Moses Self-Denial, Treatise · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
Moſt men are ſtrangers to this precious Faith; The Tryall thereof diſcovered.
IF this be the work of Faith; Application.if theſe be the glorious effects of it; then hence the faith of the moſt men in the world is diſcovered not to be right, not to be precious faith, that faith that is the faith of Gods elect, becauſe it is altogether void of this vertue and efficacie; you thinke you have faith, what can you doe with your faith? what power? what efficacie hath it? can it draw your hearts off from all creatures here below? can it raiſe your ſpirits above all the delights, honours, profits of the world? can it ſatisfie your ſoules with God alone, as an infinite all-ſufficient good? Surely a precious faith, that is, the Faith of Gods Elect doth this.
Firſt,1. Faith hath a mighty power of God put forth for the working of it in the ſoule: It is the exceeding greatneſſe of Gods power, the ſame that raiſed Jeſus Chriſt from the dead, that workes faith whereſoever ir is; and God does not uſe to put forth his Almighty power, in any extraordinary manner, for the wotking of an ordinary thing; therefore faith muſt needes bee ſome extraordinary thing, and have ſome extraordinary vertue in it, whereſoever it is true, to doe great things.
Secondly,2. Faith hath the great honour above all other graces, to be the condition of the ſecond Covenant; therefore ſurely it is ſome great matter that faith enables to doe; whatſoever keeps covenant with God, brings ſtrength, though it ſelfe be never ſo weake: As Sampſons Haire, what is weaker then a little haire, yet becauſe the keeping that, was keeping covenant with God, therefore even a little Haire was ſo great ſtrength to Sampſon: Faith then that is the condition of the covenant, in which all grace and mercy is contained, if it be kept, it will cauſe ſtrength indeed to doe great things.
Thirdly,3. Faith hath high and glorious things for its object; it is God himſelfe, his electing, redeeming love, the Lord Ieſus Chriſt in his natures and offices, the glorious myſteries of redemption, &c. that it exerciſes it ſelfe upon: It could not have to deale with theſe things, if it were not a moſt excellent grace, full of admirable vertue and efficacie.
Fourthly,4. Faith hath high and glorious acts that it performes, that are eſſentiall to it.
Fifthly,5. it hath many glorious effects; it is that which muſt carry the ſoule through all hazards, difficulties, and oppoſitions to eternall life.
Surely then this grace hath exceeding great things in it: certainely the world is miſtaken in this grace: It is ſomething elſe that they have taken up for faith all this while; for there is nothing more dull, flat and dead, then that which they take for Faith; their hope in God, and truſting in God, what empty, heartleſſe, liveleſſe things are they? No marvell though they thinke it an eaſie thing to beleeve; It is eaſie indeed to beleeve with ſuch a kind of beliefe as theirs is: Truly wee had need looke to it, that wee be not miſtaken in our Faith, for it is of infinite conſequence, upon which all depends: if we be miſtaken in this, all the mercy in God, all the blood of Chriſt, all the good in the promiſes can doe nothing for us.
Conſider therefore againe, ſurely that cannot be right faith, that cannot doe that which the light of nature can doe, that meere civility and morality can doe: Suppoſe it did as much as they can doe, yet if it can doe no more, it is not right, it is not that precious faith, that will ſave the ſoule. Suppoſe a ſimple man ſhould get a ſtone, and ſtrike fire with it, and hee concludes, ſurely this is ſome precious ſtone, becauſe fire is ſtricken out of it, why? every flint, every ordinary ſtone that lyes in the ſtreet, will doe as much as this: ſo if a man ſhould thinke ſurely he hath that precious faith, becauſe he can be ſober, and temperate, juſt in his calling, upright in all his dealings, chaſte in his body, liberall to the poore; why? ordinary Heathens can doe this, they were as temperate, as juſt, as chaſte, as liberall as you, there needs no faith for this; It is enough for a man to be a rationall man to doe this, faith muſt have higher operations then reaſon, or elſe it will never carry to Heaven.
But what if it does not enable thee to doe as much as a beaſt can doe? as to be temperate in meates and drinkes, what kinde of faith doe you thinke this is, when there are ſuch glorious things ſaid of Faith, and yet that faith you have, cannot enable you to doe ſo much good as there is in a beaſt, will this faith ſave you? What if it does not enable you to doe ſo much as the Devils faith? they beleeve, and tremble; there are many things concerning God, in his infinite juſtice, holineſſe, wrath, many things concerning ſinne, concerning Chriſt, concerning eternity that they beleeve, which thou beleeveſt not; or if thou ſayeſt thou doſt beleeve, yet thou doſt not tremble, but goeſt on boldly, ſecurely, preſumptuouſly, hard-heartedly, joyfully, in a ſinfull and dangerous way, and is this Faith? is this the precious Faith that will ſave a Soule? That which thou calleſt Faith, does not give thee ſtrength to reſiſt any ſlight temptation; thou canſt not deny a companion, thou canſt not venture the loſſe of any thing, thou canſt not endure a reproachfull word for Chriſt, and is this Faith? Good Lord, what doe wee make of Faith, if this be Faith? Truely, if Faith had nothing elſe in it, then the Faith of the moſt hath, I would even fall to the Vertues of Moralitie, for it were farre beneath the meaneſt of them all.
Dare you venture your ſoules and eternall eſtates upon this Faith? Certainely, it were exceeding boldneſſe and deſperateneſſe ſo to doe. What if God ſhould ſet all thy ſinnes in order before thee, in the moſt hideous and fearefull nature of them, in the true deformitie and vileneſſe of them? What if thou ſhouldſt ſee God in his infinite Glorie, Majeſtie, Holineſſe, and Iuſtice? If he ſhould ſhew thee how thou haſt wronged all his Attributes, how thou haſt ſtruck at his very Being, how thou haſt beene an enemie to him all thy life, reſiſting and oppoſing of him in all thy wayes, darkened his Glorie, contemned, ſlighted him, and ſet up the creature, yea, thy luſt before him; this I dare charge every Soule as guiltie of, in ſome degree or other. Suppoſe thou ſaweſt all the creatures abuſed by thee, pleading againſt thee, and all Gods Ordinances prophaned, and all thy time miſ-ſpent, and the bloud of Chriſt crying out againſt thee. Suppoſe thou ſaweſt the Law, full of the brightneſſe, of the holineſſe, and juſtice of God, which thou haſt broken. Suppoſe thou ſaweſt the rigour, ſtrictneſſe, and ſeveritie of it, binding thee over to eternall death for every breach, and putting thee under an eternall Curſe for every offence. Suppoſe Conſcience were let out upon thee, and had commiſſion to accuſe thee to the full, to flye in thy face for all thy abuſes of it. Suppoſe Satan were let out, to plead againſt thee, inject diſmall hideous terrors into thy ſpirit. Suppoſe now all creatures were readie to leave thee, to take their everlaſting farewell of thee; and now the infinite Ocean of Eternitie were before thee, and thou wert to enter in upon it, either for thy eternall happineſſe or eternall miſerie. Suppoſe now thou ſtoodſt before the great God, to receive the Sentence of thy eternall Doome, to have the great queſtion of thy everlaſting eſtate to be abſolutely and unalterably determined of. Now, would ſuch a Faith, as thou haſt, carry through theſe things? Would it uphold thee from ſinking into the bottomeleſſe Gulfe of Deſpaire? This may be thy condition, thou knoweſt not how ſoone; and that Faith that thou haſt, of what uſe would it be to thee, in ſuch a condition as this?
If ever thou beeſt ſaved, thou muſt have ſuch a Faith as ſhall be able to uphold thy heart, and keepe it unto God, whenſoever ſuch a condition ſhall befall: though Faith be weake, yet if it be true, it enables the Soule to lay ſuch faſt hold on God, as whatſoever befalls it, can never take off the Soule from God againe. Be therefore perſwaded, that Faith is another manner of Grace then you imagined it to be: where Faith is true, it will doe more then carry through outward ſtreights, and hardſhips, it will carry through ſpirituall ſtreights; into which I have made a little digreſſion, that I might convince men, that they miſtake in that which they call Faith.