Chapter 21: The Believer's Objections Answered

There are three great objections which he makes: Object 1. Alas, says he, I cannot tell whether I have faith or no?

Answer. Have you no faith? How did you come to see it? A blind man cannot see: you cannot see the want of grace, but by the light of grace. Question. But surely, if I had faith I should discern it? Answer 1. You may have faith, and not know it: a man may seek for that sometimes which he has in his hand. Mary was with Christ, she saw him, she spoke with him, yet her eyes were held that she did not know it was Christ: the child lives in the womb, yet does not know that it lives. 2. Faith often lies hid in the heart, and we see it not for want of search; the fire lies hid in the embers, but blow aside the ashes, and it is discernible: faith may be hid under fears, temptations; but blow away the ashes. You prize faith; if you had a thousand jewels lying by, you would part with all for this jewel: no man can prize grace but he that has it. You desire faith, the true desire of faith is faith. You mourn for want of faith; dispute not, but believe; what are these tears but the seeds of faith?

Object 2. But my faith is weak, the hand of it so trembles, that I fear it will hardly lay hold upon Christ?

Answer. There are seven things which I shall say in reply to this. 1. A little faith is faith; as a sparkle of fire is fire: though the pearl of faith be little, if it be a true pearl, it shines in God's eyes. This little grace is the seed of God, and it shall never die, but live as a sparkle in the main sea. 2. A weak faith will entitle us to Christ as well as a stronger. To them that have obtained like precious faith (2 Peter 1:1) — not but that there are degrees of faith; as faith purifies, so all faith is not alike — one is more than another; but as faith justifies, faith is alike precious; the weakest faith justifies as well as the faith of the most eminent saint; a weak hand will receive the alms: for a man to doubt of his grace because it is weak, is rather to rely upon grace, than upon Christ. 3. The promise is not made to strong faith, but to true. The promise does not say, whoever has a faith that can remove mountains, that can stop the mouth of lions, shall be saved; but whoever believes, be his faith never so small, the promise is made to true faith, and for the most part to weak. What is a grain of mustard seed, what is a bruised reed, but the emblem of a weak faith? Yet the promise is made to these: A bruised reed he will not break. The words are a miosis, where the lesser is put for the greater: He will not break — that is, he will bind up: though Christ chides a weak faith, yet that it may not be discouraged, he makes a promise to it. Hierom observes upon the Beatitudes, there are many of the promises made to weak grace (Matthew 5:3): Blessed are the poor in spirit; Blessed are they that mourn (verse 4); Blessed are they that hunger (verse 5).

4. A weak faith may be fruitful; weakest things do multiply most. The vine is a weak tree, it is born up and underpropped, but it is fruitful; it is made in Scripture the emblem of fruitfulness. The thief on the cross, when he was newly converted, he had but a weak faith; but how many precious clusters grew upon that vine! (Luke 23:40). He chides his fellow thief; Do you not fear God? He falls to self-judging, we indeed suffer justly: he believes in Christ when he said, Lord: he makes a heavenly prayer, remember me when you come into your kingdom: here was a young plant, but very fruitful. Weak Christians often are more fruitful in affections; how strong is the first love, which is after the first planting of faith!

5. A Christian may mistake, and think he is weak in faith because he is weak in assurance, whereas faith may be strongest when assurance is weakest; assurance is rather the fruit of faith: the woman of Canaan was weak in assurance, but was strong in faith. Christ gives her three repulses, but her faith stands the shot; she pursues Christ with a holy obstinacy of faith, insomuch that Christ sets a trophy of honor upon her faith, O woman, great is your faith: it may be a strong faith, though it does not see the print of the nails: it is a heroic faith that can swim against wind and tide, believe against hope. Christ sets the crown upon the head of faith, not of assurance (John 20:29): Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

6. God has most care of weak believers; the mother tends the weak child most: God will gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom. The Lord had a great care of his weak tribes: when Israel marched towards Canaan, the tribes were divided into several companies or brigades: now it is observable, all the weak tribes were not put together, lest perhaps they should discourage one another, and so have fainted in their march; but God puts a strong tribe to two weak tribes; as Issachar, Zebulon, two weak tribes, and Judah a victorious tribe; therefore he gives the lion in his standard: surely this was not without a mystery; to show what care God has of his weak children, Christ the Lion of the tribe of Judah shall be joined to them.

7. Weak faith is a growing faith; it is resembled by the grain of mustard seed, of all seeds the least; but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Faith must have a growing time; the seed springs up by degrees; first the blade, and then the ear, and then the full corn in the ear: the strongest faith has sometimes been weak. The faith that has been renowned in the world, was once in its infancy and minority: grace is like the waters of the sanctuary, which did rise higher and higher. Wait on the ordinances, these are the breasts to nourish faith: be not discouraged at your weak faith, though it be now in the blossom and bud, it will come to the full flower.

Object 3. But, says a child of God, I fear I am not elected?

What, a believer and not elected? Who told you that you were not elected? Do you have any skill in the black book of reprobation? The angels cannot unclasp this book, and will you meddle with it? Which is our duty to study — God's secret will, or his revealed? It is a sin for any man to say he is a reprobate. That which keeps him in sin must needs be a sin; but this opinion keeps him in sin — it cuts the sinews of endeavor. Who will take pains for heaven that gives up himself for lost? O believer, be of good comfort; you need not look into the book of God's decree, but look into the book of your heart, and see what is written there: he that finds the Bible copied out into his heart, his nature transformed, the bias of his will changed, the signature and engravings of the Holy Ghost upon him — he does not look like a reprobate.

When you see the fruits of the earth spring up, you conclude the sun has been there. It is hard to climb up into election; but if we find the fruits of holiness springing up in our hearts, we may conclude the Sun of Righteousness has risen there (2 Thessalonians 2:13). God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation by the sanctification of the Spirit. By our sanctification we must calculate our election. Indeed, God in saving us begins at the highest link in the chain — election; but we must begin at the lowest link of the chain, sanctification, and so ascend higher.

Therefore, laying aside all disputes, let me pour in of the wine of consolation. You who are a believer — and though you will not affirm it, yet you dare not deny it without sin — let me do two things: show you your happiness, then your duty.

1. Behold your happiness: all the things which you have heard of, present and to come, are your portion and prerogative. What shall I say to you? All my apprehensions fall short: when I speak of things to come, I know not how to express myself but by a deep silence and astonishment. O the magnitude and magnificence of the saints' glory! The ascent to it is so high that it is too high for any man's thoughts to climb: the most sublime spirit would here be too low and inadequate. How happy are you, O believer, if God himself can make you blessed — you shall be so: if being invested with Christ's robes, enameled with his beauty, replenished with his love; if all the dimensions of glory will make you blessed, you shall be so. O the infinite superlative happiness of a believer! All things to come are his. What — to have the same inheritance with the angels, those blessed spirits! No, to speak with reverence, to have a partnership with God himself — to share in the same love, to be enriched with the same glory which did sparkle forth in the human nature of Christ (John 17:22)! How amazing is this! The thoughts of it are enough to swallow us up. O what an inheritance is he born to, who is new born? Suppose he is poor in the world and despised — (the King of the Moors was offended at religion, because the professors of it were poor) — I say to him as our Savior, Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God (Luke 6:20). All things to come are yours. Who would not be a believer! O that I might draw such to Christ as yet stand out.

2. Learn your duty. Mercy calls for duty.