Aphorisms of Justification, Thesis 69 – Thesis 73
THESIS LXIX.
IVstifying Faith is the hearty accepting of Christ for our only Lord and Saviour.
EXPLICATION.
IN this brief definition, you have nothing but what is essentiall to it.
1. The genus I need not mention; when it is the Act of Faith which I define, you know the genus already.
2. The Understandings apprehension of Christ as a true Redeemer and Saviour, which in severall respects is called Knowledg or Belief, I do imply this, and not express it; because though I take it for a real part of Faith, yet not the most principall and formall part. And as we use to imply Corpus, and not express it when we define man to be Animal rationale; because the form, or principall essentiall part part giveth the name: So here (though I know Assent is not properly a materiall cause) yet being the less principall Act, it giveth not the denomination.
3. That Christ, as Lord and Saviour is the proper object, I have proved before. His Propheticall Office whereby he is the Teacher of his Church, Jimply in both these, because it may in severall respects be reduced to these: For he teacheth by his Laws and Commandments, and his spirits teaching and governing are scarce distinguishable, and he saveth by teaching. Also his Office of Husband, and Head, are in these implyed; they signifying more the future benefits and priviledges of a beleever, which he shall receive from Christ beleeved in, then the primary offices which he is to acknowledg in beleeving.
4. The proper formall act of justifying Faith, which is most principally essentiall to it of all other is [accepting:] If I must needs place it in one only, it should be this.
My Reasons are, 1. Because the Scripture maketh unbelief, and not receiving Christ, all one, Ioh. 1. 11. and beleeving and receiving Christ, all one, Ioh. 1. 12. So it proclaims this as the great work of the Gospell, to Take, Eat, Drink, &c.
2. The Gospell is the offer of Christ (and his benefits to them that first accept himself;) Therefore Faith must be the accepting of the thing offered. Both these are plain in Rev. 22. 17. Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely: There is the free offer, upon condition of coming and taking, or accepting.
3. The will is the commanding faculty of the soul, therefore its act is the principall act, and that is accepting.
4. Christ is presented to us in the Gospell, as a Suitor, beseeching us by his Spirit and Embassadors, and wooing us to himself, and the enjoying of him, which this driveth at, is called our Marriage to him, and we his Spouse, and he our Husband: Now you know that which tyeth the knot of Marriage is Acceptance or Consent.
5. Yea the very nature of a Covenant requireth this. Consent maketh it a compleat Covenant. Therefore I said before pag. 219. That Acceptance, Consent, Heart-Covenanting, and Self-resigning, are the proper essentiall Acts of this Faith. For all these are the Wills acts to this their object, which are of flat necessity to the very tying of the Covenant or Marriage knot. Rom. 10. 10. With the heart man beleeveth unto Righteousnesse.
And here let me minde you of one usefull observation more.
The Covenanting on our part, is a principall part of the Conditions of the Covenant. Though this may seem strange, that a Covenanting and performing Conditions, should be all most all one. But that is the free nature of the Grace of the Covenant. As if you marry a poor woman that hath nothing, you will give her your self, and all you have, meerly upon Condition that she will Consent to have you: And that Consent is all the Condition on her part, for obtaining present possession (I say, Acceptance, Consent, Covenanting, Self-resigning; which are in a manner all one thing:) But because the end of the marriage is the faithfull performance of Marriage duties, though meer Consent were the onelyonly Condition of the first possession, and the continuance of her Consent is the chief Condition▪ of continuing her possession; yet the performance of those Marriage duties, and not going into others, is part of the Condition also of that continuance: So it is in the present case of Justification.
5. Let me here also tell you, that I take love to Christ as our Saviour and Lord, to be essentiall to this Acceptance: and so some degree of Love to be part of Justifying Faith, and not properly a fruit of it, as it is commonly taken. My reasons are,
1. The Wills serious apprehension of a thing Good, which we call at earnest Willing it, and Accepting it, is (in my judgement the same thing as Love, in an other name. Love is nothing but such an earnest Willing, choosing and Accepting it as it is Good.
It is generally acknowledged, that the Affections are but the Motions or Acts of the Will. And if Love be an Act of the same Will, and have the same Object with Consent, Election, Acceptance, &c. Why should it not then be the same Act? OnelyOnly Acceptance considereth its Object as offered; Election considereth it, as propounded with some other competitor; Consent considereth it, as we are perswaded and invited to it: But all these are extrinsecall considerations: They all consider their Object as Good, and so doth Love.
You may object. 1. Then Desire and Hope may be essentiall to Faith.
I Answ. That Love which they imply in them is: but Desire and Hope, as such, do properly consider their object as absent, which this Justifiing Faith doth not.
2. Object. Scripture oft distinguisheth Faith and Love.
Answ. 1. Sometime Faith is taken for Historicall faith, or Faith of Miracles, and then it may be distinguised. 2. Sometime true Faith is taken in the strictest sence, and sometime larglier, as I shall shew anon. 3. But especially; so do I distinguish of Love, as it is considered by it self, and as it is an essentiall part of this Acceptance. Love respecteth its Object meerly as Good, in it self and to the Lover. But Consent and Acceptance have severall other respects, as is expressed: And yet there may be Love in all such Acceptance; though not properly Acceptance in all Love.
Object. 3. Then Love Justifieth as well as Faith.
I Answ. When it is thus considered in Faiths Acceptance, it is not called by the name of Love, but loseth its name, as a lesser River that falleth into a greater; therefore it is not said that Love Justifieth; but Faith that worketh (even in its essentiall work of Accepting) by Love.
Object. But Love is the greater Grace, and shall out-live Faith, and Faith should rather then be swallowed up in Love.
Answ. Love considering its object onelyonly as Good, shall continue for ever, because the Goodness of its object shall so continue: But Acceptance, Consent, &c. have other additionall considerations in their Objects which will vanish. But which is the chiefest Grace in it self, is not the question, but which is the chiefest in the present work. Now seeing Consent, Acceptance, &c. are the chief as to Justification, that Love which is essentially in them may well lose its name here: seeing in the businesse of Justifying it is considered but as an essentiall part of the main duty.
My next-Reason is, because Christ doth propound it in the Gospel, as of the same necessity, with the same promises annexed to it, Io. 16. 27. For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and beleeved, &c. Joh. 14. 21. He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and shew my self to him. Jam. 1. 12. & 2. 5. The Crown and Kingdom is prepared for them that love him, 1 Cor. 16. 22. If any man love not the Lord Iesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha, Ephes. 6. 24. In a word, Faith is a comprehensive duty, containing divers Acts, whereof this seemeth to me to be part: Neither can I yet conceive, how there can be a cordiall Acceptance of Christ, as our only Saviour, and Love not to be an essentiall part of that Acceptance: but if a finer wit can apprehend the difference better; yet as (I said) Faith being considered here in Morall and Politick respects, and not in its strict naturall quiddity, may essentially be an Affectionate Acceptance, for all that.
If any think fitter to make a wider difference between the nature of Faith and Love to Christ, I will not contend; for the matter is not great: that both are necessary to Justification, is doubtless: and that they are concurrent in, apprehending Ch…: And that Love is a part of the Condition of the Covenant, is also undoubted and therefore will have some hand in the business of Justification, as I shall further clear.
6. I put in the word onelyonly in the Definition; because (as is said before) I take the preferring of Christ before all others, and taking him for our OnelyOnly Lord and Saviour, to be the essentiall difference of true Faith. There is a two-fold Verity or Sincerity in our duties requisite. 1. The verity of their naturall Being, which is called their Metaphysicall Truth. 2. The verity or sincerity of them as Duties or Graces, which is their Morall sincerity: This last consisteth in the true suiting of the Act to its Object. For example, one man pretendeth to love his wife, and doth not: There is neither Naturall nor Morall Truth. Another doth love her, but not half so well as other women: There is the Metaphysicall Truth, but not the Morall. A third loveth her as a wife above others: There is both Metaphysicall Truth and Morall.
So it is in our Love to God: To Love him as the chief Good, is to love him as he is: And he that loveth him never so much, and yet loveth any thing else, as much or more; though his Love have a Metaphysicall Truth of Being, yet it hath no Morall sincerity at all: So that the Preferring God before all, or taking him for our OnelyOnly God, is the very point of sincerity of Love. Why, just so it is about our Faith: The taking him unfeignedly for our onelyonly Lord and Saviour, is the very point of the sincerity of our Faith in Christ. As Adultery is the most proper violation of the Marriage Covenant, except actuall renouncing and deserting: So the taking of any other Lord or Saviour besides Christ, or conjunct with him, is the most apparent violation of the bond of our Covenant, and most contradictory to the nature and Essence of Justifying Faith: except onelyonly the Actuall renouncing Christ, and the Covenant it self, by full Apostacy; which is an unpardonable sin, Hebr. 6. 4, 5, 6. & 10. 26. Yet in subordination to Christ, we may have other Lords and Saviours, but not in competition and co-ordination. Some of his Government he exerciseth by Ministers, and some by Magistrates under him (for I cannot consent to them that say, the Magistrate is onelyonly the Officer of God as Creator, and not of Christ the Mediator; because all things are delivered into his hands, and he is made head over all.) Some also of his saving works, he performeth by instruments and means: And what they so perform under him, may be acknowledged without any derogation from him at all.
But perhaps some may think that the Scripture Phrase seemeth rather to intimate, that Faith is an Assent, and not such an Acceptance and Consent, as is before mentioned; because it oft times requireth but this, To believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; he that should come into the world, &c.
To which I answer, 1. This proveth onelyonly, that this Knowledg or Assent is part of Faith: but not that it is the whole. 2. It is the use of Scripture to drive at that duty which is most unknown, neglected, or resisted; and to speak little of others, where there was then lesse need to speak, though perhaps the duty be in it self more weighty: Therefore Christ and the Apostles did spend most of their pains to perswade the Jewes to this Assent: That the Messias should come, be their deliverer, they all knew: Even the poor woman of Samaria could tell that, Ioh. 4. 25. And so ready were they to Receive him, if they had known him, that it was the generall expectation, and desire of the people, Mal. 3. 1. But to perswade them that Jesus was the Christ, here lay the difficulty. Therefore as Dr. Ames Medull. cap. 3. §. 20.) though sometime Assent to the Truth concerning God and Christ, Ioh. 1. 50. be taken for true Faith; yet the speciall Election or Apprehension (for that the meanes by Fiducia §. 13.) is still included; and those words do but determine and apply that Fiducia to Christ, which is presupposed to be already toward the Messiah.
And let me conclude this with one more practically usefull observation. From this definition of faith, now men may see what to enquire after in their searching of their estates. As faith, being the Gospell-condition, is the main thing to be looked for; So here you see what that faith is. The ignorance of this deceiveth and troubleth multitudes. Some think it lieth in Assurance: Some, in a quieting their hearts in confidence on Christ: Some think, as M. Saltmarsh, That it is nothing else but a perswasion more or less of Gods love: And then when poor troubled souls do feel neither assurance, confidence, nor perswasion of that love, they conclude that they have no Faith. And how will these mistaken Teachers help them to comfort? Why, as Mr. Saltmarsh doth: sometime to tell them, Christ hath beleeved for them; and sometime to tell them plainly, that he can but commend them to the Lord, who is the Author and finisher of Faith: and sometime to tell them, that they should not question their faith, any more then Christ himself. Thus their first way of comfort is to tell them, they do ill to question their faith: If that would serve, all the world might have comfort, and there needs no more. If that will not do, then Christ hath beleeved for them: Yet if that will serve, there is as much comfort for one as another. But what if they say still, I cannot beleeve, (that is, as you expound Belief:) why, then he confesseth plainly, he is at a loss; he can drive on the work of comforting no further; he can do no more but pray for them. pag. 31. Is it not a wonder that this lamentable Comforter should be so valued by the troubled spirits? I was many years my self under perplexing doubts: If I had heard such comforting words as these, they would sooner have driven me to dispair then to comfort. He that hath not so much wit as to discern so gross fallacies, may assoon be comforted by a false and impertinent argument, as by a sound one. Quest. But how would you comfort such a one, that faith he cannot beleeve? Ans. Why, I would first make him know, that the very essentiall form of faith lieth in the Will… acceptance of an offered Christ: Then would I know of him, whether he be willing thus to have Christ both for Lord and Saviour, or not? If he say, He is willing: I shall answer, That then he doth beleeve; and then he is Justified: for his Willingness is his very Consent or Acceptance (and that Consent is true Faith: Christ expecteth no more to make up the match. If the match break, it must be either, because Christ is unwilling, or because he is unwilling: not Christ; for he is the Suitor, and Intreater, and Offerer: Not himself; for he confesseth that he is willing. If he say, I am not willing: I should ask; Why then do you look after it, or regard it? Do men enquire after that, and lament the want of it, which they are not willing to have? either temptation or melancholly maketh you not know your own minde; or else you do but dissemble in pretending trouble and sad complaints. If you be indeed unwilling, I have no comfort for you, till you are willing; but must turn to perswasions to make you willing: I should answer, The Condition of the Covenant is not the Perfection, but the sincerity of Faith or Consent: which way goes the prevailing bent or choyce of your will. If Christ were before you, would you accept him, or reject him? If you would heartily accept him for your only Lord and Saviour, I dare say, you are a true Beleever.
Thus you see the comfortable use of right understanding, what justifying faith is; and the great danger and inconvenience that followeth the common mistakes in this point.
THESIS LXX.
FAith in the largest sence, as it comprehendeth all the Condition of the new Covenant, may be thus defined: It is when a sinner by the Word and Spirit of Christ being throughly convinced of the Righteousness of the Law, the truth of its threatening, the evill of his own sin, and the greatness of his misery hereupon, and with all of the Nature and Offices, Sufficiency and Excellency of Iesus Christ, the Satisfaction he hath made, his willingness to save, and his free offer to all that will accept him for their Lord and Saviour; doth hereupon believe the truth of this Gospell, and accept of Christ as his only Lord and Saviour, to bring them to God their chiefest good, and to present them pardoned and just before him, and to bestow upon them a more glorious inheritance, and do accordingly rest on him as their Saviour, and sincerely (though imperfectly) obey him as their Lord, forgiving others, loving his people, bearing what sufferings are imposed, diligently using his means and Ordinances, and confessing and bewailing their sins against him, and praying for pardon; and all this sincerely, and to the end.
EXPLICATION.
THis is the Condition of the new Covevenant at large, That all this is sometime called Faith, as taking its name from the primary, principall, vitall part, is plain hence.
1. In that Faith is oft called the Obeying of the Gospell but the Gospell commandeth all this, Rom. 10. 16. 1 Pet. 1. 22. & 4. 17. 2 Thes. 1. 8. Gal. 3. 1. & 5, 7. Heb. 5. 9.
2. The fulfilling of the Conditions of the new Covenant is oft called by the name of Faith, & so opposed to the fulfilling the Conditions of the old Covenant, called works; But these forementioned are parts of the Condition of the new Covenant, and therefore implyed or included in Faith, Gal. 3. 12, 23, 25. Not that Faith is properly taken for its fruits, or confounded with them, but (as I told you before) it is named in the stead of the whole Condition, all the rest being implyed as reducible to it, in some of the respects mentioned under the 62 Position.
It may be here demanded, 1. Why I do make affiance or recombency an immediate product of Faith, when it is commonly taken to be, the very justifying Act?
I answer: 1. I have proved already, that Consent or acceptance is the principall Act, and Affiance doth necessarily follow that. 2. For the most of my Reasons; that Affiance is a following Act, and not the principall, they are the same with those of Dr Downame against Mr Pemble, and in his Treatise of Justification, whither therefore I refer you for Satisfaction.
2. Quest. Why do I make sincerity and perseverance to be so near kin to Faith, as to be, in some sence, the same, and not rather distinct Graces?
Answ. It is apparent, that they are not reall distinct things, but the Modi of Faith. 1. Sincerity is the verity of it, which is convertible with its Being, as it is Metaphysicall Verity, and with its Vertuous or Gracious Being, as it is Morall or Theologicall Sincerity. 2. Perseverance or duration of a Being, is nothing really distinct from the Being it self: Suarez thinks, not so much as a Modus.
THESIS LXXI.
(1) THe sincere Performance of the summary, great Command of the Law, To have the Lord only for our God, and so to love, obey, believe and trust him above all, is still naturally implyed in the Conditions of the Gospell, as of absolute indispensible necessity, (2) and in order of nature, and of excellency before Faith it self: (3) But it is not commanded in the sence, and upon the terms, as under the first Covenant.
EXPLICATION.
(1) THis Command need not be expressed in the Gospell Conditions, it is so naturally necessary, & implied in all: As the ultimate End need not be expressed in directions & precepts so as …he meanes, because it is still supposed; & consultatio est tantum de mediis.
(2) Love to God, and taking him for our God and chiefe Good, is both in excellency and order of nature, before Faith in Christ the Mediator; 1. Because the End is thus before the meanes in excellency and intention: But God is the ultimate End; and Christ as Mediator is but the meanes, Ioh. 14. 6. Christ is the way by which men must come to the Father. 2. The Son as God-man or Mediator, is lesse then the Father; and therefore the duties that respect him as their Object, must needs be the lesse excellent duties, Ioh, 14. 13. The glory of the Son, is but a means for the glory of the Father, Ioh. 14. 28. My Father is greater then I: therefore the Love of the Father is greater then the Love to the Son, &c. So also in point of necessity it hath the naturall precedency: as the End hath before the means: for the denying of the End doth immediately cashiere and evacuate all means, as such. He that maketh not God his chief Good, can never desire or Accept of Christ, as the way and meanes to recover that chief Good. The Apostle therefore knew more reason, then meerely for its perpetuity, why the chiefest Grace is Love, 1. Cor. 13. 13. Though yet the work of Justification is laid chiefely upon faith.
(3) That this Love of God, is not commanded in the sence, and on the termes as under the Law, is evident. For, 1. The old Covenant would have condemned us, for the very imperfection of the due degree of Love: But the Gospell accepteth of Sincerity, which lyeth in loving God above all; or as the chiefe Good. 2. The old Covenant would have destroyed us, for one omission of a due Act of Love; But the Covenant of Grace accepteth of it, if a man that never knew God all his life time, doe come in at last.
Yet the sincere performance of it is as necessary now as then.
THESIS. LXXII.
AS the accepting of Christ for Lord, (which is the hearts subjection) is as Essentiall a part of Iustifying Faith, as the Accepting of him for our Saviour: So consequently, sincere obedience, (which is the effect of the former,) hath as much to doe in justifying us before God, as Affiance, (which is the fruit of the later.)
EXPLICATION.
I Know this will hardly down with many. But I know nothing can be said against it, but by denying the Antecedent, viz. That Faith as it Accepteth Christ for Lord and King doth Justifie. But that I have proved before. If it be one Faith, and have the Object entirely propounded as one, and be one entire principall part of the Covenants Condition; then sure it cannot be divided in the work of Justifying. This may be easily apprehended, if men will but understand these three things. 1. That Faith is no Physicall or naturall proper Receiving of Christ at all: But meerly a morall Receiving though performed by a Physicall Act of Accepting: For thy Will doth not naturally touch and take in the person of Christ; That is an impossible thing, whatsoever the Transubstantiation, men may say: (Though the Essence of the Godhead is every where.) 2. That this accepting which is a Morall Receiving doth not, nor possibly can, make Christ ours immediately and properly, as it is a Receiving; But mediately and improperly onelyonly: The formall cause of our interest, being Gods Donation by the Gospell Covenant. 3. That this Covenant maketh a whole entire Faith its Condition: A Receiving of whole Christ with the whole soul: It is, as Amesius, Actio totius hominis; And if the Covenant doe make Christ as King, the object of that Faith which is its Condition, as well as Christ, as a Deliverer or Priest; Then may it be as fit a Medium for our Justification, as the other.
That Obedience is as neere a fruit of Faith, as Affiance, is evident; if you take it for the Obedience of the Soul, in Acts that are no more remote from the heart then Affiance is: And so is the Obedience of our Actions externall in its formall respect (as Obedience): though not in its materiall, because the imperate Acts are not all so neer the fountain as the Elicite. I take it here for granted, that Dr Downames arguments in the place fore-cited, have proved Affiance to be but a fruit of the principall justifying Act of Faith.
THESIS LXXIII.
FRom what hath been said, it appeareth in what sence Faith only justifieth; and in what sence Works also justifie: viz. 1. Faith only justifieth, as it implieth and includeth all other parts of the condition of the new Covenant: and is so put in opposition to the Works of the Law, or the personall Righteousnes of the old Covenant. 2. Faith only justifieth as the great principall master duty of the Gospell or chief part of its Condition, to which all the rest are some way reducible. 3. Faith onelyonly doth not justifie in opposition to the Works of the Gospell; but those Works do also justifie, as the secondary, less principall parts of the condition of the Covenant.