LIFE OF FAITH.. 401 it that you stir not, and make it not appear,by the diligenceofyour lives, and the fervor of your duties, and the seriousness of your endeavors, that such wònderful, inexpressible, overpowering things, are indeed the matters of your belief? As you love your souls, take heed lest you take an image of faith to be the thing itself. Faith sets on work the powers ofthe soul, for the obtainingof that joy and the escaping of that misery which you believe. But the image of faith in self-deceivers neither warms nor works; it con- quereth not difficulties; it stirs not up to faithful duty. It is blind, and therefore seeth not God ; and how then should he be feared and loved ? It seeth not hell, and therefore the senseless soul goes on as fearlessly and merrily 'to the unquenchable fire as if he were in the safest way. This image of faith annihilateth the most po- tent.objects, as to any dye impression on the soul. God is as no God, and heaven as no heaven to these imaginary Christians. If a prince be in the room, an imagereverenceth him not. If music and feasting be there, an image finds no pleasure in them. If fire and sword be there, an image fears them not. You may perceive by the senseless, neglebtful carriage of ungodly, men, that they sae not by faith the God that they should love and fear ; the heaven that they should seek and wait for, or the hell that they should with all possible care avoid. He is indeed the true believer that (allowing the difference of degrees) doth pray as if he saw the Lord ; and speak and live as always in his presence ; and redeem his time as ifhe were to die to- morrow, or as one that seeth death approach, and ready today hands upon him ; that begs and cries to God in prayer, as one that foreseeth the day of judgment, and the endless joy or misery that followeth ; that bestirreth him for everlasting life, as ope thatseeth heaven and hell by the eye of faith. Faith is a serious apprehension, and causeth a serious conversation ; for it is instead òf'sight and presence. . From all this you mayeasily and certainly infer, 1. That true faith is a jewel rare and'precious ; and not so common as nominal, careless Christians think. ' What,' say they, ' are we not all be- lievers ? - Will you make infidels of all that are not saints? Are none Christians but those that live so strictly ?' Answ. I know they are not infidels by profession ; but what they are indeed, and what God will take them for, you may soon perceive, by compar- ing the description of faithwith. the inscription legible on their lives. It is common.to say, ' I do believe ;' but is it common to find men pray and live as those that dobelieve indeed ? It is both in works of charity andof piety, that a living faith will show itself. I will not therefore contend about the name. If you are ungodly, unjust, or uncharitable, and yet will call yourselves believers, you may keep the name, and see whether it will save you. Have you VOL. II. 51 r
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=