This is all I have to offer unto you as to living by faith under the apprehensions of those difficulties we have to conflict withal, in refer- ence to the coming in of profaneness and idolatry, wherewith we are threatened by hell and the world, which are at this day combining to- gether to bring them again upon this nation.
SERMON XIII.1
THE USE OF FAITH IN A TIME OF GENERAL DECLENSION IN RELIGION.
" The just shall live by his faith." — Hab. ii. 4.
I AM now come to the last thing that was proposed to be spoken to, and with which I shall shut up the subject, namely, —
3. How we may live by faith, under an apprehension of great and woful decays in churches, in church -members, in professors of all sorts, and in the gradual withdrawing of the glory of God from us all on that account.
I would speak unto three things: — (1.) That this is such a time of decay among us, among churches, among church-members, and pro- 1 This sermon was preached May 21, 16S0.
GENERAL DECLENSION IN RELIGION. 511
fessors of all sorts and ways throughout this nation ; yea, and other nations too, where there are any that fear God. (2.) That this is, and ought to be, a cause of great trouble and trial unto all that are true believers. And then, — (3.) I shall show you how we may live by faith in such a season, — what it is faith will do to support the soul at such a time.
(1.) That it is now such a time of decay, there are too many evi- dences of it. I will name a few things : —
[1.] A sense of it is impressed upon the minds of all the most judicious and diligent Christians, that do abound most in self-exami- nation, or do take most notice of the ways of God. Multitudes have I heard testifying of it; complaints are received from many in this nation, and the neighbouring nations, that there is a great decay, as to the power of grace and life of faith, among all sorts of professors. And some of them will go farther in their evidence, and tell us that they find the effects of it in themselves ; that they find it a matter of great difficulty, requiring great watchfulness and great diligence, in any measure to keep up themselves unto their former frames; and when they have done all, they do not attain their desire. And, to increase this evidence, we are all convinced of it, or else we are no- torious hypocrites; for I know not how often I have heard it prayed over in this very place. So that there is sent forth from God a con- viction upon the hearts and minds of spiritual, self-examining be- lievers, that churches, church-members, professors, and themselves, are under spiritual decays. This is the first evidence ; and therefore, in such a season, it was the best part of the church that made that sad complaint, Isa. lxiii. 17, "0 Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear?" They were sensible that there was a judgment of the hand of God upon them.
[2.] The open want of love that is among churches, among church- members, among professors, is another evidence of decay. I will not speak of the want of love among churches one to another ; but as to love among church-members, we have scarce the shadow of it remain- ing among us. Where men have relations, where they have acquaint- ance, where they have been old friends, where they agree in humour and converse, — there is an appearance of love ; and where they agree in a party and faction, there is an appearance of love : but upon the pure spiritual account of Christianity and church-membership, we have, I say, scarce the shadow of it left among us. I remember how it was with us, when it was a joy of heart to behold the face of one another ; — wherein there was love without dissimulation, in sincerity ; love attended with pity, compassion, condescension ; yea, love attended with delight. But it is dead in churches, dead among professors.
[3.] Another evidence of this decay is, want of delight and dili-
512 THE USE OF FAITH IN A TIME OF
gence in the ordinances of gospel worship. These ordinances were wont to be a joy of heart unto all that feared God ; but now there is so much deadness, coldness, and indifferency, — so much undervaluing of the word, self-fulness, pride, and so much an apprehension that we know every thing, — so little endeavour to tremble at every truth, by what means soever it be brought unto us, — as gives a manifest evi- dence of woful decays that are fallen upon us. Dead preachers ! dead hearers ! — all things now go down among the churches of God and professors in these nations. And this is attended with two desperate evils; one of which I heard of but lately (but upon inquiry, I find it to be a far greater evil than I took it to be), namely, men — under an apprehension that they do not see others enlivened nor quickened as they were wont to be" by the ordinances of divine worship, and find- ing no such thing in their own hearts neither (in all probability find- ing themselves to grow dead and useless) — are fallen into an opinion that there is an end of them, and that they ought to attend unto them no more. And this doth befall some that have long walked soberly and with great diligence in the use of ordinances: some in this city, and in other places, are led by foolish delusions to it, because they do not find the spirit, and life, and power of the word and ordinances in themselves and, as they think, in others. A godly and learned minis- ter, that showed me a discourse written upon this subject, in defence of ordinances, did acquaint me with so great a number falling into this abomination, that I did not think it had been possible. This is one of the evils.