The Trial and Triumph of Faith, Title page – Dedication
THE TRYAL & TRIUMPH OF FAITH: OR, An Exposition of the History of CHRISTS dispossessing of the daughter of the woman of Canaan. Delivered in SERMONS; In which are opened,
The Victory of Faith;
The condition of those that are tempted;
The excellency of Jesus Christ and Free-Grace;
AND Some speciall Grounds and Principles of Libertinisme and Antinomian Errors, discovered BY SAMUEL RUTHERFURD, Professor of Divinity in the University of St. Andrews.
REVEL. 21 28.
And I will give to him (that overcometh) the morning star.
Published by Authority.
London, Printed by John Field, and are to be sold by Ralph Smith, at the Sign of the Bible in Cornhill neer the ROYALL EXCHANGE:
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LADY JANE CAMBEL, Vicountesse of Kenmure, Sister to the Right Noble and Potent The Marques of ARGILE Grace and Peace.
MADAM,
I Should complaine of these much disputing, and overwriting times, if I were not thought to be as deep in the fault, as those whom I accuse; but the truth is, while we endeavour to gain a grain-weight of Truth, it is much if we lose not a Talent weight of goodnesse and Christian love: But I am sure, though so much knowledge and light as may conduce for our safe walking in discerning the certain borders of divine truths, from every false way, & suppose that searching into questions of the time were a usefull and necessary evil only, yet the declining temper of the worlds worst time; the old Age of time, Eternity now so near approaching, calleth for more necessary good things at our hands; it is unhappy, if in the nick of the first breaking of the morning skie, the night-watch fall fast asleep when he hath watched all the night: Its now near the morning-dawning of the Resurrection. O how blessed are we, if we shall care for our one necessary thing? It is worthy our thoughts, that an Angel (never created, as I conceive) standing in his own land; His right foot upon the Sea, and his left foot on the earth; hath determined by oath, a Controversie moved by scoffers, 2 Pet. 3.3. Yea and with his hand lifted up to Heaven, sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are therein, and the earth and things that therein are; and the sea and things that are therein, that there should be time no longer, Rev. 10.5, 6. If Eternity be concluded judicially by the Oath of God, as a thing near to us at the door, now about sixteen hundred years ago, it is high time to think of it: What we shall do when the Clay-house of this Tabernacle, which is but our summer-house that can have us but the fourth part of a year, shall be dissolved? Time is but a short Trance, we are carried quickly through it, our Rose withereth ere it come to its vigour: Our piece of this short-breathing shadow, the inch, the half-cubite, the poor span length of time, fleeth away as swiftly, as a Weavers-Shuttle, Iob 7.6which leapeth over a thousand threads in a moment: How many hundred houres in one Summer, doth our breathing clay-Post skip over, passing away as the Ships of desire, and as the Eagle that hasteth to the prey? Iob 9.25 26.If death were as far from our knowledge as Graves and Coffins (which to our eyes preach death) are near to our senses, even casting the smel of death upon our breath, so as we cannot but rub skins with corruption, We should not believe either Prophets or Apostles, when they say, All flesh is grasse, and It is appointed for all to die; Eternity is a great word, but the thing it self is greater; death the point of our short line teacheth us what we are, and what we shall be: Should Christ, the condition of affairs we are now in, the excellency of Free-grace, be seen all in their own lustre and dye, we should learn much wisdom from these three; Christ speedeth little in conquering of lovers; because we have not seen his shape at any time, we look not upon Christ, but upon the accidents that are beside Christ; and therefore few esteeme Christ a rich penny-worth: But there is not a Rose out of heaven, but there is a blot and thorn growing out of it, except that one only rose of Sharon, which blossometh out glory, every leaf of the Rose is a heaven, and serveth for the healing of the Nations, every white and red in it is uncomparable glory, every act of breathing out its smell, from everlasting to everlasting, is spotlesse and unmixed happinesse: Christ is the out-set, the master flower, the uncreated Garland of Heaven; the Love and Joy of men and Angels; but the fountain-love, the fountain-delight, the fountain-joy of men and Angels is more, for out of it floweth all the Seas, Springs, Rivers, and floods of love, delight, and joy; imagine all the rain and dew, Seas, Fountains and floods since the Creation were in one cloud, and these multiplied in measures, for number to many millions of millions, and then divided in drops of showers to an answerable number of men and Angels, this should be a created shower, and end in a certain period of time; and this huge cloud of so many Rivers and drops should drie up, and rain no more; but we cannot conceive so of Christ, for if we should imagine millions of men, and Angels to have a co-Eternall dependent existence with Christ, and they eternally in the Act of receiving grace for grace out of his fulnesse; the flux and issue of grace should be eternall as Christ is; for Christ, cannot tire or weary from eternity to be Christ, and so he must not, he cannot but be an infinite and eternall flowing sea to diffuse and let out streames and floods of boundlesse grace; say that the Rose were eternall▪ the sweet smell, the lovelinesse of greennesse and colour must be eternal. O what a happinesse for a soul to lose its excellency in his transcendent glory? What a blessednesse for the creature to cast in his little all in Christ his matchlesse Al-sufficiency? Could all the streams retire into the fountain and first Spring, they should be kept in a more sweet and firme possession of their being in the bosom of their first cause, then in their borrowed channels, that they now move in: Our neighbourhood, and retiring in to dwell, for ever and ever, in the Fountain-blessednesse, Jesus Christ, with our borrowed goodness, is the firme and solid fruition of our eternall happy being: Christ is the spheare, the connaturall first Spring, and element of borrowed drops, and small pieces of created Grace, the Rose is surest in being, in beauty on its own stalk and root; let life and sap be eternally in the stalk and root, and the Rose keep its first union with the root, and it shall never wither, never cast its blossome nor greennesse of beauty: its violence for a gracious spirit to be out of his stalk and root: union here, is life and happinesse, therefore the Churches last prayer in Canonick Scripture is for union, Revel. 22.20. Amen, Even so, Come Lord Iesus: It shall not be well while the Father, and Christ the prime Heire, and all the weeping children be under one roofe, in the Palace-Royall, it is a sort of mysticall lameness, and that the head wanteth an Arme or a finger, and it is a violent and forced conditon for Arme and finger to be separated from the head: The Saints are little pieces of mysticall Christ, sick of love for union, the wife of youth that wants her husband some years, and expects he shall return to her from over-sea lands, is often on the shoare, every ship coming near shoar, is her new joy, her heart loves the wind that shall bring him home, she askes at every passenger news: O saw you my husband? what is he doing? when shall he come? Is he shipped for a return? Every Ship that carrieth not her husband is the breaking of her heart: What desires hath the Spirit and Bride to hear when the Husband Christ shal say to the mighty Angels, Make you ready for the journey, let us go down and divide the skies, and bow the heaven; I'le gather my prisoners of hope into me, I can want my Rachael and her weeping children no longer; Behold I come quickly to judge the Nations: The Bride the Lambs wife blesseth the feet of the Messengers that preacheth such tiding, Rejoice O Zion, put on thy beautifull garments, thy King is coming: yea, she loveth that quarter of the Skie that being rent asunder and cloven, shall yield to her husband, when he shall put through his glorious hand, and shall come riding on the Raine bow and clouds to receive her to himself.
The condition of the people of God in the three Kingdoms calleth for this, that we now wisely consider what the Lord is doing; there is a Language of the Lords fire in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem; If we could understand the voice of the crying Rod: The Arrowes of God flee beyond us, and beside us, but wee see little of God in them. We Saile, but we see not shoar, we fight, but we have no Victory, the efficacy of second causes is the whole burden of the businesse, and this burden we lay upon creatures (and its more then they can bear) and not upon the Lord; God is crying lamenesse on creatures and multitude, that his eminency of working may be more seen. 2. Many are friends to the successe of Reformation, not to Reformation; Mens Faith go along with the promises, untill Providence seem to them to belie the promise: through light at a key-hole many see God in these confusions in the three Kingdoms, but they fall away, because their joyning with the Cause was violent kindenesse to Christ; it is not a friends visite to be driven to a friends house to be dry in a showre, and then occasionally to visite wife and children; Christ hath too many occasionall friends, but the ground of all is this; I love Jesus Christ, but I have not the gift of burning-quick for Christ: O how securely should Faith land us, out of the Gun-shot of the prevailing power of a black hour of darknesse? Faith can make us able to be willing for Christ to go thorow a quarter of Hells pain: Lord give us not leave to be mad with worldly wisedome: 3. When the Temptation sleepeth, the mad man is wise, the harlot is Chaste; But when the vessell is peirced, out cometh that which is within, either Wine or Water. Yet if we should attentively lay our ears to hypocrites, wee should hear that their Lute-strings do miserably jar, for Hycrisie is intelligible, and may bee found out. Would Parliaments begin at Christ, we should not fear, that which certainly we have cause to fear, One wo is past, and another wo cometh; The Prophets in the three Kingdoms have not repented of the Superstition, will-worship, Idolatry, Persecution, Prophanity, Formality which made them vile before the people, and the Judges and Princes, who turned judgement into gall and wormwood, are not humbled, because they were a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor: No man repenteth, and turneth from his evil way, no man smitteth on his thigh, saying, what have I done? Its but black Popery (the name being changed, not the thing) to think the by-past sins of the Land are by-past; and a sort of Reformation for time to come is satisfactory to GOD, Ex opere operato, By the deed done; Yea, the divisions in the Church are a heavier plague then the raging sword: These same sins against the first and second Table, the reconciling of us and Babylon, Pride, Bribing, Extortion, Filthiness, and intemperance unpunished, blood touching blood, and not revenged, vanity of apparell, the professed way of salvation by all kinde of Religions whatsoever, are now acted in another stage, by other persons, but they are these same sins;Alia scena cadem fabula if that head-ship that flattering Prelates took from Jesus Christ, and gave to the King, be yet taken from Christ, and given to men: if Christs Crown be pulled off his head, no matter whose head it warme, its taken from Christ both wayes: I shall pray that the fatnesse of the flesh of Jacob, for this do not wax leane, Isa. 17.4and that the warefare of Britaine be accomplished: But if the faithfull watchmen know what hour of the night it is now, there be but small appearance that it is near to the dawning of Britains deliverance, or that our sky shall clear in hast, would God the yeare 1645. were with childe to bring forth the salvation of Britain, It was once as incredible that the enemy should have entred within the gates of Jerusalem, Lam. 4.12.as it is now that they can enter within the Ports of London, Edinburgh, Dublin: I speak not this to incourage Cavaliers, for certainly God watcheth over them for vengeance; but that we go not on farther to break with Christ; the weaknesse of new heads devising new Religions, and multiplying Gods (for two sundry and contrary Religions argue interpretatively two sundry Gods) According to the number of our Cities, must come from rottennesse of our hearts: O if we could be instructed before the decree, that is with childe of Plagues to the sinners in Zion, bring forth a man childe; and before the long shadows of the evening be stretched out on us.
But of this Theame no more; Grace is the Proposition of this following Treatise; when either Grace is turned into painted, but rotten nature, as Arminians do, or into wantonnesse, as others do: The error to me is of a far other and higher elevation, then opinions touching Church-Government: Tenacious adhering to Antinomian errors, with an obstinate and finall persistance in them, both as touching Faith to, and suitable practise of them, I shall think cannot be fathered upon any of the regenerated: For it is an opinion not in the Margin and borders, but in the page and body, and too near the Center and vitall parts of the Gospel; if any offend, that I desire to anger them with good-will to grace, I shall strive and study the revenge only of love, and compassion to their souls.
If some of these Sermons came once to your Honors ears, and now to your eyes (it may be) with more English Language, I having stayed possibly till the last grapes were some riper, I hope it shall be pardoned that I am bold to borrow your Name, which truly I should not have done, if I had not known of your practicall knowledge of this noble, and Excellent Theame, the Free-grace of God: I could adde more of this, but I had rather commend Grace, then gracious persons: I know that Jesus Christ, who perfumeth and flowreth Heaven, with his Royall presence, and streweth the Heaven of Heavens to its utmost borders with glory, is commended that hee was full of grace, a vessell filled to the lip, Ps. 45.2. Ioh. 1.16. Yea, Grace hath bought both our person and our service, 1 Pet. 2.24.25. Even as he that buyeth a captive, gives money not only for his person, but for all the motion, toile, and labour of his body, legs and arms; and Redeeming Grace is so perfect, that Satan hath power possibly, to bid, but not to buy any of the Redeemed; no more then a merchant can buy another mans bought goods, without his consent: All our happinesse that groweth here on the banks of time, is but thin sowen, as very Straw-berries on the Sea-sands, what good parts of nature we have without Grace, are like a fair Lilly, but there is a worm at the root of it, it withereth from the Root to the Top: Gifts wither apace without grace; Gifts neither break nor humble; Grace can do both. Grace is so much the more pretious and sweet, that though it be the result of sin in the Act of pardoning and curing sinfull Lamenesse; yet it hath no spring but the bowels of God stirred and rowled within him by onelyonly spotlesse and holy goodnesse; Grace is of the Kings house from Heaven only, the matter, subject or person it dwelleth in, contributed nothing for the creation of so noble a branch. Christ for this cause especially, left the bosome of GOD, and was clothed with flesh and our nature, that he might be a Masse, a Sea, and boundlesse River of visible, living, and breathing Grace, swelling up to the highest banks of not only the habitable world; but the sides also of the Heaven of Heavens, to over-water Men and Angels. So as Christ was as it were Grace speaking. Psal. 45.2. Luk. 4.22. Grace sighing, weeping, crying out of horrour, dying, withering for sinners, living again, Heb. 2.9. Joh. 3.16. Rom. 8.32, 33. And is now glorified Grace dropping downe, raining downe floods of Grace on his members, Eph. 4.11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Joh. 14.16, 17. Joh. 16.7.13. Christ now interceding for us at the right hand of God, Is these sixteen hundreth years the great Apple Tree, dropping down Apples of Life, for there hath been Harvest ever since Christs Ascension to Heaven, and the grapes of Heaven are ripe; all that falleth from the Tree, Leaves, apples, shadows, smell, blossomes, are but pieces of Grace fallen down from him who is the fulnesse of all, and hath filled all things: We shall never be blessed perfectly, till we all sit in an immediate Union under the Apple Tree; This is a rare piece by way of participation, of the Divine nature. Christ passed an incomparable act of rich Grace on the Crosse, and doth now Act, and Advocate for Grace, and the applying of the Grace of Propitiation in Heaven, 1 Joh. 2.1.2. And by an Act of Grace, hath all the Elect and Ransomed ones ingraven as a seal on his heart; and Christ being the fellow of God, Zac. 13.7▪the man that standeth straight opposite to his eye, the first opening of the eye-lids of GOD is terminated upon the breast of Christ, and on the ingravening of Free-grace. All the glory of the glorified, is, that they are both in the lower and higher house, even when they are the States and Peers of Heaven, the everlasting Tenants and Free-holders of Grace: so as a soul can desire no fairer Inheritance, then the Patrimony, Lot, and Heritage of Free-grace: Now to this Grace commending Your Spirit, as an Heir of Grace, I rest,
Your Honours at all Obliged Respectivenesse in the GOD of Grace, S. R.