Two Books, Treatise 1 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
By this property of Faith, viz. to Receive, try whether your Faith be true or no. Objections anſwered.
USE III.
IF Faith be a Receiving, then by that property try whether your Faith be true or not. What is the Spirit of it? Is it a having, and a craving, and a longing appetite and deſire in thee that can never be ſatisfied and contented? Faith will make a man to live upon that he hath, that is, to take the comfort of it: But it looks after more than it hath. The juſt ſhall live by Faith, ſaith the Text in Heb. 10.38. But what is that Faith? A patient waiting, that when you have done the will of God in one thing, you may receive the promiſe in another; And a patient waiting upon him as one that will not tarry long. Faith makes a man to wait for far greater things, than it hath already received. This is the property of faith; Give it but one thing that is good, and you muſt give it all. As he that commits one ſin, and commits it but once, gets thereby a diſpoſition unto every ſin. So he that doth excerciſe true faith once upon Chriſt muſt alwaies have from Chriſt. As perſons that long, muſt have every thing they ſee, elſe they are ready to die. So faith looks for all from God, and from none elſe. It takes all that comes from God, and looks for all that it knows God hath to give. And hence it comes to paſs that if one Beleever ſees another in his party-colored coat (as I may cal it, alluding to that of the old Teſtament where the beloved child was ſo cloathed) If a Beleever ſees another cloathed with Peace and Joy through beleeving, It works doubting in him and queſtioning whether he be a child of God, becauſe he hath not received thoſe gifts, or hath not received ſo much from God as others have.
Object. It may be ſome will ſay unto me here, I have cauſe to complain, for I have not received: And I have reaſon to complain becauſe of my wants; I want Faith, and I want love, and I want patience, and I want beavenly mindedneſs: And it is not a little of theſe things that I want neither.
Anſw. Yet know that complaining is no argument that you have not received: Becauſe our hearts are ſo full of injuſtice that they will deny that to be paid them by God, which they have received. But it is an argument that you have received and that you have Faith, becauſe you would have more, and are unſatisfied with what you have received. For Faith is a receiving.
Object. This is my Condition ſaith one, that I am unquiet till I get all; when I have a little, then if I could get but this and that, I ſhould be contented; and I bow my knee before God for it, and he gives it to me; but when I have it, I am where I was.
Anſw. I anſwer: Although thou ſhouldſt do well to ceaſe murmuring when thou haſt gotten any thing (for a little will go far) but it is beſt whatever thy receipts be, that thou ſhouldſt look after more. The Grace and Comfort that thou haſt is likely to be true, becauſe it doth enlarge thy heart, and make thee ſtill to be a receiver. Learn to diſtinguiſh therefore between murmuring and coveting: Covet ſpiritual Gifts, ſaith the Apoſtle in 1 Cor. 14.1. Covet, thou maiſt; that is, thou maiſt be as covetous after a thing that God hath, as a covetous man is after any thing in the world. But murmur, thou maiſt not; for murmuring ſuppoſeth all to be thy due. And then whatever God ſhould give thee, thou ſhouldſt not receive as an Alms from him, and he ſhould loſe his Glory. Coveting, is a deſiring much from God: and murmuring, is a repining to think that God ſhould give to any beſides thy ſelf.
To ſhut up this Uſe therefore, examine what thy Faith ſets thy Deſires after. And that thou maiſt judgaright, Conſider,
Whether it be Gifts or Grace? If it be Gifts, confider whether it be gifts meerly or not, or gifts that are ſanctified? If it be gifts meerly, then it is no argument of grace, nay, an argument that thou ſhalt not receive from God; in James 1.4, 5, 6. You ask and receive not, becauſe you would ſpend it on your luſts: You would be counted more for them, and more eminent Chriſtians than others, and to be the greater Stars; and after your motions you would have all the reſt to walk: but God reſiſts ſuch proud men. If ſo be it be after Gifts, that is, that thou maiſt have power of ſpeech, or utterance, and be able to reaſon every Point and matter of Religion, and to ſay ſomthing to every thing that may ariſe, there is more ſuſpition, I ſay more ſuſpition: But if it be after Gifts that are ſanctified, or eſpecially if it be after much grace; thou haſt the faith of adherence, and thou wouldſt have faith of aſſurance; thou doſt adhere ſomtimes, but thou wouldſt have no diſtance between thy ſoul and Chriſt at any time, and at no time have a hankering of ſoul after relief any other way but from Chriſt. If thou longeſt after Grace, after Love, and after more Godly Sorrow, then thou haſt leſs cauſe to be troubled, becauſe thou feeleſt thy wants; and thy feeling of thy wants, is but only. the life of thy Faith as it is a Receiver.
There is one or two Uſes more of the Point which I ſhal make, and ſo ſhut up the Point.