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

1. Would you make it any matter of wonder, for men to be more careful of their souls, more fervent in their requests to God, more fearful of offending him, and more laborious in all holy preparation for eternal life, than the holiest and precisest person that you know in all the world, if so be that Heaven and Hell were seen to them? Would you not rather wonder at the dullness and coldness, and negligence of the best, and that they are not far more holy and diligent than they are, if you and they did see these things? Why then do you not cease your wondering at their diligence? Do you not know that they are men, that have seen the Lord, whom they daily serve? and seen the glory which they daily seek? and seen the place of torments which they fly from? By Faith in the glass of Divine Revelations they have seen them.

1. Would you make it any matter of wonder, for men to be more careful of their souls, more fervent in their requests to God, more fearful of offending him, and more laborious in all holy preparation for eternal life, than the holiest and precisest person that you know in all the world, if so be that Heaven and Hell were seen to them? Would you not rather wonder at the dulness and coldness, and negligence of the best, and that they are not far more holy and diligent than they are, if you and they did see these things? Why then do you not cease your wondering at their diligence? Do you not know that they are men, that have seen the Lord, whom they daily serve? and seen the glory which they daily seek? and seen the place of torments which they fly from? By Faith in the glass of Divine Revelations they have seen them.

2. And the reason why the careless world are not as diligent, and holy as Believers, is because they have not this eye of Faith, and never saw those powerful objects, that Believers see. Had you their eyes, you would have their hearts and lives. O that the Lord would but illuminate you, and give you such a sight of the things unseen, as every true Believer hath! What a happy change would it make upon you? Then instead of your deriding or opposing it, we should have your company in the holy path: You would then be such your selves, as you now deride. If you saw what they see, you would do as they do. When the heavenly light had appeared unto Saul, he ceaseth persecuting, and enquires what Christ would have him to do, that he might be such a one as he had persecuted: And when the scales fell from his eyes, he falls to prayer, and gets among the Believers whom he had persecuted, and laboureth and suffereth more than they.