tian hope! The apostle prayeth for his Christian Ephesians, that they might know the hope of their calling; that they might understand what they are to hope for, what they are called to, the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, that that might be understood. Men of carnal minds, they are apt accordingly to form the notion of all things, and where there is yet a prevailing carnality, even under the Gospel, men do take their measures of future felicity and misery, according to what notions they have of perfect good and evil; and their notions of present good and evil, they are taken only from the dictates of sense. Good and evil are estimated by us according to their accommodations or disaccommodations to flesh and sense; that is taken for good which is grateful to carnal sense; and that for evil that is ungrateful to it. And no higher are they wont to go; but what would be good or evil to an intelligent immortal mind and spirit, herein they little concern themselves for the most part. And hence are the notions too common even among Christians of Mahometan paradises hereafter, or of paganish elysiums; indeed usually they go no further, when they are forming their notions of what is meant by salvation, than only to think of the privative part, and by that privative part, they mean only being freed from that which they think would be tormenting to the flesh; and because the Scripture doth make use of such phrases and forms of speech for our help, therefore are we wont to abuse them to our hurt, and to the depraving and narrowing of our minds and understandings touching these things; all the salvation that the most concern themselves about is, to be freed from fire and brimstone, that they think will torment the flesh; and the apprehension is dreadful, when they are told of such a state of torment as eternal and everlasting; but how much the more the mind and spirit of a man is a greater, and nobler, and more excellent thing than a little animated clay that he carries about with him, so much the more must the good and evil of the future state, which is accommodate to the mind and spirit, be greater and higher than any thing that flesh is capable of, in point either of enjoyment or suffering. And it ought to be considered, that, whereas the happiness of an intelligent creature can only be in the fruition of God; I say it ought deeply to be considered, what it is to all eternity, to lose this enjoyment, and to be cut off from him: and this is the greatest of your salvation, to be saved from that misery which must of all things he most tormenting to an intelligent mind and spirit; to wit, I am cut off everlastingly from the enjoyment of that highest and best good whereof I was capable; I was capable of it, and have lost it. Here is the sting and the fire of hell, its hottest fervour, and by this it is, that the soul must be the everlasting tormentor itself. This is it that gives the ground for those (morsus) bitings, wounds, and gnawings of the worm that never dies. Oh, that I should debase a mind, a spirit; so noble a thing, so excellent a thing; to a capacity only of converse with earthly things, and thereby to lose for ever the enjoyment of the blessed God, as having lost my capacity for it, stifled it myself, and therewith lost my interest in it: and so as that thereupon Divine justice might do an equal thing, and a becoming thing, and that God might do like himself, as became himself; I should therefore hear from him, "Depart from me, accursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels;" Go, accursed creature, into the state which thou choosest. A salvation from such misery as this, you must labour distinctly to understand, to be the great object of your hope. I hope through the grace of God I shall be saved from this, from ever having things brought to this sad and forlorn pass with me. And so by salvation, though it sound privative, yet is chiefly meant that which is most highly positive; and lest we should mistake sometimes, we find this positive added in express terms, "salvation by Christ Jesus, with eternal glory," 2 Tim. ii. 10. This (I say) we must labour to understand distinctly, that so our hope may operate strongly and vigorously, as it will according to the apprehension that we have of the object of it, when this comes to be distinctly understood; (inasmuch as the way of the Spirit's working upon the minds and souls of men is suitable to their own intelligent and rational nature;) the life and vigour that Spirit doth exert, and put forth in this way upon the souls of men, it is so much the higher, and so much the more efficacious, by how much the apprehensions are clearer about the things in which I hope, or for which I hope. When once this is understood, then will the soul say, (if once it be reduced to a capacity of acting like itself; to wit, like an intelligent thing,) What? shall I for a trifle lose so great a hope? Then the Gospel looks big, and appears great in our view. And what? shall I lose all this? all this glory, all this felicity, and all that fulness of joy that is to be eternal, for a trifle? for the gratifying my own lust, or pleasing my own fancy, or the fancy of a friend, as he calls himself? But he is, indeed, my greatest enemy, as I am in truth the greatest enemy to myself, while I am apt to be imposed upon by such delusive appearances and semblances of things, against my own good and interest. Shall I for the pleasure of a debauch in company, as vain as I can be, ruin so great a hope as this?" He that hath this hope in him purifies himself as God is pure." But then also, Direction 4. You must take this further direction, to wit, when you have got the notion in any measure competently clear, concerning the state of salvation, the felicity and glory of the future state, then labour most firmly and steadfastly to believe it. You must have a right notion of it first, else you believe you know not what. But let me have never so distinct a notion of the best and most delectable state that can be thought of, it never affects me, nor can rationally, unless I believe it to be a reality. The most pleasing ideas cannot draw forth rational endeavours, unless I be possessed with the apprehension, that it is a real attainable good that I am to act for. what Therefore, to that purpose, consider, I pray yon, the apostle gives us of the notion of that faith which is to be indeed immediately fundamental of our hope, Heb. xi. 1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen; if one have never so clear a notion of the most delectable state that it is possible for any one to form and conceive in his own mind, and Le doth not look upon this as substantial, as an actual substance, it cannot affect him, it cannot attract him, and draw forth the strength and vigour of his soul in a pursuit after it: therefore, here the work of faith comes in; and that is to substantiate, to be to us the very substance of that which we are to hope for, and to be the evidence of that which yet we do not see. And how could faith do this? Why truly even by that which is intrinsical and natural to it; reliance upon his testimony whom we believe. Human faith is a reliance upon a human testimony; divine faith is a reliance upon a divine testimony. I take the word of God about the truth of that I have not seen with my own eyes; and his word representing to me a lovely, pleasant, amiable object hereafter, perfectly to be enjoyed; believing the revelation to be true, I thereupon hope for the thing revealed. As suppose an overture were made to any of you of making a purchase of an estate in lands where you have not been, or which you do not know; it may be you may have some friend or other that hath been there, and that can give a true and distinct description, and tell you how all things lie; he tells you how very commodious and pleasant a seat there is, or may easily be had: why according as you believe, or disbelieve this man's report, this testimony of his, so is your hope of doing well, and living happily in such a place, lively or not lively, vivid or faint and languid; according (I say) as you believe him, or do not believe him, you having not seen the thing with your own eyes. This is the case here, God hath told us how it is above, in that state where we have not been, what is to be enjoyed there, what our employments are to be, what our company, and what our state every way. Saith the considering soul, It is true, I have not been in the third heavens, I do not know the order of things there by any experience of my own; but I believe in him that hath told me this; I know he can have no design to deceive me; what can he get by imposing on a worm? when he hath made such a discovery and sworn to it; As I live, so and so it is, and so it shall be. By these two immutable things I apprehend it to be impossible for God to lie: therefore here is strong | to wit, an apprehended difficulty, an arduousness as to the consolation for them to fly to for refuge, who have this thing hoped for; otherwise desire and hope would be all hope set before them, Heb. vi. 18, 19, 20. But how much another thing is that faith which thus relies upon, and resolves itself into the authority of the Divine word, over-awing the soul into an entire acquiescence in the truth of it, and so as to still and silence all abmurmurations and mutterings to the contrary: I dare not think otherwise but that thus it is. How much more (I say) another thing is this faith, which so substantiates its object in this way and method, from that which vulgarly goes under the name of faith among us! The common opinion that men have, that there is a world to come, and so and so men may enjoy or suffer in that other world, that is a mere traditional belief of these things, without ever considering the true and proper grounds why we admit any such belief into our minds and hearts at all; but we believe, because such and such have so told us. It is the common belief, all the people of our country were of this mind, all our forefathers were of this mind; but God, and the authority of his revelation, comes not into the case, never falls into consideration at all. one. And about this it concerns us to deal very seriously and closely with ourselves, when we speak of hope as that mighty principle, which is to have influence towards salvation, by the influence whereof we are to be saved; (and are lost if that influence fail, and continue not;) we are to consider what we are to aim at, when we are to aim at the getting our souls possessed with such a hope; we must get them made suitable to the state hoped for; that we may be capable of desiring it; that our souls may fall in with it; that whereas that state commenceth at the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, we may be of those that love his appearing upon that account. And whereas it is the hope of a future felicity, by the power whereof grace teacheth men effectually to "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, and righteously, and godly in this present world;" that hope may be looked on by us as a blessed hope, "looking for the blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesas Christ," the very thought whereof (for their hope is taken objectively) is reviving to our souls, makes our hearts spring and leap in us. If you do not desire the thing hoped for, it can never be a blessed hope to you; you cannot look upon it as such: one thought of that hope, that hope but thought of, doth even bless my soul, doth make it live, diffuseth a vital influence through it. And this faith, as it is groundless, so it is fruitless; for the ground of faith, and efficacy of it, measure one another; faith is always proportionably efficacious as it is grounded well and strongly; that which depends upon nothing doth nothing, effects nothing. It is very plain, that for this common faith which men have about a future state, and which is nothing else but opinion, mere opinion, and nothing more; it effects nothing, operates nothing, it leaves men's hearts the same; and accordingly the course of their practice is the same too, as if they were of quite a contrary belief. What a strange faith is that which, instead of power and efficacy, for the forming of the heart and governing the life, is just the same thing with infidelity, not distinguishable from infidelity; but in point of efficacy, faith and infidelity are the same! This man's heart is as terrene as it would have been if he had been of no such belief, or of a quite contrary belief: and his prac-earthly things. The design of his dying runs into etertice as loose and irregular, having as little tendency in it towards the attainment of such a blessed state as he pretends to believe. Pagans have seemed to have higher thought of faith than we have. Cicero tells us that among them (the Romans) there were shrines and temples dedicated to faith and hope, as being certain tokens that God did dwell in those minds where these are; so he speaks of them; whereupon they dedicated temples to them. When in those minds faith and hope did dwell, they looked upon these as certain evidences that God did dwell in those minds. But I beseech you, what argument is there to be taken from the faith and hope of these great futurities that are commonly pretended to among us, that God dwells in these minds? What evidence is there of an in-dwelling Deity, who raised these men, so sublime, so full of heaven, so full of holy aspirings? What is there like this, as the fruit of that faith and hope which are talked of, and pretended to amongst us? And then, Direction 5. Take this direction, see that when you understand and do believe what the word of God informs us of, concerning the state of salvation, that is to be the final object of our hope, see (I say) that you do seriously desire it; that it is that which the inclination of our minds carries us to, so as earnestly to long for and covet it. Oh, that I were there! Oh, that I were possessed of the felicities and glories of that state! Otherwise, if you talk of hope of such a state, for which you do not find you have any real lively desires in your souls; you impose an impossible task upon yourselves, and a contradiction. It is a perfect contradiction to hope for that which we do not desire, or to which the temper of our mind agrees not. If there be not an agreeableness in the frame of the heart and spirit unto such a state understood and believed, it can be no object of our hope. I may desire many things that I do not hope for, but I cannot hope for any thing that I do not desire; for hope always involves desire, though desire doth not always involve hope in it. There may be despairing desires, but hope hath for its object a future good, the same that desire hath; only hope doth superadd something to its object; (though that alters not the case as to this ;) That which is inconsistent with this is a terrene frame that continually carries us downward, a minding earthly things, that upon the account whereof the apostle speaks with tears concerning many of those Philippian Christians, to whom he writes. "I have told you of them, (saith he,) and I now tell you, weeping, they are enemies to the cross of Christ ;" that is, to the very design of his dying, which was to establish an eternal kingdom, a kingdom that is not of this world; they are enemies to his very cross; why, what doth characterize them as such? Their minding nity, into heaven; oar conversation is in heaven, as the next words speak; but these men are all for this earth, nothing else is pleasing and grateful to them. If you give them hopes of great honour, and dignities, and riches in this world, you take them by the heart; but tell them of the felicity of another world, you do but speak to them the words of a dream, they are mere shadows you present to their imaginations, things which they affect not, in which they feel no substance; there is nothing grateful to them in these things. Always carry this about with you, that it is a most perfect mockery to talk of hope of that which you desire not. "I desire (saith the apostle) to be dissolved and to be with Christ:" this is their strain who are under the power of the truly Christian hope: not as if such actual desires were the constant character of a regenerate soul, because there may be some accidental interveniences that may damp that act of desire, may interrupt and hinder it; to wit, they may be in doubt about the state of their case God-wards. Therefore, they cannot be positive in desiring to be unclothed and dissolved; but if the competition be between the felicity of the future state, and the felicity of the present state; and their no desire doth proceed from the greater love that they have to this world than they have to God, and to heaven, and the purity, and sinlessness, and blessedness of the future state; this is a mortal character; and concerning such we can pronounce nothing but that "they are enemies to the cross of Christ," the design of his dying, as if he died for men only, to procure for them an earthly felicity; as if his dying were only to terminate upon an earthly happy state, than which a greater hostility to the cross of Christ, and against the design of his dying, cannot be. And again, Direction 6. Take this further direction; to wit, when you have that object before you, in its clear and distinct state, which is to be the final object of your hope, never hope for that abstractly, and separately by itself, so as to disjoin in your hope the end from the necessary means to that end, salvation, the state of the saved; here is the final object of hope; but then we are told by the apostle, of things that do "accompany salvation," Heb. vi. 9. Never ; hope for salvation abstractly and apart from the things but hath been informed, and will readily assent, that rethat do accompany it, and because that is to be considered pentance is necessary to salvation; that faith is necessary as the final object of your hope, the things that are inter- to salvation; that a man if he be not regenerate cannot be mediate to it, are to be hoped for too; for there can be no saved; that if he be not converted he is not in the state of connexion besides between the end and the means; but salvation; that if he do not mortify sin he must die, he that connexion lies in the aptitude such means have to must perish, and cannot be saved; that if he do not lead a this end, and the certainty of the consecution of this end, life of holiness, he can never see God, must be excluded upon the use of such means. You are told of several things his presence for ever. Every one that lives under the Gosin Scripture that have certain connexion with salvation, pel and understands the first elements and principles of it, so that without them it cannot be; with them it cannot but readily assents to all these things; but in the mean time if be. As to give you only the Scripture terms of the seve- one do inquire what they do understand by the things sigral things, that it doth connect with salvation as insepara-nified by such names, here they are at a loss, and to seek, ble from it, without explaining the things to you: as re- and give such confused and uncertain accounts, or have pentance, it connects with it; "Except ye repent, ye shall so indistinct apprehensions of them, that they are never all likewise perish;" (Luke xviii. 5.) ye shall not be saved. the nearer being saved for having heard of those names Repent, that your sins may be blotted out," Acts iii. 19. but I beseech you, what can it signify, if, when God saith, by it you shall be saved.-Faith; God so loved the world, they that do not believe, his wrath abideth on them; and that "he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever be- he hath "so loved the world, that he hath given his onlylieveth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting begotten Son, that they that believe in him should not pelife," John iii. 18. "He that believeth not is condemned rish, but have everlasting life;" you do agree to the faith already, and the wrath of God abideth on him," John iii. of this that God hath said in his word, you say so too; but 3, 5.-Regeneration, without it there is no entering into in the mean time you intend one thing by believing, when the kingdom of God, there is no seeing of it; but if men God, it is manifest, meaneth another. You put the name be regenerate, they are the children of God; and if they of faith, the name of repentance, the name of conversion, are children, then heirs, “heirs of God, and joint heirs and the name of regeneration, upon quite another thing: with Jesus Christ, that, suffering with him, they may be What! will the names of these things save any body? glorified together," Rom. viii. 17.-Obedience; Christ Will any be the nearer salvation for something miscalled will be the author of salvation to them that obey him, Heb. faith, that is not so? something miscalled repentance, v. 9. "And will come in flaming fire to take vengeance something miscalled regeneration, that are not so? on them that know him not, nor obey his Gospel," 2 Thess. i. 8. These are the plainest connexions that can be in the world, nothing can be more plain; so sanctification which falls in with many of the fore-mentioned things: "We give thanks to God for you, that he hath chosen you unto salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth," 2 Thess. ii. 13, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord," Heb. xii. 14. This is the direction then, that at present I would leave with you; never be so vain as to hope for the end apart from these things, God having made a necessary connexion between it and them, as means thereunto, with which it shall certainly be attained, and without which it cannot. There are means indeed that are foreign and external, (as divines are wont to distinguish them from these,) which have no certain connexion with the end, as these have; but for those which have so certain a connexion with it, it is to murder your own hope, to hope for the end without regarding the means; to hope I shall be saved, whether I repent or no, believe or no, turn to God or no, be regenerate or no, be sanctified or no, whether I obey or disobey. This is to hope without, and to hope against it; and it is the greatest foolery in the world, for a man to hope against God's word, for that which depends wholly on his pleasure, whose word it is. Who can save me if he do not? Who can bring me heaven if he do not? So that to hope in this case, not only without his word, but against it; no greater madness than this is conceivable, or can be, among men. SERMON XXIV.* Rom. viii. 24. We are saved by hope. Direction 7. I shall now go on with some further directions, and in the next place, take this. If you would rationally hope for salvation, so as that hope should really signify any thing for that end, you must understand the real influences and import of such things as these, that God hath put as necessary to salvation, and in immediate connexion with it. That is, you must understand faith in Christ to be that which brings your souls into a vital, living union with him, so as that thereby you have him, and have life; such a receptive act as adjoins you to him, so as that he thereupon becomes an immediate spring of life to your souls. If you do not understand by repentance, that mighty turn and change of the whole soul, by which, when it was a stranger to God before and alienated from him, it is now entirely turned to him, and therefore it is called repentance towards God; the whole bent of the soul being turned about towards God, as its best good, and as its sovereign Lord, to whom it was a stranger and rebel before; you do not apprehend aright. It is a vain thing for us to go about to delude ourselves with names; the great thing will be, what will be taken for faith and repentance, and the rest of the mentioned things, in the judgment day; and we may know now, if we will make it our business to know, and compare Scripture with Scripture, one thing with another. Those that will yield the necessity of regeneration, understand nothing (it may be) by being regenerate but being baptized; when the Scripture elsewhere tells us in other words, it signifies our implantation into Christ, we are born again, as we are inserted into him, and being in him, become new creatures; old things being done away, and all things being made new; such things as these, that you will in certain immediate connexion with salvation; you must understand what they are, if you will ever think of entertaining hope of salvation, for such a purpose as that it shall contribute to your being saved. And, Direction 8. Take this further direction, if you will ever hope to purpose in reference to the business of salvation, begin your hope with despair: despair, that you may hope. that is, that you may hope to any advantage. There is none in whom this hope comes to live, (as it is a living hope that we are speaking of, and that the Spirit of God intends,) but there must be a death past upon that soul, before such living hope doth obtain, or hath place in it; That such need to make it much their business to un- such must die that they may live; must be slain, that they derstand aright the nature of those things which are so may revive. All false hope must die, they must see themabsolutely necessary to being saved; to wit, not only to selves dead, lost, and perishing, before any such hope can know that such and such things, so and so called, are re- have place in them; but here I must be a little more parquisite; or to understand the names of such as are requi- ticular, and tell such of some things, whereof it is most site unto salvation, without distinct understanding of the necessary that they do despair. As, first, they must dethings themselves, signified by those names. There is no-spair of ever being saved without those things, which you body that understands any thing of the Christian religion, have already heard are necessary to salvation. And then, * Preached October 11th, 1691. secondly, they must despair of ever being saved, for such | that and no other, and so accordingly to wait for the hope things as are to be wrought in them, or done by them. of that righteousness. And, And, thirdly, they must despair of ever attaining those things by their own power. 1. They must despair of ever being saved, without those things which have been already mentioned to you, that must be wrought in us, and that, thereupon, must have an exercise from us in order to our being saved; to wit, such as are repentance to God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and the like; despair of ever being saved without these, and what goes accompanied therewith, (about priority I have no mind to trouble you with any discussion,) the full entire work of conversion, which, consider it seminally, is the same with regeneration: consider it progressively, it is the same with continued sanctification, proceeding hereupon ; a dying to sin, and living to righteousness. The same design for which Christ died, and bare our sins in his "body on the tree;" (1. Peter ii. 24.) that we might "die to sin, and live to righteousness," being healed by his stripes, Isa. liii. 5. Now without these things, we must despair of being saved, if ever we would hope for salvation upon good terms. This I know is that way which a heart yet habitually carnal cannot but deeply and inwardly regret; but that is not to give us laws. The carnal heart was not consulted in framing and contriving the model of the Gospel. God did never ask such the question, what will please you, that I may contrive the form and model of life and death, according to your inclination? Such may be apt to say, when they are urged, You must break off from every evil way; you must hate every thing of sin, how much soever you formerly loved it; you must deliver yourselves absolutely to the governing power of Jesus Christ as your Redeemer and Lord, both at once; when persons (I say) come to be closely thus urged, they will be apt to tell you, We have flesh and blood about us; what would you have us do? Why, I would put such upon considering seriously, Pray, for whom was the Gospel composed? To what sort of creatures was it sent? Was it ever designed or intended to be sent up into heaven, to be preached to angels and glorious spirits above? Was it ever intended to be sent down into hell, to be preached to devils and damned spirits there? No; it was meant for none but those that have flesh and blood about them; for none but them whose dwelling is in flesh. And would any excuse himself from repenting towards God, which is turning to him with the whole heart and soul; from believing in Christ by such a faith, as by which a vital union shall be contracted between the soul and him; with this, that he hath flesh and blood about him? That is by the same excuse too, to excuse yourselves from being saved: I am not to be saved, because I have flesh and blood about me. For it is a vain imagination to think that God is at this time to alter his Gospel, and make new terms of life and death for sinners; when as this Gospel, as it was only made for such as dwell in flesh, or have flesh and blood about them. It is true, that hath inferred a necessity, that that in which you dwell should not rule you. If we live after the flesh, we shall die; but if through the Spirit we do mortify the deeds of the body, we shall live. How plainly doth the word of God speak his mind to us, if we will attend to it! That, therefore, is one of the things that you must despair of, if you will hope to purpose; despair of ever being saved without such things to be wrought and done in you, as God has put in immediate and certain connexion with salvation. And, 3. Despair of ever attaining to any of these things that are so necessary by your own power; despair of ever being able to turn yourselves, or to beget faith in yourselves, or to regenerate yourselves, or to mortify sin yourselves, which you are told must be by the Spirit. The Scripture will not misguide us if we will attend to it: how plainly hath it told us, that our Lord Jesus Christ" is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins!" Acts v. 31. And that it is God that gives men repentance, that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil," who are led captive by him at his will," 2 Tim. ii. 26. And faith we are told is the gift of God, and it is reckoned among "the fruits of the Spirit," Gal. v. 22. And regeneration we are told is by the Spirit. If a man be not born again (or born from above) by the Spirit, "he cannot enter into the kingdom of God," John iii. 3, 6. "And if we by the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, we shall live," Rom. viii. 13. And we are likewise told, that "God hath chosen us to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth,” 2 Thess. ii. 17. Therefore are we to despair of our reaching of those things, that are so necessary to our salvation, by any power of our own. And so to despair is the way to hope; that will not lead to absolute despair, but it only leads to this respective necessary despair, which doth itself lead to hope. It doth not make the case hopeless, that such a thing is out of my power, when it is not to be expected, except in that godlike way that is honourable to him, and becomes the enthroned Majesty of heaven, that he should be owned and applied unto as the author and donor of every good and perfect gift, and perfect giving. And we shall miserably cheat ourselves, if ever we think or hope to be saved by a repentance, or faith, or conversion, that are self-sprung things, self-created things. That repentance which is only the product of our own power, or that faith, or that conversion, will lure us, will lead us to perish; but you have heard often, again and again, that the thing is not the less matter of hope, because it is not in our own power, when as the Divine power that is to effect such things is upon such sure and firm grounds to be expected and looked for, that it should exert itself for such and such purposes; but to that purpose more will come in our way by and by; these are things that it is fit and needful that you should despair of that you may hope. And, Direction 9. Take this further direction hereupon, That you are to put forth all your power to the very utmost, in order to the attaining those things that do accompany salvation, and that are in so necessary and certain connexion with it. Your life lies upon it:-without these things you must perish. There is no remedy, but you must perish. What remains then? but that you do, to the uttermost, put forth all the power you have, in order to your serious repentance, in order to your believing with the faith of God's elect, and with a faith of the operation of God; and that you may have new hearts and right spirits created and renewed in you. Objection. But it may be said, Doth not this contradict the former head? Are we to use all our power, even to the uttermost, in order to the obtaining true repentance, and true faith, and that we may be truly regenerate and turned unto God, when yet we are told, we must utterly despair of ever attaining these things by our own power? Answer. Pray labour to understand matters that are in 2. Despair too of ever being saved for those things that themselves plain. What is easier to understand, than the are to be acted by us, or wrought in us: though they are distinction between use and trust? Doth it follow, that works of the Holy Ghost, yet the Holy Ghost was not in- because you are to distrust your own power, that therefore tended to merit for us; the Holy Ghost was not to be our you are not to use it? May not a man lawfully use his High Priest, we must not think to invest the Holy Ghost money, and use his estate, because he is forbid to trust in with the offices of Christ, and to confound their offices, uncertain riches? And because some do sinfully trust ir and the works of their offices. Therefore, let repentance chariots and horses, is it therefore unlawful to use a chariot be supposed never so sincere; and faith, conversion, and or a horse? Consider that the natural faculties and powers regeneration, never so true in their own kind; we must that God hath given you, you are to be accountable for the despair of being saved for these things, though we must use of to him. And what? are you not then to use them? also despair of ever being saved without them. "We Your understandings, your considering power, your thinkthrough the Spirit do wait for the hope of righteousness ing power, are these exempt, from under the divine goby faith," Gal. v. 5. The Spirit doth frame souls to an ab-vernment, because you are not to trust them, as what were solute reliance upon that righteousness that is by faith, sufficient to do all your business? If you would but con sider things with the understandings of men, you might easily know, that it is most indispensably incumbent upon us to do our uttermost, to strive as for our lives, to exert all our powers, while, in the mean time, we acknowledge all our power is an insufficient thing. And therefore we are to cry and supplicate, to crave and implore heaven, for the addition of a higher and greater power than ours. This is just, this is rational, and suitable to the order of things between God and his intelligent creatures. And then again, Direction 10. Let this further direction be considered, to wit, Constantly hope, that, by the Divine power, you shall be enabled to reach and attain to those things that are, and he hath made necessary, for your salvation. And this hath two branches, in their own spirits. Vicious inclinations are strong; conviction upon their spirits hath some strength too. It may be, some such have found, that whereas here is a struggle, a strong earnest struggle, the conquest is easier over conscience than over inclination: it is an easier matter to overcome there; they easier baffle their light than they can their lusts. And when they have considered, under the power of conviction, that there was some necessity upon them to change their course, it may be, they have come to some resolution upon that consideration, that they would become other men; that they would lead another sort of life. It may be, the next temptation, or the next insinuation of a lewd, idle companion, hath proved too hard and too strong for them; they could not withstand; and the bonds of iniquities have held them faster than the 1. Constantly hope you shall attain them otherwise, if bonds of their vows, and covenants, and solemn engageyou do not hope that hope, all is lost, and you are pre-ments, that they have taken upon their souls. They have sently at a stand, and cannot move one step further to- broken loose from these bonds, and are held so much the wards being saved, or towards salvation as your end. All faster by those former bonds: and hereupon, having once is lost if that hope fail, that you shall attain those things found themselves at liberty, they sell themselves to slavery, that are necessary, by divine appointment and constitution, sell themselves to do evil; and the Spirit of God that was for salvation. For pray consider, if a man take a journey, at work in them, is receded and gone; they began in the (supposing of a hundred miles,) if he did not hope he Spirit, they have ended in the flesh. There are now no should go through that journey, he would never begin it. more gales, not one breath of that Spirit upon their spirits It is the hope he shall go through, that doth excite and en- any more. A hopeful gale they had, that brought them gage to begin, otherwise he would sit still at home; but near to a safe harbour; but they are, all on a sudden, hurthen, if he doth hope that he shall go through this journey ried back again to a raging sea, that casts up nothing but of a hundred miles, and reach such a place at length, he mire and dirt. What a fearful case is this! If they reflect must hope, in order hereunto, that he shall go through the upon themselves, they will be ready to say, What is to be first mile. He cannot hope that he shall go the whole done in this case? And truly if any one should say to me, I hundred miles, if he do not hope he shall go the first. So should return the question, What will you do in this case? if you do hope you shall be saved, you must hope that you or what do you think is to be done in this case? Do you shall do things, be enabled to do things, that are necessary think there is no hope in the case? Will you say that? or to being saved. He that doth not hope to reach a place but if there is to be any hope, what shall that hope be of? or a mile off, that is his certain and direct way to a place a what are you to hope for? Such a thing I would consider hundred miles off, and there is no other way, will never and debate with any such a one. Are you to have any hope make one step at all towards that place. And this is your at all? Are you to abandon all hope? Truly that is not case, when God hath made it so absolutely necessary in like a reasonable creature to say so, that you are to abanorder to your being saved, that you repent, that you turn | don all hope, while you are yet on this side hell, and inferto him, and come into union with his Son, and deliver nal flames have not yet seized you; you are not to put yourselves up to him, take him to be yours, and give your-yourself into the state of a devil, whilst as yet God hath selves to be his; if you hope not you shall reach these things, your hope of being saved will be a mad hope; as his must be a mad hope that he shall reach his hundred miles, when he doth not hope to reach the first mile, when there is no other way to such a place a hundred miles off, but by that a mile off. And therefore this hope must be fixed and kept alive, though I cannot say I have been brought to repentance yet, and to faith in the Son of God, yet I hope I shall. You must hope first for such a thing. And then, not put you into that state. But if you are to hope at all, what are you to hope for? Are you to hope that God will save you upon other terms than he hath declared in his Gospel? Are you to hope that he will make a new Gospel, to comply with your humour and lustful inclination? Are you to hope for that? That certainly were the maddest hope that ever was taken up by any one. All hope you are to have is, that if you have any apprehension of your case, the grieved Spirit may return, the affronted, resisted Spirit, if you cry for its return; if you supplicate as for 2. Hope that it shall be brought about by a divine pow-life, that Spirit that carries all the treasures of Divine er, for otherwise, (as you have heard,) you are not to hope for it. And positively, you must hope for it in this way, and no other way. "According as his divine power hath given us all things pertaining to life and godliness; and given to us exceeding great and precious promises, that by them we might be partakers of the Divine nature," (2 Peter i. 3, 4.) which carries all this in it. Here must be your hope. Such things have not been wrought and done in me yet, but through the grace of God, I hope that they shall. And, Direction 11. Take heed that defeatments and delays do not subvert and overthrow in you this hope. Of this there is the greatest imaginable danger; and these two expressions (defeatments and delays) I purposely intend to refer to two sorts of persons, who may have their different concerns in this direction, to wit, especially, a younger and an elder sort. 1. A younger sort, such as may be in a very great struggle between strong youthful lusts, and strong convictions, which may in some measure have taken hold of their souls. This is sometimes the case, discourses that I have had with divers, and bills that I have received from more, do assure me that this is a case that requires a great place and room in our consideration and discourse. There are those who now and then (who in that age wherein lust and concupiscence have greater advantages to be predominant) are taken hold of by the word, and it strikes conscience, and gets some advantages upon them. They are in a great loss light, and life, and grace in it, may yet return. There have been instances of its having done so. How famous is the story that we meet with in Church History, concerning that vicious young man, that was at first reduced by the ministry of the apostle John, and brought to a great degree of seriousness! The apostle, having occasion to absent himself from the place where he was, leaves him under the care of such a one, charging him with his soul; "Look (saith he) well to the soul of this young man." After the apostle was gone, the young man breaks out into his former excesses again, and herds himself with a company of thieves and cut-throats. The apostle being returned, and inquiring after him, saying, What is become of that young man? The answer that was made him was, He is dead, dead in sin, dead in wickedness again: much like the usage that was in Pythagoras's school, where if any had been in that school of virtue, and made some proficiency there for any considerable time, and relapsed into vice, they were solemnly cast out, and a coffin was brought into the place to hold a funeral for them as dead; so it was said of this young man, he was dead. But the apostle makes inquiry after him, and finds him out, brings him to his feet, takes hold of him, down he falls, and by the power of prayer and holy counsel, he was effectually reduced, and brought back again. So it may yet be with some such horrid decliners and backsliders from the ways of God. If they apprehend whither they are going, whither their way leads them, and |