ful: But little of this: Lord I am an unbeleever, one that looks not unto the pardon, one that goes not out of my self unto Jefus Chrift. O! prepofterous thing, To confefs thy fins against the law, and not thy fins against the Gofpel. Moft people are apt to think it a duty not to beleeve that it is an humble, felfe-denying, religious tendernefs of heart. It's againft juftice faith the foul that I fhould go free from the punishment threatned It's not for one to beleeve who hath finned as I have done: It's fit for me to lie down in forrow Why do you cal a Fish a Serpent, and an Egge, a Scorpion? Faith is your duty, let your fins be what they wil be. It's not your duty forthwith to be affured, but it's yonr duty to go to him that can affure you. It's your duty to lay hold on Chrift, although it be not your duty to put away al your fins as if they were covered. Thou haft done ill to fin, thou wouldest do worfe not to beleeve. Thy fins have ftung thee, Thy fting wil be incurable if thou lookeft not up to the Brafen Serpent. It's not for thee to beleeve upon any ground in thy felf, but thou haft the free grace of God to beleeve upon and it is thy fin if thou doft it not.

And as we do not beleeve unbeleife to be the greateft fin, fo naturally we cannot beleive it for faith is a grace commanded by the Gospel, and not by the Law. The Law takes hold of every man, and demands the debt of himself. By the moral Law we are only bound to beleive what God faith to be true, and that is only the common nature of Faith: The proper nature of faith lies in going out unto Jefus Chrift for pardon. Now mark it. We having nothing from pure nature but this, Not to diffent from the Law of God and not to question the truth of what it faith, it is impoffible a man fhould count non-dependance, or non relyance upon Chrift to be the greateft fin. For accor

ding to reafon or nature, it is a farre greater fault not to affent unto things evident in themselves,then it is not to affent unto teftimonies: For according unto reafon, Teftimony is the weakeft ground of afent or understanding that poffibly can be:But although it be out of our power to beleeve, yet we muft beleeve, for here begins the work of the Holy Ghoft, he convinces the world of Sin, because they beleeved no:. God by revealing of our duty, and of the uglinefs of fin, doth give power to avoid As the fcripture must first be understood in the letter, before we can underftand the spiritual sense, and the mind of God in it: fo we must first know by the hearing of the eare what unbeleif is, before we can know it fpiritually.

it.

CHAP. II.

Arguments to provoke to a beleife of this truth, that Unbeleife is so great a fin. I. The perfection of the understanding lies in a Conformity to al the truths of God. 11. To feel the greatneß of fin is the way not to feel the weight of Sin. III. Sorroro must be proportionable to the fin. IV. The Concomitants of beleiving unbeleife to be a great fin, are many. 1. It shakes the confidence of our own righteousneß, and bumbles, the pride of our bearts. 2. It wil bring the Heart off from delays about beleiving. An Objction anfwer

ed.

Toftirre you up therefore unto this, First know that the perfection of your understanding lyes in being conformed unto the truths of God, of what forts fo ever they be as wel in the things that make

againft

against you as in the things done by you. Its as wel an Evangelical faith to beleeve, that he that beleeves not fhal be damned, as to beleeve that he that beleeves fhal be faved. Mark 16. 16. Its the perfection of the understanding as wel to know the greatness of a fin, as it is to know the goodness of a promife. It is not the matter, but the formal reafon by which the understanding affenting unto things, is made light in the Lord; As fome Divines. have faid, that if men could fubmit to the juftice and power of God (although God fhould inflict the paines of hel upon them) they should not be unhappy. I may fay much more here, Although it wil fil men with a great deal of care & folicitous pain to know that they are guilty of unbeleife, and that that is fo great a fin, yet beleeving the greatness of the fin wil make men happy because the guilt is but a particular evil, but the knowing of the greatnefs of the fin, is the receiving of a divine truth. Every negative is founded in the affirmative, as the knowledge of evil is founded in the knowledg of Good.A man cannot beleeve a fin to be great except he hath much of God in him. He muft know the wil of God and own the authority of God, and efteen of the having of his favor. And as no man can think it any great fault to hurt another, whofe good he looks not after, fo no man can think the refufing of the grace of God by Chrift to be fo great a fin, if he do not efteem of the grace of God as fo great a good through Jefus Chrift.

II That fin which thou feeleft to be greatest that thou shalt never feel the weight of. As fin greatens in our eyes, fo it leffens in Gods eyes. In Rom. 5. 20. Where fin abounds, grace fhal fuperabound. Not in number but in quality,there grace fhal much more abound. And I told you the fenfe of the fin.

fulness

fulness of unbeleife is, an act of the Holy Ghoft as a comforter. They that defpaire,do not defpaire because of the greatnefs of fin (for then they would notdefpair, and thereby add a fecond fin to it) Nor doth defpaire arise froni the greatness of the punishment of fin (for then would men be afraide of coming presently into it) but that men think it no other fin they have done but fuch as they may fatisfy for, & finding they cannot,and being difappointed ther fore it comes to pass that they lay there is no hope for them.

III. I'ts neceffary for you to know the greatnefs of fin, as wel as the finfullness of fin, becaufe forrow for fin must be proportionable to the fin. There must be a proportion between forrow and fin, but not a proportion between forrow and the degrees of fin: That is, look how high a man hath gone in fin, fo great must his Sorrow be, (for the leaft touch of heart that is Godly, is preparation enough to beleeving) but it must be according to the kind of fin. All Godly forrow is erdvoe napaouim, that is, there is a proportion between the offence and greife of heart. The leaft degree of true forrow is enough to go to Chrift withal, bur that forrow is not right which is not according to the nature of fin. I fhal make it out thus; fuppofe a man comes and acknowledgeth when he hath done you wrong to the value of a thousand pounds, that he hath done you fome fmal trefpafs, Wil you fay that he is forrowful, that makes the fault as fmal as possibly he can, yea that labors to extenuate it. If a man gives the honour that belongs unto a Knight unto a King, he Dishonours him, because he gives not that refpect to him that is due to him; If a man punifhéth a Traytor but only as an ordina ry trefpaffer be difhonours that State. If a man F confeffeth

confeffeth treafon but as a Trespass, and Murther but as a fmal matter, he doth not only harden the heart of the Judge against him, in whofe hand his life is, but he fhews cleerely that he is in love with his fin. So juft is it here, if you come and fay, Lord, it is true I have not beleeved,and it is a great fin and fault, but yet think it no great one, whenas God faith it is, you are not forrowful at al for the fin, and you do not at al prevaile with God for favour: unless you account fin according to its kind, you account it none, whatever words you give it.

IV. The concomitants of beleeving the fm of unbeleife to be great, are very many, and al exceedingly laden. As,

I It thakes the confidence of our own righteoufnefs,and humbles the pride of our hearts. For this doctrine faith not he that beleeves, but be that beleeves on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted to him for righteousneß. Rom. 4. 5. You have done thus and thus, but what is it better for you to have many diseases cured, if one cannot be cured? What is it for an offender to efcape many inditements, if he be found guilty of treafon at the laft: What is it the better that thou haft prayed,and haft abftained from many fins, and art yet an unbeleiver? I fay it wil not only humble men" but wound and fhame men to think that they have of fended fuch a one, who counts it not fo much evil that they have done other fins but that they wil not come unto him for mercy. He threatens not fo much the difhonour that they have brought unto him, and the deserts that he might inflict on them, as their not asking of him favor and mercy.

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