THE

MYSTERY OF FAITH

OPENED UP.

SERMON I.

1 JOHN iii. 23.—This is his commandment, that ye should believe on the Name of his Son JESUS CHRIST, &c.

THIS everlasting gospel (in which there are drawn so many precious draughts and divine lineaments of the transcendent beauty of a crucified Saviour, and of the riches of his unsearchable grace) is a most precious and excellent thing, not only because it doth contain most absolute and sublime precepts and commands, in the exercise and obedience of which, we do not only attain unto the highest pitch in holiness, but likewise, because it containeth most rich and precious promises, in the possession and fruition of which, we are advanced to the highest pinnacle of eternal blessedness; this is clear in the grace of faith; for what doth more purify the heart, and stamp it with the image of the invisible God, than this grace of faith? And what richer promises are annexed to any duty, than to this duty of believing, to wit, everlasting life, and fruition of God? So that if we dwelt forty days at the foot of mount Sinai, and had been under the greatest discovering and condemning power of the law we may yet come with boldness to mount Sion, and there embrace Jesus Christ, who is the end of the law for righteousness to such as believe: Upon which mount he standeth, holding forth the golden sceptre of his peace, desiring us to embrace him, and his crying out that word in Isaiah lxv. 1,-Behold me, behold me. O! may we not summon angels, and these twenty-four elders about the throne, to help us to wonder that ever such a command as this came forth, that we should believe on the name of the Son of God, after that we had broken that first and primitive command, That we should not eat of the forbidden tree. Was not this indeed to make mercy rejoice over judgment? And O! may we not wonder at the precious oath of the everlasting covenant, whereby he hath sworn That he delighted not in the death of sinners? What (suppose ye) were poor Adam's thoughts, when at first the doctrine of free

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grace, and of a crucified Christ Jesus a Saviour, was preached unto him in paradise? What a divine surprisal was this, that heaven should have preached peace to earth, after that earth had proclaimed war against heaven? Was not this a low step of condescendency, to behold an offended God preaching peace and good-will to a guilty sinner? What could self-destroying Adam think of these morning and first discoveries of this everlasting covenant? Christ, as it were, in the morning of time, giving vent to that infinite love, which was resting in his bosom and precious heart, before the foundation of the world was laid. We know not whether the infiniteness of his love, the eternity of his love, or the freedom of it, maketh up the greatest wonder; but sure, these three joined together, make up a matchless and everlasting wonder. Would any of you ask the question, what is Christ worth? We could give no answer so suitable as this; it is above all the arithmetic of all the angels in heaven, and all the men on earth, to calculate his worth; all men here must be put to a divine nonplus: This was Job's divinity, Job xxviii. 13,-Man knoweth not the price of wisdom. And must not Jesus Christ, who is the precious Object of faith, and wisdom of the Father, be a supereminent and excellent One, who hath that name of King of kings, and Lord of lords, not only engraven on his vesture, (which pointeth out the conspicuousness of his majesty) but even also upon his thigh, to point out, that in all his goings and motions, he proveth himself to be higher than the kings of the earth? And howbeit the naked proposing of the Object doth not convert; yet if once our souls were admitted to behold such a sight as Christ in his beauty and majesty, and to be satisfied with the divine rays of his transcendent glory, then certainly we should find a blessed necessity laid upon us of closing with him for Christ hath a sword proceeding out of his precious mouth, by which he doth subject and subjugate his own to himself, as well as he hath a sword girded upon his thigh, by which he judgeth and maketh war with his enemies. We confess it is not only hard, but simply impossible, to commit a hyperbole in commending of him; his worth being always so far above our expressions, and our expressions always far beneath his worth; therefore we may be put to propose that desire unto him,-Exalt thyself, O Lord, above the heavens.

But now to our purpose, being at this time to begin our discourse upon that radical and precious grace of faith, we intend to speak of it under this twofold notion and consideration :-First, We shall speak of it as its justifying, or as it doth lay hold upon the righteousness of a crucified Saviour, making application of the precious promises in the covenant of free-grace, which we call justifying faith. And in the second place, we shall speak a little unto faith, as it doth lay hold on Christ's strength, for the advancing the work of mortification, and doth discover the personal excellencies of Jesus Christ, by which we advance in the work of holiness, and divine conformity with God, which we call sanctifying faith. However, it is not to be supposed, that these are different habits of faith, but different acts flowing from the same saving habit, laying hold and

exercising themselves upon Christ in different respects, and for divers ends. Now to speak upon the first, we have made choice of these words. The apostle John in the former verse, hath been pointing out the precious advantages of the grace of obedience, and of keeping his commands, that such a one hath, as it were an arbitrary power with God, and doth receive many precious returns of prayer: As likewise, that one who is exercised in the grace of repentance is God's delight, which is included in this, that he doth these things which are well-pleasing in his sight. And now in these words he doth, as it were, answer an objection that might be proposed, about the impossibility of attaining these precious advantages, seeing his commands were so large, and that hardly they could be remembered. This he doth sweetly answer, by setting down in this one verse a short compend or breviary both of law and gospel, viz. that we should love one another, which is the compend of the law; and, that we should believe on the name of his Son, which is the compend of the gospel. And by this he sheweth the Christian, that there are not many things required of him for attaining these excellent advantages; but if he exercise himself in the obedience of these two comprehensive commandments, he shall find favour both with God and man. And as concerning this precious grace of faith, we have,-1. The advantages of it implied in the words, and clear also from the scope, as (no doubt) all the commands have infinite advantages infolded in their bosom, which redound to a believer by his practising of them. And 2. The excellency of it holden forth in the words, in that it is called his command, as if he had no other command but this; (and the Greek particle is here prefixed, which hath a great emphasis and force in it.) But, 3. There is this also, the absolute necessity of this grace, holden forth here in this word, His commandment; as if he would have said by proposing this command, I do set life and death before you.' And that ye would not conceive that it is an arbitrary and indifferent thing to you to believe, or not; but be persuaded of this, that as an infinite advantage may persuade you to the obedience of it, so absolute necessity must persuade you to act that which is your everlasting concernment. And lastly, Ye have the precious Object upon which faith (which is justifying) doth exercise itself, and that is upon the name of the Son of God. And, no doubt, faith is that excellent grace, which doth elevate the soul into a sweet and inseparable union with Christ; and is that golden and precious knot that doth eternally knit the hearts of these precious friends together. Faith is that grace that draweth the first draughts of Christ's precious image on our hearts, and by love accomplishes and perfects them. Now faith doth take hold, not only on the faithfulness of God, that he is a God of truth, and that in him there is no lie; but likewise it taketh hold on the omnipotency of God, that he is one to whom nothing is too hard; and on the infinite mercy and love of God, that he is one who doth delight to magnify this attribute above all his works, and these are the three great pillars of justifying faith. From the First, it answereth all these objections of sense, which do ordinarily cry forth, doth his promise

fail for evermore ?—and that with this one word, if he hath once proposed it, he will also do it,—and if he hath once spoken it, he will also make it come to pass. From the Second, it answereth all these objections that may arise from carnal reason and probability, which tend to the weakness of his confidence. And these do oftentimes cry out, How can these things be? but faith layeth hold on the omnipotency of God-it staggereth not at the promises, but is strong in the faith, giving glory to God. And it is the noble and divine exercise of this heroic grace of faith that these objections of reason and probability, which it cannot answer, it will lay them aside, and yet close with the promise; which was the practice of believing Abraham, who considered not his own body being weak, nor the barrenness of Sarah's womb. As likewise, it was the commendable practice of that woman, Matth. xv., who not being able to answer the second trial of her faith from reason, yet notwithstanding, faith made her cry out, Have mercy upon me, O Son of David. And from the last, a christian doth answer all the arguments of misbelief which do arise from the convictions of our unworthiness and sinfulness, which makes us oftentimes embrace that divinity of Peter's, Luke v. 8, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man;- but faith taking hold on the infinite mercy and love of Christ, it answereth all with this, He walks not with us according to that rule of merit, but according to that precious and golden rule of love and boundless compassion.

But before we shall speak any thing unto you of these things, we would a little point out some few things, to be known as previous to these; we shall not dwell long in pointing out the nature of justifying faith:-It is that grace whereby a christian being convinced of his lost estate, and of an utter impossibility to save himself, he doth flee to the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and unto him who is that precious city of refuge, and there doth abide till our high-priest shall die, which shall not be for ever; or if ye will, it is a sweet travelling of the immortal soul, betwixt infinite misery, and infinite mercy-betwixt an utter impossibility to save ourselves, and a complete ability in him to save to the uttermost-betwixt abounding sin, and superabounding mercy:-hence faith is often holden forth to us in scripture, under that notion of coming, Isa. lv. 1., Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. Rev. xxii. 17,

Whosoever will, let him take the waters of life freely. Heb. vii. 25, Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost, that come to God by him. And we may say by the way, that if once a sinner could be brought to this, to count all his own righteousness but filthy rags, and to believe that a man is as really justified before God by imputed righteousness, as if it were by inherent holiness, surely such a one were not so far from the kingdom of God. Neither shall we stand long to point out this unto you, that it is your duty to believe, for it is clear from this place, but likewise from Isa. xlv. 22, Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; Matth. xi. 28, Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; John xiv. 1, Ye believe in God, believe also in me; Isa. lv. 1, Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and