The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 3 · Royalty 13
Thirteenth Royalty. 13. Faith is an Heart-Emptying-Grace.13. Royalty of Faith. Its an Heart emptying-Grace.
There are two things, which are the moſt natural acts of Faith.
1. It empties a man of himſelf.
2. It fills the Soul with Chriſt.
The Soul cannot bee fill'd with Chriſt, whileſt it is full of it ſelf. And therefore Faith doth firſt empty a man of himſelf, caſt a man out of himſelf, and then fills the Soul with Chriſt.
Faith doth cut a man off his own ſtock, the ſtock of Nature, the ſtock of Death, before it doth ingraft us into Chriſt, the Stock of Life. Faith doth ſtrip a man of his own cloaths, his own Garments, which are too ſhort to cover him, before it puts on the Robes of Chriſt. It throws us off from our own bottom, whereon wee ſtand, before it ſet a man upon another Foundation. It makes a man poor in himſelf, before it inrich him with Chriſt. It empties a man of himſelf, before it fill the Soul with Chriſt.
Now there are two things in general, which Faith doth empty the Soul of,
1. Of all Opinion of Righteouſneſs in our ſelves.
2. Of all Opinion of ſtrength to help our ſelves.
1. It doth empty the Soul of that windy conceit, that Phariſaical Opinion of Righteouſneſs in our ſelves. Faith doth not empty a man of any Righteouſneſs, but of the falſe Opinion of Righteouſneſs. It doth not empty us of any worth in our ſelves, there is none: but of that fond conceit of worth in our ſelves. Faith makes us ſee wee are worthleſs Creatures, Rev. 3.17.18. — Thou ſaieſt, I am rich, and increaſed with goods: I have need of nothing. And knoweſt not, that thou art wretched and miſerable, and poor, and blinde, and naked. — I counſel thee to buy of mee Cold, that thou maieſt bee rich, &c.
My Brethren; wee are all of us naturally, full of our ſelves, full of our ſelves, full of the ſelf of Pride, full of the ſelf of Love, Self-love, full of Self-conceits, full of Self-ſufficiency; wee are apt to think highly to our ſelves. Wee all hold of Adam in Capite; wee are all full of Pride. As Pride was the Fall of Adam, ſo it would bee the ruine of us.
Wee think wee are Rich, full, need nothing. As the Church did in the place afore quoted, Rev. 3.17, 18.
Thus, where Faith comes, it empties a man of himſelf, his Self-conceits; it doth diſcover our ſelves, to our ſelves; makes us ſee our ſelves, as wee lye weltring in blood, in our own blood, Ezek. 16.2, 3, 4, 5, 6. even in the Blood of Guilt, and the Blood of Filth. It puts down thoſe Towering thoughts, thoſe Ayery imaginations, thoſe Mountainous conceits which men had of themſelves. It caſts us out of our ſelves, makes us Nothing in our ſelves; makes us poor in our ſelves, foreign, as the word is, Mat. 5.3. — Beggars in Spirit: Poor Beggars. It makes us miſerable in our ſelves, empty in our ſelves, blind, naked, loſt in our ſelves. Faith makes us to ſee all this in our ſelves▪
Faith makes us ſee, in ſtead of Righteouſneſs, there's nothing but Sin in us; in ſtead of beauty, blackneſs; in ſtead of comlineſs, deformity. It diſcovers, there's nothing but Damnation and Hell in us; nothing but Hell in our parts, Hell in our Principles; Nay, Hell in our prayers: That not our perſons only; but our prayers ſtand in need of Chriſt, that if hee ſave not our prayers, as well as our perſons, our Prayers will damn us.
Faith is ſuch a Grace as is raiſed up, upon the ruines of our ſelves, not the Subſtance, but the Sin; the ruine of our ſinful ſelves: the ruine of our ſelf of Pride, of Self-confidence, ſelf-ſufficiency; all which are thrown down, before Faith bee raiſed.
As the Shipmans Fatal Star, which they ſay, is never ſeen, but before wrack, and death: ſo Faith is never ſeen, but before the wrack and death of ſinful nature, which hath one wrack by Faith, but the Univerſal wrack by death. And this is the firſt work, and the mighty work of Faith, which muſt bee done, before wee come over to Chriſt. As the Opinion of ſomething in themſelves, was that which kept off the Jews from comming to Chriſt; ſo it doth us. And therefore Faith empties us of this Opinion, makes us poor, that ſo wee may bee fit to receive the Goſpel. — The poor receive the Goſpel. The Goſpel is but a merciful Hoſpital for the relief of the Poor, Blind, Naked, Lame, and loſt ſinners. Here's nothing for thoſe, who are Rich and Full, and think they want nothing.
Faith empties the Soul of that Opinion of ſtrength to help it ſelf. Though a man were convinced, hee had nothing; yet if hee have ſuch a conceit as this, That hee can help himſelf; that hee is able to recover and winde himſelf out of that condition wherein hee is: hee would then ſtand upon his own bottom; bee a Buckler to himſelf, and would never come over to Chriſt.
That which kept the Prodigal from his Father, was not the Opinion of any worthineſs in himſelf; hee ſaw hee was poor and ready to famiſh; but hee thought hee could recover himſelf, live of himſelf, without the help of a Father. And this conceit kept him off.
So the Woman with the Bloody-Iſſue. It was not her opinion that ſhee had no need of Chriſt, which kept her off from comming to Chriſt, but ſhee thought ſhee was able to purchaſe help out of her own ſtore, without going to him: And even to the laſt penny ſhee conceited ſhee ſhould have help, when ſhee had ſpent all (not before.) Then ſhee came. And, whileſt a man hath a conceit, that hee is able to work out his own Peace, compaſs his own happineſs; Though hee bee poor, yet conceits, hee is able to inrich himſelf. Though naked, yet hee is able to weave a web of Righteouſneſs, to cloath himſelf. Though in debt, yet hee is able to make payment. Though undone, yet hee is able to recover himſelf. I ſay, ſo long as a man hath this conceit; thinks hee hath any ſtrength of his own, to winde himſelf out of the miſery, into which hee ſees himſelf to bee plunged: ſo long hee will never come over to Chriſt. This conceitedneſs will keep off the Soul from Chriſt.
Men, you know, will rather make uſe of their own gold, than of others; of their own cloaths than of others; of their own friends, than of others; of their own power, than of others. Men will dig to the Clay, (as Pliny ſaith) before they will go borrow water of their neighbours. Such a ſpirit there is in man, that hee will ſound the bottome, try the utmoſt what hee can do, before hee will call in for anothers help.
But now, when Faith comes, and diſcovers us, not only to bee miſerable, but unable to extricate our ſelves out of this miſery; not only to bee poor, but unable to inrich our ſelves; not only under the burden of ſin, but unable to caſt off this burden; not only indebted, but unable to pay, in priſon, but unable to come forth: then will the ſoul haſten, and come over to Chriſt.
Now this is that which Faith doth. It doth not only empty a man of all opinion of Righteouſneſs in the diſcovery of his miſery; but alſo it empties a man of all that opinion of ſtrength, to help himſelf out of this miſery. 1 Neither do. 2 Nor ſuffer.That hee can neither do nor ſuffer any thing to relieve himſelf. That all his doings and ſufferings are too ſhort to help him.
That the ſtate of nature is not only a ſtate of miſery, but a ſtate of impotency, and utter diſability to do any thing to help it ſelf. Hence the Apoſtle ſaith, Rom. 5.6, 8. — That wee were not only ſinners, but — without ſtrength; not able to help our ſelves out of this condition of ſin. — Wee were dead in treſpaſſes and ſins. So that wee were unable to do; or (if any thing) yet dead works, ſuch as ſet us further in debt, but wipe off no ſcore. Hence Chriſt ſaith — Without mee yee can do nothing. All our actions are ſo many Cyphers, ſo many Nothings.
1. Wee can do nothing to pleaſe God: our beſt works, but foreign: The Gift of an Enemy: The Sacrifice of Fools. — They, that are in the fleſh, cannot pleaſe God.
2. Wee can do nothing, which is truly, really, and ſubſtantially Good. What Nathaniel ſpake doubtingly concerning Chriſt, Joh. 1.46. — Can there any good thing come out of Nazaret? may preremptorily bee here affirmed. No good can come out of an evil heart. No good fruit from a bad root. — Do men gather Grapes of Thorns? or Figs of Thiſtles? — Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? It's impoſſible.
3. Wee can do nothing to ſettle a ſound and ſubſtantial Peace in our Conſciences: though wee skin them over for a time, calm and ſtill them for a time; yet wee cannot work a ſound cure, nor ſettle a ſubſtantial Peace there.
4. Wee can do nothing, which may purchaſe any bleſſing or favour from God. Non ex merito operis; ſed ex largitate donantis.Though God reward the works of wicked men ſometimes, as hee did Ahab, Jehu, Nebuchadnezzar: yet it is not That the works deſerve a reward, but becauſe hee is a plentifull rewarder?
Thus Faith diſcovers the impotency and utter diſ-ability to help our ſelves. Hence wee are ſaid
1. Not to bee able to think a good thought.
2. Cor. 3.5. — Not that wee are ſufficient of our ſelves, to think any thing, as of our ſelves. All our ſufficiency is of God.
2. Not to bee able to underſtand, 1 Cor. 2.14. — The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are fooliſhneſs to him: nor can hee know them, becauſe they are ſpiritually diſcerned.
3. Not able to will any thing that is good, Phil. 2.13. — God worketh the will and the deed of his own good pleaſure.
4. Not able to begin a good work, Phil 1.6. — Being confident of this very thing; that hee that hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jeſus Chriſt.
5. Not able to perfect it, when it is begun to our hands, — Iſa. 26.12. — Lord, thou hast wrought all our works in us, or for us. So Rom. 7.18. — To will is preſent with mee; but how to perform that which is good, I finde not.
There is a partial impotency in the hearts of the beſt; and this is more or leſs according to the vigor and power of corruption in us. As you ſee in Rom. 7.18. For I know, that in mee (that is, in my fleſh) dwels no good thing, for to will is preſent, but not to perform.
But there is a total univerſal impotency in unregenerate men — Every Imagination, motion, figment of his heart being evil, only evil, every day.
But admit wee could do any thing; could make as many prayers, as ſtars in Heaven; weep as many tears, as the Sea holds drops; Nay could wee do as much as the talleſt Angel in Heaven: all this would be too ſhort to winde us out of our miſery, that ſin caſts us into.
2. Wee are not able to ſuffer, and by our ſufferings to help our ſelves out of this. If wee ſhould macerate and afflict our bodies; ſuffer all the miſeries in the world in way of ſatisfaction for the leaſt ſin: Alas! all would bee too little, too ſhort, would not amount and come up to the leaſt debt.
But what do I ſpeak of this? If wee could ſuffer as many thouſand millions of years torments in hell, as the World hath ſtood minutes from the Creation: Nay, and God ſhould widen the capacities of the Soul; make a man more ſtrong and able to bear more wrath, make a man a larger veſſel, to receive more torments, that ſo in time, the ſprings of his Juſtice may bee drawn dry, the treaſures of his wrath might bee expended, and a full ſatisfaction bee made; yet there would bee no time, no eternity of torment, wherin there would bee enough endured, as a full ſatisfaction for the leaſt ſin, for the leaſt oath, thou haſt ever ſworn; for the leaſt idle thought thou haſt ever conceived, &c. The reaſon is; all this is but finite, and therefore cannot come up to ſatisfie for an offence of infinite demerit.
Thus Faith empties a man, not only of opinion of Righteouſneſs in himſelf, but of opinion of helping himſelf by any ſtrength of his own, out of this. Faith will tell thee, There is an eternal Law violated, and thou canſt not make up that: there is guilt of ſin, and thou art not able to ſatisfie for that; God is an enemy, and thou art unable to make him thy friend: God is angry, and thou art unable to appeaſe him: thou art liable to wrath, and not able to avoid it: thou art under the Curſe, and art unable to undergo it: art caſt into debt, and art unable to make payment.
All which being diſcovered to the ſoul, the ſoul falls down at Gods feet, and ſaith not with him in the Goſpel — Have patience with mee, and I will pay thee all: But — Have mercy upon mee, for I am unable to pay. — God bee merciful to mee a ſinner.
Oh! This will make a ſoul fall down at the feet of God, and implore that mercy of God, that hee would cancel all the obligations; reverſe all his Proceedings, croſs all Books; pardon all debts, between him and the ſoul.