Divinity Knots Unloosed, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX Of Calling, Juſtification, Adoption, Sanctification, Faith, Repentance, and good Workes.
34. Doubt. IF God love his people when they are in their blood (i. e. in the height of their ſinne) what need they to be called juſtified, adopted, and ſanctified? For if God love them he will ever love them, and therefore they muſt needs be ſaved, though they were never called, &c.
Reſol. I might aske you a like queſtion; If God loved the WorldaJoh. 3.16, why ſhould he give his Son for it, ſeeing whom he once loveth he ever loveth? The truth is, the LORD loveth his Elect whileſt they are finners, but not as they are ſinners. A man may like a piece of Land, which as yet brings forth nothing but thornes and bryers, not becauſe ſuch, or that of it ſelfe it will grow better, but that by his owne worke he can make it fruitfull: So God loveth an Elect ſinner, but it is with reſpect to his owne graces in time to be planted in thembEph. 1.4. & 2.10. : And therefore it is neceſſary that thoſe which God from eternity loves, be in time called by the Word and Spirit (except ſuch as are incapable) they being created in Chriſt Jeſus unto good workes, &c. cSee the Scripture laſt cited..
35. Doubt. If we be juſtified freelydRom. 32.4., how can God have reſpect to Faith, in juſtifying us?
Reſol. As a hand receiving a gift, hinders not but the gift may be free, though perhaps ſuch a thing as cannot be received without a hand to take it; even ſo Chriſt for our juſtification is freely beſtowed on us, though we cannot poſſibly receive him without Faith, howſoever he may be tendered to us. But that all cauſe of objection againſt the freeneſſe of this worke on Gods part, may be abundantly removed, even Faith it ſelfe (the hand which receiveth Chriſt and all his benefitseJoh. 1.12.) is freely given usfEph. 2.8..
36. Doubt. What need we ſanctification, repentance, or good workes, if we be juſtified by Faith alone gRom. 3.28?
Reſol. Faith which juſtifieth is not alone, though Faith alone juſtifie (instrumentally I meane, elſe it is God that juſtifiethhRom. 8.33) for as the fruit-bearing tree is not without leaves, though the fruit ſoring not from the leaves, either by intervention or concurrence, but from the tree immediately: So a lively and juſtifying Faith purifieth the heartiActs 15.9 from which ſanctification and good workes have their riſe. And therefore that Faith which in due time doth not ſhew it ſelfe in workes, is not a ſaving, but a dead FaithkJam. 2.17 18, 19, 20 ; though they neither prevent, not aſſiſt Faith in the act of juſtification.
37. Doubt. If Chriſt and all his benefits belong to Beleevers, how can Heaven be conferred on perſons as a reward for their good workes?
Reſol. Heaven is not beſtowed on any by way of juſt recompence of his workes, for the beſt are unprofitable Servants lLuke 17.10.; how then can their workes purchaſe Heaven? But God who can as well reward according to workes in mercymPſal. 62.12. : as Juſtice doth abundantly repay them for all their paines and ſervice, by putting them in poſſeſſion of that Kingdome which he ever intended them, without reſpect had to the worth of their workes,Simile. or repentance. A Father at his death doth abundantly reward his Sonne for his obedience, when be gives him his Lands, although he had long before, out of meere Fatherly offection ſtated them on him: So God uſeth to reward thoſe that ſerve him with the ſame things which before he had freely promiſed them. Upon Abrahams obeying of God, and non-reſuſing to offer up his onelyonly Son, God promiſed him a large reward; and this is, that he ſhall have a numerous and happy ſeed, wherein alſo all Nations ſhould be bleſſednGen. 22.15, 16, 17, 18. : And yet that which is here bequeathed to Abraham, as a reward of his obedience, was before this time ſteated on him by free promiſeoGen. 12.2 & 15.5.. In the ſame manner and order God rewards his people for their obedience and ſervice to him done, when he beſtowes on them that heavenly Kingdome which hee purpoſed ſhould be their inheritance before the world was.
38. Doubt. What need we to beleeve, ſeeing p2 Tim. 2.13.GOD will be faithfull though we beleeve not?
Reſol. The Originall Word which is tranſlated [we beleeve not qforeign.] is not only ſuch a word as denotes the preſent timer1 Viz. being the preſent tenſe., but alſo it, and another of affinity with itſforeign., are frequently uſed for the heſitations and ſtaggerings of the faithfull; and doth not import a privation of the habit of Fiath by infidelity (for that is damnabletMark 16.16. Joh. 3.36. Mat. 17, 20 Mark. 9.24 & 16.11, 14. Luke 24.11, 41.) But onelyonly a negation (or rather a ſuſpending) of Faiths acting in ſome juncture of time, which the Text quoted in the Margent will ſufficiently cleare, eſpecially to him that is able to peruſe the Greeke Copy: And therefore I can ſee no more in the Text alleadged but only thus much; If we beleeve not, that is, if for the preſent (or ſometimes) we by reaſon of weakneſſe, diſcontinue or intermit actuall beleeving, not being able to hold to a conſtant courſe in acting Eaith on the promiſes of God, we muſt not meaſure God by our ſelves, as if he ſtarted aſide from us, as often as we from him, but will ſtill remaine faithfull, which if he ſhould not doe, it could be no leſſe to him, who by an excellency is called faithful, and is faithfulneſſe in the abſtract, then a denyall of himſelfe.
39. Doubt. How can we be ſayd to have faith, and yet cannot worke miracles uMat. 17.20.?
Reſol. The ordinary anſwer is (as I take it) that Chriſt in the place cited, meaneth not Faith in the generall, much leſſe juſtifying Faith in ſpeciall, but a certaine ſort of Faith (ſpecifically different from the ſaving) whoſe adequate and was miracle-working, whereof he was then treating; which diſtinction other Scriptures will ſufficiently warrantwMat. 7.22. 1 Cor. 13.2 : But a learned man of theſe dayes hath a more ſubtile notion, which is, that Faith is a reſting on a promiſe, without which it is not Faith, but preſumption: And ſo the ſenſe is, that whatſoever God promiſeth, we may beleeve and hope for, and accordingly will the iſſue be, how difficult ſoever it appeare.
40. Doubt. If the perſons and actions of Beleevers be not perfectly free from ſinne, how can either of them be accepted with God, which bates and abborres it?
Reſol. God indeed hates and abhors the ſins of the Elect, yet their ſins being layd upon Chriſt, nothing hinders why their perſons and actions may not be accepted through him.
41. Doubt. If no ſin can be ſo great, but upon repentance it may be pardoned, how comes the ſinne againſt the holy Ghoſt to he unpardonable?
Reſol. No ſin for the matter of it can be ſo great but it may be pardoned, but that wicked action, which conſidered ſimply, might be forgiven, may through the concurrence of aggravating circumſtances become unpardonable. Two men may be guilty of the ſame kind of tranſgreſſion (if reſpect be had only to the materiality of it) and yet the one ſin againſt the holy Ghoſt, the other not. Paul blaſphemed and was forgivenx1 Tim. 1.13., the Scribes and Phariſees blaſphemed and could never be forgivenyMat. 12.24, 31, 32. Mark 3, 22 28, 29., for he did it of ignorance, they out of ſpite and malice: So that as bad an act may be forgiven, as forgiveneſſe is denyed to: But the maine reaſon why this ſin where it is found cannot be pardoned, is, that they being convinced of the truth, and yet ſtill reſiſting it, are given up to deluſions to beleeve lyesz2 Theſ. 2.10, 11, 12. Simile., and ſo goe on to damnation. For as a wound which would be found curable enough, if good Salve were in due time applyed thereto, may be the death of the man, if he be diſtracted and will ſuffer nothing to be layd to it; ſo though no tranſgreſſion can be ſo vile as to be ſimply unpardonable, yet if it be accompanied with ſuch circumſtances, that impenitency muſt needs follow (as here it alwayes doth) it can never be forgiven.Deering on Heb. p. ult. But on the other ſide (as ſaith learned Maſter Deering) he that carefully repenteth and trembleth at the thought of this ſin, is farre from it is the Eaſt is from the Weſt.