Faith purifies the heart, Acts xv. 9. Now, none of their conquests reached the heart. Their longest ladder was too short to reach the walls of this castle ; they swept the door, trimmed a few outward rooms, but the seat and sink of all (in the corruption of man's nature) was never cleansed by them ; so that the fire of lust was rather pent in than put out. How is it possible that could be cleansed, the filthiness of which was never known to them? Alas! they never looked so near themselves as to find that enemy within them which they thought was without. Thus, while they laboured to keep the thief out, he was within, and they knew it not ; for they did either proudly think that the soul was natyrally endued with principles of virtue, or vainly imagined it to be but an abrasa tabula — white paper, on which they might write good or evil, as they pleased. Thus, yovi see, the seat of their war was in the world without them, which after some sort they conquered ; but the lust within remained untouched, because a terra i7icopiita to them. It is faith that first discovers this. Secondly, Faith's victory is imiform. Sin, in Scripture, is called ' a body,' Rom. vi. 6, because made up of several members, or as the body of an army, con- sisting of many troops and regiments. It is one thing to beat a troop, or put a wing of an army to flight, and another thing to rout and break the whole aiuny. Something hath been done by moral principles like the former ; they have got some petty victory, and had the chase of some more gross and exterior sins ; but then they were fearfully beaten by some other of sin's troops. When they seemed to triumph over the lust of the flesh and eye, the world's profits and pleasiu'es, they were at the same time slaves to the pride of life, mere glories animalia, kept in chains by the credit and applause of the world. As the sea, which, they say, loses as much in one place of the land as it gains in another ; so what they got in a seeming victory over one siji, they lost again b}^ being in bondage to another, and that a worse, because more spiritual. But now faith is uniform, and routs the whole body of sin, that not one single lust stands in its unbroken strength : ' Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace,' Rom. vi. 14. Sin may stir like a woiuided soldier on his knees, — it may rally like broken troops, but never be long master of the field where true faith is. Thirdly, Faith enables the soul not only to quench these lusts, but the temptation being quenched, it enables him to use the world itself against Satan, and so beat him with his own weapons, by striking his own cudgels at his head. Faith quenches the fire of Satan's darts, and then shoots them back on him. This it doth by reducing all the enjoyments of the world which the Christian is possessed of into a subordination for the glory of God. Some of the heathen's admired champions, to cure the lust of the eye, have plucked them out ; to shew the contempt of riches, have thrown their money into the sea ; to conquer the world's honour and applause, have sequestered themselves from all company. Shall we call this a victory, or rather a frenzy ? But faith enables us to accomplish a nobler conquest. Indeed, when God calls for any of these enjoyments, faith can lay all at Christ's feet ; but while God allows them, faith's skill and power is in correcting the flatulent nature of them, so that what on a wicked heart rots and corrupts, by faith turns to good nourishment in a gi-acious spul. If a house were on fire, which would you count the wiser man, he that goes to quench it by pulling the house down, or he that by throwing water on it doth this as fully, and leaves the house standing for your use? The heathen, and some superstitious persons, think to mortify by taking away what God gives us leave to use ; but faith puts out the fire of lust in the heart, and leaves the creature to be improved for God's glory, and enjoyed to the Christian's comfort.
First, This may be a touchstone for our faith. Is thy faith a temptation- quenching faith? Many say they believe : yes, that they do! They thank God they are not infidels. Well, what exploits canst thou do with thy faith? Is it able to defend thee in a day of battle, and cover thy soul in safety when Satan's darts fly thick about thee? or is it such a sorry shield that it lets every arrow of temptation pierce thy heart through it ? Thou believest, but still as great a slave to thy lust as ever. When a good fellow calls thee out to a drunken meeting, thy faith cannot keep thee out of the snare, but away thou goest, as a fool to the stocks. If Satan tells thee thou mayest improve thy estate by a lie, or cheat in thy shop, thy faith stands very tamely by, and makes no resistance.
ABOVE ALL, TAKING THE SHIELD OF FAITH. 4g5