The Right Method for a Settled Peace of Conscience, Direction 30
DIRECTION XXX.
30. Whatſoever New Doubtings do ariſe in your ſoul, ſee that you carefully diſcern whether they are ſuch as muſt be reſolved from the Conſideration of General Grace, or of Special Grace: And eſpecially be ſure of this, that when you want or loſe your Certainty of ſincerity and ſalvation, you have preſently recourſe to the Probability of it, and loſe not the Comforts of that: Or if you ſhould loſe the ſight of a Probability of Special Grace, yet ſee that you have recourſe at the utmoſt to General Grace, and never let go the Comforts of that at the worſt.
THis Rule is of unſpeakable Neceſſity and uſe for your Peace and Comfort. Here are three ſeveral Degrees of the Grounds of Comfort. It is exceeding weakneſs for a man that is beaten from one of theſe holds, therefore to let go the other too: and becauſe he cannot have the higheſt Degree, therefore to conclude that he hath none at all.
I beſeech you in all your Doubtings and Complainings ſtill Remember the two Rules here laid down. 1. All Doubts ariſe not from the ſame Cauſe, and therefore muſt not have the ſame Cure. Let the firſt thing which you do upon every doubt, be this: To conſider Whether it come from the Ʋnbelieving or low Apprehenſions of the General Grounds of Comfort, or from the want of evidence of ſpecial Grace? For that which is a fit Remedy for one of theſe, will do little for the cure of the other. 2. If your Doubting be onelyonly Whether you be ſincere in Beli…ving, Loving, Hoping, Repenting and Obeying? then it will not anſwer this Doubt, though you diſcern never ſo much of Gods Merciful Nature, or Chriſts Gracious Office, or the Univerſal ſufficiency of his Death and Satisfaction, or the freeneſs and extent of the Promiſe of Pardon. For I profeſs conſiderately, that I do not know in all the Body of Popery concerning Merits, Juſtification, Humane Satisfactions, Aſſurance or any other point about Grace, for which we unchurch them, that they erre half ſo dangerouſly, as Saltmarſh and ſuch Antinomians do in this one point, when they ſay, That Chriſt hath Repented and Believed for us; meaning▪ it of that Faith and Repentance which he hath made the Conditions of our ſalvation: and that We muſt no more queſtion our own faith, then we muſt queſtion Chriſt the Object of it. It will be no ſaving Plea at the day of Judgement to ſay, Though I Repented not, and Believed not, yet Chriſt dyed for me, or God is merciful, or Chriſt Repented and Believed for me, or God made me a free Promiſe and Gift of ſalvation, if I would Repent and Believe. What Comfort would ſuch an Anſwer give them? And therefore doubtleſs it will not ſerve now to quiet any knowing Chriſtian againſt thoſe Doubts that ariſe from the want of particular evidence of ſpecial Grace: though in their own place, the General Grounds of Comfort are of Abſolute Neceſſity thereto.
2. On the other ſide, if your Doubts ariſe from any Defect in your Apprehenſions of General Grace; it is not your looking after Marks in your ſelf that is the way to Reſolve them. I told you in the beginning, that the General Grounds of Comfort lie in four particulars (that ſquare Foundation which will bear up all the Faith of the Saints.) Firſt, Gods merciful and unconceivably Good and Gracious Nature, and his Love to mankind. Secondly, the Gracious Nature of the Mediatour God and Man, with his moſt Gracious undertaken Office of Saving and Reconciling. Thirdly, the ſufficiency of Chriſts Death and ſatisfaction for all the world, to ſave them if they will Accept him and his Grace: I put it in terms beyond diſpute, becauſe I would not build up Believers Comforts on points which godly Divines do contradict (as little as may be:) Yet I am paſt all Doubt my ſelf, that Chriſt did actually make ſatisfaction to Gods Juſtice for All; and that no man periſheth for want of an Expiatory ſacrifice, but for want of faith to believe and apply it, or for want of Repentance, and yielding to Recovering Grace. The fourth is, The Univerſal Grant of pardon, and Right to ſalvation, on Condition of Faith and Repentance. If your Doubt ariſe from the Ignorance or overlooking of any of theſe, to theſe muſt you have recourſe for your Cure.
Where Note, that all thoſe Doubts which come from the greatneſs of your ſin, as ſuch that you think will not therefore be forgiven, or that come from the ſenſe of Unworthineſs, (in a Legal ſenſe) or want of Merit in your ſelf, and all your Doubts whether God be willing to accept and forgive you, though you ſhould Repent and believe; or whether any ſacrifice was offered by Chriſt for your ſins; I ſay, all theſe come from your Ignorance or Unbelief of ſome or all of the four General Grounds here mentioned; and from them muſt be cured.
Note alſo in a ſpecial manner, That there is a great difference between theſe four General Grounds, and your particular Evidences in point of Certainty: For theſe four Corner-ſtones are faſt founded beyond all poſſibility of Removal; ſo that they are always of as undoubted Certainty as that the Heaven is over your head; and they are immutable; ſtill the ſame. Theſe you are commanded ſtrictly to Believe with a Divine Faith, as being the clearly revealed Truths of God; and if you ſhould not Believe them, yet they remain firm and true, and your unbelief ſhould not make voyd the Univerſal promiſe and Grace of God. But your own Evidences of ſpecial Grace, are not ſo Certain, ſo Clear, or ſo Immutable; nor are you bound to Believe them, but to ſearch after them that you may know them: You are not bound by any Word of God ſtrictly to Believe that you do Believe, or Repent, but to try and diſcern it. This then is the firſt part of this Direction, That you always diſcover whether your troubles ariſe from low unbelieving or ignorant thoughts of Gods Mercifulneſs, Chriſts Gracious nature and office, General Satisfaction, or the univerſal Promiſe: or whether they ariſe from want of evidence of ſincerity in your ſelf? and accordingly in your thoughts apply the Remedy.
The ſecond part of the Direction is, that you hold faſt Probabilities of Special Grace when you loſe your Certainty, and that you hold faſt your General Grounds when you loſe both the former. Never forget this in any of your Doubts.
You ſay, your faith and obedience have ſuch breaches and ſad defects in them, that you cannot be Certain that they are ſincere. Suppoſe it be ſo: Do you ſee no great Likelyhood or hopes yet that they are ſincere? If you do (as I think many Chriſtians eaſily may, that yet receive not a proportionable comfort) remember that this is no ſmall Mercy, but matter of great conſolation.
But ſuppoſe the worſt, that you ſee no Grace in your ſelf: yet you cannot be ſure you have none: For it may be there, and you not ſee it. Yea ſuppoſe the worſt, that you were ſure that you had no true▪ Grace at all, yet remember that you have ſtill abundant cauſe of Comfort in Gods General Grace. Do you think you muſt needs Deſpair, or give up all Hope and Comfort, or conclude your ſelf irrecoverably loſt, becauſe you are Graceleſs? why be it known to you there is that ground of Conſolation in general Grace that may make the hearts of the very wicked to leap for joy. Do I need to prove that to you? You know that the Goſpel is called Glad tidings of ſalvation, and the Preachers of it are to tell thoſe to whom they preach it. Behold we bring you tidings of great Joy, and glad tidings to all People. And you know before the Goſpel comes to men they are miſerable. If then it be glad tidings and tidings of great joy to all the unconverted where it comes, why ſhould it not be ſo to you? and where is your great joy? If you be Graceleſs, is it nothing to know that God is exceeding merciful, ſlow to anger, ready to forgive, pardoning iniquity, tranſgreſſion and ſin? loving mankinde? Is it nothing to know that the Lord hath brought Infinite Mercy and Goodneſs down into humane fleſh? and hath taken on him the moſt bleſſed office of Reconciling, and is become the Lamb of God? Is it nothing to you, that all your ſins have a ſufficient Sacrifice paid for them, ſo that you are certain not to periſh for want of a Ranſom? Is it nothing to you, that God hath made ſuch an univerſal Grant of Pardon and Salvation to all that will Believe: and that you are not on the terms of the meer Law of Works, to be judged for not obeying in perfection? Suppoſe you are never ſo certainly Graceleſs, is it not a Ground of unſpeakable Comfort, that you may be certain that nothing can condemn you, but a flat refuſal or unwillingneſs to have Chriſt and his Salvation. This is a certain truth, which may comfort a man as yet unſanctified, that ſin meerly as ſin ſhall not Condemn him; nor any thing in the World, but the final obſtinate Refuſal of the Remedy, which thereby leaveth all other ſin unpardoned.
Now I would ask you this Queſtion in your greateſt fears that you are out of Chriſt: Are you Willing to have Chriſt to pardon, ſanctifie, guide and ſave you? or not? If you are; then you are a true Believer, and did not know it. If you are not; if you will but wait on Gods Word in Hearing and Reading, and Conſider frequently and ſeriouſly of the neceſſity and excellency of Chriſt and Glory, and the evil of ſin, & the vanity of the world, and wil but beg earneſtly of God to make you Willing, you ſhall finde that God hath not appointed you this means in vain, & that this way will be more profitable then all your complainings. See therefore when you are at the very loweſt, that you forſake not the Comforts of General Grace.
And indeed thoſe that deny any General Grace or Redemption, Do leave poor Chriſtians in a very lamentable Condition. For, alas, Aſſurance of Special Grace (yea or a high probability) is not ſo common a thing as meer Diſputers againſt Doubting have imagined. And when a poor Chriſtian is beaten from his Aſſurance (which few have) he hath nothing but Probabilities: and when he hath no confident probable perſwaſion of ſpecial Grace, where is he then? and what hath he left to ſupport his ſoul? I will not ſo far now meddle with that Controverſie, as to open further how this opinion tends to leave moſt Chriſtians in deſperation, for all the pretences it hath found? and I had done more, but that General Redemption or Satisfaction is commonly taught in the maintaining of the General Sufficiency of it, though men underſtand not how they contradict themſelves.
But perhaps you will ſay, This is cold comfort: for I may as well argue thus, Chriſt will damn ſinners: I am a ſinner, therefore he will damn me: as to argue thus, Chriſt will ſave ſinners: I am a Sinner: therefore he will ſave me. I anſwer: There is no ſhew of ſoundneſs in either of theſe Arguments. It is not a certainty that Chriſt will ſave you, that can be gathered from General Grace alone: that muſt be had from aſſurance of of ſpecial Grace ſuperadded to the General. But a conditional certainty you may have from General Grace onelyonly: and thus you may ſoundly and infallibly argue, God hath made a Grant to every ſinful man, of Pardon and ſalvation through Chriſts Sacrifice, if they will but Repent and Believe in Chriſt: but I am a ſinful man, therefore God hath made this Grant of Pardon and Salvation to me.