A Golden Chain, Section 3
The third point: Certentie of saluation.
I. Our Consent.
I. Concl. We holde and beleeue that a man in this life, may be certain of saluation: and the same thing doth the Church of Rome teach and holde.
II. Concl. We hold and beleeue that a man is to put a certaine affiance in Gods merciemercy in Christ for the saluation of his soule: and the same thing by common consent holdeth the foresaid Church: this point maketh not the difference betweene vsus.
III. Concl. We hold that with assurance of saluation in our hearts is ioyned doubting; and there is no man so assured of his saluation, but he at sometime doubteth thereof, especially in the time of temptation; and in this the Papists agree with vsus, and we with them.
IV. Concl. They goe further and say, that a man may be certaine of the saluation of men, or of the Church by Catholike faith: and so say we.
V. Concl. Yea they hold that a man by faith may be assured of his own saluation through extraordinarie reuelatiō, as Abrahā & others were, & so doe we.
Bellar. l. 3. p. 1. 129. cl.VI. They teach that we are to be certaine of our saluation by speciall faith in regard of God that promiseth: though in regard of our selues and our indisposition we can not; and in the former point they consent with vsus.
II. The dissent or difference.
The very maine point of difference lies in the manner of assurance.
I. Concl. We hold that a man may bee certaine of his saluation in his owne conscience euen in this life, and that by an ordinarie aud speciall faith. They hold that a man is certaine of his saluation onelyonly by hope: both of vsus holde a certainty, we by faith, they by hope.
II. Concl. Further, we hold and auouch that our certainety by true faith is vnfallible: they say, their cetaintie is onelyonly probable.
III. Conclus. And further though both of vsus say, that we hauehave confidence in Gods mercy in Christ for our saluation: yet we doe it with some difference. For our confidence commeth from certen and ordinarie faith: theirs from hope, ministring (as they say) but a coniecturall certentie.
Thus much of the difference: now let vsus see the reasons too and fro.
III. Obiections of Papists.
Obiect. I. Where there is no word there is no faith: for these two are relatiues: but there is no word of God, saying, Cornelius beleeue thou, Peter beleeue thou, and thou shalt be saued. And therefore there is no such ordinarie faith to beleeue a mans owne particular saluation. Ans. The proposition is false, vnlesse it be supplied with a clause on this manner: Where there is no word of promise, nor any thing that doth counteruaile a particular promise, there is no faith. But (say they) there is no such particular word. It is true, God doth not speak to men particularly, Beleeue thou, & thou shalt be saued. But yet doth he that which is answerable hereunto, in that he giueth a generall promise, with a commandement to applie the same: and hath ordained the holy ministerie of the word to applie the same to the persons of the hearers in his owne name: and that is as much as if the Lord himselfe should speake to men particularly. To speake more plainely: in the Scripture the promises of saluation be indefinitely propounded: it saith not any where, if Iohn will beleeue, he shall be saued, or if Peter will beleeue he shall be saued; but whosoeuer beleeueth shall be saued. Now then comes the minister of the word, who standing in the roome of God, and in the stead of Christ himselfe, takes the indefinite promises of the Gospel, and laies them to the hearts of eueryevery particular man: and this in effect is as much as if Christ himselfe should say, Cornelius beleeue thou, and thou shalt be saued: Peter beleeue thou, and thou shalt be saued. It is answered, that this applying of the Gospell is vponupon condition of mens faith and repentance, and that men are deceiued touching their owne faith and repentance: and therefore faile in applying the word vntounto themselues. Ans. Indeede this manner of applying is false in all hypocrites, heretickes, and vnrepentant persons: for they applie vponupon carnall presumption, and not by faith. Neuerthelesse it is true in all the Elect hauing the spirit of grace, and praier: for when God in the ministerie of the word beeing his owne ordinance, saith, Seeke ye my face: the heart of Gods children truly answereth, O Lord, I wil seeke thy face, Psal. 17.8. And when God shall say, Thou art my people, they shall say againe, The Lord is my God, Zach. 13.6. And it is a truth of God, that he which beleeueth knoweth that he beleeueth: and he that truly repenteth knoweth that be repēteth: vnles it be in the beginning of our conuersion, & in the time of distresse and temptation. Otherwise what thankfulnesse can there be for grace receiued.
Obiect. II. It is no article of the Creede, that a man must beleeue his owne saluation: and therefore no man is bound thereto. Ans. By this argument it ap…res plainely, that the very pillars of the Church of Rome doe not vnderstand the Creede: for in that which is commonly called the Apostles Creede, eueryevery article implieth in it this particular faith. And in the first article, I beleeue in God, are three things contained: the first, to beleeue that there is a God, the second to beleeue the same God to be my God, the third to put my confidence in him for my saluation: and so much containe the other articles, which are concerning God. When Thomas said, Ioh. 20.28. My God, Christ answered, Thou hast beleeued Thomas. Where we see that to beleeue in God, is to beleeue God to be our God. And Psal. 78. 22. to beleeue in God and to put trust in him are all one, They beleeued not in God, and trusted not in his helpe. And the articles concerning Remission of sinnes and Life euerlasting, do include, and we in them acknowledge our speciall faith concerning our owne saluation. For to beleeue this or that is to beleeue there is such a thing and that the same thing belongs to me: as when Dauid said, I should hauehave fainted except I had beleeued to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the liuing. Psal. 27.13. It is answered, that in those articles wee onelyonly professe our selues to beleeue remission of sinnes, and life euerlasting, to be vouchsafed to the people & Church of God. Ans. This indeede is the exposition of many, but it standes not with common reason. For if that bee all the faith that is there confessed, the deuill hath as good a faith as we. He knoweth and beleeueth that there is a God: & that this God imparteth remission of sinnes and life euerlasting to his church. And to the end that wee beeing Gods children, may in faith goe beyond all the deuills in hell, we must further beleeue, that remission of sinnes and life euerlasting belongs vntounto vsus: and vnlesse we doe particularly apply the said articles vntounto our selues, we shall little or nothing differ from the deuill, in making confession of faith.
Obiect. III. We are taught to pray for the pardon of our sinnes day by day, Matth. 6.12. and all this were needlesse, if we could bee assured of pardon in this life. Answ. The fourth petition must be vnderstood not so much of our olde debts or sinnes, as of our present and newe sinnes: for as we goe on from daie to daie, so we adde sinne to sinne: and for the pardon of them must wee humble our selues and pray. I answer againe, that wee pray for the pardon of our sinnes; not because we hauehave no assurance thereof, but because our assurance is weake and small: wee growe on from grace to grace in Christ, as children doe to mans estate by little and little. The heart of eueryevery beleeuer is like a vessell with a narrow necke, which beeing cast into the sea is not filled at the first: but by reason of the straight passage, receiueth water drop by drop. God giueth vntounto vsus in Christ euen a sea of merciemercy, but the same on our parts is apprehended and receiued onelyonly by little and litte, as faith groweth from age to age: and this is the cause why men hauing assurance pray for more.
Our reasons to the contrarie.
Reason I. The first reason may be taken from the nature of faith, on this manner. True faith is both an vnfallible assurance and a particular assurance of the remission of sinnes and of life euerlasting. And therefore by this faith, a man may be certenly and particularly assured of the remission of sinnes and life euerlasting. That this reason may bee of sorce, two things must be prooued: first that true faith is a certaine assurance of Gods merciemercy to that partie in whome it is. Secondly that faith is a particular assurance thereof. For the first, that faith is a certaine assurance, Christ saith to Peter, Mat. 14.31. O thou of litle faith, wherefore didst thou doubt. Where he maketh an opposition betweene faith and doubting: whereby giuing vsus directly to vnderstand, that, to be certen, and to giuegive assurance, is of the nature of faith. Rom. 4.20.22. Paul saith of Abraham, that he did not doubt of the promise of God through vnbeleefe: but vvas strengthened in faith, and gaue glory to God, being fully assured, that he which had promised was able to doe it: where I obserue first, that doubting is made a fruit of vnbeleefe: and therefore vnfallible certentie and assurance, being contrarie to doubting must needes proceede from true faith: considering that cō trarie effects come of contrarie causes: and contrarie causes produce contrary effects. Secōdly, I note that the strength of Abrahams faith, did stand in fulnes of assurance: for the text saith, he was strengthened in the faith, being fully assured: and againe, Heb. 11.1. true sauing faith is said to be the ground and subsistance of things hoped for: & the euidence or demonstration of things that are not seene: but faith can be no ground or euidence of things, vnlesse it bee for nature certenty it selfe; and thus the first point is manifest. The second, that sauing faith is a particular assurance, is prooued by this, that the propertie of faith is to apprehend and apply the promise, and the thing promised, Christ with his benefits. Ioh. 1.12. As many, saieth S. Iohn, as receiued him, to them hee gaue power to be the sonnes of god, namely to them that beleeue in his name. In these words to beleeue in Christ, and to receiue Christ, are put for one and the same thing. Nowe to receiue Christ, is to apprehend and apply him with all his benefits vntounto our selues, as he is offered in the promises of the gospell. For in the sixt chapter following, first of all he sets forth himselfe not onelyonly as a Redeemer generally, but also as the bread of life and the water of life: secondly, he sets forth his best hearers as eaters of his bodie and drinkers of his blood; and thirdly he intends to prooue this conclusion, that to eate his bodie and to drinke his blood, and to beleeue in him, are all one. Now then if Christ be as foode, and if to eate and drinke the bodie and blood of Christ be to beleeue in him, then must there be a proportion betweene eating and beleeuing. Looke then as there can be no eating without taking or receiuing of meate, so no beleeuing in Christ without a spirituall receiuing & apprehending of him. And as the bodie hath his hand, mouth, and stomacke whereby it taketh, receiueth, and digesteth meat for the nourishment of eueryevery part: so likewise in the soule there is a faith, which is both hand, mouth, and stomacke to apprehend, receiue, & apply Christ & all his merits for the nourishment of the soule. And Paul saith yet more plainly,Gal. 3.14. that through faith we receiue the promise of the spirit.
Now as the propertie of apprehending & applying of Christ belōgeth to faith, so it agreeth not to hope, louelove, confidence, or any other gift or grace of God. But first by faith we must apprehend Christ, & apply him to our selues before we can hauehave any hope or confidence in him. And this applying seems not to be done by any affection of the will, but by a supernaturall act of the mind, which is to acknowledge, set downe, and beleeue that remission of sins, and life euerlasting by the merit of Christ, belong to vsus particularly. To this which I hauehave said agreeth Augustine. Tract. 25. on Ioh. Why preparest thou teeth and belly: beleeue and thou hast eaten: and Tract. 50. How shall I reach my hand into heauen, that I may hold him sitting there? Send vp thy faith, and thou laiest hold on him. And Bernard saith, homil. in Cant. 76. Where hee is thou canst not come nowe—: yet goe to followe him and seeke him—; beleeue and thou hast found him: for to beleeue is to finde. Chrysost. on Mark. Homil. 10. Let vsus beleeue and wee see Iesus present before vsus. Ambr. on Luk. lib. 6. c. 8. By faith Christ is touched, by faith Christ is seene. Tertul. de resur. car. Hee must be chewed by vnderstanding, and be digested by faith.
Reason II. Whatsoeuer the holy Ghost testifieth vntounto vsus, that we may, yea that we must certenly by faith beleeue: but the holy Ghost doeth particularly testifie vntounto vsus our adoption, the remission of our sinnes, and the saluation of our soules: and therefore we may and must particularly and certainly by faith beleeue the same. The first part of this reason is true, and cannot be denied of any. The second part is prooued thus: Saint Paul saith, Rom. 8.15. Wee hauehave not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare: but the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, father: adding further, that the same spirit beareth witnesse with our spirits, that we are the children of God. Where the Apostle maketh two witnesses of our adoption: the spirit of God, and our spirits, that is, the conscience sanctified by the holy Ghost. The Papists to elude this reason, alleadge that the spirit of God doth indeede witnesse of our adoption, by some comfortable feelings of Gods louelove and fauour, being such as are weak and oftentimes deceitfull. But by their leaues, the testimony of the spirit is more then a bare sense or feeling of Gods grace: for it is called the pledge and earnest of Gods spirit in our hearts, 2. Cor. 1.22. and therfore it is fit to take away all occasion of doubting of our saluation: as in a bargaine the earnest is giuen betweene the parties to put all out of question. Bernard saith, that the testimonie of the spirit is a most sure testimonie. epist. 107.
Reason III. That which we must pray for by Gods commandement, that we must beleeue: but eueryevery man is to pray for the pardon of his owne sinnes, and for life euerlasting: of this there is no question: therefore hee is bound to beleeue the same. The proposition is most of all doubtfull: but it is prooued thus. In eueryevery petition there must bee two things: a desire of the things wee aske, and a particular faith whereby we beleeue, that the thing wee aske shall be giuen vntounto vsus. So Christ saith, Whatsoeuer ye desire when you pray, beleeue that you shall hauehave it, and it shall be giuen vntounto you. Mar. 11.24.And S. Iohn further noteth out of this particular faith, calling it our assurance that God will giuegive vntounto vsus, whatsoeuer we aske according to his will. 1. Ioh. 5. 14.And hence it is, that in eueryevery petition there must be two grounds: a commandement to warrant vsus in making a petition, and a promise to assure vsus of the accomplishment thereof. And vponupon both these followes necessarily an application of the things which we aske to our selues.
Reason IV. Whatsoeuer God commandeth in the Gospell, that a man must and can performe: but God in the Gospell commaundeth vsus to beleeue the pardon of our owne sinnes, and life euerlasting: and therefore wee must beleeue thus much, and may be assured thereof. This proposition is plaine by the distinction of the commandements of the lawe, and of the Gospell. The commandements of the lawe shew vsus what we must doe, but minister no power to performe the thing to be done: but the doctrine and commandements of the gospel doe otherwise: and therefore they are called spirit and life: Ioh. 6.63.God with the cōmandement giuing grace that the thing prescribed may be done. Now this is a commandement of the Gospell, to beleeue remission of sinnes: for it was the substance of Christs ministerie, repent & beleeue the Gospell. And that is not generally to beleeue that Christ is a Sauiour, and that the promises made in him are true (for so the deuills beleeue with trembling:) but it is particularly to beleeue that Christ is my Sauiour, and that the promises of saluation in Christ belong in speciall to me, as Saint Iohn saith: This is his commandement, that we beleeue in the name of Iesus Christ: nowe to beleeue in Christ is to put confidence in him: which none can do, vnles he be first assured of his louelove and fauour. And therefore in as much, as wee are inioyned to put our confidence in Christ, wee are also ioyned to beleeue our reconciliation with him, which standeth in the remission of our sinnes, and our acceptation to life euerlasting.
Reason V. Whereas the Papists teach, that a man may be assured of his saluation by hope: euen hence it follows, that he may be vnfallibly assured therof. For the propertie of true and liuely hope is neuer to make a man ashamed, Rom. 5.5. And true hope followeth faith & presupposeth certaintie of faith… neither can any man truly hope for his saluation vnlesse by faith he be certenly assured thereof in some measure.
The Popish doctors make exception to these reasons on this maner. First they say, it cannot be prooued that a man is as certain of his saluation by faith, as he is of the articles of the creed. I answer. First they prooue thus much, that we ought to be as certen of the one as of the other. For looke, what commandemēt we hauehave to beleeue the articles of our faith: the like we hauehave inioyning vsus to beleeue the pardon of our owne sinnes, as I hauehave prooued. Secondly, these arguments prooue it to be the nature or essentiall propertie of faith, as certainely to assure man of his saluation, as it doeth assure him of the articles which he beleeueth. And howesoeuer commonly men doe not beleeue their saluation as vnfallible, as they doe their articles of faith: yet some speciall men doe: hauing Gods word applyed by the spirit as a sure ground of their faith, whereby they beleeue their own saluation, as they hauehave it for a ground of the articles of their faith. Thus certainly was Abraham assured of his owne saluation: as also the Prophets and Apostles, and the martyrs of God in all ages: whereupon without doubting they hauehave bin content to lay downe their liues for the name of Christ: in whome they were assured to receiue eternall happines. And there is no question, but there be many now, that by long and often experience of Gods mercy, and by the inward certificate of the holy Ghost, hauehave attained to full assurance of their saluation.
II. Exception. Howesoeuer a man may be assured of his present estate, yet no man is certaine of his perseuerance vntounto the ende. Ans. It is otherwise: for in the sixt petition, Lead vsus-not into temptation, wee pray that God would not suffer vsus to be wholly ouercome of the deuill in any temptation: and to this petition we hauehave a promise answerable, 1. Cor. 10. That God with temptation will giuegive an issue: and therefore howesoeuer the deuill may buffit, molest, and wound the seruants of God, yet shall he neuer be able to ouercome them. Againe, he that is once a member of Christ, can neuer be wholly cut off. And if any by sinne were wholly seuered from Christ for a time, in his recouerie he is to be baptised the second time: for baptisme is the sacrament of initiation or ingrafting into Christ. By this reason we should as often be baptized as we fal into any sinne, which is absurd. Againe S. Iohn saith, 1. Ioh. 2.19. They went out from vsus, but they were not of vsus: for if they had beene of vsus, they would hauehave continued with vsus. Where he taketh it for graunted, that such as be once in Christ shall neuer wholly be seuered or fall from him. Though our communion with Christ may be lessened, yet the vnion and the bond of coniunction is neuer dissolued.
III. Exception. They say, we are indeede to beleeue our saluation on Gods part: but we must needs doubt in regard of our selues; because the promises of remission of sinnes are giuen vponupon condition of mans faith and repentance. Now we cannot (say they) be assured that we hauehave true faith and repentance, because we may lie in secret sinnes; and so want that indeed, which we suppose our selues to hauehave. Ans. I say again, he that doth truly repent and beleeue, doth by Gods grace know that he doth repent and beleeue: for els Paul would neuer hauehave said, Prooue your selues whither you be in the faith or not: and the same Apostle saith, 2. Cor. 12. We hauehave not receiued the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things which are giuen of God: which things are not onelyonly life euerlasting, but iustification, sanctification, and such like. And as for secret sinnes, they cannot make our repentance voide: for he that truly repenteth of his knowne sinnes, repenteth also of such as be vnknowne, and receiueth the pardon of them all. God requireth not an expresse or speciall repentance of vnknowne sinnes: but accepts it as sufficient, if we repent of them generally: as Dauid saith, Psal. 19. Who knowes the errours of this life: forgiue me my secret sinnes. And whereas they adde that faith and repentance must be sufficient. I answer, that the sufficiencie of our faith and repentance, stands in the truth and not in the measure or perfection thereof; and the truth of both where they are, is certenly discerned.
Reason VI. The iudgement of the auncient Church. ade verbis Dei. ser. 28.August. Of an euill seruant thou art made a good child: therefore presume not of thine owne doing, but of the grace of Christ: it is not arrogancie but faith: to acknowledge what thou hast receiued, is not pride but deuotion. And,bTract. 5. in epist. Ioh. Let no man aske an other man, but returne to his owne heart: if he finde charitie there, he hath securitie for his passage from life to death. Hilar. on Matth. 5. The kingdome of heauen which our Lord professed to be in himselfe, his will is that it must be hoped for without any doubtfulnesse of vncertaine will. Otherwise there is no iustification by faith, if faith is selfe be made doubtfull. Bernard in his epist. 107. Who is the iust man but he that beeing loued of God, loues him againe: which comes not to passe but by the spirit reuealing by Faith the eternall purpose of God of his saluation to come. Which reuelation is nothing else but the infusion of spirituall grace: by which, when the deedes of the flesh are mortified the man is prepared to the kingdome of heauen —. Togither receiuing in one spirit that whereby he may presume that he is loued and also louelove againe—.
To conclude, the Papists hauehave no great cause to dissent from vsus in this point. For they teach and professe, that they doe by a speciall faith beleeue their owne saluation certenly and vnfallibly in respect of God, that promiseth. Now the thing which hindreth them is their owne in disposition and vnworthines (as they say) which keepes them from beeing certen otherwise then in a likely hope. But this hindrance is easily remooued, if men will iudge indifferently. For first of all, in regard of our selues and our disposition we can not be certen at all, but must despaire of saluation euen to the very death. We cannot be sufficiently disposed so long as we liue in this world, but must alwaies say with Iacob, I am lesse then all thy mercies, Gen. 32. and with Dauid, Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant, O Lord, for none liuing shall be iustified in thy sight: and with the Centurion, Lord, I am not worthie that thou shouldest come vnderunder my roofe, Matth. 8. Secondly God in making promise of saluation respects not mens worthines. For he chose vsus to life euerlasting when we were not: he redeemed vsus from death beeing enemies: and intitles vsus to the promise of saluation, if we acknowledge our selues to be …inners, Matth. 9. if we labour and trauaile vnderunder the burden of them, Matth. II. if we hunger and thirst after grace, Ioh. 7.37. And these things we may certenly and sensibly perceiue in our selues: and when we finde them in vsus, though our vnworthines be exceeding great, it should not hinder our assurance. For God makes manifest his power in our weaknes, 2. Cor. 12. and he wil not breake the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flaxe, Isa. 42. Thirdly if a man louelove God for his mercies sake, and hauehave a true hope of saluation by Christ, he is in Christ and hath fellowshippe with him: and he that is in Christ, hath all his vnworthines and wants laide on Christ, and they are couered and pardoned in his death: and in respect of our selues thus considered as we are in Christ, we hauehave no cause to wauer, but to be certen of our saluation, and that in regard of our selues.