\' ■«*'' V LTBRA-RY^ m- Theologieal Seminary, PRINCETON, N. J Division Case, Shelf, Book,,, Section.. ^> 1^^.. No,... A DONATION deceived >^% J \ \ .^'.i ■J^ ^c/t, Chrijt Crucified: OR, THE MARROW of the GOSPEL, Evidently holdeti forth In Seventy two S E R M O N S ON THE Whole Fifty third Chapter of Ifaiuh. WHEREIN The Text is clearly and judicioufly opened up, and a great many moft AppoHte, profoundly Spiritual, and very 'Edifying Points of Doftrine, in a dele(5i:ablc Va- riety, drawn from it ; With choice and excellent Practical Improvements made of them. Wherein alfo feveral Adverfarics of the Truth, as Socinians, y^rminians, ^^ritinomiajiSt &c, are fmartly, folidly and fuccindly Reafoned with, and Refuted. Wherein moreover, many Errors in Pra(5lice incident to Profeflbrs, otherwife Sound and Or- thodox in their Opinions, are Difcovered ; And not a few grave, deep, and very concera- ing Cafes of Confciencc, foberly and fatisfyingly Difcufled. By that able Minlfter of the New Tcdament, Mr. James Durham, fometime Mininer of the Gof. pel St G/a/l'ow, and folemnly calkd to a publick Profeflion of Divinity in the Univetfuy tber«, and alfo his Majefly's Chaplain in Ordinary, when he was in Scot/ami. 1 Cor. ii. 2. For I determined not to know any thing among you, fave J ejus Chrtfl^ and him crucified. ^ ^ Gal. iii. i. foolijh Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye Jhould not obey the truths before whcfc eyes Jefus Chrijl hath been evidently Jet forth, crucified among you ? I Cor. i. 23. But we preach Chriji crucified, unto the Jews a Jiumbling-block, and unto the Creeks foolifbnefs ; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, ChriJi the power cf Cod, and the wifdom of God. ■ n Cor. v. 21. For he hath made him to be fin for 21s, who knew no fin ; that we might be ?nade the right eoufnefs of God in him. I Pet. ii. 24. Who his own felf bare our fins in his own body on the tree, that ur beifig dead to fn, fhonld live unto right eoifnefs : by whofe Jiripes ye were healed. AuguJiinu's in Pfal. 120. Sacerdos nofter a nobis accepit, quod pro nobis offerret : accepit a nobis carnem ; in ipCi carne vi(Stima pro nobis faftus eft, holocauflum factus eft, facrifici- nm fa<|i^^"a; M oV/n.peopIe, privileged with a fpecial intereft in him, which they are natmfjy' meKaed' iongell: to keep up, and are lothefl: to let fall, viz. Whether he fhall guide and govern them, and fhape out their lot to them, while they fojourn here in the world, as he himfelf, in his own infinite wifdom, fhall think fit, having a blank fubmifTion put by them into his hand, to be filled up with what kind and quality, with what meafure and quantity, and with what con- tinuance and duration of troubles, trials and afflidlions himfelf pleafcth ? Or, whether her ihould, as to fome things at leaft, eonfult their will and pleafure, and, as it weie, take their advice, and allow them a liberty to prefcribe to him, how he fhould guide and difpofe of them ? And, indeed, to be here denied to their own will, and abfolutely fubmitted to the will of God, is one of the highefl and moll difficultly pradlicable points of felf-denial, (to which, notwithftanding, all the difciples and followers of Chrift are exprefly called, and where- in he hath great delight and complacency, as favouring ftrong of intire truft and confidence in him) yet, if we eonfider thefe few things, it will be found that there is all the realbn in the world, why they fliould come in his will, and fweetly fubmit themfelves to it in all thino-s, how crofs foever to their own hiclination, without any the leafl reludlation or contradiction 5 which is our privilege, and the refloration of our degenerated nature to its divine and pri- mitive integrity. Firjt, If it be confidered, that he hath mofl fovereign, abfolute and'inconfroulable dominion over you, as the potter hath over the clay ; for ye are the clay, and he is the Potter : Nay, he hath more abfolute dominion over you than the potter hath over the clay, for the potter maketh not the clay, both the clay and the potter being made by him ; but he hath made you y and not you yoiirfclves ; ye are all the ivork cf his hands, Pfal. 100. 3. Ifa. 64. 8. He hath made you living creatures, rational creatures, and new creatures ; If any man be in Chrijl, he is a new creature, 2 Cor. 5. 17. which is the very flower of the creation : And ye are his- ix'orkmanjhip, created in Chriji Jefus unto good works, Eph. 2. 10. If therefore it be unfuit- able and incongruous for the clay to fay to him that fafhioned it. What makefi thou P or for a man's work to fay to him, th.it he hath no hands, Ifa. 45. 9. it's fure much more for you to fay to your great Potter and Fafhioncr, What makefi thou of us ? why dealefl thou fo and fo with us? Wo to him that Jiriveth with his Maker; let the potfherds Jlrive with the potfherd? •f the earth : Hath not the potter power over the clay ? And are you not in the hand of the Lord, as the clay is in the hands of the potter ? Rom. 9. 2 1. Jer. 18. 6. He might have made you vejfels to di/honour, vc'Jl'ls of wrath fitted for deflruclion, without being juftly chargeable with any injury done to you ; and when he hath, in the fovereignty of his raofl: wonderful free gi-ace, made you vejeU to honour, and vejfds of mercy, which he hath afore prepared unto glory, will ye dare to quarrel with him for difpofing in his own way of your external condi- tion in this world, and of thefe moveables and accefTories that are wholly extrinnck, and not at all eilential to your faivation and true happinefs ? (For, let all the pl'eafiares, riches and A 2 ho.iours \\ The Epifile Dedicatory. honours of the world, even till the delights of the fons of men, In their very extray your firlving with h'lm, fo ye lofe litf- thing, but gain much, by your foft {looping and filent fubmitting to him ; If ye humble y-mrfclves in the fight of the Lord, hcJhallUftyou up, James 4. 10. Humble yourfelves there- fore umhr the mighty hand cf Cod, that he may exalt you in due time, i Pet. 5. 6. Fifthly, If it be confidercd, that yc fland in need of aJl the troubles and afflictions that ye meet with ; whenever ye are in heavimfs through one or mo, or manifold temptations, it is alway, and only, if need be, 1 Pet. i. 6. And if ye be well feen in the Hate and pofture of your foul-affairs, what graces of the Spirit are to be quickned and drawn forth i-nto more iiveiy and vigorous exercife, what of thefe precious fpices in your gardens are to be blown upon, not only by the more gentle and foft foutb- winds of confolations, but alfo by the more I'harp and nipping north-Vmds of affii(fiions, and to be beaten as it were in the mortar there- of, that thfey may fend forth their pleafant and fragrant fmell; what religious duties are either much neglected, or but very lifelefly, coldly, formally, lazily, fuperficially and heartlefly performed, and to what a higher pirch and peg of fpirituality in the manner of performing them they are to be flcrewed up ; what lufts and corruptions are to be further mortified and (ubdued ; how little your hypocrify, your felf-love and felf-feeking, your pride, paffion, imii patience, unpliablenels and unfubmittednefs to the will of God, your carnalnefs, earthly- mindednefs, your immoderate and inordinate love to the things of the world, your murmuri ing and fretting at, your diflatisfaftion and difcontent with your prefent lot ; how little thefe arid many other con'uptions are crucified and brought at under : If, I fay, ye be well ■feen and verfed in the knov;ledge of your fpiritual condition, ye will upon ferious and thorow refle<5tions find, that ye flarid' in need of every afflidlion ye meet with, as to all the circum- ilances thereof ; or, if ye do not, in fo far ye are unacquainted with, and flrangers to your- felves, arid to the ftate arid pofture of your fpiriiual affairs ; nay, ye will cafily find, that all» even your heavieft crohcs and afflitftions, have enough ado to work j-ou up to what you (hould be at; and tho' fometimes ye may be difpofed to think that ye could hardly bear any more, yet ye will upon due fearch find that ye could have wanted nothing of what ye have met with, without a greater prejudice than the crofs hath brought along with it. We are natu- rally froward and peevirti, berit to fretfulnefs and difcontent, inclining rather fo reftlefs en- deavouiing to have our lot brought Up to ouf fpirlts, than to be at fui table pains to have ouf fpirlts brought down to our lot, and therefore have much need to be tamed and calmed by the crofs ; this rugged and uneafy temper of fpirit being the great hinderer, yea oppofite of ihat flayed and fweet contentation of heart with and in every ftate, which is the very life of a Chriftian's life, coifjiing (as the Lord faith) not in the abundance of the things which lue pof fef, Luke 12. i c^. but in our fatisfiednefs with them, whether abundant or not : To the at- faining unto which blefTed temper, the (horteft cut, and moft: compendious way, is, in the firji place, to be well-pleafed and fatisfied vi'ith God himfelf, and with a folidly fecured inte- r^ft in him ; and to endeavour, in the next place, to be well-pieafing in his fight, to be gra- cious in his eyes, to ftand well in his thoughts, even to do ahvays thefe things that pleafe him^ John 8.29. to which defirable frame of foul, if we were once thro' grace brought, (whereto Our bearing of the yoke, and piuting our flioulders under the crofs, is not a little thro' God's bleffing contribu'iive) O how good-natured then and eafy to pleafe would we be found to be, and how ready to conftrue well of all that he doth to us ! feldom out of humour,- fo fpeak fo.. Now, if we ftand in need of all the afflidions vv^e are tryfted with, in all their moft fad ;;nd forrowful circumftances, (as certainly we do, becaufe God, who cannot lie or miftakc^ ;uth faid it) why ftiould we not fubmlt ourfelves to his will in meafuring them out to us ? rr wl^t juft reafoa can there be to be difll^.tisfied v/ith^ or- to complain of God's giving, to, cvr. ordering, The EpiJl'Ie Declicafory. vfi ©rdering that for us, whereof we ftaiid in need, and which we cannot want, without being con'iderably prejudged and worfted by the want ? Sixthly, It it be confulered, that in all your chaftifements and afflidlions God is graciouflr driving the Wefled defign of your fpiritual good and profit, making them all to vjork tc^ether for that defirable end, cau/ing them turn to your falvatmi, thro'' the help of the prayers of o- thers of his people, and the fupply of the Spirit of Jefus Chrijl, Rom. 8. 28. Phil. 2. 19. Gi- ving you afTurance by his faithful word of promife, that thereby ^-^z/r iniquity fl^all be purged, and that this fhall be all the fruit (O ftrange and admirable condefcenfion of grace ! all the fruit !) to take awfiy fin, Ifa. 27.9. and that he will not chaflife you as parents according t9 theflcfh do their children^ to wit, for their o-mn pleafure ; who, however they may have a ge- neral defign of good to their children in their chaftifing of them, ytt, thro' a remainder of corruption in the beft of them, they are often fubjedled to fuch hurries and tranfports of paffion, when It comes to the aft of chaftifement, that they much forget to coufult the good and advantage of the chaftifed child, atid too much gratify their own pleafure and humour ; but that he will chz^i^Q for your profit, that ye may be made partakers of his hoUnefs, Heb. 12. 10. Now, if this be his defign in chaftifing, and if this be the promifed fruit of your chaftife- ments and aifliftions, why fliould ye not therein fubmit to his pleafure, which hath your owif profit infeparably joined within it, if ye your fclves do not finfuUy lay obftruftions in the way thereof, as otherwife, fo particularly by your being difpleafed with this his pleafure, which yet his grace in his own people fuffers not to -be invincible nor final ? I do not fay, that ou. chaflifements and afflicHons do of themfelves produce this profit, and bring forth this fruit ; for alas ! we may from doleful experience have ere now arrived at a fad perfwafion, that we are proof againfl all applications, excepting that of fovereign, efficacious and all difficulty- conquering free grace, and that nothing will do at us fave that alone ; whatever means be made ufe of, this only muft be the efficient producer of our profit : It is a piece of God's royal and incommunicable prerogative, which he hath not given out of his own hand to aaj difpenfation, whether of ordinances, never fo lively and pcwerfuMa themfelves ; or of pro- vidences, never fo crofs, loudly alarming and clearly fpeaking, abflraftly from hia owu blef- fing, cfteaually to teach to profit, Ifa. 4S. 17. and therefore he doth (as well he may) ciaiin it to himfelf alone, as his peculiar privilege, while he faith, I am the Lord thy C jd that teach- cth thee to profit. Since then this is his defign in all the chailifements indifted on his own peo- ple, and fince he only by his grace can' make it infruilrably take efreft, let him have our hearty allowance and approbation, to carry it on vigoroully and fuecefsfully ; and let us pray more frequently and fervently, that, by his eficaually teaching, -our profiting may be made; more and more to appear tinder our diaftifements ; and withal, Inihe multitude of mir {\\ thoughts about them, let his comforts delight our fouls, and this comfort in particuhr, that in them all he gracioufiy dcfigns and projefts our prof t, even tlie making of us more aad more to partake of his hoUnefs. Seventhly, If it be confidercd, that all our trials and troubles arc but of time-continuance, and wril period with it ; they are but>r afeafon, x Pet. i. 6. yea, hxM for a moment, 2 Cor. fV^^*7^^ '^^y^°^^°'^f^nd for ever, knowing well, if he fhould do fo. the fpirits 'would fail before him, and the fouls which he hath made, Ifa. ^7. 16. Tho' ikey flvjuld follow clofe on you, and accompany you to your very dying day, yet then they \\"il] le^.ve you, and take their lalt good-night and everlafiing farewel of you ; frrow andfig/xing will then for ever fly away^ and all tears on whatever account f jail then be wiped from your eyes. Rev. 7. 1 7. and 21.4. It IS a great alleviation and mitigation of the moft grievous affliaion, and of the bitterefi and molt extreme forrow, to think, that not only it will have a term-day and date of expiration, but viil The Epljlle Dedicatory. but it will qulckly,/m a very fliort time, even In^ monfent, be over and at an end (as a holy martyr faid to his fellpw-fufferer in the fire -with him. It is but winking, and our pain and forroio is all over) and tnat there Jfhall be an eternal tack of freedom from it ; and that ever- lafting folace, fatisfa6lion, and joy without the leaft mixture of forrow and fadnefs, rtiali fuc- ceed to it, and come in the room thereof: It is but for the little fpace of threefcore years and ten, or four/core, Pfal. 90. 10. (which length moft people never come) that his people arc fubjecfted to trouble ; and what is that very fhort moment and little point of time, being com- pared with a yaft and incomprehenfibly long eternity ? in refpeft of which, a thoufand years are but as me day, or as a watch in the night, when it is paft, Pfal. 90. 4. And no doubt the little while's trouble, fadnefs and forrow of fojourning and militant faints, is, in the depth of divine wifdom, ordered fo, that it may the more commend and endear that blefTcd calm and tranquilhiy, that fulnefs of purefl joys, and thefe moft perfedt pleafures at his right hand, that triumphant faints fhall for evermore enjoy. Eighthly, If it be conjidered, that all along the little moment that youp trials and afEidli- ons abide with you, they are, even the faddefl: and moft fevere of them, moderate, and thro* his grace portable and '%/;/ ,• In meafure he debateth with you, atidjiays his rough wind in the day of his eaji wind, Ifa. 27. 8. And whatever difficulty ye fometimes find under fore pref- fures, to get it folidly and pradlically believed, yet God is faithfid wl>o hath promifed, and will mt fiiffer you to be tempted above that which ye arc able^ but will xvith the temptation make a way to cfcape, that ye may be able to' bear it, I Cor. 10. 13. He is a God of judgment ^ (Ifa. 30. i8.) and difcretion, that fuits his peoples burdens to their backs, and wifely propor- tions their ftraits to their ftrength : He puts not new wine into old bottles, Mat. 9. 17. neither doth he break the bruifcd reed, Ifa. 42. 3. and even when he hides his face, and is wroth with his children, and f mites them for their iniquity, Ifa. 42. 17, 18. it is only fatherly wrath ; And however dreadful that may be, and difficult to be born, yet there is nothing vindiffive in it ; it is a Father's anger, but contempered with a Father's love, where alfolove predomines in the contemperaturc. And indeed the m®ft extreme, and the very heavieft of all our afflic- tions, are moderate, and even light, being compared, \fl, With what your fins deferve, ex- ceedingly far beneath the defert whereof ye are punifhed, Ezra 9. 23. even fo far, that ye may without all compliment moft truly fay, That it is becaife his compaffimn fail not , that ye are not confumed. Lam. 3. 22. that ye are kept out of hell, and fiee from everlafting burnings, to which your many. Various, and grievoufly aggravated provocations, have made you moft juftly liable: So that ye have reafon to think any affliction, Hiort of everlafting deftruaiou from the prefence of God, to b« a highly valued piece of moderation, and to h-^ , Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punifhmcnt of his fin ? Lam. 3. 39. IVe will hear the indignation of the Lord, becaufe we have finned againfi him, Mic. 7. 9. 2dly, With what others of the people of God have readily met with ; for we have not rcfjied to the blood, firi- ving againCtfin, Heb. 12. 4. We have it may be all this while been but running with the foot- men, when they have been put to contend with horfes, Jer. 12. 5. 3^/y, With what ourfelvcs have fometimes dreaded and been put to deprecate, when horrid guilt hath ftared us in the face, and when God apprehended' to be very angry, even threatning to fmite us with the tvound of an enemy, and with the chaflifement of a cruel one, to run ufon us a giant, to br/ak all our bones ; Arid again to fixw himfelf marvellous upon uj, by taking us by the neck, and Jlxiking us in pieces, Jer. 30. 14. Job 16. 14. & 12. Job 10. 16. 4//;/v, With what our blef- fed Lord Jcfus fu-fTcred for his people, who, all the while he fojourned here on earth, was a Man of forrow s, and acquainted with grief , Jfli. 53. 4- and might moft juftly have faid, be- rvond all men, / am the man that hathfccn affli^ion by the rod of his wrath : Is there any Jor- The Epijlie Dedicatory. fi rdxv like unto mine, in the day tvhen the Lord hath qffli^ed me ? And ^thly, Being compare J with that y^/r more exceeding and eternal -weight of glory, ivhich they ivorkfor you, 2 Cor. 4. 14. Seeing then that the fharpefl: and forcft of your afIli(5lions are, in thcfe and many otlier refpefts, very moderate, gentle, eafy and light ; is there not reafon why ye fliould iu them, without grudging, .fwectly fubniit yourfelves to his will, heartfomly faying, It might have been much worfe, this falls infinitsly lliort of what we have deferved, blefled be God that it is only thus, and no worfc. Ninthly, If it be conf.dered, that often, when in any more than ordinary fpiritual and liveh frame of foul, ye have in prayer defired the Lord, that he would take any way, and makeufe 'of any means he pkafed (wherein your fin might not be) to make you more ferious in th* cxercife of godlinefs, more elfeftually to mortify your corruptions, and to further your confor- mity to his image in holinefs; and that ye Ihould thro' his grace be content, putting as it were a blank in his hand, to be filled up as hinifelf in his own infinite wifdom fliould think fit, de- claring that ye were fatlsfied, on the terms propofed by Jefus Chrift, to be his difciples, and to take up not only a crofs, or the crofs in general, but. Mat. 16, 24. your crofs in particular, the. crofs that fliould be fliaped out for you, however circumflantiated : And when under fome very fad afflitflion, he on the matter befpeaks thus, I am now about to grant you your owu defire, tho' it may be in fuch a way, and by fuch a mean, as either would have been none of your own choofing, had it been left to your choice, or pofiibly fuch as ye did not think of,- will ye be difpleafed with me, or mifbke my hearing of your prayers, fulfilling of your petitions, and granting you according to your owu heart's defire, becaufe I doit in my own way, and by means of my own choofing, wherein ye left and allowed me a latitude, and not in your way and by your means, which ye then renounced, as. not thinking yourfelves competent judges thereof i Alas ! here we arc often found at befl to border upon a praiftical rewing, retracing, and lifting up again of the blank fubmifTion which we profefied to )ay down before him ; and to fay, by our fretting, repining, diffatisfadfion, immoderate heavinefs and defpondency of fpirit, thaC we were fomewhat rafli, and not fo well advifed, when we fubfcribed and gave in fuch a fub- mifTion and furrender of ourfelves to him ; that we did not think he would have taken fuch advantage of us, or would have put us thus fore to it ; and that, if we had thought he would have done fo, we would have been better advifed, before we had thus fubmitted to him, anci with our own confcnt put ourfelves in his reverence ; and that, if it had been any thing but this, we could have born it (whereas he faitli. Nothing hut this) Whereby we do not o ily, not a little reflefl upon him, as dealing unkindly, and doing what we would not have cKpevfled at his hand ; but.alfo make a fad and humbling difcovery of much unfoundnefs in ourfelves, as to our offering up of fuch general defires, and as to our making of fuch abfo- iute fubmiffions to him; Let us therefore, in order to the juflifying of him as both righteous apd kind, and to the vindicating of ourfelves, at Icaft from allowing of any unfoundnefs, diffimulation, or unfair and meerly compUmental dealing with God, in our fubmitting our- felves to him in the general, without any Bufs or If's, any reftriSlions or exceptions, hold at the fubmillion given ; fharply expoftuiating with, and feverely chiding ourfelves for this difcovcred praftical contradiftion apd contravention ; and we lliall find that he hath done nothing unworthy of himfelf, nor in the leafl prejudicial to us, but what is according to our own mofi: deliberate defires, and greatly to our advantage. It were a very wide miftake, if, from what is difcourfed in this Conjidcration, any fhould con- clude, that we intend either to commend or allow Chriflians praying direvas not for death, under the notion of affiiflion, but rather to prevent future and further afBiflions, or to have a period put to prefently incumbent ones. If it fhould here be faid. Why may not faints pray for afflidlions, fmce they feem to be promifed in the covenant of grace, as Pfal. 89. 30, 31, 32. Hof. 2. 6, 7. and v. 14. and fince God hath gracioufly promifed to blefs all the alfli(ftions of his people, and to make them turn to their fpiritual good, profit and advantage, as Rom. 8. 28. and Heb. 12. 10. and elfewherc ? To the ^rjl part of the ohjeHiony it may be briefly anfivered. That thefe, and other fuch, are not properly and formally promifes of the covenant of grace, but rather covenant- threatnings^ (for the covenant of grace hath its own threatnings, fuitcd to the nature thereof, as well as the covenant of works hath its) tho' dipped (to fay fo) in covenant-grace and mercy r And to the other part of it as briefly, That God hath promifed to blefs and to caufe tO' profit by fuch afHi<5lions and chaftifements as himfelf thinks fit to infilft and lay on, but not thefe which we feek and pray for to ourfelves : Neither doth that fcripture, Pfal. 119. v. 75. I know that in faithfulnefs thou haji affiiSled me, fay any thing towai'ds flrength. ning the obje(flion, or invalidating the anfwers given to it ; for, the Pfalmift only there "humbly and thankfully acknowledgeth God's faithfulnefs in fulfilling his threatning, in affiifling him when he went aftray ; and in performing his promife, rn bleffing his afflic- tion to him for preventing his after-ftraying, and making him learn better to keep his commandments ; in both which he is faithful. All that is either exprefl or meant in this conftderation, is. That the faints often pray God, that he would take his own way» and ufe his own means to bring about thefe great ends mentioned ; wherein there is in- deed at leafl a tacit infmuation, that if he in his wifdom fee it meet to make ufe of the rod and afflicflion in order thereto, that they will not allow themfelves to decline th^ fame, nor to miftake him in it ; but that rather they fhall, through grace, be fatisficd with, and blefs him for fulfilling their petitions, and granting them according to their own hearts deflres, tho' it be by fuch means : Which is not praying for afflitflions, but a re- folved and declared fubmiffion to infinite Wifdom's love-choice of his own midfes to effeflu- ate and bring to pafs the praj'ed-for ends, Tenthly, If it be confidered, that it now neither grieveth nor troubleth any cf all the glorified, triumphing, and palm-bearing company before the throne of God, and of the !>amb, that they were exercifed with fo many and fo great trials and tribulations, while they were here below: It troubleth not John the Baptlft, that he was imprifoned, bafely murdered and beheaded there in a hole, without having accefs to give any publick teflimony before his death, and at the defire of a wanton dancing damfel, thro' the inftlgation of her adulterous and inceftuous mother: Nor Stephen, (commonly called the Proto martyr) that he was floned to death as a blafphemer, for giving teflimony to the mofl: precious and com- fortable truth of Chrifl's being the Mefliah : Nor Paul, that he was thrice beaten with rods, and The Ep'iJiU Dedicatory. xl anc^ received five times forty (Irlpes fave one ; that he was in fo many perils by fta and land, in the city, in the country, and in the wildernefs, by tlie Heathen, by his own country- men, and by falfe brethren ; that he was Aoned, and iuffered all tliefe other things, whereof he gives us an hiftorical abridgment in his 2d Epifl. to the Corinthians, chap. U. Nor doth it trouble any of all ihefe worthies, of -whom the vjorld -was not worthy, that they were cruelly mocked, imprifoncd, fcourged, tortured, or tympanized and racked, ftoned, tor- mented, fawn afunder, killed with the fword, tempted, driven to dens and caves of the ^ earth, and put to wander up and down in fheep-flcins and goat-ikins, whofe martyrology the apoftle briefly compendeih, Heb. 11. Nor doth it trouble any other of all the martyrs, faints and fervants of Jefus, who have in the feveral ages of the church futfered fo many and fo great things while they were here in the world ; nay, all thefe their fufferings go to make up a confiderable part of their fong of praife in heaven : (where the hiftory of thefe wars, of and for the Lord, will be very pleafint to them to read, however fore and bloody they were on earth) And not only fo, but thefe of them who have fuffered moll, wonder much that they have fuffered fo little, and that they are come to fo excellent and glorious a kingdom, thorow.fo little tribulation in the way to it: Believe it, there will be as much matter of thankfgiving and praife to God found treafured up under the plyes and foldings (to fay fo) of the moft crofs and afRi(fling providences that ever the people of God met with here in the world, as under thefe that for the time \tere more fmiling and faiisfying; Let us then, valuir.g all things we meet with, according to the afpcft they have on our fpiritual and eter- nal ftate, (which is fure the jufteft and lafeft valuaiiou of them) heartily allow him to take Jiis own will and way in afflidling us. Eleventhly, If it be conftdered, that as this fubmiffion to the will of God, in crofs and af- fliefling providences, is chronicled in the facred records, to the perpetual commendation of ieveral of the faints ; namely, of Aaron, of whom it is faid, when God had llain his two fons in a ftrange and flupendous manner, even by fire from heaven, for their prefumptuous offering of flrange fire before him, that he held his peace. Lev. 10. 3. Of old Eli, wlten he jeceivcd a fad meflage concerning himfelf and his houfe by the hand of young Samuel, who faid, // is the Lord, let him do -what fecmeth him good, I Sam. 3. 18. Of Job, after, by four feveral meflengers, (each of them coming immediately upon the back of the other, fo that he fcarcely got leave to breathe betwixt, or the former to finifli his lamentable narration) the terribly alarrmng tidings were brought him, concerning the plundering of his oxen and affcs by the Sabcans, and the killing of his fervants with the fword ; concerning the confaming of his flieep and fervants by the fire of God falling from heaven upon them ; concerning the carrying away of his camels, and the killing of his fervants by the Caldeans ; and concerning the fmothering to death of all his fons and daughters, whi!e fealting together, by *hf; fulling of the houfe upon them ; who faid, The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away, hlejfed he the name of the Lord; In all this not finning, nor charging C od foolifAy , Job i. 21, 22. Of Da- vid, who, in a croud of crofles, iaith to God, / was dumb, I opened not my mouth, bccaufe thou didjl it, Pfal. 39. 9. 2 Sam. 15. 25, 26. and who, when forced to f^ee from Jerufiilern, by his unnatural and rebellious fon Abfalom, and fending back the ark thither, with admi- rable compofure and fweet ftooping of foul, faid. If I fka II find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, andfhew me both it and his habitation : But if he fay thus,. I have no delight in thee, behold, here am I, kt him do with me as feemeth good to him : Of Hezekiah, when that heavy meffage was brought to him by the prophet Ifalah concerning ths Baby- lonifh captivity, wherein his royal pofterity were to have their deep fhare ; who faid, Good is the word eft he Lord which thou hajifpoken: who faid moreoverj It it r/^t goQd,, if peace and B 2 triLtb /n The Epijik Dedicatory. truth be in my !. 6. That the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all, or, as the word is, made the iniquity of us all to meet on him, there having, been a folemn tryft, convocation and rendezvous (as it were) of all the iniquities of all the clecft, more common and more peculiar, in all their various aggravating circumftances ; not fo much as one committed I'lnce Adam's fiift tranfgreflion, or to be committed to the day of judgment, being ab- fcnt in the punifhment of them upon his Perfon : No wonder that fuch a load of in- numerable thoufmds and millions of iniquities made him heavily to groan, and that the confideration thereof made great Luther fay, That Chrijl was the greateft fmner in all the vjcrld, to wit, by imputation of the guilt of all the fins of the elerty years ; refle<5lions on which made Mofes, a witnefs of all, with a- ftoniftiment to cry out, Who knows the power of thy anger? Pfal. 90. 11. As if, I fa}-, all thefe terrible executions of juftice, had been done by a fword allcep, or in the fcab- bard, in comparifon of the execution it did on Jefus Chrift the eleifl's Cautioner a-, gainft whom it awakened, was unftieathed, furbifhed, and made to glitter : So that we may fay, Had all the fens and daughters of Adam, without the exception of fo much- '■'•<- 71? the Rcadef. as one, h:ea eternally cirftioyecl, it would not have been a greater demonft ration of the Severity of the jiifticc of GoJ in punilhing fin. Thirdly, Concerning the greatnefs, incomprehenfible vaftiiefs, and unparallelablenefs of the love of God to the clecft wo; Id, which he fo loved (O \vondeif ul > ! eternity will b'.it be fulTicicnt to unfold all that is infolded in that myfteriousj/c) ; an cyrw that hath jiot an (Dean /V.^z that hath not z ficiit, z fo that hath not an as) That he gave hii on- Iv hr^oilen Son, -i John' 3. 16. to fufFer all thefe things, and to be thus dealt with ior them : And of the Mediator, who was content, tho' thinking it no robbery to be equal with God, to empty hlmjcif, and be of no reputation, to take on him the Jhape of a ^:ervant, Phil. 2. 6, 7, 8. to be a Man of for rows and acqnainted -cjith -grief ; to be chaflized, fmitten, ivoundcd and brinfed for their iniquities, Ifa. ^2- 3» 5- to ^ep off the t irone of his declarative glory, or of his glory manifefled to the creatures, and in a manner to creep on the footflool thereof in the capacity of a'worm, and to become 0- kcdient even unto the death, the fhameful and curfed death of the crofs : This is indeed matchlefs and marvellous love» Greater than which no man hath, to lay down his If e for his friend, John a;. 13. But he, being Gud-DIan, laid down his life for his enemies that he might make them friends^ Rom. 5. 10. the height ajid depth, the breadth and length of the love of Chrifi ! Eph. 3. 9. 10. whereof, when all that can be faid, is faid, this muft needs be faid. That ifs a love that paffeth not only exprcilion, but knowledge ; it's dimenfions being altogether unmeafurable : So that we may fay, if it had feemed good to the Lord, and been compatible with his fpotlefs juflice, and with his infinite wifdom, as fupreme Reffor and Governor of the woild, givinp- a law to his creatures, to have pardoned the fins of the eleft, in the abfolutenefs of his domini- on, that knows no boundary, but what the other divine attributes fet to it, without any intervenient fatisfaflion to his juflice at all, (which needs not to be debated here, efpecially ■fince God hath deterihined, and in the fcriptures of truth made publication of Jiis determination, that he will not pardon fm without a fatisfa^lion, and particularly v/ithout this fatisfasflion made by Jefus Chrift) It would not have been a greater and r-iore glorious demonfiration of the freenefs and riches of his love than he hath given, HI pardoning them, thro' the intervention of fo difficult and toilfom, of To chargeable and coftly a fatisfaffion, as is the fad fufferings, and the fore foul-travel of his own dear Son ; who yet is pleafed to account finners coming to him, and getting good of him, fatisfaffion for all that foul-travel : And indeed, which of thefe is the greatefi: wonder, : nd demonffration of his love, whether that he (liould have undergone fuch foul-travel or finners, or that he fliould account their getting good of it, fatisfaftion of the fame,, not cafy to determine; but fure, both in conjuftion together make a wonder palling :;rcat, even a mod wonderful demonflracion of love. Fourthly, Concerning what dreadful meafure all they may look for, who have heard of thefe fufferings of Chrifi, and make not confcicnce in his own way to improve them ior their being reconciled to God thereby, and whofe bond to juffice will be found ' ftiil Aanding over their heads uncancelled in their own name, as proper debtors, with- '^^ut a cautioner. When the innocent Son of God, ivho had never done wrong, and in \:hofe mouth no guile was ever foimd, Ifa. 53. 9. having but become Surety for the e- icot's debt, was thus hotly purfusd, and hardly handled, and put (through fad foul- trouble) to cry, What fijall I fay ? John 12. 27. and falling a- groof on the ground with lie tear in his eye, in much forrow and heavinefs even to de^uh, and in a great ago-. :.:, caufing a fweat of blood, tho' in a cold night, and lying on the earth, conditionally to to the Jleadcf. XK*:' td praj' for the pafTmg of that cup from him, and for his being favctl from that hour ; fa formidable was it to his holy human nature, which had a fmlefs averfation from, and an In- nocent horror at what threatnied ruin and deflruftion to it felf fimply confidcred ; and which, had it not been mighdiy fupported by the power of the Godhead united thereto in his PcTfon, would have quite /hruhk and fuccumbed under fuch an heavy burden, and beea utterly fwallowed up by fuch a gulf of Wrath : What then will finners, even all the dyvour debtors, not having ferioully fought afeer, nor being effe6lually reached by the benefit of hij furetylhipi doj when they come to grapple with this wrath of God, when he will fall upoa them as a giant, breaking all their bones, and as a roaring lion, tearing them to pieces, when there vjili be none to deliver? Pfal. 50. 22. IVill their hdiids be Jlrong, or their hearts be able to endure in the day that he Jhall deal with them? Ezek. 22. 14. Then, O then, they will be afraid., and fcarfulncfs will take hold of them, and make them fay, Who can J tar J before the devouring fire, and who can dwell befide the everlafting burnings? Ifli. 34, i.;, and to cry unto the hills and mountains to fall on them, and to hide them from the face of the Lamb, and of him that fits on the throne, for the great day of his wrath is cor,;, , and who is able to (land? Rev. G. 16, 17. then it will be found it) a fpecial manner to be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, Heb. 10. 31. All fuch may {c':- , in the great fulierings of ChriiK, as in the clearell glafs, what they are to look for, and moft certainly to meet with ; for if it v/as thus done in the green tree, whatfha.'f be done in the dry? Luke 23. 31. O it is a fid, even one of the fiddeft f-:bje(fi:s of thought, (b think*, that a rational creature /hall be eternally ftipported, preferved and perpetuated in its being, by the one hand of God's omnipotency, that it may be c- vtrlaflingly capable of terrible vengeance, to be Infiided by the other hand of his juftice ! Fifthly, Concerning the very great obligation that lieth on believers to love Jefus Chriil:, who hath thus commended his love to them, by undergoing all thefe fid fuf- ferings for their fakes; tvcn out cf love to them to become a curfe, to bleed out his precious life, and to pour out his foul to death for them ; which to do he was un- der no neceffity, nor in the Icaft obliged by them, being infinitely removed fiom ail poffibility of being reached by any obligation from his creatures, \vhom he loved, and for whom he defigned this grand exp:efIion of his love, the laying down of his life for them, before they or the world had any being ; nay, being by their fins infinitely difobliged : .-^h, that mofi: of thefe whom he loved fo much, llioald love him {rvho is altogether lovely) their .duty, his friends and interefts for his fake fo litde ; even fo very little, that, if it were poffible, he could rue and repent of what he hath done and fuf- fered, to commend his love to them, they would tempt him to it ! And indeed there is nothmg that more fpeaks forth the freenefs of his love than this, that he Ihould love them fo fervently, and continue thus to love them, even to the end, who are often fo very cool in their love to him : Sure fuch, when in any meafuie at themfelves, cannot but love "themfelves the lefs, and lothe themfelVes the more, that they love him fo lit- tle ; and earntAly long for that defireable day, wherein he fi-.all be admired in and bv all than that b^^^ve, and . when tliey {hall get him loved as well as ever they defircd to love him, and as well as he fliall will them to love him, and when ihey fliall be in an eternal extafy and tranfport of admiration at his love. Sixthly, Conarning the little re^ifon that believers have to think much of their fmall and petty fufferings undergone for h.im : For what are they all, even the greatefl and moft grievous ot them, being cgmpared with his fuffciings for them ? Th'-y o-e bi^c 35-xvv 7J? the Reader. as little chips of tlie cro^:-. In compr.rifoa of the great and heavy end of it, that light- ed on him, and not worthy to be named in one day with his : All the fad and for- 1 owful days and nights that all the faints on earth have had, under their many and various, and fadly circumftantiated crofTes and fufferings, do not by thoufands of de- threes come near unto, let be to equal that one fad and forrowful night, which he had in Gcthfcmane (befide all the forrows and griefs he endured before thar time) where he was put to conflift with the awakned fword of fm-revenging juftice, that did moft fiercely lay at him, without fparing him : Which terrible combat lafted all that night, and the next day, till three a-clock in the afternoon, when that fharpeff fword, after many fore wounds given him, killed him outright at lafl, and left him dead upon the place (who yet, even then, when feemingly vanquilTied and quite ruined, "was a great and glorious Conqueror, having by death overcome and dejiroyed him that had the pohvcr cf death, that is the devil ; and having Jpoiled principalities and powers, jnaking a Jheiu of ihcm openly, and triumphing over them in his crofs, Heb 2. 14. Col. 2. 15. the fpoils oF which glorious vidlory believers now divide, and fliall enjoy to all eternity.) Ah that ever the fmall and ineonfiderable fufferings of the faints, fhould fo much as once be ' made mention of by them, where his flrange and ftupendous fufferings offer themfelves to be noticed. Seventhly, Concerning the unfpeakably great obligations that lieth on believers, readi- ly,, pleafantly and cheerfully, not only to do, but alfo to fuffer for Chrift, as he fhall call them to it, even to do all that lieth in their power for him, and to fuffer all that is in the power of any others to do againft them on his account, who did wil- lingly, and with delight, do and fuffer fo much for them .- They have doubtlefs good reafon heartily to pledge him in the cup of his crofs, and to drink after him, there be- in, and you in particular, this piece of fervice, in putting to the prefs thefe fweet Sermons on this choice Scrip- ture before I die : And indeed, after I had gone thwow a good number of them, not without confiderable toil and difficulty (having, all alongft, had no notes of his own, but the Sermons as they were taken, haflily with a current pen from his mouth, by, viiie of his crdiii'iiy hearers, no fcholar, who could not therefore fo thorowly a^d dif- ■ - ■ - tindly To the Reader.- xxvll' ftm^lly take op feveral of the purpofts handled by the preacher) the Lord was pleafed to give me a Hop, by a long continued (harp affli6lion, not altogether without fome lit- tle more remote and gentle ihreatnings of death ; but he, lo whom the IfTues from death do belong gracioufly condefcended to fpare me a little, that I might gather fome ilrength to go thcwow the remr-inder of them. I have much reafon to think, that it" poor I had been preaching the gofpel to you thefe twenty years paO, Wherein we have been in holy providence feparated (which hath been the more afSicting to me, that ye were in my heart to have lived and died with you ; and if it had lo feemed good in the eyes of the Lord, it would have been to me one of the mofl: refrcfhing and joyful providences I could have been trylled with in this world, to have had fair accefs, thro* his good hand upon me, and his gracious prefence with mC) to have preached the gof- pel to you a while before my going hence and being no more) I would not by very, very far, have contributed fo much to your edification, as thefe few Sermons may, and I hope thro' God's bleffing (hall. Several of you heard them preached by him, when he was alive amonglt you : and now, when he is dead, he is in a manner preaching them over again to you (O that fuch of you as then were not taken in the preachins:»; of them, might be fo now in the ferious reading of them !) and by them fpeaking to thefe of you that did not then hear them, who, as I fuppofe, are now the for greatell part of the city-inhabitants : You will find yourfelves in them again and again ranked and cla(fed, according to your different fpiritual efiates, and the various cafes and condiiions of your fouls, and wonderful difcoveries made of yourfelves to yourfelves, that I fomething doubt if there be fo much as one foul among the feveral thoufands that are in Glafgoxv, but will find itfelf, by the reading of thefe SermoiK, fpoken to, fuitably to its fiate and cafe, as if he had been particularly acquainted w-iih the perfon and his fpiritual condition (as indeed he made it a confiderable part of his v/ork, as th^ obferv- ing Reader w^ill quickly and eafily perceive, to be acquainted very thorowly with the foul-ftate and condition of fuch at leall of the Inhabitants as were more immediately under his own infpeftion and charge) and, as if he had fpoken Jo the perfon 'by name ; O how inexcufable will fuch of you be, as had your lot cad to live under the mini- ftry of fuch an able Minifier of the New Tejlameni, of fuch a Scribe very niuch injlnic- ted' into the kingdom of Heaven, who as a good hoiifhdder knew well how to bring out of his treafure things new and old! Mat. 13. 52. If you were not bettered and made to profit thereby; God and angels, and your own confciences, will witnefs, how often and how urgently the Lord Jefus called to you by him, and ye would not hear. And how inexcufable will ye alfo be, that (hall difdain or negleft to read thefe Sermons (as I would fain hope none of you will) thai were fometime preached in that pkce by that faithful fervant of Chrifi, who was your own Minifier, which layeth fome peculiar obligation on you beyond others to read them ? or if ye (hall read them and not make confcience to improve them fo your fouls edification and advantage, which contain more genuine, pure, fincere, folid, and fubftantial gofpel, than many thoufande have heard, it'may be in an age, though hearing preachings much of the while ; even fo much, that if any of you (hould be providentially deprived of the liberty of hearing the gofpel any more preached, or fliould have accefs to read no other fermons or comments on the fcrip- tures, thefe fermons. through God's bleffing, will abundantly fiore and enrich you in the knowledge of the uncontrovcrtahly great myflery of godlinefs, Cod manifefied in the flefhy I Tim. 3. 16. and according to the fcriptures make you wife wit f ah at ion, throuoh faith which is in Chrifl JefuSyZ Tim. 3. 15. much infilled on ia them : I would ther'e- forc 'KXviii ^° i^^ fteader. fore humyy advlfe (wherein I hope ye will not miftake me, aS If by this advice t were (leligning fome advantage to my felf, for indeed I am not at all that way concerned in the fale of them) that every one of you that can read, and is eafily able to do it, would buy a copy of thefe Sermons; at leaft, that every family that is able, wherein there is any tliat can read, would purchafe one of them; I nothing. doubt, but ye will think that little money very well bellowed, and will find your old minifler, defirable Durham^ delightful company to difcourfe with you by his fermons, now when he is dead, and you can fee his face, and hear him fpeak to you by viva, voce no more ; whofe voice, or rather the voice of Chrift by him, was, I know, very fweet to many there, now adeep, and to fome of you yet alive; who, I dare not doubt, never allow yourfelves to expert with confidence and comfort to look the Lord Jefus in the face, but as fe- rioufly and fincerely ye make it your bufinefs to be found in his righteoufnefs, fo much cleared and commended to you ; and in the ftudy of holinefs in all manner of conver- fation, fo powerfully prefled upon you, here. '^ That thefe fweet and favoury gofpel-fermons may come to you all, and more parti- cularly to you, my dear friends at Glafg(nv, with the fulnefs of the blejfmg of the go/pel, (Rom. 15. 29.) even of the -word of his grace ^ -which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among them that are fan6i'vjied, (Arts 20. 32.) is the ferious de- fire of Xqut fervant in the Cofpel, J. a SERMON. 1; 29 SERMON L Ifaiah liii. i. Who hath lelieved our report? and to nvhoni is the arm of the Lord revealed ? $'<=^'-*^'^§E hope it fnall not be needful to infift in § ,„ § opening the (cope of this chapter, or § § in clearing to you of whom the pro- §.<^v;».vtf^§ phctmcaneth, and is fpeaking: It was once queftioned by the eunuch, Adsviii.32. when he was reading this chapter. Of ivko7ii do the pro- phet fpeak this ? of himfelf, or of feme other man : And it is fo clearly anfwercd by Philip, who, from thefe words, began and preached to him of Jefus Chrift, that there needs be no doubt of it now. To Chriftians thefe two may put it outof queftion,that Jefus Chrift and the fublknce of the gofpel is com- pcnded and fummed up here. i. If we compare the letter of this chapter with what is in the four evangelifts, we v,ill fee it fo fully, and often fo li- terally made out of Chrift, that if any will but read tliis chapter and compare it widi them, they will find the evangelifts to be commentators on it, and fetting it out more fully. 2. That there is no fcrip- ture in the old teftament fo often and fo convincing- ly applied to Chrift as this is, there being fcarce one verfe, atleaft not many, but are by the evangelifts or apoftles made ufe of for holding out of Chrift. If we look then to the fum of the words of this chapter, they take in the fum and fubftanceof the gofpel ; for they take in thefe two, i . The right defcription and manifeftation of Jefus Chrift, And, 2. The unfolding and opening up of the covenant of redemption. Where thefe two are, there the fum of the gofpel is ; but thefe two are here, therefore the fum of the gofpel is here. Firfi, Jefus Chrift is defcribed, i. In his perfon and natures; as God, beingeternal; as Man, being under fuffering. 2. In all his offices ; as a Prielt, offering up himfelf as a facrifice to fatisfy juftice ; as a prophet, renting his knowledge tothe juftifyingof many thereby; andas a King, dividing the fpoilwith the ftrong. 3. In his humiliation, in the caufe of it, in the end of it, in the fubjedl of it, in the nature and rife of all, God's good pleafure. And, 4. In his exaltation, and out- gate promifed him on the back of all his fufferings and humiliation. >. idly. The covenant of redemption Ishere defcribed and fet out, i . In the particular parties of it, God and the Mediator. 2. As to the matter about which it was, the feed that was given to Chrift, and whofe iniquities meton him. 3. As to the mutual engage- ments on both fides, the Son uRdertaking to make his foul an offering for fin, and the Father promifing that tlie efficacy of his fatisfadion ftiall be im- putedand applied for the juftificationof finncrs; and the terms on v/hich, or the way how this imputation and applica«ion is brought about, fo wit. By his knoivledge : All are clearly held out here. This is only a touch of the excellency of this fcripture, and of the materials (to fay fo) in it, as comprehending the fubftance and marrow of the gofpel. We fhall not be particular in dividing the chapter, confidering that thefe things we bive hinted at, are interwoven in it. The firit verfe is a fhort introduction to lead us in to what follows. The prophet hath in the former chapter been fpeaking of Chrifl as God's Servant, that ffiould be extolled and made very high ; and, before he proceed more particularly to unfold th.is myfteryof the gofpel, he cries out byway of regret, Who hath believed our report ? Alas, (would he fay) for as good news as we have to carry, few will take them off our hand ! Such is mens unconcernednefs, yea, malice and obftinacy, thatthey rejeCtthem. Jnd tonx:hom is the ar7?i of the Lord revealed ? To point at the neceffity of the power of God to accompany preaching, and even the moft lively ordinances to make them effedual. How few are they, that the power of God captivates to the obedience of this truth ? For the firft part of this verfe, Who hath believed our report ? Toopenitalittle,yeihalltakethefefour, orfiveconfiderations, ere we come to thedodrines. Confider, i . The matter of this report, in refe- rence to its fcope ; 'tis not every report, but a re- port of Chrift, and of the covenant of redemptioa and of grace. In the original it is. Who hath be- lieved our hearing a(5i:ively; that is, that which we have propofed to be heard; and the word is turned tidings, Dan. xi. 44. and rutnour, Jer. li. 46. It is the tidinge and rumour of a fuffering Mediator^ interpofinghimfelf betwixt God and finners : and it may hz hearing is mentioned, to point out theconr fidence which the prophet had in reporting thefe news ; he firft heard them from God, andin that was paf- five ; and then, aftively, he propofed them to the people to be heard by them. 2. Confider that the prophet fpeaketh of this report, not as in hisowo perfon only, but as in the perfon of all that ever preached, or iball preach this gofpel; therefore this- K report ^o Jj .ah\\n report Is not peculiar to Ifa'iah, but it is our report, riie report of the prophets before, and of thefe after him, andof the apojiles andminifters of thegofpel. ■^. ConGder that Ifaiah fpeaketh of this report, not only in refped of what he met with in his own time, hiu as roreieeing what would be the carriage of peo- ple in reference to it in after-times ; therefore, Jo. xii.38. and /?<5;//. X. 1 6. this fame place is alledged to giveareafoii of the /t^wj unbelief, becaafe Ifaiah ' foretold it long before. 4. Confider, tliat when he xomplaineth of the want of faith to the report and tidings of the gofpcl, it is not of the want of hifto- rical faith, as if the people would not giveChrifta hearing at all, but is of the want of faving faith ; therefore, /: few that have believed ; it is a rare thing to fee a believer of this report. 4. That the great complaint, weight and grief of an honeftminifter of thegofpel, is this, that his mefllige is not taken, off his hand, that Chrift is not received, believed in, and refted on ;" this is the great challenge miniftcrs have againft the generality of people, and the ground of their complaint to God, that whatever they report concerning drift, he is not welcomed, his kingdom thrives not. 1 hat wc may fpcak to the firft. ccnfid«ring the Verfe r. Serm. I. words with refpeft to the fcop^, we Hiall draw five or fix DoSlrinej from them: The firft whereof is more general. That the difcovery of Chrift Jefus, and the making him known, is the greateft news, the gladeft tidings, and the moll excellent report that ever came, or can come to a people ; there is no fuch thing can be told tliem, no fuch tidings can they hear; this is the report that the prophet fpeaks of by way of eminency, a report above, and beyond all other reports ; thefe are news worthy to be carried by angels. Behold faith one of them, Luke ii. 20. 1 bring you good tidings of great joy, ivhich Jhall be to all people. And what are tliefe tidings, fo pre- faced to with a Behold 1 For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, ivhich isCkrifl the Lord, thefe are the good tidings, that Jafus Chrift is come, and that he is the Saviour by office. We fliall not infift on tliis ; only, i . We will find a little view of this fubjeft in the following words, which hold forth clearly Chrift, God and Man in one Perfon, fo compleatly qualified, and excellently furniflied for his offices. 2. Itisalfo clear, if we look to the excel- lent effeds that coine by his being fo furniflied; as, his fttisfying of juftice, his fetting free of captives, his triumphing over principalities and powers, his de- ftroying the works of the devil, him and the psnver (f his rejurrc'tkn, andthc fello-()d's pnrpofe, and all die hid works of nature, it '.-.id i!Ct been comparable to thife news ; what would vou have been ! O what would f tbbath-days and ■ eck-days, your lying d&^^ n and rifing up, your •\:ng anddying been, if thefe news had not been ? '0 (!i.oii!d have had alinful and fad life, and a mod > -.mfortlefs andteniLle death; therefore tliink this -' :ipcl a thingof more Worth ih.p.n ye do, and count heir ftet beautiful on the mountains, that bring 'licfe ncvv's and glad tidings, as it is lla. Iii. that good report of m,:>lciiig peace betwixt God and iinners tliould be mudi thought of, and prized, and counted a greater favour than we ufc to count it. 3. By this ••: may know who thrives and profits bclVunder the gol{5el, even thefe tiiat learn moft of Chrilt : which conlills not in telling over of words, Bntfrjr, In actual improving of him, as k is, Eph. iii. 20. Te have not fo learned ChriJ}, but fo as to improve what is in him. ^dly. In an experimental finding ct thcie effects inu9, that are fpoken of to come by Chrift, which is that which the apofUe meaneth, i'h\\. x;\. 10. That I )i;ay k'ic-:>-h:ih-, and the p^yxver ifhij rrftirre^lio!:, a?id-the flk'^xfup of his fitjfer- • '.;;;.f . /.'v.'/ / may be coviformahle to his death. I am : raid that of the many that hear this gofpel, there ; re but iz'^ that know Chrift this way. But if -he . be the great thing that Oiould be preached by us, sr.d th;:t yc Should learn, (i) Vvhat is the reafon that fomaiiy flior.ld be ignorant of him, that ihemorc part look ratiiev like Turks and Pagans^ thaa like •Verfei. Serm, 1. Chrijlians ? God help us, what fliall we fay of the condition of the moft part of people, when the preaching tlie gofpel has not gained diis much ground on us, as to make us know Chrift, in his perfon, natures, offices, our need of him, andthc ufe we fliould make of him ] But, 2. If we will try how he is improvcn, it is to be feared there be far fevv'er that know him in this refpeft ; do not many men live, as if they had never heard tell of him ? Though they hear that pardon of fin is to be gotten through him, and that vertue to fubdue ha mufl flow from him, yet they live as if no fuch thing were in him : if your confciences were pofed, befides the evidences that are in your practice, this would be found to be a-fad truth. And, (3.) If we will yet try further, -Ahat experience folk" have of Chriil, what vertue they find flowing from his refurrection, Mliat fellowHiip there is in his luflerings, what con- formity to his death, what benefit redounds to them from hisoftices of King, Priefl, and Prophet, to the flaying of fin, and quickning to holy duties, v/hat benefit of fruit from iiis deiith ; alas ! no more, with moft, than if he had never died : what profit or real influence, as to any fpiritual change, do any to count upon find ? and think ye all thefe things to be but words : diey know him not, that feel not fomething of the efficacy of his deaui and refurrecti- on in themfelves. 3. Olfrve, That the report concerning Chrift, is the main fubjeA and errand that has been, and is, and will be common to all theminifters of the gofpel, to the end of the world ; it's our report, it was the report of all die prophets, Afts x. 43. Tc hiifi bear all the prophets nvitnefs, that thro' his name^iuhofo- ever believeth on hi)n jhould have re7JiiJJion of jl'ns : they all agree, and have a joint teflimony in tliefe. I . In one fubjecl, Chrift, and die fame things con- cerning him, as, that the pardon of iin is to be got- ten i:i him, and throug'i fairli in him and no other v/ay, dr. 2. In one commiffion, they have all one commiffion, though tliey be not all equal ; all are not apoftlcs, yet ail are ambaffadors, there is the fame auuiority for us to report, and you to receive the gofpel, as if Jfiiah or Paul were preaching; the authority depending on the conimiiTion, and not en die perijisof men who carry ft. 3. In one com- mon end ^Bttiey all have, and in one cor.imon objcdt the^^Went to. 4. In this, that they all hold of one common M;ifter, being gifts of one and the fiime Mediator, Eph. iv. h:hsn he af ended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men, tofoms Jpcfllcs, Sic. . Th*fiirc rtfj 13, To teach yon, not to think the SCRM. H. IfalahXnx. lefs ot the tcffimony, or matter teftlfied, becaufe of thefe that teihfy to you ; if Jfaiah or Paul were ttliil'ying to you, ye would get no otijcr tidings, though their Ufe and way would be of another fort and iTamp than ours are : Alas ! for the moll part, v.e are warranted, as well as they, to inakc Chrift knov/n to you, therefore take heed of rejecting the tellimor.y of this Chrill, that v/c bear witnefs unto; it is the fame Chrifl that the law and the prophets bear witnefs to, there if not anothei' name given tinder heaven, ivherehy a finner can be fav^d; it is through him, that whofoever believes on him may receive the remiffion of fins ; in this ye have not only us, but the prophets and apcftles, to deal v.irh, yea Je- fus Chriil', and Cod himfelf ; and die rejeding of lis, will be found to be the rejedting of them. It is the fame tefHmony, on the matter, that it was in Ij'aiah his time ; and therefore, tremble and fear, all ye that flight the gofpel ; j'e have not us for your party, butallthc prophets, and Ifaiah among the reit, and our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath faid. He that rcccivtth you, receiveth me, ond he that defpifeth you defpifeth me. There will be many aggravations ot the guilt of an unbeliever and this will be a main one, even the teftimony of all the prophets that concur in this truth which they have rcjeded. Take heed to this, all ye Atheifts, that know not what it is to take with (in ; and all }'e hypocrites, that Vcrfc I . ... H coin and counterfeit a religion of your own ; arid A\ ye legal pcrfons, that lean to your own riglueoulnefs ; wlmt will yc fay, wlien ic Ihall be found, tr.at ye have rejeded all thefe teftimonies ? ye muit either fay, yc counted them falfe witnefies, whicli ye v/iii not dare to fay ; or that ye accounted them true, e.vA yet would not receive their teftimony : and the belt of thefe will be found lad enough; for if ye counted them true, why did not yc believe them I this will h^ a very pungent dilemma. Ufs 1. For comfort to poor believers. They have- good ground to receive and reft upon Jcfos Chrift ; there is never a prophet, apoftle or preacher of the gofpel, but he hath feaied this truth concerning Chrift. What needs any {inner fear at him, orba fearful to clofewith him? will ye give credit to th^' teftimony of Ifaiah -^nd. o^ Peter, Aifls x. 4^, and of the reft of the prophets and apoftles ? Then re- ceive their report, and let yourfelves to be amcnT the number of believers, that their teftimony may bereftedon. We rre perfuaded there is one of two that will follow on this dodrine, either a ftron--^ encouragement to, and confirmation of believing,, and quietly refting on Jcfus Chrift for pardon of fin ; or a great ground of aggravation of, and expoftula- tion \vith you for your guilt, a -ho care not whetlier yc receive this report or not. We fliall fay na more for the tirae, but God bkfs this to vou. SERMON II. Ifaiah liii. 1 . Who hath believed our report ? and to n.vhc?;i is the arm of the Lord revealed F" THE prophet Jfaiah is very folicitous about the fruit of his preaching, when he hath preach- ed concerning Chrift; as indeed it is not enough for minifters topr<:ach, and for people to hear, ex- cept fome fruit follow; and now, when he hath fecen much in preaching, and lookcth to others that have been much in that work, he fadly regrets the little fruit it had, and would have among them, to ■wliom Chrift was and faould befpokenol"; a thing that in the entry (hould put us to be ferious, left this complaint of Ifiiah ftandon record againft us; feeing he complains of the hearers of die gofpel, uot only in his ov.n time, but in.our time alio, ^\e toldycui, there were four things in this firft f art ot the verfe. i. The great errand that mini- fters have to a people, it is to report concerning Ciirift; and befide that we obfervcd from this head before,, looking xsi tlie fcope, we ftiall obiave far- 1 . The end that minifters fnould havebefore thcra in preaching Chrift and the gofpel, is, that the heai-- ers of it may be gained to Jcfus Chrift by hearing, fo as they may be brought to believe on him; it is, in a word, to gain them to. favinc faiih in Chrift. 2. It is implied, that Jcfus Chrift is only to be prcpofed as the objea of faith, to be reftcd on by the hearers of the gofj^el ; antl Ls the only grounti of their peace : there is nO name that can be men- tioned for the falvatron of fouls, but this name on ly; and there is no wh.er gofpel can be propofed, but that which holdetli him out to people. 2, Obfeirt, (which is much, the fame with the former obfervation and to v/hich we v/ould fpcak a little more particularly) that by preaching of tlie gofpel, Jefus Chrift is Lid before the heaicra of it, as tjbe objcd of their faiiii, :.vA pr-.pofed to be be- lieved 5 A Ifaiah liii. iieved upon by them ; elfe there would be no ground of this complaint againll them . But wherever this gof- p/i is preached, there Chrirt is laid, as it were, at the foot or door of every foul that heareth it, to be believed and reftcd on ; this is the great errand of the pofpcl, topropofe to people Jefus Chrift, as the the object and ground of faith, to lay him down to be reded on for that very end. When the apoftle is Speaking, Rom. x. 8. of the doctrine of faith, he i'aith, li is Kot iio^My IVho Jhall afcend into heaven ? jior 'vjhofK-ciU dcfcend into the deep ? but the nvord is near thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart : what word is that ? the ivord of faith 'which nve j>reach. Now, faith he, Chrift, by the preaching of the gofpel, is brought fo near folks, that he is brought even to their hearts and to their mouths ; fo near, that (tofpeakfo) people have no more todo,but to {loop and take him up, or to roll themfelves over upon him ; yea, it bringeth him in to their very heart, that they have no more to do, but to bring up their heart toconfenttoclof*;hebargain,andwith the mouth to make confeiTxon of it : and thefe words are the more con/lderable, that they are borrowed from Deut. xxx. where Mofes is fetting death and lifi before the people, and bidding tliem choofe ; iho' he would feem ?j fpeak of the law, yet, if we confider the fcope, we will find him to be on the mat- ter fpeaking of Jefus Chrift, holden forth to that people under ceremonial ordinances, and (hewing them that there was life to be had in him that way, and according to God's intent, they had life and death put in their choice. I know there are two things necefTary to the afting and exercifmg of faith. The \fl is objedive, when the obje^; or ground is propofed in the preaching of the gofpel. The 2^ is fubjedlive, when there is an inward, fpiritual, and powerful quickning, and fra- ming of the heart, to lay hold on, and make ufe of the objcd and offer. It is true, that all, to whom the offer comedi, are not quickned ; but thedoftrine faith, that, to all to whom the gofpel cometh, Chrift is propofed, to be believed on by them, and brought near unto them, fo that we may fay, as Chrift faid to h- s hearers. The kingdom of God is come near un- to you ; both Chrift and John brought, and laid the kingdom of heaven near to the Jews, and it is laid as near to you in the preached gofpel : This is it ihen diatthe doarine fliys, i . That the gofpel hold- eth out Chrift, a^ a fufficient ground of faith to reft «ipon. And, 2. With a fuihcicnt warrant to thefe who hear it to make ufe of him, according to die terms on which he is offered. And, 3. It brings him { make fure your tinion with him : this is the end why this re- port is made, and Chriit is laid before you, even that you may lay yourfelves over on him. I would follow this tfe a little, by way of exhor- tation and expoftulation jointly, feeing the do(n:rine will bear both ; for when Chrift is brought fo near, even to the mouth and to the heart, it will be great ground of reproof and expoftulation, if he ftall be rejedled. Be exhorted therefore to be in earneft, feeing, i . It is a matter of fuch concernment to you : many nations, kings, and kingdoms have not had Chrift fo near them as ye have ; negledl not fuch an opportunity. Do ye think diat all that is faid in the gofpel, concerning this, is for nought ? Is it for no ufe, that fuch a report is made, and preaching continiled fo long arnong you ? And if it be for any ufe, is it not for this, that ye may receive the report, and may, by doing fo, get your fouls for a prey ? To what ufe will preaching be, if this ufe and end of it be miffed ? Will your hearing the gof- pel make your peace with God, if Chrift be not re- ceived ? 2. Confider the advantage ye may have by receiving the gofpel, that others have not. Is it a lit- tle thing to be called td God's feaft, to be married to Chrift, to be made friends with God, and to en- joy him for ever ? The day comes, when it will be thought an advantage ; and are there motives to per • fuade to any thing, like thofe that are to induce to that ? 3 . Confider what it is that we require of you: it is no ftrange nor hard diing, it is but believing ; and this is nothing elfe, but that the report concern- ing Chrift be received, yea, that he be received for your own good ; that is it that the gofpel calls you to, even to betake you to. a Phyfician for cure, to F betake ^g . Ijalah lili. betake ycu to a Camroner foryour debt. Ifyou cpuld efcape a reckoning and wrath another way, it were fomething ; but v/hen there is no other way to ob- tain pardon of fin and peace, or to efcape wrath, and obtain favour andfriendlTiip >yith God, but this, and when this way (to fpeak fo) is nude fo eafy, that it is but to il'oop down, and to take upChrlft at your foot, a? it were, or to roll your fclves on him, how inexculable will ye unb3lievcrs be, when ye (hall be arraignied before his tribunal ? But, 4. Look a little farth-jr to what is coming : If ye were to live always here, it were hard enough to live at a feud with God; but have ye £uth of a judgment after death ? ff fo, how will ye hold up your faces m diat day, that nov/ refufe Clu-ift ? vnll not horrible confufion be the portion of many then ? and will any ground of confufion be like this, die flighting of Chrill ? whea he fhall be feen coming to judge flighters of him,, wha.t horror will then rife in confciences, when he ihall appear and be avcngsd on tlieni that v/ere not obedient to this gofpei ? as is moft d<-^r, 2 Theff. i. When our Lord Jefitsjlratl be revealed in fiaming fire; -vcith his mighty angels from heaven^ to take vengeance en all that hioiv Gody and obey not the gofpd, 5. Confiier,, that death and life arc now In your option, in your hand as it were, chufe or re- fufe : I fpeak not, nor plead here for free-will, but of your willing electing of that which ye have offer- ed to you ; for one of two will be, either fhall y^ willingly chufe life, which h a fruit of grace, or re- fufe life, and cliufe death, which will be found the native fruit of your corruption : ye may have life by Verfe i . Serm. Hi, fuch concernment, bev/are of playing the fool ; if ye will continue preiamptuous ahdfecure, following your idols, what will the Lord fay, but. Let it be lo, ye get no wrong when ye get your own choice ? and he but, as it were, ratifies the fentence which ye have paft onyourfelves. 6. I fhall add but this one word more, and befeech you that ye would feri- ouily lay this to heart, as a weighty thing, confider- ing the certification that follows on it : It is not on- ly death, but a horrible death, wrath, and wrath with its aggravation from this ground; like that of Caper- naum, that 'was lifted up to heaven in this refpecTt, ha- ving Chrifl brought fo near them. To whom this gof- pel is not the Iavov\r of life unto life, it fnall be the fa- vour of death unto death : and think not this a com- mon motive, tho' it be commonly ufed ; it will bring wrath upon wrath, and vengeance upon vengeance on tlie hearers csf this gofpcl, beyond that of Sodom, if ye be rejecters of it. Sure, none of you would think, it an eafv' thing to be puniihed as Sodom was, nor di- geft welj the curfe that came on them : Is there any of you, but ye vv'ould think it uncoudi and llrange, yea Itupendous, to enter into their judgment, and to have your lands turned into a iHnking loch, and yourfelves eternally tormented with them ? But there is more v/rath and vengeance following on the fin of unbelief, and rejedting of Chrift, when he comes to your door in this golpel . To clofe up all, Coniider, that Chrift is near you, and hath been long near you, and w^ooing you : ye knovv' not how many days or years ye fhall have ; how foon this gofpel may be taken from you , or ye from it ; how foon ye receiving Chrift, who is laid to yotir doo-r ; and if may be put in the pit, where ye will gnaOi your teetlx ye refufe him, death will follow it : as now in hear- ing this gofpel, ye carry in diufing or refufuig, fo will the fentence pafs on you at the great day ; and fo youT fentence, in a manner, is written down with your own hand, as it is faid, A^s xiii. 46. Te judge yourfelves unworthy of eternal life, not out of humi- lity, biU malicioufly. Now, when the matter is of gnaw your tongues, andblafpheme God : therefore be ferious while Chrift is in your offer, and roll your- felves over upon him,while ye have him fonear you; welcome this hearing or report, while it founds in your ears,, diat there may be no juft: ground of this complaint againfl you ^ Lord,, luho hath bilkved our report ? SERMON III. Jfalah Eii. 1. Who hath believed our report ? and to ivhom is the amt of the Lord revealed ? THE moft part of men and v/omen think not much of the preaclicd gofpel ; yet, if it were ^onlidered, what is the Lord's end in it, it would be ;he moft refreOiful news that ever people heard, to k:ar th'i report of a Saviour : that is, and fliould be, great and glad tidings of great joy to all nations ; and ic.^ flwoldbcfo compofed to hear fuch news from God, and concerning his will and our own well, a» to be fuitably affeded with them. It is a wonder that. God hath font fuch a report to people, and in it hath laid Chrift fo near them, that he puts him home to them, and lays him before them, even at their feet as it were ; and as great a wonder, that when the Lord hath condefcendcd to give fuch a Saviour, and fcrou-hr Serm. II!. Ifaiah lill. brought him fo near, that all he calleth for is faith, to belive the report, or rather faith in hiin of whom the report is ; whrdi isthefccondthingin the words. Tlie fecond thing is, The duty that lies on people to whom the Lord fends the gofpel, or this report concerning Chrift: and ye may take it in this gene- tal, That it lies on all that hear the gofpel, to believe the report that it brings concerning Chrift, and by faith to receive him, who is holden out to them in it : this is clearly implied ; Ifaiah and all minifters are fcnt to report concerning him, and to bear witnefs, of him, and it is the duty of all hearers to believe it; artd this is the ground of his and their com- plaint, when people do not believe it : by compa- ring this text Avith Rom. x. 16. and John xii. 38. we fhew, that it is faving faith that is here to be underftood, I fliaJl take up this doarine in three branches, which we will find in the words, and whicli will make way for the ufe. 1 . That a f>eoph to ii'hoi/i Chriji is offered in the gofpel, may ivarrantably ac- cept of Chriji ; or. The offering of Chrift in the gof- pel, is ivarrant enough to believe in hi??: : Other- ways there had been no juft ground of expoflulati- on and complaint for not believing; for tlio' the complaint will not infer that they had ability to be- lieve, yet it will infer they had a warrant to believe ; for the complaint is for the neglect of the duty they were called to. 2. That they, t-c ivhom Chrifi is offered in the gofpel, are called to believe ; it is their duty to do it : thus, believing, in ail that hear this gofpel, is neceflary, by neceffity of command ; even as holinefs, repentance, isc. are. 3. That faving faith is the ivay and mean, by nuhich thefe, that have Chriji offered to thcin in the gofpel, come to get a right to him, and to obtain the benefits that are re- ported of to he had from him; thus, believing is neceflary, as a mids, to the end of getting ChriiT:, and all that is in him : diis is alfo here implied in the regret made of the want of faith, which pre- judgeth men of Chrift, and of die benefits of the gofpel. We fiiall fliortly put by xhe. firjl of thefe, which is, That all that hear the gofpel preached, have warrant to believe and receive Chrift, for their e- ternal peace, and for making up of the breach be- twixt Godandthem: this preached gofpel gives you all warrant to accept bf Jefus Chrift, and ye woyld rot feek after, nor call for another. I fliall firft premife two diftindions to clear this, and then, fe- condly confirm it. As for the firft of the two di- ftindlions that ferve to clear it, we may take up the gofpel more largely and complexly, in a covenant Verfe i . 5^ form, holdkig out Cluift and his bencfitr, on condi- tion of believing ; or, we may take it up as it holds out a promife, without particular mentioning tjf a. condition : now, when we fay, that the gofpel com- mands and \varrants all that hear it to accept the offer, we do not mean the laft, that all that hear the gofpel have warrant to accept the promife, without a condition, but the firft, that is, that all the hear- ers of the gofpel are commanded to accept of Cliriti offered ; there is, by the preaching of it, a v/arrant to clofe with the report, and then to meddle with, and take hold of the promifes, and the things pro- mifed : io that it is the gofpel, conditionally pro- pofed, that gives warrant to believe, as believing refts on Chrift for obtaining life in him. The fe- cond diftindion is, That we would confider faith, as it refts on Clirift or obtaining union Vv-ith liim, and right to the promifes ; or, as it applies and makes iife of the benefits to be gotten in and by Ciirift : the offer of the gofpel gives not to all a warrant to apply the benefits to be gotten by Chrift initantly ; but it warrants them to clofe with him. firft, and then to apply his benefits. Secondly, For confirmation of this truth, That the general preaching of the gofpel is a warrant for believing and exercifing faith on Jefao Chrift, for making our peace with God ; it is clear from thefe grounds, i . From the nature of the gofpel, it is the word of God, as really inviting to' do that v\'hich it calls for, as if God were fpeaking from heaven ; it is the word of God, and not the word of man. and hath as real authority to call for obedience, as if God fpake it immediately from heaven ; and the word of promife is as really his word, as the word of command, and therefore to be 'refted on and im- proven, as well as we are to endeavour obedience to the command: and if we think that God's teftimony is true, and if we lay any juft weight on thefe tliree witnefles teftifying from heaven, and on thefe other three teftifying from earth, i John v, '^. tlien we may reft on Jefus Chrift offered in this gofpel, and believe, that thefe who relt on ,him fliall have life ; for it is, as we faid, as really God's word, as if he were fpeaking it audibly from heaven, 2. It may be confirmed from thefe folemn things, the njoord and oath of God, whereby he hath mightily confirmed the external offer of the gofpel, even the two im- mutable things, wherein it is impoflible for him to lie, that thefe who are fled for refuge to lay hold OB the hope fet before them, may have ftrong confola- tion, as it Is, Heb. vi. 18. And God having thus* faid and fworn anent this external covenant, for this yeryend, that the hearers of the gofpel may know, F 2 tha*^ 40 Ifaiah iiii, that they who receive Chrift offered therein, ihall have hfe, it is warrant fuificient to believe on him for hfe : it is alfo for this end that he hath put feals to the covenant, circumcifion and the paflbver in the old", and baptifm and the Lord's fapper in the new teftaments ; which are extended, not only to the cleft, but to profeffors in the vifible church, that every one, who is baptized and admitted to the com- munion, may have confirmation of this, that the offer, that God raaketh of life through Chrid, is a true and real offer, and will be made good to the perfons that (hall receive it, and fo perform the con- dition, -g. It may be confirmed from the end for which God appointed the word and miniliry in his church, even to make the offer of Chrift and life through him, Johnxx. ^i.Thefe things arenurit- teUy that ye might believe that Jefus ChriJ} is the Son of Godf and that believing ye might have life through his name ; the word is both written and preached for this very end, 4, And /i?/?/)'. It is con- firmed from the experience of all the faints, and from the ground on which they believed, which was the flime that we have ; they had no other ground but the fame gofpel and word that we have ; it was not the fecret operation or iniHnd of the Spiiit, it is that indeed which works faidi ; but it was the word which was the ground of their faith, for there is no warrant for faith but in the word : and as many be- lievers as have gone before us, are as fo many in- Itances and experiences to confirm this truth to us. Ufe. It ferves for good ufe to fucL as may fall to doubt and difpwte what warrant they have to believe : we fay, ye have as good warrant as Abraham, Da- vid, Paul, or any of the godly that llve^ before you, had: ye have the fame gofpel, covenant and pro- mifes ; it was always God's word preached, whirJi 'Yas the ground of faith ; and there needs not be much difputing, what is God's purpofe ; for we are not called to look to that in the matter of believing, more than in the matter of our duty : and as it were evil reafoning to difpute what may be God's purpofe In the matter of our duty, when we are called to it; it is as bad reafoning to difpute his purpofe in the matter of faith : And therefore we leave this ufe with a word of advertifement, that this gofpel, as it lays Chrill before you, it gives you warrant to teceivehim, and reft upon him ; and we may fay as Paul did, Afts xiii. 38, 39. Be it knonun unio ymi therefore^ men and brethren, that thro'' this man is preached unto you forgivenejs of fins., and irf him all that believe are jujlified from all things, from ■which ye could not be jtijiifed by the lavj of Verfe I. Serm.III. Mofes. There is the way held out for obtaining par- don of fin, and peace ; the Lord hath made the offer, and laid a fair bridge over the gulf of diftance be- twixt God and finners, tho' ye fhould never get good of it, and tho' ye fliould never fet a foot on the bridge : none needs to fear to ftep forward ; be- hold, our Lord Jefus hath holden out the golden fcepter, his call may be warrant enough to come; the preaching of this gofpel (tops all difputing, and baniflieth debating of the bufinefs : it calls all the hearers of it, and gives them warrant to come for- ward, and it is fuch a warrant, as they will be found (lighters of the great (alvation offered, who had this dooropencd to them, and did not flep forward; for, as the apofUe fays, 2 Cor. vi. Behold, no^v is the day of fa hat ion, behold noiv is the accepted tnne : and Heb. ii. 2. If the ivord Jpcken by angels ivas fiedfajl , and every tratifgrefion and difobedience re- ceived a juji reconipence of reivard, hovj flvall ive efcape if nxje negleti fo great falvation ? ivhich at the firfi began to be fpoke?i by the Lord, Sec. It is the fame gofpel that from the beginning hath been preached to fmners, and that is the reafon why the gofpel is called^ri7(r^, in that 2 Cor. vi, i . IFe befeechf you that ye receive not this grace of God iti vain ; and Gal. ii. at the clofe, I do not frufrate the grace of God ; For many get the warrant and pafs to come and receive Chrifi, who put it up in their pocket, as it were, and make no ufe of it, as the man that hid the talent in his napkin ; the banns of marriage are proclaimed, and the warrant given forth, and yet they halt, and come not to the wedding. We (hall add the fecond branch, which is. That this gofpel where it comes and offers Jefus Chrift to finners, men and women are not only warranted to come; but required and commanded to come. The great duty that the gofpel calls for, is believing ; it leaves it not indifferent to believe or not, but per- emptorily lays it on as a command : ye hear many preachings, and Chrift often fpoken of; now this is the great thing called for from you, even belie- ving in Chrift ; and while it is not performed, there is no obedience given to the gofpel. We fhall firft confirm, and then make ufe of this branch of the doftrine. I. For confirmation, take thefe grounds, i. From the manner how the gofpel propofeth faith, it is by way of command in the imperative mood. Believe, Come, ye that are iveary, &c. Come t» the 'ivedding. Open, Sec. 'wherein fomewhat of the nature of faith is held out, all thefe beingthe fame with believing. 2. It is not only commanded as o- ther Serm, 111. I/a/aAiin thcr things are, but peculiarly commanded ; and there is a gieater weight laid on the obedience of this command, than on tlie doing of many other commanded duties : it is the fum of all Chriil's preaching, Mark i. Repent ye and believe ii)e gofpel : it is the only command which Paul propofes to the jaylor, Afts xvi. Believe in the Lord Jcfus, &c. .3. ft is, as it were, the peculiar command that J;fus Chrift hath left to his people, i John iii. 23. This is his coinmandvient , that nve Jhould believe on the Tuimeof his Son Jefus Chriji ; and this command of believing on him, is the peculiar command left to, and laid on minilbrs to prefs. 4. It will be clear, if we confider, that the great difobedience that he quarrels for, is, when there is not believing, when finncrs will not come to him, this is his quar- rel, John V. 40. Te ij-'ill not come to vie, that ye ?nay have life ; and here. Who hath believed our report ? fo Mat. xxiii. I ivotild have gathered you, and ye nvould Tiot ; and John xii. 37, Tho' he did many 7nighty 'works amojig them, yet they believed not on him. 5. Look to the nature of the offer made by Chrift, and to the end of it, and ye will find that the great thing called for, is the receiving of it, which is nothing but believing: and all our preachings of Chrift, and his benefits, are iifelefs without it : without this, he wants the fatisfaiftion he calls for, for the travel of his foul ; and widi- out it the hearers of this gofpel profit not, i Pet. . i. 9. Receiving the end of your faith, the fa hat ion f/f your fouls ; the fubordinate end of preaching, to wit, the falvation of our fouls, cannot be at- tciined without faith. The ufs are three, i . It ferveth to be a ground for us to propofe the main gofpel-duty to you, and to teach you, what is the great and main thing ye are called to ; it is even to believe in Jefus Chriii, to exercife faith on him : it is not only that your life fhould be civil and formal, that ye (hould read, pray, frequent ordinances, learn the catechifm, and fuch like ; but this is it, to believe on Jefus Chrift for the obtaining of life and reraiffion of lins through him ; arid it is not a tiling indiuerent to you, but commanded, and with tliis certification, that if ye believe not, yefliall never get life nor par- don of fin : and therefore as we tell you that re- miffion of fins is preached to you thro' Clirift, fo wc command and charge you to believe on him, and receive this gofpel » wherein he is offered for the remifiion of fins. For clearing of this ufe, and that we may have the more ready accefs to application, wefhall fpeak a word to thefe three, i . To fsveral kkds of true Verfe I. 41 faith, three whereof are not favlng ; or to the or- dinary diflindions of faith. 2. To tlic fctipture- cxpreflions, that hold out the natureoffaving faith. 3. To fome difference betwixt this faving faith, andfalfe and counterfeit faith, or thefe adts of tra-^ faith more generally tiiken, which yet are not faving. For the firfl of thefe, ^\hen w;e fpeak of faith, we fliall draw it to thefe four kinds ordinarily fpo- ken of, and fliall not alter nor add to the common diftindions of faith, tho' there may be more given. The firfl is hiforical faith : which may be called true, being it vv'hereby we aflcnt to the truth of a thing, becaufe of his fuppofed fidelity that tell'etk it ; as when an author writes a hiltory, we give it credit upon report that he was an honeft man that« wrote it : fo hiftorical faith is, when people hear- ing the word preached or read, they afient to the truth of it all; and do not quefticn, butthatChriit came to the world ; that he was God and Man in one perfon; that, he died and rofe tlie third day, and afcended into heaven ; that they that believe on him fliall be faved, , '\x)hich is Chrifl the Lord -• but, were it an ifaiiih, it will weight him, when he looks «q a fmitlefs miniftry a»d S£RM. IV. IfalahXm. and defpifed gofpel, and will m;ike hirti complain, Who hath believtfd our report ? O tiiatwe may ex- perimentally know the chearfulnefs and gladnefs that follows the gofpel where U is embiaccd; and that we may not know the fofrow and fadnefs that will follow the challenge for dcfpifing of it. One of thefe twx) the preached gofpel will be, either it will be joyful news to you, or fad ground of com- plaint to God agiiinll: ygu. \Ve entered to fpeak of the great duty of a peo- ple that hear die gofpel, and the great mean where- by thefe news become deliglitfom, and that is by faith to receive die report of the gofpel, or to be- lieve on Chrili: reported of in it : This is clearly implied, for the regret which holds out the fin, is. Who hath believed our report r* and therefore the great duty muft be, to believe, and by faith to re- ceive the report. We come now to fpeak of the Ufe. And becaufe it is the great defignof the whole gofpel, yea, it is the defign of the lav/ alfo, both of which level at this end and fcope, even faith in Chrilt ; it will be expedient, and noways imperti- nent, that we infift a little on this, efpecially when fo many thoufands are utterly ignorant of faith, being ftrangers to what believing in Chrift is, and fo great {grangers to the native end of the gofpel, and out of die way of getting good by the preach- ing of it ; fodiat, to this day, they have not learn- ed this one leflon, to wit, concerning faith in ChrKh and other lellbns will be to little or no purpofe, till tliis be learned. We fhali not infift to fpeak at large of the doc- trine of faith, but only, in a plain way, glance at what tliis great duty is, that is required of the hearers of the gofpel ; it is believing in Chrift fa- vingly, or faving faidi, for no other thing will hold off the complaint again ft you: ye will be complain- ed of, tho' ye would believe with all other faith ; therefore it is this faith that is here meaned. Tliat we may come die fooner to that which we would be at, we fliall premife two or three words. Firji, when we fpeak of believing here, we pre- fuppofe thefe things that are nece/lary for clearing the objeifl of faith, andcapacitaungus to believCjtbo' they be not faving fliith: As namely, i . That the offer of the gofpel muft come to people, that die Objad of faith be held out to them, that it be told them, that diereis away for afinner'sjuftification through Chrift Jef.is, and that finners may be accepted before God on his account, or through him. There muft alfo, 2. Be an underftandingof this, a conceiving in the judgment what it is; folks cannot believe, except %heyhe?.r, and undcrftar:4 what :'v'-- •, ia fo Verfe i, ^ 45 far as diftlii'aly to U/: their faith cnthc:l:ingkr.cv.-n; they muft know and underfhmd the ;ilediatov's ful- ^ nefs, the Covenant's frccnefs, and the efiicacy of faith to make Chrift theirs. Yea, 3. It isnccefil'.ry there be fomc acquaintance with our own condition;, as that we are naturally under fin; that v/c arelofi:^ and under the curfc; lick, and utterly unable, and even defperate to get ourfelves recovered, by any thing diat is in, or by any thing that we can do ct" ourfelves ; that we are for ever undone, if we get not a Saviour, that our mouth may be ftopped. 4. Net only mult we know this, but it is neceliiuy tiierc- be a hiftorical faith of it, to believe that tlicre is fuf- nefs and fuiliciency in (;;hrift, that he is able to cure^ and take away the guilt of (in in all that reft on him j thefe mult be beUeved in general, ei^e ever finr.crs. can reft on him for their own falvation ; u'hich fap- pofes, that there may be an hiftorical, v/here there is not a faving faith. Nov/, v/hcn all this lengtli is. gone, faving faith is that which the gofpel cal!..\!i for, and it is the heart's adling,. according to wiiat found light and conviction it hath, on Jefus Chrift, as holden out in the promife, for obtaining of life and falvation tlirough him ; fo that, v/hen the foul is. lying ftill under its conviftion, and knows it cannot have life but by refting on Chrift,. and hears that there is afufficiencyin him for up-niaidng of all its wants, then the work of the Spirit prevails vv'ithtlie foul,, to caft itfelf over on him, for obtaining cf life, and of every other thing needful; it brings the. foul to ejiibrace and lay liold on him, not only as- one able to fave fmners, but to fave itfelf in particu- lar : and this is the native work of faith, that unitca- the foul to Chril!:, and puts it over the bound-road,. or march of all delufion ; it is like a fifiking man's leaping to catch hold of a rock or rope ; it is the: bringing of a loft fmner, fronrthe ferious apprehen- Con of liis owa naughtinefs and undone eftate, to call: himfelf over on Jefas Chriit, for the obtaining of life through him. adljt When we fpeak of faith, wc wcxdd pre- mife this, That even this taie andravingfaith,v/hiclv is not only in kind truC;^ that is, fach as hath a real being, but is f^^ving, may be corfidered in its dif- ferent a6ts or avflings, for its different needs or necef- fities : Tho' the covenant, be one, yet die aifis of faith arc many, wc havingto dO'Withpardon of fin^ with fani5lification- in its parre, vivi{Ic:itic*3, and, mortification, with peace, iic. faith diderenvly afls. on Chrift and tlie promife for obtaining ol" thefe. Now, the faith that we v^onld infiiton, is, ihe AltJi that refts on' Chrift for pardon of fin, on which ali its reft of the ac:4 cf faith dopcnJ : it is^hat uith^ 44 ^ JfatahXm vhcrcoy a finner receives Chrifl, and calrs himfelf overoniiim; that faith, whereby union with Chrift is made up. ^ 3^/>-, VVc would premife, That there is a great difference bcto^ixt faith, and the efredls of it, as peace, jo)^ allurance of God's love, and thefe o- thcr fpiruual privileges that follow believing. It is ene thing ai^tuaily to bolicve, another thing to have the peace and joy that follows upon, and flows from believing; the one being as the putdng out of the hand to receive the meat, and the odier as the feeding on it. It is the firfl of thde we mean, and irxtend to fpeak of, even that faith, wherey we grip Jefus Chrijf himfelf, and get a right to all thefe privileges, in and through him. ^thly. We premife. That even this faving faith hath its degrees, as all other faith hath; fome have more v/ealc faith, fome ftronger; fome have that full aflurance, fpoken of, Heb. x. or a pleropho- ry, not only as to the Objeft, that it is flifficient; but as to the apprehending and obtaining of life tiirough that ObjecT: ; fo that they are able to fay, Neither height, nor depth, nor any thing e\.k,JJ?all be able to feparaie them fro7n the love of God in Chriji J ejus. We fay then, that faving faith hath its degrees, tho' the degree be not that which we fpeak of; but it is the land of this faith, whether weaker or more fbong, whereby a loft finner rolls itfelf over on Chrift ; the faith v\fhich puts the fin- ner olT tlie ground it flood on, over on him ; the faith, which brings the foul from the covenant of works, to a new holding of life by Chrifl and his righteoufnsfs. We fhall then fpeak a litde, i. To vshat we conceive this adl of faving faith is not, for precaveating of railkkes. 2. AVhat way the fcripture expreiles it. When then we fay that fuch a thing is not faving faith, ye would know that thing is not it that ye mufl lippcn to ; and when we fay fuch a thing is faving faith, j-e would labour to ad and exercife faith according to it. !_/?, For v/hat faving faith is not. i. It is not the knowing that Chrift is God and Man ; that he was bciTi, v/as crucified, dead, and buried, and xoii. again. Aflc forae. What true faving faith is ? They will fay, It is a true knowledge : Alk them again. How long it is fince they believed ? They ^vill fay, Since ever they knew good by ill. Ye ould know tiiat apprehenfive or literal and fpecu- ; .rive l::iDWiedge is needful, but it will not be ta- ■:n.lor faving faith. 2. It is ncrt atouch of warm- (jfs or liberty in the afFcdfions in a nat-ura'l way, .'hich may be in unregenerate men, yea polfibly in ' agar.3, as in a Felix, who, in the moan time, .':.ive not fo much as t';:;'porary f livh ; bxaufe it ^'crfe I. Serm.IV. rifes not from the word, but from difpenfations of Providence, or from temporary things ; and if it rife from the promifes of the word, if there be no niore, it is but temporary faith. 3. It is not cgn- vidions, which many take for faith, and take it for granted, if they be convinced of fin, they believe, and will fay. Whom fhould they believe on but Chrifl } and yet they never follov/ the conviffion, to put in practice what they are convinced of. 4.11 is not fimply a refolution to believe, as others take faving faith to be, v/ho being convinced that their own righteoufnefs will not do their turn, refolve to believe on Chrifl for righteoufnefs, but they will take a convenient time to do it; and many main- tain their peace with this, tho' it be no true peace : but a bare refoludon to believe is not faith ; ye ufe to fay. There are many good wifhers in hell. I re- member the words of a dying man in tliis place, who thought he believed before; and being aflced. What difference he conceived to be betwixt the faith he had before, and the faith he now had at- tained to •• He anfwered. Before, I thought or re- folved to believe, but never praftifed it ; now I pra(5tife believing. There is fuch a fubulty and deceit in the heart, that if it refolve to believe, and if it obfervably thwart not with faith, it will fit down on that, as if all were done ; therefore the word is. To day if ye ivill hear his voice, that is, to day if ye will believe, harden not your heart. This refolving to believe, is like a man finking in the water, and having a rope caft out to him, he refolves to grip it, but does it not; fo many think they have the promife befide them, and refolve to make ufe of it, but do not prefently make ufe of it, and the fliip finks down, and they perifh, while the promife abides and fwims above. 5. It is not prayer. There are many, they think they believe, when they fome way repent, pray, and put their hand to other dudes; and they know no more for believing but fomething of that kind. It is true indeed, prayer may help to believe, yet it is not always with faith : it ishot every one that faith, Lord, Lord, that believeth; many will feek to enter, that fhall not be able. Folks very often have thefe two miferable mil lakes about prayer, ei- ther they put it in the room of Chrifl, or in the room and place of faith, not confidering that they are different things ; for faith esercifeth itfelf on Chriil as Mediator, and prayer taketh him up as God, the true Objeft of divine wonliip; tho', if it be founded on Chrifl as xMediator, it hath no ac- cefs : the ading of faving faith is properly onChriJl held forth in the word, and prayer is a putting up of fuits according to the word. There are many, that Serm. IV. Ifatah\\\\ vliat know no more what ufe to make ot (]hri(l, than if he had never been incarnate, nor had come under that relation of a Mecijator, and make their prayers ferve to make up all; whereas faith not on- ly refpedts Chrift as God but his merits as Media- tor, and his offices. 6. Nor is faith only a belie- ving this word of God -to be true, tho' we could wiih many wc;^ come that length; it would mako ?. man tremble, to hear the blafphemous words that lome will have, when they are ;rfl<;ed concerning their believing the truth of the bible; but tho' ye w6re that length, it were not enough, the devils believe and tremble. The faith, that we call you to, is more than hillorical ; it is to refting on Chrift, to cordial receiving of the meflage which he fends to you: as, fuppofe a king fliould fend an embafiagetoa perfon, to woo her to be his wife ; it is one thing to know that there is fuch a king, another thing to believe that he is real in his offer, and that the woman by confenting to marry him, may be, and will be hap- py, and (which is yet more) a^ually to receive the mefTage, and to confent to go and marry him. It is hcreas \#ien Abraham's ferv ant isfent to Rebekah, Gen. xxiv. ^at and her friends believe all the re- port that the fervant made of his mailer and of his ion, that it was true; and then it is given to her option, if file will go with the man, and flie con- ients to go, and aftually goeth ; this is it we prefs you to, to go \i?ith us, and clofe the bargain, and to accept of him, and of life through him. By the ■fame fimilitude ye may know what faving faith is, and what is the difference betwixt it and temporary faith : when the great, rich, and brave offer comes to be made to Rebekah, by a man with many ca- mels, gold and bracelets; when ^o. believes that it is true, and that it is made to her, fhe is fain, and it may be over fcin, if not fiimev/hat vain alfo ; that is like temporary faith : But when it comes to the articles of the contraft, it is faid to fmners. Ye muft be fubject to Chriftand follow his will, and not your own; this, this calls the bargain. Thus many, when diey hear there is a poUibility of life to be had in Chrift, and much more when they hear it is to be had on good, eafy, and free terms, it will make them fmile; butwhenit comes to that, Pfal. xlv lo. Hearken, daughter, andconjider, forfake thy father s houfe, or the fafhions of thy fidier's houfe ; it halts there, and they fufpend and demur to clofe the bargain ; but faving faith goes • further on, and with Rebekah, finally clofes the bargain. Secondly, The next thing is. What is faving faith? Or, What is it to believe in Chrift? And would to God ye were ready to believe, and as , Verfc I. ' 4J ready to receive the invitation, cis to afic the quefti- on, and that in afl-cing the queftion ye were in car- neft; for, by the way, many have afked the quef- tion, What Jhall 'we do to be fa-ued? where, if they had been in earncft, they might have beea foon re- folvcd: The anfwer is at hand. Believe i?! the Lord Jcf-.s ChriJ}, and thotifnalt be faved. But, to them that dcfire further clearnefs or confirmation in this concerning bufinefs, we ftiall fpcak a little; yet ye mdft know, that it is fuch a thing as is inipofTible to be made plain to a proud-humoured or unhum- bled finner ; it is the poor humbled foul that will take it up ; and, to fuch a foul, half a word will help to take it up. The plaineil way to fet it oat, as we conceive, is, to name fome fcripture-expreflions, and fimili- tudes, that hold it forth: The firft whereof is in that of Mat, xi. 28. Coine to vie, all ye that arc nveary and heavy laden; And John vi. 35. He that- Cometh to me fl?all never hunger, and he that be- lieveth on nie fhall never thirji. Readily thefe ex- preffions hold out thefe three; Firft, An oil which men cleave to. Secondly, A good that is oflered to them. Thirdly, A paffing from the evil to the good, and fo, Conie to me, implies, i . A hazard that folks are in, by being at a drf lance from Chrifl. 2. That there is accefs to Jefus Chrift for remedying that evil, and removing of that hazard. 3, A pafiing from the one to the. other, a palling from our own righteoufnefs to Chrift's righteoyfnefs, a paffing from our natural condition to Jefus Chrift, a real paffing from death in ourfelvesto life in him. Mofc part think faith to be a conceit, a humour, or a gueffing, that they think they may have, and never know how ; but it is a real thing, a coming from our own righteoufnefs (as I faid) to his, from a covenant of works, to reft on Chrift and his righte- oufnefs, held forth in the coven ant of grace. This is fomewhat explained, Rom. vii. where tv/o hus- bands are fpoken of: a woman cannot marry ano- ther man till her firft hufband be dead ; fb, till a finner be dead to the lav/, ha. cannot marry Chrift; there muft be a divorcing from the lav/ and cove- nant of works, ere ye can clofe with Clirift. Thefecond expreffion is, John i. 12. where ftith is held forth as a receiving of Chrift, To as many as received him, he gave them ponver to become t/jc fons of Cod, even to as ynany as believed on his najue : And it is well exprefs'd in the Catechifm, to be a receiving of Chrift as he is offered in the gofpel ; this fuppofes, tliat Chrift is oftered to us, and that we are naturally without him. The gofpel comes and fays. Why vnW ye die, O houfe of If- rael ? Come and receive a Saviour; and the aft of G faith 4^ ifaiah lili. faith is a gripping to that offer, a receiving and em- bracing of it, a being well content to take a free difcharge through his blood. A third expieffion is, Phil. ili. 1 2. where faith is fct out as an apprehending of Chrifl:, and Hcb.vi. 1 8. it is called a laying hold on the hope fet before us, and Ifa. Ivi. 4. a taking hold of the covenant: All which fuppofe folk to have a choice, as it were laid to them, and Chrifl: to be holden out as a city of refuge, and a flielter from that which we arc in hazard of: Chrift is held out in the gofpel as the city of refuge ; and the exercife of faith is to run from the hazard to him, as a child, that is chafed by an unknown and uncouth body, flees unto the mother's arms, or as die man-flayer fled from the avenger of blood to the city of refuge : And faith, having run to him, cafl;s itfelf, on him, or thrufts itfelf (as it were) into him. A fourth esprefiion is, rolling or cajiing of our- felves over upon the Lord, as Pfal.Iv. 22. Cajlthy burden on the Lord; and Pfal. xxxvii. 5. Connnit thy n.vay to the Lord; it is on the margin, Roll thy f elf on the Lord, or reji, as it is i-. 7. and eafethy- felf on the Lord. The gofpel lays Chrifl:, as it were, at folk's feet, and faith rolls them over on him ; it is even the foul's finding itfelf through the work of the Spirit, unable to fland under the bur- den, rolling itfelf on Chrifl, as a crazy and weak body calls itfelf on a down-bed for eafe. This is a very emphatick, fignificant, and adtive expreflion of faith ; fetting out a man quitting his own legs or feet, as unable to (land on them, andlaying him- felf over on Chrifl:; this is it that we call you to, even to quit your own feet, ^nd to roll yourfelves over on Chrill. A fifth expreflion is, Rom. x. 3. where it is cal- led afubmitting to the right eoiifnefs of God; which is held out in the gofpel thus, as if a king were proclaiming a pardon to rebels, and iaying to them. For as many hainous crimes as ye have committed, and are guilty of, if ye will take with them, andbe- Take yourfelves to my grace and mercy, fmcerelyre- folving to be henceforth faithful and dutiful fubje<5ls tome, I will freely pardon you; which gracious offer they mofl: gladly accept of, and fubmit them- felves to it. Suhnitting is an acquiefcing in the terms of the gofpel, as it is propofed; it is even as if ye ihould fay. We hold the bargain, and are well content and fetisfied with it. In a word, faith carves not to God the way to falvation, butfweet- ly fi^bmitteth to the way he hath carved out. A fixth expreffion is. Hiding of our f elves in God, or in Chrifi ; fo the word, triifl in God, fignifies, to iijde ourfclves in him as in a place of refuge, ac- Verf'e I. §ejim. IV. cording to that, Prov. xviii. The 7iame of the Lord is a Jirong tonuer ; the righteous run into ity and are preferved, or hid ; or, they flee to it, as doves do to their windows: And this is it the apoftle faith, Phil iii. 9. That I may be found in him, not having my oivn righteoufnefs, &c. So that, if yeall<, What is faith? It is a man betakinghimfelf to Chrifl:, that when he fhall be called for, it may be anfwered. Lord, I am in Chrifl:, not having mine own righte- oufnefs, i^c. it is not to be iippcning to the man's good hopes, to his good prayers, or to his good meaning, but to Chrift's fatisfadion, and God's promife ; by faith, when rightly exercifed, the fin- ner holds and hides himfelf in Chrifl:, till (to fpeak fo) a bit of the man cannot be feen ; and this is well fet out by the Lord, when he fays, Ifa. xxvi. 20. Come, 7ny people, enter into your chai7ibers, fjut the doors about you, hide yourfelves for a little 'while, &c. Come in under the Mediator's wings, lock in yourfelves by faith there, and fo make ail fure. A feventh expreffion is, 2Chron.xxx.8. where, when Hezekiah is writing to the degenerate tribes to come home again, he bids them,T>V/^ themfelvei to the Lord; in the original it is. Give the hand to Lord: even as two men, who have been at odds and variance, or have broken the tyes that were be- twixt them, come to renew the friendship, tliey chop hands ; now, God is brought in, f belching out his hands to you, Ifa. Ixv. 2. therefore come and clofe with him, yield to him, give him the hand, or chop hands with him, and make the bar- gain and engagement ficker for the time to come. All thefe fimilitudes, borrowed from men, are part- ly to make the nature of faith obvious and clear, partly to ftrengthen and confirm believers faith. An eighth expreflion is, thatof i?/'^«/>/^toChrift, Cant. V. 2. Opentomemy dovs, &c. Rev. iii. 20. Behold, Ifiaiid at the door and knock ; if any man open the door to me, &c. Ads xvi. it is faid, The Lord opened the heart of Lydia : When the word comes, finners hearts are locked on God; Chrifl comes by his word, and knocks hard to be in, bids open and take in the Saviour ; and faith difcerns his voice, and gives him entry. It is the letting of the v/ord fink, the making of him welcome ; it is not only the crediting of the word as true, but the re- ceiving of him whom the word offers, for the end for which he is offered; and this is, when the work of the Spirit, with the word, wakens up a flichil- ling, or flightering (to fay fo) within, and makes the heart to open to take in Chrifl ; as one worded it well and fignificantly. My heart cleeked as a lint- feed boll to Chrifl. And wherever Chriflt hadi a defign of grace on the foul, and comes with power, hecon- tinues Serm. IV. _ Ifaiah\X\. tinues knocking, rapping, and calling hardand loud, till doors and gates be call open to him. A ninth expreflion or fimilitude, under which faith is held fortli, is that which is ordinary of a rnarri- age, or of covenanting or confenting, whether in marriage or otherwife, but more efpecially in mar- riage : When Chrift taketh on him the place of an wooer, minifters are his ambafladors, the word is their inllru(fbions, wherein he bids them go tell fin- ners, that all things are ready, and to pray them to come to the marriage, or to marry and match with him ; and faith is a coming away to this Hus- band, a receiving of the word of invitation, a con- fenting to the marriage : It is not fo much a Jocal, as a qualitative change or mutation ; we change fa- fhions, we fubfcribe the contract on the terms it is laid out to us : In the bargain of grace, fomething is offered by God, and that is, Chrift and his ful- nefs ; and there is fomething done on our lide, and that is, accepting of him by faith : And this is not fo much a faying with the tongue, as it is a believing with the heart ; as it is Rum. x. lo. With the heart man believes unto right eoufnejs : it is the heart's prefent fubfcribingthe marriage-contraft, and going away with Chrift, to live and cohabit with him ; tho' confeffion will be readily with the mouth alfo, as he calls for it. A tenth expreflion. or fimilitude, is thatof 3a>- ing. Ho, every one (crieth the prophet ifa. Iv. i .) that thirjls, come to the nvaters ; and he that hath no money, come, buy, &c. fo Rev. iii. 18. Buy of me eye-falve, &c. It fays this much, that God in the gofpel fets forth, as in a market, to fmners, rich and rare wares, and good cheap, or at very low and eafy rates ; and that believing is like buy- ing up of the wares : Life eternal is holden out on condition of believing on Chrift, and the poor fin- ner thinks that a good bargain, for it takes no mo- ney from him; Rev.xxil. 17. this is called ivilling, Whofoever ivill, let him come and take of the nuater cf life freely ; the foul hathagoodwilltothething. It is held forth by feveral other expreffions in the fcripture ; it is called a cleaving to the Lord, or flicking to him, Jofh. xxiii. 8. and Adts xi. 23. it is called hearing, hearkning, and inclining of the Air, Ifa, Iv. 2, 3 . an attentive, concerned, and holily greedy liftning to, and taking hold of this offer; it is a cleaving to the Lord, as wocdben or ivy cleaves to an oak, becaufe its life depends upon it : And, Deut. XXX. and Jofh. xxIt. it is called a choojing Verfe r. 4^ of the Lord, and that upon deliberation, asknow- ing that we have need of him, that he is a Saviour fuited compleatly to all the neceffitics of our fouls, and that we are warranted to believe on him ; it Is the native ad: and exerclfe of faith to choofeChiift among all the wooers that are courting the foul ; So likewife it is fet out under trufingand committing., Pfal. xxxvii. Commit thy "vjay to the Lord, trufiin him; I know, faith Paul, 2 Tim. i. 12. he is able to keep that ivhich I have committed to him : it is to give Chrift the credit of your falvation ; it is one thing to give a man the credit that he is true, and another thing to con-credit him with our great- eft concerns; we will credit many, whom we will not thus con-credit ourfelves to, nor commit our concerns to ; the former (when thefe are applied to God) is hiftorical faith, but this latter is faving faith, when we dare truft and lippen oUrfelves to him, and to his word ; and we think this expreflion holds forth as much of the nature of faving faith as any of the former, if we could take it up, when we dare con-credit ourfelves to him, becaufe he hath faid the word. Thus alfo, to aft and exerclfe faith on him, for temporal, or for Ipiritual things, it is to exped the event from God, butfo, as we expedl and look for it on this ground, that Chrift hath purchafed it, and we have accepted him on his of- fer, which gives us a right to thefe things needful for us, and purchafed by him : It is faid, Matth. xxii. 5. when the invitation comes, xhzx.fo7}is inade light of it ; but faith, on the contrary, is a laying weight on it, and con-crediting of ourfelves to God on that ground: it Is called, Rom. vi. A deliver- ing up of ourfelves to the ivord, and to him in it ; it is even to put a blank in Chrift 's hand, to be fill- ed up as he pleafes. Ye fee then what ye are called to, it is to open to Chrift, to come to him, to marry him, to roll yourfelves on him, to commit yourfelves to him, to give him credit, 'be And is there any of thefe un- reafonable or prejudicial to you ? and if they be very reafonable and advantageous, (as indeed they are) we would exhort you to come to him, to re- ceive him, to apprehend him, to flee to him, totake hold of him, to marry him, he believe on him, and by believing, be united to him, and get a right to him, and to all hispurchafe; give him the credit of faving your fouls. This we call for from you; and If ye do It not, the complaint in the text will (land againft you, Who hath believed our report? Ce S E R M O N SERMON lfai;ili liii. I . IV!: o hiith belii-vcd our report ? and to nuhovi is the arm of the Lord revealed ? £ is a orcat matter oncetogetthegofpcl brought amongrt a people, ar.d fuch niefl'engers, asmay niiike ilie favoury report of Jcfiis Chrift unto them ; yet this is not all, there is a greater work behind, i.nd that is, to get Chrift believed on, and to get the report concerning him received, by the people to \> honi it is made ; this being the greateft and gra- \ eft work of the prophets, and of the miniftcrs of the gofpel, and die mott eminent, not fo much to get a word to fay, as to get the word believed ; and this is Ifaiah's complaint, that tho' he hirafelf brought the report concerning Chriit, and forefaw many more would bring it, yet, that the exercife of faith in thefewho fliouidhear it would be very rare. We fpoke of the great thing called for from a people, to whom tlijs gofpel comes, and the report of Chrift is made ; and that is, to believe on him, to receive and reft on him, of whom the report is made; except this be, tho' there were never fo many preachers, and encouragements to preach, iho' ye Oiould flock to the ordijiances every day, the ground of complaint will ftill remain, if there be not faving faith in Jefas ' Clirift, which is tlie fubftance of the gofpel. After confirmation of this point, v/e fliew what faith is, from the feveral names the fcripture giveth it; and wherein the exercife of fiving faith is hold- en out: All which imply thefe three, i. A great hazard and danger that the hearers of the gofpel are in, whedier they be fenfible of itinfuch a mea- fare at leaft or not, we fpeak not now, yet they are fo really; fo much fleeing, coining, laying hold, apprehending. See. infinuate. 2. A fulnefs and fufliciency in Chrift Jefus, holden forth to them, as the objeft of their faith, as one that can deliver out of rhatdanger, andcanright whatever iswrong. 3. An aft, wherein mainly die exercife of faith is lioldcn forth, and 'tis the ad of the foul under that danger and tUftrefs, betaking itfelf to Chrift's ful- iiefs for help: it is a fleeing from the curfe of the law to him, as to the city of refuge; fo every name that faith gets, fetb out a man afting and moving fome way for Chrift's remedying the evil and removing the hazard he is in. Having fpoken a little to this, that faitli is the main duty that is called for, we may now follow I'iC exhortation to prefs you to it; it being to no purpofe to fpeak of Chrift, and of faith in him ex- cept he be recciYed. This is tlie eiid of the word ■ ■ ■ vi ;.u'oht, John XX. at the clofe, even to believe in the name of the fon of God, and by be- lieving to receive life in and thro' him. And therefore, 2dly, Seeing this is the main duty called for by the gofpel, that by faith ye fliould re- ceive it, and Chrift ofleredin it ; we earneftly exhort you to it. It is not fo much to tliisor diat particular duty, tho' thefe be implied ; it is not fo much to attendance on ordinances, nor to fubmillion to dil- cipline and cenfures, tho' thefe alfo be duties that Vve exhort you to; but it is to obedience to the great command ot fiith even to believe on him whom the Father hath fent and fealed : It is to receive this gofpel, tofubmit to the righteoufnefs of faith, to open to him that is knocking at the door, to yield to him, and to give him the hand, that bygone quar- rels may be removed, and taken out of the way : except this be, we profefs to you in his name, that ye bring not forth the fruit that this gofpel calleth. for from you, and that no lefs will be acceptable to God, nor taken off your hand by him. Aad to add here the //vrii branch of the dodrine^ we fay. That no lefs will do your turn, as a ne- ceflary mean for attaining the promife, and that v/hich is promifed : i . Look to all the promifes, whether of- pardon of fin, or of peace with God. of joy in the holy Ghoft, of holinefs and conformi- ty to God ; there is no accefs to thefe, or to any of them, but by faith : this is the very proper condi- tion of the covenant of grace, and the door where- by we ftep in to it; and if ye think pardon of fin,, peace with God, and holinefs to be neceifary, then this great gofpel-duty of believing is no lefs necef- fary ; for die Lord faith, John iii. 36. He that be- lieveth not is condenmed alteady. 2. Look to the performance of any duty, or mortification of any luft or idol, and faith is neceflary to that, i John iii. 5. It is by faith ive obtain vidiory over the world :^ it was by faidi (Heb. xi.) that all the wor- thies, fpoken of there, wrouglit righteoufnefs, or. 3. When any duty is done, of whatfoever 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 is faith ; The •word profited them not, faith the Apoftle, Heb. iv. 2. becaiife it ivas not mixed ivith fait/?. And that, for making the duty acceptable, faith is necefl"ardy requifite, we may clearly fee, Heb. xi. 6. where it is exprefly faid, that nvithout faith it is ijnpoffible to pleafe God; and how i» "it that Abel offers a more excellent facrlficc than Cain ? it was nodiing fitre Serm, V. Ifa'tah fure in Gain's facrifice itfclf tliat made it be caden, nor anything in Abel's that made it be received or acceptable, but faith in the MefTiah to come, that was found to be in the one, and wasamiiTmg in the other. Is there not reafon then to prefs this duty on you, and to exhort you not to think this a common and eafy thing, tho' the moft part think, it to be fo ? If we look to the benefits 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 prefs'd than this, even that Chrift Jefus fhould get the burden of your im- mortal fouls cafl on him by his faving faith. I fliall therefore, in the further profecution of this, i . Sliew, what mainly you would efchew and avoid, as that whereat folk more ordinarily ftumble. 2. What it is we would prefs to, and on what grounds. For the /fr/?, I know the deceits and mlltakes in men about the exercife of faith are fo many, that they are more than can well or eafily be reckoned up ; yet we fliall in fome generals, fpoken of before, hint at a few of them: For, fo long as ye continue in the fame fnares, they ranlt (till be pointed out to you, aiiu endeavju; 3 iliU uuid to undeceive and ex- tract you out of them ; and therefore, i . Beware of leflingon a dodtnnal faith, which before I called bijlorlcal. \Ve knov/ it is hard to convince fome that they want faith, yet we would have you to con- sider, that it is not ever}"^ kind of faith, but faving faith, that will do your turn ; it is the want o»f that, which the prophet complains of : And therefore to open this a little, ye would confider, tliat there may be rcidly fuch a faith, as is an affent to the truth of the word, in a natural man, yea in a reprobate ; but that faith will never unite to Chrilt, nor be waited with the pardon of fin. (i.) I do not fay, that e- vcry one that is in the vifible church hath th's docftri- nal faith, to believe a heaven and a hell, that the fcripture is the word of God, and that all that be- lieve in Chrilt fliall get pardon of fi.n, and life ; the carriage, alas ! of many teftifies that they have not this much : whatever fleeting notions they may have of thefe things, or whatever eiteem they may feeni to put on the gofpel, and whatever profeHlon they . may make, that they believe the truth of it, yet in tKeir deeds they deny it ; for if there were a fixed nefs in the do<5trinal faith of the gofpel in men, they durfl not for their fouls live as they do. Neidier yet, (2.) Do we fay, that all they diat have this doifrinal faith of the gofpel, or fomcwhat of it, do believe every pafTage in it alike, but often as they plcafe them, they beUqve them : Hence, many believe what the word fpcaks of mercy, and of pardon, of fin, and will not queftion that , butv/hatit fpeaks of ho- Knefs and of the fcverity of God's reckoniirg nich liii. Verfe i. 47 men for fin, they do not fu credit that part of thi word : it is true, where the faith of die one is, th,; faidi of the other will fome way be ; but bccauii; the one agrees better with their corruption than the other, therefore the one is not received as the 0- ther : and it is very frequent with fuch, to be found diminlfliing from one place, and adding to another, of the word of God. Nor, (3,) Do we fay, that all men do, in a like and equal degree, believe the truth of the word ; there is in fome more know - ledge, in fome lefs, in lomc more conviftions, 'vx fome fewer ; and tho' \v'e preach to you all, ye: there are iome that believe not this to be God's or- dinance, albeit there are many who vv'iU not be fii- ved, that take this word to be the word of God,, and believe what is die meaning of it, becaufc d:e word itfelf fays it isfo : .und the reafon of diij i>;, I . Becaufe there is nothing that is not faving, but a natural man may have it ; now, this dov^triiul faidi is not faving, andfo a natural man may have it, j-co, the devils believe and tremble : and James, does net difpute with thefe to whom he writes, on this ac- count, that they believe not this, but tells thoni, that hiftorical faith was not enough; and we thioii a man in nature may have a great perfuafion of the truth of the word of God, and that which it fays wll come to pafs, and jet IIIIl continue but a natu- ral man. A 2d reafon is., becaiue thefcripturc fjjcaks fo often of many forts of faith that are not faving, as Exod. xiv. at the clofe, it is faid. The fcopkit- lieved the Lord, and Pfal. cvi. \2. Their thej, be- lieved his ivord, and ftwg his praife ; and John il. 23. Many believed on Chrift, to ivhom he did net commit himfelf ; there was faiih in them whicii.hib figns. and miracles extorted from them, which was not faving; and Matt. xiii. two or three fuch ads of faith, are fjpoken in the- parable of the fowcr^ tkrit were not faving, hov/ever found they might be jo their ov/n kind ; and, i Cor. xiii, we have iudi a faith fpoken of, as a man dure not deny the truth of the word, tho' he fliould bring hia body to be burnt by his avouching of the fame* A ■ 3d reaf^ju 13, becaufe as mucii credit may b- given to die word, as is given to anyother hiftory that is creditably' l^^c- Iieved; audit is on this ground that \v^e believe there were fuch men as Cx;far, Pompcy, Walkce, ^ r. and It being certain, that there may be imprc[IIons on the confciences of hearers, that this is CoiLSr word, backed with fome comaisn work of the %^\rf rit, and that is generally received to be the wo-rd^of God in the part of tlie world v/e live m ; what -ren- der is it, that foH; believe thus, and drink in dila hiflorical or do<'trinal faith of tl>e ward, fo- i^sth. % Riayevcn dare to fufrer dc;itb for it ? si^d-;- in ;L'' yo Ifaiah liii. Verfe mean time, mr.y want faving faith; the devils be- ing as fure as any natural man is, that God is true, and that liis word will be performed \ and therefore they fay to Chrill:, Art thou come to torment us he- fore the tme ? The pangs of a natural confcience in men will aflure them of a judgn>ent coming, tho' they tremble to think on it. And therefore, ere we proceed further, take a word of ufe from this, and it may let you fee the great and very general miftake of the molt part of the hearers of the gofpel, in reding on this dodtri- nal 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 fuch as believe on him (hall be fa- Ved ; and on this they reft : It is fuch as thefe, who think they have believed all their days, fince ever they had any knowledge ; becaufe the word was al- waj's, or very long fince, received in the place where they lived, for the word of God ; and they believe it to be fo alfo, and know no difference betwixt be- lieving the word, and believing on Chriftholdenout in it : tho' alas ! many of you believe not this much ; t'or if ye were among the Jews, ye might be foon brought to queftion the truth of the gofpel : but tho' ye had the real faith of the truth of the word, take not that for faving faith ; for as there is a real I'orrow, that is not the faving grace of repentance unto life, fo there is a fort of real faith, that hath a real objedt, and a real being in the judgment, which yet is not a real clofing with Chrift, and fo rot faving faidi : as, fuppofe a man, purfued by his enemy, Ihould fee a Itrong caftle-door ftanding o- pen, or one in hazard at lea Ihould fee dry land, if he (hould ftand ftill while the enemy were purfuing him, or abide dill inthefiaking veflel, the fight of the cafUe-door open, or of the dry land, would not fave him ; fo it is not the believing that there is a Saviour come into the world to fave fmners, that will fave, except there be a refting on him, as he is holden out in the word of the gofpel. Hiftorical faith is only (as it were) a looking on the Saviour, but faving faith grips to him, and refts on him : Hi- ftorical faith looks on Chrilt, but afts not on him, clofes not with him; and therefore fuch as have it only, and no more, fink and perifli without getting good of him. \Vc would think it a great matter, to get many of you as far on in believing as the de- vil is, who believes and trembles ; the little trem- bling that is, fliews that there is but little of this hiftorical faith : yet, as I have often faid, this Is not all, ye may have this, and yet, if ye halt there, ye will certainly perlfh, if ye were never fo confident to \>z fayed ; the Apof^le doth well diftinguiih tliefc, Serm. V. Heb. xi. 6. He that cometh to God, rxuji believe that he is, and that he is a rciuarder of them that diligently feek him: v/here thefe two arc prefup- pofsd, I . Believing that God is, or hath a being : And, 2. Believing that his promife is fure and ficker; that he is faithful that hath promifed, and will make his word good. And then, 3. On both thele fol- lows a coming to him, as a rewarder of diligent feekers of him. The firft two take in hiftorical faith : for to believe that God is, is natural ; and to believe that God is faithful in his promife, may be in natural men : but to come to him, to get the ha- zard that the foul is in, removed, through Jefus Chrift, is a thing few do attain. This then is the firfi thing we would be aware of, not aware to be- lieve the truth of the word, but to be aware of reft- ing on it as faving faith : it is not enough to look on Chrift, and to grant that it is he, but the man mull never be fatisfied till hegethimfelf rolled on Chrift, and the weight of his falvation and peace laid on him in his own way. The fecond thing ye would beware of is fome common and quickly tranfient work on the affedli- ons, that may accompany hiftorical faith ; whether the affeftion of grief, or the affedlion of joy be ftirred thereby, both are unfafe to be refted on, when we can't prove our refting on Chrift, or where there is no relevant ground to prove it by. Tho' ye fhOuld tremble as Felix did, and be under alarming convidions of confcience and fears of your hazard, or though ye fhould be affedted with joy, as the tem- porary believer may be, and fometimes is, what will that profit you ? It is a great miftake to take fome fmall work on the affedions, which at the beft is but an effed of hiftorical faith, for a faving work of the Spirit. Or, 2. If it be not an efFed of hi- ftorical faith, it is an effedl of a challenge of con- fcience, and fmiting of the heart, as in Saul, who could fay to David, Thou art ?nore righteous than /, tfiyfon David. Or, 3 . It is fome common work of the Spirit, fuch as was in Simon Magus, of whom it is faid. He believed, and who could fay, Pray for tne ; for folks to conclude on this ground, that they are brought out of nature into a ftate of grace, is to build upon a fandy foundation : The Apoftle fpeaketh, 2 Cor. vii. 10. of worldly for- row, as well as of godly forrow ; and as there may be a worldly forrow, fo there may be carnal joy, » piece of fainnefs, to fpeak fo, in prayer, or at hear- ing of a preaching, or at a communion, which is not faving faith: fome hear the word with joy, Matt. xiii. who yet endure not ; and John Baptift's hearers rejoiced in his light for a feafon ; even as a fick man, who hearing (as we hinted before) that a phyficiaa Serm.^V.- IfaiahXni. a phyfician, who is flcillful and able to cure him, is come to town, he grows fain in the contemplation of a cure of his difeafe ; but here is the ftick, when the phyfician tells the man that he muft be fo and fo abftemious, and keep himfelf under fuch a (tridl diet, he dow not abide that, and fo all his joy e- vanifhes : There is fomething like this in tempora- ry faith, where fome remote expeftation of falva- tion will caufe a carnal joy and fainnefs : but when it comes to this, that a man Is called to quit his lufts, or his eftate, or in the world to undergo trouble and perfecution for the gofpel, hy and by he is of ended, he thinks (to fay fo) A fcnul in his hajid is nvorth ti'jofying; and therefore, when the ftorm blows in his teeth, he turns his back, and runs away ; efpecially we will find this to be with men in ficknefs, they will have mints at ferioufnefs, and fometimes riafiies of forrow under convictions and challenges, and fometimes flafhes of joy, that will cvanifliwhen they come to healdi again. When we fpeak of fome common work on the afFedions, we would take in liberty, and fome warmnefs of fpi- rit in prayer, which, no queftion, even unrenewed men may find more at one time than another ; as when they are in Ibme great hazard or ftrait, they will be more than ordinary feriousin that duty, and yet that may be but an effeifl of nature : This proves a great ftumbling and neck-break to many, that they think they are well enough, if now and then they get utterance in praj^er, as fometimes th-ey will get words beyond what they expefted ; and when, upon refleding, they find that they have been in earneft, tho' it hath been v/ith moral feri- oufnefs, that blows them up ; fo they put prayer in the place of faving faith, and when they pray with warmnefs, they trow they believe, when in the mean time they never knew what it was in good earned to lay themfelves over on Chrilt Jefus : Therefore, v/hen we in\nte you to believe, this is another thing we would bid you beware of, that ye put not a flafh of fenfe in the room of faith. 3. There is yet a morefubnle, tho' no lefs dan- gerous miftake, that ye would beware of, and that is, when faith is confounded with obedience, and is looked on in juftification as a piece of new obe- dience, with love, repentance, and other duties of holinefs : fo fome think they believe, bccaufe they have fome natural awe of God in their walk, and fome fear of fin, and do perform fome duties of re- ligioB, and walk honeftly, as they think, according to the rule ; which is to confound the covenants of works and of grace, and to make the covenant of works a covenant of grace, or to run the cove- nant of grace into a covenant of works ; only with this difference, that tho' tjicir works be not per- Verfei. 5* fed, but defedlivc, yet wherein they are defec- tive, they think there is worth in their faith ta makeup that want, and to fupply that defeat ; and fo, by faith they think they will obtain the accep- tation of their works, and of their perfons on ac- count of their works : they look upon their works as pleafing to God, but becaufe they are not per- feft, they will believe, or exercife faith, to make up their defefts ; to which thewayof graceis quite contrary, which makes the tree firlt good, and then the fruit. This way, that many take, is not to draw the evidences of believing from works of ho- linefs, which is warrantable; but the founding of faith, or their hope of heaven, on works : and the ufe they make of their faidi, is, to ward off challenges for the imperfedtion of their works, and to make faith procure acceptance (as I juftnow faid) to their works, and acceptance to tlreir pcrfon for their works fake. 4. Beware of that which ye ordinarily call a certain affurance, or fure knowledge of your falva- tiori, and that ail the promifes are yours, whereby ye think yourfelves in no hazard ; a hope and affu- rance of heaven that ye can give no ground for, nor proof of ; only ye think ye are fure of pardon of fin, and coming to heaven, and that ye are 0- bliged to maintain that groundlefs hope : but that is not faving faith, for it h a hope of heaven that can give you no right to Chrift ; there muft firft be a fleeing to him, and clofing with him before ye can have any true and well-grounded hope of hea- ven : but your hope and confidence is, never to queftion the matter; ye are hke Laodicea, wha tliought herfelf rich, and to ftand in need of na- thing, when fhe was beggarly poor ; or like thefe men, who, when God was threatning them with judgment, yet would needs prefume to think that they leaned on the Lord. I think, among all the perfons that God hath indignation againlt, it is in a fpecial manner againft thefe who have this fort of hope, and to whom God difcovereth the ground- lefnefs of it, and yet they will ftill itoutly maintain,, and ftand faft by their hope : it is to thefe he fpeaks, Deut. xxvi, 16. who defpife and tufli at God's threatnings, and fay, We Jljall have peace, though nve 'walk in the itnagi nation of our omn hearts, and add drujtkennefs tothirji ; the Lord then pronoun - ceth a curfe, and to the curfe addeth an oath, that he will not fpare fuch perfons, but will feparate them for evil, and caufe all the curfcs of the law, to overtake them. Judge ye now., what a condi- tion this is for perfons to be in, to be believing that ail the promifes are theirs, and yet, ialtead of that, t© be (in the mean time) liable to all the curfes tbreatned in the word of God;, it istlii^that we 5^ ^ Ifa'mh liii. rM fyrffin;iption and hope of the hypocrite thatnvill .-njh. Job, viii. 1 3 . the confidence of fuch fliall hz rejeftcd and fwept away as a fpider's v/eb, and ihall bo rooted out of their tabernacles, and bring •1 hcnv to the king of terrors. They think' they be- lieve always; when they are not troubled nor dif- qnictcd, they never want faith, but have a great deal of it; which yet is but agusfiing, which can- r.ct fupport and uphold them v;hen they come to ;< ff ! ait ; when they are more fecure, they belieue very well, and they think when they are more w.'kcn'd and difquieted, they believe lefs, and their f ;;iKitd faith ebbctli quite on them : when they hear of any exercife of mind, or trouble of con- fcif.';:cc in others, they wonder that they will not believe, and all this work is to maintain their deep iecurity and ftrongdelufion ; this is then iht fourth thing ye wouk^, beware of, for it is not the faith tliat ^Vill turn away the complaint. Who hath believed our report ? and yet how many are there of this fort, who fay they fhall have peace, and pleafc thcmfelves with this their good hope, fay the v/ord what it will. O ! be perfuaded, fhat this is nothing elfe but vvfoful unbelief and prefumption ; and \vc preach to you terror and thecurfe of God, 1 ho" ye cry peace to youi-felves : the Lord com- plains of fuch perfons, Jer v. 12. faying. They he- lied the Lord ; he fent his prophets to denounce jiulgraents in the days of johah, when there was a fair profeflion of' religion and reformation, yet they , w^uld believe and hope that no evil flioul^ over' take them. That which we aim at in this part of the ufeis, to make way for what follows, even to give you a cleanly ground for exercifing of faith on Jefus Chrift, when all thefe ftumblings and miftakes 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 thefe to be faving faith, for there are hundreds, nay thou- fands, that perifh under thefe pretexts, deceiving thcmfelves, and deluding others, with a faith they v/ere born and brought up with, and they have no more but their groundkfs hope to prove their faith by, and that they will Itick by it, be faid to them v.hat will ; but be not deceived, for God will dif- cover you ; ye tliink a (Irong prefumption is faith, and that ye can by fuch a faith, drink in the pro- niifes ; but Cod v/ril make you vomit them up, ur.d ye (hall be decl.ircd to be void of fliith in the great day : therefore be more jcalor.s over your Faith, and feek to have your grips of Chrili: ficker- cJ, which is done, when, from the belief of your fcazrifd and fclf-cmptincfs, and of Chrift's fdnefs, ye go to him, and clofe with him, to make up all ye want in him ; and this faith is efpecially quali- hed by the account on which we go to him, and reft on him : even as a confcientious duty is that which flows from a command, as obedience to it, fo one of the main things that qualifies this faith is, a receiving Chrift as Chrift, or as he is holden out in the gofpel : which is therefore well put in the de- fcription given of faith in the Catechifm ; and it is called a bclievitigojihivi'-oohomthe Father hath fent, which is not to believe on Chrift fimply, but as he is holden out in the word of the gofpel. Prefump- tion may look on Chrift and his fulnefs, and few or none will readily dare to give him a dired and down-right rcfufal, or to rejecft him profefTedly and avowedly, when they hear of fuch happinefs that is to be liad in him ; but that which v.e fay quali- fies faith, \%, to defire, receive and embrace him, according as he is holden out in tlie gofpel, for nvif- dojn, righteo! fiefs, faniiif cation, and redemption, 2. Cor. i. 30. wlien he is lippcned to with an eye to the promife, and when that, which makes us reft on him, is the word of God : for, tho' Chrift be the material Objedt of ftiith, yet the word is the formal objeft whereby we get a right to him ; and there is no gripping or getting hold of Chrift, but in, and according to his word : and therefore the generality of people (who, on the matter, take the Antinonsian way) think thiy have no more to do, bat to apply Chrift, and to count him their own at the very firft ; but, ,,thro' their not exerciiing faith on the word of promife they mifs him. This is, as I h2.ve fiiid, a main qualification of fitving faith, even to reft on Chrift as he is holden out in the word, and by the word to take hold of him, and reft u- pon him : Saving faith doth net fimply reft on Chrift becaufe he is merciful, and hath all fulnefs in him, but it refts on him and his fulnels, as received in the word, and oifered by God in his word ; Faith takes God's faithfulnefs in his word, and laj's hold on him by that : Chrifi: is the thing that makes happy, but God's faithful promife is the right by which w^e get a title to that thing. We would ne- ver love nor like that faith, that knows not the ufe of the word ; th;vt betakes itfelf to Chrift, or the thing in the word, but meddles not, nor hath any deahngs with the word that holds them out ; when as it is only this word that gives us warrant to ex- pedt that iiis fulnefs fhall be made furthcoming for our up-making, and for the fupply of all our needs. Many defire, and expeft good of God, but get it not, becaufe tl-eir expeflation is not founded onhis word, and Gcd's faithfulnefs in his word is not clofed wit::;'. I.i a v;'ord, 1 would have you to tJiink. SfiRM. Vl. think, that faith is neither an eafy, nor an iniuper- ably ditficult thing, but that it is eafy to go wrong, •and difficult to go right ; and that, without Gods fpecial and powerful guiding, ye cannot believe, nor ©xercife faith, nor walk in the way of believing in Jfa'iah iiii. Verfe I . him, artd d :pendcncc on h::n ; that j'c nv\y be hcljf- ed to make a right ul^; of Ch^ilt, and to build upon hinijthat ye may not Hip nor ilumbi;, andfall on rlic iKimbling-llone laid in Zicn, on which fo m.my fall every day, and break themfelvcs to pieces. SERMON VI. Ifaiah Iiii. i . IVho hath believed our report ? and to nxhom is the am of the Lord revealed ? IF it were not recorded in the infallible fcriptures of truth, we would hardly believe that there could be fo much powerful and fweet preaching of the nioft excellent in'lruments that ever were em- ployed, and yet that there fliould be fo little fruit following on it ; who would believe that ifiiiah, fo excellent, fo fweet, and fo evangelick a prophet, fhuuld have preached fo many pleafant, plain, and powerful ferraons to a people from the Lord, and yet that he lliould have lo many fad complaints as he hath :" chap.vi. xxviii,andlviii. that hclhould be forced to bring in the Lord, faying, ^lll the day lorig have IJlretchid out my hands to a rehellioiis people, chap, Ixv. and that here himfelf fliould have it to f:iy, JVhh hath believed our report ? It is fcarce one man here or there that hadi favingly believed on ChriH:. And this is the third thing in the words, that now we would fpeak to ; and it is a very flid, tho' a very clear truth. ' The dytlrine is this. That there viay he much po-eeer fill preaching of the gofpel, and yet lutbelief generally among the hearers of it. Or, take it with dependence on the former two. Namely, i. That the great Ivor k of the 7ninifiry^ is, to propofe and 7?iake Chrijl kno-.vn to a pccpl-e. 2. That the great duty of a people, that have Chrift propofed to thetn, is to believe on hiiri. Then this -^d follov/s on the back of thcfe. That a people inayhave Chrifl pro- pofed to the)u, brought to their heart and fhouth ; and tho' it he hut believing that is called for from them, yet that cannot bi obtained from tnof} of thcin.^ Th'sgofpcl-duty of believing is often fl'qhited b . the hearers of the gofpd ; this is clearly holden forth here, U'ho Sath believed our report ? we have called for'faith, bat it is a rare thing, among the multitude of hearers, to get one that believeth fa- vlnoly. To make onr, and prove this a little further, we WDuld confider this complaint-, with thefe a"t^rava- tior.3 of it, whijh will make it the more clear, and fo the more to bo wondered at ; as, if, Th-fe of v/hom the complaint is made •. it is not headisns, irjt God's own p;jpie, asthc Lord com^^lains, Pfal. Icxxi. II. IMy people v:ould not hearkejt to 7f^y voice and Ifrael 'would have none ofmc ; our Lord Jeius complains of Jcrufalem, Matt, xxiii. at the end, Jerufalem, Jerufalem, hove often ivould t have gathered thee, and thou 'veouldf not ! Th;\t the Lord's own profefling people Hiculu not believe, nor receive the report that is made of him, hiightcni the complaint, and aggravates their guilt exceeding- ly. 2dly, It is not a complaint as to-one fcrniop, or as to one time, but it is a complaint frequently repeated, as to many fruitlefs fermons, and as to many times, yea generations : ifaiah preached long, in many kings reigns 5 and yet all along in his pro- phecy he complains of it, as chap. vi. 1 1 . hoiD long Lord, foall their eyes he blind, and their ears heavy? &c. andchap.xxviii.9. Whom fnall 1 teach doflrine ? them that are iveancd from the milk, and dra'von from the breafs ; precept miift be on precept, and line upon line, here a little, and there a little; and chap, Ixv. 2. All day lortg I have ft retched out my hands to a rebellious people ; and here again. Who hath believed our report ? Much and long, or many years preacliing, much plain and powerfal preaching, and yet little or no fru^t, they arefnared andfahn, and fall back^'eard, for all that ; and this was not in ifaiah 's daj^s onl', but in Chriit's days, Johnxii. 57, 38. andm Paul's days, Rom. x. 16. where the fame very words in the text are repeated : nay it runs down from tlie firft fpreading of the gofpel, even to thefe lattcr days wherein we live ; many hrar, but few receive the report. -^dly, Confider how many they are that complain : it is not one or two, or a fev/, bat all the preachers of the gofpel ; it is not. Lord, who hath believed my report, but. Who hath ..e- lieved our report ? It is complained of by ifaiah here, and in feveral other places named before ; it is complained of by Micdi, chap. vii. \. Wo is me, for I am as they 'who have gathered the fimmer- fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage, there is^ no duller to eat, the good man is perijhed out of the earth, and there is none upright a;nong i:."-:i, &C. It is complained of by ilofea.'^chap xi. 7.7;'.-' they called thevi tothemofl High, none at ail ^:.ild exalt hi'u, that is, none would rive him th:- jlcry . A ■ - ^ ' ifatahXvK. (I his gi-acc, in believing on him ; ah fad word! .; 3 is that aJfo in ViA. Ixxxt. the Lord calls, Hear, viy people, and I •will iefiify to thee; opm thy- :i!Ontb ivide, and I 'will fill it: but my people nvoidd 7iot kcarken to my voice f and Jfrael nvoiild -none of vie. And what prophet is there alnioft (if I r?cdfay almofl) but hath one v/ay or other this ^ jrnplaint, that tho' the Lord ftretched out his ' ;;nas all day long, j^et it was to a rebellious and • ;r!n-fayir.g pecf Is : Look forward, and fee what 1 ;:r Lord fays .of John Baptiil:, and of himfelf, . '■' hereto^ Jloall I liken this generation? it is like drildrenjitting in the market-places, faying one to another, V/e have piped to you, and ye have not daJised ;^ ive have nwurncd to you, and ye have not lamented; that is, there is much preaching of men endowed with feveral gifts, but none of them dees tlie people much good: John preached with much holy auilerity, like one mourning ; the Son of man moil fwectly, like one piping; yet neither tlie one nor the other prevailed; there are feme Boanerges, L)ns cf thunder, alarming and thundering preachers ; lome Barnabu/Tes, fons of confolation,f\veetly com- forting preachers ; vet all gain but little on the ;'.:arers ; our Lord faith. Matt. xxiii.(>' Jerufalsm, jertfalejn, ho^ often vjould I have gathered you ! thiis is the ordinary complaint, IV nvauld not. A j.ih aggravation is, if we confider who they are that n-icet with tliis unbelief and unfruitfulnefs in them they preach to : if it "were poor coldrife preachers, inch as we, alas i in a great meafure, are, or fuch as the Scribes and the Pharifees were, or if it were they who had learning only, and not piety, it were not fo great matter to fee them meet with unbelief and unfruitfulnefs in their hearers : but it is even thefe whom the Lordfent and fliarpened, as arrows out of his quiver, as this prophet was ; it is even his preach- ipg that is ' fruitlsfs in a great meafure : and was there ever a more fweet, plain, powerful, and de- lectable preacher than ifaiah was ? that even the very reading of his preachings may afteft the read- ers ; yet is there any that complains more, or fo much as he doth, in the chapters before cited ? It is like, ye will think, that if Ifaiah were preach- ing now, he would be as a (lone, that would not be moved thereby, and yet his preaching got the fame return and entertainment that ours gets nov/ ; and Hofea called his hearers to the molt high, j^et none at all would exalt him : it v/as their work to llretch out their hands all the day long, but they hardened their necks, and refufcd to return, Jer. viii. and Zech. vii. But ^thly, Confider all thefe are fervants and preachers, under the old teftament, Verfe i. / Serm.VL. and you may be difpofed to think, that under the gofpel, when the vail is laid by, and when Chrift himfelf, their Lord and Mafter, and his apoftles come to preach the gofpel, it fhould be other wife : yet John the Baptifl:, who was Chriit's harbinger, who was a burning and a fhining light, a llayed and fixed man, not a reed fhaken with the wind, (as many of us are) a prophet, yea, more than a prophet ; yet, when he preached, many of his hear- ers rejeSled the counfel of God againji themfelves, Luke vii. John comes pleaching aufterely, and they fay he hath a devil ; and if there was any rejoicing in his light, it was but for a feafon ; and Paul that chofcn veffel, how often was he perfjcuted ? andhe hath the fame complaint, in the fame words that Ifaiah hath here of his hearers, efpecially the Jews, Adying of knowledge, the exerci- rng of repentance, one of the very firft duties, which is never feparated from faith ; the humbling cf the foul before God, the lothing of yourfelves for all ye have done, thclove of God, 6 6". for there ».iay be challenges forgrofs evils in Heathens; and fe.ir is not repentance, but godly forrow, that caii- feth repentance, not to be repented of. h fourth evidence is, The want of that work of God's Spi- rit that accompanies faith. Faith is a fpecial work of the Spirit, and the gracious gift of God ; it is wrought by the exceeding miglity power of God, whereby he raifed Chrift from the dead ; and' by tli;it fame power he v^orketh in tiiem that believe. Now, knew ye ever what this work meaned ? Found ye it ever to be a dtfncult work to believe'? knew ye ever v/hat it was to have the Spirit of God con- itrainin" your heart to believe ; 1 fpcak not of any tKCra-rU'-'iar} thiv but certainly f'.i'Ji is net na- Sf.rm. VI. JJaiah liii there are few that believe our report. Think it not our word \ the application flows natively from the text, not from neceiTity of the thing, but from the ordinary courfe of mens corruption. Are not the fame evidences of the want of faith, which we fpoke of, among you ? how many are there in their life prophane ? how many rell on civility and for- mality ? is there not as little repentance now, as was in ifaiiili's time ? as little denying of our own righteoufnefs, and making ufe of Chrill's; tho' the word be taught by line upon line, here a little, and tliere a litde? It may be, tho' ye think that the dodtrine is true in the general, ye will not, ye can- not digell the application, that among fo many of you vifible profefTors of faith there are but few real believers ; therefore we Ihall follow the conviction a little further, by giving you fome confiderations, to make it out, that we have but too jud ground to make application of the dodrine to you, efpecially confidering the abounding of corruption that is a- mongrt 5'ou, that ye may be put to fear the wrath that attends fin, and to flee to Chrift, for refuge, in time, i , Confider of whom it is that the pro- phet is fpeaking, and of what time : Is it not the times and days of the gofpel ? had not the Spirit (in dictating this text of fcripturc) an eye on Scot- land, and on Glafgow? and do not our Lord Je- fus Chrid and Paul apply it in their days ? and why then may not we alfo in ours ? and when the Spirit fpeaks exprefly of the laft times, that they (hall be perilous, and of the falling away of many, fhould it not give us the hotter alarm ? 2. Do not all things agree to us, as to them ? is not this gofpel the fame ? is our preaching any better than theirs ? nay, had they not much more powerful preaching ? and if that preaching, which was much more power- ful, had not efficacy, as to many, to v/ork faith in them, what mayv/e expeftto do by our preaching? are not your hearts as deceitful ? are not your cor- ruptions as ftroDg? are yenotasbcnt tobackfliding, as they were ? what fort of folk were they,' that %vere unfruitful hearers ? were they not members of the vifible church as ye arc, circumcifed under the Old Teftament, as ye are baptized under the New ? was it not thofe who had Chrift and his a- poftles preaching to them ? yea, they were not a- mong the more ignorant fort, who did not believe, but Scribes and Pharifees, and thefe not of the prophanetl fort only, but fuch as came to church, and attended on ordinances, as ye do: yea, were fuch as had gifts, and caft out devils, and preach- ed in Chrill's name, as you may fee, Luke xiii. 6. Now, \v4ien there are fo many, and of fuch ranks, . Verfe i. ^7 who get no good of the word, and of fuch, a great many that will feck to enter, andfhall not be able, to whom Chriit will fay. Depart, I know you not, ye workers of iniquity ; what can be the reafon that many of you do fo confidently affert your faith, when there are fcarcelyany chara(5lers of un- belief, but ye have them ? Or, what can be your advantage, in keeping yourfclvcs carnally fccure, when the ftrong man in the mean time is in the houfe ? and to fliut your eyes, and make your necks iHfT, and to refolve, as it were, not only toly flili, but to die in your unbelief? I perfuademyfclf, that many of you, ere long, will be made to wonder, that ever ye thought yourfclvcs believers, and will be galled when ye think upon it, that whatever was faid to you, ye would needs maintain your prefump- tuous faith. When we bid you fuffer the convic- tion to fink, let none put it from themfelves to o- thers, but let every one take it home to himfelf ; altho' we would not have any of you calling looie what is indeed made fad and vvfell fecurcd, fiov overturning a flender and weak building, tho, it were, to fpeak fo, but of two ftone height, if it be founded on a right foundation, on the Rock ; but we fpeak to you, that cannot be brought to fu- fpeft yourfelves, when ye have jud reafon to dofo: fure, this challenge and charge belongs to fome, yea to m.any, and we would aflc what ground have ye to fhift it ? How can ye prove your faith, more than others, that have none at all ?• TKat ye hope ye have faith, will not do your turn, tliat'sno fo- lid proof: Ye cannot come to Chrift, except made, fuitably fenfible of ycur diftance ; and of "tliat ve have never been convinced as yet. Do ye think to roll yourfelves on Chriil ficeping, and ye knew not how ? Certainly, when the pins of your tabernacle come to be a loofing, ye rtiall find that your fanci- ed faith fhall not be able to keep out a challenge : Ye could never endure to think yourfelves to be Chrift's enemy, or that ye wanted faith; but when: death comes, confcience will awaken, and the chal- lenge will needs be in upon you, c.ljether ye will or not. Many of you think that ye get wr.cr.'T, when your faith is quelHoned or reproved, as if it were an odd and rare tlxing to be gracelefs, or to be living as members of the vifible church, and yet want faith; and it irritates you, to be expoilu- lated with in private for your lying in unbelief ; but fuifer this word now to take hold of you, I bcfeedi you ; and if ye could once be bronght to fufpeft yourfelves, and to think thus with ycurfelveSj^Miat if I be one of thofe many thatbei^eve r.ct ? I fear I be in haixird to be miltaken abeat my fdith ; and 5S IfalahXvA. from that, put to follow on to fee how ye will be able to ward off the challenge, and to prove your believing to be found, we would think ye were far on ? O if ye had the faith of this truth, that, a- mong the many hearers of the gofpel, there are but fev/ that believe, and were brought thereby to examine and try yourfelves ! There is no truth, that Chrlft infills more on, than this, that Strait is the Verfe i. Serm. VII. gate, and narro'w is the ivay to heaven, and that but fenv find it ; and that there are few that believe, and few that be faved. If ye did once in earnell look on yourfelves as in hazard, and were brought to reflect on matters betwixt God and you, it might be, the Lord would follow the convidion. We delire him to do it, and to him be praife. SERMON VII. Ifaiah liii. i. Whe hath believed our report ? and to nvhcm is the ar-m of the Lord revealed ? T's a fad matter, and much to be lamented, when the carrying of fuch good news, as is the report ot Jefus Chrilt in the gofpel, becomes unprofitable tt) , them that hear it, and thereby burdenfcm to them that carry it; folk would think, that fuch glad tidings, as make the heavenly hoft of angels to fmg, Vi^ould be very joyful and welcome news tofinners, and alfo moft hcartfom to them that carry them; and v/here the former is, there the la.tter will be alfo; v/here the word becomes ufelefs and unprofit- able to hearers, it is buidenfom, as to the con- comitant and eifed, to honed miniflers that fpci-k it. Tho' ifaiah brought thefe news, in a very plain, powerful, pleafant, and fweet manner, to the people he preached to, and that frequently ; .yet, in the midft of his fweet prophecies, he breaks out with this complaint. Who hath believed our report? He is crying glad tidings ; yet, taking a look of the un- belief of his hearers now and then, he complains of it to God, in his own name, and in the name of all theminiiters of the gofpel, thatlliouldcome after him. Vv e fnew, that it was a very ordinary thing, where the gofpel comes in greated plenty and power, for the hearers thereof to meet it with much unbe- lief; a truth that was verified in ifaiah his time, and that he forefaw would be verified in the days of the gofpel: and therefore it is our report; not only is it the report of Ifaiah, but it Is the report of Chrift and of Paul, w^o make the fame complaint, and cite the fame words of ifaiali ; and, need we doubt of the truth of it, when ifaiah in the Old, and Paul in the New Tedament, thus complain ? Not to fpeak of their, and our Lord and Mafter, who t:jvi; to his oivn, and his oiu;; received hiin not ; and of whom, when he came, they faid. This is the heir, cnmc let us kill hi?;/; need we, I fay, doubt of the truth of the doctrine, or to think it ftrange to feeit fo in our time, and that we havt the fame com- plaint, when the means (at leaf!: the inftruments) ae incomparably far below what they v/erc then, ■*ho' it be iliil the fame gofpc) ? The prophet's fcope is, to give advertifement and warning to the hearers of the gofpel, for the time to come, of this rife evil, even the abounding of unbelief in them that hear it ; i . That he may prevent the fcandal of the unfioiitfulnefs of the word where it comes. 2. That he may add a Ipur of ex- citement to the hearers of the gofpel, to endeavour to make ufe of it, and not to reft upon means, how pov.'erfal and lively foever they be, but to prefo forward to the end they aim ard i'hoot at. 3. That he may pur f'lks to,the trial, and that they may b',- br(;:*; .^t r^ • 'uk :'r v:pon themfelves, whether they be J ■ r a!'-^ hc,h: .'; o black roll of them that receive .nC ':he report : and v.'e think, if any thing put folks to be fufpicious of thcmfelves, and to commune with the.r^own hearts about their Ibuls eftate, this fhould do it ; efpccially, when they confider how this evil agrees to all times, and yet more efpeci- ally to the times of the gjipel, and how it is an evil that abounds, not only among the prophane, but among thefe who are civil, and zealous too for the righteoufnefs of the lavv' : It (hould make them put themfelves to the trial, and not to take every thing to be faith, that they fancy to be faith ; for either this dodlrine is not true, that wht lever the gofpel comes, it meets with unbelief in moft part of its hearers, and cannot be applied to this generati- on; or, that there is much faith in this generation that we live in, that will not be counted laving faith: If all of you -were believers, there were no ground for this complaint ; and if we will take folks on their own word, we can hardly get a per- fon, but will fay, he believes; fo that the genera- lity of mens hearts run quite contrary to this truth; and therefore we fay, it is the fcope of this doc- trine, and the like, to give folks the alarm, and to pitt them to fufped and try themfelves. I do not mean, that any fliould caft the work of faith where it is indeed, for that is alfo a part of our nnbtlicf ; "and ordinarily, when unbelief falleth on the one fide, the devil niakethit up on the other, and makes tender Serm. VII. Ij'aiah \\n render fouls qucftion their faith, when they begin to believe, as if they could mend unbelief with un- belief : But it is to fuch that we fpeak, who can- not be brought to fufpe<5l their faith. Certainly ye will wonder one day, that )'e Ihould have heard fuch a plain truth, and yet would not fo much as aili your own hearts, whether there was reafon to fufped your want of faith ; as it is faid, diat Chriii: marvelled at theirunbelief v/ho heardhim, fo may we at yours, and ere long ye fhall alfo marvel at your- felves, on this account. Before we profecute this ufc and the reft any further, we fliall fpeak to another dodrine, and it is the lalt that Hows from thefe words, tending to the fame fcope to make us fear at unbelief, which the prophet makes fuch a heavy ground of complaint. Thedo(flrino 'wiien is, That if there 'were never fo many under unbelief, and never fo inany luho reftfe to receive Jeftis Ckrf, jci unbelief is a Jin, and a ■nrfi finfulftn ; « In prelUng of this Ufe, I ihali llicw, Ly a k\v aggravations of this fin, why t!\c Lord layetli (o much weigiit upon it, and that, not fo much as it oppofeth faith, as it is a condition of the covenant of grace, and a mean to unite us to Chrift ; but mainly as it is a fin thwarting his command : And, I . It thwarteth with both the law and the gofpcl ; it thwarteth with the comiAands of the firft table, and fo is a greater fin than murder or adultery, nay than fodomy, tho' thefe be great, \ile ar.tl abomi- nable fins ; which may be thought fhange, yet it is true'^ it makes the perfon guilty of it more vile be- fore God, than a Pagan-lodomite ; the nature of the fin being more hainous, as being againft the firft table of die law, in both the firft and feccnd com- mands thereof; it being by faith in Cod, that we make God our God, and worfhip God in Chrift ac- ceptably. Next, it is not only a fin ogainft the law, but a fin againft the gofpel, and the prime fiower (to fpeak fo) of the gofpel ; it comes in contradic- tion to the very defign of the gofpel, which is to manifeft the glory of" the grace of God, in bring- ing finners to believe on Chrift, and to be faved through him ; but he can do no great things of this fort amongft unbelieving people, becaufe of their unbelief ; it bindeth up his hands as it were, (to fp&ak fo with reverence) that he cannot do them a good turn. 2. It ftrikes more narrowly againft the honour of God, and of the Mediator, and doth more prejudice to the miniftry of the gofpel, and caufeth greater deftruflion of fouls, than any other fin. It's impoiTible, notwithftanding of other fins, that Chrift may have fatisfadlion for the travel of his foul, and there may be a relation bound up betwixt him and finners notwithftanding of them ; but if this fin of unbelief were univerfal, he fiiould never get a foul to heaven : the falvation of fculg is called, the plsafure of the Lord; but this ob- ftruds it, and clofeth the door betwixt- finners and accefs to God. It ftrikes alfo at the main fruit of the miniftry, it makes them complain to God, that the word is not taken off their hand : it fruftratcs the very end of the miniftry, and it comes ncareft thiC deftrudlion of immortal fouls ; we need not fay, it brings on, but it holds and keeps on the wrath of God on finners for ever. He that believeth ?iot (as we flrewed before from John iii.) is condemned already, and the nvrath of God abideth on him. 3. More particularly. There is nothing in God, (even that which is moft excellent in him, if we may fpeak fo, not excepted) but it ftrikes againft it : it ftrikes againft his grace, and fruftratcs that ; when Chrift is not received, fome fort and degree of de- ipite is done to tbe'Spirit of grace ;" i]nt)elievers I thwarr ^'2 ^ Ifaiah liii. V thwart with him in the w.ty of his grace, and will have no fpiritual good fron) him : it comes in op- polition to his goodaefs ; for, where unbelief reigns, he hath no accefs, in ;i manner, to communicate it : It flrikes again/l his fiithfiilncrs ; there is no weight laid on his promifts, it counts him a liar : In a word, it ftrikes againit all his attributes. 4. There i^ no iin that hatti fucl> a train of flid confequences iollowing on it: it is that which keeps all other only ' happy by being found in him, not having his owji ^ righteoufnefs, but Chrift's) and widial, that thei'e ; is no other way to be found in him but by faith ■• (which is that which Paul hath for his main fcope,- Phil. iii. 9, 10.) Then, to be found in him by faith, , fhould be your main work and ftudy ; this is {hat . we fhould defign and endeavour, and to this^ we . have accefs by the gofpel ; and it is in fhort, to be denuded of, and denied to our own righteoufnefs, as • to any weight we lay upon it for our juftification before God, and to have no other thingbut Chrift's. righteoufnefs, offered in the gofpel, and received by faith, to reft upon for jufKiication, and ma- king of our peace with God: This is it that we command you to flee to, and by all means to feek an intereft in, that when the gofpel makes ofl^er of Chrift, and righteoufnefs thro' his fatisfadion, and commands you to believe in him, when it lays him to your door, to your mouth and heart, that ye v/ould roll nnd lay yourfelves over on him, for the making of your peace, and the bearing you thro' in the day of your reckoning before the tribunal of God. I/aia/> liii. Verfe r. 6? That we may fpeak the more clearly to this nje, we fliall ihortly fhew you, i. What ground a loft finner hath to receive Chrift, and to lippen to him'. 2. What warrants and encouragements a finner hath to lean and lippen to this ground. 3. We fliall remove a doubt or two, that may ftand in the way of finners refting on this ground. 4. We fliall give fome diredtions to further you to this. And, 5. We fhall give you fome charafters of one that is tenderly taking this way of believing. And becaufe this is • the way of the gofpel, and we are fure there is net: ■ a word ye have more need of, or that, thro' God's blefiing, may be more ufeful, and tiiere is not a woid more uncontrovertible, which all of you will aflent to. the truth of, to wit, that there is a great' good in believing, and a great evil in unbelief, we would exliort you the more ferioufly to lay it tr> heart : O ! think not that our coming to fpeak and " hear, isfor thefafhion, but to profit; caft yourfelves therefore open to the exhortation, and let the word of faith fink down into your hearts, ccnfidering that there is nothi^jg you have more need of than of . faith, and that ye will not find it fafe for you to hazard your fouls on your own righteoufnefs, or to • appear- before God without Chrift's righteoufnefs,; and that the only way to come by it is faith : Thisi may let you fee theneceflity of believing, and that ■ it is of your concernment to try how it is with you. as to that; and therefore, again and again, we-- would exhort youintke fear of God, that ye would . not negled fo great afalvation, which through faith is to be obtained, but lay it to heart, as ye would nbt have" all.-;the fervants of God, who have preach- ed the gofpd-to you, complaining of you. It is our bane, that we fufpecl not ourfelves ; and indeed it is a wonder, that thefe who have immortal fouls, ■ . and profefs faith in Chrift, fliould yet live fo fe- cure, and .under fo little care, and holy folicitude to know,, whether they have believed or not,, and fhould with fo little ferious concernednefs, put the matter to "a trial : But we proceed to the particulars we propofed to fpeak to. And firft to this. That ye have a good folid ground to believe on ; for clearing of which, we would put thefe together. 1 . The fulnefs and fuf- ficiency of the Mediator Jefus Chrift, in whom all the riches of the gofpel are treafured up, in whom, and by whom our happinefs comes, and who wants no- thing that may fit him to be a Saviour, lu/.'o is able to fave to the 2itter??ioJi all that coijie unto God by him. 2. The well-orderednefs, freenefs, and ful- nefs of the covenant of grace, v/herein it is tranf- aded, that the fulnefs, that is in die Mediator I 2 Chrift, <4 Ifaiah lili* Chrift, iliall be made forthcoming to believers in him ; and by which lolt firiBers, that by faith flee unto him, have a foHd right to his fatisfadtion, which will bear them out before God ; by wliich tranfadtioii, Oirift's fatisfadion is made as really theirs, when by fiith it is clofed with, as if they iiad fatisfied and paid the price themfelves, 2 Cor. V. 21- He, n.vho kneiu nojiti, 'was made Jin for us, that ive Jiiight bs made the right eoufnefs of God in hivi. And tiiis confideration, of the legality and or- der of the ccrs'enant, ferves exceedingly to clear our faith as to the ground of it, becaufe by this cove- nant it is tranfaded and agreed upon, that Chrift fhall imdergo the penalty, and that the believer in Him fliall be reckoned the righteous perfon : if there be a reality in Chrilt's death and fatisfadion to ju- rtice, if he hath undergone the penalty and paid their debt, there is a reality in this tranfadHon, as to the making over of what he hath done and dif- fered, to believers in him ; and the covenant being fure and firm as to his part, he having confirmed it by his death, it is as fure and firm, as to the benefit of it, to the believer in him. 3. Th^ nature of the offer of this grace in the gofpel, and the nature of thegofpel, that makes the offer of the fulnefs that is in Chrift by vertue of the covenant : It is the word of God, and hath his authority, when we preach it according to his command, as really as when he preached it himfclf in Capernaum, or any where elfe : even as the authority of a king is with his ambaffador, according to that, 2 Cor. v. penult V. IVe are ambaj/a dors for Chriji ; as tho'' Cod did -^lefeech you by us; There is the Father's warrant and name Interpofed ; andfor the Son's, it follows, We pray you in ChrijYs ftead he ye recoiiciled to God. Add to this, the nature of the offer, and the terms of it ; there is no condition required on our part, as the precife condition of the covenant, but believing : Now, when thefe are conjoined, wcput it to your confcience, if ye have not a good ground to lippen to, and a fuflicient foundation to build on ; and if fo, it ought to be a powerfully attradive motive to draw you to believe in him, and to bring you to reft on him by believing. Secondly, We have alfo many warrants and en- couragements to ftep forward, and when Chrift in his fulnefs lays himfelf before you, to roll over your- felves on him, and to yield to him : If we could fp^ak of them fuitably, they are fuch as may re- move all fcarring that any might have in coming to him, and may ferve to leave others inexcufable, and unanfwerably to convince them that the main ebftrudion was in themfelves, and that they would Verfe i. Serm. VIII, not come unto him for life; he called to them, but none would exalt him. i . Do ye not think that the offer of this gofpel is a fufficient warrant, and ground of encouragement to believe on him ? and if it be fo to others, ought it not cO be a fufficient warrant and encouragement to you? when hefaySjPfal.lxxxi, I o. Open thy mouth ivide, and I 'will Jill it : what excufe can ye have to fnifc or refufe the offer i if ye think Chrift real in his commands, is he not as real in his offers ? 2. He hath fo ordered the ad- miniltration of this gofpel, as he hath purpofely prevented any ground that folks may have of fear- ing to clofe with Chrift ; he hath fo qualified the objeds of this grace in the gofpel, that thefe in all the world that men would think fhould be fecluded, are taken in to be fliarers of it; for it is Jinnersy lojljhtners, felfdejiroyers, xmgodiy, the f jeep that have 'wandered, the poor, the needy, the nakedy th captives, the prijoncrs, the blind, &c. according to that of Ifa. Ixi. 1,2. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon 77ie ; he hath fe?tt me to preach glad tidings to the meek or poor, to bind up the broken- hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captive, the 0- pening of the prifon to them that are boundy Sec. And, Ifa. Iv. i. thefe, who are invited to come to tlie cried fair of grace, are fuch as are thirjiy, and fuch as 'want money ; who among men ufe to be fecluded, but in grape's market they only are welcome ; it is to them that grace fays, Hoy cmne, and Rev. xxii. 17. Whojoever'will, let hi'iu come and take of the fwater of life freely . It is not only, tafay fo witli reverence, thefe whom he willeth, but it is, nvhofoever luill : and fo, if thou wilt come, grace puts the offer into thy hand, as it were, to carve on ; to let us know, that he allows ftrong confolation to believers, and that either the hearers of this gofpel fhall believe, or be left with- ■ out all excufe. He hath it to fay, as it is, Ifa v. What could I have done to?ny vineyard, that I have not done r if ye had the offer at your own carving, what could ye put more in it ? it cannot be more free than without money, it cannot be more feri- oufly preffed than with a Ho, and Oyes, to come. Sometimes he complains, as John v. 40. Te 'will ttot come to me, that ye might have life; andfome- tim.es weeps and moans, becaufe finners will not be gathered, as Luke xix. 41, 42. and Matt, xxiii. 37. Can there be any greater evidences of reality in any offer ? A third warrant is from the manner and form of ChrilPs adminiftratlon : he hath con- defcended to make a covenant and many promifes, to draw folks to believe ; to which he hath added his oath, fwearing by himfelf, whea he had not a greater SeRM. VIII. I/a/a6liu. greater to fwear by, for oQr confirmation and con- ftjlation, asitis, Heb.vi. i6, 17. And among men, ye know, tliat an oath puts an end to all contro- verfy; and what would ye, or could ye feek more of God than his faying, writing, and fwearing ? he hath done all this, t/mt the heirs of promife may bavejlrong confolation, nvho are fled for r&fuge to the hope fet before the/n. O ! will ye not trow and credit God, when he fwears ? Among other ag- gravations of unbelief, this will be one, that by it ye make God not only a liar, but perjured ; aheavy, hainous, and horrid guilt on the fcore of all unbe- lievers of this gofpel. 4. To take away all con- troverfy, he hath interpofed his command, yea, it is the great command, and in a manner, the one command of the gofpel, i John iii. 23. This is his comma7idvi;nt, that ye believe on the name of his Son Jefus Chrift ; and therefore the offer of the gofpel, and promulgation of it, cometh by way of command, Ho^ coiuey believe, &c. whereby the Lord would tell the hearers of the gofpel, that it is not left to their own option, or as a thing indifferent' to them, to believe, or not to believe; but it is laid on them by the neceffity of a command to believe ; and if ye think ye miy and Jhould pray, fan<5tify the Sabbath, or obey any other command, becaufe he bids you, there is the fame authority enjoining and commanding you to believe, and as great ne- ceffity lieth on you to give obedience to this com- mand, as to any other ; do not therefore think it humility not to do it, for obedience is better than facrifice. For your further encouragement to believe, I would fay three 'vords, which ye would alfo look upon as warrants to believe, and by them know that it Is a great fin not to believe, i . Ye have no lefs ground or warrant than ever any that went before you had ; David, Mofes, Paul, &c. had no better warrant; my meaning is, ye have the fame cove- nant, the fame word and promifes, Chrift and his fulnefs, God and his faithfulnefs offered to you, the fame warrant that God hath given to all his people fince ever he had a Church ; and do ye not think but it will be a fad and grievous ground of challenge againft you, v/hen ye fliall fee others, that believe on the fame grounds that ye have, fit down in the kingdom of heaven, and yourfclves, as proud re- bels, fliut out ? Whatever difference there be as to the main work of grace, and of God's Spirit on the heart in the working of faith, yet the ground of faith is the word, tliat all hear who are in tiie vifibie Church ; and ye having the fame p-round and objeS of faith in your offer, there will b; no cx- cufe for you. If ye do not httieve. A id encou- ragement is. That the ground of faith is fo folid and good, that it pever difappoints any one that leans to it ; and count the gofpel a fecklefs and infignificant thing who will, it fhall have this teflimony, which darrined unbelievers fhall carry to hell with them, that /■/ nuas the ponxier of God to falvation to them that believed ; and that there was nothing in the gofpel itfelf that did prejudge them of the good of it, but that they prejudged themfelves, who did notlippen to it : Therefore the word is called, Gold tried in the fire ; all the promifes having a being from Jehovah himfelf, one jot or one title of them cannot fail, nor fall to the ground. 3. If ye were to carve out a warrant to yourfelves, as I hinted before, what more could ye deflre ? wliat mifs ye in Chrift ? what claufe can ye defire to be infert in tlie covenant, that is not in it ? It contains pardon of fin, healing of your backflidings, and what not ? and he hath faid, fealed, and fworn it ; and v/hat more can ye requue I Therefore we would again exhort you, in the name of Jeius Chrift, and in his ftead, not to tonegleft fo great a falvation, O ! re- ceive the grace of God, and let it not be in vain. In the third place, Let us fpeak a word or two to fome objedlions or fcruples, which may be moVed in reference to what hath been faid. And, \f., ft may be fome \vill fay, that the covenant is not broad enough, becaufe alt are not eleded, all are not redeemed nor appointed to be the heirs of fal- vation ; upon which ground, temptation will fome- times fo far prevail, as to waken up a fecret enmity at the gofpel : But, i . How abfurd is this reafoning ■f Is there any that can rationally defire a covenant fo broad, as to take in all, as neceiTavily to be faved by it ? there is much greater reafon to-Vv'-onder that any fhould be faved by it, than there is if all Oiould periih : befide, wc are not now fpcaking to the ef- feds, but to the nature of the gofpel ; fo that, who- ever perifh, it is not becaufe riiey were not eledted, bat becaufe they believed not ; and thie bargain is not of the lefs worth, nor the lefs fure, becaufe fome will not believe 5 and to fay, that the cove- nant is not good enough, becaufe fo many perifh ; it is even as If ye fhould fay, it is not agoodbridcre, becaufe fome will not take it, but adventure to go thorow the water, and fo drown themfelves. 2. r would afk, AVould ye overturn the whole courfe of God's adminiffration, and of the covenant of his grace ? Did he ever a priori, or at firft hand, tell iblks that they wet\: elei*led ? who ever got their eleilion at the very firft revealed to tJverti \ or, who are now before tlic throne, that ever made the keeping %6 Ifaiah lili. iip of this fecret from them, a bar or impediment to their believing ? God's eternal purpofe or decree is not the rule of our duty, nor the warrant of our faith, but his revealed will in his word. Let us feek. to come to the knowledge of God's decree of eledion a pofieriori, or by the effed^s, which is a lure way of knowledge ; our thwarting with his word, to know his decree, will rtot excufe, but make us more guilty; He hath Jloenued thee, Plan, faith Micah, c\\?c^.\i.^. 'what is good; and Kvhat doth the Lord require of thee, &c. And if any will fcruple and demur on this ground to clofe the bargain, let them be aware that they provoke him not to bring ^upon them their own fears, by continuing them under that fcrupling and demur- ring condition. Ye cannot poflibly evite hazard, by looking on only, and not making ufe of Chrift; therefore do not bring on your own ruin by your fear, which may be by grace prevented, and by tliis v/ay of believing fliall be certainly prevented. But, 2dly, Some may objedt and fay, I am in- deed convinced that believing is my duty ; but that being a thing that 1 cannot do, why therefore fhould I fet about it ? Anf. i . This is a moft unreafonable and abfurd way of reafoning ; for, if it be given way to, what duty fliould we do ? we are not of ourfelves able to pray, praife, keep the Lord's day, Kor to do any other commanded duty ? fliall we therefore abftain from all duties ? Our ability or fitnefs for duty,- is not the rule of our duty, but God's command; and -.we are cjiUed to put our liand to duty, in the fenfe of our owninfufficiency, acknowledging God's fufficiency; which if we did, we fnould find it go better witli us : and may not the fame be expedted in the matter of believing, as well as in other duties? 2. None, that ever heard tjiis gofpel, fliall in the day of judgment have this to obje<5t ; none fliall have it to fay, that they would fain have believed, but their raeer in- firmity, weaknefs, and inability, did impede them ; for, tho' it be our own fin and guilt that we are unable ; yet, where the gofpel comes, that is not the controverfy, liut that folks would not come to (-hrifl, would not be gatiiered, that when he would, they would not ; for, where there is a will, to will and to c'o go together: But it is efiniity at the way of bdieving, fecurity, ftupidity, fenfelefnefs, and tarelefnefs what become of the immortal foul, that ruins folks ; for the foul, that would fain be at Clirlfl:, fliall be helped to believe : the reafon is, b'jcaufe the n^iture of the covenant of grace, and of the Mediator thereof, is fuch, that all to wliom te gives to- v.ill, he gives them idfo to perform; Verfe i. Serm.VIIL and his faithfulnefs is engaged fo to do. It mull therefore return to one of thefe two, That cither ye will not receive him, or elfe ye are willing, tho' werfk ; and if ye be willing. Faithful is he that hath called you, '■tvho alfo ivill do it ; butif ithalt at your perverfenefs anu wilful refufal of the offer, there is. good reafon that in God's julHce ye ihould never get good of the gofpel : Nay, there is never one, to whom the gofpel comes, and who doth not be-^ lieve, but formally, as it were, hepaflieth fentence on himfelf as the word is. Ads xiii. 46. to judge yourfelves unworthy of eternal life ; which the a- poft le gathers from this ground, that they did not, neither would accept of Jefus Chrift ofl^ered to them in the gofpel : as the event is that follows on. the offer, fo will the Lord account of your receiving- of it. Fourthly, As for diretflions, to help and further you to believe ;■ it is not eafy, but very difficult ta give them, it being impoflible to fatisfy the curiofity of nature; neither can any divedions be prefcribed, that without the fpecial work of God's Spirit can effeduate the thing ; the renewing of the will, and the working of faith, being effeifts and fruits of omnipotent grace : Yet, becaufe fomething lies u- pon all the hearers of the gofpel as a duty, and it being more fuitable and congruous, that in die ufe of means, than when means are neglcdted, belie- ving fliould be attained; and becaufe oftentimes thefe that defire this queftion to be anfwered, to wit, How they may win at believing ? are fuch as have fome beginnings of the work of grace and of faith ; we fliall fpeak a few words to fuch as would be at believing and exercifing of faith on Jefus Chrift : And, i . Folk had need to be clear in the common fundamental truths of the gofpel ; they would know what their natural eftate is, wjiat their fin and mifery is, and they would know the way how to win out of diat ftate : Ignorance often ob- flrudts us in the way of believing, Hoiv fyall they believe on him, of'-^vhom they have not heard? Rom. X. 14. when folks believe not, it is as if they had never heard. 2. When ye have attained to thd knowledge of the common truths of the gofpel, as of your fin and mifery, the nature of the covenant, the Mediator and his fulnefs, fome devil, like a crow, comes and picks it up ; therefore, to prevent this, ye would feek to have the word of God dwelling richly in you ; ye would meditate on it, till ye be convinced of your hazard, and get the aflteiTcions fome way IHrred, according to the nature of the word ye meditate upon, whe- ther threatnings or promifes. The moll: part are af- fefted with nothing ; they know not what it is to t.-emble at a threatning, or fmile, as it were, on a promife, thro' their not dwelling on the thoughts of the word, that it may produce fuch an effed. 4. ^^'hen this is done, folks would endeavour a full Vip-giving with the law of righteoufnefs as to their juftification, that if they cannot fo pofitively and Itayedly win to reft on Jefus Chrill and his righte- oufnefs, yet they may lay the weight of their peace with God on no other thing ; they would lay it down for a certain conclufion, that by the v.'orks of the law they can never be juftilied, and would come with a (topped mouth before God: Thus tender Chriftians will find it fometimes eaficr to give up with the law, than to clofe with the gofpel, as to their diftindt apprchenfion of the thing. 5. ^^'hen jhis is done, go (as it were) to the the top of mount Nebo, and take a look of the pleafant land of pro- mifes, and of Chrift held out in them ; and let your foul fay, O to have the bargain well tlofed, to have my heart ftirredup to love him, and to re/i upon him ! O to have faith, and to difcem it in its •adlings ! for when the life of faith is fo weak that it cannot fpeak, yet it may breathe ; and tho' ye can- not exercife faith as ye would, fo as to grip to and catch faft hold of the Objeft, yet efTay ferioufly to do that far, as to efteem, love, and vehemently de- fire it ; in this refpect, the will is faid to go before the deed ; tho', as to God's begetting of taith, there be a contemporarinefsof thewi}!and the deed,, yet, as to our fenfe, the v/ill overturns the deed; even as in another fenfe (tho' it m;)kes well for this pijr- pofe) the apoftle.fays. To ivil! is prejhiiivit.h vie, but how to psrfcrvL that ivhich is.gocd 1 kno^jjnot; . Verfe i. . 6f for we ought to have our will running after Chrifl:, and believing on him, when we cannot attain to the diltindl adtings of it. But it may be here objedled and faid, Is not this pre/umption r" Anfnv. Ifthis were prefumption, then all we have faid of the warrant of die gofpel to be- lieve, is to no purpofe ; Chrift never counted it pre- fumption to defire and endeavour in his own way to believe on him, for attaining of life through him. To defire heaven and peace with God, and to min- 2 Ifalah lui. c.uinot ; V. liicli G.ys plainly, iluit,ye are not maftevs of your knowledge. And v/hit (hall we f;iy of others ? of VAliom we cannot fay but we get refpedt t'nough from them/ yet how do felfiflmcfs and ^worldly-mindeduefs abound in them? and how graceleis and Chriillefs' are they found to be, when put to the trial ? We would alfo fay to you, that there is gr6at dilTerence betwixt civility and Chrifti- anity; fair fafiiions wlU never pafs in Chrlft's ac- colTiU for the fuitable fruits of the gofpel, and will never hinder us from having a juft ground of com- plaint aguirili: you : How many have a form of re- ligion, and want tlie power of it ? who think them- fel/es foraetiiing, when they are indeed nothing; and their profeiJion is fo thin and hoUed.) to fpeak lb, that their rottencfs and hypocrify may be feen through it. Tho' thefe thmgs be but general, yet they will comprehend a great many of you that are herein this aflcmbly; and if fo, is there not jult ground of complaint and expoftulation with you, as a people among whom this word hath no fuitable Verie i, Serm. IX. ■ dom, riglitcufnefs, fancllfication and redemption} and go not for the fafhion about the means that fliould bring you near him, but be in good earned: : and this would fatisfy us much, and prevent com- plaints. Lajlly, 1 would allc you. What will come- of it,- if we fhall go on in pr'eac^ing, and j'e in hearing, and yet continuing itill in unbelief? Will there not be an account craved of us ? And mull we not make a report? And, if }-e' think wemuft repow, can we report any other way than it is with you ? fliall we, or dare we fay, that fuch a man was a civil man, and that therefore he will not be rec- koned with, tho' he belie . not in Chriit ? No, no, but this mufl: be the report. That fuch a man, and fuch a kind of men, tho' Chrifl: was long wooing them, would not embrace him ; tho'he invited them to the wedding, yet they would not come ; nay, they mocked and fpurned at it ; they trod tlie blood of the covenant under foot, and counted God a liar in all his offers ; and f;iid by their praSice, that they Hiould be happy, tho' they took not this fruit? Xnd as for you that live prophanely and hy- ' way: Many of you, who would not take it well pcicritically, what fhall we fay to you ? or how ihall wedcid with you ? We bring the word to you, but ye make no more ufe of it, than if ye had ne- ver heard of it ; no more religion fheweth itfelf in you, than if ye lived among Heathens : ihall we lay to God, The fruit of the gofpel is there ? Dare v/e be anfwerable to God, or can we be faithful to you, to flatter you over, as if all were well Avith you ? hxA muii- not our complaint then rather be this. Lord, they have not believed our report ? Tho' we be fecklefs, and tho' there be ground of com- plaint of us, yet the word is his word, and will take hold of you. I know that folks do not readi- ly digeft fuch dofcrine well, and it may be fome think that few miniflers ju-e better dealt with than we are ; but »we fay, that is not our complaint : we confefs, if we look from, the beginning of the world to this time, there will be few miniiters of the gofpel found to have been better dealt with, as to outward and civil things ; but alas ! {liould that , flop ouj mouths ? Yea rather, ought it not to be the more lad to us, to be dealt with,, and live in civil love with men and women, who yet do not re- ceive the gofpel, nor deal kindly with our Mafter? Do not drink that we will take external refped to «s for the fruit of the gofpel : As we have no caufe to complain of other things, fo let us not be put to complain of this, but receive Chrifl: in your Iieart ; let him and his precious wares have change ^d go ofF.amoDgrt you ; make ufe of him for wif- if we fhoulc^ fpeak this to you in particular, will find it to be a trutli one day. And if ye fliall fay. What would we be at ? The anfwer is at hand. Believe in the Lord Jefus Chriji, and ye ffjall he favcd : This is the end of the gofpel, and the mean of yourhappinefs ; it is the great and the main thing that we call for, which if it be not obtained, the ground of the complaint v»ill continue. And, do you think tlris any flrange, hai'd, or uncouth thing, that when we bring to you the offer of Chrifl: in the gof- pel, we bid you receive it,, and flee in to him, ta hide you from the wrath to come ? and yet this is all we feek of you : It is neither your fhame nor your ilcaith that we feek, but that ye may take with' your fin, that ye may judge and condemn yourfelves, that your mouth may be flopped before God, and that ye may flee to Jefus Chriit in earneft, arid clofe with him on his own terms. As therefore ye would prevent the greatly aggravated fin, to wit, finning againft the gofpel, and the complamt of the mini- flers thereof againft you, and the terrible vengeance of the Mediator, Kifs the Son, cafl open the cver- lafHng doors of your hearts, and let the gofpel, and Chrifl, the King of glory, have accefs : We pray you, Hand not in the way of your own happinefs,. refufe not to do him that much pleafure and fatis- faflion for all die travel of his foul, as to give him your fouls to be faved. Now, God himfelf keep you from this folly and fouldeftroying madnels. S E R M O 31. SERMON X. Iikiuh liii. 1 . IV/.'O kath heUcvcd our report P and to 'whoni is the arm of tha Lord>Jvea!ed ■" WE have fpokcn fomcwhat^ thefe daj's part, to fundr}- dodrines, from this part of the verfe, and- particularly of the fad complaint which ifaiah had in his own name, and in the name of all the minifters of the gofpel, that thefiivoury report con- cerning Jefus Chrilt is not received; and that, tho' life and falvation through him be offered to many, yet there are but few, fcarce here one, and there one, that do embrace it : This is the fad refult, Lord, ivho hath believed our report ? Words that, being fpoken by fuch a prophet, and fo often men- tioned in die New Teilament, may and fliould, as often as we fpeak, hear, or read them, put both miniiters and people to a holy demur, and to look what becomes of all our preaching and hearing, when this was all the fruit, even of ifaiah's preach- ing, as to the greateft part of his hearers. Ere we leave this part of the verfe, it will not be unmeet that we fpeak a little to thefe three, j , To what may be the caufes why, when the gofpel is powerfully preached, there are fo few believers. 2. How it comes to pafs, feeing fo few believe, that generally fo many think they believe, and fo few lufpetT: their own faith. And, 3. To the neceflity that lies on the hearers of the gofpel, to enquire at, and try themfelves concerning their faith, and to have fome folid fatisfa.dlion in it. Altho' we mention no particular do(5lrines now, yet, confidering the do6trines we fpoke to before, thefe things will not be unfuitable to them, nor im- pertinent to you. For the Firji, The caufes why fo few believe the gofpel: We cleared to you already, that generally the, powerful preaching of the gofpel hath been with little fruit; fo that Ifaiah hath this fad complaint, Lord, nvho hath believed our report ? and our Lord Jefus hath it alfo on die matter. Matt. xi. 17. We have piped to^oU) afidye have not danced; lue have mourned to you, and ye have riot lajnanted ; and in the fame exprefs words,. John xii. 38. And when it is fo withfweet iTiiiah in tiie Old Teftament, and with our blefled Lord in the New, that fpoke with fuch power and autliority, ye may fee there is rea- fon for us to enquire into the caufes why it is that fo few believe. In fpeaking to which, i. We intend not to touch on all the reafons, riiat may be gathered together, of peoples not profiting under the gofpel ; but of thefe that ye have moTl reafon to look to, and that are moft obflrudive of faith in you. a. Tho' we might fpeak of rcafons on tlie fide of them diat fpeak to you (for, 'who is fufficicntfor thefe things ? andvs'cfr.all not deny but Vv'e have culp- able acceifion to your unfruitfulnefs) yet it were not much to your edifying to infill: on thtfe. 3. Nei- ther will we fpeak to dicfe fovereign caufes on God's part, who in his holy juftice gives up people to unfruitfulnefs, when they receive not the truth in love. Neither, 4. Shall we infill: on thefe caufes that may arife from the devil, whov/altson, wherever the word is preached, to mar the fruit of it, as v/e may fee, Matt. xiii. 19. the evil fpirits, like as mu-| ny crows, when the feed of the word is fown, wait- ing on to pick it up : and ye would know, that ye^ never come to hear the v/ord, but there are, as it were, flocks of denls attending you; hence it is, that fome are rocked and lulled allecp, fome hir/e their minds filled with worldly thoughts, fome for- get all that they hear ere they go out of doors ; thus it is with many hearers of this gofpel, their hearts are trod upon, as the way-fide, by devils and foul fpirits, that never a word takes imprelTion on them. And tho' ye may think fuch cxpreflions . uncouth-like and ftrange, yet they are fadly true ; Satan waited on when Chrift preached, and fure htr will fcar.no more to do fo at our preaching than he did at his ;, ifheftood at Joihua's right han.l to refill: him, he will no doubt be at ours; but we fay, we will not infilt on thefe. But, 5. We fhall fpeak a liule to thefe caufes that are common in you,- which ye yourfelves might know, if ye v/ould obferve them ; and we would. exhort you to ta.ke notice of them, when we tell you of them, \ft. Then we offer, or rather aiTert this for a caufe, the want of ferious minding the great con- cernment of the work of your falvation, and that this preached gofpel is the word of the Lord, by which ye mull be faved. Alas ! tho' ye have im- mortal fouls, and tho' this word be the ir»can cf your falvation, yet there are. hundreds cf ycu, that never lay it to heart, that j^our fouls are in hazard,, and that this word rauft be it that ye muff: live by, and live upon : I. appeal to 3'our confcienccs, if ye think upon this feriouHy; want of this confdera- . //■j^foPiersfecurity, breeds lazinefs, and makes and keeps you carelefs and carnal. I faall inflance tlic want of it in. three refpei.'^a: i. Look how ye arc afFeded towards this word, and 5-our own edifica- tion by it, before ye come to hear it : how few are hungering and thirlHng, or preparing for benefit bv it, or preparing to mict with God ■ii it r In c(t-:ft. ') 4 If at ah lili. ye come not with a defigii to profit ; fo that if it were known, it would be wondered at, wherefore ye come to hear the word: As Chrift fays of feme. They came, ?iotbecaufethey fanv the miracles, but hecauje they did eat of the loaves and 'were fil- led ; fo may we fay of you, that ye come not to profit by the word, but on fome crooked carnal de- lign. :; . Look how ye carry when ye are come : how many fleep a great part of the fermon ? So that it is a fhame to look on thefaceof our meetings, when in every corner fome are fleeping, whofe confciences God will waken ere long, and the timber and (tones of the houfe will bear witnefs againft them. Were you in any other meeting about ordinary bufinefs, there would not be fuch llceping ; but when ye are waking what is your carriage ? for ye may be Wa- king, and your heart faraway, or fa(t afleep. How feldom can )'^e give account of what is faid f tho' your bodies be prefent, your hearts are wandering; ye are likethefe fpokenof, Ezek. xxxiii. 31. who fat before the prophet as God's people, but their hearts 'went after their covet oufnefs : how often, while ye are fitting here, is your heart away ? fome in their thoughts running after their trade, fome after their merchandize, fome after one thing fome after another. This is one fad inftance of it, that there are many of you who have had preaching forty or fifty years, that can fcarce tell one note of it all ; and no wonder, for ye were not attentive in the hearing of it. 3. Look how ye carry after the word is heard : What unedifying difcourfe will ye be engaged in, ere ye be well at the door ? how carnally and carelefly do many ruili unto, and go away from hearing of the word ! and when ye get a word that meets with your foul's oafe, do ye go to your knees with it before God, tlefiring him to'breathe on it, and to keep it warm ? or do ye meditate upon it ? Now, put thefe three together, your carriage before, in the time, and after your hearing the word, ye will find that there is juLL .v:aufe to fay, that die moft part that hear . liiis gofpcl are not ferious : what wonder then that it do them no good ? In the end of that parable of t!ic fov/er. Matt. xiii. Mark iv. and Luke viii. it is faid by the Lord, Take heed honv ye hear ; fornuho- fosver hath, to him f mil be given, &c. if ye im- prove well your hearing, ye will get more ; but fo long as ye take no heeJ hew ye hear, ye cannot profit. A 2d ground or caufe is this, That the moft part of hearers never come to look on this word as the word of God, they come never almoft to have a hiftcrical faith of it ; it is faid, Heb. xi. 6. He thr.t comet h to Codviiifi believe that he is, and ih.-.t he is a re'^Mardcr of them that feck him dili- Verfe i. Serm. X. gently : But when folk do not really believe that God is, what wonder they feek him not, that they fear neither judgment nor hell, and that they ftu- dy not'holinefs i They fay in their hearts, they fliall have peace, tho' they walk in the imagination of their own hearts, and that the way to heaven is not fo narrow as minifters fay it is, that God will not condemn poor chriftened bodies ; this i& the language of many hearts, and of fome mouths: Need there any evidences of it be given ? if ye be- lieved that the way to heaven is fo ftrait, and that holinefs is fo extenfive, could ye poflibly with any ferioafnefs refiedt on your heart and way, and not be affrighted ? But the truth is, this word gets not leave to fink in you as the word of God ; therefore, faith our Lord to his difciples,- Luke ix. 44. Let thefe fayings Jink into your ears. There are thefe things I fear ye do not believe, and let me not be thought to take on me to judge your confciences, when there arefomany that profefs they kno'wGod, but in 'works they deny him, as it is. Tit. i. 16. when we fee fuch things in your carriage, we know that there is a principle of unbelief whence they fpring, I . There are many of you, that really be- lieve not there is a God, or that he is fuch as his word reveals him to be, tu wit, holy, juft, power- ful, i^c. elfe ye durft not live at feud with him. The fool hath f lid in his heart. There is not a Cody they are corrupt, &c. your pra«ftical atheifm and prophanity fay ye believe not tiiere is a God. 2. Ye never believed the ill of your nature : Do ye think (as James befpeaks thefe he writest 0, chap. iv. 5.)- that the fcripture faith in vain. The fpirit that is in you lufis to envy ? Ye do not think that your heart is deceitful and defperately wicked ? Tho' we fiiould preach never fo much ontliis fubjed, yet ye lay it not to heart, ye take it not to you in particular. 3. We are afraid that many of you believe not a judgment, and your particular and perfonal co- ming to it; nay, tliere are among you, who are- like to thefe mockers, fpoken of by Peter in his fecond epiftlc, chap. iii. 4. who fays, Where it the promife of his coming ? And as there were in Paul's days fome that denied the refurredion, I Cor. XV. fo there are ftill, who do it on the mat- ter at leaft ; ye have the fame corrupt nature : We would think that we had prevailed to fome purpofe, if ye were brought really to believe, that there is a God, a life to come, and a day of judgment ; and if ye did fo, ye would be more ferious in duty, and would come more hungry and thirfty to the word. 4. The mean and mids of falvation is not believed, to wit, that the way to peace with God, n faith in Jefus Chrift, and that there is no way to heaven, Serm.X. JfalahX heaven, but the way of hqlinefs ; if all your thoughts were fpoken out, it would be found that ye have another mids than fiith, and another way than that of holinefs : And, to make out this, we need go no further than to your pradlice; we arefure many of you live in prophanity, and yet ye have all a hope of heaven : and what fays this, but that ye think not faith and holinefs neceflary, but that ye may come to heaven another way ? and this.is an old fault and deceit ; it was in Mofes his days, for fome are brought in (Deut. xxix. 19.) faying, I Jhall ha-vo peace, tho' I ivalk in the imagination of niy onun heart, and add drunkemiefs to thirji ; tho' I tipple daily at my four-hours, tho' I follow my Iu(b and pleafures, and take my fouth and fill of the world, we cannot be all faints, ould fce7n to come flyort of it ; it is much, yea the firft Itrp to faith, to get folks made fuitably afraid to mifs the fruit and blefling of the ordinances while they have them : it is good to be afraid, to come to the cliurcii, and not to get good of the preaching, or to go and read a chapter of the Bible, and not to profit by it ; always to put a difierencc, betwixt the ordinance and the bklfing of it, and to be afraid in the ufc of the ordinances to mifs the bleiling of them. There may be many other caufes, and we wouljl not ftint and limit you to thefe, but fure thefe are caufes why this gofpel profits not ; we may add thefe fev/, I . There are fome thatftumble at the meffeh- ger, fome at the meffage ; fome thought Chrili a friend of publicans 2iX\di Jinncrs, and faid he had a devil, and fo they faid to John Baptift : There are fome that can abide neither free nor fair fpeaking, and they think it is not the word, but the fpeaker that they offend at ; but prejudices againft the car- riers of the word have never done good, but much ill; and ye would guard againft them. 2. Some- times there is a ftumbling at the fpiritual truths of the gofpel, and a fort of new-fanglednefs in the hearers of it, that laffs not ; John's hearers rejoiced in his light for a feafon; fomething of it alfo was in (thrift's hearers, but they foon turned the back on him, when he tells them of eating his fiefli, and drinking his blood, and of the neceflity of it, elfe they could have no life in them; This (fay they) is a hard facing, nuho can bear it ? If we would confider thefe things, Vv^e might fee convincing cau- fes of our little thriving, and they might alfo (thro' God's blefling) be madeufe of for directions to thri- ving; and if we could once bring you to be fingle and ferious in hearing, and fpiritually thirfly in mak- ing ufe of every Sermon and Sabbath for edification, we had gained a great point of you. SERMON XI. ifaiah liii. Who hath believed our report ? and to 'whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? IF we would foberly confider the frame of the moft part of men and women that live under tke gofpel, it would be hard to know, whether it v/ere more ftrange that fo few fhould receive the report, and be brought to believe, for all that can be faid of Jefus Chrift ; or whether that among the generality of hearers that do not receive the report, there are fo few that will let it light but that they believe : It is wonderful and ftrange to fee unbelief fo rife, and it is as ftrange and wonderful, that a- mong thefe many unbelievers there are fo few that think they want faith. Ye remember, the laft day, we propofed to aaf- v.'er this doubt or queftion. What can be the rea- fon that, when fo few believe, all almoft think they believe ? and then to fpeak a word to the laft ufe L tha Isaiah Illl. "a rlv:- from tne -.r^atter nut formerly we have .mdledon thefc words. Weiliewyou, andwethink the fcripti!re isveryclearfor it, that among the ge- nerality that hear the gofpcl, they are very rare and thin Town that do bcUevc ; and yet, go thorovv- tli.em ail, there wiil not one among many be, found, bvv: v/ill alTert, they believe, and they will (tofpeakfo) be crabbed and picqued, to tell them that they v.ant hiith, andfo die mofl: part of hearers li-ve and liie in this delaiicn ; a thing that experience clears, as well as the word of God, and a thing that dole- ful experience wiil clear at the gveat day : therefore '. :>me are brought in, faying, Lukexiii. 26. We have cj.tcn and .dfutiken in. thy prejencCf arid thou haji taught in our Jl reefs ; to whom Chriil will fliy, . / ~ noiv you not , depart from me; which doth import ■ r!s mncli, that fome Vv'ill come (as it were) to the very gate of heaven, having no doubt of their faith and intereil in God, or of their entry into it, and will therefore in a manner plead with Chriil to be . in, and who Vs'ould never once doubt of it, nor put it in queftion, but they were believers and in friend- Hiip vv'ith him : Aliho' there vv'ill be no fuch debate or difpute after deaths or at the day of judgment, yet it lays this, that many hearers of the gcfpel have drunken in this opinion, which goes to death with them, and no preaching will beat them from i.r, that they are believers, and in good terms with God, till the intimation of the fentence of ccndem- .lation do it, and the wratli and curfe of God meet them in the tace : and O how terrible a difappoint- ment will fwch meet v/idi in that day ! May it not then very reafonafcly and juftly be enquired, what can be the reafon and caufe> when this is granted fo generally to be a truth that there are few believer?, that yet it ihould be as true, that few queRicn cr make any doubt of their faith, and hov/ this comes to pais ? 'I fhali give you fome reafonscf it, which if ye -.would think upon, and futfer to fmk down in your hearts, ye would not marvel that fo many are in this miftake and deiufion ; and it would put many of you to have quite other thoughts of your own condition than ye have. We fliall only fpeak to fuch realbns as are finful, and culpable upon your part. The reafons then are thefe. Tirjl, The mofl part never ferioufly think on the matter, whether they believe cr not, or they never put their faith to a triajj If the fooHfli virgin light her lamp, and never look whether there be oil in it, and take en a fair outward profeflicn of religion, and never lock wh.uiswichih ic, or hov/ it is lined, to fpeak fo, 'K&ai; v/ond.er flvj ^a up and down with the lamp in Verfe i. Serm". XI. her hand, and never knov/ whether there be oil in her veffel or not, lince fhe never confiders, noif puts the m.atter to proof and trial \ The people are exportulated with (ifa. xliv. from ver. 9.) for ma- king of images, that a man (hould cut down a tree, and with one piece of it mould warm himfelf, with another piece of it faould bake his. bread, and of a third piece fliould m.ake agod, and fall downandwor- fliip it ; and this is given for the ground of it, u. 18. 1 9 . Thsy have riot k?ioiv?i and underfloody and none confidsreth in his heart i or as the word is, feezh t9 his heart ; they confider not that that cannot be a god; folks would think, that natural reafon might eadly difcover this folly. We are perfuaded that fome of you will think your faith as great a folly, when diere fliail be as clear evidences to prove the rottennefs of your faith and hope, as there were e- ven to common fenfe, to prove the im.age made of a piece tree, not to be God; when it fliall be found and declared, that tho' ye were never convinced of fm, nor of your mifery and lofi condition, were ne- ver humbled and touched under the kindly fenfe of it, never fled to Jefus Chriil: in earneft, nor never had tlie exercife d grace, yet out over the want of all tliefe, ye would needs keep up a good opinion of your faith and hope : We fay, the reafon why ye entertain this conceit and opinion is, becaufe ye ne- ver lit down ferioufly and ^'^'^berly before Godtocon- fider the matter, nor do ye put yourfelves to proof and trial. Let me therefore pofe your confciences, if ye, who have this opinion, of your faith, durfl afTert to him, that this faith of yours is the rC' fult of your ferious examination and trial ; is it not rather a guefiing or fanciful opinion that ye believe ? -(^.Tid do yc think that fuch a faith as that will abide the trial before God, that ne ver did abide 3'our own trial? It will doutlefs be a fore beguile, to go oft the world with fuch an opinion of faith, and to have the door fliut in your very teeth : Alas ! there will be no amending or bettering of your condition aftev death: the day comes when many of 3'cu, if God gracioufly prevent not, fliall curfe yourfelves that ever ye fliould have been fuch fools, as tohavetrufl- ed to your own hearts, or to have ttiken up this o- pinion of your fiiith without ground : We would therefore feriouP.y recommend to you the putdng of your faitji more frequently to the trial, and that ye would often read and think oh that place, 2 Cor. xiii. 5 . Examine yourfelves ii'hethcr ye he in the faith prove your ofmfelves, ice. O! do not think that a matter of fuch concernment fhould be let: lying at conjetSture and utter uncertainty ; Who loferh, whea ye are fo palpably accefTory to your ovv'a Serm. Sil. Ijahth own ruin, by not endeavouring to put yourfclves to lo much as a trial : Do not lay here forc>:cufe,/Fal principal is. That there is no fuch reality in the threatnings of God, as there is in his promifes ; as if he were utterly averfe from executing a threatning, and as if it were a rare thing to him to condemn any : And, is there any thing more oppofite to fcripture than this principle is ? Hath he not faidin the fame place, to wit, Exod. xxxiv. where he proclaims himfelf to be gracious, merciful, long-fuffering, &c. that ke is a God that 'will not clear the guilty ? And hath not the fcripture faid, it is but a revruiantthat arefaved, but (as it were) here one andthei^e one, and that there are many damned for one that is fa- ved ? But know it of a certain, that he will make you one day vomit up thefe principles, with exquifite torment, when out of your own mouth he will convince you of your miftake and delufion. When folks v/ant many things, theyfupply all with an honell mind ; this fupplies your v/ant of know- ledge, your want of faith and repentance, and of every diing whereof ye are faid to be fhort: Tho' ye live andlhould die carnal and unrenewed, yet ye. think ftill ye have an honeft mind or heart for all that ; and what, i pray, is your honefl mind, but a rotten and prophane heart, that vails your hypo- crify with a pretext of honefty ? Would ye think that man honefl:, fpoke of ifaiah xliv. 19. who with one part of the tree warnaed himfelf, and W'th another part made a god, and fell down and pray- ed to it ? and yet, in your fenfe, he hath an honelt m"nd, for he followed his light, which is but dark- nefs, and the deceit of his heart carrying him away from God, tho' he cannot fee it ; he difcerns not, licaufe he conjiders not that there is a lie in his hand, and that a deceived heart hath led him ofide. So it is with you , a-nd if many of you flaw, what is latent under that honeft mind and" heart, there would be nothing that would make you lothc your- felves more. A little time will convince you, that *havwhic!i ye looked formed good from, v/as your , Verfe i . c j greateft and moft traitcrov;s gncmy ; Hi. that irajts in his onxin heart is a fool, faidi Sckmon, Proveibs, xxviii. 26. it fuppol^js that folk aiC ready, to lip- pen to their heart, and tohcaiken to tiie language of it concerning their Spiritual efhite ; But it fays alfo, that they are fools that fo. do, for it betrays- them : and there is no folly comparable to that^ whereby a man betrays his ov.-n immortal foul ; and that he doth, who truils in his own heart. A fevetjth reafon is, from the deccitfuinefs of our heart, and the natural corruption that flicks to us : There is naturally in us, pride and felf-con- ceit : we are difpofed to think any thing that is our own, tho' it be but a fliew, is as good as ethers reality; to think our own light and knowledge, our own other parts and gifts to be as good as thofc of any others, whofoever they be. And with pride there is joined felf-Iove ; we cannot abide to think evil of ourfelves, or to fufpeit ourfelvcs : Tho' this felf-love be indeed felf-hatred, and is but love to our corruptions, and makes us, that when we live in hatred of God, to think that v/e love him; fo that we cannot be induced to think that we love him not, for we know that love to God is good, and we love ourfelves fo well, that we cannot en- dure to think we want it : hence it is faid of fome in the laft times, 2 Tim. iii. 2, 3. That they fy all be covetous, proud, hoaflers, blafphemers, difobedi- ent to parents, unthankful, unholy,, nvithout natn-. ral affei^ion, truce breakers. Sec. having a for vl of godlinefs, and denying the po-^ser of it ;■■ and the fountain of all is felf-love, for (faith he) vienjhall be lovers of their onvnfclves.. And as felf-loAe is the fountain of much evil, fo it is the fountain of felf-deceit, and keeps out any thing that may make men queflion their own condition ; fo that if a word come in and fay. Thou l^aft no ground for thy fniih ; . the heart will be ready to anfwer and fay, It cannot be that I am a felf-deceiver: and felf-love, as a partial judge, will offer to vindicate the. man, and. fo makes him fliift the challenge. Now, when all. thefe are put together, you may fee how many grounds folk have to . go v^rong upon ; and men , having hearts difpofing and inclining them to go wrong, and little pains being taken to difcover tie deceit of them, is it any wonder that they think they believe, when indeed tliey believe not, and be. empty and toom-headed, hiving little or nothing to reft upon, while they think they are rich and want nothing? Thefe are not fancied and far-fetched, things, but obvious, and at hand, and n:ay eafily be gathered from your diiily pradiice ; in all viiicji, i: is cur defign and fcope, to bring vou tc trv yovs ifaiuh in:. V :^-' WiqticRioned peace : Do not therefore think .at it i& impcffible to be thus perfuadecl, r.s many ' f yon are, and yet to be raiftiiken, (which is ano- th.r groiiad of folks deceit; for Laodicea was very confident in thinking kerfclf to be rich and increci- fed in goods, and to Jl and in 7ieed of nothing ; ^vhen Jhc ivas in the mean time poor, blind, niifcrahlc, 'Wretched and flaked : andthe Galatians, asv/emay ise, chap. v. 8. had a perfuafion 'whivh 'vjas not of God.) As there may be a perfuafion of a ppint, of dodrine as being right, v/hich yet is an error; fo xlizro. may be a peri'uafion of a man's fpiritual (bate, I'.s being rifjht, and which he will ftoutly maintain to be fo, while in the mean time that perfuafion is not of God that calleth him, but a flrong delufion : If all that be faith which ye call faith, then certainly the way to heaven is much broader than tlie fcrip- ture hath chalked it out, and minifters needed net i'ay, Who believes our report? for all ihould thus believe it : It will then, and muft then, turn to this, that your perfaafion is not of him that calleth you ; and if a deceit may ly and lurk under this perfuafi- on of yours, ye have certainly fo much the more need to put the bufinefs to a trial. And this is the lali ife, which we camiot now infifl: on. Tliat feeing fo many think they believe, wlio believe not, and there are but few that be- , lieve the report, and indeed reft on Chrill for their fdvation, as he is oifercd to them in the gofp'el ; it is of your concernment to endeavour to put your- felves without the reach of this complaint, and to ihakc it fure that ye have believed, and received the reoort. Is there any thing of concernment, if this be not, even to make your calling and eleifHon •fure ? and that cannot be znade fure as to you, till your faith be made fure. If we could prevail thus far with you, we would c»unt it a bleiTed fruit of this and of many other preachings, even that fome of you, who have never queftioned your faith, might be engaged firft ferioufly to clofe withClrrift, cifei. Serm. XII. and then to put yorirfelvcs to the trial, that on di- ftinft grounds )'e may be able to fay, I kno^ in '-jjhom I have believed, and tbat he is able to keep that nvhich I have cojninittcd to h'im againf} that ,day. There are many of you that talk of faith, and yet can not only not allert your intereft in Chrilt diftindly, but cannot fo much as give any folid grounds of your belie\ ing : and fhculd not this, think yc, put you to try it ? Is there not a day coming, wherein ye will all be tried, whether youralledged filth was true fa;th, or but prefuraptucus ; and v/herein the confcicnce, which is .novs^ quiet, and which it may be never kept you from an hour's fleep, fiiall awake and put forth its fting, and lliall bite and gnav/ ; and yc, who fhall continue under the power of this delufion, will be put to gnaw your tongues for pain and horror under the gnav^'ings of your confcicnce ? Ye, that never knew all along your life what thefc things meant, had need toftand the more in awe, and to be afraid when ye come near death. Tho' it be ^ fad matter, that when we fliould be preaching, and would fain preach the dodrine of faith, it fhould by reafon of j^our de- lufion, be the great part of our work, to be thus <^iggi"g.you out of your prefumpdon, and overturn- ing your carnal and ill -grounded hope; yet we have the greater confidence, and the more peace to fpeak to, and infift on thefe truths, bccaufe they ly fo near to the great defign of the gofpel, and to your immortal fouls falvaticn : and tho' we were able to preach more plaufible and fweet things to you, yet if thefe dodrines profit you not, thefe would not. Seeing therefore they are fo profitable, we (hould not weary to fpeak, and ye firould not weary to hear them fpoken of: "Would to God ye v/ere fe- rioufly aiming to be clear and through the matter of believing, and that ye ftood in need, and were more capable of more pleafant truths i if fo, we might have more comfortable, tho' we will not fay more profitable, dodrines to infill upon to you. SERMON XII. Ifaiali. liii i . JVho hath believed our report? and to luhom is the arm of thq Lord revealed ? WE have fpoken at feveral occafions to this firft part of the verfe; and, before we leave it, there Is one ife, feveral times hinted at ulrcacjy, to which there is good ground to fpeak, it being the defign and purpofe of thefe words, to hold forth of what great concernmeut believing is, and of v.'hat great difficulty it is; and fo ma- ny being, to the ruin of their fouls, raiftaken about it, there is ground to draw this ufe of exlior- tation from it, to wit. That then all the hearers of this gofpel would be exhorted to advert well to this, that they make faith fure in Itfelf, and that they , make it fure to th^mfelves, feeing, as I faid, fo many are miftaken about it, and beguilethemfelves. The more preflingly tliat the gofpel calls for faith ioChrift,andthe more weightily the Lord expcrflu- lat«€ Serm. XII. ^ JjalalAv. latcs with the hearers ox" the ^ofpel, bcciiufe of their unbelief, they are doubilcfs fonnich the more concerned to receive it in its ofter, and alfo to look well that they content not thcmfelvcs with guelling at faith, and that they never think that things are well with them, except they can give good proof and warrant thiit they are fo, and that it is faving faith that tliey have. Seeing there arc fo many that fatisfy themfelves as being believers, when yet ^o fev/ are believers indeed ; the fad miftake and difappointment of many, fliould have fo much in- fluence upon us, as to put us to more watchfulnefs, and to a more narrow trial of our own ftate and condition, that we may knov/ how it is with us. All that we have fpoken to the docftrines of this fi: ft part of the vcrfc, may be as fo many motives toftir you up to both thefe ; and would to God we could be perfuaded to this, as the ufe of fo many preach- ings, once to admit and take it for granted, that it is the truth of God ; that there is a neceility, an abfolutc necefFity for us to be really rolled and cailen over upon Jefus Chrift by faith, for attaining of life through him. Tho'thisbc a very common rf'i>(^/r;;/^, and 5'e would think a very common ufe of it, yet it is the great thing that God requires in thegofpel; and the negledt of it, or not receiving his Son, the very conteft and quarrel that God hath with the hearers of it, and the caufe of the ruin of fo ma- ny fouls that, perifh under the gofpel ; we fhall therefore propofc to you fonic confiderations, that may ftir you up to tliis ; and briefly anfwer a que- /Hon, in each of thefe c>vo branches of the ufe. And, F;,'j/?, For ftirring you up to this receiving of Chriil by faith, i . Confider if there be not a (land- ing quarrel andcontrov^rfy betvdxt God and you for /in ; and if there be, as no doubt there is, confider how that controverfy is to be removed ; is there any other pofuble way but by faith in Chrift ? if we were . preaching to fuch as had never finned, and were never under the hazard of the v/rath of God, there might pofTibly be a difliculty to perfuade to a receiv- ing of Chrift ; but vvlien ye have aH this in your con- fcience, that there is fin, and a curfe following Un, and that tiiere is no otlier v/ay for removing that curfe but by Jefi'.s Chrift, is there not reafon toiix- ped that ye j"hou!d receive this truth ? ^A iU any of you think to (land and abide it out againft God ? and if not, then there is fure a ncceflity of believing in Jefus Chrift, or of lying under the wrath of G6d for ever. 2. Confider, diat this gofpel and word of fal- Tation is preached to you in particular : When v/e fpcak of falvaticn, v.c do not fay, that Chrift -was . Verfe I . * ^ once preachetl to th.e Jc.-'s, cr that in iiAi» a far o3' nation there is a doci- opened for faV.ation in ihe gofpel ; but we would turn over the v.xrJs of Jic Apoftic, A(5ts xiii. 38. to you, and fay to 3'ou in liis v.-ords. Be it kno^jon loyou therefore, v:en and . brethren, through this I\hn (to wit, Jefus Chrift) is preached to you rem'>Jp.on of fins, &c. and thin brings the gofpel near you, even to your door; it lays before you the way of accefs to God by Chrift, and puts it fo clofe and home to you, that Chrift muft either have a refufal, or a v/elcome from yci:. The fir''. confideration of your ov,-n fmfulnefs and mifery might put you to feek after a Saviour, tho' he were at a great diftance ; but diis other brings him to your heart and mouth : and is it fit (think ye) to negle(ft fuch a fair occafion ? and w ill it be wifdom, when falvation follows you, and cries after you, and wifdom lifts up its voice in the ftrcets, faying, ye Jimple ones, honxi loiig ivUl ye love, foolifhnefs? &c. to ftop your car, or to turn away from Chrift, and to run upon ^-our deftrudtion ? Du ye think that this gofpel will be fJent always, or that your confcience will be deaf and dumb always : There are many nations that liave not the gofpel \o near them : and it's hard to know, but the day may come, when ye would be content to buy an offer of the gofpel at a dear rite, and when there fliall not be a tryfter, nor a days-man to be had between Godandyou; and thefe days will thenbcremembred with horror, which nov/ ye fecurely flip over. 3. Confider what will come of this, if ye do net • believe the gofpel. Knov/ yc not that many perilli that hear the gofpel, and that upon this fame very ground, tha: they did not receive Chrifi and fal- vation through him oftered to thcni the;-ein, ami whereof they are nov/ deprived ? Are there not many this day curling in hell, under the wrath of God, that they let ilip and pafled over fo many golden opportunites of the gofpel without iniproxement ? and knov/ ye not that it will come to the fame fad pais with you, if yc do not receive it ? Do men live alv/ays i* Is there not an appointed time f(:>rall men upon earth ? If, before we have f ivingly exercifed faith on him for making peace witli God, we be drawn to a reckoning before his tribunal, v/hat will ■ come of it ? and :'.re not cur precious opportunities apace and always flipping by ? and is r.ot tlie v,/>rk of faith by delays ftill the more diiticuit ?-. are not- our bonds ftiii the more Itrengthned? and dotljr not our indifpofition ftill grow the greater ? a-ndis it not very ordinary to fee thefe, who havs flighted the work offaith in their youth, to live fluprtd ia tieir old age, and die fenftleis. ^■; Ifaiah llii. V 4. Cwiifidcv what iort of iolk they arc, of whom ^he fc-rpfare fpeaks as unbelievers, and whom the '•'oni of Goci holds forth to be eternally fecluded ■'•om the prcfence of God for the want of faith, ' t;iny tliink that it is but the grofly prophane, or i.ich as never had fo much as the form of religion, ;':ui ftich as others would fcunner and lothe to hear T \\-y<\\ but mentioned ; and it is {I fay) only fuch that ;ire accounted unbelievers: but the fcripture fpeaks cf fonic,- that fcck io enter in, and /hall not be able; liiat dcilre to be in heaven, and take fome pains to v,ln in, and yet are never admitted to entfv: into it ; and \\h?xX is the reafon ? becaufe they took, not the ^(■ay 6f believing, for the obtaining of life, and comln" to heaven ; they took the way of works, they took the way of prayer, of purpofes, promifcs and rcfolutions to amend and grow better, quite ovci locking Chrilt and the way of believing in him; and fo took the way of prefumption, and promifed themfelvcs peace, when there was no true peace, nor any fclid ground for it. 5 . Confider (which is of affinity with the former confideration) them that are fecluded from the pre- fence of God for the want of faith : They are even men and women, as we are, that lived in the fame kingdom and city with us, and prayed in the fame, company v/ith us that thought themfelves as fure of heaven as many of us do, that were guilty of the fame or like fms that we are guilty of, that have licard many of the fame preachings that we have heard, and yet they perilh for v/ant of faith, for not believing in the Son of God. Why then fhould we think that impoffiblc to us, that is fo common and frequent in others ? Is not the fame nature in us that is in others ? and are not our hearts naturally as deceitful and corrupt, as thofe of others ? and fo, may not we be beguiled, as well as others ? and is it not the.fame rule that he will walk by in judging of us, that he walked by in judging of others ? What can be the reafon that folk will read and hear the word, and will promife to themfelves heaven, when the f.ime word clears it plainly, that deftruftion is rl-Mt whiih they have tolook for from the Lord ? It is nodiingelfe, but this confident and proud prefumpti- on that many take for f liih. Let not your precious opportunities flip av/ay, and beguile not your fclves in fuch a concerning matter as fiith is ,• ye v/ill never get this lofs made up afterwards, if ye mifs faith h'jrc. Laftly, Confider the great ncceffity tliat the Lord hath laid upon all men and women by a peremptory command and charge, to believe in the Son of Cod : he h i;h not with greater pcremptorinefs required crfc I. Serm. Xir. prayer, nor dependence upon him, nor any other duty, than he hath required this, i John iii. 23. ylnd this is his com}nand7?ient, that ai'if f!:ould be- lieve on the nar.Ke of his Son Jefus Ckrift. ; yea, it is fmgled out as his main commandment. If tiiat great inquiry be made, What fnall I do to be favedl This is the anfwer, Believe on "Jefus Chriji. Do ye think that our Lord (whc5 hath fo marked and fignalized this command in fo fpecial a manner) will never take account for the flighting of it ; or do ye think -to fatisfy him by your other duties, without minding this ? It cannot be ; fuppofe j'e fhould mourn all your life-time, and your life were a pat- tern to others, yet if ye v/ant this one thing, faith in Chrifl:, ye would be found tranfgrefTors, as ha- ving neglec^ted the main work. Now, for the ^lejlion, ye will fay, what Is this we are bidding you do, when we bid you believe ? AnfiKier, when we call you to believe, we call you, I . To be fuitably affec^fed with the fenfe of your own naughtinefs, fmfulnefs, and hazard; till there be fomething of diis, faith in our Lord Jefus hath no accefs, nor will ever get welcome ; deep ap- prehenfions of the wrath that is coming, and ftand- ing in awe at the thoughts of our appearing before him, contribute much to it. I am not preaching de- fperation to you, as lome mutter; but we would prefs upon you the faith of the word of God, that tells you what we are j and livelinefs under that imprellion ; that ye may not be flopped or letted, till ye come to a thorow clofure with Chrifl: : the mod; part of hearers come never tWs length, and this is the reafon why many ftumble in the very threfliold, and make never progrefs. 2. We call for, and commend this to you, that ye would fludy to be through and clear as to the ufefulnef s and excellency of Jefus Chrifl:, as to the efficacy of his death, as to the terms of the covenant' of grace, whereby a finner comes to obtain right to him : to be fenflble of fjn and hazard, without this, is only the way to make a man defperate and mad; but when this is clear, it makes an open door to the finner, that he may fee whither to run from the wrath to come. I do not only mean that ye would get the Catechifm, and be able to anfwer to all the queftions concerning the fundamentals of religion, coruained therein, but that ye would alfo and mainly feek to have the faith of thefe things in your hearts, and to have faith in God, that ye may be perfuaded, that he that was and is God, died for finners; and that, by the ap- plication of his fatisfa<5tion, finners may obtain life; and that there is a fnfficient warrant given to a fin- ner to hazard himfelfupon him. The firft of thefe fpeaks Serm. XII. IJalah fpeaks the necefllty of fome fenfe, the fecond holds out the necefllty of a general faith, according to that word. Hob. xi. He that comet h to God, muji believe that he is, and that he is a reivardsr ef them that diligently feek him. We muft know that there is a warrant to come, and ground to expefl accept- ance from God upon our coming; or elfe we will never come to, nor believe in Chrirt. The 3d thing that we call you to, when we call you to believe, is, that the (inner would actually ftretch out tlrat faith, as the foul's hand, for the receiving of Chrift, and for the application of him to himfelf ; and would a(5tually call: himfelf upon the fatisfadtion of Jefus Chrill, for covering that finfulnefs that is in him ; and would catch hold of, and grip to him, that is an able Saviour, for keeping the finnerfrom finking under the weight of fin that he lieth under: This is tiie excrcife and practice of faith, when it flows from the general dc-flrine of the neceflity of believing fuch things to be truths in themfelves ; and then it is extended and put forth in pradtice, that we, who are fo certainly and fenfibly loft, niuit needs fliare of that falvation which we believe to be in Jefus Chrift, and fo for that, roll ou;-- felve« on him: the firft piece of fenfe may be in a reprobate, the fecond piece of f?.ith, that there is a fufficient falvation in Chrift to be gotten by them that believe in him, may be in a de»il; but this third, of aftual ufe-making of the fatisfaflion of Chrift, for paying our debt, and rolling ourfelves upon him, that is the faith and exercife of it that is particular to a found believer, and the very thing that conftitutes a believer ; and it is that which we commend to you, that j^e may not ftand and pleafe yourfelves with looking only upon Chrift, but that ye may caft and roll yourfelves over upon him, that Chrift may get your weight, and that all j'our bur- dens and wants may be upon him ; which to do, ye muft be enabled by the mighty power of grace, whereof inthe next part of the verfe. The fecond branch of the ufs, which follows u- pon this, is, -That we would defire you, not only to follow this wayof making your peace with God, but to follow the trying and proving of it to your own fatisfadion, that ye may be warrantably con- fident that it is fo. There is a great difference be- twixt thefe, to believe in Chrift, and to be clear and certain that we do believe in him ; as there is a necefTity of the firlt, without which there cannot be peace v/ith God, fo there is a neceflity of the fecond, tho' not Amply, as without which there can be no peace v/ith God, yet upon this account, as witliout which we cannot be fo comforted in God: liii. Verfe i, Pj and feeing there are fo many who do not be)ie?o, who yet think themfelves to b'j believers ; and fet- ing there is nothing more common among the hear- ers of the gofpel, than to reject Chriil oh'eicd in if, and to mifbelieve, and yet nothing more commcu than to be confident that they do believe ; there io good ground here to exhort you to put your faitli to the couch-ftone, that ye may know whether yc can abide the trial, and whether ye may confident- ly aflert your own faith upon good ground, and a- bide by it. We would think, if it were rcmembei- ed, and ferioufly confidered, how great a fcarcity there is of believers, and how rare a tiling it is to get any to receive Chrift, that folk needed not be muchprefl'ed to put their faith to the trial ; and when there will not be one among many found, who will pafs under the account of a real believer with Je- fus Chrift, fliould not the moft part fufpeit them- felves. Seeing the moft part that hear the gofpel. are the objed of this complaint, Who hath believed cur report ? or very few have believed it : Ye would ftudy to have fome well-grounded confidence in this, that ye aie not guefling and prefuming, and going upon grounds that will fail you at laft-, but that ye be in a cafe to fay on folid grounds v/ith the apoftle, I kncn)} mkom I have believed, &c. There is afaitli and hope that will make many afliamed ; and cer- tainly in the day of judgment, when Chrift fliali have to do with thefe perfons, that never once thought to be thruft away from him, they of all men fliall be thruft away from him with greateft fliame : O ! the confufion that will fill and over- whelm them, who had a profeflion of Chrift and yet had never the root of the matter in them, above and beyond many others. Dare many of you, u- pon the confidence ye have, look death in the face ? It is no great matter to be confident in the time of health : but will ye then be able to comfort your- felves in the promifes of God ? Do not promife to yourfelves the things in the covenant, except ye be endeavouring in God's way to be fure ye arc belie- vers indeed. Our life depends upon our faith, but our confolation depends much upon our clearnefs that we have faith, and that we are in Chrift ; ami therefore there is much need to prefs this upon vou : There is no way to rid you of the terrors of God, and to make you comfortably fure of your particu- lar intereft in the promifes of God, but by making it fure and clear that ye are believei s in Chriif indeed. There are three or four forts of people, to whom we would fpeak a little here, i . There are fome' who think, that if they could do oittr duties, the' M thc^ 86 Jfaiah liii. they fhoulcl never do this, to wit, to make their canrngandelccTiionfure, they would be and do well enough : are tiiere not many of you, that never fo much as fet yourfelves to try whether your faith would abide God's trial or not ? Ah ! Ah ! an athe- ifHcal indifferency, a flighting of the confclations of God, aboundcth amongflmany, fothatthey think the promifes, and the confolaticns that are to be gotten in the prcirjfes, are not fo much worth, as to be diereby put to take pains to try and fee, whe- ther they belong to them or not ; but the day will come, that many of you will curfe yourfelves for your negleding and flighting of this. A fecondfort are thefe, who, becaufe they were never fure of peace with God themfelves, and becaufe they were never fure of their own faith, neither ever concern- edly endeavoured to be, they think it is all but fan- cy that is fpoken of afllirance of faith, and of peace with God ; they think it is but guefling at the bell ; there is fuch a fort of perfons, who think they may be doing as they dow, and need not trouble them- felves with fuch fancies, or nice things ; but if ye aflc them, what will come of them at lafl ? they Svill tell you, They will lippen that to God. Think ye it for nought, that God hath laid fo many com- mands on you to make your calling and eleftion fure ? and think ye it for nought, that he hath given fo many marks to try it by, and that fome of the people of God do holily and humbly glory and boad fo much of their communion with God, of their afTurance of his love to them, and of their fpkial intereft in him \ do not all thefe fay, that there is fuch a thing as this to be had ? There is a third fort, that pleafe themfelves with meer con- jedures about this matter, and the greater their fecurity be, they perfuade themfelves the more that they have faith : This is as fad as any of the for- mer, when they grant all, that folks rtiould make their calling and election fure, and fliould endeavour to be fure of their faith, but in the mean time take peace with the devil, and peace with their hills, for peace with God ; and a covenant with hell and death for a real bargain with God : This is as true as this word of God is, that there are many that put by all challenges by this, and never fufpedl their .faith; they hope that all fliall be well, and they muft always believe ; as if that were the whole du- ty of faith, to keep down all challenges. A fourth fort is, even of the generation of them that have fomething of God in them, who fear in a manner to make all fure, and think it a piece of humility, and of holy and tender walking, to maintain doubt- ing ; even as ethers tliink it faith, to maintain pre- Verfe I. Serm. XII. fumpticn : they are always complaining, as if ail things were wrong, and nothing right in their cafe, and fo fofter and cherifh mifbelief. There is fuch a thing as this, thatmarreth even ferious fouls in their endeavours to make their calling and eledion fure; and, as long as this is, they cannot win to the fuit- able difcovery of this excellent grace that God calls them to exercife, even faith in the Lord Jefus. Need we make ufe of motives to prefs you to this trial of your faith, and to this giving of all dili- gence to make it fure, who have efpecially hitherto negledled it? If ye knew any thing of the vexation that unbelief hath with it, and what horror in con- fcience from the fenfe of difl:ance from God were, ye would think it a great matter to be clear in this thing ; and if it were known and believed, how this delulion and unfickernefs of faith deflroys the moft part of men in the world, even of the vifible church, durfl men ly in their fecurity as moft do, without all endeavours to make it fure on good ground, that they do indeed believe ? Durft they ly ftill under God's curfe, if they thought themfelves to be really under it, and did not foohflily fancy that it is other- wife with them ? Durft men treafure up wrath ta themfelves ? if they thought not that the hope they had were good enough ? O ! but prefumption be- guiles and deftroys many fouls ; and particularly this fame prefumption, of folks thinking themfelves right when they are v/rong, hath deltroyed, and doth deftroy, and will deftroy more members of the vifible church, than prophanity, drunkennefs, whoredom, theft, defperation, or any other of thefe grofs and much abhorred evils do : This is the thing that locks folk up in their fin, even their prefump- tion,. when they fay on the matter. We JJjall have peace, tho" ive iva/k in the iynagination of our oiun heart. It is this that makes men, without fear, fteal, lie, and commit adultery, ith murt be exercifed, not only at ftarts, as when \/.: are under challenges for fin, or at prayer, but •' ; mud defign and endeavour to exercife faith thro' 1 our life; that is, we muftby faith look for eve- ' thing, that is ufeful and needful for us, from iirill:, and be always endeavouring to drive on a common trade of living this way ; we muft be ha- i)ituating ourfelves to feek after peace, ftrength and confolation, and what elfe we need, out of the ful- nefs that is in him. This life of faith is, to fee the want of all things in ourfelves, and yet to have all things, by making ufe of Chrift in all things ; con- tenting andcomforting ourfelves that there is ftrength in him, tho' we be weak in ourfelves, and that he hadi gotten the victory over all his and our enemies, and that we lliall at laft, through him, be victori- ous in our own perfons ; contenting and fatisfying ourfelves that he hath compleat righteoufnefs, tho' we be bankrupt and have none of our own, and be- taking ourfelves allenarly to that righteoufnefs for our juiHfication before God ; thus, making a hfe to ourfelves in him, he living in us by his Spirit, and we living in him by faith : O fweet and defirable, but myfterious life ! The third place Is, Gal. v. 6. In Chriji JefiHy ^ neither clrctrmcifion availeth any thing, nor iincir- cutncifion, but faith that luorketh by love : He doth not fimply fay faith, h\xx. faith that ivorks by love ; for faith is an operative grace, and this is the main vent of it, the thing by which it works, it works by love : faith is the hand of the new creature, where- by every thing is wrought, it having life from Chrift ; and we may fay, that love is in a manner the hand of faith, or rather like the fingers upon the hand of faith, whereby it handleth every thing tenderly, even out of love to God in Chrift, and to others for his fake ; faith works, and it works by love : that's a found and good faith, that warms the heart with love to Chrift ; and the nearer that faith brings the believer to him, it warms the heart v/ith more love to others. And therefore, love to the people of God, is given as an evidence of one that is born of God, i John v. i . becaufe, where- ver true faith is, there canmot but be love to the children of God, flowing from love to him that be- gets them. That faith, that is not affedted with God's dishonour out of love to him, and that can endure to look upon the diihculties, fufFerings and Verfei., Serm. XII. afBifrions of the children of.God, without fympa- tliizing and being kindly aifedted therewith, is not to be taken for a found faith, but to be fufpeded for a counterfeit. The fourth place is, James ii. 14. She^ me thy faith by thy ivorks, Sec. True faith hath always found holinefs with it, in all manner of converfa- tlon, in the defign and endeavour of the beHever; which is, withal, through grace in fome meafure attained. What avails it for a man to fay, that he loves another, when, being naked or deftitute, he bids him. Depart in peace. Be warmed. Be filled, and yet in the mean time gives him nothing that he ftands in need of ? would not fuch a poor man think himfelf but mocked ^ Even fo, will not God rec- kon you to be but mock-believers, or mockers of faith, when ye profefs yourfelves to be believers in Chrift, while in the mean time ye have neither in- deed heart-piirity, nor holinefs in your out-fide con- ' verfation ? that is but fuch a faith as devils may have, that will never do you good. Ye would believe this for a truth, that there will never a faith pafs for faith in God's account, and fo there fliould ne^er a faith pafs for faith in your account, but that faith which fets the man a-work to the ftudy of holinefs, that faith which works by love, that faith which purifies the heart, and that faith which puts the perfon, in whom it is, to ftudy to have Chrift living in him, and himfelf living in Chrift. I promifed to name a few fcriptures, that fpeak out fome more condefcending charafters of faith. And, I . I would think it a good token of faith, to have folk feared for miffing and falling ftiort of the promifes : which may be gathered from Heb. iv. i. That ftout confidence, that thinks it is impoflible to mifs the promifes, is a fufpedl and dangerous faith not to be loved ; it is a much better faith that fears, than that faith that is more ftout, except there be a fweet mixture of holy ftoutnefs and fear together. It is faid, Heb. xi. 7. that by faith, Noah, being 7novedivithfear, prepared an ark, &c. Noah had the faith of God's promife, that he Ihould be kept free from being drowned by the deluge with the reft of the world, and j^et he was mourning and trembling in preparing the ark ; if there were much faith among you, it would make many of you more holily feared than ye are : Love not that faith the worfe, that ye never hear a threatning, but ye tremble at it, and are touched by it in the quick. 2. It is a good token of faving faith, when it hath a difcovery and holy fufpicion of unbelief waiting on it, fo that the perfon dare not fo lippen and truft his own faith, as not to dread itnbelief, and to Serm. XII. IfaiahXm. to tell Chrift of it ; there is a poor man that comes to Chrift, Mark ix. 23, 24. to whom the Lord faith, If thou canji believe, or canft thou believe ? Yes Lord (faj'S he) / believe, help thou mine utibe- lief: there was fome faith in him, but there was alfo unbelief mixed witJi it ; his unbelief was fo great, that it was alraoft like to drown his faith, but he puts it in Chrift's hand, and will neither de- ny his faith nor his unbelief, but\puts the matter lincerely over upon Chriit, to ftrengthen his faith, and to amend and help his unbelief. It is a fufpedt faith, that is at the top of perfeflion at the very firll, and ere ever ye wot : There are fome ferious fouls, that think, becaufe they have fome unbelief, that therefore they have no faith at all ; but true faith is fuch a faith, that is by and befide fufpedt- ed and feared or feen unbelief; that faith is fureft, where folk fear and fufpedl unbelief, and fee it, and when tliey are weighted with their unbelief, and cry out under it, and make their unbelief an errand to Chrift, it is a token that faith is there. 5. The third charafler is, that it will have with it a ftick- ing to Chrift, and a fear to prefume in fticking to him : There will be two things ftriving together, an eagernefs to be at him, and a fear they be found prefumptuous in meddling with him, and an holy trembling to think on it ; yet notwithftanding it muft and will be adventured upon. The woman fpokenof, Mark v. 28. lays this reckoning with herfelf. If I can but touch his clothes, I Jhall be 'whole ; andflie not only believeth this to be truth, but crouds and thrimbles in to be at him ; yet ver. 33. when fhe comes before Chrift, flie trembles as if fhe had been taken in a fault, not having dared to come openly to him, but behind him ; fhe beho- ved to have a touch of him, but flie durft not in a manner own and avouch her doing of it, till (lie be unavoidably put to it. It is a fufpedl and unfound faith tliat never trembled at minting to believe ; there is reafon to jealous that faith not to be of tlie right ftamp, that never walked under the im- preffion of the great diftance between Chrii't and the perfon, the fenfe whereof is the thing that makes the trembling, I fay not defperation, nor any utter diftruft of Chrift's kindnefs, but trembling arifing from the confideration of tlic great dilhmoe and dif- proportion that's between him and the perfon ; faith holds the fmner a going to Clirift, and the fenfe of its own finfulnefs and worthlefnefs keeps him under holy fear, and in the exercife of humility. Paul once thought himfelf ajolly man, (as we may fee, Rom. yii. 9.) but when he was brought to believe in Chrift, he fees that he was a dead and undone Verfe i. 89 man before. I give you thofe three m;Mks of a true faith from that chapter, if. It difcovers to a man his former finfidnefs, and particularly his for- mer felf-conceit, pride, and prefuraption, / lucis, faith Paul, alive i^'ithout the Livj once. Sec. a m;ui living upon the thoughts of hi« own h6l:n<.fs, but auhen the lanv came, I died ; he fell quite from thefe high thoughts. K 2d mark is, a greater reft- lefnefs of the body of death, it becominii in fome refpedt worfe company, more.fretful,and ftrugglin!oit?. or doth any v/ork : fo the arm of the Lord is his power, whereby he produceth his m.ighty adls ; as it is faid in the Pfalms, cxviii. i 5. The right hand of the Lord hath done valiantly : xcviii. i. His hand and his arm hath gotten hi7n tkeviiiory. And, be-, caufe the power of God is taken either more gene- rally for that which is exercifed in the works of common providence, or more particularly for that which is put forth in the work of faving grace ; we take it hereinfhort to be the grace of God exercifing its power, in and by the gofpel, for the converting of fouls, and caufing them favingly to believe : fo, Rom, I. I 6. 1 am not af?amed of the gofpel of Chrifly for it is th£ pov-'er of God to falvation to every one that believes ; not fimply as it confifts in fpeaking of good, fweet and feafonable words, but as it Co- meth backed by the irrefiftable power of the grace of God, as the word is, i Cor. i. 23, 24. We preach Chriji, to the Jenvs a fujnhlitig block, and to the Greeks foolijhriefs ; but unto them 'who are called., both Jeivs and Greeks, the ponverofGod and thcwifdom ofCod ; and that it is fo to be taken here, the connexion of thefe words with the former will make it clear; for fure he is not fpeaking of the power of God in the works of common providence, but of his power in the converfion of fouls to Chrift, even of that power which works faving faith in the eleft. For xhtfecond, the revealing of the arm of the Lord : By this we do not underftand the revealing of it objeilively, as it is brought to light by the preaching of the gofpel ; for thus it is revealed to all the hearers of the gofpel, it is in this refped not kept hid, but brought forth clearly to them in the word : And therefore, idly. The revealing of this arm of power of the Lord is to be underftood of the fubjedive inward manifefting of it, with ef- ficacy and life, to the heart, by the effe(5tual ope- ration of the Spirit of the Lord ; as it is faid of tlie great Serm. XIII. Jfaiah\\\\. ireat things prepared for them that love God, i Cor. ii. lO. But God hath revealed thcvi wiio ns hy his Spirit : it is that which is called, i Cor. ii. the demonjiration of the Spirit and of pc\