The parable of the pilgrim written to a friend by Symon Patrick ...

CAP. XVI.

Of Faith in Jesus. How imperfectly, or obscurely it is commonly expressed, to the great danger of Christian Pilgrims. What the true notion of it is, which can∣not deceive us.

AND truly herein he was not mistaken, for though he spoke these last words with an accent very sharp, yet the Pilgrim hath often since said, that he thought his heart made a shriller Eccho, and bade him, Follow Jesus. It is not in the compass of my power to relate the contentment which the poor man took in this discourse. He felt rather an excessive joy, than a bare satisfaction, which gave many indications of it self, though it could not be expressed. But the first words, as I remember, which he uttered, when the other made a little stop, was this vehement exclama∣tion. Oh Sir, how happily have you undeceived me! I have thought sometimes, that the way to Jerusalem lay most of all through Churches; and that a Pilgrim had little else to do but only to hear Sermons very oft, and read good Books, and make many prayers; and that in these the very life of Religion did consist. Nay, I have been perswaded to think that he had no other task but only to Believe on Jesus, and that he would take care to carry him to Jerusalem. But thanks be to God and you, I have now heard another lesson, which I will study to learn my whole life. I find my self already so much in love with Jesus, that I believe I shall carefully mark every step of his holy feet, of which he hath left us any print; and indeavour to tread

in them, following of him with as much exactness as I am able. He would have added a great many more protestations of his hearty intentions, but that the Guide thought it fit to lay hold on this occasion to in∣struct him a little further about those things wherein he had been so grosly abused. Having let him know therefore that he was no less pleased than himself to see so sudden a fruit of his labours, he proceeded to tell him that he had taught him nothing new in all his discourse, nor spoke one syllable but what was com∣prehended in those few words, if rightly understood, Believe in the Lord Jesus. For, though Faith in Christ hath sometimes a restrained sense importing our trust in him for help and succour; yet when it stands alone by it self, it hath a more comprehensive meaning. It is so far from denoting such a part of Religion as those now mentioned, that it frequently comprises the whole; and it must alwaies be conceived such a part, as necessarily implies and inferrs all the rest. I speak now of the Pilgrims Faith, which you must carry along with you. Of which, whosoever gives you any other description than such as this doth but deceive you, viz. that it is such an hearty perswasion of the truth and goodness of Gods Promises, and of every thing else that he hath spoken, as makes us obedient in all things to his commands. There is nothing more visible than this in the very first man of the Order into which you are entring: Abraham I mean, the most ancient Pil∣grim that I read of, and the Father of faithful Travel∣lers. Who being commanded by God to leave his own Country, his Kindred, and his Fathers house, most readily obeyed; in a perswasion that God would be as good as his word, and bless him with possessions some∣where else. He was the man whom God called to his

foot, and who marched whithersoever he would lead him: in resemblance to whom all his children are de∣scribed in the Christian Church, as those who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes. Conformity to Jesus is absolutely necessary to make us such believers as shall inherit the promises. Though the general notion of Faith do not include obedience (being only our per∣swasion of, and assent unto the truth of what is deli∣vered to us upon the testimony of God) yet saving Faith, that Faith which will carry us to Jerusalem, can never be understood without it. All the definitions you meet with, whatsoever they be, which separate obedience from this Faith, I do confidently assure you are but a meer cheat, and a dangerous illusion. Obe∣dience is so much of the nature of the Pilgrims Faith, that I say it again, it ought to enter its Definition. Which is as much as to say, that one cannot speak in any terms or phrases which are not deceitful and liable to be abused, of that Faith which will bring us safe to Heaven; but he must make mention of the obedience it produces to the commands of our Saviour. This is the very thing that distinguishes saving Faith from that which is not saving, and therefore if this be left out when we speak of it, we may make men Hypo∣crites sooner than sincere Christians.

But if I may be so bold, as to interpose a Question (said the Learner) I pray satisfie me why you call this the Pilgrims Faith: is there any else besides? There is, replyed his Teacher; we meet in this world with a Faith more gallant, fine and delicate, than the plain and homely belief which I have described. A modish and courtly Faith it is, which sits still, and yet sets you in the lap of Christ. It passes under so many names,

that I cannot stand to number them all now. It is called a casting of our selves upon Christ, a relying on his merits, a shrouding our selves under the robes of his Righteousness: and though sometimes it is cal∣led a going to him for Salvation; yet there is this my∣stery in the business, that you may go, and yet not go; you may go, and yet stand still; you may cast your self upon him, and not come to him; or if you take one little step, and be at the pains to come to him, the work is done, and you need not follow him. It is indeed a resting, not a travelling Grace. And such a grand secret there is in it, that a man may rest before he stir a foot; he may lean on Christ, and approach no nearer him than he was before; he may lay hold on him, and yet remain at the greatest distance from him. It will carry you to the end of your way, before you are at the beginning: The very first step of it, is to stay your self: the beginning of its motion, is to be at rest. Do you not see a strange inchantment in it already? Is it not a magical operation, or much beholden to strength of fancy, and the witchcraft of imagination? For my part I should take my self to be in a far worse condi∣tion than Cresinius was, if I should be accused of vend∣ing such druggs and dealing in such dangerous charms. I would grant my enemies had cause to exclaim, and should never expect to clear my self, if I stood charged with such incantations. There is no jugling so arti∣ficial, whereby I could hope to hide the deceit if I abused the world with these impostures. My own conscience, I mean, would indict me, and pronounce my condemnation, though I think, if the greatest part of the men among us, were to be Judges, I need not fear their sentence against me. For the charm, I ob∣serve, is so powerful, and the fascination of such plea∣sure,

that the numbers are not to be told which are bewitched with it. The multitude goes in crouds in this wide rode: the voice of the people cryes up this as the only way to Heaven. All the lewd men in the world are well contented to take this journey, which may be finished at one step; and to run this race which may be accomplished in a breath, and for which the last breath in their body may as well serve as any else. There is no man but he takes hold of Christ, and having heard that this is Faith; do what you can, it is not possible to beat off his hands. There is not a soul so wicked, but it applies to it self his righteousness, and fancies all its sins to be covered therewith. It is the sweetest thing in the world to cast themselves into his arms, and expect not to go, but to be carried to Heaven. They rest on him and him only for Salvation. They rest on him so solely for it, that they are loath to stir a foot to contribute any thing toward it. They would have him to take all the honour of the business to himself: and are desirous to do not so much as one good action; but leave him to do all, and impute his doings to them. Thus they imagine themselves to be the only advancers of Free Grace: and they think there are none but they that set the Crown upon Christ's head. Such an admirable subtilty there is in this Faith, that they can serve their own interest by it, and yet seem all the while to be the best servants of Christ. They can promote their own desires, and yet sound aloud his Glory. They can invade his rights as much as they list, and yet be thought the only persons that make it their care he should not be wronged.

Nay, it makes men think that God is beholden to them, for being so cautious as to give him nothing.

He should not be so much obliged, if they should en∣deavour to become better. The only qualification that they know of for his favours, is not to be qualified at all to receive them. He owes, it seems, much of Glo∣ry to their want of virtue. If they should give him more than they do, he would have less. To bring any thing to him, would be to rob him, and take away from him. His Grace would lose its name, if they should study to attain it. They should detract very much from the freeness of it, if they should provide for any thing but only to receive it. It would not be so rich if they were not poor and beggarly in all good works. His Honour relyes very much upon their weakness, and his Glory is supported by their imbe∣cillity. To be much in debt to him, is the best pay∣ment that can be made him. To win his love, it is best to be men of no desert. And to be out of all dan∣ger of trusting to their own righteousness; they judge it the surest course to have none at all.

These are the men who make the Grace of God so free, that he leaves nothing for himself. The riches of it is so abundant towards them, that he gives away all his own right. He makes such liberal grants to these favourites, that there remains nothing as a Du∣ty to him. He takes such a great care of their plea∣sure, that he forgets his own. And loves to let them have their will so much, that he suffers his own to be crossed for their sake. It is not He, it should seem, but they that rule the world. His will bends to their desires: and since they have no mind to be be good; they have invented a way that he may love them, though they continue bad. He sees them not (as they fancy) in themselves, but in a disguise. They

do not appear in their own colours, but in anothers dress. He doth not behold them naked, but cover∣ed in the Robes of Christ. And though they have a world of sins, yet they think to have them hid, while he looks upon their garments, and not upon them. And indeed so free is this Grace, that he can have no title to their obedience, but only their own gratitude. He holds his Kingdom and Authority, only by their good will. If they do what he de∣sire, it is their kindness, and more than they owe him. Since Christ's obedience is personally imputed to them, he cannot in justice require any at their hands. Since he hath performed the Law in their stead, and made his righteousness immediately theirs; he cannot expect that they should perform it too, nor exact any righteousness of their own. For this would be to demand the same debt twice; and to call for the pay∣ment of a bond, which hath been already satisfied. In fine; He can claim nothing as his due, but must be content with that which they will give him: and it is thought the safest way to give him little or nothing, lest they should at all abate of the freeness of what he he is to give.

I hope your soul will never enter into this secret, nor follow the rabble in these groundless fancies. But you will rather put to your hands to pull down that Idol of Faith, which hath been set up with so much de∣votion and Religiously worshipped so long among us: That dead Image of Faith which so many have adored, trusted in and perished. I mean the notion which hath been so zealously advanced, how that be∣lieving is nothing else, but a relying on Jesus for salva∣tion; a fiducial recumbency upon him; a casting our

selves wholly upon him and his merits; or an applying of his righteousness to our souls. And if you throw all those other phrases after them, which tell us that it is a ta∣king of Christ, a laying hold of him, a closing with him, or an embracing of him; you shall do the better, and more certainly secure your self from being deceived.

For as to these latter expressions is it not visible at the first naming of them, that they are obscure, doubt∣ful and metaphorical words? Is it not as hard to know what it is to take him, and to close with him, as it is to understand what it is to Believe? Whatsoever then you have been told of me, I doubt not but you will sind that I direct you in a plain and honest path; it being indeed against my nature to like any thing which is intricate, perplexed, and so mysterious, that a simple man cannot comprehend it. Who is there that doth not understand me when I say, that to Be∣lieve is so heartily to give your assent to the truth of the Gospel, that you live according to it? What word is there of all these, that hath a doubtful meaning? or if ten thousand men should hear them, what possibility is there that among them all there should be found so much as one different sense about them? whereas those words, To take Christ, to embrace him and close with him, are of such dubious signification, that both the act and the object (as we usually speak) have an ambiguous meaning. There are several wayes of taking, and embracing: and by Christ is sometimes meant his person, and sometimes his Gospel or Do∣ctrine. Now if to Take, be with our mind and heart to allow, approve, assent to any thing; then to take Christ in the first sense of that word, is to acknowledge him for the Son of God; the promised seed which he

said should be sent into the World: And to take him in the other, is nothing else, but that which I told you; To assent in such manner to all that is said of him, or he hath said in the Gospel, that we become obedient to his word. To what purpose then is it to use these phrases, when there are better at hand whereby we must explain them? Since this must be said which I have told you, why cannot it be said at first? When things can be clearly expressed, why should we chuse to speak them darkly? especially since there can be no fruit of it but only this, that men are longer before they understand us; and perhaps at the first hearing of what we speak obscurely, their minds are impressed with some such dangerous sense which they form to themselves; that all our explications cannot blot it out. It is of great moment, what mens souls are first imprinted withall. They will retain those words; and perchance think good to make the exposition ac∣cording to their own fancy. Why should not our words therefore carry their interpretation in them? or what should make us love to talk in such terms, that we cannot be certainly apprehended unless we talk a great deal more?

Of that said the Traveller (who was desirous to know all he could in this matter) I would willingly be informed by your self. You would oblige me very much if you could think fit to resolve your own que∣stion. For truly I love so dearly to understand what I hear (as thanks be to God I do what you say) that I wonder any men should go to seek for hard words, when those that are plain do thrust themselves into their mouths.

I meant not replyed the Guide to draw my dis∣course to this inquiry, but only to express to you by those questions the unreasonableness of such mens pro∣ceedings. Yet since it is your desire and I am not willing to deny you any thing; you shall know what I conceive in this matter, provided you will be con∣tent with that answer which lyes uppermost in my thoughts, and offers it self first to my mind.

They are not in love I am apt to think with such a definition of Faith as I have given you, because it is Pilgrim-like, plain as a Pike-staff. It is in this case as in many other: there are a company of men in the world who despise any thing which they understand easily, and imagine there is no great matter in it, if it be presently intelligible. They admire that most which they do not comprehend; and conceive there is some mystery and depth in it, if it be difficult to be explained. Just as you see abundance of men affect hard words, nay bombastick language and a fustian kind of dialect; though there be no greater eloquence then to speak naturally and with facility of expression: So there are as many, who love things obscurely delivered and which have a cloud about them; though it be the perfection of our under∣standings, to render our conceptions clear and easie to enter into the most vulgar capacities. As they think him an Orator who mounts and soars aloft (as they call it) in high-flown words; so they take him for a deep Divine whose notions of things are so expressed as they cannot presently sound and dive to the bottom of them. Hence it is that they contemn such a familiar, plain and facile explication of the word Faith, as doth not intricate a man's conceptions, but can at first sight

be apprehended; and they had rather have you speak of it in Metaphorical or borrowed words, which be∣longing more properly to other things then they do to this; make an uncertain sound, and leave the mind in confusion. If you say that it is a Taking of Christ, of whole Christ; an applying of what he hath done, to the soul; a cleaving to him, or in such like words express your self: all these seem to have more of my∣stery and Gospel-secrets in them, then the poor Pilgrim∣phrase hath; and so they win more credit with those men who are not wont to like any thing which every child may understand as well as themselves. Besides it must be confessed, that such words as those do not touch the bottom of the heart, nor so instantly pene∣trate to the very quick as the other plainly do, and so they must needs be better accepted in the world. They do not so necessarily and clearly imply mens obedi∣ence to our Lord, which in this that I mention is in di∣rect terms expressed; and so they will be sure to meet with kinder welcome and entertainment.

He was proceeding to add some other words much to the same effect when the Pilgrim begging his par∣don for diverting him from his main discourse, told him that he was too much satisfied in the truth of what he said and desired to hear no more of this folly of mankind. But what think you (added he) of those other descriptions of Faith which tell us that it is A relying upon our Saviour? cannot every body under∣stand this language as well as that which you speak? I grant it, answered the Director; but if it be not ly∣able to the first defect which I objected, it is notori∣ously guilty of the last and worst: for there is in it nothing of our obedience. As the former were faulty

in regard of their obscurity, so this is manifestly chargable with lameness and imperfection. You shall be convinced of the truth of this imputation in a very few words. For first, the most that can be made of this relyance on Christ for Salvation is, that it is one act of Faith, but there wants a great number more to make up an intire body of Christian belief. And, se∣condly, as it is but one single act, so it is far from being the first, but must suppose many others that go before it. As for example, it is necessary we be perswaded that Jesus is the Christ of God, that what he hath spo∣ken in the Gospel is his will, and that if we hope for salvation by him we must be conformed in all things to this will of God. And then thirdly these perswasions or acts of Faith that thus precede, must produce a sincere and cordial obedience to his laws, before we can reasonably arrive at this confidence of relying upon him for salvation. Now why this particular act of Faith should be alone mentioned in the definition of it, which is but one and not the first, nor chiefe, and all the rest left out; is past my capacity to understand. When our Faith hath rendered us obedient to him, then we may take the boldness to perswade our selves that he will save us: and this is nothing but an obe∣dience to his command also, who hath bid us trust him and take his word that he will be the Saviour of all faithful persons. But it is a presumption to do it sooner, and the ready course to destroy the Religion of Christ to advance such an hasty and forward belief in mens souls.

And therefore let me beseech you as you love your soul to be a follower of faithful Abraham, who (as I told you) was the founder of your Order. Remem∣ber

that such as he was, such must you be if you hope to come to Jerusalem and inherit the land of promise: and that in his example you meet with nothing earlier then this, that by Faith, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, he obeyed, and went out, not knowing whither he went. This was the first thing wherein his Faith imployed it self, and the last was like unto it: For when he was tryed by God he offered up his only begotten Son who was to be the heir of that inheritance which was pro∣mised to him. From this active Faith no doubt it is that He and all good Christians are called Faithful and not from a lazy recumbency on Christ for Salvation; or the strongest application of his merits to their souls. If these were sufficient to make a person of that deno∣mination; then we need no better character of a faith∣ful servant or steward (which the holy writings some∣times mention) then such an one as follows. He is a person that relyes upon his Masters merits; and de∣pends only on the worth and sufficiency of his Lord. He trusts in his goodness for a pardon of all his faults, and hopes he will esteem him a good servant because he is a good Master. He leans upon his arm, and clasps fast about him, and is resolved not to let him go till he have paid him his wages. He embraces him kindly, and hopes he will account him righteous because he is so himself. And in one word, He applyes to himself all the good works that his Master hath performed; and prayes to be excused if he do not his business, be∣cause that his Lord can do it better. Is not this a very ridiculous description? or would you be content to be thus served? Do not imagine then that God will be served after this fashion; or that such an ill-fa∣voured notion as this, is the best that can be found to

compose the definition of a true believer. But first do all that you can, and then acknowledge your self an unprofitable servant. Let it be your care to follow your work, and then rely only upon the goodness of our Lord to give you a reward. Be sure that you be inwardly righteous, and then no doubt the righteous∣ness of Christ will procure you acceptance, and bring you to that happiness which you can no wayes deserve.