The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 3 · Royalty 2 – Royalty 3
Second Royalty.
Second Royalty of Faith. Its an Heart-cleanſing-Grace.2. Faith is an Heart-cleanſing-Grace; An Heart-purifying, and purging-Grace. Hence Act. 15.9. it is ſaid — Their hearts were purified by Faith. Faith opens a way for a ſtream of blood to run through the ſoul, whereby the ſoul is waſhed, not from the guilt of ſin only; but from the filth of ſin alſo. — The Blood of Chriſt doth cleanſe us from all ſin,— not only from the guilt, but from the filth of ſin. — Hence the Apoſtle, — If the blood of Bulls and Goats, and the aſhes of an Heifer ſprinkled upon the unclean did purifie the Fleſh: How much more ſhall the Blood of Chriſt (who; through the Eternal Spirit, offered himſelf without ſpot) purge and cleanſe our Conſciences from all dead works, to ſerve the living God? Heb. 9.13, 14.
And Faith doth cleanſe the Heart,
1. Argumentatively.
2. Operatively.
1. Argumentatively; By way of Argument, where in Faith takes up Arguments,
1. From God.
2. From our ſelves.
From God, and that
1. From his Nature. Hee is an holy God; and therefore hee will have an holy People. A pure God; and therefore hee will have a pure People. Hence Lev. 11.44. — Ye ſhall be Holy; for I am Holy. I the Lord your God am Holy. The like, Lev. 19.2. And Peter urges the ſame, 1 Pet. 1.15, 16. — As he which hath called you is Holy: ſo be ye Holy in all manner of Converſation; For it is written; Bee yee Holy, for I am Holy.
2. From his Mercies,
1. In Redeeming us.
2. In calling us.
3. In Juſtifying us.
4. In promiſing to glorifie us.
1. In Redeeming us. Hath Chriſt dyed for mee, and ſhall not I live to him; Hath hee ſhed his Blood for mee, that I ſhould bee Holy and clean? And ſhall I delight in uncleanneſs,Pro me filius Dei jugulatus. and filthineſs? was hee ſlain for mee? and ſhall I delight in ſin? Hath hee ſuffered ſo much to purifie mee? and ſhall I bee unclean ſtill? hath hee done ſo much to waſh mee? and ſhall I bee filthy ſtil?
2. In calling us, 1 Pet. 1, 15, 16. — As hee which hath called you is Holy: ſo bee you Holy in all manner of Converſation, it is an holy Calling, 2 Tim. 1.9. that calleth us to Holineſs, and Faith; a purged ear, that hearkeneth to that call.
3. In Juſtifying us. Hath hee freed mee from the damning Nature of ſin? and ſhall I delight in the defiling nature of ſin? hath he freed mee from the guilt of ſin? and ſhall I love the filth of ſin? Hath hee done ſo much to waſh mee? and ſhall I bee filthy ſtill? Hath hee ſuffered ſo much to purifie mee? and ſhall I delight in uncleanneſs ſtill? Hath hee made mee a Member of Chriſt? and ſhall I bee a filthy Member of ſo holy a Body? Hath hee made mee a Branch? and ſhall I be a polluted-Branch of ſo holy a Stock? Hath hee lifted up the light of his Countenance on mee? and ſhall I ever countenance ſin? hath hee ſmiled on mee? and ſhall I ever ſmile upon ſin?
4. In Promiſes to glorifie us, 2 Cor. 7.1.— Having therefore ſuch precious promiſes, let us cleanſe our ſelves from all filthineſs both of Fleſh and Spirit, perfecting holineſs in the fear of God. — As if hee had ſaid — Seeing God hath been ſo mercifull, and gracious to us, to make us precious Promiſes, let this put us on ſelf-purging, and ſelf-purifying. Thou look'ſt for an holy-Heaven, and wilt thou not bee holy? Thou hopeſt for Salvation; and wilt thou not purifie thy ſelf? — Hee that hath this Hope, purifies himſelf, as God is Pure, 1 Joh. 3.3.
Thus doth Faith take up Arguments from God, his Nature, his Mercies.
2. It takes Arguments from our ſelves,
1. From the neceſsity of being cleanſed.
2. From the conveniency thereof.
1 From the Neceſsity: Becauſe otherwiſe, wee can have no aſſurance of Juſtification. They who are freed from the guilt of ſin, are freed from the filth of ſin. They who partake of the Blood of Chriſt for pardon, partake of the water of Chriſt, to purge. — Chriſt came by Water and Blood. They who will have him a Redeemer, muſt have him alſo a Refiner, to take away their Swini…h nature, to waſh them inwardly; not outwardly: for ſo may a Swine bee.
2. Becauſe otherwiſe wee can never have Aſſurance of Salvation. — They who look for new Heavens muſt have new hearts. They who look for Glory, muſt have Grace: Firſt Grace, then Glory.—For without Holineſs no man can ſee the Lord. — No unclean thing ſhall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven — hee that hath this hope, will fit himſelf for the Place, hee will labour to bee a pure perſon; as hee deſires to injoy a pure place. — Bleſſed are the pure in heart, for they ſhall ſee God. A pure God, a pure Heaven, a pure Place, requires a pure Perſon.
2. The Conveniency: This is fully made out in the neceſſity of it; and that with an advantage, there is ſuch a conveniency, as that it riſeth up to a neceſſity in all the former particulars; ſo that to an holy heart there is a moral impoſſibility of the contrary. How can I do this great wickedneſſe, and ſin againſt God, ſaid Joſeph? Gen. 39.9.
This is the firſt way of Faiths purifying the Heart, — Argumentativè — or by way of Argument.
2. Operativè. As Faith doth operate and work for the cleanſing of our nature, making uſe of Chriſt, who is called
A Fountain, Zach. 13.1.
A Refiner, Mal. 3.3.
A Purger, Joh. 15.2.
Hee is ſaid to come with Refiners fire, with Fullers Sope, to purge and purifie us. And thus Faith makes uſe of Chriſt, by the leaſt touch of whom, the ſinfull flux of ſin is dryed up and ſtaid. And Faith makes uſe.
1. Of the Merit of Chriſt; the Blood of Chriſt; which is apt to purge us, and cleanſe us from ſin. And for this end was his Blood ſhed, even to cleanſe us from ſin, Tit. 2.14. — Hee gave himſelf, (not only to bee a Redeemer, to redeem us from Hell, and the guilt of ſin: but) to purifie to himſelf a peculiar people, zealous of good works, Epheſ. 5.26, 27. — Hee gave himſelf for us that hee might ſanctifie us, and cleanſe us by the waſhing of Water, through the Word.
So Faith makes uſe of this Fountain, to waſh and cleanſe the ſoul; it opens this Fountain to the waſhing of the ſoul.
2. It makes uſe of the Prayer of Chriſt, John 17.17. — Sanctifie them through the Truth; thy Word is Truth.
3. Faith makes uſe of the Promiſe of Chriſt; wherein his Fidelity and Truth is ingaged for our Purification, Jer. 33.8. I will cleanſe them from all their iniquities, whereby they have ſinned againſt mee, Ezek. 33.25. — I will ſprinkle clean water upon you, and you ſhall bee clean from all your filthineſs; and from all your Idols will I cleanſe you, Iſa. 4.4. — The Lord ſhall waſh away the filth of the Daughter of Zion, and purge away the blood of Jeruſalem from the midſt thereof. Hence they are called Purging-Promiſes.
Thus Faith makes uſe of Chriſt, of the Merit of Chriſt, of the Blood of Chriſt, of the Prayer and Promiſe of Christ; whereby it ſets on the work of Self-cleanſing; whereby it purifies the ſoul: By vertue of which it waſhes the ſoul from all filthineſs of Fleſh and Spirit, 2 Cor. 7.1.
Third Royalty. Faith is a Heart-commanding Grace.
Chriſts Vice-Roy here in the Soul, which Governs, Rules,Third Royalty Faith. Its an Heart-commanding-Grace. and bears ſway in the ſoul, by vertue of the power and Scepter of Chriſt. Chriſt hath made Faith his Deputy here in the Soul, and not any other Grace but Faith. Hee knows Faith will rule by Chriſt, by his power, not its own: So Rule, as not to wreſt the Scepter out of Chriſts hand: It will rule for Chriſt, and to Chriſt: for his Glory, and to his Glory, not its own: and therefore hee hath given Faith juriſdiction in the Soul. So that it is a Soul-commanding Grace: It is the Taskmaster of the Soul, puts every Grace upon its work, and burden: It will not ſuffer any Grace to bee idle, but puts every Grace to its work.
Nay, it inableth the Soul to Doe, what it Commands the Soul to Doe.
To every Precept wee have ſtill a Promiſe. Nay, every Precept is a Promiſe.
Where God Commands us to Repent and Beleeve: to make our ſelves new hearts; to waſh and cleanſe our ſelves; to circumciſe our hearts; Hee hath promiſed in his new Covenant to do what hee hath commanded; to give us Faith; to work Repentance in us; to make us new hearts; to circumciſe the heart; to waſh and cleanſe us from our filthineſs.
And Faith urging the Precepts of God, makes uſe of the Promiſes of God: ſues out the Promiſe, and fetches ſtrength from the Promiſe, to perform the Precept. — Lord, thou haſt commanded mee to make mee a new heart: and thou hast promiſed to take this ſtony heart from mee, and to give mee an heart of Fleſh. Lord, performe thy Promiſe to thy Servant, in which thou madeſt mee put my truſt. Thou commandeſt mee to bee Holy, and thou haſt promiſed to make mee holy: Thou art the Lord, that Sanctifies. Lord, make mee Holy. — Da quod jubes, & jube quod vis: ſic enim implebitur voluntas tua, & obedientia noſtra: give what thou commandeſt, and command what thou wilt: and ſo both our obedience and thy Will ſhall bee fulfilled.
Thus you ſee; as God, ſo Faith ruling by God, from God, doth not only authoritatively impoſe commands, and lay duties upon the ſoul, but mercifully and friendly helps and inables the ſoul to do what is commanded.
It is not a Rigid-Maſter,—Reaping where it ſows not; commanding fruit from that ground whereon it ſows no ſeed: but ſows ſtrength to reap Obedience: inables to do what is commanded to do.
It is ſaid — by Faith Abraham obeyed. Faith did inable him to obey; and made his obedience fruitfull, and acceptable. Faith inabled him to obey, even in that great act of Obedience; when his Son, his only Son, the Son of his Love, the Son of the Promiſe, the Son of his Old Age, &c. was to bee taken away by death, killed, murdered, and that by his own hands, &c. And yet Faith inabled him hereunto.