The works of George Swinnock, M.A

As Faith in the Promises, so also Faith in the Threatenings makes the Christian a Conqueror over the worlds affrightments, where the World threatens Bonds, and Whips, and Dungeons, and Death, if the Christian will not sin against God, and begins to stagger the soul. Take heed what thou dost, saith Faith, for God threateneth Fire, and Brimstone, and Chains, and Blackness of Darkness for ever, as the wages of all sin. Is the Wrath of an Infinite God, not more to be feared then of weak dying Men? Is the pains of a violent death, which will quickly be over, and the most the World can do against thee, comparable to the pains of eternal death? And thus Faith by the terror of this great Ordinance, drowns the noise of those small pieces, that the soul is deaf to their report.

As Faith in the Promises, so also Faith in the Threatnings makes the Christian a Conquerour over the worlds affrightments, where the World threatens Bonds, and Whips, and Dungeo•s, and Death, if the Christian will not sin against God, and begins to stagger the soul. Take heed what thou dost, saith Faith, for God threateneth Fire, and Brimstone, and Chains, and Blackness of Darkness for ever, as the wages of all sin. Is the Wrath of an Infinite God, not more to be feared then of weak dying Men? Is the pains of a violent death, which will quickly be over, and the most the World can do against thee, comparable to the pains of eternal death? And thus Faith by the terror of this great Ordinance, drowns the noise of those small peices, that the soul is deaf to their report.

2. Faith enableth the soul to overcome the allurements of the world. If the world cannot terrify the Saint with its fiery Furnace, to disown and deny his Saviour, it will seek to enchant him with its Music, and thereby to make him deaf to the Call and Commands of Christ. Thus it served Joseph; When it could not prevail on the left hand, by selling him for a slave, it trieth him on the right hand, by setting a Delilah to tickle him with pleasure; but by Faith he saw the Hook under the Bait, and durst not nibble at it, much less swallow it. Though the world like Jezebel, painteth her face, and tireth her hair, to render her amiable and lovely, and as a Strumpet, showeth her naked Breasts of pleasure and profit, to entice the believer to go a Whoring after her; yet he vieweth by Faith the deformity of her person,