446 FAITH TRIUMPHANT.
Therefore let us attend upon the means, upon private reading of the word and upon the ministry ; for what are the ministers but to contract Christ and the soul together ? They are ' friends of the Bridegroom,' to discover. Christ's love to us, and his loveliness, — his loveliness in himself, his riches in himself, and his love to us, to allure us again to Christ. The ministry is for this end especially, to draw Christ and the soul together. And what -is the Scripture in the intent and scope of it, but to discover to us the excellency of Christ, and the good things we have by him, his love and good intention to our souls ? Now, hearing these things in the ministry, they are clfectual, together with the Spirit, to draw our affections back again to him ; and, naturally, we cannot but love those that love us. Now, when'we are persuaded of God's love to us in Christ, and Christ's love to us (God having made our souls for love to himself, and friendship with himself, and the nearest and sweetest conjugal friendship, now there- fore) the more his love is discovered to us, the more we shall love him.
Therefore let us he constant in attending -upon good means. We shall alway hear something that will either strengthen our faith in the promises of God, or shew us our duty to God again. We shall have something dis- covered whereby the Spirit will be eflectual to help this embracing. Let us go to reading and hearing with this scope and intention. Now, I come to hear, I come to have my soul wrought on, I come to hear some message from heaven, to hear some good thing to draw my mind from the world and worldly things ; and upon hearing our duty to God, to walk lowly in thankfulness for those good things that we have, and that we hope for in another world. It is no wonder that men lose their affections that are careless in the use of means; and if they lose them, will they not lose all? The best man living, if he be careless in using the means of salvation, and give himself to the world altogether or to his calling, — things not in them- selves unlawful, — his affections will be dead, he shall lose them ; for God hath ordained that our affections should be quickened by heavenly means, and God knoweth better than we ourselves, that hath sanctified these means to this purpose. In attending upon the means, we shall hear a discovery of good things, and hear comforts, and have our light strength- ened by new discovery of new Scripture, or by old Scriptures lively applied ; something to increase the life of our persuasion, at every sermon and reading good books, and by every good company. And that which increaseth knowledge and persuasion, makes our affection and embracing stronger.
I beseech you, let us take these courses, or else all is to no purpose. The main thing in religion is the will and affections, and when the will and affections are wrought on, the work is done in the matter of grace. And there is no other way to know whether the former work of the understand- ing and persuasion be effectual and to purpose or no, but this ; to know whether the will choose and cleave to good things, and whether our affections joy and delight in them. There is the trial of the main work. The work indeed is especially in the judgment, when it hears soundly and super- naturally of the ills that are to be avoided, and of the good things that are to be embraced, but where is the trial of the judgment, but when it carries the whole soul with it, when it carries the stern of the soul with it ? Now that which is immediate to our souls is our affection of joy and delight, and the Uke. Therefore let us take to heart these things, and never think we are anything in religion till our hearts and affections be wrought upon ; till our knowledge be such as may sway that whole inward man.
FAITH TBIUMPHANT. 447
Again, consider the excellency of those good things that we have discovered to us in the gospel, that are the object of our embracing, together with the necessity of them, that without them we are wretched creatures, there is no hope for us. Let us every day consider what ground of hope we have, though the things be not yet possessed, whether the things be true that wo hope for, whether they be confirmed to be true or no, and how we rest on them. For let things be never so excellent and necessary, unless the soul conceive of them as things attainable, as things belonging to us, all is to no purpose, this effect of embracing will not be wrought in the soul. Therefore consider more and more the hopefulness of them. That may help this embracing.
A Christian, when he believes and hopes for that happiness that shall be revealed to him, the things promised, what a world of grounds of hope hath he for it ? He hath the word of God for an ' inheritance immortal and undefiled,' 1 Peter i, 4 ; he hath the will of Christ : ' Father, I will that where I am, they may be,' John xvii. 24. His prayer to his Father is his will, and his will must be performed ; for he lives for ever to make good his own legacy to his church. And he is now in heaven, preparing that happiness for us that we so embrace with faith. And he hath left us here his Spirit to be a pledge that he will come again. He hath left his Spirit, and hath taken our flesh to heaven, to strengthen our hope, that this shall follow. Our flesh is in heaven in him already, and his Spirit is in earth in us ; as a mutual depositum in trust between him and us ; and all to strengthen the hope of that happiness that is reserved.