The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 1 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
In the Twelfth place, Faith is precious because it enableth the soul to do glorious things. 1 It prevaileth w…th God. 2 It resisteth tempta…ions. 3 It raiseth above discouragements. 4 It can rejoyce in tribulations. 5 It can overcome the world. 6 It can look upon the face of the holy and just God, and of death with joy.
XII AGain, Faith, it's that thing that doth enable the soul to do most glorious things, not only puts acceptation upon our meanest things, but it's that which gives power and strength to the soul to do great things: The meanest Beleever is able to do great things by Faith; you know what great thi…gs were done by Faith in Hebrews, 11. read when you come at home that Chapter, for it is suitable to be read after such a Sermon as this is, it's a little Chronicl… of Faiths Worthies, and their Acts, you may see what glorious actions were done by Faith; but it may be when you reade that Scripture, some of you may be discouraged in some things, and think surely we shall never be able to do such things as those were: I desire you to take (in reading over that Chapter) special notice of one verse there, that is the 33. verse, Who through Faith subdued Kingdoms, wrought Righteousness, obtained Promises, stopped the mou…hs of Lyons, quenched the violence of Fire, escaped the edg of the Sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in sight, turned to flight the Armies of the Alians: you will say, th…se are great things, what do these concern us? who through Faith subdued Kingdoms, stopped the mouths of Lyons, here's a glorious work of Faith; but mark ver. 33. between subduing of Kingdoms, and stopp…ng the mouths of Lyons, you have here, wrought Righteousness, obtained the Promises: it may be thou canst not subdue a Kingdom, nor stop the mouths o… Lyons, I but thou canst work Righteousness, and obtain the Promises by thy Faith, and these two are put in the middle, as being of the same Nature, as great an excellency as subduing Kingdoms, and stopping the mouths of Lyons; and yet who knows w…at the Faith of poor people may do▪ though thou canst not go into the field to fight against the Enemies of this Nation, yet by Faith thou mayest subdue them, and make them thy footstool, and stop the mouths of Lyons that come roaring and rag…ng to swallow up the Servant… of God: But particularly what Faith can do, such a man is commended for excellent abilities, why what can he do more than others? so you speak of Faith that it is so precious, why what can it do? It can do this:
1▪ Prevail as a Prince with God in prayer, it's the prayer of Faith that can prevail; if any prayer prevails with God it is through Faith, it can overcome God, and prevail as a Prince with him, to have …rom God what it would have, O woman, great is thy Faith, be it unto thee as thou wil…, saith Christ to the poor woman; as if Christ should …ay, nay woman, if so be that thou hast Faith, and work by Faith, there is no gainsaying of thee, thou mayest prevail to have any thing th…t thou wilt, great is thy Faith, be it unto thee as thou wilt, … any people are set upon their wills, Oh they are very wilful, why here's the bes… way for any man or woman to have their wills; it was said therefore o… Luther, he could do whatsoever he would do, because he was a man …o …ull of Faith.
2 And again, Faith, it is that Grace which hath the power to resist temp…ations: In Ephesians, 6. 16. it's the shield there that hath the power to quench the fiery darts of the Devil: it's a very strange expression, the Devils darts, and he darts fiery darts; and Faith is not only a shield to fence them off, but to quench the fiery darts; why, what power hath a shield to quench fire? Faith hath not only strength to beat off darts, but to quench fiery darts: as now the enemies have an art to shoot red hot fire-iron-bullets into a Town; such kind of darts or bolts the Devil shoots upon the souls of the Saints, and therefore if they have not a shield that would quench them, they were like to be overcome; so let the darts of the Devil come never so hot, yet Faith is the shield that will quench them: many of you complain when you are overcome, Oh the Devil overcome me, the temptations of the Devil are strong; why, how came they to be strong? Oh thou hast not the right shield to quench them; perhaps thou hast the shield of resolution, that thou wilt do thus and thus, better than ever thou hast done; I but, when it comes to the fiery darts of the Devil, then they prevail, they have the shield of their resolutions, but they have not the shield of Faith, it's Faith that is able to resist temptations, and it's Faith that doth dispel fears, as Tertullian hath such an expression, Faith doth not fear hunger; it's Faith that doth overcome all kind of fear whatsoever, as might be shewed more largely, but I shall hasten to the following Particulars.
3 It's Faith that doth raise above all discouragements; that's the Grace that doth it, and carries the soul through all kind of difficulties: There's many things comes in the way of the soul to discourage it, it may be Sence saith it cannot be; and Reason saith, how can it possibly be? and the World saith, it shall not be; but Faith comes and saith, it shall be: after Reason hath concluded against it, and Sence hath concluded against it, and all the World hath concluded against a thing, saith Faith, I but, for all this, it shall be done. It keeps up the head above water in the midst of waves and tempests though the body be under: Oh the Saints of God in former times had discouragements enough had they not been kept up by Faith, which we shal shew more cleerly hereafter. Take both these in the example of that Father; What discouragement might Abraham have had in the offering up of his Son, especially that great discouragement, what shall become of the Promise of God? well saith Abraham to his Servants, I and the lad will go yonder, stay you here, and I and the lad will go and come again; why Isaac was to be sacrificed and burnt to ashes, and yet saith Abraham, I and the lad will come again; as if Abraham should say to Isaac, I must have you to be burnt to ashes, but yet I must come again with the lad; and in this child all the Nations in the World must be blessed, God hath promised and though he be burnt to ashes yet he must come again, Faith will bring a live Isaac out of the ashes; and it's a sign that people are not acquainted with this Heroical Grace of Faith that are so presently discouraged with every little thing, if they meet with a work that is but a little difficult they give over; Faith will break through difficulties, as that in the 11. to the Hebrews, about the 34. verse, and afterwards you may see what difficulties thousands did break through by their Faith; let the means be never so smal that God would have us to use, though the means come never so much under the thing we use the means for, yet Faith will carry it through, and indeed it is so much the more glorious by how much the weaker the means are, and therefore that's observable in the 11. of the Hebrews: You shall find in Joshua's Faith, that by Faith he did pull down the walls of Jerico: Now somtimes I have wondered with my self why it is that Joshua having Faith at one time to cause the Sun to stand still in the Firmament, but when the Holy Ghost commends his faith, he doth not say that the Sun stood still in the Firmament, but by Faith the walls of Jerico fell down; I cannot think of any other reason but this, Because that was an extraordinary work; yet Joshua had to deal with God in it in an extraordinary manner indeed there, and it was a sudden work of God in raising of his heart to such a Faith: but that of Jerico, it was a thing that had more discouragements, as no work could have the like; as could any conceive that here's a strong City that had strong walls, and these must fall to the ground; How? He must have a company of Priests to go toating and blowing round about the walls, and this must be the means to bring down the walls of the City; certainly those in Jerico could not but laugh at them, because it was a thing so contrary to sense, and such a poor weak means: but the Faith of Joshua is commended so much the more, as if God should say, well, my servant Joshua, when I set him about such a work that was so difficult, and all the means he had was but a few Rams horns to do it, and yet he goes on by Faith and beleeves it, and at length got down the walls of Jerico: So when God sets us about great, works, if means fail, or if they seem to come too short, yet Faith will carry through all; and this is the honor of it, and if by Faith we can be carried through a work, when the means is weak, and poor, and mean; Oh this is that which God accounts to be honorable, it's the glory of Faith to do this.
4 And Faith what can it do? you say, It will rejoyce in tribulations, and knows how to make up all our wants in God himself; let afflictions be never so great, it knows how to rejoyce, it can see day through a little crevis: in Rom. 5. We rejoyce in tribulations; other men may be patient in tribulations, but Faith makes us to rejoyce, and toglory in tribulations; they are an hundred degrees further than Patience; it's not enough for a Beleever to be patient in tribulations, but to rejoyce and glory in tribulations, to be exceeding glad.
5 Do you say what can it do? It can overcome the World: This is our victory, even our Faith, whereby we overcome the World, saith the Apostle; it lifts the Beleever above all the things in the world, above the favor, frowns, and fears of the world; it overcomes the world, not only because it keeps the world from doing it mischief, but it can make use of the world for it's own good; we are more than conquerers through Christ.
6 Would you know what Faith can do? It can look upon the face of the holy and just God with joy, and upon the face of death, and of judgment with joy: let God appear in his infinite Holiness and Justice before the soul, yet by Faith the soul can be enabled to look upon the face of the holy and righteous God with joy: Oh how precious is this Grace of Faith, and as we go along we may see that certainly the Faith of the greatest part of the world is not true Faith, the ordinary common Faith is not this true Faith; we may have ordinary stones in the street, but this Jewel is a rare thing. There are divers things yet that I intended for the opening a little more of the preciousness of this Grace.