Seven Treatises, Treatise 5 · Chapter 4
CHAP. 4. Of Sathans hindering the continuance of faith.
AND thus I paſſe to another of his ſlie and malitious practiſes, beſide tempting of vsus to vtter vnbeliefe and preſumption. For if he preuaile againſt vsus neither of both theſe wayes, but that we ſet our ſelues as we hauehave bene taught, to vphold and prop vp our weake faith daily; yet he doth moſt ſtrongly aſſault vsus, watching all oportunities thereto, that we may not be rooted and ſtabliſhed therein;The diuell holdeth them who hauehave attained faith, to be oft to ſeeke of it. that after much labour and many prayers we ſhall be doubting from time to time, and held backe from daily nouriſhing and preſeruing the continuance of that heauenly gift, that we ſhould not liue by it, nor grow more ſound and experienced in it, after we hauehave once obtained it of God: which cauſed the Apoſtles to pray thus, though Chriſt was conuerſant with them: Lord increaſe our faith. And although we be commanded neuer to caſt away our confidence, nor to come to prayer or any other duty at any time without this our faith; but as oft as we pray in the day to be able to call God Father, and not to be vnarmed of that whiles we be in this warfare:Epheſ. 6.14. yet becauſe it is the preſeruer of our life and peace, and that whereby all the benefits of Chriſt are conueyed vntounto vsus throughout our life, therefore doth he hold the moſt of them which hauehave inioyed it and felt the ſweetneſſe of it, from poſſeſſing it daily.It is ſtrange to many Chriſtians, to heare that they muſt liue by faith. Heb. 10.38. 2. Cor. 5.6. Heb. 10.22. And he maketh that as harſh and ſtrange to many euen of Gods ſeruants to heare, That the righteous liue by faith; and when they hauehave buried and loſt the power and operation of it, that their life is no life to be accounted of: euen as it is ſtraunge to the moſt of the vnbeleeuers, to heare, That we muſt draw neare to God with the aſſurance of faith at any time or at all.
And from hence it is, that among holy Chriſtians, (though weake I muſt needs ſay) theſe ſpeeches are heard: What muſt we euer beleeue, and daily hold our faith? as though this were a matter not heard of, and a ſpeech doubtfull:Rom. 1.17. when yet the Scripture ſheweth plainely, that we muſt walke from faith to faith daily; and that, not onelyonly to more aſſurance of iuſtification, but to a greater meaſure of ſanctification alſo: that our life may be a liuing by faith, according to that which the Apoſtle ſaith to the Galathians:Gal. 2.20. In that I now liue (in the fleſh in this mortall body) I liue by faith in the ſonne of God, who hath loued me and giuen himſelfe for me. By the which words it is manifeſt, that in his owne perſon he ſheweth how the faithfull being vnited to Chriſt by faith, do thereby draw and (as it were) ſucke ſpirituall grace from him daily, whereby they liue, that is to ſay, leade a ſpirituall life, or rather Chriſt liueth in them.
Now therefore if the iuſtification of Gods people, and the holineſſe which they ſhew foorth in their liues, do ariſe from hence, that they beleeue God hath promiſed them *1. Pet. 1.5. Take heed faith faile not:ſtrength to waite for ſaluation and to liue well: then it muſt needs follow, that faith failing, mens ſtrength to the doing of any good thing vtterly faileth alſo. And therefore if we be perſwaded, after we hauehave once receiued grace to beleeue, that we are thereby well inough, though we labour not to grow daily,But labour to grovv in it. and to hold faſt thereby the hope of forgiueneſſe of our ſinnes, and of other grace; how groſſely doth the Diuell bewitch vsus? By what meanes ſoeuer he do it, whether by keeping vsus ignorant of this truth; or otherwiſe buſieth and occupieth vsus in the world, that we thinke not of it, nor at all looke after it; or whether we be holden from it any other way: all as one. And although this is a thing, with which men of the world are not acquainted, yet they who hauehave learned to know what the excellencie of beleeuing is, and hauehave felt any power of it working in them; they are to know that they can neither liue comfortably, nor do any thing well without it: for *Heb. 11.6.without faith it is impoſſible to pleaſe God.
And as the people of Iſraell in that one part of their life daily roſe vp perſwaded, that the wals of Iericho ſhould fall after God had foretold it them;Ioſ. 6.14. and for prooſe thereof did eueryevery day compaſſe them, blowing trumpets of rammes hornes, as they had beene commanded: ſo in our longer conflict not with Iericho but with him, who is called the Prince of the world, this our faith is to lie downe with vsus, and to riſe vp with vsus, and through the day to accompany vsus. And nothing is more to be lamented then this:Though there be but little faith, yet it is not miſſed. that though it be rare and ſeldome found in the earth (the Diuell holding men in vnbeliefe ſtrongly, as it were in bands) yet it is not wanted or once miſſed: and the godly themſelues (for the moſt part of them) ſcarcely hauehave any great vſe of it, in reſpect of that which they might hauehave. Neither is this point made ſo familiar and well knowne to manie Chriſtians, who yet hauehave a long time imbraced the Goſpell euen with good liking, (though ſome of greater experience are better ſetled.) Neither do many of them grow to ſee that their life is a continuall and daily conflict with ſinne and diſtruſt; neither are they acquainted with the ſubtile ſleights of the Diuell, how couertly he bringeth to paſſe, that they forget they are purged from their ſinnes, and therefore led after other deceiptfull allurements in the world. I ſpeake it for that I ſee, how hardly they can be holden in the daily ſtrengthning and nouriſhing of their faith, who yet hauehave truly (though weakly) taſted how ſweete it is, and Chriſt thereby, through the preaching of the Goſpell. And no maruell, if they cannot be brought as ſome others are (and yet they but weake alſo) to ſet their delight therein as in the beſt treaſure.
And for that ſo few are to be found, who hauing had comfort by it twenty or thirtie yeares agone, when they firſt heard of it and receiued it; or in later yeares, as many (it is not to be doubted) hauehave alſo had (for I dare not be ſo vncharitable as to iudge otherwiſe of them:) for that ſuch (I ſay) who hauehave inioyed much comfort by it, do not now; nor hauehave ſince that, inioyed the ſame ſtil: what is the cauſe of it? Is it any other then this (that for ſundry yeres paſt, and now alſo, they hauehave ſo ſleight fruite of it) that Sathan hath ſtolne away their hearts after the louelove of preſent things euerie one his way, and cauſed them to loſe that high eſtimation of the Goſpell which once they had of it (though they ſtill commend it;) they not wiſe inough in the meane while to obſerue, how they were deceiued & blindfolded by him; nor once to miſſe or cōplaine of their loſſe whiles they may liue at eaſe, & proſper on earth in the meane while. And that it hath bin thus with many, (& therfore alſo is ſo with others ſtill) hereby it hath appeared, that at their death they recouered their decayed faith: & ſundrie hauehave more deeply deſcended into thēſelues then of late before they had done, and hauehave called to remembrance the ſeaſons in which they had reioyced through their faith in another maner then in their latter dayes; much bewailing alſo the loſſe of ſo great a benefit as they by the decay of it had ſo long time ſuſtained, euē great liberty of mind to walke with God, & that boldneſſe and freedom of good conſcience, which the wiſe man ſaith is a cōtinuall feaſt.Prou. 15.15. Such therfore as ſee what the diuell pulleth frō them by darkning and burying this ſure truſt & cōfidence in God,Hovv to remedie this let. & how it goeth from thē couertly as the Sun frō her line, before they be aware if it be not wel looked to: ſuch (I ſay) muſt learne to put thēſelues forth, & cōſider what ſtrōg hold they hauehave (& they muſt ſticke to it) when they may ſay:Pſal. 27.1. The Lord is my helper, whom then ſhal I feare? & again: I ſhould vtterly hauehave fainted, but that I beleeue verily, &c. Such muſt learne of Gods ſeruāts to waxe more bold with reuerence,Pſal. 22.4. & 5. Iob. 13.15. & reſolute: and ſeeing as Dauid ſaith, Our fathers truſting in thee, were not confounded, therfore to cry: Though thou kill vsus, yet will we truſt in thee. And ſuch muſt leaue that worldly wiſdom, whereby they thought it needleſſe and fooliſh to nouriſh it in thēſelues daily; & muſt become fooles in the eſtimatiō of men, that they may be wiſe by the teſtimony of God, to keepe their faith as they would their life; & that, by oft recourſe had to the Lords promiſes which faile not, neither chāge; prouoked therto by their daily infirmities and wants, thinking oft & much of thē, and praying for grace to apply them to thēſelues, & growing ſtronger by experiēce: that thus they may clearly ſee Gods louing kindneſſe daily to them, and not at ſome one time only, and that ſo they know themſelues to be in continuall ſafetie thereby, as their hearts deſire; which is to ſet the Lord alwaies before thē,Act. 2.25. that they may not be ſhaken: ſo ſhall they not be ſnared in Sathans bāds,2. Pet. 1.10. as otherwiſe they muſt needs be, neither greatly fall (I mean, to their hurt) although they be not free from tēptation. Theſe are the chiefe hinderāces of faith, wherby the diuel troubleth Gods ſeruants, holding ſome in feare that they hauehave none at all, who yet ſomtime hauehave felt the contrary: drawing others to preſume, &c. & keeping others from confirming it and growing therein daily, whether we reſpect faith in the particular promiſes of this life, or of life eternall. And theſe laſt mentioned, though they are not ſayd properly, to preſume as the former, yet (as it is hard to hold any good thing long) they letting looſe their hearts, and being much occupied in the world, and hauing many dealings, being alſo in many companies, and meeting with many croſſes, (beſides their owne forgetfulneſſe and frailtie) are darkened and diſtracted in themſelues; and not being feruent and diligent in vſing good meanes, do doubt and feare. And this is the eſtate of many, and thoſe of long profeſſion vnderunder the Goſpell. Which ſort of people till they ſettle themſelues conſtantly to walke with God, and will be content to keepe a narow watch ouer their hearts and liues, can be at no better ſtay. For by theſe meanes they preſerue their faith, and keepe peace with God ordinarily, as we ſee by experience: or eaſily recouer themſelues againe, if they be dimmed and ouer-ſhadowed.