The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 1 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
Eightly, Faith is Precious because it Sanctifies. Ninthly, Because it renews the Image of God, and puts a new life. Tenthly, It's Precious because it puts a quickness upon all other Graces. Eleventhly, It's Precious because it puts a Dignity upon all the Works of the Saints.
EIghtly, Faith is that Grace that is the clensing and purging Grace, the Sanctifying Grace, the heart is purified by Faith, in Acts, 15. 9. And ye are Sanctified by Faith; all the resolutions that men have against their sin will not clense their hearts from their sin, doth not Sanctifie them; Faith doth it, the exercise of Faith in one half quarter of an hour doth more purge out sin in the soul, than all mourning and sorrowing and performing of Duties; any thing …n the World for …long time cannot purge out the filth of sin so m…ch as the exercise of Faith will do.
…inthly, It is that that doth renew the Image of God in he soul; it …s by Faith that we l…ve, that we have any any life. In the Gospel by John, the 20. and the last, These things are written that ye might beleeve that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that beleeving, ye might have life through his Name; he that hath the Son hath l…e, b…t he hath it by beleeving: you know that Scripture in …abak…uk, is divers times expressed to the Romans, and to the He…rews, The Just shall live by Faith; some read it thus, with some difference in the Points of the word, The Just by Faith, shall live, or thus, The Just, shall live by Fai…h; and the very pointing of the words w…ll make a great deal o… di…ference in the reading of it, The just by Faith shall live, make a stop there, and, the j…st, (make a stop there) shall live by Faith. The just by Faith, make a stop there, and then it notes that …en are made just only by Faith, and by being made just through Faith, now they come to live, they never liv'd before, they were dead before: Or else thus, The just (one that is just) he shall live by his Faith, he shall live, so it doth not note being made just by his Faith, …ut he comes to live the very life of God now he hath Faith, the life that he hath now, I l…ve (saith Paul) by the Faith of the Son of God; it's by the Faith of the Son of God that we come to live, and that li…e, it's no other but the very beginning o… Everlasting Life; you have …t many times in Scripture so. …n the 6. of John, 47. verse, Verily, verily, he that beleeveth on me, hath ever…asting life▪ Mark, the …ame words we have in divers other …criptures; you think that he that beleeves …n Ch…ist, he …hal have everlasting life, no, not only so, but he that beleevs in Christ, he hath everlasting li…e, he hath it now, he doth live the life of Heaven now, he ha…h eternal life beg…nn…ng now in the soul; it's Faith that doth bring for the present everlasting life; thou who before thy Faith wert a dead carrion in the eyes of God, a dead dog, when Faith comes into the …oul, thou now standest up and dost live, and livest an eternal life, thou hast the …ame life now that the Saints have in Heaven (the beginning of it) the Kingdom of God is come down into thee, Heaven is come down into thy soul, therefore it is a…d in the place before named that we are made partakers of the precious Promises, and by them of the Divine Nature, we come to have the Promises by Faith, and by them to have the Divine Nature put into the soul: And this is the preciousness of Faith; it clenseth the heart from filth and Sanctifies it, it brings a new life, everlasting life, the Divine Nature, it set… up the image of God in the soul, it puts a Principle of eternal life in the hear…s of sinners. This is that which Faith doth.
Yea tenthly, (Not only brings al other Graces, all other Graces are but the train of Faith, and the attendants of Faith, as I may so say) but furth…r, It's a Grace that puts a quickness upon all Graces: when other graces begin to grow flat, and lo…e their lustre and brightness; when other Graces begin to abate of their vertue and liveliness, it's Faith that puts a quickness into them all; that revives not only a dead …oul, but Graces that do seem to lie dead for the present: threfor… a Learned man Gulielmus Parrisiensi… compares it to a Cristal, That when all other …e…rls have lost their vigor and excellency, by the meer touch it doth recover the vertue of all precious stones: So Faith, when other Graces have lost their quickness and activeness, then by Faith they are all set on work again, and put into a liveliness and activenss again; many Christians that have graces, yet have many times their graces lie very dead in their hearts, and for want of the exercise of Faith it is that they lie …o dead; those Christians that can exercise Faith most, they are the most lively Christians, they have alwaies their Graces fresh, lively, vigorous, and in the full vertue of them by the exercise of Faith; you may find this by experience, If when you find your selves dead and dull, and you find not the vertue of Humility and Patience, the way is to strengthen your Faith, and quicken that, and that will stir up all other Graces: And that's another Excellency. That's Precious Faith then that hath such a precious work in the soul.
XI. And yet further, Faith is Precious in this, That as it quickens up all, and inlivens all, so it's that which doth put a dignity upon all the Works of the Saints: Faith doth Nobilitate any work that the children of God do, and makes all to be acceptable unto God: You know what's said of the Faith of Abel, in Hebrews, 11. you may read there the large Commendation of Faith, And by Faith▪ Abel did offer a Sacrifice more acceptable than that of Cain: What was that which made the Sacrifice of Abel more acceptable than Cain's? It was Faith: So a man that is not a Beleever, perhaps may do a thing that for the matter of it may be as good as a Beleever doth; I but this is not accepted of before thou beest a Beleever, all that thou dost is rejected by God, it is rejected in order to eternal life, the Lord doth not accept of what is done, so as to accept of thee for life; he cannot be well pleased with what's done, it's true, there may be somwhat done that may take away some hindrance of the work of Faith, but to say that God is well pleased with thee, it cannot be until thou beest a Beleever; it may be that that may be less sin, and materially good, and so it's thy duty to do it, howsoever do not say, What shall we do nothing then, being Unbeleevers? Thou must do whatsoever God requires of thee, it's materially good; but take all together, and thou canst not be said to please God without Faith; saith the Scripture, Without Faith it's impossible to please God, not only thou dost not please God, but it's impossible; thou thinkest that if thou hast good meanings and good desires, and thou art sorry for what thou hast done, and thou comest to Church and hearest the Word, and art just in thy dealings with men (and the like) this doth not please God without Faith, it's not possible for thee to please God: Do not tell me what thou dost, but what's the Principle that thou dost these by; thou mayest live better than thou hast done, ther may be many things in thy actions mended; but yet if thy state and condition be not changed by being brought into Jesus Christ, that which thou doest is not accepted, it's Faith puts an acceptation upon that we do: Luther hath such an expression concerning Faith (he that had so much himself, and therefore admires it so much the more) saith he, The actions of the poorest Milk-maid, the poorest Servant, are more glorious than all that Alexander, or Julius Caesar, or those famous Conquerors that conquered almost all the world; the actions of the poorest Servant but milking a Cow, or sweeping a house, is more honorable in the eyes of God▪ than those were, if these Servants be Beleevers, and do what they do out of Faith, it is more honorable because it is out of Faith: For so Faith doth not only set the soul on work to close with God, but sets it on work to perform all things, and thy duties are accepted of God, and they are a sweet savor in the nostrils of God, that broken Prayer of thine, though thou art not able in words to express thy self, but by breathing and panting out thy heart to God, and coming from Faith, it's more accepted than all the glorious works that all the Hypocrites in the world do, or possibly can do; it's Faith that brings acceptation not only to our persons, but actions, it ingraciates a person and his duties at the Throne of Grace; and that's a precious Grace: Is not that worth a world that shall make our poor, mean, low, nothing-services that we tender up to God to be accepted of him; this is only by the grace of Faith.