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Two things.

them.

CHAP. XIII.

Rules for the discovery of faith.

Irft, fome Rules of Direction, for the manner of evidence and teftifying of faith, that you may neither be deceived by prefumption, nor perplexed by error and doubting.

Secondly, fome lively inftance of true faith as the Word of God doth clearly represent

The Rules of difcovery and finding out faith, which are thefe.

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SECT. I.

Here are fome things without which faith cannot be in the heart, and yet they do not neceffarily and infallibly conclude that a man hath faith.

They do well diftinguish in the Schools 'twixt an Antecedent, and a Cause, a Caufe is fuch a thing as is before the effect, and which being put, the effect alfo is put, one will not go with out the other; But an Antecedent is that which muft go before another thing; yet it is not neceffary that if it be, that the other thing fhould follow. The rifing of the Sunne is a cause of day, and therefore this will alwayes hold; If the Simile. Sunne be up, it is day; But this now; Learning, is (or fhould be) an Antecedent to preferment, it should go before it, yet it is not an infallible truth, that every one who gaines learning, should enjoy preferment: Thus is it in the nature of faith.

There

There are fome Antecedents, there are fome things which must of neceffity go before faith, yet they alone do not formally and affuredly conclude that a man hath faith, as for in ftance;

A man cannot beleeve in Chrift, he cannot receive Jesus Chrift with all his heart, he hath some hiftorical evidence of Chrift, he must have fome knowledge of Chrift, what he is,and what he hath done, or elfe he cannot take him to be his Lord and Saviour; Yet this knowledge doth not infallibly conclude justifying and saving faith; for as much as the Devils and Hypocrites may fee much of Chrift, they may have a high degree of intellectual apprehenfion.

Again, a man cannot by faith take Chrift to be his Lord and Saviour, unleffe he hath fome fenfibleneffe of his finful condition; our heart will not look towards Chrift, it cannot con ceive of his excellencies, nor of his own neceffity, until we feel our finfulneffe, and loftneffe, and vileneffe; The whole neither need, nor look for a Physician, yet a perfon may be fenfible of his finful condition; he may not only by the light of natural confcience apprehend fome broader and ftirring enormities, but he may by a smart and quick light let in by the Ministry of the Word, difcern heaps of wickedneffe in his life and beart, for which his confcience may fting him with wonderfully bitter accufations, and yet fuch a perfon (poffibly) may not rise from trouble to faith, as is evident in Cain and Judas. So then remember this, that in the fearchings and trials for faith, you do not conclude the prefence of the habit from the common antecedents of faith, for as much as faith is but a contingent confequent of them, fometimes it doth follow, fometimes it doth not. As in Marriage, fometimes it doth follow the motion which is made, and fometimes it doth not; fo the espousing of our foules to Chrift by faith, fometimes it doth follow knowledge, fometimes it doth not, fometimes it doth follow the preaching of the Word, and yet fometimes it doth not'; for all have heard, yet who hath beleeved, faid the Apoftle? Rom. 10. fometimes it doth follow the motions, and inward excitations of the Spirit, and fometimes it doth not.

2. There are fome things which faith only doth produce, yet because it doth not produce them alwayes, a man therefore muft

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not negatively conclude from the absence of them, the absence of faith.

You know that holy and spiritual joy, it is the fole fruit of faith, therefore faith the Apostle, 1 Pet.1.8. Beleeving, ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and glorious. There is nothing which can prefent to the heart of a Chriftian, fuch full caule of joy as faith, fuch a God, fuch a Chrift, fuch a love, such a blood, such a mercy, fuch happineffe, fuch unmixt, and proper, and futable good. There is a carnal joy which fparkles from the cup of pleasure, and there is a gliftering joy which the raies of gold may produce, and there is a beastly joy, which the ful Alling of finful lufts may fend forth, and there is a flashing and tranfient joy, which the pride of hypocrites may dart out, but found, and weighty, and holy, and pure,and fpiritual joy,which is a well grounded, and not to be repented, affect ng of the heart, that comes only from faith:Yet it comes from faith as a feparable effect; look as trouble and forrow is a Contingent antecedent, fo evn in actu imperato,true joy is a feparable fruit of faith. Though the branches and green leaves do fprout out of the living root only, yet this color doth not appeare at all times; Though the blade comes only from the graines caft into the earth, yet you cannot alwayes obferve the blade. Though the flesh and natural complexion flows only from health, yet there may be fad occafions, which though they do not extinguish health, may yet fowle and blubber the complexion. So even the beleeving perfon may fometimes have a tear in his eye, an handkercheif in his hand, a sigh in his breast, and yet have faith in his heart. He may fit down in afhes, and feed on tears, as David did, and for all this be may be a true beleever: He is not alwayes able to fee the causes of his joy, nor to break through the contrarieties to his faith, nor to remove the quashings of his comforts. Therefore when you are torry your felves about your faith, do not make a negative inference from feparable evidences.

3. There are fome things which faith only doth produce, not as effential properties, but as magnificent testimonies.

The moral Phylofophers diftinguish 'twixt the effects and * acts of liberality, as it is abfolutely confidered, and as it is eminently confidered, being raised to magnificence. To give a

far

farthing according to the rules and circumftances of morality, even this is an act of liberality, but to build a Colledge,this is now an act of liberality grown into the greatnese of magnificence. So is it in the matter of faith, there are fome fruits of faith which come from it, abfolutely confidered according to the vital conftitution of it: And there be other fruits which come from it eminently confidered; faith is come to an height, to a strength, when it fends them forth. Though a child cannot bear a burden of an hundred pound weight, yet he can defire the breaft and fuck; the bearing of fuch a burden belongs to ftrength, and yet the very fucking fhews that he hath life. Though a Chriftian be not able in all refpects, at all times, with all moderation and filence, to paffe prefently through every beavy occurrence, which fhews ftrength of faith, yet his heart may most affectionately cling about Chrift which fhews the truth of faith.

fruits.

Aurance is a fruit of an eminent faith, and fo is a more ha. 3. Eminent bitual fedfastne fe of quiet fubmiffion, and confidence in all eftates & conditions,and fo is that maintenance of the heart upon Gods promifes in the times of ftrong contrarieties. Now as Divines fhould warily open their lips, fo fhould you wifely diftin guifh of the evidences of a true faith, fome being (if I may fo terme them) effential, and others being eminent, fome there are which discover the truth, others which teftifie the ftrength of faith: It is one thing to fhew unto you the properties of a

another thing to fhew unto you the properties of a strong. man. Many a poore Chriftian hath been deeply gravell'd by others, and extreamly afflicted by his own fpirit for want of this diftinction of the properties of faith. Because be reades, and hath heard what admirable and fingular fruits, and effects faith hath fent out as Affurance, and full affurance, and with thefe fome glorious acts of felf-denial, as in "Abraham and his unftaggering embracing of a promise against which both reason and fenfe, and nature might have difputed and urged. O fay they, we have no faith, Abrahams faith wrought fall affurance, removed all staggerings, our hearts are still doubting, we can hardly be perfwaded, we reel and ftagger like the waves now on the shore, and then inftantly off; now we beleeve, anon we let go our hold, and doubt; And hence they uncomfort

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ably conclude against their own fouls, the utter abfence of faib from the defect of fome particular and eminent expressions of faith, not abfolutely as faith, but of faith as strong and exr ceedingly ripened: we must not conclude negatively, from the degrees to the babit :

As if one fhould conclude that he hath no filver in his purse, because another hath a bank of many thousands; or that he hath no legges to go, because he is not fo fwift as Afabel; or that the Sparrow flies not, because he cannot mount up to the Sunne with the Eagle; or that a child is no man, because he cannot expreffe the acts of a strong màn.

4. There are and will be many inward contrarieties to the intrinfecal acts and fruits of faith, notwithstanding faith be truly in the foul,and works there. Faith, though it hath the preheminence of other graces in refpect of its office, being the only Embaffador (as it were) of the foul to Chrift, yet it hath no priviledge above them in refpect of the (ubject, (that is) in refpect of the act and workings of it there; but look as every other Grace hath fome or other particular corruption oppofite to its particular mature, and its particular actings; So even faith it felf hath infidelity, and unbellef oppofing it, both in the quality, and in the feveral exercisings or actings of it. There may be flame of the fmoak, and a hand with fhaking, and a tree trembling and a faith of doubting.

Yea, if any grace hath the hardneffe of a more general and strong oppofition, then faith is it, it being a grace of general help and use to fetch in more grace, and more ftrength against all finne. Now in our trials for faith, it will be with us as with the Artificer, in his fearch for the little raies of gold; It's true, he fhall finde much droffe here and there, and yet if he can finde a very little peece of gold, (though amidst an heap of droffe) he will fay this is gold, and will preciously esteeme of it and lay it up. So when we are fearching our hearts by the light of Gods Word for true faith, without all doubt we shall meet with many doubtings, much unbelief, yet if we can finde any one degree of true faith (which is more precious then gold) we may not caft it away, because it is found amongst its contraries but we muft cherish and embrace it, because the touchstone of the Word hath approved it to be a precious faith.

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