A LETTER BY THE LATE JAMES BOURNE, LINCOLNSHIRE.
PULVERBACH, 1st September, 1844.
TO THE REV. C. JEFFREYS.
MY DEAR FRIEND,—I never had a more arduous task than to describe a false faith. It is scarcely possible to pursue it in all its windings and turnings and deceitful ways. In none does it show itself more than in those “foolish prophets that follow their own spirits, and have seen nothing.” They are compared to “the foxes in the deserts.” Cunning in evading the real truth, superficial in avoiding heart work, and not entering into anything beyond the outside appearance, “they have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the day of the Lord.” It is true they see something, and such as fear God hope sometimes that it will prove the right thing; but disappointing are the hopes entertained, for what they have seen is “vanity,” and they make others to see the same, and so they and their followers are swallowed up in delusion and error. The Lord says of such as hold this false faith that “they shall not be in the assembly of His people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel,” they shall not come into the secret of the righteous, nor shall their names be found in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Ezek. xiii. 3-9.)
False faith is further discovered by the spirit of the world in them that possess it. They can believe anything, trust God for everything, are seldom troubled with doubts and fears; no company brings them into bondage, however vain or trifling, and many hours of giggling lightness never disturb them, but all sweetness returns when they feel disposed to return; and there will be such a sweet, sentimental softness upon the heart as will melt the possessor of this false faith, and assure him it is a holy and heavenly thing. All this while the daily cross is not taken up, nor the world that is in the heart parted with. There is another true token of false faith under all this softness, which is a sly, insinuating, bitter enmity against the true faith; pride and prejudice working more especially against that than against any other thing, and yet with much pretended love, in opposition to a narrow spirit. In these days of gospel light men can form a modern language more refined than that of the Scriptures to suit the taste of people in genteel life, but they are not aware that whoever attempts to alter the true language of Canaan shall in the end, like the builders of Babel, be utterly confounded. False faith will quibble any plain Scripture to suit its base purpose, by which means it retains a confidence in the midst of approaching destruction. It separates itself from the true people of God, and finds an easier way than the path of tribulation; it feels the want of what is called good society, and so it is unawares ensnared, and held in the company of hypocrites of all sorts, and manifestly misses the strait gate; yet it shows such universal charity as to be able to see the worth of grace in the heart of the most ignorant, worldly-minded person.
True faith, the Scripture says, “is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.” It trembles at God’s judgments, especially on hearing, “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them.” True faith is a convincing proof of that truth; and though many subterfuges will be offered, yet will true faith still believe it, tremble at it, and fall under it, and will be taught to say, “God be merciful to me a sinner,” and will not so hastily say, “My Lord and my God.” True faith will discover the beauty and suitableness of the dying love of Jesus, but at the same time it will see and feel the dreadful evil of sin, and the mountain of difficulty between the sinner and the Saviour; and it is not able all at once to say, “Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain.” True faith chooses rather “to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season,” or of a deceitful religious life full of flattery; it esteems the reproach of Christ greater riches than the foolish lightness of an empty profession. True faith forsakes Egypt, that is the world and its vanities, and especially the empty religion of the day, “having respect unto the recompense of the reward.” In this faith seeing we are compassed about with many witnesses; let us lay aside every weight, and the sins of enmity, pride, and prejudice, which so easily beset us, and let us run the heavenly race, not with an earthly mind, but with a heavenly-born patience, looking not to each other for a testimony of our being right, “but unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.” He endured the Cross and despised the shame; but men in these days shun the Cross, and carry their decided piety to all sorts of company, and thus get rid of the shame. The apostles tell us these are not possessors of the true faith, but bastards, pretenders, false professors, wells without water, that talk of the word faith, and yet neither know what they say nor whereof they affirm. True faith is very transparent, and will make straight paths for its feet “lest that which is lame be turned out of the way,” instead of being healed. True faith will seek to obtain grace to worship God, Father, Son, and Spirit, “acceptably, with reverence and godly fear,” knowing that our God is a consuming fire (Heb. xi. 12).
Thus I have endeavoured, under a great feeling of my incapacity and weakness, to give my mind respecting false faith and true faith at your friend’s desire.
Yours, etc.,
J. B.