xiv. 26, 27. 44, 45. 28, 31. 2 all and following him; without taking his yoke upon S E R M. him, going after, and bearing his cross: it fuppofes (as VII. our Saviour also teaches us) that a man hath caft up with himself the gain and lofs he is like to receive by Lukeix. 23. the bargain, and being fatisfied therein, to contract xvi. 24. bona fide with God; that a man hath weighed all the Matt. xiii. pains and dangers he fhall be put upon by entering Luke xiv. into this warfare, and fo refolvedly to adventure upon it; it is productive of love to the truth, yea of love to 10. God, and charity to men, without which all faith is (1 Cor. xiii. unprofitable and ineffectual, as St. Paul teaches us. In Gal. v. 6.) fhort, this faith is nothing elfe but a true, ferious, refolute embracing Chriftianity; not only being perfuaded that all the doctrines of Chrift are true, but fubmitting to his will and command in all things. But to prevent mistakes, and remove objections, I fhall yet further obferve, 2. That this faith hath, although not an adequate, yet a peculiar refpect unto that part of Chriftian truth, which concerns the merciful intentions of God toward mankind, and the gracious performances of our Saviour in order to the accomplishing them; the promises of pardon to our fins, and reftoral into God's favour upon the terms propounded in the Gospel, of fincere faith and repentance; whence the Gofpel is called by xaranhayns (the word of recon- 2 Cor. v. ciliation); and this is expreffed as a fummary of the 18, 19. Apoftolick miniftry or meffage; that God was in Chrift reconciling the world, not imputing their fins and Luke xxiv. this our Saviour did order in efpecial manner to be 47. preached in his name; this accordingly they did mainly propound and inculcate; that God had ex- A&s v. 31. alted Fefus to his right hand as a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Ifrael, and remiffion of fins; that A&s x. 43. be fhould receive remiffion of fins, whoever did believe in bis name: Let it be known unto you, brethren, that by this * Credere fe in Chriftum quo modo dicit, qui non facit quod Chriftus facere præcepit? Cypr. de Un. Ec. A&ts xiii. 38. λεται. Rom. iii. 25. Rom. iii. 26. xv. 9. Eph. i. 6. SER M. man remiffion of fins is denounced unto you (fo did they VII. preach). Whence this faith is (fignanter) called belief in the blood of Chrift: indeed, of all Chriftian docarayyi- trines, this is moft proper firft to be propounded and perfuaded, as the moft attractive to the belief of the reft; most encouraging and comfortable to men ; moft apt to procure glory to God by the illuftration of his principal attributes, his juftice and his goodness; moft suitable to the ftate of things between God and man; for men being in a state of rebellion and enmity toward God, in order to their reducement and recovery thence, it was moft proper, that in the first place an overture of mercy and pardon fhould be made, an act of oblivion fhould be paffed and propounded to them: yet are not thefe propofitions and promifes the adequate or entire object of this faith; for other articles of faith are often propounded in a collateral order with thofe; yea fometimes (as in Acts viii. the case of the Eunuch) others are expreffed, when that is not mentioned, but only understood: neither if any one should believe all the doctrines of that kind, if he did not withal believe that Jefus is his Lord, and shall be his Judge; that there shall be a refurrection of the dead, and a judgment to come, with the like fundamental verities of our religion, would he be a believer in this fenfe. 37. 7. I obferve farther, that this faith doth relate only to propofitions revealed by God (or at least deduced from principles of reafon, fuch as are, that there is a God; that God is good, veracious, and faithful; that our religion is true in the grofs; that the holy Scriptures were written by divine inspiration; which propofitions we believe upon rational grounds and motives), not unto other propofitions concerning particular matter of fact, fubject to pri + Fides dicit, parata funt magna et incomprehenfibilia dona a Deo fidelibus fuis: dicit fpes, mihi illa bona fervantur; charitas dicit, curro ego ad illa. Bern. vate confcience or experience; nor to any conclu-s ER M. fions depending upon fuch propofitions. For in- VII. stance, it is a part of this faith, to believe that God is merciful and gracious, that he bears good will unto, and is difpofed to pardon, every penitent finner; or (which is all one) that fuppofing a man doth believe, and hath repented, God doth actually love him, and doth forgive his fins; this is, I fay, indeed a part of the faith we fpeak of, its object being part of the Gospel revealed unto us: but the being perfuaded that God doth love me, or hath pardoned my fins, or that I am in a state of favour with God, may, as my circumstances may be, not be my duty; however it is no part of this faith, but a matter of opinion, dependent upon private experience for fuch a perfuafion must be grounded upon my being conscious to myself of having truly and thoroughly repented (this being required by God, as a neceffary condition toward my obtaining pardon and his favour); of having performed which duty I may prefume, when it is falfe (and therefore cannot then be obliged to believe it), and may doubt, when it is true; and that not without good reason, confidering the blindness and fallibility of man's mind, and that man's heart is deceitful above all things, as the Prophet Jer. xvii. 9. tells us upon which account then a man may not be obliged to have fuch a perfuafion. It is indeed a great fault to doubt, or distrust, on that hand which concerns God; about his goodness, his truth, his wisdom, or power: but it is not always (perhaps not commonly) blameable to question a man's own qualifications, or his own performances, whether in kind or degree they be anfwerable to what God requires*; that is inconfiftent with true faith, but this not: * Qui perfeveraverit ufque ad finem, hic falvus erit; quicquid ante finem fuerit, gradus eft, quo ad faftigium falutis afcenditur, non terminus, quo jam culminis fumma teneatur, &c. Cypr. de Unit. Eccl. p. 259. 19. 8, 10. Matt. ix. 28. xv. 27. II. SER M. we cannot have any good religious affections toward VII. God, if we do not take him to be our gracious Father; but we may have in us fuch affections toward him, and he may be favourably difpofed toward us, when we fufpect ourselves to be untoward children, Luke xv. unworthy (as the prodigal Son in the Gofpel confeffed himfelf) to be called the fons of God. The Centurion in Matt. viii. the Gospel did confefs himself unworthy that Chrift fhould enter under his roof: but he declared his perfuafion, that if Chrift should only speak a word, his child fhould be healed; and our Saviour thereupon profeffes, that he had not found so much faith in Ifrael. To the blind men imploring his relief, our Saviour puts the question, Do ye believe that I can do this? They Vid. Matt. answered, Yes Lord: he required no more of them; but faid thereupon, According to your faith let it be Rom. iv. 21. done unto you. And that for which Abraham the Heb. xi. 19. father of believers, his faith is reprefented fo acceptable is, his firm perfuafion concerning God's power; potopn- becaufe (faith St. Paul) he had a plerophory, that what Rom. iv.21. was promifed, God was able to perform; by doing thus, he was a believer, and thereby gave glory to God, as the Apoftle there adds. If we do not then distrust God, we may have faith, although we diftruft ourselves. It is true (generally and abfolutely fpeaking) we fhould endeavour fo fully and clearly to repent, and to perform whatever God requires of us, that we may thence acquire a good hope concerning our ftate; we should labour, that our hearts may not condemn us of any prefumptuous tranfgreffing our duty, and confequently, that we may become in a manner confident of God's favour towards us: but when we have done the best we can, even when we are not confcious of any enormous fault or defect, 1 Cor. iv. 4. yet we may confider with St. Paul, that we are not θείς. Col. i. 23. Heb. iii. 6. * John iii. 21. 7. thereby juftified, but abide liable to the more certain Sam. xvi. cognizance and judgment of God, who feeth not as a man feeth; that we are not capable, or competent judges of ourselves; nor are ever the better for thinking 18. Prov. xx. 9. 24. φρόνει, ἀλλὰ thinking well of ourselves; fince (as St. Paul tells s E R M. us again) he is not approved that commends himself, but VII. whom the Lord commendeth: for that, delicta fua quis intelligit? who can thoroughly understand and fean his 2 Cor. x. own errors? Who can fay, I have made my heart clean, Pial. xix. I am purged of my fin? Who can know (if the Pfalmift 2. implieth that he could not), until God hath fearched him, and difcovers it, whether there be any fecret way of Pf. cxxxix. wickedness in him; whether he be fufficiently grieved for having offended God, fully humbied under the fenfe of his fins, thoroughly refolved to amend his life? However, it often happens that true faith and fincere repentance are in degree very defective; in which cafe we may, without prejudicing the truth of Mi inλoour faith, fufpect the worft; yea, I conceive it is more φορά. fafe and commendable fo to do*: if in any, then Rom. xi. chiefly, I fuppofe, in this most important and critical affair, the wife man's fentence doth hold, Blessed is he Prov. that feareth always; fo feareth, as thereby to become xxviii. 14. more folicitous and watchful over his heart and ways; more careful and ftudious of fecuring his falvation finally, to render his calling and election in 2 Pet. i. 10, the event more firm, and in his apprehenfion more hopeful. I dare fay, of two perfons otherwife alike qualified, he that upon this ground (fearing his own unworthinefs, or the defect of his performances) is most doubtful of his ftate, doth stand really upon better terms with God; as the Pharifee, who justified bimfelf, and took himself to be in a very good con- . dition, was indeed lefs juftified (fomewhat the lefs for Luke xviii. that conceit of his) than the poor Publican, who was 14. x. 29. fenfible of his own unworthinefs, and condemned himself in his own opinion: the great danger lies on that hand of being prefumptuous, arrogant, and felf Nunquam eft de falute propria mens fecura fapientis. Salv. ad Eccl. Catb. lib. 2. + Quem cenfeas digniorem, nifi emendatiorem; quem emendatiorem, nifi timidiorem? Tertul. de Pœnit. 6. |