The Life of Faith, Part 3 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. Directions how to exerciſe Faith upon Gods Commandments, for Duty.
IT being preſuppoſed that your Faith is ſettled about the truth of the Scriptures in general (by the means here before and elſewhere more at large deſcribed) you are next to learn how to exerciſe the Life of Faith about the Precepts of God in particular; and herein take theſe helps.
Direct. 1. Obſerve well how ſuitable Gods Commands are to reaſon, and humanity, and natural revelation it ſelf; and ſo how Nature and Scripture do fully agree, in all the precepts for primitive holineſs.
This is the cauſe why Divines have thought it ſo uſeful to read Heathen Moraliſts themſelves, that in a Cicero, a Plutarch, a Seneca, an Antonius, an Epictetus, &c. they might ſee what teſtimony nature it ſelf yieldeth, againſt all ungodlineſs and unrighteouſneſs of men. See Rom. 19, 20, &c. But of this I have been larger in my Reaſons of the Chriſtian Religion.
Direct. 2. Obſerve well how ſuitable all Gods Commandments are to your own good, and how neceſſary to your own felicity.
All that God commandeth you, is, 1. To be active, and uſe the faculties of your ſouls, in oppoſition to Idleneſs: 2. To uſe them rightly, and on the higheſt objects, and not to debaſe them by preferring vanity and ſordid things, nor to pervert them by ill doing. And are not both theſe ſuitable to your natural perfection, and neceſſary to your good?
1. If there were one Law made, that men ſhould lie or ſtand ſtill all the day, with their eyes ſhut, and their ears ſtopped, and their mouths cloſed, and that they ſhould not ſtir, nor ſee, nor hear, nor taſte; and another Law that man ſhould uſe their eyes, and ears, and limbs, &c. which of theſe were more ſuitable to humanity, and more eaſie for a …ound man to obey (though the firſt might beſt ſuit with the lame, and blind, and ſick) and why ſhould not the goodneſs of Gods Law be diſcerned, which requireth men to uſe the higher faculties, the Reaſon, and Elective, and Executive Powers, which God hath given them? If men ſhould make a Law, that no one ſhould uſe his Reaſon to get Learning, or for his Trade or buſineſs in the world, you would think that it were an inſtitution of a Kingdom of Bedlams, or a herd of beaſts: And ſhould not you then be required to uſe your Reaſon faithfully and diligently in greater things?
2. And if one Law were made, that every man that traveleth ſhall ſtumble and wallow in the dirt, and wander up and down out of his way; and that every man that eateth and drinketh, ſhould feed on dirt, and ditch-water, or poyſon, &c. And another Law, that all men ſhould keep their right way, and live ſoberly, and feed healthfully; which of theſe would fit a wiſe man beſt, and be eaſieſt to obey? or if one Law were made, that all Scholars ſhall learn nothing but lies and errours; and another, that they ſhall learn nothing but truth and wiſdom, which of them would be more eaſie and ſuitable to humanity? (Though the firſt might be more pleaſing to ſome fools.) Why then ſhould not the goodneſs of Gods Laws be confeſſed, who doth but forbid men learning the moſt pernicious errours, and wandering in the maze of folly, and wallowing in the dirt of ſenſuality, and feeding on the dung and poyſon of ſin? Is the love of a harlot, or of gluttony, drunkennenſs▪ rioting, or gaming, more ſuitable to humanity, than the Love of God, and Heaven, and Holineſs, of Wiſdom, Temperance, and doing good? To a Swine or a Bedlam it may be more ſuitable; but not to one that liveth like a man. What did God ever forbid you, that was not hurtful to you? And what did he ever command you, which was not for your benefit? either for your preſent delight, or for your future happineſs; for the healing of your diſeaſes, or the preventing them?
And if Reaſon can diſcern the goodneſs of Gods Laws to us, Faith can acknowledge it with more advantage. For we can ſee by Faith, the goodneſs of their Author, and the goodneſs of the reward and end, more fully than by reaſon only: And a Believer hath found by ſad experience, how bad and bitter the waies of ſin are; and by ſweet experience, how good and pleaſant the waies of God are. He hath found that it is the way to peace, and hope, and joy, to deny his luſts, and obey his Maker and Redeemer: And it is the way to terrour and a troubled ſoul, and a broken heart, to ſin and to gratifie his ſenſuality, Prov. 3.17. All her waies are pleaſantneſs, and all her paths are peace. Pſal. 119.165. Great peace have they which love thy Law, and nothing can offend them. Pſal. 37 37. Mark the upright man, and behold the juſt, for the end of that man is peace. Rom. 14.17. Righteouſneſs, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoſt, are the Kingdom of God. Grace, Mercy and Peace are Gods entertainment of the faithful ſoul, Titus 1.4. 1 Tim. 1.2. & 2 Tim. 1.2. 1 Cor. 1.3, &c. But there is no peace to the wicked, ſaith my God, Iſa. 57.21. & 48.22. For the way of peace they have not known. They have made them … paths; whoſoever goeth therein, ſhall not know peace, Iſa. 54.8.
Direct. 3. Mark well how thoſe Commands of God, which ſeem not neceſſary for your ſelves, are plainly neceſſary for the good of others, and for the publick welfare, which God muſt provide for as well as yours.
He is not your God only, but the God of all the world. And the welfare of many, eſpecially of Kingdoms and Societies, is more to be regarded than the welfare (much more than the humouring or pleaſing) of any one. You may think that if you had leave to be fornicators, and adulterers, to be riotous, and examples of evil, to be covetous, and to deceive, and ſteal, and lye, that it would do you no harm: But ſuppoſe it were ſo, yet a little wit may ſerve to ſhew you, how pernicious it would be to others, and to ſocieties. And Faith can tell a true Believer, what is like to be the end: And that ſin is a reproach to any people, Prov. 14.34.
You may think perhaps that if you were excuſed from many duties of Charity and Juſtice, in Miniſtry, Magiſtracy, or a more private ſtate, it would be no harm to your ſelves. But ſuppoſe it were ſo, muſt not others be regarded? If God ſhould regard but one, why ſhould it fall to your lot rather than to anothers? And why ſhould any others be bound to uſe Juſtice or Charity to you any more than you to them? There is no member of the body politick or eccleſiaſtick, which will not receive more good to it ſelf, by the Laws of Communion, if truly practiſed, than it can do to others. For you are but one who are bound to be charitable and do good to others, and that but according to your own ability: But it may be hundreds or thouſands who may be all bound to do good to you. You have the vital influences, and aſſiſtances of all the parts: you have the prayers of all the Chriſtians in the world.
Suppoſe that the Laws were made to ſecure your ſelves of your eſtate and lives; but to leave the eſtates and lives of your children to the will of any one that hath a will to wrong them; would you be content with ſuch kind of Laws as theſe? And why ſhould not others good be ſecured, as well as your poſterities? 1 Cor. 12.12, 14, 20, &c. Rom. 12.4 5 & 16.2. 1 Cor. 10.17, 33. Epheſ. 4.3, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16.
Di…ect. 4. The chief work of Faith is to make the obedience of Gods Commands to be ſweet and pleaſant to us, by ſeeing ſtill that intrinſecal goodneſs, and the extrinſecal motives, and the eternal rewards, which may cauſe the ſoul to imbrace them with the deareſt love.
They are much miſtaken, who know no uſe for Faith but to comfort them, and ſave them from Hell; the great work of Faith is to bring up the ſoul to Obedience, Thankfulneſs and Love. Therefore i… hath to do with the Precepts, as well as with the Promiſes; and with the Promiſes to ſweeten the Precepts to us. Believers are not called to the obedience of ſlaves; nor to be acted only by the fear of pain; but to the obedience of redeemed ones and Sons; that Faith may cauſe them to obey in Love; and the eſſential act of Love is complacency: Therefore it is the work of Faith, to cauſe us to obey God with pleaſure and delight. Forced motives endure not long: They are accompanied with unwillingneſs and wearineſs, which at laſt will ſit down, when the fears do by diſtance, delay or dulneſs, abate. Love is our Nature; but Fear is only a ſervant to watch for us while we do the work of Love. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, are the Sons of God (and therefore will obey as Sons.) For we have not received the ſpirit of bondage again to fear; but we have received the Spirit of Adoption▪ whereby we cry Abba Father, Rom. 8.14, 15. Chriſt ſuff…red death to overcome the Devil that had the power of death, and to deliver us from the fears of it, which was the bondage of our lives, Heb. 2.14, 15. That we might ſerve God without f…ar, in holineſs and righteouſneſs, all the daies of our lives, Luke 1.74. There is no fear in love; but perfect love caſteth out fear, becauſe fear hath torment, 1 John 4.18. The meaning is, not only that the Love of God caſteth out the fear of men, and perſecution; but alſo that it maketh the fear of tormenting puniſhment, to become unneceſſary to drive us to obedience, ſo far as the Love of God and of obedience doth prevail: He that loveth more to feaſt, than to fare hardly, to be rich, than to be poor, (and ſo to be obedient and holy, than to be unholy) need not (ſo far) any fear of puniſhment to drive him to it. Even as the Love of the world, as adverſe to the Love of God, is overcome by Faith, 1 John 2.15. and yet the Love of the world as Gods creature, and as repreſenting him, and ſanctified to his ſervice, is but ſubordinate to the Love of the Father; ſo alſo Fear as adverſe to Love, or as diſjunct from it, is caſt out by it: But as it ſubſerveth it in watching againſt the enemies of Love, and is truly filial, it is a fruit of Faith, and the beginning of wiſdom.
Employ Faith therefore day by day, in looking into the Love of God in Chriſt, and the Kingdom of Glory, the reward of obedience, and the beauties of holineſs, and the merciful conditions of filial obedience (when we have a pardon of our infirmities, and are accepted in Chriſt) that ſo we may feel that Chriſts yoak is eaſie, and his burden light, and his Commandments are not grievous, Mat. 11.28, 29. 1 John 5.3. And when Faith hath taught you to hunger and thirſt after righteouſneſs, and to delight to do the will of God, Love which is the end of Faith will ſatisfie you, Mat. 5.6. Pſal. 40.8.
Direct. 5. Take ſpecial notice how ſuitable a holy Law is to the nature of a moſt holy God; and how much he is honoured in that demonſtration of his holineſs; and how odious a thing it would be to wiſh, that the moſt holy one would have made for us an unholy Law.
Would you draw the picture of your friend like an Ape or a Monkey, or a Monſter? Or would you have the King pictured like a fool? Or would you have his Laws written like the words of a Bedlam, or the Laws of Barbarians or Cannibals? How much more intollerable were it to wiſh, that an unholy or unrighteous Law, ſhould be the product and impreſs of the moſt great, moſt wiſe and holy God? This thought ſhould make every Believer exceedingly in love with the Holineſs of Gods Commands, becauſe they are the Appearance or Image of his Holineſs, and neceſſary to his honour, as he is the Governour of the world, Rom. 7.6, 7, 12. When Paul confeſſeth that he could no more perfectly keep the Law without ſin, than a fettered priſoner can walk at liberty (for that is the ſenſe of the text) yet doth he give the Law this honour, that it is holy, juſt and good, and therefore he loveth it, and fain would perfectly obey it, if he could. See Pſal. 19.7, 12. &c. 119.72. & 37.31. & 1.2. Iſa. 5.24, &c.
Direct. 6. Remember that both Promiſes, and Threatnings, and Gods Mercies, and his Judgements, are appointed means to bring us to obey the Precepts; and therefore obedience, which is their end, is highly to be eſteemed.
It ſeemeth a great difficulty whether the Precept be for … Promiſe, or the Promiſe for the Precept; which is the End, and which is the Means; whether obedience be a means to attain the reward, or the reward be a means to procure obedience: And the anſwer is as pleaſant to our conſideration, viz. that as the works of the Trinity of perſons, and of Gods Power, and Wiſdom, and Goodneſs ad extra are undivided; ſo are the effects of the one in Gods Laws, the effects alſo of the other; and they are harmoniouſly and inſeparably conjunct: ſo that we muſt obey the Command, that we may attain the bleſſing of the Promiſe, and be aſſured of it: And we muſt believe the Promiſe, and the Reward, that we may be moved to obey the Precept: And when all is done, we find that all comes to one; and in the end, the duty and the reward will be the ſame, when duty cometh to perfection: And that the reward which is promiſed is our perfection in that Holineſs, and Love, and Conformity to the Will of God, in which God doth take that complacency which is our ultimate end.
But if you look at the matter of obedience rather than the form, it ſometime conſiſteth in troubleſome things, as ſuffering perſecution, &c. which is leſs deſirable than the promiſed reward, which is but pleaſing God, and obeying him, in a more deſirable and grateful matter, even in perfect Love for ever: And therefore the more deſirable muſt be conſidered to draw us to the leſs deſirable; and that conſideration of the reward, (and not the poſſeſſing of it) is the means to our obedience, not for the ſake of the ungrateful matter, but of the form and end, Mat. 5.10, 11, 12, & 6.1, 4. & 10.41, 42. 1 Cor. 9.17, 18. 1 Tim. 5.18. Heb. 11.6. & 10.35. & 11.26. Col. 3.24.
Direct. 7. Remember how much Chriſt himſelf hath condeſcended, to be made a Means or Mediatour to procure our obedience to God.
And ſurely that muſt be an excellent end, which Chriſt himſelf became a means to! He came to ſave his people from their ſins, Mat. 1.21. And to call ſinners to repentance, Luke 5.32. Mat. 9.13. Is Chriſt the Miniſter of ſin? God forbid, Gal. 2.17. For this end was he revealed, that he might deſtroy the works of the Devil, 1 John 3.8. And he died to redeem and purifie to himſelf a peculiar people, zealous of good works, Titus 2.14. Chriſt came as much to kill ſin, as to pardon it: Judge therefore of the worth of obedience by the nobleneſs and dignity of the means.
Direct. 8. Remember ſtill that the ſame Law which governeth us, muſt judge us: Let Faith ſee the ſure and cloſe connexion between obedience and judgement.
If Faith do but ſpeak aloud to a ſluggiſh ſoul [Thou muſt be judged by the ſame word which commandeth thee to watch and pray, and to walk in holineſs with God] it will much awaken the ſoul to duty: And if Faith do but ſay aloud to a tempted ſinner [The Judge is at the door, and thou muſt hear of this again, and review ſin when it will have another countenance] it will do much to kill the force of the temptation, Rom. 14.12. Phil. 4.17. Heb. 13.17. Mat. 12.36. 2 Pet. 3.11, 12.
Direct. 9. Be ſure that your heart-ſubjection to God be fixed, that you may live under the ſenſe of his Authority.
For as Gods Veracity is the formal object of all Faith; ſo Gods Authority is the formal object of all obedience. And therefore the deep …enewed apprehenſions of his Majeſty, his Wiſdom, and abſolute Authority, will make us perceive that all things and perſons muſt give place to him, and he to none; and will be a conſtant ſpring within us, to move the will to a ready obedience in particular caſes, Mal. 1.6. Matth. 23.8, 10. Jer. 5.22.
Direct. 10. Keep in memory ſome plain texts of Scripture for every particular duty, and againſt every particular ſin; which I would willingly here write down, but that the book ſwelleth too big, and it is ſo plentifully done already in moſt Catechiſms, where they confirm all ſuch commands with the texts of Scripture cited to that uſe: As you may ſee in the Aſſemblies Catechiſm, with the proofs, and more briefly in Mr. Tobias Ellis his Engliſh School, where a text or more for every Article of Faith, and every duty, is recited for the uſe of children. Gods Word which is the object and Rule of Faith, ſhould be before … eye of Faith in this great work of cauſing our obedience.
Direct. 11. Vnderſtand well the different nature and uſe of Scripture examples; how ſome of them have the nature of a divine Revelation and a Law; and others are only motives to obedience and others of them are evils to be avoided by us.
1. To Moſes and the Apoſtles of Chriſt, a ſpecial Commiſſion was granted, to one to ſettle the Tabernacle and its worſhip, and to the other, to ſettle the orders of the Goſpel Church. Chriſt ſent them to teach all things, whatſoever he commanded, Mat. 28.20. And he promiſed to be with them, and to ſend them the Spirit to lead them into all truth, and to bring all things to their remembrance. Accordingly they did obey this Commiſſion, and ſettled the Goſpel Churches according to the will of Chriſt; and this many years before any of the New Teſtament was written. Therefore theſe acts of theirs have the nature and uſe of a divine Revelation and a Law. For if they were fallible in this, Chriſt muſt break the foreſaid Promiſe.
2. But all the Acts of the Apoſtles which were either about indifferent things, or which were about forecommanded duties, and not in the execution of the foreſaid Commiſſion, for which they had the promiſe of infallibility, have no ſuch force or interpretation. For 1. Their holy actions of obedience to former Laws, are not properly Laws to us, but motives to obey Gods Laws: And this is the common uſe of all other good examples of the Saints in Scripture: Their examples are to be tryed by the Law, and followed as ſecondary copies or motives, and not as the Law it ſelf, 1 Cor. 11.1. Be ye followers of me, even as I alſo am of Chriſt. Heb. 6.12. Be followers of them, who through faith and patience do inherit the promiſe. 1 Cor. 4.16. Phil. 3.17. 1 Theſ. 1.6. & 2.16. & 3.7, 9. Heb. 13.7.
2. And the evil examples even of Apoſtles are to be avoided, as all other evil examples recorded in the Scriptures are; ſuch as Peters denial of his Lord, and the Diſciples all forſaking him, and Peters ſinful ſeparation and diſſimulation, and Barnabas's with him, Gal. …. And the falling out of Paul and Barnabas, &c.
3. And the hiſtory of indifferent actions, or thoſe which were the performance but of a temporary duty, are inſtructing to us, but not examples which we muſt imitate. It is no divine Faith which forgeth an object or rule to it ſelf. Whatſoever example we will prove to be obligatory to us to imitate, we muſt either prove, 1. That it was an execution of Gods own commiſſion, which had a promiſe of infallible guidance: Or 2, That it was done according to ſome former Law of God, which is common to them and us. (As the firſt muſt be the revealing of ſome duty extended to this age, as well as that.)
Direct. 12. Faith muſt make great uſe of Scripture examples, both for motive and comfort, when we find their caſe to be the ſame with ours.
We cannot conclude that we muſt imitate them in extraordinary circumſtances; nor can we conclude that God will give every extraordinary mercy to us, which he gave to them (as that he will make all Kings as he did David, or all Apoſtles, or raiſe all as he did L…zarus now, &c.) nor that every Believer ſhall have the ſame outward things, or ſhall have juſt the ſame degrees of grace, &c. But we may conclude that we ſhall have all Gods promiſes fulfilled to us, as they had to them; and ſhall have all that is ſuitable to our condition. As David was pardoned upon repentance, ſo may others: I confeſſed, and thou forgaveſt: For this ſhall every one that is godly pray to thee— Pſal. 32.5, 6. Hath God pardoned a Manaſſeh, a Peter, a Paul, &c. upon repentance? ſo is he ready to do to us. Hath he helped the diſtreſſed? hath he heard and pittied, even the weak in faith? ſo we may hope he will do by us, Iſa. 38.10, 11. Pſal. 116.3. Acts 27.20. Jonah 2.4. We have the ſame God, the ſame Chriſt, the ſame Promiſe, if we have the ſame Faith, and pray with the ſame Spirit, Rom. 8.26. Heb. 4 15. Though we may not have juſt the ſame caſe, or the ſame manner of deliverance. Therefore it is a mercy that the Scripture is written hiſtorically: And therefore we ſhould remember ſuch particular examples as ſuit our own caſe.