The Life of Justification Opened, Chapter 21
CHAP. XXI.
Justification is by Faith: what this Faith is, & how it is wrought.
HAving thus spoken unto, & laboured to clear up the Nature & some causes of this life of …ustification; we come, in the next place, to speak to the following part of the Text. Where the way, how this life of justification is brought about and attained, is pointed forth, when it is said. The just shall live by faith. Faith, we see, is here mentioned, as that which interesseth us in this privilege of life. Whence we see
1. That no man is made partaker of the life of Justification, before Faith; or that untill souls exercise faith, they are without this life of Justification. Some talk of a Justification from Eternity; & thus confound Justification with Gods love of Election; or with Gods decree & purpose to justifie. Some speak of Justification of all, in the death of Christ; but neither is this to be admitted, if we speak of actual Justification; It is true, Christ did, when he laid down the full price of Redemption, conforme to the Eternal compact betwixt Jehovah & Him, make an absolute & actual purchase of all those, that were given to him to be saved, & did buy & purchase all the Favours, Blessings & Privileges for them, which were afterward to be actually bestowed, in the time, & after the way & methode, condescended upon by Jehovah & the Mediator: (I am here speaking of such as came to have a being, in the world, after Christ had in the fulness of time, come & laid down the price; & not of those; who lived before, when Christ's death & Satisfaction had only a Moral being, & yet full efficacie to produce the same saving effects on beleevers:) and though in this respect, all the Elect may be said to have been virtually justified, when Christ laid down the actual price, and was justified from all the charge of their debt, that was laid upon him (as in some sense, it may be said, that all the Elect were virtually Justified in Him, when he undertook to make satisfaction for their debt) yet there is no actual Justification before Faith; according to the Scriptures that speak of justification, of adoption, & of Sanctification by Faith, shewing that these Benefites & Privileges follow Faith, as to their actuall being, though they were from eternitie decreed, as was also Glorification, & were actually procured by Christs death: in which respect, as also in respect of Christs undertaking or substituting himself in the room of sinners, they may be said to have been virtually, Sanctified & Glorified, even then. It is true, that before Faith, the justification actual of the Elect is every way secured, & all things tending thereunto are concluded & firmly laid, & all the other anteceding causes are existent, before Faith, for Christ is appointed & substitute Mediator; Christ hath accepted & undertaken the work of Mediation; He is come in the fulness of time, & hath laid down the full price; The Father is satisfied with the price paid. The Father laid upon him the iniquity of all the Elect, & He hath born it, & made full satisfaction, therefore he is accepted of the Father, as Head of the Elect justified & possessed of glory, so as they may be said to be risen with him in heavenly places, to wit virtually, & meritoriously; & all this before faith, Thus God was in Christ, reconciling the Elect world unto himself, not imputing trespasses unto them, because he imputed them to Christ & made him sin, who know no sin & this before the word of Reconciliation, ministred by the Ambassadours of Christ, hath wrought them up unto God by faith. 2 Cor. 5: 18, 19, 20. And this I think was more, then what Mr. Baxter saith confess. pag. 225, 226. to wit, that he was providing a sufficient remedie for the pardon of it, if they would accept of it freely given; for the world here spoken of is the world of the Elect, though he think otherwayes ibid. & the Lords not imputing their sin unto them, was more then his not dealing with them, according to the desert of their sin, but in mercy, for as yet many of them had not a being, and so were not capable of being dealt with, according to the desert of their sin; but it importeth, what is more emphatically expressed thereafter vers. 11. to wit, that God was laying their sins on Christ' and making him sin, as to its demerite, or guilt, for them, that they might in due time be made the Righteousness of God in him.
Yet notwithstanding of all this, actual justification & Reconciliation is not before …, as is clear from many passages of Scripture, asserting our justification, life to by faith, Rom. 1. 17. & 3. 28. & 9: 1. Ephes 2: 8. Gal. 2: 16, 20. Ad it cannot be said, to evite the force of these & the like Scriptures, that this is to be understood only of justification, as to our feeling, sense & apprehension: for the case, which the Apostle proveth all to be into before justification, in his Epistle to the Romans Chap. 1. & 2. & 3. is such as cannot consist with a justified state, as to be under sin, Rom. 3: 9. to have their mouth stopped & be guilty before God vers. 19. But it is manifest, that many, who are now not under the Law, nor under sin, but delivered from under both yet may & do want the sense & feeling of their justification, & doubt thereof. And beside this crosseth the whole scope of the Apostle, in proving justification by faith, which is to evince, that justification is not by the works of the law, or the works of Righteousness, which we do; so that the justification, whereof the Apostle speaketh, cannot be by works, but by faith alone; but the manifestation of justification to our sense & consciences, can well be by works, as Iames sheweth & proveth Chap. 2. Works can contribute unto this, but not unto that justification, whereof the Apostle speaketh, in his Epistles to the Romans & Galattans & which is justification in the sight of God.
That justification is not before faith, is manifest from the condition, which the Scripture telleth us, such are into, who have not yet beleeved; for if that condition be such, as is inconsistent with a state of justification & Reconciliation, there can be no justification before faith: now the Scripture telleth us, that such as beleeve not, are condemned Ioh. 3: 18. dead in trepasses & sins, children of wrath, Ephes. 2: 1, 2, 3. Without Christ, & without God in the world, & strangers from the Covenants of promise Ephes. 2: 12. have made God a liar, 1 Ioh. 5: 10. cannot please God Heb. 11: 6. By all which, & many like passages, that might be cited, it is manifest, that before faith, there is no real justification, Faith is required in order to adoption, & Remission of sins, and therefore must be before justification Ioh. 1: 12. Act. 10: 43. Gal 3: 26. Act. 13: 38, 39, of 26: 18. But enough of this, seing M. Baxter hath abundantly confuted it, in his Confess. pag. 229, &c.
Some move this Objection. If we are justified by faith, then faith is in order before justification; & consequently the act is before the object, whereas on the contrary, the act depends upon the object, & not the object upon the act, Thus Bellarm… de justif. lib. 1. c. 10. disputeth against the assertion, that maketh the special mercy of God to be the object of justifying faith: wherein the ground of the whole debate, lyeth in a mistake of that special mercy of God; and whatever mistake may be, at least as to expression, in the assertion, which Bellarmine opposeth; yet Bellarmius Opinion can no way be owned, who doth so defend the object of faith, as that he maketh justifying faith to be nothing but Historical Faith. Learned & grave Mr. Norton, in his Orthodox Euangelist Ch. 14. p. 314. in answering this objection, distinguisheth betwixt the being of justification & our being Justified; or betwixt justification in abstracto i. e. without the receiving subject thereof, & in concreto i. e. together with the beleever, The first, which signifieth Remission of sins and Righteousness to Acceptation prepared, though not yet conferred upon the Elect, he saith, hath a being before Faith and so the object is before the act: though the ather be after faith. But I conceive there is no great necessitie of this, for answering of the argument, if any should propose it, to evince justification before faith; and Bellarm. adduceth it not, to this end, as we saw; for I see no ground to assert justification to be the object of justifying faith, as if in order to justification, we were called to beleeve, that we are justified, and that our sins are pardoned: (as was said above) And as for this justification, considered in the abstract, which is said to have a being not only in the Purpose of God, but also in the Covenant, between the Father, & the Mediator, & in the Purchase of Christ; not only is it not called justification in Scripture, but also, in so far, as it is the object of faith (as all other revealed truthes are) it is of the elect in general, and not of this, or that particular person: so that though justifying faith may beleeve that God Purposed & Christ Purchased, & the Covenant of Redemption did expresly containe the justification of the Elect; yet it doth not beleeve, in order to the mans justification, that he in particular so was justified, either in the Purpose of God, or in the Purchase of Christ, or in the Covenant betwixt Iehovah & the Mediator; nor is this Faith called for, because this object is not a revealed truth: Yet this same justifying Faith, is of that Nature, as to produce afterward reflecting acts, whereby the man may see his own justification & be perswaded of it, in truth, & hence also be perswaded, that the Lord Purposed to justifie him in particular; that Christ Purchased his justification, in particular, and that it was an article of the Covenant of Redemption, that he in particular should be justified.
2. While it is said, That the just liveth by faith, we see that faith is the way, whereby persons come actually to live the life of justification; and hence it can not it self be the matter of their life: What interest properly faith hath in this affaire, must be debated afterward; to wit, whether it be properly imputed as the matter of our Righteousness; or only be to be considered as an Instrument: or as a Condition, & how so?
3. We see, That this living by Faith proveth that there is no justification by works, in the sight of God; whence it is manifest, that faith here cannot be considered as a work of the Law, or as a duty enjoined by the Law or under any such consideration. (2) That works have no interest as a cause, or condition, with Faith in justification. (3) That the life of justification, as to its continnation is by faith, and by faith, as opposite to works; for the just, (or the man already justified) liveth by faith: This being also questioned, we will have occasion to speak more to it afterward.
4. While it is said, the just liveth by faith, it is considerable, That this faith in its kinde, and not in such, or such measure, is here said to be the meane, whereby persons come to live the life of justification. So that this true Faith, how weak so ever is the only mean of interessing a soul in this privilege of justification. This will give occasion to speak of the object of this justifying faith, which will help to cleare the nature of it.
Our larger Catechisme qu. 72. giveth us such a definition or description of justifying faith, that may satisfy us as to most of these difficulties; The answere is this [justifying faith is a saving grace (Heb. 10: 39.) wrought in the heart of a sinner, by the Spirit (2 Cor. 4: 13. Ephes. 1: 17, 18, 19.) & word of God (Rom. 10: 14, 17.) whereby he being convinced of his sin & misery, & of the disability in himself & all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition (Act. 2: 37. & 16: 30. Ioh. 16: 8, 9. Rom. 5: 6. Eph. 2: 1. Act. 4: 12.) not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the Gosspel (Ephes. 1: 13.) but receiveth & resteth upon Christ and his Righteousness therein hold forth, for pardon of sin (Ioh. 1: 12. Act. 16: 31. & 10: 43.) & for the accepting and accounting of his person Righteous in the sight of God, for salvation (Phil. 3: 9. Act. 15: 11.)] And this question is none of these particulars, wherein Mr. Baxter in his Confess. desireth to dissent from the said Catechisme, as the next Question is; as we shall hear.
We may hence take notice of these particulars, concerning this faith', whereby it may be known, & distinguished from what some may mistake for it.
1. As to its nature, & kinde, it is saving; for all such, as have this grace of justifying faith, are in the sure way of salvation; & whatever faith persons may have, if they have not this, they are not in the sure path of life. There is a faith of miracles, both Active & Passive, as we may say, that is a faith to do miracles, and a faith to receive miracles wrought upon them. The first was that which the Apostles had and others, who wrought Miracles; and is to be understood Mat. 17: 20, 21. Luk. 17: 6. The other is that, which some of those had, who received miraculous cures, as the woman Mal. 9: 21, 21. and that Man, who cried out, I beleeve, help mine unbeleefe Mark. 9: 24. and the man of lystra Act. 14: 9. and others This in it self considered is not a saving grace. Iudas had this faith, whereby he cast our devils, and had commission to work miracles with the rest Mat. 10: 8. Luk. 9: 1, 6, 10. So also the Seventy disciples Luk. 10: 9, 17, 19. And how great a privilege so ever this was; yet Christ told them vers. 20. that it was a far greater matter, and much greater ground of joy, to have their names written in heaven, whereby he giveth us also to understand, that these are distinct & different from other, and also separable. Many (saith Christ Mat. 7: 22, 23.) will say to me, in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? & in thy name have cast out devils? & in thy name have done many wonderful works? And then will I professe unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity. And it is of this Faith, that Paul speaketh 1. Cor. 13: 2. & though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have no charity, I am nothing, Importing that this Faith may be, where there is no saving Christian Love. There is an Histori…al faith, that is a beleeving not only of the histories recorded in the word of God; but of the whole Revelation of God's minde there, yet only as things historically recorded, working up the man, in whom it is, unto a voluntary profession of that truth; This, though true in its kinde, yet is not saving, seing many may have this, who are strangers to true saving Faith. Simon Magns beleeved thus Act. 8: 13. who yet was but in the gall of bitterness & in the bond of iniquity vers. 23. Many beleeved in the name of Christ, when they saw the miracles, which he did, to whom notwithstanding Christ did not commit himself Ioh. 2: 23, 24. Christ had many disciples, who professed the truth and yet went back, & walked no more with him Ioh. 6: 66. This faith, when it cometh no further, is but such a Faith, as devils have, who beleeve, there is a God, & tremble Iam. 2: 19. This is the fruitless, workless Faith, that iames speaketh of Iam. 2: 14. that cannot save, & which he calleth a dead faith. vers. 17, 20. a faith that cannot work with works vers. 22. There is a Temporary faith, which (whether we look upon, as distinct from the preceeding historical faith, or as an higher measure & degree thereof, the matter is not much) is also different from & far short of this saving Faith, whereby a man cometh to live the life of Iustification, though it hath some effect wrought upon the affections; this is the stonie-ground that receiveth the sowen seed Mat. 13: 20, 21. These are they, who hear the word, and anon with joy receive it, yet have no root in themselves, but endure for a while only; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth, because of the word, by & by they are offended.
2. Every act of saving Faith, is not the justifying act of faith, or that act thereof, whereby we are Justified before God. Saving Faith hath many several acts, as we may see Heb. 11. Though where ever there are any of the real acts of saving faith, that man hath also acted justifying faith: yet we may look on Justifying Faith, or on the act of faith whereby the soul becometh Justified, as some way distinct from other acts of Saving Faith. Though by saving Faith we come to understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God Heb. 11: 3. not in a meer historical manner, but savingly; yet, that act of saving Faith, is not the Justifying act thereof, to speak so. Though the same Faith by which the Ancients subdued kingdomes, stopped the mouthes of Lions, quenched the violence of fire &c. was that by which they were justified, yet these were not justifying acts of that faith; that is, in order to justification, faith acteth in another peculier manner: Though it be one & the same saving faith, whereby a beleever is united unto Christ, in order to answer the Challenges & Accusations of the Law, & to free him from guilt & condemnation, and maketh use of Christ's Right, Strength Support &c. in times of Darkness, Temptations & Difficulties: yet these acts of the same faith are not the same, but may be looked upon as distinct: Faith acteth one way on Christ in order to Justification, & another way in order to Sanctification: Faith acteth one way, when it receiveth in, and another way, when it giveth out, as it were, Faith acteth one way on Christ as Priest, and it acteth another way upon him, as Prophet & as King: yet we would know, that in all these actings of faith, whole Christ is laid hold upon, though more expresly & explicitly, in the uniting act, whereby the soul is married unto Jesus, & thereby becometh one spirit with him. There can be no use making of Christ for any end whatsomever, untill the soul be united with himself, and in every act of faith, whereby Christ is made use of, for what ever particular mercy the Beleever would have, be it Pardon, Light, Strength, Comfort, or such like, Christ himself is gripped to, & laid hold on; for there is no separating of Him & his favours: yet the Beleever, while gripping & laying hold on whole Christ, taketh him up under that Relation, and eyeth that Office; that most neerly answereth to and correspondeth with his present necessity, and pointeth forth that good, which he is now desirous of, & so acteth faith suitablie or putteth forth faith in suitable acts: as for example, when the beleever is troubled with conscience of guilt, he runneth to Christ, yet in a special manner he goeth to him, as Priest, & eyeth that Blood, that only can purge consciences from dead works Heb. 9: 14. When he is troubled with Raging Corruptions, & would have them subdued, or would have his hard Rebellious Heart made more soft & pliable to God's will, he goeth to Christ; yet in special manner, he eyeth Christ as a King & acteth Faith upon him accordingly; So when he is troubled with Ignorance, Doubts, and Darkness, he goeth to Christ; yet he eyeth him th…n especially as a Prophet & accordingly acteth Faith upon him. Yet we would know, that when the Beleever acteth thus, in this different manner, upon Christ; whether as a Prophet, or as a Priest, or as a King, there is no exclusion, far less any denyal of the other offices; which cannot be, because Christ himself, & consequently whole Christ, is alwayes He, to whom the beleever goeth, though with a more express, explicite & special application to & usemaking of that office & work of Christ, which most suiteth the beleevers present necessity. Now, though all these acts of faith, be acts of saving faith; yet they are not all that act of faith which is or may be (for distinctions sake) called, the Justifying act of faith; for this is that act of faith only, which the soul exerteth, in order to Justification, and Absolution from the Curse of the Law.
3. This Faith is no product of the power of Nature, accompanied with all its advantages, & elevated to its highest pitch, & to the highest measure of accomplishments: Nature, as now corrupted & depraved, not only will not willingly complye with the designe of Grace in the Gospel; but it cannot, being nothing but pure enmity to the holy Wayes & Counsels of God; all its mindings are of the flesh, and all the minding of the flesh, or the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be Rom. 8: 7. Persons, deluded by Satan, may imagine, & suppose with themselves, that it is so wholly in their power to beleeve, that they can exerte that Faith, at what time so ever they will: But, howbeit, out of their own mouths such unbeleevers stand convinced, & condemned, for their not beleeving; yet the mighty power of God's Spirit must be exerted, ere they be brought unto a beleeving frame, or their souls be made to look towards Jesus in earnest, so as to lay hold on him by Faith. Therefore is Faith called the gift of God Ephes. 2: 8. There is the working of the might of God's power requisite unto beleeving Ephes. 1: 19. Such then, as have not the workings of the Spirit of God, Inclining, Drawing, Perswading & Causing the heart beleeve, are real strangers to this grace, whatever great Enduements & Gifts, or ordinary effects of the Spirit they may be possessed of.
The author of a Discourse of the two Covenants (a book recommended to us by Mr. Baxter, in his preface, prefixed thereunto, as a Treatise, which will give us much light, into the Nature of the Gospel) pag. 24. tels us, that man himself, is not wholly passive, in this change, or what goes to the making of it; but is so far active in it, as to denominate what he doth by God's assistance to be his own act. Whereby he sufficiently discovereth an Arminian designe; yet so qualifieth his expressions, as may abundantly show, he intendeth to evade. For he will not say, that man is not at all passive, in this change, but only, that he is not wholly passive; and yet he dar not say this confidently, but must adde, or what goes to the making of it: and how much he may comprehend under this, who can tell? But if man be not passive, he must be active. How far then is he active? So far, saith he, as to denominate what he doth by God's assistance, to be his own act. That the act of Faith is mans act, is most certain, for it is he that beleeveth; but the question is, what change is wrought in the soul, by the Spirit of God, before the act of faith be exerted? and what hand mans labours and endeavours have in the infusion of the new Principle, the Divine Nature? Is not the man purely passive, in the receiving of the effect of that creating act, or in the work of Regeneration? That the Lord prescribeth the use of ordinary means, wherein the man is to waite for the free & gracious working of the Spirit is true; but there is no connexion made by the Lord, by any Law or Constitution, betwixt the use of these meanes, and the gracious work of faith, nor betwixt ordinary Light & Conviction, and the like common effects of these meanes, and Saving Grace. Yet he tels us afterward, that if man do but what he can do, through the assistance of God's: common providente (in whom we live, & move, & have our being) God is most ready, through his good pleasure, or out of the goodness of his will & pleasure, to work in him, both to will & to do savingly, to carry the work quite thorow. But what Scripture doth teach us this? Sure I am, that Phil. 2: 12, 13. with which he ushereth in this discourse, giveth no ground for this; for that is spoken to such, in whom the work of Salvation is already begun, and who are commanded to work it out, & to say, that the case is the same, is to overturne the whole Gospel, and present us with pure Pelagianisme; is there as sure & certane a connexion betwixt mans work of nature & God's gracious works of Grace, as is betwixt the work of grace Begun & Carried on? His adducing afterward p. 25. the commands to make ourselves a new heart, & to repent &c. to enforce this, is but the old Pelagian argument brought againe upon the stage, to which I have said what I hope will befound Consonant to the Scripture, in my book against the Quakers. But this man discovereth himself more plainly afterward pag. 28, where after mentioning some acts of men, which cannot be called acts of super-natural grace, he tels us, if men will but go thus far (as they can) out of a real-desire to …e happy, I should make no question, but that the Spirit of God would yeeld them his assistance to carry them quite through, in the work of conversion. Beside that connexion, whereof he maketh no question, though the orthodox have hithertill denied it, writting against Pelagians, Iesuites & Arminians, we may observe this, here, That nature can carry the work of conversion quite through, having only the assistance of the Spirit of God; and what difference is there then betwixt Nature & Begun Grace: for begun Grace needeth the assistance of the Spirit of God, to work Salvation quite thorow; and Nature needeth no more? where are then the Infused Habites? Is Regeneration only brought about by assistance? Need they, who are dead, no more but Assistance? If this Author help us to clearness in the doctrine of the Gospel, it must be the Gospel, that only Pelagians, Iesuites, Arminians & Quakers owne; but not the Gospel of the Grace of God revealed to us, in the Word; which telleth us of something more requisite unto the Conversion of a sinner, & to the bringing of him to Beleeve & Repent, than the Cooperation of God's assistance (as he speaketh pag. 25.) & mans endeavours. He tels us pag. 26. that there is a promise of divine assistance to Man, using his …ndeavours in doing what he may, & can do towards the performing the condition of the Covenant: But he showeth us not, where that promise is to be found: and pag. 17. he talks of an implicit promise; and this he very wonderfully inferreth from the Gospel, that was preached to Abraham: for thus he speaketh, for God in promising blessedness to the Nations through Abrahams seed, therein promised all that was absolutly necessary for him to vouch safe to make them blessed, & without which they could not be blessed. And if so, then he therein implicitly promised to assist the endeavours of men to perform the condition of the promise, without the assistance of whose grace, they cannot savingly beleeve repent & obey. Whence it would seem (1) that all men, are comprehended within this promise; and (2) That no more is promised in reference to the Elect, than to the Reprobat. (3) That the promise of faith & Repentance, is but a promise of of Assistance. (4) And this promise of Assistance, is not to assist Grace, but to assist Nature. (5) That the promise of Faith & Repentance was but an implicite promise, This is a sufficient taste of this Authors Pelagian-Gospel.
4. We proceed. This work of the Spirit upon the soul, whereby the man is brought to a closing with, and to a resting upon Christ, is ordinarily wrought by the word: for faith cometh by hearing, & hearing by the word of God Rom. 10: 17. The Lord hath established that great Ordinance of Preaching, for this end; and for this end, he blesseth it unto his chosen ones, we meane not this exclusivly, as i… the word could no other way beblessed; for he blesseth, as he seeth good, for this end, the Reading of, & Meditation on the word also; though the grand & special mean be the Preaching; as we see Act. 2: 37, 41. & 8: 26-30. & 26: 18. The Lord, it is true, may send wakenings by his Judgments & by other like Occasions; & may blesse the private Endeavours of Parents & friends, by their private Instructions & Admonitions: yet all these are no way prejudicial unto, but rather contribute to the confirming of the privilege of the word, as the Principal Mean & Ordinance, both as leading thereunto, & as receiving strength thereby: for what ever real beginnings the Lord may work so, they have this effect to commend the word more unto these persons, &, in special, the publick Administration thereof by his Authorized Ambassadours: so that whatever saving work be wrought, as it is not altogether without the word, some way or other made known; so it tendeth to the further usmaking of the word publickly administred, where it may be had, as Saul, when under that terrible work of God Act. 9. was directed to go to Ananias in Damascus, to understand what he should do, & Cornelius was ordered Act. 10. to send for Peter, to get instruction in the wayes of God. And whatever work of Light, Conviction, or Terrour, be wrought upon any occasion, that is attended with a contrary effect, is to be suspected, as not of God, nor saving. How dreadful then their Condition is, who have not the word, but are without the pale of the Church, where this word is preached; & their condition also, who, though living within the Church, have this word as a sealed book, needeth not be said.
5. The condition of soul, unto which the Man is brought by the Spirit, accompanying the Administration of the word, in order to his actual beleeving, is considerable here; for thereby we will be helped to understand better the Nature and Actings of Faith, whereby only, as a mean, reliefe is brought unto the soul; and to know what that reliefe is, and wherein it lyeth, that the distessed man is pursueing after, & seeking with earnesness. In order to which, we would know,
(1) That the Spirit by the Word beareth home Convictions of Sin and Misery, discovereth to the man, how he standeth guilty of the breach of the Law of God, & so chargeth sin home upon him, both Original and Actual, & thereby fixeth guilt upon the Conscience, shewing how he hath forfeited all Right to blessedness & life, & how moreover he is under the Curse, threatned to the breakers of the Law, and hath the wrath & malediction of God hanging over him: He is made to see the sins he never saw before, both of Omission & Commission, & the sad Consequences thereof, to wit, how he is obnoxious to the penalty, the insupporrable wrath of the living God. Thus the Spirit convinceth of sin Ioh. 16: 8, 9. thus he openeth their eyes, & turneth them from darkness to light, in so far Act. 26: 18. thus the secrets of the heart are made manifest 1. Cor. 14: 24, 25. and they become lost in themselves, like a lost sheep, the lost piece of mency; & the lost son Luk. 15: 6, 9, 24. and like one of those whom Christ came to seek & to save Mat. 18: 11. Luk. 19: 10. These are the sinners mentioned Mal. 9: 13. that is, such as are now brought by the work of the Spirit, to see & feel their sinful condition, to know that they are sinners, and that they are in a lost condition.
2) There is a discovery made of their Inability to relieve & help themselves out of this woful condition of sin & miserie. They are made to see, that nothing in them, or in any other creature, can make satisfaction unto the justice of God & thereby redeem them from the Curse of the Law, and from the wrath of God, that is lying upon them, the sense & apprehension whereof doth now presse & pinch them sore. Which maketh them cry out, with these pricked in their hearts Act. 2: 37: & 16: 30. What shall we do to be saved? They see, they cannot keep the Law: & though they could, it would not availe, as a Compensation & Satisfaction to the Justice of God, for the by gone innumerable Transgressions, whereof they stand guilty.
Whereby we see, that the troubled wakened soul, in this case, is brought to a desparing in himself. He is under the sentence, and he seeth nothing under heaven that can command Peace to his soul; nothing within him, nor without him, beside God, that can bring him out of this Prison, & relieve him from this dreadful sentence, under which he is lying, as a condemned Malefactor: And we see, what is properly the reliefe, that he would be at, and that he only desireth: to wit, To be freed & delivered from the sentence of the Law, and from the curse of God; & to be brought into a state of Favour & Reconciliation with God, that his sins may be pardoned, he may be accepted of God, as Righteous, & so brought into a State of Peace & Salvation. This is the plaister, that his soul is longing for; this is the only remedie that can relieve him; this is the only good that he can be satisfied with: all the Pleasures, Honours, & Rihes of the world will bring no reliefe or ease to his distressed soul: And when he findeth tha… this is not to be found in himself, nor in any other Creature, he must look for it, elsewhere. And thefore
(3) When the Spirit of the Lord is carrying on this work, he, by the preaching of the Gospel, convinceth the man of the reality & truth thereof, & discovereth the Suitablness, Fulness, Satisfactoriness, Glory & Excellency of the remedie, that is hold forth in that Gospel, that hath brought life & immortality to Light, even in the Gospel of the grace of God, wherein is revealed, what Christ God-man hath done & suffered, to satisfie the justice of God: therein is the Righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: There he seeth, that the Father is well pleased with him, & with the Sacrifie, which he offered up for sins, Whence the poor wakened sinner seeth, that his case is not utterly desperate, & that there is hope for him, through Jesus; or at least that it is possible, he may be saved from the wrath to come; & a may be of reliefe is a great reliefe: And he seeth, that if that Righteousness & Satisfaction of Christ were made over to him, or he interessed therein, he were well; for that would sufficiently guarde him from the wrath of God, and secure him, as to future blessedness. Thus the Spirit, by the word, revealeth the Gospel of Salvation to the end the wakened sinner may see his reliefe there, & betake himself to the only reliefe that is held forth there.
6. Hence we see, that while the wakened sinner is in this condition, his maine & only work will be, how he may be interessed in that al sufficient Redemption, & Purchase of Christ, to the end he may be partaker of the Ben…fites, that flow there from, and so be freed from the state of Sin, Wrath & Enmity, wherein he is now … plunged: And when the Gospel calleth for Faith, in order to this, & he findeth, that it is not in his power to Beleeve, but that it is the pure gift of God, who must give the new heart, & the heart of flesh, & must regenerat & beget him of new, & so create a new Principle of grace in his soul, to the end he may be brought to act Faith on the offered mediator & Mediation, & accept thereof, as his only Cure & Remedie.
7. So that, when the Spirit worketh up the soul to beleeve, he causeth him sweetly acquiesce, in the way of Redemption, revealed in the Gospel, and to count it a faithful saying, and worthie of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners 1. Tim. 1: 15. and to comply sweetly with the designe thereof, in all points: and for that end to close with Christ, and to accept of him upon his offer, and particularly to rest upon him, and his Righteousness, revealed in the Gospel, as the only ground of their hope & peace: This being the thing that their soul longeth after, to wit, how they shall get guilt taken away & they be clothed with a Righteousness, wherein they may with confidence appeare before God, the Spirit of God, when working the soul up to a compliance with the remedie, held forth in the Gospel, causeth them accept of Christ, as made of God unto them, Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification & Redemption, and every such soul to say. In the Lord our Righteousness, have I Righteousness. In him alone will I look for Pardon, Acceptance, Reconciliation & life, & on him alone will I roll my debt, & there will I rest, in hope.
8. Therefore, this Faith, though it bring the soul unto Christ, as the only Redeemer, and is the mans clasping his armes about him, & embraceing him, as all his Salvation, & rolling all his weight upon him, yet it looketh to & in a special manner, eyeth the Satisfaction, Merites & Righteousness of Christ; for that is it, which the man mainly now standeth in need of Justice must be satisfied, saith he, my sins must be pardoned, I must be accepted in favour with God, I must have a Righteousness where with my sins may be covered, and the month of justice, of the Law, & of my challenging conscience, may be stopped, & whereby I may have Right to life: and this being held forth in the Gospel, Faith bringeth the soul to a resting on this Righteousness of Christ, that he may be found in Christ, not having his own Righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the Righteousness, which is of God by faith Phil. 3: 9. This is to beleeve on Christ Ioh. 3: 16, 36. Act. 16: 31. & faith in his blood Rom. 3: 25. Thus the soul refugeth it self from the storme of wrath, under the wings of Christ, and hideth itself, as it were, in him from the avenger of bloud, the wrath of an angry God, purseing for a broken Law. And here, the Man abideth hid in Christ, and eleaveth to him, as being glued to him, and utterly unwilling to be separat from him, or to appear without his garment of Righteo…sness, which faith fasteneth on the soul; and the man by faith trusteth to this way, and resteth upon it with full confidence, nothing doubting of his saiftie thereby.
9. By this we see, how the way of justification by Gospel-faith serveth both for setting forth the Glory of God, the Riches of Free Grace, and for abaseing of Man, as also for secureing of Life unto the Beleever: for (1) Hereby the Man is convinced of his guilt & declareth himself to be guilty; for he his guilty before God foreign Rom. 3: 19. he is made speachless knowing nothing to speak in his own defence, nor no apologie to give in, his mouth is stopped, and he can say nothing, but cry out, guilty, I am a childe of death, the Lord is Righteous, should he damne me for ever, I must justifie him, when he speaketh, and cleare him when he judgeth Psal. 51: 4. (2) Hereby the Man pronunceth & sweareth himself poor & bare; he forsaketh all, and renunceth all, that formerly he had any eye upon, or confidence in, counting them losse & dung, as Paul did Phil. 3. He proclameth himself Empty, Lost, & Naked, and declareth he hath nothing that he can leane to, within himself. He accounteth all his former Righteousness to be nothing but rotten rags, and filthy rags, and Professeth that he knoweth nothing within himself, wherefore, or whereupon he can expect Reconciliation with the Lord, and to be Accepted of him. (3) Thus all ground, or occasion of boasting, or of glorying before men, is taken away from the beleever Rom. 3: 27. & 4: 1. (4) Thus the glorious beauty of free Grace shineth forth. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be of grace. Rom. 4: 16. Grace here appeareth in its own glory, when free grace without us, & contrare to our demerites, doth all, provideth the Sacrifie, accepteth of the same, in their behalfe for whom it was offered up, bringeth them to the actual participation of the fruites and effects thereof by working up their hearts to a satisfaction in it & to a resting upon it, & all this freely, out of free Love. It is corruptly said by the fore mentioned Author of that discourse of the two Covenants pag. 42. that Grace appeareth, in the Lord's making Faith the condition of the promise, in that great things are promised upon such a possible practicable easie condition, as faith is, considering the meanes and assistance promised by God to work it: for this spoileth Grace of its Glory, when Man is looked upon, & said to be the principal author of saith, as he is, upon the matter, said to be, when all that God doth, is but called assistance, and at least the man may challenge, as his owne, no small share of the Glory of acting Faith, and of going so great a length in the way to Faith, without any more assistence, than he hath need of, to eate his meat when hungry, and of going on his own feet to the very place, where God stood ready to lend him a hand to help him forward. Not to mentione, how this altereth the whole Nature of the Covenant of Grace, making it nothing but a new edition of the old Covenant of works. (5) It is of faith to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed Rom. 4: 16. When all the business is wrought, as it were, to our hand, and nothing more requisite to interesse us, in the noble Effects of all, than our consent, & this also is wrought by the Spirit of God conforme to the Covenant of Redemption, can a more ensureing way be imagined? Alas! what ground of Confidence or of Certainty, can the Arminian & Socinian way, followed by the formentioned Author, give to a poor soul? When all is made to hang upon the tottering & inconstant will of man, who hath no more from God, but some common assistances, standing ready to attend him, if he advance so far his alone without them; & when he hath gotten them to day, may run back, & undo all againe to morrow, & Apostatize for ever; for this also is a part of that Gospel, that this man will teach us, pag. 135. if we beleeve Mr. Baxter's Preface. Beside that hereby, no man can win to any solide Peace, or Joy, so long as he liveth; for he is but still performing the Condition of his Justification, and perfecting it by his works; so that till they be at an end, the Condition of Justification is not performed, and consequently no Justification: and it is the maine scope of this mans discourse to prove the interest of Gospel-obedience (as he calleth it) as a Condition, as well as Faith, or rather as a part or best part of practical Faith, in the matter of Justification.
10. Hence we may also see, how erroneous & dangerous that definition of faith as Evangelical, Christian & Justifying, is, which the mentioned Author giveth us pag. 38. to wit, Such an hearty assent & consent unto God's declaration in the Gospel by his Son, concerning Christ himself & his Grace & Favour towards men by him, & concerning their own duty, as causeth a man to expect from God, and to act in a way of duty, according to the tenor of such a declaration, & his own concerns in it. This upon the matter is the very faith of Adam, only Adam heard no word of Christ; & so it is but a Law-faith, & no Gospel-Faith. And againe more plainly by way of explication, he saith pag. 39. nor is it a bare beleefe, that God will for Christ's sake pardon & save, as many as truely repent & amend their lives & become new creatures; unless they so beleeve all this, as seriously & heartily to repent themselves of their former folly, and to return to their duty in new Evangelical obedience. Not only doth this man take away from Justifying & saving Faith, all that peculiar closing with Christ, & accepting of him, as Redeemer, & all particular & special eye or respect had to his Righteousness & Mediation; but he maketh Iustification depend on works, as well as on faith, or on works, as the integral parts of practical justifying faith: It is true, Saving faith, cannot but bow & incline the man, in whom it is, to all holy Obedience; But to make these thus to be included in Faith, as the Condition of Justification, is to give us the Socinian Iustification, & the Socinian Faith, for the true orthodox justification & faith: and if this be the Gospel justification, & Gospel faith which (as Mr. Baxter thinks) this look will help us unto, the Socinians are better acquainted with the Gospel, than the orthodox have been, or are. And to evince this (which is all I need to do here) I shall propose a few of their Assertions concerning Faith, that the Reader may judge what harmonie is betwixt this Author & them. The Racov. Catech. cap. 9. de fide tels us, that faith is a Trust in God, whereby we not only confide in him, but also obey him. This is short yet fully the same with our Auther's. Socinus himself dial de justif. f. 11. what is that to beleeve in his name? It is receive him, to beleeve his words, to confide in him, & finally to obey him. And in not: in dial f. 25. he tels us, that the faith by which we are justified, doth containe obedience to the commands, not as an effect, but as its substance & forme, yea (faith he) it is obedience it self. And againe de fid. & oper. f. 60. he faith, I will have nothing else, than to con…ide de in Christ; and this is done & receiveth its perfection, & as it were, its forme, when obedience is yeelded unto his commands: So that betwixt justifying faith & good works there is no difference. See him further f. 123. 134. Smalcius de divin. Christ. cap. 14. f. 38. tels us, that faith in Iesus Christ is a firme assent unto what he hath said & a confideing truely so called, whereby not only we firmly beleeve what he hath said concerning us, but we confide in him & adhere to him, (this is much more, than our Author saith) & heartly embrace his doctrine as celestial & saving, placeing our considence & hope in him, as such & so great, a King, & as our Priest (fy upon our Author, that is less orthodox, than this Socinian) hanging wholly upon him, with a firme hope to obtaine these things, which he hath promised to such as obey him, that is, if we amend our lives, according to his prescriptien, we are confident to receive remission of sins, deliverance from death & eternal life. But you will say, there is no mention made of good works in this faith. See therefore what he saith disp. 6. cont. Frantz de bon. ope. Thes. 53, 55, 63, 68. We do not (saith he) consider two parts of faith. Trust in God, & Obedience to his commands, but we distinguish them, as if they were two: for albeit really they may be taken for encthing, & are one, they can be some way distinguished - Obedience is rather the forme of faith, or faith it self, than any part of it. And in this, the Arminian Remonstrants in their Confess. cap. 10. s. 1, 2, 3. do homolegate with the Socinians, telling us, that faith comprehendeth all the commands of the Gospel, and that the command of Faith must no other-way be considered, than as by a natural proprietie it includeth obedience, and is a fruitful mother of good works: and that faith thus considered comprehendeth a mans whole conversion, prescribed in the Gospel. Socinus is plaine Synops. 1. s. 8. and tels us, that the way of justification is the same under both Covenants, seing in both on God's part was required Remission of sins: & on mans part, Repentance, & Obedience to his commands, which is truely that very faith, that every did, & ever will make man acceptable unto God. And then tels us, that we must beware to make sanctification an effect of justification. These things may shew, that this part, at least, of this Authors Gospel is more learned out of the Socinian & Arminian Scholes, than out of the Scriptures: and if we would be guided into this, we may follow other more ancient leaders, than is this Author, whom else where, I suppose, Mr. Baxter calleth Mr. W. Allen.
11. We would also take notice of this, That when the Scripture saith, the just liveth by faith, or we are justified by faith, the meaning must not be, we are justified by Hope, or we are justified by Love, or we are justified by Patience or by any other Grace: for though all these Graces of the Spirit, may be conceived as springing from one and the same root, & seed of God, which is planted in the soul, in the new birth; and though, we may, by our acute wits, so explaine each, as to include the rest, more or less: Yet as divine Revelation is the ground of all our Faith, in this matter, so Scripture expressions, are the best guide to us, in our Expressions & Conceptions about this matter. And as the Scripture doth speak of and name these Graces, as formally distinct, ascribing to each their distinct, and several Operation, End and Use; so we never read, that we are said to be. justified by Love, or by Patience, or by Hope, or any other; but alwayes by Faith. This certanely must instruct us, that Faith here hath a peculiar and singular interest, & must be considered, as looking to Christ, in a different way, from Hop & Love, which also have Christ for their object, or Christ must be the object of Faith, in another manner & under some other consideration, than he is the object of other graces.
12. It is also considerable, that it is simply said, the just man liveth by faith, or we are justified by faith, and not the just man liveth, or we are justified, by a strong faith, or by a faith continueing to the end: Though it be true, that a true & lively Faith is of that Nature, that it will continue to the end, and will grow; yet we may not say, that only a strong Faith, or a Faith as continueing to the end, is the condition of the Covenant, or of Justification; for hence it would follow, that as no man of a weak, yet true and sincere Faith, could be said to be Justified, so no man could be said to be Justified untill his Faith had endured to the end, which is contrary to Scripture, speaking of beleevers, while in their infancy, as justified & adopted, as partakers of, or at least, as having a Right to the consequences of Justification, such as Pardon, Peace, Glorying in Tribulation, and Comfort &c. The promise granteth Justification and Adoption to Faith, that is of the right kinde, & no mention is made of that Qualification thereof, He that beleeveth is passed from death to life, and shall never die &c. Ioh. 3: 36. Ioh. 3: 16, 18. Ioh. 1: 12. If the meaning of such, as make Faith, as continneing to the end, the condition of the Covenant and of Justification, were this, That Faith as continued in to the end is the Mean of Continuance in the Covenant, and in the state of Justification, they should speak truth: for the just liveth by faith first & last, as by Faith they are brought into the estate, so by faith they are continued therein; Faith maketh the first Union, Faith continueth it: But of this we shall have occasion to speak more afterward.
13. This faith is not one single act of the soul, nor seated in one faculty, The various things, spoken of it in Scripture, and the various objects it acteth upon, and is exercised about, and the various and different necessities, which beleevers stand into, with the corresponding uses, which faith serveth for, in these necessities, cleare it to be no one single act of the Soul: I would rather call it the act of the whole Soul, than the act of any faculty, whatsomever.