dation,it must be this, That he is much in beleeving, that he is much in receiving, that he is much in acknowledging of what grace and mercy God hath by the covenant of grace made known and brought to light. As no man would commend Gold for any thing, but for that which belongs to that Metal. Object. But you wil fay unto me, Doth it not belong unto a Chriftian that he fhould mourne and fit in filence, as you expreffed before.

I Answer, It doth; but that is not his prime part: It is not the particular thing that belongs unto him: but that by which indeed he is a Chriftian, and called a Chriftian, is his faith, is his living by Jefus Chrift upon God in the promifes. And therefore this he must do, and the more he doth of this, the more he is like himfelf. When thou canst get thy heart down, and thy foul under the feet of Jefus Chrift, thou haft done wel: but when its there, thou muft lift up thy head to behold him as wich open face, elfe thou doft not glory in thy falvation nor exalt the name of Jefus Chrift.

US E, VI.

Again my beloved, How excellent and exceeding great is the love of God unco beleevers? He is angry for their unbeleife. He doth not grudge them what they have, but is angry because they wil have no more. He doth not repeat and upbraide them of what they have had from him, except it be in cafe that they wil reft themselves in what they have. This is not after the manner of men O Lord God. As therefore (to conclude al) when you have erred and gone out of the wayes of God, you count it your duty to returne quickly, and to make haft into the paths of God again, fo having doubted, hefitated, ftuck at, que

ftioned

ftioned the promises, the greatnefs of them, the length and breadth, and depth of love, having done thus, now count it your duty quickly to reft to be perfwaded, Satisfied, fc fatisfied as to cal in quetion the love of God no more to you. A Godly man after he hath lapfed and fallen, thinks not a little measure of holinefs fufficient, he would have as much grace again in a prayer as he used to have before; and as much faith again in hearing the Word as he had before: fomthing fingular he muft de elfe he cannot be quiet: So my beloved having found your felves guilty of this fin of unbelief, that either you have not gone to Chrift frequently, or not for much, now beleeve perfectly, and beleeve al: and let but an intimation, a hint, a touch be enough to cal out your faith to Jefus Chrift. I wil fay no more, but what is faid here of our Lord, as the last nail that he would ftrike into this difcourfe, that if you be not exceeding forward to beleeve, he wil be exceeding angry. He upbraided them because of their unbeliefe. And fo much for this Text.

FINIS

Who was before a Blafphemer,and a Perfecuter, and Injurious. But I obtained Mercy, because I did it! ignorantly in unbeleife

CHAP. I.

The words opened. The firf Doctrine. Unbeleif a great fin. Firft, In regard of it felf. And that as confidered. I. Abfolutely Being. First Against the end of the Law. 1. Ceremonial. 2. Moral. Secondly, Oppofite to the Principles of Obedience. II. Comparatively. Secondly, In regard of the Perfons that commit it. As being, 1. Voluntary. 2. Against Mercy. 3. That which brings great evil upon us John. 16. 7. 8. Opened.

UT of the laft Text I fhewed you how A much God was difpleafed withthe unObeleife of beleevers. I fhal now at 73737 this time fhew you the danger of unbe. leife in general: that which may both ferve to cal men into the fellowifhip of Chrift, and provoke

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provoke alfo thofe that beleeve unto the duty, which I have formerly spoken fo much of. You fhal find it therefore thus written in 1 Tim. 1.13. But I obtained mercy, Because i did it ignorantly in unbeleife. The word [on Because] may be rendred according to the use of it in the fcripture [Although I obtained Mercy Although, for in Pfal. 25. verf. 11. you have the hebrew particle [] foufed, Have mercy upon me, and pardon me, for my fin is great: that is, although it be great. And in Acts,1. 16. 17.It is faid concerning Judas, that the fcripture muft needs bave been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost Spake concerning him who was guide to them that took Jefus, for he was numbred with us &c. that is although he was numbred with us, and obtained part of this miniftry for the intent of that place is to aggravate the fin of Judas, for this that he that fhould have been a guide to mens faith,and a helper to them to beleeve on Chrift, was a guide to their treasonable and malitious defigns. So it must be here. I obtained mercy,although what I did, I did ignorantly in unbeleife. For first, the Apostle's fcope in these words is to make his fin which God forgave, fuch a fin as was hardly ever committed before. Or ever pardoned before aud to magnify the grace of God which pardons fo great fins as he was guilty of. For he faith in verfe, 15. that he was the cheife of finners, and that he had tryed al Gods Patience In verfe. 16. And that he was a patterne of his grace for after Ages: one cut out,to fhew what God could do, there being no example before of the like finner. Malice there was in him, but if it had been anfwerable to that which he was ready to prove by nature to put forth, Had not God fuffred him to be in fome blindnefs, he had never obtained mercy from the Lord. If you render it, becaufe I did it ignorantly, then there is fome part or

ground

ground of pardon of his fin put upon the nature of his fin. Whereas he labors in al the whol Chapter to demonstrate that he went as far as a man could go, yet notwithstanding have mercy extended to him. As alfo to remove from himself every thing that might have any kind, either of caufality, or a fuitablness to the mercy received. Among al the fins which he was guilty of, there is none he makes fo great as unbeleif: for he names that as the laft, and the moit notorious one, nay as the caufe of al the reft. In unbeleife is as much as By unbeleife. As the word must be rendred. [In ] in the Greek tongue is frequently in the new Teftament as much as [By] As he that fmites in the Sword fhal perish, that is, By the Sword. Math. 26. 52. Here in unbeleife, is By unbelife, because that was his ftate, A State without God and Chrift. He was not only fitted to be tempted by Satan to a Sin, But he had a principle to joyne with Satan in the Commiffion of any fin he was tempted unto. It can hardly fal within the understanding of a man that wil underftand, that Paul fhould cry out fo much against himfelf, and yet fhould intend to extenuate his fin. He doth indeed fay that his fin was out of ignorance, but that made it only within the Compafs of pardon. And his other words fet it out as that which was a fin even upon the border of the fin against the Holy Ghoft. Even of fin unpardonable As if he fhould have faid. If I had had knowledg to much ill affection that were in me to the profeffors of religion, I had been out of the reach of that mercy which God hath purchased to diftribute and give abroad to the Sons of men. This being his fcope, that word [Because] cannot be rendred as a reafon but must be rendred [Although] There are but two fignifications in al the fcripture of that word. The one is, when the fignification of it is caufal:

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