The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 3 · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX.
Motives to draw the heart to beleeve in want of Sence. 1 There's as great humility, and obedience to God in beleeving, as in any other way. 2 It is the safest way in the want of all …ence to exercise Faith. 3 It is the soonest way to get the sence of Gods Love. 4 It is the proper time for Faith to act. 5 It is a glorious thing to beleeve in want of Sence. 6 It is that which honors God more than any other Grace. 7 It argues very much love to God. 8 Faith is wrought by the Almighty Power of God.
THe First is this: The great hindrance of beleeving in the want of Sence is this, The heart thinks that the work of Beleeving, and the work of Humility will hardly stand together; it thinks thus, that it is not fit for me to beleeve, but to be humbled before God, I, it is for others; they may beleeve, but I am a wretched vile Creature, and the work that I have to do is to be humbled.
1 Therefore the First Motive is this: That there is as great Humility and Obedience to God in beleeving as in any other way: and so this wil take away the Two Grand Hinderances of Beleeving: That is,
First, That it is for me to be humbled. And
Secondly, That I am very sinful, and it's for me to look rather to walk in obedience to God, and to do what God requires, before I should beleeve in the Grace of God.
Now Humility and Obedience are as eminent in beleeving, as in any way whatsoever it can be made eminent in. It a Creature would study wherein to shew the greatest Humility and Obedience, it must be in beleeving in the want of Sence, for there is much self denial in it; for the heart of man is set upon this, It would fain have somthing in its self: Faith it is an emptying grace, for to deny its own thoughts, and to venture its self against its own Sence; here is a great deal ol humility for men to do things when they see no Reason and encouragement for it: As a Servant, though he be not very humble, nor obedient, yet he wil do some works if he hath present encouragement before his Eyes, and sees present Reason for it: But here's the tryal of an obedient Servant, If he be required to do that which he sees no encouragement for before his eyes, nor able to understand the Reason of such a thing: though it's true, it is his Masters wil that he should do it, yet he rather apprehends there wil come a great deal of trouble upon it, rather than good; yet if he doth it at the command of his Master, he shews himself humble and obedient in this: So certainly Humility and Obedience is shewn as much in this grace as in any: that's the most humble, and most obedient Christian that is the most beleeving Christian, This is the Command of God, that you should beleeve in his Son: THE Command of God, above all other Commands, that you should beleeve in his Son: And when the holy Spirit expresses the Subjection of the heart to God, he doth express it in the subjection of it to the Gospel in the way of beleeving in Christ whether there be Sence or no; in Rom. 10. 3. For they being ignorant of Gods Righteousness, and going about to establish their own Righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the Righteousness of God; so that you see that this is a great submission for the heart, for the heart to rest upon a Righteousness above its self, a Righteousness that is in Christ, and when it sees no Righteousness in it self, yet to submit to the Righteousness of Christ: I have many times thought that if I were thus and thus, God would shew Mercy to me, but the Lord hath withdrawn himself, and I am a wretched vile Creature: But the Gospel presents the Righteousness of Christ, and you must submit all your thoughts to the Righteousness of Christ: Here's the submission of your hearts. Those that are humble before God for the want of Sence, they think with themselves that they are willing to submit to God; if you should ask them, Would not you fain bring your hearts to be willing to submit to God? Oh yes, Oh that I could do it: If you would submit to him in any thing, submit to the Righteousness of Christ, submit al your thoughts, and al the Reasonings of your minds that are against the Righteousness of Christ, submit them to the Righteousness of Christ: Here's Humility, here's Obedience, for the soul to give up its self to the Workmanship of God; it's true, I have nothing in my self, but I give up my self to the Workmanship of God and Christ, to do with me what he pleases. Here is Evangelical Obedience.
2 A Second Motive, It's the safest way in the want of al Sence to exercise Faith: What wilt thou do O thou poor Soul that hast no sence of the Love of God in Christ? Thou wilt be glad to take the safest way; certainly this is the safest, for if thou thinkest when thou wantest Sence, to be striving and laboring in the performance of duty til Sence comes, and then thou wilt beleeve, thou doest not take the safest way indeed; but if thou canst cast thy self upon Free Grace as it's tendred in the Gospel: this is safer than any other way, for you shal see the danger of the other.
There is a great deal of danger in the putting thy self under a Covenant of Works; if thou goest the other way to work, as what Paul saith concerning Circumcision, If ye be circumcised, Christ profits you nothing: Why circumcised? Because that was an eminent work of the Law which was required of them, and indeed a Seal to the whol Law; though it was a Seal too of the Gospel, and of the Righteousness of Faith, yet it was an eminent work of the Law besides, that those that were circumcised bound themselves to the Law in it, and therefore Christ did not profit them: So if you think to get Joy, and the Comforts of the holy Spirit in any other way but beleeving, you are in danger to put your selves out of the Covenant of Grace into a Covenant of Works.
And besides, There's very much danger in it this way, Because that by seeking to get it in working and laboring in the performance of Duties, thou art in danger never to have it, for it's never like to come that way, but by our beleeving, thou mayest be working any other way all thy life time, and never come to have it: Or if thou shouldest come to have it that way, and so if thou thinkest to ground thy Faith upon thy Sence still, it will be move dangerous; if thou shouldest have some joy and encouragement by thy striving, and then ground thy Faith upon that, thou art like to miscarry in thy Faith, and that Faith like to come to nothing in the conclusion: It's a dangerous thing to ground Faith upon Sence; yet many of us do rather seek to have our Faith the fruit of our Joy, than to have our Joy the fruit of our Faith; whereas▪ we should rather lay the Foundation of Faith, and then the Joy that comes after, that's right: If after an act of beleeving you come to have joy, that joy is right; but if after an act of Joy, and work of Sence, you then think you can beleeve, you may suspect that Faith not to be right: Indeed Good Works are a Nurse to Faith, but good Works are never to be the Mother of Faith.
But further, It's safe in this, Because it wil free you from danger of temptations: If so be that you be striving and strugling by Duties to get the Sence of Gods Love, if that be the thing and not by the exercise of Faith, you will be liable to many temptations: As thus, you will be striving and strugling, but will not get strength, and then comes a Temptation; I have labor'd, and striven, and nothing comes of it, and therefore surely God loves me not.
Yea, There wil be this Temptation: Were not I as good break off and leave off al, I see nothing comes of my Duties; and so you wil have a temptation to turn aside after vanity, you wil be weary of the performance of Duty within a while, though now you set upon it; therefore it's the safest way for the exercising of Faith at the first in the want of Sence, to look upon the grace of God in Christ as it's tendered, and to cast the soul upon it.
Object. I but you wil say, Though there may be danger in my standing upon Sence, yet I should exercise Faith presently, there's danger of presuming, and therfore by avoiding one evil, I should run upon another.
Answ. To help you against this, I shall shew you what Presumption is.
First, Presumption is this, It is to trust in Gods Mercy out of Christ; that's the first thing in Presumption, and the most men in the world that do presume, they presume upon this ground, Because they hope in Gods Mercy, but they do not apprehend the Mystery of the Gospel, how Gods Mercy is to be let out unto them through Christ, and that there is not any one drop of Gods Mercy but is to be communicated through Christ, and no other way; yet most men they rely upon Gods Mercy, and hope that God that made them will save them, and so trust upon Gods mercy out of Christ: Whatsoever hopes of Gods Mercy thou hast out of Christ is presumption, for no Creature hath any thing to do with mercy, but in and through Christ: But perhaps those that live under the Gospel wil say no, they wil not trust in God but through Christ.
But then the Second thing is a trusting that God wil save them through Christ, and yet they mistake Christ, and do not understand Christ aright: as thus, They trust in Gods Mercy through Christ, only to save them from danger, to save them from the punishment of their sin, meerly for such self-ends as they may be delivered from punishment; and they see no excellency in Christ but as he is one that should deliver them from punishment; this is presumption too. But when the soul is not only convinc'd of this, and sees this by the holy Spirit, that all the Mercy of God is to be conveyed through Jesus Christ. But then Secondly, The Lord shews to the soul the Excellency of Christ, not only as one to deliver it from punishment, but as one in whom there is all good to make the soul happy for ever; there is Grace in Christ as wel as Pardon, there is Sanctification as wel as Redemption and Glorification; there is the bringing in the soul to God, and union with God, and the enjoyment of God in Christ, and that's the happiness that my soul desires, not only to be delivered from Hell, but that I who was broken off from God through sin, may now come to have union with him, and so be happy in the enjoyment of God as my portion for ever; and thus I trust upon Gods grace in Christ: this is not presumption certainly. Though you could do this at such a time that you cannot find any ability in your selves to perform any duty, yet if you do now cast your selves upon the grace of God in Christ that you might have life in him, not only that you might have pardon, and to be delivered from Hell, but that you might have life; do this as soon as you wil, this is not presumption.
A Third thing wherein Presumption consists, is this, For men to beleeve that Christ is theirs, and that they shal be sav'd upon false grounds.
As thus, When men shall beleeve that Christ is theirs, and God wil have Mercy upon them, and save them, why? Because they are not so bad as others; because they do some good things, and they live honestly among men, and serve God as they speak, and because God blesses them in their outward estates, and they have prayed to him, and God hath heard them, and such things; and thus they beleeve that Mercy is theirs, and they shall be saved, and because good people think wel of them, and they keep company with them that are godly; here's presumption. Therefore when I exhort to beleeve in the want of Sence, I do not exhort to this, that you should presently conclude in your own hearts, well, Christ is mine, and I shal certainly be sav'd; no, but the work that I exhort to, it is, To cast your souls upon the grace of God in Christ for life, and for salvation; it may be you cannot have a reflect act upon your hearts, and say, I am sure I shall be sav'd; for to exhort men and women to this, that they should perswade themselves they shall be sav'd, that's not the thing, for that must be a work of Christs Spirit. But the first act of Faith wherby the soul, though it doth not apprehend that it shal be sav'd, yet it wil venture its self upon the grace of God in Christ; and if I perish, I'le perish this way saith the soul: That's that which I exhort to, and not to make any conclusions that certainly I shal be sav'd upon such and such false grounds; no, if afterwards thou comest to make conclusions, it must be upon the testimony of the holy Spirit witnessing to thy soul, that this act of thine in casting thy soul upon Christ, is a true act indeed, and not a meer delusion. For that may be the way of coming to have Sence, not that I shall know by certain effects that my Faith is true, not that only, though that's one way; but by the testimony of Gods Spirit witnessing this unto me, that this work of imne in thus going out of my self, and rouling my soul upon the grace of God in Christ, that i… is a true work, and not a delusion: It's true, where this witne…s of the holy Spirit is, it is ever according to the Word, and there wil follow gracious effects from it: But certainly there may come an assurance this way, & may be as certain as I am certain that I see the light of the Sun by the light of the Sun; I need have no evidence that I see the light of the Sun but by the light of the Sun its self: And so there may be that certainly of the souls beleeving by the evidence of the work its self, by a work of enlightening by the Word; and this is another manner of ground of my joy, than because I am not so bad as others, and because God blesses me in my outward estate, and the like; no, I have found such a mighty work of God upon me, carrying me to his Son, and I do find now such an evidence of the Spirit that this is the work of God, so that I am become a new Creature, I am not only not so bad as other men, but I find a mighty change in me from death to life, I find I live by new Principles, and have a new Rule, and have new Ends that I propound to my self in all my waies: But this is after this work of Faith, from the effects of it. So that it is evident that your beleeving in the want of Sence is not Presumption, but the safest way that can be taken.
3 The Third Motive is this, That it is the soonest way to get the sence of Gods Love.
Object. You wil say, Why? if I could find my self to be able to overcome my corruptions, and perform such and such duties as others are able to do, then I am perswaded I should have the sence of Gods Love; but I think I shall never have it till then.
Answ. Thou goest the furthest way about; whether ever God wil give it that way or no, it's a question: But if God should be so indulgent as to give it thee at last, yet it wil be a great while first, and thou wilt be held under the spirit of Bondage a long time.
Object. You will say, We cannot do it in our selves.
Answ. It's true; no more can you do any thing else; but let there be that power that you endeavor to put forth in other things, do you endeavor to put it forth here, and endeavor it in the first place (I speak to such as are sensible, that they have not the sence of Gods Love unto them, and are longing and thirsting after it.) that I confess: wil come among the Directions, but it's necessary here for the right understanding of what I mean: when I affirm, That it's the speediest way to get sence, for to labor to put forth an act of Faith even presently: Thou complainest of thy dead heart, and if it were more quick, thou shouldest then beleeve; let the assure thee, there's no such quickening grace as Faith is, The Just shall live by Faith; and the Scripture tels us, that the Lord hath quickned us; in Col. 2. 13. You being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath be quickned together with him; How? Having forgiven you all trespasses; so that the quickning of the heart you see it is in the work of Justification, it's in the forgiving of our trespasses: we first would fain have our hearts quickned, and then we would beleeve that our sins are for given us; no, but beleeving in the grace of God for Justification, that's the way of quickning; Sanctification doth follow after Justification, and therefore the soonest way to get grace; and what sence you would have in the Love and goodness of God, is by beleeving; that's the speediest way, you do but beat al out the bush in any other way: you wil get it abundantly sooner this way, in laboring to stir up acts of Faith, in beleeving in God, than you can do in any other way whatsoever. That may be done in some hear this way, that may not be done in some months or years in any other way.
4 A Fourth Motive is this, Labor to stir up Faith, and to walk by Faith in the want of sence, because even when sence fails, then is the proper time for Faith to act, and then Faith doth appear in its own native excellency, in the proper colors or it.
As for Love (by comparing one Grace with another, we shal come to understand either Grace the better) for me to love another when I see all things lovely in them, and when there is nothing that any way discontents me, here doth not appear any great excellency in Love; who cannot but love such a one when there is al things lovely? But when you can love, even though there be cross dispositions, though there be many things done that do displease you, and unlovely, yet you can love, your love goes through a great many difficulties, and though there be much water, it cannot be quenched: Water will quench a little spark, but it cannot quench a great deal of fire; I, this Love is somwhat indeed. So it is here in Faith; It is not so much for a man to beleeve when he hath all kind of encouragements for his beleeving, when he hath sence to help him too, and experience, and all things goes according to what is spoken in the Word: But for me to beleeve though things seem to go quite contrary to my Faith, though things be cross, here is the proper act of Faith, and the excellency of Faith: for me to be able to beleev against discouragements, as it was the commendations of Abrahams Faith to beleeve against hope, and above hope; whatsoever there is against my Faith, yet to beleeve: Certainly there were no great need of the Grace of Faith, if we had alwaies sence, if we had alwaies God in sight, and Heaven, and al the Glory that God hath laid up for his people; if there were alwaies this in our eye, then there were no great need of Faith; and therefore in Heaven such kind of Faith as this wil fail; the Scripture saith, that Faith and Hope wil cease, but Love continues; it's because that then they shal have alwaies sight: But when there is no sence, then appears the proper act of Faith, therefore labor in the want of Sence to put forth Faith.
5 Fiftly, The beleeving in the want of sence, is a most glorious work in its self; there's a great deal of Glory in it. I remember three things that Luther speaks of, that are the hardest things to be done in the world; and one is, To beleeve things that seem to be impossible: And the other is, To trust in God, and beleeve in him, when he shews himself to be an Enemy: And the third, To hope in things that are defer'd: These are the hardest things to beleeve; Things impossible; To rely upon God, though he shews himself to be an Enemy; And to hope in things that are defer'd: but though they are very hard yet certainly they are glorious works of Faith. And another Speech he hath; Faith if be strong, it doth acknowledg a God; what though God seems to leave the soul? yet then a strong Faith will acknowledg God a Receive of the soul at that time: And again saith he, When God doth seem to persecute a soul, yet it wil acknowledg God to be the helper of the soul at that very time; when God seems to damn a soul, he acknowledges God to be a Savior to the soul at that very time: Here's the strength of Faith, and this is a glori us work of Faith, To acknowledg God that forsakes to be a receiver of the soul; God that seems to persecute, to be a Helper; God that damns, to be a Savior of the soul; here's a glorious act of Faith; and certainly it's glorious in the eyes of God, and in the eyes of his blessed Angels; it's such a glorious act, wherein the very Angels attain not too: There's no act that we read that the Angels have in Heaven greater than this, Though he kils me, yet wil I trust in him; that act of Job was a glorious act; the Scripture doth not mention any more glorious act of any of the Angels in Heaven than that act is; they have altogether sight, they see the face of God, and have no temptations to distrust in God; but in the midst of temptations, and when God seems to come out to kill a soul, yet then to rely upon his grace in Christ, here's a most gracious act of Faith.
6 A Sixt Motive is this, As it's most glorious in its self; so it's that which honors God more than any other Grace: You know what the Scripture saith of Abraham, he gave glory to God by beleeving: Why? would not you fain give glory to God in the greatest measure that possibly you can? If you would, it is by walking by Faith when God is out of sight, and when all things that might be otherwise encouragements seem to be out of sight. You give God here the glory not only of his Power, and Goodness, and Mercy, but his Faithfulness: It's a notable Story that I remember Plutarch hath concerning Alexander, in referencePlutarch in the life of Alex. fol 862. to his Physitian Philip: Alexander had a Physitian which was named Philip, in whom he did much trust for his Faithfulness, whom one Permenio sought to defame to Alexander, and wrote unto him, that he was bribed and corrupted by Darius with large promises of great Riches to take away his life by giving of him poyson: some time after, such a Letter being brought to Alexander, he made none of his Familiars acquainted therewith: but that he might shew his confidence that he had in Philip, when the hour came that he should take his Medicine, Philip came into the Chamber, and brought a Cup in his hand with the Potion he should drink; Alexander then gave him the Letter, and withal cheerfully took the Cup of him, shewing no manner of fear or mistrust of any thing, and put it to his mouth, and drunk of the Potion before the Letter could be read: By the which he did, as if he should have said, See how you are accused, but yet for all that I am not afraid, but put confidence in your Faithfulness still. I would apply it thus: Did not Alexander honor his Physitian very much in this thing, in shewing to all the world how he durst trust him? And though he had such a temptation to suspect him, and to call him into question, yet he would hearken to no such temptation, but would venture his life upon him: It Alexander had given his Physitian never so much, it could not have been such an honor to him, as to shew how he would trust him in such a case as this: If we hear such and such an Accusation of such an one, yet if our hearts can trust in them, still it's a great honor that we put upon them. Now then consider what honor Faith puts upon God; it's true, our lives are in Gods hands: Saith Temptation and base Unbelief, God wil leave you one day, God intends no good to you, all that you have is but to prepare you for further wrath, you wil perish at last in such a way as this, God wil fail you at last: Temptation would perswade us that God rather hated us in all that he doth, than intends love to us: When Temptation hath said what it can, yea, when things do seem to works as if God would destroy us at last; saith Faith, but though he kill me, I will trust upon him, I will venture my Life upon him; yea, and I will venture my life upon God in his waies; I am resolved whatsoever I suffer, and whatsoever I meet withal in those waies here, I'le lay down my life, and venture my Eternal Estate upon God in these waies of his: it may may be the world scorns me, and mocks me, and saith they are but Fancies and Conceits: But wel saith the soul, here I have pitcht my Anchor, and here I'le venture my Soul and Eternal Estate upon God in such waies as these are, although God doth seem to come against me as an Enemy; here's honor that we put upon God: Oh what honor is it to God when we so beleeve against sight: the Lord was so wel pleased with this work of Abrahams Faith, that be doth renew his Covenant with an Oath; he swears to him then what he wil do for him: Oh it did so take the heart of God that the Lord then took a solemn Oath that he would be his God, and the God of his Seed, Oh when the Lord sees a soul put such an honor upon his Faithfulness, then he doth not only promise, but swears to do good to that soul: As when men wil be tempting of God through unbeleef, the Lord swears against them, as against the people of Israel, the Lord is provoked against unbeleef, when you wil tempt him that way; as they said, And can God prepare a table in the wilderness? And there are the Children of Anach, and walls that reach to Heaven: Why? what are these the things that wil cause you to distrust in me, and be thinking of turning back again to Egypt? I swear in my wrath that you shall never enter into my rest, saith God: And so on the other side, when things seem to go quite contrary, and yet saith the soul, well, come what wil come, let me suffer never so much, I'le venture al, not only my Credit, and Liberty, and Comforts, I'le venture not only my present, but my eternal estate, and I'le lay my self at Gods feet: Now when the Lord sees this, Oh it's that which pleases him at the very heart, and he is ready to swear that this soul shal never miscarry: Oh it's a Grace that doth much honor God.
7 And its a grace that doth argue very much Love to God: You say, Oh that you could love God more? those that beleeve most, they love most; as I hinted before, Love is seen in this, that I wil not regard any accusations; the main work of Love is this, That it makes me that I can trust my self with my Beloved; as it is said of the good wife in the Proverbs, That the heart of her husband can trust in her; let any come and accuse his wife never so much, yet his heart can trust in her; strong Love cannot stand with Jealousies: Certainly where Jealousies are upon every little occasion ready to rise, it is from the want of Love; and so where there is a jealousie of God, there can be no hearty love.
So likewise about our listening to Accusations; If I do not love such and such, if any do accuse them to me, I can quickly hearken and entertain any accusation of them; but if I love them, I wil not entertain readily any accusations of them: As where there is several parties of men, and the Bond of Love is broken, let there be any accusation against one that is in their way▪ they wil entertain it; but let there come any accusations against men that are of the contrary party, they wil not so readily entertain them: So, if we did love God, we would never entertain any ill reports of God: where the heart doth stand out against any ill reports of God, certainly the soul doth love God exceedingly.
8 I'le give you one more Motive: Consider this, That Faith wheresoever it is, it is first wrought by an Almighty power in the soul; Ephes. 1. 18, 19. The exceeding greatness of Gods Power whereby he raised up Christ from the dead, appears in the work of Faith: Consider this, If there he such an infinite power of God, the same power that raised Christ from the dead put forth in▪ Faith at first, then surely Faith is able to do great things: Thus I would reason; That thing that hath the choice of Gods Power, the excellency of the Power of God, the thing wherein the glory of Gods Power appears in above all other things, that thing hath a great deal of power put into it, and is able to do great things: But so it is with Faith, read over al the Book of God, and you never find such expressions of Gods Power for the doing of any thing that ever he did since the world began, as in the 1. of the Ephesians, are expressions of his Power in working Faith in the soul: surely then one that hath any hope of having the work of God upon him, should argue thus, Hath God put forth such an Almighty Power in the working of this Grace in my soul, and shall this Grace be able to do nothing? If this Grace in my soul were only able to beleeve in God so long as I have God in sight, a little power would serve for this: but my Faith is a Grace that hath a great deal of Gods Power in it, and therefore God expects that there must be such things done by it as it may shew forth the greatness of his Power. If God gives a man only Natural Parts, he would have them to be improved to the height of them: When God works Faith in the soul at first, saith God, I'le put forth a Power even beyond whatsoever I put forth before, above all my Works that I have made: when I come to make a Beleever, and to work Faith in the soul, there shall be the choice and excellency of my Power: when this is done, saith God to the soul, Oh Beleever, now walk so as to manifest that which is done in your souls, wherein the excellency of my Power doth appear, and by doing so, we shall surely walk in a Gracious, and Holy, and Blessed way by Faith in the want of all Sence.