1. The examples of Saints recorded in Scripture are a warrant to you to believe: their saith is recorded to show you what you should do, how you should carry in l•ke cases: the examples of the faith of the Saints are set down by way of commendation, they are presented before you, as a pattern that you should walk after: the record of those examples does show that such a spirit and carriage is highly approved by God: you question whether or no God will not count it presumption in you to believe under such circumstances: but this may take off that: God has recorded it in his Word, that his people have been wont to trust in him in such cases: and you are called upon by God to follow their example, Heb. 6.12 be followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promise.
2. In these examples you may see what a lovely glorious thing it is to depend upon God, and be exercising of faith in difficult cases: there is a great deal of the beauty and loveliness of grace seen in the exercise of it, it is a taking thing to see those glorious workings of saith, that were in Abraham, Sarah, Joseph, Moses and others of the Saints: the ⟨p. 348⟩Apostle says, we count them happy that endure, Jam. 5.11. so we count them happy that believe: the rules of Gods Word carry in them a commendation of themselves, but when we see them practised, they are very taking: we count the exercises of faith, that we hear of and read of excellent: and they stir us up to imitation.
3. These examples of believing do provoke unto an holy emulation: as one Scholar is provoked to emulation by the learning of another, so is one saint provoked to emulation by the faith of others, the examples of other mens faith have a tendency to make you ashamed of your unbelief, you may be ashamed to see your selves out-stripped by those that lived in darker times than you do: you may be ashamed to think that you are worse then others: that you should be more backward to honour the grace and faithfulness of God than others: these examples have a tendency to make you pluck up, that you may honour God as others have done.
1. The examples of Saints recorded in Scripture are a warrant to you to believe: their saith is recorded to shew you what you should do, how you should carry in l•ke cases: the examples of the faith of the Saints are set down by way of commendation, they are presented before you, as a pattern that you should walk after: the record of those examples does shew that such a spirit and carriage is highly approved by God: you question whether or no God will not count it presumption in you to believe under such circumstances: but this may take off that: God has recorded it in his Word, that his people have been wont to trust in him in such cases: and you are called upon by God to follow their example, Heb. 6.12 be followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promise.
2. In these examples you may see what a lovely glorious thing it is to depend upon God, and be exercising of faith in difficult cases: there is a great deal of the beauty and loveliness of grace seen in the exercise of it, it is a taking thing to see those glorious workings of saith, that were in Abraham, Sarah, Joseph, Moses and others of the Saints: the ⟨p. 348⟩Apostle says, we count them happy that endure, Jam. 5.11. so we count them happy that believe: the rules of Gods Word carry in them a commendation of themselves, but when we see them practised, they are very taking: we count the exercises of faith, that we hear of and read of excellent: and they stir us up to imitation.
3. These examples of believing do provoke unto an holy emulation: as one Scholar is provoked to emulation by the learning of another, so is one saint provoked to emulation by the faith of others, the examples of other mens faith have a tendency to make you ashamed of your unbelief, you may be ashamed to see your selves out-stripped by those that lived in darker times than you do: you may be ashamed to think that you are worse then others: that you should be more backward to honour the grace and faithfulness of God than others: these examples have a tendency to make you pluck up, that you may honour God as others have done.
