The Life of Faith, Chapter 10
CHAP. X. How Faith Sanctifies and Mortifies.
SO I slide into the second part or kinde of Christian life, consisting in holinesse and righteousnesse, which I shall easily demonstrate not onelyonly to bee an indiuiduall companion, but a naturall and necessary effect of Faith.
For looke how the strength of the heart breedes, not onelyonly cheerefulnesse but actiuenesse: Motion as well as health (whence it is that life, is put for liuelinesse and agility) driues away all lassitude, hebetude, and indisposition, brings in aptnesse and delight to stirre: the like doth Faith in the soule: which may as the former in the body, for a time stand with some sleight distempers, spots of the skinne, atche of limbes, but not long with deadly diseases, either vanquishing them, or vanquished by them. This noble vse of Faith will excellently appeare in both the parts of this newe life, Mortification and Viuification: And in each of these, two manner of wayes doth Faith produce this effect; partly as a moouing, partly as a procreant cause. In the first kinde admirable is the Pitho & Saada of Faith aboue all the Oratory in the World: All the common incentiues taken from profitte, pleasure and honour, all the Topicke places of Logicke, Figures of Rhetoricke, what poore and weake engines are they to the irresistable pe…arre of Faith, which sayeth, but Ephata, and presently our Euerlasting Gates yeeld and stand open.
For thus it goes to worke with vsus, Hath Christ giuen himselfe for thee, forgiuen thee so many debts, conferred, fauours of all kindes vponupon thee, and what hast thou to retribute? If thou giuegive all thy goods to the poore, thy body to the fire, thy soule, to his seruice; yea were eueryevery hayre of thine head a man or Angell, were not all short of recompence? Louest thou, louest thou this Sauiour of thine, and darest thou, or wilt thou dare to venture vponupon any thing displeasing him, is there any thing too good, too heard or deare for him? Mary, if thy teares will washe his feete, wilt thou not poure them out? Is thine haire too good to bee the towell? Is there any Spicknard too costly for his head? Ioseph, the LORD requireth the handsell of thy Tombe, and wilt thou deny him? Zacheus, louest thou thy wealth aboue his honour that hath saued thee? Stephen, louest thou thy life aboue thy Master? Can, or did any Beleeuer giuegive the nay to these melting commaundes or commaunding entreaties of Faith, will it take the repulse? Doth it not constraine and extort more then all rackes and strapadoes, allure more then all wages and prizes? Doth not this Magnes as easily drawe weighty yron as other Iet doth strawes? So that when thou wouldest bee sure to speed and obtaine any thing of thine vntoward heart, set Faith a worke to make the motion, and that will be sure to speede, not onelyonly by this perswading facultie, but also by a Diuine power secretly effecting what it requires, conueying into the heart, will, and abilitie vntounto the deede. It stands not without doores as a Mendicant Flexanimous perswader, but enters into the closets of the heart, shootes the barres, vnlocks the boults, takes away all reluctation and redaction, infuseth a plyable willingnesse: of woluish and dogged, makes the Will Lambe-like, and Doue-like: of wilde and haggard, morigerous and mansuete.
No otherwise then the medicine curing the vicious stomacke, and restoring it to health, makes it long for wholesome meate, as before for coales and ashes.
All this it doth by fetching supernaturall efficacie from the death and life of Christ; yea, part of that mighty power where by Christ raised himselfe from the dead, cured all diseases, and wrought all his miracles: By the vertue whereof it metamorphizeth the heart of man, creates and infuseth new principles of action. Make triall of this in mortifying the flesh to sinne, and quickning thy spirit to holinesse.
For example, complainest thou of some preualent corruption, some violent passion that oft carries thee headlong against thy desire and resolution, as Castrusius to Hierom, who shall helpe mee subdue Nebuzardan, Goliah, Holofernes, my raging lustes that are too mighty for mee? Answere thy selfe as Dauid himselfe to the like: Through thee O Lord shall wee doe valiantly, ouer Edom shall I cast my shooe, &c. yea, when thou hast spent all thou hast vponupon other Phisitions, tried all morall conclusions of purposing, promising, resoluing, vowing, fasting, watching, selfe-reuenging, yet get thee to Christ, and with a finger of Faith, touch but a hem of his garment and thou shalt feele vertue come from him to the curing of thy disease. What if thou hast often encountred thy enemie, and receiued the foyle, relapsed after victorie: yet cast not away the sheeld of Faith, but with the Israelites against Beniamites the second and third time, set a fresh in the name of the LORD, and they shall flye before thee.
Complainest thou with Augustine of his in-bred, hereditary, habituall, inueterate vices, holding thee in the Adamantine chaines of custome, against which thou hast often resolued, and resolued, modo & modo, now I will leaue them, and now I will forsake them, why should I not as well as such and such, as Potitian and Victorinus, and yet they keepe thee Prisoner still, full against thy will and endeauours. Find out the cause, which hee had reuealed to him in te stas & non stas.
Thou standest vponupon thine owne feete, and therefore fallest so foulely, thou wilt like a childe goe alone, and of thy selfe, and therefore gettest so many knocks. Dye to thy selfe, renounce the broken reede of thine owne freewill which hath so often deceiued thee: and put all thy trust in the grace of Christ, And it will crucifie the olde man, and giuegive him his Hoc habet, his deathes wound, pierce his sides, and breake his knees in peeces.
Be weake in thy selfe and strong in the Lord, and through Faith thou shalt bee more then Conquerour. Leaue tuggling and strugling with thy sinne, and fall with Iacob to wrestle with Christ for a blessing: and though thy selfe goe limping away, yet shalt thou bee a Prince with God, and bee deliuered from Esaus bondage. Yea, what if Satan, what if Legions of Principalities, and powers hauehave long held possession in some strong fort of thy heart, beginne to pleade prescription, scorning as the Iebusites to bee eiected out of their impregnable tower: hast thou Faith, and canst thou beleeue, persist in resisting and hee shall flye, and thou shalt see him fall like lightening before thee. Christ raised from the dead, not onelyonly the daughter of Iairus which was yet within bed, not layd forth: nor the Sonne of the Widdow newely carryed out of the Gate to buriall, but Lazarus that had foure daies lyen in the graue; to that ende, sayeth Augustine, That such as hauehave long beene dead in sinne, yea such as vponupon whom Satan hath rowled the stone of Custome, and such as stinke in the nostrilles of the world through putrified soares of sinnes, should not yet despaire, but know that which falles out in frequent experience, Faith can cure diseases past all other cures and hopes. Through Faith thou shalt roule away the stone from the Caue of Makpelah, and take out the fiue Kings that hauehave domineered and tyrannized ouer thee, set thy feete in the neckes of them and triumph ouer them.