Notes: Sect. 4. — The necessity of marks and signs of grace.
Notes: Sect. 4. — The necessity of marks and signs of grace.
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That is, makes him a new man.
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Namely, habitually.
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Namely, Christ in the heart.
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Because all true grace and acceptable duty flow from Jesus Christ, dwelling in one’s heart by his Spirit; and whatever does not come that way is but a show and semblance of these things, Rom. 8.9, “If any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” — John 15.5, “Without me you can do nothing,” — Chap. 1.16, “And of his fulness we have all received, and grace for grace.” — Gal. 2.20, “I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.” — “The cause of good works we confess to be, not our freewill, but the Spirit of the Lord Jesus wh o, dwelling in our hearts by true faith, brings forth such works as God has prepared for us to walk in.” Old Confess., art. 13 — “So good works follow as effects of Christ in us possessed by faith.” Mr. John Davidson’s Cat. p. 30.
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Here is a chain serving to lead a child of God to assurance, that he is in the state of grace in which duties and graces, running back to their true spring, so shine after the trial of them, that one may conclude assurance from them, as the author phrases it. And here it is to be observed that these words, “outward actions— actions of the mind — habits of grace — justification — faith — embracing Christ,” in the progress of their trial, are to be taken in their general notion, agreeing both to what is true and what is false in each particular — as faith feigned and unfeigned, justification real and imaginary, grace common and saving, etc. For the special nature of these is still supposed to be undetermined as to the person under trial, until he come to the end of his trial. This is evident from the nature of the thing; and it is evident from the author’s words too, in the sentence immediately preceding, where he says, “If he pitches [i.e., depends or rests] upon his graces, or rather gifts;” he makes this correction because the former word is ordinarily restricted to saving grace, and the latter (gifts) not so. Hence it appears that the author was far from imagining that a man must have the assurance he speaks of, before he can conclude it from his graces or duties.
There are five links in this chain. The first is outward actions, or works that are materially good, flowing from the inward actions of the mind: otherwise they are but pieces of gross dissimulation, as was the respect and honour given Christ by the Herodians and others, when they asked him if it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar. Mat. 22.16-18. The second is these actions of the mind, flowing from the habits of grace within the man; otherwise they are but fair flowers which, “because they have no root, wither away,” Mat. 13.6; they like the Israelites in their seeking, returning, inquiring after, and remembering God only when he slew them, Psalm 78.34-37. The third is those habits of grace within the man flowing from his justification; otherwise they are but the habits of common grace, or of mere moral virtues to be found in hypocritical professors and sober heathens. The fourth is the man’s justification, flowing from his faith; otherwise it is but the imaginary justification of Pharisees, Papists, and legalists who justify themselves. Luke 16.15. The fifth is his faith given by Christ, and embracing Christ: otherwise it is but feigned faith which never knits the soul to Christ, but leaves the man in the case of the fruitless branch which is to be “taken away,” John 15.2.
This chain is not of our author’s framing, but is a Scriptural one. 1Tim. 1.5, “Now (1.) the end of the commandment is charity (2.) out of a pure heart (3.) and of a good conscience (4.) and of faith (5.) unfeigned.” — “In which the apostle teaches that obedience to the law must flow from love, and love from a pure heart, and a pure heart from a good conscience, and a good conscience from unfeigned faith; thus he makes the only right channel of good works.” Westm. Conf., Practical Use of Saving Knowledge; tit., “The third thing requisite to evidence true faith is that obedience to the law runs in the right channel; that is, through faith in Christ.”
If one examines himself by this infallible rule, he cannot safely take his obedience as a mark or evidence of his being in the state of grace, until he runs it up to his faith, embracing Christ. But then finding that his faith made him a good conscience, and his good conscience a pure heart, and his pure heart produced love, from which his obedience flowed; in that case, his obedience is a true mark that his faith is unfeigned. From this he may assuredly conclude that he is in the state of grace. Our author’s method being a copy of this, the objections against it must affect both.
Let us suppose two men put themselves on a trial of their state according to this method, and settle on some external duties of theirs, or some graces which they seem to discern in themselves as to the substance of it — though as yet they do not know the specific nature of it, namely, whether they are true or false.
The one finds that his external duties did not proceed from the inward actions of his mind; or if they did, yet these actions of his mind did not proceed from habits of grace in him; or if they did proceed from these, yet these did not flow from his justification, or (which is the same thing) they did not follow upon the purging of his conscience; or if they did, yet his justification or good conscience, such as they are, did not proceed from his faith; or if they did proceed from it, yet his faith did not embrace Christ, and consequently it was not of the special operation of God, nor was it given to him by Christ in him, by his Spirit. In all or any of these cases, it is plain that the external duties, or the [so-called] graces, which he settled on, cannot be true marks from which he may conclude he is in a state of grace.
The other finds that his external duties did indeed flow from the inward actions of his mind, and these flowed from habits of grace in him, and these again flowed from his justification or good conscience, and that was from his faith, and his faith embraced Christ. Here two things are observable: (1.) That neither the duties nor the graces settled on, could be sure marks to him before he came to the last point, in regard to the flaw that possibly might still be found in the immediate or mediate springs [i.e. source or motivations] of them. And therefore the looking, mentioned by the author, is indeed a progressive knowledge and discovery; but it is still unclear and uncertain till one comes to the end, and the whole evidence is put together. This is how it is in searching out some abstruse point by observing the dependence and connection that things have one with another. Therefore our author by no means supposes that I must know certainly that I am in Christ and justified, and that my faith is given to me by Christ, before these duties or graces can be true marks or evidences to me. (2.) That the man perceiving his embracing of Christ, as to the substance of the action, is assured of the saving nature of it (namely, that it is a faith uniting him to Christ, and given to him by Christ in him) by the train of effects he sees have followed it, according to the established order in the Covenant of Grace: 1Tim. 1.5, From these effects of his faith embracing Christ, what might have deceived him, was all along gradually removed in the progress. Thus he is indeed sent back to the fruits of his faith for true marks and evidences of it; but he is sent back to them as standing clear now in his regress, though they were not so in his progress. And at this rate, he is not left to run in a circle, but he has a comfortable end of his self-examination, being assured by his duties and graces, which are the fruits of his faith, that his faith is unfeigned, and that he himself is in the state of grace. About placing faith before the habits of grace, see p. 210 note.