Sect. 8. — The efficacy of faith for holiness of heart and life.
Sect. 8. — The efficacy of faith for holiness of heart and life.
Neo. Sir, I am persuaded, that through my neighbour Nomista’s asking you these questions, you have been interrupted in your discourse, in showing how faith enables a man to exercise his Christian graces, and perform his Christian duties rightly. Therefore I ask you to go on.
Evan. What more should I say? For the time would fail me to tell you that any man’s true peace of conscience is according to the measure of his faith. For the apostle says, “being justified by faith, we have peace with God,” Rom. 5.1.
Indeed, the prophet Isaiah says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is fixed on you, because he trusts in you,” Isa. 26.3. Here there is a sure and true grounded peace: “Therefore it is of faith,” says the apostle, “that it might be by grace, and that the promise might be sure to all the seed,” Rom. 4.16. And a man’s true humility of spirit is according to his believing that he is “justified freely by God’s grace, through that redemption that is in Jesus Christ,” Rom. 3.24. So that, even though he is endowed with excellent gifts and graces, and even though he performs ever so many duties, he denies himself in them all. He does not use them as ladders by which to ascend into heaven. Rather, he desires to “be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ,” Philip. 3.9. He does not think that he is one step nearer to heaven for all his works and performances. And if he hears any man praise him for his gifts and graces, he will not conceive that he has obtained them by his own industry and taking pains, as some men have proudly thought; nor will he speak out, as some have done, saying; These gifts and graces have cost me something — I have taken great pains to obtain them. Rather he says, “By the grace of God I am what I am; and not I, but the grace of God that was with me,” 1Cor. 15.10. And if he beholds an ignorant man, or someone living wickedly, he will not call him “Carnal wretch!” or “Profane fellow!” or say as some do, “Stand by yourself! Do not come near me, for I am holier than you,” Isa. 65.5. Rather, he pities such a man, and prays for him; and in his heart he says concerning himself, “Who makes you different? And what do you have that you did not receive?” 1Cor. 4.7.
And thus I might go on and show you how, according to any man’s faith, is his true joy in God, and his true thankfulness to God, and his patience in all troubles and afflictions, and his contentedness in any condition, and his willingness to suffer, and his cheerfulness in suffering, and his contentedness to part with any earthly thing. Indeed, according to any man’s faith, is his ability to pray rightly, Rom. 10.14, to receive the sacrament with profit and comfort, and to do any duty either to God or man in a right manner, and to a right end, Heb. 4.2. Indeed, according to the measure of any man’s faith, is his love to Christ, and so his love to man for Christ’s sake — and consequently, his readiness and willingness to forgive an injury, and yes, to forgive an enemy, and do good to those who hate him. The more faith any man has, the less love he has for the world or the things that are in the world. 1Joh 2.15 To conclude, the greater any man’s faith is, the more fit, and the more willing, he is to die.
Neo. Well, sir, now I perceive that faith is a most excellent grace, and happy is that man who has a great measure of it.
Evan. The truth is, faith is the chief grace that Christians are to be exhorted to get and exercise. Therefore, when the people asked our Lord Christ, “what they should do to work the works of God,” he answered and said, “This is the work of God: that you believe on him whom he has sent,” John 6.29. He was speaking as if there were no other duty required at all, but only believing; for indeed, to say it as it is, believing includes all other duties in it, and they all spring from it. Therefore says one, “Preach faith, and you preach all.” — “When I bid a man to believe,” says learned Rollock, “I bid him to do all good things;” for as Dr. Preston says, “Truth of belief will bring forth truth of holiness; if a man believes, works of sanctification will follow; for faith draws after it inherent righteousness and sanctification. Therefore,” he says, “if a man will go about this great work to change his life, to get victory over any sin so that it may not have dominion over him, to have his conscience purged from dead works and be made a partaker of the divine nature, then let him not go about it as a moral man.” That is, he is not to consider what commandments there are, what rectitude the law requires, and how to bring his heart to it; but “let him go about it as a Christian; that is, let him believe the promise of pardon in the blood of Christ; and in the very act of believing the promise, he will be able to cleanse his heart from dead works.”
Neo. But I ask you, sir, from where does faith get its power and virtue to do all this?
Evan. From our Lord Jesus Christ; for faith ingrafts a man who is by nature a wild olive branch, into Christ as into the natural olive tree; it fetches sap from the root, who is Christ, and thereby faith makes the tree bring forth fruit in its kind. Indeed, faith fetches a supernatural efficacy from the death and life of Christ. By virtue of this, it metamorphoses the heart of a believer, and creates and infuses into him new principles of action.
So that faith drains the treasure of all those graces that Christ has stored up in him, and draws them out for the use of a believer. It acts as a spigot that waters all the herbs of the garden. Indeed, faith applies the blood of Christ to a believer’s heart. And the blood of Christ has in it, not only a power to wash us from the guilt of sin, but to cleanse and likewise purge us from the power and stain of sin. Therefore, says godly Hooker, “If you would have grace, you must first of all get faith, and that will bring all the rest. Let faith go to Christ, and there is meekness, patience, humility, and wisdom — and faith will fetch them all to the soul. Therefore (he says) you must not look for sanctification till you come to Christ in vocation.”
Nom. Truly, sir, I now plainly see that I have been deceived, and have gone a wrong way to work. For I truly thought that holiness of life must go before faith, and be the ground of it, and produce and bring forth faith; whereas now I plainly see that faith must go before, and so produce and bring forth holiness of life.
Evan. I remember a man, who was much enlightened in the knowledge of the gospel, who says, “There may be many who think that as a man chooses to serve a prince, so men choose to serve God. So likewise they think that as those who best serve, obtain the most favour from their lord; and as those who have lost something, think that the more they humble themselves, the sooner they will recover it — even so, they think this is the case between God and them. Whereas, God says it is not so, but clean contrary to it. For he himself says, ‘you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,’ John 15.16. And it is not that we repent and humble ourselves, and do good works, for which he gives us his grace; but we repent and humble ourselves, do good works, and become holy, because he gives us his grace.” The good thief on the cross was not illuminated because he confessed Christ; but he confessed Christ, because he was illuminated. For Luther says on Galatians, p. 124, “The tree must be first, and then the fruit; for the apples do not make the tree, but the tree makes the apples. So faith first makes the person, which afterwards brings forth works. Therefore to do the law without faith, is to make the apples of wood and earth without the tree; this is not to make apples, but mere fantasies.” Therefore, neighbour Nomista, let me entreat you that, whereas before you reformed your life so that you might believe, why, now believe so that you may reform your life. Do not work any longer to get an interest in Christ, but believe your interest in Christ, so that you may work. And then you will not make the change of your life the ground of your faith, as you have done. As Mr. Calverwell says, many who are asked what caused them to believe, will answer, “Because they have truly repented, and changed their course of life.”
Ant. Sir, what do you think of a preacher who, in my hearing, said he dared not exhort or persuade sinners to believe their sins were pardoned, before he saw their lives reformed, for fear they would take more liberty to sin?
Evan. Why, what should I say, but that I think that preacher was ignorant of the mystery of faith. For faith is of the nature of sovereign waters, which wash off the corruption of the ulcer, cool the inflamation, and stop the spread of the infection — and so by degrees, it heals it. Nor did he know that faith is of the nature of cordials, which so comfort the heart and ease it, that they also expel the noxious humours, and strengthen the nature against them.
Ant. And I am acquainted with a professor [of Christ], though God knows he is a very weak one, who says, If he were to believe before his life is reformed, then he might believe and yet walk on in his sins. I ask you, sir, what would you say to such a man?
Evan. Why, I could say with Dr. Preston, let him believe truly, and do this, if he can — but it is impossible. Let him believe, and the other will follow. Truth of belief will produce truth of holiness. For if he ponders it well, who can fear a fleshly licentiousness, where the believing soul is united and married to Christ? The law, as it is the Covenant of Works, and Christ, are set in opposition, as are two husbands married to one wife successively, Rom. 7.4. While the law was alive in the conscience, all its fruits were deadly, ver. 5. But Christ, taking the same spouse to himself, and the law being dead, he makes her fruitful to God by his quickening Spirit, ver. 6; and so he raises up seed for the former husband; for materially these are the works of the law, even though they are produced by the Spirit of Christ in the gospel.
Ant. And yet, sir, I am truly persuaded that there are many in this city, both preachers and professors, who are of the very same opinion as these two.
Evan. The truth is, many preachers stand on the praise of some moral virtue, and inveigh against some vice of the times, more than upon pressing men to believe. But, says a learned writer, “It will be our condemnation if we love darkness rather than light, and still desire to be groping in the twilight of morality, in the precepts of moral men, than to walk in the true light of divinity, which is the doctrine of Jesus Christ. And I pity the preposterous care and unhappy travail of many who are well-affected, who study the practice of this and that virtue, neglecting this cardinal and radical virtue — as if a man were to water a tree’s entire surface, but not the root. They would gladly shine in patience, meekness, and zeal, and yet not be careful to establish and root themselves in faith, which would maintain all the rest. And therefore their entire labour has been in vain and to no purpose.”
Nom. Indeed, sir, what you have just said, I have found true by my own experience. for I have laboured and endeavoured to get victory over corruptions, such as overcoming my dulness, and performing duties with cheerfulness, and all in vain.
Evan. And no wonder. For to pray, to meditate, to keep a Sabbath cheerfully, to have your conversation in heaven, is as impossible for you to do, as for iron to swim, or for stones to ascend upwards. Yet nothing is impossible to faith: it can naturalize these things for you; it can make a mole of the earth, and a soul of heaven. This is why, even though you have tried all the moral decisions of purposing, promising, resolving, vowing, fasting, vigilance, and self-revenge, if you will get to Christ, and with the finger of faith touch but the hem of his garment,Mat 14.36 you will feel virtue come from him for curing all your diseases. Therefore I beseech you to come out of yourself to Jesus Christ, and apprehend him by faith as, blessed be God, you see your neighbour Neophytus has done. And then you will find the same loathing of sin, and love for the Law of Christ, as he now does. Indeed, then you will find your corruptions dying and decaying daily, more and more, as I am confident he will.
Neo. Yes, but sir, will I not have the power to completely overcome all my corruptions, and to yield perfect obedience to the Law of Christ, as the Lord knows I much desire?
Evan. If you could believe perfectly, then it would be according to your desire. As Luther says, on the Galatians, p. 173, “If we could perfectly apprehend Christ, then we would be free from sin.” But alas! While we are here, we know but in part, and so we believe but in part, and so we receive Christ but in part, 1Cor. 13.9; consequently, we are holy but in part. Witness James the Just, including himself, when he says, “In many things we all sin,” James 3.2. Witness John the faithful and loving disciple, when he says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us,” 1John 1.8.
Yes, and witness Luther when he says, on the Galatians, p. 144, “A Christian man has a body, in whose members, as Paul says, ‘sin dwells and wars,' Rom. 7.23. And although he does not fall into outward and gross sins, such as murder, adultery, theft, and the like, yet he is not free from impatience and murmuring against God. Indeed (he says) I feel in myself covetousness, lust, anger, pride, and arrogance; also the fear of death, heaviness, hatred, murmurings, impatience.”
So you must not look to be completely without sin while you remain in this life. Yet this I dare promise you: that as you grow from faith to faith,Rom 1.17 so you shall grow from strength to strength in all other graces.Psa 84.3 “Therefore,” says Hooker, “strengthen this grace of faith, and you will strengthen all; nourish this, and you will nourish all.” So that if you can attain to a great measure of faith, you will be sure to attain to a great measure of holiness. According to Dr. Preston, “He that has the strongest faith, he that believes to the greatest degree the promise of pardon and remission of sins, I dare boldly say, he has the holiest heart, and the holiest life. And therefore, I beseech you, labour to grow strong in the faith of the gospel;” on Philip. 1.27.