The Hypocrites Ladder, Treatise · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. The Nutritive Graces, which an Hypocrite lacks.
THirdly, There muſt bee Nutritive Nutritive Graces three. 1 Faith.Graces, as well as Radical. The ſtony ground miſcarried for want of moyſture, as well as root. Faith, Hope, and Charity are the three great conſerving and nutritive Graces; eſpecially if they bee right, and have their right and proper adjuncts: they are put together, 1 Theſſ. 1. 3. Remembring your work of faith, labour of love, and patience of hope, &c.
1 Faith is the firſt watering grace, humility plants, faith waters, ſincerity gives the increaſe, perſeverance crowns, and a working faith, is a watering faith. It is a principal member, and holds the head to get more nouriſhment to it ſelf firſt, then conveyes to all the fellow-members other holy graces. Faith begins to work ſo ſoon as it begins to bee, works in deſires, longings, pantings, hungrings, thirſtings, when it is yet weak; but as it gets more ſtrength, it undertakes greater works, it works firſt, may bee on a threat, then on a promiſe, ſome ſingle promiſe, afterwards upon all the bundle of the promiſes, then upon commands, then upon all duties, at laſt it is able to indure all trials.
1 A working faith, works upon Chriſt, and works it ſelf into him, as the Cony works into the Rock.
2 It works upon the promiſe, as a ſtrong ſtomach on wholeſome meat, concocts it, and getteth ſtrength from it.
3 It works upon corruption as Aquafortis upon iron, to eat it aſunder, or as a Corroſive on corrupt fleſh, to conſume it.
4 It works againſt temptation as the Pioner works for his life to countermine ſuch as would blow him up.
5 It works and tugs at a duty, as a Mariner at Sea, who hath his hand on the Rudder, and his eye fixed on heaven.
6 Againſt Satan it works, as a hardy Souldier that ſtands in the breach, and will dye in the place rather than give ground.
7 It may bee ſaid to work with God, as Jacob did, it wreſtles, ſtrives, intreats, holds his hold, and will not let go without a bleſſing, and when all other emergent works are out of hand, it hath one conſtant buſineſs to purſue, which, as the good huſwifes work is never at an end, to work up the work of his ſalvation with fear and trembling: So that a true Phil. 2. 12.faith is alway accompanied with, and may bee ſaid to bee perfected by works; Jam. 2. 22.That it may bee ſaid to every true beleever as to the Church of Thyatira. I Rev. 2. 19.know thy works, and charity, and ſervice, and faith, and patience, and thy works (again) and the laſt to bee more than the firſt. This is the lively faith, the laſting faith. To beleeve is a work, Joh. 6. 29. But the faith of hypocrites, is a dead, liveleſs, imaginary faith. Thoſe are the Solifidians, and Nullifidians, who are the Nullioperiſts. Many think faith hath an eaſie and idle life of it, a Ladies life neither to toyl or ſpin, yet to bee cloathed above Solomon in all his glory, with the rich robes of Chriſts righteouſneſs; or the life of an Ʋſurer, who whether hee ſleep or wake, his profit comes tumbling in, and hee hath no more to do, but to tell, and take it, as if faith had nothing to do, but to tell the promiſes, accept a Saviour, receive a pardon, challenge a priviledge, and wait for the Rent-day of full payment, as if it were to waſh his ſteps in butter, anoint his head with oyl, and ſwim in the Rivers and floods, and brooks of honey and butter, Job 20. 17. Thoſe deeps of the love of God, and the blood of the Lamb, but theſe are much miſtaken. This is the wages, not the work of faith; the Holy-day work as I may ſay, and not the work-day buſineſs. Faith hath buſineſs for both hands, Active and Paſsive work, as well as Applicative. Faith is a ſtout Champion, therefore the Lord ſets it, as David did Ʋriah, in the face and front of ſharpeſt encounters; It is ſent into the ſoul, as the ſoul into the body, to animate, move, and guide it, or as the Labourer into the Vineyard to work there. It muſt purifie the heart, Act. 15. 9. as well as pacifie it. Sanctifie, Act. 26. 18. as well as juſtifie, Rom. 5. 1. It muſt fight; the fight of faith, 1 Tim. 6. 12. Conquer; the victory of faith, 1 Joh. 5. 4. It muſt pray; the prayer of faith, Jam. 5. 15. It muſt obey, The obedience of faith, Rom. 1. 5. and 16. 26. It muſt bee a ſhield to quench fiery darts, Eph. 6. 16. as well as a hand to receive Chriſts bounty. It muſt bee a Breaſt-plate, 1 Theſſ. 5. 8. It muſt endure trials, The trial of your faith, 1 Pet. 1. 7. wee are to live by faith, Heb. 10. 38. Walk by it, 2 Cor. 5. 7. Receive Chriſt by it, to dwell and rule in us, Eph. 3. 17. Reſiſt Satan by this mainly, that hee may not get into us, or rule over us, 1 Pet. 5. 9.
Such a faith hath ſomewhat to do. This faith no hypocrite can have. His workleſs faith is a worthleſs faith. The dead faith in the ſoul, is like the dead flye in the boxe of ointment mars the whole, Eccleſ. 10. 1.like the Mare mortuum, or dead Sea, kills every thing that comes near it, like the dead firſt born in the Egyptians houſes, filled the whole houſe with mourning: Ex. 12. 29. 30.In a word, like a dead image of Chriſt in ſtone, or wood, which though an ignorant Papiſt may adore, an underſtanding Proteſtant will caſt out of doors, and aboliſh.
2 Love is the ſecond Nutritive grace, and Labour is his Character. Love is the glory of the ſoul, and Labour the glory of Love. But an unſound Profeſſor wants both; hee may have faith, but hee wants love; hee dreams hee loves God, but hee hath no labour in his love. It coſts him little. The ſpirit of love is ever the ſpirit of a ſound minde, and ſincere Chriſtian. 2 Tim. 1. 9.Faith is a great ſtrengthner, but love much more; faith makes the firſt union, love the next, and the laſt, and moſt perfect. Faith receives Chriſt; Love roots and grounds in him, Eph. 3. 17. Grows up to him in all things, Eph. 4. 15. Faith makes the contract, Love the conſummation, and the conſummation is above any contract.
Faith, Hope, and Charity, are the three principal Graces; but Love is the principal of the three, Faiths chief work is to work by love. Faith and hope are onelyonly for this life, faith for preſent, hope for Gal. 5. 6.the future. Love is both for preſent, and future, this life, and that to come: Faith is an Evangelical grace. Love an Angelical; the work of faith is our work, the work of love is Angels.
Love crowns the ſoul in heaven, Eph. 1. 4. Love crowns the duty on earth; Faith is a great uniting grace, but Love a far greater: Faith unites us to Chriſt, but Love unites him to us, and us to him reciprocally: Faith unites but two, Love unites all. Faith us to the head onelyonly, Love to the head, and to all the members, Eph. 1. 15. Your faith in Chriſt, and love to all the Saints. Love is the union of Chriſtians, yea of Angels, yea of the bleſſed Trinity. Faith is a ſelf-ſaving grace, Love the world-ſaver. Self-faith is beſt faith. Hast thou faith? have it to thy ſelf. Self-love is worſt love, have love one to another. God is not called faith, or Rom. 14. 22.hope, but the God of them, but hee is called Love, hee is ſo Eſſentially. There … Joh. 4. 8.is little of this to bee found in the world; much talk of faith, little ſhew of love. No unregenerate perſon doth love God, hee may fear him, &c. doth not love him, his minde is rather enmity; no hypocrite can love God, hee may beleeve in him, cannot love him. Many may fear God and periſh, beleeve and periſh, none can love and periſh. O yee of little faith, Mat. 8. 25. 26.was the reproof of the weak Diſciples once; O yee of little love is the charge of the unſound Profeſſors alwayes.
God hath three Churches or Families:
1 The houſhold of faith (the Church viſible) wherein are hypocrites and ſincere ones.
2 The houſhold of Truth (the Church myſtical) wherein no hypocrite, but all ſincere, though not perfect.
3 The houſhold of Love (the Church Triumphant) where onelyonly ſincere and perfected Saints inhabit, They who have now truth of love ſhall triumph in love, and become holy and unblameable before God in love, Eph. 1. 4. Where their love made perfect, ſhall not onelyonly caſt out fear, and what hath torment, but faith, 1 Jo. 4 18.and hope, and whatſoever implies a ſtate of imperfection.
2 This Love muſt bee a labouring, not lazie love. Labour of love, once and again, 1 Theſſ. 1. 3. Heb. 6. 10. Faith hath his work, foreign, but love his Labor, foreign. And this word which ſignifies Labor, ſignifies Extream, hard and painful Labour; Nothing takes ſo much pains as Love, and nothing makes pains ſeem ſo little as Love. Diligentia comes of Diligo, and our beſt diligence comes onelyonly from Love. That is beſt love which is expreſſed in diligence, that is beſt diligence which flows from love. The Lord calls not for ſacrifice but obedience, nor obedience ſo much as love; To them that love mee, and keep my Commandements in the Law. And in the Goſpel God calls for no works ſo much as for Faiths, and no work of faith, ſo much as that which worketh by love; and for love, no ſuch love again, as that which Gal. 5. 6.hath life and ſpirit in it, and will take ſome pains in the work of God, nothing is ſo active, nothing ſo co-active, as love. The love of Chriſt conſtrains; Fear may 2 Cor. 5. 14.reſtrain an hypocrite Love conſtrains onelyonly the ſincere Chriſtian. Force doth conſtrain an unwilling minde; Love doth ſweetly ſet afire the willing minde. There needs no Law bee given to compel the Ant, and Bee to labour, or the voluptuous man to purſue pleaſures, the worldly minded man ſpares no pains to ſerve his Mammon: Hee that loveth learning gets up early, ſits up late to get it. But there is a great deal of lame obedience in the world, becauſe ſo much lazie love. Wee love an eaſie Religion, and the cheap Goſpel, and a ſalvation which coſts nothing. But how can wee ſay wee love God, where there is ſo little labour? Love to the world wee know, love to pleaſure, or learning wee know; but wee may ſay, How delleth the love of God in us? 1 Joh. 3. 17. How ſad a charge is that of Chriſt to ſome hearers? I know you that you have not the love of God in you, Joh 5. 42.
There are four things remarkable in the beloved Diſciple above all the reſt.
1 That hee lay neareſt to Chriſts boſome at the Table.Jo. 13. 23.
2 Followed Chriſt cloſeſt to the High Prieſts Palace.Jo. 18, 16
3 And ſtood cloſe to him at his Jo. 19. 26Croſs.
4 To him Chriſt commended the Jo. 19. 27care of his Virgin-mother. The Diſciple of love is the onelyonly one who holds out, and to whom the whole charge of Chriſt, and honour of Religion is committed.
3 The laſt Nutritive grace is Hope, backt with patience, patience of hope, 1 Theſ. 1. 3.where theſe two meet, all is ſafe. Hope is our Anchor, patience is the Cable that Heb. 6. 19.holds it. Hope makes not aſhamed, but it Rom. 5. 5.is not the hope of the hypocrite tyed to a Spiders we…, but held faſt by the ſtrong Job 8. 14.rope of patience. The good ground in the Goſpel was ſown in hope, mixed the word with faith, received the truth in love, and therefore brought forth fruit Luke 8. 15.with patience. There are many ſtorms to bee endured by the Chriſtian, which were it not for hope, would break the heart, and hope is long held in hand by delayes (the hope is deferred) which were it not for patience would give up the Job 11. 20.Ghoſt. But hold faſt hope and patience, and heaven is yours, you ſhall inherit the promiſes. Wee have as much need of patience a paſſive grace, as of faith, love, and other active graces, ſaith the Apoſtle. Heb. 10. 36.Bee not yee therefore ſlothful, ſaith hee in the ſame Epiſtle, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promiſes, Heb. 6. 12.
Thus wee ſee the three great Nutritive graces, wherein every hypocrite is defective, Faith, Hope, and Charity. Theſe three muſt not bee idle, nor ſolitary, but muſt bee attended with their three ſeconds, Faith and Work, Love and Labour, Hope and Patience. Faith muſt work by Love, Love by Labour; Labour muſt plow and ſow in hope, and hope muſt reap with patience.
I might adde to theſe a fourth incremental, and growing grace, viz. Heavenly-mindedneſs, which where ever it takes root, cauſeth the ſo… to ſhoot with the increaſe of God. When trees root downward, and ſhoot upward too, then they grow indeed, when wee are rooted in humility, ſelf-denial, and mortification, as wee ſaid before, and ſhoot upward in heavenly-mindedneſs. Then wee grow indeed from children, to men. Wee reckon a childe grown a man, when hee hath put away minding childiſh things, and when wee put away the minding earthly things, and betake our ſelves to the minding of heavenly, we are men indeed, men of God. The Chriſtian is therefore deſcribed by ſuch characters, Hee walks with God, dwels on high, rides upon the high places of the earth, ſavours Gen. 6. Iſa. 13. 16. Iſa. 58 14. Col. 3. 2. Phil. 3. 20.things above, hath his converſation in Heaven. Theſe never fear them, they never miſcarry. But no hypocrite is heavenly minded, hee may foreign, Rom. 12. 16. never foreign, ſuper ſapere, not quae ſuprâ, hee may bee high-minded, and high languaged, never heavenly-minded; heavenly-mouthed may bee, but never heavenly-hearted. Heavenly-mindedneſs is our onelyonly Theatre, or Jehovah-jireh, in this Mount the Lord Gen: 22. 14.will bee ſeen, on this Piſgah of Divine Contemplation, the promiſed Canaan is Deut. 34. 1.deſcryed afar off; In this Mountain of Heavenly-mindedneſs is the ſouls transfiguration made. No man periſheth that Matth. 17. 1, 2.is heavenly-minded. In vain is the ſnare laid in the air to catch the bird, the danger is when ſhee comes down to the ground. The way of life is above to the wiſe, to eſcape the ſnares of death below. The Chriſtian muſt bee an Amphibion, not live wholly in one element, but his body on earth, his ſoul in heaven, like the Eagle whoſe food is below, neaſt on high, ſhee comes down for neceſſity to bait and water, and upon the wing again: So ſhould the Chriſtian, in uſing the world, as not uſing it, have to do with it for neceſſity, then up again, to 1 Cor. 7. 31.God again; I am continually with thee, Pſal. 73. 23. as the Dogs at Nyle, or Gideons Souldiers, at the Rivers ſide lap, or ſip, and away, Judg. 7. 7. or as Elias, eat and drink a little, then high us to Horeb, the mount of God. Hee is a poor Chriſtian, who like the Reubenites, 1 King. 19. 8.hath all his Inheritance and buſineſs on this ſide Jordan, but hee happy, who like the Manaſſites, hath one half on this ſide; the other half on the other ſide Jordan.