The life of faith in three parts, the first is a sermon on Heb.…

8. Finally, Learn to Die also as Believers. The life of Faith must bring you to the very entrance into glory: where one doth end, the other begins. As our dark life in the womb by nutriment from the Mother, continueth till our passage into the open world. You would die in the womb, if Faith should cease, before it bring you to full intuition and fruition, Heb. 11.22. By faith Joseph when he died made mention of the departing of the children of Israel. Josephs faith did not die before him, Heb. 11.3. These all died in faith, confessing that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth, and declaring that they sought a better Country. They that live by faith, must die in faith; yea and die by faith too. Faith must fetch in their dying comforts. And O how full, and how near a treasure hath it to go to? To die to this world, is to be born into another. Beggars are best when they are abroad. The travail of the ungodly is better to them than their home. But the Believers home is so much better than his travail, that he hath little cause to be afraid of coming to his Journeys end; but should rather every step cry out, O when shall I be at home with Christ! Is it Earth or Heaven that you have prayed for, and laboured for, and waited, and suffered for till now? And doth he indeed pray, and labour, and suffer for Heaven, who would not come thither?

It is Faith which overcometh the world and the flesh, which must also overcome the fears of death; and can look with boldness into the loathsome grave, and can triumph over both as victorious through Christ. It is Faith which can say, [Go forth O my soul; depart in peace: Thy course is finished: Thy warfare is accomplished: The day of triumph is now at hand: Thy patience hath no longer work: Go forth with joy: The morning of thy endless joys is near; and the night of fears and darkness at an end. Thy terrible dreams are ending in eternal pleasures: The glorious light will banish all thy dreadful spectres, and resolve all those doubts which were bred and cherished in the dark: They whose employment is their weariness and toil, do take the night of darkness and cessation for their rest: But this is thy weariness: Defect of action is thy toil; and thy most grievous labour is to do too little work And thy unceasing