The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 2 · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. The firſt Direction to the attaining of a Spirit of Adoption in its witneſſing Act. And firſt concerning exerciſing frequent Acts of Relyance. As alſo a Caſe concerning the exerciſe of Reliance in want of Aſſurance; How it can be. Faith in four noble Acts deſcribed.
AFter the removal of Hindrances, follow theſe Directions.
I. Exerciſe frequent Acts of Relyance upon the free grace of God in Chriſt, and the Promiſes in which it is held forth unto thee, together with the offers and invitations of the Goſpel backing them.
Queſt. But how can I rely upon that grace which I am not aſſured belongs unto me? If I rely upon a friend in a matter of moment concerning whom I have no certain evidence that he ever intended mee any good▪ I may deceive my ſelf, and thereby undo my ſelfe, while I leane to a broken reed.
Anſw. 1. The being aſſured that God is mine in particular, is not the only ground of my relyance upon him. 'Tis true, there be acts of relyance that follow Aſſurance; when a man relies upon God as a, knowne friend. But yet there are acts of Reliance that precede Aſſurance, as when I rely upon God as one that hath offered to be a friend to all that will duly make uſe of him. Such a friend I am not aſſured is my friend in particular, before I go to him; but I go to him, take hold of his offer, claim his Promiſe, and reſolve to adventure my ſelfe thereupon, and thus at laſt I get a good word from him that gives me a particular aſſurance that it ſhall be with me according to my faith, Mat. 9. 29.
That you may underſtand this the more clearly, know, there be theſe four acts in faith, and they are like ſo many ſtaires one above the other, the one being the ground of the other. I deny not but they may all be brought together in time. But in nature (I apprehend from the Word) they are produced in this order: Thoſe are
1 Acceptance. The Goſpel reveals life and ſalvation to poor undone ſinners through Chriſt, who abandoning and renouncing their own ſins and righteouſneſs, are contented to receive it from him in his own way. The anſwer of the heart to this Truth is, It is a ſaying worthy of all acceptation, 1 Tim. 1. 15. And (accordingly) I accept of theſe termes and reſolve in Gods ſtrength, I will not ſeek ſalvation in any other name. Lord Chriſt accept of me, I ſurrender my ſelf into thy hands, I beſeech thee diſcharge all thy Offices on, and for me. This is called receiving, John 1. 12. It is ſometimes expreſſed by a term of motion, coming to Chriſt, John 6. 37. yea, flying for refuge to him, Heb. 6. 18. Both which imply, renunciation of other ſecurity, and accepting his alone.
2 Claim. The next thing apprehended in the Goſpel, is the general offer of theſe termes, and ſalvation by them, unto all that come unto Chriſt, and Gods earneſt invitation to accept of it. The firſt is the diſcovery of the way of life, and that the ſoul likes, and accepts and comes. This is the diſcovery of the perſons to whom this way is paſſable, and thoſe are all that exclude not themſelves. Ho, every one that thirſteth, come, Iſai. 55. 1. Apoc. 22. 17. Let whoever will, come. The Anſwer of the heart here, is, Lord, I come; Lord, I put in for a ſhare in this Offer. This is called, Laying hold upon the hope that is ſet before us, Heb. 6. 18.
3 Relyance or dependance. This is a gracious Offer indeed (ſaith the ſoul) and I have put in for a ſhare in it: but may I depend upon it. Yes, ſaith the Goſpel, and (there comes in the Promiſe ſeconding the Offer and Invitation) thou maiſt adventure thy ſoul on it: for God hath ſaid, that who ever comes to Chriſt he will in no wiſe caſt out, John 6. 37. That he that thirſting comes, ſhall eat that which is good, &c. Iſai. 55. 1, 2, 3 Matth. 11. 28. The anſwer of the heart here, is, Sink or ſwim, I will adventure my ſoul upon this Promiſe; I will carry it to hell with me in my dying gripe, if I muſt periſh. Though he kill me, yet will I truſt in him (as Job ſaith under affliction) Job 10. 13. This act is uſually expreſſed by truſting in God, Epheſ. 1 12, 13. Truſting and ſtaying a mans ſelf on God, Iſai. 50. 10.
4 Aſſurance. A ſoul having gone thus far, the next queſtion is, But what if (ſeeing there be many that come and claim an intereſt in Chriſt, that ſhall at laſt be caſt out, becauſe they do not indeed come and claim Chriſt as they ſhould) I ſay, What if I be found among them; and then I ſhal be aſhamed of my hopes, and my relyance at the laſt, when I have expected ſo much from it? Now to this the Scripture ſayes, There is no condemnation to them that are in Chriſt Jeſus, Rom. 8. 1. John 3. 16. Whoever believeth ſhall have everlaſting life. &c. Hereby ſhall ye know that ye are paſſed from death to life, &c, 1 John 3. 14. John 14. 21. Then ſhall I not be aſhamed, when I have reſpect, &c. Pſal. 119 6. The anſwer of the heart to this, is, Such an one am I; therefore my faith is true, therefore I am under this condition or ſtate: I know that I am paſſed from death to life; I know that I am of God, 1 John 5. 19. I need not bee aſhamed.
Now the third of theſe Acts, to wit, Relyance, is an act to be exerciſed perpetually, in order to the getting the Teſtimony of the Spirit in the laſt, viz. Aſſurance; when Aſſurance (as moſt ordinarily it comes to paſs) is not enjoyed at the ſame time together with it. For
1 This is the advice. Iſai. 50. 10. Let him truſt in the Lord, and ſtay himſelf upon his God. Who is he that is thus adviſed? One that walks in darkneſſe and ſees no light, and therefore is not aſſured that God is his God (though he be ſo;) he muſt ſtay upon his God; firſt he muſt lay claim to him as his God, and then ſtay, and depend, and reſt upon him. I illuſtrate it thus, Suppoſe ſuch a friend as I before mentioned, that offers the higheſt acts of real friendſhip to all that come to him, accept of it, upon ſuch and ſuch termes, claim his favour, and rely on his promiſe. Which is the way for me to be aſſured that this man will be my friend in particular? Is it not this? to go to him and tell him, Sir, your publication of your good will encouraged me to accept your offer, emboldned me to claim an intereſt in your friendſhip, though neither your Proclamation, nor offer, nor Promiſe named me in particular. And now (Sir) I rely upon your Promiſe to enterpoſe for me between me and Juſtice, to pay ſuch a debt for me; if you faile me, I am an undone man. I have ſuch an eſteem of your word, that I am reſolved I will adventure my ſelf upon it, and all that I am, though I know your mind no farther concerning me in particular; yet I cannot withal but deſire, that if you think fit, you will give me a particular aſſurance that I am accepted by you as one of thoſe to whom you ſtand ſo engaged, that by the knowledg of my particular obligations to you, I may be encouraged the more cheerfully to ſerve you, and to be the more heartily thankful. I appeal to all men, whether this bee not the likelieſt way to get a particular engagement from this man.
Apply this to the caſe in hand, and you will ſee reaſon in my Direction to act reliance in order to Aſſurance.
2 Beſides, Reliance frequently exerciſed will yeild Arguments of Aſſurance; eſpecially, being acted in particular caſes: as ſuppoſe temptation, corruption, ſtraights. As though a man have no particular obligation from a friend, yet knowing his principles, that he never fails thoſe that depend on him, and having relyed upon him often, and found he hath not failed him at any time, at laſt he becomes aſſured that he will not. So ſeeing I know that God never faileth them that truſt in him, and I have found that he hath ſtood by me in many a ſad plunge of ſpirit, in purſuance of that and the like obligations, I hence argue, ſure he will never fail me. So the holy Prophet argues, 1 Sam. 17. 37. And ſo the Apoſtle Paul, 2 Cor. 1. 10. God hath delivered, God doth deliver, and God will deliver.
3 Aſſurance is recovered the ſame way when it is loſt, wherein it is to be gotten when a man is utterly a ſtranger to it; and this I evidence thus. A ſoul in deſertion looks upon himſelf as having no grace at all, and therefore he doth act, and (if he can act no higher) wee adviſe him to act as if he begun all anew. This courſe were in vain, if not the ſame in both.