The Life of Faith, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. The worth or excellency of every thing is according to its uſefulneſs. Hab. 2.4. Rom. 1.17. Gal. 3.11. Heb. 10.38. conſidered, and their meaning enquired into, how places of the Old Teſtament are cited in the new. The Life of every true Believer is an everlaſting life, what living by Faith doth import.
THe nature of Faith I have already endeavoured to explain in a ſmall Treatiſe formerly publiſhed. I have now taken in hand to ſhew the uſe of it, for it is this wherein every thing attains its perfection; and as habits are ſaid to be perfected in their acts, for which they are: ſo faith may (in a good ſenſe) be ſaid to be perfected in works, becauſe of the univerſal influence that it hath into the whole courſe of our lives; and for this cauſe it is called Pretious Faith, 2 Pet. 1.1. the value of every thing being anſwerable to the uſefulneſs of it. For divers Ages before the time of Socrates, moſt men were led by Fancy rather than Reaſon: As a Learned man hath obſerved (Caſaubon of Enthuſiaſme, p. 4.) and the only happineſs of thoſe Ages was to be exempted from Controverſies, for there muſt needs be a good agreement, where no reaſon is uſed to examine or diſprove: b… Socrates taught them the uſe of reaſon, by organizing (as one expreſſe… it) and, as it were, enſouling the body of Philoſophy, reducing the Principles thereof to ſuch order, as they might be uſeful and practicable; for which he was judged by the Oracle to be the wiſeſt of men; but here is a point of higher wiſdome; the Spirit of God in the holy Scriptures hath taught us the uſe of Faith, whereby we live a life as far excelling the life of Reaſon, as the life of Reaſon excels the life of Senſe; and how much faith doth conduce to this life we ſhall underſtand, by a due weighing thoſe places of Scripture where the Juſt are ſaid to live by Faith: And the ſeveral caſes wherein the Holy Ghoſt uſes this expreſſion: We firſt meet with it, Hab. 4.2. where ſome refer Faith to the ſubject, reading the words, The Juſt by Faith ſhall live: others to the predicate, according to the ordinary reading, and this indeed ſeems more genuine, however if we ſhould take the firſt reading, the ſence will not differ. There had been little queſtion made about the meaning of this place, but that the Apoſtle, Rom. 1.17. and Gal. 3.11. ſeems to apply it to another end, than was intended by the Prophet: making uſe thereof to prove juſtification by Faith without the Works of the Law. Some ſuppoſe the Prophet intends this chiefly of Juſtification, and not of any deliverance from the Chaldeans, inſerting it as a Digreſſion not properly belonging to the Argument in hand: it being the manner of the Prophets, upon occaſion of particular deliverances more remarkable than ordinary, either related, or foretold; to riſe higher, and proceed further, to that more general deliverance of mankind, and ſpiritual reſtauration and enlargement of the Church by Jeſus Chriſt. (ſee Gataker on Iſa. 11.1.) others think he ſpeaks chiefly of the deliverance of the Jews from the Chaldeans, and that till it was accompliſhed they ſhould ſupport themſelves by Faith, and than the Apoſtle might notwithſtanding apply it to the buſineſs of Juſtification, becauſe theſe temporal deliverances were types of ſpiritual, and it is the ſame Faith whereby we truſt God both for ſpiritual and temporal mercies; and if faith in God for temporal deliverances be ſo acceptable to him, then alſo will faith in him for everlaſting ſalvation be as pleaſing in his ſight. So Meſtrezat on Heb. 10.38. Others judge that the Prophet ſpeaks in a more large and comprehenſive ſence, underſtanding thereby whatſoever may be comprehended under life; and indeed whatever was the meaning of the Prophet in that place, the word may be extended to ſuch a latitude of ſignification, as is evident from the uſe which the Apoſtle makes of it in the New Teſtament, for it is plain that the Apoſtles did not only multiply inferences from particular places of the Old Teſtament, and apply one place to different purpoſes (as we may ſee 1 Cor. 10.26, 28.) but they altered places which they cited; the former they might do as men endued with reaſon, whoſe work it is to multiply concluſions from a few Principles; the Law of Nature, and the whole body of moral Philoſophy (as ſome think) being hereby made up of a few common Notions: The latter they might do as Apoſtles inſpired by the Holy Ghoſt: ſo that they might not only cite Scripture, but make and interpret Scripture, wherefore ſometimes they give not the words, but the ſence of the Prophets. What the Prophet calls his glory, Pſal. 16.9. the Apoſtle calls tongue, Acts 2.26. What the Prophet calls opening the ear, Pſal. 40.6. the Apoſtle interprets preparing a body, Heb. 10.5. So likewiſe, compare Hab. 2.4. with Heb. 10.38. Sometimes they leave out ſomething which is not to the preſent purpoſe; compare Deu. 24.1. with Mat. 5.31. and Deut. 25.5. with Mat. 22.24. Sometimes there is an addition of ſomething for illuſtration; compare Deut. 6.13. with Mat. 4.10. Sometimes ſome ſmall mutations: See more of this in Tarnovins on Amos 5.27. In theſe places, Rom. 1.17. and Gal. 3.11. it is evident the Apoſtle ſpeaks of Juſtification. Gal. 2.20. (where he doth not in formal words indeed quote the place, but hath clear reference to it) he ſpeaks of Sanctification; and Heb. 10.38. he ſpeaks of Chriſtians ſupporting, and comforting themſelves by faith in trials and afflictions, till the time appointed for their deliverance; which ſeems alſo to be the chief intent of the Prophet Habakkuk, and all theſe are comprehended in the word Life; for all men are by nature dead in Law, that is, bound over to eternal death, condemned already, Joh. 3.18. ſome underſtand the threatning thus, Gen. 2.17. Now in Juſtification this ſentence is repealed, and man is inveſted with a new right to everlaſting life, wherefore it is called, Juſtification to life, Rom. 5.18. and we need not diſtinguiſh this from everlaſting life, for the life which a Beleever is reſtored to, is an everlaſting life, Joh. 3.36. and 5.24. Though the Acts of this life may be for a time obſtructed, yet it can never be wholly extinguiſhed, as Mr. Hales hath determined in his Remains, p. 108. whoſe judgement (it may be) will be more regarded by ſome than the judgement of many other learned men who have fully proved it. And Sanctification is ordinarily underſtood by life. Epheſ. 2.1. ſpeaks of initial Sanctification or Regeneration, and Eph. 4.18. the Gentiles before faith are ſaid to be alienated from the life of God; by this life we are alive to God, fitted for communion with him, as we are by Reaſon made capable of converſe with men, Rom. 6.11. but yet further, by life we are not to underſtand life ſimply and nakedly in abſtracto, but an happy comfortable life; Vivere non eſt vita ſed valere, a ſickly life is not worthy the name of life, ſo a diſconſolate life is the ſhadow of death, Pſal. 23.4. Yea, Paul, by reaſon of his afflictions, ſaith, he was in deaths oft, 2 Cor. 11.23. So our Saviour ſaith, Luk. 12.15. A mans life conſiſteth not in the abundance of the things which he poſſeſſeth, that is, they do not make a mans life comfortable. So ſaith the Apoſtle, 1 Theſ. 3.8. Now we live if you ſtand faſt in the Lord, ſo he might have done if they had not ſtood faſt; but he means, this would be a reviving, or a great comfort to him, to ſee their ſtedfaſtneſs and perſeverance, as he expreſſeth himſelf more fully, 1 Theſ. 2.19. A Beleever may not only make a ſhift to get to heaven by Faith, but may maintain himſelf comfortably in an evil World. So that to live by Faith imports thus much, We are by faith not only acquitted from the guilt of ſin, and entitled to everlaſting life: but are enabled to hold on chearfully, and comfortably in an holy courſe, notwithſtanding all temptations and troubles which we meet with in this evil world. Neither let any think that hereby too much is aſcribed to Faith, ſince Chriſt is our life, Joh. 11.25. Chap. 14.6. Col. 3.4. for though we ſpeak herein ſomewhat improperly, or Metonymically: yet it is according to the ordinary manner of ſpeech; for when we ſay, A man lives by his labour, or by his wits, every body underſtands it of what he gets by theſe: So to live by faith, is to live by what we have coming in by faith, either morally, or by reall communication.