Chapter III: The efficacy of faith for holiness of heart and life.

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 Christina duties

aright: and therefore I pray you go on.

Evan. What should I say more? for the time would fail me to tell, how that,

according to the measure of any man's faith, is his true peace of conscience; for,

says the apostle, "being justified by faith, we have peace with God," (Rom 5:1).

Yea, says the prophet Isaiah, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind

is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee," (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

answerable to a man's believing that he is "justified freely by God's grace, through

that redemption that is in Jesus Christ," [305] (Rom 4:3,24), is his true humility of

spirit. So that, although he be endowed with excellent gifts and graces, and though

he perform never so many duties, he denies himself in all; he does not make them

as ladders for him to ascend up into heaven by, but 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," (Phil 3:9). He does not think himself to be one step

nearer to heaven, for all his works and performances. And if he hear any man

praise him for his gifts and graces, he will not conceive that he has obtained the

same by his own industry and pains-taking, as some men have proudly thought;

neither will he speak it out, as some have done, saying; These gifts and graces

have cost me something--I have taken much pains to obtain them; but he says,

"By the grace of God I am what I am; and not I, but the grace of God that was

with me," (1 Cor 15:10). And if he behold an ignorant man, or a wicked liver, he

will not call him "Carnal wretch!" or, "Profane fellow!" nor say, "Stand by

thyself, come not near me, for I am holier than thou," (Isa 65:5), as some have

said; but he pities such a man, and prays for him; and in his heart he says

concerning himself, "Who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou

hast not received"? (1 Cor 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. Yea, according to any man's faith, is his ability to pray aright, (Rom

10:14), to receive the sacrament with profit and comfort: and to do any duty

either to God or man after a right manner, and to a right end, (Heb 4:2). Yea,

according to the measure of any man's faith, in his love to Christ, and so to man

for Christ's sake; and so, consequently, his readiness and willingness to forgive an

injury; yea, to forgive an enemy, and to do good to them that hate him; and the

more faith any man has, the less love he has to the world or the things that are in

the world. To conclude, the greater any man's faith is, the more fit he is to die,

and the more willing he is to die.

Neo. Well, sir, now I do 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; and 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 ye believe on him whom he hath sent," (John 6:29); speaking as if there

were no other duty at all required, but only believing; for, indeed, to say as the

thing is, believing includes all other duties in it, and they spring all from it; and

therefore says one, "Preach faith, and preach all."--"Whilst I bid man believe,"

says learned Rollock, "I bid him do all good things"; for, says Dr. Preston, "Truth

of belief will bring forth truth of holiness; if a man believe, works of sanctification

will follow; for faith draws after it inherent righteousness and sanctification.

Wherefore" says he, "if a man will go about this great work, to change his life, to

get victory over any sin, that it may not have dominion over him, to have his

conscience purged from dead works and to be made partaker of the divine nature,

let him not go about it as a moral man"; that is, let him not consider what

commandments there are, what the rectitude is which 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 the very believing the

promise will be able to cleanse his heart from dead works." [306]

Neo. But I pray you, sir, whence has faith its power and virtue to do all this?

Evan. Even from our Lord Jesus Christ; for faith doth ingraft a man, who is by

nature a wild olive branch, into Christ as into the natural olive; and fetches sap

from the root, Christ, and thereby makes the tree bring forth fruit in its kind; yea,

faith fetcheth a supernatural efficacy from the death and life of Christ; by virtue

whereof it metamorphoses [307] the heart of a believer, and creates and infuses into

him new principles of action. [308] So that, what a treasure of all graces Christ hath

stored up in him, faith draineth, and draweth them out to the use of a believer;

being as a conduit-cock, that watereth all the herbs of the garden. Yea, faith does

apply the blood of Christ to a believer's heart; and the blood of Christ has in it,

not only a power to wash from the guilt of sin, but to cleanse and purge likewise

from the power and stain of sin, and 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 all them to the soul; therefore, [says he,] you must not look for

sanctification till you come to Christ in vocation."

Nom. Truly, sir, I do now plainly see that I have been deceived, and have gone a

wrong way to work; for I verily thought that holiness of life must go before faith,

and so be the ground of it, and produce and bring it forth; whereas I do now

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, [309] who says, "There may be many that think, that as a man chooses to

serve a prince, so men choose to serve God. So likewise they think that as those

who do best service, do obtain most favour of their lord; and as those that have

lost it, the more they humble themselves, the sooner they recover it; even so they

think the case stands between God and them; whereas, says he, it is not so, but

clean contrary, for he himself says, 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen

you,' (John 15:16). And not for that we repent and humble ourselves, and do

good works, 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 did confess Christ; but he did confess

Christ, because he was illuminated. For, says Luther, on Galatians, p. 124, "The

tree must first be, and then the fruit; for the apples make not the tree, but the tree

makes the apples. So faith first maketh 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, which is not to make apples, but mere fantasies."

Wherefore, neighbour Nomista, let me entreat you, that whereas before you have

reformed your life that you might believe, why, now believe that you may reform

your life: and do not any longer work to get an interest in Christ, but believe your

interest in Christ, that so you may work. [310] And then you will not make the change

of your life the ground of your faith, as you have done, and as Mr. Culverwell

says, many do, who being asked, What caused them to believe? answer,

"Because they have truly repented, and changed their course of life." [311]

Ant. Sir, what think you of a preacher that, in my hearing, said, he durst not exhort nor persuade sinners to believe their sins were pardoned, before he saw their lives reformed, for fear they should take more liberty to sin?

Evan.. Why, what should I say but that I think that preacher was ignorant of the mystery of faith? [312] For it, [313] is of the nature of sovereign waters, which so wash off the corruption of the ulcer, that they cool the heat, and stay the spreading of the infection, and so by degrees heal the same. Neither did he know that it is of the nature of cordials, which so comfort the heart and ease it, that they also expel the noxious humours, and strengthen nature against them.
[314]

Ant. And I am acquainted with a professor, though, God knows, [315] a very weak one, that says, If he should believe before his life be reformed, then he might believe, and yet walk on in his sins:â?"I pray you, sir, what would you say to such a man?

Evan. Why, I could say with Dr. Preston, let him, if he can, believe truly, and do this; but it is impossible: let him believe, and the other will follow; truth of belief will bring forth truth of holiness: for who, if he ponder it well, can fear a fleshly licentiousness, where the believing soul is united and married to Christ? [316] The law, as it is the covenant of works, and Christ, are set in opposition, as two husbands to one wife successively, (Rom 7:4); whilst the law was alive in the conscience, all the fruits were deadly, (verse 5); but Christ, taking the same spouse to himself, the law being dead, by his quickening Spirit doth make her fruitful to God, (verse 6); and so raises up seed to the former husband: for materially these are the works of the law, though produced by the Spirit of Christ in the gospel. [317]

Ant. And yet, sir, I am verily persuaded, that there be many, both preachers and professors, in this city, of the very same opinion, that these two are of.

Evan. The truth is, many preachers stand upon the praise of some moral virtue, and do 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 desire still to be groping in the twilight of morality, 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 well-affected, who study the practice of this and that virtue, neglecting this cardinal and radical virtue; as if a man should water all the tree, and not the root. Fain would they shine in patience, meekness, and zeal, and yet are not careful to establish and root themselves in faith, which should maintain all the rest; and therefore all their labour has been in vain and to no purpose."

Nom. Indeed, sir, this which you have now said, I have found true by my own experience; for I have [318] laboured and endeavoured to get victory over such corruptions as to overcome my dullness, and to perform duties with cheerfulness,

and all in vain.

Evan. And no marvel; for to pray, to meditate, to keep a Sabbath cheerfully, to

have your conversation in heaven, is as impossible for you yourself to do, as for

iron to swim, or for stones to ascend upwards; but yet nothing is impossible to

faith; it can naturalize these things unto you; it can make a mole of the earth a

soul of heaven. Wherefore, though you have tried all moral conclusions of

purposing, promising, resolving, vowing, fasting, watching, and self- revenge; yet

get you to Christ, and with the finger of faith touch but the hem of his garment;

and you shall feel virtue come from him, for the curing of all your diseases.

Wherefore I beseech you, come out of yourself unto Jesus Christ, and apprehend

him by faith, as, blessed be God, you see your neighbour Neophytus has done;

and then shall you find the like loathing of sin, and love to the law of Christ, as he

now does; yea, then shall you find your corruptions dying and decaying daily,

more and more, as I am confident he shall.

Neo. Aye, but, sir, shall I not have power quite to 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 should it be even according to your

desire; according to that of Luther, on the Galatians, p. 173, "If we could

perfectly apprehend Christ, then should we be free from sin": but alas! whilst we

are here, we know but in part, and so believe but in part, and so receive Christ

but in part, (1 Cor 13:9), and so, consequently, are holy but in part; witness

James the Just, including himself, when he says, "In many things we sin all,"

(James 3:2). 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," (1 John 1:8).

Yea, and witness Luther, when he says on the Galatians, p. 144, "A Christian

man hath a body, in whose members as Paul says, 'sin dwelleth and warreth,'

(Rom 7:15). And although he fall not into outward and gross sins, as murder,

adultery, theft, and such like, yet is he not free from impatience and murmuring

against God; yea, [says he] I feel in myself covetousness, lust, anger, pride, and

arrogancy, also the fear of death, heaviness, hatred, murmurings impatience." So

that you must not look to be quite without sin, whilst you remain in this life; yet

this I dare promise you, that as you grow from faith to faith, so shall you grow

from strength to strength in all other graces. "Wherefore," says Hooker,

"strengthen this grace of faith, and strengthen all; nourish this, and nourish all." So

that if you can attain to a great measure of faith, you shall be sure to attain to a

great measure of holiness; according to the saying of Dr. Preston, "He that hath

the strongest faith, he that believeth in the greatest degree the promise of pardon

and remission of sins, I dare boldly say, he hath the holiest heart, and the holiest

life. And therefore, I beseech you labour to grow strong in the faith of the

gospel," (Phil 1:27).