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

6. Lastly, A true believer is careful to prevent a threatened misery which he never felt; and is awakened by holy fear to fly from the wrath to come, and is industrious to escape that place of torment which he never saw, as if he had seen it with his eyes. When he heareth but the sound of the trumpet, he takes warning that he may save his soul, Ezek. 33.4. The evils that are here felt and seen, are not so dreadful to him, as those that he never saw or felt. He is not so careful and resolute, to avoid the ruin of his estate or name, or to avoid the plague, or sword, or famine, or the scorching flames, or death, or torments, as he is to avoid the endless torments, which are threatened by the righteous God. It is a greater misery in his esteem, to be really undone for ever, than seemingly only for a time, and to be cast off by God, than by all the world; and to lie in Hell, than to suffer any temporal calamity. And therefore he fears it more, and doth more to avoid it; and is ⟨p. 15⟩more cast down by the fears of Gods displeasure, than by the feelings of these present sufferings. As Noah did for his preservation from the threatened deluge, so doth the true Believer for his preservation from everlasting wrath, Heb. 11.7. [By faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an Ark, to the saving of his house, by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness, which is by faith.] God first giveth warning of the flood: Noah believeth it: not with a lifeless, but a working faith: that first moved in him a self-preserving fear: This fear moveth Noah to obey the Lord in the use of means, and to prepare the Ark; and all this was, to save himself and his house from a flood, that was as yet unseen, and of which in nature there was no appearance. Thus doth God warn the sinful world, of the day of judgement, and the fire that is unquenchable; and true believers take his warning; and believing that which they cannot see, by fear they are moved to fly to Christ, and use his means to scape the threatened calamity. By this they become the heirs of that Righteousness which is by faith, and condemn the unbelieving careless world, that take not the warning, and use not the remedy.

6. Lastly, A true believer is careful to prevent a threatned misery which he never felt; and is awakened by holy fear to flye from the wrath to come, and is industrious to escape that place of torment which he never saw, as if he had seen it with his eyes. When he heareth but the sound of the trumpet, he takes warning that he may save his soul,