by us but infused by God together with Faith as being a part of it But it is meant of the second or further work of Sanctification and so Faith sanctifieth us as it lends a hand to help forward and to perfect our Sanctification for so Faith doth strengthen and increase Grace in us by drawing down strength and life from Christ daily and in this sense as to their bene or melius esse all our graces have a kind of dependance upon Faith as a Mediatory grace as I may say as our Mediatour to our Mediatour in fetching down influence and strength for the strengthening and increasing of grace in us And therefore by the way it may bee a good Admonition to you when you finde any weakness in your love patience or in any other grace still to strengthen and increase Faith whereby you may draw down from Christ strength to all the rest 3 The third thing in the definition expresseth what this formall act is and here wee have 1 The essentiale Antecedens 2 The essentiale constituens 1 The essentiale Antecedens essentially pre-requisite to the justifying Act and this is knowing and assenting which two I might separate for the better discovery of our adversaries error in their implicit Faith who hold that it is sufficient for some only to beleeve as the Church beleeveth although they know not themselves any thing that they beleeve to maintain which blind Faith they say that Justifying Faith may bee without knowledge nay that it were better to bee defined by ignorance than by knowledge But wee must not stand to answer every thing that commeth in the way for so wee should stay long enough at the threshold I will therefore joyn these two both together as essentially pre-requisite whereby wee know and assent to our own miserable estate the freeness of God promise and grace which hee hath tendred to the soul in Christ both essentiall Antecedents to justification of which some expound that John 6.40 every one that seeth the Son and beleeveth on him shal have everlasting life Where by seeing they say is meant Christum praedicatum videre agnoscere pro filio Dei to see and acknowledge Christ the Son of God and Saviour of the World and indeed this must go before It is gradus ad rem though not gradus in re it is a pre-requisite or preparatory to justifying Faith but it is not justifying Faith as in the Generation of a man the sensitive soul goeth before and prepareth a fit organ for the infusion of the reasonable soul and yet not the sensitive but the reasonable soul doth inform so in the reparation of man hystorical faith doth precede and make way for the inducement of justifyâ—ng Faith and yet not the former but this doth justifie as Calvin saith a Vulgar knowledge and assent to truth doth joyn a man no more to God than the sight of the Sun doth lift a man to Heaven Otherwise did this hystoricall assent justyfie then it as well as Justification should be proper only to the Elect so Justification is Rom. 8.30 but so is not an hystorical assent for that Simon Magus had and other Reprobates may have 2 Essentiale constituens or that formal Act whereby wee are justified and that is rowling or resting our selves upon Christ or trusting on him for they are Synonimaes expressing the same thing in diverse words And that this is the formal Act of justifying Faith I refer my self and you to what in this kinde was said before I here only say that that which is imputed for Righteousness and by which wee are justified that is the true and formall Act of justifying Faith But such a kind of beleeving is imputed for Righteousness and is that by which wee are justified so saith the Apostle Rom. 4.5 to him who beleeveth on him that justifieth the ungodly his Faith is imputed to him for Righteousness and Rom. 10.10 11. with the heart man beleeveth unto Righteousness and in the next verse hee Interpreteth that beleeving by beleeving on him for the Scripture saith whosoever beleeveth on him c. And therefore wee conclude so to beleeve is the justifying Act of Faith 4 The fourth thing in the Definition is the fruit which cometh in or the end of this Act and that is 1 Next and immediate Justification and pardon of sin 2 Mediate Sanctification and growth in grace 3 Ultimate The Perfection of all in Glorification But here some may object Object 1. First there are many who do trust and yet are not justified many who profess that they do this act but yet live in their sins as Balaam c. Therefore this is not the justifying Act. Ans I answer That although every one say hee trusteth yet every one doth not truly trust for there is a double affiance or trust The one is a slight and superficial affiance grounded upon no other foundation than a great apprehension that it is good to bee saved by Christ but yet so as neither to leave their old course or imbrace a new The other is a setled and grounded affiance and so qualified as that it is not to bee found in any not truly justified if it bee I shall yield the cause 1. It is a holy Trust Jude v. 20. Build up one another in your holy faith not as though holiness were required as an ingredient into faith in the act of Justification or giving us our first interest in Christ but this I mean by a holy trust that it is such a trust as is accompanied with holiness in the root and brings forth works of holiness in the fruit such a faith as is accompanied with holiness in the heart and declared in the holiness of our lives For although it be fides sola faith alone which justifieth and gives us the first interest in Christ yet it is not fides quae sola solitaria it is not a faith which is alone but such a faith as is accompanied with holiness in the root the graces of Gods Spirit and holiness in the life The faith which doth justifie us is not in formis but formata not a dead faith but animated and quickned with grace and holiness the whole man being sanctified 2. It must be an unfeigned Trust 1 Tim. 1.5 2 Tim. 1.5 There is a counterfeit and hypocritical Trust such as never comes to God from love but for shelter in a storm Psal 78.34 35 36. When he slew them then they sought him and yet did but flatter c. Or such a faith it is that closeth not fully with Christ in all his Offices They are content to have him as a Saviour but not for a Lord the priviledges and dignities that come in by Christ they are willing to own but not the duties and services which he requires They will commit themselves to Christ to save when in trouble then Lord help but to the Devil to serve Who is Lord over us Whereas now a true faith
day and poor to morrow The Lord hath given Dominus dedit Dominus abstulit the Lord hath taken away Both with one breath Hence the wise man Riches make themselves wings and flye away But these are abiding Treasure A Treasure whose spring is in Heaven whose Foundation is in Christ Our life is hid with Christ in God not only hid for secrecy but hid for safety It is a safe life an abiding life Nay but if they should continue yet will they do us no good in the day of trouble They cannot save our souls from nor in the day of wrath They cannot save us from sicknesse nor from death not from Hell Nor are they able to mitigate our Torments to purchase one drop of water in that lake of fire What profit had Ahab of his Vineyard Baltazar of his cups Dives of his wealth Judas of his thirty-pence Agrippa of his gay apparel The rich fool of his full barns All these would do them no good Neither quench nor bribe these flames but rather afford Oile to increase them But now Grace that riches which Faith doth inrich us withall it is such as will uphold us in sickness bee a choice cordial in that bitter potion it will deliver us in death save us in the day of wrath and inable us to lift up our heads with joy and boldness in the day of Judgement that terrible day of the Lord when the wicked shall tremble before the Judge and call upon the Mountains to fall upon them and the Hills to cover them from the presence of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Hast thou other riches and wantest thou Faith Hast thou Mountains of Gold Rocks of Diamonds shores of Rubies And wantest thou Faith wantest thou Grace Oh! thou art a poor man Thus you see Faith is an Heart-inriching-Grace A Beleever hath title to all A Beleever is the poorest and the richest man in the World As none is poorer than a godly man in himself so none is richer than a Beleever in Christ Hee is as having nothing and yet possessing all things Christ is the Heir of all things All are yours if you bee Christs No sooner can the soul say Christ is mine but hee may say His Blood is mine his Spirit mine his Glory mine all is mine Christ and all his are conveyed and made over by the same Deed of Gift Hence the Apostle saith Wee are made partakers of Christ Not of some part but of Christ all Christ not of Justification only but say Christ and there is all Fifteenth Royalty 15. Royalty Faith is an Heart-raising-Grace 15. Faith is an Heart-raising-Grace There is a threefold Death that Faith doth raise up the soul from 1. The Death of Sin 2. The Death of inward Trouble 3. The Death of outward Trouble 1. Faith raiseth up the soul from the Death of Sin Wee are all of us Dead by nature in trespasses and sins Ephes 2.1 Dead-Born And as dead men so wee have no notion to spiritual things no motion no strength to any good no sense being insensible of the weight of sin insensible of mercies and judgements wee have no desires after any thing good no affection to them And a Death it is not only Privative A meer absence and privation of spiritual life but a Positive Death wherein there is an Introduction of a Positive vitious Habit. As in Natural Death there is not only a Privation of Life of the former form but the Position of another form there is another form left in the body So in Spiritual Death there is not only a meer Absence a bare Privation of Life But there is a Positive Evil and Vitious Habit left in the soul Hence Heb. 9.14 The works of natural men are called Dead works There would bee a contradiction in calling them Dead works if unregenerate men were only deprived of spiritual life and had not another positive evil form in them Thus dead wee are then not only Privatively but Positively And it is Faith which doth raise up the Soul from the Death of Sin to the Life of Grace Faith is the Resurrection of the Soul from under the spiritual death the Death of Sin The first rise of the Soul from the Death of Sin is by beleeving Vita sancta aâ— fide sumit initium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fide regeneramut Calv. Resipiscentia non modo fidem subsequitur sed ex ea noscitur Calv. ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fides justificationem praecipit sanctificationem efficit Tilen An holy life hath its rise from Faith The Fountain of all our spiritual Graces The worker of all good things That which begets Love Fear Repentance Hence Calvin saith Faith regenerates Repentance doth not only follow Faith but doth arise from Faith Hence Clemens Alexandrinus Faith is the first awakening the first inclination of the Soul to Christ. Hence by some Faith and the New Creation Faith and Sanctification do differ as much as the Cause and the Effect Faith is the Instrument of Justification but the efficient of Sanctification They who distinguish Regeneration which is part of our Vocation and Sanctification do make Faith and Sanctification differ as much as Cause and Effect Vocation say they produceth Faith â—nd Faith being begotten produceth Sanctification both habitual and â—ctual Hence it 's called the Mother-Grace But they who make Vocation and Sanctification all one and both to bee nothing else but our inherent Righteousness or those Habits that frame of Grace implanted in the Soul whereof Faith is a part they do say Faith doth not produce the Cause of the Habits of Graces but Faith produceth the acts of Grace of Love Repentance c. Faith doth not produce the Habits but the acts of Grace For the clearing of this Sanctification may bee considered as it is either In actu primo vel secundo 1. Habitual Or 2. Actual 1. For our Habitual Sanctification There wee say the Spirit of God is the only Cause and Faith is an Effect as well as others Faith is a part of our inherent Sanctification 2. For our Actual Sanctification or as those Habits do act and exercise and there wee say Faith doth help to produce the acts of Grace of Love of Repentance 1 Tim. 1.5 Love out of a pure heart and a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned Faith doth not only lend an hand to its Fellow-Graces for the perfecting of Grace but Faith doth help to produce the Acts of Grace the Acts of Love of Repentance Zeal Patience c. Though at the same time they bee all implanted yet in Nature Faith hath the precedency and helps to produce the Acts of all the rest As God the Father is before the Son in Nature yet not in Time Hee is not a Father till hee have a Son So is it to bee understood concerning Faith and all other Graces 2. Faith raiseth us up
Faculties yet I say Making of Faith an Act of the whole Soul of the Understanding VVill and Affections There 's no Necessity will follow thereupon of planting it in diverse and distinct Faculties Why may it not bee Planted and Subjected in the Heart which is the proper seat of Faith as well as of other Graces As others who have made The Formall Act of Faith a willing Assent which is both An Act of the VVill and Understanding to avoid the seating of the Habit in diverse Faculties have placed it in the Mind which say they comprehends the Understanding and the VVill So wee here To avoid the like do seat it more properly in the Heart And therefore that absurdity of seating Faith in diverse Faculties will not follow on us Though wee say That this Act of Faith whereby wee are justified Bee such an Act wherin many other Acts are folded up The Understanding assenting The VVill trusting c. Object 4 But to believe is to bee assured And therefore it is not to trust Ans I say That to beleeve is not to bee assured And to bee assured is not to beleeve Faith is not Assurance Nor is Assurance Faith as many have held I will not trouble you with the Controversie only I will infer these things 1 If Assurance were the Act of Faith whereby wee are justified Then where there 's no Assurance there 's no Faith This were an hard Consequent Nay then VVhoever lives and dyes without Assurance cannot bee saved They who live and dye without Faith cannot bee saved And if Faith were Assurance Then Whoever lived and dyed without Assurance could not bee saved Which far bee it from mee to hold 2 That which is a Consequent of justifying Faith is not Justifying Faith This is plain But Assurance is a Consequent of Justifying Faith It is that which follows it 1 Sometimes in order of Time 2 Alwayes in order of Nature 1 Sometimes in order of Time 1 John 5.13 These things have I written unto you that beleeve on the Name of the Son of God that you might know that you have Eternal life where you see Beleeving goes before and Knowing or Assurance follows after It is not contemporary with Faith but follows it 2 Alwayes in order of Nature As wee say The Truth of a Proposition is ever in order of Nature before the Knowledge of the Truth of it Things must bee in Esse before they can bee in Cognosci Things must Bee before they can bee known to Bee So there must bee pardon of sins before there can bee Assurance of pardon A man must bee Justified before hee can bee assured hee is Justified Justification must needs go before the Apprehension of Justification Now that which apprehends Justification is not Justifying Faith but follows it For Apprehension follows Justification No man can truly apprehend himself to bee Justified till hee bee Justified But Justifying Faith is in nature before Justification And therefore unless wee should say that That which follows is That which goes before wee cannot say that that which apprehends Justification is Justification And by Consequence Assurance is not that Faith which Justifies 3 Again If to beleeve were to bee assured that wee are Justified and our sins pardoned Then it will follow God commands us to beleeve an untruth Why How will that follow Thus Because God commands every one to beleeve 1 Joh. 3.23 This is his Commandement that wee beleeve on the name of his Son JESUS CHRIST Now If to beleeve were to bee assured wee are Justified and our sins pardoned Then God commands to beleeve an untruth That our sins are pardoned before they are pardoned That wee are Justified before wee are Justified Nay Such as are Reprobates and shall never bee pardoned If to beleeve were to bee assured of pardon Then I say God commands them to bee assured of pardon And so commands to beleeve a lye an untruth There is 1 The Act of Faith and 2 The Fruit of Faith The Act of Faith is To cast our selves on CHRIST to rest to trust on him The Fruit of Faith is Justification pardon of sin Reconciliation Now God commands no man to beleeve the Fruit of Faith untill hee hath done the Act of Faith Hee commands no man to beleeve hee hath an interest in the Promise till hee hath performed the condition of the Promise The Promise runs upon this condition Hee that beleeves shall receive remission of sins Act. 10.43 Act. 16.31 To the first Act of Faith All men indeed are tyed under pain of damnation Mar. 16.16 Joh. 3.18 The World shall bee condemned for unbelief And there 's no condemnation but upon breach of some Commandement And therefore all men are tyed to do the first Act. But now to the latter none are tyed but such as have done the former The first is the condition of the Promise or The Duty The second is the Benefit or Fruit of the Promise So that wee conclude this That Assurance is not the Act of Faith whereby wee are justified before God But yet That whereby wee are justified in our selves in the Court of Conscience Wee are said to bee Justified in three Courts 1 In foro Dei In Gods Court. 2 In foro Conscientiae in Court of Conscience 3 In foro Communi In the Court of men 1 In the Court of God It is not Assurance But Faith Affiance trust that doth Justifie 2 In the Court of Conscience It is not Faith but Assurance which Justifies Where the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or first Proposition is the undoubted Word of God hee that beeleves shall bee saved The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Assumption is the Testimony of our own spirit with that word The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the verdict and Testimony of the SPIRIT of God testifying with our spirit according to the word whereby wee have Assurance In the Court of men It is nor Faith nor Assurance that Justifies but works Object 5 But you will say If Assurance bee not the Act whereby wee are justified Because it is a Fruit of Justifying Faith Much less can Trust bee the Act of it because it is the Fruit of Assurance That which is the Fruit of Assurance cannot bee the Act of Justifying Faith But this Trust and Affiance is a fruit of Assurance Assurance is the cause and works Affiance as the Effect Therefore Trust or Affiance cannot bee the Act of Justifying Faith Answ Assurance is twofold 1 Principiorum of Principles 2 Conclusionum of Conclusions The first The Assurance of Principles is no more but such a grounded undoubted Assurance as Beleeves the main Proposition of the Gospel as Hee that beleeves shall bee saved The second The Assurance of Conclusions is such an Assurance as is necessarily deduced from the word by Application in a practical Syllogism after this manner Hee that beleeveth shall bee saved But I beleeve Therefore I shall bee saved The first is The Assurance of the Object
3. The Fruit and Benefit that comes in thereby 1. Negatively Should not perish 2. Positively But have Eternal life Now about the Act and the Object we shall make these two enquiries before we come to lay down the Conclusion 1. What act of faith that is whereby a sinner stands justified before God 2. Upon what Object this Act is to be terminated 1. For the first What Act that is You must know that faith in the general consideration hath divers acts and objects and that the acts are diversified according to the diversity of the objects so many particulars as are recorded in Scripture so many particular objects and accordingly so many particular acts there are of faith in general But our enquiry is what is the formal Act and Object of justifying faith Now for the first viz. What is the formal Act of Faith You must know that there is much difference amongst Divines about it 1. Some would have it to be a bare and naked assent to every truth revealed by God Thus the Papists 2. Some say it is a firm and radical assent to this great Proposition That Christ is Messiah and Saviour of the world 3. Others place it in a receiving of Christ in all his Offices as a King Priest and Prophet 4. Some in Assurance and Particular Knowledge or Perswasion that we are in the state of Grace and have an interest in Christ c. 5. Others do place it in rowling our selves upon Christ and resting in him when the soul assenting to that great Proposition that Christ is the Saviour the Mediator doth rowl and rest it self upon him and trusteth in him In most of which different opinions we finde this agreement 1 That it is an Act of Faith whereby wee are justified not Faith as an Habit of Grace inherent in us but Faith as an Act not Faith in actu primo as an Habit infused but in actu secundo 2 That it is such an Act as is not wrought out of our selves or our own Principles but such as is wrought by the Spirit of Christ and the mighty Power of God 3 That it is such an Act as bringeth over the soul to the true object to Christ by whom wee are justified 4 Such an one as all the benefits of Christ do belong unto accompany Christ in blood Christ in water Christ for Justification Christ for Sanctification Christ for Salvation in all these there is an exact agreement among them And therefore although there bee some difference in respect of that formall Act which justifieth yet seeing they preach and cry down themselves and advance and set up free grace and mercy both in the work and fruit of it The Papists have no cause to cry us down for dis-agreement which for their parts they are like the four winds blowing in the faces of one another in many points as might easily bee shewed if here it were pertinent Wee know that while wee are here differences there will bee for wee know in part and prophesy but in part It were an happy â—hing if wee could bee all of one heart and all of one mind but seeing it will not bee I could wish that although wee bee not all of one mind yet wee might bee all of one heart and that difference in judgement might not breed alienation in affection especially seeing wee all aime at one thing one mark one end All agree in hoc uno in this one to set up Christ the mercy of God free grace and by crying down our selves and why then should wee not agree amongst our selves And therefore in all these diversities of Judgements concerning the formal Act of Faith whereby wee stand justified before God I shall not deal so much in the throwing down of other mens opinions as in the establishing of mine own 1 Because I conceive there is little wisdome in it to uncover the nakedness of our Brethren by bringing them in contending with one another 2 Because I think there is little profit in it especially in promiscuous Congregations Such debates being fitter for the Schools than for the Pulpit Polemical and Controversal points may beget Notion little Motion fill our heads with Notions but not our hearts with sanctifyed affections And therefore I will break my self in as plain and modest a manner as I can amongst all these differences to declare what I adhear to and to establish it by some Scriptures and so passe it Now then I conceive that that formal act of Faith whereby wee are justifyed and instated into Christ is an Act of Affiance and recumbency rowling resting trusting or Christ for Justification and consequently for salvation For the proof whereof wee are to observe that the words both in the Old and New Testament by which the Act of Faith is expressed do import such an act as this In the Old Testament wee meet with three words especially which import this act of Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which being referred to Christ do express that Act whereby wee are justified 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first of them as Rabbi Kimchi observeth doth primitively and properly signifie to retire into some safe place for harbour or shelter So Judg. 9.15 come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Bramble shelter or cover you under my shadow and the Prophet useth the same word Psal 57.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my soul trusteth in thee I will retire my self under the shadow of thy wings and so it being referred to Christ betokeneth that Act whereby wee do betake our selves to him as to our Sanctuary where wee may bee preserved in safety from the tempest of Gods displeasure and so Psal 2.12 when his wrath is kindled yea but a little 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Blessed are all they that put their trust in him or that retire themselves to him upon which place Junius noteth that that retyring unto God which is affirmed to bee the cause of our blessedness is no other than sincere Faith and what act of it but this of affiance 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The second word in the Old Testament signifieth to rowle and being joyned with the Praeposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to devolve and rowle something on another as Psal 37.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rowle thy way upon the Lord and trust in him c. and Prov. 16.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rowle thy works upon the Lord and thy thoughts shall bee established agreeable to which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cast thy burden upon the Lord c. And this word applyed to Christ imports that Act whereby being laden with sin and seeking ease wee at last discharge our load and cast it upon Christ 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The third word signifieth to put confidence trust and affiance in any thing or person so as securely to lean and rest upon it So Isa 50.10 hee that walks in darkness and seeth no light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let him trust in the name
the act of faith at the heels Thou must stay the Lords leisure and wait till all clouds and storms be blown over till all doubts and fears shall vanish Psal 57.1 Light is sowen for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart but with the Husbandman we must wait in patience till the corn come up and the crop come in The storm doth not cease as soon as the ship-man hath cast anchor the winds then may yet blow and the tempest may be as strong nay it may be stronger than before but the rock to which thou art fastned is sure or if thy anchor hold all is sure Nothing shall hinder safety though something may interrupt thy security to thine own apprehension To trust is the act of faith but apprehended security is the fruit of believing and therefore cometh not till afterward it may be some moneths may be some years after long experience Nay it is not an inseparable fruit of believing I mean thy apprehended security is not thou maist possibly never in this life reach the apprehensions of thy security and yet thy condition may be secure It is secure as I said in the promise though not to sense if thou dyest whilst thou ridest at Anchor having thrown it out and fastned it on Christ yet thou dyest in the ship and not in the sea thou dyest in the Covenant of Peace and there is safety though the storm in this world may never cease That which I would commend to thee is to be much in self-purging self-humbling self-examination trust much and stedfastly to the end Do as they did in that great storm when neither Sun nor Stars were seen for many days cast out anchor and wish for day nay cast out two anchors that is safest in a tempestuous night trust and pray that God would break into thy soul with a calm morning light and mean while wait and say When will the day break and these shadows this darkness this tempest fly away My soul wait thou onely upon God for my expectation is from him Psal 62.5 Object 3. But say some To believe is an act of the understanding and is nothing else but an Assent to the truth of Divine Revelations which is expressed in Scripture By receiving of Christ John 1.12 To as many as received him to them he gave power to become the sons of God even to as many as believe in his name Where receiving of Christ which say they is An act of the understanding assenting to this truth That Christ is the Messias and Saviour of the world is made all one with Believing And so Isa 53.11 By his knowledge Notitiâ sui not suâ By the knowledge of him shall my righteous servant justifie many which knowing is an act of the understanding also The like John 17.3 This is life Eternal To know thee c. All which places do report thus much That Faith is an act of the understanding not of the will And to this they alledge the testimony of the Greek Fathers which make Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An undoubted Assent to the Doctrine of Salvation and to this Proposition in particular That Christ is the Messiah So that by all this it is clear to them that Faith is an act of the understanding not of the will But now Trust is an act of the will and therefore cannot be the formal act of justifying Faith Answ Now for Answer of this we must know that 1. To Believe In the general is no more than to assent to the truth of a Proposition for the Authority of the Speaker It is no more than An act of the understanding whereby we Assent to the truth of Divine Revelations But we speak not of Faith in general but of justifying Faith of that formal act of Faith whereby we stand justified before God And here we say that Faith is not an act of the understanding onely but of the will also The first It is Too Low Non pertingit ad justificationem as one saith It reacheth not so high as Justification The second Brings the Soul over to Christ by an act of Trust whereby a man is justified By the first we do but Discover the justifying-Justifying-Cause the Founain of Life Christ himself By the latter we Throw our selves into this Fountain In ipsum quasi totos nos immergimus and draw water of life from him Hence one None can be justified but by union with Christ Nullus potest justificari nisi per unionem ad Christum Durand and the first union is by Faith By what Faith The Speculative act of Faith No sure This doth no more unite the soul to Christ than the sight of the Sun doth draw a man up to heaven By what Faith then But by this act of Trusting Resting Leaning c. Hence Augustine To believe in Christ Credere in Deum est credendo in Deum ire is by believing to go into Christ and to be incorporate into his body which the Papists themselves will not say is done By a bare act of the understanding And therefore to pass this and come to the places alledged Where the first is 1 John 1.12 As many as received him to them he gave power c. where say they by Receiving is meant no more but An act of the understanding whereby they assented to this That he was the Messias For answer to this place we say That this word Receiving doth not onely denote the understanding but implies the will also Which will appear by this one Reason among many That Receiving is to be understood which is opposed to the Jews not receiving of him For having said in Verse 11 He came to his own and his own received him not Immediately is added But as many as did receive him to them he gave power to become the sons of God So that the matter of Inquiry will be How the Jews did not receive him Was it then onely in this Their not assenting that he was the Messias or Rejecting him and Refusing him for a Saviour It could not be the former Their non-assenting to the truth of this That he was the Messias Though it was the ground why Sundry did not receive him yet it was not the ground why all did not receive him For we read There were divers of the Scribes and Pharisees and Priests who knew right well that he was The Christ For so much do the Husbandmen themselves confess in the Parable as Christ brings them in Mat. 21.38 saying This is the Heir come let us kill him and seize upon his inheritance And how could our Saviour justly charge them with the Sin against the Holy Ghost unless they had known him to be the Messias Mat. 12.32 and wilfully rejected him against knowledge and conscience And how can any be said To make shipwrack of Faith which yet the Scripture saith some have done 1 Tim. 1.19 unless you will say A man made shipwrack of that he never
Saul Jehu Where now on the contrary where the heart is sound all their raisings raise God God is advanced in all their advancements And the higher God sets up them the higher will they indeavour to raise and set up God his glory his cause his people Mâ—â—cies on an enemy strengthen him to sin but on a friend strengthen to service hee is but a man of greater ability to serve God Many think if they were but so rich so great Oh how would they advance God and his cause how make all to serve him but thy heart may deceive thee if thy heart bee not sound the higher God raiseth thee the lower thou wilt lay him the more good God doth for thee the more evil thou wilt do to him It is a special time to read your spirits to see to your sincerity in time of prosperity There is no tryal in afflictions alone they have something in them may make men humble meek c. but look to them in times of prosperity of a Church Religion cause of God Many men have stood firm in the times of affliction of a Church which stagger fall back in times of redemption of a Church That is the saddest It is no strange thing for men to stagger to fall in the times of a declining in the Church for fear c. But that is a corrupt heart indeed corrupt with a witness that falls away in prosperity That is the fourth time 5. See how your spirits work in time of difficulty of danger Of Danger An unsound heart thinks how hee may avoid the danger a sincere spirit how hee may avoid the sin Heb. 12.4 striving against sin not against danger trouble but against sin to keep their consciences pure and undefiled An unsound spirit thinks how hee may save his carkass a sound Christian how hee may keep his conscience As Epaminondas who resolved to keep his buckler or dye for it being wounded to death Cryes out num salvus clypeus meus intimating hee was not hurt if his buckler were safe What hee of his buckler a sincere heart cryes out of his conscience num salva conscientia An unsound spirit hee sees and judgeth his safety sometimes to lye in the neglect of duty and therefore in times of danger hee will bank and decline his duty for fear of man But a sound spirit hee sees his safety to lye in the doing of his duty and his danger in the neglect of it An unsound spirit will rather choose sin than affliction Job 36.21 But where the spirit is sincere he will rather chuse the greatest evil Vultis in vincula injure vultis in mortem voluptas est mihi than the least sin as Daniel and the three children Ambrose saith will you cast me into prison will you take away my life all this is desirable rather than sin And when Eudoxia the Empresse threatned Chrysostome with banishment go tell her saith he I fear nothing in the world but sin And the reason is Nil nisi peccatum timeo because they look on sin as the grand and universal evill the womb of evill and all other evils but the births of sin It hath been the founder of hell for before sin no hell t was that which laid the corner stone in that dark vault nay it is that which hath filled hell with those treasures of wrath and still addes to it and increaseth the fewel Rom. 2.5 Nay they look not only upon sin as â—n evil universal but as universally evil no good in sin And therefore when the Apostle would speak the worst of Sin hee could find no name worse than in its own to set it out by sinfull siâ— as you see Rom. 7.13 These may bee the special times wherein you may read your own spirits and bee able to gather evidences of your sincerity 3. Branch of Exhortation You that have cleared your sincerity do you labour to maintain the evidences of it c. 4. Branch of Exhortation To exhort them whose hearts are sincere that they would declare the sincerity of their hearts on all occasions I have told you that God hath special times for the tryal and discovery of the sincerity of his own people And it should be our wisdomes to take notice of those times and seasons and our care at those times to declare our sincerity Balaam had once a time to declare his sincerity when hee was hired with wealth and honor to curse the People of God but not approving himself at that time hee was branded for an hypocrite for ever Saul had once a time to discover his sincerity when hee was commanded to go and slay all but missing that time of declaring sincerity hee is branded c. The young man had a time too when Christ propounded to him to part with all and follow him but missing that not taking time to declare sincerity c. Solomon had a time too but he was too neglectfull and what follows hee is questioned whether ever saved or no he is pictured between heaven and hell as if men knew not where to fix him These had all special times afforded to them of declaring their sincerity and like vile wretches they make them times of discovering Hypocrisy And there is not a man of you but God doth afford you some or special other occasions in your lives of declaring the sincerity of your hearts which if God give wisdome to discern of and a heart to close with you will bee happy but if not you will smart for it God may suffer you to lye and roar upon your death-bed for want of an evidence of sincerity because you are neglective of declaring your Sincerity when God affords you an occasion of it Oh what sad thoughts will these bee when thou shalt look upon thy life and think with thy self Such a time I was in such a place in such an office had such an opportunity to shew my self for God to advance his glory to do good to his Church his people his cause and yet vile wretch I neglected it I bawked it I was unserviceable or I used my power my strength my authority as an Engine against God against his people against his cause this will be trouble with a witness Well then if you would prevent this let every one in their several places and stations declare the Sincerity of their hearts Make your places your power your parts your riches your friends serviceable to God to his Church to his Cause As Christ made all his Ascensions for the good of his Church so do you Think it not much to adventure and hazard any thing for the glory of God the good of the Church Pray for the Church act for the Church do for God suffer for God run this brave adventure to hazard all for the good of the Church of God Hee who raiseth up Gods glory though by the ruines of himself hee who advanceth Gods cause though himself lye low for it shall