The Use and Practice of Faith, Uses · Application 1
Ʋſe. I. Of Information.
Ʋſe 1 FOr Information: If the juſt lives by Faith, Firſt, ſee the happy Condition of Believers, Joh. 6.29.Information in 7 things. It is comfort againſt all diſcomforts.
What is thy Diſcomfort? What troubles thee?The happy condition of believers. They have comfort 1. Againſt ſelf-condemnation. Is this thy diſcomfort, when thou lookſt into thy Self, thou ſeeſt nothing but the Sentence of Death and condemnation in regard of thy ſinfulneſs of Nature and Life? yet thou maiſt ſay, (though I ſee nothing but Death it ſelf) By Faith I live.
1. Doth the Law condemn thee? Gal. 3.10. Curſed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law, to do them.
2. Doth thine own Conſcience condemn thee, taking part with the Law, which is written there? Conſcience is a Practical Syllogiſm: The Law affords the Major, Curſed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law, to do them: Conſcience affords the Minor, But I have not continued in all things written in the book of the Law, to do them; Therefore I am curſed.
3. Doth the Devil condemn thee, who ſails with wind and tide, making uſe of the Law and Conſcience? As the Devil is called, The Accuſer of the Brethren.
4. Do other Men condemn thee, with whom thou haſt ſinned by counſel, conſent, or incouragement? Thou haſt been partaker of other mens ſins, and theſe come to riſe up in Judgement againſt thee.
5. Doth the Goſpel it ſelf condemn thee? At leaſt, for the time that is paſt? Thou haſt outſtood many thouſand ſweet proffers of Grace and Mercy, therefore thou art afraid that Sentence belongs to thee: Prov. 1.24. Becauſe I have called, and ye refuſed; I have ſtretched out my hand, and no man regarded, &c.
6. Doſt thou fear ſometimes condemnation from the Mouth of the Judge, who ſhall judge men according to the things that are written in the Books, Rev. 20.12. yet, here is thy comfort, if thou believeſt, thou art in an eſtate of Life. The Juſt ſhall live by Faith: Faith unites him to an everlaſting Principle of Life. And, There is no condemnation to them that by faith are implanted into Chriſt, Rom. 8.1. They are freed from condemnation, Joh 5.24.
1. Of the Law, Rom. 7.6. We are delivered from the Law, in regard of Exaction, Curſe, and Malediction, Rom. 8.2, 3. We are not under the Law as a Covenant, but onelyonly as a Rule. Rom. 10.14. Chriſt is the end of the Law for righteouſneſs, to every one who believes.
2. Of Conſcience: Heb. 9 14. How much more ſhall the blood of Chriſt, who through the eternal Spirit offered himſelf without ſpot to God, purge your conſciences from dead works, to ſerve the living God. This blood is ſprinkled by Faith, which purifies the heart, Act. 15.9. and as it purifies, ſo it pacifies, Rom. 5.1. Being juſtified by Faith, we have peace with God.
3. Of Satan: Rev. 12.10. For the accuſer of our brethren is caſt down which accuſed them before God day and night. His accuſations are caſt out of the Court, like the Accuſations of ſome troubleſome Informer, or buſie Promoter. And how are we freed from his Accuſations, but by Faith? 1 Pet. 5.9. Whom reſiſt, ſtedfaſt in the faith: Repel his Accuſation of God, as if he did not love you, becauſe he afflicts you: For of ſuch an Accuſation he there ſpeaks, as appears by the Means which there is fitted to that kinde of reſiſtance, Whom reſiſt, ſtedfaſt in the faith, knowing that the ſame afflictions are accompliſh'd in your brethren.
4. Of Men: Rom. 8.33, 34. The Apoſtle challengeth Men and Devils. If the Superior Judge will abſolve and juſtifie, what hath the Inferior Judge or Witneſs to ſay againſt the party?
5. Of the Goſpel. Indeed, if they who believe, had ſtood out to the end, the Sentence had belonged to them But becauſe they did by Faith receive the Goſpel at the laſt, all their former rejecting of it, ſhall not ſo much as be mentioned: Rev. 3.20. Chriſt ſtands at the door and knocks, and makes a gracious Promiſe, If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will ſup with him, and he with me. But alas, who hears at the firſt knock! Chriſt ſtands there many a day, it may be many years, before the poor creature opens and believes; yet if he opens at laſt, Chriſt comes in, and makes good his Promiſe.
6. Of the Judge: for, God ſhall judge the ſecrets of men according to the Goſpel, Rom. 2.16. Believers ſhall hear a Sentence of Abſolution, Come ye bleſſed: So, There is no condemnation to them that are in Chriſt Jeſus, Rom 8.1.
Secondly, is this thy Diſcomfort;2. Comfort againſt abſence from the Lord. Thou art abſent from the Lord: O when ſhall I come and appear before God? Faith draws God near to the Soul in the Promiſe, and in the Seal of the Promiſe: Thou ſeeſt the face of God in a lively picture, in a clear glaſs, in the glaſs of the Word and Sacrament; and that's a great comfort. As it is ſome comfort to have the lively Picture of an abſent friend; but no picture can draw one friend ſo near to another, as theſe lively pictures do draw God to the Soul: Therefore, when we act our Faith, we are ſaid to draw near to God, Heb. 10.22.
3. Againſt diſtance of things promiſedThirdly, is this our Diſcomfort, The diſtance of the thing promiſed? yet this is our Comfort, Faith gives us ſuch Security, as if the thing had a preſent ſubſiſtence. Heb. 11.1. Now faith is the ſubſtance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not ſeen.
4. Againſt Temporal and Spiritual wants.Fourthly, is this thy Diſcomfort, That thy Wants are many in Temporals and Spirituals? and thou knoweſt not how to get them ſupplied? yet, this is thy Comfort, Chriſt is a Fountain, and the Word a Treaſure: and as long as there is any thing left in the Word, or in Chriſt, in whom all fulneſs dwells, thou canſt never want; Thou maiſt go to the Spring-head upon all occaſions: Pſa. 23.1. The Lord is my ſhepherd, I ſhall not want.
5. Againſt Spiritual pride.Fifthly, is this thy Diſcomfort, Thou art afraid thou ſhalt be exalted above meaſure? yea, but here is thy Comfort, Faith will keep thee humble; Faith tells thee, Thou liveſt upon Alms, upon a Principle without thy ſelf.
6. Againſt fear of not honouring God.Sixthly, is this thy Diſcomfort, Thou art afraid thou ſhalt not honour God as thou art bound? yet, this is thy Comfort, Faith will help thee to honour his Free-grace, Faithfulneſs, and All-ſufficiency: As Abraham by believing gave glory to God, Rom. 4 20.
Inform. 2 2 Information, See the Miſery of all Unbelievers; they are no better then dead men,Miſery of Unbelievers, in fix reſpects. or condemned men. Joh. 3. laſt, He that believeth not the Son, ſhall not ſee life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. The wrath of a King is as the roaring of a Lion, as the meſſengers of death, Prov. 16.14. & 19.12. O what is the wrath of the King of kings! Who is able to ſtand under the burthen of it! Who among us is able to dwell with everlaſting burnings! Iſa. 33.O remember the dangerous condition of all Unbelievers, who are
1. Not purified [Tit. 1.15. Ʋnto the pure all things are pure; but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, is nothing pure, but even their mind and conſcience is defiled.
2. Unbelievers are not pacified. Iſa. 57.19, 20.21. I create the fruit of the lips, Peace, peace, to him that is afar off, and to him that is near, ſaith the Lord; and I will heal him: But the wicked are like the troubled Sea, they cannot reſt; whoſe waters caſt up mire and dirt. There is no peace, ſaith my God, to the wicked: They are no better than condemned men.
Reſpect 1. Firſt, they are condemned by the firſt Covenant, viz. by the Law of Works, Gal 3.10. And the Goſpel helps none againſt the firſt Covenant, but ſuch as receive the Goſpel by Faith.
Reſp. 2. Secondly, they are condemned by their own Conſcience, not being purged by Faith. An Unbeliever commonly hath either a dead Conſcience, or a raging furious Conſcience, that, like Zimri, ſlays his own Maſter, and yet hath never the more peace after it. An Unbelievers Conſcience is his own Accuſer, Witneſs, Judge, Condemner, and Executioner: it is that, that puts a man into Hell upon Earth.
Resp. 3. Thirdly, he is condemned by Satan, the great Accuſer; firſt a Tempter, then a Tormentor; yea, he is under the power of this Jaylor, who as he binds, Luk. 13.16. Act. 26.18. ſo blinds the minds of them that believe not, 2 Cor. 4.4. As the poor Priſoner is blindfold a little before his Execution, Pſal. 109.6, 7.
Resp. 4. Fourthly, he is condemned by men, not onelyonly good men ſhall riſe up in Judgement againſt him, ſuch as repented and believed at the Preaching of the Prophets; but even wicked men ſhall riſe up in Judgement one againſt another: Though they were never ſuch good-fellows in ſin together, yet, when once God calls them to account; as the man laid the blame upon the woman, and the woman upon the Serpent (though they were all in fault:) So ſhall one ſinner accuſe and condemn another, and ſay, Woe worth the time that ever I ſaw thy face; if it had not been for thee, I had never committed ſuch a ſin; if thou hadſt not made the motion, I had never yielded: And the other ſhall ſay, If thou hadſt not yielded, the motion had never been put in execution. Indeed, where there is Faith, the Accuſation is eaſily anſwered, we can ſend the Accuſer to our Surety; but the Unbeliever ſinks under the weight of the Accuſation, and muſt bear it off by head and ſhoulders, both his own and his other mens ſins.
Reſp. 5. Fifthly, he is a dead man by the Sentence of the Goſpel: for though the Goſpel be the Power of God unto ſalvation, yet it is onelyonly to the Salvation of them that believe, Rom. 1.16. The Goſpel condemns the unbeliever as much as the Law, and more too. Joh. 3.18, 19. He that believeth not, is condemned already, becauſe he hath not believed in the Name of the onelyonly begotten Son of God: Joh. 3.and, This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkneſs rather than light, becauſe their deeds ſwere evil. There is no condemnation like this; This is the condemnation, by way of eminency. As the ſharpeſt Vinegar is made of the ſweeteſt Wine: So the ſharpeſt Judgements ſpring from the abuſe of the ſweeteſt Mercies: And who are they that abuſe ſweet Goſpel-mercies, but Unbelievers?
Reſp. 6. Sixthly, he ſhall be condemned from the mouth of the Judge himſelf: for if the Goſpel do condemn him, Mercy himſelf cannot ſave him; (for God is onelyonly merciful in a Goſpel-way) if the Goſpel do condemn him, the Judge muſt needs condemn him: for, As many as have ſinned under the Goſpel, ſhall be judged by the Goſpel; as thoſe that have ſinned under the Law, ſhall be judged by the Law: Rom. 2.12. For as many as have ſinned without law, ſhall alſo periſh without law; and as many as have ſinned in the law, ſhall be judged by the law. Therefore, all unbelievers ſhall hear the Sentence of Condemnation, Go ye curſed, &c. This is the Goſpel Rule, the ſtanding Rule of the everlaſting Goſpel, He that believeth ſhall be ſaved, and he that believeth not ſhall be damned, Mark 16.16. As the Juſt lives by Faith; ſo the Unbeliever dies by his Unbelief. He is ſubject to the firſt death in the moſt terrible manner, the ſting was never yet pulled out by ſuch a man; and he is ſubject to the ſecond death, viz. Death of the Body and Soul to all eternity, where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. O who would continue in ſuch a condition! Why do we not cry out of our unbelief to God! Why do we not mourn and weep under the burthen of it! We can weep over our dying friends; O that we could weep over our own and friends dead Hearts and Souls! For he that hath no Faith, hath no Chriſt he that hath no Chriſt, hath no Life: The Unbeliever is in a dead condition, he dies by his Unbelief, as the Juſt lives by his Faith.
Secondly, ſee the miſery of all Unbelievers,2. Their dead condition. they are in a dead condition: If the Juſt lives by Faith, they muſt needs be dead who have no Faith; and that, becauſe they want that which ſhould unite them to him who is the Principle of Life: 1 Joh. 5.12. He that hath the Son hath life; he that hath not the Son hath not life. Alas poor creature! he is dead while he ſeems to live; he is dead in ſins and trespaſſes, Eph. 2.1. He is active indeed, to that which is evil, and that is his miſery: but he is dead to all that is good. As Faith works by love, and ſo ſets love and all other Graces on work: So Unbelief ſets all manner of ſin on work; and ſin when it is finiſhed, Jam. 1.bringeth forth death. Unbelief is the cauſe of all ſin and miſery. As the Juſt lives by his Faith; ſo the wicked man dies by his Unbelief. All ſins are pardonable to him that believes; but Unbelief binds all other ſins upon the Soul to condemnation. O the miſerable condition of all unbelievers! and ſuch are we all in our natural condition! Let us confeſs it, and bewail it at the Throne of Grace, That God may give us this excellent gift of Faith, that we may live by Faith upon the living God.
Inform. 3 Thirdly, See the reaſon why Satan is ſuch an enemy to Faith;Reaſon of Satans enmity againſt Faith. Becauſe by it (under God) the creature lives. Now Satan is an utter enemy to the creatures life and happineſs, he was a Murtherer from the beginning, and therefore an enemy to Faith from the beginning. He was an enemy to that Faith that was proper to the firſt Covenant. Gen. 3.1. Now the Serpent was more ſubtile than any beaſt of the field which the Lord God had made: and he ſaid unto the woman, Yea, hath God ſaid, Ye ſhall not eat of every tree of the Garden? His great Temptation was to perſwade Eve, not to truſt God upon his Word; Yea, hath God ſaid, Ye ſhall not eat of every tree of the Garden? And he is as great an enemy to that Faith which is proper to the ſecond Covenant, whereby a poor ſinner caſts himſelf into the arms of Gods Mercy through Chriſt, held out to him in a promiſe of Free-grace. Luke 22.31, 32. you may ſee, Satan was an enemy to Peters faith, and ſo to the faith of every believer. How do you know this Word (ſaith the Devil) to be the Word of God? or if it be ſo) how doſt thou know it belongeth to thee? Doſt thou think God will ever make good his Promiſe to ſuch a vile creature as thou art? and a thouſand ſuch Objections! No marvel Satan is ſuch an enemy to Faith, ſeeing the Juſt lives by his Faith. Faith is that which puts life into our Zeal, our Courage, our Prayers, all our Chriſtian duties: The Devil knows, if he can but ham-ſtring our Faith, we ſhall halt and go lame all our days, and in all our duties. As our Faith is weakned, our Zeal is cooled, our Courage daunted, our Prayers infeebled, our Graces languiſhing, and our Duties decaying from day to day. Therefore as the Devil ſtrikes moſt of all at our Shield of faith, let us be perſwaded to hold it ſo much the faſter: Eph. 6.16. Above all, taking the ſhield of faith, wherewith ye ſhall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. If thou wouldſt know, how a Chriſtian doth? Ask him, How his faith does; if thou wouldſt have him a thriving Chriſtian, perſwade him to look well to his Faith. 1 Theſſ. 3.5. For this cauſe when I could no longer forbear, I ſent to know your faith, leſt by ſome means the Tempter hath tempted you, and our labour be in vain. The Tempter fights neither againſt ſmall nor great, but againſt our Faith. If he robs us of that, 2 Pet. 1.1.he robs us of our greateſt Treaſure. Saving Faith is precious Faith; and it is that which maintains the moſt precious life. Therefore it is no marvel, Satan is ſo great an enemy to our Faith.
Inform. 4 Fourthly,Difference between the life of Chriſt and ours. This informs us of the difference betwixt the life of Chriſt and ours. Chriſt hath life of himſelf, as the Father hath life of himſelf, Joh. 5.26. He is the Principle of Life to himſelf, he receives it from no other. But our life is a derivative life, we derive our life from him who is the Fountain of life, and the Fountain of light too: Pſal. 36.9. For with thee is the fountain of life, and in thy light ſhall we ſee light. Therefore, as this puts us in minde of the glorious Dignity of Jeſus Chriſt, who is as the Sea to all living creatures, (eſpecially ſuch as live the Life of Grace) to whom he is the Fountain of light and life. So it ſhould reminde us of the Humility which befits creatures in ſuch a condition as we are. As we ſhould have high thoughts of Chriſt; ſo, vile and mean thoughts of our Selves: For, though Chriſt could live well enough without us (as he did, before we had any Being) yet we cannot live without him; he is the main Object of our Faith, and therefore the very Principle of our Life: for the Juſt doth live by his Faith.
Inform. 5 Fifthly, This informs us, why there are ſo many dead creatures in the world: As Chriſt ſaith,Why ſo many dead. Mat. 8.22. Let the dead bury the dead; let ſuch as are dead in ſins and treſpaſſes, bury ſuch as are naturally dead. How manymen in the world have no life to any thing that is good; dead-hearted creatures, and yet inſenſible of their deadneſs; alive unto ſin, but dead unto all gracious performances. The very reaſon is, They want Faith. Nevertheleſs, when the Son of Man comes, ſhall he finde Faith upon the earth.Luke 18.8. There is little Faith in the world, and therefore little Life in the world: Nay, many of thoſe who have a Name to live, are dead, (Rev. 3.1.) becauſe many who make Profeſſion of Faith, do want the Faith which they do profeſs. They are not by Faith united to Chriſt the onelyonly Principle of all Spiritual Life, and of all living actions; and therefore their moſt ſpecious good works (ſuch as are materially good) are no better than dead works, and ſo ſinful works, becauſe formally evil, as not ſpringing from a living Principle, to wit, from the Spirit of Grace dwelling in the creature, and uniting him by Faith to Jeſus Chriſt, who is the Fountain of Life. I confeſs, a wicked man may perform many excellent works, and that by the help of Gods Spirit too, and yet have no life in him for all that: for, There is a twofold help from the Spirit of God; the one, from the inhabiting Spirit of God, dwelling in the heart, and changing the nature of the creature; the other, ſpringing onelyonly from ſome common work of the Spirit, ſtrengthning a man to this or that particular action, by the Elevation of his natural parts, and the improvement of them in outward Expreſſions. There is a great deal of difference betwixt a creature that is moved by a Spirit that dwells in it, and informs it, (That is forma informans, and ſo, acts it from an inward Principle) and that which is moved by a Spirit that dwells not in it, but doth onelyonly make uſe of it, or aſſiſt it pro tempore, that is, but forma aſſiſtens, as the Angel, that made uſe of a body in appearing and ſpeaking to Manoah and his Wife. Thus it is with men of moſt eminent parts (if they have not Faith) though they may have a Name to live, yet in truth they are but dead, dead in their perſons, and dead in their works; for, without Faith, there is no true life, either in this man, or in any thing that comes from him. For the Juſt lives by his Faith.
Inform. 6 Sixthly, This ſhews the unſoundneſs of their opinion, who ſay there may be life in a creature,No life until Faith. and Chriſt in a creature, before there be Faith in the creature: as if Faith did onelyonly give Evidence of that life which was in the Soul before Faith. But the Text is plain, The juſt lives by his faith: Therefore, as Chriſt and Life, ſo Faith and Life come both together; and Faith is an Inſtrument of applying Chriſt for the maintaining and acting of Spiritual Life.
So that Faith is not onelyonly an evidence to ſhew that we are alive; but it is an Inſtrument (under Jeſus Chriſt) of Spiritual Life. Therefore look as when it is ſaid, By faith the walls of Jericho fell down; it is not onelyonly meant, that by Faith they ſaw when they were down (for they could ſee that with the eye of ſenſe) but the meaning is, Faith was the Inſtrument or Engine, laying hold of the Vertue, Truth and Power of Chriſt, who ſtood upon the top of the wall, and bid them compaſs the City ſix days, and blow with Rams-horns, and give a ſhout the ſeventh day, and the walls of Jericho ſhould fall down. Now they doing this in Faith, and believing God, would make good his Promiſe,
It is ſaid, By faith the walls of Jericho fell down; their faith was an Inſtrument of their falling, and not onelyonly an evidence that they were fallen: So I ſay, Faith is an Inſtrument of Spiritual Life, and not onelyonly an evidence, that the Creature doth live. The Juſt ſhall live by his Faith.
Inform. 7 Seventhly, This ſhews us, what the Miniſters of God are principally bound to preach,The Miniſters chief work. and what people principally ſhould deſire to hear; and that is, the Word of Faith, becauſe this is indeed the Word of Life. The Juſt ſhall live by his Faith; and therefore we make bold to be the longer upon this ſubject. It is true indeed, we are bound to preach of Good Works alſo, and of Duties to God and Men: but theſe are to be ſet in their due place and order, to be brought in, as fruits and effects of Faith and Repentance, and not as the cauſes.
Simile.To ſpeak altogether of Good Works, and Good Duties without Faith, is all one, as if one ſhould make Roof of a Houſe, without any Walls or Foundation. To ſpeak altogether of Faith, without the fruits of it in Good Works, is all one, as if one ſhould lay a Foundation and build the Walls, but never ſet on the Roof. The one of theſe ought to be done, and the other not to be left undone. Howſoever, the chief of theſe is Faith: In order to the Foundation, it lays hold upon Chriſt; He is the onelyonly ſure Foundation of all our building, and therefore the Word we preach, is called the Word of Faith, Rom. 10.18. As if Faith ſhould be the principal ſubject of our Preaching (as indeed it ſhould) For the end of all Preaching,The End of all Preaching. is either to beget Spiritual Life, or elſe to maintain it and increaſe it where it is begotten; and this is done in a way of Faith. For the Juſt ſhall live by his Faith.