of the Soul to Chrift for Life, the Breath

luted, defperate; am willing to have Jefus Chrift for my Saviour, I have no otherings of the Soul after him, for more of Help, or Hope, if it be not in him, it is, I him, when it hath once tafted how good fay, to lean the Weight of thy Soul on he is: Faith is not a Speculation, or a this Foundation-ftone laid in Zion, to em- wandring Thought of Truth, 'tis the brace the Promises of the Gospel albeit Truth not captivated into the Mind, but general, as worthyof all Acceptation, and dwelling in the Heart, and getting Pof wait upon the Performance of them. It feffion of the whole. Man: You know, a is no other Thing, but to make Chrift wel- Man and his Will are one, not fo a Man come, to say, even fo, Lord Jefus, I am and his Mind, for he may conceive the content in my Soul that thou be my Savi- Truth of many Things he loves not, but our, to be found in thee, not having my whatever a Man loves, that and he, in a own Righteoufness, I am well pleased to manner, becomes one with another : caft away my own as Dung, and find my Love is unitive, 'tis the most excellent U. felf no other nor an ungodly Man. Now nion of diftant Things. The Will comit is certain that many Souls that are ftill hands the whole Man, and hath the Ofquestioning whether they have Faith, yet fice of applying of all the Faculties to their do find this in their Souls, but because they proper Works, Illa imperat, alia exknow not that it is Faith which they find, fequntur; therefore when once Divine they go about to feek that which is not Truth gets Entry into the Heart of a Faith, and where it is not to be found, Man, and becomes one with his Will, and fo difquiet themselves in vain, and and Affection, it will quickly command hinder Fruitfulness. the whole Man to practise and execute, and then he that received the Truth in Love, is found a Walker in the Truth: Many Perfons captivate Truth in their Understandings, as the Gentiles did, they held or detained it in Unrighteousnels: But because it hath no Liberty to descend into the Heart, and poffefs that Garrison, it cannot command the Man. But O'tis better to be Truth's Captive, than to captivate Truth, faith the Apoftle; ye obeyed from the Heart the Truth to which ye were delivered, Rom. vi. O a bleffed Captivity, to be delivered over to Truth; that is indeed Freedom, for Truth makes free, Jobn vili. And it makes free where it is in Freedom, give it Freedom to command thee, and it fhall indeed deliver thee from all ftrange Lords, and thou fhalt obey it from the Heart, when it is indeed in the Heart. When the Trutha of God, whether Promises, or Threat

Now, the Faith of a Chriftian is no Fancy, 'tis not a light vain Imagination of the Brain, but it dwells in the Heart, (with the Heart Man believes) and it dwells with Love. Faith and Love we need not be curious to diftinguish them: It is certain that Love is in it, and from it, 'tis in the very Bofom of it, because Faith is a Soul embracing of Chrift, 'tis a choofing of him for its Portion; and then upon the Review of this goodly Portion, and from Confideration of what he is, and hath done for us, the Soul loves him ftill more, and is impatient of fo much Diftance from him. We find them conjoyned in Scripture, but they are one in the Heart: 0 that we studyed to have thefe joyntly engraven on the Heart; as they are joyned in the Word, fo our Heart fhould be a living Epistle: Faith and Love are two Words, but one thing under different Notions: They are the Out-goings

Rings

would make Minifters feed well, and teach well, and would make People obey well; If ye love me, keep my Com

nings, or Commands, are impreffed into the Heart, you shall find the Expreffions of them in the Converfation: Faith is not an empty Affent to the Truth, but a receiv-mands: Love devotes and confecrates all ing of it in Love, and when the Truth is received in Love, then it begins to work by Love; Faith works by Love, faith Paul, Gal. v. 6. That now is the proper Nature of its Operation, which expreffes its own Nature Obedience proceeding from Love to God, flows from Faith in God, and that shews the true and living Nature of that Faith If the Soul within receive the Seal and Impreffion of the truth of God, it will render the Image of that fame Truth in all its Actions.

Love is put for all Obedience, 'tis made the very Sum and Compend of the Law, the Fulfilling of it: For the Truth is the most effectual and conftraining Principle of Obedience, and withall the moft fweet and pleasant: The Love of Chrift conftrains us to live to him, and not henceforth to our felves, 2 Cor. v. 15. As I faid, a Man and his Will is one: If you ingage it, you bind all; if you gain it, it will bring all with it. As it is the moft ready Way to gain any Party, to ingage their Head whom they follow, and upon whom they depend: Let a Man's Love be once gained to Chrift, and the whole Train of the Soul's Faculty, of the outward Senfes, and Operations, will follow upon it; It was an excellent and pertinent Queftion, that Chrift asked Peter, when he was going away (if Peter had confidered Chrift's Purpofe in it, he would not have been fo hafty and difpleased) Peter loveft thou me, then feed my Sheep? If a Man Love Chrift, he will certainly ftudy to please him, and though he fhould do never fo much in Obedience, 'tis no Pleasure except it be done out of Love: O this, and more of this in the Heart,,

that is in a Man to the Pleasure of him whom he loves; therefore it fathions and conforms one even against Nature to anothers Humour and Affe&ion: It constrains not to live to our felves, but to him, its Joy and Delight is in him, and therefore all is given up and refigned to him: Now as it is certain that if you love much you will do much, fo 'tis certain that little is accepted for much, that proceeds from Love, and therefore our poor maimed and halting Obedience, is called the fulfilling of the Law; he is well pleafed with it, because Love is ill pleafed with it: Love thinks nothing too much, all too little, and therefore his Love thinks any thing from us much, fince Love would give more; he accepts that which is given, the Lover's Mite caft into the Treasure, is more than ten Times fo much outward Obedience from another Man; he meets. Love with Love; if the Soul's Defire be towards the Love of his Name, if Love offer though a farthing, his Love receiving it, counts it a Crown: Love offering a Prefent of Duty, finds many Imperfections in it, and covers any Good that is in it, feems not to regard it, and then beholds it as a Recompence; his Love receiving the Prefent from us, covers a Multitude of Infirmities that are in it. And thus what. in the Defire and Endeavour of Love on our Part,, and what in the Acceptation of what is done on his Part,, Love is the fulfilling of the Law. "Tis an ufual Proverb. all Things are as they are taken. Love is the fulfilling of the Law, because our loving Father takes it fo; he takes as much Delight in the poor Childrens Willingness, as in the more aged's Strength;

F

the

and not granting, that they had no unfound Mind, yet I am fure they use unfound Words to exprefs found Matter; the Cloaths should be shaped to the Perfon: Truth is plain and fimple, let Words of Truth alfo be full of Simplicity. I fay no more, but leave that upon you, that you hold faft even the very Words of the Scriptures, and be not bewitched by the vain Pretentions of Spirit, all Spirit, pure, and Spiritual Service, and fuch like, to the cafting off of the Word of Truth, as Letter, as Flefb; and fuch is the high Attainment of fome in thefe Days, an high Attainment indeed,

and a mighty Progrefs in the way to De ftruction, the very laft Discovery of that Antichrift and Man of Sin. Oh, make much of the Scripture, for you thall neither read nor hear the like of it in the World: Other Books may have found Matter, but there is still something in Mañner, or Words unfound; no Man can fpeak to you Truth in fuch Plainness, and Simplicity in fuch Soundness also. But here is both found Matter, and found Words, the Truth holden out truly, Health and Salvation bolden out in as wholfome a Manner as is poffible. Matter and Manner are both Divine.

Exod. iii. 13. 14. When they fall fay unto me, What is bis Name? What shall I fay? And God faid, I AM THAT I AM.

there is a God? It were almoft Blafphe my to move fuch a Question, if there were not fo much Atheism in the Hearts of Men, which makes us either to doubt, or not firmly to believe, and ferioully to confider it. But what may convince Souls of the Divine Majefty? Truly, I think, if it be not evident by its own Brightnefs, all the Reason that can be brought, is but like a Candle's-light to fee the Sun by. Yet, because of our Weaknefs, the Lord fhines upon us in the Crea: tures, as in a Glafs; and this is become the best Way to take up the glorious Bright; nefs of his Majefty, by Reflection in his Word and Works. God himself dwells in Light inacceffible, that no Man can ap

WE are now about this Queftion, What God is? But, Who can anfwer it? Or, if answered, Who can underftand it? It fhould aftonish us in the very Entry, to think that we are about to fpeak, and to hear of his Majefty, whom Eye bath not seen, nor Ear beard, "nor bath it entred into the Heart of any Creature to confider what he is. Think ye, that blind Men could have a pertinent Difcourfe of Light and Colours? Would they form any, fuitable Notion of that they had never feen, and cannot be known but by feeing? What an ignorant Speech would a deaf Man make of Sound, which a Man cannot fo much as know what it is, but by hearing of it? How then can we fpeak of God, who dwells in fuch inaccefproach unto; if any look ftraight to that fible Light, that, though we had our Eyes opened, yet they are far lefs proportioned to that refplendent Brightnefs,than a blind Eye is to the Sun's Light?

It uses to be a Queftion, If there be a God? Or, How it may be known that

Sun of Righteousness, he shall be astonish ed and amazed, and fee no more than in the very Darkness: But the best way to behold the Sun, is to look upon it in a Pail of Water; and the fureft way to know God by, is to take him up in a State

of.