Looking Unto Jesus, Book 10 · Chapter 2 · Section 5
SECT. V. Of believing in Jeſus in that reſpect.
5. LET us believe in Jeſus as carrying on the great work of our ſalvation in his ſecond coming. Now this believing in Chriſt is more than hoping in Chriſt; Faith eyes things as preſent, but hope eyes things as future; and hence the Apoſtle deſcribes faith to the ſubſtance of things hoped for; Heb. 11.1.it is the ſubſtance, foundation, or prop which upholds the building; or it is the ſubſtance, eſſence, exiſtence of things hoped for, and conſequently abſent and a far off, to be by a firm apprehenſion of the believer as already preſent and real. And this is as neceſſary as the former; oh if we could but ſee things now, as they ſhall appear at that laſt general day of Judgment, how mightily would they work upon our ſouls? I verily think the want of this work of faith is the cauſe almoſt of all the evil in the world; and the acting of Faith on this ſubject would produce fruits even to admiration. If we could but ſee that glory of God in Chriſt, and thoſe glorious treaſures of mercies that ſhall then be communicated; if we could but ſee thoſe dreadful evils that are now threatned, and shall then be fulfilled, would not this draw the hardeſt heart under Heaven? come, let us act faith this day, as if this day were the laſt day; a thouſand years are but as one day to faith? it takes hold upon eternal life, whenſoever it acts; it takes preſent poſſeſſion of the glorious things of the Kingdom of God even now.
O then let us believe in Jeſus in reference to his ſecond coming to judgment. But how should we believe? what directions to act our ſaith on Jeſus in this reſpect? I anſwer—
1. Faith muſt directly go to Chriſt.
2. Faith muſt go to Chriſt as God in the fleſh.
3. Faith muſt go to Chriſt as God in the fleſh made under the Law.
4. Faith muſt go to Chriſt made under the directive part of the Law by his life, and under the penal part of the Law by his death.
5. Faith muſt go to Chriſt as put to death in the Fleſh, and as quickned by the ſpirit.
6. Faith muſt go to Chriſt, as going up into glory, as ſitting down at God's right hand, and as ſending down the holy Ghoſt.
7. Faith muſt go to Chriſt as interceding for his Saints, in which work he continues till his coming again. Of all theſe before.
8. Faith muſt go to Chriſt as coming again into this neather world to judge the quick and the dead; This is the laſt act of Faith in reference to Chriſt, From thence he ſhall come to judge the quick and the dead. The coming of Chriſt, the reſurrection of the dead, the change of the living, the laſt judgment, and the glory of Chriſt with his Saints to all eternity, is that tranſaction which muſt be diſpatched at the end of the world; now this is the object of faith as well as the former; Chriſt's work is not fully perfected till all theſe be finiſhed, nor is our work of Faith fully compleated till it reach to the very laſt act of Chriſt in ſaving ſouls.—Oh what an excellent worker is Jeſus Chriſt? he doth all his works throughly and perfectly; the greateſt work that ever Chriſt under took was the work of redemption, that work would have broken Men and Angels, and yet Jeſus Chriſt will carry it on to the end, and then will he ſay not onelyonly prophetically, but expreſly, I have finiſhed the work which thou gaveſt me to do. John 17.46.Now Faith ſhould eye Chriſt as far as he goes, if Chriſt will not have done till he comes again, and receive us to himſelf, and ſettle us in glory; no more ſhould Faith, it ſhould ſtill follow after him, and take a veiw of all his tranſactions from firſt to laſt; what, will Chriſt come again? will he ſummon all the elect to come under judgment? will he ſentence or judge them to eternal life? will he conduct them into glory, preſent them to his Father, and be their all in all to all eternity? why then let our faith act it ſelf upon all theſe promiſes; or if I may inſtance in one for all, Chriſt's coming is the moſt comprehenſive of all; and is not the coming of Chriſt very frequently mentioned in the p…omiſes, as the great ſupport and ſtay of his peoples ſpirits till then? do not the Apoſtles uſually quicken us to duty, and encourage us to waiting by the mentioning of this glorious coming of Jeſus Chriſt? why then let us act our faith on this glorious Object; Chriſtians, what do we believe, and hope, and wait for, but to ſee this coming? this was Pauls encouragement to rejoycing and moderation,Phil. 4.4, 5. Rejoyce in the Lord alwayes—and let your moderation be known to all, the Lord is at hand; To think and ſpeak of that day with horror, doth well beſeem the impenitent ſinner, but doth ill beſeem the beli…ving Saint; ſuch may be the voice of an unbeliever, and it may be of a believer in deſertion or temptation, but it's not the voice of faith. O believe on Chriſt, as carrying on our ſalvation at his coming again, For yet a little while, and he that ſhall come, will come, and he will not tarry.Heb. 10.37.
9. Faith muſt principally and mainly look to the purpoſe, deſign, intent, and end of Chriſt in his ſecond coming to Judgment. Now the ends are— 1. In reſpect of the wicked that they may be deſtroyed, for he muſt reign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. He ſhall come with flaming fire,2 Theſ. 1.8. and then he will take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Goſpel of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt; who ſhall be puniſhed with everlaſting deſtruction from the preſence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. O miſerable men! now it is God's deſign to be revenged on you. This is the day when the wicked ſhall ſuddenly ſtart out of ſleep, and meet with gaſtly amazedneſs at the mouth of their ſepulchers; above them ſtands the Judge condemning, beneath Hell gaping, on the right had juſtice threatning, on all ſides the world burning; to go forward is intollerable, to go backward is impoſſible, to turn aſide is unavailable; which way then? Heaven gates are ſhut, Hell mouth is open, where they muſt end their endleſs miſery; the laſt torment laſteth ever. O the ſhrikes of the wicked at every paſſage of this day! when the Prophet Joel was deſcribing the formidable accidents of his day, he was not able to expreſs it, but ſtammered like a Child, or an amazed imperfect perſon, A. A. A. for the day of the Lord is at hand. We tranſlate it, Alas, Joel. 1.17.for the day of the Lord is at hand. But Lyra, Ribera, the Vulgar Latine, and others tranſlate it, A.A.A. in Hebrew it is indeed but one word, and ſounds as Aha, which howſoever ſo written, yet is it pronounced without any aſpiration, as Aharon, is pronounced Aaron. The beſt Critic…s would but have it one word, and ſo they write it, A-a-a- for the day of the Lord is at hand: thus they that ſtammer, and cannot ſuddenly ſpeak, ſay A-a-a. it is not ſenſe at firſt; the Prophet was ſo amazed, that he knew not what to ſay; the ſtammering tongue that is full of fear, can beſt ſpeak that terror, which will make all the wicked of the world to cry, and ſhrike, and ſpeak fearfull accents; oh the ſhrikes! oh the fearful ſounds that will then be heard! ſure that noiſe muſt needs be terrible, when millions of men and women at the ſame inſtant ſhall fearfully cry out, and when their cryes ſhall mingle with the thunders of the dying and groaning Heavens, and with the crack of the diſſolving World, when the whole fabrick of nature ſhall ſhake into diſſolution,Pſal. 51.21. and eternal aſhes. Now conſider this ye that forget God, leſt he tare you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you. Shall not the conſideration of theſe things awake your ſpirits, and raiſe you from the death of ſin? what? do you believe theſe things? or do you not? if you do not believe theſe things, where is your ſaith? if you do believe them, and ſin on, where is your prudence? and where is your hope? but enough of this; it belongs to the wicked.
2. In reſpect of the Godly that they may be ſaved. Now this contains ſeveral ſteps. As—
1. They muſt be regenerated. It is true they partake of this grace before, but now is the full perfection and manifeſtation of it,Mat. 19.28. and therefore the laſt day is called the day of regeneration.
Col. 1.13, 14.2. They muſt be redeemed. So they are in this life; Paul could tell his Coloſſians, that Chriſt had delivered them from the power of darkneſs; and that in him they had redemption through his blood. Yet the Scripture calls the day of judgment in a peculiar and eminent manner the day of redemption. And grieve not the holy ſpirit of God whereby ye are ſealed unto the day of redemption.Eph. 4.30.
1 John 3.2.3. They muſt be adopted. It is true, they are adopted in this life, We are now the Sons of God (ſaith the Apoſtle) yet it doth not appear what we ſhall be; the glory which Chriſt will put upon us at the laſt day, is ſo far tranſcendent and ſuperlative to what now we are, that we know not what we ſhall be; ſons, and more than ſons; and therefore the Apoſtle calls the laſt day,Rom. 8.23. the day of adoption.
4. They muſt be juſtified. I know they were juſtified by Faith before, and this juſtification was evidenced to ſome of their conſciences; but now ſhall they be juſtified fully by the lively voice of the Judge himſelf; now ſhall their juſtification be ſolemnly and publickly declared to all the world; The Syriack word to juſtifie, is alſo to conquer, becauſe when a man is juſtified, he overcomes all thoſe bills and indictments which were brought in againſt him; now this is manifeſtly done in the day of judgment when Chriſt ſhall before Men and Angels acquit, and abſolve his people: oh what a glorious conqueſt will that be over Sin, Death, and Hell, when the judge of the whole World ſhall pronounce them free from all Sin, and from all thoſe miſerable effects of Sin, Death, Hell, and Dominion.
5. They muſt inherit the Kingdom prepared for them, ſo is the ſentence at that day, Come ye Bleſſed, Mat. 25.34.inherit the Kingdom. Not only are they freed from Hell, but they muſt inherit Heaven. Now herein is an high ſtep of ſalvation, and a great part of the deſign of Chriſt's coming, to bring his Saints into Heaven; he went thither before to prepare it for them, and now he comes again to give them the poſſeſſion of it, come enter into heaven. Heaven? what is Heaven? ſurely it is not one ſingle Palace; but a City, a Metropolis, a Mother-City, the firſt City of God's creation: When the Angel carried John in the ſpirit to a great and high Mountain, Rev. 21.10, 11.he ſhewed him the great City, the holy Jeruſalem, deſcending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. But a City is too little,Luke 12.32. therefore its more, its a Kingdom; Fear not little Flock, its your Fathers good pleaſure to give you the Kingdom; and at this laſt day he bids his Saints to inherit the Kingdom. Luke. 20.34, 35, 36.Or if a Kingdom be too little, it is called a World; the Children of this world marry, and are given in marriage; but they which ſhall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the reſurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage, neither can they dye any more. There's another world beſides this, and for eminency it is called the world to come. O the bredth and largeneſs of that world! as the greater circle muſt contain the leſs,Heb. 6.5. ſo doth that world contain this; alas, all our dwellings here are but as caves under the earth, and holes of poor clay in compariſon. In the boſome of that Heaven is many a dwelling place;John 14.2. In my Fathers houſe are many manſions; there lodges many thouſand of glorious Kings; O what fair fields, and mountains of roſes and ſpices, are there? ſurely gardens of length and bredth above millions of miles are nothing in compariſon. O the Vines, the Lillies, the Roſes, the precious Trees that grow in Immanuel's land! an hundred harveſts in one year are nothing there, The loweſt ſtones in every manſion there, are precious ſtones;Rev. 21.18. the very building of the wall about it is Jaſper, and the City is pure gold, like unto clear glaſs. O glorious inheritance! Tell me Chriſtians, in what City on Earth do men walk upon gold? or dwell within the walls of Gold? though none ſuch here, yet under the feet of the inhabitants of Heaven there is Gold; All the ſtreets, and fields of that City, Kingdom, World, Rev. 21.21.are pure gold, as it were tranſparent glaſs. But alas, what ſpeak I of Gold, or Glaſs; all theſe are but ſhadows; indeed and in truth there is nothing ſo low as Gold, or precious Stones; there is nothing ſo baſe in this high and glorious Kingdom, as Gardens, Trees, or Roſes, compariſons are but created ſhadows, that come not up to expreſs the glory of the thing. I ſhall therefore leave to ſpeak this, becauſe unſpeakable.
6. They muſt live with Chriſt in heaven; they muſt ſee, and enjoy Chriſt there to all eternity. This is a main end of Chriſts coming, I will come again, John 14.3. John 17.24.and receive you unto my ſelf, that where I am, there ye may be alſo—And Father, I will that thoſe whom thou haſt given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold the glory which thou haſt given me. O let faith eye this above all the former! what? will my Saviour come again? and ſhall I ſee his face? Oh what a pleaſant ſight will this ſame be? if Heaven, if the inheritance be ſuch a wonder to the beholders, what a beauty is that which is in the ſamplar? oh what an happineſs to ſtand beſides that dainty precious Prince in Heaven? to ſee the King on his Throne? to ſee the Lamb, the fair Tree of life, the flowre of Angels, the ſpotleſs Roſe, that Crown, the Garland, the joy of Heaven, the wonder of wonders for eternity? oh what a life to ſee the precious Tree of life! to ſee a multitude without quantity of the Apples of glory! to ſee love it ſelf, and to be warmed with the heat of immediate love that comes out from the precious heart and bowels of Jeſus Chriſt! Oh what a dearneſs to ſee all relations meet in one! to ſee the Saviour, the good Shepheard, the Redeemer, the great Biſhop of our ſouls, the Angel of the Covenant, the Head of the body of the Church, the King of ages, the Prince of peace, the Creator of the ends of the Earth, the Song of Angels, and glorified Saints. Not only muſt they ſee Chriſt, but they ſhall enjoy him whom they ſee; they fly with doves-wings of beauty after the Lamb, and in flying after him they lay hold upon him, and they will not leave him; they can never have enough of the chaſte fruition of the glorious Prince Immanuel, and they never want his in-moſt preſence to the full; they ſuck the honey and the hony-comb; they drink of the floods of eternal conſolations, and fill all empty deſires; and as if the ſouls of Saints were without bottom, a freſh they ſuck again to all eternity. Now … is ſalvation indeed, the ſoul that attains this full enjoyment, is ſaved to the uttermoſt.
3. In reſpect of Chriſt himſelf that he may be glorified. Now in two things more eſpecially will he be glorified at that day. 1. In his juſtice. 2. In his mercy, or free grace.
1. His juſtice will be glorified, eſpecially in puniſhing the wicked here on Earth, litle juſtice is done on moſt offenders; though ſome publick crimes are ſometimes puniſhed, yet the actions of cloſets and chambers, the deſigns and thoughts of men; the buſineſſes of retirements, and of the night, eſcape the hand of juſtice; and therefore God hath ſo ordained it, that there ſhall be a day of doom, wherein all that are let alone by men, ſhall be queſtioned by God; Shall not the judge of all the world do right! Gen. 18.25.then all thoughts ſhall be examined, and ſecret actions viewed on each ſide, and the infinite number of thoſe ſins which eſcaped here, ſhall be blazoned there; all ſhall have juſtice; and the juſtice of the judge ſhall be ſo exact, that he will account with men by minutes; and that juſtice may reign entirely, God ſhall open his treaſure: I mean the wicked man's treaſure, and tell the ſums, and weigh the grains and ſcruples.Deut. 32.34. Is not this laid up in ſtore with me, and ſealed up among my treaſures? I will reſtore it in the day of vengeance ſaith the Lord. Oh how will God glorifie his juſtice at that day? ſurely his juſtice ſhall ſhine, and be eminently glorious in every paſſage.
2. His mercy, or free grace will be glorified in rewarding the Saints. And this is the main, the ſupreme end of his coming to judgment,2 Theſ. 1.10. He ſhall come (ſaith the Apoſtle) to be glorified in his Saints; not but that the Angels ſhall glorifie the riches of his grace, as well as Saints; but becauſe the Angels never ſinned, (they have now kept their Robes of innocency, their cloth of Gold above five thouſand years, without one ſpark of dirt, or change of colour:) therefore the glory of his grace is more eſpecially faſtened on Saints, that ſometimes were ſinners. Oh what ſtories will be told at this day of graces acts? I was a blaſphemer, 1 Tim. 1.13.and a perſecutor, and an injurious perſon (ſaid Paul) but I obtained mercy; foreign, but I was be-mercied, as if he had been dipt in a River, in a Sea of mercy; it may be he will make the ſame acknowledgment at the day of judgment; I was a ſinner, but the grace of the Lord Jeſus to me was abundant, ſuperabundant; I obtained as much grace as would have ſaved a world. Certainly free grace ſhall then be diſcovered in ſome purpoſe;Rom. 5.20. then it ſhall be known, That where ſin abounded, grace far more; it over-abounded, or more than over-bounded: foreign, It is a word borrowed from Fountains, and Rivers, which have over-flowed with Waters ever ſince the Creation; then all the Saints ſhall exalt, and magnifie, and with loud voyces praiſe the glory of his grace; they ſhall look on their debts written in graces book, and then ſhall they ſing and ſay, O the myſtery of grace! O the gold-mines, and the depts of Chriſts free love! why this was the great deſign of our ſalvation: at the firſt, when God was willing to communicate himſelf out of his aloneneſs everlaſting, he laid this plot, that all he would do ſhould be to the praiſe of the glory of his grace; Eph. 1.6.and now at his ſecond coming, having done all he will do, the Saints for whom he hath done all, admire, eſteem, honour, and ſound forth the praiſes of his grace. Is not this their everlaſting ſong which they begin at this day? Glory to the Lamb, and glory to his grace, that ſitteth on the Throne for ever more? not but that they glorifie him in his wiſdom, power, holineſs, and his other attributes, ay but eſpecially in this, it is his Grace in which he moſt delighteth; even as vertuous Kings affect, above all their other Vertues, to be had in honour for their Clemency, and Bounty; ſo Jeſus Chriſt the King of Kings affects, above all, the glory of his grace. And to this purpoſe Heaven it ſelf is an houſe full of broken men, who have borrowed millions from Chriſt, but can never repay more than to read, and ſing the praiſes of Free-grace; Glory to the Lamb, and glory to the riches of his grace for evermore.
Thus for directions; one word of Application, or a few motives to work Faith in you in this reſpect,
1. Chriſt in his word invites you to believe; theſe are his Letters from Heaven, Come all to the marriage-ſupper of the Lamb; Ho every one that thirſts come in; Heaven-gate is open to all that knock, but fools, fooliſh Virgins, fooliſh ſouls, which have no Faith, nor will have any, to render them fit for Heaven. This meets with ſome that ſcruple, what? will Chriſt come again to receive me to himſelf? ſhall I enter with him into glory? alas no unclean thing ſhall enter into that holy City, and ſhall ſuch a ſinner as I am be admitted? Oh believe, believe thy part in this coming of Chriſt, to receive thee to himſelf; and no ſin, that thou feeleſt a burthen, ſhall keep thee out of Heaven. There is Rahab the Harlot; and Manaſſeh the Murtherer, and Mary that had ſo many Devils; a man that hath many Devils may come where there is not one;Luke. 14.22. Lame, and Blind, and Halt may enter into Heaven, and yet ſtill there is room; there is a great variety of gueſts above, and yet one Table large enough for all; no crouding, and yet thouſands, and thouſands of thouſands ſitting together; Ah poor ſoul why doſt thou make ecceptions, where God makes none? why ſhouldſt thou exclude thy ſelf out of theſe golden gates, when God doth not? believe, onelyonly believe in the Lord Jeſus, and the promiſe is ſure, and without all controverſie, thou ſhalt be ſaved.
2. Chriſt by his Miniſtry intreats you to believe; come, ſay they, we beſeech you believe in your judge; it may be you ſtartle at this, what? to believe in him who is a coming to be your judge? but if your judge be Jeſus, if the ſame perſon who dyed for you, ſhall come to judge you, why ſhould you fear? indeed if your judge were your enemy, you might fear; but if he who is your Lord, and who loves your ſouls ſhall judge you, there is no ſuch cauſe; will a man fear to be judged by his deareſt friends? a brother by a brother? a child by a father? or a wife by her husband? conſider! is not he your Judge who came down from Heaven, and who being on earth was judged, condemned, and executed in your ſtead? and yet are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Oh what an unreaſonable ſin is unbelief! nay, ſay the ſcrupulous, if I were aſſured of this; if I knew that my judge were my friend, I ſhould not fear; but is he not my enemy; have not I provoked him to enmity againſt my ſoul? do I not ſtand it out in arms againſt my judge? am not I daily ſinning againſt him, who juſtly may condemn me for my ſin? give this for granted, that this and no other, no better is my caſe, and what ſay you then? if it be ſo, heark then to the voice of our miniſtry. We poor Miniſters that love your ſouls (ſay what you will of us) would fain have all this enmity againſt God, and againſt Chriſt done away; and to this purpoſe we not onelyonly appear many and many a time upon our knees to God for you, but (mangre all your oppoſition againſt us) we could be content to come upon our knees from God to you, to beſeech you not to provoke your Judge againſt your ſouls: what, is Chriſt and you at odds? is the difference wide betwixt your judge and you? I do now in my Maſters Name, in the Name of God, and in the Name of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, beſeech you to believe; I beſeech you in Chriſts Name; in Chriſt's ſtead, be ye reconciled unto God. Is not this the Apoſtles word? Now then we are Embaſſadours for Chriſt, 2 Cor. 5.20.as though God did beſeech you by us, we pray you in Chriſt's ſtead? Chriſt's Miniſters are not onelyonly God's Legates, but Chriſt's Surrogates; to make this plain to you, when a Prince ſends a meſſenger to another Prince, that meſſenger is onelyonly an Embaſſador, the Prince being not bound to carry the meſſage himſelf in Perſon; but now Jeſus Chriſt, he is the Father's Embaſſador, and Chriſt is thereby bound to bring the meſſage of peace himſelf, but being neceſſarily imployed elſewhere (in the ſame deſign of grace) he conſtitutes us his officers; ſo that we do not come only in the Name of God, but in the place of Chriſt to do that work which is primarily his; As the Father hath ſent me, John. 20.21. Gal. 4.14.even ſo ſend I you; and this was the commendation of the Galathians, that they received the Apoſtle Paul even as Jeſus Chriſt. Now weigh our deſire, we beſeech you to believe; we beſeech you to ſign the articles of agreement betwixt Chriſt and you; what? ſhall ſome baſe inconſiderable luſt ſtand in competition with Jeſus Chriſt? will you not make your peace with your judge whileſt you are in a way, and before he ſit in the Throne? behold we give you warning, the Judge is at the door, now believe and be ſaved. Oh how fain would we tempt you (as it were) with glory? we tender Chriſt, and we offer peace, we come in the judges name to beſeech you to make ready for him, and for Heaven; we bring ſalvation to your very doors, to your very ears, and there we are ſounding, knocking, Will ye go to Heaven, ſinners? will ye go to Heaven? Oh believe in him that will judge you, and he will ſave you.
3. Chriſt by his Spirit moves, excites, and provokes you to believe. Sometimes in reading, and ſometimes in hearing, and ſometimes in meditating you may feel him ſtir; have you felt no gale of the ſpirit all this while?John 16.8. It is the ſpirit that convinceth the world of ſin, eſpecially of that great ſin of unbelief; and then of righteouſneſs, which Chriſt procureth by going to his Father; obſerve here, it is the work of the ſpirit thus to convince, ſo that all moral philoſophy, and the wiſeſt directions of the moſt Civil men will leave you in a wilderneſs; yea ten thouſands of Sermons may be preached to you to believe, and yet you never ſhall, till you are over-powred by Gods Spirit: it is the Spirit that enlightens, and directs you, as occaſion is, ſaying this is the way, walk in it. Iſa. 30.21.It is the ſpirit that rouzeth, and awakeneth you by effectual motions, Ariſe my love, Cant. 2.10.my fair one, and come away. He ſtands at the door and knocks; he ſtretches out his hand with Heaven in it, and he doth ſo all the day long;Rom. 10.21. all the day long have I ſtretched out my hand; and that you may find his yoke eaſie, and his burthen light; it is the Spirit that draws the yoke with you; and by ſecret animations, and ſweet inſpirations heartens, and enables you to do the work with eaſe; and in this reſpect the Saints are ſaid to be led by the ſpirit; even as a mother leads her child that is weak, and enables it to go the better, ſo the ſpirit leads the Saints (as it were) by the hand, and ſtrengthens them to believe yet more and more. I ſpeak now to Saints, if whiles I preſs you to believe in Jeſus, you feel the ſpirit in his ſtirrings, and impetuous acts,Rom. 8.24. ſurely it concerns you to believe, it concerns you to be obſequious and yielding to the breathings of God's Spirit, it concerns you to co-operate with the ſpirit, and to anſwer his wind-blowing. As you are to take Chriſt at his word, ſo you are to take Chriſts ſpirit at his work: if now he knocks, do you knock with him; if now his fingers make a ſtirring upon the handles of the bar, let your hearts make a ſtirring with his fingers alſo; O reach in your hearts under the ſtirrings of free grace; obey diſpoſitions of grace as God himſelf; if now you feel your hearts as hot as Iron, it is good then to ſmite with the hammer; if now you feel your ſpirits docile, ſay then with him in the Goſpel, I believe, Lord help my unbelief; I believe, what? I believe when Jeſus comes again, he will receive me to himſelf, and that I ſhall be for ever with the Lord, Amen, Amen.