[1.] TJie first property of that faith that accompanies salvation is this : it puts forth itself into vital operation.* It makes a man full of life and activity for God ; it will make a man diligent and venturous in the work and ways of God. Faith is a most active quality in itself, and so it makes a Christian most active. It is a doing thing, and it makes the person doing. Faith will not suffer the soul to be idle. Faith is like the virtuous woman in the last of the Proverbs, who puts her hand to every work, who would suffer none of her handmaids to be idle. Faith puts the soul upon grieving for sin, upon combating with sin, upon weeping over sin, upon trembling at the occasions of sin, upon resisting temptations that lead to sin, upon fighting it out to the death with sin, Zech. xii. 10. Faith puts a man upon walking with God, upon waiting on God, upon working for God, upon wrestling with God, upon bearing for God, and upon parting wijth anything for God." Faith makes reli- gious duties to be easy to the soul, to be delightful to the soul, to be profitable to the soul. Faith makes the soul to be serious and con- scientious in doing, to be careful and faithful in doing, to be delightful and cheerful in doing, to be diligent and faithful in doing.^ That faith that is not a working faith is no faith ; that faith that is not a working faith is a dead faith ; that faith that is not a working faith is a deluding faith ; that faith that is not a working faith is a worthless faith ; that faith that is not a working faith will leave a man short of heaven and happiness in the latter day. Faith that accompanies salvation is better at doing than at thinking, at obeying than at disputing, at walking than at talking : Titus iii. 8, ' This is a faithful saying ; and these things I
^ trKoiroviTiui, to look with a diligent eye, as men do at the marlc whereat they shoot.
* ai/^avefKOTas, OS before. — G.
3 Heb. vi. 19 ; Rom. viii. 18 ; Heb. x. 34 ; Acts vii. 55, 56. An adopted heir to a crown cannot but have his heart at court ; his mind and thoughts will be upon his future glorious condition : he will be still a-creating ideas and images of it.
* Quid est igitur fides ? Omnino fideliter hominem Christo credere, i. e. Fidelem esse, hoc estfideliter Dei mandata servare, saith one.
8' The 11th of the Hebrews is a full proof of these things ; Gal. ii. 20. ® James ii. 17, to the end. Faith looks to precepts as well a.s to promises : Ps. cxix. 66, ' Teach me good judgment and knowledge ; for 1 have believed thy commandments.'
452 HEAVEN ON EARTH. [ROM. VIII. 32-34.
will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works/' Faith will make a man endea- vour to be good, yea, to be best, at ever3rthing he undertakes. It is not leaves but fruit, not .words but works, that God expects ; and if we cross his expectation, we frustrate ^ur own salvation, we further our own condemnation. Faith makes the soul much in doing, abundant in working, and that partly by persuading the soul that all its works, all its duties and services, shall be owned and accepted of God, as in Isa. Ivi. 7, ' Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer : their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar ; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.' Faith assures the soul that every prayer, every sigh, every groan, every tear is accepted. And this makes the soul pray much, and sigh much, and mourn much.
Again, faith spreads the promises of divine assistance before the soul. Oh ! says faith, here, 0 soul, is assistance suitable to the work required. And this makes a man work, as for life ; it makes a man work and sweat, and sweat and work.
Again, faith sets the recompence, the reward, before the soul, Heb. xi. 25, 26. Oh ! says faith, look here, soul, here is a great reward for a little work ; here is great wages for weak and imperfect services ; here is an infinite reward for a finite work. Work, yea, work hard, says faith, O believing soul, for thy actions in passing pass not away ; every good work is as a grain of seed for eternal life. There is a resurrec- tion of works as well as of persons, and in that day wicked men shall see that it is not a vain thing to serve God ; they shall see the most doing souls to be the most shining souls, to he the most advanced and rewarded. Oh the sight of this crown, of this recompence, makes souls to abound in the work of the Lord, they knowing that their labour is not in vain in the Lord,^ 1 Cor. xv. 58.
Again, faith draws from Christ^s fulness; it sucks virtue and strength from Christ's breasts. Faith looks upon Christ as a head, and so draws from him ; it looks upon Christ as a husband, and so draws from him ; it looks upon him as a fountain, and so draws from him ; it looks upon him as a sea, as an ocean of goodness, and so draws from him ; it looks upon him as a father, Col. i. 1.9, and so draws from him ; it looks upon him as a friend, and so draws from him, John i. 16. And this divine power and strength sets the soul a- working hard for God ; it makes the soul full of motion, full of action. In a word, faith is such a working grace as sets all other ^aces a-working. Faith bath an influence upon every grace ; it is like a silver thread that runs through a chain of pearl ; it puts strength and vivacity into all other virtues. Love touched by a hand of faith flames forth ; hope fed at faith's table grows strong, and casts anchor within the veil, Acts v. and xvi. ; Rom. xv. 13. Joy, courage, and zeal being smiled upon by faith, is made invincible and
^ ^j«vr/^*<r/. The word signifies to bend their wits, and beat their brains, to maintain good works, Isa. ixv. 24 ; Gen. iv. 4 ; 2 Peter iii. 11 ; Cant. ii. 14. Luther prefers tlie nieanef^t work of a country Christian or poor maid above all the victories and triumphs of Alexander and of Julius CsBsar, Mat. xxvii. 66; Isa. xli. 10, 11 ; Heb. xiii. 5, 6; Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27, &c.
* One good work of a Christian is more precioaa than heaven and earth, saith Luther, Rev. xiv. 13.
Rom. VIII. 32^34.] heaven on eaeth. 453
unconquerable, &c. Look, what oil is to the wheels, what weights are to the clock, what wings are to the bird, what sails are to the ship, that faitli is to all religious duties and services, except it be winter with the soul.
And thus you see, that that faith that accompanies salvation is a working faith, a lively faith, and not such a dead faith as most please and deceive themselves with for ever.