The Substance of Christian Religion, Lecture 7
The seventh Lords day
Acts 16. vers. 31.
And they said, believe on the Lord Iesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thine house.
IN this Text is contain'd Paul and Silas their answer to the question proposed by the Jailor concerning the way how to be saved; wherein these two things are proposed: 1. An act absolutely necessary for attaining of salvation, to wit, that of Faith, believe, say they: and this act is declared by its proper object, our Lord Iesus Christ. 2. The effect, that is certainly to follow upon this act, is set down, and that is the salvation of him, that believeth.
Doct. 1. All are not saved by Christ, but such onelyonly as are united or grafted into Christ by Faith.
It is gathered from this Text; in that one carefull how to be saved, is sent to Christ, to believe in him, and so to have union with him by this belief, that he may be saved.
Reas. 1. Because although there be sufficiency enough in Christ, and in abundance, to save all, and any man; yet this sufficiency is not reduced to efficiency or into act, unlesse a due application be … ▪ as neither meat nourisheth, nor physick cureth, nor cloth covereth, nor silver maketh rich, unlesse they be rightly applyed tothe party to be nourished, cured, clothed and made rich: so it is in this businesse.
Reas. …. As the first Adam neither received, nor lost his righteousnesse, and life, but for such, as were some way, that is, vertually in him, and afterwards actually descended from him, or were in union of the same blood with him: so also the second Adam Christ restores not righteousnesse and life, but unto such as are in him, to wit, ingrafted by Faith, and adhear unto him by the union of one and the same spirit. Hence it is, that effectuall vocation, whereby this application of Christ, or this conjunction with him, is brought to passe, doth in order go before, not onelyonly our glorification and salvation, but also justification and all sound consolation, that we have concerning salvation.
Use Of Admonition, that we may chiefly care for and go about this, that we may both be and remain in Christ, and live in him; because without this union with him, we cannot come to be saved. The signe or mark, whereby we know, that is ordinarily, or according to the order of means appointed, that this or that man is in Christ, is this, if drawing vertue from Christ, as a branch drawing spirituall …ap from the stock, he hath care to bring forth fruits to him and in him, Iohn 15. verse …, 4.
Doct. 2. Faith is the tye whereby we are first united to Christ, and ingrafted into him.
This Doctrine is couched in the Text, in the word believe: for there are three tyes of Union, whereof there is need in our conjunction with God, and Christ; the Spirit, Faith and Love. The Spirit is that tye, whereby Christ layeth hold upon us, and tyeth us to himself. Faith, is that tye whereby we lay hold upon Christ, and apply him to our selves, and is alway the effect of the spirit in some measure. Love, is the band of perfection, whereby we wholly give over our selves to Christ, and consecrate our selves to his will, and is the effect of both the former: Amongst these, Faith is the first bond by which we lay hold on Christ. For though it follow the operation of the Spirit, as its effect, in that respect, it is called the gift of God, and the gift of the Spirit of God; yet it goes before both Love and Hope that are saving.
Reas. 1. Because the proper nature of Faith is, to be a spiritual hand, whereby we lay hold on, and receive that good, that is needfull to us for salvation, Iohn 1. 12. where to believe is meant to receive, that the true office and nature of Faith may be se… forth.
Reas. 2. Because a Faith receiving Christ, doth also receive life in Christ, and Faith is the principle of our spiritual life, according to that of the Apostle, The just shall live by Faith.
3. Because Christ is not proposed unto us to salvation, but in the promise of the Gospel; and the proper and immediate end and fruit of this proposal, is to make Faith, or to gain belief; and so the first receiving as well of the promise, as of the thing where about the promise is, is by Faith.
Use Of Direction, and that such, as upon another occasion the Apostle hath Eph. 6. 16. to wit, that above all things we be carefull to acquire, keep, and increase true Faith.
Doct. 3. The adequate object of Faith, as it justifies, is Iesus Christ, as offered in the Gospell for righteousness and life; or the merciemercy of God in and through Iesus Christ thus offered.
It is evident in the Text. The explication is, that although with our understanding we ought to assent to all things that are contain'd in the word of God; and especially to those that are contained in the promises of the Gospel; yet the power of justifying us doth proceed from no other object, but from Christ alone: And so Faith, though it look at other objects also, yet it justifies not, nor absolves from guilt of sin and death, but as it looks at Christ alone, as offered us to that end.
Reason 1. Because Christ alone is our Righteousness and Redemption; but our justification consists in the application of this Righteousnesse and Redemption; Therefore Faith in that respect justifies, as it lookes at Christ and applieth him.
Reas. 2. Because if all other things revealed in Scriptures, and to be believed by us, belonged to our justification, as objects of justifying faith; then not onelyonly the belief of the creation would justify us, but also the belief of mans falling into sin, and of being dead therein: And so Faith about sin and death should as well justifie us, as Faith in Christ.
Reas. 3. Unless Christ be looked upon by Faith, Faith hath nothing in it, why it should more justifie us, than any other vertue, or grace and gift of God, as charity, temperance, and the like.
Use 1. Is of Refutation, against such as attribute justification to Faith, as it is an act and part of our obedience, as a condition required of God. For thus the strength and life of justifying Faith is destroyed, and Christ is robbed of his glory, and the consciences of Christians of their solid comfort and tranquility of minde.
Use 2. Is of Direction, that we may alwayes set the the eye of our faith directly upon Christ, or on the grace and mercy of God in him, that so we may from him draw Righteousness and Salvation.
Doct. 4. Iustifying & saving faith consists not properly in any knowledge, but in certain, solid or sound affiance or trust.
Justifying Faith is an act and fruit of the experience of Faith; and not the first affiance and trust, that justifies. Our Doctrine is hence gathered, in that the object of Faith in this place, is no intellectual or logical truth, as such; but some good, as the object of the practical mind & of preelection, viz. the means of salvation, which is a single or incomplex terme (as Logicians call it) in these words; on the Lord Iesus Christ; where not any thing of or about Christ, but Christ himself is the object. Next, because Faith is said to be busied about this object, as about a prop or stay; so that the heart of a man otherwise destitute of all help, and about to run into despair, casts it self upon Christ, as a stay, that by him it may be sustained and upheld; which is intimated by this phrase, believe in our Lord Iesus Christ. By affiance, we understand not any assent or act of the understanding about logical truth, or affirmation, or negation; nor yet properly the confident expectation of the will, which is assigned to our hope, and confidence therein contained, or from thence arising; but that act of the will or heart, which properly is called e…ection or choyse: whereby we rely upon Christ, repose and rest on him, and adhere to him, as a fit and sufficient Mediator, by whom we may be saved. By this affiance we are said every where in the Old Testament to be united or joyned to God, as Isa. 48. 2. & 50. 10. And by this affiance properly we come unto Christ, Ioh. 6. and are said to receive Christ, Ioh. 1. 12. which things cannot be affirmed of any complex knowledge, or assent of the understanding, whether general or special. It is true, that such a knowledge, on the behalf of such as belong to Christ, is a necessary antecedent, and the cause of this faith, and affiance that justifies; and so in that respect, it hath the title of this faith as well in Scriptures, as in commn discourse: But yet when Faith is considered precisely as it justifies and saves, then it is understood either as an act or as a disposition of the will or heart, which followes the foresaid knowledge, and for the begetting whereof that knowledge doth serve. From this affiance if it be lively and vigorous, and joyned with fitting knowledge, there followes a certain perswasion of remission of our sins; and therefore true Faith useth often to be described by this perswasion; especially when the controversy is with Papists, who oppose this perswasion, as a vain presumption. Yet this perswasion is not properly justifying faith, but an act of hope and experience (rather a fruit) in him, who already is justified. It is also such an act, that for some time may be wanting, where yet true justifying faith is, though insirm, as experience in the godly teacheth; and therefore it ought not to be proposed in the essence and definition of justifying Faith, least so the weak consciences of some believers should thence be heavily troubled, as if they had not tru faith, when they feel themselves to have no such certain perswasion of the remission of their sins. It will appear then to any rightly weighing all things, that justifying Faith, as such, is properly, the affiance of the hear, not any complex knowledge, or judgement of the understanding.
Reason 1. Because nothing in the whole Gospell is promised to any that hath yet no affiance or trust in Christ; before this affiance therefore, nothing can be known, that hath the vertue to justify, until it be trusted on; and therefore no knowledge going before this faith of affiance, can justify.
Reas. 2. We cannot conceive any knowledge before this affiance, which is not found sometimes in such as are not justified: As for example, such as have a spirit of illumination and light, but not of regeneration; and therefore fall away afterwards from that glory, which inseparably followes justification, sinning against the Holy Ghost.
Reas. 3 Because in every part of Religion, and so in Faith also, these two things are distinguished; to wit, to know and to do. To know what is to be believed, and what all ought to believe; and to give assent to truthes that are to be believed, is not yet to do that which believing imports, and is the proper obedience of Faith it self, which is the root of all other obedience, and therefore joyntly to be understood under this, as both comes from Faith, Rom. 1. 5. And in very truth such is the formal reason of obedience in true Faith, that under this name and nature it ought to be referred unto the will properly, because it is the part of the will, and not of the understanding, to obey.
Reas. 4 Because by this act of the will, we have an inward union with God in Christ, even as amongst men there is a greater conjunction, by a constant inclination, and affection of the will, than by the judgement of the intellect.
Reas. 5. Because the act of faith is such, that by it we cast our selves wholly upon Christ, or upon the mercy of God in Christ. But the act of the understanding properly and immediately doth not transfer the whole man, but the act of the will, which alone therefore properly is called the act of the whole man: Nor can it be heer answered that Faith is an aggregate thing. consisting partly of knowledge, and partly of affiance; because unto such aggregate things, single and distinct operations can not be attributed, as are attributed unto Faith. For example, the health of the whole body, hath no distinct operation, but is conceived as a single thing, extends it self alike to soundness of all, and of every part; and as holiness, as it is in this, or that virtue, hath no distinct and single operation. Moreover, no more reason can be given why knowledge & affiance should make up one aggregate thing, than knowledge and hope, or knowledge and love, or than knowledge and justice or temperance. Besides all this, however knowledge be aggregated with true Faith, yet because a great part of this knowledge which goes before affiance, is found also in the Devills themselves, neither yet can any knowledge be shewn that goes before affiance, which is not found in some unregenerate persons; no reason admits, that this knowledge should be an essential part of Faith, and of the spiritual life, because it is found in them that have no part of spiritual life.
Use. Is of Exhortation, against Papists, and others, who know nor acknowledge no other faith, but knowledge, and a certain material assent, which yet may may consist with greatest diffidence, and most wretched desperation.
Use 2. Is of Direction, that we may enquire of the knowledge of the truth, which is necessary for us unto Faith, and to Salvation; and that we be wary that we rest not on any bare knowledge; but then think we have true Faith onelyonly, when according to the knowledge of the truth, we rely upon Christ with our whole heart for salvation, to be obtayned by him alone.
Use 3. Is of Consolation, to those who with all their heart strive to rest upon Christ, and yet cannot for a time, or presently and certainly perswade themselves, That God is reconciled unto th…m, for such have true Faith, though weak. For this certainty of perswasion, is the effect of a more strong and perfect Faith, whereunto also in their own time such believers shall be brought.
A Question is here propounded; By what means is such a Faith begotten, and promoted in our hearts?
Answer. This Faith is properly begotten in us by the Holy Ghost, through the Ministry and Preaching of the Gospell, because Faith is above nature, while we believe these things that surmount all reason, and are lifted up above our selves by Faith, as the Apostle saith, that Abraham hoped above hope, that is, beyond humane, natural, and ordinary hope; so also they that truly believe, believe beyond belief, or above belief. It is begotten in us by the Gospell, because in the promises of the Gospell Christ is offered and exhibited to us; and the efficacy or power of the Holy Ghost accompanieth the preaching of the holy Gospell. Now from these things it followeth, that such have not true Faith, who either believe nothing above what is natural, or in a supernaturall way, or else have not their Faith from the Gospell and word of God.
Doct. 5. Such as truly believe in Christ, may and ought to be sure of their salvation.
This is gathered from the connexion between the antecedent and consequent, in the Text; believe and thou shalt be saved. For as particular men while they remain in their particular sins may be assured, that for that time they are subject to the curse of God; so may some believers be particularly assured, that they are partakers of eternal blessing and salvation. For as that other assurance of the curse, comes from the Law towards impenitent sinners, or breakers of it; so this other assurance of the blessing, comes to repenting and believing sinners, through the promises of the Gospell. The whole order therefore of this consolation, whereby we may be certain of salvation, is as followeth; in such a Syllogism (wherein both will and understanding have their parts) whereof the proposition stands in the assent of the understanding, and makes up a dogmatical Faith. The assumption is not principally in the compounding understanding, but in the single apprehension and will, so as to make it true and of force to infer the certainty in the conclusion; which the heart doth by this act of affiance, that being the property of justifying Faith, and thus existing in the heart. The conclusion is also principally & ultimately in the single apprehension and will, or in the heart, by the grace of hope; and both it, and the experimental reflexion joyn'd with it (which is in the understanding, and the other also, by this reflexion) are the effects of the experimental knowledge and reflexion of our understanding, in the assumption upon the true existence of the single term in the heart or will, which bears the whole burthen of the assurance.
Use, Is of great Consolation to believers, whereof they are Sacrilegiously robbed by Papists and all such, who impugne this certainty of salvation.