Saviour because many say they believe who do not truly believe Aske him again dost thou believe that in thy selfe and by nature thou art no better then a firebrand of hell a vassall oâ— sinne and Sathan subject to â—ternall death and damnation To this no doubt he will say Yes say then it seemeth you believe the sentence of the law concluding you under the curse but do you not also believe the Gospell that notwithstanding 〈◊〉 guilt of your own Conscience accusing and the sentence of the law condemning you you shall be blessed if you believe in Christ This also if he have any grace he will confesse as being the expresse Doctrine of the Gospell aske him then is there any othâ—r meâ—nâ—s whereby you may hope to be saved but by Christ He will say he renounceth all other meanes well then you acknowledge you may say that in your selfe you are a wretched sinner but yet notwithstanding by Christ you shall be happy if you shall believe in him tell me then have not you earnestly desired to come out of that damnable estate wherein you werâ— by nature and to be partaker of that happinesse purchased by CHRIST for all that believe in him He will say he hath and that he hath often expressed this his desire by hearty prayer But you believing may you say and desiring those things have you not also resolved to acknowledge and professe CHRIST to be the onely Saviour and to rest upon him alone for salvation renouncing all other meanes and to acknowledge him to be your Lord and therefore to obey him and serve him making conscience of all your wayes All this have I done will he say and yet I have not assurance But say I if thou hast done all this then thou hast a true justifying Faith for to believe in Christ is to receive him and thoâ— hast received him not onely in thy judgement by a firme and lively assent but also in thy heart and will by an earnest desire and setled purpose of applycation by which thou hast received him to be thy Saviour Hereupon I inferre that thou hast the condition of the promise and therefore that the promise doth belong unto thee and that thou believing truly that Jesus is the Saviour of all that believe in him he is thy Saviour and therefore needest not yea thou oughtest not to doubt of thy salvation for by refusing to apply the promise to thy selfe when thou hast the condition thereof thou makest GOD a lyar 1 John 5. 10. If thou wilt not believe me yet believe the Apostle Paul Rom. 10. 9 10. If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that GOD raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart man believeth unto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made to Salvation Believe St. Iohn whose first Epistle was written to this very purpose that those who truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Saviour might have assurance that he is their Saviour 1 John 5. 13. For so he writeth in the same Chapter vers 1. Whosoever believeth that Iesus is the Christ is borne of GOD and vers 5. Whatsoever is borne of GOD overcommeth the world and this is the victory that overcommeth the World even our Faith who is he that overcommeth the World but he that beliâ—veth that IESUS is the sonne of GOD Believe our Saviour himself For if being asked with the Apostles what you thinke he is thou shalt answer with St. Peter Thou art the CHRIST the sonne of the living GOD he will pronounce thee blessed Matth. 16. 16. If for all this thou canst not gather assurance know then that the premises being granted thou canst not but have assurance unlesâ—e thou wilt deny the conclusion which cannot possibly be false the premises being true But for thy better assurance tell me what you are to thinke of a man believing truly that Jesus is the Christ yet in respect of his spirituall estate is so poore that he is as it were a meere beggar who having nothing of his owne whereby he might hope to be saved dependdeth wholly upon the mercies of GOD and merits of Christ Even as beggers who having nothing of their owne depend upon the Almes of well-disposed people what thinke you of him who believing that Christ is the Saviour is not yet assured that he is freed from that damnable estate wherein he is by nature but mourneth in the sense and acknowledgement of his wofull condition desiring to be freed from it What thinke you of him who truly believing that Jesus is the Christ but not yet assured of his justification doth therefore hunger and thirst after righteousnesse Whatsoever you thinke of them or whatsoever they be in their own sence they are justified before GOD. And that I prove thus Whosoever are blessed are justified and contrariwise but all believers though they be beggers in Spirit though they mourne though they do but hunger and thirst after righteousnesse are blessed by the testimony of our Saviour himselfe Matth. 5. 3 4. 6. Where directing his speech to them that believe vers 1 2. Compared with Luke 6. 23 21 22. He saith Blessâ—d are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the beggers in Spirit blessed are they that mournâ— blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse 2. This assertion cannot stand with the ortâ—odoâ— doctrine of justification by faith For that teacheth the justification of a sinner or as the word signifyeth of an ungodly person before God this justification is neither of an ungodly person but of a man already justified before God and also sanctified neither is it before God but in the court of conscience that justification is an action of God acquitting the sinner and accepting of him as righteous by imputation of Christs righteousnesse in this there is no such matter in that we are taught that by â—aith a sinner doth receive remission of sinnes and that he is to believe to that end that he may obtaine pardon and to the same end is both to repent of his sinne and to sue for pardon by this doctrine are taught that a man hath his sinnes actually forgiven not onely before he believe or repent or sue for pardon but also before he commit them there we are taught that a man is justified before God by faith here that a man is justified 〈…〉 and without Faith there we are taught that faith doth justify not as it is an habit or quality inherent or as a part of inherent righteousnesse but onely as the hand receiving Christ who is our righteousnesse and is therefore said to justify because the object which it receiveth doth justify But according to this new doctrine faith doth neither justify as the hand to receive Christ unto justification not in respect of the object but as a part of the generall habite of grace infused not justifying a sinner before God by apprehension of Christs righteousnesse but
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
God alwayes they are truly said to worship God all the dayes of their life As Asa's heart was said to have been perfect 2 Chron. 16. 17. that is upright all the dayes of his life 2 Chron. 16. 7. 10. 12. though failed in many particulars The faith of the Elect that is of all true children of God nam qui verê filij sunt praesciti praedestinati sunt Aug. de corrupt gratia c. 9. Which worketh by love either faileth not at all or if there be any in whom it faileth it is repayred before the end of theirâ— lif that iniquity which came betweene being wiped away it is accompted for perseverance to the end as Augustine saith The meaning then of the words is that God by oath doth promise to the faithfull that he will give them grace to worship him in holinesse and righteousnesse from the time of their actuall redemption and justification with perseverance to the end of their life Sect 2. The certainty of perseverance grounded upon the text Where-upon we doe ground this most comfortable doctâ—ine that the perseverance of the faithfull I meane of all those that truly believe and are sound and upright Christians is certaine perseveranâ—e being the perpetuall and peculiar previledge of the upright But when I say it is certainâ— I speak not of the certainty of the subject as though the faithâ—â—ull were alwayes certainly assured of their perseverance though they are alwayes to labour for that assurance but of the certainty of the object that is that the perseverance of the faithfâ—ll is certaine and sure whether they be assured of it or not Even as the foundaâ—â—on of Gods election abideth sure 1. Tim 2. 19. though the elect be not alwayes sure of it but yet are alwayes to give diligence to make it sure 1 Pet. 1. 10. Sect. 3. The necessity of this doctrine Here therefore wee are to refute the Papist and all others who endevour to bereave the faithfull and sound Christians of this priviledge And in this cause we are to labour the more seriously because those that would deprive us of this priviledge doe also endevour to robbe us of all true comforts and consolation For first this were no sound comfort wherein notwithstanding our Saviour CHRIST doth bid the Faithfull especially to rejoyce Luk. 10 20. that our names are written in heaven if againe they may be blotted out that we are the sonnes and heires of God if that notwithstanding we may become the children of the devill that we are now the elect of God if hereafter we may become reprobates 2. Againe the maine comfort of a Christian in this life is assurance of salvation after this life is ended For the life as it were of the life mortall is the assurance of the life immortall But how can there be assurance of salvation if there be no certainty of Perseverance 3. Those which seeke to undermine the certainty of Perseverance in the children of God doe also overturne the very ground-worke and foundation of our Faith and hope For what is Faith I meane speciall Faith or hope but an assurance of salvation and consequently of perseverance unto salvation by Christ the one as an assured persausion the other as an assured expectation The ground of which assurance is the maine promise of the Gospell declaring the certainty of their salvation who doe truly believe in Christ. From whence the Christian conscience gathereth assurance in this manner The salvation of all those that truly believe is certaine This being the maine prâ—mise of the Gospell Iohn 3. 16 Mark 16. 16. Act. 16. 31. Rom. 10. 9 10 11. that whosoever believeth in Christ shall be saved But I saith the soule of the faithfull man according to the testimony of his conscience seconded by the testimony of the Holy Ghost Rom. 8. 16. bearing witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God I doe truly believe in Christ therefore my salvation is certaine But the proposition of this â—yllogisme with the proofe thereof which is the ground of our Faith and the foundation of our assurance and consolation the adversaries of perseverance doe deny noâ— fearing to contradict the maine promise of the Gospel For whereas the promise of the Gospel affirmeth that all which truly believe in Christ shal be saved they are not ashamed to say that some which truly believe in Christ shall not be saved For they say that some which truly believe doe not persevere and that those which doe not persevere shall not be saved Lastly the Faithfull in the greatest temptations of Satan and conflicts with despaire do use to raise themselves Psal. 77. 6. by calling to minde the tokens of Gods speciall favour vouchsafed unto them in former times and the undoubted fruits of saving grace which they have formerly brought forth Knowing that the Lord who changeth not Mal. 3. 6. whom he loveth once loveth to the end John 13. 1. and that the saving gifts and graces of God â—are without repentance Rom. 11. 29. And hereby as penitent childrenâ— are encouraged to seek unto their heavenly Father for mercy and pardon Knowing that howsoever hee is justly angry with them yet hee doth not hate them nor utterly cast off them whom once hee hath received into his love in Christ. But the adversaries of Perseverance by their doctrine discourage men when they have grievously offended from all exercises of faith and repentance and teach them to runne desperate courses For if a faithfull man upon a grievous or as they call it a mortall or deadly sinne committed bee translated from the state of salvation into the state of condemnation excluded out of Gods favour and made an object of hisâ— hatred deprived of Faith Hope and Charity and of all saving Grace and withall ceasing to be the child or as some say elect of God is become a child of the devill with what heart can he seeke unto GOD of whom he is now hated How can he call upon him in whom he doth not believe Or how can he hope to be heard that hath no hope or how shall he seek to please God who hath no faith without which it is impossible to please GOD nor any desire to please him This Doctrine therefore is to be avoided as a downfall of dispaire the full confutation whereof I reserve to a peculiar Treatise purposely written of that subject Onely here to make better way thereunto I thought good to adde an Appendix for the further cleering of the Doctrine delivered in the 8 Chapter of this Book concerning the certainty of Salvation An Appendix to the Treatise of the certainty of Salvation SInce I wrote this Discourse there came to my hands a Treatise of the nature and properties of Grace and Faith written by a learned and godly man as I am perswaded wherein many things are delievered which crosse divers poynts by me propounded in this booke and more especially in my discourse concerning the
but such as repent of their sinnes and make conscience of their wayes This learned man therefore should have distinguished betweenâ— the merâ—t of redemption and actuall redemption even as well as between the merit of Salvation and the actuall possession thereof Christ merited our redemption and Salvation long since yea his merit thereof hath ever been in force since the beginning of the world Apoc. 13. 8. but yet none are actually made partakers of redemption but such as to whom it is appyed that is to those that truely believe for they only receive it and to them onely according to the Covenant of grace it was intended Otherwise he might say that all the elect are actually saved for whom Christ purchased eternall life who notwithstanding are not saved so much as in hope untill they do truely believe And if all the elect be actually justified before God because Christ did merit their justification why doth he not say in like manner that all the elect are actually sanctifyed seeing Christ was made unto us of GOD not onely righteousnesse 1 Cor. 1. 30. and redemption but also sanctifycation and hath as well merited our sanctification for us as our justification Againe what benefits we obtaine by Christ we receive them by Faith and therefore in the Scriptures the same benefits which we receive from Christ are ascribed to Faith by which Christ and his merits are ours by which also Christ dwelleth in us Eph. 3 17. we live by Christ we live by Faith Gal 2. 20. by Christ we have remission of sinnes by Faith we obtaine remission Act. 10. 43. 26. 18. we are justified by Christ we are justified by Faith Rom. 3. 28. By Christ we are made the sonnes of God by faith we are made the sonnes of GOD Joh. 1. 12. and so in the rest and therefore to imagine that we are justified before GOD without Faith is a dreame Moreover this assertion cannot stand with the perpetuall Doctrine of the Apostle Paul who teacheth that we are justified before GOD by Faith therefore not before nor without Faith By faith saith he without workes that is by the righteousnesse of Christ apprended by Faith and not by inherent righteousnesse Neither doth he in those places speak of justification in the Court of Conscience whereby we are assured of our justification for as before men we are justified Jam. 2. â—4 that is declared and known to be just by good workes so much more by our good workes by which we are to make our election 2 Pet 1. 10. our calling our justification sure we are justified in our own Conscience that is assured of our justification And to conclude this assertion is such a 〈…〉 Protestant nor Papist did ever hold that a man who is come to yeeres is actually justified before GOD before and without faith The fifth erâ—our that Faith is not the mother grace 5. The fifth that faith is not the root nor the mother of other graces and that the soule is not disposed to believe sooner then to love GOD or our neighbour or to produce the act of any other grace But this I have sufficiently disproved in the discourse shewing evidently that as without faith there can be no other grace so not onely from it all other graces do spring but also according to the measure and degree of it is the measure and degree of all other graces We are not disposed to love GOD as we ought untill we be by faith perswaded of GODS love towards us we cannot hope for the performance of Gods promises to us unlesse by faith we are perswaded that they belong unto us we cannot trust in GOD nor rejoyce in him unlesse by faith we are perswaded of his goodnesse and bounty towards us and so â—n the rest and what is more plaine then that love which is the fulfilling in the whole law proceedeth from Faith unfained as being the fruit thereof 1 Tim 1. 5. Chrysostome and Theophilact call faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mother and fountaine of all graces and Calvin Justit l. 3. c. 2. sect 41. sect 42. c. 3. sect 1. sola est fic'es quae in nobis charitatem primum generat it is faith only which first ingendereth charity in us it begetteth also hope and newnesse of life as he saith But to omit other testimonies St. Peter seemeth to acknowledge this truth 2 Pet. 1. 2 3. where he prayeth for them to whom he wâ—iteth that grace and peace be multiplyed unto them by the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertaine to life and godlinesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the acknowledgement of him that hath called us c. that is by faith The sixt error that Faith is assiance 6. The sixt that faith is assiance and so to be defined and that trusting to the promise is the proper act of faith as it justifieth c. But I have proved that faith is not affiance nor affiance faith But a fruitâ— of faith as well as hope and that by faith we have affiance Eph. 3. 12. whereunto I adde that the trust in GODS promises to be in particular performed to us is not faith but â—ope Yea but promises faith he are both true and good therefore our assent to them is with adherence affiance and trust Answ. The promises are true the things promised are good we believe the promise we hope for the thing promised As contrarywise Gods threatnings are also true and the things threatned evill as therefore he that believeth the threatning to be true feareth if it be applyable to himselfe the thing threatned and yet this feare is not of the nature of faith but a fruit and consequent thereof so he that believeth a promise to be true and can apply it to himself trusteth hopeth for the thing promised which trust in respect of the promise is no more of the nature of faith then feare in respect of the threatning But that affiance is of the essence of justifying faith he will make good by divers reasons first from the phrases of believing Iohn 1. 12. Rom. 10. 1â— â—s Rom 4. 5. Act. 16. 31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Eph 1. 12. 〈◊〉 that is in or upon which imply affiance A. That as I said in the discourse affiance is such an unseperable fruite of faith that sometimes it is implyed in the phrase of bliâ—ving in Christ. For that phrase may and sometimes doth imply three acts the first of assent that he is the Saviâ—â—r of all that believe in him which ass 〈◊〉 it be lively and effectuall is the proper act of that faith whereby we are justified before God and in this sense the phrase of beliâ—ving in him is ordinarily used in the Scriptures yea sometimes it is attributed to those who have assented onely by a bare historicall and temporary Faith which is the Faith of hypocrites and all
contained in this sentence that is to Do the things commanded to do them all and to continue in doing all therefore it cannot be denied but that in my self I am most accursed who to the not performing of these three degrees of obedience have added the three contrary degrees of disobedience For I have not only nor done the things commanded but also I have done the things forbidden I have not only not kept all Gods Commandements but also I have broken them all I have not only not continued in perpetuall obedience but I have also continued in a perpetual course of disobedience O therefore wretched man that I am and in my self thrice accursed O that I were delivered from the fearfull curse O that I were freed from this wofull state of damnation Thus by applying the sentence of the Law to themselves men come to see and acknowledge their own damnable estate in themselves whereby they are forced to seek for salvation out of themselves in Christ especially if to the application of the sentence of the Law they adjoyn a serious consideration of the day of judgement which the Apostle calleth the terrour of the Lord. at which time all of us shall appear before the judgement seat of God to receive according to those things which we have done in the flesh 2 Cor. 5. 10 11. But without this application men not seeing nor feeling their own misery neglect the promises of the Gospell not caring to apply them to themselves but most ungraciously suffring the most precious blood of Christ as much as in them lyeth to be spilt in vain as it is in vain to them unto whom it is not applied But when by the paedagogie of the Law which is a School-master unto Christ Gal. 3. 24. men are brought to see and to feel their misery O then how beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of salvation How acceptable is the promise of deliverance to them that are captives of justification to them that in themselves are accursed Of salvation to them that are lost In respect of these the Kingdom of God is said to suffer violence and these are they which with violence take it to themselves Mat. 11. 12. Thus then being schooled by the Law by which the Holy Ghost worketh in us the Legall faith which is a preparative to the Evangelical we become fit auditors of the Gospâ—l by which the Holy Spirit worketh in us the grace of justifying faith And therefore in the next place we must be diligent and attentive hearers of the Gospell by the hearing whereof commeth faith In which regard as the Gospell is called the Word of faith So also the Preachers of it are not only termed Ministers by whom you believe 1 Cor. 3. 5. but also are said to justifie men Dan. 12. 3. and to save them 1 Tim. 4. 16. 1 Cor. 9. 23. as being the instruments of the Holy Ghost working in us the grace of faith by which we are justified and saved By the Ministery of the Gospel the Holy Ghost worketh in us the grace of faith in two degrees The former is of assent the other of application As touching the former the Holy Ghost having prepared us by the Law doth in the ministery of the Gospell first reveale unto us the mercies of God in Christ. Secondly he stirreth us up by the Ministers of reconciliation to embrace Gods mercies 2 Cor. 5. 18. 20. and to be reconciled to him And thirdly having thus knocked as it were at the door of our hearts he himself doth open out hearts Apoc. 3. 20. as he did the heart of Lydia Act. 16. 14. not only to attend but as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also signifieth to assent unto or to believe the Gospel Neither is it to be doubted but that by that phrase is meant that the Holy Ghost did work in her the grace of faith And as touching the latter the Holy Ghost having opened our hearts to receive Christ by a true willing and lively assent which is the condition of the promise he teacheth us to apply the promise unto our selves as belonging to us Here therefore three things are to be done 1. We are to believe in Christ by a lively assent to the promise of the Gospell 2. So believing in Christ we are to apply the promises of the Gospell to our selves 3. Having by application attained to some assurance we must give all diligence that this assurance may more and more be encreased As touching the first we must be very carefull that our assent to the doctrine of the Gospell promising salvation to all that believe in Christ be willing true lively and effectuall otherwise though we may believe that Jesus the Son of the blessed Virgin Mary is the Son of God and Saviour of all that shall be saved which not only hypocrites and wicked men but the Devils themselves after a sort believe yet we cannot truly be said to believe in Christ. First therefore it must be a willing assent and therefore approving what we believe not forced as that of the devils and of some wicked men who being convicted with the evidence of the truth do whether they will or no know and believe the truth of the Gospell and with horrour acknowledge it Iam. 2. 19. Mat. 8. 29. Secondly it must be true lively and effectuall For as there is a two-fold knowledge the one literall swimming in the brain informing the judgment but not reforming the heart and the conversation serving only to purchase the more stripes Luk. 12. 47. the other spirituall not only informing the judgment but also reforming the heart and conforming our lives to the practise of that which we know which in Divinity is accompted the only true knowledge I Ioh. 2. 3 4. for the other though in regard of the object it is true because it is the knowledge of the truth yet it is not true formally and in respect of the efficacy or of the effect so faith which sometimes goeth under the name of knowledge or acknowledgment may be distinguished For there is a counterfeit idle dead faith which having neither root nor fruit is uneffectuall either to justification or to sanctification which is the faith of hypocrites and of all carnall and worldly Professours which the Papists themselves 〈◊〉 fidem informem And there is a true lively and effectuall faith which the School-men call formatam and not amisse saving that they hold Charity which as I have showed is a fruit and â—ffect of faith 1 Tim. 1. 5. to be the form thereof by which we receiving Christ and being rooted in him or engraffed into him do receive from him spirituall life Gal. 2. 20. For having by faith union with Christ we have also communion with him both in his merits to our justification and in the vertue of his death and resurrection to our fanctification Rom. 6. 3 4 c. Phil. 3. 9 10. Now this Assent is
effectuall to justification when by it we receive Christ who is our righteousnesse For when this beliefe is willing lively and effectuall we do receive Christ not only in our judgements by this true and lively assent but also this lively assent working both on the heart and the will we receive him in our hearts by an earnest desire that he may be applied unto us and we made partakers of him which desire we expresse in hearty prayer and in our will by resolving to acknowledge him to be our Saviour and to rest upon him for our salvation For 〈◊〉 a man truly and effectually believe that in himself and without Christ he is accursed according to the sentence of the Law and that in Christ if he believe in him he shall be happy and blessed according to the doctrine of the Gospell and not desire both to be freed from that damnable estate and to be made partaker of happiness in and through Christ can a man truly and effectually believe that being in himself accursed he shall notwithstanding the curse of the Law notwithstanding the testimony of his own accusing conscience notwithstanding the accusations of Satan become happy and blessed in Christ if he shall believe in him and not resolve with himself that whatsoever the Law his own conscience or the Devill can object to the contrary he will acknowledge Christ to be his Saviour and rest upon him for salvation For as the understanding when it conceiveth any thing to be true not by evidence of reason but by the authority of God speaking in his Word as in matters of faith hath the concurrence of the will acted by the Spirit of God willingly to assent thereunto So when the understanding enlightned by the Holy Ghost conceiveth and judgeth any thing to be good it commandeth the will to embrace it the will ordinarily following the judgement of the practiâ—â— understanding To sanctification it is effectuall as it is a grace of regeneration 1 Ioh 5. â— purâ—fying the heart and working by love and transforming a man into a conversation answerable to that which he doth believe and therfore is ever joyned with repentance which the Holy Ghost regenerating us with it and by it worketh in us and therefore a lively faith is never severed from repentance nor repentance from it for as we cannot truly repent unlesse we believe so we cannot truly know that we believe unlesse we repent This assent being true willing lively and effectuall as I have said is the very condition required in the promise of the Gospell and the first degree of justifying faith which if we have obtained we may and ought to apply the promise of the Gospel to our selvs This being a matter of excellent comfort and of singular use I will prove by plain testimonies of Scripture and by evident reasons the rather because I know to some it will seem a paradox 1. The testimonies of the Scripture are these For first This is the saith for which our Saviour pronunoceth Simon Peter blessed Thou art Christ the Son of the living God Mat. 16. 16 17. The like profession is made by the Apostles Ioh. 6. 69. and by Martha Ioh. 11. 27. 2. Joh. 20. 31. These are written that you might believe that Iesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing you may have lâ—fe through his Name 3. Act. 8. 37. 38. Here is water saith the Eunuch what doth hinder me to be baptized Philip said If thou believe with all thine heart thou mayest And he answered and said I believe that Iesus Christ is the Son of God 4. Rom. 10. 9 10. If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the 〈◊〉 man believeth unto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made to salvation 5. This is the Faith without which it is impossible to please God For he that commeth to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him Hebr. 11. 6. 6. 1 Joh. 5. 1. Whosoever believeth that Iesus is the Christ is born of God 7. 1 Joh. 5. 5. Who is he that overcommeth the world but he that believeth that Iesus is the Son of God 1. The reasons 1. The justifying and saving Faith many times goeth under the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 acknowledgement which is all one with assent 1 Tim. 2. 4. 2 Pet. 1. 2 3. or of knowledge meaning acknowledgement as Ioh. 17. 3. Esay 53. 11. My righteous servant meaning Christ agnitione sui by the acknowledgement of himself that is by faith in him shall justifie many 2. To receive Christ is to believe in him Ioh. 1. 12. By this lively assent we receive Christ as hath been said in our minds in our hearts in our wils If any man therefore object that justifying faith consisteth not in assent but in application of the promises 3. I answer that there are two degrees of justifying faith the one being 〈◊〉 assent to the promise of the Gospell the other a sound application therof to our selves By the former as being the condition of the promise we are justified in foro coelesti in the court of heaven by the latter in the court of our own conscience By the former we are justified before God by the latter we are perswaded in our conscience and in some measure assured of our justification 4. By the second degree of faith which some call speciall faith the promises of the Gospâ—ll are to be applied But they cannot be applied to any aright but only to those who have the condition of the promise which is the justifying faith For the Gospell doth not promise justification and salvation to all but to those only who have a justifying faith Therefore a man must be endued with justifying faith before he can or ought to apply the promises of the Gospell to himself For as salvation is promised to them that believe so damnation is denounced to them that believe not Mar. 16. 16. Ioh. 5. 16. 18. 5. It is a very erroneous opinion to think that we are justified or do obtain remission of sins by being assured and much more by being fully assured of the forgiveness of our sins or that we are to believe that they are forgiven to the end that they may be forgiven For justification and remission of sins is promised only to those that believe by a justifying faith I speak of those who are adulti and are come to the years of discretion not of infants who are justified sometimes before they actually believe therefore a man must have justifying faith before he hath remission of sins for by faith we obtain remission of sins and by faith we are justified and therefore have we believed in Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ A mans sins must be forgiven before he can be assured that they be
And that we may soundly apply the promise to our selves we must first be assured that we have the condition of the promise which is the first degree of justifying Faith whereof I have spoken that is a true lively and effectuall assent which we may know our selves to have if our belief be effectuall as before I said both to justification as it is when by it we receive CHRIST who is our Righteousnesse not only in our judgements but also in our hearts and in our willes and also to sanctification as it is when it produceth the duties of repentance Having therefore the condition of the promise and knowing that thou hast it thou art bound in conscience whatsoever the Papist faith to the contrary to apply the promise to thy self as belongeth to thee Doest thou therfore truly believe that Christ is the Saviour of all those that truly believe in him then thou art bound to believe that he is thy Saviour that he died for thy sins and rose againe for thy justification that by him thou hast remission of sins and that by him thou shalt be saved Otherwise if thou knowest thy self to have the condition of the promise and wilt not apply it to thy self that is if knowing thy self truly to believe that Christ is the Saviour thou wilt not believe that he is thy Saviour thou makest God a lyar saith S. Iohn in not believing the record which God gave of his Son And this is the record that God hath given to us that believe in Christ eternall life and that this life is in his Son He that hath the Son as every true believer hath hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not lifâ— These things saith he I have written to you that believe on the Name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternall life and that you may believe on the Name of the Son of God The meaning of which last words seemeth to be this I have written to you that believe on the Name of Christ by a true and lively assent but have not perhaps as yet attained to any sound assurance that you applying the promises of the Gospell to your selves and gathering testimonies to your selves that they belong to you by such markes as I in this Epistle have set down may attain to assurance and so proceed from Faith to Faith For without absurdity the Words cannot be understood of the same degree of Faith I have written to you that already believe in Christ that you may believe in him What No otherwise then already they do believe Yes no doubt that they which believed in a lower degree without assurance might know that they have eternall life and that so attaining to a higher degree of faith might thereby be assured of salvation by Christ. Now this application is made by a practicall Syllogisme the proposition whereof which some cal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the undoubted Word of God Whosoever truly beleeveth in Christ he shall be saved The assumption is the testimony of our own spirit which is therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But I through Gods mercy do truly believe in Christ. For the Holy Ghost having opened my heart as he did the heart of Lydia Act. 16. 14. to assent unto or to believe the Gospel I do receive Christ not only in my judgement by a firme willing and unfaned assent but also in mine heart by an earnest desire to be made partaker of him which is the desire of application and in my will by a setled resolution whatsoever the Law mine own conscience or the Devill can object to the contrary to acknowledge him to be my Saviour and to rest upon him for salvation which is the resolved purpose of application The conclusion which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the verdict or testimony of the Holy Spirit testifying with our spirits in the assumption according to the word in the proposition Therefore I through Gods mercy shall be saved which is the voice of speciall Faith The consequence of this and all other formall Syllogismes is such that the conclusion cannot be false if the premisses be true Otherwise a contradiction would be implied that is contradictories would be true together which is impossible For if this conclusion should be false then either the Proposition is not true that whosoever truly believeth in Christ shall be saved or the assumption that I truly believe in Christ. Of the proposition of this Syllogisme there can be no doubt it being the undoubted word of God and the main promise of the Gospel Against the assumption two things may be objected the one out of the doctrine of our Divines the other out of the doctrine of the Papists For some of our Divines define faith to be a full assurance of the love of God concerning the remission of our sins and eternall salvation by Christ or in other words to the like effect But the faith mentioned in the assumption is no such assurance I answer that our Divines defining the speciall Faith are not to be blamed for defining it according to the perfection thereof for so every vertue and grace ought to be defined that so we may learne not to content our selves with that imperfect measure whereunto we have already attayned but may aspire towards perfection But if any shall hereupon inferre that no man doth truly believe who hath not that full assurance as some vnadvisedly have done he shall give occasion to the greatest part of believers either to dispair that they have not Faith because they have not ful assurance or because they woul not be thought without Faith to presume that they have a full assurance which notwithstanding men doe not attayne unto at the first nor at once but by divers degrees after much practice of piety and long experience of Gods goodnes towards them and never is so fully obtained before the end of this life but that somewhat still may and ought to be added to it The objection of the Papists against the assumption is that a man doth not know that he doth believe and therefore not being assâ—red that he doth believe he can have no assurance of salvation This is in deed the thing which they must stand unto if they will deny as they doe the certainty of salvation For if a man may be assured that he doth truly believe he may also be assured that he shall be saved But that the faithfull may know that they believe I prove 1. Because every beleever is taught to say I beleeve in God the Father I believe in God the Sonne I believe in God the Holy Ghost This profession of Faith every true Christian is bound to make with confidence therefore every true Christian is bound to know that he doth believe The father of the demoniack though indued but with a weake faith when our Saviour told him that the cure of his Sonne was possible if he could believe returned
certainty of salvation W. P. whereat no man is to marvel and much lesse to take offence For so long as our knowledge is but in part it cannot be avoided but there wil be diversity of opinions among the Faithfull who notwithstanding hold the maine substance and foundation of Faith and true Religion The points of difference are eight The first errour Vocation and sanctification confounded 1. The first that he confoundeth our vocation and sanctification alleadging that in our vocation and first conversion the universall or generall habite of grace containing in it all sanctifying graces is infused whereby all the parts and powers of man being renewed together and at once and the image of God in them all renewed by the infusion of the habites of all sanctifying graces together are sanctified throughout Resâ— To omit his acception of the word Grace even where of purpose he doth at large discourse of Grace for one supernaturall quality inherent in us or habite of grace infused into us according to the use of the school-men who thereby have overturned the doctrine of justification and salvation by Gods grace magnifying under the name of grace their own righteousnes inherent which in the question of justification is to be esteemed as dung Phil. 3. 8. and not once mentioning that which is out of us in him which most properly is the grace of God for it is one of his attributes and not according to the scriptures which never speake of grace in that sense but alwayes use the word either properly for the gracious favour of God in Christ by which grace we are elected called justified sanctified and shal be glorified or metonymically for the Speciall gifts of Grace To omit this oversight I answere it hath beene the received opinion and usuall practise of all Orthodox Divines to hold and set downe in this order the degrees of salvation which are wrought in this life viz. Our vocation justification sanctification And that in order of nature vocation wherin justifying faith is begotten goeth before justification and that justification wherein we are made just before GOD by imputation of CHRISTS righteousnesse goeth before sanctification wherein we being already justified from the guilt of sinne and redeemed from the hand of our spirituall enimies and reconciled unto God receive grace to worship him in holinesse and righteousnesse before him Howbeit we deny not but that in time our justification doth concurre with our effectuall vocation for as soone as a man doth truly believe so soone is he justified before God and that in time the first act of sanctification which is our regeneration doth concurre both with our justification and effectuall vocation Now of our regeneration which is the beginning of our sanctification and of our spirituall life Which we live by faith there seeme to be two acts the one wherein we are begotten unto God of incorruptible seed by the word of God the other wherein the image of God being in some measure renewed in us and our Saviour Christ formed in us we are borne anew The former is our spirituall conception the latter our spirituall or new birth in the former regeneramur we are begotten anew in the latter renascimur we are borne anew And as in naturall generation there is a meane time betweene the conception and the birth in which time that which is begotten is formed in the wombe according to the image of the first Adam so betweene the first act of regeneration and the new birth there intercedeth a time wherein the image of the second Adam is in all parts by degrees renewed untill Christ bâ— formed in us Gal. 4. 19. The former which also is the first act of our conversion is the same with our calling or vocation wherein our Saviour Christ is conceived in our hearts when we doe receive him by the true and lively assent of faith which is the seed the root the fountaine of all other sanctifying graces which whosoever hath 1 Iohn 5. 1 he is begotten of God This act the holy spirit worketh ordinarily by the ministry of the word For faith commeth by the hearing of the word Rom. 10. 17. For how should men believe in him of whom they have not heard and how should they heare without a preacher Rom. 10. 14. In this regard preachers being ministers by whom others believe 1 Cor. 3. 5. are the instruments of the holy Ghost for our spirituall regeneration and are therefore called fathers in the faith who beget men unto God 1 Cor. 4. 15. Phil. 10. 1 Tim. 1. 2. Now in our vocation the worke of the holy Ghost is partly preparative and partly operative The preparation unto faith is 1. the illumination of the minde partly by the ministery of the law revealing unto us our miserable estate in our selves and partly by the ministery of the Gospel revealing unto us the mystery of our salvation by Christ. 2. the molifying of the heart by the finger of the spirit humbling us in the consideration both of our damnable estate in our selves and of the undeserved mercies of God offered in Christ from which being effectuall ariseth a desire both to be freed from that damnable estate and to be made partakers of that happinesse promised in Christ. 3. The invitation of the hearers and the stirring of them up to come out of that wofull estate and to accept of Gods mercies in Christ by the Ministers of the word who being the Embassadours of God in Christs stead doe beseech you as if God himself did intreate you by them that you would be reconciled unto God 1 Cor. 5. 18. 20. The Holy Ghost having thus knocked at the dore of our hearts doth himselfe in his good time open our hearts as he did the heart of Lydia to assent to and to believe the Gospel By which beliefe being lively and effectuall we receive Christ not onely in our judgements by assent but also in our hearts by an â—arnest desire to be made partakers of him and in our wills by an earnest purpose and settled resolution to acknowledge and professe him to be our Lord and Saviour and to rest upon him for salvation The Holy Ghost having wrought this assent and by it this desire and purpose of applying Christ unto our selves and thereby also some beginnings of hope of the hatred of sinne of the love of God and of our neighbour and of other graces by which the Image of God beginneth to be renewed and Christ to be formed in us being yet as it were Embryones in the womb he teacheth every one of us who have through his blessed operation the condition of the promise to apply the promise to our selves and to believe not onely that Christ is the Saviour of all that do believe but also that he is my Saviour that he died for my sins and rose again for my justification so that when the Minister according to the word pronounceth this generall proposition whosoever truly believes in Christ hath