Two Books, Treatise 1 · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV.
Receiving denotes Paſſiveneſs. This proved as to beleeving. I. In that Faith is not of or from our ſelves. II. In the very act of Faith, whereunto we are inabled by God, we act as little as poſſibly can be. This appears if you conſider. 1. The oppoſition which is in us to beleeving. 2. The Nature of Faith it ſelf. And that as it is an act either of. 1. The underſtanding. Or, 2. The Will. 3. Who are beleevers. 4. Even the Saints are ſenſible of a power making them to beleeve.
I Have already as you may remember ſpoken of Faith, as Receiving doth import and imply a getting an actual poſſeſſion of that which God promiſed and gave unto us in the purpoſe of his Grace through Jeſus Chriſt. Election gives all. The promiſes declare what is given, and ingage God to make it good: And Faith receives all. In Election God reſolves what to do for us: The promiſe gives it under his hand: And Faith puts it into our hands. Of this I ſay I have largely ſpoken, and ſhal repeate nothing, but go on to what remains.
As Receiving implies and imports a getting into poſſeſſion what was out of poſſeſſion before.
So it denotes paſſiveneſs rather then action: That is, A powerful virtue in him that gives, rather then any ſuch thing in the receiver. Such a paſſiveneſs Receiving hath in our ordinary ſpeech. As when we ſay an Army received the charge. We mean they ſtood out and bore the force and ſtrength of their adverſary, they did defend themſelves. So in the Scripture, James, 1.7. Let not ſuch a man think he ſhall receive any thing from the Lord. In 1 Pet. 1.9. Receiving the end of your Faith, the Salvation of your Souls. In Heb. 6.7. The ground receiveth bleſſing from God. In all theſe places Receiving is of paſſive ſignification, noting ſomthing of action and excellency in the behalf of the giver but little of the ſubject at the firſt hand. In all the paſſiveneſs of underſtanding beings, there is ſome kind of action. For the Soul is not paſſive in the ſame manner, that a tree is unto the Ax that hews it: or as a ſtone is unto the inſtrument and hand that cuts and carves it. Our Lord Jeſus Chriſt is ſaid to have ſuffered, yet even in that ſuffering, He laid down his Life (you know the Text ſpeaks) and he was obedient. A man is not converted unto God as a ſtock, or as a ſtone, Phil. 2.8. John, 11 15.but aſſoon as any Grace is given and infuſed into him, immediately at the very next apprehenſion, or upon his receiving the Grace, you muſt ſuppoſe the Soul acting, and moving, and ſtirring toward God. So it is in beleeving. Aſſoon as Faith is infuſed, ſo ſoon doth the Soul move toward God in Jeſus Chriſt. So that when I ſpeak of the paſſiveneſs of the Soul, you are not to underſtand it as altogether without action. But the Soul is ſaid to be paſſive, becauſe it is firſt wrought upon, before it can work any thing that is ſupernatural. The act of the Soul is not of it ſelf, but from another. And there is more for degree of the vertue of him that works upon the Soul, then there is of any inward form and principle or habit in the Soul. But I uppoſe the diſtinction of active and paſſive obedience is not ſpecifical, but gradual. That is, that could not be called obedience wherein there was not ſome, though not ſo much willingneſs and ſubjectiveneſs, as there is bearing, Chriſt is ſaid to ſuffer, not becauſe he was not active, but becauſe that the hand of the Lord was heavy upon him. And at that time there was more diſpleaſure ſhewed by the Father againſt Chriſt, then there was put forth of the vertues of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt: For that was the vail both of the God-head, and of the Man-hood. Now according unto this ſence, beleeving is a receiving, and notes paſſiveneſs. The Soul doth go unto God through Chriſt, but that going is more from the power of God then it is from the habit of Faith. It is more from that ſpirit of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, then it is from that created quality, which we call Beleeving. We do beleeve, but we are made to beleeve. 2 Cor. 5.5. He that hath wrought us hereunto is God. Wrought us hereunto. Even as the Clay is wrought by the Hand of the Potter into this or that form, as is pleaſing to him. So in Philip. 3. The Apoſtle expreſſed his paſſiveneſs. If by any means I may attain unto the Reſurrection of the Dead. And apprehend that for which I am apprehended. But more eſpecially in Gala. 4.9. The Apoſtle doth correct himſelf for ſaying ſo much as this, That they knew God. After that they knew God, or rather were known of God. By knowing of God, he means beleeving. By his knowledg ſhal my righteous Servant juſtiffe many, ſaith the Prophet Iſa. 53.11. And yet we are juſtified by Faith. When the Apoſtle had ſaid, they knew God (as Faith indeed doth give a man an apprehenſion of him) becauſe this apprehenſion or knowledg of him is in the light of God (God makes known himſelf, and gives that whereby he is made known) he corrects himſelf therefore, and ſaith, I ſhould not have ſaid that I know God, but rather that I am known of God. John, 3.21. It is given in as the note and tryal of the Hypocritical work of the diſtinction between true Grace, and that which is not true Grace but counterfeit, that that which is true and good is wrought, and wrought in God. That is, it is wrought by God. As the Prepoſition foreign, in, is uſed in the Scripture. So that is ſaid to be wrought in God, the power and vertue whereof comes from God. All actions conſiſt of their cauſe, and objects, and ends. Now as God is to be the object and the end ſo alſo to be the cauſe and the worker of all our actions. Wrought in God. You all know that Faith, it is a ſpiritual Life. In Gala. 2.20. I live by the Faith of the Son of God. You know that by Faith you convert and turn to God. For it is our anſwer in our calling. Now both our life and our motion to God, is from God: But moſt plainly in 2 Cor. 4.13. The Apoſtle ſpeaks to this purpoſe, Having (ſaith he) the ſame Spirit of Faith, according as its written, I beleeved therefore have I ſpoken, we alſo beleeve, and therefore ſpeak. As the Apoſtle ſaith in 1 Pet. 1.11. That whatſoever the Prophets ſpake, the ſpirit ſpake in them. It was not they that ſpake, but the Spirit of the Father that ſpake in them. So the Apoſtle gives the Reaſon why he did deliver that Doctrin to the Corinthians, becauſe ſaith he it was ſuggeſted unto me by Faith, and if you ask him how he came by that Faith, he ſaith he had it by the Spirit, It was not ſo much the Grace of Faith, as it was the ſpirit of Faith which made him both to beleeve and ſpeak. It is indeed, we that do beleeve. As the Prophets Mouth, and Lips, and underſtanding were all uſed by the Spirit of Prophecy, But as what they ſpake, was put into them: So what we do when we do beleeve is from the Spirit of Faith. Having the ſame Spirit of Faith, We beleeve (ſaith the Apoſtle) and therefore ſpeak. Beleeving is our act, but its by his vertue. And that I may open this more plainly to you, I ſhal inſiſt upon theſe three Particulars.
I. That that Faith whereby we do beleeve, is not of, or from our ſelves, but we receive it.
II. That in that act whereunto we are inabled by God, we act as little as can be, but are acted. We are rather Receivers then doers.
III. That though we do beleeve never ſo little, yet the leaſt degree of Faith will give us Jeſus Chriſt, and all his priviledges. As many as received him, had this dignity, (ſaith he) to be the Sons of God, though they did but receive him.
For the Firſt of theſe.
I. We cannot of our ſelves beleeve, or receive Chriſt. Therefore Faith is ſaid in Ephe. 2.8. To be the Gift of God. Not of our ſelves, but through Grace ye are ſaved through Faith, and not of your ſelves, it is the Gift of God. He laies no more upon Faith but only this, that it was the means of our Salvation. God was the cheif and principal and efficient cauſe, ye are ſaved through Faith, but even That, you have not of your ſelves. In Coloſ. 2.12. Its called the Faith of the operation of God. Even as the Heavens are ſaid to be the work of his Hands, and the Firmament in Pſal. 19.1. That is, none could do and frame ſo glorious a thing beſides himſelf. We are not able to add one degree unto our Faith, when we have gotten it: and therefore we cannot obtain of our ſelves the leaſt degree before we have it. It is far more eaſie for a man to increaſe a ſtock, then to get it. In Lacke, Luke, 17 7. to the renth.17.5. The Diſciples come and Fray, Lord increaſe our Faith. Our Lord tels them by and by a Parable, that a Maſter doth not uſe to bid a Servant when ho comes from the feild to ſit down, but to waite upon him til he hath ſupped, and he thinks not that the Servant hath any praiſe due unto him becauſe he waites for his meat, and waites at home, as well as abroad. And he makes this Concluſion of it, when you have done all you can, ſay you are unprofitable Servants. This being ſpoken upon their deſire of the Lords increaſing of their Faith, it holds forth thus much, that Let us uſe al the means that we can for the getting and the increaſing of our Graces, yet that is a work which we ſhal never do of our ſelves: We ſhal not move God to any thing, nor do any thing that ſhal be an addition to what God hath done. Now if we cannot add to the leaſt degree of Faith, then much leſs can we get the firſt degree of Faith. I ſay beloved we cannot receive Jeſus Chriſt: For there is no room in our Hearts naturally for him. All the faculties and places and capacities of our Souls being taken up with ſin and ſelf and with Satan. In Rom. 1.29. We are (naturally) ſaid to be filled with all unrighteouſneſs. We are born into the world as ful of ſin as we can hold. It is true we add to ſin, but it is becauſe our capacity to ſin is made greater by ſin, but as great as it is, it is filled. But we are ful of ſin, and therefore their is no room for Jeſus Chriſt. And if their were any room in our ſouls fit for Jeſus Chriſt (it being undefiled) yet we have no Heart unto Jeſus Chriſt. He came to his own, John, 1.11. John, 5.40.and his own received him not. Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life. Yea, We cannot naturally but refuſe to let Jeſus Chriſt reigne over us. For naturally ſin hath our affections, and is unto us as our ſelves: A ſecond nature: and nature labors to preſerve its ſelf, and therefore cannot but oppoſe Jeſus Chriſt, For his work is to take away ſin: Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the ſins of the world.
There are ſome material preparations unto faith (as they are called) whereby divers things that hinder Faith, are removed in ſome meaſure: And theſe are in the power of Nature. A man may be in his Natural condition, and have knowledg, and yet that knowledg doth remove away ignorance which is a great hindrance unto Faith.
A man in his Natural ſtate may be troubled for his ſin, and yet that trouble for ſin doth take away pleaſure in ſin; and that pleaſure in ſin is a hindrance unto Faith.
A man while he is in his Natural Condition may be in fear of the Judgments of God, and thereby have the boldneſs and confidence of his preſumptuous ſpirit ſomwhat abated.
Theſe preparations, theſe preparations I ſay are in our power. But for al theſe a man may never beleeve upon Jeſus Chriſt, he may for ever be a ſtranger to him. Theſe preparations are not unto Faith, as degrees of heat are unto fire. There is not a neceſſary connexion between theſe and beleeving: for a man may have them, and periſh, as you know, Judas had. Much leſs are they the laſt diſpoſition which immediately goes before Faith: and leaſt of all are they thoſe things which get any thing at the hand of God. But that which indeed doth prepare unto Faith properly, that comes from the Spirit of Faith alone: And ſo it's ſaid in Acts 16.14. That the Lord opened the heart of Lydia to attend unto the things which were ſpoken by Paul. He opened her heart, that is, he opened her underſtanding to apprehend them; he opened the things themſelves that ſhe might look into them; he took away the prejudices that were in her thoughts againſt them: She had (by divers waies) her heart ſhut up againſt the Apoſtles Doctrine, even as a door in a Caſtle is barred that it muſt be broken open: but the Lord broke al thoſe bars. Such thoughts as theſe were in her ſelf: That if ſhe ſhould receive ſuch Doctrines, ſhe ſhould make her ſelf to be by and by, the But of perſecution: All would forſake her, and ſhe muſt take up the Croſs: ſhe muſt leave that way of Worſhip which had been in uſe among her Fore-fathers; nay, ſhe muſt beleeve upon him to ſave her, that could not ſave himſelf. Whatever prejudices there were, the Lord took them from her; ſhe was not able to break one of theſe bars, nor to lay down one of theſe thoughts. And therefore there is no other preparation required unto Faith, than what comes from the Spirit of Faith. As may appear by this:
If there be any preparation required of us, we ſhal never know where to get or find it: For if we ſhal run unto this Grace, and that Grace, there muſt be a preparation unto that, for that is Grace; and unto that preparation there muſt be a preparation, for that is grace. And where will you find it? Go to thy Underſtanding, and there it is not; and unto thy Will and there it is not; and unto the Conſcience, and there it is not: You will find that it cannot be formed by any principle in us, but by the ſpirit of Faith. But as Faith is the gift of God, Eph. 2.8ſo we can beleeve of our ſelves, and we cannot but through him beleeve. We reſiſt, but he overcomes our reſiſtance: We have no good will, but he works in us to will and to do, Phil. 2.13. Therefore the Apoſtle ſaith that we are made to beleeve (in Eph. 1.18, 19.) as Jeſus Chriſt was raiſed from the Dead. It was impoſſible that Jeſus Chriſt ſhould be held in the Chains of Death; and it's impoſſible that the Soul ſhould be held in the chains of Unbelief, when God comes to work Faith: that as the Apoſtle faith, 2 Pet. 1. laſt, No Prophecy came in the old time by the will of man; but holy men of God ſpake as they were moved by the holy Ghoſt: The ſame word which the Apoſtle Peter ſpeaks of Prophets, that they cannot but ſpeak what they receive from the Lord; So neither can that heart but beleeve unto Salvation which God works upon.
And this takes not from the freedom of man, nor from the liberty of his will: For this neceſſitates a good will unto him. And if it did not, truly it were better for us to want our wills, than for God to want his will: And it's better for us to be ſaved in a way which we underſtand not how it ſhould ſtand with our liberty, than to be left to our liberty to chooſe the way of our Salvation: But that is but by the way. Faith is a receiving, and we receive this power from the Lord himſelf to receive. We are paſſive in it.
II. But Secondly, (which is a thing that I do a great deal more aim at) In that act of Faith wherunto we are enabled by God, we act as little as poſſibly can be: there is as little done by us as may be, as little a touch (as I may ſay) as is imaginable. The grace of Faith is uſually at the firſt but as a grain of Muſtard ſeed. But ſuppoſe it to be given at firſt Converſion in what degrees you pleaſe (unto ten degrees) yet that grace acts us, or takes as little hold on us as poſſibly may be The Spirit doth take faſt hold of us, and we by Faith take faſt hold of Chriſt; but though the hold be faſt, yet the hold is but little which Faith takes on us. Suppoſe a man that hangs ſure, but hangs but by one hand, and by one finger: or ſuppoſe a thing that is joyned and glued faſt unto another, but it is joyned only by the edge, ſo that the faſtneſs ariſeth from the Sement, and glue, and the firmneſs of that, and not from the hold which the other thing hath of it: Or (it may be this ruay ſet it forth more plainly to your underſtanding) as the hand of a Child in the hand of the Maſter, who teacheth him to write; The Childs hand doth as little as can be; though it makes every Letter, yet the Childs hand makes it by the skil, and direction, and power of the Maſter. So there is that of God which makes us to beleeve: God doth uſe the Underſtanding, and he doth uſe the Will in the Work of Faith, but as little as may be; though it be we that do beleeve, yet we do no more than ſubmit our ſelves to the work of the Lord. The Underſtanding and Will muſt be uſed, that ſo Faith may be our act; but he doth neither uſe the Will, nor the Underſtanding, but barely to give it a juſt denomination of our act. If Faith be not our act, then we are not quickned, nor ſaved by it, but it hath no more from us, than what may barely give it that denomination; we contribute no more than what may juſtly denominate the action to be ours. And this will appear (I conceive) if you do but conſider,
Firſt, The Oppoſition which is in us unto beleeving, even in the very inſtant when we do beleeve: I ſay, there is an oppoſition to us in beleeving, even in the very inſtant when we do beleeve: as much oppoſition made to Faith as poſſibly we can make, either by the malice in us, or by the aſſiſtance and temptation of Satan. No man can come to me (ſaith the Text, John 6.44, 45.) that is, Beleeve, except the Father draws him. Drawing imports withdrawing, or drawing backwards from a thing: While God plucks, we pluck; and while he draws, we draw back. He draws by teaching us (for ſo the Text expounds it in John 6.) Ye ſhal al be taught of God. God convinceth us that there is no ſafety in that condition wherein we are; That there is no hope in any, but only in himſelf; that the longer we delay, the more unfit we be, the more our hearts will be hardned, the more his wrath will be provoked. While God is doing of theſe Acts and others, the Underſtanding, the Reaſoning is quite contrary; all the Reaſon in us, and all the prejudice that poſſibly can be, and all the objections that can be made, are made againſt Jeſus Chriſt, and againſt our going to him in our effectual Calling. God is putting in thoſe perſwaſions which may prevail with us, and the Underſtanding doth give forth croſs anſwers. There is no man comes, but God draws; and there is no man that God draws, but he doth withdraw, even while God draws. Matth. 14.31. Why did'ſt thou doubt (ſaith he) O thou of little faith? The word that is tranſlated Doubting, foreign, doth properly ſignifie, the minds being in divers ſtations: the word ſignifies (I ſay) the mind to be in divers ſtations. As the Sea, when it is toſſed hither and thither: As the Mind when it is hurried up and down with divers unſetled apprehenſions and affections. As one thought comes and ſaith, Go to Chriſt; another comes and ſaith, As you love your life, do not go. At another time the ſoul reſolves it will go; By and by it reſolves it muſt not go, that is no way for it to take: It is but preſumption, and carnal confidence. A double minded man (as unto principles) cannot be a Beleever. But in the act or exerciſe of a Grace, eſpecially of Faith, the Soul is of ſeveral minds until the Lord comes to overcome, and mightily to ſubdue by the power of his Grace, all the imaginations that are in our hearts againſt him. That is one thing therefore to prove that there is as little of us as can be in the act of Faith. But,
Secondly, The Nature of Faith it ſelf wil cleer it. Faith (as you have heard) hath its acts in the Underſtanding, and its Acts in the Will: But now as it is in the Underſtanding, the Light of Faith is barely Gods Teſtimony: The things themſelves promiſed being left obſcure, and in the dark, as unto their own Nature: that is, a man doth beleeve the things of the greateſt conſequence and concernment to his Soul, only becauſe God ſaith they are thus and thus; and he know not, God being but a ſtranger to him: For as Naturally our Underſtanding pierceth and ſearcheth into the cauſes of things themſelves, and will not be contented to know with the light of another, but with the light of the things. In Prov. 3.5. Faith goes another way; Truſt unto the Lord, and cleave not to thy own Ʋnderſtanding. In 2 Cor. 10.5. Every thought and imagination muſt be captivated unto the obedience of Jeſus Chriſt, or the obedience of Faith. It is not an aſſent from the evidence of the things themſelves, but from the report of another. As a man beleeves there is ſuch a place as Paradice, or ſuch a City as Rome, though he never ſaw it, only becauſe of report. So that look upon Faith as it is in the Underſtanding, and it is a moſt irrational thing, and it hath as little of man in it as can be.
Let me explain my ſelf thus:
There are but Two Heads of all Knowledg.
One is called an Artificial Argument, which ariſeth from the Natures of things themſelves.
And another comes from the report of others. As one beleeves there is ſuch a place as Jeruſalem, though he never did ſee it. Now for a man to beleeve, becauſe another ſaith it, is to ſee with his eyes, and to beleeve upon his knowledg. And this is the way that Faith goes: It denies a man of his own Reaſon; and bids a man take al things upon the report of the Lord, even in the things of his great Salvation.
2 Look upon Faith as it is an act of the Will, and what is it but a reſting? Let him ſtay himſelf upon his God, and upon the Lord, Eſa. 50.10, 11. And what doth it but only put out the ſparks of his own kindling? A man muſt be in the dark before he can do any of theſe acts. Who is it that fears the Lord, and obeys the voyce of his Servant, that is in darkneſs, and hath no light? let him truſt in the Name of the Lord, and STAY himſelf upon his God. But he that kindles a fire, and compaſſeth himſelf about with the ſparks of it, ſhall lie down in ſorrow.
The Will hath divers acts and motions, but faith ceaſeth all, and putteth an end to all the motions of the Soul, and all the courſes which the Soul did take for its good naturally; it ceaſeth from what it did naturally for its own good, and gives them a Quietus eſt, and diſchargeth them from all their labor, and only leaves the Soul with God in Chriſt, and lets God do all. And hence it is beloved that there is ſo great a venture in Faith: Like the Lepers that knew not what would become of them, only they knew that death would be, if they ſtayed in the City; and it might be, if they went down into the Camp, they might have ſome relief: but they could find but death. Or as it is ſaid of Abraham, That he obeyed the Lord, not knowing whither he went: So doth a man in beleeving. Or as it is ſaid in Joel; Repent, for none knows but the Lord may return, and leave a bleſſing behind him. So, becauſe God commands, therefore the Soul goes upon theſe terms, though it knows no certainty.
Yea, therefore hath Faith little of us, becauſe a Beleever knows not the time of his firſt converſion. He doth beleeve, and knows not that he doth beleeve. Were there much of us in that act, it could not be but we ſhould know when we do it. As we know when we eat and drink, becauſe they are natural acts. But we beleeve, and know not that we do beleeve. Yea, often times becauſe we do ſo little, we are afraid we have no Faith: Becauſe we take Faith at the leaſt-wiſe to be ſuch an imployment & action of ours, as ſhould make us to be abundant, and forward, and ſingular in whatever we do. But that is a Second Demonſtration, That God doth by Faith take as little hold of us as may be, and uſeth our Underſtanding and Will as little as may be.
Thirdly: Let me add a Third, and that is that of the Apoſtle in 1 Cor. 1.26. Not many mighty, and not many wiſe, nor choſen. You would ſometimes wonder to ſee what poor and weak parted men Beleevers are. Faith requires no great parts: The things that are not, as the Apoſtle ſaith in the ſame Chapter, verſe 28.) thoſe are the things that God hath choſen. Somtimes I have ſeen a man of no great imployment in the World, and yet deeply inſighted into the things of Chriſt.
Fourthly: As the laſt Demonſtration of it. You ſhal find that the Saints are ſenſible of a power working in them, and conſtraining them to go to Jeſus Chriſt. That even as a man that is under the power of Satan, though that reaſon be againſt his Luſts, yet ſtill he is put on, and egged to the committing of them. It's a ſign there is ſomwhat more than Natural corruption in him; becauſe according unto the Motion of Nature, theſe contrary reaſons would allay his deſire, and hinder his acts. There is a ſpirit of the Devil that blows up that luſt, & puts on to that courſe again. And Beloved, Becauſe we find that when we would not beleeve, and ſit down reſolutely in our ſelves, and ſay we wil not beleeve, and it is not for us to look for any thing but ſorrow, and that is all we ſhall have at Gods hand: yet notwithſtanding that, we find ſomthing within us bids us look towards the Lord, and to go unto him, and not to take our own words, and not to think it ſhall be with us as we think. Whence can this come, but from the Spirit of Faith? It is not from Grace only, but from that hand that acts it. That ſhall ſuffice for the Second thing: That Faith is not that which we have of our ſelves; ſo when God enables us to beleeve, he takes as little concurrence with that Grace of his as poſſibly may be.