Christ Crucified, Sermon 5
SERMON V.
ISAIAH LIII.I.
Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
IT's a great matter once to get the Goſpel brought amongſt a People, and ſuch Meſſengers, as may make the ſavoury Report of Jeſus Chriſt unto them; yet this is not all, there is a greater work behind, and that is, to get Chriſt believed on, and to get the Report concerning Him received by the People to whom it is made; This being the greateſt and graveſt work of the Prophets, and of the Miniſters of the Goſpel, and the moſt eminent, not ſo much to get a word to ſay, as to get the Word believed; and this is Iſaiah's complaint, that though he himſelf brought the Report concerning Chriſt, and foreſaw many moe would bring it, yet, that the exerciſe of Faith in theſe who ſhould hear it would be very rare.
We ſpoke of the great thing called for from a People to whom this Goſpel comes, and the Report of Chriſt is made, and that is to Believe on Him, to receive and reſt on Him of whom the Report is made; except this be, though there were never ſo many Preachers, and encouragements to Preach, though ye ſhould flock to the Ordinances every day, the ground of Complaint will ſtill remain, if there be not Saving Faith in Jeſus Chriſt, which is the ſubſtance of the Goſpel.
After confirmation of this Point, We ſhew what Faith is from the ſeveral names the Scripture giveth it, and wherein the exerciſe of Saving Faith is holden out, all which imply theſe three. 1. A great hazard and danger that the Hearers of the Goſpel are in, whether they be ſenſible of it in ſuch a meaſure at leaſt, or not, we ſpeak not now, yet they are ſo really; ſo much fleeing, coming, laying-hold, apprehending, &c. inſinuate. 2. A fulneſs and ſufficiency in Chriſt Jeſus holden forth to them, as the object of their Faith, as one that can deliver out of that danger, and can right what ever is wrong. 3. An act, wherein mainly the exerciſe of Faith is holden forth, and it's the act of the Soul under that danger and diſtreſs, betaking it ſelf to Chriſt's fulneſs for help: It's a fleeing from the Curſe of the Law, to Him, as to the City of Refuge; ſo every name that Faith gets, ſets out a Man acting and moving ſome way for Chriſt's remeeding the evil, and removing the hazard he is in.
Having ſpoken a little to this, that Faith is the main duty that is called for, we may now follow the Exhortation to preſs you to it, it being to no purpoſe to ſpeak of Chriſt and of Faith in Him, except He be received; This is the end of the Word written and taught, John 20. at the cloſe, even to believe in the Name of the Son of God, and by believing to receive Life in and through Him.
And therefore, Secondly, Seing this is the main Duty called for by the Goſpel, that by Faith ye ſhould receive it, and Chriſt offered in it, we earneſtly exhort you to it; It is not ſo much to this or that particular Duty, though theſe be implyed; it's not ſo much to attendance on Ordinances, nor to ſubmiſſion to Diſcipline and Cenſures, though theſe alſo be Duties that we exhort you to; but it's to obedience to the great command of Faith, even to believe on Him whom the Father hath ſent and ſealed; It is to receive this Goſpel, to ſubmit to the Righteouſneſs of Faith, to open to Him that is knocking at the Door, to yield to Him and to give Him the Hand, that bygone Quarels may be removed, and taken out of the way; except this be, we profeſs to you in His Name, that ye bring not forth the Fruit that this Goſpel calleth for from you, and that no leſs will be acceptable to God, nor taken off your Hand by Him.
And to add here the third Branch of the Doctrine, We ſay, that no leſs will do your turn as a neceſſary mean for attaining the Promiſe and that which is promiſed. 1. Look to all the Promiſes, whether of Pardon of Sin, or of Peace with God, of Joy in the Holy Ghoſt, of Holineſs and Conformity to God; there is no acceſs to theſe, or to any of them but by Faith; this is the very proper condition of the Covenant of Grace, and the Door whereby we ſtep into it; and if ye think Pardon of Sin, Peace with God, and Holineſs to be neceſſary, then this great Goſpel-Duty of Believing is no leſs neceſſary; for the Lord ſaith, John 3.36. He that believes not is condemned already. 2. Look to the performance of any Duty, or mortification of any Luſt or Idol, and Faith is neceſſary to that, 1 John 5.5. It is by Faith we obtain victory over the world; it was by Faith (Heb. 11.) that all the Worthies ſpoken of there, wrought Righteouſneſs, &c. 3. When any Duty is done, of whatſoever nature it be, there is no acceptation of it without Faith; It is not our Praying, or coming to the Church, that will make Duty to be accepted, but it's Faith, the word profited them not, ſaith the Apoſtle, Heb. 4.2. becauſe it was not mixed with Faith: And that for making the Duty acceptable, Faith is neceſſarily requiſite, we may clearly ſee, Heb. 11.6. where it is expreſsly ſaid, that without Faith it is impoſſible to pleaſe God; And how is it that Abel offers a more excellent Sacrifice than Cain, it was nothing ſure in Cain's Sacrifice it ſelf that made it be caſten, nor any thing in Abel's that made it be received or acceptable, but Faith in the Meſſiah to come, that was found to be in the one, and was a miſſing in the other; Is there not reaſon then to preſs this Duty on you? and to exhort you not to think this a common and eaſie thing, though the moſt part think it to be ſo; if we look to the benefites of it, to the difficulty of it, and to the rarity of it in the World, there is no Duty had need more to be preſs'd than this, even that Chriſt Jeſus ſhould get the Burthen of your immortal Souls caſt on Him by this Saving Faith. I ſhall therefore, in the further proſecution of this. Firſt, Shew, what mainly ye would eſhew and avoid, as that whereat Folk more ordinarily ſtumble. Secondly, What it is we would preſs you to, and on what Grounds.
For the first, I know the deceits and miſtakes in Men about the Exerciſe of Faith, are ſo many, that they are moe then can well or eaſily be reckoned up, yet we ſhall in ſome generals, ſpoken of before, hint at a few of them; for ſo long as ye continue in the ſame Snares, they muſt be ſtill pointed out to you, and endeavours ſtill uſed to undeceive and extract you out of them; and therefore, 1. Beware of reſting on a Doctrinal Faith, which before, I called Hiſtorical; We know it's hard to convince ſome that they want Faith, yet we would have you to conſider, that it is not every kind of Faith, but Saving Faith, that will do your turn; it's the want of that which the Prophet complains of: And therefore, to open this a little, ye would conſider, That there may be really ſuch a Faith as is an aſſent to the truth of the Word, in a natural Man, yea in a Reprobate, but that Faith will never unite to Chriſt, nor be waited with the Pardon of Sin. Firſt, I do not ſay, that every one that is in the viſible Church hath this Doctrinal Faith, to believe a Heaven and a Hell, that the Scripture is the Word of God, and that all that believe in Chriſt ſhall get Pardon of Sin and Life; the carriage alace! of many teſtifies that they have not this much, whatever fleeting notions they may have of theſe things, or whatever eſteem they may ſeem to put on the Goſpel, and whatever profeſſion they may make, that they believe the truth of it, yet in their deeds they deny it; for if there were a fixedneſs in the Doctrinal Faith of the Goſpel in Men, they durſt not for their Souls live as they do. Neither yet Secondly, Do we ſay, that all they that have this Doctrinal Faith of the Goſpel, or ſomewhat of it, do believe every paſſage in it alike, but often as they pleaſe them, they believe them: Hence many believe what the Word ſpeaks of Mercy and of Pardon of Sin, and will not queſtion that; but what it ſpeaks of Holineſs, and of the ſeverity of God's reckoning with Men for Sin, they do not ſo credit that part of the Word; it's true, where the Faith of the one is, the Faith of the other will ſome way be; but becauſe the one agrees better with their Corruption than the other, therefore the one is not ſo ſo received as the other; and it's very frequent with ſuch, to be found diminiſhing from one place, and adding to another, of the Word of God. Nor Thirdly, Do we ſay, that all Men do in a like and equal degree, believe the tru…h of the Word; there is in ſome more Knowledge, in ſome leſs, in ſome moe Convictions, in ſome fewer; and though we preach to you all, yet there are ſome that believe not this to be God's Ordinance, albeit there are many who will not be ſaved, that takes this Word to be the Word of God, and believe what is the meaning of it, becauſe the Word it ſelf ſays it is ſo: And the reaſon of this is, 1. Becauſe there is nothing that is not Saving, but a Natural Man may h…ve it; now, this Doctrinal Faith is not Saving, and ſo a Natural Man may have it, yea, the Devils believe and tremble; and James does not diſpute with theſe to whom he writes on this account, that they believe not thus, but tells them, that Hiſtorical Faith was not enough; and we think a man in Nature may have a great perſwaſion of the truth of the Word of God, and that what it ſays will come to paſs, and yet ſtill continue but a Natural Man. A ſecond Reaſon is, Becauſe the Scripture ſpeaks ſo often of many ſorts of Faith that are not Saving, as Exod. 14. at the cloſe, it's ſaid, the People believed the Lord; and Pſal. 106.12. then they believed His Word, and ſang His praiſe; and John 2.23. many believed on Chriſt to whom He did not commit himſelf; there was Faith in them, which His Signs and Miracles extorted from them, which was not Saving; and Matth. 13. two or three ſuch acts of Faith are ſpoken of in the Parable of the Sower, that were not Saving, however ſound they might be in their own kind, and 1 Cor. 13. we have ſuch a Faith ſpoken of, as a Man dare not deny the truth of the Word, though he ſhould bring his Body to be burnt by his avouching of the ſame. A third Reaſon is, Becauſe, as much credit may be given to the Word as is given to any other Hiſtory that is creditably believed; and it's on this ground that we believe there was ſuch Men as Ceſar, Pompey, Wallace, &c. and it being certain, that there may be impreſſions on the Conſciences of Hearers, that this is God's Word, backed with ſome common work of the Spirit, and that it is generally received to be the Word of God, in the part of the World we live in; what wonder is it that Folk believe thus, and drink in this Hiſtorical or Doctrinal Faith of the Word, ſo as they may even dare to ſuffer to Death for it? and yet in the mean time, they may want Saving Faith, the Devils being as ſure as any Natural Man is, that God is true, and that His Word will be performed, and therefore they ſay to Chriſt, Art thou come to torment us before the time; the Pa…gs of a Natural Conſcience in Men will aſſure them of a Judgment coming, though they tremble to think on it.
And therefore ere we proceed further, take a word of Uſe from this, and it may let you ſee the great and very general miſtake of the moſt part of the Hearers of the Goſpel, in reſting on this Doctrinal Faith; If ye tell them that they have no Faith, they will not by any means take with that; they believe there is a Saviour, and that He is God and Man, and that ſuch as believe on Him ſhall be ſaved, and on this they reſt: It's ſuch as theſe who think they have believed all their days ſince ever they had any Knowledge, becauſe the Word was always, or very long ſince, received in the Place where they lived, for the Word of God, and they believe it to be ſo alſo; and know no difference betwixt believing the Word, and believing on Chriſt holden out in it; though alace many of you believe not this much, for if ye were among the Jews, ye might be ſoon brought to queſtion the truth of the Goſpel; But though ye had the real Faith of the truth of the Word, take not that for Saving Faith, for as there is a real Sorrow that is not the Saving Grace of Repentance unto Life, ſo there is a ſort of real Faith that hath a real Object, and a real being in the Judgement, which yet is not a real cloſing with Chriſt, and ſo, not Saving Faith; as, ſuppoſe a Man purſued by his Enemy, ſhould ſee a ſtrong Caſtle-door ſtanding open, or one in hazard at Sea ſhould ſee dry Land, if he ſhould ſtand ſtill while the Enemy were purſuing him, or abide ſtill in the ſinking Veſſel, the ſight of the Caſtle-door open, nor of the dry Land, would not ſave him; ſo it's not the believing that there is a Saviour come into the World to ſave Sinners, that will ſave, except there be a reſting on Him as He is holden out in the Wo…d of the Goſpel: Hiſtorical Faith, is only (as it were) a looking on the Saviour, but Saving Faith grips to Him, and reſts on Him; Hiſtorical Faith looks on Chriſt, but acts not on Him, cloſes not with Him; and therefore ſuch as have it only, and no more, ſink and periſh without getting good of Him: We would think it a great matter to get many of you as far on in Believing as the Devil is, who believes and trembles; the little trembling that is, ſhews that there is but little of this Hiſtorical Faith, yet, as I have often ſaid, this is not all, ye may have this, and yet if ye halt there, ye will certainly periſh if ye were never ſo confident to be ſaved; the Apoſtle doth well diſtinguiſh theſe, Heb. 11.6. He that cometh to God, muſt believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently ſeek Him; where theſe two are preſuppoſed. Firſt, Believing that God is, or hath a Being. And ſecondly, Believing that His Promiſe is ſure and ſicker, that He is Faithful that hath promiſed, and will make His Word good. And then thirdly, On both theſe follows a coming to Him as a Rewarder of diligent Seekers of Him. The firſt two take in Hiſtorical Faith; for to believe that God is, is Natural, and to believe that God is Faithful in His Promiſe, may be in Natural Men; but to come to Him, to get the hazard that the Soul is in, removed through Jeſus Chriſt, is a thing few do attain: This then is the firſt thing we would be aware of, not aware to believe the truth of the Word, but to be aware of reſting on it as Saving Faith; it's not enough to look on Chriſt, and to grant that it is He, but the Man muſt never be ſatisfied till he get himſelf rolled on Chriſt, and the weight of his Salvation and Peace laid on Him in His own way.
The ſecond thing ye would beware of, is, Some common and quickly tranſient work on the Affections, that may accompany Hiſtorical Faith; Whether the Affection of Grief, or the Affection of Joy be ſtirred thereby, both are unſafe to be reſted on; when ye can't prove your reſting on Chriſt, or where there is no relevant ground to prove it by, though ye ſhould tremble as Felix did, and be under allaruming convictions of Conſcience and fears of your hazard, or though ye ſhould be affected with Joy as the Temporary Believer may be, and ſometimes is, what will that profite you? it's a great miſtake to take ſome ſmall work on the Affections, which at the beſt is but an effect of Hiſtorical Faith, for a Saving work of the Spirit. Or ſecondly, If it be not an effect of Hiſtorical Faith, it's an effect of a challenge of Conſcience, and ſmiting of the Heart, as in Saul, who could ſay to David, Thou art more righteous than I, my ſon David. Or thirdly, It's ſome common work of the Spirit, ſuch as was in Simon Magus, of whom it is ſaid, he believed, and who could ſay, pray for me; for Folks to conclude on this ground, that they are brought out of Nature into a State of Grace, is to build upon a Sandy Foundation: The Apoſtle ſpeaketh 2 Cor. 7.10. of worldly Sorrow, as well as of a godly Sorrow and as there may be a wordly Sorrow, ſo there may be a carnal Joy, a piece of fainneſs, to ſpeak ſo, in Prayer, or at hearing of a Preaching, or at a Communion, which is not Saving Faith; ſome hear the Word with Joy, Matth. 13. who yet endure not; and John Baptiſt's Hearers rejoyced in his Light for a ſeaſon; even as a ſick Man, who hearing (as we hinted before) that a Phyſician who is ſkilful and able to cure him, is come to Town, he grows fain in the contemplation of a Cure of his Diſeaſe; but here is the ſtick, when the Phyſician tells the Man that he muſt be ſo and ſo abſtemious, and keep himſelf under ſuch a ſtrict Diet, he dow not abide that, and ſo, all his joy evaniſhes: There is ſomething like this in Tempory Faith, where ſome remote expectation of Salvation will cauſe a carnal Joy and Fainneſs; but when it comes to this, that a Man is called to quite his Luſts, or his Eſtate, or, in the World to undergo Trouble and Perſecution for the Goſpel, by and by he is offended, he thinks (to ſay ſo) a Fowl in his hand is worth two fleeing; and therefore when the Storm blows in his Teeth, he turns his Back and runs away: Eſpecially we will find this to be with Men in Sickneſs, they will have mints and ſeriouſneſs, and ſometimes flaſhes of Sorrow under Convictions or Challenges, and ſometimes flaſhes of Joy that will evaniſh when they come to Health again: When we ſpeak of ſome common work on the Affections, we would take in liberty and ſome warmneſs of Spirit in Prayer, which, no queſtion, even unrenewed Men may find more at one time than another, as when they are in ſome great hazard or ſtrait, they will be more than ordinary ſerious in that Duty, and yet that may be but an effect of Nature; This proves a great Stumbling and Neck-break to many, that they think they are well enough if now and then they get utterance in Prayer, as ſometimes they will get words beyond what they expected, and when upon reflecting, they find that they have been in earneſt, though it hath been but with Moral ſeriouſneſs, that blows them up; upon which ground it is, that many ſhuffle in Prayer in the place of Saving Faith, and when they Pray with warmneſs, they trow they Believe, when in the mean time they never knew what it was, in good earneſt to lay themſelves over on Chiſt Jeſus; therefore when we invite you to Believe, this is another thing we would bid you beware of, that ye put not a flaſh of Senſe in the room of Faith.
3. There is yet a more ſubtile, though no leſs dangerous Miſtake, that ye would beware of, and that is, When Faith is confounded with Obedience, and is looked on in Juſtification as a piece of new Obedience, with Love, Repentance, and other duties of Holineſs; ſo ſome think they Believe, becauſe they have ſome Natural awe of God in their Walk, and ſome fear of Sin, and do perform ſome duties of Religion, and walk Honeſtly, as they think, according to the Rule; which is to confound the Covenant of Works and of Grace, and to make the Covenant of Works a Covenant of Grace, or to turn the Covenant of Grace into a Covenant of Works; only with this difference, that though their works be not perfect, but defective, yet wherein they are defective, they think there is worth in their Faith to make up that want, and to ſupply that defect; and ſo by Faith they think they will obtain the acceptation of their works, and of their Perſons on account of their works; they look upon their works as pleaſing to God, but becauſe they are not perfect, they will believe, or exerciſe Faith, to make up their defects, to which the way of Grace is quite contrary, which makes the Tree firſt good, and then the Fruit; This way that many take, is not to draw the evidences of Believing from works of Holineſs, which is warrantable, but the founding of Faith, or their hope of Heaven on works, and the uſe they make of their Faith, is to ward off Challenges for the imperfection of their works, and to make Faith procure aeceptance (as I juſt now ſaid) to their works, and acceptance to their Perſons for their works ſake.
4. Beware of that which ye ordinarily call a certain aſſurance, or ſure knowledge of your Salvation, and that all the Promiſes are yours, whereby ye think your ſelves in no hazard; a hope and aſſu…ance of Heaven that ye can give no ground for, nor proof of, only ye think ye are ſure of Pardon of Sin, and coming to Heaven, and that ye are obliged to maintain that groundleſs hope; but that is not Saving Faith, for it's a hope of Heaven that can give you no right to Chriſt; there muſt firſt be a fleeing to Him, and cloſing with Him, before ye can have any true and well-grounded hope of Heaven; but your hope and confidence is, never to queſtion the matter, ye are like Laodicea, who thought her ſelf rich, and to ſtand in need of nothing, when ſhe was beggerly Poor; or like theſe Men, who, when God was threatning them with Judgement, yet would needs preſume to think that they leaned on the Lord: I think, among all the Perſons that God hath indignation againſt, it's in a ſpecial manner againſt theſe: who have this ſort of hope, and to whom God diſcovereth the groundleſneſs of it, and yet they will ſtill ſtoutly maintain, and ſtand faſt by their hope; it's to theſe He ſpeaks, Deut. 29.19. who deſpiſe and tuſh at God's Threatnings, and ſay, We ſhall have peace, though we walk in the imagination of our own hearts, and add drunkenneſs to thirſt; the Lord there pronounceth a Curſe, and to the Curſe addeth an Oath, that He will not ſpare ſuch Perſons, but will ſeparate them for Evil, and cauſe all the curſes of the Law to overtake them; judge ye now, what a condition this is for Perſons to be in, to be believing that all the Promiſes are theirs, and yet in ſteed of that, to be (in the mean time) lyable to all the curſes threatned in the Word of God; it's this that we call preſumption, and the hope of the Hypocrite that will periſh, Job 8.13. the confidence of ſuch ſhall be rejected and ſweeped away as a Speeders Web, and ſhall be rooted out of their Tabernacles, and bring them to the King of Terrours; they think they Believe always, when they are not troubled nor diſquieted, they never want Faith, but have a great deal of it, which yet is but a gueſſing, which cannot ſupport and uphold them when they come to a ſtrai…; when they are more ſecure they Believe very well, and they think when they are more awaken'd and diſquiet'd, they believe leſs, and their fancied Faith ebbeth quite on them; when they hear of any exerciſe of Mind, or trouble of Conſcience in others, they wonder that they wil not Believe, and all this work is to maintain their deep Security and ſtrong Deluſion, this is then the fourth thing ye would beware of, for it's not the Faith that will turn away the Complaint, Who hath believed our report? and yet how many are there of this ſort? who ſay they ſhall have Peace, and pleaſe themſelves with this their good Hope, ſay the Word what it will. O! be perſwaded, that this is nothing elſe but woful Unbelief and Preſumption; and we preach to you Terrour and the Curſe of God, though ye cry Peace to your ſelves; the Lord complains of ſuch Perſons, Jer. 5.12. ſaying, They have belyed the Lord; He ſent His Prophets to denounce Judgments in the days of Joſiah when there was a fair profeſſion of Religion and Reformation, yet they would believe and hope that no evil ſhould overtake them.
That which we aim at in this part of the Uſe, is to make way for what follows, even to give you a cleanly ground for exerciſing of Faith on Jeſus Chriſt, when all theſe Stumblings and Miſtakes are rolled out of the way: We therefore exhort you, to lay your Hand to your Heart, and narrowly to try, if ye have called, or accounted any of theſe to be Saving Faith; for there are hundreds, nay thouſands, that periſh under theſe Pretexts, deceiving themſelves, and deluding others, with a Faith they were born and brought up with, and they have no more but their groundleſs hope to prove their Faith by, and they will ſtick by it, be ſaid to them what will; but be not deceived, for God will diſcover you; ye think a ſtrong preſumption is Faith, and that ye can by ſuch a Faith drink in the Promiſes, but God will make you vomit them up, and ye ſhall be declared to be void of Faith in the great Day; therefore be more jealous over your Faith, and ſeek to have your grips of Chriſt ſickered, which is done, when from the belief of your Hazard and Self-emptyneſs, and of Chriſt's fulneſs, ye go to Him and cloſe with Him, to make up all ye want, in Him; and this Faith is eſpecially qualified by the account on which we go to Him, and reſt on Him, even as a conſciencious Duty is that which flows from a Command, as obedience to it, ſo, one of the main things that qualifies this Faith, is a receiving Chriſt as Chriſt, or as He is holden out in the Goſpel, which is therefore well put in the deſcription given of Faith in the Catechiſm; and it's called a believing on Him whom the Father hath ſent, which is not to Believe on Chriſt ſimply, but as He is holden out in the Word of the Goſpel; Preſumption may look on Chriſt and His Fulneſs, and few or none will readily dare to give Him a direct and down-right refuſal, or to reject Him profeſſedly and avowedly when they hear of ſuch Happineſs that is to be had in Him; but that which we ſay qualifies Faith, is to deſire, receive, and embrace Him according as He is holden out in the Goſpel, for wiſdom, righteouſneſs, ſanctification, and redemption, 1 Cor. 1.30. when He is lippened to with an Eye to the Promiſe, and when that which makes us reſt on Him is the Word of God; for though Chriſt be the material Object of Faith, yet the Word is the formal Object, whereby we get a Right to Him, and there is no gripping or getting hold of Chriſt, but in, and according to His Word; and therefore the generality of People (who on the Matter, take the Antinomian way) think they have no more to do, but to apply Chriſt, and to count Him their own at the very firſt; but thorow their not exerciſing Faith on the Word of Promiſe, they miſs Him; this is, as I have ſaid, a main qualification of Saving Faith, even to reſt on Chriſt as He is holden out in the Word, and by the Word, to take hold of Him, and reſt upon Him; Saving Faith doth not ſimply reſt on Chriſt becauſe He is Merciful and hath all Fulneſs in Him, but it reſts on Him and His Fulneſs as received in the Word, and offered by God in His Word; Faith takes God's Faithfulneſs in His Word, and lays hold on Him by that, Chriſt is the thing that makes H…ppy, but God's Faithful Promiſe is the Right by which we get a Title to that thing; we would never love nor like of that Faith that knows not the uſe of the Word, that betakes it ſelf to Chriſt, or the things in the Word, but meddles not, nor hath any dealing with the Word that holds them out, when as it is only this Word that gives us warrand to expect that His Fulneſs ſhall be made forth-coming for our up-making, and for the ſupply of all our need; many deſire, and expect good of God, but get it not, becauſe their expectation is not founded on His Word, and God's Faithfulneſs in His Word is not cloſed withall: In a word, I would have you to think that Faith is neither an eaſie, nor an inſuperably difficult thing, but that it is eaſie to go wrong, and difficult to go right, and that without God's ſpecial and powerful guiding, ye cannot believe nor exerciſe Faith, nor walk in the way of believing in Him, and dependance on Him, that ye may be helped to make a right uſe of Chriſt, and to build upon Him, that ye may not ſlip nor ſtumble, and fall on the Stumbling-ſtone laid in Zion, on which ſo many fall every day and break themſelves to peices.