those of whom we read of in Mic. 6.7 and saying Shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my Body for the sin of my Soul Instead of halting between Two Opinions or expostulating doubting and disputing whether he should not destroy the Promise by obeying a Command which seemingly put him upon cutting off the hopes of a numerous Posterity with his own hand Behold he presently prepared to set forth upon this unwelcome Expedition with the same forwardness as he had done formerly when he quitted the Land of his Nativity upon the prospect which his Faith in God gave him of that Inheritance which he now enjoy'd together with the Heir of Promise For we read v. 3. That Abraham rose up early in the Morning and Sadled his Ass and took Two of his Young Men with him and Isaac his Son Moreover he clave the Wood for the Burnt-Offering and when they drew nigh unto the place of which God had told him he laid the Burthen of Wood upon Isaac his Son and laid him on the Altar upon the Wood and having so done he stretched forth his Hand and took the Knife to Slay his Son But the Angel of the Covenant interpos'd with a Counter Injunction and so stopt the Execution declaring that God was so well satisfied with his real Purpose and holy Resolution as to accept the Will for the Deed. For tho' Isaac was not actually offer'd or Slain by his Father yet since it was verily intended by him who had done so much towards it as to make all things ready for it who had gone so far in it as to come to the very last act of it Abraham received this Testimony from Heaven v. 12. of the forecited Chap. Now I know that thou fearest God seeing thou hast not witheld thy Son thine only Son from me Which may be Paraphrastically expressed thus Thou hast given abundant proof of thy pious impartial regard to the Commands of God and so may'st fairly be discharged from the Obligation of proceeding any further in the prosecution of this particular Order We are not to imagine That Abraham was acted by any such Enthusiastick Principle as that which influenced those who made their Children pass through the Fire to Molech offering their Sons and their Daughters unto Devils He could have no other Motive or Inducement in a Country where this piece of cruelty was never practised save only his heart's desire to please God by declining no instance of Obedience but endeavouring to do all that he should say of what kind soever And here I cannot but observe to you the several remarkable Circumstances which occur in this matter and do so mightily heighten or enhaunce the Worth and Excellency of that admirable Faith which Abraham shewed in performing such a singular instance of Obedience and in which you may see how far a true lively Faith in God will carry a good man For here was a Command to do that with which the loss of Money or indeed of Life it self in a good Cause is not to be compared nay that from which Nature most abhorr'd and Carnal Reason would have dissuaded namely That a man very Rich and in great Authority who earnestly desired an Heir which was born to him when by the course of Nature he could have no hopes of one that such a man should so overcome his natural Affection to him which must needs be exceeding great as to forego all the mighty Expectations he had from him and consent after a journey of Three days to Slay this Son with his own hands Surely this was one of the greatest things that ever mere man did If he had done it instantly or in the Moment that he receiv'd the Command it might have been interpreted the sudden precipitant inconsiderate Act of one terrified with a Dream or scared with a Vision But to do it so many days after the Command was given by Him who has undoubtedly an uncontroulable Dispensing Power and consequently a right to suspend the Sixth or any other Commandment at pleasure I say to do it upon such mature deliberation is an evident proof or clear demonstration of his unreserved Obedience and that too proceeding from a principle of pure love to God For he did not make haste to Slay his Son out of any fright he was in lest God should have Slain him or stript him of his Estate if he had disobey'd But took time to consider of it that he might show to all men what we ought to do in Obedience to God even where there is no fear of Temporal Punishment nor hope of Worldly Reward for 't is plain he Sacrific'd his dearest Comfort his greatest delight on Earth to the Will of his Father in Heaven Thus having given you an ample account of our Father Abraham's Faith which was imputed to him for righteousness and shewn you that the Two Apostles notwithstanding their seeming Difference are at a perfect Agreement it is now high time that I enquire into ours and let you see what is required in it in order to a Christian's being justified by it which was the Subject of my Second General 2dly Faith being in it self one part of the condition of our Happiness and also instrumental to work the rest 't is no less than necessary to be thoroughly informed what it is and to understand well wherein it consists For tho' it be above 1600 years since it was first preach'd it is still needful to be inculcated and explain'd especially in an Age when too many who are such loose livers as to have little or no fear of God before their Eyes would pass for True Believers barely because they retain so much of the Form of Godliness as to stand up at the Creed and with their Lips profess to believe every Article saying Amen to the whole whereas if this be all if no more were required to constitute a right Faith than thus to believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost as the Maker Redeemer and Sanctifier of Mankind the most dissolute Person one that is abominable disobedient and to every good work reprobate might look to be justified But the case is otherwise every Article is to be made practical and the Faith that justifies must influence our lives As there is no coming to God without believing that he is so no Faith can bring us to him or give us hopes of receiving the promised Reward from him but what is fruitful in good Works for without holiness no man shall see the Lord without Holiness no man's Faith shall be imputed to him for righteousness We read indeed That the just shall live by faith But still this Faith must be justified by such actions as are most proper and agreeable to it Faith or Belief in general is nothing else but an assent to something credible upon the Testimony or Declaration of another And the Christian Faith is our believing the Gospel and all things therein contained concerning God
Abraham 's Faith Stated and Applied A SERMON PREACHED FEBRUARY 16. 1695 6. By GEO. DUNCUMB M. A. Rector of Albury in Surrey LONDON Printed for Tim. Goodwin at the Queens-Head against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleetstreet MDCXCVII TO HIS PARISHIONERS THE Inhabitants of ALBURY Beloved IF one may make a Judgment of Mens Principles and Opinions by their most usual Practices nothing is more apparent than that the generality of Christians are persuaded That a Right Faith will Atone for an Irregular Practice for otherwise 't is hardly possible that Persons who are Orthodox in their Creed should so easily separate the Commandments from it Wherefore that you may not be deluded and fatally mis-led by any such false Notion which makes our Faith a matter of Speculation I do earnestly recommend the following Discourse to your Serious Perusal in hopes that by God's Blessing accompanying it it may prove a means to convince you effectually what little Reason there is to boast of having Abraham for your Father by living under the Profession of a most Holy Faith unless you likewise approve your selves his faithful Children by leading a Godly Righteous and a Sober Life This is my Aim and if I may but be so happy as to succeed in it I shall not matter what Strangers say of it in passing any uncharitable Censure on it The Publication indeed is somewhat unusual for though what you lately heard from the Pulpit comes now from the Press 't is altogether a Voluntier If this render it contemptible to other Readers as proceeding from an overweening Opinion of a plain Sermon it ought not to be the less acceptable to You for being a Freewill-Offering humbly presented and put into your Hands by Your faithful Minister Geo. Duncumb JAM II. 23. And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness And he was called the friend of God AS very Excellent Things are spoken of Faith and many Noble Acts have been done by it so there is none in whom this Saving-grace was more eminent than the person Characterized in my Text even Abraham who has the high Honour to be Intituled The Friend of God And since he seems to be set forth as a Pattern and Precedent for our imitation I shall 1. Enquire what kind of Faith or Belief Abraham's was And 2. Shew particularly what ours must be in order to be justified Tho' probably the Scripture here referred to may principally respect the Special Promise of God made unto Abraham touching a numerous Issue when stricken in Years according as it is written in Gen. 15. where upon this assurance when Sarah his Wife was naturally past Child-bearing it is said v. 6. That he believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness I say tho' Abraham's thus believing in hope against hope may be reckon'd or counted the ground of his justification yet is it not sufficient to support the confidence of such presumptuous Believers as rely upon a speculative Faith expecting to be justified and saved by it For this passage is not to be consider'd singly and alone but must be taken in conjunction with an antecedent and a subsequent Act with what went before it and what follow'd after it whereby Abraham gave full proof of his Faith's being no less Obediential than Fiducial I mean no less forward to observe God's Precepts than to depend on his Promises You must note then that besides God's knowing the sincerity and stedfastness of Abraham's Faith at the time when he counted it to him for righteousness upon his not staggering at the strange Promise through Unbelief He had already experienc'd it God had long before made trial of it by a Command of some difficulty even that of leaving his Native Countrey and going into a strange Land with which he complied without the least hesitancy or reluctance he did not hang back and object its being a hard case to quit a certainty for an uncertainty but made haste and delayed not to fulfil the Commandment of his God not scrupling to part with his present possessions in considence of God's provision he readily forsook his Kindred and his Father's House thereby approving himself the friend of God under whose conduct he took his journey and followed not knowing whither he should be led as we read in Gen. 12. This was such a signal instance of his resignation to the Divine Will in an intire dependance upon God that the Inspired Apostle ranks it amongst the most worthy fruits of a true Faith saying Heb. 11.8 By faith Abraham when he was called to go into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance obey'd and he went out not knowing whither he went That is he believed God that he would be as good as his word and in consequence of such belief was not disobedient to the heavenly Voice but did as he was bidden and repaired to the place appointed tho' he had no knowledge of it no Kindred or Acquaintance in it After he had long dwelt or rather sojourn'd here in the Land of Promise as in a strange Country the word of the Lord came unto him in a vision saying Gen. 15.1 Fear not Abraham I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward which is as if he should have said Let nothing daunt or discourage thee forasmuch as I will still stand by thee I will never leave thee nor forsake thee but will surely defend thee and always plentifully provide for thee Abraham it seems had already more wealth than he well knew what to do with having no Son to inherit it So that a Child was the only Blessing that he wanted and therefore he takes this occasion not out of any diffidence but from a longing desire to see the accomplishment I say he takes this occasion with humble confidence to put God in mind of a former Promise thitherto expected by his Servant even that of giving him a Son Whereupon this Ancient promise was graciously renewed and notwithstanding Ahraham was now grown old and his Wife both barren and also past the Age of Child-bearing yet being not weak in Faith he consider'd not his own Body now dead when he was about an Hundred years old neither the deadness of Sarah's Womb but knowing him to be faithful that promised and able also to perform it he believed God and it was imputed or accounted unto him for righteousness Not that we are to look upon this single act to be in it self the sole ground of Abraham's justification for unless he had justified this his professed Faith by a suitable action in time of trial we have no reason to think he would have been justified by himself Had he refused to obey the Special Command of God requiring him to Sacrifice his Son his only Son Isaac his bare believing the Promise could never have been imputed to him for righteousness There was no need that God to whom all things future are
present and so may well be called by him as tho' they were should wait the issue and event and therefore he foreseeing certainly at the time when Abraham believed the Promise concerning receiving a Son that he would readily resign him up or frankly surrender him back by making an Oblation of him whenever he should call for him I say this being as perfectly known unto God then as at any time afterwards he might very well make the imputation beforehand And now that God has really an Eye to this very thing in imputing righteousness unto Abraham is very evident from the words immediately foregoing and following my Text So that we have an infallible Interpretation to warrant the Application for in the Two Verses next before the Text we read expresly that Abraham our Father was justified by Works and that particularly when he had offer'd his Son Isaac upon the Altar whereby his Faith was made perfect Whence the Apostle makes this Inference or Conclusion And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness How was the Scripture fulfilled how did it receive its completion By the bare believing the Promise No but by his Expression of Obedience to God's Command in being ready to offer up his only Son The Design of St. James is to prove That Christians are justified by Works and not by Faith only For which purpose he alledges the Example of Abraham the Father of the Faithful affirming that he was therefore justified because he obey'd Ye see then says the Apostle just after the passage cited in my Text how that by Works a man is justified and not by Faith only Which is as much as to say 'T is apparent from the forementioned Example that Obedience to God's Commands as well as Belief of his Promises must concur to the making any person accepted or approved of God So that either the Apostle did not rightly understand the Saying of Moses Either he mistook the meaning and misapplied it which no good Christian can say or else it must be taken as you have heard it now explained namely in conjunction with that after-Act which God saw would be performed in its season in the proper time appointed for it But because it may be objected That St. Paul seems to have been of another mind and in his Relation of it to put a different or rather a clean contrary construction upon it 't is necessary I should attempt a clear solution of this difficulty by shewing their real Concord notwithstanding this appearing contradiction The Apostle of the Uncircumcision having declared in Rom. 3.28 That a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law he proceeds in the Fourth Chapter to illustrate this point at large where at the 3d v. he cites the same passage that St. James does here in my Text and thence argues against the boasted righteousness of the Jews in observing the Mosaick Law especially the discriminating parts of it which they were wont to press as necessary to Justification and shews that as Abraham was justified without them so shall his Seed be after him But in all this there is nothing inconsistent with St. James's assertion for St. Paul does not exclude Works or suppose that Abraham's Faith was not approved by them But he only rejects those Legal deeds which the Jews obtruded and cried up for righteousness such as Circumcision Sacrifices the Mosaick differences of clean and unclean Meats as also their setting up a meer human Righteousness in consisting in outward Acts and the like These he knew would never commend any man to God these therefore he condemns as superseded or set aside by the Gospel And that these are what he means by Works is evident from his declaring to those who laid so much stress upon them as to trust wholly to them that Abraham's righteousness was imputed when uncircumcised and consequently could not be on the account of any such Works as were before specified But rather such as he would have Christians or all that believe in God charged carefully to maintain Tit. 3.8 The Law of Moses being the Law of their Commonwealth whose breaches were triable in their own Courts the manner of the Jews was to esteem themselves righteous in the Eye of their Law as the World does in case of other Political and State Laws when they are not liable to be brought in trouble or indicted upon them before any of their own Tribunals Hereupon measuring themselves only by external Acts which alone are cognizable in human Courts the orderly Livers among them made no more scruple of asserting their Righteousness in the Eye of their Law than any good Subjects do in pleading their innocence as to the Laws of their respective Countries As we find St. Paul himself did in setting off his Jewish Confidences saying That touching the righteousness which is in the Law he was blameless that is had done nothing that could be alledg'd against him before any of their Tribunals Phil. 3.6 So that upon the whole matter when St. Paul affirms that Abraham was justified by Faith and not by Works without all peradventure he means such a lively Faith as did constantly demonstrate its sincerity by suitable affections and actions a Faith working by love and so made acceptable to God through Christ the Promised Seed even without performing perfect unsinning Obedience and without Conforming to the Rites of the Mosaick Precepts Which are the Two things that St. Paul certainly means by Works whereever he explodes them or sets up Faith in opposition to them and particularly in the instance before us Agreeably hereunto it is observable That when the same Apostle speaks of Abraham's Faith in another Epistle where he makes it his business to magnify and extol it exceedingly and so cannot be thought to have omitted what was most praise-worthy he takes no notice of his believing the Promise but makes mention only of his obeying the Command as may be seen in Heb. 11.17 18. By Faith saith he Abraham when he was tried offer'd up Isaac and he that had received the promises offer'd up his only-begotten Son Of whom it was said That in Isaac shall thy seed be called The Story is related more fully in Gen. 22. and the Substance of it is this It seems some time after the Promise to Abraham was fulfilled in that Sarah his Wife conceived and brought forth a Son it pleased God as he had purposed of old to make a further trial of his Faith such as might deserve to be a standing Monument throughout all Ages to the end of the World God said unto him v. 2. Take now thy Son thine only Son Isaac whom thou lovest and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of Abraham did not more easily believe the strange Promise than he readily obey'd this hard Command for instead of murmuring like
our Selves or a Future State in another World upon Christ's Authority whom we acknowledge to be the great Author and Finisher of our Faith But before this can render us acceptable in God's sight or be available unto Righteousness it must deeply impress us or suitably affect us by working in us such godly purposes and practices as may justly be expected from persons under such persuasions This might easily be evinced by an Induction of particulars but since the time will not permit me to enlarge I shall confine my self to one or two Generals God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the Fathers as by Visions by Voices from Heaven by the coming of his Spirit upon the Prophets and the like hath since that spoken unto us more fully by his Son Who came down from Heaven to reveal his Father's Will so far as we are concern'd to know it And this Revelation is Recorded in the Gospel to remain as a standing direction for us in full force or of the same Authority with us as if we now heard God speaking with a loud Voice out of the Clouds to us In the Gospel we have exceeding rich and preclous Promises of an ample Reversion we are assured of an Inheritance incorruptible undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven as a Recompence of Reward for the Righteous for all that shall live godly in Christ Jesus passing the time of their sojourning here in fear such fear as is productive and perfective of Holiness by cleansing us from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit Now if we believe this as firmly as Abraham did that which was but a Type of this it will certainly incline us to do as he did who knew no more of Canaan than we do of Heaven I say if we be as verily persuaded of what we read as he was of what he heard we cannot chuse but express the same care and forwardness to observe what is written as he did to comply with what was spoken as necessary to get into it or to be duly qualified for the fruition of it That is to say We shall be effectually disposed to live like Strangers and Pilgrims upon Earth behaving our selves as it becomes those who profess that we have no continuing City here but are seeking one to come and that with such assiduous diligence as is proper to secure it Abraham's stedfastly believing the Promise put him upon following the Commandment of God and so he came to be instated in the Inheritance In like manner our believing the Promise which Christ has made us of entring into the Kingdom of Heaven must prompt us to obey the Precepts which he has given us conducing to it before we can be admitted to sit down with Abraham in it Yea the very hardest of them should we be called to it even that of forsaking All to follow him or for adhering to him whether houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands All must be left for Christ's sake if we mean to inherit Everlasting Life Mat. 19.29 That is We must abandon our Possessions and nearest Relations when they can be no longer enjoyed with a good Conscience we must chuse rather to part with them than to depart from any Article of Faith any Essential Point of Christian Doctrine as an irrefragable proof or sure token of our loving fearing and trusting in God above all things And that this is not a Precept of Perfection but of necessary Obligation our Saviour himself has clearly determined or positively declared saying Luk. 14.26 If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother wife and children brethren and sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my disciple Which is as if he should have spoken thus In case any man that is listed under my Banner be not so disentangled from the Affairs of this World as to prefer me and my service before all secular Interests whatsoever he is not meet to be partaker of the Inheritance with the Saints in Light here or Glory hereafter If this seem very difficult or be thought above our ability let us remember That all things are possible to him that believeth and nothing is too hard for a Faith which looks at the things which are not seen and are Eternal You have heard of the Faith of Abraham or his believing God and how that in Vertue of that belief at God's Command he left his Country his Kindred and his Father's House Travelling though he knew neither the place nor the way to it in search of that Seat which God had chosen for him Wherefore since we know that when our earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternat in the Heavens methinks we should never scruple the utmost pains nor decline any hardships in striving for it it being more easy to overcome than to overlook the greatest difficulties that can occur in the passage from the inviting the ravishing transporting Prospect of that provision which Christ has made for us in his Father's House where there are so many Mansions and those too such as will continue for ever 2dly To dissipate our fears and animate our hopes in the most perilous Times We read expresly That the Church is Founded on a Rock and are assured by the All-powerful Head of it That the Gates of Hell shall never prevail against it Now if we hold fast the profession of our Faith without wavering tho' black clouds and thick darkness should be round about her though the Heathen should rage or the Kings of the Earth take counsel together and with one consent be Confederate against her to destroy her 't will not so fill us with fear as to drive us to Despair but we shall still rest satisfied with God's promise of Protection being confident that they must needs imagine a vain thing in consulting to make havock where Salvation is appointed for Walls and Bulwarks This Faith will so perfectly cast out all fear even in the midst of imminent dangers from the most furious attacks as to enable us to say within our selves God is in the midst of her therefore shall she not be removed God shall help her and that right early Had the Church no Nursing Father none other to Fight for her but only God surely her Sons could have no reason to fear the power of any Adversaries for since He and He alone can Govern the unruly Wills and Affections of sinful Men since he has full Power instantly to make the Church's Enemies to be at Peace with her or else to put them down that rise up against her did we but unfeignedly believe this we should not be so prone to crucify our selves with the fear of being hurt by any Persecutions through those Evils which the Malice of Men or Devils may at any time devise Or put the case they should be
permitted to ride over our Heads a-while and lay trouble upon our Loins yet if we believe verily that he who Orders all Events and brings good out of Evil will cause the very worst to work together for the good of his People a lively Faith will dispose us to pass our time in rest and quietness as also in all our troubles and adversities whensoever they oppress us to put our whole trust and confidence in God's Mercy abiding patiently upon him till he turn again and refresh us as he did David and his Chosen Generation after he had shewed them great troubles Whatever come upon us this Faith will keep us stedfast and unmoveable make us always abound in the work of the Lord nor shall we behave our selves frowardly in his Covenant Our heart will not be turned back neither will our steps go out of his way no not when he has smitten us in the place of Dragous and cover'd us with the shadow of death as the Royal Prophet speaks in Psalm 44.18 19. So that should the Sword be unsheath'd with a seeming Commission to pass through the Land as in Ezek. 14. Since He that stay'd Abraham's hand when the knife was at Isaac's Throat can with the same ease put a stop to the progress of the destroying Angel in a moment every one that has indeed Abraham for his Father will say with Holy Job Though he slay me yet will I put my trust in him or in the A postle's Language I will not cast away my confidence which hath great recompence of reward but will still commit the keeping of my soul to Him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator If then any be apt to torment themselves before the time by formidable apprehensions of threatning Evils they would do well to consider the passage of our Saviour in Mat. 8.25 26. where we read that whilst Christ was in a Ship at Sea with his Disciples there arose a great Tempest which filled the Disciples with so much dread as to make them conclude they must needs be presently swallowed up of the deep whereupon they ran hastily to their Lord as he lay asleep and awoke him by crying out Lord save us we perish and he said unto them why are ye fearful O ye of little of faith then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm Now since Christ who is gone up on High and there invested with Power to save unto the utmost all that call upon him has promised saying Lo I am with you always even to the end of the world If we have Faith to believe it nothing can be wanting to make us live quiet from fear of Evil even though the Earth be moved and though the Hills be carried into the midst of the Sea though the Waters thereof rage and swell and though the Mountains shake at the tempest of the same for the Rivers of the flood thereof shall make glad the City of God the holy place of the Tabernacle of the most Highest If the Kingdoms be moved Christ who is very high exalted doth defend his Church as it were with a Shield Thus have I done my true endeavour to make you throughly sensible what kind of Faith is expected from you shewing plainly how that it consists not only in believing that there is a God and that his Son Jesus Christ was made manifest in the flesh for thus far the Devils themselves went who confessed saying We know thee who thou art even the Holy one of God But a right Faith consists in so firmly and unfeignedly believing the whole Will of God Revealed in the Scripture as to act in all things according to it and that with so much steadiness as never to swerve from the Commandments upon any the most specious pretext never presuming to set aside a known Duty upon the pretence of Necessity or by the plea of Providence but by the Example of Abraham still to do the thing which God Commands and leave the issue and success to Him nothing doubting but that if in all our ways we acknowledge Him by ruling our selves after his Word he will surely bring it to pass effecting what is best for the right hand of the Lord has the pre-eminence and does in all places whatever he pleases To Conclude then Let us not Believe in Word neither in Tongue but in Deed and in Truth Obeying from the Heart the Form of Doctrine delivered to the Saints and walking in the steps of our Father Abraham so shall we receive a Blessing from the Lord and Righteousness from the God of our Salvation even the Lord Jesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be Glory and Honour Thanksgiving and Power now and for ever Amen FINIS Errors of the Press to be Corrected thus PAge 5. l. 2. dele by and l. 19. for has read had p. 6. l. 5. for the r. his p. 7. l. ult del in p. 9. l. 18. r. Agreeable p. 10. l. 16. or 17. del of