The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 3 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.
The Walk of a Saint on Earth, is the Walk of Faith. What the walk of Faith is, is described, 1 Generally. 2 Particularly. First, In respect of its End, which is Twofold: 1. The enjoyment of Communion with God. 2 The Glorifying of God (both in a Gospel way.) Secondly, In respect of its Rule. Thirdly, In respect of its Separation from uncleanness in thoughts and actions. Fourthly, In respect of its acting upon Christ for strength to walk. Fifthly, In respect of its acting upon Christ for strength, 1 To resist oppositions, persecutions, outward and inward. 2 To get above discouragements. 3 To be carried through difficulties. Sixtly, In respect of its performance of Duties without self ends. Seventhly, In respect of its real satisfaction without enjoyment. Eightly, In respect of its dependancy upon God in want of means. Ninthly, In respect of its Progress. Tenthly, Of its constancy. Eleventhly, Of its sutableness to things beleeved.
The Walk of a Saint on Earth, is the Walk of Faith.
IN the handling of this precious, and absolutely necessary Point.
First, I shall shew, What the Walk of Faith is; when a Saint may be said to walk by Faith.
Secondly, That this is, and ought to be the only walk of Saints on this side Heaven.
Thirdly, The necessity of it.
Fourthly, The Excellency of it.
Fiftly, Some Encouragements unto Saints when they want Sight and Sence.
Sixtly, Choice Rules that we are to observe in the want of our Sight and Sence, yea, how we should exercise Faith in the want of all.
Lastly, How Faith carries the soul through all kind of difficulties in this world; when Sight fails, yet Faith carries through. These are the Principal Heads in this Treatise.
First, What it is to walk by Faith; briefly, and more Generally thus:
Then doth a Soul walk by Faith, when the soul walks on in the way that God would have it, when Sence and Reason is at a stand, by what Faith brings to it: Many times a Christian in his course finds all things that appear to Sence and Reason to fail him, and the soul is at a loss in respect of those things, but yet Faith comes and helps at a dead lift: when Sence and Reason knows not how to go any further, Faith brings in that which carries on the soul in the way that God would have it: This is to walk by Faith.
But more Particularly thus:
To describe the Walk of a Saint by his Faith.
First, The Scope and End of the way of a Saint is presented unto him by Faith; for in a walk, a man looks at some End: Now the End and Scope of a Christians Walk, to what he walks, is Two-fold.
1 Either the enjoyment of Communion with God.
2 Or the Glorifying of God.
Object. But you will say, Why is it only Faith that doth present this, the Glorifying of God, and the enjoyment of Communion with him? we may know by Reason that we were made for God, and we are to glorifie God in our way in the course of our lives, Reason would tell us this: and that the chiefest good of a Rational Creature is in Communion with God, Reason hints to us this; why do you say then that Faith presents this to the soul? though there be no Faith, yet a man by Reason may be convinc'd he ought to glorifie God, and that his Happiness is in Communion with him.
Answ. To that I answer this, That indeed Reason will tell us these two things, but in a lower and darker way than Faith doth, and the happiness of man in either of these two things is but Natural so far as Reason carries it: Reason tells me I am to glorifie God, let me glorifie God no otherwise than Reason tels me, it's but in a Natural way: And Reason saith that my happiness is in the enjoyment of God, but if I enjoy God never any otherwise than Reason presents God to me, I can have but a Natural Happiness. But Faith goes further in presenting this Scope and End of my life: Faith tells me that I am to glorifie God in the way of the Covenant of Grace, I am to glorifie God in and by Jesus Christ, his Son; I am in the whol course of my life to lift up the Glory of God as it is revealed in the Gospel, God in Christ: and truly till we come to know this Glory that God would have from his Creature, namely the glorifying of him in his Son, in the way that he hath propounded himself, we never give him any Glory that he accepts of. He may so far accept of it, as he may bless us with some outward temporal Blessings in this world, but never accepts of it to Eternal Life; A man that hath never such strength of Reason, and sees he must not live as a Beast, but he must acknowledg and worship God that is the Infinite Supream Being of all things, he may come to know this in the light of Reason; but if he rises no higher, it's but in a Natural way, and God accepts not of that: But now when the soul comes to know God in Jesus Christ, and comes to understand the brightness of the glory of God as it shines in the face of Christ, and so comes to honor him in the way of the Gospel: this is the Scope of a Christians walk: And this is to walk by Faith. And when men only in a Rational way look at God as the last End, and so as the highest good, this is but meer Natural: But when I look upon God in Christ as my happiness in him, when I look upon God as communicating himself to his Creature through his Son, look upon the interest that my soul hath in him through Jesus Christ.
Her's the Scope of my life if I be a true Christian, the working of my heart, and all the actions of my life tend this way: you never knew what it was to walk by Faith, except you had the Scope of your life presented to you by Faith, shewing you what it is to glorifie God in his Son, and enjoy Communion with God in him. And that's the first thing in the Walk of Faith.
Secondly, The soul in walking by Faith is guided by the Rule that Faith doth present unto it: As it hath the Scope and Aim that Faith doth present to it, so the Rule that doth guide it is only presented to the soul by Faith, only by Faith: I confess Reason will go far, will present unto men many Rules for the guiding of them in the course of their lives; such and such a way is sutable to right Reason, and such a way is against Reason, and thus far your fair Civil worldly men go; they see what is according to the Rule of right Reason, and so they are guided: But Faith presents a better Rule, the Rule of the New Creature, Those that walk according to this Rule, (that the Apostle speaks of in Gal. 6. 16.) peace shall be on them, and the whol Israel of God: This Rule is plainly the Rule of the New Creature, For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new Creature; and saith he, as many as walk according to this Rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God: Faith shews to my soul what the Rule of my way is: the Rule of the new Creature as it is revealed in the Gospel, those Gospel Rules which I find in the Word that only are made known to me by Revelation and Faith: Whatsoever Revelation it be that the soul doth receive, it is enabled to receive it by Faith: And so, if it be but meerly a History, then we cal it an Historical Faith; or if a Miracle, then a Miraculous Faith; or if it be the Revelation about the Grace of God in his Son to my soul, then it comes to be justifying Faith: But the Nature of Faith in general is that Vertue or Grace whereby the soul receives readily and freely the Revelation of the mind of God in the Gospel where God sets out the way of bringing men to Eternal Life by Jesus Christ: Now Faith, it is the receiving of these Truths of God thus revealed, and those men that stick so upon it, that they will receive nothing but what they can have Reason for, they will fall short in the day of Jesus Christ, they will fall short of that Rule that will guide men to Eternal Life. And that's the Second thing, when the soul is guided by such a Rule as Faith only presents unto it.
Thirdly, The Walk of Faith is, When the way of a Soul is likewise by Faith; that is, the way of Holiness, it is a way that is by Faith.
Quest. You will say, What do you mean by, The way of Holiness, it is the way that is by Faith?
Answ. By that I mean this, That whereby the soul comes to be separated in its actions, in the course of it, from al filthiness and uncleanness, it's Faith purifies the heart, it's nothing but this: then the soul walks by Faith, when by receiving those Divine Principles that are revealed in the Word it comes to be enabled to separate it's self for God from all uncleanness, and to separate the actions of it from the filth and uncleanness of the world, from those mixtures of filth that the actions of other men are mingled withal; then doth a soul walk by Faith when there is that Power in its beleevings: Thou sayest thou doest beleeve such and such Truths that are revealed in the Word, but what power hath thy Faith to clense thee? That's the way of Faith when it hath that power in it to separate thee from mixtures and base uncleannesses in the workings of thy heart and in the actions of thy life.
Fourthly, When Faith brings in strength unto the soul to enable it to go on in its way: The strength that a soul gets is by Faith, the closing of the soul with Jesus Christ, and by Faith drawing vertue from Jesus Christ, as the poor woman in the Gospel found vertue to come from Christ: so when a Christian finds want of strength to the performance of any action that God requires, what doth he now? it may be some will resolve I wil do thus and thus, and leave my sin, and set upon a better Course, and they go forth in the strength of their own Resolutions, and perhaps they do somwhat, and reform their lives a little more than formerly they did: I but this is not the walk by Faith; but a Christian that walks by Faith, when he comes to see what God requires of him, and withal finds his own inability, he then goes and acts his Faith upon Jesus Christ, and the Covenant of Grace, and the Promises, and there draws strength to enable him to the performance of what God requires of him.
Fifthly, A Christian walks by Faith, when Fairh brings in, not only power to do that which is required, but when there is any opposition; Faith enables to resist opposition, to resist whatsoever is in the way to hinder the Walk: As there's either opposition from without, Persecution, when men oppose such a way, and set themselves against it. Now when a Christian acting of Faith can be carried on, Though I be weak otherwise, yet …hrough Faith in Christ I can go through opposition, and whatsoever I suffer for Christ, yet still through that which Christ hath revealed to me in the Gospel. Or if not outward, yet there may be inward oppositions, the fiery Darts of the Devil; you know the Scripture saith, That Faith is a Shield that quenches the fiery darts of the Devil; not only that keeps them▪ off, but quenches them; this is a strange kind of Shield: A Shield, especially when Darts, and Bows, and Arrows, was of great use: Here the Devil shoots fiery Arrows; as somtimes in War, they have such a device that they will shoot out of Cannons, Bullets red hot; so the Devil he shoots fiery Arrows: But this Shield doth not only resist them, but quenches the fiery Darts of the Devil. And so Faith is an Anehor in the midst of storms and tempests to keep the soul from suffering of Ship-wrack; and not only helps against opposition, but lifts it up above discouragements, and carries it through all difficulties: I put these three together; When by what Faith brings in, the soul is enabled to go through oppositions; Raised above Discouragements; And carried through difficulties; then is a Christian said to walk.
Sixtly, Then doth a Christian walk by Faith, when his great care is to go on in his Duty, but for what shall become of him, for the success, he can commit al to God: Here's a Christian walking by Faith, when he so orders his life, as nothing troubles him in this world what should become of him, how he should be provided for, what success he should have; but let me be where the Lord would have me, and do what he would have me, and commit all my waies and success unto God alone.
Seventhly, A Christian when he can satisfie his soul by what he receives by Faith as really and truly as any other men can satisfie themselves in the enjoyment of any good: Look what satisfaction to their spirits other men have in the enioyment of what they desire, that satisfaction a Christian that walks by Faith hath, in the beleeving what is promised; he can find as satisfaction in the beleeving what is promised, as other men can find in the enjoyment of what they have for the present: Oh this is the walk of a Christian in his way. A man that is not acquainted with this Grace of Faith, is eager in the desiring of such and such things, and if he cannot have his desire satisfied, he is never quiet; nothing wil calm him but the satisfaction of his desire: I but, now a Christian can look into the Promise, and if he sees but the good thing promised, he is as wel satisfied in the Promise, as the other is in the enjoyment of his desire; and indeed ther's a great deal more satisfaction in the receiving of the Promise, than there is in what all the Creatures in the world can afford for the satisfaction of our desires; If God should give us the enjoyment of all Creatures in the world, they cannot so satisfie the desires of the soul, as a Promise can satisfie the desires of a Beleever; and this indeed is a great mystery in this walk by Faith: But this is the way of a Christian, and those that understand what the walk of Faith is, know what I mean: But unto carnal hearts they seem to be riddles, and they think them Aery Conceits and Notions; but such as know what it is to walk by Faith, know otherwise: Let but a word of Promise be given out, it's enough for a soul that walks by Faith: And because this is a great Point, I'le given you a Text or two to shew what satisfaction a Promise is to a beleeving soul that walks by Faith.
The first Scripture is in 2 Chron. 20. you find that Jehoshaphat had been praying to God in the time of a great danger, and having been praying, he received an answer of his prayer in the 17. verse, Ye shall not need to sight in this battel, stand still, move not, and hehold the Lord towards you, &c. here he receives the Promise: Mark then in the 19. verse, And the Levites of the children of the Kohathites, and of the Children of the Korhites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voyce on high: They fell a praising presently, they had not got the Victory; and in the 20. verse, there's an Exhortation to beleeve, Put your trust in the Lord your God, and ye shall be assured; beleeve his Prophets, and ye shall prosper: and in the 21. verse, When he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of Holiness as they went out before the Army; and to say, praise the Lord, for his mercy endureth for ever: Was Jehoshaphat out of his danger that he set singers to praise the Lord, for his mercy endured for ever? No, he was in as great a danger as before, only he had a Promise, and having a Promise, he thinks of nothing but praising of God, for his mercy endures for ever: A Carnal heart would have said, stay, let us first see what the success wil be, and then we wil sing praise; nay saith he, I have a Promise, and I am satisfied as much in that, as another man would be satisfied in the Victory.
Another Scripture which is very famous for this, and that is in the 108. Psalm, 7. verse, God hath spoken in his Holiness: God hath spoken; the word is, Come out: What then? I will rejoyce; presently, he doth not stay for the fulfilling of the Word; I have the Word, and I know he is holy in all his Work; I will rejoyce, I will divide Sechem, and meet out the valley of Succoth; Gilead is mine, Manasseth is mine, Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my Law-giver; Moab is my washpot; over▪ Edom will I cast out my shoo: over Philistia will I triumph: And all this because God had spoken, the thing was not done; but the Prophet was as much satisfied in the Word, as in the thing being done. This is to walk by Faith; When the soul can be satisfied in a Promise as much as others are in the enjoyment of what they have.
Eighthly, When the Soul can depend upon God alone for all, in the want of all means; when all means shall fail, and if it would consult with Flesh and Blood, with Means, with Second Causes, it sees its self undone; but in the failing of all these means, yet the soul can depend upon God, and yet conclude, It shall be: As you know that was the Commendations of Abraham when his Body was even dead, yet contrary to Hope he could beleeve; let become of means what will, yet it is God that hath promised, and I can depend upon God in the want of all means.
Ninthly, The Progress that the Soul makes in the waies of Godliness, is by Faith; the walk of a Saint is from Faith to Faith, from one degree to another; according as Faith encreases, so there's a Progress made in the waies of Godliness; when a soul doth not stand at a stay, he is not the same that is was seven yeers ago, but is got higher and higher, and neerer to God, and all by Faith, Faith doth act the soul still higher and higher to God in a constant way and course: That Progress that a Saint makes is by Faith.
Tenthly, The Constancy of enduring in a Christian Course, it is likewise by Faith; as it's said of Moses, he endured; as seeing him that is invisible, that was invisible to Sence or Reason; but by Faith he did endure: whatsoever hinderances he had in his way, yet he kept on his way to the end, and so received the end of his Faith, even the Salvation of his Soul.
Eleventhly, Yet one more there is, and that's a General; When a Saint doth in his whol Course walk as it beseems one that doth beleeve such glorious things as he doth, when he holds forth in his life, the glory and beauty of those things that he professes he doth beleeve; for Christians they do profess their beleeving of very great things; The beleeving in God and Christ, and the special interest that their souls have in God; the beleeving in the Covenant of Grace; the beleeving of the things of the Kingdom of Heaven, of their everlasting enjoyment of God there: these are great things: He may be said then to walk by Faith, when in his life and Conversation there is a sutableness, and an agreement to all these great things that he professes he doth beleeve: You Christians, when you speak of such great things that you say you do beleeve, even such things that the Angels desire to pry into, do you hold forth this in your lives? This is the walk of Faith, when the walk of your lives is sutable to what you profess you do beleeve: Oh then put all these together, and then may a Christian be said to walk by Faith:
When the Scope of his Life, and End of it, is presented by Faith.
When the Rule of his Life is by Faith.
When the way of his life, the separation from uncleanness and filthiness, is by Faith.
When the strength that he hath to walk, is by Faith.
When the power to resist opposition; To be raised above Discouragements; and to go through difficulties, are by Faith.
When he can take care for nothing but only to be where God would have him, and do what God requires of him, and leaves all to God.
When he can be satisfied in the Promise as well as others can be in the enjoyment.
And when in the want of all means, yet he can depend upon God.
When his Progress and going on, is through Faith; from Faith to Faith.
When his Constancy and Enduring to the end, is by Faith.
And when in his whol Conversation he holds forth the glory of his Faith, and lives sutable to those great and glorious things that he professes he doth beleeve: Here is one that walks by Faith in his Course, here indeed is the life of a Saint on Earth: And whereas the Scripture saith, the Just lives by Faith; the holy Spirit seems to take a great delight in the Phrase, for it's very often repeated in Scripture: And thus the Just lives and walks by Faith. That's the first thing.