488 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. VIII.
end well, while he keepeth to his duty. The New Testament also useth the same notion : 2 Cor. xiii. 4, ' Such trust we have through Christ to godward.' Confidence : 1 Tim. iv. 10, ' For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God ; ' so Eph. i. 12, 13, ' Who trusted first in Christ : in whom also ye trusted.' When we are confident that God will save his faithful servants, and are encouraged thereby to go on with our duty. Our miscarriages, fainting, and apostasy, and discomforts, are made to arise from the want of this confidence. The miscarriages of the people in the wilderness, a figure of our estate in the world, came from hence : Ps. Ixxviii. 22, ' They believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.' They were not confident of his conduct, that he would bring them into the land of rest. A man that doth not trust God cannot be long true to him ; they who do not depend upon God for salvation, and for whatever is necessary to them for salvation, and to bring them out of every strait in a way most conducing to their welfare and his own honour, have not that true believing or sound faith which God requireth of them. Well then, this trust or con- fidence must be in all, and this is more than assent, or a bare persuasion of the mind that the promises are true ; this noteth the repose of the heart, or the motion of the will towards them as good and satisfactory.
[2.] There is a confidence of our own good estate for the present, and so by consequence of our future blessedness : Phil. i. 6, ' Being confident of this very thing, that he that hath begun a good work in you will perfect it to the day of Christ ; ' when we make no doubt but that God who hath wrought faith and other christian graces in us will also consummate all in everlasting glory. This dependeth upon a sight of our qualification. This confidence is comfortable, the other absolutely necessary ; this confidence is mainly built upon the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts, the other upon the promise of the gospel ; by tlie one there is a crown of righteousness for the faith- ful, by the other it is laid up for them. The spirit and life of fliith lieth more in the former; but the joy of faith, and our comfort, dependeth upon this. A christian that is confident that God will be as good as his word is mightily encouraged to wait upon God till that word be accomplished, and that breedeth courage and resolution and boldness. But a christian that knoweth his own interest is more cheered and pleased with it. By this latter confidence a christian hath a double ground of rejoicing: the certainty of God's promise, and the evidence of his own sincerity, or the truth of grace in his own heart : 1 John iii. 1 9, ' Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.' A christian is said to be before God three ways. Either (1.) In his ordinary conversation, Gen. xvii. 1 ; 60 our hearts are assured before him when we walk in holy peace and security. (2.) We come before him in prayer and other duties. Now a christian may assure his heart before him; our legal fears are levived by the presence of God, but a christian can look God in the face. (3.) We come before him at the day of judgment. We stand before his tribunal, that we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming : 1 John iv. 17, ' That we may have bold-
VeR. 6.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHUNS V. 489
ness at the day of judgment.' Death is your summons : 2 Kings xxi. 3, ' Lord, thou knowest that I have walked before thee with a true and perfect heart.'
2. The opposites of it are disquieting doubts and fears.
[1.] Douljts are often opposed to faith, not only as it is strong assent, but as it is a quiet dependence upon God's nature and word ; as James i. 6, ' Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering ; for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with every wind, and tossed ; ' 1 Tim. ii. 8, ' Lift up holy hands, without wrath and doubt- ing ; ' Eom. iv. 20, ' He staggered not at the promise through unbelief, but hoped against hope;' Mat. xiv. 31, ' 0 thou of little faith, where- fore didst thou doubt ? ' — because he could not rest upon Christ's word.
[2.] So fears are opposite to this quiet and steady dependence : Mat. viii. 26, ' Why are ye so fearful, 0 ye of little faith ? ' In Luke it is, ' Where is your faith ? ' In Mark it is, ' How is it that you have no faith ? ' Luke viii. 50, ' Fear not, believe only.' Now the opposites of any grace do show the nature of it. If doubts and fears be so directly opposite to faith, therefore faith is a confidence as well as an assent. Now these doubts and fainting fears are everywhere opposed to faith: Ps. xxvii. 13, 'I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.' God's children are very obnoxious to temptations of fainting fears and diffidence when sharp troubles do assault them ; and therefore they ought to strengthen their confidence. Strength of assent may remove specula- tive doubts, or errors of the mind ; but strength of confidence, or quiet dependence, doth only remove practical doubts, which arise from the fears and terrors of sense, which may sometimes sorely shake us.