A Cordial for a Fainting Soul, Sermon 6
SERM. VI.
LUKE 17. 5.
Lord increaſe our Faith.
I Am ſtill upon the work of removing ſuch obſtructions as hinder the work of Faith in the ſoul. I have done with thoſe of the firſt ſort, viz. ſuch as are praevious, that make the ſoul ſtumble at the threſhold, while it conceives it may not, and pretends it dare not beleeve. I am now come to a ſecond ſort, that are gone a ſtep further then theſe, they will tell you that they are convinced, beleeving is their duty, and their great duty, and the duty for the omiſſion of which they fear they ſhall periſh, But they cannot, they do not beleeve, they may cheat themſelves with a preſumption, but they want ſuch a certainty of perſwaſion, and ſuch a fulneſſe of aſſurance, as is requiſite to true Faith, they are full of ignorance, and weakneſſes, &c.
Cap. 6.
How to ſatisfie thoſe that are conceited againſt the work of Faith in their ſouls, viz. againſt the truth of it.
NOw for ſatisfaction to ſuch Chriſtians, let us ſearch out the cauſe of ſuch complaints; I conceive there may be a double cauſe.
1. A miſtake in the nature and acts of Faith.
2. A misjudging of the effects of Faith.
Firſt, The complaints of ſuch a ſoul, which yet all this time truely beleeves, may ariſe from a miſtake concerning the nature and acts of Faith; and therefore the way to ſatisfie it will be rightly to inform it concerning them, and to this end, I ſhall but propound to ſuch a ſoul to conſider theſe two things.
1. That there are many acts and more degrees then one, of true ſaving Faith.
2. That true Faith is of ſo good a nature, that it will and may dwell with many doubtings, and weakneſſes, in a poor ſoul.
Theſe two things cleared, I truſt many ſouls will be ſatisfied; for commonly the miſtake is grounded upon ignorance, conceiving there is no Faith, but Faith of aſſurance, and that Faith comes to be no Faith, if but a dram of doubting be mingled with it, &c.
Conſider therefore I ſay, Firſt, That true Faith hath ſeverall acts, and ſeverall degrees. A fulneſſe of perſwaſion is not the leaſt act, or degree of Faith, no not of true juſtifying Faith. There are notes under that Ela. There is great quarrelling concerning the nature and eſſence of true juſtifying Faith; ſome will have it to be a bare knowledge. Thus (ſaith the Apoſtle) The devils beleeve, and tremble: Some will afford us a little more, and tell us that Faith conſiſts in an aſſent, but beyond this they will not ſtride; ſome in too full oppoſition to theſe denying any certainty of perſwaſion and aſſurance to be, have deſcribed Faith by an aſſurance and full perſwaſion, which is the higheſt, and not the direct, but the reflex act of Faith, when indeed the very eſſence of juſtifying Faith lieth betwixt theſe, in an act of adherence to, and reliance upon Jeſus Chriſt.
To Faith we grant a knowledge is required of Gods word. But this we ſay is rather ſuppoſed to Faith, then an act of true juſtifying Faith.
Firſt, The loweſt act of Faith is an aſſent, a yielding in thy ſoul to the word of God, an agreement to the truth of it, Exod. 14. 31. Iſrael beleeved the Lord, and his ſervant Moſes, [viz.] gave credence and aſſent, agreed that it was juſt, and good, and true, that the Lord ſpake, and relied upon the authority of him that ſpake it; So by this act of Faith, doth the beleever, when he hears the word of God revealed concerning his ſalvation, he cloſeth with it; as ſuppoſe that, Ioh. 3. 16. God ſo loved the world that he gave his onelyonly begotten Son, that whoſoever beleeves in him ſhould not periſh, but have everlaſting life. Or that of the Apoſtle, There is no other name under heaven, whereby a man may be ſaved, but the name of Ieſus; or that again, This a faithfull ſaying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Ieſus Chriſt came into the world to ſave ſinners. Faith now doth not onelyonly know this, but cloſeth with God in theſe truths: And ſo concerning the promiſes of ſalvation, when God ſayes, Though your ſins were as ſcarlet, I will make them as ſnow, though they were as crimſon, yet they ſhall be white as wooll. Faiths work now is to perſwade the ſoul to an aſſent to, and credence of the truth of this good word of God, yea, and it is not every aſſent that is an act of Faith neither.
Firſt, It muſt be a ſtedfaſt aſſent, The beleever doth as verily beleeve the promiſe of God, as that he doth live; he ſayes in his heart, and with his whole heart: Firſt, The word that tells me this is the world of an ever-living and unchangeable God, and it is undoubtedly his Word. Secondly, It is the word of a true and faithfull God; The Apoſtle calls Gods Word, The word of truth; And it is the word of truth either materially, the matter of it is truth, or objectively, the object of it is truth. It hath the God of truth for the Author, It is whole truth for the matter. And this the beleever gives full and ſtedfaſt credit unto.
Secondly, Yea, and he gives credit to every truth that the word of God holds out to him as truth. Faith quickens the ſoul, to thirſt after full diſcoveries of truth, and quickens the ſoul, to receive every beam of the light of truth, that ſhines into it. The Hebrews ſay, That there is not the leaſt tittle of the law, upon which great mountains do not depend. The beleever ſaith, there's not the leaſt jot in the word of God, upon which great mountains of truth do not depend, not any leaf but the God of truth is wrapt up in. I remember that it was Gods command in the 28. cha. of Deut. That when the ſeverall curſes were read, all the people ſhould ſay Amen; and that not to this or that curſe, but at the denuntiation of every curſe all the people ſaid Amen; I do not reade the like command when the bleſſings were pronounced, yet (without queſtion) their aſſent was required to them as well as the other. But our hearts are ready enough to ſay Amen to bleſſings, and promiſes, but we would not ſay Amen to threatnings and curſes: Now the beleever gives aſſent and credence to the word of God,V. Balls Treat. of Faith. 1. p. even there where it ſeemeth moſt to ſtrike at his own intereſt, and happineſſe; he beleeves all things that are written in the law, and the Prophets, Acts 24. 14.
Yea, and he gives thirdly, a clear aſſent to the word of God, and every portion of it. He is not like him that ſaith Amen to any thing, he will give his aſſent to every piece of the word of God, and yet not a blinde aſſent to any piece of it; but every truth that he aſſents unto, ſhines into his ſoul with a light as clear as the ſuns at high-noon-day. As Chriſt told the woman of Samaria, Ioh. 4. 22. You worſhip you know not what, but we know what we worſhip. The diſcourſe had been very high about very great myſteries; Chriſt had told her of a ſtrange gift he would give her, Living water, v. 10. That ſhould have a ſtrange quality, even a quality to quench thirſt for ever, v. 14. She gave ſome aſſent to this, the water pleaſed her taſt, but it was but a blinde aſſent, for▪ ſhe dreamed of ſuch a water as might ſatisfie her bodily thirſt, that ſhe might no more come thither to draw. And v. 20. When ſhe made a confeſſion of her Faith to Jeſus Chriſt▪ that it was juſt of the ſame length & bredth of her fathers, not an inch longer nor ſhorter (a Faith of the ſame laſt with moſt now a dayes.) Chriſt told her that in the dayes to come, there ſhould be a ſtrange kinde of worſhipping the Father, Neither at Ieruſalem, nor yet in that mountain. Ye worſhip ſaith he you know not what, but we know what we worſhip. Many aſſent this day to the word of God, They aſſent to it that there is a Chriſt come into the world to ſave ſinners, &c. None will deny this, but it is in their brains but as a dark notion, or elſe they have received it as a tradition of their fathers. (Our forefathers religion is a great plea in theſe dayes) The Samaritans they worſhipped▪ they gave a kinde of a blinde credence, and aſſent to ſome things that were truths in the word; But alas! they worſhipped they knew not what, they had no clear diſtinct knowledge of thoſe truths that they made an orall profeſſion of, and with their mouths did pretend aſſent to. So wicked and profane men now a dayes give a kinde of an aſſent to the word of God, and to the Doctrine of Jeſus Chriſt, but it is far from the meaneſt, and loweſt act of true Faith. When they hear or have received it from tradition, that Chriſt was born of a Virgin, or that Chriſt though eternall God yet was alſo perfect man, that he died for ſinners, &c. The wretches will tell you they beleeve theſe things; But alas! they aſſent not to them as clear diſtinct truths, made out evidently and convincingly to their ſouls, they ſay they profeſſe they worſhip they know not what. They underſtand not theſe things▪ The natural man receiveth not the things of God, for they are fooliſhneſſe unto him, 1 Cor. 2. 14.nor can he know them for they are ſpiritually diſcerned. He gives his blinde aſſent, and perhaps will ſet his hand to them, but he doth but ſet his hand to a blank if he does; Nor can it be otherwiſe, for the carnall man hath nothing but the bucket of carnall reaſon to draw with, out of the unfadomable depth of the myſteries of ſalvation; and while he hath nothing elſe, thus reaſon diſputes, and cannot but diſpute in his ſoul; If Chriſt be God, How could he be born or dye? reaſon cannot anſwer theſe queſtions, therefore they ſeem dark to the poor blinde wretch, and though he profeſſes he gives credence to the word of God, in theſe particulars; Yet his aſſent is but a dark and forced act of his will, not a voluntary and clear act of it, cloſing with the truth, and embracing of it; nor can it be, becauſe (as I have ſhewed) his aſſent of his will cannot proceed from a well enlightned underſtanding, without the precedency of which the will is but raviſhed into an aſſent. The underſtanding is that which holds the candle to the will in the ſoul: Now the aſſent and credence which every true beleever gives to the word of truth, though it be an act of the will (for it is the wills act to delight in, and cloſe with and …eal) yet it proceeds from a ſpiritually, and clearly enlightened underſtanding, for it is the underſtandings office to dictate to the will: Now aſſent in the wicked man, is but an act of his will without any clearneſſe in the underſtanding, the underſtanding onelyonly preſenting the truth, as a notion, or tradition, or commonly received opinion, this is far from an act of Faith, but ſuch as the devils have. It is like the Athenian devotion, Paul coming to Athens, Act. 17. 23. found an Altar with this ſuperſcription, foreign, To the unknown God. Their worſhipping argued ſome aſſent of the will, and the will alwayes following the dictate of the underſtanding, It is certain that there was ſome knowledge; the truth was this, Their underſtanding had gathered up ſome generall notions of the Deity [That there was a God, &c.] and theſe might be ſeen by the light of nature, or heard from their forefathers, and ſuckt in by tradition. And it is plain it was no more, for they ingenuouſly confeſſe, that the God whom they worſhipped, was unknown to them; they knew that there was a God, and poſſibly, that this God was a ſpirit, and that this God muſt be worſhipped, Naturall eyes diſcern all this, but it was not a clear and diſtinct knowledge, and aſſent, they worſhipped they knew not what, their Altar was to the unknown God, As many name-Chriſtians, beleevers at large, now a dayes mutter over their common-prayers to their unknown God, and come to Church to worſhip an unknown God, onelyonly their fathers or mothers have told …hem, there is a God, and a Chriſt, and this …riſt came into the world to ſave ſinners, and they muſt be good Church-men and ſerve God, &c. But now where this is an aſſent in the ſoul (to a truth) as an act of true Faith, it is out of a diſtinct and clear underſtanding. It conceives a great deal of reaſon, why it ſhould beleeve ſuch a truth, cloſe with ſuch a promiſe, aſſent to ſuch a word, and the ſoul ſo clearly and brightly ſees the truths, that it ſets its hand and heart unto, that it wonders at the blindeneſſe of carnall men, that they ſhould not ſee it as clear as they do, but yet be blinde to the things of God; when for their parts they are as clear to their ſouls as the ſun when it ſhineth at bright noon-day. And therefore Faith is called, Heb. 11. 1. The evidence of things not ſeen. The word tranſlated, evidence, is foreign, which ſignifies, a convincing demonſtration, it commeth of the Greek verb foreign,Leigh, critica. which ſignifies (ſay criticks) ſo to convince, and bring evidence and reaſon for a thing, and prove it by demonſtration ſo clearly, that no man can either deny it or object againſt it, or ſo much as pretend an objection againſt it. Such is Faith to the gracious ſoul, it perſwadeth the ſoul ſo to aſſent, that the ſoul is clearly convinced of the thing to be aſſented to; Faith hath ſo fully perſwaded the ſoul of the word, truth, promiſe, that it deſires its hand and heart, to that the ſoul is fully ſatisfied in it, and is clear in it. Though the beleeving ſoul neither doth ſee, nor expects to ſee the brightneſſe of ſublime myſteries, by the eye of carnall reaſon; yet it ſees by another eye, and ſo clearly every thing that it aſſents to, that it conceives there can be no darkneſſe in it, no reaſon nor objection pretended againſt it, but frivolous and vain, and of no value. This is Faiths firſt act, ſtedfaſt clear aſſent. Now in this the ſoul may poſſibly deceive it ſelf.
The ſecond Act of Faith (which we ordinarily ſay is the very marrow, and eſſence of juſtifying Faith) is reliance, and dependency upon Jeſus Chriſt, when the ſoul having been perſwaded of the word of truth, and aſſented to it; doth in the next place hang, and depend upon it, as the word upon which it muſt live, and commits his ſoul to Chriſt, and hangs upon him as the Chriſt, by which he onelyonly can be ſaved; This I ſay is that Act which juſtifieth. A learned Author hath noted ſix words in Scripture,Ball in his Treat▪ of Faith. by which the Holy-ghoſt doth expreſſe to us, the nature and work of beleeving.
Firſt, Faith expreſt by ſix words.Beleeving put in oppoſition to fainting, Pſa. 27. 13. I had fainted unleſſe I had beleeved.
Secondly, Truſting put in oppoſition to fearing Pſal. 78. 22. They truſted not in his ſalvation, they were afraid of the Canaanites.
Thirdly, Betaking to as to a caſtle, Pſal. 2. 12. Our tranſlation reades it, Bleſſed are all they that truſt in him: But Mollerus ſaith it ſignifies Protectionis cauſâ aliquò confugere, & ſe recipere (verbum appoſitum, ſaith he) to fly to ſome place for protection, as to a caſtle in a time of danger.
Fourthly, By a word that ſignifieth, To lean and relye upon, as an old man leaneth on a ſtaff, 2 Chron. 16. 7, 8. Becauſe thou didſt relye upon the Lord, he did deliver them into thy hand, verbatim (ſay Expoſitors) becauſe thou didſt lean upon him as thy ſtaff.
Fifthly, By another word, That ſignifies to ſtay up the minde, as with a prop, Eſau 48. 2. You ſtay your ſelves upon the Lord, from fearing deſpairing, from ſinking dejections, &c.
A ſixth word by which it is expreſt, is rolling and hanging upon, as a drowning man on a boy, Pſal. 37. 5. So that we may ſay▪ That the very eſſentiall act in which conſiſts the marrow of juſtifying Faith, is this—When the ſoul being perſwaded of the truth of Gods eternall word, gives a f…ll and fixt aſſent, and credence to it; to every curſe and threatning, as well as to every promiſe, and yet doth not faint, nor ſink in deſpair, nor drown in ſorrow; but in this apprehenſion of its loſt and undone condition, runs to Ieſus Chriſt, as a ſafe caſtle, and hangs upon him, committing the whole burthen of its ſoul unto him, and ſtayes there, leaning upon him, and the promiſes of life, made in him to the ſoul. This is now juſtifying Faith, which afterwards creates in the ſoul a quiet …eſting in God, a ſweet delighting in God, a ſtedfaſt hope in him, and a patient waiting for him; and at laſt a confident aſſurance of him: But this is certainly Faith, ſo far as is upon pain of damnation, neceſſary to ſalvation: The going out of the ſoul unto Chriſt, and the whole application of it ſelf to the promiſes of ſalvation made in and by him; and whoſoever doth this ſincerely, and with a faithfull heart, is paſſed from death to life, and ſhall never periſh, neither in this life nor in the life to come; it puts its truſt in him that never fails them that do ſo.
There is indeed a third Act of Faith, Which is an act of aſſurance and full perſwaſion, commonly called by Divines, The reflex act of Faith. Now this Act of Faith, Is when the ſoul is fully and throughly perſwaded, that Ieſus Chriſt hath actually pardoned all its ſins, and that it is his, and he is hers. This is not that Act of Faith, concerning which the Apoſtle ſpeaks, Rom. 5. 1. Being juſtified by Faith, we have peace with God. It is rather a conſequent of juſtifying Faith, that peace which floweth to the ſoul, as a fruit, and a ſweet effect of juſtification; and that this is not that Act of Faith which juſtifieth, is plain, Becauſe the ſoul muſt be juſtified before it can put forth it ſelf in this Act. This is a comfortable but not a neceſſary Act of Faith, and is more properly called [fides juſtificati, then fides juſtificans] the Faith of a juſtified perſon, then juſtifying Faith: It is good and ſpeciall juſtifying Faith, for the ſoul heartily and ſincerely to deſire, and thirſt and hunger after the pardon and forgiveneſſe of its ſins, through the free grace of Ieſus Chriſt, and confidently to reſt upon the promiſes of free remiſsion and pardon. But it is another pitch of Faith, and of an higher nature to be confidently aſſured, that all my ſins are really and fully pardoned. It is one thing to beleeve, that my ſins, how many and how great ſoever, ſhall be taken away, and that God will ſmile upon me, and we ſhall not finally periſh; And another thing to be fully aſſured, that now God is well pleaſed with us, and all our ſins are blotted out; Yea it is one thing to be perſwaded, that our names are in the white book of election, and our ſins decretally pardoned, which was from eternity, and meritoriouſly pardoned, which was, if ever, in Chriſts death, And another thing to beleeve that God hath acquitted us actually from the obligation to death, that is in them; God ſo pardons in time, and in the Act of juſtification. It is truth, we ought to ſtrive after a Faith of aſſurance, but we are not neceſſarily obliged to an aſſurance upon our juſtification; Faith precedes actuall, and formall juſtification in our conſciences, it is the inſtrument to apprehend it. Now the Goſpel doth not, when it calls to me to beleeve, oblige me to a lye: If before I am juſtified, I ſhould be tied to beleeve I am actually juſtified, the Goſpel would oblige me to that in order to my juſtification, which I cannot upon warrantable grounds beleeve, till after my juſtification: So that we cannot conclude, that we have not true juſtifying Faith, that we do not beleeve, becauſe we cannot be confident God hath actually and formally, in the court of our conſciences, acquitted us from the guilt of our ſins; for the eſſence of juſtifying Faith, doth not conſiſt in that: And yet we may not altogether ſhut out confidence, and perſwaſion, out of the juſtifying Act of Faith, give me therefore leave to adde a word or two concerning it.