Precious Faith

"To them who have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of GOD, and our Saviour JESUS CHRIST." -II Peter 1:1 [KJV]

There may be strong faith, where there is no true faith. Persons may pretend to have the assurance of faith—may believe that their sins are forgiven, without one grain of precious faith. Who believes more than a Deist does? He believes he has wisdom to guide, and power to save himself, without either the word, or the grace of God. Who has stronger faith than the self-righteous Pharisee had? He believed he had a right to go to God—to plead his Works before God—and to assure his heart that he was accepted of God. 

He wanted no righteousness from God. This is just such a faith, which all unregenerate men have. It is not a precious faith—it is not obtained through the precious righteousness of Christ—it doth not make His glorious person, and everlasting righteousness precious to the heart—it does not cause such, to renounce the filthy rags of their own righteousness, and to delight in God, as justifying the ungodly, through the righteousness of Christ; and sanctifying the unholy, through the Spirit of His grace. 

That faith is ever to be suspected, as only a rank weed, which grows in the corrupt soil of human nature, if the possessors of it see not the evils of sin which is in them, the curse it has brought upon them, and that nothing can relieve their conscience, support their mind, bring hope to their heart, and joy to their spirits, but the one spotless righteousness of Christ, in which sinners stand perfectly justified before God. He, who dares open his mouth, in objections against God’s imputing the righteousness of His Son, freely to sinners, and fully justifying them thereby, is shrewdly to be suspected, that so far from having obtained “like precious faith” with the apostles, his heart is not yet convinced of sin. 

Precious faith will shew itself by its fruits, inward as well as outward. The heart will bow to God’s sovereign will, receive His doctrines of grace, in the love of them, and not object and cavil against them. It will glory, that salvation from first to last, is not of works but of grace. And it will experience, that the grace of God which bringeth salvation, most sweetly, and powerfully, teaches to deny all ungodliness, and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present evil world. 

Most sweetly says one, “Surely, there can be no greater honor to Christ than this, in the sense of sin, wants, stains, and blemishes, to wrap ourselves in the righteousness of Christ, and with boldness to go clothed in the garments of this our elder Brother, to the throne of grace.” This is the glory of faith, Lord grant it may be ours!

-preacher Wm. Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

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