Christ Crucified, Sermon 12
SERMON XII.
ISAIAH LIII.I.
Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
WE have ſpoken at ſeveral occaſions to this firſt part of the Verſe, and before we leave it, there is one Uſe ſeveral times hinted at already, to which there is good ground to ſpeak, it being the deſign and purpoſe of theſe words to hold forth of what great concernment Believing is, and of what great difficulty it is, and ſo many being to the ruine of their Souls miſtaken about it, there is ground to draw this Uſe of Exhortation from it, to wit, That then all the Hearers of this Goſpel would be exhorted to advert well to this, that they make Faith ſure in it ſelf, and that they make it ſure to themſelves, ſeing, as I ſaid, ſo many are miſtaken about it and beguile themſelves; The more preſſingly that the Goſpel calls for Faith in Chriſt, and the more weightily the Lord expoſtulates with the Hearers of the Goſpel becauſe of their Unbelief, they are doubtleſs ſo much the more concerned to receive it in its Offer, and alſo to look well that they content not themſelves with gueſſing at Faith, and that they never think that things are well with them, except they can give good proof and warrand that they are ſo, and that it is Saving Faith that they have, ſeing there are ſo many that ſatisfie themſelves as being Believers, when yet ſo few are Believers ind…ed; The ſ…d miſtake and diſappointment of many, ſhould have ſo much influence upon us as to put us to more watchfulneſs, and to a more narrow tryal of our own ſtate and condition, that we may know how it is with us; All that we have ſpoken to the Doctrines of this firſt part of the Verſe, may be as ſo many Motives to ſtir you up to both theſe, and would to God we could be perſwaded to this as the Uſe of ſo many Preachings, once to admit and take it for granted that it is the Truth of God; that there is a neceſſity, an abſolute neceſſity for us to be really rolled and caſten over upon Jeſus Chriſt by Faith, for attaining of Life through Him; Though this be a very common Doctrine, and ye would think a very common Uſe of it, yet it is the great thing that God requires in the Goſpel, and the neglect of it, or not receiving His Son, the very conteſt and quarrel that God hath with the Hearers of it, and the cauſe of the ruine of ſo many Souls that periſh under the Goſpel; We ſhall therefore propoſe to you ſome Conſiderations that may ſtir you up to this, and briefly anſwer a Queſtion in each of theſe two branches of the Uſe.
And firſt, For ſtirring you up to this receiving of Chriſt by Faith, 1. Conſider if there be not a ſtanding Quarrel and Contraverſie betwixt God and you for Sin; and if there be, as no doubt there is, conſider how that Contraverſie is to be removed, is there any other poſſible way but by Faith in Chriſt? If we were Preaching to ſuch as had never ſinned, and were never under the hazard of the. Wrath of God, there might poſſibly be a difficulty to perſwade to a receiving of Chriſt; But when ye have all this in your Conſcience, that there is Sin, and a Curſe following Sin, and that there is no other way for removing that Curſe but by Jeſus Chriſt, is there not reaſon to expect that ye ſhould receive this Truth? will any of you think to ſtand and bide it out againſt God? and if not, then there is ſure a neceſſity of Believing in Jeſus Chriſt, or of lying under the Wrath of God for ever.
2. Conſider that this Goſpel and Word of Salvation is preached to you in particular; When we ſpeak of Salvation, we do not ſay, that Chriſt was once preached to the Jews, or that in ſuch a far-off Nation there is a door opened for Salvation in the Goſpel; but we would turn over the words of the Apoſtle (Acts 13.38.) to you, and ſay to you in his words, Be it known to you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man (to wit Jeſus Chriſt,) is preached to you remiſſion of ſins, &c. and this brings the Goſpel near you, even to your door; it lays before you the way of acceſs to God by Chriſt, and puts it ſo cloſs and home to you, that Chriſt muſt either have a refuſal, or a welcome from you: The firſt conſideration of your own Sinfulneſs and Miſery might put you to ſeek after a Saviour, though he were at a great diſtance, but this other brings Him to your Heart and Mouth; and is it fit (think ye) to neglect ſuch a fair occaſion? and will it be wiſdom, when Salvation follows you, and crys after you, and Wiſdom lifts up its voice in the Streets, ſaying, O ye ſimple ones, how long will ye love foo…iſhneſs, &c. to ſtop your ear, or to turn away from Chriſt, and to run upon your deſtruction? Do ye think that this Goſpel will be ſilent always, or that your Conſcience will be deaf and dumb always? There are many Nations that have not the Goſpel ſo near them; and it's hard to know but the day may come when ye would be content to buy an offer of the Goſpel at a dearer ra…e, and when there ſhall not be a Tryſter nor a D…ys-man to be had between God and you, and theſe days will then be remembred with horrour, which now ye ſecurely ſlip over:
3. Conſider what will come of this if ye do not believe the Goſpel; Know ye not that many periſh that hear the Goſpel, and that upon this ſame very ground, that they did not receive Chriſt and Salvation through Him offered to them therein, and whereof they are now deprived? Are there not many this day curſing in Hell, under the Wrath of God, that they let ſlip and paſſed over ſo many golden Opportunities of the Goſpel without improvement? and know ye not that it will come to the ſame ſad paſs with you, if ye do not receive it? Do Men live always? Is there not an appointed time for all Men upon Earth? If before we have ſavingly exerciſed Faith on Him for making Peace with God, we be drawn to a reckoning before His Tribunal, what will come of it? and are not our precious Opportunites apace and always ſliping by? and is not the work of Faith by delays ſtill the more difficult? are not our Bonds ſtill the more ſtrengthened? and doth not our Indiſpoſition ſtill grow the greater? and is it not very ordinary to ſee theſe who have ſlighted the work of Faith in their Youth. to live ſtupid in their old Age, and die Senſleſs?
4. Conſider what ſort of Folk they are, of whom the Scripture ſpeaks as Unbelievers, and whom the Word of God holds forth to be eternally ſecluded from the preſence of God for the want of Faith; Many think that it's but the groſly Prophane, or ſuch as never had ſo much as the form of Religion, and ſuch as others would ſcunner and loath to hear them but mentioned, that it's (I ſay) only ſuch that are accounted Unbelievers; But the Scripture ſpeaks of ſome that ſeek to enter in and ſhall not be able; that deſire to be in Heaven, and take ſome pains to win in, and yet are never admitted to enter into it, and what is the reaſon, becauſe they took not the way of Believing for the obtaining of Life and coming to Heaven; they took the way of Works, they took the way of Prayer, of Purpoſes, Promiſes and Reſolutions to ammend and grow better, quite overlooking Chriſt and the way of Believing in Him, and ſo took the way of Preſumption, and promiſed themſelves Peace when there was no true Peace, nor any ſolid ground for it.
5. Conſider (which is of affinity with the former Conſideration) them that are ſecluded from the preſence of God for the want of Faith, they are even Men and Women as we are, that lived in the ſame Kingdom and City with us, that prayed in the ſame Company with us, that thought themſelves as ſure of Heaven as many of us do, that were guilty of the ſame or like Sins, that we are guilty of, that have heard many of the ſame Preachings that we have heard, and yet they periſh for want of Faith, for not believing in the Son of God; Why then ſhould we think that impoſſible as to us, that is ſo common and frequent in others? Is not the ſame Nature in us that's in others, and are not our Hearts naturally as deceitful and corrupt as thoſe of others? and ſo may not we be beguiled as well as others? And is it not the ſame rule that He will walk by in judging of us, that He walked by in judging of others? What can be the reaſon, that Folk will read and hear the Word, and will promiſe to themſelves Heaven, when the ſame Word clears it plainly, that Deſtruction is that which they have to look for from the Lord: It is nothing elſe but this confident and proud Preſumption that many take for Faith. Let not your precious opportunities ſlip away, and beguile not your ſelves in ſuch a concerning matter as Faith is; ye will never get this loſs made up afterwards if ye miſs Faith here.
Laſtly, Conſider the great neceſſity that the Lo…d hath laid upon all Men and Women, by a peremptory Command and Charge, to believe in the Son of God; He hath not with greater peremptorineſs required Prayer, nor dependance upon Him, nor any other Duty, then He hath required this, 1 John 3.23. And this is his commandment, that we ſhould believe on the Name of His Son Jeſus Chriſt; yea it's ſingled out as His main Commandment: If that great iniquiry be made, What ſhall I do to be ſaved? this is the anſwer, Believe on Jeſus Chriſt; Do ye think that our Lord, (who hath ſo marked and ſignalized this Command in ſo ſpecial a manner,) will never take account for the ſlighting of it? or do ye think to ſatisfie Him by your other Duties without minding this? It cannot be; Suppoſe ye ſhould mourn all your Life-time, and your Life were a pattern to others, yet if ye want this one thing, Faith in Chriſt, ye will be found Tranſgreſſours, as having neglected the main work.
Now for the Question, ye will ſay, What this is we are bidding you do when we bid you Believe? Anſw. When we call you to Believe, we call you, 1. To be ſuitably affected with the ſenſe of your own Naughtineſs, Sinfulneſs, and H…za…d; Till there be ſomething of this Faith in our Lord Jeſus hath no acceſs, nor will ever get welcome; Deep apprehenſions of the Wrath that is coming, and a ſtanding in awe at the thoughts of our appearing before Him, contribute much to it; I am not preaching Deſperation to you, as ſome mutter, but we would preſs upon you the Faith of the Word of God, that tells you what we are, and livelineſs under that impreſſion, that ye may not be ſtopped or letted till ye come to a thorow cloſure with Chriſt; The moſt part of Hearers come never this length, and this is the reaſon why many ſtumble in the very Threſhold, and make never Progreſs. 2. We call for and commend this to you, that ye would ſtudy to be through and clear as to the Uſefulneſs and Excellency of Jeſus Chriſt, as to the efficacy of His Death, as to the terms of the Covenant of Grace, whereby a Sinner comes to obtain Right to Him; to be ſenſible of Sin and Hazard without this, is only the way to make a Man deſperate and mad, but when this is clear, it makes an open door to the Sinner that he may ſee whither to run from the Wrath to come; I do not only mean that ye would get the Cat…chiſm, and be able to anſwer to all the Queſtions concerning the Fundamentals of Religion contained therein, but that ye would alſo and mainly ſeek to have the Faith of theſe things in your H…arts, and to have Faith in God, that ye may be perſwaded, that He that was, and is God, died for Sinners, and that by the application of His Satisfaction, Sinners may obtain Life, and that there is a ſufficient Warrand given to a Sinner to hazard himſelf upon Him. The firſt of theſe ſpeaks the neceſſity of ſome Senſe, the ſecond holds out the neceſſity of a general Faith, according to that word, Heb. 11. He that comes to God, muſt believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently ſeek Him; We muſt know that there is a Warrand to come, and ground to expect Acceptance from God upon our coming, or elſe we will never come to, nor believe in Chriſt. The third thing that we call you to, when we call you to Believe, is, That the Sinner would actually ſtretch out that Faith, as the Souls Hand for the receiving of Chriſt, and for the Application of Him to himſelf, and would actually caſt himſelf upon the Satiſfaction of Jeſus Chriſt for covering that Sinfulneſs that is in him, and would catch hold of, and grip to Him that is an able Saviour, for keeping the Sinner from ſinking under the weight of Sin that he lieth under; This is the Exerciſe and Practice of Faith when it flows from the general Doctrine of the neceſſity of believing ſuch things to be Truths in themſelves, and when it's extended and put forth in Practice, that we who are ſo certainly and ſenſibly loſt, muſt needs ſhare of that Salvation which we believe to be in Jeſus Chriſt, and ſo for that, roll our ſelves on Him; The firſt piece of Senſe may be in a Reprobate, the ſecond piece of Faith, that there is a ſufficient Salvation in Chriſt to be gotten by them that believe in Him, may be in a Devil; But this third of actual uſe-making of the Satisfaction of Chriſt, for paying our Debt, and rolling our ſelves upon Him, that's the Faith and Exerciſe of it that is peculiar to a ſound Believer, and the very thing that conſtitutes a Believer, and it is that which we commend to you, that ye may not ſtand and pleaſe your ſelves with looking only upon Chriſt, but that ye may caſt and roll your ſelves over upon Him, that Chriſt may get your Weight, and that all your Burthens and Wants may be upon Him, which to do ye muſt be enabled by the mighty Power of Grace, whereof in the next part of the Verſe.
The ſecond Branch of the Uſe which follows upon this, is, That we would deſire you not only to follow this way of making your Peace with God, but to follow the trying and proving of it to your own ſatiſfaction, that ye may be warrantably confident that it is ſo: There is a great difference betwixt theſe, to believe in Chriſt, and to be clear and certain that we do believe in Him; As there is a neceſſity of the firſt, without which there cannot be Peace with God, ſo there is a neceſſity of the ſecond, though not ſimply, as without which there can be no Peace with God, yet upon this account, as without which we cannot be ſo comforted in God; And ſeing there are ſo many who do not Believe, who yet think themſelves to be Believers, and ſeing there is nothing more common among the Hearers of the Goſpel, then to reject Chriſt offered in it, and to Miſbelieve, and yet nothing more common then to be confident that they do Believe; There is good ground here to exhort you to put your Faith to the Touch-ſtone, that ye may know whether ye can abide the Trial, and whether ye may confidently aſſert your own Faith upon good ground, and abide by it: We would think if it were remembred, and ſeriouſly conſidered, how great a ſcarcety there is of Believers, and how rare a thing it is to get any to receive Chriſt, that Folk needed not be much preſſed to put their Faith to the Trial; and when there will not be one among many found who will paſs under the account of a real Believer with Jeſus Chriſt, ſhould not the moſt part ſuſpect themſelves, ſeing the moſt part that hear the Goſpel are the object of this Complaint, Who hath believed our report? or very few have believed it; ye would ſtudy to have ſome well grounded confidence in this, that ye are not gueſſing and preſuming, and going upon grounds that will fail you at laſt, but that ye be in caſe to ſay on ſolid grounds with the Apoſtle, I know whom I have believed, &c. There is a Faith and Hope that will make many aſhamed; and certainly, in the day of Judgment, when Chriſt ſhall have to do with theſe Perſons, that never once thought to be thruſt away from Him, they of all Men ſhall be thruſt away from Him with greateſt Shame; O! the confuſion that will fill and overwhelm them who had a profeſſion of Chriſt, and yet had never the root of the matter in them above and beyond many others: Dare many of you, upon the confidence ye have, look Death in the Face? It's no great matter to be confident in the time of Health; but will ye then be able to comfort your ſelves in the Promiſes of God? do not promiſe to your ſelves the things in the Covenant, except ye be endeavouring in God's way to be ſure ye are Believers indeed. Our Life depends upon our Faith, but our Conſolation depends much upon our clearneſs that we have Faith, and that we are in Chriſt, and therefore there is much need to preſs this upon you; There is no way to rid you of the Terrours of God, and to make you comfortably ſure of your particular Intereſt in the Promiſes of God, but by making it ſure and clear that ye are Believers in Chriſt indeed.
There are three or four ſorts of People to whom we would ſpeak a little here. 1. There are ſome who think that if they could do other Duties, though they ſhould never do this, to wit, to make their Calling and Election ſure, they would be and do well enough; Are there not many of you that never ſo much as ſet your ſelves to try whether your Faith would abide God's tryal or not? Ah! Ah! an atheiſtical Indifferency, a ſlighting of the Conſolations of God, aboundeth amongſt many, ſo that they think the Promiſes and the Conſolation that is to be gotten in the Promiſes, are not of ſo much worth, as to be thereby put to take pains to try and ſee whether they belong to them or not; but the Day will come that many of you will curſe your ſelves for your neglecting and ſlighting of this. A ſecond ſort are theſe, who becauſe they were never ſure of Peace with God themſelves, and becauſe they were never ſure of their own Faith, neither ever concernedly endeavoured to be, they think it's all but fancy that's ſpoken of aſſurance of Faith, and of Peace with God, they think it's but gueſſing at the beſt; There is ſuch a ſort of Perſons, who think they may be doing as they dow, and need not trouble themſelves with ſuch fancies or nice things, but if ye aſk them what will come of them at laſt? they will tell you, they will lippen that to God: Think ye it for nought that God hath laid ſo many Commands on you to make your Calling and Election ſure? and think ye it for nought that He hath given ſo many Marks to try it by? and that ſome of the People of God do holily and humbly glory and boaſt ſo much of their Communion with God out of their aſſurance of His love to them, and of their ſpecial intereſt in Him? do not all theſe ſay that there is ſuch a thing as this to be had? There is a third ſort that pleaſe themſelves with meer conjectures about this Matter, and the greater their Security be, they perſwade themſelves the more that they have Faith; This is as ſad as any of the former, when they grant all, that Folks ſhould make their Calling and Election ſure, and ſhould endeavour to be ſure of their Faith, but in the mean time take Peace with the Devil, and Peace with their Luſts for Peace with God, and a Covenant with Hell and Death, for a real Bargain with God: This is as true as this Word of God is, that there are many that put by all Challenges by this, and never ſuſpect their Faith, they hope that all ſhall be well, and they muſt always Believe; as if that were the whole Duty of Faith to keep down all Challenges. A fourth ſort is, even of the generation of them that have ſome thing of God in them, who ſcar in a manner to make all ſure, and think it is a piece of Humility. and of holy and tender walking to maintain Doub…ing, even as others think it Faith to ma…tain Preſumption; They are always complaining, as if all things were wrong, and nothing right in their Caſe and ſo foſter and cheriſh Miſbelief; There is ſuch a thing as this, that marreth even ſerious Souls in their endeavours to make their Calling and Election ſure, and as long as this is, they cannot win to the ſuitable diſcovery of this excellent Grace that God calls them to Exerciſe, even Faith in the Lord Jeſus: Need we make uſe of Motives to preſs you to this tryal of your Faith, and to this giving of all diligence to make it ſure, who have eſpecially hitherto neglected it? If ye knew any thing of the vexation that Unbelief hath with it, and what horrour in Conſcience from the ſenſe of diſtance from God were, ye would think it a great matter to be clear in this thing; and if it were known and believed how this deluſion and unſickerneſs of Faith deſtroys the moſt part of Men in the World, even of the viſible Church; Durſt Men ly in their Security as moſt do, without all endeavours to make it ſure on good ground, that they do indeed Believe? Durſt they ly ſtill under God's Curſe, if they thought themſelves to be really under it, and did not fooliſhly fancy that it is otherways with them? Durſt Men treaſure up Wrath to themſelves, if they thought not that the Hope they had were good enough? O! but Preſumption beguiles and deſtroys many Souls; and particularly this ſame Preſumption of Folks thinking themſelves right when they are wrong, hath deſtroyed, and doeth deſtroy, and will deſtroy moe Members of the viſible Church, then Prophanity, Drunkenneſs, Whoredom, Theft, Deſperation, or any other of theſe groſs, and much abhorred Evils do; This is the thing that locks Folk up in their Sin, even their Preſumption, when they ſay on the matter, We ſhall have peace though we walk in the imagination of our own heart? It's this that makes Men without fear, Steal, and Lie, and commit Adultery, &c. that they ſay, Is not the Lord among us? Is not this the thing that keeps many of you that ye never tremble at the Word of God? we have Faith in God (ſay ye,) we lippen and truſt in Him; therefore ſeing Preſumption is ſo rife, have ye not need to try your Faith? If there were ſo much counterfeit Money in the Countrey, that it were a rare thing to get one good and upright piece of Money, ye would think your ſelves greatly concerned and obliged to try it well, leſt ye were cheated with baſe and counterfeit Coyn; Is there not need then, yea infinitely much more need for them that would be ſo wiſe as not to be beguiled about the ſalvation of their Souls, to ſearch and try whether their Faith will abide God's tryal or not?
Ye will readily move this Queſtion, What then are the Characters or Evidences of a ſolid and ſicker Faith that will abide the tryal, by which the pretended. Faith that is among the Men of this Generation may be examined and put to juſt tryal?
I ſhall firſt name ſome direct Scriptures holding out ſomethings eſſentially accompanying Faith, and then ſhall add others having more condeſcending Characters for the more particular differencing of this, helping to the deciſion of this great Queſtion.
The firſt Mark whereby ye may try your Faith is, The ground and riſe of it, or that whereby it is begotten and cheriſhed; Faith comes (ſaith the Apoſtle, Rom. 10.10. by hearing; Doctrinal Faith comes by the preaching of the Goſpel, and Saving Faith is wrought inſtrumentally by the ſame Word of God, it being the power of God to ſalvation; it being this Word that is the very ground of our Faith; I would aſk you where from your Faith comes, and what hand the Word of God hath in it? There are many that have a ſort of Faith not only without, but contrary to the Word of God, whereby they believe that they will get Heaven, while in the mean time the Word of God does directly exclude them, Get ye your Faith maintained without ever knowing the neceſſity of a Promiſe for that effect? Can ye maintain your Peace and not have ſo much as any foundation in the truth and faithfulneſs of God to build it upon? Love never that Faith that hungers not after the Word, that is ſuppoſed to be lively without being ever fed by the Word, that cannot claim either its riſe and original, or its growth from the Word; I will not ſay from this or that word in particular, or at this or that time read or heard, but from the Word of God; the Word is the very foundation that Faith builds upon: If we look to what either accompanieth or followeth Faith, there are ſome plain Scriptures that will make that clear, as Acts 15.9. and put no difference between us and them purifying their hearts by faith, (there was indeed once a great difference between Jews and Gentiles, but now when he hath brought both to believe in Chriſt, the difference is removed,) There is an efficacy in it to circumciſe the Heart, to purifie it, and to baniſh Luſts out of it, for it cloſes and unites with Chriſt, and ſo brings him home to dwell in the Heart, and where Chriſt dwells He commands, and ſo whatever oppoſes Him is baniſhed; Faith gives Chriſt welcome, and will give nothing welcome to dwell with Him that's oppoſite and diſpleaſing to Him, Faith improves Chriſt for the ſubduing of its Luſts and mortifying its Corruptions; whereas before there might be an fair outſide of a Profeſſion, and ſomething clean outwardly, and much filthineſs and rottenneſs within, but when Faith is exerciſed on Chriſt, it purifies from all filthineſs of the Spirit as well as of the Fleſh, it applys the Promiſes for that end, even to get the inſide made clean as well as the outſide; yea, its main work is, to have the inſide, the Heart purified, that being the fountain of all the pollution that defiles the Man, and brings the other neceſſarily along with it; never love that Faith that leaves the Heart as a Swines-ſty to Luſts, that leaves it ſwarming with unclean and vain Thoughts, or that leaves the Heart juſt as it was before; or that Faith that only cleanſeth the outſide and does no more; ſuch a Faith, however eſteemed by the Man, will never be accounted for true Saving Faith before God; I do not, I dare not ſay that Believers will always diſcern this heart-purity or cleanneſs; but this I ſay, that true Faith will ſet the Man a work to purify the Heart, and will be making uſe of Chriſt for that end, not only to have the arm of the dominion of Sin broken, but to have the Soul more and more delivered from the indwelling power of it, and this will the deſign that he will ſincerely drive, to get the Heart purified within as well as the outward Man; inward Heart-abominations will be grievous and burdenſome to him as well as ſcandalous out-breakings.
A ſecond place is, Gal. 2.20, 21. I am crucified with Chriſt, nevertheleſs I live, yet not I but Chriſt liveth in me, and the life, &c If ye would know a Companion of true Faith here is one, it hath a life of Faith with it; There is one life killed, and another life is quickened, the life that is killed is that whereby the Man ſometime lived to the Law, I am dead to the Law (ſays the Apoſtle,) a Man's good conceit of himſelf, that once he had is killed and taken away, he wonders how it came that he thought himſelf Holy, or a Believer, or how he could promiſe to himſelf Heaven in the condition he was in; There is another life comes in the place of that, and it's a life that is quickened and maintained by, and from nothing in the Man himſelf, but it's wholly from and by Chriſt; The Believer hath his holineſs and ſtrength for doing all called for Duties, and his comfort alſo from Chriſt. and he holds withall his very Natural Life, his preſent Being in the World from Chriſt. his all is in Chriſt; his ſtock of life, ſtrength and furniture is not in himſelf, but he lives by a continual Traffick, as it were on Bills of Exchange betwixt Chriſt and him; when he wants, he ſends a Bill to Chriſt, and it's anſwered in every thing that he ſtands in need of, and that is good for him; He is a dead Man, and he is a living Man, and whereever true Faith is, there the Man is dead and there the Man is living; Do not I pray miſtake it, by thinking that true Faith is but vented, puts forth it ſelf only in reference to this or that particular, or at this or that particular time only, for F…ith muſt be exerciſed not only at ſtarts, as when when we are under Challenges for Sin, or at Prayer, but we muſt deſign and endeavour to exerciſe Faith thorow all our Life; that is, we muſt by Faith look for every thing that is uſeful and needful for us from Chriſt, and be always endeavouring to drive on a common Trade of living this way; we muſt be habituating our ſelves to ſeek after Peace, Strength and Conſolation, and what elſe we need, out of the fulneſs that is in Him; This Life of Faith is to ſee the want of all things in our ſelves, and yet to have all things by making uſe of Chriſt in all things; contenting and comforting our ſelves that there is Strength in Him though we be weak in our ſelves, and that He hath gotten the victory over all His and our Enemies, and that we ſhall at laſt through Him, be victorious in our own Perſons, contenting and ſatisfying our ſelves that He hath compleat Righteouſneſs, though we be Bankrupt and have none of our own, and betaking our ſelves allenarly to that Righteouſneſs for our Juſtification before God; Thus making a Life to our ſelves in Him, He living in us by His Spirit, and we living in Him by Faith? O ſweet and deſirable but myſteriou… Life!
The third place is Gal. 5.6. In Chriſt Jeſus, neither circumſion availeth any thing, nor uncircumciſion, but faith that worketh by love; He doth not ſimply ſay Faith, but faith that works by love; for Faith is an operative Grace, and this is the main vent of it, the thing by which it works, it works by Love; Faith is the hand of the new Creature, whereby every thing is wrought, it having Life from Chriſt, and we may ſay that Love is in a manner the hand of Faith, or rather like the fingers upon the hand of Faith, whereby it handleth every thing tenderly, even out of love to God in Chriſt, and to others for His ſake; Faith works, and it works by Love; that's a ſound and good Faith that warms the Heart with love to Chriſt, and the nearer that Faith brings the Believer to Him, it warms the Heart with more love to others; And therefore love to the People of God is given as an evidence of one that is born of God, 1 Joh. 5.1. becauſe, wherever true Faith is, there cannot but be love to the Children of God flowing from love to Him that begets them; That Faith that's not affected with God's diſhonour out of love to Him, and that can endure to look upon the Difficulties, Sufferings and Afflictions of the Children of God, without ſympathizing and being kindly affected therewith, is not to be taken for a ſound Faith, but to be ſuſpected for a Counterfeit.
The fourth place is James 2 14. Shew me thy ſaith by thy works, &c. True Faith hath always ſound Holineſs with it, in all manner of Converſation in the deſign and endeavour of the Believer, which is withall through Grace in ſome meaſure attained; What avails it for a Man to ſay that he loves another, when being naked or deſtitute, he bid… him depart in Peace, be warmed, be filled, and yet in the mean time gives him nothing that he ſtands in need of, would not ſuch a poor Man think himſelf but mocked? Even ſo, will not God reckon you to be but Mock-believers, or Mockers of Faith when ye profeſs your ſelves to be Believers in Chriſt, while in the mean time ye have neither indeed Heart-purity, nor Holineſs in your outſide Converſation? that is but ſuch a Faith as Devils may have that will never do you good: Ye would believe this for a truth, that there will never a Faith paſs for Faith in God's account, and ſo there ſhould never a Faith paſs for Faith in your account, but that Faith that ſets the Man a work to the ſtudy of Holineſs; that Faith that works by Love, that Faith that purifies the Heart, and that Faith that puts the Perſon in whom it is, to ſtudy to have Chriſt living in him, and himſelf living in Chriſt.
I promiſed to name a few Scriptures that ſpeak out ſome more condeſcending Characters of Faith. And 1. I would think it a good token of Faith, to have Folk feared for miſſing and falling ſhort of the Promiſes, which may be gathered from Heb. 4.1. that ſtout confidence that thinks it's impoſſible to miſs the Promiſes, is a ſuſpect and dangerous Faith, not to be loved; it's a much better Faith that fears, then that Faith that's more ſtout, except there be a ſweet mixture of holy ſtoutneſs and fear together; It's ſaid Heb. 11.7. that by Faith Noah being moved with fear, prepared an Ark, &c. Noah had the Faith of God's Promiſe, that he ſhould be keeped free from being drowned by the Deluge with the reſt of the World, and yet he was mourning and trembling in preparing the Ark; If there were much Faith among you, it would make many of you more holily feared then ye are; Love not that Faith the worſe that ye never hear a threatning but ye tremble at it, and are touched by it in the quick. 2. It's a good token of Saving Faith, when it hath a diſcovery and holy ſuſpition of Unbelief wairing on it, ſo that the Perſon dare not ſo lippen and truſt his own Faith, as not to dread Unbelief, and to tell Chriſt of it; There is a poor Man that comes to Chriſt, Mat. 9.23, 24. to whom the Lord faith, If thou canst believe, or canſt thou believe? yes Lord (ſays he) I believe, help thou mine unbelief; there was ſome Faith in him, but there was alſo Unbelief mixed with it; his Unbelief was ſo great that it was almoſt like to drown his Faith, but he puts it in Chriſt's hand, and will neither deny his Faith nor his Unbelief, but puts the matter ſincerely over upon Chriſt, to ſtrengthen his Faith, and to amend and help his Unbelief; It's a ſuſpect Faith that's at the top of Perfection at the very firſt, and ere ever ye wot; There are ſome ſerious Souls, that think becauſe they have ſome Unbelief, that therefore they have no Faith at all, but true Faith is ſuch a Faith that is by and beſide ſuſpected and feared or ſeen Unbelief; That Faith is ſureſt where Folk fear and ſuſpect Unbelief, and ſee it, and when they are weighted with their Unbelief, and cry out under it, and make their Unbelief an errand to Chriſt, it's a token there is Faith there. 3. The third Character is, That it will have with it a ſticking to Chriſt, and a fear to preſume in ſticking to Him; There will be two things ſtriving together, an eagerneſs to be at Him, and a fear that they be found preſumptuous in medling with Him, and an holy trembling to think on it; yet notwithſtanding it muſt and will be adventured upon; the Woman ſpoken of Mark 5.28. lays this reckoning with her ſelf, If I can but touch his cloathes I ſhall be whole; and ſhe not only believeth this to be truth, but crouds and thrimbles in to be at him, yet verſ. 33. when ſhe comes before Chriſt, ſhe trembles as if ſhe had been taken in a fault, not having dared to come openly to Him, but behind him, ſhe behoved to have a touch of him, but ſhe durſt not in a manner own and avouch her doing of it till ſhe be unavoidably put to it; It's a ſuſpect and unſound Faith that never trembled at minting to Believe; there is reaſon to be jealous that Faith not to be of the right ſtamp, that never walked under the impreſſion of the great diſtance between Chriſt and the Perſon, the ſenſe whereof is the thing that makes the trembling, I ſay not deſperation, nor any utter diſtruſt of Chriſt's kindneſs, but trembling ariſing from the conſideration of the great diſtance and diſproportion that's between Him and the Perſon; Faith holds the Sinner a going to Chriſt, and the ſenſe of its own ſinfulneſs and worthleſneſs keeps him under holy fear and in the exerciſe of Humility; Paul once thought himſelf a jolly man, (as we may ſee Rom. 7.9.) but when he was brought to believe in Chriſt, he ſees that he was a dead and undone man before: I give you theſe three marks of a true Faith from that Chapter. 1. It diſcovers to a Man his former Sinfulneſs, and particularly his former Self-conceit, Pride and Preſumption, I was, ſaith Paul, alive without the Law once, &c. a man living upon the thoughts of his own Holineſs, but when the Law came I died; he fell quite from theſe high thoughts. A ſecond Mark is, A greater reſtleſneſs of the Body of Death, it becoming in ſome reſpect worſe Company, more fretful, and ſtrugling more then ever it did before; Sin revived ſaith Paul, though he had no more Corruption in him then he had before, but it wakened and beſtirred it ſelf more; I dare ſay that though there be not ſo much Corruption in a Believer as there is in a natural Man, yet it ſtrugleth much more, and is more painful and diſquieting to the Believer, and breeds him a greate dale more trouble, for ſays the Apoſtle on the matter, when God graciouſly poured Light and Life into me, Sin took that occaſion to grow angry, and to be enraged that ſuch a neighbour was brought in beſide it, it could not endure that; as an unruly and curriſh Dog barks moſt bitterly when an honeſt Gueſt comes to the Houſe, ſo doth Corruption bark and make more noiſe then it did before when Grace takes place in the Soul: There are ſome that trow they have the more Faith becauſe they feel no Corruption ſtir in them, and there are others that think they have no Faith at all, becauſe they feel Corruption ſtr…gling more, and growing more troubleſome to them; but the ſtirring and ſtrugling of Corruption, if Folk be indeed burdened, and affected, and afflicted with it, will rather prove their having of Faith then their wanting of it; Love that Faith well that puts and keeps Folk bickerring (to ſay ſo) in the Fight with the Body of Death; for though this be not good in it ſelf that Corruption ſtirreth, yet Sin is of that ſinful nature, that it flies always more in their face that look God and Heavenwards, then of others that are ſleeping ſecurely under its Dominion. A third Mark is, When the Soul hath never Peace in any of its Conflicts or Combats with Corruption, but when it reſolves in Faith exerciſed on Jeſus Chriſt, as it was with Paul, in that Chapter after his Converſion; That is a ſound Faith that only makes Peace at firſt by Chriſt, but that cannot (to ſay ſo) fight one fair ſtroke in the Spiritual Warfare, nor look Corruption in the face, nor promiſe to it ſelf an outgate from any aſſault of the Enemy, but by Faith in Jeſus Chriſt, as it was with the Apoſtle, who toward the end of that Chapter, lamentably crys, O! wretched man that I am, who ſhall deliver me from the body of this death? yet immediatly ſubjoyns Faiths triumphing in Chriſt, I thank God through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord; he, belike, before his Converſion thought he could do well enough all alone, but it is not ſo now, when he can do nothing without Chriſt, eſpecially in this ſore War with his Corruption; That is a ſound Faith that makes the Sinner to make uſe of Chriſt in every thing he is called to, that yoaks him (I mean Chriſt) to work on every occaſion, and particularly when it comes as it were to grapling and hand blows with this formidable Enemy the Body of Death this Monſter, whereof when one H…a… is cut off, another as it were ſtarts up in its place.
For a cloſe of this Purpoſe, I be…eech and obteſt ſuch of you as are ſtrangers to Saving Faith (who are I fear far the greateſt part,) to conſider ſeriouſly all I have ſpoken of the nature and native evidences of it, that you may be undeceived of your Soul-ruining Miſtakes about it; and let ſincere and ſound Believers, from a…l, be more cleared, confirmed, and comforted in their Faith.