The Humbled Sinner, Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. Exhortations to labour for ſaving faith.
IF to beleeve in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt be the way to be ſaved; Then be exhorted to labour Ʋſe 4 for, and to get this ſaving faith. Let not the conſolations of God ſeeme ſmall unto thee, ſaid he to Job; ſo ſay I, let not the ſalvation of thy ſoul ſeem a light thing unto thee. If a man were wounded deeply, and there were but one plaiſter which could cure, and this were preſented unto him, would he not put out his hand to receive and apply it, the love of life would eaſily incline him.
Why? brethren, not a man of us but hath a deadly wound by ſinne, and there is no remedy for the ſinful ſoul, but in the blood of Chriſt: O, if the love of life will conſtraine us much, let the love of eternal life, the love of our ſouls, of our ſalvation perſwade us much more to get faith, which gets Chriſt, who gets ſalvation for our ſouls.
There are divers things which I will touch upon in the finiſhing 4. Branches.of this Uſe, viz
1. The Motives to perſwade and draw the heart to put out for this ſaving faith in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
2. The impediments and hindrances, which ſtop the ſoul from believing on the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, which we muſt aſſay to anſwer and remove, as he did the body of Aſabel which ſtayed the people in their purſuit.
3. The means or adjuments, and furtherances to breed this believing quality in the ſouf.
4. The reſolutions or anſwerings of ſeveral doubtful grounds and arguments which intangle the heart of a ſenſible ſinner, and which he holds out as ſtrong pretences, why he ſhould not by faith cloſe with Jeſus Chriſt.
Now that great and holy God, who is the Author of faith, and finiſher thereof, whoſe word is the word of faith, and by whoſe Almighty working the hearts of men are perſwaded to believe, let him ſo direct me in ſpeaking, and all of us in hearing, that after all his gracious and manifold revelations and offers of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, our unbeleeving hearts may be ſubdued, and true faith may be wrought in us all to receive the Lord Jeſus Chriſt to our eternal ſalvation.