The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 1 · Chapter 15 – Chapter 16
CHAP. XV.
Directions how to get Faith: First, God giveth Faith by hearing. Secondly, Hear every Truth as that which infinitely concerns your Souls. Thirdly, Think with thy self how miserable a man wert thou, to lose Heaven for a lust. Fourthly, Ad Prayer to thy Hearing. Fifthly, Do no give liberty to your selves to please your Sences too much. Sixtly, Thou must not only deny thy Sence, but your Carnal Reason. Seventhly, If you would have this Precious Faith, do not …in against that Historical Faith God hath given thee.
YOu will say, How shall we be restless in our spirits till we ge… Faith? how can we get it? Faith is the gift of God?
First, Well, But though it be, you know the Scripture saith, That Faith comes by hearing the Word of God; when God doth give this Precious Faith, he doth use to give it by hearing, that's the way, I know God is no… limited to any one way, but that's Gods ordinary way; do not you expect that God will give it you at your seeking, where doth God say so? but God saith that Faith comes by hearing of the Word of God: Now how precious should Gods Word be to you? take, heed of neglecting the Word of God, especially the Word of God that shall lay open the Doctrine of the Gospel to you, that shall shew Jesus Christ unto you, take heed of neglecting it any one time that God gives you opportunity to enjoy it, perhaps you are loth to rise in … morning, or neglect some other opportunity, how do you know but that might be the morning that God might intend to give unto you this Precious Stone: Many have come somtimes accidentally to hear the Word, and the Lord hath wrought this excellent Grace of Faith in them, that they would not for ten thousand worlds have been without, and therefore do not neglect, but wait at Wisdoms gates, and though God works not in one Sermon, he may work in another, and therefore let it be your care to attend upon the Word, and to attend for this very end, that God might work Faith: Lord, thou hast said it, that Faith comes by hearing, and this is a most precious Grace, Oh that my soul might have it when I come to hear thy Word, it's the very end that I might have Faith wrought by hearing, I come not to hear meerly, and to know what such a man can say about such a Point, but come to that very end that God might work Faith in my soul: Oh how just might it be with God that those people should perish eternally without Faith, that will not attend upon the means for obtaining of Faith: If you will sit at home sluggish, and be buired about base and vile things when others of Gods Servants are hearing the Word; Oh when you shall come upon your death beds, and then come to cry to God for the pardon of your sins, and for Faith, Oh how just were it with God to deny it you. Prov. 1.
Secondly, A Second Rule is this, When you do come to hear the Word, you must hear every Truth as that which doth infinitely concern your souls, and your Eternal Estates; come with such a disposition, for indeed that's the reason why people have not Faith, and why they do not beleeve, because when they come to hear, they do not come to hear things as meerly concerning themselves; as now, if a man be telling of a story, if I think that that which this man tells is a thing not much concerning me, I do not so much mind it as to give credit to it, but if I hear a thing that doth meerly concern my self, then I weigh it, and ponder it, and am easily brought to beleeve it, why? because it is that which doth so neerly concern my self: So whatsoever Truths you hear, know that they do concern your lives, and therefore weigh and ponder them, and by this God doth work Faith in the soul, for God works it in us (though in a supernatural way) yet he works it in us as Rational Creatures.
Thirdly, The Third Rule is, When you come to hear the Word, though you cannot find abilities to close with it as you should do, yet do but lay up this thought in your minds, consider if this should prove to be true, I hear such and such things in the Word about the excellency of Jesus Christ, and of Faith, and Eternal Life, and the glory of Heaven, and such things as these are, indeed I have not Faith enough to see into the reality of these things; I but, what if these things should prove to be true? were I not a most miserable man to lose all this glory of Heaven that I hear of, for the enjoyment of some base sinful lust?
Fourthly, The Fourth Rule is, If so be that you would have God work Faith (being it's the gift of God) ad Prayer to your Hearing; both before you come prepare by Prayer, and when you hear a Truth that hath any excellency in it, dart up your hearts to God, and with a secret ejaculation pray to God that he would cause that Truth to sink into your hearts, and afterwards pray over that Truth of God you hear when you are got home, and then it may be Faith may come; we find it by experience, many hear Truths an hundred times, and yet they have not Faith to close with them, but at length God pleaseth to dart them with that power into their hearts, that they cannot but receive them.
Fifthly, The Fift Rule is, Do not give liberty to your selves to please your Sences too much; you know that place in Jude, Sensual not having the Spirit; men that are sensual, they have not the Spirit of God to work Faith in the soul, and there's nothing hinders the work of God more than Sence, men that will please their Sences, and Gluttons, and unclean persons, and those that give up themselves to live by sence, no marvel though they have not Faith brought into their souls, Sence is a mighty enemy to Faith, We walk by Faith, and not by Sence, saith the Apostle, therefore take heed of Sensuallity, be willing to beat down your body, and not please your Sences too much, and that will be a way for you to get Faith in your souls.
Sixtly, The Sixt Rule, You must not only deny Sence, but you must deny your own Reason too: take heed of attributing too much to your own apprehension, do not therefore cast off a Truth of God because you cannot understand it, I do not see the Reason of it, and I cannot understand how it should be, and so to reject it, Oh take heed of that I beseech you: Luther hath such a Speech, Mans corrupt Reason, it's a terrible enemy to Faith, Faith hath no greater enemy (saith he) than the corrupt Reason of man, and this is the ground why many great Scholers are left of God: and our Savior saith in Matth. 11. I thank thee O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: the wise of the world, they stick upon their own Reason, and their own conceits, and now God confounds the wisdom of the world, God hath so ordered things in his Word, that the necessary things of Eternal Life in the Gospel, they should be altogether above Reason, and those that stick so much upon their own Reason, and own Natural Parts, they come to be offended with the things of the Gospel; they are ready to say as Nicodemus did when Christ told him of the new Birth, How can these things be? Here's the ground why those that are poor, are rich in Faith, why? Because they are poor and weak in their Natural Parts, and therefore they stick not … much to their own Reason, and they are more capable Subjects for God to work Faith upon, than others that stick so much to their own parts: Many that have wit and parts, they are ready to scorn the Truths of the Gospel that come in plainness and simplicity, as the Scholers in Athens did Pauls plain preaching▪ Jesus Christ; but God hath so ordered on purpose that it might be a stumbling block to those, as Christ crucified was to the Jews.
Seventhly, The last Rule is this, If you would have God to work Faith, this precious Faith in your hearts, do not sin against that Historical Faith that God hath given you: there's many, though they have not this precious Faith, yet they have another kind of Faith, God hath gone on so far in their souls, that he hath convinc'd them of the Truth of the Scriptures, though they have not Faith to unite their hearts to Jesus Christ, yet they have so much Faith to beleeve the most things that the Minister speaks is true; Oh take heed of sinning against your Historical Faith, if you would ever come to have Justifying Faith; many a man comes to hear the Word, and he doth beleeve that those that walk thus & thus, shal not inherit eternal Life; now many go away, and they sin against the very light of their own consciences, and upon that God leaves their souls for ever in Unbeleef, that they shall never come to have justifying Faith to unite their souls to Jesus Christ; observe this Rule whenever God doth convince your souls of any one Truth in his Word, go away and charge this Truth upon your souls, Oh Lord, thou hast convinc'd me of this Truth, and I dare not sin against it; now such a soul that dares not do so, such a soul is not far from the Kingdom of Heaven, though you cannot work this precious Faith in your own souls, you need not wil fully go and sin against any light that God puts into your hearts; those that sin against the light of conscience, it's just with God to deny to them this precious Faith that might save their souls.
CHAP. XVI.
Anoth…r Use. If Faith be so Precious, what pity it is that those who have it should not make more use of it than they do.
ONly one Use there shall be more of the preciousness of Faith, That if Faith be so precious, then what great pity is it that those that have it should not make use of it: Many Beleevers God hath given precious faith unto, and yet it's but little use they make of it; Solomon saith, It is a grief to see a man that hath Riches, and not to know how to use them, so to see a Beleever have Faith and know but little how to use it; therefore you that are Beleevers seeing God hath bestowed this Precious Faith upon you, make use of it upon all occasions, God loves to see the exercise of the grace of Faith, and therefore do you often exercise this grace of Faith, and I speak it the rather because you hear it that Christians usually when they come to any tryals, into any great afflictions, or under any temptations, whereas the first thing that they should do, should be to exercise their Faith; and the main thing that they should do, should be to put their▪ Faith on work, on the wheel, you shall observe it, that the first thing, and the chief thing that they do, is to loosen and to give liberty to themselves, to such thoughts as may most weaken their Faith; As for instance, Suppose a Beleever comes to a great affliction that God laies upon him, herein what should he do? he should presently out with his Faith, and exercise this presently, the main work of his soul should be let out in the exercise of his Faith: but I appeal to you, when you come to any great affliction, what is it that your hearts are most busied about? if you examine it, it is that which doth most weaken your Faith, you presently begin to call all into question, I am afraid I have been but an Hypocrite all this while, and presently your sins flies in your f…ces, and your consciences accuse you, and you are poring upon your corruptions, and beholding how vile you are; it's true, I grant these things to look into your hearts, and to consider of your Hypocrisie, these things should be done to humble you, but the strength of your souls should be exercises about your Faith.
It's the ordinary way of Christians, and yet certainly a deceitful way, it's that which the Devil doth exceedingly trouble Christians withal, That when God expects that they should put forth their Faith, the main thing that they do, it is to spend the strength of their spirits about those things that do but weaken their Faith, take heed of this I beseech you, and seeing God hath given you this Faith, make use of it upon all occasions, and the reason because of this Second Point, I am but poor and weak, it's true, for those that are eminent in Faith, they may when tryals and temptations comes, they may put forth their Faith.