The Christian's charter showing the privileges of a believerThe Christian's charter shewing the priviledges of a believer

4. Labour for such an high degree of faith,¹ as to make these things to come, present. Faith and Hope are two Sisters, and are very like, they differ thus; Hope looks at the excellency of the Promise, faith at the certainty of it: now faith looking at the infallible truth of him that promiseth, thus it makes things to come present. Faith doth antedate glory, it doth substantiate things not ⟨p. 289⟩seen^*: Faith alters the Tenses, it puts the Future into the Present Tense, Psalm. 60.6. Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine, Ephraim is the strength of my head, &c. Those places were not yet subdued, but God had spoken in his holiness, he had made David a promise, and he believed it, therefore he looked upon them as already subdued: Gilead is mine, &c. So saith faith, God hath spoken in his holiness, he hath made me a promise of things to come, therefore Heaven is mine already. When one hath the reversion of an house, saith he, This house is mine, Oh that we had this Art of Faith, thus to anticipate Heaven, and make things to come present. Thou who art a Believer, Heaven is thine now; thy head is already glorified; nay, heaven is begun in thee, thou hast some of those joys which ⟨p. 290⟩are the primitiae, the first-fruits of it. A Christian by the eye of faith, through the Perspective-glass of the promise, may see into Heaven. Faith sees the Promise fulfilled before it be fulfilled. Faith sets to its hand: Item, Received so much, before it be paid. Had we a vigorous faith, we might be in Heaven before our time: That which a weak believer hopes for, a strong believer doth in some kind possess. Oh that we could often take a prospect of the Heavenly Paradise: Walk about Sihon, and go round about her, tell the towers thereof, mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her Palaces^*: So, Walk into the Heavenly Mount, see what a glorious situation it is, go tell her Towers, see what an inheritance you have; see your beauty and Nobility, behold your Scutcheon: Oh that we could