The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 1 · Chapter 11 – Chapter 12
CHAP. XI.
XIII. Faith is precious, because it's the special▪ Grace that glorifies God most.
I Shall briefly ad some few Particulars more in Faiths Commendation, and then come to some Application, for indeed the opening of the Point hath had application in it.
XIII. Wherefore in the next place, Faith is the special Grace that glorifies God, no Grace glorifies God so as Faith doth; we glorifie God by our Humility, and by our Patience, by the exercise of every Grace God hath honor, but by no grace …o much honor as by Faith; therefore it is said of Abraham in Rom. 4. Abraham beleeved and glorified God, he glorified God in beleeving; hence it is that Christ tels us that this is the work that God would have us to do, even your Faith, to beleeve, this is the great work of all, that which brings glory unto God more than any thing else, and the truth is, there's nothing glorifies God but beleeving; and other graces as they have the vertue and excellency of Faith in them, so they glorifie Gods Name, Faith gives glory to God in a peculiar way, it gives God the glory of many of his attributes together, it gives him the glory of his Truth and Faithfulness, God stands much upon the glory of those, it gives him the glory of his Power by resting upon him, and the glory of his Mercy, these three Attributes especially. It's a great honor that's put upon God, and the soulworship that the Creature is able to worship God withal, for a soul to cast its self, and to venture its self for all its present good, and eternal good upon a meer word of God, though it sees nothing else for it, yea, though it see many things making against it, yet if it hath but once a word, it can venture its eternal estate upon that word; this is a mighty Honor that is given to God: A man would account himself much honored if a man should venture his life and his estate upon a mans meer word, upon a mans faithfulness, that if so be that he should fail him, it were as much as his life were worth: Why God accounts himself exceedingly honored in this, when thou canst rest thy soul upon his meer faithfulness, that in the midst of temptations and of all tryals and oppositions, yet thou canst venture thy soul upon him, and canst say, though he kill me, yet will I trust in him. Many poor Christians, they are afraid to beleeve; they are not afraid to go to Prayer and hear the Word, and walking in the duties of obedience to other Commandements, but when they come to beleeve they are afraid to beleeve; why art thou afraid to do that which God accounts the greatest glory to his Name of all the things that thou canst do? God is not so well pleased in any action that thou canst do, as in the action of casting thy soul upon him, and venturing thy eternal estate upon his free Promise.
And it's a special honoring of God in this, because by the grace of Faith God attains that which his special design is for the magnifying of, his own Name; what is the great design that God hath in the world but the magnifying of the riches of his free grace? that's that which God aims at above all; it's true, if God will have a world, he must put forth his Almighty Power to make this World, and if he will have a world he must order and guide things in the world to keep them from confusion, there he magnifies his wisdom, and he must preserve his Creatures if he means to have a World continue any time; and here he magnifies his goodness: I but there is a further design that God hath in making of the World; it is, That he might have some of his Creatures to all eternity magnifying of the riches of his free Grace; that's the great design, and all the other things that ever God did do here in this World, are some way or other in order to this; but the top of all that which God aimed at in making the World, is that he might have some Creatures that might magnifie the riches of his free Grace to all Eternity. Now what Grace in the heart of man doth serve so immediately for the magnifying of Gods free grace as the grace of Faith? and how doth God attain to the glory of this design of his, but by Faith? that's the Grace that lifts up the glory of Gods free grace in his Son; and therefore it's precious, because of all Graces it is that which glorifies God: and did Christians but understand this, were they but convinc'd of this, they would be as much afraid of Unbeleef as any other sin, you would (I say) fear the sin of Unbeleef, as well as fear the sin of Theft, or of Swearing, or Blaspheming, or Murder, or Adultery. If there should be a temptation to Adultery, or Uncleanness, or Blasphemy, your hearts would tremble at it, why? because you think these are great dishonors to God: now when there comes a temptation to Unbeleef, your hearts should shake as much at that; for if Faith be the great Grace that doth glorifie God, then Unbeleef is the great Sin that doth dishonor God in the World.
CHAP. XII.
XIV. Faith is a precious Grace, because it puts the Beleever into a state of happiness that he can never lose.
XIV. I Shall hasten: Faith is a precious Grace, Because it puts the Beleever into an estate of happiness that it can never lose: Now that's precious, all the Graces that Adam had did not put him into such a condition; Adam had the Image of God, he was made according to Gods Image in Holiness and Righteousness; but all the Holiness that Adam had in Innocency did not put him into an immutable condition, into an eternal estate, but so as he might lose it; yet Faith puts the soul into an estate of happiness that it can never lose; and hence it's said, That we are kept by the power of God (but it's by Faith) to Salvation: the Power of God it doth not …eep us unto Salvation, but by Faith the Power of God keeps us as in a Garrison to Salvation; it's Faith that makes all other Graces that they cannot be lost, because it catches hold upon such a Principle, such a Fountain of Spiritual life: here's the Ground of it, why the state of a Christian is a state of Happiness that cannot be lost, whereas the Graces of Adam were.
The Reason is this:
Adam had Grace given to him by God, and the Principle▪ of his life was put into him, he had the Principle of his Spiritual life in him; as a watch hath the Springs put in it to move, so Adams Graces were put into him, as the Principle of his life: But now a Christian hath Grace put into him as Adam had, but the Principle of his life it is still in another, in Jesus Christ his head that he is united to by Faith, and Faith is the Grace whereby the soul goes out of it self to fetch a Principle of life and lives upon a Principle of life out of its self, but lives in its Head Christ, and so it's not out of its self, that is out of the same mystical body, but out of its self, out of its own soul.
Faith doth not only fetch life from Christ at first, but it is the Grace▪ that continually fetches life from Jesus Christ the Head; and hence it is that by Faith the state of a Christian comes to be better than the state of Adam was in Innocency before ever he sinned against God: This is a Precious Grace, whereby we come not only to be united to the Fountain and Root of Life, but whereby we come to fetch a continual supply of Life, therefore certainly a Christian cannot perish, because that now he lives by a Principle of life that is without himself, in Christ, and he hath this Grace put into him to fetch life continually from him.