Sermons preached

(1.) Faith in Christ is most fitted for the acceptance of God's free Gift. Faith and Grace do always go together, and are put as opposite to Law and Works. Rom. 4. 16. It is of Faith, that it may be of Grace. Eph. 2. 8. For by Grace ye are saved through Faith, and not of your selves, it is the Gift of God; not of Works, left any Man should boast. Faith establishes and keeps up the Interest and Honour of Grace; for it is the free Grace and Favour of God to condescend to the Rebel World, so far as he hath done in the new Covenant. We present our selves before him as those that stand wholly to his Mercy, have nothing to plead for our selves but the Righteousness and Merit of our Redeemer, by ⟨p. 36⟩virtue of which we humbly beg Pardon and Life to be begun in us by his Spirit, and perfected in Glory.

(2.) Why Faith in Christ? Because the way of our Recovery is so strange and wonderful. It can only be received by Faith; Sense cannot convey it to us, Reason will not, and nothing is reserved for the entertainment of this glorious Mystery, Pardon and Salvation by our Redeemer, but Faith alone. If I should deduce this Argument at large, I would show you nothing but Faith, or the Belief of God's Testimony concerning his Son, can support us in these Transactions with God. The Comfort of the Promise is so rich and glorious, Sense and Reason cannot inform us of it; Eye hath not seen, nor Ear heard, nor can it enter into the Heart of Man to conceive (1 Cor. 2. 9.) the things God hath prepared for them that love him. It is not meant only of Heaven, but of the whole Preparations and rich Provisions God hath made for us in the Gospel. It is not a thing can come to us by Eye or Ear, or the conceiving of Man's heart; we only believe and entertain it by Faith. And then the Persons upon whom it is bestowed are so unworthy, that certainly it cannot enter into the Heart of Man, that God will be so good, and do so much good to such? Adam, when he had sinned, grew shy of God, and ran away from him. Besides, the way God hath taken for our deliverance is so supernatural, God so loved the World, that he sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him, should not perish, but have everlasting Life. That God should become Man, that he should submit to such an accursed Death for our Sakes, is so high and glorious, it can only be entertained by Faith. Besides, our chief Blessedness lies in another World, He that lacketh Faith, is blind, and cannot see afar off. Here in this lower World, where our God is unseen, and our great Hopes are to come, where the Flesh is so importunate to be pleased, where our Temptations and Trials are so many, and Difficulties