THE STREXGTH OF FAITH. 337
his fulness to our wants, and suits his grace in Christ to all our fears and troubles for their removal, doth it to increase our misery, and mock our calamity ? I speak of the heirs of promise, to whom they are made and do belong. Is it not time for you to leave disputing, and questioning the sin- cerity and faithfulness of God in all these engagements ? What farther, what greater security can we expect or de- sire? So that,
2dly. All unbelief must needs be at length totally re- solved into the stubbornness of the will. ' You will not come unto me,' saith our Saviour, ' that you may have life.' When all a man's objections are prevented, and answered; when all his wants are suited; when a ground is laid, that all his fears may be removed, and yet he keeps off, and closes not ; what can it be, but a mere perverseness of will, that rules him ? Doth not such an one say. Let the Lord do what he will, say what he can, though my mouth be stop- ped, that I have nothing wherewith to wrangle or contend any more, yet I will not believe ? Let this then be another motive, or encouragement, which, added to what was spoken before concerning God, even the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, is all I shall insist upon.
VOL. XV.
SERMON VII*
OYPANQN OYPANIA.
THE
SHAKING AND TRANSLATING
OF
HEAVEN AND EARTH.
* This sermon was preached to the Honourable House of Commons in Parlia- ment assembled, on April 19, 1649 ; a day set apart for extraordinary humiliation.
f
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
THE
.COMMONS OF ENGLAND,
ASSEMBLED IN PARLIAMENT.
Sirs, All that I shall preface to the ensuing discourse is, that seeing the nation's welfare and your own actings are therein concerned (the welfare of the nation, and your own prosperity in your present actings, being so nearly related as they are to the things of the ensuing discourse), I should be bold to press you to a serious consideration of them as now presented unto you, were I not assured by your ready attention unto, and favourable acceptation of, their delivery, that being now published by your command, such a request would be altogether needless. The subject matter of this sermon being of so great weight and importance as it is, it had been very desirable, that it had fallen on an abler hand ; as also that more space and leisure had been allotted to the preparing of it, first for so great, judicious, and honourable an audience, and secondly for public view, than possibly I could beg from my daily troubles, pressures, and temptations, in the midst of a poor, numerous, provoking people. As the Lord hath brought it forth, that it may be useful to your Honourable Assembly, and the residue of men tbat wait for the appearance of the Lord Jesus, shall be the sincere endeavour at the throne of grace of
Your most unworthy servant,
In the work of the Lord,
J. O^VE^^
Coggcsliall, May 1, lC'i'9.
340 THE SHAKIXC; AND TRANSLATING
SERMON VII.
And this word, Yet once more^ signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. — Heb. xii. 27.
The main design of the apostle in this Scripture to the He- brews, is to prevail with his countrymen, who had undertaken the profession of the gospel, to abide constant and faithful therein, without any apostacy unto, or mixture with, Ju- daism, which God and themselves had forsalcen ; fully ma- nifesting, that in such ' backsliders the soul of the Lord hath no pleasure ;' chap. x. 38.
A task which whoso undertaketh in any age, shall find exceeding weighty and difficult, even to persuade professors to hold out, and continue in the glory of their profession unto the end, that ' with patience doing the will of God, they might receive the promise ;'* especially if there be 'lions in the way j'*" if opposition or persecution do attend them in their professed subjection to the Lord Jesus. Of all that deformity and dissimilitude to the divine nature which is come upon us by the fall, there is no one part more eminent, or rather no one defect more evident, than incon- stancy and unstableness of mind, in embracing that which is spiritually good. Man being turned from his unchange- able rest,'' seeks to quiet and satiate his soul with restless movino;s towards changeable things. Now he who ' worketh all our works for us, and in us ;' Isa. xxvi. 12. worketh them also by us ;"* and therefore that which he will give, he per- suades us to have, that at once his bounty, and our duty, may receive a manifestation in the same thing. Of this na- ture is perseverance iri the faith of Christ, which as by him it is promised, and therefore is a grace; so to us it is pre- scribed, and thereby is a duty. ' Petamus ut det, quod ut habeamus jubet. August.' * Let us ask him to bestow, what he requires us to enjoy.' Yea, ' Da, Domine, quod jubes, et jube quod vis :' ' Give what thou commandest, and command what thou pleaseth.'