A Practical Discourse of Gods Sovereignty, Part 6 · Section 3 – Section 7
We read in John 6. 60. That many of Chriſt's diſciples forſook him: In Timothy, Of ſome, who as concerning the Faith, had made Shipwreck: And of Simon Magus, who once believed, and was afterwards found in the bond of Iniquity?
The Objection has an intire Anſwer made-ready to its hand,1 Tim. 1. 19. Acts 8. 13, 23. in 1 John 2. 19. They went out from us, becauſe they were not of us; For, if they had been of us, they would [no doubt] have continued with us. Seeming Faith may really be loſt, as theirs was; And Real Faith may Seemingly be loſt, as was the Apoſtles, Luke 24. 21. Heb. 4. 1. Seeming Faith is really loſt,Phil. 1. 18. Rom. 2. 20. 1 Tim. 6. 5. becauſe it was but Seeming; Real Faith cannot be loſt, becauſe it is Real. Yet, we ſhall find, That that which is but ſeeming, is frequently call'd by the name of that it ſeems to be; As in Matth. 13. 12. It is ſaid, That which he [hath;] In Luke 8. 18, (ſpeaking of the ſame thing) it is rendred, That which he [Seemeth] to have: So thoſe who forſook Chriſt; they were diſciples but in ſhew; They never believed in truth; as appeares by the 64 verſe of the 6. John, Jeſus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not: And this (viz. becauſe it was but a ſeeming faith they had) He gives as the Reaſon of their Now-forſaking Him.
As for Simon Magus the Anſwer is as cleer concerning him; where let us conſider,
1. That a Man may be ſaid to believe, and yet not be a Believer; As a Right…ous Man To Sin, and yet not be a Sinner. To be a Believer, is to be thorow-paced in faith; To believe all that is to be believed; and to have the heart united to it: Thus Simon believed not; and if he had, he could not have thought the Holy Ghoſt vendible for Money.
2. His faith ſeems to be onelyonly ſuch a belief concerning Philip, as the Samaritans ſometimes had concerning Simon; viz.Acts 8. That he was the great power of God. For, finding himſelf over-matcht by Philip, who caſt-out the Spirits which he (perhaps) had poſſeſſed them with; he could not, now, but give the precedency to Philip, as having a greater power than himſelf: and therefore, he continued with Philip, wondring at what he did; v. 13.
3. Simon's believing might be only an outward profeſſional faith, taken-up for by-reſpects; (which may well be ſuppoſed) to preſerve his intereſt and repute among the people, who now began to fall from him, and to follow Philip; whoſe diſciple he himſelf will profeſs to be, rather than be quite caſhier'd. Beſides, this profeſſion of his, might (in his conceit) be a ſtep towards his purchaſing the gift of the Holy Ghoſt; which if he could obtain, he had then been agen in as good a Condition, for reputation and profit, as before.
If any would ſay, We read not of this diſtinction of faith, into true and falſe. I anſwer.
The Scripture frequently ſpeaks of perſons and things, according to Vulgar Eſteem; or what they profeſſ…d themſelves to be;2 Chr. 28. 23. Ahaz is ſaid To Sacrifice to the Gods of Damaſcus that ſmote him: and yet neither were they Gods, nor did they ſmite him: but it's ſpoke according to his own ſuperſtitious opinion of them. So, thoſe 400 Men who prophecied afore Ahab, 1 King. 22. 6.They are called Prophets; Not that they were ſo indeed, but becauſe they So profeſſed themſelves; or becauſe So reputed by Ahab and the people. A prophet is one that is inſpired by the Holy Ghoſt; which thoſe Men were not, but by a lying ſpirit. Now, Simon Magus was no more a true Believer,ver 22. than thoſe true Prophets; Nor his faith any more of the right kind, than their predictions true prophecies. We alſo find, that the Scripture makes the Coming-to-paſs of the thing foretold, to be the evidence of a true prophet: According to which Rule, Perſ…verance to ſalvation is to demonſtrate the truth of faith; and where-ever this follows not, there faith was but pretended; They profeſs to know God, Tit. 1. 16. 2 King. 17. 32. ver. 34.but in deeds do deny Him, As of thoſe Samaritans before mentioned, It is ſaid, They feared the Lord; and preſently after, that They feared [not] the Lord; They feared him in ſhew, but not in truth.
4. The Foundation of God ſtandeth ſure; having this ſeal, The Lord knoweth them that are His: 2 Tim. 2. 19.He brings it in to comfort believers, touching the Sureneſs of their ſtanding; when others, of as glorious out-ſides, make Shipwreck of the faith: It ſtands ſure, becauſe the Lord knoweth them that are His: He knows whom He hath Choſen; For whom He hath received the Attonement; whom He hath Called, and cauſed to take hold of His Covenant; And theſe ſhall ſurely be kept, Notwithſtanding the wofull backſlidings of others.
If one that believes not Now, may have faith hereafter; Then, one that is Now a Believer, may loſe his faith, and turn Apoſtate?
It followes not, That, becauſe Chriſt can bind Satan, and caſt him out; therefore Satan can do ſo by Chriſt. He can come into the Devil's Nurſery, when He will; Take a Crab-ſtock and tranſplant it, and Graff it with a Noble Cyons: But Satan cannot come into God's Vinyard, (which is a Garden encloſed) and take thence What him pleaſeth. One who is now dead in ſin, may be quickened; but, being once alive, can dye no more: It is Chriſt's own Aſſertion, He that liveth, Joh. 11. 26.and believeth in Me, ſhall never dye: Which cannot be meant of any other but a ſpiritual death; which is all one with loſing his faith.
A Righteous Man may turn away from his Righteouſneſs; and that ſo, that he ſhall dye for it; Ezek. 18. 24.
There is a twofold Righteouſneſs, 1. Moral; Such as Paul had before his Converſion; This a Man may continuein to the laſt, and yet not be Saved: 2. There is a Goſpel Righteouſneſs; (1) Imputed; This is the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, by which we are Juſtified: (2) Infuſed, This is the Divine Nature communicated by the Spirit of Chri…t, whereby we are Sanctified: Theſe two go inſeparably, and can never be loſt. But, The Righteouſneſs ſpoken of in the place objected, ſeems to be of the former Sort, viz. Moral or Outward Righteouſneſs; For, Outward Conformity to the Law, was the Condition of their poſſeſſing the land of Canaan, with long life and proſperity in it. This (if they retain'd it) gave them a legal Right to thoſe Promiſes: If they turn'd from it, they ran into a forfeiture: And loſe it they might, for they had no promiſe That they ſhould abide in it. But, the New Covenant undertakes for That, as is evident by comparing Jer. 31. 31-33. with chap. 32. 40. But if any will yet ſuppoſe, The Righteous Man ſpoken of in that 18. of Ezek. to be meant of a true Believer; there is (I hope) in the Anſwers foregoing, to Solve it.
If any ſhould alledg:-But ſuppoſe a Believer be taken away in his Sin, (as perhaps, Joſiah was) and hath not time to Repent of it? I Anſwer, 1. It cannot be proved that this was the caſe with Joſiah: He (probably) had time ſufficient between his Wounding and his Death: For, he was carried from Megiddo to Jeruſalem, before he dyed: But 2. There was That in him that would have Repented; and God reckons of a Man according to what he would Do: It being in David's heart to build him an Houſe, it was accepted as if he had done it. The Root of the matter is in every Regenerate perſon, which if it had time, would put-forth it ſelf in fruits: and therfore They ſhall not be dealt with as barren trees, which have not that ſubſtance in them.
The Promiſe of Perſeverance, is not made to Faith, that That ſhall not fail; but in reference to the favour of God, viz. That if Men go-on to Believe, they ſhall abide in his love?
Thus to give the ſenſe of the Promiſe, is 1. To enervate it, to make it ſpeak but according to the Covenant of works: It bereaves it wholly of that B…tternes the Scripture aſcribes to it, in Heb. 8. 6. 2, It renders the Promiſe as ſpeaking fallaciouſly; as making ſhew of That it intends not: It would be but as if he had ſaid, You ſhall keep the favour of God, if you do not loſe it. 3. Faith is the Soul's Coming to God; Unbelief, its departing from Him: The Promiſe (therefore) that ſecures againſt departing from God, ſecures your Continuance in Believing: He that undertakes you ſhall be Crown'd, doth virtually undertake for your holdingout to the end of your Race.
Others agen, diſpoſe Otherwiſe of thoſe Promiſes, recorded in the 36 of Ezek. and 32 of Jeremy, touching Men's notdeparting from God; Reſtraining them to the Jewiſh Nation, and to the laſt Dayes.
To this, may readily be anſwered,
1. That the Time which then was, when the Apoſtles wrote, is called The laſt time, 1 John. 2. 18. Acts 2. 17.
2. Albeit that ſome particular times and perſons are more peculiarly concerned in the Promiſes of the old Teſtament, eſpecially ſuch as refer to temporal things; yet is there no one Promiſe, but, in the ſpirituality of it, belongs to Every one that belongs to Chriſt, (that is, Jews in ſpirit:) No Scripture is of private Interpretation; and therefore Not to be Confin'd to thoſe particular times or perſons, when and to whom they were delivered; They were written for the uſe of All; 1 Cor. 10. 11. And
3. We find them accordingly apply'd in the New Teſtament; The Promiſe made to Joſhua touching the ſucceſs of his Warfare in Canaan, Joſh. 1. 5. withis by the Apoſtle applyed to Believers in general,Heb. 13. 5. as an Argument againſt overmuch carefulneſs in a Married'ſtate, and for Contentedneſs with our preſent condition:Iſa. 29. 13. with So likewiſe, the Propheſie of Iſaiah, touching the hypocrites of his time, is by Chriſt applyed to the Phariſees:Math. 15. 7, 8 And the Promiſes made to the Iews, in Iſa. 54, 13. and Ier. 31. 33, are applied to the Gentiles, in John 6. 45. and Rom. 4. 15. &. 16.