Of Saving Faith, Section 8
SECT. VIII.
AS to your passages, pag. 382, 383. about opinion and science. 1. Faith is commonly said to be neither opinino nor Sciences: (Though for my own part, I have given my reasons for its evidence against Baronius and Rada, Apol. Part. 1. pag. 134. &c. and against Hurtado in Treat. against Infidel. Determ. pag. 68. Fransc. Mayco, and many others maintain it to be evident and demonstrable. Ariminensis, and many more with him deny it, saying, (ut Arminens. contra Mancon) that it hath evidentiam credibilitatis, non autem certitudinis: which satisfieth not me: but if it hold, it may shew the impertinency or invalidity of your arguing. 2. If Faith must have a scientifical medium, or if a credible medium be enough and distinct, yet still this Medium is extant to the unsanctified in the word of God, without an inward prophetical Inspiration. And though they see it not savingly, yet they see it superficially, and with a common faith. It was the same Reasons that prevailed with many of the sanctified and the Temporaries to believe, but not apprehended by the same faith. Amesius (ubi supra) tells us that we are past question: that in the Lumen deferens objectum as he calls it there is no difference. It was the same Seed that fell and grew among the thorns, and in the stony ground, as in the good ground, though it had not the same ground and entertainment, being received but superficiently into the one, and being over-topt and choaken with predominant enemies in the other. If an unsanctified Divine may study, preach and defend every Medium necessary to Saving Faith, then may they have some apprehension and use of every such Medium, but the former is true: Ergo—.
Where therefore you say, pag. 383. that [Hypocrites and impious persons have no Prem…ses to infer (the Articles of Faith) but such as are Humane and dubious and probable.] I exceedingly Dissent in this particular. They may have all the same Premises as you may have at your first Believing. You had Help and Light to cause you to see the premises which they had not, but you had no Premises more then they may have. They have the same Word as you. He that Believes because of Gods Veracity, and his Scripture Revelation, believes upon Premises, that are better then humane dubious, and probable: but thus may Temporaries believe: Ergo—.
But you ask, [What Mediums and Motives have they to believe that to be Gods Word. For their Assent to the Divine Truth of Gods Word can be no firmer and certain then the Premises which infer that Assent: Now Hypocrites neither have nor can have any Premises or Motives to Believe the Divinity of that Word, but such as I named:] Answ. Far am I from the Belief of this Doctrine. 1. All the Arguments to prove the Scripture to be Gods Word, which all the forenamed Writers use, and Temporaries Read, and study and preach, (besides the inward Testimony which you plead for) are more then Humane, Probable and dubious. But all these may a Temporary use in his way: Ergo—.
2 All the Premises that you had for your first Belief that Scripture was Gods Word a Temporary may have: For you had a work or word of the Spirit to be made use of as a Premise to infer Belief from, before you believed. But your first Premises (to your Saving Belief) were not such as you Describe Ergo—.
3. Take heed of dashing out the Christian faith at a blow, and giving up the cause to the Infidels. For, if the inward Testimony of the Spirit which you mention and pretend to, be no surer a Medium or Premise, to infer Scripture to be Gods Word from, then some of the other that you affirm to be but dubious, humane or probable, then according to you, there is no Argument for Scripture, that is better then so: But the Antecedent is certain. For all those Arguments mentioned by the forecited Writers, from that Intrinsick Light, by which the Scripture, as the Sun is seen, and from Prophesies fulfilled, uncontrouled Miracles Sealing it, &c. are as sure, as any a man before his first believing or in the Act, (yea or after) can fetch from within him: (Though still he must have a Light within him from the Spirit to see them: which is none of his Premises.) Yea, if inward Holiness or the Spirits Testimony be the only Evidence, yet that Holiness and Spirit in all the sanctified, (which is more then in one man) is one of the Premises or a Medium which an unsanctified man may use: And though he have not the experimental knowledge of it, and so not the same manner of apprehension, yet the Medium is the same.
And what a Task do you set the Preachers of the Gospel here, and what a case do you leave their Hearers in? If there be no Premises but this of an inward Testimony, better then humane, dubious, &c. then no man breathing can produce any better to unbelievers to perswade them to believe. But they must say, [We have no infallible, certain Medium to prove Scripture to be true; or Christianity to be true: but only humane, dubious Premises.] For his own inward Testimony his Hearers have not, nor can know it but by Believing him, which is a far more uncertain way then that you call uncertain. And how then shall we expect that men believe us? This is it that Knot and other Papists falsely charge on our Religion that we have no infallible certainty of it.
5. The Apostles and Evangelists did produce infallible Premises for faith, besides the inward Testimony of the Spirit in the Hearers: therefore there is other infallible Premises to be produced.
6. Few good Christians do believe upon the Premise or Medium of the Testimony you mention (though by the Spirits work efficiently they do?) Therefore it is not of necessity to the specifying of Saving Faith.
Lastly, I again enter my D…ssent also from your great Supposition of the Necessity of infall…ble Premises to a Saving Belief of Scripture being Gods Word. The word of Revelation, is it self but the Means of our Faith: the Essentials of our faith are the matter and Form (as we may call them:) the essential material Object is the particular Articles of Faith Essential to Christianity: the formal Object is Divine Veracity; that Scripture is the Word of God, is neither the formal Object, nor any essential part of the material Object; but (as I said) it is necessary as a Condition sine quâ non, or a Medium, that the Matter be Revealed as from God by Scripture, or (as before the writing) by some other way, as Promulgation of a Law is necessary to obedience. Now as a man must hear the Law promulgate, and believe that it is really the Soveraigns Act and will before he can obey it; So we must hear or Read the Word, and be perswaded that it is the Word of God before we can fide Divinâ believe it. But yet as a man may by meer Report, or by the Badge on his Coat, on some meer probable Reason, think this to be the Herauld authorized to Proclaim this Law, and yet a… long as he takes it to be the Kings Law, and reverenceth and obeyeth it as his, he performeth the Loyal Obedience of a true Subject, and perhaps better then some Lawyers that were at the making of it: So he that heareth the Gospel; and is perswaded that it is Gods Word, though but one weak or probable grounds, and yet doth therefore believe it because of his confidence in Gods Veracity whom he takes to be the Revealer, hath a true Divine Faith. For there is both the material and formal Object: the true Articles of faith are believed, and therefore believed because God that cannot lie is the Author of them: And that he is the Author, is first an object of Knowledge, and but secondarily of Belief. For the two Principles of faith [That God is True, and that this is his Word,] are in order first to be known, and then the Act of faith is built on them: Though secondarily they are both the object of Belief it self.) And if you must of Necessity to the essence of your Faith, have demonstrations, or scientifical, or infallible Premises apprehended to prove that the Medium the Scripture is of God; then must you have still as good and certain Premises, for the proof of every one of those Premises; which is not necessary. I confess the better Evidence we have of the truth of Scripture, the stronger our faith is like to be. But the millions of Christians that take it to be the Word of God upon the common vote of the Church and their Teachers, with probable intrinsick Arguments; and yet therefore firmly believe it because of Gods Veracity may have a saving faith. If I deny this, I must unchurch and unchristian almost all, or the far greatest part of the Churches and Christians in the world.
I must here expect that it be objected to me, that Faith is Argumentative (what need you else talk of Premises) and the conclusion cannot excel in certainty, the weaker of the Premises, nor be more Divine. Answ. This calls for a whole Digression that it may be satisfactorily answered: But because all this is besides our main Question, I will content my self with this short touch.
It is a very great Controversie among Divines, whether Faith be by Argumentation, and the Reception of a Conclusion as resulting from the Premises, or a simple Act; and whether it have a certainty and Evidence or not. In a word, as Faith hath its material and formal Object, so hath it its material and formal parts to constitute it. And as the material objects are the Essential Articles of the Christian faith (considering now but the Assenting part of Faith) So the Belief of these Articles is the essential matter of Faith: And as the formal Object is Gods Veracity, so the form of this Faith, is a crediting or Believing God as God: And as the Revelation is the Copula or bond of both these Objects, so the Reception of the Revelation is the conjunction of the Matter and form of Faith. In the ends and uses of Faith there is considerable 1. The Acceptableness of it to God. 2. The satisfactoriness, and operative force with our selves, Accordingly is its nature mixt and suitable, having somewhat of the will, and somewhat of the Intellect, The will hath 1. an affiance on the Veracity of God the Author, 2. And an acceptance of the Good that is offered in the material Object: the former belongs to faith in genere: the latter also to the Christian Faith, or the Belief of any Promise, in specie. The Veracity of God, which is the formal Object, is the Result of his three grand Attributes, his infinite Power, Wisdom and Goodness. These are Essential to God as God. Because he is Omnipotent, he will not break his word through any impotency to fulfill it: Because he is most wise, he will not break it through ignorance. Because he is infinitely Good, he will not break it by unfaithfulness, fraud injustice, &c. The last of these Attributes is most eminent in Veracity. Accordingly, the formal act of Faith, which is the Giving credit to God conteineth in it, or supposeth both a perswasion or assent to the Truth of this in God, (even that he is God) and a pious Affection of the will by which we have a Complacencie and closure with, and an Affiance in this Veracity of God: All may be comprehended in Affiance. I am not speaking of Affiance in the Redeemer to do the works of his Office for us: that belongs to Faith in specie: but of Affiance in the Power, Wisdom, Goodness, and so in the Vera…ity or F…delity of God-Revealing or Prom…sing: which belongs to Divine Faith in General (when good is in the matter, and when it is a grace.) This voluntary Affiance in Gods Veracity, being the formal Act of Faith, (together with the Acceptance of the good in the special Object,) is it wherein the Acceptableness of Faith, to God consisteth) so that hence you see, that faith formally as faith, is not the Assent to the conclusion of this Argument [What ever God saith is true: but this God saith, therefore this is true:] but it is this Affiance in Gods Veracity. But Faith as comprehending matter and form, is both. Also that faith is Acceptable to God, as it is such an Affiance in his Veracity. And thus it needeth no formal Argumentation: or no more then to conclude that God cannot lie, because he is most powerfull, wise and good. But now as to the satisfactory and operative use of faith about the material object, there it proceedeth Argumentatively, and is called an Assent to the conclusion, and it hath alway before us (objectively offered) such evidence of certainty, that where it is rightly apprehended, it is of the nature of Science; (but advanced by the formal Act of Affiance, by which it is informed to be more Acceptable then any bare Science.) But multitudes, and most by far discern not this evidence so clearly, as may make it scientifical to them. Nay many may discern but part of it (to prove that Scripture or these Articles are the word of God) or some few of the weaker evidences of these Revelations, or if they have the most demonstrative or certain evidences, yet they apprehend them not as such, but so weakly, that perhaps their assurance or belief of the Truth of the word, may not exceed a strong probability. The stronger any mans Assent to the matter is, the more satisfaction he hath in his mind, (and caeteris paribus) the more operative and effectual his faith is like to be, and so to procure further Acceptance. But yet be it never so weak, if it be sincere, it receives an acceptableness from the formal Act of holy Affiance in Gods veracity that informs it, that we may discern the material part to be sincere. It is not necessary that we find out, that it was by a certain infallible Divine Medium, that we took the Scripture to be the word of God (and indeed many a one that sees it by such evidence, may yet see so little of the nature and force of that evidence, that his mis-apprehension or dark and weak apprehension may make it as unsatisfactory and uneffectual to him, as great probabilities clearly apprehended may be to another) But as a humane Belief of our Teachers is an ordinary preparative or concommitant (if not some part.) So where the formal Act is firm and true (which makes it acceptable) and the material object entirely apprehended in all its essentials, the degree of apprehension is next most regardable to discern the sincerity; and because the use of this material Act is so far to satisfie us, as to lead up the Will to the acceptance of Christ offered, and to close with the felicity promised, and to be operative in us; therefore the best way to judge of the sincerity of the Assent, is, If it prevail habitually, and in the course of our lives actually, with our Wills to accept Christ as Christ, and Love God and Heaven as such, and so to prefer them before all things in the world. As Dr. Jackson (of saving faith) saith; what ever doubtings there may be, or weakness of belief, even concerning the Truth of Scripture, and the promised Glory: yet he that is so far perswaded of it, as that he is resolved to venture all upon it, and rather to let go sin and pleasure, profit and honor, life and all, then venture the loss of what is promised, and the suffering of what is threatned: This is a saving Acceptable faith, for all the weakness in the evidence or apprehension. This Anatomy of faith I give to make my sense as intelligible to the Reader as is possible. To which add the Preface to the second part of the Saints Rest, the Preface to my Treat. against Infidelity, and you will see most that I have to say concerning this particular Subject.
As to what you add to this till pag. 394. to prove that Believers have the Spirit, its easily granted: but the Question is not so general, nor of the word [Testimony] in general, but of such a Testimony as shall be the Medium, or Premise, from which objectively the first Act of saving faith must necessarily be specified, which I deny. In a whole Treatise (against Infidelity) I have pleaded for the witness of the Spirit to the Truth of Christianity.
Page 394. Your sixth Reason is, that [else the unregenerate were as truly gracious and Believers as the Saints.]
Answ. Your Reason is good in my opinion: though those that d…spute against me must disclaim it, who say that the unregenerate are called in Scripture Saints, Believers, justified Sons, &c. and that not equivocally. Taking faith for that which is truly Christian and saving, you might easily have known if you had desired it, that I consent to your conclusion, that the unregenerate do not believe. But yet with another sort of faith, they do believe; and in this I suppose we are agreed, because we believe Christ. And this other sort is differenced but as aforesaid. And that its true in its kind, I hope will be no controversie between you and me, though I know not whether Mr. Shepheard and I are so far agreed but I dare venture to say that you and I are, that ens & verum convertuntur. And therefore doubtless you that call it so often [common Grace and Faith] do take it to be [true common Grace and Faith.] To gratifie you with additions to your double Testimony, p. 398. from Calvin and Baronius, I have heretofore produced 33. for the same Conclusion, (Disput. 5. of Sacram,) and sixty more for another of the same Importance. Yet do I not intend by this to blame you, for bringing your two witnesses forth as against me, who had openly produced so many score against the same Doctrine that you charge me with; for you might have Reasons for it that I know not of, or at lest be excusable by your mis-information.