1. Therefore Faith in Christ as a Mediator is acceptable because of the difficulty of and opposition to it; When we are seriously sensible of sin, yet to rely on the love of God in Christ is like Esthers venturing into Ahasuerus his presence, If I perish, I perish, or like the Lepers into their enemies the Syrians Camp; Thus saith the afflicted soul, If I lye despairing under the burden of my sin I am sure to be undone, I cannot find any hope within my self, It's therefore venturing on Christ; It's good to go to him, I am like that woman of the bloody Issue, that had spent all she had on Physicians, but yet could not be cured; I have run to every refuge, tried every conclusion, but still my soul cannot have any safe bottom to stand upon: Let me therefore by Faith fly to him as a Mediator; In the midst of these depths and agonies of heart to trust in Christ is an high heroical disposition, like that of Job, Though he kill me, I will trust in him, Job 13.15. Like that of the Canaanitish woman, whose faith Christ so commended, Though she were put off and called dog, and told the bread did not belong to her, Mat. 15.27. the promises of grace and pardon were not her due, yet for all that she will hold upon Christ and not let him go; Oh then consider that if thou like Peter wilt venture to go though upon the waters to him, here is a special discovery of the nobleness of thy Faith; That thou regardest Gods command and his promise more then all Satan's temptations, and the sense or suggestions of thy own soul; As it is with love to God when God doth afflict and chastise us, yet to keep up a tender fervent love to God argueth the greatness and purity of thy love, so in the midst of broken bones and trouble for sin to depend upon the grace of God in Christ argueth the excellency of Faith; Our Saviour when he said, Blessed are they that believe and see ⟨p. 217⟩not, showeth, that he who believeth, Joh. 20 9. when he hath the least prop of sense and encouragement from outward things doth put forth the purer and nobler acts of Faith; Now for Abraham to believe though Sarahs womb was a dead womb, argued stronger Faith then if she had been a fruitful woman; Thus the difficulty and opposition in such temptations makes faith the more acceptable.
1. Therefore Faith in Christ as a Mediatour is acceptable because of the difficulty of and opposition to it; When we are seriously sensible of sinne, yet to rely on the love of God in Christ is like Esthers venturing into Ahashuerus his presence, If I perish, I perish, or like the Lepers into their enemies the Syrians Camp; Thus saith the afflicted soul, If I lye despairing under the burthen of my sin I am sure to be undone, I cannot finde any hope within my self, It's therefore venturing on Christ; It's good to go to him, I am like that woman of the bloudy Issue, that had spent all she had on Physicians, but yet could not be cured; I have run to every refuge, tried every conclusion, but still my soul cannot have any safe bottome to stand upon: Let me therefore by Faith fly to him as a Mediatour; In the midst of these depths and agonies of heart to trust in Christ is an high heroical disposition, like that of Job, Though he kill me, I will trust in him, Job 13.15. Like that of the Canaanitish woman, whose faith Christ so commended, Though she were put off and called dog, and told the bread did not belong to her, Mat. 15.27. the promises of grace and pardon were not her due, yet for all that she will hold upon Christ and not let him go; Oh then consider that if thou like Peter wilt venture to go though upon the waters to him, here is a special discovery of the noblenesse of thy Faith; That thou regardest Gods command and his promise more then all Satans temptations, and the sence or suggestions of thy own soul; As it is with love to God when God doth afflict and chastise us, yet to keep up a tender fervent love to God argueth the greatnesse and purity of thy love, so in the midst of broken bones and trouble for sinne to depend upon the grace of God in Christ argueth the excellency of Faith; Our Saviour when he said, Blessed are they that beleeve and see ⟨p. 217⟩not, sheweth, that he who beleeveth, Joh. 20 9. when he hath the least prop of sence and encouragement from outward things doth put forth the purer and nobler acts of Faith; Now for Abraham to beleeve though Sarahs womb was a dead womb, argued stronger Faith then if she had been a fruitful woman; Thus the difficulty and opposition in such temptations makes faith the more acceptable.
