The law can crave no more, yet craves no less,
Than active, passive, perfect righteousness.
Yet here is all, yea, more than its demand,
All render'd to it by a divine hand.
Mankind is bound law-service still to pay,
Yea, angel-kind is also bound t' obey.
It may by human and angelic blaze
Have honor, but in finite, partial ways.
These natures have its lustre once defac'd,
"T will be by part of both for ay disgrac'd,
Yet, had they all obsequious stood and true,
They'd giv'n the law no more than homage due.
But faith gives 't honor yet more great, more odd,
The high, the humble service of its God.
Again to view the holy law's command,
As lodged in a Mediator's hand;
Faith gives it honor, as a rule of life,
And makes the bride the Lamb's obedient wife.
Due homage to the law those never did,
To whom th' obedience pure of faith is hid.
Faith works by love, and purifies the heart,t
And truth advances in the inward part;
On carnal hearts impresses divine stamps,
And sullied lives inverts to shining lamps.
From Abram's seed that are most strong in faith,
The law most honor, God most glory hath.
But due respect to neither can be found,
Where unbelief ne'er got a mortal wound,
To still the virtue-vaunter's empty sound.
Good works he boasts, a path he never trod,
Who is not yet the workmanship of God,*
In Jesus thereunto created new ;
Nois'd works that spring not hence are but a
True faith, that 's of a noble divine race,
Is still a holy sanctifying grace:
And greater honor to the law does share,
Than boasters all that breathe the vital air.
Ev'n heathen morals vastly may outshine
The works that flow not from a faith divine.
Pretensions high to faith a number have,
But, ah! it is a faith that cannot save:
We trust, say they, in Christ, we hope in God:
Nor blush to blaze their rotten faith abroad.
Nor try the trust of which they make a show,
If of a saving or a damning hue.
They own their sins are ill; true, but 't is sad
They never thought their faith and hope were bad.
How evident's their home-bred natʼral blaze,
Who dream they have believ'd well all their days;
Yet never felt their unbelief, nor knew
The need of pow'r their nature to renew!
Blind souls that boast of faith, yet live in sin,
May hence conclude their faith is to begin;
Or know they shall, by such an airy faith,
Believe themselves to everlasting wrath.
Faith that nor leads to good, nor keeps from ill,
Will never lead to heav'n, nor keep from hell.
The body without breath is dead;* no less
Is faith without the works of holiness.†
How rare is saving faith, when earth is cramm'd
With such as will believe, and yet be damn'd;
Believe the gospel, yet with dread and awe
Have never truly first believ'd the law!
That matters shall be well, they hope too soon
Who never yet have seen they were undone.
Can of salvation their belief be true,
Who never yet believ'd damnation due?
Can these of endless life have solid faith,
Who never fear'd law-threats of endless death?
Nay, sail'd they ha'nt yet to the healing shore,
Who never felt their sinful, woful sore.
Imaginary faith is but a blind,
That bears no fruit but of a deadly kind:
Nor can from such a wild unwholesome root
The least production rise of living fruit,
But saving faith can such an offspring breed,
Her native product is a holy seed.
The fairest issues of the vital breath
Spring from the fertile womb of heav'n-born faith; Yet boasts she nothing of her own, but brings Auxiliaries from the King of kings,
Who graves his royal law in rocky hearts,
And gracious aid in softening show'rs imparts:
This gives prolific virtue to the faith,
Inspir'd at first by his almighty breath.
Hence, fetching all her succors from abroad,
She still employs this mighty pow'r of God:
Drain'd clean of native pow'rs and legal aims,
No strength but in and from JEHOVAH claims:
And thus her service to the law o'ertops
The tow'ring zeal of Pharisaic fops.
THE BELIEVER ONLY, BEING MARRIED TO CHRIST, IS JUSTIFIED AND SANCTIFIED: AND THE MORE GOSPEL FREEDOM FROM THE LAW AS A COVENANT, THE MORE HOLY CONFORMITY TO IT AS A RULE.
THUS doth the Husband by his Father's will
Both for and in his bride the law fulfil:
For her, as 't is a covenant, and then
In her, as 't is a rule of life to men.
First, all law debt he most completely pays,
Then of law duties all the charge defrays.
Does first assume her guilt, and loose her chains,
And then with living water wash her stains;
Her fund restore, and then her form repair,
And make his filthy bride a beauty fair;
His perfect righteousness most freely grant,
And then his holy image deep implant;
Into her heart his precious seed indrop,
Which in his time will yield a glorious crop.
But by alternate turns his plants he brings
Through robbing winters and repairing springs.
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