Catholic Theology Plain Pure Peaceable, Section 16
SECT. XVI. Of aſſurance of Pardon, Justification and Salvation And whether it be Faith.
224. The Faith by which we are juſtified is not a believing that … … juſtified, but a believing that we may be juſtified: Not a believing t… Chriſt is ours more than other mens, or that we ſhall be ſaved; but … believing in Chriſt that he may be ours, and we may be ſaved by him.
225. There is aſſurance in this Faith; not aſſurance that we are ſ… cere, or ſhall be ſaved: But aſſurance that Gods Promiſes and all … Words are true, and that he will perform them; and that Chriſt … the Saviour of the world, and that the love of God is our End … Happineſs, and that all this is offered to us in Chriſt, even Pardon … Life, as well as others; which offer Faith accepteth truly; But the Believer is oft uncertain of the ſincerity of his own belief, and ſo of … Salvation.
226. How much certainty we have of Divine Revelation and Scripture verity, I have ſo fully opened in many Tractates, and laſtly in o… I know that the learned Conciliator Guiliel. Forbes doth confidently charge them as guilty of confuſion, who place Faith in more faculties than one, and that call it Fiducia. But I doubt not but the error is his own, which tendeth to confuſion, by not diſtinguiſhing a meer phyſical act from a moral or political, which is made up of many phyſical acts: And if he (or Biſhop Gror. Downame, Camero, or any that go that way) had been put to tell what one phyſical act they will confine Chriſtian juſtifying Faith to, they would have …ound themſelves in confuſion: To ſay, It is aſſent, denieth not but that it muſt be an aſſent to many verities: And this aſſent ſignifieth at once a belief that God is true, and that this is his word, and that this word is true. He that ſaith, It is a belief of the aſſertion for the oredibility of the Aſ…ertor, can ſcarce prove that he nameth but one Act: And I know no ſuch aſſent which … bit eſſentially contain a truſting to the word of the Aſſertor or Teſtifier, called Fiduc…a. Can you believe a …a…, …o… … be true, becauſe he is credible, and not truſt his credibility ſo far as believing him importeth: It is a contradiction? F… eredentis is nothing but a truſting to the Fides dicentis, and they are Relatives, as Act and Object. Though I grant that … is alſo a quietting applicatory Truſt or Fiducia, which is but the exerciſe of Faith as ſuppoſing me to ſee my … Promiſe, which cometh after our firſt believing, in which we ſee but our receptive capacity that the Promiſe … with the reſt of Mankind, and the thing promiſed is offered to me.called [The certainty of Chriſtianity without Popery] that I will not here repeat it, further than to ſay, that it is not a perfect apprehenſion which we call our certainty, nor yet an uneffectual doubtful one; But ſuch … … as will carry a man on confidence of Gods Word to a holy life, and … the forſaking of all other hopes, even life it ſelf, for the hopes which … given us by Chriſt: which yet may have ſeveral degrees in ſeveral perſons. But objective certainty, which is the evidence of verity, is m… full than our ſubjective certainty (for want of our due receptivity … us) and is ſtill the ſame in it ſelf, though not equally brought or revea… to all.
227. Even doubting of the truth of the Scripture and Chriſtianity may ſtand with ſaving Faith and Salvation, when it is not predominant, nor ſo great as to keep us from the ſaid forſaking all for Chriſt and Heaven.
228. Doubting of mans own Salvation, is not always from weakneſs of Faith directly, much leſs is it the want of Faith it ſelf. …o… ſometime a man may doubt, meerly as doubting of the ſincerity of … own Faith, and not at all doubting of the truth of the Word of God▪ But when it is the doubting whether the promiſes be ſure, which make… a man doubt whether he ſhall be ſaved, this doubting is the debility … Faith.
229. The ſame may be ſaid of diſpair: That diſpair is from the weakneſs or want of Faith, which cometh from an unbelief of the truth of the Promiſe: And that alſo is pernicious diſpair which (from what Cauſe ſoever) is ſo great as to take men off the uſe of neceſſary means, to attain Salvation. But that diſpair which cometh from overmuch ſelf-condemning, and a conceit that a mans heart is falſe, and not that Gods Promiſe is falſe, may ſtand with true Faith and Salvation, if it be not ſo great, as to take him off the uſe of neceſſary means.
230. No man ordinarily can be aſſured of his Salvation or Juſtification without extraordinary Revelation, but by being aſſured firſt of the …ruth of Gods Promiſe, and of his own ſincerity in believing: For his aſſurance is of the concluſion of this argument, [Whoſoever ſincerely believeth and repenteth is juſtified: But I ſincerely believe and repent; …herefore I am juſtified.] And the weakneſs of the apprehenſion of either of the premiſes is ever in the concluſion, which always followeth partem debiliorem.
231. There are therefore but two ſorts of men who can believe that they are juſtified by a Faith properly called Divine, that is, which is a belief of Gods Word herein; 1. Thoſe that God revealeth it to by pro…hetical or extraordinary Revelation (if there be any ſuch.) 2. Thoſe who are more certain of their own ſincere Faith, than they are that Gods Word it ſelf is true (if any ſuch there be in the world.) For with all others the certainty of the ſincerity of their own Faith being weakeſt, …he concluſion followeth it.
232. If any man can poſſibly doubt more of the truth of Gods Word, …han of the ſoundneſs of his own Faith; though that mans Faith may be called Divine, it is no honour to it, becauſe it hath ſo much doubting of Gods Word mixed with belief: And it's like his greater aſſurance of his belief of it, is but his error, or infirmity.
233. Ordinarily therefore no Chriſtians can believe fide Divina, that they are juſtified and ſhall be ſaved; that is, this is no Word of God, but a concluſion, of which one of the premiſes only, and that the ſtronger is Gods Word.
234. To ſay that he that believeth ſhall be ſaved, is equivalent to this, [I ſhall be ſaved] is not true nor reaſonable, ſeeing [I believe] is not Gods Word, nor ſo certain as Gods Word: And one of the premiſes is not equal to both.
245. When they ſay, That it's all one, when I am ſure that I believe.] I grant it, if 1. This be in it ſelf as evident. 2. And as certain to me as Gods Word is; otherwiſe I deny it.
236. Obj. A man cannot believe, and not know that he believeth. Anſ. But a man may ſincerely believe, and yet through ignorance either of the Scripture or himſelf, be uncertain that indeed his Faith is ſincere, and not ſuch as is common to the juſtified.
237. Some Proteſtants by erring in this point, and ſaying that juſtifying Faith is a certain perſwaſion or belief that we are justified, and that it is Gods own Word that I or you are actually juſtified, or are ſincere Believers, and that the believing it is properly fides Divina, have greatly ſcandalized and hardened the Papists, to our diſgrace.
238. And ſo have thoſe that ſay that in the Creed, the meaning of [I believe the Remiſſion of Sin] is, [I believe that my ſins are remitted actually.] And that all muſt thus believe.
239. Some ſay that the Spirit within them ſaith, that they are ſincere Believers, and the Word of the Spirit is the Word of God, and to believ… it is to believe God. Anſ. This is the Enth…ſ…aſts conceit: which if true, all ſuch have prophetical Inſpiration: For the Spirit to bring any new word from God is one thing, and to give us the Underſtanding, Love and Obedience to ſuch a Word is another thing. The Spirit doth indeed aſſure us of our ſincerity, but not by a new Word from God to tell us ſo; but 1. By giving us that ſincere Faith it ſelf. 2. By acting it and increaſing it. 3. By helping us to know it. 4. By giving us the love of God, and other Graces. 5. By giving us the comfort of all. But the reception and perception of theſe internal Operations, is not properly called a Belief of the Word of God. Elſe when we make Gods Word the adequate Object of Faith, we ſhall be ſtill at an uncertainty what that Word is.
240. Yet this perſwaſion, that we are ſincere and justified is divine, where the Spirit cauſeth it; but not a divine Faith. Yea it is participatively of divine Faith, becauſe Gods Word is one of the premiſes, though the weaker muſt denominate the concluſion.*Of this ſee Albertinus's Diſp. at large.
241. Obj. A Reprobate or Devil may believe all the Articles of Faith without application: but juſtifying Faith applieth Chriſt and his benefits to our ſelves. Anſ. It's true: But this application is not a certainty, nor a perſwaſion, nor a believing that I am juſtified, no more than that I am glorified, no nor that I ſhall be ſo neither: But it is an accepting of Chriſt offered that I may be juſtified and ſaved. So that here are all theſe applying acts in it. 1. I believe that Chriſt as the Saviour of the World, is my Saviour as he is all other mens, and is not the Devils; that is, that he hath done that for me which he hath done for all mankind. 2. I believe that he is offered to me perſonally in the Promiſe or Covenant of Grace, on condition of believing-acceptance; and that with and for all his purchaſed benefits, and ſo for my Juſtification. 3. I believe that if I ſo accept him, I ſhall be juſtified. 4. By true conſent I do accordingly accept him to juſtifie, ſanctifie and ſave me. But when all this is done, 1. I do not believe that God hath ſaid in his word that I am juſtified, nor that my Faith is ſincere. 2. And my Faith is ſo weak, that I may long doubt of that ſincerity which I have, and ſo of my Juſtification. 3. And when I come to be certain of my Faith, it is not by believing God, as ſaying, that I do certainly believe; but by experience of its ſincerity, upon juſt trial, by the Spirits help.
242. No man can be ſure that his Faith is ſincere and ſaving, who is not aſſured that it will help him to love God as God above all (yea already doth ſo) and that it mortifieth ſelfiſhneſs, and will prevail with him to deny even life it ſelf, and all the world, for Chriſt and Salvation. So far as a man doubteth of any of this, he muſt needs doubt of his own ſincerity.
243. So weak is Faith in moſt that are ſincere, and ſo little kept in exerciſe, and ſo ſtrong is ſenſe, and ſelf, and fleſh, and worldly b…its and intereſt, and Satan's temptations, that in my experience (who have converſed with as many that are careful of their Souls as moſt have done I think) it is a very ſmall number that I could ever hear ſay, I am certain of my Juſtification and Salvation; But a great number who have lived in holy confidence, hope and peace, and ſome in great joy, but moſt in tollerable fears and doubting, and ſome few oppreſſed by thoſe doubts. So that certainty of Salvation is very rare.
244. When Bellarmine ſaith, that our aſſurance more belongeth to Hope than Faith, and that it is but moral certainty by ſigns that we have of our Juſtification, Sincerity and Salvation, he ſo little differeth from the ſenſe of almoſt all godly Protestants, that were it not through other diſtances, and partiality, we had never read in Luther's days, that for this one point alone, we have cauſe enough of our alienation from the Romaniſts.
245. They err on one extream, who ſay, that all are commanded to believe that they are juſtified; (or any as if it were Gods Word): And they err on the other hand, who command doubting or commend it, as if it were a duty or a benefit. And they ſpeak the truth who ſay, that our doubting of our own Sincerity and Juſtification if we are ſincere, is a ſin of Infirmity, and a Calamity, proceeding from weakneſs of Faith, Hope, Love and Self-acquaintance, which we ſhould uſe all poſſible diligence to overcome. But they that are not ſincere are bound to know it; And firſt to ſeek and get ſincerity, and then diſcern it.
246. It is by the Spirit that all Chriſtians muſt come to their aſſurance: But not by the Spirit as ſpeaking this in us as a word from God, [Thou art juſtified or ſhalt be ſaved, or art ſincere]. But by the aforeſaid Acts: The Spirit in us is firſt Chriſt's Agent, Advocate and Witneſs, to aſſure us that he is the Saviour of the World: And next he is our Witneſs to aſſure us that we are Gods adopted Children; which he doth by being in us Gods Mark, and the Pledge, Firſt-Fruits, and earneſt of our heavenly Inheritance, by effectual habituating our Souls to the predominant love of God, and Holineſs and Heaven. Where-ever this Sanctification is, there is the Evidence and Witneſs of our Adoption. He that findeth by the Fruits that he hath the Spirit, findeth the certain proof of his Juſtification, and earneſt of Glory.