Of Faith
OF FAITH QUEST. LXXXV. WHAT doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse due to us for sin?
ANS. Faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us, the benefits of redemption.
I. I begin with the first, "Faith in Jesus Christ," Rom. 3:22, 25., "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood." The great privilege in the text is to have Christ for a propitiation; which is not only to free us from God's wrath, but to ingratiate us into God's love and favour. And the means of having
Christ to be our propitiation is, 'Faith in his blood.' There is a twofold faith, Fides quæ creditur, i.e. 'the doctrine of faith;' and Fides quâ creditur, i.e. 'the grace of faith.' The act of justifying faith lies in recumbency; we do rest on Christ alone for salvation. As a man that is ready to drown catcheth hold on the bough of a tree: so a poor trembling sinner, seeing himself ready to perish, catcheth hold by faith on Christ the tree of life, and so is saved. The work of faith is by the Holy Spirit; therefore faith is called the "fruit of the Spirit," Gal.
5:22. Faith doth not grow in nature, it is an outlandish plant, a fruit of the Spirit. This grace of faith is sanctissimum humani pectoris bonum,—of all others, the most precious rich faith, and most holy faith, and faith of God's elect. Hence it is called "precious faith," 2
Pet. 1:1. As gold is the most precious among the metals, so is faith among the graces. Faith is the queen of the graces; faith is the condition of the gospel; "Thy faith hath saved thee," Luke 7:50., not thy tears. Faith is the "vital artery of the soul," it animates it, Hab.
2:4., "The just shall live by faith." Unbelievers, though they breathe yet want life. Faith is (as Clemens Alexandrinus calls it) a mother-
grace; it excites and invigorates all the graces; not a grace stirs till faith sets it awork. Faith sets repentance awork; it is like fire to the still. Faith sets hope awork,—first we believe the promise,—then we hope for it. Did not faith feed the lamp of hope with oil, it would soon die. Faith sets love awork, Gal. 5:6., "Faith which worketh by love."
Who can believe in the infinite merits of Christ, and his heart not ascend in a fiery chariot of love? Faith is a catholicon, or remedy against all troubles,—a sheet-anchor we cast out into the sea of God's mercy, and are kept from sinking in despair. Other graces have done worthily,—thou, O Faith, excellest them all! Indeed in heaven, love will be the chief grace; but, while we are here militant, love must give place to faith. Love takes possession of glory, but faith gives a title to it. Love is the crowning grace in heaven, but faith is the conquering grace upon earth, 1 John 5:4., "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." Faith carries away the garland from all the other graces; other graces help to sanctify us, but it is faith only that hath the honour to justify; Rom. 5:1., "Being justified by faith."
QUEST. But how comes faith to be so precious?
Ans. Not as it is a more holy quality, or as if it had more worthiness than other graces, but respectu objecti,—"as it lays hold on Christ the blessed object," and fetcheth in his fulness, John 9:16. Faith in itself considered, is but manus mendica,—"the beggar's hand;" but as this hand receives the rich alms of Christ's merits, so it is precious, and doth challenge a superiority over the rest of the graces.
Use 1st. Of all sins beware of the rock of unbelief, Heb. 3:12., "Take heed lest there be in any of us an evil heart of unbelief." Men think, as long as they are not drunkards or swearers, it is no great matter to be unbelievers. This is the gospel-sin, it dyes your other sins in grain.
(1.) Unbelief is a Christ-reproaching sin. Unbelief disparageth Christ's infinite merit, as if it could not save; unbelief makes the wound of sin to be broader than the plaster of Christ's blood. This is an high contempt offered to Christ, and is a deeper spear than that which the Jews thrust into his side.
(2.) Unbelief is an ungrateful sin. Ingratus vitandus est ut dirum scelus, tellus ipsa fædius nihil creat. Ingratitude is a prodigy of wickedness; unbelief is ungrateful, being against the richest mercy.
Suppose a king should redeem a captive, and to redeem him should part with his crown of gold from his head; and when he had done this, should say to the man redeemed, "All I desire of thee in lieu of my kindness, is to believe that I love thee." Now, if he should say
"No, I do not believe any such thing; or that thou carest at all for me:" I appeal to you were not this odious ingratitude? So is this case here: God hath sent his Son to shed his blood. God requires only to believe in him, that he is able and willing to save us. "No," saith unbelief, "his blood was not shed for me, I cannot persuade myself that Christ hath any purpose of love to me." Is not this horrid ingratitude? And this enhanceth a sin, and makes it of a crimson colour.
(3.) Unbelief is a leading sin. It is the breeder of sin. Qualitas malæ vitæ initium sumit ab infidelitate. Unbelief is a root-sin, and the devil labours to water this root, that the branches may be fruitful. (1.)
Unbelief breeds hardness of heart; therefore they are put together, Mark 16:14., Christ upbraideth them with their unbelief and hardness of heart. Unbelief breeds the stone of the heart; he who believes not in Christ, is not affected with his sufferings, he melts not in tears of love. Unbelief freezeth the heart; first it defiles and hardens. (2.) Unbelief breeds profaneness; an unbeliever will stick at no sin,—neither at false weights, nor false oaths. He will swallow
down treason; Judas was first an unbeliever, and then a traitor, John 6:64. He who hath no faith in his heart will have no fear of God before his eyes.
(4.) Unbelief is a wrath-procuring sin; it is inimica salutis, BERN.
John 3:18. Jam condemnatus est, dying so, he is as sure to be condemned as if he were so already, John 3:36., "He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him."
He who believes not in the blood of the Lamb, must feel the wrath of the Lamb. The Gentiles that believe not in Christ will be as well damned as the Jews who blaspheme him. And if unbelief be so fearful and damnable a sin, shall we not be afraid to live in it?
2d. Above all graces, set faith a work on Christ: John 3:15., "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish." Eph. 6:16., "Above all, taking the shield of faith." Say as queen Esther, "I will go in unto the king: and if I perish, I perish." She had nothing to encourage her,
—she ventured against law,—yet the golden sceptre was held forth to her. We have promises to encourage our faith, John 6:37., "He that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." Let us then advance faith by an holy recumbency on Christ's merits. Christ's blood will not justify without believing: they are both put together in the text,
"Faith in his blood." The blood of God, without faith in Christ, will not save. Christ's sufferings are the plaster to heal a sin-sick soul, but this plaster must be applied by faith. It is not money in a rich man's hand, though offered to us, will enrich us, unless we receive it: so it is not Christ's virtues or benefits will do us good, unless we receive them by the hand of faith. Above all graces, set faith on work; remember this grace is most acceptable to God, and that upon many accounts.
(1.) Because it is a God-exalting grace; it glorifies God, Rom. 4:20., Abraham being strong in faith, gave glory to God. To believe that there is more mercy in God, and merit in Christ than sin in us,—and that Christ hath answered all the demands and challenges of the law,
—and that his blood hath fully satisfied for us,—this is in a high degree to honour God. Faith in the Mediator brings more glory to God, than martyrdom, or the most heroic act of obedience.
(2.) Faith in Christ is so acceptable to God, because it is such a selfdenying grace; it makes a man go out of himself, renounce all selfrighteousness and wholly rely on Christ for justification. Faith is very humble, it confesseth its own indigence, and lives wholly upon Christ. As the bee sucks sweetness from the flower, so faith sucks all its strength and comfort from Christ.
(3) Faith is a grace so acceptable to God, because by faith we present a righteousness to God, which doth best please him; we bring the righteousness of Christ into the court, which is called the righteousness of God, 2 Cor. 5:21. To bring Christ's righteousness, is to bring Benjamin with us. A believer may say, "Lord, it is not the righteousness of Adam, or of the angels, but of Christ who is Godman, that I bring before thee." The Lord cannot choose but smell a sweet savour in Christ's righteousness.
Use 2d. Trial. Let us try our faith. There is something that looks like faith, and is not. Pliny saith, there is a Cyprian stone, which is in colour, like a diamond, but it is not of the right kind: there is a false spurious faith in the world. Some plants have the same leaf with others, but the herbalist can distinguish them by the root and taste; something may look like true faith, but it may be distinguished several ways.
(1.) True faith is grounded upon knowledge; knowledge carries the torch before faith. There is a knowledge of Christ's orient excellencies, Phil. 3:7. He is all made up of love and beauty. True faith is a judicious intelligent grace, it knows whom it believes, and why it believes. Faith is seated as well in the understanding as the will. It hath an eye to see Christ, as well as a wing to fly to him. Such therefore as are invailed with ignorance, or have only an implicit faith, to believe as the Church believes, have no true genuine faith.
(2.) Faith lives in a broken heart, Mark 9:24., "He cried out with tears, Lord, I believe." True faith is always in an heart bruised for sin: such therefore, whose hearts were never touched for sin, have no faith. If a physician should tell us, there were an herb would help us against all infections, but it always grows in a watery place,—if we should see an herb like it in colour, leaf, smell, blossom, but it grows upon a rock, we would conclude this were the wrong herb: so saving faith doth always grow in an heart humbled for sin; it grows in a weeping eye, watery conscience; therefore, if there be a shew of faith, but it grows upon a rock, an hard impenitent heart, this is not the true faith.
(3.) True faith is at first nothing but an embryo, it is minute and small; it is full of doubtings, temptations, fears; it begins in weakness. It is like the smoking-flax, Mat. 12:20. It smokes with desires, but doth not flame with comfort; it is at first so small that it is scarce discernible. Such as, at the first dash, have a strong persuasion that Christ is theirs, who leap out of sin into assurance, their faith is false and spurious: that faith, which is come to its full stature on its birth-day, is a monster. The seed that sprang up suddenly, withered, Mat. 13:5.
(4.) Faith is a refining grace, it consecrates and purifies. Moral virtue may wash the outside, faith washeth the inside, Acts 15:9. Having purified their hearts by faith, faith makes the heart a sacristy or temple with this inscription, 'holiness to the Lord;' such, whose hearts have legions of lusts in them, were never acquainted with the true faith. For one to say, he hath faith, yet live in sin, is as if one should say, he were in health, yet his vitals are perished. Faith is a virgin-grace; it is joined with sanctity, 1 Tim. 3:9., "Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience." The jewel of faith is always put in the cabinet of a pure conscience. The woman that touched
Christ by faith, fetched an healing and cleansing virtue from him.
(5.) True faith is obediential, Rom. 16:26., "The obedience of faith."
Faith melts our will into the will of God. If God commands duty, (though cross to flesh and blood) faith obeys; Heb. 11:8., "By faith
Abraham obeyed." Faith doth not only believe the promise, but obey the command. It is not having a speculative knowledge will evidence you to be believers; the devil hath knowledge, but that which makes him a devil is, he wants obedience.
(6.) True faith is increasing, Rom. 1:17., "From faith to faith," i.e.
From one degree of faith to another. Faith doth not lie in the heart, as a stone in the earth; but, as seed in the earth it grows. Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Christ, but afraid to confess him; afterwards he went boldly to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus,
John 19:36. And a Christian's increase in faith is known two ways:
1. By steadfastness. He is a pillar in the temple of God, Col. 2:7., "Rooted and built up in him; and stablished in the faith." Unbelievers are sceptics in religion, they are unsettled; they question every truth, but, when faith is on the increasing hand, it doth stabilire animum, it doth corroborate a Christian; he is able to prove his principles; he
holds no more than he will die for; as that martyr-woman said, "I cannot dispute for Christ, but I can burn for him." An increasing faith is not like a ship in the midst of the sea, that fluctuates, and is tossed upon the waves, but like a ship at anchor which is firm and steadfast.
2. A Christian's increase in faith is known by his strength; he can do that now, which he could not do before. When one is man-grown, he can do that which he was not able to do when he was a child; he can carry an heavier burden; so a Christian can bear crosses with more patience.
OBJ. But I fear I have no faith, it is so weak?
Ans. If you have faith, though, but in its infancy, be not discouraged, for, 1st. a little faith is faith, as a spark of fire is fire; 2d. a weak faith may lay hold on a strong Christ. A weak hand can tie the knot in marriage, as well as a strong. She, in the gospel, who but touched
Christ, fetched virtue from him. 3d. The promises are not made to strong faith, but to true. The promise doth not say, he who hath a giant faith, who can believe God's love through a frown,—who can rejoice in affliction,—who can work wonders, remove mountains, stop the mouth of lions,—shall be saved; but, whosoever believes, be his faith never so small. A reed is but weak, especially when it is bruised, yet the promise is made to it: Mat. 12:20., "A bruised reed will he not break." 4th. A weak faith may be fruitful. Weakest things multiply most. The vine is a weak plant, but it is fruitful. The thief on the cross, who was newly converted, was but weak in grace; but how many precious clusters grew upon that tender plant! Luke 23:40., he chides his fellow-thief, "Dost thou not fear God?" He judgeth himself,
"We indeed suffer justly." He believes in Christ, when he said, "Lord." He makes a heavenly prayer, "Remember me when thou