The Use and Practice of Faith, Uses · Application 5
Ʋſe V. Of Humiliation.
Ʋſe 5 The fifth Uſe, is for Humiliation, in caſe upon Trial we finde we believe not,Humiliation for Unbelief. we have great cauſe to be humbled for our Unbelief: for, as the juſt lives by his Faith; ſo, the Unbeliever dies by his Unbelief, as we have heard.
We ſhould look at Unbelief, as the moſt deadly and dangerous of all other ſins, and therefore be humbled for it. When Chriſt ſaith, His Spirit ſhould convince the world of ſin; Joh. 16.9.he ſays no more but thus, It ſhall convince the world, becauſe they believe not on me; as if Unbelief were the greateſt of all other ſins. O that we could conceive it ſo! We ſtartle at Murther, Adultery, Theft, &c. and good reaſon we ſhould do ſo: in the mean time, it may be, we are little troubled that we do not believe; nay, it may be we think we do well to doubt of the Promiſe, as Jonah thought he did well to be angry.
The evil of Unbelief.And yet this ſin of Unbelief exceeds all other ſins in ſome reſpect.
For,
1. It diſhonours God.Firſt, it is a ſin that doth exceedingly diſhonour God. Indeed, it calls the Divinity it ſelf in queſtion: for if God be not a God of Unchangeable Truth, and of Infinite Power, he is as good as no God: But Unbelief queſtions the Truth of God. God ſaith, He that truſts in him, ſhall not be confounded: But ſaith the Soul, Though I ſhould caſt my ſelf upon his Promiſe, I queſtion whether it ſhould be made good to me: Thus, 1 Joh. 5.10. He that believeth not God, hath made him a liar. So Unbelief another while queſtions the Power of God: Can God prepare a Table in the Wilderneſs? and the like: Can God forgive, or can God ſubdue ſuch ſins? Now what a diſhonout is this to God?
2. It grieves the Spirit of God.Secondly, it's a ſin that doth exceedingly grieve the Spirit of God. When King Ahaz would not believe the comfortable Promiſe that was brought to him from God by the Prophet Iſaiah, what ſaith the Scripture? Iſa. 7.13. Is it a ſmall thing for you to weary or grieve men, but ye will weary my God alſo? And with whom was God grieved fourty years in the Wilderneſs? was it not with them that ſinned through Ʋnbelief, Heb. 3.17. Suppoſe a rich man ſhould freely invite all the Poor of ſuch a Town to a feaſt, with Promiſe of kind and hearty welcome, if they will but come, &c. Upon the Invitation, firſt one, and then another ſhould begin to make exceptions againſt themſelves, and ſay, Surely he did not intend that I ſhould come, &c. If I do, I'll be ſure to eat nothing: I cannot think he ſhould bid me welcome; or if he do, that he means as he ſays: I am ſo unworthy, I have nothing to pay for my entertainment. Would not this grieve the Maſter of the Feaſt, and diſpleaſe him? Might not his diſpleaſure turn into wrath? Luk. 14.21, 24. The Maſter of the houſe was angry, and ſaid, None of thoſe men which were bidden ſhall taſte of my Supper. Doth God ſay, Whoſoever will, let him eat of the bread, and drink freely of the water of life, Iſa. 55 1. Rev. 22.17. and ſhall any of us ſay, Though I hunger and thirſt alſo, I cannot believe the Promiſe belongs to me? How do we quench and grieve the Spirit of God by our Unbelief?
Thirdly,3. It pleaſes the Devil. it's a ſin that doth exceedingly pleaſe the Devil: It was the very firſt ſin he tempted our firſt Parents to, and 'tis the main of all his Temptations to this day. Let the Word be preach'd never ſo powerfully; yea, But is this true, ſaith the Devil? The Devil doth what he can to bring God out of credit with his People. Luke 8.12. Theſe by the high-way are they that hear; then cometh the Devil, and taketh the Word out of their hearts, leſt they ſhould believe and be ſaved. Mark: the Devil knows that without Faith there is no Salvation: therefore he that is an enemy to the Salvation of People, is as great an enemy to Faith. Thou canſt not do a greater pleaſure to the Devil, than to ſay, I queſtion whether this be true or no: or whether God will make this Promiſe good to me, though I ſhould caſt my ſelf upon the Word of his Free-grace. O Chriſtians! think of this, think ſeriouſly of this, how you rejoyce that wicked Spirit (The Father of Lies) and how you grieve and vex the holy Spirit of God (The Spirit of Truth) by your Unbelief.
Fourthly, conſider the ſin of Unbelief, 'tis a Mother Sin. As the Devil is the Father: ſo Unbelief is the Mother of all other ſins.The brood of Unbelief. Unbelief was firſt the Devils Baſtard, and then he makes it his Concubine; and by his incubation upon an unbelieving heart, he begets a world of other ſins.
As,
1. Ignorance.Firſt of all, Wilful and affected Ignorance: For if the Devil can but perſwade a Soul, either that the Word is not of God, or that it belongs not to it ſelf in particular; then the next Temptation is, To what purpoſe ſhouldſt thou labour for the knowledge of ſuch a Word that concerns thee not? And therefore Unbelief and Ignorance are coupled together, and both proceeding from the Devil: 2 Cor. 4.3, 4. But if, &c. in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, leſt the light of the glorious Goſpel of Chriſt, who is the image of God, ſhould ſhine unto them: Whereby it comes to paſs, that ſo many are ignorant, in the midſt of ſo much light.
2. Security.Secondly, another dangerous ſin (the off-ſpring of the Devil and of Unbelief) is, Sinful Security. The Devil begets this ſin upon an Unbelievers heart, and when he hath done, he rocks the Cradle. When God threatens, and the awakened Conſcience begins to cry; then, Peace, peace,Gen. 3.1. ſaith the Devil: Yea, hath God ſaid, Ye ſhall die, if ye eat of the forbidden fruit? I ſay, Ye ſhall not die; The words of the Prophets are but wind: Jer. 5.13.what need ye regard or fear the threatning. Indeed God hath ſaid, The Drunkard ſhall be clothed with rags; Prov. 33.21. Iſa. 33.1.The ſpoiler ſhall be spoiled; and, The flying Roll of Gods curſe ſhall enter into the houſe of the Thief, and of him that ſweareth falſly by the Name of God, Zech. 5.4. But do you not ſee, threatned folk live long, ſaith the Devil? Doth not many a Drunkard, Oppreſſor, Thief, and Swearer, live many a fair day? And thus the poor Soul is preſently rock'd aſleep again in its Unbelief, and becomes reſolute in an evil way. Eccl. 8.11. Becauſe ſentence againſt an evil work is not speedily executed, therefore the heart of the ſons of men is fully ſet in them to do evil. They are ſecure in the midſt of danger, they fall aſleep upon the top of the Maſt.
Thirdly,3. Worldlineſs. another dangerous ſin ſpringing from Unbelief, is Worldly-mindedneſs: for if we believe not what is promiſed concerning Heaven, or what is threatned in regard of Hell; why then, ſaith Demas, let us embrace this preſent world. Let Noah preach of Judgement to the old World, and righteous Lot to the Sodomites, ſo long as their words ſeem to them as idle tales, there's no care to prevent the imminent Judgement, but all their care is how they ſhall live another day, when it may be they have not a day to live: They ate, they drank, they bought, they ſold, they planted, they builded: they were all for the world, even to the very day that thoſe dreadful Waters upon the one, and that terrible Fire upon the other, came down from the Lord out of Heaven: And all this becauſe of their Unbelief.
Fourthly,4. Hypocriſie. another dangerous ſin (the fruit of ſuch a curſed Parent) is, Groſs Hypocriſie. Counterfeit Faith ever ſprings from real Unbelief: for durſt a man make ſhew of Religion to ſerve his own turn, and to ſerve his own luſts, (as many men do) if he did believe that God was a God ſearching the heart and the reins, and ſuch an one as would ſmite all painted walls, and whited ſepulchres, he durſt as well eat fire as do ſuch a thing. O, ſaith many a vile wretch, I carried my ſelf like a Saint, whilſt I was in their company; and yet it may be the ſame man at another time, and in another company, carries himſelf more like a Devil incarnate, than a Saint: And why ſo? from whence ſprings this groſs Hypocriſie, but from groſs Unbelief? For had he but Faith to believe the Omnipreſence of God, he would labour to be the ſame at all times, and in all companies.
Fifthly,5. Hereſie. another dangerous ſin (the Daughter both of Unbelief and Hypocriſie) is, Hereſie; a departing from the Faith in ſome Points of Religion, for a mans own outward advantage. For if a man believe not what he profeſſeth, to be true, he will be ſoon ready either to lay down or to take up Opinions, as he may beſt ſerve the preſent time for his own intereſt. In this reſpect an Unbeliever is a Time-ſerver: 1 Tim. 4.2. He ſpeaks lies in hypocriſie. If any new Doctrine may but ſwell the man up in his own Name, or in his Eſtate, he makes no bones of it, to speak lies in hypocriſie.
6. Apoſtacy.Sixthly, another dangerous ſin (the fruit of Unbelief and of Hereſie) is, Apoſtacy, or falling off from the Truth. For by the ſame reaſon that an Unbeliever may fall from one Article of his profeſſed Faith, he may come in time to fall from all. For if his Religion be no more but a State-Profeſſion; then, in caſe the State changeth Religion where he lives, his Religion is changed alſo. And ſuch is the Religion of all ſuch People as are either extremely ſimple, or extremely wiſe, (I mean) worldly wiſe, they know no other Religion than the State owns, and that's as good as no Religion at all; becauſe the State owns it, it is vain to him: For though that be ſuppoſed to be true which the State owns; yet when a man owns it not, becauſe it is true, but becauſe the State owns it,Iſa. 29.13. Mat. 15.9. it is vain to him In vain, ſaith God, do they worſhip me, whilſt their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men.
7. Atheiſm.The ſeventh and the laſt dangerous ſin, is down-right Atheiſm, when men grow to that height of Profaneneſs, to deny God and his Word. Lo, here's deſcenſus Averni, thoſe ſlippery and dangerous ſtairs of Unbelief,Prov. 5.5. by which men depart from the living God, and go down to Hell. Heb. 3.12. Take heed, brethren, leſt there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. And thus you ſee this ſin of Unbelief its a Mother ſin, its exceeding prolifical in a dangerous brood of Vipers, that without Repentance will ſting the ſinner to death.
And further, as Unbelief is a fertile Mother to all ſin: ſo 'tis a cruel Stepmother to all Grace. Unbelief a Step-mother to Grace.An Unbeliever cannot love God, becauſe he cannot caſt himſelf upon the love of God. Joh. 5.42. Chriſt ſaith to the unbelieving Jews, But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. An Unbeliever cannot ſubmit with patience to the afflicting hand of God; and therefore Ʋnbelief and Murmuring againſt God, are ever joined together. An Unbeliever cannot pray for what he wants: Prayer is the daughter of Faith; How ſhall they call on him, on whom they have not believed? Rom. 10. An Unbeliever cannot be thankful for any mercy received: unleſs by Faith a man ſees his intereſt in the Giver, he can never be thankful for the Gift. Pſal. 118.28. Thou art my God, and I will praiſe thee; thou art my God, I will exalt thee: As if he ſhould have ſaid, Lord, thou haſt beſtowed thy ſelf, as well as thy Benefits upon me; and therefore I have found in my heart to praiſe thy Name In a word, an unbeliever cannot perform any acceptable ſervice to God; you muſt make the tree good, before the fruit can be good, Mat. 7 18. and we are onelyonly made good trees by Faith: For by Faith we are grafted or planted into Chriſt, without whoſe powerful influence we can bring forth no acceptable fruit to God. Joh. 15.3. Abide in me, and I in you: as the branch cannot bear fruit of it ſelf, except it abide in the Vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. We may indeed bring forth wilde grapes, and ſowre grapes of our ſelves; but the ſweet grapes of New Obedience, and ſuch as may be pleaſant to Gods own palate, we can never bring forth, till we are planted into Chriſt by Faith: For without faith it is impoſſible to pleaſe God, Heb. 11.6.
Adde to this, in the ſixth place,6. Unbelief the Nurſe of ſin. That as unbelief is the Mother of all ſins: ſo it is the Nurſe that maintains and keeps life in every ſin, it binds every ſin upon the Soul, both in the guilt and power of it. Where there is no Faith, there can be no true evidence of forgiveneſs of ſins: for, Men receive forgiveneſs of ſins by faith in Chriſt, Acts 26.18.
7. Judgments on unbelievers.Seventhly, and laſtly, conſider the Judgement that hangs over the heads of unbelievers, if it be but partial unbelief, I mean, the diſtruſting of God in any particular Promiſe (though we have Faith in the main to believe the reconcilement of our perſons to God) yet even that partial unbelief may deprive us of many ſweet mercies on this ſide heaven. Iſa. 30.15. In quietneſs and confidence ſhall be your ſtrength. A man of an unquiet and unbelieving Spirit, may create much trouble to himſelf in this preſent life. Moſes was a man in the ſtate of Grace yea, and in ſo great favour with God, that the Scripture gives this teſtimony of him, Deut. 34.10. There aroſe not a Prophet ſince in Iſrael like unto Moſes, whom the Lord knew face to face. Yet this Moſes for a particular paſſage of unbelief, in ſpeaking haſtily to the people,Num. 20.8, 11.12. when he ſhould have ſpoke to the Rock; and in ſtriking the Rock, when he ſhould but onelyonly have ſpoke to it; I ſay, for this particular paſſage of unbelief, he was ſhut out of the Land of Canaan, though he was not ſhut out of Heaven: yea, though he had a ſtrong deſire to enter in, and expreſt this deſire by an earneſt Prayer; Deut. 3.25, &c. I pray thee let me go over, and ſee the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly Mountain, and Lebanon. Lo, this was his laſt and great requeſt to God; yea, but for all that, he muſt not go over: for ſo it followed in the Text, But the Lord was wroth with me for your ſakes, and would not hear me; and the Lord ſaid unto me, Let it ſuffice thee, speak no more unto me of this matter, thou ſhalt not go over this Jordan. And Moſes may thank his unbelief for all this: Numb. 20.12. The Lord ſpake unto Moſes and Aaron, Becauſe ye believed me not, to ſanctifie me in the eyes of the children of Iſrael, therefore ye ſhall not bring this Congregation into the land which I have given them. And thus you ſee, that even partial unbelief may deprive us of many ſweet mercies on this ſide Heaven. How many thouſands, as well as Moſes and Aaron, were cut ſhort of Canaan for their unbelief, and murmuring againſt God? And the Lord forgive the ſin of this preſent Generation in this reſpect, who are even ready to run back into Egypt, becauſe God hath brought them into the Wilderneſs, in the preſent Diſpenſations of Providence.
O the danger of unbelief, though it be but in ſome particular Promiſe! O how dangerous then is that total and univerſally reigning Unbelief, when we believe nothing at all, when we have not ſo much as laid hold of any Promiſe to make peace with God! Partial unbelief deprives us of many Mercies on this ſide Heaven; but total unbelief deprives men of Heaven it ſelf: Mark 16.16. He that believeth not ſhall be damned. O the miſery of that poor Soul, that never yet believed one Promiſe! O that we could even with Soul-bleeding tears bewail our unbelief! O that God would give to each of us a heart to get into a corner, and to weep in ſecret over our unbelief, each man bemoaning himſelf as Ephraim did, Jer. 31.18. O that I ſhould have ſuch a ſtiff neck, ſuch a baſe hard unbelieving heart! O that I ſhould ſpend ſo much time to ſo little purpoſe, for death hath poſſeſt all that part of my life wherein I was an unbeliever. The heathen man could ſay, O Friends, we have loſt a day! but many of us may ſay, O Friends, we have loſt many days, and many years, wherein we have done God little or no ſervice; nay, a great deal of diſſervice by our unbelief! O that I ſhould be ſo fooliſh and ſlow of heart to believe all that Lord hath ſpake by his Prophets and Apoſtles! Luke 24.25.O how juſtly may God upbraid me for my unbelief, Mark 16.14.&c. that I ſhould be ſo backward to believe the God of Truth, and ſo forward to believe the Father of Lies! Bleſſed Saviour, lay not this great ſin, this Mother-ſin, to my charge, which is the Mother of Abominations. Thus ſhould we pray: Conſider not how often I have diſhonoured thy Majeſty, and grieved thy holy Spirit by my unbelief? But, O thou Mirrour of Patience and Pity, who didſt ſometimes mourn over the People, becauſe of the hardneſs of their hearts, Mar. 3.5. I beſeech thee, let that be the object of thy Pity, which might be the object of thy Fury! O pity, and heal mine unbelieving heart! Doubtleſs, if we can but thus bemoan and bewail our ſelves in our unbelief, that God, who made good that gracious Promiſe to him that went on frowardly in the way of his heart, I have ſeen his ways, and I will heal him, Iſa. 57.18. will much more make it good to ſuch an one as with all his heart, and with all his ſoul, bewails his own frowardneſs and backwardneſs to believe; I will reſtore comfort to him and his mourners.