Faith No Fancy (3)

Many think saving faith to be a common and easy thing; however, look at the scarceness and difficulty of it. I shall show you what mainly you should avoid as that at which people more ordinarily stumble.

The mistakes and deceits in men about the exercise of faith are many; so many that they are more than can well or easily be reckoned up. We shall nevertheless hint at a few of them, for so long as people continue in the same snares, they must still be pointed out, and endeavors still used to undeceive and deliver them out of them.

Therefore, beware of resting on a doctrinal faith, which before I called historical. We know it is hard to convince some that they want faith; yet we would have you to consider that it is not every kind of faith, but saving faith, that will do your business. There are many who will not be saved that take the Word to be the Word of God and believe what is the meaning of it, because the Word itself says so. And the reasons of it are: because there is nothing that is not saving but a natural man may have it. A man in the state of nature may have a great persuasion of the truth of the Word of God, and that what it says will come to pass, and yet still continue but a natural man.

A second reason is, as much credit may be given to the Word as is given to any other history that is creditably believed. And as it is certain that there may be impressions on the consciences of hearers that this is God's Word, backed with some common work of the Spirit, what wonder is it that people believe thus, and drink in this doctrinal faith of the Word, so as they may even dare to suffer death for it? And yet in the meantime they may want saving faith. The pangs of a natural conscience in men will assure them of a judgment to come, though they tremble to think of it.

Observe the great and very general mistake of the most part of the hearers of the gospel in resting on this doctrinal faith. If you tell them that they have no faith, they will not by any means own that. They believe there is a Savior, and that He is God and man, and that such as believe on Him shall be saved, and on this they rest. It is such as these who think they have believed ever since they had knowledge, and who know no difference between believing the Word and believing on Christ held forth in that Word. But as there is a real sorrow that is not the saving grace of repentance unto life, so there is a sort of real faith, that has a real object, and a real being in the judgment, which is yet not a real closing with Christ, and so not saving faith.

Suppose a man, pursued by his enemy, should see dry land, yet if he should stand still while the enemy pursues him, or abide in the sinking vessel, the sight of the open castle door, or of the dry land, would not save him. Historical faith is only (as it were) a looking on the Savior, and therefore such as have only this, and no more, sink and perish without getting good of Him. We would think it a great step to get many of you to believe as the devil, who believes and trembles. The little trembling there is shows that there is but little of this historical faith. Yet, as I have often said, this is not all; you may have this, and yet, if you halt there, you will certainly perish if you were never so confident to be saved.

The apostle does well to distinguish these, saving, “He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6), where these two are presupposed: first, believing that God is, or has a being; secondly, believing that His promise is sure and firm, that He is faithful who has promised and will make good His word; and then, thirdly, on both these follows a coming to Him as a rewarder of diligent seekers of Him.

The first two take in historical faith, for to believe that God is, is natural; to believe that God is faithful in His promise, may be in natural man; but to come to Him to get the hazard that the soul is in removed through Jesus Christ, is a thing that few do attain to. This is the first thing we would beware of — not to beware to believe the truth of the Word, but to beware of resting on it as a saving faith. It is not enough to look on Christ, and to grant that He is, but we must never be satisfied till we can lay the weight of our salvation and peace on Him in His own way.

The second thing you should beware of is some common and quickly transient work on the affections which may accompany historical faith, whether the affection of grief or the affection of joy be stirred thereby. Both are unsafe to be rested on. It is a serious mistake to take some small work on the affections (which is, at best, but an effect of historical faith) for a saving work of the Spirit. Though you should tremble as Felix did, and be under alarming convictions of conscience and fears of your hazard, or though you should be affected with joy, as the temporary believer may be and sometimes is, what will that profit you? Or if it be not an effect of historical faith, it is an effect of a challenge of conscience and smiting of the heart, as in Saul, who could say to David, “Thou art more righteous than I, my son.” Or it is some common work of the Spirit, such as was in Simon Magus, of whom it is said, he believed, and desired the apostle to pray for him.

Now, for men to conclude on this ground that they are brought out of nature into a state of grace, is to build on a sandy foundation. The apostle speaks of worldly sorrow as well as of godly sorrow. And as there may be a worldly sorrow, so there may be a carnal joy; a sort of rejoicing in prayer, or at hearing a sermon, or at a sacrament, which is not saving faith. John the Baptist's hearers rejoiced in his light for a season, they heard his word with joy, yet endured not. There is something like this in temporary faith: some remote expectation of salvation will raise a carnal joy and gladness, but when it comes to this, that a man is called to quit his lusts, or his estate, or in the world to undergo trouble and persecution for the gospel, by and by he is offended. When the storm blows in his teeth, he turns his back and runs away. We find this often in people that when they are sick, they have fits of seriousness, and sometimes flashes of sorrow under convictions, and sometimes flashes of joy, that vanish when they come to health again.

When we mention some common work of the Spirit on the affections, we mean among other things some liberty and warmness of spirit in prayer, which, no question, even unrenewed men may find more at one time than another. As when they are in some great hazard or strait, they will be more than ordinarily serious in that duty, and yet this may be but an effect of nature. This proves a great stumbling block and neck-break to many, that they think they are well enough if now and then they have utterance in prayer, words beyond what they expected, and upon reflecting find that they have been in earnest, though it was but moral seriousness which moved them in prayer instead of saving faith, so that when they pray with warmness, they think they believe. This is another thing we would bid you beware of, that you take not a flash of sense for true faith; faith is no fancy.

— to be continued —

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