certainty, (though not fo fatisfactory to our imperfe& fouls) as if the things themselves were feer. 2. The will is determined by it in its necessary consent and choice. 3. The affections are moved in the necessary degree. 4. It ruleth in our lives, and bringeth us through duty, and fuffering, for the fake of the happiness which we believe.

3. This Faith is a grounded wife and justifiable a&: an infallible knowledge; and often called fo in Scripture, John 6 69. 1. Cor. 15. 58. Rom. 8. 28, &c. And the conftitutive and efficient caufes will juftifie the Nime.

We know and are infallibly fure, of the truth of God, which we believe: As it's faid, John 6.69. [We believe and are fure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.] 2 Cor.5.1. [We know that if our earthly boufe of the tabernacle were dif Jolved, we have a building of God, an boufe not made with bands, eternal in the Heavens.] Rom. 8. 28. We know that all things work together for goed to them that love God.] 1 Cor. 15.58. You know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord ] Joh. 9.29. [We know God spake to Mofes, &c.] 31. [We know God beareth not finners.] John 3. 2. We know thou art a Teacher come from God.] So John 3.5, 15. & 1 Per. 3.17. and many other Scriptures tell you, that Believing God, is a certain infallible fort of knowledge.

I fhall in juftification of the work of Faith, acquaint you briefly with 1. That in the Nature of it: 2. And that in the caufing of it, which advanceth it, to be an infallible knowledge.

1. The Believer knows (as fure as he knows there is a God) that God is true, and his Word is true, it being impoffible for God to lie, H.b. 6. 18. God that cannot lie barb promised,

Titus 1. 2.

2. He knows that the holy Scripture is the Word of God; by his Image which it beareth, and the many evidences of Divinity which it containeth, and the many Miracles (certainly proved) which Chrift, and his Spirit in his fervants, wrought to confirm the truth. 3. And therefore he knoweth affuredly the conclufion, that all this Word of God is true.

And for the furer effecting of this knowledge, God doth not only fet before us the afcertaining Evidence of his own veracity,

veracity, and the Scriptures Divinity; but moreover, 1. He giveth us to believe, Piil. 1. 29. 2 Pet. 1. 3. For it is not of our felves, but is the gift of God, Ephef. 2. 8. Faith is one of the fruits of the Spirit, Gal. 5. 22. By the drawing of the Father, we come to the Son. And he that hath knowledge given from Heaven, will certainly knew and he that hath Faith given him from Heaven, will certainly believe. The heavenly Light will diffipate our darkness; and infallibly illuminate. Whileft God lets before us the glafs of the Gospel in which the things invisible are revealed, and alfo gives us eye fight to behold them, Believers must needs be a heavenly people, as walking in that light which procecdeth from, and leadeth to the celeftial everlatting Light.

2. And that Faith may be fo powerful as to ferve instead of fight and prefence, Believers have the Spirit of Chrift within them, to excite and actuate it,and help them against all temptations to unbelief, and to work in them all other graces that concur to promote the works of Faith; and to mortifie thofe fins that hinder our believing, and are contrary to a heavenly life: So that as the exercife of our fight, and taste, and hearing, and feeling, is caused by our natural life; fo the exercife of Faith and Hope, and Love, upon things unfeen, is caused by the holy Spirit, which is the principle of our new life, 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have received the Spirit, that we might know the things that are given us of God.] This Spirit of God acquainteth us with God, with his veracity and his Word, Heb. 10.30. We know him that hash faid, I will never fail thee, nor for fake. thee.] This Spirit of Chrift acquainteth us with Christ, and with his grace and will. 1 Cor. 2. 10, 11, 12. This heavenly Spirit acquainteth us with Heaven, so that [We know that when Chrift appeareth, we shall be like him, for we shall fee him as be , Joh. 3.2. And we know that he was wanifefted to take. away fin, Joh. 3. 5. And will perfect his work,and prefent us fpotless to his Father, Epk, 5.26, 27. This heavenly Spirit pofeffeth the Saints with fuch beavenly difpofitions and defires, as much facilitate the work of Faith. It bringeth us to a heavenly converfation; and maketh us live as fellow-citizens of the Saints, and in the boushold of God, Phil.3.20. Eph.2.19. It is within us a Spirit of fupplication, breathing heaven-ward, with fighs and.

B 3

groans

groans which cannot be expreffid; and as God knoweth the meaning of the Spirit, fo the Spirit knows the mind of God, Rom. 8. 37. 1 Cor. 2. 11.

3. And the work of Faith is much promoted by the fpiritual experiences of Believers. When they find a confiderable part of the holy Scripturés verified on themselves,it much.comfirmeth their Faith as to the whole. They are really poffed of that heavenly difpofition, called, The Divine Nature, and have felt the power of the Word upon their hearts, renewing them to the Image of God, mortifying their molt dear and ftrong corruptions, fhewing them a greater beauty and defirableness in the Objects of Faith, than is to be found in fenfible things: They have found many of the Promifes made good upon themselves, in the answers of prayers, and in great deliverances, which ftrongly perfwadeth them to believe the reft that are yet to be accomplished. And experience is a very Powerful and fatisfying way of conviction. He that feeleth, as it were, the first fruits, the earnest, and the beginnings of Heaven already in his foul, will more eafily and affuredly believe that there is a Heaven hereafter. [We know that the Son of God * come, and bath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in bins that is true, even in bis Son Jefus Christ: This is the true God and eternal life,] Joh. 5.20. [He that believeth on the Son bath the witness in himself, Verf. 10.] There is so great a likeness of the holy and beavenly nature in the Saints, to the beavenly life that God hath promifed, that makes it the more cafily believed.

4. And it exceedingly helpeth our Belief of the life that's yet unfeen, to find that Nature affordeth us undeniable Arguments to prove a future Happiness and Mifery, Reward and Punishment, in the general; yea and in special, that the Love and Fruition of God is this Reward; and that the effects of his difpleasure are this Punishment: Nothing more clear and certain than that there is a God, (He must be a fool indeed that dare deny it, Pfal. 14. 1.) as also that this God is the Creatour of the rational nature, and hath the abfolute right of Soveraign Government: and therefore that the rational Creature oweth him the moft full and abfolute obedience, and deferveth punishment if he disobey. And it's moft clear that infinite good

nefs

nefs fhould be loved above all finite imperfect created good: And it's clear that the rational nature is fo formed, that without the hopes and fears of another life, the world neither is, nor ever was, nor (by ordinary vifible means) can be well governed; (fuppofing God to work on man according to his nature.) And it is most certain that it confifteth not with infinite wisdom, power and goodness, to be put to rule the world in all ages, by fraud and falfhood. And it is certain that Heathens do for the most part through the world, by the light of nature, acknowledge a life of joy, or mifery to come: And the moft hardened Atheifts, or Infidels must confefs, that [for ought they know there may be fuch a life:] it being impoffible they should know or prove the contrary. And it is most certain that the meer probability or poffibility of a Heaven and Hell, (being matters of fuch unspeakable concernment) fhould in reafon command our utmot diligence to the hazard or lofs of the tranfitory vanities below: and confequently that a holy diligent preparation for another life, is naturally the duty of the reafonable creature. And it's as fure that God hath not made our nature in vain; nor fet us on a life of vain imployments, nor made it our bufinefs in the world to feek after that which can never be attained.

Thefe things, and much more, do fhew that nature affordeth us fo full a teftimony of the life to come that's yet invisible, that it exceedingly helpeth us in believing the fupernatural revelation of it, which is more full.

5. And though we have not feen the objects of our faith, yet those that have given us their infallible teftimony by infallible means, have feen what they teftified. Though [no man bath feen God at any time, yet the only begotten Son which is in the bofom of the Father, bath declared him, Joh 1. 18. [Verily, verily, (faith our Lord) we speak that we know, and teftifie that we have feen] Joh. 3. 11. Verf. 31,32. [He that cometh from Heaven is above al, and what he bath feen and beard that be teftificib.] Chrift that hath told us faw the things that we have not feen and you will believe hoseft men that speakto you of what they were eye-witneffes of. And the Difciples faw the perfon, the transfiguration, and the miracles of Chrift. Infomuch that John thus beginneth his Epiftle, 1 Cor. 1.1,2,3.

[That

[That which was from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, andour bands have bandled of the Word of life, (for the life was manifefted, and we have seen it, and bear witneß, and shew it to you, that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifefted unto us :) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.] So Paul, 1 Cor. 9. 1. Am I not an Apoftle? have bave I not feen Jesus Christ our Lord, 1 Cor. 15 5 6,7. [He was feen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that be was frem of above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this prefent] Heb. 2. 3, 4. This [great falvation at first began to be fpoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by them that beard him; God alfo bearing them witness, both with fgns and wonders, and with divers miracles and gifts of the boly Ghost, according to bis own will.]2 Pet.1.16,17.[For we have not followed cunningly devifed fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift, but were eyewitnesses of his Majefty: For be received from God the Father bonour and glory, when there came fuch a voice to him, from the excellent glory: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleafed: And this voice which came from Heaven, we heard when we were with him in the boly Mount.] And therefore when the Apoftles were commanded by their perfecutors, not to speak at all, or teach in the name of Jefus, they answered, [We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and beard.] Acts 4. 18, 20. So that much of the obj:s of our faith to us invifible, have yet been seen by those that have inftrumentally revealed them; and the glory of Haven it felf is feen by many millions of fouls, that are now poffeffing it. And the tradition of the Teftimony of the Apoftles unto us, is more full and fatisfactory, than the tradition of any Laws of the Land, or Hiftory of the most unquestionable affairs that have been done among the people of the carth: (as I have manifefted elfewhere.) So that faith hath the infallible Teftimony of God, and of them that have feen, and therefore is to us inftead of fight.

6. Laftly, Even the enemy of faith himself doth against his will confirm our faith by the violence and rage of malice, that he firreth up in the ungodly against the life of faith and holi

nefs;