The poor doubting Christian drawn to Christ. Wherein the main hindrances, which keep men…

Answ. To answer this, Thou shalt never believe upon these Terms; for, thou must not first have Faith, and then go to the Promise, but must first go to the Promise for the Power of that Faith: From the Promise thou must receive Power to Believe. And therefore say with the Prophet, Psal. 119.49. O Lord remember thy Word to thy Servant, wherein thou hast caused me to Trust. When Men are enlarged in Love to a Man, and make fair Weather of Promises unto him; this persuades him to trust unto them, and to rely upon them for good to come; therefore he saith, I durst never so much as have thought of it, much less expected it, if you had not promised so much. And even so here; the Promise of GOD (made to the Soul) makes the Soul to rest upon what is promised.

Answ. To answer this, Thou shalt never believe upon these Terms; for, thou must not first have Faith, and then go to the Promise, but must first go to the Promise for the Power of that Faith: From the Promise thou must receive Power to Believe. And therefore say with the Prophet, Psal. 119.49. O Lord remember thy Word to thy Servant, wherein thou hast caused me to Trust. When Men are enlarged in Love to a Man, and make fair Weather of Promises unto him; this perswades him to trust unto them, and to rely upon them for good to come; therefore he saith, I durst never so much as have thought of it, much less expected it, if you had not promised so much. And even so here; the Promise of GOD (made to the Soul) makes the Soul to rest upon what is promised.

To expect Faith without a Promise, is as if a Man should expect a Crop of Corn without Seed; for the Promise is the immortal Seed of GOD'S Word, whereby the SPIRIT breeds this Faith in the Hearts of all that are his. So Christ, John 5.25. The Hour is ⟨p. 92⟩coming, and now is, when the Dead shall hear the Voice of the SON of GOD, and they that hear it, shall live: It is spoken of raising of a dead Man from the Grave of Sin: First, There is the Voice of CHRIST to the Soul, before there can be an Echo again of that Soul to CHRIST; and so the Power of the Promise must first come to the Soul, and we must first hear the Voice of GOD in the Promise, before we can return an Echo back again to the LORD: The LORD must say, Come to me, before the Soul can say, I come, Lord. Therefore when thou seest much Deadness, and dead unfitness of Heart in thee to the Promise, do not thou then leave, and give off, and say, 'Thus I am, and so it is with me,' and so an End; but go to the Promise and say, 'Whatsoever Frailties I find in my self, yet I will look to the LORD, and to his Promise; for if I want Faith, the Promise must settle me, and I must not bring Faith to the Promise, but receive Faith from it to believe; and therefore I will wait upon GOD till he please to work it. Thus for the third Means.