Light from Heaven, Part 15
Beleeved on in the world.
After preached to the Gentiles, Christ beleeved on in the world.he joynes, Beleeved on in the World; to shew, that Faith comes by hearing. Indeed, preaching is the Ordinance of God, sanctified for the begetting of Faith, for the opening of the understanding, for the drawing of the wil and affections to Christ.Faith the marriage of the soule to Christ. Faith, is the marriage of the Soule to Christ: now, in marriage there must not be a mistake, and error in the person; for, then it is a kind of nullitie. Now, that the person to whom we are to be marryed by Faith, may be knowne to us, there is an Ordinance of Preaching set up, to lay open our owne beggery and necessitie, what we are without him, and to open the Riches of our Husband, the Nobility, and Priviledges, and whatsoever is glorious in Christ, that the Church may know what a kind of Husband she is like to have.Rom. 10. In Rom. 10. you have the Scala-Coeli, the Ladder of Heaven,Ladder of Heaven. as a good old Martyr called it, and we must not presume to alter the Staves of that Ladder: How can they call upon him, in whom they have not be…eeved; and how shall they beleeve, without a Preacher; and how shall they preach, unlesse they be sent? Here is Preaching, and Beleeving; and then Prayer. There are some that are bitter against this Ordinance of Preaching, and advance a…other excellent Ordinance of Prayer, to the disparagement of this; if they would joyne them both together, it were well▪ You see what the Apostle sayth; How shall they call upon him, in whom they have not beleeved; and how shall they beleeve without a Preacher? without this Ordinance of Preaching: Shewing, that we cannot have the Spirit of Prayer, without Faith; nor Faith, without Preaching. And the Wise man saith, He that turns his eare from hearing the Law, (under what pretence soever) his prayer shall be abominable. The prayers of such men, that would crie downe this Ordinance, how are they like to be accepted? they are abominable. We see here, the Apostle sets them downe in this degree, Hearing, and Beleeving, and Prayer; and here in this place, Preaching goes before Beleeving.
Therfore the Gospel unfolded, is called the Word of Faith, because it begets Faith, God by it works Faith; and it is called the Ministerie of Reconciliation, because God by it publisheth recōciliation. As preaching goes before beleeving, so it is the blessed instrument, by reason of the Spirit accompanying of it,Difference betweene Gods and mens proclamations. to worke Faith. In the Ministerie of the Gospel, there is not only an unfolding of the excellent things of Christ, but there is grace given by the Spirit, to beleeve: And herein this publication & proclamation differs from all other publications in the world; men may publish & proclayme what they would have, but they cannot give hearts to beleeve it: but in the blessed promulgation and publishing of Divine Truths, there is the Spirit of God accompanying it, to work what it publisheth; it opens the Riches of Christ, and offers Christ, and Christ is given to the heart with it; it publisheth what is to be beleeved and known, and it alters our courses; together with it, there goes a power (the Spirit cloathing the Ordinance of Preaching) to doe all. Therefore it is called the Ministery of the Spirit; why? because what is published in the preaching of the Word, to those that belong to God, it hath the Spirit to convey it to the soules of Gods people. Therefore he sayth here, first preached, and then beleeved.
Enemies to preached … to salvation.Therefore, those that are enemies to this Ordinance of God, they are enemies of the Faith of Gods people, and by consequent enemies of the salvation of Gods people. But the more the proud and haughty Atheisticall heart of man riseth against it, the more we should thinke there is some divine thing in it; it must needs be excellent, because the proud heart of man stomacks it so much: we see here, it is the meanes to worke Faith. Therefore as we esteeme Faith, and all the good we have by it; let us be stirred up highly to prize a…d esteeme of this Ordinance of God. So much for the coherence, or connexion, Preached to the Gentiles: and then,