Notes: Sect. 13. — How to attain to assurance.
Notes: Sect. 13. — How to attain to assurance.
417
This answer proceeds on taking Neophytus to speak not of the grace, but of the doctrine of faith; namely, the foundation of faith, or ground of believing — as if he had desired to know whether the foundation of his faith was the true foundation of faith, or not. This is plain from the two following paragraphs. And upon the supposition that he had grounded his faith on the promise of the gospel, the tried foundation of faith, the author tells him that he would not have him question that, having already handled that question at great length, and answered all his and Nomista’s objections on the topic, p. 117-119, where Neophytus declared himself satisfied. And there is no inconsistency between the author’s advice in this case given to Neophytus, and the advice given in the text last cited to the Corinthians, unreasonably and peevishly demanding a proof of Christ speaking in the apostle. Whether, with several judicious critics and commentators, we understand that text to concern the doctrine of faith — as if the apostle tested them whether they retained the true doctrine or not — or the grace of faith, which is the common, and I think the true understanding of it, I see nothing here determining our author’s opinion as to the sense of it. But whether he seems here to be against self-examination, especially after he had urged that duty on Antinomista, and answered his objections against it, let the candid reader judge.
418
See the note on the Definition of Faith.
“The assurance of Christ’s righteousness is a direct act of faith, apprehending imputed righteousness. The evidence of our justification, which we now speak of, is the reflex light, not by which we are justified, but by which we know that we are justified.” Rutherford’s Christ Dying and Drawing, p. 111. — “We never had a question with Antinomians touching the first assurance of justification, such as is proper to the light of faith. He might have spared all his arguments to prove that we are first assured of our justification by faith, not by good works; for we grant the arguments of the one sort of assurance which is proper to faith; and they prove nothing against another sort of assurance, by its signs and effects, which is also divine.” Ibid. p. 110.
419
A good reason why this assurance in or by the direct act of faith is to be tried by marks and signs. There is certainly a persuasion that “does not come from him that called us;” which obliges men to examine their persuasion, whether it is of the right sort or not.
420
This is called assurance by a reflex act.
421
In virtue of the deed of gift and grant. See the note on the Definition of Faith, fig. 1.
422
See page 144, note.