Iii. The Third Evidence Of The Faith Of God'S Elect – Worship
III.
THE THIRD EVIDENCE OF THE FAITH OF
GOD'S ELECT –
WORSHIP Thirdly, Faith will evidence itself by a diligent, constant endeavor to keep itself and all grace in due exercise in all ordinances of divine worship, private and public.
This is the touchstone of faith and spiritual obedience, the most intimate and difficult part of this exercise. Where this is not done, there is no life in the soul. There are two things by which men may deceive themselves in this: — 1. By abounding in the outward performance of duties or multiplying them.
Hypocrites have deceived themselves by this, in all ages, Isa 58:2-3.
50 And it was the covering that the church of Rome provided for their apostasy from the gospel: an endless multiplication of religious duties was what they trusted to and boasted in. And daily we may find those who pretend to scruples 51 as to the constant observation of outward duties, and yet they will abstain from no sin that comes in the way of their lusts. And men may abide constantly in them, especially in their families and in public, yes, even multiply them beyond the ordinary measure, thereby hoping to countenance themselves in other lusts and neglects.
2. By the assistance of gifts in the performance of these duties. But just as this may be done where not one dram of grace, of saving grace, is present, so when it is rested in, it is a most powerful engine to keep the soul in mere formality, to ruin any beginnings of grace, and to bring an incurable hardness on the whole soul.
53 it will constantly labor, endeavor, and strive to fill up all duties of divine worship with the living, real, heart-acting of grace; and where it does not do so, where this is not attained, it will never allow the soul to take any rest or satisfaction in such duties, but will cast them away like a defiled garment. The one who can pass through such
Wherever faith exists in sincerity,
54 endeavor for the real exercise of grace in them, and without self-abasement on performing them, will find hardly any other clear evidence of saving faith in himself. duties without a sensible
There are three evils that have followed the ignorance, neglect, or weariness of this exercise of faith, which have proved the ruin of multitudes: —
1. This has been the occasion and origin of all false worship in the world, with the invention of those superstitious rites and ceremonies in which it consists. For men, having lost the exercise of faith in the ordinances of worship that are of divine institution, they found the whole of it to be useless and burdensome to them. For without this constant exercise of faith, there is no life in it, nor satisfaction to be obtained by it. They must, therefore, have something in it or accompanying it, to entertain their minds and engage their affections toward it. If this had not been done, this exercise would have been utterly deserted by most. On this basis, forms of prayer were invented in great diversity, with continual diversions and avocations
of the mind from what is proposed — because the mind cannot abide in the pursuit of anything spiritual, without the exercise of faith. This [man-made ordinance] gives the mind some entertainment by the mere performance of it, and makes it think there is something, where indeed is nothing. To this are added outward ceremonies of vestments, postures, and gestures of veneration, to the same end. There is no other design in them, than to entertain the mind and affections with some complacency and satisfaction in outward worship, upon the loss or lack of that exercise of faith which is the life and soul of it in believers. And as anyone decays in this, they find themselves imperceptibly sinking into the use of these lifeless forms, or that exercise of their natural faculties and memory which is not one jot better.
Indeed, by this means some — from an eminence in spiritual gifts, and performing duties by virtue of them — have sunk into [reciting] an Ave
Maria 56 or a Credo, as the best of their devotion.
2. This has caused many to turn aside, to fall away from and forsake the solemn ordinances of divine worship, and take to vain imaginations for relief — in trembling, enthusiastic singing and feigned raptures. From this, so many have forsaken their own mercies to follow after lying vanities.
For a while they kept to the observance of the divine institutions of
worship; but not having faith to exercise in them, by which alone they are life and power, they became useless and burdensome to them. They could not find sweetness, satisfaction, or benefit in them.
It is not possible that so many in our days, if they had ever tasted of the old wine, would go after new — if they had ever experienced that savor, power, and life, which is in the ordinances of divine worship, when acted and enlivened by the exercise of faith, would forsake them for that which is nothing: "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us." 1Joh 2.19 "If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." 1Cor 2.8 This, therefore, is the true reason why so many in our days, after they have for a season abided under, and in the observation of, the gospel ordinances of worship, have fallen away from them — namely, not having faith to exercise in them, nor endeavoring after it, they really found no life in them, nor any benefit by them.
3. Some, on the same ground, fall into profaneness, pretending to take up with a natural religion, without any instituted worship at all. We have multitudes of this sort in the days in which we live. Having nothing of the light of faith, they can see no form or attractiveness in Christ, nor in anything that belongs to him. By these means, souls are precipitated into ruin every day.
Therefore, I say that true faith will evidence itself, in all darknesses and distress whatever, in this: it will always endeavor to keep itself, and all other graces, in a due and constant exercise in all duties of worship, private and public. It may sometimes be weakened in its acting and operations; it may be under decays; it may be asleep, and not only as to particular duties and seasons, but as to the inward habitual frame of the mind. But where faith is true and genuine, it will shake itself out of this dust,Isa 52.2 cast off the sin that so easily besets us,Heb 12.1 and stir itself up to its duty, with all might and contention. There is no more dangerous state for a soul than when it is sinking down into formality, and neglect of the exercise of faith, in a multitude of duties. Then is it assuredly ready to die, if it is not dead already.
If we are wise, therefore, we will watch, and take care that we do not lose this evidence of faith; it will stand us in stead when maybe all other things seem to be against us. Some have been relieved by the remembrance of this exercise of faith — when in such or such a season they experienced the work of faith in prayer. And when they have been at the door of desperation, this remembrance has been their relief.
An experience of it is a jewel, which may be of no great use while it lies nearby, locked up in a cabinet; but you will know the worth of it, if you ever come to need bread for your lives.
It is therefore worthwhile to inquire what we ought to do, or what means we ought to use, so that we may keep up faith to its due exercise in all the parts of divine worship, such that it may give us a comforting evidence of itself in times of temptation and darkness. And to this end, the ensuing directions may be of use: — 1. Labor to have your hearts always affected with a due sense of the infinite perfections of the divine nature in all our approaches to God, especially of his sovereign power, holiness, immensity, and omnipresence. This will produce in us also, a sense of infinite distance from him. Because this is necessary, from the nature of the things themselves, the Scripture gives us descriptions of God that are suited to generate this frame in us. This is what
Joshua aimed to bring the people to, when he designed to engage them in 58 And this is what the the service of God in a due manner, Jos 24:19-22.
59 And to the same end, glorious descriptions and appearances of God are multiplied in Scripture. If we fail in this, if we do not on all occasions fill our minds with reverential thoughts of God, of his greatness and his holiness, faith has no foundation to stand upon in its exercise in the duties of worship. This is the only inlet into the due exercise of grace. Where it is lacking, all holy thoughts and affections are shut out of our minds; and where it is present, it is impossible for there not to be some gracious working of heart in all our duties. If we are empty of this in our entrance to our duties, we will be sure to be filled with other things, which will be clogs and hindrances to us. But reverential thoughts of apostle requires in us, Heb 12:28-29.
60 and dissipate all carnal, formal frames, which will vitiate all our duties. Keep
God in our approaches to him, will cast out all excess of wickedness,
your hearts, therefore, under this charge in all your accesses to God, and it will constantly open a door to that exercise of faith which we inquire about.
Hereby we will be affected with a sense of our infinite distance from God; which is another means to stir up faith to its due exercise in reverence and godly fear. So Abraham was affected, Gen 18:27. This is what the wise man directs us to, Ecc 5:2. 61
Carnal boldness in the lack of these things ruins the souls of men, rendering all their duties of worship unacceptable to God, and unprofitable to themselves.
2. Affect your hearts with a due sense of the unsuitableness of our best duties to his holiness and majesty, and of his infinite condescension in accepting them. Suppose that, in any of our duties, there is the best and liveliest exercise of grace we can attain to, the greatest fervency in prayer, with the most diligent attendance of our minds, the most humility and contrite trembling in hearing the word, the most devout affection of our minds in other parts of worship — alas! what is all this to God? How little it corresponds to his infinite holiness! See Job 4:18-19; 15:15-16.
62 Our goodness does not extend to him, Psa 16:2.
63 There are no measures, there is no proportion, between the holiness of God and our best duties. There is iniquity in our holy things; they have need of mercy and pardon, of cleansing and justification by the blood of Christ, no less than our persons.
And in God there is an infinite condescension to take any notice of us or them; indeed, it is something that we must live in all holy admiration of all our days.
Now if it is this way with our best duties, in our best frames, then what an outrage of sloth and negligence it is if we bring the carcass of our duties to God, for lack of stirring up faith to its due exercise in them! How great is this folly, how unspeakable is the guilt of this negligence! Let us, therefore, keep a sense of it on our hearts, so that we may always stir ourselves up to our best in duties of religious worship. For, —
3. A negligence in this, or the lack of stirring up faith to a due exercise in all duties of worship, is the highest affront we can put upon God, arguing for a great disregard of him. While it is so with us, we do not have, we cannot have, a due sense of any of the divine perfections of the divine nature. We
turn God into a seeming idol, supposing that he may be put off with the outside appearance of things.
64 it is what God detests, Isa 29:13; The apostle cautions us against this, Heb 4:12-13;
65 and He pronounces that man a deceiver, and cursed, who offers Him the lame and blind while he has a male in the flock, Mal 1:14.
66 Yet, in some degree, this is how it is with us whenever we are negligent in stirring up faith into its proper exercise in holy duties. That alone is what renders them the male of the flock; and without it, they are lame and blind — a corrupt thing.
It is a sad thing for men to lose their duties, to be charged and in trouble for multiplying them, and attending to them to no purpose. Oh, how much sadder it is when they are all provocations of God's glory — when they tend to increase the formality and hardness of men's hearts towards the ruin of their souls! "Stand in awe," therefore, "and do not sin; commune with your own hearts," Psa 4.4. Do not cease until on all occasions you bring them into that exercise of faith in which you may glorify God as God, and not deal with Him as you would an idol.
4. To the same end, keep your souls always deeply affected with a sense of the things about which you are to deal with God, in all the duties of his worship. These are referred to two heads:
(1.) Those which concern his glory; (2.) Those which concern our own souls.
Without a constant due sense of these things on our hearts, faith will not act itself rightly in any of our duties. Without this intimate concern and deep sense, we do not know whether we need faith in our prayers, or are exercising it; formality will drown all. The best of our prayers is but an expression to God of the sense we have of these things. If we have none, then we do not pray at all, whatever we say or do. But when these things dwell in our minds, when we think about them continually, when our hearts cling to them, faith will be at work in all our approaches to God. Can you not pray? Charge your hearts with these things, and you will learn to do so.
5. Watch diligently against those things which you find by experience are apt to obstruct your fervency in duties. Such are indispositions through the
flesh, or weariness of the flesh, or distracting, foolish imaginations, or occasions of life revolving in our minds, and the like.
If such impediments as these are not removed, if they are not watched against, they will influence the mind, and suffocate the exercise of faith in it.
6. Above all, the principal rule in this, is that we always carefully remember the concern of Christ in these duties, with respect to his office. He is the high priest over the house of God. It is through him, and under his conduct, that we are always to draw near to God. And it is his work to present the prayers and supplications of the church to God. Now, we have no way to come to Christ for his assistance in the discharge of his office on our behalf, except by faith. And in all our duties of holy worship, we make a profession of doing so — of coming to God by Christ as our high priest. If we do not endeavor in this to exercise our faith, then how we mock, or make a pretense, of doing what indeed we endeavor not to do! There can be no greater contempt of Christ in his office, nor any greater undervaluation of his love. But a due consideration of it — namely, of our concern for Christ in all our duties with respect to the office which he discharges for us in heaven — is what directly leads faith into its proper exercise. For through Christ, in the discharge of his office, we believe in God. And when the mind is exercised with due thoughts of him, if there is anything of true saving faith in the heart, it will act itself to a blessed experience.
These things may be of use to stir us up, and guide us to that exercise of faith in all holy duties, an experience of which, abiding in the soul, will evidence the truth of it to our support and comfort in all temptations and distresses.
Some, maybe, will say that their gift in prayer is mean and weak — that they cannot express themselves with earnestness and fervency. And so they do not know whether there is any faith being exercised in their prayers or not. I answer, there is nothing at all in this; for grace may be very high where gifts are very low, and that occurs frequently.
And it may be that others will complain of the meanness of the gifts of those whom they attend in prayer; it is such that they cannot accompany them in the exercise of any grace. I answer, —
1. There is no doubt that there is a great difference in the spiritual gifts of men in this matter, some being much more effectual for edification than others.
2. Take care that you are called in providence and duty to join with those whom you intend; that you do not first voluntarily choose what is to your disadvantage, and then complain about it.
3. However mean their gifts, if grace in their own hearts is exercised by faith, so it may be exercised in ours. Where there is no evidence of it, I confess the case is hard.
4. Let the mind still be fixed on the matter or things uttered in prayer, so as to engage and act faith about what the real object of it is, and it will find its proper work in that duty.