unable? Why, what is now to be done? truly, as in the sense of the guilt of fin, we must then flye by faith to God, and put our foules upon bis free mercy for pardon, fo in the fenfe of the filthy ftrength of fin, we must to heaven by faith, and put our foules on Gods faithful promifes in Chrift, for the healing and fubduing. of it. This is the way, and therefore frive to walk in it, you may try other waters, but they fhall not help you, and perplex your own thoughts, but they thall not availe you, the cure of the finful foul is only in heaven, and it is faith only which can lift up a foul to God and Christ, which puts it into the Pool. When fin is felt,then let faith work; If thou canst finde any one promife which God hath made of fanctifying and healing, and fubduing; Why, here's ground for faith; yea, for thy faith, for in thefe promifes are the cures of thy finful nature, and faith it is which will apply the healing medicines to thee.

8.Obj. Yet I am not satisfied, faith the fenfible finner and fear. full foul; Why, Because, First, I cannot finde an heart to duty, to pray and feek of God, and furely if God did purpose and mean any good to me, he would in fome measure frame, and encline, and excite my heart towards him. Secondly, yea, and againe, though I do fometimes feek and entreat, yet I obferve that what I was, that I am, nothing comes of it, how then can I, may I, fhould I be enduced to believe?.

Sol. Here are two fore and real fcruples which do indeed vehemently beat upon a fenfible finner, I fhall endeavour to affoyle them fucceffively.

&c.

1. I cannot finde an heart to any duty, to pray for faith,

I Answer.

1. As the inability to boly duties depends on natural corruption, fo the indifpofition towards them depends exceedingly upon unbelief: There is nothing difhearrens a man more towards God then it: For b. fides this, that unbelief in its own nature is a departure from God, (it is a bias drawing the foul downwards.) This alfo is true of it, that it reprefents God to the foul in all the appearances and methods of discourage ments. It makes the foul to fee nothing in God, or from God, which might encline it to him: O, faith unbelief, there is fuch bolineffe and purity in him, that he will never endure thee,

there

there is fuch truth and juftice in him, that he will furely be averged of thee.

There is fuch strength and power in him, that he will cer tainly meet with thee, and lay load on thee: There is, I confelle a mercifulneffe in him, but alas his tender bowels of compaflion, his ready forgiveneffe extends not to thee; there are many fweet intimations in his promifes, but they concern not thee; there is a mighty falvation in Chrift, and powerful interceffion to ingratiate fome persons and their services, but what of this to thee! He is a God hearing prayer; yea, but he will not regard the cryes nor tears of fome, but their Sacrifices are an abomination into him: And thus doth unbelief fet up God utterly against the foule, fo that the poor foul conceiving of God as an enemy, dares not come neer it, flies off it, is even afraid to fpeak to him; It is perfwaded by unbel efe, that God will frowne upon all that is done, whereupon the fpirit finks, the aff.tions are flatted; Í have no minde, nor heart, am like a lump, a stock, a ftone,

Secondly, it is faith which will fetch up the foul, Pfal. 27. 13. I had fainted unleffe I bad beleeved to fee the goodnese of the Lord, &c. As if he fhould fay, my fpirits were even breathing themselves out, I was even finking down, giving up all, un leffe I had beleeved, but that confidence of Gods goodneffe towards me, that did put life into me, that did fetch me again, that did put heart into me.

You fee now the fpring is coming on, that thofe (feemingly) dead branches of the trees,they begin to thrust out fome hop:ful fproutings, and put on another colour of freshneffe, why? because the root is now more fed and warmed. It is faith which will put colour into our faces, and fpirit into our hearts, and life into our duties.

For,.

2.

I.

1. Faith fets open the mercy-feat: It reprefents God to the Two reafons foul in all his attributes of gracioufneffe, not as an hard ty. of it. rant, but as a good God, willing to give audience to the humble requests, and fuit of a poore finner: Nay, willing to difpatch, and grant his requests: What is thy request, faid A.. bafbuerus to Queen Efter, it shall be granted thee, &c? So faith

Ee 2

the

the Lord, What wouldeft thou have of me? Is it mercy? I do promise it unto thee; Is it grace? I promife that unto thee; Is it ftrength? is it comfort? is it deliverance? what foever it be, if thou belceve on me, I will not fail to give to thee. Nay, I will do it treely, nay, cheerfully, with all my heart,and with all my foul,fer.32.

Yea, this makes the foul to come unto God, as the fhip into the haven with full speed, and fretched failes: O the foul bends the knee with cheerfulnesse, when it sees it shall be raifed up with kindneffe; a man may have fome heart to pray, when he knows, My God will hear me, that God hath a readiness to answer.

2. Faith fers the foul in the prevailing wages: it puts the foul to feck and pray with fuch motives, as it is moft fure shall make it & fpeed.

There are many motives which men take to prevaile with God; O, they can do nothing, God regards them not, the Atrength of a mans excellencies, of his own worthineffe, of his own abilities and frame, alas, these are not the prevailing and binding motives, all thefe import that thou wouldest speed for their own fake. But faith layes these afi te, it hath motives. from Gods own heart and mouth, with which it teacheth the foul to urge God, the Name of Chrift, the gracious goodnese of God himself, the fidelity of his promiles, his own word; Now God hath faid, that thefe fhall prevaile with him and faith knows it to be infallibly fo, and hereupon drawes. on the foule with marvellous cheerfulneffe to feek the Lord.

3. Know this, that no man fball in good earnest fet upon God for faith, and other grace, but Satan will fet upon his heart, and bus heart will fet against his wayes in this. This were a wonder indeed, if a man could get into Chrifts armes without any more ado: That he fhould inftantly have an beart (in all imaginable refpects) fweetly and totally framed with the ftrength, and un-interrupted gales of heavenly inclinations and performances. Alas! poor foul, thou muft by weak faith fight hard to get strong faith, and thou must by any duty make way for clearer duty well is it with thee,if instead of words, thou canst fometimes feek. God with fight, and when fighes

faile, if yet with groanes and defires. When thou wouldest do good, thou fhalt finde evil prefent with thee; when thou feeleft an heart to pray, perhaps even that motion is almost struck out by another heart in thee, which is moft unwilling to pray; when thou feeleft any climbings of thy foul by faith in thy heart, even these will be oppofed by ftrong doubtings and fufpicions by another heart of unbelief within thee. Neverthejeffe remember this, that this particular oppofition being refifted, difliked, bewailed, doth only declare that there is in thee, that which is contrary to thee, and that Satan dislikes, thy way, it doth not teftifie that God dil kes is, car will not accept of thee.

If God hath given unto thee any defires towards him, O cherish them as one would a fpark; The beginnings of a Chriftian are in much weakneffe, and manifold diftractions and op pofitions, but there is a God who gave unto thee thofe breath-ings, and can underftand fecret groans; and there is a Chrift, who can and will make weak fervices acceptable, and in time. will give the victory after the combate.

Secondly, Many feekings, but nothing comes of them.

This doth exceedingly diftract the foule, the unfenfible alteration of the foule after many feekings, ufually raife a prejudice against God and our felves, but for this obferve. fome. particulars.

1. The efficacy of feckings, confifts not in the quantity or. wumber, but in the quality and manner. Have you offered unto me Sacrifices and offerings in the wilderne fe fourty years, O boufe: of Ifrael? Amos 5 25. So I fay, haft thou offered prayers unco God in thefe many dayes of thy diftreffes? nay, thou haft come before him with words, but not with prayers.

What? thinkeft thou that the Lord is pleafed with all thy teares, and with all the humblings of thy Spirit, and with all! the importunities of thy requests, whiles under them all, thou doeft not stick to tell God to his face that he is a diffembler. and lyar? In all thefe thy facrifices and approaches unto the great and high God, thou didst not believe any one promife. which he hath made, thou hast thought that God would not do thee good; and is it likely that thou shouldeft speed well at his hand, who reproachest the true and faithful God?

Ee 3:

Obj

Obj. I do indeed pray, because I must, I am commanded, but I verily beleeve it is in vaine; tufh, what tell you me of Gods promiles, he will never perform them to me?

Sel: Good God! what, fhall the Lord not only command by a righteous word, but affure and invite by a good and faithful word, a word as true as truth it felf, and is it but a ruth with us? is it not of any more account with us? nay, not of fo much account as the word-of a poore man? No marvel that nothing comes after many feekings, foch feekings of pride and unbelief, infidelity, for the pardon of which I advise thee to fpeed up many more feekings of faith.

2. Right feekings shall alwayes come to fomething; Though the proud and impatient perfons faid, It was in vaine to ferve God, and what profit is it that we have kept his Ordinance's, and 1kai we have walked mournfully before the Lord? Mal.3.11. Yet God affures them, that the day should come that they should returne and difcern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that fer verb God, and him that ferveth him not, Ver: 18. Sweet is that place of the Prophet aiah, Mine Elect shall long en. joy the work of their hands, Ila. 65. 22. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble, Verle 23. It shall come to passe, that before they call, I will answer, and whileft they are yet fpeaking, I will bear, V.24.

And the reafon is, because God is faithful who hath promised, and he will never Juffer his truth to faile. If there be any good thing which he hath commanded thee to pray for, and which he hath undertaken for thee in his promifes, and which thou doft humbly fue out in the name of Chrift by faith; I fay, reft upon it, it fhall be given to thee if thou canft but wait on God in the ufe of the means.

3. There is a double answer to the feeking of the foul, one is real, arother is fenfible: As when a requeft is prefented to the King, either for pardon or fettling; if he accepts of the request and puts his feale to the authorizing of the grant, the request is really done though (perhaps) the petitioner knows it not: So it is with the Lord many times in his answerings, he doth the things really for us,though we be not prefently fenfible of it: we beg for mourning hearts, and for hearts to hate finne, and for hearts to pray unto him, and then we feel our

hearts