of God performing a worship unto him not of bondslaves who are under the dominion of the Law forced and extorted from them by servile fear but the service of sons yeelding voluntary obedience Not that we are delivered from servile fear altogether and at once in this life but by degrees according to the measure of our faith hope and charity wherwith we being indued in some good measure shall worship the Lord securely or in security not carnall but spirituall and consequently not in fear of damnation but in expectation of everlasting happiness Now this being the principall point in this whole text and the chief thing wherein the happiness promised in Christ the promised seed doth consist in this life viz. to worship the Lord without fear Therefore as I have stood the longer in explaining the words so I will endevour to set down the doctrines and uses which are to be made of this point CHAP. VIII The first doctrine concerning the certainty of salvation THe first doctrine that there is a twofold certainty of salvation of all those that truly believe in Christ. The former is called the certainty of the object in regard whereof the salvation of al that truly believe is sure and certain though they perhaps be not assured thereof For this is the main promise of the Gospel that who soever doth traly believe in Christ shall not perish but have life everlasting Joh. 3. 16. To my sheep saith our Saviour that is to all the faithfull I will give eternall life and they shall never perish neither shall any be able to pluck them out of my hands Joh. 10. 28. Saint Peter testifieth I Epist. 5. that the faithfull are kept safe by the power of God through faith unto salvation And the Apostle Paul Rom. 8. I. That there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus And in this place the Lord by oath assureth them that they shall worship him without fear that is without cause of fear at the least all the dâ—yes of their life yea such is the certainty of their salvation who truly believe that the Holy Ghost doubteth not to affirm that theâ— havâ—â—â—ernall life Ioh. 6 47. 54. â— Ioh. 5. 11 12. and thaâ— they are passâ—d from death to life Ioh. 5. 2â— and thâ—t whom the Lord hath justified â—e hath also glorifiâ—d Rom. 8. 30. The latter iâ— the certainty of the subject when a faithfull man soundly applying the promises of the Gospel to himself is perswaded and in some meâ—sure assured of his salvation for he that knoweth himsâ—lf to believe may apply the promise to himself and by appliration be assured of that which is promised This certainâ—y of perswasion or assurance some call special faith special I say first in respect of the object which is Christ and is therefore called sometimes the faith of Iesus Christ Rom. 3. 22. 26. 〈◊〉 2. 16. 2. 3. 22. Phil. 3. 9. sometimes faith in Christ Act. 20. 21. 24. 24. 26. 18. Gal. 3. 26. faith in his blood Râ— 3. 25. For although by that faith which doth justifie we do believe al the Articles of faith and the whole word of God and every part and parcell thereof containing threatnings as well as promises yet the obâ—ect of it â—uatenus justificat is Christ. For it justifieth as it is the instrument to receive Christ who is our righteousnesse Secondly and more especially it is called speciall in regard of the effect which is specially to apply Christ unto our selves And this speciall Faith is a degree oâ— that assurance which the Grecians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in some more in somâ— lesse which some Divines both Protestants and Papists not curious to speak so disâ—inctly and properly as they might have called 〈…〉 this special Faith to be affrance when indeed fiducia is not Faith but a necessary and unseparable fruit thereof So unseparable that sometimes it seemeth to be implyed in the phrase of believing in Christ. For to believe in Christ implieth three things First to believe that Christ is the Saviour of all that believe in him secondly to believe that he is my Saviour which is the special faith and from this followeth the third as a necessary fruit and effect that because I believe he is my Saviour therefore I put my trust and affiance in him for my salvation But though it be an unâ—eparable fruit of faith yet it is not to be confounded with it For faith is the cause affiance the effect For by faith we have affiance Eph. 3. 12. upon which place Bezâ— noâ—eth that they are deceived who confound faith and affiance Faith is a perswasion or assurance of the mind though working upon the heart Affiance is an affection of the heart though proceeding from the assurance of the mind The fear therefore of faith is the mind or intellectuall part of affiance the heart which is the seat of the affections And as itâ— subject they differ so also in the object the object of faith being verum of affiance benum there being little difference betwixt it hope in respect of the time to come which are oft in the Scriptures confounded the same word Batach being translated sometimes to trust and sometimes to hope Notwithstanding in the behalf of some of our Divines it may be said that when they call this special faith fiduciam or fiduciall assent they mean nothing else but a certain perswasion or assurance of that which is believed This speciall faith the Papâ—ts abhor and scorne and yet cannot deny but that true Christians ought to labor for assurance namely the assurance not of faith but of hope They must have a kind of hope that their 〈◊〉 be remitted and that they shal be saved but they may not believe the remission of their sins or eternall life as belonging to themselves Howbeit all their assurance is meerly conjecturall and uncertain Neither can they have any sound assurance of hope unlesse first they had assurance of Faith for Faith is the foundation of hope and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the subsâ—ance of things hoped for Heb. 11. 1. But howsoever the Papists do scorn the speciall Faith yet it is a certain truth that there is 〈◊〉 not any grace either more profitable to the faithfull or more necessary For as all other sâ—ving graces in the faithfull proceed from Faith first apprehending and after applying Christ unto themselves in so much that without it there is no other saving grace so according to the measure of it such is the measure of all other saving graces That peciall Faith which the Holy Ghost worketh in us by shedding abroad the love of God in our hearts that is by perswading our soules of the love of God towards us in Christ produceth the love of God for therefore do we love God because we are by Faith perswaded that God loveth us first and consequently the love of our brother for Gods sake Charity which is the â—nd of the
in bondage what need we a redeemer If not lost what need we a Saviour Mat. 9. 12. The whole need not the Physitian but they that are sick Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentauce Mat. 9. 13. to preach redemption to the Captives Luke 4. 1â— and to save that which was lost He was given unto us of his Father to be our wisdom our lustification our redemption our sanctification our life our salvation 1 Cor. 1. 30. If therefore we would be made partakers of these benefits we must acknowledg our selves to be fools in spiritual things that in him we may become wise guilty of death damnation that in and by him we may be absolved and justified defiled and polluted with sin that by him we may be sanctified dead in sin that in him we may be quickned and revived lost that in him we may be saved captives and bondmen that by him we may be redeemed 2. As touching the party by whom we are redeemed the text saith he would give us that we should be redeemed which in the beginning of this Psalm is more plainly expressed Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who hath visited and redeemed his people or as the words are hath wrought redemption to his people How By raising an horn of salvation that is a mighty saviour For us who according to the flesh was the Son of David The father therefore redeemeth us by giving his son for us the son redeemeth us by giving himself to be a price of redemption for us 1 Tim. 2. 6. The holy Ghost also redeemeth us when working in us the grace of â—aith he applieth unto us the benefit of redemption The father redeemeth as the gracious Author and Donor the Son as the meritorious worker the holy Ghost as the effectual applier The good wil and love of God the Father is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or antecedent moving cause the death and obedience of Christ is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or meritorious cause the application of the holy Ghost is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or effectual cause by which we are made actually partakers of redemption which is the grace wrought by Christ proceeding from the love of the father 2 Cor. 13. 14. applied unto us by the communion of the holy Ghost Now here are divers things to be observed 1. The infinite and unspeakable love of God the father in giving his only begotten Son and of God the Son in giving himself for us and of God the holy Ghost the spirit of grace in communicating unto us the mercy and love of God and the merit and vertue of all that Christ did or suâ—â—ered for us For the first herein is love saith the beloved Apostle not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Sonne to be the propitiation for our sinnes 1 John 4. 10. So God loved the world so infinitely so unspeakably so beyond all comparison that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Ioh. 3. 16. And again Ro. 8. 32. that he spared not his own son but delivered him up for us al. But her in especialy god mendeth his love towards us that whilest we were sinners and by sin enemies Christ died for us Rom. 5. 8. 10. If this love of God be shed abroad in our hearts by his holy spirit Rom. 5. 5. that is if by the Holy Ghost working in us faith we are truly perswaded and assured of it these effects wil follow 1. that we shal love God again the beams of his love inflaming our hearts and reflecting back some heat of love For therefore do we love God because he loved us first 1 Joh. 4. 19. Magnes amor is amor Love is the loadstone of love The woman in the Gospel who had many sins remitted did therefore love much Luk. 7. 47. If it be demanded why and how we should love God I answer with Bernard Libâ—de dilig Deum initio Causa diligendi Deum Deus est modus sine modo diligere God is good without measure and without measure he hath loved us therefore without measure if it were possible we ought to love him But though we cannot do so yet we ought to love him with all our heart with all our soul and with all our might Lev. 6. 5. Mat. 22. 37. Or if we cannot do so by reason of the flesh yet at the least with an upright soul and a sincere heart to the uttermost of our power And this our love we must express by keeping his commandements Ioh. 14. 15. Exod. 20. 6. and that willingly For this saith Saint John is the love of God 1 Ioh. chap. 5. ver 3. that we keep his Commandments and his Commandements are not grievous 2. We shal love our neighbour for the Lords sake it is the use which S. Iohn makeâ—h in the place even now cited 1 Ioh. 4. 10. 11. Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the prâ—pitiation for our sins Beloved saith he if God so loved us we ought also to love 〈◊〉 another 3. The perswasion of this love of God affordeth unto us singular comfort in divers respects As first in afflictions For therefore do we glory in afflictions Rom. 5. 3 4 5. knowing that tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given 〈◊〉 us that is because by faith wrought in us by the holy Ghost we are perswaded of the love of God in Christ which love God commendeth towards us in that when we were sinners Christ died for us The second comfort If God did so love us when we were his enemies much more when by Christ we are become his friends For if when we were enemies we were reconciled unto God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shal be saved by his life The third comfort If God so loved us that he spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shal he not then with him also freely give us all things Rom. 8. 32. all things that be expedient for us 2. The love also of God the Son exceedeth all knowledg Ephes. 3. 19. who so loâ—ed the Church that he gave himself for it Eph. 5. 25. who so loved us that he washed us from our sins in his own blood Apoc. 1. 5. Greater love hath no man then this that a man lay down his life for his friends Iohn 15. 13. But Christ our sweet Saviour being not only man but God also gave himself not for his friends but for his enemies and that not to a commoâ—and ordinary death but to the most painful most shameful and most accursed death of the Cross and not only to fuffer a corporall death but also in his soul
this present answer Lord I believe help thou my unbeliefe Mark 9 23. 24. The Eunuch though a new convert when Philip told him he might be baptized if he did believe with all his heart answered I believe that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of God Act. 8. 37. We believe and know that thou art that Christ the Sonne of the living God John 6. 69. so John 11. 26 27. This is that which Augustine affirmeth Videt fidelis ipsam sidem suam quase credere sine cunctatione respondet The faithfull man feeth his owne faith whereby that he doth believe he answereth without delay Object Yea but many recite the Creed saying I believe c. who notwithstanding doe not believe and much lesse know it Ans. The question is not what hypocrites and unsound Christians do or can do of whom there is no question but that seeing they doe not believe they cannot know themselves to believe But every faithfull and sound Christian whom the Seriptures call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he professeth that he doth believe doth not onely believe in deed but also knoweth that he doth believe and he which doth not know that he doth believe hath just cause to suspect himselfe that he is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sound and approved Christian. But for this there is an evident proofe 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selves whether you be in the faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 try your selves whether you be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or not Know you not your owne selves how that Iesus Christ is in you except you be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is not sound nor approved Christians Those that are commanded to try themselves whether they be in the Faith may upon triall know it Those that may know that CHRIST is in them may know they do believe because CHRIST is in us by faith and if they be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unsound who doe not know that CHRIST is in them then all that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is sound approved Christians doe know it And wehereas some Papists take acception that the Apostle speaketh of the true doctrine which is called the Catholike faith I answer first that a man caÌ„not know that he is in the catho like faith unlesse he also know that he doth believe it 2. The Apostle speaketh of that faith whereby Christ dwelleth in us which is not the doctrine but the grace of Faith 3. The Apostle vindicateth and proveth his calling by theirs as we prove the truth of our Church and of our Ministery against our Separatists who before their separation seemed very forward Christians Try whether you have a true Faith and if you have acknowledge that to have beene a true Ministery by which it was wrought For how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how can they heare without a Preacher and how can they preach unlesse they be sent Rom. 10. 14. 3. These things saith Saint Iohn have I written to you that believe on the Name of the Sonne of GOD 1 Iohn 5. 13. that you may know that you have eternall life which they could not know unlesse they knew themselves to believe 4. At that day viz. after the sending of the Holy Ghost you shall know that I am in the Father and you in me and I in you saith our Saviour Iohn 14. 20. 5. The minde is not ignorant of its owne a'tions when it understandeth it knoweth it selfe to understand when it discourseth it knoweth it selfe to discourse so when it aâ—â—enteth it knoweth it self to assent when it desireth any thing it knoweth that it doth desire it when it purposeth or resolveth it knoweth that it doth purpose or resolve much more being holpen by the Spirit of God whom we have received from God that we might know the things which are given unto us of God 1 Cor. â— 12. 6. How should any man glory in the testimony of his owne conscience that he doth believe or that he doth walk uprightly before God which is the chiefest 2 Cor. 1. 12. Esay 38. 3. comfort of all sound Christians who is not conscious to himself that he doth believe and walk uprightly before God Est ergo quidam modus in conscientis glorâ—andi ut noveris sidem tuam esse sinceram noveris esse spem tuam certam noveris charitatem tuam esse sine simulatione In Psal. 149. saith Augustine And againe suam de Trinit li. 13. c. 2. quisque fidem apud seipsum videt C. I. fidem videt quisque in corde suo esse si credit non sicut corpora Non sic videtur fides in corde in quo est ab eo cujus est sed eam tenet certisima scientia clamatque conscientia And againe though we see not the things which we doe believe ipsam tamen fidem quando inest in nobis videmus in nobis Epist. 112. c. 4. Menti nostrae fides nostra conspicua est So much of the assumption Upon these premisses necessarily followeth the conclusion which is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or verdict of speciall Faith concluding the certainty of salvation by application of the promises to him that hath the first degree of faith Which in my poore opinion is a most comfortable doctrine But against speciall Faith so proved the Papists still object divers things 1. That it cannot be truly termed faith and that for three reasons For 1. vere fidei falsum sub esse non potest the object of true faith cannot be that which is false but of this the object may be false because a man may be deceived in the application I answer as there is a double knowledge the on of principles manifest in themselves called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other of conclusions not manifest in themselves but manifested by discourse called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so there is a twofold Faith the one of principles contained in the word of God the other of conclusions deduced from thence which conclusions though they are not absolutely necessary yet the premisses being true they cannot be false But the premisses of this practicall syllogisme made by a faithfull man are true therefore the conclusion cannot be false Indeed if the syllogisme be made by an hypocrite or ungrounded Christian the conclusion is not necessary because the assumption is false or at the least uncertaine false if he doe not believe uncertaine if he doe not know himselfe to believe and then the assumption at the most is but this but I doe suppose that I doe believe and the conclusion must be answerable therefore I suppose that I shal be saved But the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the faithfull and sound Christian who doth not onely believe But knoweth himselfe to believe as he assumeth I doe know and I am sure that I doe believe so he concludeth therefore I know and am sure that I shal be saved 2. True Faith is grounded upon the Word the