The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 3 · Royalty 5
Fifth Royalty. 5. Faith is a Soul-Securing-Grace.
It is ſuch a Grace that doth ſhelter and ſecure the Soul from all evil. Hence,5. Faith is a Soul-ſecuring Grace. Prov. 29.25. — They who truſt in the Lord ſhall bee ſafe, or, ſhall bee lifted up on high, (as the word ſignifies) above men, above the World, above all ſtorms, above all troubles; ſhall bee ſet out of danger, out of Gunſhot.
As Noahs Ark was carried above all waters; So Faith ſhall carry the Soul above all dangers. Hee that truſts ſhall bee ſafe. So that you ſee Faith is an Heart-ſecuring-Grace. Wee may ſit down ſecurely under the ſhadow of Faith.
It is a Soul-Securing-Grace. Nothing elſe will ſecure you but beleeving. Build as many Towers of ſuccour as you can; Raiſe up as many Caſtles of ſtrength, as your proviſions will reach: yet all theſe are but Caſtles in the Air; there's no foundation for them, nor ſhelter in them. Beat, and caſt out as many Anchors as you can; yet you will but Anchor on the waves; you ſhall never finde a bottom to reſt on, to ſecure your ſouls from trouble.
All the proviſions in the Creature; All that thy power, thy Policy can do, and finde out, will not compaſs thee with ſafety, if thou do not truſt. There is nothing doth ſecure the Soul, and ſet the Soul out of danger; but a Reſolved-Truſt. And no Truſt, but a Truſt in God.
1. Not a Truſt in Riches. — The Rich mans wealth is his strong City: but it's ſo in his conceit only; it is weak.
2. Not a Truſt in Friends.—Deceitful Friends Job calls them. — Waters that fail — as Jeremy calls them. But — broken Walls, and tottering Fences, as the Pſalmiſt ſtiles them, Pſal. 62.3.
3. Not a Truſt in Princes. If any could ſecure the Soul, one would think they might; but theſe cannot. Pſal. 62. throughout, Pſal. 146.3, 4. Prov. 10.15. Nahum. 3.12, 13. Wee read the Children of Iſrael would truſt in the ſhadow of Egypt. Egypt was a Wel-ſpread-Tree, it promiſed ſecurity under her boughs, and branches; but it could not; there was no ſecurity, Jer. 2.37. God threatens hee would reject their confidences, and they ſhould not proſper thereby.
So that no Truſt, but a Truſt in God will compaſs the Soul with ſafety, and this will; it is an Heart-Securing-Grace.
1. It ſets a man upon a Soul-Security-Bottom; which is God himſelf; Chriſt himſelf. This is that Bottom David cryed to bee ſet upon. — Set mee upon the Rock, that is higher than I. Why one would have thought, David had been ſecure enough upon his own Bottom; Hee had a good bottom to ſtand on, if there bee one in the World. Hee was a King, and had proviſions for ſafety. If any man might be ſecure, then he. But hee ſees hee could not be ſecure in himſelf.
— His feet began to ſink: And therefore crys out for a better bottom. Oh! Set me upon the Rock, that is higher than I.
Time was, a Man was his own bottome: A bottome to himſelf; But it was but a Sandy-bottome. Even in his Innocency there was no Security in it. But now God hath appointed our Bottome to bee out of our ſelves, and to bee in him. And therefore our conditions are ſecure: the Soul that ſtands on this bottome, is ſafe, is ſecure.
This Chriſt ſets down in the Parable of the Ho…ſe built upon a Rock; that is, upon himſelf. Though The winds blow, the waves and billows beat; yet there is no danger of our fall.—We ſtand upon a Rock.
Why, but may not a Weak and Tottering houſe bee built upon a ſtrong foundation? And what is it then the ſurer for the Foundation? It may bee blown down, though the foundation bee never ſo ſtrong. Yea, But no Chriſt is ſuch a Rock, as doth derive vertue and ſtrength unto the ſtructure and building.
Indeed a man may build a weak houſe upon a ſtrong foundation, and the houſe fall for all that: becauſe the rock is a dead thing; and cannot impart any of its ſtrength unto the ſtructure.
But it is not ſo here. Bee the building never ſo weak: yet this Rock can hold it up: becauſe it diffuſeth its ſtrength into the building. Hence 1 Pet. 2.4, 5. Chriſt is called a living, not a dead, Rock—A living ſtone.—To whom comming as to a living Stone, wee alſo as lively-ſtones are built up a ſpiritual houſe. Which ſhews the transformation of the building into the nature and firmneſſe of the Rock.
Thus you ſee, Faith is a ſoul-ſecuring-grace.
It ſets a man upon a ſoul-ſecuring-bottome. It makes God our ſecurity, who is called,
The ſtrong-God.
The mighty-God.
The Rock of Refuge.
A defenſe.
A Shield.
A Tower.
A Fort.
An High-place, Mich. 4.8.
The Tower of his Flock.
The ſtrong hold of the daughter of Sion. A Covert from the ſtorm, Iſay 32.1, 2.
Faith makes All-God our ſecurity. It ingages all-God to be our ſecurity.
His Power. And is not this able to ſecure us?
His Wiſdome. And will not this ſecure us?
His Truth. And will not this ſecure us?
His Mercy. And cannot all this ſecure us?
Hee, who truſts in the Lord, Mercy ſhall compaſſe him on every ſide: Hee is hemm'd in with Mercy. Or mercy imbraceth him on every ſide, to ſecure him.
As truſt doth compaſſe mercy: ſo mercy doth compaſs truſt. As truſt imbraceth mercy: ſo mercy imbraceth truſt.
It is not Faith it ſelf, that doth ſecure us: But Faith doth make God our ſecurity. It ſets a man upon a ſoul-ſecuring-bottome: on a ſoul-ſecuring-God: on a ſoul-ſecuring-Power, on a ſoul-ſecuring-Mercy. Therefore needs muſt a Beleeving, a Truſting-ſoul be ſecure.
2. It inſtates the ſoul, in ſoul-ſecuring-promiſes. The promiſes of preſervation from trouble. Promiſes of Deliverance out of trouble.
All the promiſes, which God hath made of Security. Faith inſtates the ſoul into them all.
Hee hath promiſed — When wee paſſe through the waters he will be with us, and the waters ſhall not overflow us; When we paſs through the fire; the flame ſhall not kindle upon us, Iſa. 43.2.
Hee hath promiſed — Hee will ſtand at our right hand, and wee ſhall not bee moved, — Pſal. 16. — He will never leave us, neither forſake us, — Heb. 13.6. — The Gates of Hell ſhall never prevail againſt us, Mat. 16.18.
Hee hath promiſed to bee a Tower, a Rock, a Refuge, a Covert from a ſtorm, an hiding place in time of Danger, &c. And it is faith, that doth inſtate us, into theſe Soul-ſecuring-Promiſes.
As there is no promiſe to us, till wee beleeve: ſo, if once wee beleeve, all the Promiſes are ours.
Look into the word of God: and what promiſes ſoever there are made for ſecuring the ſoul; All theſe are thine.
3. Faith doth instate us into ſoul-ſecuring-Priviledges.
1 It makes us the Sons and Daughters of God, John. 1.12, 13 — As man as received him, to them hee gave power, or priviledge, to become the Sons of God: Even to as many as beleeved in his name, — Gal. 3.26. You are the children of God by faith in Chriſt. And will not a father ſecure his child?
2. Faith makes us the Spouſe of Chriſt, the members of Chriſt. It ingrafts us, and unites us into him. And will he not ſecure his members.
3. It make us the inheritance of Chriſt. Hee hath promiſed to bee a Tower to his Flock. A ſtrong-hold to the Daughters of Sion, Theſe are all ſoul-ſecuring-priviledges: And therefore beleeving ſouls ſhall be ſecure.
Oh! Then, Would you bee ſecured from the evil-day? would you bee ſecured in the evil day? Labour for Faith. This alone ſecures the ſoul. It ſets a man upon a ſoul-ſecuring-bottome; Inſtates a man in ſoul-ſecuring-promiſes; Gives him right to ſoul-ſecuring-priviledges.
Abrogate fears, Surrogate Faith, Down with fears, which betray the ſuccour of the ſoul, and ſet up beleeving.