Faith No Fancy (5)

Probably you may think that if Isaiah were a preacher now, people would be moved by his sermons; that Hosea, who called his hearers to the Most High, would not be compelled to complain now that none at all would exalt him. Or you may be disposed to think those were God's preachers under the Old Testament; under the gospel, when the veil is laid by and when Christ Himself and His apostles come to preach the gospel, it should be otherwise. Yet John the Baptist, who was Christ's harbinger, a burning and a shining light, a staid and fixed man, not a reed shaken with the wind (as many of us are too much), a prophet, yea, more than a prophet, yet when he preached, many of his hearers rejected the counsel of God against themselves.

John came preaching austerely, and they said, “He hath a devil,” and if there was any rejoicing in his light, it was but for a season. And Paul, that chosen vessel, how often was he persecuted? And he makes the same complaint, in the same words that Isaiah used, of his hearers, especially of the Jews, and was constrained to teil them that he and his fellow-preachers behooved to quit them and betake themselves to the Gentiles. And how does he complain of the Corinthians and Galatians, and of their being bewitched, and suddenly seduced and drawn away from the truth and the simplicity of the gospel by some self-seeking, false ministers, coming with counterfeits!

We shall close this with the consideration of our Lord Jesus, who was a none-such preacher, of whom it is said that He spake with power, and not as the scribes. And when He was opening that sweet text from Isaiah 61, it is said, “They all wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth”; and the officers who came to take Him said that never man spake as He spoke. Yet His complaint is the same: “How often would I have gathered thy children together…and ye would not!” He came to His own, and His own received Him not. Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum were lifted up to heaven by the Lord's preaching to them in person, and yet woe after woe is denounced against them, because they believed not, for all His preaching.

It is a wonder if we look through the history of the gospel, how many a sweet sermon He made, and with what weight and power He spoke, sometimes with tears, and withal backed His word with miracles that made His hearers acknowledge the finger of God. And yet, how few were brought to believe on Him! So that He makes the very complaint as Isaiah, saying, “Who hath believed our report?”

Is it not a wonder, when He and His apostles preached so much and so long, that the church was so little a flock, and believers so few in number, even after His ascension? Need we any further proof that the gospel, where it comes, gets but little welcome? The behavior of many among ourselves is a sad proof of it. We are afraid that many of you do not believe to this day, though there has been among you much long toil for many years and powerful preaching of the gospel, but still live without faith.

If this be not enough to clear the complaint, then see how Christ speaks of it in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13), where three sorts of ground are mentioned that never bring forth good fruit. There He speaks not only of the time of His own personal ministry, but of all other times. Look to the ordinary and daily effect, or rather consequence of this preached gospel, and it will prove the thing. Do not many perish? Do not many crowd thick in the broad way that leads to destruction? And but very few fruits appear? Is there not little, lamentably little, of a real change in the way and walk of most to be seen?

Go through the several ranks of persons who in God's account are unbelievers. First then consider the grossly profane that are never so much as civilized. Secondly, the ignorant, stupid, and senseless, that never mind their own souls, are never afraid of wrath, nor in the least concerned to make their peace with God. Thirdly, the earthly minded, that think of nothing but the world. Fourthly, those of a civil outward carriage, that have some good works, and, as they think, some good days, too, and yet come not near Christ to close with Him. Fifthly, the hypocrites of all sorts, both the presuming hypocrites that will thank God they are better than their neighbors, and yet trust not to Christ and free grace through Him, but seek to establish their own righteousness, gross as it is; and the legal hypocrites that never denied their own righteousness, nor submitted to the righteousness of Christ.

Lay aside all these, I say, and we leave it to your own consciences to judge how few will be found to have saving faith. Therefore I am persuaded, if there be any truth of God delivered to you, that this is truth: Though the gospel be preached to many, yet there are but few hearers that do actually believe in Jesus Christ to the saving of their souls.

I beseech you to let this sink deep into your mind, as the truth of God, for these reasons:

1. Because it is a most useful truth, and if it were believed, would make people very watchful over themselves, and to tremble for fear lest they be found among the multitude that believe not, and put them to secure their interest in God, and not to rest on a fashion and form of religion without observing what fruit follows on the gospel. Among the many evils that undo multitudes, we think this is not the least, that this truth is never thoroughly fixed in them. They think there are many heathens without the church, and many gross swearers, drunkards, and other such within it, who will perish, but none others, or at least but very few who, among a professing people, do perish. Neither can they be induced to think it such a hard matter to find one or a very few who are believers in a country; so that if Isaiah were now alive to cry, “Who believes our report?” each of them would be ready to answer, “I believe.”

2. Because for as certain and useful a truth as this is, yet generally it is not believed. People cannot think that so few believe, and that believing is so difficult and rare a thing. I would ask you this question, Was it ever a difficulty to any of you to believe? If not, what is it that makes believing so rare? What shouid move the prophet thus to complain, “Who hath believed our report?” I shall briefly give you some evidences that many of you do not really believe this truth.

The first is that so few of you tremble at the Word of God. This is given as a property of a suitable hearer of the gospel to whom the Lord will look (Isaiah 66:1-2), that he is one who trembles at the Word. But the most part of you that hear the gospel are like these pillars on which the house stands, which are never so much as once moved by the Word. You either take not faith to be an absolutely necessary thing and that you must perish without it, or you think that the faith that you were born with will do your business. You do not believe that you are by nature under the power of the devil, and led captive by him at his will; and that without holiness and a spiritual, gracious frame and stamp on your heart and way, you shall never see God.

A second evidence is that there is so little preparation made to prevent your eternal hazard. It is said of Noah that he, being warned of God, prepared an ark, and this is attributed to his faith. It is not possible that you should live so negligently and carelessly if you believed that the curse of God were pursuing you, and that you will be brought to give an account for that which you have done in the body, and that you will meet God as an enemy. If this were believed, though your hearts were harder than they are, it would make you tremble and bring you to other kinds of thoughts and to more seriousness.

A third evidence is that there is not fruit of faith among many of you, for where it is, it cannot be altogether smothered, but will show itself one way or other. And if you will still assert your faith, I would say to you as James does to those to whom he writes, “Show me your faith by your works.” If you say, “God knows,” I answer that you shall find that to be a truth that He knows, and He will make you know that He does so, but alas! that poor shift will not avail you when it comes to the trial. Oh, try your faith by your works: see what mortification of lusts, what repentance from dead works, what growth in knowledge, what shining of holiness in your conversation is attained to. Many heathens have been as free of vice, and more profitable to others, than many of you are, and cared as little for the world as many of you do. To live honestly, as you call it, what is that? There are many heathens who have gone beyond you in that. We will not say that moral honesty is nothing, but surely it is not all. All the fruits of mere moral honesty are but sour fruits that will set your teeth on edge. Neither is it your hearing of the Word only, but your believing and doing of it that will profit you.

A fourth evidence is the want of that work of the Spirit of God that accompanies faith. Faith is the special work of the Spirit, and a gracious work of God. It is wrought by the exceeding mighty power of God whereby He raised Christ from the dead, and by that same power He works in them that believe. Now did you ever know what this work meant? Did you ever find it to be difficult work to believe? Did you ever know what it was to have the Spirit of God constraining your heart to believe? I speak not of any extraordinary thing, but certainly faith is not natural, nor does it come from pure nature, and wherever it is, it manifests itself by works, and evidences the power of the Spirit in the working thereof. There are sad evidences of bitter fruits that spring from this root, namely, people's being strangers to the experimental knowledge of the work of faith, as when men know no more difficulty to get Christ and to rest on Christ than to believe a story of Julius Caesar; when people say that they believed all their days, and believed always ever since they knew good from evil; and though their faith is not true faith, but a fancy, yet they will not quit it, and it is impossible for men to get them convinced that they want faith; when men never knew what it is to be without faith. It is one of the great works of the Spirit to convince us of the want of faith. Men, not under the special work of the Spirit, will be easily convinced that Sabbath-breaking, stealing, bearing false witness, e t c , are sins; but how many of you have been convinced of the want of faith?

— to be continued —

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