First, The weighty importance of this matter. Secondly, The fenfe of the deceitfulness of their own hearts. Firft, The conclufion is of infinite importance to them, it is the everlasting happiness of their fouls, than which nothing is, or can be, of greater weight upon their spirits: things in which we are moft deeply concerned, are not lightly and hastily received by us:it feems fo great and fo good, that we are 1till apt (if there be any room for it) to fufpect the truth and certainty thereof, as never being fure enough. Thus when the women that were the firft meffengers and witnesses of Christ's refurrection, Luke xxiv. 10, 11. came and told the difciples those wonderful and comfortable tidings, it is faid, "That their words feemed to them as idle tales, and they "believed them not:" They thought it was too good to be true; too great to be haftily received; fo it is in this cafe. Secondly, The fenfe they have of the deceitfulness of their own hearts, and the daily workings of hypocrify there, makes them afraid to conclude in fo great a point as this is. They know that very many daily cozen and cheat themselves in this matter; they know alfo that their own hearts are full of falfeness and deceit; they find them fo in their daily obfervations of them; and what if they fhould prove fo in this? Why then they are loft for ever! They alfo know there is not the like danger in their fears and jealoufies, that would be in their vain confidences and prefumptions: by the one, they are only deprived of their prefent comfort, but by the other, they would be ruined for ever: and therefore chufe rather to dwell with their own fears (though they be uncomfortable companions) than run the danger of fo great a mistake, which would be infinitely more fatal. And this being the common case of most Chriftians, it follows that there must be many more believers in the world than do think, or dare conclude, themselves to be fuch. Infer. 4. If the right receiving of Jefus Chrift, be true, faving, and juftifying faith, then thofe that have the least, and loweft degree and measure of faving faith, have caufe for ever to admire the bounty and riches of the grace of God to them therein. If you have received never fo little of his bounty by the hand of providence, in the good things of this life, yet if he have given you any measure of true faving faith, he hath dealt bountifully indeed with you: this mercy alone is enough to balance all other wants and inconveniencies of this life, poor in the 66 world, rich in faith," James ii. 5. O let your hearts take in the full fense of this bounty of God to you; fay with the apoftle, Eph. i. 3. " Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Je"fus Chrift, who hath bleffed us with all spiritual bleffings in heavenly places in Chrift Jefus :" and you will in this one mercy, find matter enough of praise and thanksgiving, wonder and admiration to your dying day, yea, to all eternity: for, do but confider, First, The smallest measure of faving faith which is found in any of the people of God, receives Jefus Chrift: and in receiving him, what mercy is there which the believing foul doth not receive in him, and with him? Rom. viii. 32. O believer, though the arms of thy faith be fmall and weak, yet they embrace a great Chrift, and receive the richest gift that ever God bestowed upon the world: no fooner art thou become a believer, but Chrift is in thee the hope of glory; and thou haft authority to become a fon or daughter of God? thou haft the broad feal of heaven to confirm thy title and claim to the privileges of adoption, for " to as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God." [To as many,] be they ftrong, or be they weak, provided they really receive Chrift by faith; there is authority or power given, fo that it is no act of prefumption in them to fay, God is our Father, heaven is our inheritance. O precious faith! the treasures of ten thousand worlds cannot purchase fuch privileges as these: all the crowns and fcepters of the earth, fold at their full value, are no price for fuch mercies. Secondly, The leaft degree of faving faith, brings the foul into a state of perfect and full justification. For if it receives Jefus Chrift, it must therefore needs in him, and with him, receive a free, full, and final pardon of fin: the least measure of faith receives remiffion for the greatest fins." By him all that 66 believe are justified from all things," Acts xiii. 39. it unites thy foul with Chrift, and then as the neceflary confequent of that union, there is no condemnation, Rom. viii. 1. de xalampa not one condemnation, how many foever our fins have been. Thirdly, The least measure, or degree of faving faith, is a greater mercy than God hath bestowed, or ever will beftow upon many that are far above you in outward refpects: All men have not faith: nay, it is but a remnant among men that believe. Few of the nobles and potentates of the world, have fuch a gift as this: they have houfes and lands, yea, crowns and fceptres, but no faith, no Chrift, no pardon; they have autho rity to rule over men, but no authority to become the fons of God, 1 Cor. i. 26, 27. Say therefore in thy most debased, ftraitned, afflicted condition," Return to thy reft, O my foul, for the Lord hath dealt "bountifully with thee." Fourthly, The least degree of faving faith is more than all the power of nature can produce: There must be a special revelation of the arm of the Lord in that work, Ifa. liii. 1. Believers are not "born of the flesh, nor of blood, nor of the "will of man, but of God," John i. 12, 13. all believing motions towards Chrift, are the effects of the Father's drawing, John vi. 44. a glorious and irrefiftable power goes forth from God to produce it, whence it is called "the faith of the opera❝tion of God," Col. ii. 12. So then, let not believers defpife the day of fmall things, or overlook that great and infinite mercy which is wrapt up in the leaft degree of saving faith. Infer. 5. Learn hence the impoffibility of their falvation, who neither know the nature, nor enjoy the means of faving faith. My foul pities and mourns over the infidel world. Ah! what will become of the millions of poor unbelievers! there is but one door of falvation, viz. Chrift; and but one key of faith to` open that door: and as that key was never given to the Heathen world; fo it is laid afide, or taken away from the people by their cruel guides, all over the Popish world; were you among them, you should hear nothing elfe preffed as neceffary to your falvation but a blind, implicit faith, to believe as the church believes; that is, to believe they know not what. To believe as the pope believes; that is, as an infidel believes, for fo they confefs he may be, and though there be such a thing, as an explicit faith fometimes fpoken of among them, yet it is very fparingly difcourfed, very falfely defcribed, and exceedingly flighted by them, as the meereft trifle in the world. First, It is but fparingly difcourfed of: they love not to accuftom the peoples ears to fuch a doctrine; one of themselves confeffes that there is fo deep a filence of explicit, particular faith in the Romish church, that you may find many every where, that believe no more of these things than Heathen philofophers t. Secondly, When it is preached or written of, it is falfely de *For the Pope's internal faith is not neceffary to the church. Canus in loc. Theol. p. 344. † Navarr. cap. 11, p. 143. SERM. VII. fcribed: for they place the whole nature and effence of justifying and faving faith in a naked affent: which the devils have as well as men, James ii. 19. no more than this is pressed upon the people at any time, as necellary to their falvation. Thirdly, Aud even this particular explicit faith, when it is fpoken or written of, is exceedingly flighted. I think if the devil himself were in the pulpit, he could hardly tell how to bring men to a more low and flight efteem of faith; to represent it more as a very trifle, or a quite needless thing, than these his agents have done. Some fay, if a man believe with a parti cular explicit faith, (i. e.) if he actually affent to the scripture truths once in a year, it is enough. Yea, and others || think it too much to oblige people to believe once in twelve months; and, for their eafe, tell them, if they believe once in twelve years it is fufficient: and, left this fhould be too great a task, others * affirm, that if it be done but once in their whole life, and that at the point of death too, it is enough, especially for the rude and common people. Good God! what a doctrine is here! It was a faying long ago of Gregory (as I remember) Malus minifter eft nifus diaboli: A wicked minifter is the devil's goofshawk, that goes a birding for hell; and O what game have thefe hawks of hell among fuch numerous flocks of peo. ple! O biefs God, while you live, for your deliverance from Popery; and fee that you prize the gospel, and means of grace, you enjoy at an higher rate, left God bring you once more under that yoke, which neither you nor your fathers could bear. Second ufe for examination. Doth faving faith confift in a due and right receiving of the Lord Jefus Chrift? then let me perfuade you to examine your felves in this great point of faith. Reflect folemnly upon the tranfactions that have been betwixt Chrift and your fouls: think close on this fubject of meditation. If all you were worth in the world lay in one precious stone, and that ftone were to be tried by the fkilful Lapidary, whether it were true or faife, whether it would fly, or endure under the fmart Itroke of his hammer, fure your thoughts could not be unconcerned about the iffue: Why all that you are worth in both worlds depends upon the truth of your faith, which is now to be tried, O therefore read not thefe lines with a running careless eye, Petr. a S. Jofeph. fum. Art. 1. p. 6. * Jo. San. Difp. 41. D. 32. but feriously ponder the matter before you: You would be loth to put to Lea, though it were but to cross the channel, in a rotten leaky bottom: And will you dare to venture into the ocean of eternity in a falfe rotten faith! God forbid: You know the Lord is coming to try every man's faith as by fire, and that we must stand or fall for ever with the fincerity or hypocrify of our faith. Surely, you can never be too exact and careful about that, on which your whole eftate depends, and that for ever. Now there are three things upon which we should have a very tender and watchful eye, for the discovery of the fincerity of our faith, and they are, Antecedents The Concomitants of Faith. As these are, fo we must judge and reckon our faith to be. And, accordingly, they furnith us with three general marks or trials of faith. First, If you would difcern the fincerity of your faith, examine whether thofe antecedents, and preparative works of the fpirit, were ever found in your fouls, which use to introduce and uther it into the fouls of God's elect: Such are illumination, conviction, felf-despair, and earnest cries to God. First, Illumination is a neceffary antecedent to faith: You cannot believe till God hath opened your eyes to fee your fin, your mifery by fin, and your remedy in Jefus Chrift alone: You find this act of the Spirit to be the first, in order both of nature and time, and introductive to all the reft, Acts xxvi. 18. “ To "turn them from darknefs to light, and from the power of Satan to God." As faith without works (which must be a confequent to it) is dead, fo faith without light, which must be an antecedent to it, is blind: Faith is the hand by which Christ is received, but knowledge is the eye by which that hand is directed. Well then, hath God opened your eyes to fee fin, and mifery in another manner than ever you faw them before? For certainly, if God have opened your eyes by faving illumination, you will find as great a difference betwixt your former and prefent apprehenfions of fio and danger, as betwixt the painted lion upon the wall or fign-poft, and the real living lion that meets you roaring in the way. Secondly, Conviction is an antecedent to believing: Where this goes not before, no faith can follow after: The Spirit first convinces of fin, then of righteoufnefs, John xvi. 8. So Mark i. 15. "Repent ye, and believe the gofpel:" Believe it, O man, |