The Life of Faith, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. How Faith Viuifies.
ANd what is there yet further, thou wouldest hauehave Faith doe for thee? Oh sayest thou! it is not enough to bee healed of the disease, vnlesse thou mayest take vp thy bedde and walke; yea, leape and skippe as the Lame restored to his limmes. Oh! that I could finde that life of Grace which I see in some that can make it their meate and drinke to doe the will of God.
Though I be not pestered and mastered with any reigning corruption, yet I finde my selfe so dull and vntoward, that I take no pleasure in my life. Know also that this quickning power, Faith only can helpe thee withall. To pray, to meditate, to hauehave thy conuersation in heauen, to keepe a Sabbath cherely is as easie to thee as to Iron to swimme, and stones to ascend vpward, but nothing is impossible to Faith: it can naturalize these things vntounto thee, metamorphize thee, make thee a new creature, of a moule of the earth a soule of heauen, of a snaile a dromedarie: such a change as the Sunne workes in the vapour, when of an earthy heauy substance, it makes it light and aery, apt to ascend into the middle Region. Such a change Cyprian saith hee felt in his conuersion: And how else came Dauid to that high delight in Gods seruice, that he loued the Commandements of God more then thousands of gold and siluer, the honey and the honey combe, that hee rose at mid-night to meditate in them. The selfesame duties may be done by the Ciuill man, and by the beleeuer; for the outside and deede done, both may goe to Church, heare a Sermon, reade a Chapter, but the one goes as the Beare to the stake, as a slaue to the mill, and the dullard to schoole, in comparison of the other who hath a different internall principle: which is as a spring and oile to the wheeles, that makes them goe smoothly and currantly, makes the yoake light and easie.Esay 40. 31. They that trust in the Lord shall renue their strength, lift vp the wing as the Eagle, runne and not bee weary, walke and not faint.
Faith it is that fetcheth sap from the roote Christ, that makes eueryevery tree bring forth fruite in it kinde, eueryevery Christian in his owne calling. What else made Dauid so worthy a Souldier? what taught his fingers to fight, so that a bowe of steele was broken in his hand? What made Paul an able Minister of the Gospell, gaue him the doore of vtterance, made his tongue as the penne of a readie writer? Hee beleeued, therefore hee spake. What made Onesimus of a false eye-seruant, trusty to his Master, as to the Lord? The like might bee said of all trades and sciences.
Looke what a full treasurie of all sorts of graces Christ hath stored vp in him, Faith dreineth and deriueth them out of his fulnesse to the vse of eueryevery seuerall Christian, euen Grace for Grace.
Faith is the Conduit Cocke that watereth all the Herbes and flowres in the Garden. All which the more I consider, the more I pitty the preposterous care and vnhappy trauell of many well affected, who study the practise of this and that vertue, neglecting this cardinall and radicall vertue; As if men should water all the branches of a Tree and not the roote: Faine would they abound and shine in patience, meeknesse, zeale, yet establish and roote not themselues in Faith, that should maintaine all the rest, are ambitious to doe good workes, build Hospitalles, giuegive Almes, but study not to doe the worke of the Father: And what is the worke of the Father, but to beleeue in the Sonne whom hee hath sealed and sent into the world to bee relyed on for Saluation; which worke is the gratefullest work that we can performe, and which will make gratefull all that we doe besides: without which all that we can doe will not please him.
What cares hee for thy thousands of Rammes, thy Riuers of Oyle? Hath he not shewed thee, Oh man, that he that trusteh in his Sonne honoureth him most of all in putting to his Seale that hee is true? This honour if thou wouldest doe vntounto him, hee would honour thee with all other graces and withhold no ornament, no good thing from thee, if it be fit for thee. Meeke thou shalt be as Moses, patients as Iob, zealous as Dauid, thy soule and life embroadered with all kinde of shining Graces, as the high Priests apparell with Iewels Wherefore adde this prescript to the former when thou art on the toppe of Mount Tabor, solacing thy soule in thy Lord, and his fauour through Faith: feasting and banqueting with him as Ester with Ahasuerosh. Bethinke thy selfe what suite thou hast to him, what troublesome enemy thou wouldest bee ridde off, suppose it bee some potent Haman of prid, make but thy complaint, and it shall bee executed and crucified before thine eyes. Consider what grace thou standest in neede of, and make thy petition as Achsah to Caleb, And hee shall giuegive thee the springs aboue and the springs beneath.Iudg. 1. 14&.
This prescript if thou wilt dayly obserue, some daies more largely and feruently, as the Spirit that blowes how and where it lists shall assist, and as occasion shall require: but eueryevery day some what more or lesse; though I will not promise thee thou shalt attaine to perfection of degrees such as the perfected spirits of the Iust enioy in glory: because here thou shalt euer beleeue but in part, and therefore bee holy but in part: yet this I dare promise, as thou growest from Faith to faith so shalt thou grow from strength to strength in all other graces, till by degrees thou attaine to the fulnesse and maturitie of Age in Christ, which shall make thee a Saint in earth, alight in this darke world, and make thee able to liue in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of thy life, with much more comfort to thy selfe, and credit to the Gospell, then strangers to this life of Faith, either doe, or imagine may be done.