A Reformed Catholic, Doctrine 3
The third point: Certentie of saluation.
I. Our consent.
I. Conclus. We holde and beleeue that a man in this life, may be certen of saluation: and the same thing doth the Church of Rome teach and hold.
II. Conclus. We holde and beleeue that a man is to put a certen affiance in Gods merciemercy in Christ for the saluation of his soule: & the same thing by common consent holdeth the foresaide Church: this point maketh not the difference betweene vsus.
III. Conclus. 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 some time doubteth thereof, especially in the time of temptation: and in this the Papists agree with vsus, and we with them.
IV. Conclus. They goe further and say, that a man may be certen of the saluation of men, or of the Church by catholike faith: and so say we.
V. Conclus. Yea they hold that a man by faith may be assured of his owne saluation through extraordinarie reuelation, as Abraham and others were, and so doe we.
VI. They teach that we are to be certen of our saluation by speciall faith in regard ofe Bellar. l. 3. pag. 1129. cl. God that promiseth: though in regard of our selues and our indisposition we can not: & 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. Conclus. We hold that a man may be certen of his saluation in his own conscience euen in this life, and that by an ordinarie and speciall faith. They hold that a man is certen of his saluation onelyonly by hope: both of vsus hold a certentie, we by faith, they by hope.
II. Conclus. Further, we hold and auouch that our certentie by true faith is vnfallible: they say, their certentie is onelyonly probable.
III. Conclus. And further though both of vsus say, that we hauehave confidence in Gods merciemercy 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 two and fro.
III. Obiections of papists.
Obiect. I. Where there is no worde there is no faith: for these two are relatiues: but there is no word of God saying, Cornelius beleeue thou, Peter beleeue thou: or 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 vvord of promise, nor any thing that doth countervaile a particular promise, there is no faith. But (say they) there is no such particular word. It is true, God doth not speake to men particularly, Beleeue thou, and thou shalt be saued. But yet doth he that which is answerable hereunto, in that he giueth a generall promise, with a commaundement 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 own 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 him selfe, takes the indefinite promises of the Gospell, 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 deceived touching their owne faith and repentance: and therefore faile in applying the word vntounto themselues. Answ. Indeede this manner of applying is false in all hypocrits, heretickes, and vnrepentant persons: for they apply 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 being his owne ordinance, saith, Seeke ye my face: the heart of Gods children truly answereth, O Lord, I will 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 he repenteth; vnles it be in the beginning of our conuersiou, and in the time of distresse and temptation. Otherwise what thankfulnes can there be for grace receiued.
Obiect. II. It is no article of the Creed, that a man must beleeue his owne saluation: and therefore no man is bound thereto. Ans. By this argument it appeares plainely, that the very pillars of the Church of Rome doe not vnderstand the Creed: 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 is 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. 29. 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. v. 22. to beleeue in God & 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, doe 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 goodnes of the Lord in the land of the liuing. Psal. 27. 13. It is answered, that in those articles we onelyonly professe our selues to beleeue remission of sinnes, and life euerlasting, to be vouchsafed to the people and Church of god. Ans. This indeed is the exposition of many, but it stāds not with common reason. For if that be …ll the faith that is there confessed, the deuil 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 ende that we beeing Gods children, may in faith goe beyond all the deuils 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, Math. 6. 12. and all this were needlesse, if we could be assured of pardon in this life. Ans. The fourth petition must be vnderstoode not so much of our old debts or sinns, as of our present & new sinnes: for as we go on frō day to day, so we adde sinne to sinne; and for the pardon of them must we humble our selues and pray. I answer againe, that we pray for the pardon of our sinnes: not because we hauehave no assurance thereof, but because our assurāce is weake & smale; we grow on from grace to grace in Christ, as children do to mans estate by little & little. The heart of eueryevery beleeuer is like a vessell with a narrowe necke, which being cast into the sea is not filled at the first; but by reason of the straight passage, receiueth water droppe by droppe. God giueth vntounto vsus in Christ euen a sea of mercy, but the same on our parts is apprehended and receiued onelyonly by little and little, 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 maner. True faith is both an vnfallible assurance and a particular assurance of the remission of sinns 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 be of force, two things must be prooued: first that true faith is a certen assurance of Gods mercy to that partie in whome it is. Secondly that faith is a particular assurance thereof. For the first that faith is a certen assurance, Christ saith to Peter, Mat. 14. 31. O thou of litle faith, wherfore diddest thou doubt. Where he maketh an opposition betweene faith & doubting: thereby giuing vsus directly to vnderstand, that, To be certen, & To giuegive assurāce 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 was strengthened in faith, and gaue glorie to God, being fully assured, that he which had promised was able to doe it: where I obserue first, that doubting is made a fruite of vnbeleefe; and therefore vnfallible certentie and assurance, being contrarie to doubting must needes proceed from true faith; considering that contrary effects come of contrarie causes: and contrarie causes produce contrary effects. Secōdly I note that the strēgth of Abrahams faith, did stād in fulnesse of assurance: for the text saith, he was strengthened in the faith, being fully assured: & againe Heb. 11. 1. true saving 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 groūd or euidence of things, vnles it be for nature certentie it selfe: & 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 applie the promise, and the thing promised, Christ with his benefits. Ioh. 1. 12. As many, saith S. Iohn, as receiued him, to them he gaue power to be the sonnes of God, namely to them that beleeue in his name. In these wordes to beleeue in Christ, and to receiue Christ, are put for one and the same thing. Now 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 body 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 body 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 and apprehending of him. And as the bodie hath his hand, mouth, & stomack, whereby it taketh, receiueth, and digesteth meate 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, and apply Christ and all his merits for the nourishment of the soule. And Paul saith yet more plainely, that through faith we receiue the promise of the spirit.Gal. 3. 14.
Nowe as the propertie of apprehending and applying of Christ belongeth to faith, so it agreeth not to hope, louelove, confidence, of any other gift or grace of God. But first by faith we must apprehend Christ, and apply him to our selues, before we can hauehave any hope or confidence in him. And this applying seems not to be don by any affectiō of the wil, but by a supernatural act of the mind, which is to acknowledge, set downe, and beleeue that remission of sinnes, 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 & belly: BELEEVE AND THOV 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 he is thou canst not come now—; yet goe to followe him and seeke him—: beleeue and thou hast found him: for TO BELEEVE IS TO FINDE. Chrysost. on Mark. Homil. 10. Let vsus beleeue and we see Iesus present before vsus. Ambr. on Luke lib. 6. cap. 8. By faith Christ is touched, by faith Christ is seene. Tertul. de resurrect. carnis. he 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 doth 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 certenly by faith beleeue the same. The first part of this reason is true, and cannot be denyed of any. The second part is prooued thus: Saint Paul saith. Rom. 8. 15. We hauehave not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare: but the spirit of adoption, whereby we crie Abba, father: adding further, that the same spirit beareth witnes 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 witnes of our adoption, by some comfortable feelings of Gods louelove and fauour, beeing such as are weake 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. 21. and therefore 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 questistion. Bernara saith, that the testimony of the spirit is a most sure testimony. 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 he is bound to beleeue the same. The proposition is most of all doubtfull: but it is proued thus. In eueryevery petition there must be two things: a desire of the things we aske, and a particular faith whereby we beleeue, that the thing we aske shall be giuen vntounto vsus. So Christ saith, Whatsoeuer ye desire when Mark. 11. 24.you pray, beleeue that you shall hauehave it, and it shall be giuen vntounto you And Saint Iohn further noteth out this particular faith, calling it our assurance that God will giuegive vntounto vsus. whatsoeuer vve aske according to his vvill. 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 we aske to our selues.
Reason IIII. Whatsoeuer God commandeth in the Gospell, that a man must and can performe: but God in the Gospel commandeth vsus to beleeue the pardon of our owne sinnes: and life euerlasting: and therefore we 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 Gospel. The commā dements of the lawe shewe vsus what we must doe, but minister no power to performe the thing to be done: but the doctrine & commandements of the Gospel doe otherwise; and therefore they are called spirit and life; god with the commandement giuing graceIoh. 6. …6. that the thing prescribed may be don. Now this is a commandement of the gospel, to beleeue remission of sinnes: for it was the substance of Christs ministerie, repent and beleeue the Gospel. 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: now to beleeue in Christ is to put confidence in him; which none can doe, vnlesse he be first assured of his louelove and fauour. And therefore in as much, as we are inioyned to put our confidence in Christ, we are also inioyned 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 followes, that he may be vnfallibly assured thereof. For the propertie of true and liuely hope is neuer to make a man ashamed. Rom. 5. 5. And true hope followeth faith and euer presupposeth certenty 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 take exception to these reasons on this manner. First they say, it cannot be proued that a man is as certen of his saluation by faith, as he is of the articles of the creed. I answ. First they proue thus much that we ought to be as certē of the one as of the other. For looke, what commandement we hauehave to beleeue the articles of our faith; the like we hauehave inioyning vsus to beleeue the pardon of our owne sinns, as I hauehave proued. Secondly these arguments prooue it to be the nature of essentiall propertie of faith, as certenlie to assure man of his saluation, as it doth 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 owne saluation, as they hauehave it for a ground of the articles of their faith. Thus certenly was Abraham assured of his owne saluation: as also the Prophets and Apostles, & the martyrs of God in all ages; wherevpon 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 nowe, that by long and often experience of Gods mercy, and by the inward certificate of the ho… Ghost, hauehave attained to a full assurance of their saluation.
II. Exception. Howesoeuer a man may be assured of his present estate, yet no man is certē of his perseuerance vntounto the end. Ans. It is otherwise: for in the sixt petition, lead vsus not into temptation, we praie 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 the temptation will giuegive an issue: and therefore howsoeuer 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 recouery 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 baptised as we fall into any sinn, 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 granted, 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 & 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 indeede, which we suppose our selues to hauehave▪ Ansvv. I say againe, he that doth truly repent and beleeue, doth by Gods grace know that he doth repent & beleeue: for els Paul would neuer hauehave said, Proove 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 vvhichwhich is of God, that we might KNOVV THE THINGS VVHICHWHICH ARE GIVEN 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, standes in the truth and not in the measure or perfection therof; and the truth of both where they are, is certenly discerned.
Reason VI. The iudgement of the auncient Church. cde verbis Dei. serm. 28.August. Of an euill seruant thou art made a good childe: therefore PRESVME not of thine ovvne doing, but of the grace of Christ: it is not arrogācy BVT FAITH: to acknowledge what thou hast receiued, is not pride but deuotion. And, dTract. 5. epist. Ioh.Let no man aske an other man, but returne to his owne heart; if he finde charitie there, he HATH SECVRITIE for his passage from life to death. Hilar. on Math. 5. The kingdome of heauen vvhichwhich our Lord professed to be in himselfe, his vvillis that it must be hoped for VVITHOVT ANY DOVBTFVLNES OF VNCERTEN VVIL. Otherwise there is no iustification by faith, if faith it selfe be MADE DOVBTFVLL. Bernard. epist. 107. Who is the iust man but he that beeing loued of God, loues him againe: vvhichwhich comes not to passe but by the SPIRIT REVEALING BY FAITH the eternall PVRPOSE OF GOD of his SALVATION to come. Which reuelation is nothing els 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 PRESVME 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 hindereth them is their owne indisposition 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 cannot 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 vvith 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 worthinesse. 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 vve acknovvledge our selues to be sinners, Matth. 9. If vve labour and trauaile vnderunder the burden of them. Matth. 11. If we hunger and thirst after grace. Ioh. 7. 37. And these things we may certenly and sensibly perceiue in our selues: and when wee 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 will not breake the bruised reede, 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 fellowship with him: and he that is in Christ, hath all his vnworthines & wants laid on Christ, and they are couered and pardoned in his death: and in respect of our selues thus cōsidered AS VVE ARE IN CHRIST, we hauehave no cause to wauer, but to be certen of our saluatiō, & that in regard of our selues.