2 Again,the beleeving the greatness of the fin of unbeleife wil ferrit the heart out of thofe demurrings and althe delayings about beleeving: When the foul ftands like the man of Samaria, and knows not whether to go. When a man comes to this pafs, I know if I go on in the course wherein I am, i fhal certainly fil my foul with unfupportable torments: and if I go to Chrift, I goe to a judg that is holy and cannot endure any evil, yet comes in this doubt,lf Igo not to Chrift, I commit the greatest fin. What hath made me miferable but only that I have finned against God; I fhal fin worse if I beleeve not; This makes a man gird up himself, and day I wil ftay no longer, I wil put off no more, If I go not I am fure to perifh, If I do go, I may have mercy; What comfort will this be when thou canst truly fay thou didst not go Chrift fo much for eafe, as because thou wouldeft not fin? Thou tookest up the way of faith, because God laid that command on thee. If that which led thee to Jefus Chrift be that thou maift not difpleafe God and Jefus Chrift, thou mayeft find al things which may give thee con

tent.

Object. But fome wil fay, I beleeve unbeleife is fo great a fin: This I do, I live bolily. There is no duty, but I practise it: Canft thou think it the fin of fins that I go not to Chrift. In Iohn, 6. 28. You shal find that when the bearers of Chrift were reproved that because they did not lookin their bearing to have the offer of life; they faid, What fhal we do that we may do the workes of God? As if they fhould have faid, what is there to do more? do but tell us what there is to do more, and we wil do it:and yet they would not do that work of God to beleeve.

Answer, Firft, Thou canft not live holily unlefs thou doft beleeve; imputed and inherent holi nefs goes together, In Pfal. 32. 2. That mans spirit

F 2

bath

bath no guile whofe iniquity the Lord covers. There wilbe in thee an evil and a deceitful heart unless thou doft draw nigh by faith to the living God. That certainly is not inherent holinefs which is not joyned with imputed holiness. However men cal it living holily, and cry down beleeving, yet they have alwaies had under that velvet patch fome filthy fore or other. In Rom. 10. 3. That man that doth five holily is more afraide of unbeleife then of any fin. Let me fpeak freely. Doth not a man by nature fave his head and heart? Hath not nature taught a man to expofe any joynt, rather than his vital parts? Know, thy faith is thy vital part; Therefore of that thou fhouldeft be moft afraid. When any temptation comes to draw thee from Chrift, it would be like a dart ftruck to thy heart. But fuppofe that you could be holy without beleeving on Chrift, yet your not beleeving would be accounted fin. For firft, legal holiness doth not difpenfe with evangelical. Faith and works are oppofice in justifycation, but no where elfe. When thou hast done al as Chrift faid to the yong man, yet there is one thing lacking, Mark. 10. 21. So because thy confcience faith within thee from God that thou lackeft beleif, that one thing, thou heareft,thou mourneft, thou avoideft fin, but thou doft not beleeve, this rather is a check to al the former, nay its that which turnethal the other into fin. What is thy hearing without faith? what is thy praying without looking on the mediation of Jefus Chrift? What is thy mourning without looking on him whom thou haft pierced? It's a certain truth, that thing is only good which hath al the parts of goodness in it, and clat thing is only evil which wants no one part. A piece of mony if it wants one grain, is not currant. Do but confider what a hand thy faith hath in al thy

works

works, and how it must needs make al null where it's wanting: It makes al thy works dead works, and offends the noftrills of God. Thy faith muft firft give the power, its the principle of every holy duty. But it must not only give power to do, but 2. Cor. its a motive to do, For the love of Chrift conftraines, because woe thus judg, that is, by beleeving. When thou haft been ftirred up to any thing that is good, 5.14,15. Faith muft carry it to the Father: when thou haft carried it to the father, Faith muft get a pardon of al that thou haft done amifs, and fprinkle thee with the blood of Chrift. Now whenas thou art defective in al thou doft without Faith, which way canft thou be pleafing to God? But fuppofe there was no defect in any circumftance, yet faith is the bond or tye of the union with Chrift, and with al the Saints, and Angels, which are the body of Chrift, and its neceffary,and thou canst not be without it. The Angels you know are perfect, and they do the wil of God without blame or fault, yet they are faved by Chrift, for he is faid to be their head. Which way they are united, or what is the bond of their union, I wil not difpute. Iam certain ours is by faith. By faith we are married to Chrift and it makes us one, as the foul is in the body, as the husband & the wife are one flesh.So although thou needst not Faith to do what God requireth of thee, yet thou needeft faith to make thee a member of the body of Chrift. I beseech you confider this, you efpecially that think to lay a law of the per formance of Dutyes on your felves to weare out the fting of your confcience and by holy dutyes to keep your felves from hearing the voice of an accuing Confcience: If you go not to Chrift, you may be deceived: You may have peace, but not the peace which Chrift gives to his people. Those You may do much, but it wil not be truly good.

Thofe duties alone do you good, thofe prayers, thofe fermons, thofe mournings that are as bellows to blow up and quicken the fparks of faith in you. Thofe dutyes become, fin unto you wherein you pray away the fenfe of the need of faith. That which duls your fenfe of your need of Chrift is a fin, and the greateft fin, because Jesus Christ is the glory of God the Father. Oh, that I could perIwade with your hearts that you have more to do with the Gofpel, than with the Law. The Law is your rule, and the Gofpel is your principle. It lyes on you more to beleeve, then to do any work befides. You are worfe under a doubt,than you are under an inclination to any other fin. When thou comeft to view over thy fins with a righteous judg ment, thou wilt fay, Oh this pride of heart that hath ipoyled thee,because it hath carried thee on co dury. Thou wilt fay much more, Oh, this unbeleife of heart that hinders thee from clofing with Jefus Chrift. Thofe fhal have the throadeft pun ifhment that have not beleeved at the laft day. Let your heart therefore go out moft after faith, and with draw your felf moft from that that oppofeth faith. A wife Chriftian affoon as he fees whither a temptation wil lead, even to truft to any thing without Chrift, or to fit down without Chrift, he begins to ufe al helps against it. Satan comes and whispers thoughts of uncleannefs into his heart, and he faith God forbid: Why doft thou not say fo.against thy unbeleife? When he faith it is not for thee to be in Chrifts armes who art fo filthy and uncleane! Why faift thou not, Lord, refift Satan? Doubts.come to be great and unanswerable, because thou lookeft not to them in the beginning. Never let that man be counted a Saint that wallows in drunkeness, or any other fin. But if this makes a man more a Christian that he beleeves, than that he abstaines

abftaines from moral faults, then that man is leaft a Chriftian, that hath leaft faith. Therefore come to this pass, do as Paul did, fay, Lord, I have many fins thou knoweft, but this is the worst of al, even my unbeleife.

CHAP. III.

Object. A man hath no power to beleeve. Anfwer. Unbeleife a fin against Nature. Man loft bis power to beleeve. Impotency is not the next cause of Unbelief, but fomewhat elfe. It is the Hypocrify of our Hearts to plead this Impotency. An Object Anfwered. God accounts it a Glory to bimfelf: for us to take him, when we have tried all other meanes. Object. I do nothing but fin, and is it a fin for me not to believe Anfwer.

Object

Tmay be faid, How can unbelief be fo great a fin Ileeing a man hath no power to beleeve, and

it is queftionable whether he ever had that power to beleeve when he was in innocency? A man is now dead in fins and trefpaffes; We cannot beleeve of our felves, it is the gift of God, in Eph. 2. 8. The fame power that wrought in Chrift when he was raifed from the dead, the fame power doth work in those that do believe, Eph. 1. 20. that is, After believing they have need of that power to preferve their Faith, and to carry on their faith, til they come to be fealed with the fpirit, and much more need; therefore have they of that almighty power to make them to beleeve. Is this (faith the heart of a man) fo great a fin, not to beleeve? You may as welfay, It is a fin not to make a World: or for a man not to quicken the dead; or for the dead notto make one alive. God requires of no man impoffibilities,