Of Saving Faith, Section 9
SECT. IX.
Page 398. YOU let fall a point of great moment wherein I have long differed from you, viz. [That Regenerate men by saving faith believe that Christ hath already satisfied for their sins, so as the debt is paid, and they freed, that he hath reconciled his Father to them, that their sins are pardoned; or they justified, that they are Sons of God here, or shall he Heirs of Heaven hereafter.] And all these you say. [The common Believers, neither do, nor upon any just ground can believe.] And so at last we have Many Articles of faith, in which the regenerate believe and others cannot: and if so, the difference is more material then I thought it: but I am pretty well satisfied long ago; that this Doctrine is much contrary to the Gospel, and the nature of saving faith.
Had you spoken only of that Conditional pardon and Justification, &c. That is given in the Gospel to all that hear it, that may be believed by the unregenerate, as your foregoing expressions testifie [They may really believe the whole history of the Scripture to be true,] But you mean not this, but plainly speak of actual freedom, Reconciliation, Pardon, Justification, Adoption, and futurity of Glorification. And of these I am fully satisfied that they are no Articles of divine faith at all. But yet it is none of my purpose to enter the lists with you about it, though it be a point of exceeding weight. I have in my Apol. to Mr. Blake, my Directions for Peace of Conscience, and in the Saints Rest, and many other writtings given some of my Reasons already against this opinion: and thefore may be here the more excused. And as long as the testimony of our great Divines at Dort stands on Record against you, and the stream of our present Divines is against you, in point of Authority I have the advantage of you, though Chamier, Calvin, and some more transmarine Divines be on your side, or seem to be so. Mr. Down long since effectually confuted one of my name that held your opinion: And I must confess I the more incline to think that saving faith is no such thing as you describe, because such a multitude of holy men (that doubtless have saving faith) do deny that it is any such thing: But yet to cast in a breviate of my Reasons, (that saving faith is not the divine Belief, that we are actually freed, pardoned, justified, Adopted and Heirs of Heaven) may breed no quarel.
Reason 1. The Gospel containeth all the necessary material Objects of saving faith: The Gospel containeth none of these propositions forementioned (that you or I, or A. B. &c. is actually justified, Adopted, &c.) therefore none of these propositions are the objects of saving faith.
The Gospel sufficiency in this is believed by all Protestants that I know, and by many Papists as to necessary Articles of faith. If any deny the Minor, let him shew me the Text that saith he is justified or adopted expresly, or by necessary consequence; If any say that it is a Consequence from the Premises, whereof one is in Scripture, and the other in us; I have answered this to Mr. Blake, that this makes it not purely de fide, nor at all to be denominated de fide, unless the word of the Gospel were the debilius praemissorum.
Rea. 2. If this which you mention were the difference between a saving and a temporary faith, then the difference should be, that one believeth only the written word, or the Gospel & the other the (saving faith) believes also an unwritten word, and that which is not in the Gospel. But this is not the difference, Ergo. &c.
Rea. 3. The material object of saving faith is propounded by God to all men that hear the Gospel, and all commanded to believe it. But this; (that they are actually justified, &c.) is not so, nor all commanded to believe it, Ergo, &c.
If it were all mens duty, some must believe a fashood. If you say that it would be a Truth consequently, if they could believe it: I answer It must be a truth antecedently, or else the first act of faith is false. If you say, that men are first commanded to repent and then believe, I answer; No repenting without faith will prove them justified: therefore upon no such repenting may they believe they are justified. If you say some other Act of faith goes first, and justifieth us, I answer; Then it is that other Act that is justifying faith.
Rea. 4. The unbelief that condemneth men is not the not believing that they are already justified, Adopted, &c. Therefore the faith that saveth men is not the believing that they are justified, Adopted, &c. for they are contraries.
Rea. 5. The material Object of divine faith (of assent) is some word of God, at lest written or unwritten. But the Articles mentioned by you, are (as to the Church ordinarily) no word of God, written nor unwritten: therefore they are not the Object of divine faith. If they be in the written word, let it be produced; which cannot be done. If it be an unwritten word (in the heart) they that affirm it must produce or prove it, which they cannot do. And the common experience of Believers is, (as far as I can learn from themselves) that there is no such thing; for though they know of a Spirit effectinf faith in them, that is, causing them to believe an Object already revealed, yet they know of none, propounding a new word or Object of faith to be believed as the Gospel is. The effects of the Spirit indeed (Faith, Love, &c) are the Objects of a reflex knowledge (as its called) but not of Faith: though they consequentially confirm us in the Faith, having therefore no ordinary divine word is us, we can have no divine faith.
Rea. 6. If our own inward Graces be the object of saving Faith, then are we saved by believing in our selves, or somewhat of our selves, (viz, That we are justified, adopted, &c.) But the Consequent is untrue, therefore so is the Antecedent. Saving faith is a believing in Christ.
Rea. 7. That which no man hath before his first believing cannot be the material Object of his first saving faith (and therefore specifieth it not, nor is essential to it.) But no man hath before his first believing either actual Justification, Adoption, &c. Therefore neither of these can be the object of our first saving faith. The Major is plain, because the object is before the Act. The Minor is proved, in that Unbelievers are not justified, Adopted, &c.
Rea. 8 The Doctrine that makes Justification, Adoption, &c. to go before faith, and be the portion of Infidels, is unsound: but such is yours. For men must have these before they can truly believe that they have them, and so before your saving saith.
Rea. 9 If that I be bound to believe (to Salvation) that I am actually justified, then either that I am justified by faith or without faith: not without, for that's against the Gospel; not by faith for I yet have it not at first, and after either I am bound to believe that I do believe or not, if not still the conclusion will not be de fide, because my believing (which is not by a word of God affirmed) is the pars debilior of the Premises. If I am bound to believe that I do believe, then also must I be be bound to believe, that I believe, that I do believe, and so on: for why should I be bound to believe one Belief, and not to believe another, even that Belief also. It was never known that faith was its owne specifying Object.
Rea. 10. If my own inward qualifications or receivings from the Spirit are the Object of saving Faith, and the Gospel the Object of common saith; Then common Faith hath a perfect Object, and saving faith (where it differs from it) hath an imperfect Object: (for such is both our sanctification, and our Justification at lest, as revealed to us, or the Revelation of our Just…fication.) But the Consequent is unsound, therefore so is the Antecedent. I dare not compare my inward evidences with the Gospel.
Rea. 11. If the Spirits inwards Testimony that I am justified, Adopted, &c, be the object of saving faith, then one true Christian hath more to believe, and another less, and there are as great variety of Objects as of Christians; and some are bound to believe much seldomer, as well as less, then others: (For he that hath not the Object is not bound to believe it: but some Christians (at most) have it but seldom, and but little;) But the Consequent is untrue, therefore so is the Antecedent. Though Christians have several degrees and seasons of exercising faith, yet they are bound to exercise it more and oftner then they do. And it is not made impossible for want of a word to be the Object.
Rea. 12. Also it would follow that the same man is one day bound to believe (if there be such a Testimony) and another day not: and perhaps another monethmonth or year: yea perhaps some should never be bound to believe: for none have that Testimony constant, and many Christians never have that at all, which is unfitly called an inward word or Revelation; that we are adopted by immediate Testimony, But &c.
Rea. 13. (Though the Spirit work faith, yet) the testifying sealing Spirit is given to Believers and after faith, therefore saving faith goeth before it, and is without it.
Rea. 14. If our own Adoption, Justification, &c. be the Objects of our saving Faith, and it be an Article of Faith that you are justified, &c. then to doubt of your Justification, Adoption, &c. is to doubt of the word of God: and to deny your own Justification, is to deny the word of God, and so all that you thus speak against your selves in your doubtings, you speak against the Truth of the word of God: But the Consequent is unsound, Ergo. &c.
Rea. 15. Our inward real Graces are the Obj…cts of our knowledge by the reflexion (or as some say, by i…tuition.) Therefore they are not the Objects of saving faith. For though the same thing as extrinfecally revealed may be the Object of both, because of different Revelations, yet I suppose such different intrinsick Revelations, will not here be pretended: nor is it necessary that when the Spirit hath first given us Grace, and then by an inward light and efficiency, caused us to perceive it, and know that we have it, he should after give us an immediate word to tell us of that which he had before caused us to know (as he causeth us to discern extrinsick Objects.)
Rea. 16. The Articles of saving faith may be expressed in the Churches Creed, but so cannot these new Articles that you mention: For there must be the names of so many, and such individual persons, as cannot be known; nor will it be certain. For you will not be content with the general, that he that believeth shall be saved; but there must be in your Creed, [I am justified, Adopted, &c.] which who can know but they that have it? And so their Creed is utterly uncertain to the Church, yea and every man hath a distinct Creed of his own: There being one Article in it (that he is justified) that no man else is bound to believe: and so there must be as many Creeds as Believers.
Rea. 17. The Articles and Object of saving faith may be preached to some (at lest) that are uncalled, and they required to believe: But your Object and Articles can be preached to no man, therefore they are not the Articles and Objects of saving faith. No one unconverted man in the world can be called on to believe that he is justified, unless he be called to believe an untruth, or according to the Antinomian Doctrine of Justification before Faith, he can have no knowledge or discovery first that it is the true.
Rea. 18. Were your Articles necessary Objects of a saving Faith, then all presumptuous ungodly persons are justified for not believing (yea and all others.) For, 1. Its as natural Impossibility (as is aforesaid) to believe without an Object, as to see without Sun or Light. The holiest man could not do it, 2. And presumptuous persons have the Act; and its not long of them that there is no object for it: They are confident that they are justified, Adopted, &c. But you say [They do not or cannot believe it.] But why is that? Because they believe not, even when they do believe it. I mean, (having no word of Revelation,) the name of Belief is not due to the Act: but thats not long of them. They are confident that God hath Justified them and will save them, as well as you. Though you say you have a word for it within you, which they have not.
Reason 19. The Scripture telleth us an hundred times over of another Faith as certainly saving, without your Articles: therefore these Articles are not necessary to saving Faith, to cite but a few Texts, Rom. 10. 8, 9, 10, 11. [That is the word of faith which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: for with the heart man believeth unto Righteousness, &c.] Here note 1. that this is the Word that is said to be in the heart, vers. 8. And 2. yet it is the same that the Apostles preached. Now the Apostles did not preach to men such Articles as yours, viz. [You are already actually justified, Adopted, &c.] by name: but only this conditional Justification here mentioned. It is a Believing to Righteousness, and not a Believing that we are Righteous which they preach and require: It is a Believing Christs Resurrection, &c. and not our own honesty or felicity or pardon, &c. So that this same word which is preacht by the Apostles, is it that is in the heart, and not another Gospel or Word of God; viz [Thou A. B, art justified.] So John 1. 12. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe in his name.] They must believe that they may become Sons; which is not a believing that they are sons, Rom. 4. 24. Faith [shall be imputed to us for Righteousness, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.] This is the saving Faith, which is imputed to us for Righteousnes; and therefore is not a Believing that we are righ…eous. Acts 13. 38. 39. Forgiveness of sin is preached through Christ, and by him all that believe are Justified from all things, &c. [They believe before they are justified, and therefore not that they are justified. But I have said enough of this heretofore in my Confession.
Reason 20. All the Articles of the true saving Christian faith, have been still owned by the Catholick Church; These Articles that you mention have not been still owned by the Catholick Church, therefore they are not Articles of true saving Faith. They are not to be found in the Creeds of the Church, nor Writings of the Fathers of the Church, therefore they are not owned by the Church. All in the Creed that is pretended is, the [I Believe] with [the Remission of sins,] which is not [I believe that my sins are already remitted: For the Catechumens were to profess this faith, and all were bound to believe it. Other Reasons I have given elswhere.
I cast in all these Reasons hastily, not improved as I should do, if I were to make a Defence of the Truth; but to give you an account of the cause of my Dissent, because I find this the principal point of all our Difference.
Yet that we seem not to differ more then we do, I must again refer you to my Treatise of the Spirits witness within us to the Truth of Christianity, § 2. &c. to know my Concessions. To which I also add, that all that believe in Christ, do believe in him for Remission of their own sins, and do by consent Accept him and pardon offered by and with him: and when they profess to be Believers, they profess those Premises from whence they may conclude that they are pardoned: And so far as they know that they sincerely believe, they may and ought to conclude that they are pardoned. Yet its not a Word of God, much less an Article of saving Faith.