The Life of Faith, Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII. The vse of Faith.
OH Faith when I read of thee, when I meditate of thee, when I feele any part of thy vertue, I finde thee to be a wonder-worker, I conceiue nothing but high and stately things of thee. When I looke into the World and vponupon the liues euen of such as call themselues beleeuers especially of the common sort, I begin to question my thoughts for dreames, and to say; Faith, thou art but a name, a sound, a meere word, no powerfull thing. Why are many of thy followers so dead, so mopish, so melancholly? why are worldly men as merry, as iocund as they? Yea, why are many ciuill men as righteous as they? whence should this wrong and disparagement proceed? Is thy Vertue exhaust, thy strength decayed in this old age of the World? or is it because men know thee not? verily neither of these. No drugge, no herbe so commonly extolled, so famously knowne.
Paul of old, Luther of late, with infinite moe, eueryevery Catechisme hauehave blazoned the name, described the nature, set out the properties and effects to the full. Only the miserie is, the World either knowes not the vse, or forgets the practise of it. There wants a practicall Luther which should deale by Faith, as Socrates by Phylosophie, who brought it out of the Skies and Bookes into Cities and Houses, taught and vrged the familiar and quotidian vse of it.
Doth not all the praise, beautie, and lustre of Faith, as well; or more then of other vertues consist in action and not in motion? Is not the gaine and benefit of it in sense and feeling, not in knowledge or discourse? Is not the throne and seat of it rather in the heart then in the head? Who knowes not there is a Doctrinall speculation and discourse of Faith easily by reading and hearing attained, such in one as Schollers, that neuer went out of their Studies and schooles hauehave, of remote Countries, of their commodious situation, pleasant riuers, high mountains, costly buildings, rich mines, iewels, and al other commodities: which, what a frigid and ieiune contemplation is it, in comparison of that delight and benefit which the Merchant and Trauiler enioyeth by a reall sight and fruition of them? What is the notionall sweetnesse of honey or sugar to the experimentall taste of them? And yet this Aery, windie stuffe is all, the World at this day cares for and hunts after. The Schoole-men and Casuists, what doe they but languish into vselesse, needlesse, and endlesse questions, spending their thoughts about this magnificent vertue in cold and bloudlesse subtleties of the subiect, obiect, kindes, &c.
Preachers for the most part inuring themselues to declaime in praise of some morall vertue, and to inueigh against some vice of the times, happily sometimes finde leisure to weaue a curious spiders webbe in commendation of Faith, rarely shewing or pressing the life, and vse of it.
In a word, will you see the fashion of the World. The Schooles disputes of it, the Pulpit Preacheth of it, Profession talkes of it, prophane men sweare by it, two or three, few or none liue by it. I met with a story of an ancient Hebrew, a reuerend Rabby, who that he might the more liuely conuince the people in his times of their neglect of practise of this excellent Grace, put himself into the habit of a Mountebanke or trauelling Aqua-vitae-man, and made Proclamation of a soueraigne cordiall Water of Life he had to sell: being called in and demaunded the shew of it; Turned them to the Bible, the Fountaine of Life, and to seuerall places of it, as the thirtie foure Psalme, &c. intimating, that if they would make vse and daily drinke of the water they had, they might (as it should seeme hee did) liue farre better, and more comfortably then vsually they did.
And indeede, why is there such a price put into the hands of fooles that know not the worth and improuement of it? As secrets and misteries in good Artisens, that hauehave sometimes a faculty whereby they can earne tenne or twenty shillings the day, and might liue as well as landed men; but then they hauehave another boone withall, they louelove idlenesse, pastime and good fellowship, and so liue like beggars: or as land and money in the hands of those (whom we therefore aptly call misers) to HaueHave and to Hold, but neuer make good vse of it: Who may well be said to vse the World, as if they vsed it not, for they put it foorth to vse, or locke it from themselues and others; goe basely, fare hardly, liue in debt to backe and belly, as if they knew not it would buy them good meate and good cloathes, and other necessaries and conueniences for their liues. It is possible a man may hauehave a toole, a medecine, or an engine, and not hauehave the skill or strength to vse it. It is possible a man may hauehave a gift of God, and not the gift to vse it throughly, else needed not Paul call on Timothy to stirre vp the gift that was in him. Among all the gifts of God there is none more vsefull then Faith: others are profitable for some few things, this is for this life and the life to come, for all parts and purposes of our liues, in the vse of it manifold and rich eueryevery manner of way.