of Rome that have managed them against each other And so are some of the Church of England and of foreign Protestants But I must testifie that the most that I hear or read inveighing reproachfully against others about them are men that tell me they talk after their Leaders of things that they never understood I am ashamed to hear of 't in the Pulpits one Party rendring the Doctrine of Predestination as odious Blasphemy and another Party crying down Universal Redemption and Free-will and Arminianism as an Enemy to God's Grace and neither of them know what they speak against One Davenant or Camero or Le Blank sheweth more insight into the Controversies which they reconcile than forty of these zealous Railers do § 10. I meddle not in this Book with the Controversies about Church-Government or Worship A settled worldly Interest and the various mental dispositions of the Contenders convince me that I can there do little for reconciliation God must do it if he have not forsaken this world But meer Doctrinal Controversies though of great moment methinks should not be so linked to a worldly Interest but that men should be willing to know the Truth or to endure others to know it That which I have attempted is by meer and clear explication without much argumentation to end such Controversies And to make men understand one another and the things which they dispute about and by abbreviating my Catholick Theology to make the Conciliation fitter for all Students And the Success of that Book giveth me great encouragement which hath been unanswered to this day when I looked that it should have brought the Contentious of both sides about my ears And I rejoice in the Success of Le Blank 's Theses which I publish'd he sent them to me to publish and I gave them to my Bookseller to print and he sold his Copy to another For all the dismal effects that the History of the low Countries and Dr. Heylin in Archbishop Laud's Life mention of these Controversies I rejoice that these many years last past they have made in England less noise than ever and are talked of with more peace and moderation And that I have a special share in the Comfort of this effect And what Names soever Peace-haters and Man-haters and Saint-haters call men by Christ saith Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God CHAP. II. The Doctrines about which they chiefly disagree enumerated § 1. THE forementioned causes of Divisions in general do operate among Christians 1. About Church-Government 2. About God's Worship and 3. About Christian Doctrine in particular All which are turned into the matters of our Discord The two first I intend not to meddle with in this Discourse And as to the third the Controversies about Doctrine which most trouble the Churches are 1. About God's Decrees and His Will in general 2. About his Foreknowledge 3. About Election in particular 4. About Reprobation 5. About his Providence and Predetermination of all actions in general 6. About his causing or not causing Sin 7. About Natural Power and Freewill 8. About original Sin 9. About Redemption by Christ. 10. About the Laws and Covenants of Innocency Works and Grace 11. About Universality and Sufficiency of Grace 12. About Man's Power and Free-will since the Fall to obey the Gospel 13. About effectual Grace and how God giveth it 14. About the state of Heathens that have not the Gospel 15. About the necessity of Holiness and the state of moral Virtue 16. About the necessity of Faith in Christ where the Gospel is made known 17. About the state of Infants as to Salvation 18. About the nature of Saving Faith 19. About the nature of Pardon and Justification 20. About the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to Believers 21. About the manner how Faith justifieth us and how Faith is imputed to us for Righteousness 22. Of Assurance of Justification and Salvation and of Hope 23. Of Good works and Merits and how far we may trust to any thing in our selves 24. Of Confirmation Perseverance and of danger and falling away 25. Of Repentance late Repentance and the Day of Grace and the unpardonable Sin 26. Of our Communion with Christ's Glorified Humanity and with Angels and glorified Souls 27. Of the state of separated Souls 28. Of the Resurrection and Everlasting Life Of each of these I shall shew the pacifick Truth which must unite us and shew how far all the Reformed Churches are therein agreed and whether the Papists are or will be agreed with us I shall referr to their own consideration CHAP. III. Of God's Will and Decrees in general § 1. THE Will of God signifieth either I. His own Essence and that 1. under the notion of a Power or Virtue analogically to the Faculty in Man or 2. under the notion of an Act as it is considered only ex parte agentis without the effect II. Or the said Essence as related to the Effects or Objects and thence denominated III. Or the Extrinsick Objects and Effects themselves called his Will because willed by him § 2. These later are I. His Works of eminent Power with Wisdom and Goodness viz. Creation Preservation and Natural Motion by God as sons naturae II. His Works of Eminent Wisdom with Power and Goodness viz. ORDER and specially Moral Government the parts of which are 1. Legislation Antecedent to man's actions 2. Retribution by Judgment and Execution consequent to them especially by the Redeemer in the way of Grace III. His Works of Eminent Love or Goodness with Power and Wisdom especially Glory begun and perfected § 3. By God 's Decrees is meant his Volitions of what shall be which are but his Will considered as in such acts Now concerning all these sences of God's Will § 4. I. God's Will in it self considered is his Essence and not any Accident in God § 5. II. Yet esse Velle are not Conceptions of the same sence or importance but are distinct inadequate Conceptions of the same God And so is also Intelligere § 6. III. As Posse Agere are not really two things in God so his Will as a Power Faculty or Virtue and his Will as an Act or Volition in himself are not two things but two inadequate Conceptions of that which is simple Unity in God for Man's narrow mind can no otherwise know him § 7. IV. God doth operate or effect immediately by his Essence and not by any Action of his which is between his Essence and the Effect Whether you call it his Agere Intelligere or Velle or all conjunct by which he effecteth it is nothing besides his Essence which is so called For there is nothing in rerum natura but God and the Creature and the Creature 's Actions And Aâ—râ—olâ—s that stiffly argueth that God's Creating Action is neither God nor the Creature but a middle thing doth satisfie no mans Understanding and is commonly rejected and he can mean with sence
upon the Act have right to Acceptance and to the Spirit to cause the Habit in order of Nature before they have the Habit Therefore Infants may be in a state of such Right and Life before the Habit though they shall not possess Glory without it And yet the Adult are not in a state of such right by the meer Power before the Act because the Act it self is made necessary to their Justification but so is it not to Infants So that Infants and Adult may receive a meer power to repent and believe and lose it after at age by actual sin though this be a loss of a state of Iustification to the one sort their fins of Nature being pardoned but not to the other who are not pardoned without the Act And yet it followeth not hence that the grace of habitual Sanctification is lost in any § 7. If this solution please not let them that can give us one that is less inconvenient and we shall thankfully accept it but it must be none that yet I have heard of not the Anabaptists nor those of their Adversaries who leave us no certainty of the Salvation of any particular Infants but only say God will save them that are Elect but no one knoweth who they are nor how few or many nor can tell us of any promise made to any upon any antecedent Character or Condition nor give Believers any more assurance of their own Childrens Salvation than of any Heathens Nor theirs that say Baptized Infants are saved by relative Grace alone without any internal real Grace Nor theirs that say They have the Spirit but tell us not in what operation or say it is only right to the Spirit hereafter Nor theirs that say That all Baptized Infants at least of godly Parents have habitual Holiness Faith Love c. such as the Adult in Sanctification have and that some at Age do lose it I think this less inconvenient than any one of these § 8. Q. III. Whether any lose true actual Faith and Iustification Ans. That a common uneffectual Faith may be lost is no doubt But concerning the other there are three Opinions 1. Some say No it cannot be lost because that Faith hath the Promise of the Sanctification of the Spirit as well as of Pardon and right to Life Therefore seeing habitual Holiness is not lost that which hath the Promise of it is not lost 2. Others say That actual Faith at first is like Adam's loseable Grace and that it giveth us actual Pardon and right to Life if we so die and right to the Spirit in relation to sanctifie us in time and by degrees But that every one that hath the Spirit hath not the Habits of Love and Holiness but he sometimes is causing many Acts before he produce a Habit ad modum acquisitorum 3. Others say That both Faith and habitual Holiness are oft lost I delay the solution till the rest be considered § 9. Q. IV. Whether habitual Love or Holiness or the Spirit be ever lost Ans. That there is a confirmed state or degree of Holiness that is never lost I do hold and that this is attainable and in that state men may be certain of Salvation But whether the least degrees of habitual grace be utterly loseable which prove a present right to life till they are lost I must plainly profess I do not know much may be said on both sides And if my Ignorance offend any it offendeth me more but how shall I help it I think it is not for want of study nor of impartial willingness to know the Truth And Ignorance of the two is safer than Error by which we trouble and seduce those about us And in this case so many great and excellent Men have erred either Augustine with the generality of the ancient Churches or Calvin Zanchy and most of the Reformed that my Ignorance is pardonable where their Error it self is pardoned But let those that are wiser rejoyce in the greater measure of their Wisdom But yet think not that taking up either Opinion upon the trust of their Party is such § 10. Q. V. To the next some have said That had Adam done but one act of Love or Obedience he had been confirmed as the Angels in a state of Impeccability And that so are all that once truly believe in Christ. But Experience utterly confuteth that For all men sin after believing § 11. Others say only That men may sin and may lose acquired Grace but no degree of that which is infused But we have small reason to think that our encreased degrees are not as much infused as the first degree was And yet Experience proveth that such added degrees may be lost § 12. Others say All added degrees may be lost but none of that which was first infused Indeed could we prove that God alwaies at first infuseth only the least degree consistent with Salvation then this must be held by all that deny that any fall from Justification But for ought we know God may the first minute give one man more Grace than to another in long time and that first degree may be lessened by his sin § 13. Q. VI. Whether it be possible to lose that Holiness which never will be lost Ans. The word Possible respecteth either a Consequence in Arguing and is a Logical Possibility or it respecteth the natural power of Causes and is called Physical Possibility In the first sence it is impossible that any thing should come to pass that doth not because God knoweth it will not And it is a good consequence God knoweth that this will not come to pass therefore it will not And it is impossible that this Consequence should be false But as to the natural Possibility no doubt but of our selves we can sin nay it is not an act oâ— Power but of Impotency or from a defect of Power And the Habit given us is not a sufficient Power to ascertain our Perseverance of it self But if you speak with respect to the Power of God by which we are preserved we must thus answer That it is impossible for us or any Creature to overcome God's Power or Will And if it be first proved that God will cause us to persevere by the way of Physical irresistible determination by Power then it must be called Impossible to fall away or commit any Sin which he so saveth us from But if he keep any as a free Agent by the sapiential disposal of his Free-will and so procure the event of a contingent action then it must be said that this and many things are possible which never come to pass That God only decreeth that we shall not fall away and not that it shall be impossible Thus Dr. Twisse and the Dominicans themselves use to speak But for my part I â—ake God's manner of working on and for us to be so unsearchable and this notion of Possibility or Impossibility of so little moment when we are
agreed what will be the event that I think the Controverfie not worth the handling but made among other snares of Satan to trouble the Church and draw us to vain Janglings about words that edifie not from the Simplicity that is in Christ. § 14. Q. VII Whethâ—r there be a state of Confirmation here Ans. 1. Undoubtedly there are some Christians that are strong rooted settled established and some that are weak and like Children toss'd up and down Rom. 4. 20. 15. 1. Heb. 5. 12 14. 1 Ioh. 2. 14. 1 Cor. 16. 13. Eph. 6. 10. 2 Tim. 2. 1. 1 Cor. 15. 58. 1 Pet. 5. 9. Col. 2. 5. Eph. 3. 16 17. Col. 2. 7. There is a need of strengthening Grace 1 Pet. 5. 10. Luk. 22. 32. Rev. 3. 2. Act. 9. 22. Col. 1. 11. 2 Tim. 4. 17. Psal. 138. 3. Phil. 4. 13. § 15. 2. It is agreeable to Scripture Reason and Experience to judge that strengthened Christians stand faster than the weak and that it is in it self more unlikely that they should be seduced and forsake Christ. § 16. Seeing it is so doubtful whether any that are sincere fall away we have great reason to think that it will hardlier be proved of the Confirmed I know that Strength hath several degrees and it 's hard to determine just what this Confirmation is but I am perswaded that abundance of confirmed Christians there are who have taken hold of Christ by Faith and Love and have clear light and great experience and so much Grace as that from that Confirmation it may be inferred that they never fall away and perish and consequently that Certainty of Salvation and not only of present Justification is attainable in this Life And some of the Papists themselves are of this mind though others of them say That even a state of Confirmation may be lost § 17. Q. VIII Whether Perseverance depend on meer Election Ans. It was Augustine's Judgment and his Followers That Election is the ascertaining Cause of Perseverance giving the special Grace of Perseverance but what that Grace was besides Divine Volition and Preservation whether any special confirming degree or kind it is not easie to gather out of him And I think it past doubt That God doth elect some to Perseverance and all persevere whom he so electeth and because he electeth them and no other But whether many also are truly sanctified and justified that are not elect and so do not persevere as Austin held I said before I do not know § 18. Q. IX Are all or most Christians certain that they shall persevere Ans. No For 1. most Christians in the World hold that Perseverance is uncertain to the godly and how can they be certain of it to themselves 2. Most that hold otherwise hold it but as uncertain and are not themselves certain that it is true though they call it certain I am uncertain And I find not by other signs that the most have more knowledge than my self And he that is not certain of the Premises is not by them certain of the Conclusion 3. Most Christians are uncertain that they are sincere and justified And such cannot be certain to persevere in that which they are not certain that they have § 19. Q. X. Certainty of their present state of Iustification is not fit for those that sin as much and are as bad as ever will stand with sincerity till they repent Therefore certainty of Perseverance must needs be unfit for them And therefore God never giveth it to such § 20. Q. XI Certainty of Grace Iustification and Perseverance and Salvation is a most excellent desirable thing above all the Treasures of the World and to be earnestly sought by all and tendeth not of it self to carnal security but to fill the Soul with holy Love and Thankfulness and Joy and make our Lives likest to Heaven on Earth O blessed are they that do attain it And woe to them that dispraise it and perswade men to causeless doubting It is the height of our attainment here in it self and the improvement and maketh us live a Heavenly Life and long to be with Christ But we cannot therefore say that those have it that have it not But all should promote and seek it § 21. Q. XII They that are certain that all true Believers persevere have one great help towards their own Consolation But if they be uncertain that they themselves are true Believers this will not comfort them As they that are perswaded only that all Confirmed Christians persevere must know that they are confirmed before this can give them the comfort of Assurance § 22. But I have elsewhere fully proved 1. That most Christians have not the comfort of their own certain Perseverance for want of the Certainty of their Sincerity if not of the Doctrine it self 2. And that thousands and millions of Christians live and die in Peace and Comfort that have not a proper Certainty of Salvation 3. Much more may such live in Joy that are sure of their present state of Grace though not of their Perseverance § 23. For Experience telleth us that though most of the Christian World are against the Doctrine of Certain Perseverance of all true Believers yet many of them live and die in Comfort § 24. And Church-History and the Ancients Writings tell us That though for many hundred years the Christian Doctors commonly held That some lose true justifying Faith and perish yeâ— multitudes lived and died in Joy and went with boldness through the flaâ—es § 25. And we see in all things that men are affected according to what is predominant and he that hath far more Hope than fear and doubting will have more joy than sorrow though he be not certain but some doubting do remain § 26. It is certain in it self that God's Promises in the Gospel are all true But every one that truly believeth it is not properly certain of it past all doubt And he that hath the least doubt of the truth of the Gospel must needs doubt as much of that Salvation which is expected on the Gospel-Promise And yet such Believers may have Peace and Joy according to the measure of their Faith and Hope § 27. We see among men no Wife is certain one day or night that her Husband will not forsake or murder her no Child is certain that his Father will not kill him nor any one of his dearest Friend And yet we can have Love Peace and Comfort in our Relations without such certainty For it 's melancholy folly to live in fears of things utterly unlikely and to cast away the Comforts of great probability § 28. Yea no godly man is certain that he shall not fall into such hainous Sin as Noah Lot David Peter did or that he shall not kill his dearest Friend or himself And yet when a man is conscious that his Nature his Reason his Experience and his Resolution do all make him hate such a wicked act and that there
out of their Churches which should be the Porch of Heaven is the way to be shut out themselves of the heavenly Jerusalem If those that have long reproached me as unfit to be in their Church and said ex uno disce omnes with their Leader find any unsound or unprofitable Doctrine here I shall take it for a great favour to be confuted even for the good of others excluded with me when I am dead Jan. 21. 1691. Richard Baxter THE CONTENTS Chap. 1. HOW to conceive of GOD. Pag. i. Chap. 2. How to conceive of the Trinity in Unity p. vii Chap. 3. How to conceive of the Hypostatical Union and Incarnation p. xxiii Chap. 4. How to conceive of the Diversity of God's Transient Operations p. xxx Chap. 5. Whether any point of Faith be above 〈◊〉 contrary to Reason p. xxxii Chap. I. Prefatory Who must be the Iudge of Controversies The true Causes of the Divisions of Christians about Religion p. 1◠Chap. 2. The Doctrines enumerated about which they chiefly disagree p. 22 Chap. III. Of God's Will and Decrees in general Th. Terms and several Cases opened p. 2◠Chap. IV. Of God's Knowledge and the Differenc◠about it p. 4◠Chap. V. Of Election and the Order of Intentio◠and Execution p. 3◠Chap. VI. Of Reprobation or the Decree of Damnation the Objects and their Order p. 4◠An Answer to Mr. Polhill of Futurition p. 4◠Chap. VII Of God's Providence and predetermining Premotion Of Durandus's way p. 7◠Chap. VIII Of the Cause of Sin What God doth and doth not about it p. 82 Chap. IX Of Natural Power and Free-will p. 89 Chap. X. Of Original Sin as from Adam and nearer Parents p. 94 Chap. XI Of our Redemption by Christ what it doth how necessary p. 89 Chap. XII Of the several Laws and Covenants of God p. 99 Sect. 1. Of the Law or Covenant of Innocency made to Adam Divers Cases p. 113 Sect. 2. Of the Law of Mediation or Covenant with Christ When and what it was p. 121 Sect. 3. Of the Law or Covenant of Grace in the first edition What it was p. 126 Sect. 4. Of the same Law with Abraham's Covenant of Peculiarity and the Mosaical Iewish Law of Works p. 132 Sect. 5. Of the Law or Covenant of Grace in the last edition the Gospel Divers Cases about it opened p. 138 Chap. XIII Of the universality and sufficiency of Grace What Grace is How far universal and sufficient p. 154 Chap. XIV Of Man's Power and Free-will since the Fall Adrian's Saying That an unjustified man may love or chuse God's Being before his own What to ascribe to Grace and what to Free-will in good p. 173 Chap. XV. Of Effectual Grace and how God giveth it Doubts resolved p. 181 Chap. XVI Of the state of Heathens and such others as have not the Gospel What Law the Heathen World is under and to be judged by Whether any of them are justified or saved The Heathens were the Corrupters of the old Religion and the Jews of the Reformed Church Mal. 1. 14 15. and Sodom's Case c. considered p. 188 Chap. XVII Of the necessity of Holiness and of Moral Virtue p. 203 Chap. XVIII Of the necessity of Faith in Christ where the Gospel is made known p. 212 Chap. XIX Of the state of Infants as to Salvation and Church-membership p. 216 Chap. XX. Of the nature of Saving-Faith its Description and Causes p. 226 Chap. XXI Of justifying Righteousness Iustification and Pardon The several sences of the words and several sorts of them Our common Agreement about them p. 238 Chap. XXII Of the Imputation of Righteousness Christ's righteousness in what sence ours and imputed and in what sence not p. 256 Chap. XXIII How Faith justifieth and how it is imputed for Righteousness Several questions about it Repentance c. resolved p. 267 Chap. XXIV Of Assurance of our Iustification and of Hope What Assurance is desirable What attainable What Assurance we actually have Who have it The nature and grounds of it Whether it be Divine Faith p. 279 Chap. XXV Of Good works and Merit And whether we may trust to any thing of our own 1. What are Good Works 2. Whether they are necessary to our Iustification or Salvation 3. Whether they are rewardable or meritorious 4. What is their place use and necessity 5. Whether to be trusted to p. 282 Chap. XXVI Of Confirmation Perseverance and danger of falling away 1. Whether all Grace given by Christ be such as is never lost 2. Whether that degree be ever lost which to Infants or Adult giveth but the posse credere 3. Whether any lose actual justifying Faith 4. Or the Habit of Divine Love and Holiness 5. Whether some degree of this may be lost 6. If Holiness be not actually lost is the loss possible 7. Whether there be a state of Confirmation above the lowest Holiness which secureth Perseverance 8. Or doth Perseverance depend only on Election and God's Will 9. Whether all most or many Christians are themselves certain of their Perseverance 10. I◠such Certainty fit for all the justified 11. Is it unfit for all and doubting a more safe condition 12. Doth the Comfort of most Christians rest upon the Doctrine of Certainty to persevere 13. Doth the Doctrine of eventual Apostasie inferr Mutability in God 14. Why God hath left the point so dark 15. What was the Iudgment of the ancient Churches herein 16. Is it of such weight as to be necessary to our Church-Communion Love and Concord p. 300 Chap. XXVII Of Repentance late Repentance the time of Grace and the unpardonable sin p. 314 BOOKS Printed for and Sold by Iohn Salusbury at the Rising Sun in Cornhil A Rational Defence of Nonconformity wherein the Practice of Nonconformists is vindicated from promoting Popery and ruining the Church imputed to them by Dr. Stillingfleet Bishop of Worcester in his Unreasonableness of Separation Also his Arguments from the Principles and Way of the Reformers and first Dissenters are answered And the case of the present Separation truly stated and the blame of it laid where it ought to be and the way to Union among Protestants is pointed at By Gilbert Rule D. D. The Christian Laver Being two Sermons on John 13. 8. opening the nature of Participation with and demonstrating the necessity of Purification by Christ. By T. Cruso Six Sermons on various occasions By T. Cruso in 4◠The Conformists Sayings or the Opinion and Arguments of Kings Bishops and several Divines assembled in Convocation A new Survey of the Book of Common-Prayer An END of Doctrinal Controversies c. CHAP. 1. How we may and must conceive of GOD. § 1. A True Knowledge of God is necessary to the Being of Religion and to Holiness and Glory No man can love obey trust or hope beyond his knowledge Nothing is so certainly known as God and yet nothing so defectively known Like our Knowledge of the Sun of which no man doubteth
themselves to him as their Owner to obey him as their Ruler and to love and seek him as their ultimate End and to believe that his Mercy will not let us be losers in so doing nor to do it in vain § 14. But the Supernatural Revelation telleth us much more than all this Of the promised Seed the means of our Salvation and of our Duty in believing them and of the Certainty and Nature of the Pardon Deliverance and Blessedness which we shall attain § 15. The â—receptive part at first was not to Believe as much of Christ as is necessary since his Ascension but to Believe what God promised and revealed of him to the Church at that time § 16. Even under the Old Testament God increased his Revelation of the Messiah gradually The Prophets spake plainlier of him than any thing written before Therefore a more extensive and distinct belief was needful in one Age than in a former § 17. Yet even the Apostles were in a state of Salvation before they understood and believed that Christ must Dâ—â— for Sin rise again Ascend and Intercede in Heaven for his Elect. § 18. Yet all this was partly revealed before by the Prophets and plainly foretold them by Christ himself Therefore it was not of absolute necessity to Salvation then to believe all of Christ which had been before Revealed though it was a duty to them that knew it § 19. Therefore under the Covenant of Grace the Condition of our right is narrower than the Duty which we are commanded to perform § â—â— The Promised Benefits presupposing the Common Antecedent Mercies were Summarily Christ and Life in him That is that for the sake of Christ's future Merits we should have Pardon Justification Reconciliation with God Adoption Sanctification and Glory and all necessary Helps and Means thereunto § 20. The Penalty was 1. The Pâ—ivation of Recovery 2. and a far sorer punishment for Ingratitude and contempt of Christ and Mercy § 21. This Law or Covenant in this first Edition was made with Adam as the Father of all Mankind and so with all Mankind in him as truly and as much as the Covenant of Innocency was For 1. God's Word maketh no difference 2. Adam was as much after the Common Father of Mankind and all we as much in him as before the Fall And he that will say that God arbitrarily Judgeth otherwise of us must prove it if he can 3. The express Word of God in many places proveth it joyning Children with their Parents in such Blessings and therefore including the Children of Adam § 22. The same Covenant with some positive Additions it pleased God to renew to and with Noah because he was as a second Head and Father to the generality of all Mankind all coming from his Loins as they did from Adam's § 23. As all Mankind was made the Subjects of God under this Law of Grace so by it they were all to be Governed and Judged allowing a diversity of Degrees in the Promulgation Mercies and Penalties thereof SECT IV. Of the same Law with Abraham's Covenant of Peculiarity and the Mosaical Iewish Law of Works § 1. ABraham being a subject to this same Law of Grace did so faithfully Believe and Obey it that it pleased God to reward him extraordinarily by 1. Renewing the Covenant by special Application to him and by the promises of Peculiar Privileges to him and his seed § 2. Not that his Infant seed was the first that was taken into Covenant For the Covenant of Grace had from the beginning been made with the Faithful and their Seed as well as the Covenant of Innocency was § 3. The Peculiarities of this Covenant were Initially promulgate to Abraham Isaac and Iacob and more fully to the Iews as a Politick Body by Moses in the Law with some particular Sub-additions by David and the Prophets § 4. 1st The Promise to Abraham was besides the Common Covenant of Grace renewed 1. A promise of peculiar Favour to his Seed increased to a political Society in Canaan and differenced by special Mercies from all the People of the Earth 2. A promise that the Messiah should be of his Seed § 5. This Covenant did not Discovenant the rest that the World nor put them into any worse Condition than they were before § 6. The peculiar Precept of that Covenant was That by Circumcision as a Seal and Symbol and by peculiar Gratitude and Obedience and relinquishing the Sins of the Degenerate World about them they should difference themselves from others as God's peculiar People § 7. As the Covenant of Peculiarity was not a separated state but an additional Privilege and Reward to Abraham as faithful to the Common Covenant of Grace so Circumcision was the Symbol neither of Abraham as under the Law of Grace alone nor as under the Covenant of Peculiarity alone for that was never alone but as of One under both even under the latter as a Reward for his special Fidelity in the former And so it was â— Seal of the Righteousness of the Faith in the Common Covenant of Grace which he had being yet Uncircumcised though a Symbol also of his after Peculiarities Rom. 4. 1 2 c. § 8. Infants interest in the very Covenant of Peculiarity and Iewish church-Church-state was not infeparable from Circumcision As Infants were ever Members in the Common Church and Covenant of Grace with their Parents before Circumcision so they were also without it Members of the Iewish Church when as all the Females were Members and all the Males in the Wilderness who for Forty Years were Uncircumcised Yet is it called The Church in the Wilderness when except very few at last it was an Uncircumcised Church Acts 7. 38. § 9. Much less did God lay such a necessity on the outward Sacramental Act as to deny Salvation to the Uncircumcised aforesaid as some would have us think that even under the Gospel he doth by Sacraments The Covenant was still necessary as consented to by the Adult for themselves and their Infant seed but not alway the outward sacrament or symbole § 10. The gathering of Israel into a Policy by Moses as a Theocracy and their receiving a Law from God himself as a Political Body was but the full Establishment of the Covenant of Peculiarity in performance of what God had promised to Abraham and in Circumcision had begun § 11. This Law of Moses therefore must be Considered as an Affix or Appendix to the Common Law of Grace and so either as related to it or as considered simply and distinctly in it self without that relation And as it was a Divine Political Law for the Government of a Republick as such § 12. The Common Covenant of Grace was the Soul as it were of this Political Jewish Law and therefore was really expressed in it in the Decalogue and other parts As it was the Soul of their state of Peculiarity which was the Reward of Abraham's Faithfulness in the
making us inherently righteous or performers of the Condition of the Covenant of Grace hath another form The Act of esteeming us righteous hath another The Act of our Advocate defending our righteousness another The Act of Justifying-evidence and Witness another The Act of sentencing us righteous another And the Act of executive Justification or rewarding and saving us as righteous another And accordingly Iustification passively taken hath as many forms as it signifieth various Effects To be in a state of conditional Iustification to be Performers of the Condition of the Law of Grace to have jus impunitatis right to Impunity that is to be pardoned and to have jus Doni Praemii regni coelestis a right to Glory as a gift and as a reward in several respects are all Effects of God's foresaid Acts and every one hath its proper Being and Form And all this as given us for the Merits of Christ's righteousness concur to make up our whole Iustification as constitutive and virtual in Law and each part hath its proper form And then Apologetick Judiciary or Sentential and Executive Justification are also various Species which have their Forms § 36. Obj. Unius rei unica est forma Justification is one thing and therefore hath but one form Ans. 1. One Iustification is but one thing but there are divers things so called even in Scripture When Christ saith By thy words thou shalt be justified Mat. 12. and Paul saith that we are justified by the â—pirit of God 1 Cor. 6. 10. and Iohn saith He that is just let him be justified still Rev. 22. they have not all the same Sence 2. One thing may have one form and yet it s many parts have many forms Our righteousness taken for the whole of it is one whole whose form is signified by that general Name of our total righteousness and yet its parts are all those before-mentioned which yet each severally are commonly called righteousness But of these things before § 37. Either then let us meddle as little as may be with arbitrary Logical Notions in Theology or let us handle them exactly or else unskilful using them in weighty matters becomes a vain entangling of poor Souls and a childish way of troubling the Church of God The truth is the forms of such Acts are best known by their bare Names if they be rightly named and by the Name many understand what they are where neither they nor their Teachers can find other words by which to give you a fair Definition of them which maketh me think of some of our over-wise and over-righteous Catechizers of the ignorant who use to turn plain honest persons from the Sacrament of Communion if they cannot tell them what God is what Holiness is what Faith Repentance Sanctification Iustification Adoption is by some congruous Description when yet a wise Examination might shew that by the Name they understand the Matter it self though not by distinct Notions and when the Catechizer too often would be found shamefully to seek if he were put to answer his own Questions by a true Definition as I have tried § 38. To conclude there are many sharp Volumes written of late which reproach Imputed Righteousness to which they seem induced by some mens misexplication of it and by such unwarrantable words as some Independents use of it in their Savoy-Confession And they dream that we deny all necessity of Personal fulfilling the Conditions of the Law of Grace as a means of our Justification and Salvation But they utterly wrong the generality of Divines of my acquaintance and notice And I must tell them for the Independents that they did not subscribe or vote that Confession as some present assure me but only a very few men brought it in and read it and none spake against it And some worthy persons of that Assembly upon conference assure me That how ill soever it be worded they themselves did mean it as I and other Protestants do and did disclaim the obvious ill sence And I add Had these Contenders but taken up with the distinction of Imputation which Mr. Bradshaw giveth in the Preface to his reconciling Tractate of Iustification it might have quieted them by informing them in what sence Christ's Righteousness is imputed to us and in what not And they would have seen that which is not ours as Proprietaries of the thing it self in se may be called ours because the Effects are ours and it was given to God for the meriting of those Effects for us CHAP. XXIII How Faith justifieth and how it is imputed to us for Righteousness § 1. ABout this also there are many needless notional Controversies among men that are agreed in the matter it self As whether Faith justifie as it receiveth Christ in all his mediatorial Office as Prophet Priest and King Or only as in his Priestly Office And whether as it receiveth him in all the parts of that Office or which Or as it receiveth his Righteousness only Whether Faith justifie us as an Instrument only Or as a Condition Or as meritorious Whether it justifie us by being it self imputed to us for Righteousness or it be Christ's righteousness only that is so imputed Whether Faith alone justifie us or also Repentance Desire Hope or any other acts of the Soul towards Christ Whether only Faith in Christ justifie and not Faith in God the Father or belief of the Promise or of Heaven c. Of all which briefly § 2. I. The word Receiving Christ Grace c. hath two different sences necessarily to be distinguished 1. Physical Receiving is the strict sence as pati and recipere are all one Which is 1. To receive the meer Act of the Agent terminatively or 2. To receive a further effect of that Act. 2. Moral receiving is nothing but accepting of an offered thing by consent of Will And so to receive supposeth an offer and is nothing but Consent to it § 3. To receive Grace in the strict physical sence is to be made gracious or to be the Patients of the Operation of Grace if it be real But to receive relative Grace physically is nothing but to be made so related So to receive Sanctification is to be sanctified and to receive Justification or Pardon is nothing but to be justified or pardoned § 4. But how is Christ himself physically received That were easily known if you knew how he is physically given But for a Gift of Christ's person by physical attingency we can say nothing of it by Scripture-warrant that I know of It is no matter for our Disputes But in two sences Christ is said to be given to us 1. In Relation as a King to his Subjects or a Husband to his Wife And so we physically receive those Relations as aforesaid That is we are made related to him 2. In the real Communication of the Spirit of Christ to us And so we physically receive the Spirit in its operations that is He worketh them on us
Salvation it self and the Image and Glory of God upon us § 63. V. About the next Question I may yet be shorter How far any Works of ours may be trusted in I think all agree 1. That nothing of ours or any Creature should be trusted to for any thing proper to God or proper to Christ or any thing that belongeth not truly to it self He that ascribeth any thing to our Faith Love or Obedience which is proper to Christ's Merits or God's Mercy and so trusteth them doth greatly sin and he that trusteth them for more than God hath assigned to them to do § 64. 2. That we must take heed of scandaous Language and therefore must not talk of trusting on any act of our own when it is like to be understood as put in Competition with God or with Christ's Merits as if the Question were Whether we must trust God or our selves Christ's Righteousness or our own For our own is not in the least measure to be trusted for that which belongeth only to Christ's Righteousness to be or do § 65. 3. That yet it is a great Duty to trust every means of Salvation appointed by God in its own place and for its own part alone even to preaching Sacraments Afflictions c. And accordingly to trust our own Faith Love Prayer Obedience so far as they are Means and have God's Promise and no further which is no more than to trust in God that he will bless such means He that trusteth his Sword doth not trust it to fight of it self without his Hand When God hath promised Mercy upon Prayer and to the Obedient or Penitent for a man to think that God will yet do no more for us if we repent pray and obey than if we do not is to be Unbelievers and say rebelliously It is in vain to serve the Lord. He is so far to trust to Faith Repentance praying hearing meditating diligence as to trust that God will bless them and reward them and look for more from him when we use means than when we do not CHAP. XXVI Of Confirmation Perseverance and Danger of falling away § 1. I Shall reduce all that needs to be said on this point to these following controverted Questions 1. Whether all Grace procured and given by Christ be such as is never lost 2. Whether that degree of Grace be ever lost which giveth the posse credere without the act of Faith commonly called sufficient Grace in Adult or Infants 3. Whether any lose actual true justifying Faith 4. Whether any lose true Holiness or love of God in the Habit 5. Whether any degree of this be ever lost or all special Grace have such Confirmation as the Angels have 6. Whether if Holiness be never lost it be possible to lose it and be in danger 7. Whether there be a state of confirmed Persons besides the meerly sanctified that from the degree or kind of their grace never fall away 8. Or whether Perseverance depend on meer Election and God's Will which secureth only some of the justified 9. Whether all or most or many Christians are themselves sure to persevere 10. Whether Certainty of perseverance be fit for all the justified 11. Whether it be unfit for all and a more unsafe Condition than doubting 12. Whether the Comfort of most Christians lie upon the Doctrine of such Certainty 13. Whether the Doctrine of Eventual Apostacy infer any mutability in God 14. Why God hath left this point so dark 15. What was the Judgment of the ancient Churches after the Apostles 16. Whether it be an Article of such evidence and weight as to be put into our Church-Confessions and we should force men to subscribe to it or make it necessary to Ministration Communion or Christian Love and Concord § 2. Q. I. Whether all Christ's Grace given us be such as is never lost Ans. No except Iansenius and his Followers I know of no Christians that ever affirm it and he doth it on this false supposition That the common Grace which worketh only preparatorily by fear is not the Grace of Christ but a grace of other Providence and only Love is the grace of Christ. But it is injurious to Christ who is the Lord and Light and Saviour of the World and God's Administrator-general into whose Hands all Things and Power is given to say That since the Fall there is any Grace in the World that is not his Grace and that our preparatory grace and all that 's common is aliunde some other way He that readeth Ioh. 15. Matth. 13. Heb. 6 and 10. may see the contrary § 3. Q II. Whether sufficient grace to believe which giveth the meer power of believing to Infants or Adult be ever lost Ans. These Questions suppose that there are these several sorts of Graces disputed of by Divines 1. Common grace 2. Power to believe and repent 3. Actual Faith and Repentance given by that called special Vocation 4. The Habit of love and all grace called Sanctification to pass by Relative grace as Justification c. 5. Confirmation of these Habits And we now speak only of the second And the very Being of that Grace is controverted Whether God ever give besides the natural Power a moral Power to believe to any that never do believe And 1. it is certain by Adam's instance that he gave him a power to have perfectly obeyed when he did not 2. And therefore no man can prove that now he giveth no man a moral Power to believe that doth not 3. But it seemeth most probable that he doth because his Government and Man's Nature are not tota specie changed 4. And it is certain that still all men have power to do more good than they do 5. And even the Dominicans grant this Sufficiency of grace 6. But yet for my part I am not certain of it § 4. But if there be such a power given which never acteth Faith which I think most probable it is either in the Adult or Infants if in the Adult no doubt it 's lost for they that will not believe to the last retain not still the moral power in their Rebellion § 5. But in the Case of Infants I think those of them that die before the use of reason lose it not nor any of the Elect that live to full Age But as to others after long doubt How far Infant-Grace is loseable this seemeth now the most probable solution to me § 6. Viz. There is a Grace that reacheth but to a moral Power to repent and believe before men have the Act or proper Habit Such Grace to persevere did put Adam in a present state of Life or acceptation with God this Grace Adam lost Accordingly such grace that containeth but this mâ—â—al power in an Infant 's Disposition with relative grace of Pardon is sufficient to provâ— his right to Salvation if he so die because he is not bound to the Act nor capable of it and even the Adult
is no probable cause to move him to it and when we know God is ready with his Grace to help us how few lose the Comfort of their Lives by fear of such improbable things Certainty therefore is very desirable but a hope of great probability may give us joyful thankful Hearts or else few Christians would have such § 29. And the Doctrine of Perseverance hath its difficulties too as to mens comfort For he that holdeth That no man falleth from a state of Grace and seeth many that to all possible humane judgment were once excellent persons fall quite away can himself have no assurance that he is so much as justified at the present unless he be sure that he is better than the best of all those persons ever were which doubt the other side are not cast upon § 30. Q. XIII Whether the Doctrine of Apostacy infer any mutability in God Ans. No there 's no shew of it unless you hold that his absolutely Elect fall away It was no change in God when he gave us grace and justified us and it would be no more if he cease than it was to begin It was no change in God when I was born and it will be no more when I die The Change is only in Man and his receptive Disposition Even the Law of the Land without any Diversity or Change doth virtually condemn a thousand Malefactors and justifie the Just and will cease to justifie them and begin to condemn them if they cease to be just and begin to be Offenders The Changes that God himself maketh in all the World are made without any Change in him Therefore what man doth or undoth cannot change him § 31. Q. XIV Why did God ledve this Case so dark Ans. It is not fit for us to call for any reason of his doing but what he hath given us But while he hath made it sure to us that he will cause all his Elect to persevere and will deny his Grace to none that faithfully seek it and will save all that do not wilfully and finally reject it and giveth us no cause to distrust his Mercy his holy Ends are by this attained in his Peoples Uprightness and Peace And he seemeth by leaving the rest so obscure to tell us that it is not a matter of so great use to us as some imagine and that it is not a point fit for to be the measure of our Communion or Peace § 32. XV. What was the judgment of the ancient Churches of this Point Ans. Vossius in his Pelagian History hath truly told you and copiously proved it in the main Before Augustine's time it was taken commonly as granted That men might fall away from a state of Grace and that many did but the Case was not curiously discussed But some thought that confirmed Christians never fell But upon Pelagius his Disputes Augustine defending the honour of Grace laid all upon Election and maintained That though the Non-elect did fall away from the Love of God and Justification and a state in which they had been saved had they died yet none of the Elect did fall so as to perish but that the preservation of Grace in perseverance was the fruit of Election Thus Prosper and Fulgentius after him and some Passages in him and Macarius and some others intimate that they thought there was a confirmed degree of Grace which was never lost but they all took it for granted that some fell from a state of Iustification and perished And I remember not oâ—â— Writer that I have read and noted to be of the contrary mind for a thousand years after the writing of the Scriptures nor any mention of any Christian that was so unless Hierome be to be believed of Ievinian who saith that he held That the godly could not sin which Report is much to be suspected on many accounts § 33. What Use is to be made of this I leave to others but it beseemeth no good Man to deprave or deny the Truth of such History And some great Divines are to be blamed for reproaching Vossius for a true Historical Report when they neither can confute him nor attempt it Two or three Sentences out of Austin are cited by some but meerly mistaken as if they spake that of all the Justified which he speaketh only of the Elect. § 34. Q. XVI By all that is said it is past denial that Certainty of perseverance should be most earnestly sought and that state of Confirmation which is likest to obtain it but that few have it eâ—en of the truly godly and that it is not the common ground of Christians Peace and Comfort but Hopes upon great Probability do sustain the most and that the difficulty of the point is such as that it should in all Churches be left free and neither side made necessary to our Christian Love Peace Conâ—ord Communion or Ministery CHAP. XXVII Of Repentance late Repentance the time of Grace and of the unpardonable Sin § 1. REpentance as a Pain and involuntary is part of the Punishment of sin by the Law of Works but Repentance as a returning to God and a recovery of the Soul is a Grace and Duty proper to the Subjects of the Redeemer under the Law of Grace § 2. Yea it is a great and excellent part of the Law of Grace to give Repentance unto life and to admit of Repentance after sin which the Law of Innocency did not admit of § 3. Therefore Iohn and Christ himself did preach the Gospel or Law of Grace when they preached Repentance which was a great part even of Christ's own preaching § 4. Therefore the Antinomian Libertines know not what they talk of when they call it Legal Preaching and set Repentance as in opposition to Faith as if Faith were all that the Gospel did command or Repentance did not belong to Faith § 5. Yet it must be confessed that of late times many have laid more upon the sorrowing weeping and fearing part of Repentance than was meet and said too little of the turning of the Soul from worldly and fleshly sinful Pleasures to the delightful Love and Praises of God and willing Obedience and Conformity to his Will which is the principal part of true Repentance And I think God permitted the Antinomians to rise up and cry up Free-Grace and call the Ministers Legallists to rebuke our Error in this point and to call us to preach up his Grace more plentifully and to consider better that Gospel-obedience doth chiefly consist in Thankfulness Love and Ioy and in the words of Praise and Works of Love I am sure this use we should make of their Abuses § 6. Repentance is either general or particular General or Universal Repentance is a turning of the Understanding Will and Practice with repenting Sorrow from the inordinate Estimation Love and seeking of temporal Things for the Pleasure and Prosperity of the Flesh or sensual powers to God his Will and Service and the Hopes
Christ And Faith kindling Love to God and Goodness and Men and Love kindled by Faith is the Sum of the Christian Religion And it is no Disparagement to Christ and Faith in him to be taken for a Means or to trust him as one that will save to the uttermost all that come to God by him CHAP. XIX Of the State of Infants as to Salvation § 1. I Have said so much of this in two Books against the Anabaptists and in my Christian Directory that I shall therefore here be brief What measure of Glory and holy intellectual operations Infants shall have after Death we know not but we have reason to judge that they shall not be like Brutes nor so unintelligent as in the Body nor sleep in an unactive Potentiality but be intellectual Agents § 2. The Conceits of a middle state of those unbaptized as having poenam damni and not pâ—nam sensus we know not what to make of unless they suppose them to be not actually but only potentially intelligent For one that is deprived of true felicity must by knowing it have the sense of his Privation Nor do we find in Scripture any Proof of their middle State however Reason may think it congruous § 3. They that think all Infants saved go on these different grounds 1. Some think that they have no sin But if Pelagians could prove that it would be no Proof that they shall have Heaven or Happiness 2. Others think that Christ hath pardoned them all that sin which was derived from Adam But either they mean that his Sacrifice and Merit immediately pardoned it or that he hath pardoned them all by the Covenant or Law of Grace But 1. Christ's Sacrifice and Merits are given to God for Man and pardon no man immediately but only Merit a pardoning Covenant 2. And that Covenant doth indeed in tantum pardon all men as far as common Mercy amounteth to for the remitting any part of the punishment is so far to remit the sin But the saving-pardon in question it giveth to no man actually before the Condition be performed for it is but a conditional Pardon Therefore as no one at age so no Infant hath any Pardon given him by that Covenant that I can find but only conditionally § 4. All grant That the Covenant pardoneth the Adult only conditionally and if it should pardon all Infants absolutely their Condition would be so much more happy than that of the Adult as is not consistent with what Scripture Reason and Experience speaketh And there is no such thing said of them in the Word of God and therefore not to be believed § 5. Those that think not all Infants so dying to be saved and glorified are also of several minds 1. Some think that none are glorified as being uncapable Subjects whom I will not bestow the labour to confute nor to open the ill Consequents of it 2. Some think that some are glorified but none are positively punished with the poena sensus These seem to me less rational than the former For either Infants will have actual Intellection and answerable Joys and Sorrows or not If not the former who reduce them all to meer Potentiality or the state of Brutes are in the right of whom some will have them to be Viatâ—res after Death in vehiculo aâ—reo and some are for their Transmigration and return to Earth If yea then as one part will have rational Joys the other must have rational Sorrows unless some return to Earth or some middle state be better proved than I have yet seen § 6. 3. Some think that all that are baptized are saved and no other though the rest have no Pain But 1. this is not suitable to the Nature of God as a Spirit and as most wise and merciful nor yet to the Tenor of his Word to lay mens Salvation and Rejection upon a meer outward â—eremony or Act of Baptizing The Seed of Believers may want it in many Cases of Impedition and the Children of Cannibals and Infidels might by Souldiers be taken away by thousands and baptized against the Parents Wills and then turned to them again to be educated And who can believe that barbarous Souldiers that must themselves â—e damned can thus save thousands at 〈◊〉 pleasures There are many Infants that have no right to Baptism and why then should it save them § 7. 4. Some think that all that are baptized by the Parents Conâ—int are saved But what if a Heaâ—hen or Infidel or Athent say I believe not in God or Christ my self but for worldly Ends I desire my Child may be baptized whether he say I will or I will not educate him uâ—to Christianity There is no shew of Reason much less of Scripture that this should save the Children that are no better offered to God § 8. 5. Some say That all that any Christian Sinner or Hypocrite offereth to God and is so baptized shall be saved that is That hath Christian Godfather or Godmother But if so then what if Christians take Heathens Children against their Wills and baptize them and then turn them home again Are they saved by the Ceremony or by Consent to the Covenant Not by the meer Geremony as is and shall be shewed Not by Consent of any such Christian that hath no right to them nor power to represent them else all the Children on Earth should be saved For Christians would sit at home and consent for them and dedicate them to God unseen And sure God would not refuse to save them because of distance nor because unseen for the Godfather may be blind nor because unbaptized when it cannot be had and the Child hindereth it not § 9. 6. Some say That it is the Churches Faith and dedicating them to God in Baptism that is the Condition of their Salvation But this is not intelligible If by the Church they mean all the Christian World or all a National Church or all a Diocesan Church yea or all a Parish-Church they use not to be all Godfathers nor to offer other folks Children to be baptized nor did I ever know one that had so common a â—ote or was so offered If they mean that the Churches Faith â—erveth whoever be the Covenanter or Offerer then all the Pagan World may have their Children saved by the Churches Faith or all that can be catcht up and baptized and so the Ceremony doth it But if they mean by that Church the Bishops or Presbyters whether it must be all the Bishops of the World or of the Nation or one Bishop or the Presbyter that baptizeth every one may speak according to his own Invention and Fancy but with no Proof from the Word of God or Reason as the aforesaid Disproofs do manifest § 10. 7. Some say That any one baptized by a Godfather's offer who undertaketh for his Christian Education shall be saved and no other But 1. The Godfather may have no Propriety in the Child but steal him shall
devoting and giving up our selves to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and renouncing of all that is inconsistent with this Covenant Which Assent Consent and Trust are the effects of the Gospel and Spirit of Christ and are founded on God's Fidelity that is on the Veracity Love and Sufficiency of God Almighty most wise and good and on Christ the Father's great Apostle and on Christ's sub-Apostles and on the Gospel and especially the Covenant of Grace as on God's revealing and donative Instrument and on the manifold obsignant operations of the Holy Ghost miraculous and sanctifying as God's infallible Attestation to the Gospel-Verity § 28. Historical Tradition of the Words Books and Matters of Fact are subordinate necessary means of transmitting the Objects to our sense of Hearing who live at such a distance from the Time Place and Facts § 29. But though all these things aforesaid are in true Faith yet a distinct Perception or Description of them all is not necessary in him that hath them But a more general Conception of it which will but consist with the true Reception of the Things signified by the Words God Christ Grace c. may be certainly saving to a plain and simple-hearted Christian when one that can describe it accurately may be graceless For it is Believing and not Defining Faith which God hath made necessary to Salvation § 30. Therefore we do ordinarily well use shorter Descriptions to the People and sometime we say That Faith in Christ is our Christianity that is our Assent and Consent to the Baptismal Covenant and our Self-dedition to God therein For in Scripture it is all one to be a Believer a Disciple of Christ and a Christian. § 31. Sometimes we say That saving Faith is a fiducial-practical Assent to the Truth of the Gospel and Consent to the Covenant of Grace or an Accepting of all the Benefits of the Covenant as they are and on the terms offered or an Accepting of Christ and Life in and with him there offered us § 32. Sometimes we say It is a practical Affiance or trusting on Christ as our only Saviour for Salvation or to bring us to God and glory And in all these and the like we speak truly and mean the same thing some terms being used on occasion while the rest are implyed and to be understood § 33. Those that will needs call no act by the name of Faith but Assent and confine it to the Intellect do yet seem to differ with us but de nomine about a Word and not the Matter For they confess if there concur not a Consent of the Will it is not saving but as some call it â—ides informis and so that Assent and Consent make up our necessary Condition or means of our Union with Christ or Interest in the Covenant-Rights or Gifts And then seeing we are agreed so far of the matter it 's not worth much striving whether one only or both Acts shall be called Faith § 34. When the first Reformers had to do with men that commended uncertainty of our Sincerity and Salvation and kept People under a Spirit of Bondage and tempted them contrary to the Nature of Faith to love this World better than the next and to be afraid of dying by being doubtful whether they should be saved in the heat of opposition some of them called Faith Assurance or certain or full Persuasion of our own personal Election Pardon and Salvation But those that came after them and those that conversed practically with Men of troubled Consciences and observed the state of the greatest part of good Christians followed not this Example but spake more cautelously and soundly and described Faith as I before have told you For they found that not one of a multitude of godly Christians could say they were certain of their Election Sincerity or Salvation And some that were forwardest to say so were none of the best and had not what they said they had § 35. But whatever the transmarine Divines say I can witness that except ignorant Antinomians or such Sectaries rejected by the Orthodox I remember not that I have met these forty years with one Divine that taketh saving-Faith to be such Assurance of our personal Election Justification or Salvation especially the first act which is not to believe that we are justified but that we may be justified § 36. Indeed you would think those few must hold this who say That Justification is an immanent eternal Act of God But 1. this is but a difference about the word Iustification All confess that God's essential Volition of our Justification is eternal as being himself but some think that his Will may be denominated an Eternal Iustification and others better say Not But all confess that the Law of Grace doth justifie no man till he believe much less the Sentence of Christ as Judge And though some call our Perswasion that we are justified by the name of Faith yet they deny not another act of Faith antecedent to this that maketh us true Christians § 37 And indeed besides Mr. Pemble and Dr. Twisse both excellent Men it 's rare to meet with any English Divine that talks for Eternal Iustification And Mr. Pemble who let fall some such things in his Vindiciae Gratiae did set all right again in his Treatise of Iustification being very young when he wrote even the last And Dr. Twisse who in his Vindic. Gratiae hath some such words speaketh elsewhere soundly as Mr. Iessop his Scholar hath shewed in a Treatise purposely written to prove it when I had taken exceptions against his words § 38. It is therefore shameless Calumny of those who perswade their Followers That the Reformed Churches take Faith for such an Assurance or Belief that we are justified or elected and shall be saved only because they find some such word in some former disputing Doctors of ours when as all or near all have so long renounced that Opinion that he would be a Wonder among us in England Scotland or Ireland and I think abroad that should hold it § 39. Yet we still say That saving Faith is not only a believing that God's Word is true but a believing it with personal Application to my self § 40. But that Application is such as followeth 1. I believe that Christ hath died for my sins as well as for the rest of the World 2. I believe that the Gospel offereth Pardon and Salvation to me as well as to others 3. I believe that God will have mercy on me and Christ and Life shall â—e mine if I shall truly believe and repent and Glory if I persevere 4. Hereupon I accept the Offer and Consent to the Covenant of Grace which giveth me right to these Benefits if I consent 5. And so far as I can say that I am sincere in my repenting and believing so far my Faith helpeth me to conclude that I am justified § 41. But this last is a mixt act and a rational
to it For Hope may be exercised upon probabilities and most usually it is so § 12. Strong Probability with little reason of doubting may cause such strong Hopes as may cause us to live and die with comfort If doubting be small and Hope be great the Peace and Ioy will be greater than the fear and trouble § 13. Bellarmin's Moral Certainty is more than most Christians attain to and his and other mens Concession thereof tell us That in this Point our difference is less than those have thought who have said it was sufficient Cause of our Separation from Rome § 14. While we are certain that this World is fading Vanity and that there is no hope of Felicity on Earth and that therefore Godliness can cost us the loss of nothing but Vanity a Faith short of Certainty and mixt with doubting about the very Truth of the Promise it self and Life Eternal may engage a man savingly in a holy Life and the forsaking of all for the hopes of Glory And such doubting even of the Life to come or of the Gospel as keepeth not men from trusting to it for their Felicity and seeking it above all and forsaking all for it will keep no man from Salvation though it be his sin and the cause of other sins Much more may this be done when men doubt not of God's Word or the State of Glory but only of their own Sincerity Justification and Salvation CHAP. XXV Of good Works and Merit and trusting to any thing of our own § 1. HEre are several Controversies that trouble our Peace but few of them that are so great as they are commonly imagined As 1. What are good Works which indeed is of great weight and the chief in which we really differ about Works 2. Whether they are necessary to Justification or Salvation 3. Whether they are meritorious or rewardable 4. What place they have and what is their use and necessity 5. Whether we may trust to them § 2. I. It is one of the Devil 's chief Policies in the World to cast out Christ's Interest by its Counterfeits To expugn true Wisdom by counterfeit Wisdom and true Faith by counterfeit Faith and true Zeal and Piety by counterfeit Zeal and Piety and true Unity and Concord and Peace by their Counterfeits and true Worship Ministry Discipline by their Counterfeits and true Comfort by counterfeit Comfort and so also it is by counterfeit good Works that good Works are oft cast off § 3. The measure of all created Goodness is the Will of the Creator who is the prime essential Good and no Work of Man is morally good but what is made so by the Will of God that is 1. Efficiently by his operative Will 2. Directively by his commanding Will And 3. Finally and Objectively by his pleased or fulfilled Will. Man's Wit Will or Interest cannot serve to make any action morally good § 4. He that intendeth God's Honour and the pleasing of his Will and the good of his own or others Souls or the safety of Religion or the Church or State and useth means hereto not commanded or any way appointed him of God much more if directly forbidden doth not a Work that is truly good but only secundum quid § 5. Could we be sure that such a Work would save Souls or save Church or State or our Neighbours lives it would not make it morally a good Work but only make the Effect to be physically good to others that are benefited by it § 6. Therefore to build Churches or Hospitals to feed and cloath the Poor to save Mens Lives to preach the Gospel are all such as finally do a physical good and they are the matter of moral good but forma denominat Those Actions are not morally good unless 1. done in obedience to God's commanding or ruling Will 2. And finally to please his Will § 7. Those Priests therefore that set carnal ungodly Sinners Fornicators Murderers Gluttons Drunkards Lyers Perjured c. on expiating their Sins by good Works without teaching and perswading them to that internal repentance and Conversion of their Wills and holy devotedness to God by which their Works must have a right Principle End and Form do but delude men and cheat them by flattery into perdition § 8. Much more pernicious is it to take Sin Folly and Superstition for good Works and look to be saved by that which deserveth Damnation and to expiate sin by sin such are the Works of Persecuters that think they serve God by unjust killing or imprisoning his Servants or causeless silencing his faithful Ministers such were the Wars of the Croâ—sadâ—'s against the Waldenses and Albigenses and such are the Works of the Inquisition and their persecuting Executioners such are Rebellions that have fair Pretences as were those against the German Emperors Fredericks Henry c. and of many of such Agents oft against the Kings of England such hath been the zealous killing of Kings and burning of honest desirable Dissenters and such is the alienating Mens Estates from better Uses to maintain a supernumerous sinful vicious idle Monastery or their prelatical needless Pomp and Pride or to buy Pardons or Masses for departed Souls or to build useless Structures to the Honour of some Saint or Angel or to set up useless Formalities and Shadows as Candles by day-light and abundance such And such are long Pilgrimages to the Shrines of such as the Pope hath Canonized and to visit Relicks and the carrying about of Relicks with an ungrounded carnal considence in them with many such like § 9. So wosully hath the Papal Party and not they only but in too great a measure the Greeks Moscovites Armenians Syrians Coptics Abassines and most of the Churches corrupted the Christian Religion by their useless or seducing Fopperies called good Works that they have among them defiled its Purity rejected its Primitive Simplicity obscured and dishonoured its Glory and made it seem contemptible to Mahometans and Heathens and made it less fit to destroy sin and frustrate Satan and to please God and to sanctifie and save mens Souls § 10. II. Were all Sects and Parties of Christians well agreed what Works are truly good it would be a shame to us should we not agree in the main how far they are necessary when the Case is so plain throughout the Scripture I think we are commonly agreed as followeth § 11. 1. Perfect Obedience is not of absolute necessity to Salvation because we are under a Covenant that hath easier terms § 12. 2. The Works of the Mosaical Jewish Law are neither necessary necessitate praecepti vel medii that Law not binding us as such § 13. 3. Obedience to Man's Laws is not necessary when the matter is forbidden us by God's Laws or when they are Laws without power that is such as men have no Authority to make § 14. 4. No Works of special Grace are antecedently necessary to our reception of that Grace oâ— of its necessary means