Sermon 4
Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
The Gospel is a sweet message, and ought to be glad news when it comes to a people; and therefore, when this report of our Lord Jesus Christ is made to sinners, O! but it's a sad complaint that follows on the refusal and not welcoming of it; there is no better news a minister can carry, than these brought to the shepherds by the angels (Luke 2:10-11): Fear not, behold we bring you glad tidings of great joy to all people; to you is born in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord; but were it an Isaiah, it will weigh him when he looks on a fruitless ministry and despised Gospel, and will make him complain, Who has believed our report? O! that we may experimentally know the cheerfulness and gladness that follows the Gospel where it is embraced, and that we may not know the sorrow and sadness that will follow the challenge for despising of it; one of these two the preached Gospel will be, either it will be joyful news to you, or a sad ground of complaint to God against you.
We entered to speak of the great duty of a people that hears the Gospel, and the great means whereby these news become delightsome, and that is, by faith to receive the report of the Gospel, or to believe on Christ reported of in it; this is clearly implied, for the complaint which holds out the sin is, Who has believed our report? and therefore the great duty must be, to believe, and by faith to receive the report. We come now to speak of the use, and because it's the great design of the whole Gospel, indeed, it's the design of the law also, both of which level at this end and scope, even faith in Christ. It will be expedient, and no ways impertinent, that we insist a little on this, especially when so many thousands are utterly ignorant of faith, being strangers to what believing in Christ is, and so great strangers to the native end of the Gospel, and out of the way of getting good by the preaching of it, so that to this day, they have not learned this one lesson, to wit, concerning faith in Christ, and other lessons will be to little or no purpose till this be learned.
We shall not insist to speak at large of the doctrine of faith, but only in a plain way, glance at what this great duty is, that is required of the hearers of the Gospel; it's believing in Christ savingly, or saving faith, for no other thing will hold off the complaint against you; you will be complained of, though you would believe with all other faith, therefore it's this faith that is here meant.
That we may come the sooner to that which we would be at, we shall premit two or three words. First, when we speak of believing here, we presuppose these things that are necessary for clearing the object of faith and capacitating us to believe, though they be not saving faith; as namely, 1. That the offer of the Gospel must come to people, that the object of faith be held out to them, that it be told them, that there is a way for a sinner's justification through Christ Jesus, and that sinners may be accepted before God on His account, or through Him. There must also, 2. Be an understanding of this, a conceiving in the judgment what it is; folks cannot believe except they hear, and understand what they hear, in so far as distinctly to fix their faith on the thing known; they must know and understand the Mediator's fullness, the covenant's freeness, and the efficacy of faith to make Christ theirs. Indeed, 3. It's necessary there be some acquaintance with our own condition, as that we are naturally under sin, that we are lost, and under the curse, sick, and utterly unable, and even desperate to get ourselves recovered, by anything that is in, or by anything that we can do of ourselves, that we are forever undone if we get not a Savior, that our mouth may be stopped. 4. Not only must we know this, but it's necessary there be a historical faith of it, to believe that there is fullness and sufficiency in Christ, that He is able to cure, and take away the guilt of sin in all that rest on Him; these must be believed in general, ere ever sinners can rest on Him for their own salvation; which supposes that there may be a historical, where there is not a saving faith. Now when all this length is gone, saving faith is that which the Gospel calls for, and it is the heart's acting according to what sound light and conviction it has, on Jesus Christ as held out in the promise, for obtaining of life and salvation through Him; so that when the soul is lying still under its conviction, and knows it cannot have life but by resting on Christ, and hears that there is a sufficiency in Him for making up of all its wants, then the work of the Spirit prevails with the soul, to cast itself over on Him for obtaining of life, and of every other thing needful; it brings the soul to embrace and lay hold on Him, not only as one able to save sinners, but to save itself in particular; and this is the native work of faith that waits the soul to Christ, and puts it over the bound-road, or march of all delusion; it's like a sinking man's leaping to catch hold of a rock or rope; it's the bringing of a lost sinner from the serious apprehension of his own naughtiness and undone estate, to cast himself over on Jesus Christ for the obtaining of life through Him.
Secondly, when we speak of faith, we would premit this, that even this true and saving faith, which is not only in kind true, that is, such as has a real being, but is saving, may be considered in its different acts or actings for its different needs or necessities: though the covenant be one, yet the acts of faith are many, we having to do with pardon of sin, with sanctification in its parts, vivification, and mortification, with peace, etc. Faith differently acts on Christ and the promise for obtaining of these. Now, the faith that we would insist on is, the faith that rests on Christ for pardon of sin, on which all the rest of the acts of faith depend; it's that faith whereby a sinner receives Christ, and casts himself over on Him; that faith whereby union with Christ is made up.
Third, we would note that there is a great difference between faith and the effects of it, as peace, joy, assurance of God's love, and these other spiritual privileges that follow believing: it is one thing actually to believe, another thing to have the peace and joy that follows upon, and flows from believing; the one being as the putting out of the hand to receive the meat, and the other as the feeding on it: it is the first of these we mean, and intend to speak of, even that faith by which we grip Jesus Christ Himself, and get a right to all these privileges in and through Him.
Fourth, we note that even this saving faith has its degrees, as all other faith has; some have more weak faith, some stronger; some have that full assurance spoken of in Hebrews 10, or a Plerophory, not only as to the object that it is sufficient, but as to the apprehending and obtaining of life through that object; so that they are able to say, neither height nor depth, nor anything else, shall be able to separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus; we say then, that saving faith has its degrees, though the degree is not that which we speak of; but it is the kind of this faith, whether weaker or more strong, by which a lost sinner rolls itself over on Christ; the faith which puts the sinner off the ground it stood on, ever on Him; the faith which brings the soul from the covenant of works to a new holding of life by Christ and His righteousness. We shall then speak a little, 1. to what we conceive this act of saving faith is not, for precaveating of mistakes. 2. What way the Scripture expresses it; when then we say that such a thing is not saving faith, you would know that thing is not what you must lippen to; and when we say such a thing is saving faith, you would labor to act and exercise faith according to it.
First, for what saving faith is not. 1. It is not the knowing that Christ is God and Man, that He was born, was crucified, dead, and buried, and rose again; ask some, what true saving faith is? they will say it's a true knowledge; ask them again, how long is it since they believed? they will say since ever they knew good by ill; you would know that apprehensive or literal and speculative knowledge is needful, but it will not be taken for saving faith. 2. It's not a touch of warmness or liberty in the affections in a natural way, which may be in unregenerate men, indeed possibly in pagans, as in a Felix, who in the mean time, have not so much as temporary faith, because it rises not from the Word, but from dispensations of providence, or from temporary things; and if it rise from the promises of the Word, if there be no more, it's but temporary faith. 3. It is not convictions, which many take for faith, and take it for granted if they be convinced of sin, they believe, and will say, whom should they believe on but Christ, and yet they never follow the conviction, to put in practice what they are convinced of. 4. It's not simply a resolution to believe, as others take saving faith to be, who being convinced that their own righteousness will not do their turn, resolve to believe on Christ for righteousness, but they will take a convenient time to do it; and many maintain their peace with this, though it be no true peace; but a bare resolution to believe is not faith; you tend to say, there are many good wishers in Hell. I remember the words of a dying man in this place, who thought he believed before, and being asked what difference he conceived to be between the faith he had before, and the faith he now had attained to? he answered, before, I thought or resolved to believe, but never practiced it, now I practice believing: There is such a subtlety and deceit in the heart, that if it resolve to believe, and if it observably thwart not with faith, it will sit down on that as if all were done, therefore the Word is, Today if you will hear his voice, that is, today if you will believe, harden not your heart: This resolving to believe, is like a man sinking in the water, and having a rope cast out to him, he resolves to grip it, but does it not; so, many think they have the Promise beside them, and resolve to make use of it, but do not presently make use of it, and the ship sinks down, and they perish, while the Promise abides and swims above. 5. It is not prayer; there are many who think they believe when they some way repent, pray, and put their hand to other duties, and they know no more for believing but something of that kind; it is true indeed, prayer may help to believe, yet it's not always with faith, it's not every one that says, Lord, Lord, that believes; many will seek to enter that shall not be able: Folks very often have these two miserable mistakes about prayer, either they put it in the room of Christ, or in the room and place of faith, not considering that they are different things; for faith exercises itself on Christ as mediator, and prayer takes Him up as God, the true object of divine worship; though if it be not founded on Christ as mediator, it has no access; the acting of saving faith is properly on Christ held forth in the Word, and prayer is a putting up of suits according to the Word: There are many that know no more what use to make of Christ, than if He had never been incarnate, nor had come under that relation of a mediator, and make their prayers serve to make up all; whereas faith, not only respects Christ as God, but His merits as mediator and His offices. 6. Nor is faith only a believing this Word of God to be true, though we could wish many were come that length; it would make a man tremble to hear the blasphemous words that some will have, when they are asked concerning their believing the truth of the Bible; but though you were that length, it were not enough, the devils believe and tremble; the faith that we call you to, is more than historical, it's to resting on Christ, to cordial receiving of the message which He sends to you; as, suppose a king should send an embassy to a person to woo her to be his wife, it's one thing to know that there is such a king, another thing to believe that he is real in his offer, and that the woman by consenting to marry him, may be, and will be happy, and (which is yet more) actually to receive the message, and to consent to go and marry him; It's here as when Abraham's servant is sent to Rebekah (Genesis 24). She and her friends believe all the report that the servant made of his master and of his Son, that it was true, and then it's given to her option if she will go with the man, and she consents to go, and actually goes; this is it we press you to, to go with us and close the bargain, and to accept of Him, and of life through Him; by the same similitude you may know what saving faith is, and what is the difference between it and temporary faith; when the great, rich, and brave offer comes to be made to Rebekah, by a man with many camels, gold, and bracelets, when she believes that it's true, and that it's made to her, she is fain, and it may be over fain, if not somewhat vain also, that is like temporary faith; but when it comes to the articles of the contract, it's said to sinners, you must subject to Christ, and follow His will and not your own, this, this casts the bargain; thus many when they hear there is a possibility of life to be had in Christ, and much more when they hear it's to be had on good, easy, and free terms, it will make them smile, but when it comes to that (Psalm 45:10), Hearken, O daughter, and consider, forsake your father's house, or the fashions of your father's house, it halts there, and they suspend and demur to close the bargain, but saving faith goes further on, and with Rebekah, finally closes the bargain.
Secondly, the next thing is, what is saving faith, or what is it to believe in Christ? And would to God you were ready to believe, and as ready to receive the invitation as to ask the question, and that in asking the question you were in earnest; for by the way, many have asked the question, What shall we do to be saved? Where if they had been in earnest, they might have been soon resolved; the answer is at hand, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. But to them that desire further clearness or confirmation in this concerning business, we shall speak a little, yet you must know, that it's such a thing as is impossible to be made plain to a proud-humored or unhumbled sinner, it's the poor humbled soul that will take it up, and to such a soul, half a word will help to take it up.
The plainest way to set it out, as we conceive, is, to name some Scripture expressions, and similitudes, that hold it forth, the first of which is in that of Matthew 11:28. Come to me all you that are weary and heavy laden; and John 6:35, He that comes to me shall never hunger, and he that believes in me shall never thirst; readily these expressions hold out these three. First, an evil which men cleave to. Secondly, a good that is offered to them. Thirdly, a passing from the evil to the good, and so, come to me implies: 1. A hazard that people are in by being at a distance from Christ. 2. That there is access to Jesus Christ for remedying that evil, and removing of that hazard. 3. A passing from the one to the other, a passing from our own righteousness to Christ's righteousness, a passing from our natural condition to Jesus Christ, a real passing from death in ourselves, to life in Him. Most part, think faith to be a conceit, a humor, or a guessing, that they think they may have and never know how; but it's a real thing, a coming from our own righteousness, as I said, to His, from a Covenant of Works, to rest on Christ and His righteousness, held forth in the Covenant of Grace; this is somewhat explained, Romans 7, where two husbands are spoken of, a woman cannot marry another man till her first husband be dead, so, till a sinner be dead to the law, he cannot marry Christ, there must be a divorcing from the law and Covenant of Works before you can close with Christ.
The second expression is, John 1:12, where faith is held forth as a receiving of Christ, To as many as received him, he gave them power to become the sons of God, even to as many as believed on his Name; and it's well expressed in the Catechism, to be a receiving of Christ as He is offered in the Gospel. This supposes that Christ is offered to us, and that we are naturally without Him; the Gospel comes and says, Why will you die, O house of Israel? Come and receive a Savior; and the act of faith is a gripping to that offer, a receiving and embracing of it, a being well content to take a free discharge through His blood.
A third expression is, Philippians 3:12, where faith is set out as an apprehending of Christ, and Hebrews 6:18, it's called a laying hold on the hope set before us, and Isaiah 56:4, a taking hold of the covenant; all which suppose people to have a choice, as it were, laid to them, and Christ to be held out as a City of Refuge, and a shelter from that which we are in hazard of. Christ is held out in the Gospel as the City of Refuge, and the exercise of faith is to run from the hazard to Him, as a child that is chased by an unknown and uncouth body, flees to the mother's arms, or as the man-slayer fled from the Avenger of Blood to the City of Refuge; and faith having run to Him, casts itself on Him, or thrusts itself (as it were) into Him.
A fourth expression is, rolling or casting of ourselves over upon the Lord, as Psalm 55:22, Cast your burden on the Lord, and Psalm 37:5, Commit your way to the Lord, it's on the margin, roll yourself on the Lord, or rest, as it's verse 7, and ease yourself on the Lord. The Gospel lays Christ, as it were, at people's feet, and faith rolls them over on Him; it's even the soul's finding itself through the work of the Spirit, unable to stand under the burden; rolling itself on Christ, as a frail and weak body casts itself on a down-bed for ease. This is a very emphatic, significant, and active expression of faith, setting out a man quitting his own legs or feet, as unable to stand on them, and laying himself over on Christ. This is it that we call you to, even to quit your own feet, and to roll yourselves over on Christ.
A fifth expression is, Romans 10:3, where it's called a submitting to the righteousness of God; which is held out in the Gospel, thus, as if a king were proclaiming a pardon to rebels, and saying to them, for as many heinous crimes as you have committed, and are guilty of, if you will take with them, and betake yourselves to my grace and mercy, sincerely resolving to be henceforth faithful and dutiful subjects to me, I will freely pardon you; which gracious offer they most gladly accept of, and submit themselves to it. Submitting, is an acquiescing in the terms of the Gospel, as it is proposed; it's even as if you should say, we hold the bargain, and are well-content and satisfied with it. In a word, faith carves not to God the way of salvation, but sweetly submits to the way He has carved out.
A sixth expression is, hiding of ourselves in God, or in Christ, so the word trust in God, signifies, to hide ourselves in Him as in a place of refuge, according to that (Proverbs 18) the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are preserved, or hid, or, they flee to it as doves do to their windows; and this is it the Apostle has, (Philippians 3:9) that I may be found in him not having my own righteousness, etc. So that if you ask, What is faith? It's a man's betaking himself to Christ, that when he shall be called for, it may be answered, Lord, I am in Christ not having my own righteousness, etc. It is not to be lippenning to the man's good hopes, to his good prayers, or to his good meaning, but to Christ's satisfaction, and God's promise; by faith, when rightly exercised, the sinner holls and hides himself in Christ, till (to speak so) a bit of the man cannot be seen; and this is well set out by the Lord, when He says, (Isaiah 23:26) Come my people, enter into your chambers, shut the doors about you, hide yourselves for a little while, etc., come in under the Mediator's wings, lock in yourselves by faith there, and so make all sure.
A seventh expression is, (2 Chronicles 30:8) where, when Hezekiah is writing to the degenerate tribes to come home again, he bids them, yield themselves to the Lord, in the original it is, give the hand to the Lord, even as two men who have been at odds and variance, or have broken the ties that were between them, come to renew the friendship, they chop hands: now God is brought in stretching out His hands to you, (Isaiah 65:2) therefore come and close with Him, yield to Him, give Him the hand, or chop hands with Him, and make the bargain and engagement secure for the time to come; all these similitudes borrowed from men, are partly to make the nature of faith obvious and clear, partly to strengthen and confirm believers' faith.
An eighth expression is that of opening to Christ, (Song of Solomon 5:2) Open to me my dove, etc. (Revelation 3:20) Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man open the door to me, etc. (Acts 16) it's said, the Lord opened the heart of Lydia: when the Word comes, sinners' hearts are locked on God, Christ comes by His Word, and knocks hard to be in, bids open and take in the Savior, and faith discerns His voice, and gives Him entry; it's the letting of the Word sink, the making of Him welcome; it's not only the crediting of the Word as true, but the receiving of Him whom the Word offers, for the end for which He is offered; and this is, when the work of the Spirit with the Word, wakens up a stichilling, or flightering (to say so) within, and makes the heart to open to take in Christ; as one worded it well and significantly, my heart clecked as a lintseed-boll to Christ; and wherever Christ has a design of grace on the soul, and comes with power, He continues knocking, rapping and calling hard and aloud, till doors and gates be cast open to Him.
A ninth expression or similitude under which faith is held forth, is that which is ordinary, of a marriage, or of covenanting or consenting, whether in marriage or otherwise, but more especially in marriage: when Christ takes on Him the place of a wooer, ministers are His ambassadors, the Word is their instructions, wherein He bids them go tell sinners, that all things are ready, and to pray them to come to the marriage, or to marry and match with Him; and faith is a coming-away to this husband, a receiving of the word of invitation, a consenting to the marriage: it's not so much a local, as a qualitative change or mutation, we change fashions, we subscribe the contract on the terms it is laid out to us: in the bargain of grace, something is offered by God, and that is Christ and His fullness, and there is something done on our side, and that is, accepting of Him by faith; and this is not so much a saying with the tongue, as it is a believing with the heart, as it is (Romans 10:10) With the heart man believes to righteousness; it's the heart's present subscribing the marriage-contract, and going away with Christ, to live and cohabit with Him, though confession will be readily with the mouth also, as He calls for it.
A tenth expression or similitude, is that of buying, "Ho everyone" (cries the Prophet, Isaiah 55:1) "that thirsts, come to the waters, and he that has no money, come buy," etc. So (Revelation 3:18), "Buy of me eye salve," etc. It says this much, that God in the gospel sets forth, as in a market, to sinners, rich and rare wares, and good cheap, or at very low and easy rates; and that believing is like buying up of the wares; life eternal is held out on condition of believing on Christ, and the poor sinner thinks that a good bargain, for it takes no money from him. (Revelation 22:17) This is called willing, "whoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely"; the soul has a good will to the thing. It is held forth by several other expressions in the Scripture, it is called a cleaving to the Lord, or sticking to him (Joshua 23:8), and (Acts 11:23) it is called hearing, hearkening, and inclining of the ear (Isaiah 55:2-3) — an attentive, concerned, and holily greedy listening to, and taking hold of this offer; it's a cleaving to the Lord, as woodbine or ivy cleaves to an oak, because its life depends on it. And (Deuteronomy 30) and (Joshua 24) it's called a choosing of the Lord, and that upon deliberation, as knowing that we have need of him, that he is a Savior suited completely to all the necessities of our souls, and that we are warranted to believe on him; it's the native act and exercise of faith to choose Christ among all the wooers that are courting the soul. So likewise it's set out under trusting and committing (Psalm 37), "Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him"; "I know," says Paul (2 Timothy 1:12), "he is able to keep that which I have committed to him"; it's to give Christ the credit of your salvation; it's one thing to give a man the credit that he is true, and another thing to entrust him with our greatest concerns; we will credit many whom we will not thus entrust ourselves to, nor commit our concerns to; the former (when these are applied to God) is historical faith, but this latter is saving faith, when we dare trust and entrust ourselves to him, and to his word, and we think this expression holds forth as much of the nature of saving faith as any of the former, if we could take it up, when we dare entrust ourselves to him because he has said the word. Thus also to act and exercise faith on him, for temporal, or for spiritual things, it's to expect the event from God, but so, as we expect and look for it on this ground, that Christ has purchased it, and we have accepted him on his offer, which gives us a right to these things needful for us, and purchased by him. It's said (Matthew 22:5), when the invitation comes, that some made light of it, but faith, on the contrary, is a laying weight on it, and an entrusting of ourselves to God on that ground. It's called (Romans 6) a delivering up of ourselves to the word, and to him in it; it's even to put a blank in Christ's hand, to be filled up as he pleases.
You see then what you are called to, it is to open to Christ, to come to him, to marry him, to roll yourselves on him, to commit yourselves to him, to give him credit, etc., and is there any of these unreasonable or prejudicial to you? And if they be very reasonable and advantageous, (as indeed they are,) we would exhort you to come to him, to receive him, to apprehend him, to flee to him, to take hold of him, to marry him, etc. Believe on him, and by believing, be united to him, and get a right to him, and to all his purchase; give him the credit of saving your souls. This we call for from you, and if you do it not, the complaint in the text will stand against you, "Who has believed our report?"
