of Faith is a fundamental Law in the Kingdom of Chrift, the whol Kingdom of Chrift moves upon this one point;the whol Councel of God arifeth and is made forth and is accomplished by the A&t of believing. For I befech you confider it. God hath fummed up all his honor in the making of finners one with himself by Jefus Chrift. The glory of God from the creation is nothing else but the acknowledging Gods excellencies. God wil not be acknowledged, nor doth he account himself by any acknowledgment to be honored, but only by believing upon Jefus Chrift. In John 6. 27. 29. The people followed Chrift very far to hear him: faith Chrift, This is the wil of God that ye believe on bim whom he hath fent, &c. As if he fhould have faid, This is not that that likes God, this wil not please him that you hear me unless you believe on me to eternal life, which he hath fealed me to difpenfe and to give unto you. Al Gods glory is in Chrift. He is the corner ftone of al that fabrick and building which he hath fet up for his own glory. He hath brought his Power, Wifdom, and Authority to work the utmost of what he is pleafed to manifeft in the faving of fouls. As for the reft of the Commandments which refpect our fanctification, they do but only fubferve this command of faith. God wil have you to live holily that it may appear that the grace of God is pure: and that faith doth notgive way to fin. Obedience is only required for the magnifying of that State which God hath brought you unto by believing. We are (faith he) aroyal nation, an holy people, peculiar to him, to fet for th the vertues of him that bath called us out of darkneẞ into his marvellous light. 1. Pet. 2. 9.

2 กา

Fourthly and Laftly, If you wil know the greatnefs of a fin by the Law that is broken, you must

know

know the Condition of the Perfons that are under that Law; whether they be obliged by favor and kindness and especially whether they be able to fulfil it? for able certainly beloved we are not to beleeve. We are dead in fins and trefpaffes. And although we are not like Stocks and Stones, because we have a life of reafon, yet we are lik e dead men because we have no fpiritual principles of going unto Jefus Chrift. When we have done all that we can to the work of our Faith, we are then unprofitable fervants. There was never yet any one that could be fhewd from the beginning of the world that did ever foufe nature by the affiftance of God, that did thereby grow to believing, as a man goes from one Study, and from one Book; and from one Science to another. But although that believing be not in our power, yet there is no unbeleever that doth that which he is able to do. Mark that first, though there be many that are un profitable under the means of Faith, yet there are none under the means who abide in unbelief that do what they are able to do. Their not doing what they are able to do gives God advantage to leave them in unbelief: the helps that men have unto Faith (which thofe men have that perifh) is not fufficient to produce it, but its fufficient to fomthing towards the work of Faith, which they refifting and not doing, are left in the ftate of unbelief. The ftop of the work of Faith, or the giving men up to Unbelief,follows not doing that which either by nature, or by the common work of the Spirit in the means they are able to do; which I prove from Thofe in Matth. 22. that were invited to the Wedding, and to the Feaft of fat things, they could have come: The one could have left his Wife, and the other his Farm, and the third his Oxen, M

buc

but they would not. To explain it to you. As God faith in the fecond Commandment, that he wil punish the fins of the Fathersupon the Children: That is, Though Children have enough in thent by nature to deferve the wrath of God, yet God wil take advantage at this time to punish them, because their parents were unholy or careless in the ufe of Ordinances. So God takes advantage at mens not doing what they may, while they live under the means of Faith,to keep the power of Faith from them. He doth not deal thus with all, for he overcomes the refiftance of thofe that are elected to eternal life. Of carelefs he makes them induitcious: of lazy he makes them watchful. But he doth not deal thus with others, that fo their mouths may be ftopped, and they be without excufe in the day of wrath. Men do refufe that which is offered by God, which they needed not. Mark this, I fay there is no unbeleever under the means of grace whom God reje&teth, that doth do what he is able to do, or that doth not refufe when he needed not to refufe. Although the help that God doth give generally, be not fufficient to work faith in al men. Yet I fay it is fufficient to fomthing toward the work of Faith in men. As its fufficient (as I fhewed you before) to convince men that there is no way fo good for mans happiness, as going to Jefus Chrift for falvation by Faith; No way fo fure; No way whereby we can be freed fo foon from the mifery of fin: There is means enough to fhew a man his mifery in the want of the ufe of thofe meanes: Men under the means are called upon to beleeve, but not in their own power, but in the power which the command giveth: Now mark it, The top of the work of Faith, the ftop of these things which leads unto Faith, whence our unbelief arifeth, & our not

W

going unto Chrift, it is in fomthing, or for fomething which men do not do, which is in their own power. Iwould be warily understood.

First, God doth not give to al men power, that if they wil,they fhal believe:but he doth give unto the moft or unto al men that live under the means, power to do fomthing which leads towards believing, whichthey wil not do. The way of Gods working faithin the elect,is fuch asovercomes al oppofitions. Those that are not elect, not doing that which they might by the means, God there ftops further working. ifhal open it thus, in the fecond Commandment.If men worthipnot him after his wil,he wilpunifh them & their Children. He had ordained to punifh their Children before:but he takes advantage of the Parents walking carelefly in his worthip, to bring that judgment that he had determined con- ! cerning their Children: So God did determine from eternity to whom he would, and would not give faith: Yet God declares this purpofe concerning his not giving Faith, that he hath no pleasure to bring fuch a foul to him, when as he doth not do what he might do, and hath power to do by the means afforded. Let me fay again, Its not in the power of the Creature to overcome Gods converting grace. If the Lord commands the light of the Sun to fhine into our hearts, al the vails that fin cafts, and all the Clouds between Jefus Chrift and us fhal vanish. God doth not fo work Faith as that if men wit do what they can by common means, he wil give it them, and infufe into them the grace of Faith: That is not the way. But this I fay, That there is no unbeleever but hath the ftop juftly made by the Lord in the free working of Faith by the Gofpel, for the neglect of fomthing in his own power. Look into thy own heart and thou wilt M 2

1

find

find it: And look into other mens waies, and they wil prove it. Oh faith one that lay for many years under the hopeless fenfe of the wrath of God, Oh that fuch a day feven years agone, was but now again! Had I taken that time! But then my pleafures and profits overcame me. What is it at the bottome that makes men put off the day of grace, but only because they would serve thir fins firit.

But the principal ground that I go upon is this, that of Matth. 22., wherein they are fhut out from the Wedding who were invited, but did not come as they might have done. In this refpe&t therefore unbelief is a very great fin: because that the root of it is not improvement: or the root of our being fealed up in it, is a not improvement of that which God cals us for to do, and which we might do when he cals us. So much fhal fuffice for the firftmeans. But if that doth not do, then,

СНАР.