Notes: Sect. 8. — The efficacy of faith for holiness of heart and life.
Notes: Sect. 8. — The efficacy of faith for holiness of heart and life.
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And not for any thing wrought in himself, or done by himself. p. 192. note.
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More accurately, “faith is the chief grace that unbelievers are to be exhorted to get, and Christians to exercise.” Faith is not a consumable that Christians must “get” repeatedly, as if they could be a Christian without it; it is the gift of God (Eph 2.8) which justifies us (Gal 2.16). The smallest amount can move mountains (Mat 17.20). Yet the seed of justifying faith must grow (2Thes 1.3), and become a sanctifying and fruitful faith that we exercise, share, strengthen, and continue in by God’s grace (Jas 2.22; Phm 1.6; Luk 22.32; Act 14.22; 16.5; Rom 4.20; 2Cor 10.15; Col 1.23; 2.7).
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The sum of it is that no considerations, no endeavours whatever, will truly sanctify a man, without faith. However, such considerations and endeavours are necessary to promote and advance the sanctification of the soul by faith.
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That is, transforms or changes. Rom. 12.2, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
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Namely, instrumentally. It cannot be denied that our author places faith before the new principles of actions in this passage, and before the habits of grace. And yet it will not follow that, in his opinion, there can be no gracious change in the soul before faith. What he does indeed teach in this matter, is warranted by the plain testimony of the apostle, Eph. 1.13, “After you believed, you were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.” And what this sealing is, at least as to the chief part of it, may be learned from John 1.16, “And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.” For just as sealing is the impression of the image of the seal on the wax, so that the wax thereby receives point for point from the seal, so believers being sealed with the Spirit of Christ, receive grace for grace in Christ, whereby they are made like him, and bear his image. And as it is warranted by the word, so it is agreeable to the old Protestant doctrine, that we are regenerate by faith. This is the title of the 3d chap, of the 3d book of Calvin’s Instit. and it is taught in the Old Confess., art. 3, in these words: “Regeneration is wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost, working in the hearts of the elect of God an assured faith;” and art. 13, in these words: “So soon as the Spirit of the Lord Jesus (which God’s elect children receive by true faith) takes possession in the heart of any man, so soon he regenerates and renews the same man.”
Nevertheless, I am not of the mind that, either in truth, or in the judgment of our reformers, or of our author, the first act of faith is an act of an unregenerate, that is to say, a dead soul. But to understand this matter rightly, I conceive one must distinguish between regeneration taken strictly, and taken largely; and between new powers and new habits or principles of action. Regeneration, strictly so-called, is the quickening of the dead soul, by the Spirit of Christ passively received; and it goes before faith, according to John 1.12, 13, “But to as many as received him, he gave power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe on his name; who were born not of blood, but of God.” This is called by Amesius, the first regeneration, Medul. lib. 1, cap. 29, sect. 6; see cap. 26, sect. 19. And it belongs to, or it is the same as effectual calling; in the description of this in the Shorter Catechism, one finds a renewing mentioned, whereby sinners are enabled to embrace Jesus Christ; and on the same subject, the Larger Catechism says, “They, although in themselves dead in sin, are hereby made able to answer his call.” Regeneration taken in a larger sense, and presupposing the former [i.e., enabling regeneration], is the same as sanctification, wrought in the soul by the Spirit of Christ, actively received by faith, and so it follows faith. Acts 26.18, “Among those who are sanctified by faith, that is, in Me.” The subjects of this “are the redeemed, called, and justified.” Essen. Com. cap. 16, sect. 3. And accordingly, in the description of it in the Shorter Catechism, mention is made of a second renewing, namely, “Whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die to sin, and live to righteousness.” And thus I conceive regeneration to be taken in the above passages of the Old Confession. This is confirmed by the following testimonies: “Being in Christ, we must be new creatures, not in substance, but in the qualities and disposition of our minds, and in the change of the actions of our lives, all of which is impossible for those who have no faith.” Mr. John Davidson’s Catechism, page 29. — “So good works follow as effects of Christ in us, possessed by faith, who begins to work in us regeneration and a renewing of the whole parts and powers of the soul and body. This begun sanctification and holiness, he never ceases to accomplish. Ibid. p. 30. — “The effect [namely: of justification] inherent in us, as in a subject, is that new quality which is called inherent righteousness or regeneration.” Grounds of Christian Religion, by the renowned Beza and Faius, 1586, chap. 29, sect. 11. — “that new quality, then called inherent righteousness and regeneration, testified by good works, is a necessary effect of true faith.” Ibid. chap. 31, sect. 13.
Now in regeneration taken in the former sense, new powers are put into the soul, whereby the sinner, who was dead in sin, is able to discern Christ in his glory, and to embrace him by faith. But it is in regeneration taken in the latter sense, that new habits of grace, or immediate principles of actions are given; namely, upon the soul’s uniting with Christ by faith. So Essenius, having defined regeneration to be putting spiritual life in a man who is spiritually dead, [compare chap. 14, sect. 11,] afterwards says, “As by regeneration new powers were put into the man, so by sanctification are given new spiritual habits.” Theological Virtues, ibid. cap. 16, sect. 5. And as the Scriptures are express, in that men are “sanctified by faith,” Acts 26.18, so is the Larger Catechism in that it is in sanctification they are “renewed in the whole man, having the seeds of repentance unto life, and of all other saving graces, put into their hearts,” quest. 75.
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That is, until you are called and have faithfully responded to Christ – until he is your life (Gal 2.20).
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This man, Bernardine Ochine, an infamous apostate, was at first a monk; but as our author says, being much enlightened in the knowledge of the gospel, he not only made profession of the Protestant Religion, but together with the renowned Peter Martyr, was esteemed a most famous preacher of the gospel, throughout Italy. Being in danger on account of religion, he left Italy by Martyr’s advice; and being greatly assisted by the Duchess of Ferrara in his escape, he went first to Geneva, and then to Zurich, and was admitted a minister in that city. But revealing himself there (as Simon Magus did, after he had joined himself to the church of Samaria) he was banished; and is justly reckoned among the forerunners of the execrable Socinus. See Hoornbeck, appar. ad. contr. Soc. page 47. Hence one may plainly see how there are sermons of his which might safely and to good purpose be quoted. And as for the character given him by the author here, if one is in hazard of reckoning it an applause, one must remember that is no greater than what the apostle gives to those guilty of the sin against the Holy Ghost, Heb. 6.6, “Those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift,” etc., which I have no doubt but our author had his eye upon, in giving this man this character very pertinently.
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That is, by believing, get a saving interest in Christ; whereas before, you have set yourself, as it were, to work it. See the note on the Definition of Faith.
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“Which [he adds] if it does not proceed from faith, and is not so much as a sound proof of faith, much less can it be any cause to draw them to believe.” — “The only firm ground of saving faith is God’s truth, revealed in his word; as is plainly taught,” Rom. 10.17. Ibid. p. 20, 21.
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This censure, as it natively follows upon the overthrowing of that doctrine, namely: “That holiness of life must go before faith, and so be the ground of it, and produce and bring it forth;” so it is founded on these two ancient Protestant principles: (1.) That the belief of the remission of sin is comprehended in saving, justifying faith; of which see p. 192. note, and the note on the Definition of Faith. (2.) That true repentance, and acceptable reformation of life, necessarily flow from, but do not go before saving faith; of which we see p. 144. note, and 146. note, Hence it necessarily follows, that remission of sin must be believed, before there can be any acceptable reformation of life; and that the preacher’s fear was groundless, reformation of life being so caused by the faith of remission of sin, that it is inseparable from it: as our author teaches in the following passages. Calvin’s censure in this case is fully as severe: “As for them [he says] that think that repentance rather goes before faith, than flows or springs forth from it, as a fruit out of a tree, they never knew the force of it.” Instit. book 3. chap. 3. sect. 1. — “Yet when we refer the beginning of repentance to faith, we do not dream a certain mean space of time, in which it brings it out: but we mean to show that a man cannot earnestly apply himself to repentance unless he knows himself to be of God.” Ibid. sect. 2.
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Even so, faith not only justifies a sinner, but sanctifies him in heart and life.
385
I think this expression might very well have been spared here.
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“Q. Does not this doctrine [namely: of justification by faith without works] make men secure and profane? A. No, for it can only be those who are ingrafted into Christ by faith that will bring forth fruits of thankfulness.” Palat. Cat. q. 64.
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Rom 7:4-6 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another-- to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
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A woman married to a second husband, after the death of the first, does the same work for subsistence in that second family, which was required of her by the first husband; yet she does not do it to nor under the dead husband, but to and under the living one. In the same way, the good works of believers are materially, and only materially, the works of the law, as a covenant (the first husband), which is now dead to the believer. It is in this sense only that the law is treated here. To make the good works of believers formally the works of the law, as a covenant and husband, is to contradict the apostle in Rom. 7.4-6, to “make them deadly fruits, dishonourable to Christ, the second husband, and unacceptable to God.”
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In that manner.
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Phi 1:27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.