And this will appear yet further, if you consider the Nature of Faith and the worth of it. 'Tis a grace, a Gospel grace, a precious grace, whereby we do come to Christ. I say, 'Tis a grace; Nulla Virtus sine lapide. When our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, they rolled a stone over his sepulchre, and when the Disciples came, they said, Who shall roll away the stone? 1And as our Lord himself had a stone rolled upon him, so the more of Christ is in any virtue, the greater stone, and the greater difficulty is rolled upon it; every virtue, and every grace, hath one stone or other that is rolled upon it: but the more of Christ in any thing, the more, the greater is the stone that is rolled upon it. Faith is an excellent grace.2 The trial of your Faith is more precious then gold, says the Apostle; what is Faith it self then? It is the Intelligencer of the Soul, the directrix or Queen-regent of all the graces, it sits at the stern, and guides the whole Vessel. 'Tis that grace that gives a Being unto a Christian, other graces the Well-being. It is that grace that brings Christ and the Soul together: It is that grace, that covers the defects of all other graces;3 'Tis called the shield; a shield does not only cover the body, but the rest of the armour; Faith does not only cover the Soul, but the defects of all other graces. There is an excellency in grace: excellent things and jewels they are hard to come by. Therefore by it we come unto ⟨p. 195⟩Christ. He that comes over the River, must come from that side of the water, if he will come to this: And he that comes to Christ, he must come from his old Customs, and his own Engagements, and his own Righteousness: this is a hard thing. I may say in some respects, 'tis harder to believe, then to keep the ten Commandments, because there is something in nature towards them. Christ is the way to Heaven, and Faith is the way to Christ (understand it rightly) Faith is the way to Christ; now therefore it being so hard a work to believe, surely, the way to Jesus Christ must needs be laid with many difficulties, and natural discouragements. But that is but the rice.
And this will appeare yet further, if you consider the Nature of Faith and the worth of it. 'Tis a grace, a Gospel grace, a precious grace, whereby we do come to Christ. I say, 'Tis a grace; Nulla Virtus sine lapide. When our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, they rould a stone over his sepulcher, and when the Disciples came, they said, Who shall roule away the stone? 1And as our Lord himselfe had a stone roul'd upon him, so the more of Christ is in any vertue, the greater stone, and the greater difficulty is rould upon it; every vertue, and every grace, hath one stone or other that is roul'd upon it: but the more of Christ in any thing, the more, the greater is the stone that is roul'd upon it. Faith is an excellent grace.2 The triall of your Faith is more precious then gold, sayes the Apostle; what is Faith it selfe then? It is the Intelligencer of the Soule, the directrix or Queene-regent of all the graces, it sits at the sterne, and guides the whole Vessel. 'Tis that grace that gives a Being unto a Christian, other graces the Well-being. It is that grace that brings Christ and the Soule together: It is that grace, that covers the defects of all other graces;3 'Tis called the shield; a shield does not only cover the body, but the rest of the armour; Faith does not onely cover the Soule, but the defects of all other graces. There is an excellency in grace: excellent things and jewels they are hard to come by. Therefore by it we come unto ⟨p. 195⟩Christ. He that comes over the River, must come from that side of the water, if he will come to this: And he that comes to Christ, he must come from his old Customes, and his own Engagements, and his own Righteousnesse: this is a hard thing. I may say in some respects, 'tis harder to beleeve, then to keepe the ten Commandements, because there is something in nature towards them. Christ is the way to Heaven, and Faith is the way to Christ (understand it rightly) Faith is the way to Christ; now therefore it being so hard a worke to beleeve, surely, the way to Jesus Christ must needs be laid with many difficulties, and naturall discouragements. But that is but the rice.
- 1Mark 16 3
- 21 Pet. 1.7.
- 3Ephes 6.16.
