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Show 3°4 J668. ~ Chap. VI. ~lat.6. 7· 8. Ira. 66.2. 1Tim.t. ~· Afls 1~, 9· Tit.t,t. 2 Pet. t. t. t John S·4- Jam.4·3• No CROSS, Nq CROWN. Voi.. l and thofe, certainly, can ne\'er pleafe him with their Prayers. It is no[ enough io know, we wam; bur we fhould learn, whether It b~ not fenr us as a Bleffing: Difappnintments to the Proud, Lo!res to the Co1erous; an~ to the Negligent, ~tripu: To remove thefe, were to fecure the Defirufh· on not help the Salvation of the Soul. The \'ile World knows nothing, bur carnally, after a fle!Jlly Mlnncr ::tnd: Interpretation; and roo many th:u would be thought enh$h~encd, are ~p; to call Providence.; by wrong Names. For Initance; .A{fbfitons they itde Judr,n!tnts. and Trit1ls (more precious than the beloveJ Gold) they call 1Hi]eries. 'on the other Hand, they call t~e Preferments of the lVorld by the Name of Honour, and its Wealtb, H4ppmef.r; when for once t~:lt they are fo, 'tis much ro be feared, they arc fem ot God an Hundred Tunu for Judgmc11 r.r, at lc:lft Trials, upon ~heir P?ffeffors. TherefGre, What to keep, ·what to rejeO, What to wanr, IS a DdEculry God only can refolve the Soul. And fince God knows, better than we, what we n~ed, He can .bett~c tell us what ro a!k, than we can Him: Which made Chnft exhor_r h1s D1f· ciples to avoid long und repetitiotiJ" Prayers; telling them, That thetr beavtn· 1y Ftttber knew w1Mt they needed, before rbey ajk'd: And therefore gave t~em a P:nterh to pray by; nor JS fume fancy, to be a Text for humane Lrtur· gier, which of all Services are moft jufUy n~ted and taxed for Lntgt!J1 and Repetition; but expreOy to reprove and avotd them. Bu\ 1f thofe n a_nu, that are the Sub jell of PrnJ.er, .were once agreed upon (tho that be a, ~ughry Point) yec bow to prtry, ts lhll of greater Moment, than to pray; ns not the Hequelt, but the Frame of the Pet~tioners Spirir. The Wbtu may be proper, but the How defetl:ive. As I fatd, God needs not be told ot our Want r by us, who muft te\1 them to us; yet he will be told them from u~, th:tt both we m:ty feek him, :tnd he mly come down to ~s. Bu~ when th1s is done, To this Man wi/11/ook, faith the Lord, even to h1m t11(1t tr poor, and of a com rite Spirit, and that trembletb at my Word: To th~ fick Heart, the wounded Soul, the hungry and thirfty, the \'\'eary and heavy laden Ones; fuch fincerely want an Helper. . §. XIV. Nor is this fufficient. to compleat Go(ptl-Worfo~p; the_ fourth Requifire muft be had, and that i.s Fl,ith, _True Pa~th, Prrc1ot1S Fmth, the Faith of God's Chofen that punfies thelf Hearrs, that overcomes the World, and is the Vi{fo;y of the Saints. This is that which :::mimates P,ayer, and preffes it home, like the importunate Widow, that would not ~e de-· nied ; to whom Chrift (feeming to admire) faid, q Woma11, great rr tbJ Faith. This is of higheft Moment on our part, to g.tve our Addrc.ffe.r Succefs with God; and yet not in our Power neither, for it is the Gift of God: From him we muit have it; and with one Grain of it, more \Vork is done, more Deliverance is wrought, and more Goodnefs and Mercy receiv~d, than by all the Runnings, Willing.r, and Toilings of M~n, with his lnvennons ~nd bodily Exercifes. Which. duly weighed, wtll eafily f.pell out tbe Meamng, why fo much Worjhip fbould bring fo linle Profit to the World, as we fee it does, viz. True F11ith is loft. They afk, and receive not; they fe£k, ~nd • find not; they knock, and it is not opened unto them: The Cafe is ptun; t~ir Requefls are not mixed with purifying Faith, by which they fh?uld prevail, as good Jacob's were, when he wreftled with God, and prevatled. And the Trurh is, the Generality are yet in their Sins, following their He~rrs Lulls, and living in Worldly Pleafure, being Strangers to this precious Fanb. lr is the Reafon rendred by the deep Author to the Hebrews, of the unprofitablenefs of the Word preache-d to fome of thofE: Days; 1\0t being (fay• he) mixed with Faith ;,, them that heard it. Can the Minifter then Prcacli without Ft1ith? No, and much lefs can any Man pray to purpofe without Faith, efpecially when we are told, Tbat tbe ]"11j1 live 5y F<~i!IJ. For Wo~fllip is the fupream AEl: of Man's Life; and whatever is neceffary to in fen-or ACh of Religion, muft not be wanring there. , §. XV. This may moderace the Wonder in any, why Chrift fo often tl"pbraided his Difciples with, 0 ye of liule Faith! Yet teJis us, That one Grain ofir (though as little as that of Jt·Ivjitlrd, one of the leaftof Sccd.i} Vbx.. I. if True and Ri~ht, is able td remove ~ouH!aiqs. As it he ha~ faid, ·Th~e J6ti8. is no TempratJon !'o powerful, .that tt canhdt fupply: Wherefore tlt6fe ~ that are captivated by Temptations, and remam unfuppllcil1n thetr Sptrfiu, Chap. VI. al Wants, have not this powerful Faith: Tlut'~ ;:he true Cau..le. So necef.. fary was it of old, that Chnft did not many m1ghty Works where the Peer ple believed not, and tho'1h)"s ftfWc!r vttoO~ht '¥onders Jn other Places, faith ope:n'd the Way: So that 'us hard to fay, whether that Power. by Faith, or Fanh by that Power., wrought the Cure. Let us. ~all .to ~tnd whar fomous Things a little Clay and Spittle, one Tpt<c'b Qf the lle!ll of f'h· "S 6. Chtift•s Gartnent, 'ahd :1 few Words o~t ·of his Motith, did-, . byt~e>Forcc_ of 4;,ke • 47, 'faith in thefati~!lts: B_e!jeve Je tbat ln~'f 1nbte_ro cp~'! )'our;Jiye.slJea, Mat. 9•29, urd, fay the Blind; and See. To the, R;uler, -9nly 'Be\ieve; he dl~, and 10. his dead Da.ughter reco'vered ,Life . . ~&ain, If tbou c~n]l. ~e{reve: 1 do be- Mat. 9·23· litvt fays the Faibe(, Help my Unhebcj 1 llnd the Evd Stnru was chafed awaY, and the Child recovered. ~e fiid tO one, Go, iby ~al~h ho/ lf.ade t~~~,~~9:24 tPu whole; an"d to another, Thy Fau.b btUfaved tlue; thy Sms.a(e.foigrvcn ~ o. thee. And to ·encdurage his Difdples to be./it'l!e• tha~ were admumg how foon his Sentencf( 'Was executed up. on. th:c P;u·tr.lc f.r Ftg-Trcc~ be t~lls. .r ~em, Verily if ye bitVC"Filith, and dou4t nOt, }ejhafl~n.~t only do (hu, v::hr~b nf.one to the Fig-Tree; but aifo, if ye }ball fay untb 'tb;s M?Jtntam, he thou remov- Mat. 21 • 201 ed, and caft lnto,tb~ &a, it foall be ~one; .nn_d all Tbmg.r ,wht~tfo~wr:.,.J6 .. .fo/lll 21, 22. aft in Prayer, bt!JeVrng, )'t }hall recerve. ~hts c;>rre Paffage convteta-{hYijfen-dom 6f grofs Infidelity; for fhe Pn1yr, and_rtterver mJr. • 1§. XVI. But may fome fay: 7'ir impojjtiJ!e to recchJe aU thd~ a Man fl.nr ~ :Mat. 18. "19• aft. 'Tis notimpoffible torecepre allth3t3.M~n, _ 'tbat fobelte_ves~an.a. lukel'iS.27' The Fruits of Faith are not impoffible to tbofe that truly be1tevc 1n e God that makes them ]>offible. When Jefu~ 'faa to the Ruler, If tbou cJ 1/ believe he 3dds .All Tbing.r are poffible to hi~ tl1at believeth. Well, 1t Mark 9· ::3. then rdrne Will 'f3.y, It is impoffible to havefttch Faith: For this very Faithlefs Generation would excufe their Wane of,F~i.lh. b.y making it impqffible ro have the Faith they want. But,Chrilts·'Anfliller to the fnfidclity · df·~at Ase, will be!t confute the Difbelief of this. The Things t~a~ are i'!'fXJ. . !e wuh Men, are poffible with Gpd. It wtll follow then, that 1t IS nQt m1J?O ~ble with God to give that Faith; though, .it is cyrtain, that rvitbpur 11,. 1t is ~mpoffib!e ~o plet?fe God; for fo the ~uthor to ~lie Hebrews teaches ... And if 1t be elfe 1mpo,ffible to pleafe God, 1t mull be fo to pray to God wnhout this preciou~ Faith. Mat.r9.241 :i~, 26. Luke 18. 2~,' j:6, 2]. !i-=~· 1. 1.~ L- §. XVII. But fome may fay, Ttlhat is this J!'aitb, thOr is fo neccjfar"y ro Worfhip, and that gives itfuch 4,cceptanc~ wub God, and ret"llrm i'l(qt ~cnejit to Men? I fay, It is an Holy Rejignatron to 9~d, a11d ~c¢t.Jf4ence 1~ bun_, tej1ified by a Religiom Obedience to 1Jis Holy R~qU1nng.r, W~tcb 4tve$ fu'le1 ,Evtdence to the So11l of tbe Things 110t yet fecn, and agenerol Senft and T12.[le ()f the Subfiance of tbofe Things t~at nr_e h~pedfor! thnt if, tbe G!ory w?Ich is to be revealed hereafter. As thts Fltth 1s the Gift of God, fo H pun6es the Hearts of tho{e that receive it. The Apoftle p,,uf is lVitnefs, that it will not dwell, but in a p:~re Conj(icnce: He therefOre in one Plke co~ples 1 Tim. 3• ?1 a pure Heart and Fa_ith unfe!gned _toget~r: In aqother, Fahh a~d a f?OOd ~~:: ~ .. Confcience. ]ames )Oyns Fa1rh With Rtghtcoufnefs, and John wnh Vtt)'c6 1 John,. 4• ry over the World : This fays he, is the Vifloq w/Jlch overcomer tOe World, even your Fair h. · §. XVIII. The Heirs of this. Faith are the true Children of .AbrAbnm Rom14· 171 (though the Uncircumcifion in the Flclh) in that they walk iA the Ste~s of Father .Abraham according to the. Obedience of Faith, which only enutles People to be rh~ Children of Aqrabam. ~his lives abo\•e the World, not JohG 16, 9· only in its Sin, but Righteoufnefs ~ to wht_ch! no !vlan comes but ~hrougb w. Death to Sdf, by tlJe Crofr of Jif v;, and an mure Dependence., by him~ up-on God. ·· F~mous are the Exploits of this Divine Gift: Time would f.:hl to retou~t them: All facred Story is fifled with rhem. B!ii let it _fuffice, tha,t b~ " · 1be Holy Ancients endured aU Trials, overc::tme all Enem1es, pre\•atl d wnti R r God, |
