Of Saving Faith, Section 5
SECT. V.
[Second. YOur second Reason is drawn from the nature and proper Acts of both qualities, (page 362.) saving Belief is the first spiritual life, but common Belief no part of it.] Answer. This Reason seems to be further fetcht then I dare allow of, if you mean by [The nature of the quality and Acts] the matter it self. For if the term [Life], be Metaphorical here, or it be a Civil or Moral Life that is meant, then I shall allow you, that only special Grace is this special moral Life: but if you should mean a natural Life, or a common moral Life, I should not grant that all but the Saints are destitute of these. 1. You cannot prove that the term Life may not be given to common faith (as goodness is; and as Entity is to Accidents) though that most eminent species of Faith, called saving, be also eminently called our Life, for I find in Jud. 12. That the Hereticks or Apostates there mentioned, are said to be twice dead, and plucked up by the roots, which implyeth, that some kind of life they lost which once they had, and the seed that sprung up by the stony ground and among thorns had a blade that had some kind of life; and the branches of Christ that are f…uitless yet wither not, till they abide no more in him, John 15. 26. The receiving of the Jews into a Church-state again will be [life from the dead] Rom. 11. 15. Ezek. 16. 6. And its called a Life, that the backsliding fall from, Ezek. 18. and 33. 11. But suppose the name of Life be improper to give to the Temporary (who wants no doubt the special Life.) This proves not a physical specifike difference. And to the Question, [Why common belief is not this spiritual Life in a less degree?]
I answ. Because it is a matter uncapable of that moral form which is denominated Life, your instance of Calor, being of meer physical consideration, is alien and impertinent: your instance of Vertues is more pertinent. And to that I answer. That though fortitudo moralis in minori gradu denominat subjectum suum forte; Yet are there some degrees of the matter, which are incapable of the form and name of fortitude; (though in our case, the lower degree is capable of the name of Faith, yet not of Faith, yet not of the same specifike form, as the higher degree.) Yea some degree of fortitude, overcome by a far greater degree of Cowardize, may not denominate the subject simply forte, but only secundum quid: nay if the question be simply put, whether that man be valiant that alwaies runs away, &c. it is simply to be denied, though he may have some small conquered measure of fortitude, because the man is to be denominated from his predominant dispositions, and therefore to be called Pusillanimous, and not valiant. Temperance, Justice, &c. consist in a certain mediocrity of matter, and neither of the extreams are capable of the form: And where somewhat of the form is, it will not serve to dedominate the man against a contrary predominant vice. One man may be so far temperate as to abstain from excess of meat, and not from excess of drink, recreation, &c. And another may have so much universal Temperance as shall restrain him for a few daies, and against small Temptations, but yet once or twice a week, a stronger Temptation leadeth him into fornication, gluttony, drunkenness, &c. If you ask me whether this be a temperate man, I should say no, but an intemperate: But if you ask me whether there be any degree of Temperance in him, and whether in tantum, or secundum quid, he be temperate, I should say yea.
The least degree of Subjection or Obedience may in tantum vel secundum quid, denominate the subject accordingly; but yet such subjection and obedience as is due to a Judge or Justice of Peace, denominateth not the person loyal or subject, and Obedient as is necessary to the Soveraign Power. As all Power of Government denominateth the Subject Potent or a Governor. But there is none but a certain degree (even the highest) that will denominate a man a Soveraign or Majestick simply. So I have still acknowledged that the very specifick form and name of saving Faith is not agreeable to that degree which Temporaries have, though a sort of Faith it is, and is called so in Scripture.
The sum of all my discourses on this Subject is but this. To the Essence of saving Faith, Love, Subjection, &c. It is necessary. 1. That the Object be apprehended in all its essential Respects. 2. That the Act be so intense and serious, and suitable to this Object (and so the habit) as that it may be statedly predominant in the man against its contrary. Two sorts of Faith therefore fall short of being formally this saving faith. 1. The one is theirs that do seriously believe in the same Christ personally considered, and in the generall or in most parts of his office, as we do: but they leave out somewhat of the Object, that is essential to him as the Saviour. e. g. They believe in him as God and man, as one that hath undertaken the office of a Redeemer and Mediator, and hath died for sinners; & in general is the Priest, Prophet and King of the Church, and a Justifier and Sanctifier, giving Repentance and Remission of sin; but withall, when it comes to the applicatory consenting part, they believe not in him as their King, and their Sanctifier by his Word and Spiri…, nor as one that shall save them from their raigning sin. Now this it not really the Christian faith, or saving faith, because it wanteth an essential part, it being essentially to Christ, as the Saviour offered, and the object of saving faith to be applicatorily [My Saviour in particular for the pardoning and destroying of my sins.] Not that we have assurance, that he will eventually be so to me: but that we our selves do consent that he be so to us. As a Physitian is not believed in by me (a sick Patient) as a Physitian, unless I consent that he is my Physitian, and that he cure my Disease, though yet I may possibly have doubts of his willingness, or of the success. As the Act is specified by the Object, so these Believers have a faith in the same Christ as we, but secundum quid, and not entirely, and therefore simply; They are not Believers in the Christian saving sense, or if they believe in Christ as God and man that will pardon and sanctifie, but not as a Sacrifice for sin; This is not simply and fully (taking in all the Essentials of his office) the same Christ that we believe in, and so not the same Faith. So if they love God as good, but not as the only surpassing superlative Good, this is not to love him as God and so not to love the same God as we do.
2. The other sort of the unsound are such as do apprehend Christ under all the same considerations as sound Believers do, and do apprehend God as the chief superlative good, and have some answerable motions of the Will and Affections: but it is but by a notional superficial, uneffectual apprehension; and hath but an answerable consent, and is overtopped and mastered by a contrary Habit and Action of the soul; either as the unbelief is more then the Belief, and therefore rules the heart and Life, or as the regard to the Creature, is more then the regard to Christ (for want of so effectual and operative an apprehension of his Truth and Goodness as we have of the Creature,) and consequently the Heart is carried out more to the creature then to Christ or to the Father. This is not the Christian faith, because it is not an intense & serious act or habit, such as is fit to denominate the man He doth not believe or love God heartily at all: A Belief and Love indeed he hath, but morally and reputatively it is as none, for God will take it as none, as to any saving benefit: for he that hath more Ʋnbelief then Belief, is not simply a Believer, but an Ʋnbeliever: He that hath more aversness then Love is simply no Lover: He that hath more disloyalty and Disobedience then loyalty and obedience, is not simply to be called Loyal and obedient at all. He that considering all things, sees reason to hate his sin, and hath some mind and Will against it, and yet hath in other respects more mind to it, and more will to keep it then to leave it, is simply impenitent, and hath no Repentance. And yet a real subdued motion of Belief, Desire, Love, Repentance there may be in all these persons, and such as sometimes in Act will seem prevalent, though Habitually, and in the course of Action they are not so. As sin in Act seemed prevalent for a time in David, when in Habit and the bent of life it was not so.
Suppose a Souldier take such a man for his general, and obey him ordinarily as a General, and yet being corrupted by the General of the enemies, hath a prevalent Will or Purpose to desert him, betray him, and do him a mischief when time serves. This man is in a sort a Souldier and obedient but deserveth hanging rather then Reward. So much more for explication, and to shew you why a common faith is not called by the name of our spiritual life (the person that hath it, being still under condemnation, and in a state of death:) yea why it is not to be called the Christian faith, nor the person a Christian, but Analogically,