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

1. It will breed fear and horror in your minds, and make you wish that it were not true, that there is a day of Judgement, and a Hell for the ungodly, and such a God, such a Christ, and such a life to come, as the Gospel doth describe: And when you take it for your interest to be an unbeliever, you will hearken with desire to all that the Devil and Infidels can say: And you will the more easily make your selves believe that the Gospel is not true, by how much the more you desire that it should not be true. 2. And you will forfeit the grace which should help you to believe; both by your wilful sin, and by your unwillingness to believe: For who can expect that Christ should give his grace to them, who wilfully despise him, and abuse it: Or that he should make men believe, who had rather not believe? Indeed he may possibly do both these, but these are not the way, nor is it a thing which we can expect. 3. And this guilt, and fear, and unwillingness together, will all keep down your thoughts from Heaven; so that seldom thinking of it, will increase your unbelief: and ⟨p. 146⟩they will make you unfit to see the evidences of truth in the Gospel, when you do think of them, or hear them: For he that would not k••w cannot learn. Obey therefore according to the knowledge which you have, if ever you would have more, and would not be given up to the blindness of Infidelity.

1. It will breed fear and horrour in your minds, and make you wish that it were not true, that there is a day of Judgement, and a Hell for the ungodly, and such a God, such a Christ, and such a life to come, as the Gospel doth describe: And when you take it for your interest to be an unbeliever, you will hearken with desire to all that the Devil and Infidels can say: And you will the more easily make your selves believe that the Gospel is not true, by how much the more you desire that it should not be true. 2. And you will forfeit the grace which should help you to believe; both by your wilfull sin, and by your unwillingness to believe: For who can expect that Christ should give his grace to them, who wilfully despise him, and abuse it: Or that he should make men believe, who had rather not believe? Indeed he may possibly do both these, but these are not the way, nor is it a thing which we can expect. 3. And this guilt, and fear, and unwillingness together, will all keep down your thoughts from Heaven; so that seldom thinking of it, will increase your unbelief: and