[3.] Add hereunto, that which I cannot say is absolutely of the nature of faith, but in some degree or other, secret or more known to the soul, a necessary concomitant of it; and that is, the soul's resting and quieting itself, and satisfying its affections in its interest in, and enjoyment of, a sweet, desirable Saviour. This is called 'cleaving unto the Lord;* Josh, xxiii. 8. the fixing and fastening our affections on God, as ours in covenant. This is the soul's resting in God, its affiance, and trusting in him.
And in these three things, which are intelligible to the meanest soul, and written evidently in the words of the Scrip- ture, and in the experience of those who have to do with God in Christ, do I place the believing, which is so accept- able to God.
3. There is next the qualification of this believing, as laid down in the proposition, and that is, steadfastness, steadfastness in believing. This is included in the negative. It is said of Abraham, that * he staggered not ;' that is, he was steadfast. To clear this up a little, take these few ob- servations.
(1.) Faith, or believing, consists in such an habitual frame of heart, and such actings of the soul, as are capable of de- grees, of straitening or enlargement, of strength and weak- ness. Hence there is mention in the Scripture of great faith, * O woman great is thy faith :' and of little faith, ' O ye of little faith:' of strong faith, Abraham 'was strong in faith:' and of weak faith, or being weak in faith, ' Him that is weak in the faith receive :' of faith with doubting, ' O ye of little
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faith, why did ye doubt?' and of faith excluding doubting, ' being; strong: ii^ faith hestag-oered,' or ' doubted not.'
(2.) That faith in every respect is equal as unto sincerity, and differs only in degrees ; yea, it is equal in repect of the main effects and advance of it, in justification, perseverance, and salvation. A little faith is no less faith than a great faith ; yea, a little faith will carry a man as safely to heaven, though not so comfortably nor so fruitfully, as a great faith. Now
(3.) Steadfastness respectsthose different degrees of faith. It is not of the nature of faith, but bespeaks such a degree of it, as is acceptable to God that we should have, and every way advantageous to ourselves. It is mentioned by Peter, 2 Epist. iii. 17. 'Take heed lest you fall from your own stead- fastness,' or decline from that stability in believing, which you have attained : and by Paul, Col. ii. 5. So that,
(4.) There may be a true faith, that yet may have many troublesome, perplexing doubtings accompanying it ; many sinful staggerings and waverings attending it ; and yet not be overthrown, but continue true faith still. Men may be true believers, and yet not strong believers. A child that eats milk hath as truly the nature of a man, as he that being grown up lives on strong meat. Now steadfastness denotes stability in believing, in respect of the three things before mentioned, and by it faith is denominated strong, and effec- tual. And it argues,
[1.] A well grounded, firm, unshaken assent to the truth of the promises; and so it is opposed to wavering; James i. 5, 6.
[2.] A resolved, clear consent to receive and close with Christ, as tendered in the promise for life; and so it is op- posed to doubting, that is, troublesome, disquieting, per- plexing doubts.
[3.] The settled acquiescence of the soul in the choice made, and the close consented unto; and so it is opposed to abiding trouble ; John xiv. 1.
This steadfastness in believing doth not exclude all temp- tations from without. When we say a tree is firmly rooted, we do not say that the wind never blows upon it. The house that is built on the rock, is not free from assaults and storms.
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The captain of our salvation, tlie beginner and ender of our faith was tempted ; and we shall be so, if we follow him. Nor doth it exclude all doubting from within. So long as we have flesh, though faith be steadfast, we shall have un- belief; and that bitter root will bring forth some fruit, more or less, according as Satan gets advantage to water it. But it excludes a falling under temptation, and consequently that trouble and disquietness which ensues thereon: as likewise abiding, perplexing doubts, which make us stagger to and fro, between hope and fear, questioning whether we close with Christ or not, have any interest in the promise or not, and is attended with disconsolation and dejectedness of spi- rit, with real uncertainty of the event.
This then is that which I intend by steadfastness in be- lieving ; The establishment of our hearts in the receiving of Christ, as tendered by the love of the Father, to the peace and settlement of our souls and consciences. And that our hearts should be thus fixed, settled, and established, that we should live in the sense and power of it, is, I say, exceeding acceptable unto God.