---- CHAPTER II: That the mere assurance of the object, or a general assent to the truth of the prom
CHAPTER II
That the mere assurance of the object, or a general assent to the truth of the promises, is not the act of faith justifying, but application is necessary.
This proved by several reasons.
As I have explained the nature of the act of faith in the understanding, so now I will shew that true justifying faith includes more in it, or that it is not a bare general assent to the truth of the promises, though never so spiritual; for still in Scripture the act of faith that justifies is called 'believing on him,' so Rom. 4:5, and everywhere almost we find it thus: 'He that believes on him that justifies the ungodly;' it is not he that believes only that God will justify the ungodly. It is an ancient received maxim of divines, aliud est credere Deum, et in Deum; for to believe on him implies a particular application. Those that are for general assent urge those scriptures most, Rom. 10:9, 'If thou believe with thine heart that God raised up Christ from the dead, thou shalt be saved;' and that in 1
John 5:5, 'He overcometh the world that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God;' and ver. 10, 'He that believeth not the record God hath given of his Son, makes God a liar.' But it is observable that, in both places, believing on him, which is an act of application, is added, as that which makes this general assent a complete act of faith. Thus
Rom. 10:11, he confirms his saying by the Scripture, which withal interprets his meaning: 'For the Scripture saith, He that believeth on him shall not be ashamed;' and so in 1 John 5:10, 'He that believeth on the Son of God.' He leaves it not, therefore, in a general assent. I shall now give the reasons of my assertion.
Reason 1. Faith doth not consist merely in assent, because a man, in believing, comes not in simply as a witness to a truth, for so the angels do believe, and testify the truth, and might be said to have
faith justifying, Rev. 19:10. They are said to 'have the testimony of Jesus;' they testify that God is true in his promises. But when men believe, they come not in barely as witnesses to the New Testament, but as legatees for a portion in it; they therefore rest on it for themselves, and so their faith makes an application of it. When some have reasoned against general assent to be faith, in that the devil's believe, as James says, it hath been answered that the devil's assent, though it is operative to cause terror, yet it is not a spiritual assent and sight of it, such as a believer in the general hath of the things he believes. And they say true, for there is a difference in a regenerate man's believing there is a God, and it is another sight than devils have. But yet still the argument will hold, if fetched from the good angels, for they do in as spiritual a manner as the saints believe the truth of the promises, and assent to their goodness, and see the excellencies of Christ, and adore them, and yet do not believe with a justifying faith. And why? Because these promises not concerning their salvation, they trust not in them; they come not in as legatees, but as witnesses and admirers. Now, then, if an act of general assent spiritual be common to them with believers, surely God hath not put the act of justifying upon what is common to both (whenas it is in them, it justifies them not), but rather upon such an act as is proper to man, and not in them; and that is trusting, relying on the promises, and on that Christ whom they believe to be the Son of God, for their salvation.
Reason 2. Justifying faith is seated in the whole heart, as he said in Acts 8:37, 'If thou believest with thy whole heart,' thou shalt be saved.' Yea, and so it is in this Rom. 10:9, 'If thou shalt believe with thy heart that God hath raised up Jesus,' &c. Now, if only a general assent, though never go spiritual, in the understanding, which is but one faculty in the heart, were that act that justified, then the will should be excluded, which, if faith be with the whole heart, it is not.
And now, if the will come in to put forth an act, then an act of application must be also added to that general assent, such as indeed is to trust in Christ, to cast myself on him, to wait upon him, which are all acts of the will. It is true indeed that in the understanding
part, there is no other act of faith required absolutely unto justification, than a spiritual sight of, and assent to the truth and goodness of the things believed. This is all God exacts of the understanding, for an assent or assurance that these things are mine is not of the essence of faith, but there are acts of the will besides that go to make up faith; therefore, Heb. 11:13, there are three things attributed to faith: First, A real sight of the promises: 'They saw them.' Secondly, A persuasion or assurance of their truth and goodness: 'they were persuaded of them;' and these two make up a spiritual general assent in the understanding. But then, thirdly, is added their embracing them: 'they embraced them,' which is an act of the will, or an act of application; so, Rom. 4:5, to believe that God justifies the ungodly, is the act of general assent, but to believe on him that justifies the ungodly, is an act of application; it is an act of the will, resting on him for a man's own particular salvation.
Reason 3. Yea, by this act of the will is the union on our parts completed between Christ and us, and we are thereby made ultimately one with him. Now one main end of faith is to make an union with Christ on our parts, and that, as it is done without assurance that Christ is mine, so it is not chiefly made by a general assent; and to the union made on Christ's part, it is not necessary I should then apprehend it when Christ first doth it, because it is a secret work done by his Spirit, who doth first apprehend us ere we apprehend him, as he first loves us ere we love him, Philip. 3:12. But for the making a real union with him (so far as on our part it is made), it lies not primarily in believing Christ is mine, or that Christ is, but in joining myself to his person in the shooting in of my will into him, in taking him, and consenting to be his; to believe he is mine is indeed to apprehend that union, and to believe spiritually he draws in the heart to it, but to have my will drawn to him, to rest in him, to cleave to him as the fountain of life, Deut. 30:20, it is that makes the real union. As in marriage, consent makes the match, so the consent of the will to have Christ as my Lord, king, head, husband, makes the union; for the main subject by which we are united to Christ is the will, for by the will we cleave to those things