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care to support it; and he has done so many times to many of his people, and they have been only obliged to God's faithfulness in keeping his word.

Lastly, It is hard to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, in the sight of death and judgment. That is the great trial of a man's profession of his faith: this is the great wind, and storm, and rain, that beats upon the house, and tries how well it is built. It is an easy matter to make a profession in a fair day, and keep to it; but when this storm. comes, it is a great matter to hold it fast. How many sad instances are there? Many, nay most Christians unconcernedly sit down, and think sometimes that they have faith enough for their daily work; but they do not know what provision they have for this great trial, the very foresight of death and judgment. Death looks near, when it enters, as it were, deeply into the meditation and thought of the heart of a poor sinner. Canst thou maintain the hope thou professedst the other day? canst thou look on death and judgment as near at hand, and say, "I retain the same confidence and hope of eternal life, “that I had when I thought these things were afar off?” The apostle therefore did express his faith extraordinarily, and professed it highly, when he sang, O death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law: but thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. xv. 55, 56, 57. He reckons himself, by faith, as sure of the victory, as if already possessed of it. The believer can, by a strong faith, sing the praise of victory, before the battle be half ended for the apostle Paul had not yet known what death and the grave were; he knew them only by faith, and knew who had overcome death, and knew that he had an interest in him that had Overcome both.

SERMON III.

HEBREWS X. 23.

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful that hath promised.

I HAVE spoke unto the exhortation to the duty that is in the first part of the verse, Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering. The apostle, ye see, joins himself in the exhortation; and, as it were, exhorts himself, whilst he exhorts them. That great apostle, who had so much faith, who had made so noble a profession of it, joins himself with the rest of believers, Let us hold fast, &c. Paul's faith was greater than that of the Hebrews; his profession and confidence higher; his stock richer; he joins himself equally with them let us all mind this. Upon this I have spoken unto these two things:

1. That which is the matter that this exhortation is conversant about, and that is the profession of faith, or the confession of our hope; and of that I spoke under this note, That whoever they be that have Christian faith and hope, they should make a Christian profession or confession of it.

2. The second thing in the words is the duty he calls to, with respect to this profession; and that is, holding it fast without wavering; and of that I spake last day, that Christians should be stedfast in their profession, not moved away from the hope of the gospel, Col. i. 23. This first part of the verse I shall dismiss with two things, and proceed to his argu

ment.

The first is this, That it is a mighty hard thing to make a true profession of faith. Secondly, It is a mighty hard thing to keep it when it is made.

First, It is a mighty hard thing to make a true profession of faith. I do not mean it is, hard for folks to say they believe, that is as easily said as another word is; but to make a true profession of faith, is a matter of great difficulty. No man can make a true profession of faith, but he that hath true

faith. This is certain and evident in itself; for if a man make profession of what he hath not really, it is but a lie, and a lie of a gross sort, No man can make a true profession of faith, but the man who hath not only true faith, but hath some sort of knowledge that he hath it; for the profession of faith is something besides the acting of faith. The acting of faith is, that it be wrought in the heart; the profession of faith is, a confident owning of that act before God, and men, and devils. They are witnesses of mens profession, but the Lord only is the witness of the truth and sincerity of faith; but when faith is come to profession, it is known to more than God. Now, that I may illustrate this in a few things, That it is a hard thing to make a true profession of faith, I would speak a little to both the words, that in our translation, and that in the original. We call it profession of faith; the original is, the confession of our hope.

1st, To take it for profession of faith: I believe, the first word in the apostle's creed, applied to divine things, is in some the greatest lie in the world. Most persons are guilty of lying in saying, I believe; for God and their own consciences may tell them, that though their tongues speak the words, their souls are strangers to the power and truth of this believing. I will name some few of the heads that people commonly profess faith on; and when they are seriously considered, it will be found that the faith of them is very rare.

1. To begin with that which the apostle calls the first thing that a man must believe, that God is, Heb. xi. 6. He that cometh unto God, must believe that he is. How uncharitably would people think themselves to be dealt with, if they were charged with want of faith as to God's being? How confident are people that they are sincere, at least in this, "I believe that "there is a God ?" Pray consider what there is in this believ ing. He dwelleth in light that no man can approach to; whom no man hath seen, nor can see. Whenever his glory shines in any manner before the eyes of a creature, it is enough to confound him. Do men believe that there is a God, that live plainly as if there were none? Do men believe that there is a God, in whose presence they are continually, and in the mean time have no awful thoughts of him? the true faith of the be

ing of a God would, make the world a most miserable world, unless Christ were known, and God in Christ. There is nothing more terrible to a man, as a man, and as a sinner, than any displays of the glory of God, unless there be some discovery of this glory, as shining in grace towards men. There is more spiritual sense, I believe, than commonly is conceived, in that Old Testament word, I shall die, for I have seen God. Jacob wondered at the matter, and called the name of the place Peniel: for, says he, I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved, Gen. xxxii. 30.

2. A future state, and the soul's immortality. How commonly do men pretend to believe that they know Ged in Christ, that they believe the truth of Christ, and the mystery of God manifest in the flesh? He that can believe this well, may believe any thing. Let people be firm in the spiritual belief of it, they are fit to believe any thing; that God became man, Luke i. 35. Gal. iv. 4.; that this man is God over all, blessed for ever; that this man came in the fulness of time, and laid down his life a ransom for many. There is nothing about Christ Jesus, or about the whole mystery of the gospel, but is incredible to a natural man, and to natural reason. When Paul spake about one point, the resurrection of the dead, O king Agrippa, says he, why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? Acts xxvi. 8. Here are matters far more incredible: That God should become man; that this man should be still God over all, blessed for ever; that this man is made the great ark for the salvation of all the elect of God. Do not run away easily with an imagination, that it is a common and ordinary thing to believe the truth of gospel-doctrine. People will say, it is very easy to believe what is written in the Bible; it is a hard matter to believe, they may say, their own salvation; and that the one is a great deal easier than the other. If there be a firm assent begotten by the Spirit of God upon the heart, as to the foundation-truth of the gospel, the particular application of that to thy soul for thy salvation will be found an easy thing. Pray now, wherefore is it said so often in the word, that faith is the gift of God; that faith is of the operation of God; that Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of faith? It certainly points forth this to you, That believing

is a mighty hard thing; that divine power is needful to be get it, and bring it forward, and act it, and maintain it.

Again, take the matter as to our hope, there is great difficulty to avow the hope of eternal life. It is a hope of the greatest blessing that can be conceived, it is a hope bottomed only upon the pure word of God. When you examine your hearts, you find some hopes of being saved; and that, in the day of the Lord, you shall stand with peace and confidence before your judge; why so? wherefore do you hope for this? Is it not because God hath said it? is it not because the God that cannot lie hath spoken it? If you expect to be saved upon any other ground, but because God hath said it, ye must change your minds ere ever you be saved; for ye are off the rock, ye are off the sure foundation that all God's Israel must rest upon. This hope is a hard thing to have and to maintain, because it is a hope that is assaulted; there is no natural probability for it, and a great many difficulties lying in its way. What is there now that can befriend the matter in the eye of sense and reason? There is a poor creatufe under all the frailties of body and mind, that are either natural to us as men, or that grow and creep upon us by age, and that are in us because of sin; our hope is, that we shall be perfect in soul and body in the enjoyment of God. Now we are encumbered with imperfections every day, and nothing so common and sensible as distance from him, and there is no probability of coming nearer. It is a probable thing that a young child may live and grow to be a man or woman, it is probable that a young plant may grow to be a tree; these are the common works of God in his providence, in guiding of this world; but what is there of probability, by philosophy, by reason, or sense, unto a poor Christian's attaining the posses sion of his hope? There is none for it, but a great many, on the contrary, against it. There is the law, conscience, sin, Satan, and the world, all combating our hope every day. Sơ that from this you may see it is a mighty difficult matter to make a true profession of faith; a man must have that faith or hope, before he can truly profess them; these things are hard to come by, and hard to keep.

Secondly, It is as hard to hold fast the profession of faith, VOL. III.

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