-- BOOK III: Though faith be a difficult work, yet we ought to use our endeavours to believe.
uses, for the things themselves are practical and experimental; and if the Spirit of God go home with them into your hearts and spirits, he will make uses of them for me.
BOOK III: Though faith be a difficult work, yet we ought to use our endeavours to believe Though faith be a difficult work, yet we ought to use our endeavours to believe.—What those endeavours are.—Cautions about using them.
CHAPTER I
Though faith be a difficult work, yet we are to use endeavours to believe What those endeavours are.
THAT we are to endeavour to believe, is generally granted. The only question will be, what kind of endeavours we mean? We will take the most of them out of the 4th chapter of James, where he directs sinners what to do. As, 1. To cleanse their hands and hearts, taking heed of hindrances and impediments which may hinder God's working of it, or provoke him to leave off the work; to refrain all ill company, which quencheth all
good motions; as all sins also of what kind soever, which grieve the Spirit. Thus the apostle, Heb. 12:1, bids us 'lay aside every weight that presseth down, and the sin that so easily besets us;' those sins our natures are most prone unto. And, Heb. 3:12, when he had bidden them in the 12th verse 'take heed lest there were in them a heart of unbelief,' he subjoins in the 13th verse, 'lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin;' for as unbelief keeps off from God, so nourishing any sin keeps in unbelief. So Heb. 12:16, 17, when he exhorts men to 'take heed they fail not of the grace of God,' he adds, 'lest any lust of uncleanness, as in Esau, causeth you to sell your birthright and part in heaven.' The patient, though he cannot give himself physic, and make it work, yet he can abstain from drink ere he takes it; he can bring an empty stomach. A woman cannot of herself conceive nor quicken the fruit of her body, but yet she can take heed of what may destroy it, and hinder quickening and conception. She may beware of journeys, dancings, violent motions which may cause it to miscarry; and so much the more careful are they that are to bring forth a prince, an heir of a kingdom. Now, such an one is the new creature which is a-forming in the heart. And though abstinence from sin, and fearfulness to offend, can no way further the work, yet because the contrary may hinder it, we are to endeavour it. And to this hath that text a reference, Phil. 2:13, when he speaks of 'working out salvation with fear.' He means not a doubting fear (as the papists would have it), but a fearfulness of displeasing and offending God, upon whom the work depends; as the apostle speaks, 1 Cor. 2:3, 'I was with you,' says Paul, 'in much fear,'
&c. Now this, in consideration of their dependence upon God, men are able to do; for in respect of men whom they depend upon, they can and do forbear their dearest pleasures, and why not much more for God and the work of grace?
2. Men may endeavour to be humbled for their sins, and take such considerations into their hearts as may serve to humble them; which, though it is not faith, nor works faith, yet it leads to it: James 4:9, 'Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep,' says he, giving counsel to sinners what to do: 'let your laughter be turned into mourning.' Men can give
over their carnal mirth, and go alone and consider their sins, and set themselves to mourn for them, and humble themselves in the sight of God; and 'God,' says he, 'shall lift you up,' raise up your hearts to believe. Though men cannot cast in the seed, yet they can go about to plough the ground that fits for it, and breaks the clods, Hosea 10:12.
And because this is preparatory to faith, therefore endeavouring after this is endeavouring for faith, because it is an endeavouring for that which fits for faith, and is necessarily pre-required. Only this, it is not all the humiliation in the world can give them power to believe; as many think, Oh, if I were thus humbled I could believe! But, on the contrary, when they are humbled it is a new work to create faith; as though the seed in the womb be prepared for the soul, and made fit to receive it, yet it is the almighty power of God must send and put a soul in. But because God never gives faith to unbroken hearts, therefore men are to endeavour after this work.
3. There are duties and ordinances God hath appointed, in which to bring our hearts before him; which I think James means when he says, 'Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you,' James 4:8. He means coming to these duties wherein God's presence is seen; as Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, being priests, and conversant in ordinances, are said to draw nigh to God, Num. 16:9, 10. And this also men may do; they may come unto God, and present their souls before him by prayer, by hearing the word, by good conference, by reading, &c., and look up to him, and say, 'Lord, now do thou work,'
Luke 11:14. He promiseth the Spirit himself, who is the beginner of all grace, to them that ask him. When therefore a man comes to these means, wherein God dispenseth faith, and lies at the pool still, he may be said to endeavour after faith.
4. There are special opportunities wherein God draws nigh in his ordinances. When God stirs a man's spirit, and strengtheneth it to ask and endeavour, then a man should bestir himself, and hoist up sail while the wind blows; as when the pool was stirred, the diseased stepped in. There are times when God's bellows blows the coals, as the prophet speaks; and then if we be not purged, we are not purged.
And 'working out our salvation with trembling,' I think hath reference to it, Philip. 2:12. He means trembling to foreflow* any opportunity. But now this is the error of men, that when God doth draw nigh to encourage their hearts still to seek and wait on him for faith, they rest in these as the work of faith.
5. But lastly, I conceive that these are not all the endeavours are to be used after faith; but further, souls humbled are to attempt the exercise of the very act of believing; that is, they are to take promises into their thoughts, and to bring their hearts to them, to look up to Christ, and consider his fulness, and attempt to lay hold upon him, to exercise thoughts of taking him, and treating the marriage with him, and consider what is in him, may move them to take him; and what is in the promise may be a ground for their faith, and to encourage them; and so far as God strengthens a man's heart, so far go and try, and try again, and see when and what thoughts of faith will take thee.
We have an express place for this, Heb. 4:11, 'Let us labour to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.'
In the former part of the chapter, he shews that men entered not in because of unbelief, so as faith is the means of entrance; now, therefore, he exhorts men to labour to believe; not to knock and ask only, but to put forth thoughts of faith, to set their feet in, to endeavour this daily. And therefore, ver. 16, he bids men 'come to the throne of grace, that they may obtain mercy;' those that had not yet obtained it, must come that they may obtain it. But you will say, we cannot come. Why come, says he, to obtain help itself, in the next words. So Heb. 12:2, he exhorts them to 'look to Jesus, the beginner and finisher of faith;' to look to him as the beginner as well as the finisher. And my reasons why men are to endeavour and attempt the immediate acts of believing, are, (1.) Because God commands men to believe and to come to Christ, 1
John 3:23. And therefore Christ, when any came to him, would still urge faith on them: 'Canst thou believe?' says he, Mark 9:23. And so the apostle Paul, when the jailor came trembling, 'Believe,' says he,
Acts 16:31, 'on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved.' Now, if we
are to endeavour to practise other commandments to shew our duty, as I said before, then to believe also; and my inability to do it right hinders not, nor frees me not from attempting to do it, and reaching as far as I can.
(2.) If ministers are to present promises and motives unto men, then those considerations, and motives, and promises which the ministers of the word are to present to hearers and humbled souls, to beget faith in them, humbled souls may and ought with application to consider alone, and digest and exercise thoughts of faith about. 'The word was preached,' says the apostle, Heb. 4:12, to the Israelites, promises preached, but 'they profited them not, because they mingled them not with faith;' therefore, says he, 'let us take heed, lest a promise being left us, any of us should seem to come short of it,' for want of applying those promises. And though it be true that but some shall enter in, yet the promise is indefinitely made to all, ver. 6, and upon that ground, ver. 11, he exhorts all to labour after faith, to look up to Jesus as the author of faith.
(3.) Men are to inure their hearts to the same thoughts of faith believers have, so far as recumbency or casting a man's self upon Christ, and bringing their hearts to promises goes, because God works on us as upon creatures reasonable; and the same considerations, and thoughts, and objects of faith which believers have in their minds, a man that is yet to believe may think over and over. They differ only in the manner, in the formale, not the materiale; and as fruits, they have the same form and shape, they differ but in relish and taste. And God doth often engraft true thoughts of faith upon the notions we had being unbelievers, and changeth them into true thoughts of faith whilst we are a-thinking them; as the loaves were increased in the breaking them, and as the water was changed into wine in the pouring of it out. So that men believe often truly ere they are aware of it, by exercising their hearts to thoughts of faith; and whilst they attempt it, God helps them, as to pray, so to believe. And therefore it is their error that would have souls humbled to lie still, and see if God will begin to draw their