The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 1 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Three Observations raised. The first, That Faith is a Precious Grace: Explained. Wherein is shewed what Faith is.
FIrst, That Faith is a most precious Grace.
Secondly, That the weakest Beleever that is, hath the same precious Faith with the strongest.
Thirdly, The third which ariseth from the propriety of the word, as it is by lot, That God wholly of his free grace without any cause in our selves hath made the difference between others and us. These are the three Points.
I shall principally treat of the preciousness of Faith; and the two following Points will be interwoven in the Prosecution and winding up of this most necessary and alwaies seasonable choice Truth, That Faith it is a most precious Grace, a Diamond, a Jewel of great price: This same Apostle in another place of this Epistle that he writ, the first Chapter, at the 7. Verse, saith, That the very tryal of their faith is much more precious than gold that perisheth; the very tryal of the Faith of the Saints is more precious than Gold, take all the Mines of Gold in the Earth, for a man to have but his Faith tryed is far more worth: now if it be more worth the having ones Faith tried than the Gold of the world, how much worth is Faith it self then? If a man hath Gold he would give somthing to have it tryed by the Touchstone; but if it be worth somthing to have it tried, what's the Gold worth if it proves true? Surely Faith is a precious thing, that the very tryal of it is more precious than Gold. Our Savior saith in 23. of Matt. 23. verse, speaking of the great things of the Law, (saith he) rebuking the Pharisees that they were so exact in Cummin and Annis, in little things; but for the great things of the Law, as Mercy, and Judgment, and Faith, they neglected: I think it is meant between man and man, but by way of Argument, we may draw a confirmation of our Point in hand; If Faith between man and man be one of the great things of the Law, Oh what is our Faith in Jesus Christ! that's one of the great and weighty things of the Gospel, Faith is a most precious grace. Now for the opening of this, it is necessary to discover a little what Faith is, and then wherein the preciousness of Faith consists, and so come to the Application and improvement of the Point.
For the first, Faith is a most precious Grace; Faith, what faith? what is Faith?
Briefly thus: This Faith that we are here speaking of, it is that Grace of God whereby the soul receives Jesus Christ, according as he is offered in the Gospel.
Now Jesus Christ is tendered and offered as a full Savior, in whom all the Grace of God is fountain'd up, that the Lord intends to stream forth and communicate to the Children of men in order to eternal life, and Christ he is …endered as one that hath all the Fulness of the Grace of God, that God purposeth to give out to all of the election of Grace in order to everlasting Salvation. Now the Soul by Faith is enabled to receive and rest upon Jesus Christ alone; which Grace of God, Christ doth let out and bestow in the Dispensation of those three O…ces of his, in his Kingly, and Priestly, and Prophetical Offices, there Christ comes in with all the Grace and Goodness of God that the Lord intends for the children of men to save them eternally; it is by Faith the soul comes to apprehend this. First, being emptied of its self, and taken off from resting upon any creature comforts, broken cisterns, or from any thing in its self; and being enlightned to see into the fulness and freeness of the Grace of God, that he hath put into his Son, it now comes and gives up its self to Jesus Christ, resigns up it self unto, and rols it self upon him, and rests upon him for all the good that God doth thus offer in Christ, so as it is willing to venture it self, to venture all the good it hath, and all it hopes for, it's willing to venture it all upon the Grace that it sees in Jesus Christ, and it satisfies it self in Christ alone: This is the nature of Faith in the general. Now such a Grace as this is, it is more worth than ten thousand worlds; when ever the Lord comes to bless a soul▪ with such a Grace, he doth give that soul more than if he gave it the possession of all that Adam enjoyed on this side Heaven in the morning of his Creation, yea, if he made ten thousand worlds for the sake of this soul, it would not be so much as the giving of the soul this grace of Faith.