1 converfations; they are called from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, Acts xxvi. 18. As the apostle, Ye were fometimes dark nefs, but now are ye light in the Lord. Be not ye therefore partakers with them, Eph. v. 8, 7. 3. If thou art chosen for falvation, then fooner or later thou shalt have true foul-faving, juftifying faith; As many as were ordained to eternal life believed, Acts xiii. 48. When God hath a people to call home to himself, he either brings them to the means, or the means to them, and thofe that belong to the election of grace believe. O my foul, haft thou this faving faith? not a fancied faith, dead faith, an eafy faith, but faving faith; fuch a faith as was wrought in thee by the word and Spirit with power; fuch a faith as was not in thy power to give, nor in thy power to receive until God enabled thee by his Spirit; then here is thy ground that thou art ordained to eternal life: for whom he calls he justifies, and we are juftified by faith, Rom. viii. 30. and v. 1. Not that the effence of faith justifies; but faith justifies inftrumentally, in that it lays hold upon that which juftifies, even the righteoufnefs of Chrift Jefus. 4. If thou art decreed for falvation, then fooner or later the Lord will beget and increase in thee grace, holiness, fanctification: Elect according to the foreknowlege of God the Father, thro' fanctification of the Spirit, 1 Pet. i. 2. God predeftinates his people unto holiness; He choose us in Chrift before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him, Eph. i. 4. If God appoint thee to eternal life, he doth here in this world appoint thee to an holy gracious life. No fanctification, no election; no grace, no glory thou art to be a precious jewel here, ere God will make thee up at that great day. Obferve the chain, Rom. viii. 29, 30. If I be fanctified with the divine nature, in which glory is begun, then I am justified; if justified, then I have been called according to the purpose; if called, then I was predeftinate; and if predeftinate to means, then I was foreknown, as one whom God would choose to the end, even to immarceffible and eternal glory. : 5. If thou art appointed and prepared for glory, then God will give thee a thankful heart for fo great a mercy thou canst no more keep in the heart from overflowing, when thou art fenfible of this everlasting love, than thou canst put bounds to the fea: fee Paul prailing God for the election of himself and others, After I heard of your faith, and love, Lccafe not to give thanks; and, bleed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath blessed us with all spiritual.blejfings in heavenly places in Chrift, according as he hath chofen us in him before the foundation of the world, Eph. i. 15, 16. and 1. 3, 4. And what glorious triumphs doth Paul in the perfon of all the elected make over all kind of enemies that can be thought of? He challengeth every adversary to put forth his fting, and why? Even because God hath elected, and nothing can feparate them from this unchangeable love; and this was it that begot his thanksgiving, I thank God through Jefus Chrift our Lord, Rom. viii. 33, 39. and vii. 25. O my foul, how is thy heart affected with praise and thankfulness in this matter? He that bestoweth great things, looks for great return of thanks, efpecially this being all thou canst do. 6. If the project, council, love, purpose, decree, and covenant of God with Christ, concerned thee, and thy foul's happiness, then God will crown thee with perfeverance, and a stedfast continuance in that way of grace thou waft first let in: final apoftafy, and total back-fliding from the ways of God, can never befal thofe that are thus chofen; They went from us, because they are not of us, faid the apoftle, 1 John ii. 19. And, If it were poffible, they should deceive the very elect, faid Chrift, Matth. xxiv. 24. But it is certainly impoffible, and why? I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall never depart from me, Jer. xxxii. 40. Oh what a blessed mercy is this, when there are fo many hours of temptation in the world, fo many blustering storms and tempests that are able to raise up the very roots, did not that immortal feed preserve them. Of this fign we are fure, if any of the former belongs to us; but to this we cannot actually feal till the end of our life. Come now, are thefe, O my foul, the grounds of thy hopes? Hath God's word come with power on thy heart? Hath the Lord fo effectual- ́ ly called thee, that thou haft left all to follow Chrift? Doft thou believe on the Lord Jefus for life and for falvation? Art thou holy? Is thy life holy? dost thou walk exactly, as the grace of God which bringeth to falvation teacheth? Canft thou G 2 with with enlarged thankfulness amplify the love and grace of God in thy election? Surely thefe effects are the very fewel of hope, they are the bleffed and clear evidences of thy foul's election; and therefore hope well, take strong confolation: it is clear as the fun, that God hath predeftinated thee to life, and that thy name is written in the book of life, and that none in heaven, or on earth, or in hell, fhall be able to blot it out again. Away with all fad, dumpifh, dejected thoughts: look unto Jefus: hope in Chrift, That that very falvation, concerning which that great tranfaction was betwixt God and Chrift, belongs even to thee, and that one day thou shalt fee it, and enjoy the happinefs of it to all eternity. 5. SECT. V. Of believing in Jefus in that refpect. E mult believe in Jefus, as carrying on : happy; why this is of the nature of faith and herein lies the fweetness of faith in that we believe not Chrift only to be a Saviour, and righteoufnefs, but my Saviour and my rightcoufnefs; and therefore Luther affirmed, that the fweetness of Chriftianity lay in pronouns; when a man can fay, My Lord, and my God, and my Jefus. I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me, Gal. ii. 20. O my foul believe for thyfelf; believe, and be confident of it, that thofe eternal projects, councils, love, purpofe, decree, and covenant betwixt God and Chrift, were all for thee; hast thou not a promife? Nay, was there not a promife before the world began? and that very promife of eternal life? Mark the words, In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie premifed before the world began, Tit. i 2. Here's a promife and a promife of eternal life, and a promife of eternal life made by God, by God that cannot Wthat great work for us in that eternity. lie, and that before there was a world or any man It is not enough to know, and confider, and defire, and hope but we mult believe. Now, this is the nature and property of faith, to apply all these ancient and future doings and dealings of God to ourfelves, as if they were now prefent. Some difference there is betwixt hope and faith; as hope hath refpect to that which the word promifeth, rem verbi; but faith refpects the word itfelf, verbum rei; hope eyes chiefly the mercy and goodneis of the promife, but faith eyes mainly the authority and truth of the promifer; hope looks upon its object as future, but faith only looks upon the object as prefent; both make a particular application to themselves, but hope in a waiting for it, and faith in a way of now enjoying it. Hence faith is called, the fubftance of things hoped for, Heb. xi. 1. It is the fubftance, or confidence of things hoped for, as if we had them already in hand; faith gives the foul a prefent interest in God, in Chrift, in all thofe glorious things in the gofpel of Chrift, even in the things of eternal life. Faith is an appropriating, an applying, an uniting grace. It is a bleffed thing to have the fight of God, there is much power in it; but to fee God in his glory as my God; to fee all the majefty, greatnefs, and goodness of God, as thofe things that my foul have an interest in; to fee how the eternal councils of God wrought for me, to make me in the world. If thou enquireft, to whom then was this promife made? Sweet foul, it was made to Chrift for thee: many promifes thou haft in fcripture made more immediatly to thyself; but this was the grand promife, and all the other promifes they are but a draught of that grand promise that God the Father made to his Son before the world began. O, cries the foul, I cannot believe. What, is it poffible that God in his eternity fhould have any thought of me? What, of me, being not yet born, neither having done any goed or evil? Rom. ix. 11. What, of me, born in thefe laft umes of the world, the leaft of faints, the greatest of finners, lefs then the leaft of all God's mercies? That of such an one the great God, the majefty of heaven and earth, fhould have a thought, a project, a counfel, a knowlege of approbation, a purpofe, a decree: nay, enter into a covenant with his Son for my falvation? I cannot believe it. Alas! what am I to God? or what need hath God of me? Ifull the nations of the earth are to him, but as a drop of a bucket, and as the fmall duft of the balance, Ifa. xl. 15. O what a minim am I of that drop? or what a little little atom am I of that fall duit? And is it probable that the greatnefs of God, the goodness of God, the power of God, the wildom of God, the eternal councils of God, fhould work for for me, to make me glorious, bleffed, happy? to make me one with himfelf, and one with his Son, and one with his Spirit? What care take I of every duft of the earth, or every fand of the fea fhore? and yet there are my fellow-creatures: there's a thousand times more difproportion betwixt God and me, and would God take care of me before I was, or before the world was? What, would he bufy himself and his Son about fuch a worthlefs wretched worm? Would he decree Chrift to come from the Father for me, to be my Redeemer, my Jefus, my Saviour? I cannot, I dare not, I will not believe. Ostay, my foul; and be not faithless, but believing, I'll take thy argument in pieces; As, 1. Thou fayelt, Hath God any thoughts of me? Yes, faith God, I know the thoughts that I think towards you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, Jer, xxix. II. And before the world was, my thoughts and my delights were with the fons of men, Prov. viii. 31. 2. Thou sayst, I have no thoughts, no care of my fellow-creatures, as of the duft, or sand, or atoms? And what then? My thoughts are not as your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, faith the Lord; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, fo are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts, Ifa. Iv. 8. What if thou haft no thoughts or care of the fmaller creatures; yet God extends his thoughts, and care, and providence not only to thee, but even to them, Neither can a farrow fall to the ground, nor an hair from thy head, nor a leaf from the tree, without the providence of our heavenly Father? Matth. x. 29, 30. 3. Thou fayit, I dare not believe, I am aftonished at, confounded in thefe thoughts of God's eternal love; it is too high for me, I cannot believe it. I answer, Herein thou fayft fomething: I know it is an hard thing to believe thefe great things in reference to thyfelf: but fee now, how God and Christ stoop and cordefcend to make thee believe: God finds much upon this, that the hearts of his faints fhould confide in him; he accounts not himfelf honoured, except they believe. And therefore mark, O my foul, how Chrift fuits himself to thy weaknefs; what is it that may beget this faith, this confidence in thy foul? What is it (faith God) that you poor creatures do 'one to another, when you would make things fure between yourfelves? Why, thus, 1. We engage ourselves by promise one to another. And fo will i, faith God: poor foul, thou haft my promife; my faithful promife; I have made a promife both to Jews and Gentiles, and thou art the one of thele two forts; The promife is to you, and to your children,and to all that are ajar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call, Acts ii. 39 Be only fatisfied in that ground of thy hope, that thou art called of God, and then every promile of eternal life is thine, even thine. Thou mayft find a thousand promifes fcattered here and there in the book of God; and all these promifes are a draught of that promise which was made from all eternity, and therefore it so much is the more fure; it is as if Chrift should say, • Wilt thou have engagement by promife? This is paft long ago; my Father hath engaged himfelf to me before the world began; yea, and I have made many, and many a promife fince the world began. Read in the volume, and thou ⚫ wilt find here and there a promise, here and there a draught of that firft copy of that great promife which my Father made unto me from all eternity.' 2. When we would make things fure to one another, we write it down; and fo will, faith God: thou haft the fcriptures, the holy writ, thofe facred volumes of truth and life, and herein thou haft the golden lines of many gracious promises are they not as the ftars in the firmament of the fcripture Thou haft my Bible, and in the Bible thou haft many bleffed glorious truths; but of all the Bible methinks thou fhouldft not part with one of thofe promifes, no not for a world. Luther obferving the many promifes writ down in fcripture, expreffeth thus, The whole fcripture doth efpecially aim at this, that we fhould not doubt, but hope, confide, believe that God is merciful, kind, patient, and hath a purpofe and delight to 'fave our fouls.' 6 3 When we would make things fure to one another, we fet to our feals. And fo will I, faith. God: thou haft my feal, the broad feal of heaven, my facraments, the feals of my covenant; and thou haft my privy feal alfo, the feal of my Spirit. Grive not the holy Spirit, whereby ye are fealed unto the day of redemption, Eph. iv. 30. 4. When we would make things fure to one another, we take witneffes. And fo will I, faith God: God: thou shalt have witneffes as many as thou wilt, witneffes of all forts, witneffes in heaven, and witnesses on earth; For there are three that bear record in heaven,the Father, the word, and the holy Ghoft, and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and these three agree in one, 1 John v. 7, 8. 5. When we would make things fure to one another, we take an oath. And fo will I, faith God: God willingly more abundant to fhew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counfel, confirmed it by an oath, Heb. vi. 17. 9. d. There is no fuch need of an oath; but I will be abundant to thee, because I would have thee truft me, and confide in me throughly: and as I fwear (faith God) fo will I fwear the greateft oath that ever was, I fwear by myself, Heb. vi. 13. God fwears by God: he could fwear by no greater, and therefore he fware by himself: and why thus, but for their fakes who are the heirs of promife? He knows our frame, and remembers that we are duft; and therefore, to fuccour our weakness, the Lord is pleased to swear, and to confirm all by his oath. 6. When we would make things fure to one another, we take a pawn. And I will give thee a pawn, faith God: and fuch a pawn, as, if thou never hadft any thing more, thou shouldst be happy. It is the pawn of my Spirit. Who alfo hath jealed us, and given the earneft of the Spirit into our hearts, 2 Cor. i. 22. q. d. I will fend my Spirit into your hearts; and this Spirit fhall be a pawn, an carneft in your hearts of all the good that I intend to do for you for ever. 7. When we would make things fure to one another, fomething it may be is presently done, as an engagement of all that which is to come. And thus will I deal with thee, faith God, who livest in these last of times. Why, thou feeft the greateft part of thy falvation already done: I made a promife from all eternity of fending my Son into the world, to be made a curse for fin; yea, and if thou believeft, for thy fin; and this is the greatest work of all that is to be done to all eternity. Surely if I would had failed thee in any thing, it should have been in this; it is not so much for me now, to bring thee to heaven, to fave thy foul, as it was to fend my Son into the world, to be made a curfe for fin: but when I have done fo great a work, and have been already faithful in that promife, how fhouldst thou but believe my faithfulness in making good all other promises? If a man should owe thee a thoufand pounds, and pay thee nine hundred, ninety and nine, thou wouldft think furely, he would never break for the reft. Why, God hath paid his nine hundred, ninety and nine; and all the glory of heaven is but as one in comparison of what he hath done: we may therefore well believe, That he who hath done fo much for us, will not leave thee little undone. Come then, roufe up, O my foul, and believe thy interefts in those eternal transactions betwixt God and Chrift: is not here ground enough for thy faith? If thou art but called, the promise of God is thine: or if thou dareft not rely on his promife (which God forbid) thou haft his indenture, his feal and witnesses of all forts, both in heaven and earth: or if yet thou believeft not, thou haft an oath, a pawn, and the greatest part of thy falvation already done to thy hand: nay, I'll tell thee more, poor foul, than thus; even Christ himfelf from all eternity hath engaged for thee, that thou shalt believe: O then put not Christ to be challenged for his engagement, by refusing the gofpel! furely when thou believeft, thou makest Chrift's word good; He that believeth not, makes God a liar, though in another fenfe, and, for ought he knoweth, even in this, That he frustrates Chrift's undertaking in the covenant. And therefore believe; yea, and cry, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief; increase my faith, till I come to full affurance of faith. Faith in this fenfe is. the very eye of the foul, reading its name written in the book of life; it is an apprehension of our particular election'. O believe, till thou comeft up to this fulness of persuasion of God's love in Chrift. fhould we but love that God, and love that Chrift, who thus firstly and freely loved us? God loved us before we loved him, for he loved us in that eternity before all worlds; furely then we are bound to love him, firft and above all things. As the diamond formeth and fashioneth the diamond, fo love formeth and fashioneth love; or as fire converteth fewel into fire, fo this ancient love of God and Chrift may well cause our love again. O Chrift! didft thou not love us? Who doubts it, that but reads over the project, council, foreknowlege, purpose, decree and covenant of God and Chrift? Who doubts it, that but reads the eternal design of God, that Christ should go out of himself, and fuffer an extafy through the vehemency of his love? That Christ should so far abase his Majesty, as to die for us, that we might not die, but live with him? O then, how fhould this but kindle in our hearts a most ardent love towards God and Christ? What more effectual motive to work man's love, than to be prevented by the love and bounty of another? That this fruit doth fpring from the sense of our election, Bernard obferves, Epift. 107. Who is righteous, but he that requiteth the love of God with love again? Which is never done, except the holy Ghost reveal unto a man by faith 'God's eternal purpose concerning his future falvation.' And hence it is, that the heart is most in frame, when it is a confidering the eternal love of God in Chrift: as David faid of Jonathan, Thou baft been very pleasant to me, thy love to me was wonderful, 2 Sam i. 26. So a poor foul, gathering up all the goodness of God in that eternity, and feeding upon it, and the variety of it, breathes out in that expreffion, Thou haft been very pleafant to me, O God, thy love to me hath been won derful. O my foul, that thou couldst fo live by faith on these eternal paffages, as that thou mightst attain to the highest fruits of faith, not only to love God and Chrift, but to love them with a burning love, with a mighty love, fuch a love as lies in the most vigorous profecution after Jefus Christ, and in the most faithful refignation of thyself to God; fuch a love as works the most delightful afpect of God and Chrift, as makes a man to behold God and Chrift with all cheerfulness; fuch a love as works a man to extol the praises of God. O in thefe hinges lies the ftrength of love. But alas! this is, or at leaft this fhould be thy grief, That thou canft not love fo well, and fo warmly as thou art beloved. Christ comes towards thee, Skipping like the hart, or roe on the mountains of fpices, Cant. vii. 14. But thy love toward Chrift is creeping like the worm in the unwholfom valley. Indeed the best affections have their fits of fwooning; it may be for the present thy love is cold: O but come up to this fire; confider how God and Chrift loved thee in every of thefe.. 1. His project to fave thy foul fprung out of his love: love was the first wheel that fet all the eternal works of God a going; what was that great defign of God, but only an expreffion of his love? It was his pleafure to communicate himself, and the rife of that communication was his love. 2. The councils of God were all in love. Had not love been as prefident of the council, where hadst thou been? When all the attributes of God were at a stand, it was the love of God in Christ that refolved the question for thy falvation. 3. The foreknowlege of God was a foreknow. lege of love and approbation: in his eternal love he embraced thee as his own; he foreknew thee, i. e. of his free love he fet thee apart to life and to falvation; God hath chofen us in Chrift before the foundation of the world, Eph. i. 4. He chofe us in Chrift, but not for Chrift; nothing at all moved him to elect thee, but his own good pleafure and free love. 4. The purpofe of God was a refolution of love; it speaks his love to be a conftant, fettled, abiding love; no unkindness shall alter it; For having loved his own, he loves them into the end, John xiii. 1. Nay, he loves them without end: from everlasting to everlasting. 5. The decree of God was an order (as I may call it) or an act of love, to give in that grace unto his elect, which before all time he decreed fhould be an effectual means to bring them unto glory. 6. The covenant betwixt God and Chrift was an agreement of love: God and Christ struck hands to fave our fouls; Grace was given us in Chrift Jefus before the world began, 2 Tim. i. 9. Grace was given us, that is, the gracious love and favour of God in Chrift was given us before all fecular. times. This was God's meaning from everlasting, this was the defign, yea, the greatest design that |