The Common Principles of the Christian Religion, Sermon 6

The Common Principles of the Christian Religion · Sermon 6

p. 581 Tim. …. 13. Hold fast that form of sound Words, which thou hast heard of me in Faith, and Love. &c.

HEre is the sum of Religion, here you have a compend of the Doctrine of the Scriptures: All Divine Truths may be reduced to these two Heads. Faith, & Love, What we ought to believe, and what we ought to do: This is all the Scriptures teach and this is all we have to learn. What have we to know, but what God hath revealed of himself to us? And, what we have to do, but what he commands us? In a word, what have we to learn in this world, but to believe in Christ, & love him, and so live to him? This is the duty of man, & this is the dignity of man, and the way to eternall life: Therefore the Scriptures that are given to be a Lamp to our feet, and a Guide to our paths, contain an perfect and exact rule credendorum & faciendorum, of Faith and Manners, or Doctrine and Practice. We have in the Scriptures many truths revealed to us of God, and of the works of his hands; many precious truths, but that which most of all concerns us, is to know God & our selves, this is the special Excellency of the reasonable creature, that its made capable to know its Creator, and to reflect upon its own being. Now, we have to know of our selves, What we are now, and what man once was; and accordingly, to know of God, what he once revealed of himself, and What he doth now reveal: I say, The Sc…iptures holds out to our consideration a twofold estate of Mankind, & according to these, a twofold revelation of the Mystery of God: We look on Man now, and we find him another thing than he was once; but we do not find God one thing at one time, and another thing at another time; for there is no shadow of change in him, and, He is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever: Therefore we ask not What he was, and what he is now, but how he manifests p. 59himself differently, according to the different estates of Man; as we find in the Scriptures, man once righteous & blessed, Eccles. 7. 29. and God making him such according to his own Image Col. 3. 10. Eph. 4. 25. in righteousnesse and true holinesse; we finde him in communion and friendship with God, set next to the Divine Majesty, and above the works of his hands, & all things under his feet: How holy was he? And how happy? And happy he could not chuse but be, since he was holy, being conformed, and like unto God in his will, and affection, chosing that same delight, that same pleasure with God, in his understanding, knowing God and his will; and likewise, his own happinesse: in such a conformity, he could not but have much communion with him, that had such conformity to him, Union being the foundation of cōmunion & great peace & solid tranquility in him.

Now, in this state of mankind God expresses his goodnesse, and wisdom, and power, his holinesse and righteousnesse. These are the Attributes that shine most brightly. In the very morning of the Creation God revealed himself to man as a holy and just God, whose eyes could behold no iniquity; & therefore he made him upright, and made a Covenant of life and peace with him, to give him immortall & eternal life, to continue him in his happy estate, if so be he continued in well-doing. Rom. 10. 5. Do this and live. In which Covenant, indeed there was some outbreakings of the glorious grace & free condescendency of God; for it was no lesse free grace, and undeserved favour, to promise life to his obedience, than now to promise life to our Faith; so that if the Lord had continued that Covenant with us, we ought to have called it grace, and would have been saved by grace as well as now; though it be true, that there is some more occasion given to mans nature to boast & glory in that way, yet not at all before God, Rom. 4. 2.

p. 60But we have scarcely found man in such an estate till we have found him sinfull & miserable, and fallen from his excellency. That Sun shined in the dawning of the Creation, but before ye can well know what it is, its eclipsed, and darkned with sin and misery; as if the Lord had only set up such a creature in the Firmament of Glory, to let him know how blessed he could make him, and wherein his blessednesse consists; and then presently to throw him down from his excellency; when ye find him mounting up to the Heavens, and spreading himself thus in holiness, and happinesse, like a Bay-tree: Behold again, and you find him not; though you seek him, you shal not find him, his place doth not know him: He is like one that comes out with a great Majesty upon a Stage and personates some Monarch, or Emperour, in the World, & then ere you can well gather your thoughts to know what he is, he is turn'd off the Stage, and appears in some base & despicable appearance, so quickly is man stript of all these glorious ornaments of holinesse, and puts on the vile rags of sin and wretchednesse, and is cast down from the Throne of eminency above the creatures, & frō fellowship with God, to be a slave and servant to the dust of his feet, and to have communion with the devill and his angels. And now ye have man holden out in Scripture as the onlie wretched Piece of the Creation, as the very plague of the World; The whole Creation groaning under him, Rom. 8. and in pain to be delivered of such a burthen, of such an Execration and Curse, and Astonishment: You find the testimony of the Word condemns him altogether, concludes him under sin, and then under a curse, and makes all flesh guilty in Gods sight. The Word speaks otherwise of us than we think of our selves, Their imagination is only evil continually. Gen. 6. 5. O then, What must our affections be, that are certainly more corrupt! What then must our way p. 61be? All flesh hath corrupted their way, and done abominable works, and none doth good. Psal. 14. 1, 2, 3. But many flee in unto their good hearts as their last refuge, when they are beaten from these out-works, of their actions and wayes but the Scripture shal storm that also; The heart is deceitful above all things, who can know it? Jer. …7. 9. It is desperatly wicked. In a word, Man is become the most lamentable spectacle in the world; acompend of all wickednesse, and misery; inclosed within the walls of inability and impossibility to help himself, shut up within the prison of despair, a stinking loathsome and irksome dungeon. It is like the mytie pit that Ieremiah was cast into, that there was no out-coming, and no pleasant abode in it.

Now, Mans estate being thus, nay, having made himself thus, and sought out to himself such sad inventions. Eccles. 7. 29. and having destroyed himself. Hos. 13. 9. What think ye? Should any pity him? If he had fallen in such a pit of miserie ignorantly, and unwillingly he had been an object of compassion; but having cast himself headlong into it, who should have pity on him? Or, who should go aside to ask how he doth, or bemoan him? Ier. 15. 5. But behold the Lord pities man as a Father doth his Children. Psal. 103. His compassions fail not; He comes by such a loathsome and contemptible object, and casts his skirts over it, and saith, Live. Ezek. 16. And maketh it a time of love. I say, no flesh could have expected any more of God, than to make man happy and holy, & to promise him life in well-doing: But to repair that happinesse after it's wilfully lost, and to give life to evil doers & sinners, O how far was it from Adams expectation when he fled from God? Here then is the wonder, that when men & Angels were in expectation of the revelation of his wrath from heavē against their wickednesse, & the execution of the curse man was concluded under, that even then God is pursuing man, & p. 62pursues him with love, and opens up to him his very heart and bowels of love in Jesus Christ? Behold then the second revelation & manifestation of God, in a way of grace, pure grace, of mercy & pity toward lost sinners. The kindnesse of God hath appeared, not by Works, but according to his abundant mercy shewed in Christ Iesus. Tit. 3. 4. 5. So then we have this purpose of Gods love unfolded to us in the Scriptures, and this is the substance of them, both Old and New Testament, or the end of them, Rom. 10. 4. Christ is the end of the Law to all sinners concluded under sin, and a curse: by it our Lord Jesus, the good Ebedmelech, comes and casts down a cord to us, & draws us up out of the pit of sin and misery; he comes to this prison, and opens the doors to let captives free; so then we have holden out to us a Redeemer, as a repairer of our breaches; God in Christ reconciling the world. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self, but in me is thy Help found. Hos. 13. 9. He finds to himself a ransome to satisfie his justice Job 33. 24. He finds a propitiation to take away sin, a sacrifice to pacifie and appease his wrath; he finds one of our Brethren, but his own Son in whom he is well pleased. And then holds out all this to sinners that they may be satisfied in their own consciences, as he is in his own mind. God hath satisfied himself in Christ, you have not that to do: he is not now to be reconciled to us, for he was never really at odds, though he covered his countenance with frowns & threats, since the Fal, & hath appeared in fire, and hunders and whirlwind, which are terrible, yet his heart had alwayes love in it to such persons; and therefore he is come near in Christ, & about reconciling us to himself; Here is the business then, to have our souls reconciled to him, to take away the enmity within us, and as he is satisfied with his Son, so to satisfie our selves with him, & be as wel pleased in his Redemption and purchase, as … …er is, and then you believe indeed in him.

p. 63Now if this were accomplished, what have wee more to do, but to love him, and to live to him? when you have found in the Scripture; and believed with the heart, what Man once was, and what he now is, what God once appeared, and what hee now manifests himself in the Gospel, ye have no more to do, but to search in the same Scriptures what ye henceforth ought to be: Ye who find your estate recovered in Christ, ask what manner of persons we ought to be? And the Scripture shal also give you that form of sound words which may not only teach you to believe in him, but to love him, and obey his cōmands: The Law that before condemned you, is now by Christ put in your hands to guide you, and conduct you in the way, & teacheth you to live henceforth to his glory. The grace of God that hath appeared to all men. Tit. 2. 12. teacheth us, that denying ungodlinesse and worldlie lusts, we should live godly, and righteously and soberly in this present world. Here is the summe of the rule of your practise and conversation piety towards God, equity towards men, and sobriety towards our selves, self-denyal and world-denyall, and lust-denyal, to give up with the world, and our own lusts, henceforth to have no more to do with them, to resign them, not for a time, not in part, but wholly and for ever in affection, and by parts in practice and endeavour, and then to resign and give up our selves to him, to live to him, and live in him.

Thus we have given you a summe of the Doctrine of the Scriptures, of that which is to be believed, and that which is to be done as our duty. Now we shall speak a word of these two Cardinall Graces, which are the compend of all Graces, as the objects of them are the Abridgement of the Scriptures: Faith & Love, these sound words can profite us nothing, unlesse wee hold them fast with Faith and Love.

Faith is like the Fountain-grace, streams come out p. 64of it, that cleanseth the Conscience from the guilt of sin, and purifieth the heart from the filth of sin, because it is that which cometh to the Fountain opened up in the house of David, & draweth water out of these Wells of Salvation? If you consider the fall and ruine of Mankind; you will find infidelity & unbelief the fountain of it, as wel as the seal of it. Unbelief of the Law of God, of his promises and threatning. This was first called in Question, and when once called in Question, it is half denied. Hath God said so, that you shal die? Its not far off, you shall not surely die: Here then was the very beginning of mans ruine, he did not retain in his knowledge, and believe with his heart the truth and faithfulnesse; and holinesse of God, which unbelief was conjoyned, & intermingled with much pride, you shal be as Gods: he began to live out of God, in himself, not remembring that his life was a stream of that Divine Fountain, that being cut off from it would dry up. Now therefore our Lord Jesus Christ; an expert Saviour, and very learned, and compleat for this work, he brings man up out of this pit of misery, by that same way he fell into it, he fell down by unbelief, and he brings him up out of it by faith: This is the cord that is cast down to the poor Soul in the Dungeon, or rather his Faith is the dead grip of the cord of Divine Promises, which are sent unto the captive prisoners, and by vertue thereof he is drawn out, into the light of Salvatiō. Unbelief of the Law of God did first destroy man, now the belief of the Gospel saves him. The not believing of the Lords threatnings, was the beginning of his ruine, the believing of his precious promises is his Salvation. I say more, as our Destruction began at the Unbelief of the Law, so our salvation must begin at the belief of it. The Law and Divine Justice went out of his sight, and so he sinned; now the Law entring into the Conscience, discovers a mans sinnes, & p. 65makes sin abound, and that is the beginning of our remedy, to know our disease. But as long as this is hid from a Mans eyes, he is shut up in unbelief, he is sealed and confirmed in his miserable estate, and so kept from Jesus Christ the remedy. Thus unbelief, first and last destroyes: Faith might have preserved Adam, and Faith again might restore thee, who hath fallen in Adam.

There is a great mistake of Faith among us, some taking it for a strong and blind confidence; that admits of no questions or doubtes in the soul; and so vainly perswading themselves that they have it; and some again conceiving it to be such an assurance of Salvation, as instantly comforts the soul, and looseth all objections, and so foolishly vexing their own souls & disquieting themselves in vain, for the want of that which if they understood what it is, they would find they have it. I say, many souls conceive that to be the best Faith, that never doubted, and hath alwaies lodged in them, and kept them in peace since they were born. But seeing all men were once aliens from the common wealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of Promise, and without God in the World, & so without Christ also, it is certain that those souls who have alwaies blest themselves in their own hearts and cryed peace, peace, and were never afraid of the wrath to come, have imbraced an imagination and dream of their own hearts, for true Faith. It is not big and stout words that will prove it; men may defy the Devil and all his works, and speak very confidently, & yet, God knows they are captives by him, at his pleasure, and not farre from that misery which they think they have escaped. Satan works in them with such a crafty conveyance, that they cannot perceive it, and how should they perceive it? For we are by nature dead in sins, and so cannot feel nor know that we are such: It is a token of life to feel pain, a p. 66certain token, for dead things are senselesse. You know how Juglers may deceive your very senses, and make them believe they see that which is not, and feel that which they feel not: O how much more easie is it for Satan such an ingenious and experimented spirit, assisted with the help of our deceitfull hearts, to cast such a mist over the eyes of hearts, and make them believe any thing? how easily may he hide our misery from us, and make us believe its well with us? And thus multitudes of souls perish, in the very opinion of Salvation: that very thing which they call Faith, that strong ungrounded perswasion, it's no other thing than the unbelief of the heart, unbelief, I mean of the Holy Law, of Divine Justice, and the wrath to come; for if these once entered into the souls consideration, they would certainly cast down that strong hold of vain confidence, that Satan keeps all the House in peace by: Now this secure and presumptuous despising of all threatnings, and all convictions, it is vernished over to the poor soul, with the colour and appearance of Faith in the Gospell: They think, to believe in Christ, is nothing else but never to be afraid of Hell, whereas it is nothing else but a soul fleeing into Christ for fear of hell; & fleeing from the wrath to come to the city of Refuge.

Now again, there are some other souls quite contrary minded, that run upon an other extremity: they once question, whether they have Faith; and alwayes question it. You shal find them alwayes out of one doubt into another, and still returning upon these debates, whether am I in Christ or not? And often peremptorily concluding that they are not in him, & that they believe not in him: I must confess that a soul must once question the matter, or they shal never be certain; nay, a soul must once conclude that it is void of God, and without Christ, but having discovered that, I see no more use and fruit of p. 67your frequent debates and janglings about interest: would say then unto such souls, that if you now question it, it is indeed the very time to put it out of question. And how? Not by framing or seeking answers to your objections, not by searching into thy self to find something to prove it, not by meer disputing about it, for when shal these have an end? But simply and plainly by setting about that which is questioned. Are you in doubt, if you be Believers? How shal it be resolved than? but by believing indeed. It is now the very time thou art called to make application of thy soul to Christ, if thou thinkest that thou cannot make application of Christ to thy soul: If thou cannot know if he be thine, then how shal thou know it, but by choosing him for thine, and embracing him in thy soul? Now, I say, if that time which is spent about such unprofitable debates, were spent in solid and serious endeavours about the thing in debate; it would quickly be out of debate; if you were more in the obedience to those commands, then in the dispute, whether you have obeyed or not, you would sooner come to satisfaction in it. This I say the rather: because the weightier and principall parts of the Gospel are those direct acts of Faith, and Love to Jesus Christ: both these are the outgoings of the soul to him: Now again, examination of our Faith and Assurance are but secondary and consequent reflections upon our selves, & are the soul-returning in again to it self, to find what is within. Therefore, I say; a Christian is principally called to the first, and alwayes called: it is the chief duty of man, which for no evidence, no doubting, no questioning should be left undone: If you be in any hesitation whether you are Believers or not: I am sure the chiefest things & most concerning, is rather to believe then to know it: it is a Christians being to believe: it is indeed his comfort and wel-being to know it, but if you do not know p. 68it then by all means so much the more set about it presently, let the soul consider Christ and the precious promises, and lay its weight upon him: This you ought to do, and not to leave the other undone.

2. Secondly, I say to such souls, that it is the mistake of the very nature of Faith that leads them to such perplexities, and causeth some inevidence: It is not so much the inevidence of marks, and fruits that makes them doubt, as the misapprehension of the thing it self; for as long as they mistake it in its own nature, no sign, no mark can satisfie in it. You take Faith to be a perswasion of Gods love, that calms and quiets the mind. Now, such a perswasion needs no sign to know it by, it is manifest by its own presence, as light by its own brightnesse. It were a foolish question to ask any, How they knew that they were perswaded of anothers affection? The very perswasion it self maketh it self more certain to the soul then any token. So then while you question whether you have Faith or not, and in the mean time take Faith to be nothing else but such a perswasion, it is in vain to bring any marks or signs to convince you that you have Faith, for if such a perswasion & assurance were in you; it would be more powerfull to assure your hearts of it self than any thing else; and while you are doubting of it, it is more manifest that you have it not, than any signs or marks can be able to make it appear that you have it. If any would labour to convince a blind man; that he saw the light, and give him signs & tokēs of the lights shining, the blind man could not believe him; for it is more certain to himself that he sees not, than any evidence can make the contrary probable: You are still wishing and seeking such a Faith as puts all out of question. Now, when Ministers bring any marks to prove you have true Faith, it cannot satisfie or settle you, because your very questioning proves, that ye have not that which p. 69ye question; if you had such a perswasion, you would not question it. So then, as long as you are in that mistake concerning the nature of Faith, all the signs of the word cannot settle you.

But, I say, if once you understood the true nature of Faith, it would be more clear in it self unto you, than readily marks and signs could make it, especially in the time of temptation: If you would know then, what it is indeed: Consider what the Word of God holds out concerning himself, or us, & the solid belief of that in the heart hath something in the nature of saving Faith in it. The Lord gives a testimony concerning Man, That he is born in sin, that he is dead in sin, and all his imaginations are only evil continually. Now, I say, to receive this truth into the soul upon Gods Testimony in a point of Faith: the Lord in his Word concludes all under sin and wrath; …o then, for a soul to conclude it self also under sin and wrath, is a point of Faith: Faith is the souls testimony to Gods truth, the Word is Gods Testimony: Now then, if a soul receive this testimony within, whether it be Law or Gospel, it's an act of Faith; if a soul condemn it self, & judge it self, that is a setting to our seal that God is true, who speaks in his Law, & so its a believing in God. I say more, To believe with the heart, that we cannot believe, is a great point of found belief, because it's a sealing of that Word of God. The heart is desperatly wicked, and of our selves we can do nothing. Now, I am perswaded, if such souls knew this, they would put an end to their many contentions and wranglings about this point, and would rather blesse God that hath opened their eyes to see themselves, then contend with him for that they have no Faith: It is light only that discovers darknesse, and Faith only that descerns unbelief: Its life and health only, that feels pain & sicknesse, for if all were alike, nothing could be found, as in dead bodies: Now, I p. 70say to such souls as believe in God the Law-giver, believe also in Christ the Redeemer: and what is that? It is not to know that I have Interest in him: No, that must come after; it is the Spirits sealing after believing which puts it self out of question, when it comes: and so if you had it, you needed not many signs to know it by, at least you would not doubt of it, more than he that sees the light can question it. But I say, to believe in Christ is simply this: I, whatsoever I be: ungodly, wretched, polluted, desperate, am willing to have Jesus Christ for my Saviour, I have no other help, or hope, if it be not in him, it is, I say, to lean the weight of thy soul on this foundation stone laid in Zion, to embrace the promises of the Gospel albeit generall, as worthy of all acceptation, & wait upon the performance of them. It is no other thing, but to make Christ welcome, to say, even so, Lord Jesus, I am content in my soul that thou be my Saviour, to be found in thee, not having my own righteousnesse, I am well pleased to cast away my own as dung, & find my self on other not an ungodly man. Now it is certain that …any souls that are still questioning whether they have Faith, yet do find this in their souls, but because they know not that it is Faith which they find, they go about to seek that which is not Faith, and where it is not to be found, and so disquiet themselves in vain, and hinder fruitfulnesse.

Now, the Faith of a Christian is no fancy, it's no light vain imagination of the brain, but it dwells in the heart (with the heart man believes) and it dwels with love. Faith and love we need not be curious to distinguish them: it is certain that love is in it, & from it, its in the very bosome of it, because faith is a soul embracing of Christ, it's a choosing of him for its portion: and then upon the review of this goodly portion, and from consideration what he is, and hath done for us, the soul loves him still more, & is impatient of p. 71so much distance from him. We find them conjoyned in Scripture, but they are one in the heart: O that we studied to have these joyntly engraven on the heart; as they are joyned in the word, so our heart should be a living Epistle: Faith and Love are two words, but one thing under different notions: they are the out-goings of the soul to Christ for life, the breathings of the soul after him, for more of him, when it hath once tasted how good he is: Faith is not a speculation, or a wandring thought of Truth, it's the truth not captivated into the mind, but dwelling in the heart, & getting possession of the whole man: you know, a man and his will are one, not so a man and his mind, for he may conceive the truth of many things he loves not, but what ever a man loves, that and he, in a manner, becomes one with another: Love is unitive, it's the most excellent union of distant things. The will commands the whole man, and hath the office of applying of all the faculties of their proper works, Illa imperat, aliae exsequuntur, therefore when once Divine truth gets entry into the heart of a man, and becomes one with his will, and affection, it will quickly command the whole man to practise and execute, and then he that receiveth the truth in Love, is found a walker in the truth: Many persons captivate truth in their understandings, as the Gentiles did, they held, or detained it in unrighteousnesse: but because it hath no liberty to descend into the heart, & possesse that Garrison, it cannot command the man. But O it's better to be truths captive, then to captive truth, saith the Apostle, ye obeyed from the heart the truth to which ye were delivered, Rom. 6. O a blessed captivity, to be delivered over to truth; that is indeed freedome, for truth makes free, Ioh. 8. And it makes free where it is in freedome, give it freedome to command thee, and it shal indeed deliver thee from all strange Lords, and thou shalt obey it from the heart, p. 72when it is indeed in the heart. When the truth of God, whether promises, or threatnings, or commands are impressed into the heart, you shal find the expressions of them in the conversation: Faith is not an empty assent to the truth, but a receiving of it in love, & when the truth is received in love, then it begins to work by love, Faith works by love, saith Paul, Gal. 5. 6. That now is the proper nature of its operation, which expresses its own nature: Obedience proceeding from love to God, flowes from Faith in God, and that shews the true and living nature of that Faith: If the soul within receive the seal and impression of the truth of God, it will render the image of that same truth in all its actions.

Love is put for all obedience, its made the very summe and compend of the Law, and fulfilling of it: for the truth is, its the most effectual and constraining principle of obedience, and withall the most sweet & pleasant: The love of Christ constrains us, to live to him, & not henceforth to our selves, 2 Cor. 5. 15. As I said, a man and his will is one: if you ingage it, you bind all; if you gain it, it will bring all with it. As it is the most ready way to gain any party, to engage their head whom they follow, and upon whom they depend; let a mans love be once gained to Christ, & the whole train of the souls faculty, of the outward senses and operations, will follow upon it: It was an excellent, and pertinent question, that Christ asked Peter, when he was going away (if Peter had considered Christs purpose in it, he would not have been so hasty and displeased) Peter lovest thou me, then feed my sheep? If a man love Christ he will certainly study to please him, and though he should do never so much in obedience, its no pleasure except it be done out of love: O this, and more of this in the heart, would make Ministers feed well, and teach well, and would make people obey well? If ye love me, keep my p. 73commands; Love devouts and consecrats all that is in a man, to the pleasure of him whom he loves; therefore it fashions and conforms one even against nature to anothers humor and affection: it constrains not to live to our selves, but to him, its joy & delight is in him, and therefore all is given up & resigned to him: Now as it is certain that if you love much you will do much, so it is certain that little is accepted for much, that proceeds from love, & therefore our poor maimed and halting obedience, is called the fulfilling of the law; he is well pleased with it, because love is ill pleased withit: love thinks nothing too much, all too little, and therefore his love thinks any thing frō us much, since love would give more; he accepts that which is given the lovers mite cast into the Treasure, is more then ten times so much outward obedience from another man; He meets love with love, if the souls desire be towards the love of his name, if love offer thogh a farthing, his love receiving it, counts it a Crown, love offering a present of duty finds many imperfections in it, and covers any good that is in it, seems not to regard it, and then beholds it as a recompence; his love receiving the present from us, covers a multitude of infirmities that are in it. And thus what in the desire and endeavour of love on our part, and what in the acceptation of what is done on his part, love is the fulfilling of the Law. Its an usuall proverb, all things are as they are taken, Love is the …ulfilling of the Law, because our loving Father takes …t so, he takes as much delight in the poor childrens willingnesse, as in the more aged's strength: the offer …nd endeavour of the one pleaseth him, as well as the …erformance of the other.

The love of God is the fulfilling of the Law, for it … a living Law, it is the Law written on the heart, it is …e Law of a spirit of life within, Quis legem detamen, …bus? major lexamor sibi ipsi est. You almost need p. 74not prescribe any rules, or let over the head of love the authority and pain of a command, for it is a greater Law to it self, it hath within its own bosome as deep an engagement and obligation to any thing that may please God, as you can put upon it; for it is in it self the very engagement and bond of the soul to him. This it is indeed which will do him service, and that is the service which he likes: it is that only serves him constantly and pleasantly, and constantly it cannot serve him, which doth it not pleasantly, for it is delight only that makes it constant. Violent motions may be swift, but not durable, they last not long: fear and terrour is a kind of externall impulse, that may drive a soul swiftly to some duty; but because that is not one with the soul, it cannot endure long, its not good company to the soul. But Love making a duty pleasant, becomes one with the soul, it incorporates with it, and becomes like its nature to it, that though it should not move so swiftly, yet it moves more constantly. And what is love but the very motion of the soul to God! and so till it have attained that; to be in him, it can find no place of rest. Now this is only the service that he is pleased with, which comes from love, because he sees his own image in it; for love in us, its nothing else but the impression and stamp that Gods love to us, makes on the heart; it's the very reflection of that sweet warm beam, so then when his love reflects back unto himself, carrying our heart and duty with it, he knoweth his own superscription, he loves his own Image in such a duty: He that loveth me, and continueth in my love, I will love him, and I and my Father will come and make our abode with him, Ioh. 14. 23. Here now is an evidence that he likes it, for he must needs like that place he chooses to dwell in; he who hath such a glorious Mansion, and Palace above he must needs love that soul dearly, that he will prefer it to his high and holy place.

p. 75Now, I know it will be the secret question and complaint of some souls. How shal I get love to God? I cannot love him, my heart is so desperatly wicked, I cannot say as Peter, Lord thou knowest that I love thee. I shal not insist upon the discovery of your love unto you by marks and signs, only I say, if thou indeed from thy heart desires to love him, & art grieved that there is not this love in thy soul to him, which becomes so love-worthy a Saviour, then thou indeed lovest him, for he that loveth the love of God, loveth God himself: And wherefore a…t thou sad for want of that love, but because thou lovest him in some measure, and withall finds him beyond all that thou canst think and love: But I say, that which most concerns thee, is to love still more, and that thou wouldest be more earnest to love him, then to know that thou loves him.

Now I know no more effectuall way to encrease love to Jesus Christ, then to believe his love. Christ Jesus is the Author and Finisher, both of Faith and Love, and we love him, because he first loved us. Therefore the right discovery of Jesus Christ, what he is, and what he hath done for sinners, is that which will of all things most prevail, to engage the soul unto him: But as long as ye suspend you Faith upon the being, or encrease of your Love, and obedience (as the manner of too many is:) you take even such a course as he, that will not plant the Tree till he see the fruit of it; which is contrary to common sense & reason.

Since this then is the sum of true Religion, to believe in Christ, and to love him, and so live to him; we shal wind up all that is spoken, into that exhortation of the Apostles, Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard. You have this Doctrine of Faith and Love delivered unto you, which may be able to save your souls: Then I beseech you, hold them p. 76fast, salvation is in them, they are sound words, and wholesom words; words of life, spirit & life (as Christ speaks) as well as words of truth: But how will you hold them fast that have them not at all, that know them not though you hear them? You who are ignorant of the Gospel, and hear nothing but a sound of words in stead of sound & wholesome words, how can you hold them fast? Can a man hold the wind in the hollow of his hand, or keep in a sound within it? You know no more but a sound; & a wind that passeth by your ear, without observing either truth or life in it. But then again, you who understand these sound words, and have a form of knowledge, & of the Letter of the Law, what will that avail you? You cannot hold it fast except you have it within you, and it is within you indeed when it is in your heart, when the form of it is engraven upon the very soul in love. Now thogh you understand the sound of these words & the sound of truth in them, yet you receive not the living Image of them, which is Faith and Love. Can you paint a sound! Can you form it, or engrave it on any thing? Nay, but these sound words are more substantial & solid, they must be engraven on the heart else you will never hold them; they may bee easily plucked out of the mouth and hand, by temptation, unlesse they be enclosed, and laid up in the secret of the heart; as Mary laid them. The truth must hold thee fast, or thou canst not hold it fast, it must captivate thee, and bind thee with the Golden chains of affection, which only is true freedom, or certainly thou wilt let it go. Nay, you must not only have the truth received by love into your heart, but as the Apostle speaks, you must also hold fast the form of sound words. Scripture-words are sound words; the Scriptures method of teaching is sound and wholesome: There may be unsound words used in expressing true matter; and if a man shal give liberty to his own p. 77luxuriant Imagination, to expatiat in notions, and expressions, either to catch the ear of the Vulgar, or to appear some new discoverer of light, and Gospel-mysteries, he may as readily fall into error and darknesse, as into truth and light. Some men do busk up old truths, Scripture-truths, into some new dresse of language, and notions, and then give them out for new discoveries, new lights; but in so doing, they often hazard the loosing of the truth it self. We should beware and take heed of strange words, that have the least appearance of evil, such as Christed; & Godded; let us think it enough to be wise according to the Scripturs, and suspect all that, as vain, empty, unsound, that tends not to the increase of faith in Christ, and love and obedience unto him. As ordinarily the Dialect of those, called Antinomians, is giving, and no granting, that they had no unsound mind, yet I am sure they use unsound word to expresse sound matter: the cloaths should be shaped to the person: Truth is plain and simple, let words of truth also be full of simplicity. I say no more, but leave that upon you, that you hold fast even the very words of the Scriptures, and be not bewitched by the vain pretentions of Spirit all Spirit pure and spiritual service, and such like, to the casting off of the word of truth, as Letter, as Flesh, and such is the high attainment of some in these daies an high attainment indeed, and a mighty progresse in the way to destruction, the very last discovery of that Antichrist and Man of sin. Oh, make much of the Scripture, for you shal neither read nor hear the like of it in the world: Other books may have sound matter, but there is still something in manner, or words unsound, no man can speak to you truth in such plainnesse, and simplicity in such soundnesse also. But here is both sound matter, and sound words, the truth holden out truly, health and salvation holden out in as wholsome a manner as is possible. Matter & manner are both divine.