SERMON XIV. Concerning the Danger of a St. JOHN xvi. Part of 30. 31. Verfes. By this we know that thou comeft forth from God. Jesus answered them; do ye now beż lieve? IN 'N the foregoing part of this Chapter, our Saviour had difcourfed unto the Difciples, and comforted them against Tribulation byhis own Resurrection and Afcenfion,and by the Promise of fending to them the Holy Ghoft, which fhould fupply their Wants, and furnish them with Spiritual Confolations; and in all their U Con 289 V. 23. your Conflicts, fill their Minds with Joy. Te v. 22. now therefore have Sorrow, but I will fee you again, and your Heart fhall rejoice; and Foy no Man taketh from you. For though his Departure filled their Hearts with Grief, and they were under great Trouble of Mind, for the Lofs of fo dear a Friend and Companion in Sufferings; yet he tells them, that he was only going to his Father in Heaven, there to be their faithful Advocate, to obtain a ready Audience, and a gracious Anfwer to all their Prayers. Verily,Verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye fhall ask the Father in my Name,be will give it you. He tells them further, that the Father himself loveth them, because they loved him: At the hearing of thefe Things, the Fears, and the Doubts, and the Sorrows of the Difciples are cleared; this obliging Discovery he had made unto them, warmed their Hearts, and raised their Affections into a devout Extafie of Faith and Joy; immediately they declared themselves fully fatisfy'd and comforted. Now, fay they, we believe that thou cameft forth from God. Jefus answered them, do yo now believe? Which Words exprefs indeed the Affent of the Difciples and their ready Belief of what our Saviour had fpoke and promifed: yet his Answer feems to tax and blame their Faith, as fome Way or other defective. Do ye now believe? Is a tacit Rebuke, and implies the Charge and imputation of a Fault. That there was fomething in their Faith, either as to the Time, or to the Motives, or to the Sincerity of it which was juftly reprovable. From the Words therefore, I will do Two Things. I. I will briefly examine what was blameworthy in the Disciple's Faith. II. From thence I will draw fome fuitable Obfervations concerning the Nature of true Chriftian Faith in general. I. Let us briefly examine what was blameworthy in this Profeffion of the Disciples Faith. Do ye now believe? Which Speech of our Lord to them, plainly imports thus much: Why did ye not believe fooner? Did not Į give you fufficient Evidence and Means of Conviction before? Have you not long feen my Conversation, and heard my Doctrine, and been inftructed by my Miracles? Have I not told you heretofore, that I came from the Father, that I and my Father are one? Strange! That your Faith fhould not begin,. till I have just finished my Course upon Earth; and am ready to go unto my Father, and your Father unto my God, and your God. I blame it therefore, because it is fo late. Again; Do ye now believe? But what great Virtue is there in it? What Commendation ? What Thanks are due to you that you do fo? What Temptation have you to the Contrary? I have been declaring unto you the Mitiora Evangelii, the more eafie Duties, and AdvanU 2 tagious tagious Doctrines of the Gofpel: Your Faith lays hold only of my Promifes; particularly of that great Promife of fending the Comforter, my Spirit among you, when I am gone, I have not as yet difcouraged you by the Apprehenfions of Danger, and telling you what you muft fuffer for my Sake. What Difficulties are ye brought into; what Hazards do ye run by this private Confeffion of me? Your Faith therefore is not to be boafted of, because it is fo cheap and easy. Further Doye now believe? But are you fure you do believe indeed? Be well advised; Is not this a rafh and indeliberate Refolve or a fudden Paffion of Naturé, or a Civil and Formal Compliment? Look well that you be not too confident of your felves, for 1 fhall have Occafion to try you hereafter. Have you examined your own Hearts, and fecured the Grounds of your own Perfwafion? You fay indeed, that you do believe. But I (who know your Hearts better than your felves) fear that I fhall find it otherwife. True Faith will never Apoftatize, but you will forsake me by and by: For fo it follows in the very next Words to my Text. Behold, the Hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be cattered, every one to his own; and fall leave me alone. Your Faith therefore is to be blamed, because it is fo confident. Probably all thefe Defects, at leaft in fome meafure, were to be found in the prefent Faith of the Difciples: But it is certain, they are gene generally found in the Faith of Chriftians and therefore it may be ufeful to make fome further Enlargement and Obfervations upon them, with regard to the true Nature of Chriftian Faith in general which was the IL Thing I propofed, and which I princi-. pally defigned from the Words. I. First, Let us confider and make fome fuitable Obfervations, from the Lateness of the Difciples Faith. It must be acknowledged, that the Disciples did believe before, and that they had made muchwhat the fame Confeffion, upon the Sight of his former Miracles: That no Man could do thofe Miracles which he did, except God was with bim: But it must be acknowledged likewife, that their Faith hitherto, was but weak, imperfect, and labouring under great Difficulties. The common Prejudice of the Jewish Nation (under which they were born and bred) ftuck yet clofe to their Minds, viz. That the Meffiah was to fet up a Temporal State and Kingdom, and to deliver Mankind from the Inconveniencies, and Dishonours, and Sufferings of this World. For though, 'tis true, when our Saviour difcourfed unto them, concerning Perfecution, and the Crofs, the great Opinion they had of his Perfon, of his Veracity, and Goodness would not suffer them to disbelieve what he had faid; yet the great Prejudice of their Education and Country U 3 ftill |