Gospel Truth Stated and Vindicated, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Of the Nature of Saving Faith.
TRUTH: I Shall express this in the words of the Assembly, and Congregational Elders at the Savoy, (Confes. of Faith, ch. 14. a. 2. & Declarat. ch. 14. a. 2. of Saving Faith:) By this Grace, a Christian believeth to be true whatever is revealed in the Word, for the Authority of God speaking therein; and acteth differently upon that which each particular Passage thereof containeth; yielding Obedience to the Commands, Trembling at the Threatnings, and Embracing the Promises of God, for this Life, and that which is to come: But the principal Acts of Saving Faith, are Accepting, Receiving, and Resting upon Christ alone, for Justification, Sanctification, and Eternal Life, by virtue of the Covenant of Grace.
Reader! weigh this sound Account of Faith: Which if it were regarded, and no Essential part of it excluded, when Faith is considered as a Condition of any Gospel-Benefit; How much vain Disputes would be prevented, as well as Danger to poor Souls? And one would think, no Man need prove, That it is not Saving Faith, when any Essential part of it is wanting: And that it must be Saving Faith when we mention Faith as the Condition, or Moral Instrument of any Saving Benefit.
ERROUR: Saving Faith is nothing but our Persuasion, or absolute Concluding within our selves, That our Sins are pardoned, and that Christ is ours.
Proved that this is Doctor Crisp's Opinion.
The Doctor tells us, pag. 493. The whole Essence of Faith, is nothing else but the Echo of the Heart answering the foregoing Voice of the Spirit and Word of Grace. Thy Sins are forgiven thee, saith the Spirit and Word of Grace: My Sins are forgiven me, saith Faith. And the Soul that can assume thus from the Spirit and Word of Grace, hath the whole Essence of Believing. When the Doctor, pag. 107. puts a Man on examining his Faith, he hath these words; How do I know I believe in Christ? He Answers; Do I rest my Heart upon this Truth? Do I receive it as a Truth, that I do believe? Or do I reject it, and will not receive it? Then I do not believe. But if you sit down and rest upon this Truth, and receive it, and do in reality believe it; then you may absolutely conclude, Christ is yours. And pag. 296. If the Lord, I say again, give to any to believe this Truth, That it is his Iniquity the Lord hath laid on Christ; God himself cannot charge one Sin on that Man. And pag. 158. he makes the difference betwixt a strong and weak Believer to consist in the Degree of this Persuasion. See more in chap. 10, 11.
Wherein the Difference is not.
1. It is not, whether Assurance be attainable in this Life, as the Effect of Faith. 2. Nor whether a Sinner ought to apply, yea, doth personally apply the general Offers of Christ and Life, by his own Compliance with the Terms of the Gospel: For upon a true Acceptance of a whole Christ, he is mine in virtue of the Gospel Promise, which God will perform, in giving Christ and Life to all that accept of him, as he is proposed for our Acceptance. 3. Nor whether a convinced Sinner hath at first a more especial regard to Christ's Priestly Offices and Sufferings, as what are more sensibly fitted to his guilty State. 4. Nor whether every thing recorded in the Scriptures, must not be dwelt on with the same regard, concern and assurance, as the Essentials of the Covenant of Life. 5. Nor whether Faith contain in it a reliance on Christ, as the only Saviour; and on his Satisfaction and Merits, as what alone purchased our Pardon and Acceptance; as well as it includes the realizing Assent to the Truth, and unfeigned fiducial Consent to, and Acceptance of a whole Christ in all his Offices. All these I affirm.
The real Difference.
1. Whether the whole Essence of Saving Faith, consists in an Inward Persuasion or Assurance that our Sins are pardoned, and Christ is ours? This the Doctor affirms, and I deny; yea, I deny that it is at all of the Essence of Saving Faith.
2. Whether Saving Faith include not in its nature, that powerful efficacious Assent to the Word, and fiducial consenting Acceptance of Christ, as Prophet, Priest and King, with a Reliance on his Merits, and obediential Regards to God, as the TRUTH above-mentioned doth express. This the Doctor denies, and I affirm.
The Truth confirmed.
1. Faith is not an Assurance, or Inward Persuasion, That Christ is ours, and our Sins are pardoned. For,
1. Men may have this Persuasion, who do not savingly believe: They in Mat. 7. 22. had this, when they cried, Lord, Lord, open to us! Neither did the foolish Virgins seem without it, Mal. 25. 1, 2. Yea, it's what the most profligate Sinners grow secure by, to their own Destruction; and this upon the general Word of Grace. 2. Many true Believers have not this Persuasion: let common Experience be consulted. 3. Such as have had Assurance, do (by the Doctor's Opinion) fall into the Sin of damning Unbelief, whenever they doubt their Interest in Christ, and especially if they conclude that they have not this Interest: A sad Doom on many pious Souls. 4. This Persuasion should suppose an Interest in Christ, and doth not give it: It's a false Conclusion, That Christ is mine, before he is so: And must the great term of Life be a Lye? We are to examine our selves whether we be in the Faith, and so whether Christ be in us, before we assure our selves that he is in us, 2 Cor. 13. 5. And where hath God made this Proposition, My Sins are laid upon Christ, to be the Object of Saving Faith? This Proposition is not God, nor Christ, nor any part of the Scripture; unless you suppose a General Redemption, and that to the actual Pardon of every Sinner: And as the Word of Grace promiseth Pardon to none but a Believer; so the Spirit speaks it to none but to the Believer, as a Believer.
2. Saving Faith includes the Essentials expressed in the above-mentioned Truth; as Assent, Trust, Consenting, Acceptance of Christ, Reliance, &c. This appears:
1. Faith can be no less than the Soul's Answer to the Call of God, in our effectual Vocation: And to this all those things are necessary, 2 Pet. 1. 3.
2. The Scriptures describe Saving Faith by all these Acts: It's the Evidence of things not seen and Substance of things hoped for, Heb. 11. 1. It's a Receiving of Christ, Joh. 1. 12. which must be as God gives him; and that is, a Witness, a Leader and Commander of the People, Isa. 55. 4. & Acts 3. 26. to bless us, in turning every one of you from his iniquity Rom. 15. 12. In him shall the Gentiles trust, Isa. 44. 5. One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall subscribe with his Hand unto the Lord; which express consent.
3. Christ cannot be received as a Saviour, nor as the Way of a Sinner to God, if Faith include not these Great things: He is not a Saviour, if you exclude any of his Offices; and as an intire Saviour we must receive him, Mat. 1. 21. Can any Man receive him as a Prophet, and not believe and accept of his Teachings? Can any receive him as a King, that refuseth Subjection to his Government? No; for, We will not have this man to reign over us, was the Language of Unbelief, as well as Damning to those Unbelievers, Luk. 19. 14, 27. and the same word signifies Disobedient, and Unbelieving, foreign Rom. 10. 21. Can any Man come to Christ as a Priest, and not rely on his Sacrifice for Pardon to be obtained by him? And the word tells us, we come to God by him, if he be our Saviour, Heb. 7. 25. But who can suppose that there's this, without any dedication of our selves to God? &c. Oh, that Men were but wise enough to know what it is to receive a Ruler, or a Teacher! What Peace would it cause!
4. A Faith without these Essentials, could never produce those great Effects which are ascribed to Faith. How could it purifie the Heart? Act. 15. 9. Be a Shield against Temptations? Eph. 6. 16. Works by Love? Gal. 5. 6. Sanctifies us? Act. 26. 18. By Faith we are risen with Christ, Col. 2. 12. Is a lower Faith operative, as I am? Jam. 2. 17. Or can any call that which wants these, A Principle of Obedience virtually including all Grace, to say nothing of the unmeetness of a lower Faith to be the appointed Condition of Saving Benefits, when it is the appointment of a Wise and Holy Governour?
5. An Enlightened, Regenerate Soul cannot act towards Christ (when he is first presented to its view) below these Instances: It's not a regenerate Heart that admits Actings contrary to any of these; if it is a regenerate Heart, it will discover it self in each of these, upon the offer of Christ as a Saviour. Act. 9. 6. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? &c. Sure a regenerate Principle includes a Disposition to all these Acts; and the first view of Christ will excite and attract them.
Testimonies.
You have seen the Judgment of the Assembly and Elders at the Savoy, in the Truth above stated: Both also affirm, ch. 18. a. 3, 4. Infallible Assurance doth not so belong to the Essence of Faith, but that a true Believer may wait long, and conflict with many Difficulties, before he be partaker of it. And the Assemblies Large Catech. Quest. Are all Assured? &c. They Answer; Assurance not being of the Essence of Faith, &c.
One of the Errours for which the Church of Boston, in New-England, dealt with Mr. H. was, That there is no Faith of God's Elect, but Assurance.
Dr. Owen, in his Treat. of Justification, p. 111, 112. denies that a full Persuasion of the Forgiveness of our Sins; or, That what Christ did and suffered as our Mediator, he did it for us in particular, or a particular Application of especial Mercy unto our Souls, &c. are of the Essence of Faith, though all that have true Faith will endeavour it.
The Ground of Dr. Crisp's Mistake.
Because Faith is the Evidence of thingsunseen, (that is, it Assents to unseen Realities;) therefore he thinks that our Faith is nothing but an Assent to our particular Interest in Forgiveness. Because the Word of Grace promiseth Justification to all true Believers; therefore an Assurance of my being Justified, is Believing: Whereas I must first be a Believer in order to Pardon, before I justly can or ought to believe that I am pardoned.