Ver. i. Fifth Chap. 2d Ep. to the C O R I N T H. ' 1 told us, Give Alms,andyé Jhall have treafure in Heaven, Luke rz. 33.Leave any thing for his fake, and you£hall have t n hundred fold in this World, With Terfecutians, and in sié World to come eternal life, Mark so. 30. Again; Rom. 8. 13. Mortify the deeds of the . body, andsou£ hall live. Now when we will not venture any thing upon Gods Bond, it is a ligo we do not count him a good Pay-maftet : not an intereft, not à loft : ybú make him a lyar in all his promifes. zdly. How Faith worketh as to' the other World. It giveth us a fight; it giveth us a taft. . . i. A fight ; For it, is defcribed to be, Heb. 11. t. The Jubilance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not feen, it realizeth mil' hopes, andiheweth us the Other world as in a glafs. As the Devil Viewed Chrift the glory of the world as in a Map and reprefentation : Sci doth Faithxeprefent the glory of the world.to come as in a Map; it giveth us a kind of Tifgah fight, or view of the promifed Land. Other men have but ageneralguefs, and 'tradition about Heaven, talk at the fame rate other Chriftians do, but have not a lively affe&ive fight of it. A Believer hath a fight of it; others an empty notion, he a real profpebt. Many hangbetween believing and unbelieving, neither alien to the truth of the I'romife, nor direetly deny it. Oh, Could we by Faith lift up the Eye of the Soul, to view thofe everlafting Maniions ! By Faith fee Heaven in the promife, we Mould be other manner of Chriftians than we are ; but moo never thought ferioufly of it, to make their aflent more firm and itrong. Keep the Eye of Faith clear : The world is a blinding thing, z Cor. 4 4. z, Faith giveth not only a bight, but a toff!. It is a delightful confidence; a ftrong aflënt, and therefore they are faid to tall the powers of the world to come, Heb. 6. Faith is an anti. cipation of our Bleffednefs, or a præ- occupation of our everlafting efìate. 'Tis fuck a fight as ravifheth the heart, and filleth it with joy, John 8. 56. & Heb. 11..13. Theft ail dyed in Faith, not having received the Promifes, but having feen them afar of, and were perfuaded of and embraced them (hugged the Promifes.) And t Pet. 1. 8. In whom, though now ÿe fee him not, yet believing (that is, believing for eternal life) ye rejoyce, with oyunfpeakable, and full of Glory. To others the Promifes are as dry. chips, and withe- red flowers, Luke 6. z 3..ftejoyce ye in that day, and leap for joy, for behold your reward is great in Heaven. idly. How£hall we roázeup our Faith, and more firmly btlieve the promifeet glory. Foundation Stones can never be laid with care and exaétnefs enough : None of us believe itfo, but we may believe it again with more certainty and affurance of underflan- ding`: At leaft we need to revive it often, as.when the Piçfute waxeth old, we refrefh the Colours. The motives of credibility I have given you in former difcourfes. I1halÌ only now mention its own intrinfick grounds, which have a more direlt influence en the Confidence of a Believer. A Blelfed Elate is very fire to the Heirs of'Promife. r. Partly as being appointed to them from all eternity, Mat. z 5. 34. Comeye Bleffed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from thefoundation ofthe World. A pur- pofefo longago thought of, and prepared with fuch folemnity, and deigned tó us in' Chrift, will not eafily be broken off, z Tins. 1. q, so. He bath favedus with an Holy Cal. ling,accòrding to kn purpofe andGrace which was given to us in CGriJ1,before the world began, but is now made manife fl by the appearing of our Saviour 7efios ChriJi, who kath abolilhed death, and brought life and immortality to light in the Gofpel. It feemed good to God from everlaflingto decree within himfelf concerning us, to give us eternal lite by Chrift Jefus, who came to free poor Creatures from Eternal death, and the wrath of God abiding on them, and to make the offer of a glorious effare to them in the world to come, as the fruit of his merit. Here was the firft Stone laid towards this eternal building, even the foundation of God which ftandeth lure. z. 'Tisfecured to them by thepromife of the faithful God, r John z. z5. And what needed God to promife what he would not perform ? In other parts of Scripture we own Gods Authority? Why not in the Promifes? The fame God whichgave the Commands, which you find fo powerful on your Confciences, the fame God gave the Promifes. Ir all other promifes God ftanderh to his word, and is very faithful and punEtual in them: as in thofe which are of a prefent accomplilhment, in ultimo non deficiet. God hath entred into Co- venant with us. A Covenantfuppofeth both parties ingaged ;it doth not leave one bound, and another at large. The Precept doth not leave us free, and the Promife maketh God a debtor. Therefore if he hath promifed, he will be as good as his word. 3 The third ground which raifeth thisconntdence, is the railing and glorifying of Chris ?, mho is entred into Heaven as our Fore - runner; Heb. 6. zo. & 'Pet. I. i I. God raifed him, 9 C and
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