THe great Design that the most Wise God Created Man for, was, that he (being Obedient) might be happy to all Eternity; But Man being no sooner plac'd in that most Beautiful (and Fruitful) Garden of Eden, but (by the instigation of the Devil) he soon Rebell'd against his Cre­ator, (in breaking the Command) and so Fell, and became wicked and sinful in all his Posterity (which was) That the Seed of the Woman should break the Serpents Head; So that we being dead unto sin, might live in Christ.

And the great Design of Christ com­ming (in he Flesh) into the World, was to Draw poor Sinners unto him, that (thorough Faith) they might be Saved.

For whom did Crist come into the world and for whom did he dye when he was come? Was it for the Righteous? such néeded him not: It was for the poor Sinner that judges himself, that condemns himself, and he that cannot save him­self. Paul saith, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the chief, 1 Tim 1. 15: and Zech. 13. 1. There is a Fountain opened for sin, and for uncleanness; that is, for all sorts of sins, and kind of sinners: be their iniquities never so great and never so vile, there is a Fountain set open for them, come who will. There was never any saved or reeeived to mer­cy, that first opposed not the mercies of God and his grace in Christ.

What Scripture ever said, that the greatness of mans sin could hinder the greatness of Gods mercy? No Scripture saith so; we sée David prayed to the con­trary. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, and pardon my sins, for they be great, Psal 25. 11 Nay, God himself doth the quite con­trary. Isai. 43. 24. 25. Thou hast made me serve with thy sins, and wearied me with thine in quities, yet I am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for my Names sake. When the Iews did fire God with their distem­pered [Page] manners, and burdened him with their sinful courses, then the Lord (for his own Name sake) would not so much as remember their Iniquities against them.

Sins though they be never so hainous of themselves, yet if the soul can sée them. and the heart be burdened with them, they are so far from hindering the work of faith, and from making thée uncapable of mercy, that they fit thée the rather to go to Christ. The truth is (which I pray you take notice of,) it is not properly our un­worthiness, but our pride and haughti­ness that hinders us from comming to Christ; for we would fain have some­thing from our selves, and no [...] all from him but to the distressed soul, that sées the vileness of his sins; the Lord will not cast thee away, if thou wilt come and séek him earnestly, again, and again: The Lord said to Judah, I have seen his ways, and will heal him, again, Thou hast played the Harlot with many Lovers, yet turn again to me, saith the Lord. So then, there is no time past, if a Man have but a heart to re­turne There is no limitation of the riches of Gods frée grace, except the sin against the Holy Ghost; therefore saith Christ, [Page] I standing at the door and knock, Revel. 3. 20. Though he cry till he be hoarse. and stand till he be weary, yet he stands still: if any adulterous or deceitful wretch will open, Christ will come in, and bring in store of comfort to him, and sup with him.

Oh, all this is true, saith the poor soul, had I but a heart to mourn for my base­ness. Sée my sins I do, but this is my misery, I cannot be burdened with them; I have a heart that cannot break & mourn for dishonoring God, and offending him so many ways, But I say.

This hurts not neither; provided that thy heart be weary of it self, because it cannot be weary of sin. The Lord sheweth mercy, because he will shew mercy: It is not because thou canst please him, but be­cause mercy pleaseth him. When did the Lord shew mercy unto Paul? but even when Paul did express most malice against him? Saul, Saul, Why persecutest thou me? He persecutes Christ, and yet Christ pit­ties him, and shews him mercy: and so the churlish Jaylor, when he was most opposite against the means of grace, the Lord even then shewed most comfortable upon him. He that (before) resisted the means of grace, was brought home by [Page] those means that before he resisted.

Alas, (saith the poor Sinner (I never knew what it was to have the assurance of Gods love; I never received any evi­dence of Gods favour; and can I (then) think that I have Faith? they that Be­lieve have their hearts filled with Ioy unspeakable and glorious? the Scripture saith as much. But I am a Stranger to this Ioy; how then can I think that I have any work of Faith wrought in me?

I answer; When a poor Sinner sées his sins, the number of them, that nature of them, the vileness of them, the cursed­ness of his soul, that he can take no rest; he sées no rest in the creature, nor in himself. Though he pray all day, yet he cannot get the pardon of one sin: the soul is out of any expectation of pardon, or power of mercy in any thing he hath or doth; Though all means, all helps, all Men and Angels should joyn together, yet they cannot pardon one sin of his. Now the LORD lifts up his voice, and says from Heaven, Thy sins are pardonable. O the infiniteness of Gods power! though the guilt of sin is powerful to condemn the soul; But when the infinite power of the Lord is considered, as able to over power [Page] all his sins, this lifteth up the heart in some expectation that the Lord will shew mercy to a man; though it is a hard thing to hope, when the Soul is thus troubled.

Object. Can this heart be broke? can these sins be pardoned? can this Soul be saved?

Ans. God can pardon them. Never mea­sure the power of God by that shallow con­ceit of thine. All things are possible to God, though not to men. And as it is said of Abraham, He hoped above hope; he look­ed to the Lord that was able to do what he had promised: he considered not that he had a dead body, but that he had a liv­ing God to hope on. Iustice cannot be so severe to revenge thée, as mercy is gra­cious to do good unto thée. If thy sins be ne'r so many, Gods Iustice ne'r so great; yet mercy is above all thy sins. This may support thy Soul; thy sins are par­donable. There is no more power in God to shew mercy to thée, then power in sin to destroy thée: The Lord Iesus Christ came to seek, and to save that which was lost: it was the scope of his coming.

Now saith the broken and humble sin­ner, Did Christ come to save sinners? [Page] my sins are so many and great, can they be pardoned? Yet God says, Come to me all ye that are heavy laden. I am weary and unless the Lord intended good to me, Why did he invite me, and bid me come? Sure­ly he means to shew mercy to me.

O take héed! Question thy estate thou maist but to cast away all hope, is very heinous in the eyes of the Lord, Cast a­way all carnal confidence thou must, and yet thou must hope; Let Israel hope in the Lord; for in the Lord, &c Thou goest to the déep Dungeon of thy corruption and there thou saist: these sins can never be pardon­ed. Is any thing too hard for the Lord? You wrong God exceedingly: you think it's a matter of humility, to count your selves so vile. Can God pardon such a wretches sin as mine: no, no, my sins are greater than can be pardoned, saith the dispairing Soul. Consider how inju­rious this is to God, to make the power of sin greater to condemn thée, than the power of God to save thee.

Sée now and consider what desperate danger Despair brings to a poor heart, and carries him beyond the reach of mercy. That's a swéet passage of Davids, Psal. 77. 7. Will the Lord cast me off for ever? I said [Page] this was my infirmity: What, is mercy gone for ever? then is all my comfort gone: Therefore take héed of this, it takes off the edge of all our endeavours and Gods Ordinances that might do us good.

Therefore, let the soul in this case bear upon the Almightiness of the Power of God, who said to Abraham, I am God Al-sufficient. For if thou be perswaded of the Al-suffciency of God, that assurence can­not but stay thée from falling: and here remember that God can do more then thou canst think. He is able, and doth the good, though thou knowest it not.

Measure not the riches of Gods love, and the swéetness of his saving grace accor­ding to your own conceits: nor do you think that because you cannot presently receive it, therefore God will not do it, for Isaiah saith, Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, Isa. 55. 7, 8, 9. that is, All you wicked ones, and you that have lived Lewdly, Return from your wicked ways and vain thoughts; and God will abundantly shew mercy.

Thou must in all things that concern thy Soul repair to the Scripture: so thou [Page] must consider thine own uprightness by it, and sée what work is in thy soul that is able to answer the Word, and to testifie that the work of grace is there. And here be sure to take your soul at the best: do not always pore upon the worst that is in it, nor upon thy failings, nor that, that can onely accuse thée; but if thou find any thing there that may justly speak for thée, neglect not that. It is an injustice for any Court to hear one side and not the other, The Scripture is a Text of Iustice, and the Lord doth not lie at catch with his Children, but takes them at the best: as Rom. 4. 22. it is there said of Abraham that he believed the promise, and it was imputed to him for righteousness In­déed, as in the 12. of Gen. he had some doubtings: but God took him at the best: and speaks this of his faith. So Sarah is spoken of as a gracious Woman, and of a pattern for women, by calling her Hus­band Lord; which was a sign of rever­ence to her Husband; and an humble heart to the Lord, and yet we read that she de­rided the Messuage of the Lord by the Angel: the Lord buries that, and onely speaks of that which was to her commen­dation, Gen. 12. 12. and so took her at her [Page] best too: Now as the Lord dealt with these so should we with our selves? what soe­ver is found sincere and upright in us, that should we observe as well as that which is not so: So when men shall bring in so many Indictments against them­selves, and say, Oh what pride and stub­borness is in my heart! Oh how weak am I, and dull, and dead, and backward­ness to holy duties! O how careless of enioying Communion with God! How negligent in sifting and trying my own heart, in watching over my senses, and mourning in secret for my own failings! Though this were so, yet if men will sée no more (and these too much) no marvel if they trouble their own house, or if Sathan by their own words Iudge them. To such a one therefore I say, All that thou sayest may be true; but art thou not troubled with these failings? and are they not the greatest grief that thy soul hath? Yea saith the poor soul, I confess my heart is vexed, and my soul grieved for them; and I could be content to be any thing that I could be so.

Now labor to have thy Conscience set­tled and stablish'd in the truth, which now thou hast gotten to bear witness of the [Page] work of grace in thée. For if there be any want of the assurance of Gods love, For if our Conscience condemn us not, then we have boldness towards God. We must stop the mouth of Conscience; that is, be convin­ced and agrée, that it is a sin to say, God hath not wrought this work of grace in the heart, when 'tis so clear he hath. For though sense and féeling be as it some­times will be) gone, yet Conscience re­members the day and year, when the sin­ner had a clear evidence of Gods love, and therefore saith, Lord thou knowest it, and thou didst say out of the Word at such a time, that the heart of this poor soul was upright and sincere before thée.

You must therefore wait vpon God, and the Spirit of God in the use of the means for this matter, by believing rightly to your assurance: For so the Text saith, To you it is given to believe; it must be given therefore: and Faith is the frée gift of God. It is God then that must do it; who yet will not do it without us, being reasonable men and women in the power of willing. Again, the Lord affords us means; yet not so use them, and give him the slip. And here it is a good saying; let the Lord do what he will, and let us do [Page] what we should. We must not think when wée have the means, that we can get Faith presently: for, as Paul saith, The same power that raised up Jesus from the dead, must make us able to believe, Eph. 1. 20. or else all the Angels in Heaven, and all the Ministers on Earth, and all help that Men and Means can give us, will do us no good. Now the Means are of di­vers kinds: as, Hearing, and Prayer, and Sacraments, which are y ^e Conduits from which God communicats Faith,

Now Faith brings the Promises home to thée, and thou séest the sufficiency of it, then all thou hast to do is this, in the stream of y ^e Promise, be carried home to Christ, The Prodigal Luke 15. is said to be like a lost Sheep. Mark this, for it con­cerns you, The poor Shéep is wandring up and down; now in the mouth of the Lyon, and then in the Bryers, and some­times in the Pit: The Text saith, He lea­veth ninty nine, to seek that. That is, in comparison of what care he expresseth to the Lost Shéep; He leaveth a man regen­erate not carel sly, but he will not express so great love, as to a poor lost man: And though thou canst not find y ^e way to hea­ven, yet he will find it thée; lye thou up­on [Page] the shoulders of Christ. When thou findest thy heart féeble and weak, and thy self unable to beleive, then the Lord Ie­sus Christ brings the Spirit of Grace, & that comes to séek, and Iesus Christ layes that soul of thine upon his Soulders (that is upon y ^e richness & fréenses of his Grace) Therefore let thy heart be transported by the Power of that Grace, & by the vertue of that Mercy that God hath made known to thée, for thy everlasting good.

Therefore rest thy self upon this Pro­mise, and say; Lord, in the vertue of that Grace, and in the power of that Spirit, carry me, and in the riches of that mercy of thine. Lord, convey the heart of this poor Sinner, and make me happy with thy self for ever. Remember what Christ saith, Matth. 25. 34. Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prpared for you. Then no more tears, no more trouble, no more sorrow, no more sin; the day will come when ye shall have happi­ness & joy, beyond all that the tongue of man can express, or the heart conceive.

Though we are buffetted with many temptations, and waried with a world of corruptions, yet we shall be saved, saith Faith.

Remember what I speak now; and la­bour to fasten this truth upon thy heart; that there is not only present good in thy self, but in another, and reserved by an­ther for thy comfort, and be thou con­tent it should be so, not only to look what thou hast; but consider that the greatest part of thy glory, is in the glory of a Christ; and the greatest part of thy wis­dom, is in the wisdom of a Christ, and the greatest part of thy liberty, in the li­berty of a Christ; and thy riches, in the riches of a Christ: And know, what e­ver is in Christ, thou hast it all as thine; John 3. 12. Behold what love the Father hath shewn to us, that we are now the Sons of God! I tell you Brethren, this is a mar­velous priviledge, and if you had no more but this, you had a childs portion; but it appears not what we shall have, we have but a glimps now; what think you will the harvest be? Now we have but the sips of it, what shall then the full cups be, when we shall see Christ as he is, Thus did Moses improve his estate, Heb. 11. 26. He bore all afflictions comfortably; yea, He esteemed the rebukes of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt; Why? because he had an eye to the Recompence, of Reward.

What Moses did, do thou: Though thou hast many corruptions; and many disgraces cast upon thée, though thou hast little strength, and art at a great loss in point of comfort, yet there is enough in Heaven, enough in Christ, both of riches and comfort: Let thy soul then be care­ful to make all these present with thee for thine own good.

When the Husband man hath sown his ground, and his fruit is ripe, and he hath reaped it, then he must gather in his Corn, that he may live upon it. So let us gather in the Promises when we sée the best advantage; now let us take the gain and live by it, and that comfortably too, in the proof of Gods goodness therein. For this end I shall give you some di­rections, how to live in, and by faith.

First, Thou séest what God is in the Promise; and thou expectest no more than God there. Then look upon that perti­cular good in the Promise, which thou standest in néed of; eye that good in Christ, and then set Gods power and Faithful­ness a work to bring that good, and his Wisdom to continue it. That which thou séest and néedst in the Promise, that the Power and Wisdom of God may [Page] communicate to thy soul. This is the meaning of that place, Psal, 37. 5. Com­mit thy ways unto the Lord; trust in him, and he shall bring it to pass. Root thy self, and lay all thy occasions upon the Lord: Therefore the Apostle saith, 1 Pet. 5. Hurl your care upon the Lord, for he careth for you. It is Gods proper office and work: he careth for thy soul, therefore lay it whol­ly upon him, and put over all thy care in­to his hands: and set his power and faith­fulness a work. I speak not this, that we should take no care at all, but I say, hang all the weight and burden upon the Lord.

Secondly, By Faith go to the promise again for help and power to wait on God in that way, and to look towards God in the use of those means, that he hath ap­pointed for the attaining of that good, which his power will work for thée: God will certainly work it: and so thou must méet God in the course of his providence, in the improvement of the means he hath appointed for thy good: Observe thou this providence, and do thou what God re­quires: for otherwise we live not by Faith, but tempt God, and throw away the Promises and all, & deprive our selves of that good which God would bestow: [Page] we not walking in that way which he hath appointed. Luke 24. 46. When our Saviour was to go to Heaven, he said, Behold I send the promise of my Father a­mong you: but tarry you in the City of Jeru­salem, until you be indued with power from above. Christ would indue them with the Spirit; but they must tarry at Jerusalem, and wait for it: So I say. Wouldst thou have Grace and the Spirit from above, and the wealth of the world, then walk in that way God hath appointed: stay at Jerusalem, méet God in his providence, and then thou shalt receive from his power and faithfulness what thou néedest: thou wouldest have God bless thée in thine Estate, and yet thou wouldst be idle and careless; but this will not do the déed: God would give thee a blessing, but thou art not prepared to take it? This is the excellency of the Promises of God; as they require conditions, before they be­stow mercies; so they make us able to be partakers of the conditions: As for example, Ezek. 36. the Lord in the former part of y ^t Chapter, promises to give them many things; but how? It must be by prayer, and humbling themselves before him: he will give thée a family-blessing [Page] by prayer in it; and a blessing is private, by prayer in private; and strength a­gainst sin, and power against corruption: But I will be sought unto for all these saith the Lord: Blessed is the man that walketh in his integrity, and his children after him. Therefore walk thou in the in­tegrity of thine heart, that's the condition of a Christian in general. This the Lord requires: And the Lord that requireth the conditions, will help us to perform the conditions: and the same Lord saith, I will be intreated and sought too for all these. And Psal. 10. 17. He prepareth their hearts to pray: Go thou therefore to God to help thée to pray, that he may bestow his bles­sing upon thée, which he hath promised, Eze. 26, 27. He will first give them a new heart, then teach them to walk in his wayes. So if thou wilt walk in his ways, thou shalt have his blessings; therefore go thou (by Faith) to God for Strength and Grace, and then expects a Blessing from him.

Thirdly. We must believe that God will do it; so shall we receive in the ways of his providence, whatever he hath pro­mised to give. This is the work of faith. Hannah wept sore, and prayed to the Lord, [Page] and went away, & was no more sorrowful 1 Sam. 1. 18. and she said, Lord, I believe that I shall either have a child, or that which is as good or better: now Hannah's business was done. But imagin the Lord delayes, and does not suddenly accomplish what he intends, and thou hast used means to receive, he gives not, nor sends no suc­cour according to thy desire.

Fourthly, Then Faith is to stay till it come; as thou believest, so it will be: We prevent Gods kindness, when we go away before he be willing to bestow it on us. But Faith will not do so; he that be­lieves does not make hast away, but stays, and resolves that it will come. The vi­sion is for an appointed time, Therefore wait for it. Perhaps thou art troubled with thy sins, and hast laboured by Faith to subdue them, and looks for deliverance, and yet it comes not: therefore stay till God sées it fit, and it will come, Psal. 123. 2. As the eyes of a servant look to the hands of his master, and the eyes of a maiden to her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, untill he have mercy upon us. It is not when I will, or according to my mind, but when the Lord pleases.

Fifthly, Yet perhaps the Lord séems sometimes not only to delay his poore servants, and to withhold his favour; but he séems to frown, and say, he will not hear; and séems to be angry with the prayers of his servants, and as if he would not succour or supply them. Thus he dealt with Jacob, Gen. 32. 26. there the Lord sayes, Let me go, I care not what becomes of thée: But Jacob lays hold up­on him, and would not let him go. So the last work of Faith is this: In a holy humility labour to contend with God, and by strong hand overcome the Lord; for the Lord loves to be overcome thus; as it were, catch the Lord Iesus & strive with him; leave him not till thou hast these comforts he hath promised, and thou hast begged.

This is the glorious victory and tri­umph of Faith, that gives thée the day too, and yeilds himself conquered: As it was with Jacob, when God saw he could not prevail, verse 28. Thy name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, because thou hast prevailed with God. God is ready to give what he hath promised: but he will have us try the mastery with him; we by faith in God, overcome God: as James 2. [Page] 13: Mercy triumphs over Justice: You know what the Lord did to the woman of Ca­naon, when she had striven with Christ a great while, and would take no denial: at last he saith, O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee as thou wilt. Take what thou wilt, if thou wilt have life for thy child, and peace for thine own conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost, take it; for it is all thine. He, as it were, turns her loose to all his treasury. If she had gone away at the first or second denial, she had found no help: but because she held out, she had her hearts desire. God would have us wrestle with his Majesty, that he may be overcome in mercy and goodness.

I might here have taken some of the most desperate cases that could be, that you might have séen what Faith would have done in midst of the want of all Means, and in the greatest extremity that would have befaln a poor Snner; but I pass them all over. Now I beséech you, consider what hath béen said: lay these things up by you; they will be an ever­lasting Treasury for you. Many people live poorly, and make a poor shift to go to heaven: but I would have a Christian to learn to live so, and use the means; that [Page] they may get the sap and swéet of the Promises, and so go singing, rejoycing, and triumphing up to Heaven.

To conclude, Thus we sée the hinder­ances removed, and the means propoun­ded: and that we may be moved, and per­swaded (for our souls sake; for Iesus Christs sake) to seek after this blessed Grace of Faith in Christ, let us further consider thus much, that if we once get this Grace, we get all other Graces with it; further, would you have the glory of God in sight, and be more heavenly mind­ed? then get it by the eye of Faith: look up to it in the face of Iesus Christ, for there and there's only this vision of the Glory of God to be séen, to your everlasting Peace, and endless Comfort.

Courteous People, I desire you (for Iesus Christ's sake) to buy this Book, and read it seriously, end meditate upon it, hopeing it will prove an everlasting Treasury, for your Souls good.