For an unboly unrenewed foul, that yesterday was drowned in flesh, and laught at threatnings, and fcorned reproofs, to be fuddenly fnatcht into another world; and fee the Heaven that he hath loft, and feel the Hell which he would not believe: to fall into the gulf of bottomlefs eternity, and at once to find, that Joy and Hope are both departed, that borrour and grief muft. be his company, and Defperation hath lockt up the door: O what an amazing change is this! If you think me troublesom for mentioning fuch ungrateful things, what a trouble wil it be to feel them? May it teach you to prevent that greater trouble, you may well bear this. Find but a medicine against death, or any fecurity for your continuance here, or any prevention of the Change, and I have done: But that which unavoidably must be feen, fhould be foreseen.

But the unfeen world is not thus mutable, Eternal life is begun in the Believer. The Church is built on Chrift the Rock; and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. Fix here, and you fhall never be removed."

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Hence followeth another difference: The mutable creature doth impart a difgraceful mutability to the foul that chufesh it. It disappointeth and deceiveth: And therefore the ungod ly are of one mind to day, and another to morrow! In health they are all for pleasure, and commodity, and bonour and at death they cry out on it as deceitful Vanity: In health they cannot abide this ftri&tness, this meditating, and feeking, and preparing for the life to come; but at death or judgement, they will all be of another mind! Then O that they had been fo wife as to know their time: and O that they had lived as holily as the best! They are now the bold oppofers and reproachers of an holy life: But then they would be glad it had been their own: They would eat their words, and will be down in the mouth, and ftand to never a word they fay, when fight, and fenfe, and judgement, fhall convince them.

But things unchangeable do fix the foul. Piety is no matter for Repentance, Doth the Believer speak againft fin and finners and for an holy, fober, righteous life? He will do fo to the laft: Death and Judgement fhall not change his mind in this, but much confirm it. And therefore he perfeveres through sufferings, to death, Rom. 8. 35,36,37. [For this

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Cause we faint not: but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day: For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us afar more exceeding eternal weight of glory: While we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things which are not feen: For the things which are feen are temporal, but the things which are not feen are eternal, 2 Cor. 4. 16, 17.

6. Lastly, let this move you to live by a foreseeing Faith, that it is of neceffity to your falvation. Believing Heaven, mult prepare you for it, before you can enjoy it. Believing Hell, is neceffary to prevent it. Mark 16. 16. John 3. 18, 36. [The just fhall live by Faith, but if any man draw back (or, be lifted up) the Lord will have no pleasure in bim. Heb. 10. 38. Hab. 2. 4: Take beed that there be not in any of you an evil beart of unbelief, to depart from the living God. H.b. 3 12. And be not of them that draw back to perdition, but of them that believe to the faving of the foul. Heb. 10. 39. It is God that faith [They fall all be damned that believed not the truth, but bad pleasure in unrighteousneß.] 2 Thef. 2. 10, 11, 12.

May I now in the conclufion more particularly exhort you, 1. That you will live upon things foreseen. 2. That you will promote this life of faith in others, according to your feveral capacities.

Princes and Nobles live not alwaies: You are not the Rulers of the unmoveable Kingdom; but of a boat that is in an hafty ftream, or a fhip under fail, that will speed both Pilot and Paffengers to the fhore. Dixi, eftis Dii: at moriemini ut bomines. It was not the leaft or worst of Kings, that faid. [I am a stranger upon carib] Pfal. 119. 19 Vermis fum, non bomo: I am a worm, and no man,, Pfal. 22. 6. You are the greater worms, and we the little ones: but we muft all fay with Fob, cb.17.13, 14. [The grave is our boufe, and we must make our beds in darkness: Corruption is our Father, and the Worm our Mother and our Sifter.] The inexorable Leveller is ready at your backs, to convince you by unrefiftible argument, that duft you are, and to duft you shall return. Heaven fhould be as. defirable, and Hell as terrible to you as to others. No man will

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fear you after death: mach lefs will Chrift be afraid to judge you. Luke 19. 27. As the Kingdoms and glory of the world were contemned by him in the hour of his temptation; fo are they inconfider able to procure his approbation. Truft not therefore to uncertain riches. Value them but as they will prove at laft. As you ftand on higher ground than others,it is meet that you should fee further. The greater are your advantages, the wifer and better you (hould be: and therefore should better perceive the difference between things temporal and eternal. It is alwaics dark where thefe glow-worms fhine, and a rotten poft doth feem a fire.

Your difficulties alfo fhould excite you; You must go as through a Needles eye to Heaven. To live as in Heaven, in a crowd of bufinefs, and ftream of temptations, from the conhuence of all worldly things, is fo hard, that few fuch come to Heaven. Withdraw your felves therefore to the frequent ferious fore-thoughts of eternity, and live by faith.

Had time allowed it, I fhould have come down to fome particular inftances: As, 1. Let the things unfeen be fill at hand, to answer every temptation, and fhame and repel each motion to fin.

2: Let them be fill at hand, to quicken us to duty, when backwardnefs and coldness doth furprize us. What, fhall we do any thing coldly for eternity?

3. Let it refolve you what company to delight in; and what fociety to be of, even those with whom you mult dwell for ever: What fide foever is uppermoft on earth, you may forefee which fide hall reign for ever.

4. Let the things invifible be your daily folace, and the fatifaction of your fouls. Are you flandered by men? Faith tells you, it is enough that Chrift will justifie you. O happy day, when he will bring forth our righteousness as the light, and fet all ftrait, which all the falfe hiftories, or flanderous tongues or pens in all the world made crooked. Are you frowned on or contemned by men? Is it not enough that Is it not enough that you fhall everlaftingly be honoured by the Lord? Are you wronged, oppressed, or trodden on by pride or malice? Is not Heaven enough to make you reparation? and eternity long enough for your joyes? O pray for your malicious enemies, left they fuffer more than you can with them. 2. Lastly,

2. Lastly, I should have become on the behalf of Christ, a petitioner to you for protection and encouragement to the heirs of the invifible world. For them that preach, and them that live this life of faith: not for the honours and riches of the world, but for leave and countenance to work in the Vineyard, and peaceably travel through the world as ftrangers, and live in the Communion of Saints, as they believe. But, though it be for the beloved of the Lord, the apple of his eye, the people that are fure to prevail and raign with Chrift for ever; whofe prayers can do more for the greatett Princes,than you can do for them; whofe joy is haftened by that which is intended for their forrow, I shall now lay by any further fuit on their behalf.

But for your felves, O ufe your feeing and fore-feeing faculties: Be often looking through the profpective of the promife and live not by fenfe on prefent things; but live as if you faw the glorious things which you say you do believe. That when worldly titles are infignificant words, and fleshly pleafures have an end, and Faith and Holiness will be the marks of honour; and, unbelief and ungodlinefs the badges of perpetual fhame, and when you mult give account of your Stewardship, and fhall be no longer Stewards, you may then. by brought by Faith unto Fruition, and fee with joy the glorious things that you now believe. Write upon your Palaces and goods, that fentence, 2 Pet. 3.11. Seeing all these things Shallbe diffolved, What manner of perfons ought ye to be in all boly converfation and godliness, looking for, and bafting to the coming of the day of God!

HEB.

HEBREWS 11. 1.

Now Faith is the fubftance of things hoped for; evidence of things not Jeen.

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the

"CHAP. I.

For Conviction.

N the opening of this Text, I have already thewed, that it is the nature and use of Faith to be inftead of presence and fight; or to make. things abfent future and unfeen, to be to us, as to our Eftimation, Refolution and Converfation, as if they were prefent, and before our eyes: Though not as to the degree, yet as to the fincerity of our acts. In the handling of this Doctrine, I have already fhewed, that this Faith is a grounded juftifiable knowledge, and not a fancy, or uneffectual opinion; having for its object the infallible Revelation,and certain Truth of God; and not a falfhood, nor a meer probability or verifimile. I have fhewed how fuch a Faith will work; how far it should carry us, if its evidence were fully entertained and improved, and how far it doth carry all that have it fincerely in the leaft degree; and I have shewed some of the moving confiderations, that fhould prevail with us to live upon the things unfeen, as if they were open to our fight.

I think I may fuddenly proceed here to the remaining part of the Application, without any recital of the explication or confirmation, the truth lying fo naked in the Text it felf.

The Life of Faith, and the Life of Senfe, are the two waics

that