The Humbled Sinner, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. The facility of error and miſtake about believing.
SEcondly, as it is hard to believe, ſo it is eaſie to miſtake, and delude our ſelves in the matter of believing: Four things make it to be ſo.
1. One is the various kindes of faith.
2. Another is the conſimilitude of one of the extreams of faith.
3. The eaſineſſe of both. And,
4 the aptneſſe in our hearts to be ſatisfied with theſe.
Firſt there are divers kindes of faith: As the Apoſtle ſpake of bodies, all bodies are not the ſame bodies, but there are bodies Coeleſtial, and bodies Terrestial; ſo I ſay of Faith, all faith, (I ſpeak of habitual faith) is not the ſame kinde of faith, we read of a Faith which the Devils have, and we read of a Faith which the Hypocrites have, and we read of a Faith which even Chriſts enemies (whom he did not dare to truſt) had, and we read of a Precious Faith, a Faith of Gods Elect, a juſtifying and ſaving faith. Divines ordinarily diſtinguiſh of faith;
There is an Hiſtorical faith, which is a crediting the word relating, but not an embracing of it promiſing; it is like the paſſing through a Garden, and obſerving and ſmelling, but not a flower is gathered, ſo in Hiſtorical Faith, the eye of the underſtanding goes over the Word of God, and hath ſome apprehenſions, and general grants, and intellectual ſubmiſſions, that God doth not lye, but what he ſaith is true. Nevertheleſſe, there is not that quality of juſtifying faith in this which makes the heart to cloſe with the goodneſſe of truth, and to embrace Chriſt.
2. There is a wonderful faith, a faith of miracles; to remove mountaines, to raiſe the dead, which had ſome ſpecial and immediate promiſe, and yet it was a gift beſtowed on thoſe who had no faith to ſave themſelves: Many who have caſt out devils, may at the laſt day be caſt among the devils: Lord, Lord, have not we Propheſied in thy name, and in thy name caſt out Devils? And yet Chriſt bid them depart, Non novi vos.
3. There is a temporary faith: which hath in it ſome great apprehenſions of the truths of God; yea, and reverent aſſents; yea, and ſome delightfull contentations in the ſame; yea, and ſome fruitfull expreſſions, and with all theſe, a ſingular degree of profeſſion, even to a zealous forwardneſſe, and notoriouſneſs, ſo that a man may be in the eye of others like a tall Ship, and yet there is a Leake in the bottome, which on the ſudden ſinks all.
This temporary faith▪ though in many reſpects it handles the ſame object with ſaving faith, it is tampering much about Chriſt, and the promiſes, yet it is intrinſically, and extreamly different from it.
It doth not differ from it in reſpect of eminency or degrees, nor in reſpect of exiſtence or duration onelyonly, (for the one is a living Spring, and the other is a decaying Flood,) but in reſpect of formal nature alſo: The temporary faith doth not indeed bring all the heart and ſettle it on Chriſt.
4. There is this juſtifying and ſaving faith, which beſtowes the whole heart on Chriſt, and takes Chriſt unfeignedly to be Lord and Saviour. Now where there are ſo many ſorts, it is not a great difficulty, nor an impoſſibility to miſtake, error is manyfold, (ſaid the Phyloſopher) but the tru…h i… ſingle, and there is but one line to hit the mark, out many to miſſe it.
Nay, ſecondly, there is a great conſimilitude of one of the extreames of faith, with faith it ſelf; viz. credulity. It is ſtrange (yet ordinary) that a man ſhould make a heaven of his own, and a God of his own, and a Chriſt of his own, and a faith of his own, and a way to heaven of his own. Preſumption is a work much of an idle fancy, and a graceleſſe heart, like a thiefe, very apt to finger the Kings coine, but without a warrant. But to the thing: Is there knowledge in faith? why, preſumption pretends to that: is there confidence in faith? what more bold then preſumption: is there any ſweet aſſurance in faith? why, preſumption never doubted, but could believe ever ſince a man was borne: is there any joy in faith? why, preſump…ion is as jocond and careleſſe, as if there were no heaven to be got, no ſinne to be bewailed, nor courſe to be reformed.
Laſtly, theſe are eaſie and we are apt to content our ſelves with theſe, inſtead of a true beleeving in Jeſus Christ. To get a little ſeeming knowledge, to carry Religion upon the lip, and Chriſt on the tongue, to be bold upon Gods mercy, and Chriſts death, and with all thoſe, to have a heart glued to the world, folded up in the love of ſinne, reſolved againſt all hazards, to ſhift off all profeſſion rather then to endure any ſtorme, what ſo great a task is this? But to have a minde taught of God, and to have an underſtanding bowed with the ſtrength of Divine light, and inward change to the obedience of truth, and to have a will ſweetly renewed, and with an holy trembling, humbly receiving Chriſt in his perſon, and offices, and beſtowing the whole ſoul and body on him againe; here the work ſticks.