Faith will engage you to make the Things of God your Bufinefs, and the chief Labour and Industry of your Lives.You will also purchase invifible Things at any Rate. A fpeculative Faith will not hold faft when Trials come. Such Believers take Heaven but for a Referve, because they muft leave Earth against their Wills, and are refolved to hold it falt as long as they can. But the weakest Faith that is true and faving, habitually difpofes the Soul to part with all the Hopes and Happinefs of this World, when they are inconfiftent with spiritual Hopes and Happiness. $3. Now, for your Souls Sake, and as ever you defire your everlafting Peace, Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the Faith' or not; prove your • own felves; know ye not your own felves,how that Jefus Chrift is in you? by Faith, except ye be Re probates (f)?' Hearken now as long to your own Confciences, as you have done to me. Let Confci. ence tell you what Eyes you fee by, for the chief Conduct of your Lives. Is it by the Eye of Senfe, or Faith? Í take it for granted it is by the Eye of Reafon. But is it by Reason corrupted and biaffed by Senfe, or elevated by Faith? What Country do your Hearts converfe in, Heaven, or Earth? What Company most delights you, Saints, or Sinners ? What Garden yields you your fweetest Flowers? Whence comes the Food you most live upon, and the Cordials that most revive you, when the World's Frowns fink your Spirits? Where do you reft your Souls, when Sin or Sufferings have made you wea ry? Which World do you take for your Pilgrimage, (f) 2 Cor. xiii. 5. and and which for your Home? Do you think, and fpeak, and pray, and live, as thofe that believe a Heaven and Hell? Do you thus fpend your Time,, difpofe of your Affairs, and refift worldly Tempta-. tions? Be fincere; for the Life of Faith is the certain Path to the Life of Glory: The Life of Sense. is the certain Road to endless Mifery. • If ye live after the Flesh, ye fḥall die; but if ye thro' the Spirit do mortify the Deeds of the Body, ye fhall live (g). Be not deceived; God is not mo ked; for whatfoever a Man foweth, that thall be alfo reap. For he that foweth to his Fiesh, shall of the Flesh reap Corruption; but he that foweth to the Spirit, fhall of the Spirit reap Life everlasting (h)? 4. What will you be for Time to come ! Wil you indeed be what you profefs, and would be thought to be? O that you would credit the Word of the God of Heaven, and think what it declares,. to be as certain, as if you faw the Things with your Eyes What Manner of Perfons would you then be! How impoffible for you then to be careless and profane! And here, that I may by Seriousness bring you to be ferious, let me make a few Suppofitions concerning the invifible Objects of Faith. Suppofe you faw the Lord ftand over you, as plainly as you fee a Man; and this when you are hearing, praying, talking, jefting, or eating and drinking. Or, if it were but like Mofes, only to fee his back * Parts (i).' Or, if you had Isaiah's full View of the Lord, fitting upon a Throne,high and lifted up(k).’ Or, if you had feen what Job faw, when he laid, I (g) Rom. viii. 13. (h) Gal, vi. 7, 8. (k) Ifa, vi. 1. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the Ear; but now mine Eye feeth thee: Wherefore I abhor myself. and repent in Duft and Affics (1).' Or, if you had feen Chrift, as the Difciples did, when they were with him in the holy Mount (m).' Or, as Paul faw him at his Converfion, wh.n he fell to the Earth trembling and aftonished (n).' Or, as John law him, in the midt of the feven "Candlesticks, and when he faw him he fell at his Feut as dead (o).' Would you be godly or ungodly, after fuch a Sight? As furely as you fec one anether, God fees your fecret Filthinefs, Deceit, and Malice. The Luft and Coveroufness, the Envy and Vanity of your Thoughts are as open to his View, as the Sun at Noon. You may therefore well fuppofe him prefent, who cannot be abfent. What a Change would a Glimpfe of his glo ous Majefty make in this Affembly! What Condernation, what Emotions of the Soul would it excite! If an Angel did but thus appear, how ferious, how affectionate would your Attention be! But if you have Faith inde d, you now fee him that is invifible, you speak to him in Prayer, you hear him in his Word, and he is the Life of your Converf and ComfortSuppole you had feen the wonderful Fact which Scripture records. Noah's Flood, and his Prefervation in the Ark. The burning of Sodom and Gemorial, and the faving of righteous Lot. The Ifaelites walking thro' the Red Sea, and the drowning of the Egyptians. The Manna and Quails falling round the Camp of Ifrael. The Tempest (1) Job xlii. 5, 6. (m) 2 Pet.. 18. Ch. r. Tempeft and Lightning at Mount Sinai. The Incarnation and Humiliation, the Preaching, Miracles, and Sufferings of Chrift. The Sun in Darkness, the Vail of the Temple rent, the Earthquake, Angels at the Sepulchre, the Guards flying, and Chrift arifing. Suppofe with Thomas, you had put your Fingers on the Print of the Nails, and thrust your Hand into the wounded Side; or, with theDifciples, had feen Chrift walking on the Waters, and af cending into Heaven; or, the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecoft, and had heard illite rate Fishermen immediately speaking_all Languages, and attended them through the Earth performing the most illuftrious Miracles. What Perfons would you have been? What Lives would you have led? Or rather, what a fuperior Efficacy muft your Faith now have, fince many that faw thofe Sights, perished in their Unbelief?Suppose you faw the Glory of the Saints in Paradife. Or, if you had been caught up to the third Heaven,' as Paul was. If, with Stephen, you had feen the Heavens ope.. ned, and the Son of Man ftanding at the right • Hand of God.' If you had feen the Millions of holy Angels around the Throne, and the Spirits of juft Men made perfect,' tho' once fo much defpiled by an ungodly World. If you had felt one Moment of theirJoys, and had heard them fing the Song of Mofes, and of the Lamb.' What would your Refolutions have been after fuch Sights? Had the rich Man feen Lazarus in Abraham's Bofom,' while he was clothed in Purple and fine Linen, ⚫and fared sumptuously every Day,' as he afterwards faw him when himfelf was in Torments,' would not such a Sight have taught him the Vanity of his earthly earthly Delights, and led him to ferious Confideration?Suppose you lay under a desperate Difeafe, and faw the Face of Death. Or, if a Meffenger from God was to tell you, This Night fhall thy Soul be required of thee.' What Effect would fuch a Sight or Meffage produce? You know without believing, that you must die, and leave your worldly Glory. Owonderful, that a Change fo fure, fo great, fo near, fhould no more affect you, no more be thought on, and prepared for!--Suppofe you faw the Day of Judgment. Even the Saints in Exaltation and Joy, and juftified against the Accufations of Satan, and the Calumnies of wicked Men. Alfo the Ungodly anxious to deny the Words and Deeds they now glory in, and trembling before the Lord, tho' now fwell'd with Pride and Arogance. If you faw the adorable Shepherd dividing them, like Sheep from the Goats, and fetting the Sheep on his right Hand, but the Goats on the left (p);' and with his mighty Angels, in flaming Fire, taking Vengeance on • them that know not God, and that obey not the Gofpeof our Lord Jefus Chrift; who fhall be punished with everlafting Deftruction from the • Prefence of the Lord, and from the Glory of his Power (q).' What would you fay, and do, and be, after fuch an amazing Sight? Could you go on to think, and fpeak, and live as negligently as you now do?Suppofe you had heard the Devil, at that Day, accufing you of all your Sins, with all their Aggravations, and calling for Juftice, and faying, This Sinner refused Grace, neglected Chrift, • defpifed (p) Mat, xxv, 32, 33. 6 (q) a Theff. i. 7-9, |