Indeed the Prophet speaks a great word,be is blessed; more cannot be faid; but let's fee how he proves that? ver. 8. For be shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river; and shall not fee when heat cometh,but his leafe shall be green, and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither (hall ceafe from yielding fruit. If faith plants the tree in a springing foyl, if it beholds the tree to fpread, and grow,and bear in all weathers,though heat cometh in al times, though drought cometh, yet the leafe is green and fruitful and ceafeth not to yield; doch it not then affure us of fupply for the future? hath it not a good Store-houfe, an ample treafury for the belee

ver?

What should I fay more! may not faith fay that to the foul, which God hath faid to faith? if fo, then we may well rejoyce for the prefent, and be void of care for the future; for God bath faid I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, Hb. 13.5. Thou haft mercy, and fhalt ftill have mercy; Thou haft grace, and fhalt ftill have grace; Thy part in Chrift, and ftill fhalt have it, fupplies of all good, and ftill fhalt have them.

3. The life of faith is the only getting and thriving life. What the Apoftle fpake of godlineffe, that we may fay of Faith; It is great gaine, for it hath the promises of this life, and of the life which

u to come.

Profit is that which moft men look upon, it is the cry of moft, Who will shew us any good? and faith hath a fingular art of getting. I obferve that the good of a Chriftian,in some respect, hangs in the promises, as water doth in the clouds; and look as the boyfterous windes rather drive away the clouds and rain, (though a few drops may flip down) but it is the fweet heat of the Sunne which makes the cloudes to open themselves, and give out their ftore.

So the only way to drive away the promifes, (as it were ) to . remove them with their bleffings, is not to believe, not to truft, and the only way to make them to yield out their precious treafures, is to believe, to live by faith: Take a place for either, Ier. 17.5. Thus faith the Lord, curfed be the man that trustetbin man, and maketh file fb his g-me, and whose be art departeth from the Lord. As the Lord of Samaria. ver. 6. For he shall be like the

beath

heath in the defart, and shall not see when good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places, in the wildernesse, in a falt land, and not inbabited. Pfal. 37. 39. The falvation of the righteous is of the Lord, he is their ftrength in the time of trouble, ver. 40. And the Lord shall keep them and deliver them,&c. and fave them because they trust in him.

The foul oft-times bitterly complaines, that as yet it hath not that good thing, it sticks yet in the hands of God, Chrift can do it if he will. Why; but if ever thou would eft fpeed, thou must traft; I dare not truft though,faith the foul, how then canst thou fpeed? Why then doeft thou complaine; God and Chrift undertakes thy good; but then he requires this of thee, do but truft' me for it and thou shalt speed, I will not fail thee; I have sworne by my self that I will not alter, nor repent. The poor man comes to Chrift and cries out for help, Mark 9. O Lord,faith he,if thou canft do any thing, &c. Why; faith Chrift, I can do any thing,I am able enough, and willing enough, that's not the thing, this is it which will make thee to fpeed; canft thou believe, dareft thou to trust upon me? he answered Lord I believe, I do truft, and you know that his fon was presently healed. The childe comes to the father, father fupply me, I will faith the father; but I will have it inftantly; if he had asked and trufted his father, he might have fped, but because he doth ask and murmur with his father, he is therefore juftly deny.

ed.

There are two things which mightily oblige a perfon to the doing of a kindneffe; one is bis own promife, another is his friends confidence, who hath upon the fecurity of his word adven tured; fo here, befides the very inclination of the divine goodneffe to make good its own undertakings, this alfo adds not a little to our speed, and furtherance,that we rely onely on God. It is a common complaint, that we cannot be answered: I reply, it is a common fault, that God nor Chrift can be trufted. It is not how many wants thou feeleft, nor how many promises thou readeft, nor how many prayers thou makeft; If with all this thou doeft not ask in faith, think not(Oman) to receive any thing from the Lord.

I will give you three reafons why the life of faith is the only way to thrive.

First, because it puts a man upon the only way of blessings. As none can bleffe but God, and he can bleffe; fo the bleffings of God are to be expected only in the wayes of God, and nothing fo skilful in Gods wayes as faith.

Secondly, it makes all the promises to yield: It is true, as God is infinitely above all, and his power is grear; so faith (in a qualified fenfe) is above God himfelf; he is not able to stand a gainft it: Be it to thee as thou wilt, faid Chrift to the believing wo man: Thou shalt have the defires of thine heart,said David, Pfal. 37-3,4

Thirdly, God himselfe, and Christ, and alt,become ours, If we dare to cruft and live by faith: Thou wants outward fupplies, I require no more of thee faith God, but to walk uprightly and diligently,and to truft on me,and thou fhalt have it. Thou wants fpiritual fupplies for thy foul; I require no more of thee but to come to me, co truft to me, and go to my Ordinances; stand in my wayes and thou shalt have them.

Fourthly, it is the only stedfast and abiding life; when other lives are broken and crushed, they are gone down, yet this life by faith (like the Starres which shine in the night) remaines. firme, I will clear it by Argument; The ftability of all forts of lives is according to their principles and motives. The life which depends upon a failing caufe, itis a fadeing life, and. the life which depends upon a conftant caufe, is a conftant. life.

Now the life of faith is bred by a living principle, and is fed by conftant and abiding motives; you know that the grounds of this life of faith,are in God and Christ, and the promife; now. all changes reach not to them, our changes are below in other things, but they are not in the promifes, nor in God above; as changes are not in the heavens, but in the aire. Look upon. things at hand, and so they appeare with variety, and with much unlikeneffe, but eye them in the Covenant, in the Promifes, there you have the fame faithful God ftill, tender father ftill, all fufficient Saviour ftill, the Promises are yea and Amen, Chrift is. the everlasting father, the Covenant of God, an everlasting Covenant, Gods love and immutable love, he is as able ftill, as willing still, his bow abidesin ftrength, and sunderneath are his everlasting:

Armes,

Though

Though Davids father and mother forsake him, yet the Lord will take him up; and though all for/ook Paul, yet God ftood by bim: fo true is it that faith can caft a fure Anchor in all ftates and in all changes, it can look upon the fame God, and the fame Chrift, and the fame promifes, Though the Marriners, when they put to fea, quickly lofe fight of Land, yet they never loofe fight of heaven; how far foever they faile, and in what tempeft foever, yet still they may look upon the heaven, the fame hea

ven.

Faith never lofeth fight of its rock, of its falvation, of its helpes; that which it eyes, it may eye for ever; and that upon which it trufts, it may cruft upon for ever; thou haft friends, and this fprings up thy fpirit; thy friends dye, and how thy spirits fink; thou haft parents; and children; in chefe thou re joyceft, and fettleft thy confidence:both the one and the other embrace the duft, and thy heart is utterly broken for help and comfort, O Lord what have I more. E contra, thou haft a God, and be is the fame for ever, a Christ, and be yesterday, 10 day, and the same for ever: Promises, and they are a word fetled forever in heaven; But when all fenfibles flie off, yet if we live by faich we are at no degree of loffe; what can he lack, who hath him, who is all in all, and what can he lofe, who hath him that knows no change at all?

Fourthly, let us confider fefus Chrift himself; I here are diverse things which should perfwade us to live by faith upon him.

ús.

There are nine things in him which may move

1. The exceeding plentifulneffe of our (upplies in him: Thou art not approaching to a dry Cifteine, but to a full fountain; what may do thee good, he hath, and he hath that in a moft eminent fulneffe.

Is it the good and vertue of his redemption, which thou needeft. Why; in him is plenteous redemption, and in him is tong falvation,and therefore his blood is called a precious blood, Per. 1.19. His blood had not been able to have difcharged the leaft finne, unle ffe it had exceeded the merit of the greatcft; yea, it is as able to croffe many debts, as any; fins may be diftinguilh ed into great, and little; into many, and few, but the blood of

Chrift,the vertue of that is fingular and infinite in the price and value of it.

Is it the good and vertue of his holineffe which thou needeft ? San&tification. Why; Job. 1. 16. There is a fuineffe of grace in him. 3. 34. He bath the Spirit without measure. Therefore the holy vertues of Christ are filed unfearchable riches, Eph.3. 8. You cannot com prehend the depth of them; when you can eafily come to the bottome of a thing, then it is not unfearchable; but where you found and fatham, and yet can feel no bottome; fo here, &c. yea, and the treasures of wisdome and knowledge, Cul. 2. 3. The Apostle hath faid all that need to be faid, Heb. 7.25. He is able Interceffion. to fave them to the utmost which come unto God by him, (that is) Heb. 7. 25. if you need his interceffion to implead acceptance of your per fons, or of your requests; Why; there is none like him, come unto God by him, he is able to dispatch the greateft re guest.

Col.2.3.

Or is it fufficiency for duty which thou needeft? Why; herein Obedience. is Chrift moft able to fupply thee, If the duty be active he can enable thee to abundant fruitfulnesse, lob. 15. 5. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit. If the duty be Paffive, I can do all things through Chrift which strengthneth me, faid Paul, Phil. 4. 13. Be it that thou of thy felt art weak, yet Chrift is ftrong, and he hath faid my Grace is fufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakneffe, 2. Cor.

2. The ordination of Chrift to this very thing, viz. to supply the State of a believer, si

God did purpose him, and intend him, and fent him, and he came for this very end to do us good, and to help us in time of need, Eph. I, 22. He gave him to be the head over all things to the Chunch. ver.2. Which is his body,the fuine of him that filleth all in all

The Head(you know) is a thing for office, and the offices of it is both dominion and influence; for chefe was Chrift given to the Church to rule the Church, and to fupply the Church. 1 Cor. 1. 30. He is made unto us of God, wisdome, and righteoufness, and Sanctification, and redemption, Heb. 7. 22. He was made a farety of a better teftament. job, 6. 27. Him hath God the father fealed, Ifai. 61.1. The Lord hath anointed me to preach good ti

Kk

dings