Aphorisms of Justification, Answer · Answer 12 – Answer 13,14
To the twelfth Objection.
WHat you object concerning my making a necessity of publick covenanting, I wholly acknowledge: And I heartily wish, that instead of our large mixt Nationall Covenant; and instead of the Independants Politicall Church-making Covenant, we had the Gospel or New Covenant conditions formally in publick rendered to all the people of this Land: & that the same being opened to them, they might knowingly and seriously professe their consent, (& if they subscribed their names, it would be more solemnly engaging: and this before they receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper.
This, 1. would take off most Arguments which are brought for a necessity of Re-baptizing: 2. And would tend much to engage men to their obedience to Christ, when they have so solemnly promised it under their hands. 3. And I think that as an unfeigned heart covenanting with Christ is true faith, and of the Essence of our Christianity; so is this publike covenanting of our visible Christianity.
Though other mens promises on our behalfe may be of use to infants; yet when we come to age, we are bound of absolute necessity to a personall Faith and covenanting.
This also would answer the ends of the ancient custom of Confirmation: And to this end is it, that the Church hath still used to rehearse the Greed, or Articles of Faith, and to require the people to stand up to signifie their Assent and Consent; which, for my part, I think not onelyonly a laudable custome, but for the substance of it, a matter of necessity; so we do but carefully keep away that Customarinesse, ceremoniousnesse and formality, which spoileth the most necessary and weighty duties.
I could wish therefore that this practice were established by Authority. And, for my self, I do administer the Sacrament to none, that do not solemnly professe their assent to every fundamentall Article of Faith expresly mentioned to them, and their consent that Christ shall be their Lord and Saviour and that they will faithfully and sincerely obey his Scripture Lawes.
To the thirteenth and fourteenth Objections.
YOur 13. and 14. Objections, which charge me not with errour, but only with singularity, I will answer together. And I am the lesse carefull to answer you in this matter, because I resolve to stand or fall to the Judgement of Scripture only. And to tell you the truth, while I busily read, what other men say in these controversies, my mind was so prepossessed with their notions, that I could not possibly see the truth, in its own nature and naked evidence: and when I entered into publick disputations concerning it, though I was truely willing to know the truth, yet my mind was so forestalled with borrowed notions, that I chiefly studied how to make good the opinions which I had received, and ran further still from the truth: yea when I read the truth in Doctor Preston and other means writings, I did not consider and understand it: and when I heard it from them, whom I opposed in wrangling disputations, or read it in books of controversie, I discerned it least of all, but only was sharpened the more against it: till at last, being in my sicknesse cast far from home, where I had no book but my Bible, I set to study the truth from thence, and from the nature of the things, and naked evidence; and so by the blessing of God, discovered more in one week, then I had done before in seventeen yeares reading, hearing and wrangling. Not that I therefore repent of reading other mens writings: for without that I had not been capable of those latter studies.
So that as I fetched not this doctrine from man, So you must bear with me if I give you the lesse of man to attest it.
Yet that you may see I am not singular, as you conceive, I will shew you the concurrent judgements of one or two.
Mr. Wallis (a man of singular worth, I am confident, by his own writing, though I know him not) in his answer to the Lord Brook, pag. 94. saith, That Faith is an accepting of Christ offered, rather then a believing of a Proposition affirmed.
But because I will not fill my pages with other mens words, I will alledge but one more; and that one who is beyond all exception for piety, Orthodoxnesse, and Learning, even Dr. Preston.
1. That Faith containeth severall acts.
2. That it is both in the understanding and will.
3. That the principal act is accepting or consent.
4. That it is the accepting of Christ for Lord as well as Saviour.
5. That the object is Christ himself, and not his benefits but in a remote sence and secondarily.
6. That Faith consisteth in Covenanting or Marriage contract. All these he is so plain and full in, that I find him speaking my own thoughts in my own words: and begun to think when I read him, that men would think I borrowed all from Dr. Preston. Read him in his Treatise of Faith. pag. 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 89, 97. Also Of Effectull Faith, pag. 40, 41. 87, And Treatise of Faith, pag. 14, 15, 16, 20, 21. 56, 57, 58.
7. But especially, the chief point that I stand upon, & am like to be opposed most in, he handleth so fully and asserteth so frequently, as if it were the choicest notion which he desired to divulge, viz. That justifying faith, as such, is a taking of Christ for Lord as well as for Saviour. Of so many places I will transcribe two or three.
And first his definition of the active part of faith, is the very same with mine. Of Faith, pag. 44. It is to Believe, not onelyonly that Christ is offered to us, but also to take and receive him as a Lord and Saviour, that is, both to be saved by him, and to obey him. Mark it (saith he) I put them together, to take him as a Lord and Saviour; for you shall finde that in the ordinary phrase of Scripture, they are put together, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour; therefore we must take heed of disjoyning those that God hath joyned together: We must take Christ as well for a Lord as a Saviour; let a man do this, and he may be assured that his faith is a justifying faith; therefore mark it diligently; if a man will take Christ for a Saviour onelyonly, that will not serve the turn; Christ giveth not himself to any upon that condition only to save him, but we must take him as a Lord too, to be subject to him, and obey him, and to square our actions according to his will, &c. pag. 45.
So of Effectuall Faith, pag. 92. Now faith is nothing but this: We come and tell you that Christ is offered; if you will be content to let all these things go, and to turn your hearts to him, then the whole bent of a mans mind is turned the contrary way and set upon Christ; this is such Faith indeed, &c. Now i… we were not mistaken in it, there would be no question of this: We think that faith is nothing but a perswasion that our sins are forgiven a perswasion that the promises are true, and the Scripture true, a perswasion that Christ died for my sins: And thence it is, that men are apt to be deceived in it. If they took Faith as it is in its self, (a Marriage of our selves to Christ, with all our heart and affections, when he hath given himself to us as in Marriage and we are given to him.) in doing this, we should never be deceived.
So in his Treatise of the New Covenant, pag. 458. you must know that the Covenant is then dissolved, when that is dissolved that did make the Covenant: Lock what it is that puts a man into the Covenant of Grace at the first; when that is taken away, then the Covenant is disannulled between God and us; but till then the Covenant remaines sure. Now what is it that makes the Covenant? Mark it: This is that which makes the Covenant; when Jesus Christ offereth himself to us, and makes known his consent, &c. when we again come and take him, and give our consent to make him our Lord, and we subject our selves to him to be his; when we say to the promised seed, He shall be my God and my Governour, and I will be among his people, and be subject to him; I say, when the heart gives a full consent to this, &c. now the Covenant and contract is made between them. Now as long as this union continues between Christ and us, the Covenant is not disannulled; So that in a word, the Covenant is never nullified till thou hast chosen to thy self another husband, till thou hast taken to thy self another Lord, &c. pag. 459.
So that here you see 8ly. that every infirmity breaks not the Covenant. See also Treatise of Love, pag. 147.
9 That there is a Gospel curse following the breach of the Gospel Law, and that it is unrepealable and more terrible then that of the Law pag. 19, 20.
10, What near conjunction love hath with Faith in justifying. See Treatise of Effectuall Faith▪ 41, 42.
11, That the promise and offer of Christ is generall, see Treatise of Faith, pag. 9, 10. I will transcribe but one more, Treatise of the New Covenant, pag. 317, 318. You must know there is a two-fold Covenant, one of works, another of grace, &c, The Covenant of grace runs in these termes [Thou shalt believe; thou shalt take my Sonne for thy Lord and thy Saviour, and thou shalt likewise receive the gift of Righteousnesse, which was was wrought by him, for an absolution for thy sinnes, for a reconciliation with me, and thereupon thou shalt grow up in love & obedience, towards me, Then I will be thy God, and thou shalt be my people.] This is the Covenant of grace, &c.
In this you see also, 12ly. That love and sincere obedience are parts of the condition of the New Coveuant.
Thus you see I am not in these 12. points singular; and in more could I also prove his context; though in some things I confesse he differeth; as in making Faith an instrument in our justification, pag. 54. Of Faith. But as I take that to be a small difference; so it is apparent by the forecited places, that he took Faith to justifie, as the condition of the Covenant; and so the difference is but verball; yet speaking in the common phrase put him upon that absurdity, pag. 56. Treatise of Faith, viz. to say, That reconciling and justifying are acts of Faith: If he had said, but that they are effects of Faith, it had been more then (in proper strict sence taken) can be proved.