norance. Whatsoever is contrary to knowledge, that fame is contrary to faith; for though faith fees not its ground in na. toral reason, yet it muft have divine evidence to fhew it its object, and way, and caufes, or elie it cannot be wrought in the foul.

The foul must have light for all its apprehenfive operati ons, for the eye to fee, and the understanding to perceive, and for the heart to embrace.

Now this is it which keeps men off from beleeving, they are extreamly ignorant.

Firft, of their own finful condition, they do not know their nativity and conception, what fin is, nor what belongs to finners; how abominable and vile their natures are, without all good, and like a fountaine full of all wickedneffe; how dɛadin trefpaffes and fins; how totally defiled, from the crown of the head to the fole of the foot; How perpetually rebellious against every precept of heaven, and how flighting of the tenders of fal vation and mercy.

Secondly, of Gods just disposition towards the finful perfon. They fee him not armed, and letting out againft them in all the threatnings and curfes of his Law; as Balaam in his paffage, he adventured on, for he faw not the Angel of the Lord with a sword in his hand ready to cleave him afunder. So men reft fecurely in their natural ftate; talk what you will of Chrift, and of God, and of finne, and of faith, they are not moved, they know not the fearful iffues of a natural and unbeleeving condition, they know not that God will judge them and condemn them for ever.

Thirdly, of the excellencies of Chrift what he is, whither God, or man, or both, even as it pleafeth him, but favourly what he is in refpect of his Natures, in refpect of bis Offices, in respect of his Actions, in refpect of his Paffion, in respect of his Benefits, in respect of his Vertues, they understand not these things. How God hath manifefted love in Chrift,how Chrift manifefted love to them, to what end he was made man, why Minifters preach him fo much, what is more in him then in any other; Alas they think not of these things, they know them not. Now brethren, how is it poffible for the foul to believe, or to be perfwaded to believe in Chrift, or to

labour

labour for this precious faith which is a ftranger to it felf, to God, to Chrift?

Didst thou indeed know thy condition to be the condition of death, wouldeft thou not make out for the Lord of life? didft thou indeed know thy condition to be the condition of ens mity, wouldest thou not strive to get unto the Prince of peace?

So againe, as Chritt fpike to the woman, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that faith unto thee, give me to drink, thon Wouldeft have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water, John 4. 10. O if men did know what a gift Chrift was; If heaven and earth, men and Angels had studyed the helps of a poore finner, they could never have imagined such a remedy as God found in giving his own Sonne; Now, if men did know him aright, what a Redeemer, what a Lord he is, what living water is in him. That in him only there is life for the dead, recovery for the finner, fatisfaction for guilt, fandt fication for the foul, atonement for trefpaffes, comfort for diftreffes, balme for wounds, falvation for their perfons: Why? how could it be but that they should ask of him for a drop (at least) of water, for fome faith to receive him who is the fountain of grace and life?.

3. A third impediment to the endeavours for faith, is a vain confidence of natural righteoufneffe: This was it which kept off many of the Pharifees, the Text faith, That they trusted to their own righteoufneffe.Yea, this is called the stumbling of the fewes, it caft them flat, that they doted fo on legal abilities. When a base heart hath proud-imaginations of Chrift, and peace, and fafety from fomething within it felf, why? It will never look after Chrift. A proud perfon who hath mony in his house, he fcornes to be beholding to his neighbour; the proud fianer, who conceives that all is well 'cwixt him and God, and that he hath done no man wrong, and none can fay black is his eye, he is neither whore nor thief, and his heart is as good as the beit, and his meanings are alwayes honest, and none can tax him for injustice, and he hath kept all Gods Commandments as well as ever he could, and he bath had a good belief, (he thanks God) ever fince he was borne. I tell you fuch a perfon will not be beholding to God for Chrift, for he (in his opinion) being fo whole, needs not the

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Phyfician

Phyfician neither shall you perfwade him to mourn for his finnes, or to repent, and to part with all for Chrift, to deny him. Jelf and all his own vaine confidences, and to put himself only upon Jefus Chrift; he trufts to be saved by his good deeds, and by his good meanings.

Ah foolish and feduced foul! Who hath bewitched thee to for fake thine own mercies? Thinkeft thou that God would have fent his onely Sonne, and to poure out his own foule for finners, if that yet there had been ability in finful man to have purchafed his own fafety and happineffe? And doest thou fee no finne in thy felf, which may therefore for ever thrust thee off from refting upon thy felfe? and are thy works fuch abfolute bottomes and foundations, when the Heathens can match them and exceed them? or cannot God efpy a flaw in thy Ship, and much falfe conveyance in thy title, and much defect in thy deeds, who can charge folly upon the Angels? And are thy meanings and works fo good, while thy heart is yet fo ignorant, thy life yet so prophane? Can what thou doeft finde acceptance or merit, when yet thou trufteft not on him who only is the merit for a finner? Thinkest thou thy meanings can be good, which difhonour the Redemption by Christ, and the freenesse of mercy, O no my brethren, the foul is the paffenger, graces are the failes, the Spirit is the wind,but Chrift, only Chrift is the bottom which carries all fafe

and fure to heaven.

Nay, if thou canft fee a Saviour in thy own good meanings; if a Saviour in thy own good works, a Saviour in any part or degree of inherent righteoufneffe, either inward, for the change of nature, or outward for the emprovement of life; this, this will keep thee and Chrift afunder. No man will labour for faith in Chrift, who hath a faith in himfelfe already as his own Saviour. Therefore as they in the As of the Apoftles, burned their books when they came to believe in Chhift, fo muft we unbottom our felves of our felves. Renounce our menftrous rags, abbor our felves in duft and ashes, lay flat before the mercy-feat, cry out with the Leper, I am uncleane, unclean; with Daniel, To us belongs nothing but confusion, for we have finned; with David, enter not into judgement with thy fervant, for in thy fight shall no flesh righteous be justified; with

the.

the Publican ftand afar off and fay, Lord be merciful to me a finner; with Paul, I count all things but as dung and droffe in comparison of Chrift, and, I defire to be foundin him, not having my own righteousnesse, but that which is of faith, with thole Elders, cast (if we had them) our very crowns to the earth before the Lamb,and fay he only is worthy.

Do not fland

light.

If ever thou wouldeft get to believe in Chrift, labour to get in the own the mountaines to be levelled, the high imaginations to be caft down, to caft thy felf out of thy felf: There is nothing that I have been, or have done, or do, or can do, which I can trust to; I feek for the living among the dead, whiles I look for a Saviour in my felf. He is farre enough from fafety, who refts on the arme of his flesh, and we shall never close with, or magnifie Christs righteousnesse, until we can (in matter of merit or juftification) deny our own.

4. A fourth impediment to beleeving is, the league of the heart with finne: Light is come into the world, but men love dark; neffe rather then light, John 3 19 Sinne abfolutely doth not prejudice the contract of the foule with Chrift, for Chrift doth not negotiate for any foul, but the finful foul; He doth not come to a perfon, and say, if thou haft no fione, I will beftow my flf on thee, or if thou haft not committed finne, I will be a redeemer, a Saviour unto thee. Ono, the offer of Christ is only to the finner, and it is none but the finner who is to beleeve in Chrift. But that which hinders the contrac twistt men and Chrift, it is the love of fin: Chrift comes in the Ministry of the Gospel unto us, and reports unto us our own exceeding finfulnesse, and then bis exceeding graciousnese,and invites the foul (by many sweet and tender arguments) to ac ceprof him,to be Lord and Chrift, and affures it of pardon,and righteoufneffe and falvation. Now faith Chrift, that which I require of you is this, leave but your finnes, your, finnes which will damne you, and I will be yours. Why? faith the foul. this is but reafon, and I will hearken to it, well then faith Chrift, go and quit fuch a luft, thy uncleanneffe, or thy Sab-. bath breaking, or thy drunkenneffe, or thy lewd fociety, &c. Why, now the bafe and foolish heart falls off, I cannot live without. my nature, I must and will be allowed in fuch a courfe; The heart rifethup, O, Benjamine shall not go,nay any thing but

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this

this luft, I will never be divorced from it, if I may have Chrift and this finne too, well and good. Thus the love of finne fteales away the heart, it beftows the heart elfe where, nay it inflames an oppofition against the Lordly power of Christ;the foul will never yeild to the dominion of Chrift, which delights in the fubjection to fin.

Brethren, if we could but rip up the fecrets of mens hearts unto you, you should clearly difcerne, that it is the love of fome fin or other which mars all; men (oft-times) can make no exception against Chrift, they fee reafon enough to come in unto tim; they know they cannot be faved without him, but then they will not leave their finnes, it cuts their foules to think of fuch a divorce, come on it what will they will take their pleasure, and hold faft their wickednesse.

5. A fifth impediment is the world: The bonours of it; bor can you believe who receive honour one from another, and feck nos the honour that cometh from God only? John 5.44. The profits of it, He went away forrowful, for be had great poffeffions, Mat. 19. 22. The Examples of it, Have any of the rulers,or of the Pharifees beleeved on him? John 7. 49. The terrors of it, the feare of the Jews kept off many from coming to Chrift. The loffes of it, and croffes, He that will be my Difciple muft deny himself, and take up bis croffe and follow me. The cares and thoughts of it, when a man mindes earthly things, and will be rich, and devours all his precious thoughts, to compaffe that which will be but a fether, a thorne, vanity or vexation. Preffe men to labour for Chrift, why!we have no leafure: preffe to frequent the wayes of getting faith, why!we muft not neglect our callings. Urge them to embrace Chrift as Lord, to fhape and fashion their hearts and ways according to his rules, after his righteous Laws, and to deny themselves in fome finful compliances, O then we fhall not be efteemed of, we shall be derided and fcoffed at as vaine and fingular.

O thefe fenfible things, which we can fee with our eyes, and grafp with our hands, they put us off from the great moments of our beft and eternal good.

And what are the honours of this world, but as the fhade of the Sunne which every discontented cloud and frown removes?

and