Comfort for Believers About their Sins and Troubles, Observation 5
FIFT OBSERVATION.5. Obſer- Beleevers ſh…u…d renew their Fa…th when Troubles doe aſſayle them.
That Beleevers ſhould renew, & increaſe their Faith, when Troubles doe aſſayle them.
The Diſciples being in Trouble are exhorted by Chriſt, to Beleeve; That is, to renew their Faith, & to make progreſſe in it; that muſt be its meaning, for they had already beleeved in Him, as well as in God; and yet he now exhorts them to doe it; that is to renew, & increaſe it: Faith is as a ſheild, which though we have it by us, yet if we doe not take it up, it ſecures us not; Therefore Eph. 6. 16, taking the ſheild of all; it is ſpooke in the preſent tenſe to ſhew our continued act of Faith on every occaſion; and above all; that is, above all the peices of armour, rather & better, not exerciſe, any then not this; if a man uſe his ſheild though he ſhould not uſe his helmet, or breſtplate, he may be ſafe; The Juſt live by Faith Habuc. 2. 4. it is ſpooke of tymes of tryall, even as that whereby we live muſt be continually renewed, as our breathing, our eating &c. ſo muſt our Faith be renewed in all troubles. Therefore we find David, & Paule, in their troubles, ſtill exerciſing, and putting forth their faith; they not onelyonly had it but they uſed it at that time; which whē David did not he was neare a fall Pſal. 73. 2. & had the Diſciples at this time▪ renewed their faith in Chriſt, they had not bine ſo troubled: When Peter brought Faith with him, it bore him up upon the Sea, & when he began to ſinke, it was becauſe his faith firſt ſuncke Math. 14. 28. to 32. Of little Faith; That is, ſo little, as that it now works not: For ſo it is ment, as appeares by comparing Math. 8. 26. with Mar. 4. 40. So alſo you muſt increaſe your faith: It is called Faith to Faith Rom. 1. 17. or from Faith unto Faith as Pſal. 84. 7. they goe out of ſtrength, unto ſtrenght, or from company to company, over taking the former, as in a journy; So muſt ye growe up out of a leſſe unto a greater degree of Faith; Not onelyonly upon new & farther Revealations, to have more Faith; But when the ſame Objects onelyonly are before you, yet to grow ſtronger in the Acts of Faith, and that not onelyonly in the Righteouſnes of Christ, to Juſtification: as it is Gal. 3. 11. ment by the Apoſtle; But alſo, in the Perſon of Chriſt, and his Priviledges & Promiſes, unto the bearing up under all troubles: Wherefore the Apoſtle, refers this living by faith, which implies a Progreſſe (as we ſhall ſhew by & by) unto Afflictions Heb. 10. 38. (as it is ment cheifly in the Prophet, whence he quotes it) as well as he doth there, unto Juſtification: And this Progreſſe in faith, proved by that ſaying, (the Juſt ſhall live by faith) becauſe what we live by, muſt have a continuance & progreſſe, if we grow up, that muſt continue & grow up: Therefore, 2 Theſ. 1. 11. he prayes for the fullfilling the worke of faith; It is therefore to be labored, that it ſhould be filled up, & added to, more & more; and by this meanes, is all the good pleaſure of Gods goodnes fullfilled in us, and without the filling up of Faith, it cannot be filled up in us: That though there is inexpreſſible Freenes in God (which to expreſſe, he calls it good Pleaſure, & Goodnes) Yet it is not fullfilled in us, but by the fullfilling of faith in us.
USE. Ʋſe.Exhortation. To re…ew & exerciſe Faith.
For Exhortatiō to Beleevers, Not to reſt in having faith; But keepe this ſound in your eares; Beleeve in God; Beleeve in Chriſt; uſe, and renew your Faith, exerciſe it; elſe Chriſt will count ye to have no Faith, Marke. 4. 40. It is the ſame, not to have, and not to uſe; And it is a ſigne your faith is litle, if it worke not, as it is cleare by comparing Math. 8. 26. with Mark. 4. 40. Alſo increaſe your faith; by every Revealation, of Gods Righteouſnes (as Chriſt, and His Righteouſnes, are more clearely made knowne) our Faith unto Comfort, and Boldnes ſhould Increaſe: Rom. 1. 17. By that clearer Revealation of Righteouſnes; ſhould their Faith goe on from degree to degrees higher; Heb. 10 19. to 24. So, by every Sealing Ordinance; and Token of Favour; our Faith ſhould Increaſe; unto Aſſurance; Judges. 13. 23. 2. Cron. 30. 21. 23. 26. And ſo by every Tryall, and Affliction, our Faith ſhould growe; in that it is tryed; Iam. 1. 3. and Increaſeth other Graces; Therefore it Selfe Firſt Increaſeth.
And we ſhould Labor to Increaſe it; Becauſe, when ever Troubles aſſayle us; our Firſt Worke ſhould be, to Increaſe our Faith; As they doe their Fortifications, when the Enemye approcheth: More ſtrength is required, when Troubles aſſault, and all our ſtrength is in Beleeving; Iſa. 30. 15. a quiet wayting on God; which, therefore muſt be increaſed: Therefore, the Afflictions & Growth of their Faith are conjoined; 2. Theſ. 1 3. 4. Therefore the Diſciples, being tould what offences they muſt meete with, and forgive injuries to their Brethren; they pray for Increaſe of Faith, Luke. 17. 1. to 6. Becauſe Faith, is to be Increaſed, when ever we enter Tryalls, & Troubles: Yea, and uſually the latter Troubles, are ſtrongeſt, as ſuppoſing more ſtrength, (as Davids were, by his Sinne of Adultry & Murder, & Numbring the People, and the Punniſhments thereof, which were his laſt, & greateſt:) Therefore Faith had need be Increaſed, which onelyonly beares them.
This Exhortation, I will onelyonly preſſe in the Apoſtles Words: Jude. Inforced from the Apoſtles words, Jude 20 2120. 21. Beloved, building up your ſelves on your moſt holy faith, praying in the holy Ghoſt; keepe your ſelves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Chriſt, to Eternall Life: The Apoſtle having provokt them to contend for the Faith againſt baſe oppoſits: whome he diſcribes, from Verſe. 2. to 17. and exhorts them not to be diſcouraged or turned out of the way, by all their baſe courſes Verſ. 17. 18. whome he againe ſets forth in their ougly colours; as a meanes to helpe Beleevers to doe this duty, in withſtanding: He exhorts them to proceed in the Worke of their Faith; and ſaith that their Faith is their Foundation (for that on which we build up is the Foundation) Chriſt is called the Foundation, 1. Cor. 3. 11. and ſo are the Prophets, & Apoſtles, Eph 2. 20. and heere Faith, is alſo ſo called; and nothing elſe that I can find, is ſo dignified: Chriſt, is the Original, & Principal Foundation of us; Yea, the onelyonly Foundation, Properly, & Striktly; as the Apoſtle ſaith, none other then He, can be: But the Apoſtles & Prophets, are remotely, and miniſterially outwardly called the Foundation: Becauſe they firſt and onelyonly revealed Chriſt; And Faith is the Foundation, but Inſtrumentally alſo, yet much more nearely, & intimately, then the Apoſtles, & Prophets, in that Faith, is the immediate bond & vnion of us, unto Chriſt, the Foundation; Col. 2. 7. ſtablisht in the Faith, is a being rooted, and built up in him: So that all our Strength is in our Faith, Inſtrumentally, as in Chriſt, Originally; yet not conveyed from Chriſt, to Ʋs, but through our Faith: Therefore, if we would have any Progreſſe. it muſt be by our Faith, and as that goes forward the whole building goes forward.
Not onelyonly at firſt, doe we build on our Faith, but all the while (as not onelyonly doe we at firſt, but all the while build on Chriſt) Therefore, of all things, our Faith is of greateſt Conſequence, there is neither Beginning, nor Progreſſe, can be without it: And this Faith is Faith the moſt holy Grace.holy, yea, & moſt holy, no Grace is like it, not onelyonly in that, beyond all others, it emptyes a man of himſelfe, and ſetts up God (which is to be holy) but alſo becauſe it onelyonly, of all Graces, gives Ʋnion, & Communiō with Chriſt, as an Head; in whome, & from him onelyonly, is had full Holynes (as ye have heard before) in that his Perſō is God. Therefore there is nothing ſo good, as Faith to labor about: which Labor upon our Faith, muſt be conſtant, and continued: Therefore he ſpeaks in the preſent tenſe: (building up) And a Progreſſe in this Faith; will helpe us on to every thing elſe.
We ſhall be ſtill able to pray in the holy Ghoſt, for ſo much the cōnection Growth in it, helpes to be ſtill able to pray in the holy Ghoſt.may implye (as well as that Prayer helpes Faith as was before obſerved) and this Praying, ſtrēgthneth againſt Troubles; therefore it is annext, as that which gives uſe & efficacy to the whole armour, Ep. 6. 1. 3. 18.
Alſo it will inable us, to keepe our ſelves in the Love of God; for it To keepe our ſelves in the love of God.is Beleevers duty to keepe themſelves in it; they may looſe, though not the Everlaſting Love of God; yet that actuall manefeſtative delight of God in them, which ariſeth from their obedience, as it did from Chriſt Joh. 10. 17. (who yet was loved with another love, on an other groūd) and ſo, John. 15. 10. out of which they may depart; But Progreſſe in Faith, helps them to keepe in this Love, becauſe it keepes up the influence of Chriſts ſtrength into them.
And it alſo inables them unto a continuall Looking for the Mercy To a continuall looking for the mercy of Chriſt.of Chriſt unto eternall Life: which is a duty moſt profitable & comely for Beleevers: And Faith growing up, inables to, becauſe it maks thoſe things which cannot be ſeene, to be more, & more reall, & evident, and ſo to draw in the mind to a continued fixtnes on them, and expectation of them; as the clearer manefeſtations of glorious Objects doth; eſpecially when it is with an aſſurance of intereſt, & propriety therein: Now then, Faith thus being, & working, it muſt needs, greatly helpe to ſtrengthen againſt aſſaults; For the more we are built up on the Foūdation, the ſtronger we are: And the more we keepe our ſelves in the Love of God, looking for the Mercy of Eternall Life frō Chriſt: The much more able ſhall we be to indure Trouble: Therefore, be we perſwaded, as Troubles come, to exerciſe, and renew our Faith.