Faith No Fancy (9)

A sixth reason is this: People drink in some carnal principles which have no warrant in the Word of God, and accordingly square everything that comes in their way. They lay it down for a ground that men should never doubt of God's mercy. Now we do not say that people should doubt of God's being most real in His revelation of mercy to sinners in the gospel, but from that it does not follow that none should doubt of God's love to them or of their coming to heaven, whether they close with Christ or not. Are there not many whom God curses? And should not these doubt?

Another carnal principle is that there is no such reality in the threatenings of God as there is in His promises, as if God were utterly averse to executing His threats and as if it were a rare thing for Him to condemn any. Is there anything more opposite to Scripture than this principle? Has He not said in the same place, to wit, Exodus 34, where He proclaims Himself to be gracious, merciful, longsuffering, etc , that He is a God that will not clear the guilty? And has not Scripture said that it is but a remnant that are saved; as it were, here one and there one, and that there are many damned for one that is saved?

But know it for certain that He will make you one day vomit up these principles with exquisite torment, when out of your own mouth He will convince you of your mistake and delusion

When people lack many things, they think they can make up for these wants with an honest mind: this supplies your want of knowledge, your want of faith and repentance, and everything whereof you are said to be short. Though you live and may die carnal and unrenewed, yet you still think you have an honest mind or heart for all that. And what, I pray, is your honest mind but a rotten and profane heart that veils your hypocrisy with a pretext of honesty? Would you think that man honest, spoken of in Isaiah 44, who with one part of a tree warmed himself, and with another part made a god and fell down and prayed to it? And yet in your sense he has an honest mind, for he follows his light (which is but darkness), the deceit of his heart carrying him away from God though he cannot see it. He discerns not, because he considers not that there is a lie in his hand, and that a deceived heart has led him aside.

So it is with you; and if many of you saw what is latent under that honest heart and mind, there could be nothing that would make you loathe yourselves more. A little time will convince you that that which you looked for most good from was your greatest and most treacherous enemy: “He that trusts in his own heart is a fool,” said Solomon. It supposes that people are ready to trust to their heart, and to hearken to the language of their hearts concerning their spiritual state, but it says also that they are fools that do so, for it betrays them, and there is no folly comparable to that whereby a man betrays his own soul; and so he does who trusts in his own heart.

A seventh reason is from the deceitfulness of our heart, and the natural corruption that sticks to us. There is naturally in us pride and self-conceit. We are disposed and given to anything that is our own (though it be but a show), that it is as good as others' reality; to think our own light and knowledge, our own parts and gifts, to be as good as those of any others, whosoever they be. And with pride there is joined self-love. We cannot abide to think evil of ourselves or to suspect ourselves, though this self-love is indeed self-hatred, and is but love to our corruptions, and makes us, while we live in enmity to God, to think that we love Him, so that we cannot be induced to think that we love Him not.

For we know that the love of God is good, and we love ourselves too well that we cannot endure to think that we have not that love. Hence it is said of some in the last times, in 2 Timothy 3, that they shall be covetous, proud, boasters, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, etc , having a form of godliness, and denying the power of it; and the fountain of all is self-love, for men shall be lovers of their own selves.

And as self-love is the fountain of much evil, so it is the fountain of self-deceit, and keeps out anything which may make men question their own condition, so that if a word comes in and says, You have no ground for your faith, the heart will be ready to answer and say, It cannot be that I am a self-deceiver. Self-love, as a partial judge, will offer to vindicate the man, and so makes him shift the challenge.

Now when all these are put together, you may see how many grounds people have to go wrong upon. Men, having hearts disposing and inclining them to go wrong, and little pains being taken to discover the deceit of them, is it any wonder that they think they believe, when indeed they believe not, but are empty-handed, having little or nothing to rest upon, while they think they are rich and want nothing?

In all which it is our design and scope to bring you to try your long unquestioned peace.

These are not fancied and farfetched things, but obvious and at hand, and may easily be gathered from your daily practice. In all which it is our design and scope to bring you to try your long unquestioned peace. Do not think that it is impossible to be thus persuaded, as many of you are, and yet to be mistaken (which is another ground for men's deceit), for Laodicea was very confident in thinking herself to be rich and increased with goods, and to stand in need of nothing, when she was in the meantime poor, blind, miserable, wretched, and naked. And the Galatians, as we may see in chapter 5:8, had a persuasion which was not of God.

As there may be a persuasion of a point of doctrine as being right, which yet is an error, so there may be a persuasion of man's spiritual state as being right, and which he will stoutly maintain to be so, while in the meantime that persuasion is not of God that calls him, but a strong delusion. If all is faith that you call faith, then certainly the way to heaven is much broader than the Scriptures have chalked it out, and ministers need not complain, “Who hath believed our report?” for all should thus believe it. It will then, and must then turn to this, that your persuasion is not of Him that calls you. And if deceit may lie and lurk under this persuasion of yours, you have certainly so much the more need to put the business to trial.

Need we make use of motives to press you to this trial of your faith, and to this giving of all diligence to make it sure, who have especially hitherto neglected it? If there was so much counterfeit money in the country that it were a rare thing to get one good and genuine piece of money, you would think yourselves greatly concerned and obliged to try it well, lest you were cheated with base and counterfeit coins. Is there not need then, yea infinitely much more need for them that would be so wise as not to be beguiled about the salvation of their souls, to search and try whether their faith will abide God's trial or not?

You will readily offer this question: What then are the characters or evidences of a solid and real faith that will abide the trial, by which the fancied faith that is among the men of this generation, may be examined and put to a just trial?

I shall first name some direct Scriptures, holding out some things essentially accompanying faith; and then I shall add others, having more condescending characters for the more particular differencing of this, and helping to the decision of this great question.

— to be continued —

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