The Humbled Sinner, Chapter 10
CHAP. X. The difficulty of beleeving in Jeſus Chriſt.
A Second Uſe from this great aſſertion, ſhall be to put our ſelves to a Tryal and Examination. If to Ʋſe 2 beleeve in Jeſus Chriſt our Lord be the only way to be ſaved, Then it doth much concerne us to ſearch our ſelves, whether we do beleeve indeed in Ieſus Chriſt.
There are three things which I will premiſe as ſo many grounds, why we ſhould put our ſelves upon this enquiry, and then I will give unto you the diſcoveries themſelves. The premiſes are theſe,
Firſt, the difficulty of beleeving in Jeſus Chriſt.
Secondly, the facility of errour, and miſtake about beleeving.
Thirdly, the bitter danger and ſure miſery of not beleeving in Jeſus Chriſt.
1. The difficulty of beleeving is increaſed by the ſingularity of ſo ſtrange and wonderful a goodneſſe. It is ſo great and ſo unparalell'd, that a man can hardly believe it to be true. To have an eſtate in Chriſt, in God, freely, all at once; How can this be? The depth of gilt. I am an enemy, God is Juſt; I have runne into ſuch high forfeitures, ſo unneceſſarily loſt my ſelf, provoked God ſo often, and the threatnings are planted againſt ſinners, there is no hope, no probability, (if a ſmall debt, &c,
But for the difficulty of it, that it is not ſo eaſie a thing to beleeve in Chriſt Jeſus, this ſhall appeare in divers particulars.
Firſt, there is no natural principle of juſtifying faith now in man. An act, or motion, or quality, which hath a riſe and bottom within the ſubject, may ſpring forth with ſome eaſe: a ſtone having a natural propenſion and impetus to deſcend, Simile.if you do but quit the hand of it, it will down; but now to make a mighty ſtone to mount the hill, to get up into the air, there being no natural aptneſſe to this, it is a hard and difficult attempt.
'Tis true, that a man hath an underſtanding and will, but the Obj. Myſtery of Jeſus Chriſt is a riddle to the natural underſtanding Sol. the faculties naturally conſidered, have no elevation to this object, unleſſe the Lord by his Almighty power begets and works faith in the ſoul. The ſoule thinks not on him, neither can it draw it ſelf to him. Like the needle, untill it be Simile.touched, it will not ſtart up towards the pole; ſo unleſſe the Lord doth touch our hearts by his bleſſed Spirit, we ſhall never cloſe with Chriſt.
So then, this is one thing to ſhew the difficulty of beleeving, the habit of it is out of our power, out of our ſphear; it cannot be produced by any ſtrength of nature, but by the ſole Arme of God. Hence that of the Prophet, Iſa. 53 1. Ʋnto whom is the Arme of the Lord revealed? who hath beleeved our report? The teſtimony of the Goſpel concerning Chriſt will not be beleeved, unleſſe the Lord doth reveale his own Arme, (that is) until he doth put forth his own Almighty ſtrength.
2. There is a natural principle of infidelity and unbelief in every mans heart. If the paper were faire, if there were no precedent blurs and blots, then it were not ſo hard to imprint ſome legible Characters; Or if the wax were ſoft, and the iron heated, now it were eaſie to engrave what kinde of armes the Artifier pleaſeth; But when the wax and the iron are hard and cold, now the impreſſion is difficult, becauſe the reſiſtance is ſtrong; if there were in our hearts any obediential principles, which could before hand temper the minde, and frame the will, then when God offers Chriſt, little a do would ſerve the turne; But our hearts naturally bend the other way; there is in us a natural unaptneſſe, nay, an enmity to beleeve. Enmity to the habit and nature of faith, blindneſſe, errour, pride, ſtubbornneſſe, diſobedience in our hearts. We have ſuch ſlow and untoward hearts, ſo armed with all ſorts of corrupt reaſonings, ſo conſulting with ſenſe and rational evidences, ſo ready on every inevidence, to miſtruſt, doubt, queſtion, gainſay, that all Arguments will not perſwade us that God will give us Chriſt, and pardon our ſinnes. You know that when the Lord Jeſus was perſonally on earth, and did preach himſelf, and in that manner, that none ſpake with that Authority as he, and confirmed the truth of his Divinity, and Mediatorſhip by Scripture and miracles, yet very few beleeved, (hiſtorically) that he was the Chriſt, that he was the Sonne of God. Take me now a perſon, who is ſenſible of his ſinful guilts; Tell him of the need he hath of a Saviour, he will grant it, repreſent unto him the ſufferings, the excellency, the tenderneſſe of the Lord Jeſus that he is the Mediator, the Propitiation for ſinnes, that Remiſſion of ſinnes is in his blood, both intenſively, for the great degrees and aggravations of ſinne, and extenſively, for the ſeveral kindes of ſinne. Tell him, that the Lord Jeſus came to ſeek ſuch a loſt perſon as he, that he came to looſe ſuch a captive as he, that he came to binde up ſuch a broken ſpirit as he is, that he came to eaſe and refreſh ſuch a burdened and laden ſoul; Yea, and anſwer objection after objection, doubt after doubt, fear after fear, that the perſon cannot put by the arguments why he ſhould beleeve, nor urge and reinforce his reaſons, why he ſhould hold off from cloſing with Chriſt, and putting his ſoule on him, yet this we finde, he cannot (when all is ſaid) he cannot beleeve. Ʋnbelief doth throw up ſo many miſts, and ſo many feares, and is (many times) ſo unreaſonable, that yet it will hold off the heart. Neither the goodneſſe of God, nor the truths of God, nor the mercies of God, nor the freeneſs of them, nor the perſon of Christ, nor the merits of Chriſt, nor the tenderneſſe of Chriſt, nor the gracious offer, invitation, command, threatning of Chriſt, will make the heart to come in unto him.
3. There is a natu…al oppoſition, in the Heart againſt Chriſt, and therfore it is hard to beleeve on him. The oppoſition is manifold.
Firſt, to his Perſon, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt is an holy Perſon, and A fourfold oppoſition.none can take him in truth, but muſt take him ſo, to be holy as he is holy. He is the holy one of God, and he is called the holy Child Jeſus, and an holy, undefiled high Prieſt, ſeparated from ſinners. Now the heart (naturally) is in love with ſinne, and Chriſt tells us that this very thing is a cauſe why men beleeve not: See John 3. 19. This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkneſſe rather then light. Chriſt comes thus to a man, I am he who will ſave thy ſoule if thou wilt take me, but then know, that I am an holy perſon; if thou wilt have me thou muſt let go thy ſinnes; Now this breaks off the match, hinders the bargain, this goes to the heart: A man naturally will as ſoon part with his life, as with the ſin of his love.
Secondly, to his condition: There is a double condition of A double ſtate of Chriſt.Chriſt, one is Triumphant, another is Militant; Gloria in excelſis, that is, the triumphant condition, Tubulationes in Terris, that is the militant condition; the Crown of Glory, that is the triumphant condition; the Crown of Thornes, that is the militant condition.
Now the heart naturally is unſuffering: It is a terrour to it to ſpeak of afflictions, ſorrowes, reproaches, loſſes; We are willing to enjoy the world, to taſte of pleaſures, to handle profits, to reſt in eaſe, to walk at liberty, to rejoyce with our Friends, to be ſpread abroad with high eſtimations. The young man, when Chriſt bade him ſell all that he had, and give it to the poore, (It was praeceptum experimentale) he goes away ſorrowfull.
Thirdly, to the Scepter and Government of Christ; we will not have this man Reigne over us, ſay they; and you reade in Pſalme 2. How they did conſult to break his bands aſunder. The Scepter of Chriſt is Heavenly, and his Lawes are ſpiritual, and his Wayes are righteous and ſtraight, they lay injunctions on the inward man, as well as on the outward converſation, and binde the thoughts, and the intentions and affections. Now what do you meane, to pinne up a ſpirit which would have elbow roome? what, would you have a licentious heart, and a turning and winding conſcience, to be preciſed, and narrowed, and reſtrained, and ſo every way ſtraitened? You muſt give it leave to break the Sabbath, to improve its gaines diſhoneſtly, to ſweare now and then, and to comply, &c.
Fourthly, to the Righteouſneſſe of Chriſt. O what a do had that bleſſed Apoſtle with the Romanes, with the Galatians, with others, to break them off from Iuſtification by Works; And to faſten upon their hearts the Juſtification by Faith.
We are apt to ſtand upon our ſelves, and to look for the matter of our acceptance and acquittance in our ſelves on man; he thinks that his good meaning ſhall make him ſpeed; Another thinks that his doing no body any harme will let him into Heaven, or elſe God help us; Another ſtands on his devout Sacrifices; Another on his charitable bounties; Yea, and thoſe who ſhould know better in the Doctrine of Juſtification, how extreamly do they cling to their inherent Graces? much a do, before they can be made to caſt their Crowns to the earth, and to give the glory only to Chriſt who is worthy. What paines is God forced to take to break us off from our ſelves? we are ſo proud, and ſo unwilling to be beholding to Gods free grace, and Chriſt, that God is faine to break our heart to pieces, and to ſplit our ſhip into ſhivers, that we might only to Chriſt.
He muſt imprint the holy and mighty vigour of the Law on our conſciences, to ſhew us our utter impotency, and ſenſibly acquaint us with our marvellous imperfections in graces, and interruptions in duties, and excurſions of daily ſinnings, and all to fetch us entirely, to caſt our ſafeties only on the righteouſneſſe of Jeſus Chriſt