The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 3 · Royalty 17
Seventeenth Royalty. 17. Royalty of Faith. Its an Heart guiding-Grace.17. Faith is an Heart-guiding-Grace.
Faith is the eye of the ſoul, to direct and guide us. Faith is to the ſoul as the Pole-ſtar to the Mariner, to direct the Mariner which way to ſteer his courſe. And the ſoul is like the Needle in the Compaſs, which ever looks towards God for direction. It is as it were the Pillar of fire to us, in the Wilderneſs of this World, to direct our ſteps to our Heavenly Canaan.
Our life is called a Way. And not only a ſtrait Way, but a difficult Way. Wee ſhall meet with many turnings in this Way. And if Faith doth not guide us, wee ſhall either ſtand ſtill, and not go forward: or wee ſhall go into wrong wayes, the way to Death.
My Brethren; wee ſhall meet with many exigents in our way to Heaven. And, if Faith do not guide, wee are ſure to go amiſs.
You ſee what an Exigent Eſther was put unto: Either to neglect duty, or to endanger her life. Shee put her life in her hand, for the good of the Church of God. If ſhee had now conſulted with fleſh and blood; if ſhee had followed the guidance of Reaſon, ſhee had been miſ-led.
No doubt but ſenſe and Reaſon would have told her, that it had been beſt, not to hazzard her ſelf, and put her life in jeopardy: but conſulting with Faith, and following the guidance thereof, ſhe was reſolved to do the duty, though ſee periſhed in the doing thereof: And it was her ſafety.
The like in Abraham. You ſee what an Exigent hee was put unto. Hee was to part with his Son, his only Son, the Son of his Love, the Son of his old age; a Son of ſo many Prayers, and ſo many Promiſes.
No doubt, if hee had conſulted with fleſh and bloud, and carnal reaſon, they would have bid him to ſpare his Son: but following the guidance of Faith, hee was willing to ſacrifice his Son, Heb. 11.17. — By Faith Abraham, when hee was tryed, offered up his Son Iſaac: of whom it was ſaid, that in Iſaac ſhall thy ſeed bee called. Accounting that God was able to raiſe him up, even from the dead, &c.
So it was Faith whic guided Moſes to leave the pomp and glory of Pharaohs Court, and to chuſe rather to ſuffer affliction with the people of God, than to injoy the pleaſures of ſin for a ſeaſon; eſteeming the reproach of Chriſt greater riches than all the treaſures of Egypt, Heb. 11.24. If hee had followed the guidance of Reaſon, or ſenſe, hee had miſcarryed. That would have told him, that hee was to regard himſelf, and his preſent happineſs, and not throw himſelf out of all. But then hee had been miſ-led. But following the guidance of Faith hee forſakes all.
This Guidance of Faith they wanted, Joh. 12.42. Who durſt not confeſſe Chriſti, for fear of being thrown out of the Synagogue. If they had had Faith, it would have guided them to Jeſus Chriſt; bee the Iſſue what it will.
The like of the Young-man. Hee went far, but when it was put to him, to leave all, to follow Chriſt; to ſell all: it is ſaid — Hee went away ſorrowful. Hee conſulted with Senſe and Reaſon; hee wanted the Guidance of Faith, which would have directed him to part with all, to caſt away all, rather than to leave Chriſt.
The like of Balaam. Either hee muſt forſake the wages of Unrighteouſneſs, or curſe the People: but hee had more deſire of mans reward, than hee had Faith to expect God, and ſo hee miſcarryed.
And, my Brethren, ſuch like ſtraits wee may meet withall in our way to Heaven. And, if wee follow not the Guidance of Faith, wee are ſure to bee miſ-led.
It hath been the ordinary choice that the Saints have been put to, Either forſake thy God, or forſake thy Goods: Either leave Chriſt, or leave thy Comforts: Either renounce Chriſt, or loſe thy Friends, thy Father, thy Mother; nay, thy liberty, thy life. To theſe exigencies and ſtraits Gods people have been driven. And had they not had Faith, they had ſurely been miſ-led: but having Faith, it guided them to ſuffer loſſe of friends, loſs of goods, loſs of liberty, loſs of life it ſelf for Chriſt: as you ſee up and down, in Abraham, in Moſes, in Jeremy, in Paul, and the reſt of the Apoſtles; who accounted not their lives dear to them, for Chriſt.
And it was the uſual ſpeech of the Primitive Martyrs, when they were perſwaded to leave Chriſt, rather than to ſuffer.Parce precot Imperator, tu Carcerem; ille Gehennam. — Spare good Emperour; thou canſt but cast into priſon: God into Hell.
The like of Cyprian, of Policarp.
The like of Frederick the Elector of Saxony; who was priſoner to Charles the fifth; and was promiſed inlargement and reſtitution to his former dignity; If hee would come to Maſs. It was Faith guided him to return this anſwer. — In earthly things I am ready to yeeld to Caeſar. In heavenly, only to Chriſt. And Chriſt is more welcome to mee in Bonds, than Caeſars Court without Chriſt.
Thus I might run down in particular examples in all ages, and ſhew you how Faith hath guided men in theſe ſtraits: which had they followed the direction of Reaſon and Senſe, they had been loſt for ever.
It is Faith which guides the heart, in theſe difficult caſes. It is an Heart-guiding-Grace. And this is the way.
Faith doth reject the wiſdome of the fleſh, and goes by Gods light, It ſhuts our eyes, and walks by Gods light. It follows God, as the blinde man follows his Guide, all his dayes. Hee who makes Gods Word all his Reaſon, ſhall have God a Counſellor. Faith will not own the wiſdome of the fleſh. — the carnal minde is enmity to God. It will not bee ſubject. It is full of contumacy and ſtoutneſs againſt God and his wayes.
Faith will neither own the Fleſh, as a King, nor as a Counſellor. As it will not obey the commands of the fleſh, ſo it will not follow the counſels of the fleſh.
Peter would not conſult with fleſh and blood, but was obedient to the heavenly viſion: where is implied, if hee had hearkened to fleſh and bloud, hee had been diſobedient to the heavenly viſion.
But Faith makes God its guide, Pſal. 48.14. — This God is our God for ever: hee ſhall bee our guide unto death. Faith ſeeks direction from God, who is the Counſellor, the God of all wiſdome. And the Soul, that leans upon God for wiſdome, ſhall not want it. He who truſts in the God of wiſdome ſhall not want direction. I ſay, hee, who ſhuts his own eyes, and ſincerely falls down at the feet of God for counſel, ſhall have direction from him.
If indeed, wee ſeek as Balaam, with a double heart, or as the Children of Iſrael did, Jer. 42. who asked counſel, but were reſolved of their way; wee then may miſcarry. But hee who ſeeks with an humble and upright heart, that asks the way to Sion, with his face thitherward, reſolved to go, as God directs, Such will God direct in his way: ſuch hee will guide in all the wayes of Judgement.
As the Moon by darting her beams and influence into the Sea, doth move that great body backward and forward; which they ſay, is the cauſe of the ebbings and flowings of the Sea: ſo God doth in difficult caſes, dart ſuch a beam of light into the Soul, ſuch ſtrong influences into the Spirit, as doth carry the ſoul the way it ſhould go.
A man may follow his own wiſdome and miſcarry: but hee that ſhuts his eyes and follows God, is ſure not to bee miſ-led. Hee, who rejects the counſel of the fleſh, and is reſolved to walk by the direction of the Spirit, though never ſo unlikely to fleſh and bloud, is ſure to go right.
You ſee an example of this in Balaam; in Saul ſparing of Agag, and the beſt of the flock: in ſacrificing before Samuel came to him. But I'le name but one.
Jer. 41.10. to the end of the Chapter. Johanan, who was the Captain of the Reſidue of the Jews left in Jeruſalem, deſired Jeremy (though with a double and deceitful heart) to enquire of the Lord, whether hee ſhould go down to Egypt, or abide at Jeruſalem: And bound himſelf with a vow, that — Whatever the Lord ſaid, hee would do it.
Jeremy comes, and tells him, hee muſt abide at Jeruſalem, and God would preſerve him. But Johanan wanted Faith to beleeve there was ſafety, where was no means of ſafety. And therefore hee choſe rarher to go down to Egypt, than to abide at Jeruſalem. And if that mans reaſon might direct it, 'twas the likelieſt way: for in Jeruſalem was nothing but Penury, Want, Famine and War: In Egypt there was Plenty, Peace, and all abundance.
But now obſerve. Though the way were never ſo likely, yet following his own wiſdome, and rejecting the counſel of God: I ſay, following his own wiſdome and counſel, and neglecting the direction of God; hee ran upon his own ruine; it was his utter undoing. You ſee there, the thing hee thought hee ſhould avoid, hee fell into: Hee thought to have avoided the Sword, Famine, and Peſtilence: but all theſe followed him. God would make him know, it was better to follow the guidance of Faith, though the way were never ſo dangerous, unlikely, to carnal wiſdome, than to bee led by his own wiſdome, though 'twere never ſo likely. Men that would avoid danger out of Gods way, do ſurely run into it. Hee that will follow his own wiſdome, not Gods, ſhall run into miſchief.
You ſee this in Jeroboam. It was a likely project in carnal reaſon, in mans way; To continue his Throne and Kingdome, by making of Calves; that ſo the people might bee kept from Jeruſalem, and might not revolt back to Judah. But in Gods way; it was the way to his ruine, the overthrow of him, and all his houſe.