The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 3 · Royalty 10
Tenth Royalty. 10 Faith is an Heart-inabling-Grace.
10. Royalty of Faith: Its an Heart-inabling-Grace.It is ſuch a Grace as inables a man;
1. To do.
2. To ſuffer.
A Beleeving Chriſtian is a ſtrong Chriſtian. He is ſtrong for any ſervice. It is ſaid; — By Faith Abraham obeyed God. Faith did inable him to obey. And it was a great act of Obedience, as you may read; ſcil. The offering of his Son, his only Son, the Son of his love. If it had been an adopted Son only, and not his Natural, or if his Natural, and but one among many, the trial had not been ſo great, But hee was his own, and only Son, and the Son of his old age; and therefore like to have no more; the Son of the promiſe; not an Iſmael, but an Iſaac, a Son long expected, now exceedingly rejoyced in; hee was the Son of his Love. Now to part with ſuch a Son was a great tryal.
But here was not all the tryal. If hee had but parted with him in the way of Nature, by a natural death; this had not been ſo much: but to part with him in way of Sacrifice, wherein hee was to bee cut in peeces; nay, and hee himſelf muſt bee the Butcher of this Son of his Love; muſt imbrue his own hands in the blood of this Son. This was a great tryal; yet here was ſeen the power of Faith, tht it inabled him to obey. Hee did not conſult with Fleſh and Blood; did not diſpute, but obey — By Faith hee obeyed.
Faith it is an Heart-inabling-Grace. It will inable you to pray; yea, and to pray to purpoſe, to wreſtle with God. Beleeving-prayers, are wreſtling prayers; wherein the Soul wreſtles with God by ſtrength of his Promiſe; his Covenant, his Truth, his Chriſt.
It inables you to hear, and to hear with profit: when Faith; doth incorporate it ſelf with the Word, it will be profitable. Faithful hearing is ever fruitful hearing.
It will inable you to receive the Sacrament, and to receive with comfort. Faith is the Organ, whereby wee feed on Chriſt; receive Chriſt. Faith is the inſtrument that conveyes Chriſt the Conduit-pipe.
A beleeving Receiver is a bleſſed Receiver.
It will inable you to bring forth much fruit, To bee fruitful in Obedience. It plants us into a fruitfull ſtock; and how can wee bee barren Plants? It draws life and nouriſhment from Chriſt. A faithfull Chriſtian is a fruitfull Chriſtian. Men of a good Beleef, are men of a good Life. That ſoul that hath yeelded obedience to the Promiſe, in a way of beleeving, is ready to ſubject it ſelf to every Precept, in a way of Obedience.
Faith doth inable a man to contend with luſts, with the ſtrongeſt corruptions; — The ſons of Zerviah, which elſe would bee too hard for us.
It inables us to combate with Satan. It is our ſhield, whereby wee reſiſt; it is our weapon, whereby wee conquer; It ſets Christ againſt Satan, by whom wee over-overcome, as the word is. — Wee are — more than Conquerors.
It inables us to overcome the World — This is our Victory whereby wee overcome the World — even our Faith.
Whereas unbeleef doth ſlay and diſable the heart, both from doing and ſuffering. An unbeleeving heart is an impotent heart. The ſtate of unbeleef is a ſtate of impotency and diſability; to the performance of any thing, that is good. There is a total, and univerſal impotency in an unbeleeving heart. Hee cannot pray, hear, receive.
Faith, on the contrary doth inable and ſtrengthen the ſoul to all Obedience. It inables a man to yeeld.
A willing Obedience, cheerfull Obedience, voluntary Obedience; a conſtant, a fruitful, an univerſal Obedience. It will inable a man to do his duty,
Towards God,
Towards others,
Towards himſelf. It inables a man to walk through the duties of all relations faithfully. The Husband to the Wife: the Wife to the Husband, The Parents to the Childe; The Child to the Parent; The Maſter to the Servant; The Servant to the Maſter, &c.
Faith is the great Task-Maſter of the Soul. But it is not like Pharaohs Task-Maſter, to command burdens, and afford no help: To require the Tale of Brick, and give no Straw. This indeed the Law doth. It is an hard Task-Maſter. It commands; but gives no ability.Jubet; fed non juvat. Efficit quod imperat. Jubet & juvat.
But not ſo Faith. It commands, and laies in ſtrength to do. It gives what it commands; by going over to Chriſt, and fetching ſtrength from him; whereby the ſoul is inabled to obey what it is commanded.
It is ſaid of Chriſt, That — His Government ſhall bee upon his ſhoulders: Not only in his hand having a Scepter only to command, but upon his ſhoulders, wherein there is ſupport to obey commands. So it may bee ſaid of Faith, which governeth from Chriſt, and by Christ, Its Government is upon its ſhoulder; inabling the ſoul to do what it commands.
1. Faith begets Soul-inabling-Principles; Principles in the ſoul ſuitable to the things commanded; whereby a man is inabled to obey.
All ſtrength for new Obedience ariſeth from a new Nature. And this new Nature is nothing elſe, but that conformity to the Law of God, whereby a man is not only able to obey, but willing to obey: when Principles are wrought in our hearts ſuitable to the Precepts: when there is a Law within us, anſwering to the Law without us: — It will be meat and drink; it will be natural to obey: it is not now hard to pray to clear. — The yoak is eaſy, the burden is light. Theſe things are not tasks but delights; not medicines, but meat; not phyſick, but food, Pſal. 40. — I delight to do thy Will, ſaith David: and what was the ground? — Thy Law is in my heart. There were Principles agreeable to the Precepts, and that made him not only to obey, but to obey with delight.
2. Faith ſupplies a man with Soul-inabling-Strength, from without. Wee have need not only of preventing, but aſſiſting Grace: not only of operative, but cooperative ſtrength: not only of inherent, but of aſſiſtant, the continual ſuccours, aids and ſupplies of the Spirit of Chriſt. And Faith doth ſupply the ſoul with ſtrength from him, — without whom wee can do nothing, and through whoſe might wee are inabled to do all things.
Faith laies in ſupplies of ſtrength from Chriſt, wherewith wee are inabled for any ſervice. It calls in for all the ſtrength of Chriſt, the aids of the Spirit, whereby wee are ſtrengthened.
2. Faith doth furniſh a man with Soul-inabling-conſiderations.
1. From God, the mercies of God, the goodneſs and ſweetneſs of God; All which do incourage and inable the ſoul to obey. A loving Maſter makes a diligent Servant. A mercifull God, a working Chriſtian. Nothing doth ſo prevail with the heart as love. — The Love of Chriſt conſtrains us.
When Faith ſhall diſcover to the heart what we were, what we are, what God might, what God hath done with us; it will break out with David with a — Quid Retribuam, &c. What ſhall I render to the Lord for all his benefits! I will take the cup of Salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows, &c. Pſal. 116.12. This overcomes the Soul with Love. That heart that is overcome with the ſweetneſs of mercy, is prepared to overcome any difficulty of ſervice. — My heart is prepared, my heart is prepared.
2. From the work. Faith furniſhes a man with ſoul-inabling-conſiderations from the excellency of the imployments: hee ſees a peece of Heaven in tem: hee ſees theſe ſervices full of beauty, ſweetneſs, deſireableneſs, No ſervice to the ſervice of the King. Oh! what then is the ſervice of the King of Kings.
3. From the rewards which God hath promiſed to obedience. And theſe rewards Faith makes uſe of, to quicken and ſtir up the ſoul to Obedience; to bee ſpurs and incentives to us, as they were to Moſes, who — had an eye to the recompence of the Reward; as they were to Chriſt himſelf; who for the joy that was ſet before him, endured the Croſs, and deſpiſed the ſhame, Heb. 12.2, and Heb. 11.26. All which have a mighty influence into the ſoul, to inable and quicken it to Obedience.
2. Faith inables the Soul to ſuffer. Yea, and to ſuffer the ſufferings of the greateſt magnitude. You ſee, Heb. 11. — Through Faith they were ſtoned, they were ſawn aſunder, were ſlain with the ſword.
1. It puts the ſoul into a ſuffering frame. It deadens a mans heart to the world, mortifies a man to to the world, and makes a man alive to God.
A man dead to the world doth not much care either to leave the world, or any thing in the world: now Faith deadens a mans heart to the World.
1. Faith puts the Judgement into a right frame. It makes the Judgement lightly to eſteem of earthly, and highly to eſteem of Heavenly things: lightly to eſteem the favours and frowns of men, highly to value the favour, and fear the frowns of God.
2. Faith prevails with the Will; to chuſe God above all; and to part with all, the leave all, if they come in competition with God. This Faith doth habitually, in habituall preparations in the work of Grace, when firſt the Will chuſeth with Chriſt. Thus Faith inables the ſoul to do actually, when ever it is brought to tryall.
3. Faith works upon the Affections, to love God above all, to delight in God, to fear him, &c.
A man, who loues any thing, chuſeth any thing, prizeth any thing above God, is a man unfit for ſufferings: hee is not in a ſufering frame. If God and theſe things come in competition, they with Demas will forſake God, and cleave to the preſent world. Men, whoſe hearts are too much ingaged to the World; whoſe affections are too much ſet upon the Creature: men, whoſe wills chuſe any thing more than God: whoſe Judgements do prize and eſteem of any thing more than God; to whom God is little, and the world is great: theſe men are unfit for tryals.
And therefore this is the firſt way, whereby Faith doth inable the Soul, by putting it into a ſuffering frame.
2. Faith doth furniſh the ſoul with ſuffering Reſolutions. A beleeving heart is a reſolved heart. Nothing cauſeth a ſuſpenſion in the Will more than Unbeleef. Hee that doubteth is like a wave of the Sea, ſometimes going this way, and ſometimes carried back again. Whereas Faith doth reſolve the heart, makes the ſoul reſolve as Peter, but in a better ſtrength, — I will dye, rather than deny thee.
Faith doth cloathe the ſoul with ſuffering reſolutions, to go through a Sea, through a Wilderneſs, through the hotteſt Skirmiſhes, the hardeſt Tryals for Chriſt. You ſee it every where in Scripture. In Michaiah, in Jeremiah, in the three Children, in Daniel, in the Apoſtles. And to theſe I might adde many more. As that of old Polycarp; when hee was perſwaded to deny Chriſt, rather than to dye for Chriſt. foreign, &c.— Theſe fourſcore and ſix years I have ſerved Chriſt; and hee hath never hurt mee all this time, and how then can I blaſpheme my King and Saviour?
The like of Cyprian, who being deſired to conſult with himſelf, before hee ſhould ſuffer,Fac quod tibi praeceptum eſt. replies. — Do your office. In ſo juſt a thing as this there needs no Conſultation.
The like of that rich Virgin which Baſil ſpeak of; who being condemned to the fire, was offered her life and eſtate, if ſhe would renounce her Faith; ſhee returns Valeat vita, pereat pecunia, &c. Let my mony periſh, my life cannot: and though I loſe this life, I ſhall have a more enduring, a more abiding, a more abounding life in Chriſt.
To theſe many more might bee added, to ſhew how Faith doth furniſh the Soul with ſuffering Reſolutions, as that of Chryſoſtome, who ſaid — if you take away my goods, &c.
3. Faith begets ſuffering graces, courage, magnanimity, patience, humility, ſelf-denyal, contempt of the World, high prizing of God. It ſets God above all the comforts and contentments in Heaven and Earth, It gives adherence to the Truth; by which the Soul is inabled to undergo any thing.
4. It laies in ſuffering-ſtrength: ſtrength from God, ſtrength from the Promiſe, which ſaith — When thou paſſeſt through the water, it ſhall not overflow thee, when thou paſseſt through the fire, it ſhall not kindle upon thee, &c. Iſa. 43.2. It fetcheth ſtrength from Chriſt, who like Simon of Cyrene, helps to bear part of every Croſs.
Thus Faith goes out of it ſelf; ſtands upon anothers bottome; leans upon anothers power; reſts upon anothers ſtrength, whereby the Soul is inabled to go thorow any thing. All this is conveyed by this Inſtrument of Faith.
5. It propounds to the Soul ſuffering rewards. That — For theſe light afflictions which are but for a moment, wee ſhall receive a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory.
That for the loſs of temporals wee ſhall gain eternals. That — If wee ſuffer with Chriſt, wee ſhall reign with Christ.
That No man ſhall loſe Father or Mother, or Wife, or Children, or Lands, or Houſes, or Brethren, or Siſters, for his Names ſake: but hee ſhall receive an hundred fold more, here, and ſhall inherit everlaſting life, Matth. 19.29. God will bee all this to thee. Nay, God will bee more than all this to thee. More than Riches, more than Friends, more than Life it ſelf unto thee.
All which conſiderations do exceedingly inable the Soul to undergo ſufferings and tryals.