prepared for us, if we be indeed believers, | the joy in afflictions, which there he speaks stirs us not, our hearts are as little affected of, by their utility and faith's advantage by with it as if it concerned us not at all: and them; it is so tried that it shall appear in this is too clear an evidence against us, that its full brightness at the revelation of Jesus indeed it concerns us not, our portion as yet Christ. is not in it. The peculiar treasure of a Christian being In what a fool's paradise will men be with the grace that he receives from heaven, and the thoughts of worthless things, and such particularly that sovereign grace of faith, things too as they shall never obtain, nor whatsoever he can be assured will better him ever shall have any further being than what any way in this, he will not only bear it pathey have in their fancy! And how will tiently, but gladly embrace it, Rom. v. 3. men frequently roll over in their minds the Therefore the apostle sets this before his thoughts of any pleasing good they hope brethren in those words of this verse, where for! And yet we that say, we have hopes is, 1. The worth and excellency of faith; of the glory to come, can pass many days 2. The usefulness of temptations in relation without one hour spent in the rejoicing to it. thoughts of the happiness we look for. If 1st, The worth and excellency of faith. any of a mean condition for the present were The trial of faith is called more precious, a made sure to become very rich, and be ad- work of more worth than the trial of gold, vanced to great honour within a week, and because faith itself is of more value than after that to live to a great age in that high gold: The apostle chooses this comparison, estate, enjoying health and all imaginable as fitting his purpose for both, for the illuspleasures; judge ye, whether in the few tration of the worth of faith, and likewise days betwixt the knowledge of those news the use of temptations, representing the one and the enjoying them, the thoughts of what by gold, and the other by the trying of gold he were to attain to, would not be frequent in the fire. with him, and be always welcome. There The worth of gold is, 1. Real, the purest is no comparison betwixt all we can imagine and most precious of all metals, having many this way, and the hopes we speak of: and excellent properties beyond them, as they yet how seldom are our thoughts upon those, that write of the nature of gold observe. 2. and how faint and slender is our rejoicing in Far greater in the esteem and opinion of them! Can we deny that it is unbelief of men. See how men hurry up and down, those things that causeth this neglect and over sea and land, unwearied in their purforgetting of them? The discourse, the suit, with hazard of life, and often with the tongue of men and angels, cannot beget di-loss of uprightness and a good conscience; vine belief of the happiness to come; only and not only thus esteem it in itself, but he that gives it, gives faith likewise to ap-make it the rule of their esteem one of anoprehend it, and lay hold upon it, and upon ther, valuing men less or more, as they are our believing to be filled with joy in the more or less furnished with it. And we see hopes of it. VER. 7. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ. at what a height that is; for things we to them, viz. golden mediocrity; and that would commend much, we borrow its name age which they would call the best of all, they name it the golden age: And as Seneca observes, describing heavenly things, as Ovid the sun's palace and chariot, still gold is the word for all. And the holy Scriptures, descending to our reach, do set forth the riches of the new Jerusalem by it, Rev. xxi. and the excellency of Christ, Cant. v. 11, 14. And here the preciousness of faith, whereof Christ is the object, is said to be more precious than gold. "THE way of the just," says Solomon, "is as the shining light, that shineth more and more to the perfect day." Still making forward, and ascending towards perfection, moving as fast when they are clouded with affliction as at any time else; yea, all that seems to work against them, furthers them. Those graces that would possibly grow heavy and unwieldy by too much ease, I will not insist on the parallel of faith are held in breath, and increase their acti- with gold, in the other qualities of it, as that vity and strength by conflict. Divine grace, it is pure and solid as gold, and that it is even in the heart of weak and sinful man, is most ductile and malleable as gold; beyond an invincible thing. Drown it in the waters all other metals, it plies any way with the of adversity, it rises more beautiful, as not will of God. But then faith truly enriches being drowned indeed, but only washed; the soul: And as gold answers all things, so throw it into the furnace of fiery trials, it faith gives the soul propriety to all the rich comes out purer, and loses nothing but the consolations of the Gospel, to all the prodross, which our corrupt nature mixes with mises of life and salvation, to all needful jt. Thus here the apostle expounds the if blessings; it draws virtue from Christ to need be of the former verse, and so justifies strengthen itself, and all other graces. And thus it is not only precious as gold, | all conditions. But when all these outward but goes far above the comparison; it is props are plucked away from a man, then it more precious, yea, much more precious, 1. will be manifest, whether something else upIn its original; the other is digged out of holds him or not; for if there be nothing the bowels of the earth, but the mine of this else, then he falls; but if his mind stands gold is above, it comes from heaven. 2. In firm, and unremoved as before, then it is eviits nature, answerable to its original, it is dent he laid not his weight upon these things immaterial, spiritual, and pure. We refine he had then about him; but was built upon gold and make it purer, but when we receive a foundation, though not seen, which is able faith pure of itself, we mix dross with it, alone to stay him, although he be not only and make it impure by the alloy of unbe- frustrated of all other supports, but beaten lief. 3. In its endurance, flowing from the upon with storms and tempests, as our Saformer, it perisheth not. Gold is a thing viour says, the house fell not, because it was in itself corruptible and perishing, and to founded on a rock, Matth. vii. 25. particular owners, it perisheth in their loss of it, being deprived of it any way. This testified the truth of David's faith, who found it staying him upon God, when there was nothing else near that could do it, I had fainted, unless I had believed, Psal. Other graces are likewise tried in the same furnace; but faith is named as the root of all the rest. Sharp afflictions give a Chris-xxvii. 13; so in his strait, 1 Sam. xxx. 6, tian a trial of his love to God, whether it be where it is said that David was greatly dissingle, and for himself or not; for then it tressed; but he encouraged himself in the will be the same when he strikes, as when Lord his God. Thus Psal. Ixxiii. 26, My he embraces, and in the fire of affliction will flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the rather grow the hotter, and be more taken off strength of my heart and portion for ever. from the world, and set upon him. Again, The heart's natural strength of spirit and the grace of patience is put particularly upon resolution may bear up under outward weaktrial in distresses. But both these spring ness, or the failing of the flesh but when from faith. For love rises from a right and the heart itself fails, that is, the strength of strong belief of the goodness of God; and the flesh, what shall strengthen it? nothing patience from a persuasion of the wisdom but God, who is the strength of the heart and love of God, and the truth of his pro-and its portion for ever. Thus faith workmises. He hath said, I will not fail thee, eth alone, when the case suits that of the and that we shall not be tempted above our Prophet's, Hab. iii. 17, Although the figstrength, and he will give the issue. tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, &c. yet, ver. 18, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Now the belief of these things causes patience. The trial of faith worketh patience, Jam. i. 3. For therefore doth the Christian resign up himself, and all that concerns him, his trials, the measure and length of them all, unto God's disposal, because he knows that he is in the hands of a wise and loving Father. Thus the trial of these, and other particular graces, doth still resolve into this, and is comprised under the trial of faith. This brings us, 2dly, To the usefulness of temptations in relation to it. This trial, as that of gold, may be for a two-fold end: 1. For experiment of the truth and pureness of a Christian's faith. 2. For refining it yet more, and to raise it to a higher pitch or degree of pureness. In spiritual trials that are the sharpest and most fiery of all, when the furnace is within a man, when God doth not only shut up his loving-kindness from its feeling, but seems to shut it up in hot displeasure, when he writes bitter things against it; yet then to depend upon him, and wait for his salvation, this is not only a true, but a strong, and very refined faith indeed, and the more he smites, the more to cleave to him. Well might he say, When I am tried, I shall come forth as gold, who could say that word, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him; though I saw, as it were, his hand lifted up to destroy me, yet from that same hand would I expect salvation. 2. As the furnace shews faith to be what it is, so also it betters it, and makes it more precious and purer than it was. 1. The furnace of affliction shows upright real faith to be such indeed, remaining still the same even in the fire, the same that it was, undiminished, as good gold loses none of its quantity in the fire. Doubtless many The graces of the Spirit, as they come are deceived in time of ease and prosperity from the hand of God that infuses them, are with imaginary faith and fortitude: So that nothing but pureness: but being put into a there may be still some doubt while a man heart where sin dwells, (which till the body is underset with outward helps, as riches, be dissolved and taken to pieces, cannot be friends, esteem, &c. whether he leans upon fully purged out,) there they are mixed with those, or upon God, who is an invisible sup-corruption and dross. And particularly faith port, though stronger than all that are visible, is mixed with unbelief, and love of earthly and is the peculiar and alone stay of faith in things, and dependence upon the creature, if At the appearance of Christ Jesus.] This denotes the time when this shall come to pass; for Christ is faithful and true; he hath promised to come again, and to judge the world in righteousness, and he will come, and will not tarry; he shall judge righteously in that day, who was himself unrighteously judged here on earth. It is call. not more than God, yet together with him: who is God blessed for ever; they have each and for this is the furnace needful, that the their crown, but their honour is, to cast them soul may be purified from this dross, and all down before his throne. He shall be made more sublime and spiritual in believ- glorified in his saints, and admired in them ing. It is a hard task, and many times that believe. They shall be glorious in him; comes but slowly forward, to teach the heart and therefore in all their glory he shall be by discourse and speculation to set loose from glorified: For as they have derived their the world at all sides, not to cleave to the glory from him, it shall all return back to best things in it, though we be compassed him again. about with them, though riches do increase, yet not to set our hearts on them, Psal. Ixii. 10, not to trust in such uncertain things, 1 Tim. vi. 17, as they are, as the apostle speaks. Therefore God is pleased to choose the more effectual way to teach his own the right and pure exercise of faith, either by withholding or withdrawing those things from them. He makes them relish the ed the revelation; all other things shall be sweetness of spiritual comfort, by depriving revealed in that day, the most hidden things, them of those outward comforts whereon they good and evil unveiled; but it is eminently were in most danger to have doated to ex- the day of his revelation, it shall be by his cess, and so to have forgotten themselves and light, by the brightness of his coming, that him; when they are reduced to necessity, all other things shall be revealed; but he and experimentally trained up, easily to let himself shall be the worthiest sight of all: go their hold of any thing earthly, and to All eyes shall behold him. He shall then stay themselves only upon their Rock, this gloriously appear before all men and angels, is the very refining of their faith, by those and shall by all be acknowledged to be the losses and afflictions wherewith they are Son of God, and judge of the world: Some exercised. They that learn bodily exercises, shall with joy know him, and acknowledge as fencing, &c. are not taught by sitting him to be so, others to their horror and still, and hearing rules, or seeing others amazement. How beautiful shall he be to practise, but they learn by exercising themselves. The way to profit in the art of believing, or coming to this spiritual activity of faith, is, to be often put to that work in the most difficult way, to make up all wants and losses in God, and to sweeten the bitterest griefs with his loving kindness. those that love him, when he as the glorious Head shall appear with his whole body mystical together with him! Then the glory and praise that all the saints shall be honoured with, shall recompense fully all the scorns and ignominies, and distresses they have met with here. And Might be found unto praise, and ho- they shall shine the brighter for them. Oh! nour, and glory.] This is the end that is if we considered often of that solemn day, intended, and shall be certainly obtained by how light should we set by the opinions of all these hot trials. Faith shall come through men, and all outward hardships that can bethem all, and shall be found unto praise, fal us! How easily should we digest dis&c. An unskilful beholder may think it praise and dishonour here, and pass through strange to see gold thrown into the fire, and all cheerfully, provided we may be then left there for a time; but he that puts it found in him, and so partakers of praise, and there would be loth to lose it; his purpose is glory, and honour, in that day of his apto make some costly piece of work of it: pearing! Every believer gives himself to Christ, and he undertakes to present them blameless to the Father; not one of them shall be lost, nor one drachm of their faith; they shall be found, and their faith shall be found when he appears. That faith that is here in the furnace shall be then made up into a crown of pure gold, it shall be found unto praise, and honour, and glory. VER. 8. Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, It is a paradox to the world that the apostle hath asserted, that there is a joy that can subsist in the midst of sorrow; therefore he insists in the confirmation of it; and in all This praise, and honour, and glory, may those words proves it to the full, yea with be referred to believers themselves, according advantage, that the saints have not only to the apostle St. Paul's expression, Rom. some measure of joy in the griefs that abound ii. 7, or to Christ that appears : But the upon them here, but excellent and eminent two will agree well together, that it be both joy, such as makes good all that can be said to their praise, and to the praise of Christ; of it, cannot be spoke too much of, for it is for certainly all their praise and glory shall unspeakable, not too much magnified, for it terminate in the glory of their head Christ, is glorious. To evidence the truth of this, and to confirm his brethren in the experienced knowledge of it, he expresses here more particularly and distinctly the causes of this their joy, which are, 1. The object or matter of it; The apprehension and appropriation of that object; which two conjoined, are the entire cause of all rejoicing. while it is in that posture, is not such as can fetch love and hope, and so rejoicing; but such as the faith of devils produceth, only be getting terror and trembling. But the light of his countenance shining in the face of his Son the Mediator, glads the heart; and it is the looking upon him so, that causeth the soul to believe, and love, and hope, and rejoice. Therefore the apostle, Eph. ii. 12, in his description of the estate of the Gentiles before Christ was preached to them, joins these together, without Christ, that was the cause of all the rest; therefore, without comfort in the promises, without hope, and without God in the world; so he is here by our apostle expressed as the object. In all these therefore he is the matter of our joy, because our faith, and love, and hope of salvation, do centre in him. 1. The object is Jesus Christ, ver. 8, and the salvation purchased by him, ver. 9, for these two cannot be severed, and these two verses that speak of them, require, as is evident by their connection, to be considered together. 2. The apprehension of these, set forth, 1. Negatively, not by bodily sight; 2. Positively, whereas that might seem to abate the certainty and liveliness of their rejoicing, that it is of things they had not seen, nor do yet see, that is abundantly made The apostle writing to the dispersed Jews, up by three for one, each of them more ex-many of whom had not known nor seen Christ cellent than the mere bodily sight of Christ in the flesh, commends their love and faith, in the flesh, which many had, which were for this reason, that it did not depend upon never the better by it; the three are, those bodily sight, but was pure and spiritual, three prime Christian graces, faith, love, and and made them of the number of those that hope; the two former in ver. 8, the third in our Saviour himself pronounced blessed, who ver. 9. Faith in Christ begetting love to have not seen, and yet believe. You saw him, and both these giving assured hope of him not when he dwelt amongst men, and salvation by him, making it as certain to them, walking to and fro, preaching and working as if it were already in their hand, and they miracles. Many of those that did then hear in possession of it. And from all those together and see him, believed not; yea, they scoffed, results this exultation, or leaping for joy, joy and hated, and persecuted him, and in the unspeakable and full of glory. end crucified him: You that have seen none of all those things, yet having heard the gospel that declares him, you have believed. This is that one thing that so much concerns us, and therefore we mistake very far, and forget our own highest interest too much, when we either speak or hear of it slightly, and apply not our hearts to it. What is it that all our thoughts and endeavours drive at? What means all that we are doing in the world? Though we take several ways to it, and wrong ways for the most part, yea, such ways as lead not to it, but set us farther off from it; yet that which we all seek after, by all our labour under the sun, is something that may be matter of contentment and rejoicing to us when we have attained it: Now here it is, and in vain is it sought for elsewhere. And for this end it is represented to you, that it may be yours, if ye will entertain it; not only that you may know this to be a truth, that in Jesus Christ is laid up true consolation and rejoicing, that he is the magazine and treasury of it, but that you may know how to bring him home into your hearts, and lodge him there, and so to have the spring of joy within you. Thus observe, the working, or not working of faith, doth not depend upon the difference of the external ministry and gifts of men: For what greater difference can there be that way, than betwixt the master and the servants, betwixt the great Prophet himself, and his weak sinful messengers? and yet many of those that saw and heard him in person were not converted, believed not in him; and thousands that never saw him, were converted by his apostles, and, as it seems, even some of those that were some way accessory to his death, yet were brought to repentance by this same apostle's sermon, Acts ii. Learn then to look above the outward ministry and any difference that in God's dispensation can be there, and know, that if Jesus Christ himself were on earth, and now preaching amongst us, yet might his incomparable words be unprofitable to us, not being mixed with faith in the hearers. where that is, the meanest and the most despiseable conveyance of his message, received with humility and affection, will work bless But That which gives full joy to the soul must be something that is higher and better than itself. In a word, he that made it, can only make it glad after this manner, with unspeak-ed effects. able and glorious joy. But the soul re- Whom not seeing yet believing.] Faith maining guilty of rebellion against him, and unreconciled, cannot behold him but as an enemy; any belief that it can have of him elevates the soul not only above sense, and sensible things, but above reason itself. As reason corrects the errors that sense might occasion; so supernatural faith corrects the errors of natural reason, judging according to sense. The sun seems less than the wheel of a chariot but reason teaches the philosopher, that it is much bigger than the whole earth, and the cause why it seems so little is its great distance. visible, ver. 27. It is possible that one may be much loved upon the report of his worth and virtues, and upon a picture of him, lively drawn, before sight of the party so commended and represented; but certainly when he is seen, and found answerable to the former, it raises the affection that it first begun to a far greater height. We have the report of the perfections of Jesus Christ in the gospel; yea, so clear a description of him, that it gives a picture of him, and that, together with the sacraments, are the only lawful and the only lively pictures of our Saviour, Gal. iii. 1. Now faith believes this report, and beholds this picture, and so lets in the love of Christ to the soul; but further, it gives a particular experimental knowledge of Christ, and acquaintance with him. It causes the soul to find all that is spoken of him in the Word, and his beauty there represented, to be abundantly true, makes it really taste of his sweetness, and by that The naturally wise man, is as far deceived by this carnal reason in his estimate of Jesus Christ the sun of righteousness, and the cause is the same, his great distance from him, as the Psalmist speaks of the wicked, (Psal. x. 5.) Thy judgments are far above out of his sight. He accounts Christ and his glory a smaller matter than his own gain, honour, or pleasure; for these are near him, and he sees their quantity to the full, and counts them bigger, yea far more worth than they are indeed. But the apostle Paul, and all that are enlightened by the same spirit, they know by faith, which is divine reason, that the excellency of Jesus Christ far sur-possesses the heart more strongly with his passes the worth of the whole earth, and all things earthly, Phil. iii. 7, 8. To give a right assent to the gospel of Christ is impossible without divine and saving faith, infused in the soul, to believe that the eternal Son of God clothed himself with human flesh, and dwelt amongst men in a tabernacle like theirs, and suffered death in the flesh, that he who was Lord of life, hath freed us from the sentence of eternal death, that he broke the bars and chains of death, and rose again, that he went up into heaven, and there at the Father's right hand sits in our flesh, and that glorified above the angels. This is the great mystery of godliness. And a part of this mystery is, that he is believed on in the world, 1 Tim. iii. 16. This natural men may discourse of, and that very knowingly, and give a kind of natural credit to it, as to a history that may be true; but firmly to believe, that there is divine truth in all these things, and to have a persuasion of it stronger than of the very things we see with our eyes; such an assent as this, is the peculiar work of the Spirit of God, and is certainly saving faith. love, persuading it of the truth of those things, not by reasons and arguments, but by an inexpressible kind of evidence, that they only know that have it. Faith persuades a Christian of these two things, that the philosopher gives as the cause of all love, beauty and propriety, the loveliness of Christ in himself, and our interest in him. The former it effectuates, not only by the first apprehending and believing of those his excellencies and beauty, but by frequent beholding of him, and eyeing him in whom all perfection dwells, and looks so oft on him, till it sets the very impression of his image, as it were upon the soul, that it can never be blotted out and forgot. The latter it doth by that particular uniting act, which makes him our God and our Saviour. We proceed therefore to consider, 2dly, The appropriation of the object, ye love.] The distinctions that some make of love, need not be taken as of different kinds, but different actings of the same love, by which we may try our so much pretended love of Christ, which in truth is so rarely found. There will then be in this love, if it be right, these three qualities, good-will, delight, and desire. The soul that so believes, cannot choose but love; it is commonly true, the eye is the ordinary door by which love enters into the 1st, Good-will, earnest wishing, and as soul, and it is true in this love: though it is we can, promoting God's glory, and stirring denied to the eye of sense, yet you see it is up others so to do. They that seek more ascribed to the eye of faith, though you have their own things than the things of Jesus not seen him you love him, because you be- Christ, more their own praise and esteem lieve; which is to see him spiritually. Faith than his, are strangers to this divine love : indeed is distinguished from that vision that For it seeks not her own things. This bitis in glory; but it is the vision of the king- ter root of self-love is most hard to pluck dom of grace, it is the eye of the new crea-up: This strongest and sweetest love of ture, that quick-sighted eye, that pierces all Christ alone doth it actually, though graduthe visible heavens, and sees above them, ally. This love makes the soul, as the lower that looks to things that are not seen, 2 Cor. heaven, slow in its own motion, most swift iv. 18, and is the evidence of things not in the motion of that first that wheels it about; seen, Heb. xi. 1, that sees him that is in- so the higher degree of love, the more swift. |