6. Consider the condescension of God, in parables relating to this matter, Luke xi. 8 ; he speaketh there of a man that would not rise to give loaves to another because he was his friend ; yet because of his importunity, he would not be gone else, he arose and gave him. So Luke xviii. 3-5, there was a clamorous widow and an unjust judge ; he would not avenge her of her adversary for her sake, yet he did it, for his own sake, and for his own quiet, ' lest by her continual coming she weary me.' In these parables there is a condescension to our suspicious thoughts, as if God had said, I know you think me tenacious and hard- hearted, that I am not willing to give grace ; I know these are your secret thoughts, yet if I were so, see what importunity will do. Grant it that your supposition were true, yet it becometh you to pray, and to be earnest and instant, and see what I will do for you.
Use 3. If none pray aright but those that pray in faith, then let us examine ourselves — Do we pray in faith ? How shall we know that ? Ans. By three things.
1. By the serenity and composure of your spirits in prayer. Hannah, when she had poured out her heart before the Lord, 1 Sam. i. 18, it is said, ' she went away, and her countenance was no more sad ; ' so when thou hast made thy moan to God, thou findest a great deal of ease and comfort come of it. As when the wind is shut up in the bowels of the earth it causeth terrible convulsions and earthquakes till it get a vent ; so there are many tempestuous agitations and workings of heart in us ; but then a believer can go to God, and there ease his heart by pleading his case before the Lord.
2. When thou continuest praying, though God seemeth to deny thee ; when upon a denial thou dost return and fasten the more upon him ; as the woman of Canaan cleaves the closer to Christ the more he seemed to thrust her from him. Christ says to her : Mat. xv. 26, * It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs ; ' but she answers, ver. 27, ' Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's table.' It is a sign you expect something from God when you will not be put off without it.
3. When you are satisfied with the promise before you enjoy the
154 THE LIFE OP FAITH.
thing promised : Ps. Ivi. 4, ' In God I will praise his word.' When you can praise God for his word, though as yet you have not the per- formance ; you see the blessing in the root, and this bears up your hearts.
THE LIFE OF FAITH IN HEARING THE WOED.
But the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed ivith faith in them that heard it. — Heb. iv. 2.
I AM now to show you the use of faith in hearing of the word.
It hath been sometimes said that there are many good laws, but there wanteth one good law to put them all in execution ; so it may be said you often hear good sermons, but there wanteth one good sermon to persuade 3'ou to put the rest in practice. This is the design of this text.
The apostle is proving . in the context that it concerneth us to take heed, by the example of the Israelites, that we do not miscarry through unbelief. The ground of the argument is, that we have an offer of rest as well as they, a merciful tender of eternal life, which he calleth ' a promise of entering into God's rest,' ver. 1. Though many occasions of getting and doing he spent and gone, yet whilst it is to-day this offer is continued to us ; and therefore we should stir up ourselves to lay hold of it in time. For we are in danger as well as the Israelites. Those that have like privileges may expect like judgments if they presume upon them or do not improve them. Yea, we are rather more in danger ; the gospel was preached to them but darkly and implicitly, to us more clearly and fully. Canaan was but a type and figure of the heavenly inheritance or eternal rest to be obtained by Jesus Christ ; yet their unbelief was heinous, and cost them dear. The sum of the apostle's reasoning is, they had gospel as well as we, and we shall have judgments as well as they; he giveth a reason of their judgment for our warning, — though they had gospel in the wilderness, ' yet the word preached did not profit them,' &c.
In the words take notice — (1.) Of an event ; (2.) The reason of it.
1. The event,' — The ivord preached did not profit them ; in which assertion we have —
[1.] The subject, — The word preached, \6^o<i aKor]<;, the word of hearing, they did, or might hear it,
[2.] The predicate, — Did not profit them ; that is, they got neither title to nor possession of eternal rest by it. That deserve th the name of profit, because it is the greatest good that God did ever give or man is capable of ; and all is nothing without this, loss rather than profit to the soul, Avhatever we get by it. If a man get knowledge by the word, or honour and credit by the word, by professing or preaching it, yet if he doth not get a title to heaven, or a right to enter into God's rest, he doth not profit by it — ' The word did not profit them.'