THE TOUCHSTONE OF SAVING FAITH

All these questions I shall endeavor to give a reply to, by explaining the language and ideas of scripture on the subject, which I apprehend is the best and safest, and likewise the clearest method. Bear with me then, while I expatiate freely upon it; and let me beg you to read with peculiar attention, as upon a matter that concerns the life of your souls.

We have an exact and ample description of this grace of faith in that well-known passage, Heb. 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.” Without any learned or critical remarks upon this text, we may easily observe, that what faith fixes upon as its object, are things invisible or future; things hoped for, and things not seen. And thus it is distinguished from sight. Now it is here said, that faith is the substance of things hoped for; as it gives these things a substance or subsistence in the mind, by substantiating and realizing them to the mind, and impressing them upon the heart. It is likewise the evidence of things not seen; as it applies the evidence of their reality to the mind, and makes them as evidence and real to the soul, as if they were visible things. So that the whole is this: faith in itself is nothing else but the real impression and application of gospel truths, and gospel promises. When a person truly believes, the gospel is written in and upon the heart, engraven upon the spirit of the mind; so as to become the principle of a person’s actions and affections. Carnal and worldly persons are acted upon, and influenced by worldly and carnal principles; but believers, as such, are acted upon and influenced by gospel principles. And those gospel principles are chiefly such as these, that Christ is a most necessary, most suitable, most free, and an all-sufficient and the only Saviour. If a person has these truths not only printed upon his imagination, but written upon his heart, and applied to his own case and conscience, he is then possessed of saving faith.

But a person cannot clearly know that these truths are savingly impressed and applied, but by the motions and actings of his mind in consequence thereof. For let a person have ever so clear a knowledge of the truth, ever so firm a belief of it, ever so great a value for it, or have his affections ever so much moved by it; yet if his soul is not excited to those actings, which are suited to the truth believed, he has no proof of his being possessed of this saving principle.

You will ask then, what are those actings of the heart which are suited to, and produced by the saving impression of such gospel truths? I answer in scripture language, if any one truly believes, for himself, his own necessity, and the fulness and freeness of Christ, as a Saviour, he is induced hereby to fly to him, to trust in him, to lean upon him, lay hold of him, to go to him, to take shelter under him, to make him his refuge, his portion, his hope, and his salvation. Here lies the centre of the whole evidence; not in the degree of a person’s knowledge, nor in the degree of his persuasion concerning his own personal interest.

You will proceed to ask, What is this coming to Christ, receiving of him, leaning upon, taking shelter under him, and the like? I answer, all these phrases, though various in words, are the same in sense, when applied to the workings of the mind, and so they illustrate and confirm each other. So that it is milch the same, which of these I fix upon; and it would be too tedious to run through them all distinctly. They are all of them figurative expressions; taking a natural and common idea, and applying it to the spiritual motions and actings of the soul; and therefore are all to be understood in a spiritual sense. I would make choice of one out of these various phrases, and explain it with a particular view to doubts on the one hand, and assurance on the other.

That which I shall at present fix upon, is the act of flying to a refuge, or taking shelter under a covert. Christ is the true city of refuge, and souls in believing, are represented as fleeing for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us, Heb. VI. 18. Christ is a covert from the tempest, Isa. XXXII. 2. and believers by faith take shelter under it. Let me then illustrate and diversify this similitude in a familiar way.

Let us suppose a person in the field to see a terrible storm a-coming, which he wants to be sheltered from. The sight makes his heart tremble with a peculiar awe and fear. Let us likewise suppose him to be informed of, or to see, a safe refuge, shelter, or covert at hand. Now let this person be ever so well persuaded of the safety of this shelter, and his welcome to it, yet if he does not actually take sanctuary under it, he is still exposed to the violence of the storm, whatever be his motive or reason for not flying to it. Perhaps he may be indifferent about it, not apprehending the storm to be very dangerous; or he may have dislike to the shelter itself, or may think that some other shelter may be sufficient for him. In either of these cases he still neglects to fly to it, and so must take the consequences, although he may see the storm, and believe the freeness and safety of the refuge proposed. This is an exact representation of the case of the sinner, who begins to be under some concern about his soul; has learned, and does believe in a sense, that Christ Jesus is a free and sufficient shelter; but either through indifference about Christ, or through dislike to him, or through an opinion of his own sufficiency, still keeps off from Christ, as the true Saviour, and so stands exposed to the storm of God’s wrath, notwithstanding all his knowledge of, and opinions about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us next put the case in a different point of view; and suppose a person seeing a storm coming, and greatly terrified by the apprehensions and appearance of it, but knows very little of the shelter that is near at hand: he has heard something of it, enough to make him wish that he was under it, and to be persuaded he would be safer there than any where else; but may question whether he shall be admitted into it, whether he has any right to fly to it; and many other such doubts and fears may possess him. Yet he is driven by mere necessity, sees no other relief, and upon the whole has such a glimmering hope, that possibly he may be admitted, while he is certain to be destroyed otherwise; he, therefore, in this trembling way, actually betakes himself to it, and so is safe, whether he apprehends it or no for himself in the act of flying to it. For his actual safety is not hindered by the fears of his soul, nor would it be promoted by any notional assurance; but the whole of his security depends upon the safety of the refuge itself, and upon his admittance into it, on his recurring to it, and taking sanctuary under it. This is an exact representation of the frame and condition of a poor soul, who knows but little of Christ, fears much through the weakness of his faith, and yet ventures through all objections to cast himself upon the Lord Jesus for all salvation. I will leave it to your own thoughts to apply the similitude more distinctly; and shall proceed to collect from hence the real workings of the believer’s heart in the act of believing on, or running to Christ for spiritual safety.

Casting aside the natural simile, and the outward act of flying, we are now to attend to the works of the soul, both when faith is very strong and clear, and when it is very dark and feeble.

If faith acts in a very vigorous, lively, and comfortable manner, the language of the heart is to this purpose: “My misery I feel to be exceeding great, my state I see is in itself exceeding dangerous and helpless; I know and see that there is no help in myself; I cannot atone for one sin, I cannot root out one corruption, I cannot perform one duty myself; neither can I secure myself from that vengeance that is due to me, or prevent my being miserable for ever: but, O my soul, do not therefore despond, I have heard of a glorious all-sufficient Saviour; one who is able to save to the very uttermost, having teousness for poor, miserable, guilty wretches, such as I am.

(To be continued)

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