home to the Lord Jeſus; but alas! this heart would not yeeld, I will not beleeve, nor reſt upon the promiſes, nor goe to Jeſus Chriſt, nor denie all carnall confidence in parts, and gifts, and the like; therefore good Lord, thou that haſt the keyes of hell and death, doe not onelyonly ſtand and knock, but Lord ſhake off theſe iron gates of unbeleefe from the hinges, it is thy owne worke, doe it Lord, for the good and comfort of thy ſervant; this we muſt doe, or elſe it will never be done, it is the Lord that muſt doe it: you know, a little before my text, the Scribes and Phariſees ſaid, How did he come downe from heaven? Let no man, ſaith Chriſt, be offended with this, for no man can come to mee, except the Father draw him; and in the 28, 29. verſes, they ſaid, How ſhall we worke the worke of God? This is the worke of God, ſaith Chriſt, that ye beleeve in the Sonne of God; this is the Maſter peece, and the p. 389firſt-borne of God, and the exceeding greatneſſe of his mightie power: and in the text, Hee that hath heard and learned of the Father, commeth to me; and Chriſt ſaith, I have called you out of world; the Diſciples were ſetled upon the world, and Chriſt calls them; now if all the Angels in heaven had called, they would not have heard; but Chriſt ſaith, I have called you from the world, and from that evill, and ſinne, in which ye were, &c. when you heare of there workes, treaſure them up in your heart, and plead thus with the Lord, and ſay, Lord thou haſt bidden us come unto thee, and it is our dutie; but no man can come unto thee, though he have never ſo many parts and gifts, except thou draw him; Lord draw this heart of mine to beleeving: no man can know the way to thee, except thou teach him; Oh therefore teach thou this blinde minde of mine, it is not our worke can make us beleeve, it is not in our power to frame our hearts to this bleſſed worke; Lord doe thou it, and let that exceſſive greatneſſe of thy mighty power be manifeſted, in making mee beleeve, and draw home this ſoule by the greatneſſe of thy power; Lord here are great hinderances, and great ſinnes, and mightie great baſeneſſe and looſneſſe of heart, Lord thou haſt that exceeding great power to doe it, Lord worke mightily upon my heart, and over-power this greatneſſe of ſinne, with the greatneſſe of thy power; and over-power this mightineſſe of corruption, by that mightineſſe of thy power: you muſt goe to God for this power, or elſe it will never p. 390bee, for though you had all the meanes and helpes, that ever any had, yet this carnall confidence will never out, before the almighty power of God come downe from heaven, ſeeke for that power, and never be in quiet till you have it, that you may have this worke of faith to your comcomforts for ever.

Vſe 4 Hence in the next place, wee collect the exceeding great benefit that will come by beleeving to the ſoule; the difficultie in getting of it cannot be ſo great, but the benefit of it, when it is gotten, will bee as great every way: and that is thus, faith makes the life of every man that hath it moſt eaſie, and brings full content to the ſoule of him that hath it; theſe are the two heads to which I will referre the benefit of faith: Firſt, it makes the life of a Chriſtian moſt eaſie. Secondly, it gives full content to the heart of a poore Chriſtian; theſe follow from the former truth in this manner; if this be the nature of faith, to cauſe the ſoule to reſt upon the free grace of God in Chriſt, and to furniſh the ſoule with a ſupply of ſpirituall wants from hence, then this muſt needs make the life of a Chriſtian moſt eaſie; if faith makes the life of a Chriſtian ſo eaſie, then the ſoule muſt needs bee contented: but the nature of faith is this, to cauſe the ſoule to reſt upon God and his promiſe, and therefore it makes the life eaſie. Secondly, it furniſheth the ſoule with all neceſſaries, and therefore it gives the ſoule full content. Firſt of the former, the life of the beleever, is the life that hath moſt eaſe with p. 391it, and brings moſt delight with it; there is no life under heaven more free from tediouſneſſe, and hath more eaſe and liberty than a Chriſtian courſe; let a mans condition bee what it will bee, faith makes a mans life moſt eaſie: I uſe to compare the conditions of them that want faith, to the cart that is from his wheeles; they draw heavily, and they are in great extremitie, and they tug and toile, but it will not be drawne with any eaſe or good ſucceſſe: ſo unfaithfull ſoules ſinck in their ſorrowes upon every occaſion, and their lives are tedious and weariſome; but faith ſets the cart upon the wheeles, and carries all away eaſily and comfortably: you muſt know thus much, it is the hardeſt matter in the world to get faith, when we want it; but it is the moſt eaſieſt life in all the world, and hath the moſt delight in all the world, if wee have but skill to uſe it wiſely when we have it, and it gives moſt eaſe and quiet to a man in all his converſation: and this faith doth two wayes; Firſt, becauſe faith hath a skill, and a kinde of ſlight, to put over all cares to another, that whereas the unfaithfull heart beares all the cares in himſelfe, and ſo he ſinckes under them; this is the cunning of faith, to put over all to another: wee take up the croſſe, but faith hurls all the care on Chriſt, as Matth. 11.29. Take my yoke upon you, and you ſhall finde reſt to your ſoules; faith makes a man reſt, and goe on eaſily in a Chriſtian courſe, and all his troubles are removed, and therefore he may goe on eaſily in a Chriſtian courſe; all his troubles are removed, therefore p. 392he may goe on with eaſe; whereas the unfaithfull heart is as Saint Iames ſpeakes, Chap. 1. 15. Like a wave of the ſea, toſſed to and fro: and Eſa. 57.20. There is no peace to the wicked, but they are as a raging ſea, which cannot reſt; faith ſets us to the worke, but it layes all the weight of the worke upon another; it is an eaſie matter to lye under the burthen, when another beares all the weight of it: this is the difference betweene a faithfull ſoule, and a man that lives by his wits and ſhifts; looke as it is with two ferry men, the one of them hals his boat about the ſhoare, and cannot get off, but tugs and puls, and never puts her forth to the tide; but the other puts his boat upon the ſtreame, and ſets up his ſaile, and then hee may ſit ſtill in his boat, the winde will carry him whither he is to goe: Juſt thus it is with a faithfull ſoule, and an unbeleever; all the care of the faithfull ſoule is to put himſelfe upon the ſtreame of Gods providence, and to ſet up the ſaile of faith, and to take the gale of Gods merciemercy and providence, and ſo he goes on cheerfully, becauſe it is not he that carries him, but the Lord Jeſus Chriſt; whereas every unfaithfull ſoule tugs and puls at the buſineſſe, like the ferryman with his boat upon the ſhoare, and can finde neither eaſe, nor cheare, nor ſucceſſe, becauſe hee thinkes by his owne wits and power to doe what he would; but faith will keepe a man upon the ſtreame of Gods providence, and labours for the bleſſing of God to carrie him along, and ſo he reſts himſelfe upon the free grace of God: this makes the life of p. 393faith marvellous eaſie and free from trouble, and makes the ſoule goe on wonderfull cheerfully: though the childe were naked, yet if the father would buy cloth, and ſee the garment fitted for him, hee only to take it and put it on; were not this eaſie? and though the childe were even hungerſtarved, yet if the father would provide meat and drinke, and ſet it before him, hee only to eat it; were not this eaſie? when the Lord had made a marriage for his Sonne, Luke 14. the text ſaith, He hath killed his fatlings, and drawne out his wines, all things are ready, come therefore to the marriage; this is all that God lookes for at our hands, all the dainties of life and ſalvation, peace, pardon, power againſt corruption, whatſoever we can want, they are all prepared, onelyonly come unto the marriage: take this merciemercy, and feed upon theſe precious comforts that the Lord Jeſus Chriſt offereth unto us: if you want grace, and if you want wiſdome, and power, and holineſſe, and patience, you may goe to Jeſus Chriſt, and take it, it is bought and paid for already, onelyonly take it and put it on; is not this an eaſie life? what would you have, brethren? nay, yet more, if more may be added, all that the Lord requires in this caſe, is, in a manner, to ſtand ſtill, and ſee what the Lord will doe for him; as in the 2 Chron. 20.15. to the 20. when Iehoſhaphat was in a great ſtraight, and knew not what to doe, the Lord ſaith to him, The battle is not yours, but Gods, ſtand ye ſtill, and ſee the ſalvation of God; it is eaſie conquering, when a man may ſtand ſtill, and overcome by looking on p. 394the adverſaries; then in the 19. verſe, the Levites the Sonnes of the Kohathites, fell to ſinging and to praiſing of God, when as yet they had not ſtrucke one ſtroke in the battle; but the truth is, they had the victorie by faith, they beleeved the Prophets of God, the Prophets had ſpoken it, and therefore the King did beleeve it, that it ſhould be done; and it was not only ſo in that extraordinary caſe of his, wherein the power and life of faith was expreſſed, but it is that which appertaines to all the Saints of God in their ſpirituall combats, and what God did for the King in that caſe, the ſame hee doth for all the Saints; therefore Rom. 8.38. The beleevers are more than conquerers; and why ſo? there is no man can conquer before hee come into the field, and contend with his enemies; but wee overcome before wee fight, how? through him that loved us: if wee looke upon the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and keepe our hearts by a holy bent to the promiſes of life and ſalvation, we ſhall overcome our enemies; this is the firſt ground.

2Secondly, faith makes the life eaſie this way, becauſe it ſweetens all our afflictions, even thoſe that are moſt hard and full of tediouſneſſe, and withall faith apprehends all troubles and afflictions, and faith apprehends the faithfulneſſe of God, ordering all for his good: and thats the reaſon why all troubles are digeſted comfortably, without any harſhneſſe at all: looke at H… and Mordecai, Haman had the Kings favour, and all his deſires granted him, and the poſtes were p. 395diſpatched, and yet he was more troubled in plot…ing this evill againſt the Jewes, than Mordecai was in bearing it, becauſe faith made the life of Mordecai eaſie and comfortable, and therefore …e ſaith, Salvation will come, I ſee not the way, …or I know not the meanes how it ſhould be, but …alvation will come; therefore David in the 119. …ſalme, 75. verſe, ſaith, I know that all thy judge…ents are just, and that thou of very faithfulneſſe haſt …fflicted mee; hee drunke nothing but mercy in …hat bitter cup which God had tempered for …im: when the patient takes bitter pills, if they …ee well ſugered, they goe downe the eaſier, and …he bitterneſſe never troubles him: ſo it is with …aith, it takes away the harſhneſſe of all inconve…iences, which are bitter pills in themſelves, but …hey are ſweetned and ſugered over by the …aithfulneſſe of God, for the good of the ſoule, …nd therefore it goes on cheerfully: ſo the iſſue of the point is this, if the burthen of the worke …e laid upon another, and if all cares be put over …o another, and if all the harſhneſſe of all troubles …e taken away by faith, then faith muſt needs make the life of a Chriſtian eaſie and comfor…able.

2The ſecond thing wherein the excellencie and …enefit of faith appeares, is this, it fils the ſoule of a beleever with full contentment, and in truth …ontentment commeth through beleeving: for …ee that doth partake of the merciemercy of God in Chriſt, he cannot but partake of all the good that … therein, and ſo hee cannot but bee contented p. 396therewith: Oh, ſaith one, I would faine have contentment in the world, then the life of faith brings full content to the heart of a believer, ſo that he ſhall ſay, I can deſire no more; 1 Corin. 3.22, 23. when the Apoſtle would ſtill the diviſions that were riſen amongſt the Corinths, (for every man was not content with what he had, but would have even what hee liſt) hee ſaith, All is yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or the world, or life, or death, or things preſent, or things to come, all is yours; and will not all content you? would you have the world? it is yours; would you have things preſent? take them; would you have things to come? expect them; they are yours, and you are Chriſts, and Chriſt is Gods; Chriſt hath what God hath, and the beleever hath what Chriſt hath; nay, ſinne, and hell, and death, they are but your ſervants, and hee that hath Chriſt, and all good in a Chriſt, hee hath all working for his good; therefore hee that hath a Saviour, and all good in him, he cannot be diſcontented.

Now faith workes a mans full content three wayes:

1Firſt, faith ſupplies all wants.

2Secondly, it cures all feares.

3Thirdly, it inables a man to all duties; and more than theſe cannot be added nor deſired.

1For the firſt, faith ſupplies all wants, faith plucks the ſoule, and hales the heart of a poore Chriſtian away from all thoſe ſecret boſome diſtempers, as pride, and ſuch like, which breed any diſcontentment within a man, as all curioſitie, and all p. 397pride and unquietneſſe, for theſe rack the ſoule with a reſtleſſe diſcontent, all the inordinate deſires and the like: theſe luſts and corruptions ought not to bee quieted, nay it cannot bee; for ſpirituall things will not ſatisfie a corrupt heart; and worldly things cannot quiet it: Now faith divorceth the ſoule, and withdrawes the heart from under the power of thoſe boyſterous diſtempers, and makes the ſoule reſigne up it ſelfe to the good will of God, and when faith hath done theſe, then in the ſecond place faith makes the ſoule ſay, the good will of the Lord is better than any thing that hee ſhall deny, or than all the good things that an inordinate ſinfull heart can crave: faith makes the ſoule apprehend that whatſoever God doth, and whatſoever Gods pleaſure is, is better to him, than whatſoever hee can deſire, though God deny what he deſires: if God will have a man poore, faith ſayes, it is better than if he had given him riches; and if it bee the will of God to lay ſhame and diſgrace upon a man, faith ſayes, it is better that God lay ſhame upon me than honours, becauſe it is his good will and pleaſure ſo to have it, and ſo the heart is quieted and fully contented, and the want is ſupplied, becauſe the will of God is better than to have what wee deſire. The Patient that truſts to the skill and faithfulneſſe of the Phyſitian, is better content to take pills from him, than all the beſt Cordials that can be deſired.

Thirdly, faith either obtaines what wee need and deſire, or elſe procures a farre better thing p. 398than what we deſire; art thou in trouble and miſery? faith will either fetch from God what thou needeſt, or elſe bring that which is better from the hands of God; by this means the Lord Chriſt cures all the diſcontentment that might creep in upon the hearts of his Diſciples: Matth. 19.29. There is no man which ſhall loſe father, or mother, or wife, or children, or friends, for my Names ſake, but he ſhall receive an hundred fold, and ſhall inherit eternall life: whatſoever wee loſe for a Chriſt, we ſhall have a hundred fold recompence for it; as if a man for the cauſe of Chriſt ſuffer perſecution, or impriſonment, and loſeth peace here, thou thou ſhalt have peace with God, and thy ſoule ſhall proſper in grace; and if friends haply forſake thee, and the father is againſt the ſonne, and the husband is ſet againſt the wife, thou ſhalt have the favour of the Lord God of heaven, which is better than the love of all earthly husbands or friends; for all theſe things here below are but as it were the ſhell, but this is the pith and kernell, the love of God in Chriſt: and if a man loſe liberty for Chriſt, he ſhall have a thouſand times more libertie in the peace of a good conſcience, and a free heart to ſerve God: and in the 63. Pſalme in the beginning of the Pſalme, David was in the wilderneſſe of Iudah, when Saul had baniſhed him from his houſe, and deprived him of friends and meanes, and all, yet ſee how David ſupplies all in the 3. verſe, becauſe thy loving kindneſſe is better than life, my lips ſhall praiſe thee; and in the 5. verſe he ſaith, My ſoule ſhall bee filled as with … row p. 399and fatneſſe: now marrow and fatneſſe is the chiefe of all you know; as if he had ſaid, Saul hath taken away my meanes, but thy loving kindneſſe is better than all the world, it is that which fully ſatisfieth me: Saul hath taken away my liberty, but thy loving kindneſſe is better than life it ſelfe, and therefore my ſoule ſhall bee fully quieted therein: Thus faith brings a ſupply of all good to the ſoule. In the 73. Pſalme 25. and the laſt verſe, compare them both together, and ſee how David makes the concluſion: David was almoſt diſquieted, and his heart diſquieted with the proſperitie of the wicked; therefore hee ſaid, if this bee ſo, then have I cleanſed my hands in innocencie, and waſhed my hands in vaine: yet marke how hee recovers himſelfe againe, ſaying, Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none in earth that I deſire in compariſon of thee; therefore it is good for me to draw neere to God. Let the wicked take the world, and their profits, and their pleaſures, yet there is nothing in the world that I deſire in compariſon of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and his grace and goodneſſe: Conſider it ſadly, the wicked have much wealth, and friends, and means: Oh thou beloved faithfull ſoule, thou haſt the rich treaſury of grace and mercy to inrich thee, all this whole world is nothing to that rich treaſury of mercy which faith brings in: as Salomon ſaith, in Eccleſiastes, Money anſwers all; if a man have money, he may buy meat to feed him, and cloth to apparell him, and cover him: If money will doe ſo much, what will mercy doe then? thou haſt not wealth, nor p. 400friends, nor meanes, but thou haſt mercy from God in Chriſt, and this will anſwer all: it is better than friends, and meanes, and all: therefore if thou haſt this, let thy heart be contented, and know that thou haſt a childs part, and thy lot is fallen into a marvellous faire ground.

2Secondly, as faith takes off all miſeries, and ſupplies the want of them; ſo in the ſecond place faith takes away all feares for the time to come: alas, ſaith the ſoule, friends, and means, and wealth are good, but they continue not ever. What if ſickneſſe come? and if povertie come, what ſhall I doe then? and ſo the heart ſhakes at the feare of evill: Now pray marke how faith cures all feares, and takes off the edge of all thoſe inconveniences that may bee brought upon a man, as in the 112. Pſalme 7. He ſhall not bee afraid of any evill tidings, why? for his heart is fixed, and he beleeveth in the Lord: for although heaven and earth may ſhake, yet God, and Chriſt, and the promiſe will never faile, and hee caſting his heart there by faith, he muſt needs hold. What is it that a man may feare? we feare the power, and policy, and malice of the devill and his wicked inſtruments; now faith outbids theſe, and faith reſts upon the precious promiſes of God in Jeſus Chriſt, and faith perſwades the heart that they have no power but from God, and they cannot uſe that power further than God gives leave, and they cannot have ſucceſſe further than God goes with them, they can goe no further than God gives a Commiſſion. Now, ſayes faith, that God which orders p. 401the power of all theſe, he is my God, hee is the God of Hoſts; and none of all the armies can either command peace, neither can they hinder peace; therefore I adde a little more, faith levies new forces from heaven, againſt all the ſorces of earth; are the wicked politique? then ſayes faith, the Lord is much more wiſe, and is able to daſh all their enterpriſes: and are the wicked fierce, and violent? then faith lookes to God, where there is more power to defend him, than they can have to hurt him: doe wee ſee the wicked maliciouſly bent, and full of ſpleene to wrong the people of God? faith ſees mercy and goodneſſe in the Lord, that is more able to releeve us, than all the wicked can bee to hurt us: faith ſayes, if hell gates were open, and all the devills were about thy eares, they can doe nothing further than God gives them power, and gives a Commiſſion to them; therefore I may bee quieted, becauſe God is more able to keepe me, than they are to hurt me.

3Thirdly, faith it is that inables a man to all duties; for imagine a man had all the power in his owne hands, and had no wants preſent, nor feared no wants nor troubles to come; if yet hee were not able to doe what God required, this would diſquiet his heart: therefore by faith the Lord inables a man to doe every duty that the Lord commends to him, or expects from him: It is the ground that Paul contents his heart withall, Phil. 4.13. I can doe all things through the power of Chriſt which ſtrengtheneth me: I can bee poore and p. 402beare it, and I can be rich, and yet not ſurfet of the world; I can doe all, but how? through the power of Chriſt inabling me: therefore famous is that of Abraham, Rom. 4.18. God had promiſed Abraham a childe, and yet his body was dead, and his wife barren, and it was even againſt nature for him to beget a childe, or for her to beare any: Now how doth God provide for this? Abraham under hope, beleeved above hope; and in the 21. verſe becauſe he was fully perſwaded, that he that had promiſed it, was able to make it good: there was no hope in nature, that Abraham ſhould beget a child, his body being dead, and no hope that ſhe ſhould beare any; therefore faith goes to God that was able to quicken them: haſt thou a barren & a dead heart as theirs was, and therefore thy ſoule complaines, and thou ſaiſt, I ſhall never be able to goe through the worke required? I know it is the complaint of many poore ſoules; Oh ſend faith up to Heaven, and beleeve in him that is able to ſuccour you, and to quicken you, to whatſoever he requires; content thy heart in this manner, and ſay when thou findeſt thy heart dead, I am ignorant, but the Lord is able to inlighten my blinde minde, and I have a dead barren heart, but the Lord who is the God of power, hee is able to quicken me, and to releeve a poore dead blockiſh ſinner. Hee beleeved in him (ſaith the Text) which calleth things that are not as if they were; Abraham is not lively, and Sarah is not fruitfull, but the Lord can make them ſo; and therefore faith goes to God; ſo thou ſhalt be wiſe, and have p. 403thy heart quickned to whatſoever duty concernes Gods prayſe and thy owne comfort; ſo then hee that hath what hee will, or can deſire, or ſtand in need of; and he that hath all his feares removed, and is inabled to doe all duties commanded: nothing more can bee added to this man, therefore why ſhould not hee be contented? what would you have, you poore beleevers?

Queſt. Then the queſtion here growes, namely, if it be ſo that faith makes a mans life eaſie, and gives him full contentment in every condition, then why is it thus, as Gedeon ſaid; ſo if faith thus contents the ſoule, then how comes it to paſſe that thoſe poore ſilly creatures are ſo troubled with diſcouragements and diſcontentments, and none ſo caſt downe with their owne baſeneſſe and vileneſſe as they; they hang downe their heads, and goe drooping all the day long; either (ſaith one) I have not faith, or elſe if I have faith, then why is it thus with me?

Anſ. I anſwer; the fault is not in faith, that it doth not or cannot lend ſupply and ſuccour to thee; but the fault is in thy ſelfe, either in thy careleſneſſe, and ignorance, that knoweſt not when thou haſt faith; or elſe in thy unskilfulneſſe, that thou doſt not imply that faith which thou haſt faithfully for thine owne good; I ſpeake only of the beleever, I goe not about to prove that he which hath not faith, can be contented; no, hee hath a worme in his boſome, a conſcience which will plague him and torment him for ever.

Queſt. But to ſpeake of one that hath faith, if it be ſo p. 404that it bringeth ſuch contentment, how may a man that hath faith improve it to have this contentment from it?

Anſ. For anſwer hereunto the rules are foure, which a man muſt uſe to have this contentment, whereby he may be carried on in his courſe, and goe on ſinging to Heaven; remember ſtill that I ſpeake of a man that hath faith.

Rule 1 Firſt, labour to gaine ſome evidence to thy owne ſoule, that thou haſt a title to the promiſe, make thy title good. It is not enough for a malefactour in priſon to have a pardon granted him, but he muſt know that the pardon is granted before he can bee contented therewith: haply the King hath granted it, and the Prince hath begd it, but the malefactour is not contented untill hee know it. It is not enough that a poore begger hath a friend or a rich unkle that will doe much for him, or that he hath ſetled a great eſtate upon him, and his heires after him; but hee muſt know it before he can be contented with it: it may be he is not neere by a hundred miles, and he is troubled with miſery and poverty, becauſe hee knowes not of it; juſt ſo it is with a faithfull ſoule; there is never a poore beleever, but hee is rich in faith, though hee live in a ſmoaky cottage, and lives meanly, and goes barely, yet all theſe revenues of faith are his; Heaven and Earth, and all is thine thou poore beleever. But what is all this to the matter, if thou haſt no evidence that all this i… thine? this is the fault why poore Chriſtians goe drooping, and are overburthened with their ſins p. 405and their miſeries, becauſe they ſee not their title to merciemercy, nor their evidence of Gods love; in 2 King. 6.16, 17. when Eliſha was beſet with an armie of his enemies, the ſervant of the Prophet ſaid, good Maſter, what ſhall we doe, they are many, and wee are few, they are armed, and wee are naked? then ſaid the Prophet, Lord open his eyes, that he may ſee, and God did it, and then hee ſaw thoſe hils full of fierie charets, and then hee ſaw that there were more with them, than were againſt them, and then hee was quiet: now the armies and the chariots were there before, but hee ſaw them not, and therefore he could not be quieted: ſo it is with every faithfull ſoule, the Lord hath cauſed his Angels to pitch their tents about the elect, wee have God on our ſide, and Chriſt, and the Angels, but wee ſee not our privileges, and the intereſt that wee have in the merciemercy and goodneſſe of the Lord; we crie out as he did, good Maſter, what ſhall we doe? ſo many ſinnes, and ſo many corruptions, how ſhall we be ſuccoured? the Lord open our eyes, that we may ſee the free riches of his grace, and the fulneſſe of his merciemercy: this is all ours, that we may ſee his love to us, and his Angels waiting upon us, and his bleſſing going with us; this would quiet our hearts: I will not now adde, how you may doe this, and how you may make your evidence cleere, that you have a title to merciemercy; this were to multiply a diviſion upon a diviſion: only judge your eſtate by the word, and take one evidence from the word, as good as ten thouſand; this is the fault of people: it may bee p. 406ſome evidence fits them marvellous well, but becauſe they have not all, they will have none at all, in truth, but throw away all: and therefore, I ſay, judge your eſtates by the word, and not by carnall reaſon, and if you have but one promiſe for you, you have all in truth, though all be not ſo fully and cleerly perceived; this is the firſt rule.

Rule 2 Secondly, labour to ſet a high prize, and a wonderfull great account of the precious promiſes of the Lord, thus eſtated upon thee for thy good, and make account of the leaſt promiſe of grace above a thouſand worlds; looke what account you make of the ſufficiencie of a thing, ſo much content you have in that thing, whoſe ſufficiencie you ſee, and doe eſteeme of: now becauſe the promiſes of God, and the riches of Gods love in Chriſt, are moſt worthy of our love, and moſt ſufficient for us, let us therefore be contented with them above all, and then wee ſhall bee contented though wee want all; Luke 12.32. when the Diſciples were in great trouble, and expected more and further miſerie after the death of Chriſt, the Lord Chriſt ſaith to them, Feare not little flocke, it is your fathers pleaſure, to give you a kingdome; if you finde hand meaſures, and feare troubles, and expect perſecutions on every ſide, yet feare ye not, you ſhall have a kingdome, and that will carry you through all occaſions; are you impriſoned, and perſecuted, and diſquieted? feare not, you ſhall have a kingdome, and then you ſhall bee comforted and quieted for ever: you little ones that are poore and meane in the world, p. 407and you lye as ſtepping ſtones for every baſe wretch to tread on, you are perſecuted, and deſpiſed, and ſcorned, but feare not, you ſhall have a kingdome; the want of this is the cauſe of all that diſcontentment, that is in the hearts of Gods owne people, which are beloved of him, and reſpected by him. Take a poore man in miſery, his children crie for meat, and the mother ſaith, goe to bed poore babes, you ſhall have meat, when the Lord ſends it; brethren, this is hard I confeſſe, but now if a friend ſhould come and give him two hundred pounds a yeare for ever, this would make him goe away contented, becauſe this would provide for him and his: now I propound a promiſe to this man, the Lord hath ſaid, he will never faile thee, nor forſake thee; what is this worth of your money? one man offers him two hundred pounds a yeare, and I offer him a promiſe, now couldſt thou, thou poore miſerable creature, bee content to take this two hundred pounds a yeare, and leave the promiſe, and bee content that the Lord ſhould not pardon, nor comfort, nor ſave thee; I preſume thou wouldſt not doe thus: now will a thouſand pounds content thee, and will not the promiſe? the reaſon is, thou priſeſt the money becauſe it is temporall, and thou ſeeſt it, and thou priſeſt not the promiſe, becauſe it is ſpirituall, and thou ſeeſt it not: take a man in contempt, and diſgrace, and ſcorne, and no man lookes after him; if this man were regarded and honoured of men, all were well, and the man were healed, and fully contented: now the p. 408Lord accepts of thee thou faithfull ſoule, he hath honoured thee ſo farre as to make thee his ſonne, and to give thee a kingdome, why ſhould honours comfort thee, when the honour of Gods love and favour in Chriſt will not doe it? the reaſon is, becauſe wee are carnall, and ſee not theſe; if a man could but ſee his privileges, and ſay, the world ſhames mee, but God accepts mee, this would quiet his heart for ever; therefore take ſpeciall heed of thoſe earthly and carnall affections, that take off the price of the promiſe, an earthly heart would have more than it ought: I ſay, take heed of theſe affections, and know that thou haſt a title to the promiſe, and know that one promiſe, and the ſweetneſſe of Gods merciemercy in Chriſt, is better than all the honours in the world to advance thee, better than all the riches in the world, or than all the parts that ever any ſcholler had; prize theſe at this rate, and then thou canſt not but be contented with it.

Rule 3 Thirdly, labour to keepe the promiſes ever at hand, that you may have a ready recourſe to the promiſe at a trice, and at a turne, and that you may not have the promiſes to ſeeke when need is; what is it to mee, though I have a thing in houſe, if I have it not at my need? if a man ſhould ſay, I have as good cordiall water as any is in the world, but I know not where it is; what folly were this, to ſet his bottle he knowes not where? haply the man is ready to ſwound and dye, and he ſaith, I have as good cordiall water as any is in the world, but I know not where it is; hee may p. 409ſwound and dye, becauſe hee knowes not where his waters are: ſo thou haſt a title to rhe promiſes of grace, and thou ſetteſt not a high price upon the promiſe, but out of thy careleſneſſe, leaveſt one promiſe here, and another there, and thou haſt taken up thy heart with the world, and when miſerie comes, and thy heart is ſurcharged, thou ſaiſt, Oh ſome comfort to beare up a poore, fainting, drooping ſoule, my troubles are many, and I cannot beare them; Chriſt and a promiſe would have done it; but you throw them in a corner, it is your owne careleſneſſe, and that breeds all your miſerie; keepe the promiſes at hand, and let them be within your reach; he that is ready to faint often, will bee ſure to carry his bottle in his pocket, and will ſet it at his beds head every night, that whenſoever hee ſhould faint, hee may finde it preſently: now for the Lords ſake, let me intreat you to be wiſe for your poore ſoules, there is many a fainting and aguiſh fit and qualme comes over the heart of many a poore Chriſtian, perſecutions without, and ſorrowes and corruptions within, therefore keepe your cordiall about you, and bee ſure that you have it within your reach, and have it not to ſeeke when you have need to uſe it: I would have a poore Chriſtian acquainted with the promiſe in the darke, that ſo at midnight, when God frowns, and the Devill threatens, and corruptions boile within you, you may have it ready at hand, ſet the promiſe ever at your beds head, take one, and bring another, and be refreſhed by another, and p. 410goe ſinging to your graves, and to heaven for ever; in the 63. Pſalme 5, 6. verſes, marke the connexion of thoſe two verſes, My ſoule ſhall bee ſatiſfied as with marrow and fatneſſe; but when ſhall this bee? looke the 6. verſe, When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate upon thee in the night watches; he was now in the wilderneſſe, but when he left his houſe, he tooke the promiſes with him, he would not leave his cordiall behinde him; my ſoule ſhall be ſatisfied; enough Lord, enough, I am ſatisfied as with marrow; but when is all this? when I remember thee upon my bed; hee remembred well where hee had ſet the promiſe, when I remember the merciemercy of the Lord; that though all my friends be gone, yet I remember thy merciemercy; that doth all, and thy faithfulneſſe and goodneſſe that ſatisfieth all fully: Ile warrant you that the promiſe will fetch you againe, though you were fainting and going away.

Rule 4 Well I have now a title to the promiſe, and though I have not wealth, nor honours, nor friends, yet I have a Chriſt; and though I cannot doe this and that, yet I hope to goe to heaven, in ſpight of all the Devils in hell.

Now laſtly, be ſure to drinke a heartie draught of the promiſe, if a man drinke a little, and ſpet it out againe, it will never doe him good; therefore ſtand by the promiſe, feed and drinke heartily of the promiſe; and as Eliphaz ſaid, Iob 22.21. Acquaint thy ſelfe with God; beſtow thy ſelfe upon the promiſe every houre, whenſoever thou doſt finde the fit comming, this is the only way to p. 411finde comfort, it is the counſell that the Lord Chriſt gives to his ſpouſe, Cant. 5.1. the Lord hath fitted all things to refreſh his poore children, and marke what the manner of feaſting is, …nd what every man that comes to this feaſt muſt doe, Eat, Oh friends, and drinke, yea, drinke abundantly, Oh well beloved; the word in the originall …s, in drinking drinke, ye cannot be drunken with …he Spirit, as ye may with wine, therefore drinke …bundantly; looke as it is in nature, were the greateſt dainties in the world prepared, and the tables furniſhed, ſend a hungar-ſtarved man to the place, if he only take a bit and away, hee muſt needs goe away an hungred; the fault was not in the meat, for there was enough for him, but the fault was here, hee did not feed heartily, hee did not drinke it downe; thinke of it ſadly, you faithfull Saints of God; they come now and then, and take a ſnatch of the promiſe, and then comes feare, and temptation, and perſecution, and all is gone, there is enough in the promiſe for thee and all thy poſteritie; but to take a ſnatch and begone, and to thinke of the promiſe, and flye off againe preſently, this is the cauſe why you come …hirſtie, and goe away thirſtie; you come diſcomforted, and ſo you goe away; it is your owne fault, brethren: experience tels us thus much, take a poore diſtreſſed ſoule, much burthened and pinched, and he wants the ſenſe of Gods love, and is not worthy the ground hee goes upon, bring this man to the word of God, and to holy confe…ence, and the like, and hee will ſay, I bleſſe God, p. 412my heart is very well quieted now; and h…s trouble is over, and his temptation is gone, yet hee is no ſooner gone from the congregation, or from the place of conference, but hee is the ſame man that he was before, ſtill doubting of Gods love, and quarrelling with himſelfe and his owne comfort; and the fault was here, hee onelyonly tooke a ſnatch and away: but remember this, the ſame promiſe that you heard in the publike, keepe it, and be ever ſipping of it; I confeſſe, ſaith he, my heart was cheered, and when I heard ſuch a Miniſter preach, and ſuch a Chriſtian pray, I was exceedingly comforted, and had ſweet aſſurance of Gods love, but now all is gone; the fault is your owne: for if you would cleave to the promiſe, it would doe you as much good in the private, as in the publike; it would comfort you at one time as well as at another: many times it thus befals us Miniſters, when we preach of conſolation, and when wee pray and conferre, wee thinke that wee are beyond all trouble, but by and by we are full of feares, and troubles, and ſorrowes, becauſe wee take not full contentment in the promiſe, wee drinke not a deepe draught of it: therefore take heed of theſe two things, whereby poore Chriſtians are marvellouſly couzened; Firſt, take heed of attending to the parlies of temptations, and of making a purſuit of every temptation of the Devill; if you will liſten to his chat, he will make you forget all your comfort, for the Devill caſts in a bone of diſſention, and we ſnarle at it, and parly with him about it, and ſo loſe the comfort of the p. 413promiſe: therefore talke not with Satan at all, but hold your hearts to the truth of the promiſe, that is revealed to be yours.

Secondly, be not alwayes quarrelling and cavilling with carnall reaſon, but when you have any evidence, keepe it, and let it not be taken out of your hands; for it is certaine that there are many poore Chriſtians, that cannot but confeſſe that they have faith, and are wonderfully comforted; but when they are gone from the Miniſter, their old carnall reaſon comes againe, and they attend not to the promiſe, but to their carnall reaſon, and from hence the devill gets marvellous ground againſt a poore ſoule: therefore when you have the promiſe cleared from the Word, heare nothing from Satan againſt that, but from the Scripture, but throw away all curſed carnall ſuggeſtions, hold you cloſe to the truth; and if the devill can ſay any thing againſt the truth ſo tis, if not, then hold to it. Now is it ſo, that faith makes the life and ſoule of a beleever full of comfort and contentment? then you faithfull ſoules take heed of ever repining and murmuring againſt the Lord, and when you finde theſe diſtempers riſing in your hearts, ſtill them, and ſuffer not your hearts to murmure againſt God, nor to bee diſcontented with his good providence. Oh, ſaith one, I have no ſenſe nor feeling of his love, nor I cannot doe this nor that, and would you have a man contented in this condition? how now ſoule? why, did God never give thee any grace, nor ſtir up thy heart to beleeve? yes tis true, I p. 414have a little faith, if it were not for that, what ſhould I doe? it is all I have, I have nothing but that: Oh for ſhame hold your peace, nothing but that? is it all come to nothing? is Chriſt, and Grace, and Heaven, and mercy, and all come to but a ſo much? hath God given thee faith, and wilt thou not bee content with it? ſeeme the conſolations of God ſmall unto thee? is it nothing to thee that Chriſt and Heaven is thine? is it nothing that God hath given you his Sonne, and that Chriſt hath ſhed his heart-bloud for you, and made you able to reſt upon him? is all this nothing? It is as much as if a poore man had a thouſand pounds given him, and hee were angry with his friend for his kindneſſe: Oh, g…e your wayes cheered and comforted, and murmure no more, but ſay as good Iacob did, I have not this nor that, but I have a Ioſeph in Egypt, my ſonne i… alive, I will goe and ſee him ere I die: He is better to me than friends, and means, and all: ſo goe your way, and take heed how you offend the riches of Gods free grace: nothing but a heart to beleeve? Oh, for ſhame bite thy tongue when it ſaith ſo, and ſay, Lord I have not friends, nor means, nor this nor that, but I have a heart to beleeve, and to reſt upon thee; Lord, cauſe mee to reſt upon thee more and more; it is enough that I have a beleeving heart, though I never ſee a good day beſides. It is enough that I have ſeene Chriſt my Saviour and my Redeemer, &c. It is a m…rvellous folly, and ſhame, and trouble, we diſhonour God, and Chriſt, and all, and make the p. 415wicked peopl… ſay, that ſwearers and drunkards goe on merily laughing and rejoycing; and theſe Chriſtians they goe drooping. If this bee grace, ſaith one, God bleſſe me from it; there is a ſtrugling & a ſtriving to get a little grace, & aſſurance, and power againſt corruption, and yet for ought I ſee, they have no more comfort than I have. Oh, walke humbly, yet cheerfully and comfortably; haſt thou any wants? faith will ſupply them; haſt thou any feare of trouble for the time to come? faith will cure all feares; art thou weake and unable to doe this or that duty faith will inable thee to every duty required; doe but beleeve, and reſt upon Chriſt, and grace and ſtrength will come, and thou ſhalt bee able to doe all things through Chriſt that ſtrengthens thee. Oh, ſaith one, this is a leſſon for a Paul, and for the great ſtanders, the Cedars in grace: I anſwer, Paul doth not ſay hee did it of himſelfe, but by the power and grace of Chriſt ſtrengthning him; and Chriſt hath as much ſtrength and grace for thee, as hee had for Paul, if thou beleeve in him, and reſt in him: therefore goe thou thy way, and let us all be comforted; thou and I, and every poore Saint of God may doe well through the grace of Chriſt that ſtrengthens us. Thus much of the fourth uſe.

Vſe 5 Hence in the next place wee conclude, that as the difficulty is great in getting faith, ſo the benefit of it when it is gotten, is every way as great; therefore it is a ground of admirable comfort to all the ſervants of God, that through his mercy p. 416have received this grace at his Majeſties hand; they ought to be wonderfully comforted becauſe they have it, and ſo to bee thankfull to him that hath wrought it; you ſee the difficulty of faith, and the benefit of it: Now hath the Lord wrought this in thy ſoule? then goe thy way comforted for what thou haſt, and be thankfull to him who hath given it thee. The Lord gives one man riches, and another man advancements, and another hath great parts, and another large revenues; thou ſeeſt all theſe, and thy teeth begin to water at them, and thy heart begins to bubble and repine at this, and thou ſaiſt the Lord hath given riches to this man, and honours to that man; well, but hath he not given thee a heart to beleeve and to reſt upon the riches of Gods free grace in Chriſt? then goe thy way for ever cheared, and know that thou haſt a marvellous great childs part: therefore be thankfull unto him, and droope no more, nor bee diſmaid no more: thou ſaiſt thou haſt not riches, nor honours, nor parts, and thou haſt not what others have, nor thou canſt not doe what others can doe: but haſt thou a heart to beleeve? be cheared then, and ſnarle no more, murmure no more, thou haſt a good part, and wilt doe pretty well; every day thou riſeſt, and every nigh… thou goeſt to bed, bleſſe God, and downe upon thy knees, and prayſe him for ever that hath given thee a graine of this precious faith, bee for ever thankfull and rejoyce, as David ſaith, Pſalme 92.1. It becomes upright men to be thankfull: Let the wicked thoſe that have no ſhare in theſe g… ces, p. 417let them be diſcouraged, but the Saints of God cannot go away diſmaid, it becomes the righteous to be thankfull. If the ſoule be inwardly ſetled and eſtabliſhed by faith in the promiſe, there cannot but come ſome ſavour of comfort to it: 1 Pet. 1.9.1 Pet 1:9In whom though yee ſee him not, yet have ye beleeved, and rejoyce with joy unſpeakable and glorious: therefore obſerve it, beleeving rejoyceth and ſaith, Good Lord, is Chriſt mine, that have abaſed him; and is Heaven and the Spirit mine, that have ſo abuſed it; and the heart leaps at the remembrance of it, and wonders at it, and can ſcarcely beleeve it to bee true: but yet hee is wonderfully thankfull. It is a duty to rejoyce for mercy and grace received, as well as to be humbled for ſinne committed: all thoſe phraſes of Scripture run thus, and thoſe joyes that may make us rejoyce, they all belong to that man that is brought home to beleeve. Men rejoyce as thoſe that divide the ſpoyle, you know this gives much joy to the ſouldiers that overcome: ſo when the rich merchant gets a prize, what rejoycing is there? So there was never any poore ſoule that beleeves in Chriſt, and comes home to Chriſt by the promiſe, but he is a great conquerour, and hath gotten a rich ſpoyle: one promiſe is better than all the Rubies and Diamonds of the Indies. When the Prodigall had beene pinched with famine and poverty, when he was returned from his miſery to his father, marke what a deale of mirth there was; the friends were feaſted, and the father rejoyced: but if they were ſo comforted, p. 418what was the Prodigall then? ſurely his joy was incomprehenſible, and unconceivable: if they which were onelyonly the beholders of the Prodigals good did ſo rejoyce, then what was hee that was the gainer of all that good, to come from ſuch a deale of miſery to ſuch a father; nay to come from ſuch a baſe courſe, not onelyonly to be entertained to the family, but to the affections of the father, hee muſt needs bee full of joy for the ſame: Oh then, how great is that joy and that conſolation which is ſpirituall, and which every faithfull ſoule which hath beene a Prodigall, now receives, when hee is come home to God, and is come home to him whō he hath formerly diſhonoured? This Prodigall is nothing elſe but the picture of a poore ſinner that runs riot from God, and from his truth: as 1 Pet. 2.25. We were as ſheepe going astray: we are the Prodigals naturally, and wee follow our owne wayes, and the corruption of our owne hearts, and we have ſpent all our patrimony, and are gone away from God, and grace, and life, and all; but the broken hearted ſinner now comes home to God the Father by faith: Now if the Prodigall, when he found his home, was ſo cheared, and if his father rejoyced, and the friends feaſted, much more then when a poore ſinner comes home to God the Father: there is joy in Heaven for one ſinner that repenteth; therefore thou maiſt juſtly rejoyce in earth: God the Father rejoyceth to ſee thee comming home; and God the Son rejoyceth to receive thee poore and meeke, and the Spirit of God rejoyceth to p. 419welcome a poore ſinner, that art brought home by true repentance, and faith, to the Lord: The Saints of God rejoyce to ſee thee, and the Angels of Heaven glory in it, and it is the greateſt comfort that they have; the Angels fing Hallelujah… when any poore Saint is humbled, and brought home to the Lord, and they make it holyday in Heaven. It is a good day to thoſe glorious Spirits, nay all thoſe that were friends and favourers of thy poore ſoule, they all rejoyce: wert thou a wife or a childe that went away from God, and art thou now brought home to reſt upon the Lords free grace in Chriſt? thy tender hearted Father that hath often prayed for thee with many teares, hee rejoyceth; and thy mother that hath ſighed many a groane for thee, nay all the people of God with one joynt conſent, many of whoſe hearts thou haſt ſadded by thy ungodly practices, they have ſought for thee, and ſaid, Lord breake the heart of that poore creature, Lord humble that wife or that childe: when they heare that God hath anſwered their prayers, and humbled thy heart, their ſoules leape within them to heare this, and they ſay, there was ſuch a Prodigall, ſuch a wife, ſuch a childe, ſuch a vilde wretch, but now he hath forſaken his vilde wicked courſes, and he is now come home to the Father, and they all rejoyce at it.

Now doe all the Saints, and all the Angels in Heaven rejoyce, and all thy Friends thinke it a happy day, t…at they live to ſee this day; that thou art humbled, and broken, and brought home p. 420to the Lord Jeſus Chriſt; then goe thy wayes for ſhame, and bleſſe God that ever thou haſt lived to bee poſſeſt of all this goodneſſe and mercy from God: If the ſtanders by doe ſo rejoyce, how ought thy heart to be inlarged in thankfulneſſe to that good God, who hath beene ſo gracious to thee? Let me perſwade every faithfull ſoule who hath found this, to humble himſelfe before the Lord, and to tell the Lord in this manner, ſaying, Lord, I was vilde, and ignorant, and rebellious, and went away from thee, but now I am come from the world, and from my luſts and all, to a Saviour, to a Father, to a Spirit of comfort, and bleſſed be this day that ever I came home to thee, that I may receive this mercy at thy hands. You know in Exodus 15.1. when as Pharaoh had purſued the children of Iſrael to the red ſea, and they drowned themſelves in the red ſea, and that the Iſraelites were come ſafely upon the ſhore, then the text ſaith, they beleeved the Lord, and feared him, and hi… ſervant Moyſes: then Moyſes and the children of Iſrael ſang this ſong to the Lord, and ſaid, I will ſing unto the Lord, for hee hath triumphed gloriouſly; ſo Revel. 15.3. there the ſame ſong is recorded againe, ſaying, great and marvellous are thy workes; and in the 107. Pſalme 8. when the Prophet had ſhewed the great workes that God had done for his people Iſrael, he ſaith, Oh that men would therefore praiſe the Lord for his goodneſſe, and declare his wonderfull workes before the ſonnes of men. This was alſo a type of our ſpirituall comming home to Chriſt; wee are all p. 421ſlaves to the Devill, and in ſpirituall bondage, under ſinne, hell, and death; but faith ſets a man upon the ſhore, and brings him home unto Chriſt; as Iohn 5.24. He that doth beleeve, is paſſed from death to life; Lord, ſaith the poore ſoule, I confeſſe, I was in the mouth of hell, but now I am paſſed from death to life: faith ſets a man beyond ſinne, and death, and all, therefore the ſoule ſhould be thankfull, and ſing a ſong of praiſe unto the Lord his God.

Now there are two bottomes from the former Doctrine, which give foot-hold to your comfort:

1Firſt, by beleeving, all the goodneſſe and merciemercy of God is thine, and he cannot, nay, he will not deny thee; therefore thou mayſt with boldneſſe challenge the good of all that merciemercy and goodneſſe of his. When God hath engaged himſelfe to be a God to thee, and to thy ſeed after thee, he cannot take away his mercy from a faithfull ſoule, becauſe hee cannot deny himſelfe, hee will not denie his truth and his promiſe; therefore the Saints of God cannot but be partakers of all this merciemercy and goodneſſe; the Apoſtle ſaith, Epheſ. 3.17. Chriſt dwels in our hearts by faith;ſo Coloſſ. 2.3. In whom are hid all the treaſures of wiſdome and knowledge; now gather up all, and the ſumme is thus much, and there you may ſee how the comfort comes by faith; I lay hold upon a Saviour, in whom dwell all the treaſures of wiſdome and knowledge, and ſo I lay hold upon theſe: what would you have? and what is it that p. 422may comfort you? thou art beggerly in wiſdome, and in conſolation, and in all the graces of Gods Spirit, but if thou haſt faith, thou haſt a Chriſt, and in him are all the treaſures of wiſdome and merciemercy: take your treaſure, and be inriched for evermore; you may doe it, it is your owne.

2Secondly, all the ſinnes that thou ſtandeſt guilty of, and all the temptations of Sathan, cannot hinder thee from injoying that light, and receiving that good which thou haſt need of, there is no ſinne that hath beene committed, can ſtand betweene thee and eternall life; be thy corruptions never ſo many for number, never ſo vile and ſtrong for nature, never ſo long for continuance in them, and all thoſe old bruiſes, and old luſts of youth, which make thee ſay, can the Lord pardon me, and is it poſſible for ſuch a wretch as I am to have merciemercy, that have all theſe corruptions? I anſwer, it skils not what thy ſinnes be, ſee thy faith and repentance bee ſound, it matters not what thou haſt beene, a rebell even againſt God, if now thou canſt beleeve and reſt upon God, and repent thee of thy ſinnes.

Queſt. But now the point growes on, the ſoule is in ſome reaſonable manner ſatisfied, that if it had faith, then it could be ſatisfied; but many ſeeme to have faith, and have it not; if my faith were true, I could gaine ſome ſound comfort to my ſelfe, that all would goe well with mee, but how ſhall I know that?

Anſw. I anſwer, I confeſſe that the faith of the moſt men in the world is but a meere deluſion, as I ſhall p. 423diſcover in the next uſe of reproofe: but that thou maiſt be undoubtedly perſwaded of the truth of this grace, that though thy faith be never ſo little, yet it is ſaving juſtifying faith, I will therefore lay downe ſome trials: I will not now intrench upon any of the particulars that come afterward, but onelyonly lay open ſuch particulars for triall, as are in the doctrine: I know faith purifies the heart, and workes by love, &c. and faith makes a new creature; but theſe come too farre off; I will onelyonly gather ſomwhat from the point in hand.

Triall. 1 Firſt, obſerve the root and riſe of thy faith, the cauſe by which thy faith was wrought, and from whence it came, and this will be an undoubted evidence, whether thy faith be good or not therefore when thou doſt begin to brag, and ſay, I doe beleeve, then aske thy heart this queſtion, and ſay, how came I by it? prove it: have I faith? make it good then: it is not enough to ſay ſo, but let mee ſee that it is ſo; didſt thou bring it into the world with thee? did thy wits contrive it? did thy parts and abilities worke it? and becauſe thou haſt more wit and learning than others, and thou thinkeſt it as eaſie a matter to beleeve, as to underſtand a hard writing, if it bee thus, thy faith is a deluſion, and no faith at all: it is true here of faith, which Iob ſpeakes of wiſdome; nature ſaith, it is not in me; and eloquence ſaith, it is not in me, I know not the way to it; all theſe ſay, I have heard the newes of faith, but I am not acquainted with it, God onelyonly knowes the way thereof, p. 424and is the worker of it: the text ſaith, Every man than hath heard and learned of the Father, commeth unto me; the Father muſt firſt teach this leſſon, or elſe no man can underſtand it; except the Father give thee a heart to know Jeſus Chriſt, there is no power in thee, that is able to give this grace to the ſoule: haſt thou thy faith from heaven? then it is like to bee of the right kinde, but it muſt bee from thence, it ariſeth not from the earth, it comes not from parts, and gifts, and learning, it muſt come from heaven, or elſe it is not of the right kinde: all the coine that is currant, is minted in the tower by authoritie of the King, if not, it is not currant; in 1 Pet. 1.7. the Apoſtle cals it precious faith, it muſt bee ſtamped by the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, by the hand of the Spirit, it muſt come from the tower of Zion, or elſe it is copper faith, and not ſaving juſtifying faith, nor that which will ſtand in ſteed in the day of triall here, or in the day of judgement hereafter: as wee ſay in nature, the Alcumiſts are growne to that skill, that they will make Alcumie appeare to be perfect ſilver and gold, and much of it will beare the touchſtone, inſomuch that a man can hardly diſcover ſome of it, it is ſo cunningly made but when the fire and the hammer comes, it will beare neither of them: but the true gold comes from the gold oare, and will endure the fire and hammer; the alcumie gold comes not from the right place where the gold is, it comes not from the minerals, from the golden mines: ſo there is a great deale of this alcumie faith, for the p. 425world is come to this paſſe, that they have a faith of their owne faining, and it is ready to couſen the touch, I meane of able judicious Chriſtians; but now this faith never came from the right place, for if it were right, it muſt come from the mine of merciemercy, and from God, and the worke of his Spirit; from thence thou haſt it, if thy faith bee ſound; Rom. 10.17. Faith comes by hearing the word; faith is not in us, it comes to us, it is not wrought or purchaſed by our owne worthineſſe or power, the word is the conduit to convey it, but the Spirit of the Lord Jeſus is as the fountaine that ſends it into the ſoule; ſo that you muſt not thinke to have faith here firſt; but haſt thou found faith here firſt, then it is not of the right, but if the good Spirit of the Lord hath wrought upon thee, if it be ſo, then thy faith is right: but ſome will ſay, we heare the word diligently, and we doe attend upon God in his ordinances, and have wee not faith? I anſwer, hearing is the meanes to convey it, but it is the Spirit of the Father that conveyes it by the meanes; and that Spirit thou muſt receive by the meanes, if ever thou have it, there is the pitch of the point.

Object. But how ſhall we know when the Spirit of God is pleaſed to worke this in our ſoules, and to put it into our ſoules by hearing?

Anſ. There is all the difficultie, and it is worth the while to conſider ſadly of it, for I know the worke of Gods Spirit by the word in the ſoule, by theſe particulars:

1Firſt, the Spirit ſheweth to the ſoule of a poore p. 426ſinner, that hee hath no faith, nor no abilities … worke it of himſelfe, this the word workes firſt, but we are not yet at the bottome.

2Secondly, when the Spirit hath ſhewed thee that thou art an unfaithfull ſoule, and that thou haſt to power to worke it of thy ſelfe, then the Spirit of the Lord by the word breathes upon the ſoule of a poore ſinner, and by the ſweetneſſe thereof overmaſters, and breakes downe all thoſe ſecret curſed diſtempers of heart, that brought under the ſoule, and kept him in himſelfe: every man is brought in bed with his corruptions, as Iob ſpeakes, namely thus, The Spirit of God in the word drives the ſoule to a reſtleſſe diſquiet, and makes him ſee that h…e muſt not ſtay here, but hee muſt ſeeke out, and goe from hence, and ſeeke for another condition, or elſe hee must periſh for ever: reſt not here, ſaith the Spirit, you muſt bee gone; and the ſoule ſaith, If I reſt here, I am an undone man; therefore hee will out and ſeeke for another condition.

3Thirdly, as the Spirit of God doth overpower thoſe diſtempers, and drives the ſoule to a reſtleſſe condition, till it looke out for a better condition, ſo laſtly the Spirit of God ſhewes that poore ſoule an impoſſibilitie of finding merciemercy, but from God, and therefore turnes the face, and ſets the frame of the heart that way, to looke God-ward, and to be for God, and this is the meaning of that place, Iohn 16.9. when the Spirit of God comes to bring faith and peace to the conſcience, the text ſaith, Hee ſhall convince the world of ſinne, becauſe p. 427they beleeved not on him; this place implies two things:

1Firſt, the Spirit of God ſets downe all ſinfull carnall pleas and pretences that the heart can make, and perſwades the heart, that he is in a ſinfull and moſt lamentable eſtate and condition, and muſt change.

2Secondly, it convinceth the heart, that there is good to be found in another, and with that the heart is turned that way, to looke towards a Saviour, and to wait for him, till merciemercy come from thence; and then if thou canſt ſay this to thy ſoule, The truth is, Lord, I was an unbeleever, and an unfaithfull creature, and the Lord made mee ſee it, and left me not there, but by the power of his Spirit, and the miniſtery of the word, he drew me from thence, and laid faſt hold on me, and left ſome remembrance of his indignation upon my ſoule, and made me reſtleſſe in myſelfe, and opened mine eyes to ſee a better way, and ſaid, thou muſt goe on in another way, and in a better way, and ſo opened to me a glimpſe of his merciemercy and goodneſſe; ſo that the foule is now comming on to God; where this is, it will never end; but the Spirit of God will worke faith, and faith is now comming home to the ſoule, and the ſoule will come home to the flood o… converſion is nothing elſe, but a ſetting of the ſoule for God, as it is plaine in all the phraſes of the Scripture; this is the firſt triall.

Triall. 2 Secondly, if thou wilt judge thy faith, whether it is true or noe, doe thus; faith makes choice p. 428wholly of Chriſt, and reſolves to match with Chriſt onelyonly; the meaning is this, it chuſeth Chriſt wholly, for now the match is made up, when once the ſoule comes to beleeve; the preparation to the match, was before in deſire, &c. but now the match is made up, and now the ſoule makes choice of Chriſt, as he on whom he will beſtow himſelfe: he chuſeth Chriſt wholly, and that you ſhall perceive thus; when he is thus cald home by faith, whatſoever it is that Chriſt brings, the ſoule chuſeth all of that; whatſoever belongs to a Chriſt, and is of Chriſt, and in Chriſt, he chuſeth all Chriſt: Chriſt is not only the Saviour of all his, but hee is the God of all grace, and hath grace to beſtow upon the ſoules of all thoſe that beleeve in him: now faith chuſeth the holineſſe of a Chriſt, and whatſoever grace is in Chriſt, the ſoule chuſeth that as much, if not more, than p… don of ſinne, and removing the guilt of ſinnes: there is the authority and rule of Chriſt, and faith chuſeth that, and had rather to be under the government of Chriſt, than under any other Sc…p… in the world; and faith chuſeth the life of Chriſt, whatſoever life Chriſt lives, that life faith will chuſe: the woman is now content to conforme her ſelfe to the eſtate and condition of her huſband, ſhe muſt not thinke to live as ſhe liſt, and to be in this place, and that place, and that faſhion: therefore thinke of it, that thou didſt never as ye… beleeve in a Chriſt, except thou didſt chuſe the patience, and holineſſe, and meekneſſe of a Chriſt, and the rule and life of Chriſt: many Lords have p. 429ruled over us, ſaith the text, when thy curſed corruptions come, and would rule thee, if then thou art content to bee ruled by a Chriſt, and to live, and converſe as he did, this is an undoubted argument, that thou chuſeſt Chriſt aright: nay thou muſt chuſe the ſhame, and diſgraces, and the croſſe of Chriſt, and the crowne of thornes too, that is, that whatſoever it is that comes with a Chriſt, thou muſt make choice of it, and ſay, I will have Chriſt, and all that comes with Chriſt; as it is with a woman that marries a man for better for worſe, with all wants, and faults, and miſeries; ſo the Lord Jeſus Chiiſt doth with us, he chuſeth us with all our miſeries and diſgraces, a poore meane Chriſtian, a man of no parts nor place; yea howſoever you bee, Chriſt chuſeth you with all theſe, and he loves you never the worſe for theſe: and if thou chuſe Chriſt aright, thou wilt not ſay as the Jewes, Come downe from the croſſe, and wee will beleeve in thee: thou muſt not thinke to have a Chriſt, and no troubles nor diſgraces with him, no thou ſhalt never have a Chriſt upon theſe tearmes, but thou muſt chuſe Chriſt wholly, and all that comes with him; this cuts the throats of many that doe not chuſe Chriſt aright, but their honours and eaſe; this is no beleeving, but a meer deluſion: in Heb. 11.25.26. when Moſes was there to make his choyce whether hee would bee the ſon of Pharaohs daughter, and have honours, and delights in the Court, or bee a perſecuted Saint of God; the text ſaith, Hee choſe rather to ſuffer adverſitie with the people of God, than to bee p. 430called the ſonne of Pharaohs daughter, hee choſe them out of judgement, and accounted the reproaches of Chriſt greater honours, than to be ſo and ſo: He did not chuſe an honoured and an advanced Chriſt; and an enriched Chriſt; but he choſe afflictions, and the like; nay hee accounted them greater honours, than all the honours of Egypt: ſo wilt thou doe, if thy faith be ſound and right.

Secondly, as thou wilt chuſe all Chriſt, and whatſoever comes with Chriſt; ſo there muſt bee nothing on thy part that muſt hinder the match, but thou muſt forſake it, and caſt it away, and let it rather be taken from thee, than thou to be takes from thy Saviour: As a man will not chuſe his luſts if he were an adulterer before, becauſe they will hinder him from receiving the chaſtity of a Saviour: Therefore he that will beſtow himſelfe upon a Saviour, he cannot but refuſe that adulterous courſe which would hinder him from matching with a Chriſt: and the ambitious man will not now chuſe his honours, but hee will caſt away his pride and ambition, and advancement, becauſe theſe will hinder him from receiving the humility of a Saviour. As a woman will be content to take her husband for better for worſe, ſo alſo ſhe muſt be content to caſt away whatſoever may hinder her from him, and ſhee will forſake friends or honours, or any thing that may hinder her from her beſt beloved; ſo if thou wilt chuſe Chriſt wholly, as thou muſt take a Chriſt, and all that comes with him, ſo thou muſt caſt away whatſoever may hinder thee from receiving him; p. 431as Ruth ſaid to Naomy, Ruth 1.16. Intreat mee nor to leave thee, or to returne from following thee; for where thou goeſt, I will goe; where thou lodgeſt, I will lodge; thy people ſhall be my people, and thy God ſhall be my God; ſo ſaith the ſoule: If luſt and pleaſure, or the world, or any darling delight come and perſwade thee to ſet up thy ſelfe in ſtead of Chriſt; the ſoule ſaith, I have choſen a Chriſt, and therefore intreat mee not to forſake the humility, and chaſtity, and meekneſſe of Chriſt: for I will live and die with him, hee ſhall bee my Saviour and Lord for ever. The Saints of God firſt gave away themſelves to God, and then to the Apoſtles; ſo faith chuſeth all a Chriſt, and beſtowes it ſelfe upon a Chriſt, to be ruled by him, and to enjoy whatſoever he hath, and to imbrace whatſoever comes with him, and to remove whatſoever may hinder the ſoule from him.

Triall. 3 Thirdly, juſtifying faith beares it ſelfe upon the promiſe in all its extremities, and is ſatisfied with it, for you know it is called reſting; as if hee had ſaid, here will I reſt for ever. Oh, this grace and mercy, I will goe no further, it is good to be here, to be ſo holy, and ſo glorious, and ſo ſanctified, and juſtified: and ſo I confeſſe that pride and unbeleefe will have his ranges, and ſharke up and downe for ſome comfort and contentment in the world, and haply by baſe means: but whereſoever ſaving faith is, when it feels theſe, it oppoſeth them, and breakes through them to come to the promiſe, and ſaith, now I ſee what you doe; reſt is not in the world, nor in profits, nor in honours, p. 432nor parts, nor abilities, nor any outward thing, but in the promiſe, and the promiſe is the portion of the ſoule, and that by which it lives, and the ſtock of commoditie which the ſoule trades withall; as a mans trades and his lands are his livings; though haply a friend may give him ſomething elſe ſometimes, yet hee lives by his owne means. So the faithfull ſoule will take what God gives, but it lives by the promiſe, and by the loving kindneſſe of the Lord, that is the maine life and maintenance of the ſoule: as it is with a woman now married to a man; you would account it a ſtrange thing if ſhee ſhould goe away to another womans husband to aske for her releefe, this is an adulterous wretch, but the wife goes to her husband, and if there be any proviſion to be made, ſhee goes to her husband to provide it; and if any debts be to bee paid, her husband muſt pay them, and hee muſt pay all, and doe all, ſhe relies her ſelfe upon her husband: So when the heart pretends great matters that it loves Chriſt, and yet will have his backdoores, and hee muſt live by his wits and his ſhifts, this is an adulterous heart: It is rather of a harlot to his luſts, than of a holy chaſte man, that is eſpouſed to Chriſt: ſo it is with a faithfull ſoule; if he hath any wants, Chriſt ſhall heare of him; and if any trouble or diſtreſſe, faith ſends to her husband, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt in heaven, and layes all the weight upon him; if any ſuccour comes in by the way, the ſoule takes it thankfully from God; and in the meane time he lives by the promiſe: as in p. 433the 1 Sam. 30.6. when Zicklag was burnt, the wives and children taken captives, the people much grieved, and David much diſtreſſed, yet the text ſaith, that David comforted his heart in God, there was faith indeed: ſo the wife, haply her father or her mother dies, yet ſhee comforts her ſelfe in her husband; ſo the ſoule ſaith, the Lord is better than all outward comforts, and all honours, and all friends and means under heaven: in a word, theſe two paſſages will bee of great uſe.

1Firſt, if in the want of all theſe, thy ſoule can be ſatisfied with a Saviour, and with the promiſe in him:

2And ſecondly, if in the preſence of all thy ſoule ſtands onelyonly to, and reſts it ſelfe upon a Saviour, it is an undoubted argument that thy faith is right. I doe not deny but that there are pranks and fetches of fleſh, and fleſh will have his bouts, yet take away all from a Chriſtian, and his heart is ſatisfied with Chriſt; and he goes to, and reſts upon, and is ſatisfied in a Chriſt; but if thou beare up thy heart with other buſineſſes, reſting upon thy gifts, and parts, and pompe, and place, then thy faith is naught, it reſts not upon Gods free grace, but upon it ſelfe, and upon ſome broken reed which will faile thee. When a man hath the world, and honours, and pleaſures to ſtand by him, he goes on cheerfully and comfortably, but when theſe are gone, all his comfort is gone, then thy faith is naught; for if thou hadſt reſted upon the free grace of Chriſt, thou wouldſt have been p. 434contented and comfortable, though all honours, and the like had beene taken from thee; but alas, this is our miſety, wee ſit downe Rahell… like, and will not bee comforted, becauſe honours, and friends, and meanes are not; well, goe thy way, thy faith is naught, it never as yet reſted upon a Chriſt: who would have continued any comfort to thee? The concluſion is this, the ſoule muſt bee perſwaded by the ſpirit of the Father: therefore nothing is the author of faith, but the Lord. Faith muſt come from Heaven, and from the Spirit of God, in the Word, if ever thou have that faith which will doe thee good. Secondly, the ſoule was effectually perſwaded, and therefore chuſeth a Chriſt wholly. Thirdly, it reſts upon his free grace, and therefore is fully contented with it.

Vſe 6 In the next place, it is a word of juſt reproofe, and the former Doctrine is a bill of Inditement againſt multitudes of men, that were never yet partakers of this bleſſed worke of Grace; they are not far off, but in the very boſome of the Church of God, they are to this very day unfaithfull. It is a fooliſh deluſion of many, who thinke that onkly Sithians, and Parthians, and Turkes, and Pagans, want faith; this is an idle dreame, and a doating conceit, and prevailes too much even with thoſe that thinke themſelves ſome body, and are in high place: Oh, let not this deluſion prevaile with your judgements, for the former Doctrine comes as a ſwift witneſſe againſt ſuch as p. 435looke high, and profeſſe gloriouſly, and thinke their penny good ſilver; yet the former truth I ſay, is that which teſtifies to their faces, and to their conſciences, that there was never one dramme of ſaving faith wrought in them: Woe therefore to their ſoules for it, and to all ſuch, whoſe conditions ſhall bee found to bee ſo; yet this is not the greateſt of their miſery, for althouhh they are in this condition, yet they will not ſee it, nor bee perſwaded of it, when their owne lives can teſtifie to their faces, and alſo proclaime to all the world, that there is no faith in their hearts, and Gods people mourne for them, and cry to God for them, and ſinke under the burthen of their miſerie; yet it is ſtrange to ſee how people will beare up themſelves with a blinde boldneſſe, and a wretched carnall confidence; and conceits that they have faith: It is true ſay they, our lives are not ſo holy as they ought, and our workes are not ſo good as they ſhould be; therefore we truſt not to our workes, but to Jeſus Chriſt; he came to ſave ſinners, and we truſt in him: and all the worid, nay all the devills in hell ſhall not perſwade us to the contrary, but we will beleeve in our Saviour. If we ſhould goe from man to man, and from houſe to houſe, and call at every mans doore and ſay, are there any beleevers here, they are at daggers drawing preſently, and ſay, are not we all beleevers? and we hope to goe to heaven, as ſone as the proudeſt profeſſor of them all: many ſoules periſh this way, and goe downe to hell hoodwinckt, p. 436and never know where they are, untill they come in the bottomleſſe pit, paſt hope, paſt helpe.

I hope you will confeſſe this, that to beleeve is more than to ſay ſo, or to thinke ſo, or conceive it in a mans minde: nay it will coſt you much labour before that day come, that thoſe proud hearts of yours be humbled, and thoſe diſtempered ſoules of yours that are faſtned to your luſts and corruptions, be brought to beleeve, and to bee effectually perſwaded by the Spirit of the Father, and that thoſe doubting and ſtaggering ſoules of yours be brought to reſt upon free grace in Jeſus Chriſt. Oh, how few finde this worke, I can ſcarcely tell whether to make it a matter of lamentation, or of reproofe of thoſe that thinke they have faith, and have it not: I am afraid that too many of you will finde the want of it, when it is too late: If ever Doctrine were needfull to be preſſed, then now eſpecially in theſe times; that ſo if it were poſſible me might ſhake the carnall confidence of moſt men: Suffer mee therefore to goe on plainly in this uſe of reproofe, and let me doe it in two particulars.