F A IT H MORE PRECIOUS THAN G 0 L D. Bo.Jk IV. •5· What Peace hath Faith brought to thy So~l? Being juflified by Faitb, we have Peace with God, through our Lord ]ejiu Chrifl, Rom. v. 1. Secondly; From what hath been noted we may infer, there is an abfolutc Ncceflity of Faith, 1. In refpeCt of Gofpel-Revelation. Witho/11 Faith it is lmpojjible to pleap Cod; Heb. xi. 6. 2 . There is no Salvation without it; Ronz. iii, z.6. Thou muft be beholden to another for a Righteoufnefs, becaufe thou haft broken the Law, that pronounceth tlie Curfe againft thee; thou haft none of thy own that will be accepted m the Sio-ht of God. He ihat b"elieveth not, jha/1 be dailmed: Unlefs that ye belie-ve that I am be, )'t jhall die in your Sins, ]ohn viii. 22. . 3· There is a Ncce!f\ty of Faith, becaufe' all Boa!ti ng is excluded. God's Defigrt 111 our Salvation ts, wholly to exalt h1s own Free-Grace. It is of Chrift's Procure– ment, and thou mufl: go u"nro him for ir, or go wiLhou[ it. 'Ihirdly; If Faith lle much more precious than Gold, then labor for it above Gold! be not contented with a little of ir, but wifely provide ycurfel ves with good Stare; Grow in Faith1 get a thong Faith. ~ fil:!!efl• IVi/1 not d fmall or weak Faith fave us", as well as 11 flrong? .dnfw. Yea, if it be of the right Kind, ~hough never fo fma\1, the Perfon that ha:h it, is as fully jullified, as he that hath the greateft Degree and Meafure of ic. Yet it concerns thee to get a fl:rong Faith, for thele Reafons following: 1. Becaufe thou maye!t meet with fl:rong Affaults and TemptationS from Satan,· and thou haft no way to refifl: him but by the Shield of Faith; and it may be a little F•ith will not be fufiicicnt to "ithfland thofe Exercifes and A!fat~lts thou mayefl: meet with. 2. Becaufe God expeCts much Faith of thofe he ha.th afforded much Means unto : ]looked that it fbould bring forth Grapes, lfa. v. 4· God looks for Fruit, anfwerable to the Co!t and Charge he hath been at with a People, or a particular Perfon. • 3· Becaufe God may bring you into fuch a Condition, that you m>y have nothing eHe to live upon, 'Ihe Fig'Iree jhal! not blojJom, mither Fruit be in tbe Vines, &c. Hab . iii. 17. That is a T1me for the Saints to live by Faith; and if their Faith be fmall, what will they do then? 4· flecaufe as thy Faith is more Or lefs, fo will thy inward Peace and Joy be in Chrifl Jefus. He that hath but a fmall Degree of Faith, is often at the Foot of the Hill, and undet Doubcings and Btcloudings in his own Spirit. 5· Beca,ufe fuch as have but little Faith, will find rhe Way to Heaven harder, and more difficult, than they who have "lllch of it, or are flrong in Faith. \Veak Folks are ha1'd put to it to get up a high Hill. 6. Becaufe it is a ltrong Faith that glorifies God mo!t, as it appears in refpeCt of Abrahflm. He being not weak in Faith, conjidered not his own Body being dead---· He flaggered not througb Vnbe!ief, but was f.rong in Faitb, gio·ing Glory ' ' God, Rom. iv. 19, 20. fj)__tfefl. But what is the Caufe that fome Chriflians are'fo weak in Faith! . Anfw. 1. Some are but JUfl: brought forth, IJtely converted , they are hke new• born Babes: Can you expeCt a Child in the Cradle, lhould be as fl:rong as fuch as are twenty or thirty Years old? z. Perhaps fame have but little Faid1, becaufe they want the Means of it, which cthers have; it m,•y be rhey have more Law pre>ched to them than Gofpel, more Terror from Sinai, than J oy from Mount Zion. 3 . Again, fame may be weak in Faith, bec•t:fe they pore m?re up.on their own in– ward Corruptions, than they meditate on Chrd\ s R1ghteoufnets, more on their own Ernptirrefs, than on Chrifl's Fulnefs. They fee their Debrs, but have no.t thell" Eyes upon their Surety, who h.tth d1fdurged and blorted all out. . 4 . Others may have little Faith, becaufe they do nor i_mprove that wh1ch they have; tliey are not indu!trious Traders,_ they do not labor after: and cry ·to God for more Faith. The Way to grow nch, IS to be diligent. Lord, zncreafe our Fat/h. . 5• Some have no more Faith, bec~ufe they gtve _'N,IY .to Temptanons, . and let r.he1r inward Corruptions Loo much preva•l. W eeds wrll hinder the Growth of precwus 3 :Flowers ;
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