Practical truths, plainly delivered: wherein is shewed, I. That true believers on Jesus Christ, shall as certainly enjoy everlasting life in heaven, as if they were there already. II. That there is a blessed marriage between Jesus Christ the son of God, & the true believer. III. That men are infinitely concerned, not only to hear the voice of Christ, but that they do it, to day. IV. The work of the ministry, described, in an ordination sermon. / By Increase Mather, D.D. ; [Seven lines of Scripture texts]

SERMON, I. True Believers on Jesus Christ shall have Ever|lasting Life in Heaven.

JOHN, VI. 47.

Verily, Verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me, hath everlasting Life.

IN the beginning of this Chapter, we have the History of a Miracle wrought by our Lord Jesus Christ, in feeding five thousand Men with only five loaves and two small fishes. The Jews were much affected with the Miracle, so as that they designed to take him by force and make him a King. Where|upon he withdrew from them, and privately crossed the Sea (or Lake) of Tiberias, and went over to Caparnaum. The next day a great Multitude followed him thither, which

they did not that they were convinced by the Miracles (altho' that was enough to con|vince them) that he was the Messiah, nor out of any love to his Person or to his Doctrine, but out of love to the Loaves. Christ reproved them, and exhorted them to mind Earthly things less, and Spiritual things more; the Meat which endures to E|verlasting Life, which he would give them, and not that which perisheth. Wherefore Christ Preached an admirable Sermon, con|cerning the Bread of Life, that Bread which if a Man eateth of it, he shall not die but live for ever. There are especially two par|ticulars contained in his Sermon, viz. A Declaration what is meant by the Bread of Life, and who they are that eat that Bread. He gives them to understand that He him|self is that Bread, and that Believers are they that eat that Bread. It is by Faith that the Souls of Men feed upon Christ, and are made partakers of Eternal Life. This is as|serted by Christ in the Words before us, with the greatest solemnity. He pronoun|ceth it with a double Verily, or as it is in the Original, Amen, importing the great|est certainty. Amen, Amen. I say unto you, I who am the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who never did nor can speak an untruth, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath Everlasting Life. If Christ is the Bread of Life, and Faith is a feeding on him, it necessarily follows, that the Belie|ver

shall have Everlasting Life. By Life happiness is ment. The happy Life is not to be enjoyed in this, but in another World, not Earth, but Heaven is the World where Everlasting Life is to be had.

The Doctrine then before us, is,

DOCT. That the True Believer on Jesus Christ shall most certainly enjoy Everlast|ing Life and Happiness in Heaven.

The Doctrine may be Opened and Con|firmed in several Propositions.

PROP. I. In Faith there is implyed an Assent of the Understanding to the Truth of the Gospel, and a Consent of the Will to ac|cept of Christ as offered in the Gospel. This I take to be a true and a clear description of Faith. It is the Soul that Believeth and closeth with Christ. Lam. 3.24. The Lord is my portion saith my soul. The Soul is of|ten called the Heart in the Scripture, Rom. 10.10. With the heart man believeth unto righ|teousness. Then both the Understanding and the Will of the Believer are given to Christ, these being the two essential faculties of a Reasonable Soul.

I. Faith implies a work of God on the Understanding inlightning it, and causing an Assent to the great Truths of the Gospel. It implies a giving Credit to divine Testi|mony.

It is expressed in the Scripture by a full assurance of Understanding, Col. 2.2. The Believer does not only think that the mystery of the Gospel is Truth, but He is sure of it. Hence Peter speaking in the Name of all true Believers, sayes, We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living God, Joh. 6.69. There must be Knowledge in the Head or there will not be Faith in the Heart. No Man will believe in an Unknown Christ. Joh. 10.38. That you may know and believe. Yea, Knowledge is so Essential to Faith, as that Faith is sometimes called Knowledge, Isai. 53.11. By his Knowledge. i. e. by the knowledge of him, my righteous Servant: it is Christ the Righteous, who is there called Gods righteous Servant, shall justify many. It is by Faith that many are justified. In special the Believer giveth a full Assent to that great Truth of the Gospel, that the promised Messiah is come, and that our Jesus is He. Christ said to Martha, who|soever liveth, and believeth in me shall never die: Believest thou this? She said unto him, yea, Lord, I believe, that thou art the Christ, the Son of God that should come into the World, Joh. 11.27. He believeth what the Gospel reveals concerning the Person of Christ: That he is God and not Man only, but God and Man in One Person. And he believes the Truth relating to the Office of Christ, that there is One Mediator between God and Man, the Man Christ Jesus: And the Truth

which concern Christs State of Humiliation and Exaltation. That he dyed, and was made a Sacrifice for the Sins of his People, and rose again the third day, and is ascended to Heaven, and is at the right hand of God, Angels being made subject to him, and will come again at the last day to Judge the World. That Man that does disbelieve or deny any one fundamental Article of the Christian Religion, cannot be a true Belie|ver on Christ. But altho' the Faith of As|sent is necessary, it is not alone a Saving Faith. For many Hypocrites and Repro|bates have it. There were chief Rulers a|mong the Jews of whom it is said that they believed, but they did not confess their Faith, For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God, Joh. 12.42, 43. That decla|red them to be no true Believers. For there is not a true Believer in the World that loves the praise of Men (though they may love it too much) more than the praise of God. Moreover, their declining to make a Con|fession of Christ, discovered their want of a Saving Faith. For with the heart Man be|lieveth, and with the Mouth Confession is made to Salvation. If a Man will not Confess Christ before all the World, that's a sure sign that his heart doth not truly believe on him. Believers in the Primitive times would o|penly Confess the Name of Christ, when they knew they should die for it immediately. It is related concerning one of the Martyrs,

That the Persecutors could obtain no Answer to their Interrogatives, but I am a Christian. Where doest thou live? I am a Christian. Who are thy Relations? I am -a Christian. It is not necessary to Salvation, that a Man should say, I am Lutheran, or I am a Cal|vanist, or I am an Episcopalian, or I a Pres|beterian; or of this or that Party: but it is necessary that he should say, and confess it freely, I am a Christian. Since then, some that have been convinced of Christs being the Son of God, yet have not confessed him, that shews that a meer doctrinal Faith is not a Saving Faith. Nay, such a Faith is no more than what the Devils and Damned have. To those that have only a Faith of Assent, the Apostle says, Jam. 2.19. Thou believest there is one God, thou dost well, The Devils also believe and tremble. All Religion depends upon this Article of it, There is a GOD, and but One GOD. Deny that and you destroy all Religion at once. Where|fore when it is said, The Devils believe there is One God, it imports that they be|lieve all the Articles of Religion. In par|ticular they believe that Great Article of our Christian Faith, That Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God whom he had promised to send into the World. We read in the Gospel of a Possessed Man, that when the Devils in him saw Christ, they made a sad out cry, Saying, Let us alone, what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth, are

thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the holy One of God. So that this Be|lief is not enough to denominate any One a true Believer in Jesus Christ.

2. In Faith there is implied the Consent of the Will. Believers are Christs People. And his People are a Willing People, Psal. 110.3. In this does Believing especially consist. Hence Faith is said to be not a believing Of Christ, but a Believing On him. So in the Text before us. And Believing In him, Joh. 11.25. He that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live. And there are many other Expressions whereby Faith is denoted in the Scripture which imply a Consent of the Will. e. g. It is dis|cribed by a willingness to come to Christ for Life and Salvation. Christ said to the unbelieving Jews, You will not come to me that you might have life, Joh. 5.40. Un|belief is a departing from Christ. So 'tis by Faith that we go to him for Salvation. When some false hearted Disciples were so offended at some passages in Christs Sermon, as to go back and walk no more with him, Christ said to his true Disciples, Will you also go away? Peter answered, Lord to whom shall we go, Thou hast the words of Eternal Life, Joh. 6.68. Thy words which teach us to believe on thee will bring us to Eternal Life, therefore we will go to thee and to no one else for it. Faith is

expressed by that of Trusting in the Lord, in which is implied a Consent of the Will, and a Resting on him, and a Leaning on him. Cant. 8.5. Who is this that comes up from the Wilderness Leaning on her beloved. It is the Believer that comes out of the Wilder|ness of this World, and Leans upon Christ all the Way in his Journey towards Heaven. Again, Faith is called Obedience. He is the Author of Salvation to all that obey him, Heb. 5.9. It is not a forced but a willing Obedience. Isai. 1.19. If ye be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the Land. They that are willingly obedient to Christ shall eat the good of the heavenly Land, they shall eat the bread of Life there. Moreover, Believing is said to be a Receiving of Christ. Joh. 1.12. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his Name. A Man that has a gift offered to him, if he is convinced of the worth of it, he receives it with both hands willingly. Christ is the greatest gift that possibly can be. God himself has not a greater gift to bestow than that of his Son Jesus Christ. In the Gospel he offers him to Sinners to be their Saviour. They that Receive him as God offers him, are the Believers that shall have Ever|lasting Life. The true Believer Receives him with his heart, and in his heart. Christ sayes, Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the

door, I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me, Rev. 3.20. What door is that which Christ stands knocking at? It is at the door of the Sinners heart. Christ says, Open that door, that I may come in. The Believer says, I will do it with all my heart. Come in blessed Lord, Take possession of this heart of mine, Dwell there and rule there for ever; And cast out of my heart what ever stands in opposition to thee. I give to thee, and to none but thee my heart. The Believer that thus heartily receives Christ, shall sup with him, shall feast with him upon the bread of Life in Heaven.

To speak more particularly:

1. The Believer receives Christ in his Per|son as a most desirable One. 1 Pet. 2.7. To you which believe he is precious. Not on|ly in his benefits precious, but He himself is so. God offers his Son to Men to be their Head and Saviour, that their Souls should be Married to him, Matth. 22.2. A King made a Marriage for his Son. The God of Heaven is the King there spoken of. Our Lord Jesus Christ is his Son. It is the be|lieving Soul that is Married to him; yea, the Soul takes him not meerly for his Por|tion, but for the excellency and desirable|ness of his Person. Not for his Loaves, but because his Miracles have convinced him

that he is the Son of God, and so the most excellent Person that ever was in the World. The dark Unbeliever never had his eyes opened so as to have real visions of the glory of Christ. The language of Unbe|lief is that, in Isai. 53.2. He has no form nor comliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty in him that we should de|sire him. But as for the true Believer the Spirit of God has opened his eyes, and shi|ned into his heart, and has given him to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He therefore sayes of Christ, He is my beloved, and my beloved is the chief of ten thousand. There is no Man on Earth nor in Heaven neither that is so desirable in his eyes as Jesus Christ. Psal. 73.25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee, and there is none upon Earth that I desire besides thee. He does then most willingly receive him.

2. He receives Christ, as in his Person, so in all his Offices. He does not only believe that Christ is a Priest, a Prophet and King, but is willing that Christ should be his Priest, his Prophet, and his King. It is true that the Priestly Office of Christ is in a special manner the object of Faith. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a Pro|pitiation through faith in his blood. Jesus Christ the glorious High Priest of our Christian Profession, has offered a Sacrifice to God to make Atonement for the Sins of

his People, and 〈…〉〈…〉 to obtain for them the forgiveness of all their Sins, and the Salvation of their Souls. Now that Sacri|fice which Christ has offered, is Himself. He is both Priest and Sacrifice. His hu|mane Nature which was Sacrificed being Per|sonally united to the divine Nature, that Sacrifice was infinitely greater than if all the Creatures in the whole World had been a Sacrifice to appease the wrath and satis|fie the Justice of God, for the wrong done to him by the Sins of Men. It was suf|ficient to make Atonement for the Sins of the whole World. Were it not for the Merit of the blood of that Sacrifice, the Be|liever would have no Faith nor Hope of ever seeing Heaven. Heb. 10.19. Having boldness to enter into the holiest of all by the blood of Jesus. He dare venture to say, If there is not Merit enough in the blood of Jesus to obtain my Salvation, I am content to perish. But since there is such a great High Priest as Jesus the Son of God to be his Saviour, the true Believer on him shall never perish. Thus does he receive Christ in his Priestly Office. He also receives and submits unto him in his Prophetical Office. Moses said to the Children of Israel, A Pro|phet will the Lord your God raise up unto you like unto me, him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you, and it shall come to pass that every soul that will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed. Christ

is that Prophet, as the Apostle Peter declares in one of his Sermons which he Preach|ed in the Temple, Acts 3.22. The Believer is called a Comer to Christ: Joh. 6.35. He that comes to me shall never hunger, he that believeth on me shall never thirst. He comes to Christ to be taught by him, as a Scholar comes to his Instructor. Hence Believers are called Disciples. Again, the Believer receives Christ as King. There are many that would have Christ to be their Saviour who are not willing that he should be their Ruler, But Believers say of Christ, He is our Lawgiver, he is our King, he will save us. As such He is received by the true Be|liever. Col. 2.6. As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. It was from damning Unbelief in the Jews that they said of Christ, We will not have this man to raign over us, Luke 19.14.

3. The true Believer is willing to receive Christ upon Christs own Terms. He will not capitulate with Chirst, and say, I will be his Servant, provided so and so: but he sayes, Let Christ propose what terms he pleaseth, by the help of his Grace I'le comply and be his Servant.

But what are the Terms which we must Consent unto, and comply with, if we would have Christ to be our Saviour? What does the Lord re|quire?

Answ. 1. If we would have Christ to be our Saviour, we must have no other Saviour. As there is no other, nor any in Heaven or Earth that is fit to be the Saviour of the pe|rishing World, but only Jesus Christ. Act. 4.12. There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. So we may not expect Salvation in whole or in part from any other. Christ sayes to the Man that would approve himself a Believer, Thou shalt be for me and not for another, Hos. 3 3. David was a true Believer on Christ. He sayes, My soul wait thou only upon God, my Expectation is from him, he only is my rock and my salvation, Psal. 62.5, 6. The Believer has no other Priest by the Merit of whose Sacrifice he Expects reconciliation with God, and E|ternal Life. He does not think to be Saved partly by the Merit of Christs Obedience, and partly by his own. When there were some among the Galatians that would be Saved partly by Moses and partly by Christ, the A|postle declares to them, that if they did con|tinue of that Opinion, Christ would profit them nothing, Gal. 5.2. Nor has the true Belie|ver any other Prophet to whom he yields absolute and universal Obedience, but only Jesus Christ. The Jewish Rabbies expected that their disciples should believe whatever they dictated, as if they had been infallible, which is an Obedience due to Christ alone. In opposition to them, it is said, Neither be ye called Masters, for one is your Master even

Christ, Matth. 23.10. Moreover, The Be|liever receives Christ as his King, and the only King of his Soul. Before he had Faith, he submitted his Soul to another King. Sin reigned in him, and Satan ruled over him, but now he sayes, Other Lords have had domi|nion over me, for the future I will make mention of thy Name only, Isai. 26.13. True Believers all agree in appointing themselves one head, Hos. 1.11. That one head is none but Christ. Nathaniel said to him, Thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel, Joh. 1.49. He is not only a King of Israel, but the King of Israel. There is no other King of Israel, (that is of the Church of God,) but only the Son of God. The Be|liever receives him accordingly.

2. It is required of Men that they should deny themselves, and receive Christ with his Cross, if they would indeed approve themselves Believers on Christ. Men are apt to say as those Jews did; Matth. 27.42. Let him come down from the cross, and we will be|lieve him. But a Man cannot be a Christian, if he will not be a Cross-bearer. How express and plain are the words of Christ, Matth. 16.24. If any man will come after me, if he will be my disciple, Let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. If a Man will be my disciple (sayes Christ) he must follow my Example in bearing the Cross as I shall do: He must go cross to his own

Will, and natural inclination. So must he deny himself. Christ and Self are very con|trary. And what self must he deny? Righ|teous self must be denyed: which to do is a great difficulty. For nothing is more natu|ral to Adams Children, than to desire to be Saved by some works or righteousness of their own, and not be beholden to another, to Christ for all their Salvation. They would find the life of their hands. The Jews when Christ was at Capernaum, enquired of him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Meaning the work which God will reward with Eternal Life. Christ gives them to understand that Everlasting Life follows not upon Doing, but upon Believing: Joh. 6.29. This is the work of God that you believe on him whom he hath sent. For a Man to make many Prayers, and to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, to be righteous in all his dealings with Men, and to abound in works of Charity, and when he has done to look upon all as nothing worth, and de|pend wholly on the Righteousness of Christ for all his acceptance with God, is self-de|nial. Thus Humbled must a Man be, that so he may be a true Believer on Christ. He must renounce all his own righteousness and esteem it as filthy rags. So did Paul: He counted all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ: and that he might be found in him not having his own righteousness, but that which is through the Faith of Christ,

Phil. 3.8, 9. Also, corrupt sinful self must be denyed. A Man must be willing to part with his Sins, and the Lusts of his heart so far as they are sinful, or he cannot be a Be|liever on Christ. Joh. 5.44. How can you be|lieve which receive honour one of another? If a Man is under the dominion of a Lust of Ambition, how can he believe? So if he is under the power of a Lust of Wantonness, or a Lust of Drunkenness, or of any other Lust, that he will rather venture the loss of his Soul, and Eternal Life, than part with that Sin, how can he believe. The true Believer is heartily willing to part with all his Sins. It is said of the wise Merchant, that he sold all that he had for the Pearl of great price, Matth. 13.46. Christ is the Pearl of great price, the true Believer is the wise Merchant, he will sell all, will part with all the World, much more with all his Sins, ra|ther than not have Christ and Eternal Life. That Sin which has been his own Iniquity, as hard to part with as his right hand, he will cut it off, if it will keep him from having an Interest in Christ. That Sin which has been the chief Idol of his heart, he is willing to part with it. Hos. 14.8. Ephraim shall say, what have I to do any more with Idols. Converted Ephraim shall say so. Ephraim, when became a believer on Christ, shall say so, and will say so. Moreover▪ Natural Self so far as standing in opposition to, or competition with Jesus Christ, it

must be denyed. A Man must break with his dearest Friends, or nearest Relations, rather than break with Christ, or he will not, nay, he cannot be a Believer. Luke 14.26. If any man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother, and Wife and Children, yea, and his own Life, he cannot be my disci|ple. A less degree of love is called hatred in the Scripture. The case may be so circum|stanced with a Man, that if he become a Christian, his own Father, or his own Bro|ther will become his Enemy, and seek his Life. It has often been so. Nothing is so dear to Men naturally as Life. All that a Man has will he give for his Life: but if he does not hate his own Life in compari|son of Christ, he cannot be a true Believer on his Name. The Apostle said, I am ready not only to be bound, but to die for the Name of the Lord Jesus, Act. 21.13. In the Pri|mitive Times, Christians were frequently put upon the Trial, Whether they would part with their Lives for the Name of Christ, then many false-hearted Christians proved Apostates, but the sound Believer did not so. Rev. 12.11. They loved not their lives to the death. They might have lived and enjoyed the Comforts of Life many a fair day, if they would have denied Christ, but they chose death rather. And in these Lat|ter Ages, cruel and bloody Papists would burn the Servants of Christ to death, if they did not own Antichrist, and so dis|own

Christ. Notable was the Expression of One of those Martyrs. If I had as many lives as there are hairs on my head, I would gladly part with them all for Christ. But thus we see that if Men will be Christians indeed, they must take Christ with his Cross. This has been the parting point between Christ, and many a one that has bid fair for Christ and Heaven. We have diverse Instances of it in the Gospel. There was a Person of some Note, one that was a Scribe. Among the Jews the Scribes were Ecclesiasti|cal Officers, not unlike those who among Christians are called the Canonists. A cer|tain Scribe came to our Saviour and said, I will follow thee, whithersoover thou goest, Matth. 8.19. No doubt but notwithstand|ing this fair profession, he hoped for some Secular advantage by following Christ; for when the Lord intimated to him, That if he would be his Disciple, it may be he might be a poor Man all the days of his Life; so poor as not to have an house to lay his head in, we then hear no more of his following Christ. There was also a Ruler among the Jews, who was a Man of a great Estate. He was very desirous of Eter|nal Life in Heaven. He came kneeling to Christ, and asked him, What shall I do that I may inherit Eternal Life. To try what he would do, the Lord said to him, Sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor, take up the cross and follow me, and thou shalt have trea|sure

in heaven: He was sad at that saying, and went away grieved, for he had great Possessions, Mark 10.••1, 22. There are many who if they could have Christ and the World too, they would be Christians, but when they hear of such hard termes as taking up the Cross, and parting with all the World for Christ, they go away sorrowful. Men deal with Christ as Orpah did by her impoverished Mother Naomi, when she was told that she must expect nothing of the Worlds good, by going with her, She wept and took her leave of her. Thus do many weep over Christ, and weep over Religion, and take their leave of it. But the true Believer, does like Ruth, who said, Thy People shall be my People, and thy God shall be my God; nought but death shall part thee and me. So says the Believer, nought but death shall part Christ and me, neither shall that do it. Thus I have spent a whole Sermon, in declaring to you what it is to be a Believer.