of the Lord's
threatenings was the beginning of his ruin, and believing of his precious
promises is salvation. I say no more, as our destruction began at the
unbelief of the law, so our salvation must begin at the belief of it. The
law and divine justice went out of his sight and so he sinned now the law
entering into the conscience, discovers a man's sins, and makes sin
abound, and that is the beginning of our remedy, to know our disease. But
as long as this is hid from a man's eyes, he is shut up in unbelief, he is
sealed and confirmed in his miserable estate, and so kept from Jesus
Christ the remedy. Thus unbelief first and last destroys. Faith might have
preserved Adam and faith again may restore thee who hast fallen in Adam.

There is a great mistake of faith among us, some taking it for a strong
and blind confidence that admits of no questions or doubts in the soul,
and so vainly persuading themselves that they have it, and some again
conceiving it to be such an assurance of salvation as instantly comforts
the soul and looseth all objections, and so foolishly vexing their own
souls, and disquieting themselves in vain, for the want of that which, if
they understood what it is, they would find they have. I say, many souls
conceive that to be the best faith that never doubted, and hath always
lodged in them and kept them in peace since they were born. But, seeing
all men were once "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to
the covenant of promise, and without God in the world," and so without
Christ also, it is certain that those souls who have always blessed
themselves in their own hearts, and cried "Peace, peace," and were never
afraid of the wrath to come, have embraced an imagination and dream of
their own heart for true faith. It is not big and stout words that will
prove it. Men may defy the devil and all his works, and speak very
confidently, and yet, God knows, they are captives by him at his pleasure,
and not far from that misery which they think they have escaped. Satan
works in them with such a crafty conveyance that they cannot perceive it.
And how should they perceive it? For we are "by nature dead in sins," and
so cannot feel or know that we are such. It is a token of life to feel
pain, a certain token, for dead things are senseless. You know how
jugglers may deceive your very senses, and make them believe they see that
which is not, and feel that which they feel not. Oh! how much more easy