THE LIFE OF FAITH. HI
bei'S have not an interest with him. Did he overcome Satan for himself ? No, he hath overcome, and his people overcome with him : 1 John iii. 13, ' I write to you, young ones, because ye have overcome the wicked one.' Christ needed no such combat with Satan, nor victory over him, for anything that concerned himself, seeing he had in the beginning cast him down to hell, where he holdeth him still in chains of darkness.
3. But this is not all the work of faith, to keep us from fainting ; it should also fill us with courage, and assurance of victory : Eom. viii. 37-39, ' Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, througli him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.' Before the battle a believer is sure of victory. In otlier fights the event is uncertain ; Kon ceque glorieiur accinctus, ac discinctus ; but a believer when he goetli to fight, he is sure to have the best of the war, because the Father and Christ are stronger tlian all their enemies, and they cannot pluck him out of their hands : John x. 28, 29, ' And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck tliem out of my Father's hand.' They may have many shakings and tossings in their condition, yet their final perseverance is certain. Christ is so unchange- able in his purpose, so invincible in his power, that when once he taketh a man into his custody and charge, who can destroy him ? ' TirepvLKOiixev we do overcome, are sure of victory before we fight. Believe and prosper : 2 Chron. xx. 20, ' Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established ; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.' In temporal cases a man doth not presently conquer those he shall fight with; though he doth believe he shall conquer them, yet a particular impres- sion doth much. But here is a promise made by God ; there is a covenant passed between us and him ; to what end ? We have his bond for it, that if we fight against Satan, we shall overcome ; resist and he will fly. You will say, Is it no more but believe the promise, and Satan is gone ?
Ans. Yes; if it be with a right faith, such as quickeneth us to a serious and thorough resistance, then thou hast nothing to do but to remember that thou fightest God's battle, in God's sight, and he will crown thee.
4. To engage us to use all the means God hath appointed for the vanquishing temptations, namely, watching, and striving.
[1.] Watching : 1 Peter v. 7, ' Be sober and watchful ; for your adversary the devil goeth about seeking whom he may devour.' Watch, that you may not give Satan an advantage, 2 Cor. ii. 11, or an occa- sion, 1 Cor. vii. 5 ; and Gal. v. 13, ' Use not your liberty as an occasion to the flesh.' They cannot stand long that lay themselves open to Satan's snares, and ride into the devil's quarters. Tlierefore we must guard the senses, take off occasions leading to sin.
[2.] Striving, and resistance : 1 Peter v. 9, ' Whom resist, steadfast in the faith ; ' James iv. 7, ' Kesist the devil, and he will fly from you.' We make but a faint and cold resistance. Some kind of res stance
112 THli: LIFE OF FAITH.
may be made by common grace ; but it must be earnest and vehement, as against the enemy of our souls — ' Get thee behind me, Satan,' Mat. iv. 10. A merchant that bath a precious commodity, and one biddeth a base price, he foldeth up his wares with indignation. As the ohve- tree said in Jotham's parable, ' Shall I leave my fatness to rule over the trees ? ' so say, Shall I leave my soul open, without a guard, for every temptation to make a prey of me ? A thorough resistance there mu.st be ; yielding a little bringeth on more mischief.
Secondly, The life of faith discovers itself with respect to temptations from the world. That faith hath a great use and influence upon our victory over this kind of temptations appeareth by that scripture which we have in 1 John v. 4, ' Whosoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.'
1. I shall explain this maxim
2. Show the necessity of this part of the life of faith
3. Show what are the acts of faith.
4. How we may bring our hearts to such a frame. I. To explain this maxim.
1. What is meant by ' the world ? * All worldly things whatsoever, so far as they lessen our esteem of Christ and heavenly things, or hin- der the cheerful performance of our duty to God, namely, honour, riches, pomp, pleasure, the favour or fear of men, their wrath, praise, or dispraise ; as these prevail and find entertainment in our hearts, so far they hindei- the life of faith : John v. 44, ' How can ye believe which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?' and John xii. 42, 'Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many believed on him ; but because of the pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the pi-aise of men more than the praise of God ; ' 1 John ii. 15, ' Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Fatlier is not in him ;' 2 Tim. iv. 10, ' For Demas hath forsaken me, having embraced the present world ;' and so far as faith prevaileth, the heart groweth dead to these things; in short, to the delights and terrors of the world, the fears and snares of it, 2 Cor. vi. 7. A christian should have on the ' armour of right- eousness, on the right hand and on the left.' Man is apt to be wrought upon both ways, by the fears of evil, and hopes of good. Accordingly, in the world to come, where lie the great objects propounded to faith, there is something to outweigh the fears of this life, Mark x. 28-30 ; something to outweigh the pleasures of this world ; set the recompense of reward against tlie pleasures of sin. Contemptus d me est Bomanus, et favor et furor, said Luther, I despise both the pope's favour and fury. But chiefly that scriptural instance of Moses is remarkable : Moses had temptations of all kinds, Heb. xi. 24-27. There were temptations on the right hand and on the left ; if honour would have tempted him, he might have had it ; but ' by faith he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,' ver. 24. If pleasures would have tempted him, he might have enjoyed them ; but ' he chose rather to suffer afflictions with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures oi sin for a season,' ver. 25. If the riches and treasures of this world