The Right Method for a Settled Peace of Conscience, Direction 8
DIRECTION VIII.
8. The next thing that you have to do, for building up a ſtable Comfort, and ſetling your Conſcience in a ſolid Peace, is this; Be ſure to get and keep a right Underſtanding of the Nature of Saving Faith.
AS you muſt have right thoughts of the Covenant of Grace (of which before,) the want whereof doth puzzle and confound very many Chriſtians; ſo you muſt be ſure to have right thoughts of the Condition of the Covenant. For indeed that Grace which cauſeth you to perform this Condition, is your firſt ſpecial ſaving Grace, which you may take as a certain evidence of your Juſtification: And this Condition is the very link which conjoyneth all the General foregoing Grace to all the reſt of the following ſpecial Grace. The Scripture is ſo full and plain in Aſſuring pardon and ſalvation to all true Believers, that if you can but be ſure that you are a Believer, you need not make any doubt of your intereſt in Chriſt and your ſalvation. Seeing therefore that all the queſtion will be, Whether you have true Faith? Whether you do perform the Condition of the new Covenant? (For all other doubts God hath given you ſufficient ground to reſolve, as is ſaid,) how much then doth it concern you to have a right underſtanding of the Nature of this Faith? Which that you may have let me tell you briefly what it is. Mans ſoul hath two faculties, Underſtanding and Will: Accordingly the Objects of mans ſoul (all Beings which it is to Receive) have two Modifications; Truth and Goodneſs (as thoſe to be Avoided are Evil.) Accordingly Gods Word or Goſpel hath two parts; the Revelation of Truth, and the Offer and Promiſe of ſome Good. This offered Good is principally and immediatly Chriſt himſelf, to be joyned to us by Covenant as our head and huſband: The ſecondary conſequential Good, is Pardon, Juſtification, Reconciliation, Adoption, further Sanctification and Glorification, which are all offered with Chriſt. By this you may ſee what ſaving Faith is: It is firſt a Believing that the Goſpel is True; and then an Accepting of Chriſt therein offered to us, with his benefits: or a conſenting that he be ours and we be his; which is nothing but a true willingneſs to have an offered Chriſt. Remember this well; that you may make uſe of it, when you are in doubt of the truth of your Faith. Thouſands of poor ſouls have been in the dark, and unable to ſee themſelves to be Believers, meerly for want of knowing what ſaving Faith is. And, it is a truth that cannot be hid, that Divines who ſhould have taught them better, have been the great cauſe of their errour; not well and cleerly underſtanding this themſelves. It is a ſhamefull confeſſion: but the world knoweth it already. The Papiſts place almoſt all in the meer Aſſent of the Underſtanding. Our great Reformers made it to be either an Aſſurance of the pardon of our own ſins; or a ſtrong perſwaſion of their pardon, excluding doubting; or (the moderateſt) a perſwaſion of our particular pardon, though mixt with ſome doubting: The Antinomians ſtrike in with them, and ſay the ſame: Hence even the greateſt of our Divines (Chamier, Polanus, Twiſſe, &c.) conclude, that Juſtification and Remiſſion go before faith (a deſperate errour) becauſe the Act doth alway ſuppoſe its object: For they thought that Remiſſion already paſt, was the object of Juſtifying Faith: ſuppoſing faith to be nothing elſe but a Belief that we are pardoned: Yea ordinarily, it hath been taught in the writings of our greateſt refuters of the Papiſts, That this Belief is properly a Divine faith, or the Belief of a Divine Teſtimony, as is the Believing of any Propoſition written in the Scriture (a foul error which I have confuted in my book of Reſt, Part. 3. Chap. 7.) Moſt of late have come neerer the truth, and affirmed Juſtifying Faith to conſiſt in Affiance, or Recumbency, or Reſting on Chriſt for ſalvation. No doubt this is one Act of Juſtifying faith; but not that which a poor troubled ſoul ſhould firſt ſearch after and try it ſelf by (except by Affiance, any ſhould mean as Ameſius doth, Election of Chriſt: and then it is the ſame act which I am aſſerting; but very unfitly expreſt.) For 1. Affiance is not the Principal act, nor that wherein the very life of Juſtifying faith doth conſiſt: but only an imperate following act, and an effect of the vital act (which is Conſent, or Willing, or Accepting Chriſt offered:) for it lyeth mainly in that which we call the ſenſitive part, or the Paſſions of the ſoul. 2. It is therefore leſſe conſtant, and ſo unfitter to try by: For many a poor ſoul that knowes it ſelf unfeignedly willing to have Chriſt, yet feeleth not a Reſting on him or Truſting in him, and therefore crys out, O I cannot believe; and think they have no Faith. For Recumbency, Affiance, or Reſting on Chriſt, implieth that eaſing of themſelves, or caſting off their fears, or doubts, or cares, which true believers do not alwayes finde. Many a poor ſoul complains, O I cannot reſt on Chriſt; I cannot truſt him! who yet would have him to be their Lord and Saviour, and can eaſily be convinced of their willingneſs. 3. Beſides, Affiance is not the Adequate act of faith, ſuited to the object in that fullneſs as it muſt be Received: but Willingneſs, or Acceptance, is, Chriſt is Reſted on only for our ſelves as our Deliverer: but he is Accepted alſo for Himſelf as our Lord and Maſter. The full proof of theſe, I have performed in other Writings, and oft in your hearing in publike, and therefore omit them now. Be ſure then to fix this truth deep in your minde. That Juſtifying faith is not an Aſſurance of our Juſtification, no nor a perſwaſion or belief that we are Juſtified or pardoned, or that Chriſt died more for us then for others; nor yet is Affiance or Reſting on Chriſt the vital, principal, certain, conſtant full act: but it is the Underſtandings belief of the truth of the Goſpel, and the Will's Acceptance of Chriſt and Life offered to us therein: which Acceptance is but the hearty Conſent or Willingneſs that he be yours and you his. This is the Faith which muſt Juſtifie and ſave you.
Object. But 1. May not wicked men be Willing to have Chriſt? 2. And do not you oft tell us that Juſtifying faith comprehendeth Love to Chriſt and Thankfulneſs, and that it receiveth him as a Lord to be obeyed, as well as a Deliverer? and that Repentance and ſincere Obedience, are parts of the Condition of the new Covenant?
Anſw. I will give as brief a touch now on theſe as may be, becauſe I have handled them in ſitter places. 1. Wicked men are willing to have Remiſſion, Juſtification and freedom from hell (for no man can be willing to be unpardoned or to be damned:) But they are not willing to have Chriſt himſelf in that nature and office which he muſt be Accepted; that is, As a holy Head and Huſband, to ſave them both from the Guilt, and Power, and all defilement and abode of ſin, and to Rule them by his Law, and Guide them by his Spirit, and to make them happy by bringing them to God, that being without ſin, they may be perfectly Pleaſing and Amiable in his ſight, and enjoy him forever. Thus is Chriſt offered, and thus to be accepted of all that will be ſaved; and thus no wicked man will accept him (but when he ceaſeth to be wicked.) 2. (To cut all the reſt ſhort, in a word, I ſay, That) in this fore-deſcribed Willingneſs or Acceptance, Repentance, Love, Thankfulneſs, Reſolution to obey, are all contained, or neerly implyed, as I have elſewhere manifeſted; ſo that the Heart of ſaving faith, is this Acceptance of Chriſt, or Willingneſs to have him to Juſtifie, Sanctifie, Guide and Govern you. Finde but this Willingneſs, and you finde all the reſt, whether you expreſly ſee them or not. So much for that Direction.