The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 1 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Application. What hath been shewed before, may justly make men question whether their Faith be of the right kind. A Note of Tryal laid down.
BY that which hath already been treated on about Faith, it's enough to make many people to be somwhat suspicious whether their Faith be of the right stamp and complexion or no: Faith is a most precious Grace; you have heard how precious it is in divers particulars: Many may go away and think with themselves, Lord, how fa… is this from my Faith? It's true, that some Faith is higher than others; but know, that the weakest Faith in the world is alike precious, it's of the same nature, though not altogether so glorious, Faith is this precious stone; the difference between this Faith, and the Faith of the most people in the world is as between the precious Diamond, and the common pebble stone that lies in the streets: You that are Marriners, you see what abundance of little stones there are with fine streaks and curious colors that lie upon the Sea shore somtimes among the shels; it may be children if they should come and see such party color'd smooth stones, they would please them; but now a wise man would think these are but common stones, if you should lade your Ships home with such stones as these, what Fraight would you make? you would lose all your Voyage, and be but laugh'd at for your pains. The truth is, the Faith that must save the soul, is a Diamond, but the Faith of the most people in the world, it is but like the glittering pebble stones; perhaps thou hast many common gifts, and thou thinkest that the…e are the fruits of thy Faith, and …o thinkest that thy stone is the right because of thy common gifts: Now when the Lord, that great Lapidary, that shall try stones, when he shall come and try it, and find thy supposed Diamond to be but a Bristol stone, for so there are such stones that children will take to be Diamonds, but they are but soft, they have not the hardness that a Diamond hath, and to endure what the Diamond will: Just so I say it is for a man that shall be perswaded that he hath gotten a Diamond, and thinks he is enriched by it, but when it comes to be examined by the skilful Jeweller, he saith, I will not give you two pence for it, Oh how he will be cast down in his spirit! Oh what dejection will there be in the hearts of men and women hereafter that think they have Faith; if thy Faith prove to be this precious Faith, thou art a blessed Creature for ever whatever thou wantest in this world; but if upon examination that thy Faith prove but as a Bristol stone, prove to be too soft, it would be worth nothing at all; it's not enough for a man to say, well, suppose my stone be not just a Diamond, yet is somwhat neer one, and therefore I hope I may have half the price of a Diamond: No, either it must be a right Diamond, or else it is not worth more than an ordinary common stone; so though your Faith should come to be never so neer the true Faith, never so like it, if it should come so neer it as to prove to be the Faith of miracles, at the day of Judgment it would not be worth two pence to you; Oh therfore you had need look to this Precious Faith that you do not content your selves with the common faith of the World that you may find in every high way; for a man to have Faith, and he can swear by it, it's a sign he doth not account it Precious, that he will pawn it upon every action: If a man had a Diamond worth ten thousand pounds, would he pawn it upon every trifle? upon every word? Thou knowest not the worth of thy Faith.
I shall lay down this one thing for a Note to try whether your Faith be true or no, Certainly the Faith that is this Precious Faith, God in some measure makes the soul to have a right knowledg of its own self: I mean thus, The soul that thinks it hath Faith (it's true, some may have it and not know it) but if a man or woman doth say, I hope I have got this Precious Faith, if thou canst say thou hopest thou hast it, then certainly this wil be, Thou canst not but esteem of this more than if God had given thee more than ten thousand worlds for thy Portion, Oh then thou seest the infinite riches of the Grace of God towards thy soul in this, then God hath learned thee to admire at his infinite goodness to thee, that he should give thee this infinite Precious Grace of Faith; God doth not give Faith as if a man should give a Diamond into the hands of a fool or child, but if he gives a Diamond, he will say, now look to it, here's a Diamond that may make you a rich man for ever, and therefore look to it that you may improve it: so whensoever God gives this Precious Faith to the soul, he doth give it so when once it is discovered to the soul, for all the while it is not discovered, there Gods hand is upon it, and keeps it safe that the soul shall not lose it; but when Gods hand comes to discover it to the soul, he saith, see to it, here's that which you must live upon, here's that which mu…t bring you to eternal life if ever you be saved, and that soul that hopes it hath Faith and stands and admires at Gods infinite goodness for that grace of his. Now I'le appeal▪ to you but in this one Note; You that hope that you shall be saved by Faith, when were your hearts taken with this excellency in the grace of Faith? when were you in your Closets in secret blessing God for this? and wondering at Gods goodness because o… this? adoring and magnifying, and worshiping, and prai…ng the great Name of God that he hath bestowed such a rich Jewel upon you, that you must profess to the glory of his Name is more to you than if he had given you all that ever he created to possess? If you had done this, it were a good argument that the soul that is so affected with the grace of Faith, though it were a weak Faith, yet that it were that Precious Faith that is here spoken of in the Text.