brethren, in thefe times wherein there is fuch feare, trouble and distraction; now to have faith to give a subsistance to all, the things that God hath spoken of; a fubfiftance to all the glorious promifes that God hath made to his people: what a wonderfull bleffing is this! now excercise faith, and by faith give a fubfistance to all these promises; make them a foundation to rest upon; be willing to venture all you have, your Eftates, names, liberties, lives, for the furthering and fulfilling the glorious promifes which God hath made unto his Church: and if you have faith, that gives foundations to those promifes, you will doe fo. And though we fee nothing but darkneffe, and mifery upon the world, yet let us exercise faith; if the hour of temptation be yet to come, as who knowes, then we fhall have need of faith; and faith onely, in fuch darkneffe can helpe us to light. And for preparation for fuch times, labour to ftrengthen faith, and by what you have heard, you may fee what ftead faith will stand you in, in any danger. It is a great comfort to a Christian that though he be in the dark in many things(as there are many truths now disputed about Churches, and the like) yet to know he hath that in him that will make the things of eternall life evident to him: It is a wonderful bleffing of God to have a principle that gives subfiftance and evidence to fuch things as these are. How exceedingly would many poor fouls rejoyce, if they might have an evidence but of fome one truth of religion; as the truth of a dcity, which reafon gives light in; they are fo peftred with Atheisme, that they would give a thousand worlds to be rid of it. Now if this be fo great a mercy, to have that which doth evidence onely one principle of religion; what a glori ous mercy then is it, to have faith to evidence all the glorious things of God; and to make them cleare and plaine to you! you can remember there was a time when you thought them fancies and conceits, but now you fee them, as cleare as the light of the Sun, and you would not now for a thousand worlds but you faw them as you doe. Hereafter (brethren) when we fhall fee them not by faith, but by fenfe, Ohow fhall we bleffe God then, that we had before an evidence of these things made to our fouls. What would have become of us if

We

we had not had an evidence to cleare thofe things to us that lead to this glory, to evidence the righteoufneffe of God in Chrift for eternal life. I faw these things fubfifting and evident before, and now God reveales them fully to me; whereas on the other fide, thofe that want a principle of faith to make them fubftantiall and evident to them, when they shall come to be substantiall and evident to their sense, O what a horrid terrour will it be unto them: then you will fay, O Lord, that I had feen these things before, my heart then would never have been taken fo with the things of the world: I ran madly upon the vanities of the world, to get riches, and honours; and I thought I was the onely happy man, and that thofe things were the onely fubftantial and reall things, and those things that I heard the Preacher speak of, I thought them to be but notions and conceits: but now I fee they are reall and fubftantiall. O miferable man that now I am!

O the work of faith that can make thofe that are of weak parts, to fee the great things of God, James 2.5. Hearken my brethren (fayes the Apoftle) God hath chofen the poor of this world to be rich in faith. To understand the great things of faith; that poor men fhould understand the great, the deep, the glorious things of God, that were hid from the foundations of the world,it is a wonderful work; therefore when John fent to Chrift, to know if he were the Mefs, Chrift gives this as one argument, The poor receive the Gospel, Mathew 11. 5. Why, was that an argument that Chrift was the Meflias, was it not rather an argument against him? that the poor did it: if the great ones had done it, it had been an argumeut. No, The poor receive the Gospell. And that thofe that are poor and weak in other things, fhould have this mighty work wrought in their fouls, to be able to receive Chrift and the Gofpel: this is an argument of the mighty power of God. Brethren, to have the ufe of the eye of the body by which we can fee the great works of God, the Sun, Moon, and Stars, and can take notice of the glory of God in thefe, this is a great bleifing: what man would be willing to loose the fight of his eyes, to gaine a world? because it discovers fo much of the glory of God.. Now if the eye that receives onely these naturall things, be

fo,

fo preecious O then what is it to have a principle within us, an eye of faith clearly to evidence the great things and glori ous councels of God unto us? if a christall that can receive colours into it from without, be precious; O what is the christall of faith? it may well be called precious faith, for it receives into the foul the glory of God, and the excellencies of Chrift, and the great things of eternall life. And these are brought into the foul by faith, in the reallity and power of them to raise the heart, and to fill it with all joy and peace in believing, and to carry the foul through all the troubles of this world. Othe eye of faith is a precious eye! the eye of fenfe is precious, because we can fee visible objects by that; but the eye of reason is more precious, because that can make things feen which are not feen by the eye of fenfe; reafon can discourse up to God himself and it is the wonderfull excellency of a reasonable creature that God hath given him that ability,that he can difcourfe fo from the effect to the cause, and from one cause to another, till at last he gets up to God, the firft being of all. This is an admirable indowment we fhould bleffe God for: but now, if the use of reafon have fuch an excellency in it; because by that we have an evidence of reasonable things to us, then ftill goe higher and labour to have a right efteem of this precious faith, that gives unto us fuch evidence of the glorious things of God, even that faith that God puts into our hearts on purpofe that by it we might be able to receive into our fouls thofe glorious and hidden myfteries of godlineffe that doe infinitely concerne our eternall peace.

This Sermon was preacht April 25. 1641.

JOHN. 8. v.36.

If the Sonne therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

I

'N this Chapter we have Chrift continuing of his conteft with the wrangling peevish Jewes, in anfwering all that they faid, notwithstanding they fnarled at every word almoft that paft. But however it was with the multitude, yet there were fome that were taken with what he faid: for in verf. 30. it is faid, As he spake these words many believed on bim, at least there were fome beginnings of faith, or fome preparations to it. And Chrift tells them verf. 31. That if they Continued in bis word, then they were his difciples indeed: as if he fhould fay, it is not enough that you are stirred for the present and profeffe you believe in me; I will not take you for my difciples, unleffe you continue in my word: how often doe the flashes that are upon the hearts and confciences of men vanifh and come to nothing? they continue not in the word of Chrift, and therefore are not his difciples. Chrift tells them further, that they must understand more concerning their condition then yet they apprehended. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.v.32. as if he fhould fay, though you have fome confufed apprehenfions of things for the prefent, yet it is but very little you know of your condition: but if you will goe on in the way that God is beginning with you,, in ftirring your confciences; if you will continue, you fhall come to know more then yet you know, Te shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free; and then in verf. 33. fay they, we are Abrahams feed, and were never in bondage to any man; how Sayeft thou, ye shall be made free. See here, they begin to fnarle

again.

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againe. Mafter Calvin, I remember, thinks that these are the words rather of fome other of the Jewes that were prefent, then of those that are faid before to believe: but others think it may be understood even of thofe that are said to believe; for though they did begin to affent to the doctrine of Chrift, and were very much convinced, yet there was ftill abundance of frowardneffe, perverfneffe and crookedneffe in their spirits : fo that they begin againe to wrangle with Chrift, especially when he doth but intimate to them any thing of their bondage. It is a ufual thing for many people, that have fome ftirrings of confcience, and fome beginnings of the working of Gods fpirit in them, and it may be faving ones too, yet to continue a long time in much frowardneffe,and perverfneffe of fpirit,if they be oppofed in their way. Therefore, fay they, doe you speak to us of bondage, and tell us of freedome? why, We were never in bondage to any. verf.33. What never in bondage to any? were not the Jewes in bondage to the Babylonians, when in captivity to them? and were they not at this very time in bondage to the Romans? and yet we were never in bondage: thus carnall hearts, till grace fully fubdue them, are very loth to know their wretched condition; they love not to heare of any thing that discovers to them the mifery that they are in: they were never in bondage, they fay, but yet Chrift pittyeth them: he did not take advantage to fling away presently, because he saw them continue ftill in their perverfneffe, and snarling at what he spake, but tells them, what bondage he meant. As if he fhould fay, the truth is, though you think your felves free, yet there is a bondage that you are in, and fuch a bondage that none can deliver you,but the Son of God alone. If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. Thus we come to the words of the Text.

These words, you fee then, hold forth unto us the bleffed liberty of the Gofpel; that freedome that believers have by Christ.

I come then presently to the maine doctrinal conclufion, which is this:

There is a bleffed liberty, that Chriftians enjoy by Christ, and only by him. This do&trine of Christian liberty that is enjoyed by

Chrift,