The Life of Faith, Part 3 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. How to uſe Faith againſt particular ſins?
THE moſt that I have to ſay of this, is to be gathered from what went before, about Sanctification in the general. And becauſe I have been ſo much longer than I intended, you muſt bear with my neceſſary brevity in the reſt.
Direct. 1. When temptation ſetteth actual ſin before you, or inward ſin keeps up within, look well on God and ſin together. Let Faith ſee Gods Holineſs and Juſtice, and all that Wiſdom, Goodneſs and Power, which ſin deſpiſeth. And one ſuch believing ſight of God, is enough to make you look at ſin, as at the Devil himſelf; as the moſt ugly thing.
Direct. 2. Set ſin and the Law of God together; and then it will appear to be exceeding ſinful; and to be the crooked fruit of the tempting Serpent. You cannot know ſin, but by the Law, Rom. 7.14, &c.
Direct. 3. Set ſin before the Croſs of Chriſt: Let Faith ſprinkle his blood upon it, and it will die and wither. See it ſtill as that which killed your Lord; and that which pierced his ſide, and hanged him up in ſuch contempt; and put the gall and vinegar to his mouth.
Direct. 4. Forget not the ſorrows and fears of your converſion (if you are indeed converted:) Or (if not) at leaſt the ſorrows and fears which you muſt feel if ever you be converted. God doth purpoſely caſt us into grief and terrours, for our former ſins, that it may make us the more careful to ſin no more, leſt worſe befall us: If the pangs of the new birth were ſharp and gr…vous to you, why will you again renew the cauſe, and drink of thoſe bitter waters? R…member what a mad and ſad condition you were in while you lived according to the fleſh, and how plainly you ſaw it when your eyes were opened? And would you be in the ſame condition again? Would you be unſanctified, and unjuſtified, and unpardoned, and unſaved? Every wilful ſin is a turning backward, toward the ſtate of your former captivity and miſery.
Direct. 5. When Satan ſets the bait before you, let Faith alwaies ſet Heaven and Hell before you, and take all together, the end with the beginning. And think when you are tempted to lye, to ſteal, to deceive, to luſt, to pride, to guloſity or drunkenneſs, &c. what men are now ſuffering for theſe ſame ſins? and what all that are in Hell and in Heaven do think of them? Suppoſe a man offered you a cup of wine, and a friend telleth you, I ſaw him put poiſon into it, and therefore take heed what you do.] If the offerer were an enemy, you would hardly take it. The world, and the fl…ſh, and the devil, are enemies: when they offer you the delights of ſin, hear Faith, and it will tell you, there is poiſon in it; there is ſin, and hell, and Gods diſpleaſure in it.
Direct. 6. Let Faith keep you under the continual apprehenſions of the Divine Authority and Rule; that as a child, a ſervant, a ſcholar, a ſubject, doth ſtill know that he is not maſterleſs, but one that muſt be ruled by the will or Law of his ſuperiour; ſo may you alwaies live with the yo…k of Chriſt upon your necks, and his bridle in your mouths: Remembring alſo that you are ſtill in your Maſters eye.
Direct. 7. Remember ſtill that it is the work of Faith to overcome the world, and the fleſh, and to over-rule your ſenſe and appetite; and to make nothing of all that would ſtand up againſt your heavenly intereſt; and to crucifie it by the Croſs of Chriſt Gal. 6.14. & 5.24. Rom. 8.1, 9, 10, 13. Set Faith therefore upon its proper work; and when you live by Faith, and walk after the Spirit, you will not live by ſight, nor walk after the fleſh, 2 Cor. 5.7.
Direct▪ 8. It is alſo the work of Faith to take off all the masks of ſin, and open its nakedneſs, and ſhame, and caſt by all ſhifts, pretences, and excuſes. When Satan ſaith, It is a little one, and the danger is not great, and it will ſerve thy pleaſure, profit, or preferment; Faith ſhould ſay, Doth not God forbid it? There is no dallying with the fire of God: Be not deceived, man; God will not be mocked! Whatſoever a man ſoweth, that ſhall be alſo reap: If you ſow to the fleſh, of the fl…ſh you ſhall reap corruption, Gal, 6. When Satan ſaith, Ye ſhall not die: and when the ſinner with Adam hideth himſelf, Faith will call him out to Judgment, and ſay, What haſt thou done? Haſt thou eaten of the fruit which God forbade?
Direct. 9. Let Faith ſtill keep you buſied in your Maſters work. Nothing breedeth and feedeth ſin ſo much as idleneſs of mind and life: Sins of omiſſion have this double miſchief, that they are the firſt part of Satans game themſelves, and they alſo bring in ſins of commiſſion. When men are not taken up with good, they are at leiſure for temptations to intice them; and they ſet open their doors to the tempter, and tell him he may ſpeak with then when he will. Wanton thoughts, and covetous thoughts, may dwell there when better thoughts are abſent. But when you are ſo wholly taken up with your duty (ſpiritual or corporal) and ſo conſtantly and induſtriouſly buſie in your proper work, ſin cannot enter, nor Satan find you at leiſure for his ſervice.
Direct. 10. Let Faith make Gods ſervice pleaſant to you, and loſe not your delight in G…d and godlineſs, and then you will not relliſh ſinful pleaſures. You will find no need of ſuch baſe delights, when you live on the foretaſt of Angelical pleaſures. You will not be eaſily drawn to ſteal a morſel of dung or poiſon from the Devils table, while you daily feaſt your ſouls on Chriſt: or to ſteal the Onions of Egypt, when you dwell in a Land that floweth with milk and hony. But while you keep your ſelves in the wilderneſs, you will be tempted to look back again to Egypt. The great cauſe of mens ſinning, and yielding to the temptations of forbidden pleaſures, is becauſe they are negligent to live upon the pleaſures of Believers.
Direct. 11. Take heed of the beginnings, if ever you would eſcape the ſin. No man becometh ſtark nought at the firſt ſtep. He that beginneth to take one pleaſing unprofitable cup or bit, intendeth not drunkenneſs and gluttony in the groſſeſt ſenſe: But he hath ſet fire in the thatch, though he did not intend to burn his houſe; and it will be harder to quench it, than to have forborn at firſt. He that beginneth but with laſcivious dalliance, ſpeeches or embraces, thinketh not to proceed to filthy fornication: But he might better have ſecured his conſcience, if he had never medled ſo far with ſin. Few ruinating damning ſins, began any otherwiſe than with ſuch ſmall approaches, as ſeemed to have little harm or danger.
Direct. 12. If ever you will ſcape ſin, keep off from ſtrong temptations and opportunities. He that will be ſtill neer the fire or water, may be burnt or drowned at laſt. No man is long ſafe in the midſt of danger, and at the next ſtep to ruine. He that liveth in a Tavern or Ale-houſe, had need to be very averſe to tipling. And he that ſitteth at Dives table, had need to be very averſe to guloſity: And he that is in the leaſt danger of the fire of luſt, muſt keep at a ſufficient diſtance, not only from the bed, and from immodeſt actions, but from ſecret company and opportunities of ſin, and from a licentious ungoverned eye and imagination. This cauſed Chriſt to ſay, How hard it is for the Rich to be ſaved? becauſe they have a ſtronger fleſhly intereſt to keep them from Chriſt and godlineſs, which muſt be denyed; and becauſe their ſin hath plentiful proviſion, and the fire of concupiſcence wanteth no fewel, and it is a very eaſie thing to them ſtill to ſin, and alwaies a hard thing to avoid it: And mans ſluggiſh nature will hardly long either hold on in that which is hardly done, or forbear that which is ſtill hard to forbear. Good muſt be made ſweet and eaſie to us, or elſe we ſhall never be conſtant in it.
Direct. 13. If you find any difficulty in forſaking any diſgraceful ſin, cheriſh it not by ſecrecy, but 1. Plainly confeſs it to your boſom friend: And 2. If that will not ſerve, to others alſo, that you may have the greater engagements to forbear.
I know wiſdom muſt be uſed in ſuch confeſſions, and they muſt be avoided when the hurt will prove greater than the good. But fleſhly wiſdom muſt be no councellor, and fleſhly intereſt muſt not prevail, Secrecy is the neſt of ſin, where it is kept warm, and hidden from diſgrace: Turn it out of this neſt, and it will thd ſooner periſh. Gods eye and knowledge ſhould ſerve turn: but when it will not, let man know it alſo, and turn one ſin againſt another, and let the love of Reputation help to ſubdue the love of Luſt. Opening a ſin (yea or a ſtrong temptation to a ſin) doth lay an engagement in point of common credit in the world, upon them that were before under the divine engagements only. It will be a double ſhame to ſin when once it's known. And as Chriſt ſpeaketh of a right hand, or eye, ſo may I of your honour in this caſe; it is better go to Heaven with the ſhame of a penitent confeſſion, than to keep your honour till you are in Hell. The loſs of mens good opinion is an eaſie price, to prevent the loſs of your ſalvation, Prov. 28.13. He that covereth his ſins ſhall not proſper; but whoſo confeſſeth and forſaketh them ſhall have mercy. So 1 John 1.9, 10. James 5.15, 16.
Direct. 14. Eſpecially take heed of heinous ſins, called mortal, becauſe inconſiſtent with ſincerity.
Direct. 15. And take heed of thoſe ſins which your ſelves or others that fear God are in greateſt danger of: Of which I will ſpeak a little more diſtinctly.