Our Saviour Christ himself founds what he teacheth upon the word. Shall not we therefore ground our faith upon the word, when he that was the head of the church brings all to the word in his teaching ? Therefore we have a better resolution for our faith than they have.
For indeed to say the truth, as we may say of their kind of prayers, when they pray to saints, &c., ' They worship they know not what,' John iv. 22. So we may say of their faith, they believe they know not what, they believe in a sinful man ; for the present pope is all their church, which is an ignorant man, many times, in the Scriptures, perhaps he never read them ; and he must determine controversies, and get into the chair, and judge that that shall judge him ere long. He must judge the Scripture that must be his judge, and the judge of all mankind. I list not to be large in this point ; a little discovery is enough.
I hasten to something more practical. We see then that faith hath an
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establishing power; to stand by faith. Then hence we may see these truths, which I will but touch.
1. Finst, that faith is certain. It is a certain thing, and makes the soul certain. It is not a weak apprehension.
2. Again, in that it is said here, ' By faith ye stand,' we see here the perseverance of faitJi.
But you will say, that faith whereby we stand is changeable, and there- fore we may fall. No ; St Peter makes a comment upon this place. ' We are kept by faith to salvation ; ' and ' receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls,' 1 Pet. i. 5, 9. We are kept through faith to salvation. So God by his power keeps that faith that keeps us. There is a divine power that keeps faith, that laith may keep us ; so we stand by faith, and that faith stands to salvation, because it hath a firm bottom to stand on, and because it is kept by God himself. ' We are kept by the power of God through feith to salvation.' Mark howl it runs along to salvation. Salvation is not only certain in itself, but that faith that lays hold on salvation is sure. ' By faith we stand ; ' not only for the present, but we continue by faith, and stand even to the death.
3. Again, in the third place, which follows from the other, faith is a certain thiuff in itself, and we are assured of our continuance. We are assured that we shall be saved ; he that beheveth may be assured that he shall be saved. First, f^iith is a certain thing in itself, laying hold upon a strong foundation, the word of God. And it is sure to continue, it builds upon the rock. Therefore a man may believe, and he may know that he shall be saved ; he may know that he shall continue in a sure faith. There is a latitude, a breadth in faith ; and sometimes there is doubting, and sometimes faith, but yet there is always faith, more or less. There is a little and a great faith, but there is always faith. ' By faith we stand.' These things need no further enlargement. I only shew how they spring from this text.
4. In aAvord, hence we learn, that it is hi/ faith that we stand, and withstand all opposition whatsoever ; for faith is our victory. ' That is your victory, even your faith,' 1 John v. 4. By faith we overcome the world, by it we stand, and stand against all opposition whatsoever.
To make it a little clear.
The reason is, partly because faith doth present to the soul greater r/ood than the world can, therefore nothing on the right hand can shake the soul of a believing Christian. Shall pleasures, and profits, and the honours of the world draw a Christian from his faith, when faith presents better honours, better pleasures at the right hand of God, ' pleasures for ever- more' ? Ps. xvi. 11. No, they cannot ; for there is nothing in the world, but there is better in religion, incomparably better. There is no com- parison of the pleasures of religion and of the world ; between the honour of being a child of God, and the honours that the world can give. There- fore there is nothing on the right hand in the world that can overcome the faith of a Christian, but he can stand against all, though it be a kingdom. ' Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.' Why? Faith presented him greater honours in the church of God. He accounted the very ' reproach,' the worst thing in the church, better than the best thing in the world, ' the reproach of Christ better than the treasures of Egypt,' Heb. xi. 26.
Let discouragements be offered to faith by Satan and the world, let them come with all the terrors and threatenings they can, faith is victorious,
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and triumphant against them all, it stands against them all ; because it sets before the soul greater good than the ill that the world can inflict ; and sets before the soul greater ills if it apostatise than the world can inflict. Saith the "world, If you do not thus and thus, you shall be cast into prison, or perhaps you shall lose your life. 0 ! but saith the soul, if I yield to the temptations of Satan, and my own vile corruptions, I shall be cast into hell ; is not that worse ? There can nothing be presented to the soul that is tem- ble, but faith will present to it things more terrible ; therefore if there be faith in the soul, it will stand against all those terrors whatsoever. ' Fear not them that can kill the body, when they have done their worst ;' if you will needs fear, I will tell you whom you shall fear, ' Fear him that can cast both body and soul into hell,' Mat. x. 28.