SERM.

XLI.

But how dangerous and mischievous a thing it is, to give this deference to our senses, so as to suffer them to govern or influence our minds and actions either wholly or in part, none of us but may have found by our own experience. This being indeed the occasion of the greatest part of those errors which men are so prone to fall into, both in opinion and practice; from whence comes it to pass, that so many are addicted to intemperance, drunkenness, uncleanness, and the like brutal vices, but that they are wholly under the power and dominion of their sensual appetite? Why are men so earnest in their desires, so eager in their pursuit of earthly riches, but that they look no farther than things temporal, and are so solicitous about their bodies, that they take no care at all of their souls, or future estate? Why do men rob and steal, cheat and over-reach one another, [Rom. 13. but to "make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts 14.] thereof?" Why are they so impatient under any calamity that befals them, so angry and revengeful against the instruments of it, but because it is grievous to flesh and blood, how much soever it may conduce to their souls' good? Why are they so ambitious of honour, credit, and applause from their fellow-creatures, but because it tickles their ears, and pleaseth their fancies to hear and see themselves commended and respected by them? From whence come wars and strivings among you? Come they not from hence, as St. James 4.1. James saith, "Even of your lusts that war in your members?" Why will not men endure sound doctrines, but 2 Tim. 4. 3. because, as St. Paul speaks, "They after their own lusts heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears?" In short, what should be the reason that there now are, and always have been so many sects and heresies, such schism and sedition in the Church, but because men study more to gratify their humours, and please their flesh, than to save their souls? Why else should the Apostle reckon "sediGal. 5. 20. tions" and "heresies" among the "works" of the "flesh" which "lusteth against the Spirit?"

Thus I might instance in most other sins, and shew how the great reason why we fall so often into them, is because we follow the bent and inclination of our senses, which hurry us into all manner of vice before we are aware of it,

but this may suffice from whence to demonstrate how much it concerns us to live above our bodies, and not to indulge our senses any longer, but to bring them into a constant subjection to our souls. This philosophy taught, but could never practise; neither can we ever attain to it but by the constant exercise of that faith which the Gospel requires of us, as the principle of a Christian's life and actions; for as brute beasts live by sense, and men by reason, a Christian, as such, lives by faith, which raiseth up his mind so far above all sensible objects, that they have little or no force or power at all over him; and this is that which distinguishes a Christian from all other men, that whilst others live by sense or sight, so as to be wholly taken up with the affairs of this life, and those sensible objects they meet with here below; he that is a true Christian, a real disciple of the blessed Jesus, he lives by faith as the Apostle here speaks, in the name of all true Christians, "We walk," saith he," by faith, and not by sight."

Which words containing a plain and full description of a Christian's life, such as we all, I hope, desire to lead, it cannot but behove us very much to understand the full extent and latitude of them, that so we may know how to live as becometh Christians indeed; for which purpose we may first observe that the Apostle is here speaking of our pilgrimage in this world, and saith in the verse before my text, “That whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord," that is, we are not so near Him, nor enjoy Him so as we shall do in the other world; "For," saith he, "we walk by faith, and not by sight;" that is, so long as we are here upon earth we do not see God “face to [1 Cor. 13. face," as we shall do hereafter in Heaven; but howsoever, 12.] by faith we both see and enjoy Him already, and it is not by sight, but by faith that we walk whilst we are here in the body; but the words being included in a parenthesis, they may very well be looked upon as an entire proposition of themselves, as they plainly are, and so I shall consider them at present, even not in a limited, but in the largest sense they are capable of, as representing to us the way and manner of a Christian's life in this world; it is a life of faith; to which purpose is that of the Prophet, "The just Habac. 2. 4.

T

XLI.

SERM. shall live by his faith," which is thrice quoted by the Apostle with reference to the life that now is, as well as to that Gal. 3. 11; which is to come. As it is by faith that the just shall come

[Rom.1.17;

Heb. 10.

38.]

to Heaven and live there, so it is by faith that they live here upon earth too. And it is their living by faith upon earth whereby they come to live in Heaven. There it is true they live by sight and not by faith; but that we shall never do, except we first live by faith and not by sight.

Now to understand how to do this, we must consider two things; first, what that faith is by which we ought to walk; and then, how we ought to walk by it. As for the first, I know not whom we can better consult than the Apostle himself, who as he here tells us, that he and all other Christians walk by faith, so elsewhere he tells us what that Heb. 11.1. faith is, by which they walk: "Faith," saith he, "is the

substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen," where we have the true nature and notion of faith described, as it respects both the promises which God hath made us, and the truths which He hath revealed to us.

First, in respect of the promises which He hath made us, it is the substance of things hoped for. That is, whereas it hath pleased the Most High God, of His infinite mercy in Jesus Christ our Lord, to promise all good things to us, both for this life and the next, although we have them not as yet, we cannot but hope for them and faith is the substance of all these things which we thus hope for at the hands of God; or as the Syriac translation renders the words, It is a full persuasion of those things which are in hope, as if they were in act, for they being promised by God who cannot lie, if we really believe His Word, we cannot but be as confident that we shall have them, as if we already had them. So that faith puts us as it were, into the actual possession of them, and so is the very substance of them to [Ad. Ep.ad us for as St. Chrysostom observes, whereas those things Opp. tom. which are in hope, seem not to subsist, mioris voorαoi aurois και απο χαρίζεται, faith gives them a subsistence, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ χαρίζεται ἀλλ ̓ αὐτο ἐστιν ούσια αὐτῶν, “ or rather it doth not give it them, but itself is the very essence of them.' So that by faith I am as certain of them in my mind, as if I had them in my hand.

Heb. c. xi.

xii.p.197,B.

<

Yea, by a true and steadfast faith in the promises of God I really enjoy what He hath promised. Thus we find this Apostle acting the faith which he here describes. "For," Heb.13.5,6. saith he, "God hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." Where we may observe how he applies the promise to himself, and looks upon it as actually fulfilled to him. Seeing God had promised He would not leave him, therefore he concludes He doth not; seeing God had said, "I will be thy Helper," he confidently affirms that He is so, "He is my Helper." So that faith was plainly the substance of the thing promised to him. Thus it is in all the promises which God hath made and sealed to us in the blood of Christ; if we certainly believe that they are, they are most certainly performed to us; our believing in them not only giving us a right and title to the things promised, but putting us into the actual possession of them; for as much as this is the only condition required in order to the performance of all God's promises, that we really believe that He will perform them to us: hence it is that nothing can withstand a firm and steadfast faith in God, as our Saviour Himself assures us, saying, "Have faith in God; for verily I say unto you, Mark 11.22, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith." And hence also it is, that He so often saith unto those which He cured of any distemper, "Thy faith hath saved thee," and "thy faith hath made thee whole;" and to the two blind men, "According to your faith, be it unto you." By all which Matt. 9. 29. expressions He plainly intimates to us, that according as we do or do not believe in God, accordingly we have or have not the good things that He hath promised to us, and by consequence, that it is our faith that is the substance of them, or that which causeth them to subsist and be actually performed to us, yea, itself is so far the essence or subsistence of them, that by our very believing we do really enjoy them.

But this being a notion, which if rightly apprehended and

23.

XLI.

SERM. applied, will be of extraordinary use to us through our whole lives, in order to our living aright by faith, I shall explain it farther to you in some particular instances, such especially wherein it may be of more frequent and necessary

Ezek. 36. 26, 27.

use to us.

First, therefore, we know, that Almighty God, the Fountain of all Goodness, hath often promised not only to do us good, but to make us good, to give us such assistances of His own grace and Spirit, whereby we may be enabled to serve Him with a perfect heart and a willing mind. “A new heart," saith He, " will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them." Jer. 31. 33. "And this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days," saith the Lord, "I will put My Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be My people." There are many such exceeding great and precious promises given 2 Pet. 1. 4. us by God, "That by them," as St. Peter saith, "we might be partakers of the Divine Nature." Now these and such like promises being made us by God, by Truth, and Veracity itself, as we have all the reason in the world to believe them, so by our believing of them we have them really fulfilled to us. God hath said, "I will give you My Spirit to make you holy." I take Him at His word, I believe verily He will do as He hath said, and upon my thus believing of it, I have the Spirit, and so partake of the Divine Nature according to His promise. Hence it is, that the mortifying our lusts, the purifying of our hearts, the sanctifying of our natures, is ascribed to our faith, not in itself, but as it lays hold upon the promise of God's Spirit, who therefore doth it for us. 1 John 5.4. "This is the victory," saith St. John, " that overcometh the world, even our faith." Why so? But because by it we Rom. 8. 13. partake of God's Spirit, whereby we "mortify the deeds. of the flesh," as the Apostle speaks, and so overcome the temptations of the world. Thus elsewhere we read, that Acts 15. 9. God "purifies our hearts by faith," and that we "are sanctified by faith that is in Christ Jesus." How by faith; but

Acts 26. 18.