(4.) The last and greatest of all is confidence at his coming : 1 John ii. 28, 'When he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.' We feel the comfort of it when we seriously think of death, or when God summoneth us into his pre-
VeR. 6.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 491
sence : 2 Kings xx. 3, ' I beseech thee, 0 Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart.' We know that we shall receive a crown of righteousness at his appearing. Before they look for it, and wait for it with confidence. A christian should cherish no other confidence but what will be approved then, what will hold out then. If our confidence cannot bear tlie thoughts of it and supposition of it, how will it bear the day itself ?
4. The properties of this confidence.
[1.] It is an obediential confidence or affiance ; for he that hopeth for mercy is thereby bound to duty and obedience ; for mercy must be had in God's way, and we cannot depend upon his rewards unless we regard his precepts: 1 Peter rv. 19, 'Commit the keeping of your souls to him in well-doing.' We come to the one by the other ; yea, the one breedeth the other : Ps. cxix. 166, ' Lord, I have hoped for thy sal- vation, and have done thy -commaradments.' Dependence certainly begets observance ; and if we look for all from God, certainly we will be faithful to him, and keep close to his ways. It is a lazy presump- tion, not a chi'istian confidence, that consisteth with disobedience ; both the promises and the precepts are the objects of faith : Ps. cxlx. 166, ' I have believed thy commandments.' Our believing the one breedeth confidence in the other ; our believing the other breedeth obedience, but they must both go together. If there be any difference in believing these by a right faith, it is weaker in the promises than in the precepts ; because the precepts commend themselves to our consciences by their own light and evidence ; the promises contain mere matter of faith, and lie farther out of the view of sense and reason. Well then, if we believe these laws to be God's laws, and these promises to be God's promises, our sense of duty will be at least equal with our hope of mercy. Certainly confidence, and relying upon the mercy of God for salvation, may be less than our eare to walk in obedience ; ordi- narily, greater it cannot be.
[2.] This confidence must be well rooted, that fear of persecution may not scorch it, nor the cares and pleasures of the world choke it : Col. i. 23, ' Continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.' We must be thoroughly persuaded that it is the very truth of God, and venture our souls and all our concernments and interests upon this bottom, when we seriously consider what we do. There is a slight and superficial confidence •which soon vanisheth away, as the seed that ' fell upon the stony ground soon sprung up, for it had not ranch depth of earth, but as soon •withered, because it had no root,' Mat. xiii. 5, 6. Some may readily receive the offers of eternal life, but the word is not ingrafted in their hearts. No, the confidence of faith must be sound and permanent, sucii as is not easily shaken with the winds of temptation.
[3.] It must be predominant, and in some degree of sovereignty in the soul, not only over our doubts and fears, but over our lusts and carnal affections, subduing the heart to God, and vanquishing the devil, the world, and the flesh. The world : 1 John v. 4, ' For whoso- ever is born of God overcometh the world ; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.' And taming the flesh : Acts sv. 9, ' Purifying their hearts by faith, and mastering our carnal deshes
492 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. VIII.
and affections. Eesisting the devil, 1 Peter v. 9. It showeth us better things, with which our minds are wholly taken up. Every man's heart cleaveth most strongly to those things which he judgeth best. Now faith showing us the things of the other world, present things are lessened in our eyes, and our desires to them abated. A slight and superficial confidence soon vanisheth away ; they are not able by it to vanquish temptations : John xii. 42, 43, ' Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many believed on him ; but, because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.' It is such a dependence upon the mercy of God in Jesus Christ as to count it ' better than life,' Ps. Ixiii. 3 ; such a value of the blessing promised as will counterbalance the temporal good or evil which the devil, the world, and the flesh oppose to their good or evil. Men may have some beginnings or dispositions to true faith, but they are weak and feeble, and so are soon overmastered by worldly and carnal respects, and cannot prefei- the service of Christ before the glory of the world : John V. 44, ' How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only ? '