A Touch-Stone of Grace, Treatise · Part 4
A ſecond Euidence of Grace.
THe next Euidence of Grace is Faith, Faith.which followeth Knowledge, as the frame doth the foundation; for vntil ſuch time as the minde be inlightned with the truth, no man can beleeue. There muſt be knowledge, or elſe there can be no faith:1 Ioh. 4. 16 Wee hauehave knowne and beleeued, ſaith Iohn.
No man can beleeue in Chriſt without the knowledge of him; For how ſhall they beleeue in him, of whom they hauehave not heard? Rom. 10. 14.
Faith muſt needs be an euidence of grace, becauſe it is a ſpeciall and a principal part and member therof: not the fountaine of all other graces (as ſome doe hold) nor the root, out of which all fruits of ſanctitie doe ſpring. For the ſoule muſt firſt be endued with the life of grace before it can beleeue, vnleſſe we wil ſay, that faith may be in a graceleſſe heart: which cannot bee, becauſe being regenerate and ſanctified by the Spirit, we come to beleeue, and to reſt vponupon the promiſe for the remiſſion of ſinnes, and ſaluation by Ieſus Chriſt. Saint Paul calls Faith a fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5. 22.by whom we are ſanctified, therefore it cannot be the efficient cauſe of our ſanctification. It is true that Paul hath a paſſage tending that way, Act. 26. 18. That they may receiue forgiueneſſe of ſinnes, and inheritance among them that are ſanctified by faith; but by the Word ſanctified we are to vnderſtand the fruit, not the grace of ſanctification: we are dead in ſinnes, vntill ſuch time as wee come to be quickned by the Spirit, Ioh. 6. 3. It is the Spirit which infuſeth all diuine qualities into the ſoule. The Apoſtle calleth them the fruits of the Spirit, Gal. 5. 22, 23. Amongſt which fruits, Faith is one of the principall, as that which puts a kinde of liuelihood into all other graces; and therefore after a certaine manner may bee ſaid to ſanctifie vsus: For according to the ſtrength of faith, will be the power of other graces, hope, louelove, &c. If faith be weak, hope and louelove cannot be ſtrong; little faith, little hope, little louelove; no faith, no hope, no louelove at all. So that faith muſt needs be a ſound euidence of grace; for vntill ſuch time as the heart bee purified, and waſhed in the lauer of regeneration, it is either Atheiſticall to depraue the Word of God, by doubting of diuine truths, if not denying thē; or elſe it is Sophiſticall to peruert and wreſt the Word, ſo as oft-times bloud commeth out of it to choak & ſtrangle Gods people, in ſtead of milke to feed and nouriſh them. But if the heart be once ſanctified by the Spirit, then is faith wrought in vsus, which doth further, and more effectually cleanſe and purifie vsus through the Word, Ioh. 15. 3. Now becauſe as in the former euidence of grace, ſo in this alſo many a man and woman is miſtaken, the heart being ſo infinitely deceitfull; it will bee no loſt labour to examine the truth of our faith. For you muſt know that it is poſſible for a wicked and graceleſſe perſon to beleeue that Chriſt died for him; yea to die in a ſtrong perſwaſiō of Gods louelove and fauour, and ſo of his owne ſaluation. Hath not experience taught vsus thus much? Who ſo confident, who ſo full of faith (if you will beleeue them) as many vile wretches and graceleſſe perſons? They wonder what people mean to doubt of Gods louelove, for their part they neuer, as yet, called it into queſtion. They thanke God they hauehave euer had as ſtrong a faith as the beſt, & ſo they hope to continue. This is euident by examples in the Scripture. The Lord by the Prophet Ieremie ſpeaks to the wicked Iews, which had polluted the Land with their whoredomes and malice, which had a vvhores fore-head, and would not bee aſhamed, ſaying,Mica 3. 11. Did'st thou not ſtill crie vntounto mee, Thou art my Father, and the guide of my youth? So in Mica 3. 11. The Lord ſpeaking of corrupt Iudges, of mercenary Prieſts & merchandizing Prophets, which ſet the Word to ſale, and prophecie for money, ſaith, that yet will they leane vponupon the Lord and ſay, Is not the Lord among vsus? no euill can come vponupon vsus. By which it appeares, that wicked and graceleſſe people may bee confident of Gods fauour.
How then may wee diſtinguiſh the faith of Gods children, from the preſumption of vnbeleeuers?
There lyes a great difference betwixt them.
The firſt difference is in the ground,Differēce 'twixt Faith and preſumption. out of which true faith ſprings, or the meanes by vvhichwhich it is wrought in beleeuers. True faith is wrought in all Gods children by the miniſtery of the Word, as Rom. 10. 17. Rom. 10. 17.Firſt, the Law conuincing vsus, diſcouering vntounto vsus our ſins, Rom. 7. 7. ſhewing vsus both the nature & the danger of them, and our miſery into which ſinne hath plunged vsus; and not onelyonly ſo, but an vtter impoſſibility of our ſelues, either to ſatisfie the iuſtice of God for the leaſt tranſgreſſion, or to bee freed from that wrath & vengeance which hangs ouer our head, by reaſon of our ſins. The conſideration whereof terrifying and afflicting a poore ſinner, makes him to cry out as the Iews did, Act. 2. 37. Act. 2. 37.What ſhall I doe? Then commeth in the Goſpell, the Word of comfort, and the meſſage of reconciliation, which diſcouers and preſcribes a remedie, whereby a poore ſinner may be brought into fauour with God, and accepted with him; come out of the ſnares of the Deuill, and be freed from the curſe and malediction of the Law; and that is, by receiuing of the Lord Chriſt, in whom all the promiſes of God are yea and Amen. 2 Cor. 1. 20And by whom wee hauehave redemption through his bloud, Epheſ. 1. 7.euen the forgiueneſſe of ſins, Epheſ. 1. 7. Whereupon he begins to hunger and thirſt after Chriſt, ſeeing, and knowing no other way, no other meanes whereby he may be ſaued, or hauehave his ſpirituall wants ſupplied. As the prodigall ſaw no meanes of comfort, but ſtarue he muſt, vnleſſe hee get home againe, and bee receiued into his fathers family; ſo the poore ſinner knowes his ſoule will famiſh, if he get not into Chriſt; and therefore hee labours to bee made one with Chriſt; his ſoule hungers and thirſts after nothing ſo much as Chriſt: all the world is dung vntounto him in compariſon of Chriſt. Oh that he may be found in Chriſt: to liue or die, Chriſt is all in all vntounto him; hee layes hold vponupon his righteouſneſſe, and ſhrowds himſelfe for comfort vnderunder his wings: and as Ioab laid hold vponupon the horns of the Altar, ſaying, I will die heere, 1 King. 2. 30. So the poore beleeuer layes hold vponupon the Lord Chriſt, reſteth onelyonly vponupon Chriſt, and if he periſh, he will periſh at the feet of Chriſt; whereas the faith of vnbeleeuers and hypocrites ariſeth either out of their education, common illumination, or from ſome vaine perſwaſion of ſome good in themſelues, for which they are perſwaded God loues them, or elſe hee would neuer hauehave beſtowed ſo much vponupon them, hauehave done theſe or theſe things for them. So that their faith is no other than a faithleſſe cōfidence, a vaine preſumption, or ſome Satanicall illuſion, neuer wrought in them by the Lord Chriſt,Heb. 12. 2 the Author and finiſher of our faith, Heb. 12. 2. by the miniſtry of his Word. For they were neuer throughly hū bled, or if they were, it was but for a while, a little Sermon-ſicke, their conſciences wambling, while the Word was deliuered vntounto them, and no longer; If this mans faith had bin begun, or hee begotten again of the Word of God; as a new borne babe hee would more and more deſire it, that hee might grow thereby, 1 Pet. 2. 2. for wee are nouriſhed with that, by which wee are begotten: but he finds no ſweetneſſe, takes no true content in the Word, any further than he is ſenſible of ſome art or ſome noueltie in the ſame, which doth affect and delight him. Tell mee then (thou that boaſteſt or preſumeſt ſo much of thy faith) how thou diddeſt attaine vntounto it, when it was firſt wrought in thee; which if thou canſt not, thou haſt iuſt cauſe to fear, thy faith is but thy fancie.
Heere a queſtion will fall in very fit to be anſwered, and that is, whether eueryevery one that beleeueth can tell when or how faith was wrought in him?
This ſcruple and ſcrutiny hath troubled many a deare childe of God, who hath been ready to queſtiō the truth of their faith, becauſe they cannot preciſely lay downe the time when, or the meanes how faith was wrought in thē. For their education and bringing vp was alwayes godly and religious; from their child-hood they hauehave entertained the Word of God; they hauehave alwayes borne a good will to godlineſſe, and loued the profeſſours of the truth; alwaies approued of the beſt things, and therefore queſtion the truth of faith and grace in them. For the cō fort of ſuch, let me firſt of all tel them, that if all were not well, twenty to one the Deuil would not be ſo buſie with them, to perplex & trouble them with theſe pious feares & holy doubtings. We ſeldome heare or reade of any but the Lords people, that hauehave theſe troubles, or that put theſe doubts & queſtions. But for the ſatisfying of thy ſcruple; conſider firſt what Chriſt ſaid to Nicodemus, Ioh. 3. 8.Ioh. 3. 8. The wind bloweth where it liſteth, &c. The meaning of which words, is to teach vsus that the operations of grace are ſometimes, as it were, hid from the regenerate themſelues, neither knowing the time when they firſt began to work, nor whēce they ſprung, nor to what meaſure they will grow. Therefore though thou canſt not tell by what meanes, or at what time the Spirit of God commeth into thine heart, or how at firſt, its quickning and ſanctifying preſence gaue ſpirituall life vntounto thy ſoule: yet bleſſed and happie is thy cōdition, if thou now findeſt faith to bee wrought in thee, which thou mayeſt be aſſured of, if thou findeſt thy ſoule enlightned with the ſauing knowledge and vnderſtanding of the truth, if thou haſt been abaſed and humbled vnderunder the hand of God, in the ſight and ſenſe of thy vnworthineſſe, and if thou prizeſt Chriſt aboue all the world, labouring to winne him, and deſiring to be found in him, not hauing thine owne righteouſneſſe, Phil. 3 9▪ 10.but that which is through the faith of Chriſt, euen the righteouſneſſe which is of God through faith, Phil. 3. 9, 10. But if thou findeſt not theſe to bee in thee, then thou mayeſt well queſtion the truth of thy faith.
A ſecond difference lies in the fruits and effects of faith:Gal. 5. 6. Where grace is, faith workes by louelove, Gal. 5. 6. A heart knowing and beleeuing what the Lord hath done for it, cannot but louelove much, Luke 7. 47. being ſo dearely beloued. And this louelove of God workes the heart to a hatred of all things diſpleaſing vntounto God,Pſa. 97. 10. Pſal. 97. 10. and to a practice of that which he requireth,Pſal. 26. 3. Pſal. 26. 3. Thy louing kindneſſe is before mine eyes, therefore hauehave I walked in thy truth. Wheras the faith of the vnregenerate works no change in him, makes him no better than hee was, vnleſſe it bee in ſhew and appearance. Confidence of Gods louelove emboldens him to wickedneſſe, and makes him to ſin more and more, as Ier. 3. 4, 5. rather then abate ſin in him. Certainly, if euer the Lord ſpeake peace to thy ſoule through Chriſt, hee will ſo inflame thine heart with the louelove of his truth, his Image, his ordinances, that theſe will ſo take vp thy heart, that thou ſhalt not turne againe vntounto euill, Pſal 85. 8.Pſal. 85. 8.
Thirdly and laſtly, faith in the regenerate makes the heart to ſtoope to Chriſts Scepter, to heare his voice and follow him. Ioh. 10. 27.It is faith which apprehēds the authority and ſoueraigntie which Chriſt hath ouer vsus; and approues of the holines & goodnes of his Cō mandements, & ſo inclines the heart vntounto a willing and cheerefull obedience. Whereas the hypocrites faith doth embolden him vntounto liberty, it makes him looſe and licentious, laying all vponupon Chriſt back, ſaying, Chriſt dyed for vsus, his bloud ſhall cleanſe vsus, &c. Let the Miniſters of Chriſt ſay what they can, threaten what they wil, they are reſolued to hold on, they will not ſhift one foot, nor ſtir any further than they liſt. Let iudgements bee threatned againſt them, threatned folke (they ſay) liue long; they can laugh in their ſleeues at the zeale of Gods ſeruants; no more moued, or remoued with a Sermon, than with the wagging of a ſtraw. Oh take heed therefore, that thou beeſt not deceiued in the truth of thy faith: Thou mayeſt hauehave a great deale of carnall confidence, and bold preſumption, and yet not one dram of true ſauing faith.Heb. 3. 12. Take heed, brethren, leſt at any time there be in any of you an euil heart, and vnfaithfull, to depart away from the liuing God. Do not thinke that thy comming to Church, thy hearing of Chriſt preached, and receiuing of the Sacraments, are infallible euidences of true faith; for many thouſands who take vp their religion vpō truſt, and take themſelues to be ſound beleeuers, hauehave their hearts fraught with vnbeliefe, their faith being no better, nay, ſcarce ſo good as the faith of deuils, for they tremble at the power & diſpleaſure of the Lord, whereas theſe are not once touched, nor any thing affected therewith. And this ſhall ſuffice to hauehave ſpoken of faith, the ſecond Euidence of true Grace.