Apology Against the Exceptions of Black and Kendall, Section Baxter 81 – Section Blake 82
§. 81.
R. B. 1. IT is ſo rare a thing for men to manifeſt ſo much ingenuity and ſelf denyal and impartial love to the Truth, as freely to recant what they have once aſſerted when they finde it a miſtake, that if this had been your caſe, I would not have been one that ſhould have blamed you for it, or charged you with unconſtancy or levity. To err, is common to all men: but freely to recant it, is not ſo. I never write, but with a ſuppoſition that I ſhall manifeſt the weakneſs of my Intellect, and do that which needs reformation. 2. I did not ſo much as pretend you to be my Adverſary; I did defend you, and not argue againſt you: and therefore you have little need to perſwade me to have lower thoughts of our differences then I did expreſs, or that you and I were no adverſaries.
But though I make light of our ſeeming difference about ſealing, I muſt intreat you to remember, that I not only maintain my former Aſſertion, that the Concluſion, I A. B. am Juſtified, is not de fide, but that I account it a matter of far greater moment.
It hath been too common Doctrine among the moſt renowned Divines, that it is not only de fide, but every mans duty alſo, yea a part of the Creed, and ſo a fundamental, for to Believe that our ſins are remitted, (for ſo they expound the Article of Remiſſion of ſins). I will not name the Authors, becauſe I honor them, and would not ſeem to diſparage them; and the Learned know them already: yea they earneſtly preſs men to Believe the pardon of their own ſins in particular, and tell them that they have but the Faith of Devils elſe. By which dangerous Doctrine, 1. moſt men are perſwaded to believe a falſhood: for moſt are not forgiven. 2. The careleſs world is driven on faſter to preſumption, to which they are ſo prone of themſelves. 3. Painful Miniſters are hindred, and their labors fruſtrated, whoſe buſineſs is firſt to break mens falſe hopes and peace; which they finde ſo hard a work, that they need not reſiſtance. The ungodly that I deal with, are ſo confident that their ſin is forgiven, and God will not damn them for it, that all that I can ſay is too little to ſhake their confidence, which is the nurſe of their ſin. 4. Gods word, yea the Articles of our Creed, muſt be abuſed to do Satan this ſervice, and mens Souls this wrong. All the world cannot finde ſo ſtrong a prop to the Kingdom of the Devil, nor ſo powerful an encouragement to preſumption or any ſin, as miſtaken Scripture (either miſinterpreted or miſapplyed). 5. When wicked men, that have but the Faith of Devils, are immediately required to believe the pardon of their own particular ſins, and this made to be de fide, God is diſhonored with the charge of ſuch untruths, as if falſhoods were de fide, and God commanded men to believe them.
And for the Godly themſelves, it hath in a lower degree many of the ſame inconveniences. If there be any one that hath as good Evidence of his ſoundneſs in Faith, Love and Repentance, as that the Word of God is true, and all ſound Believers are Juſtified; what is ſuch a man to many a thouſand that have no ſuch Evidence▪ yea and for that man, it is impoſſible that his Evidence ſhould be as conſtant, as Scripture Evidence, though it were as full. Scripture Evidence varieth not, as the Evidence of Grace doth in our mutable unconſtant Souls: But for my part I never yet ſaw the face of that ſober man (to my knowledge) who durſt ſay, That he was as ſure or as confident of his own ſincerity, as of the Truth of Gods Word, and particularly of that Promiſe, He that Believeth ſhall not periſh, but have Everlaſting life. And as I have oft ſaid already, The Concluſion may not be ſaid to be de fide, unleſs the other Propoſition he as evident as that which is de fide ▪ becauſe Concluſio ſequitur partem deteriorem. Yea let me be bold to grow a little higher, and to tell you that it ſeems to me impoſſible and a contradiction that any man ſhould be more certain that he Believeth ſincerely, then he is that Gods Word is true, or that the Promiſe is Gods Word, which he doth Believe. For the truth of God in his Word, is the formal object of Faith, without which there can be no Faith. No man therefore can be more certain that he believes truly, then he is that Gods Word is true: For to Believe, is to apprehend the certain Truth of the Word. And none can be more certain that he apprehends the word as certain, then he is that the word is certain. If you ſay, I am certain that I believe the certainty of the word, but weakly: I anſwer, At leſt then the ſaving ſincerity of your Faith will be as uncertain to you, as the word is, if not the being of that Faith. And then there is no more certainty, I think, rationally and ordinarily, then there is Evidence.
So much for that Controverſie, and ſo of all, ſo far as I have obſerved, which Mr. Blake hath with me, or hath called me to give an account of my judgement.
Whether the Covenant of Grace require perfection, and accept ſincerity.
THough I have done with what Mr. Blake ſaith to me, and have no deſire to do any thing unneceſſary in a way of Controverſie: yet becauſe it is of the like nature with a ſubject formerly handled, or tends to clear up ſome things about it, I will very briefly touch on his Arguments, pag. 107.108. upon this Queſtion.
§. 82.
Mr. Bl. A Second opinion is, that the Covenant of Grace requires perfection in the exacteſt way, without help of theſe mens diſtinctions, in an equal degree with the Covenant of Works, but with this difference; in the Covenant of Works, there is no indulgence or diſpenſation in caſe of failing, but the penalty takes hold, the Curſe follows upon it: But the Covenant of Grace, though it call for perfection, ſuch is the exactneſs of it, yet it accepts of ſincerity, ſuch is the qualification of it through Grace, or the mercy in it. If I ſhould take up any opinion in the world for the Authors ſake, or thoſe that have appeared as Patrons of it, then I ſhould embrace this: The Reverence deſervedly due to him that I ſuppoſe firſt manifeſted himſelf in it, hath cauſed it to finde great entertainment. But upon more then twenty years thoughts about it, I finde it labouring under manifold inconveniences.