Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 1 · Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII. Of our assurance and comfort from Acts of free Grace
33. THe pure, rationall, and glorious assurance of salvation, comes from the pure manifestation of the Spirit bearing witnesse. This is the white stone, Sparkles of Glory p. 274.Rev. 2.17. The unction whereby we know all things, 1 John 2.20. and the things freely given us of God, 1 Cor. 2.12. There is assurance, 1. by Reason, or the meere light of nature, and works of this creation, as in Job and Cornelius; but sure there is no salvation out of Christ. 2. By graces, gifts, or fruits of the Spirit, selfe-deniall, faith, repentance, and by the Letter, Promises, or outward Ordinances or duties: this assurance is of no higher and clearer, and more glorius certainty then God through these doth afford, and that is darkly (as the Apostle saith) as in a glasse.
Sermon on Wisdom iustified of her children, p. 204Paul Hobson, who speaketh more congruously to Scripture then any of this way: I read (saith he, speaking of our joy) It is one thing to rejoyce in an act, and another thing to draw our joy from an act. It is one thing to rejoyce in our sutable walking up to a Rule, another thing to draw our joy and refreshing from the apprehension of a sutablenesse betwixt the Act and the Rule. Men may pray and mourne for sinne▪ or perform any other particular duty, and have much joy in that opportunity▪ and yet not draw their joy from it, but onelyonly their joy is distilled from a s…cret in-come of Christ, which carries them above it, while they are acted in it; but these poore soules, they onelyonly are joyfull when they see they act suitable to a Rule, and they draw their joy from that suitablenesse, which appeares in this, that if their suitablenesse flagge, their joy is destroyed. I doe not say, but that every sin e…ought to produce sorrow in us; but it is one thing to mourn for sinne, …n…oying faith with peace; and another thing to mourn for sin to confirm faith, and to beget peace.
Of assurance, joy and sorrow in our acts, as suitable or not suitable to the rule of the law or word of God.Answ. 1. I deny not but there is a pure and immediate assurance that floweth from the witnesse of the Spirit, Rom. 8.16. 2 Cor. 1▪ 21, 22. Eph. 1.13▪ 14. So as the shining of the Su…ne maketh eviden… that it is day, without a syllogisme and discourse, and the seeing of the mother teacheth the Lamb, without any argumentative light, to follow the mother, and to follow no other. And the Sun-shine of glory on the soule, teacheth it is in a state of happinesse with immediate light; but I utterly deny, that, in every moment of time, when the person beleeveth, he is assured he is in the state of salvation: for this reflect assurance is not essentiall to faith. Many beleeve and say, My God, and yet complain that God forgetteth them, and shutt…th up their prayers, and casteth off their soule, as is cleare in prayers put up to God in faith, in which the Saints want assurance, Psalm 22.1, 2 Psalm 31.22. Jonah 2.4. Esay 49.14, 15. Cant. 5.4, 6.7, Cant. 3.1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
2. Many doubt, and these both godly and learned, of the immediate word and testimony of the Spirit, they say it is from signes and effects of saving grace, by which as by Arguments the Spirit testifies, that we are the children of God, as thus, He that beleeves and loves the brethren, and hath a hope causing a man to purifie himselfe, is in the state of salvation. But I am such an one, therefore I am in the state of salvation. Both the Major and Assumption may be witnessed by the Spirit of God, and our own sense. And the places alledged by Saltmarsh, speak not of the way or the manner how the Spirit, the white stone, the …unction doth teach us, or bear witnes; they onelyonly say, they beare witnes and teach▪ but say nothing of the manner; and if the Spirit teach us to know the things freely given to us of God, and the annoynting teach us all things, then far more doth the Spirits anointing teach us that we are the Sonnes of God, because we love the Brethren, because we beleeve, and saith is our victory by which we overcome the world.
3 There is assurance by reason of the meer light of nature and works of this Creation, that there is a God, and that hee rewardeth them that seeke him, but that men have assurance of salvation, or that they are in a state of salvation, (as Sal…marsh his title of the Chapter intimateth) or that Job and Cornelius have assurance or salvation by reason, or the meer light of nature, and works of this Creation, is the new Divinity of Jesuits, but hath no warrant in the Scriptures, and that Job and Cornelius were voyd of all Gospell-revelation, is contrary to Job. 19.25, 26.27. Act. 10.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.34, 35
4 Far lesse was it ever heard that Protestants teach that men may have assurance of salvation from the m…er letter of scripture▪ Saltmarsh fathers many untruths on Protestants to make his own way of all spirit taketh better with the people.
5 I …ove else where that the way of assurance, by divers places of Scripture, …s ration…l and Argumentative, and that most of all the Articles of our faith in the new Testament are proved … from the old; nor are the assurance of the spirit, and …ation…ll and argumentative discourses of the …, contrary one …o another; For the Holy spirit almost i… every … of scripture is an arguing spirit, and infers on conclusion from an antecedent, and from an other conclusion.
6 Nor did we ever teach men to build assurance on meer outward duties done without the grace of Christ.
7 Nor can the assurance, by the immediate testimony of the spirit, be more cleare and glorious, then God doth afford light, more then certainty by signes and effects can be.
8 It is a wonder to me that Saltmarsh so undervalueth all assurances by effects and works of grace, so as they assu…e us darkly, & as in a glasse. Then the immediate Testimony of his all spirit must yeeld an higher …vidence … darkely and in a glasse; this must be the light of the immediate vision of God in heaven: Hence Familists will but have the day light of mo…ing or noone day glory shin… on us in this life whereas the Apostle makes all the light we have in this life to be darke and in a g…sse, 1 Cor. 1….12, 13. and opposeth it to seeing of God face to f…ce, v. 12.13.1… the life to come: And Saltmarsh shal teach us n…w Divinity, if there be any evidences to found our assurance but two in Scripture; one, of walking by …aith; and another, b… si…ht, 2 Cor. 5.6, 7. The one, while we ar… absent in the body from the Lord in this life; the other, when wee are at home in our countrey in the life to come, yea, the highest light, in which we see with open face, & are changed therby from glory to glory, is in a …lasse, foreign Cor. 3.18. is called a seeing, 1 Cor. …3.12. foreign: then must Saltmarsh make the certainty of saith to be as conjec…urall and low as the certainty by signes, which he saith is dim, formall, discoursive, and that is shadow…d …, which overthroweth the Antinomians Principles touching the assurance of saith, which they say, excludeth all doubting.
A… for the conceit of Paul Holson, that we may rejoyce in an act, and not draw our joy from the apprehension of the suitablenesse between the Act and the …, he is much out: For 1. if we joy in the act, and joy not in the suitablenesse between the Act and the Rule our joying and rejoycing is vain; for then doe we rejoyce in sinne: for an act not suitable to the Rule, and reveal…d w…ll of God, is sin, though it be not in a strict legall way suitable to the Rule.
2. We may have our joy distilled by a secret in-come of Christ, but not from the Act (saith he,) but these two are not con…rary, but friendly agree: For this in-come of Christ that procures our joy, is for the graciousnesse of the act rather then for the act it selfe. And if by an in-come he mean an influe…ce of the grace of Christ causing us rejoyce in the g…ci…us act, because gracious; we yeeld it willingly. But then … gather neither ioy, nor peace, nor assurance, from the act simply, but from the act as gracious and as wrought in us by the in-come and supernaturall influence of Christ, who worketh in us both to will and ….
3. And we may well draw joy from the suitablenesse between the Act and the Rule, in regard this suitablenesse is nothing else but that gracious conveniencie between the Act and the Rule, which standeth in this, That the substance of the act is agreeable to the will of God revealed, and in the principle of faith, and the end for Gods glory; which conveniencie and … of the act, is wrought by free grace, and so we yee rejoyce, gather assurance from the father of the act, to wit, the holy Ghost the worker, rather then from the act; and though the suitablenesse flagge, yet if it be sincere, the joy may be l…ssened, not destroyed: but the reason presupposeth we can neither have joy nor peace in the act, except it be perfectly suitable, and …word every degree agreeable to the law, which is a most false supposition: For we cannot come up in our acts to that perfection the law requireth.
4. Upon the same ground we may mourn for sin, to strengthen faith, in regard an act of beleeving doth arise from the act of mourning, as occasioned thereby, or wrought in us by the holy Ghost, who causeth us see him whom we have pierced, and mourn therefore, as one doth for his onelyonly child, Zach. 12.10, 11, 12.