Sect. 7. — The Antinomian Faith rejected.
Sect. 7. — The Antinomian Faith rejected.
Ant. O sir, you please me wondrously well in thus attributing all to Christ. Though lately you have not been so evangelical in your teaching as some others in this city — which has caused me to stop hearing you in order to hear them — yet I formerly perceived, and now also perceive, that you surely have more knowledge of the doctrine of free grace than many other ministers in this city. And to tell you the truth, sir, it was by your means that I was first brought to renounce my own righteousness, and cling only to the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And thus, after I had been a legalist for a good while, just like my friend Nomista, and heard none but your legal preachers who built me up in works and doings, as they did him, and as is their way — in the end, a familiar acquaintance of mine, who had some knowledge of the doctrine of free grace, commended you as an excellent preacher. At last he prevailed with me to go with him and hear you. I well remember your text that day. It was Titus 3.5, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.” From this you observed, and plainly proved, that man’s own righteousness had no hand in his justification and salvation.
Whereupon you dehorted us from putting any confidence in our own works and doings, and exhorted us by faith to lay hold of the righteousness of Jesus Christ only. At hearing this, it pleased the Lord to so work on me, that I plainly perceived that there was no need at all for my works and doings, nor anything else, but only to believe in Jesus Christ. And indeed my heart assented to it immediately. So that I went home with abundant peace and joy in believing, and gave thanks to the Lord for having set my soul at liberty from such a sore bondage as I had been under. And I told all my acquaintances what a slavish life I had lived in, being under the law; for if I committed any sin, I was quickly troubled and disquieted in my conscience, and could have no peace till I had made a humble confession of it to God, craved his pardon and forgiveness, and promised to amend my ways. But now I told them, that whatever sins I committed, I was not one bit troubled by them, nor indeed am I troubled to this day; for I truly believe that God, for Christ’s sake, has freely and fully pardoned all my sins, both past, present, and to come. So that I am confident that whatever sin or sins I commit, they shall never be laid to my charge, being very well assured that I am so perfectly clothed with the robe of Christ’s righteousness, that God can see no sin in me at all.
Therefore, now I can rejoice evermore in Christ, as the apostle exhorts me, and live merrily, though I am ever so vile or sinful a creature; indeed I pity those who are in the same slavish condition I was in; and I would have them believe as I have believed, so that they may rejoice with me in Christ. And thus, sir, you see I have declared to you my condition; therefore I entreat you to tell me what you think of me.
Evan. There is in this city, at this day, much talk about Antinomians. And though I hope there are but few who justly deserve that title, yet I ask that you let me tell you this: I fear I must say to you in this case, as it was once said to Peter in another case, “Surely you are one of them, for your speech betrays you,” Mat. 26.73. Therefore, to tell you truly, I question whether you have truly believed in Christ, despite all your confidence. Indeed, I am rather moved to question it by reminding you that, as I have heard, “your conduct is not such as becomes the gospel of Christ,” Phil. 1.27.
Ant. Why sir, do you think it is possible for a man to have such peace and joy in Christ as I have had, and I thank the Lord I still have, and not to have truly believed in Christ?
Evan. Yes, indeed, I do think it is possible. For does not our Saviour tell us that those hearers whom he compares to “stony ground — immediately received the word with joy, and yet had no root in themselves,” Mark 4.16, 17, and so indeed they were not true believers? And does not the apostle give us to understand that, just as there is a form of godliness without the power of godliness, 2Tim. 3.5, so there is a form of fait, without the power of faith? Therefore he prays that God would grant to the Thessalonians “the work of faith with power,” 2Thess. 1.11. And the same apostle gives us to understand that “there is a faith that is not feigned,” 1Tim. 1.5; so doubtless there is a faith that is feigned. Our Saviour says in Mark 4.26-28, “the kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed into the ground, and sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed springs up and grows, he knows not how: first the blade, then the ear, and after that the full corn in the ear;” Surely he gives us to understand by this, that true faith is produced by the secret power of God, little by little; so that sometimes a true believer himself neither knows when nor how it was wrought. So we may perceive that true faith is not ordinarily begun, increased, and finished, all in a moment, as it seems yours was. Rather it grows by degrees, according to what the apostle says in Rom. 1.17, “The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith,” that is, from one degree of faith to another; from a weak faith to a strong faith, and from faith beginning, to faith increasing towards perfection; or from a faith of adherence to a faith of evidence — but yours was not so. And again, true faith, according to its measure, produces holiness of life; but it seems that yours does not. Therefore, though you have had, and still have, much peace and joy, that is not an infallible sign that your faith is true. For a man may have great raptures, indeed, he may have great joy, as if he were lifted up into the third heaven, and have a great and strong persuasion that his state is good, and yet be a hypocrite for all that. Therefore, I beseech you, in the words of the apostle, “examine yourself, whether you are in the faith; prove yourself: do you not know that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are a reprobate?” 2Cor. 13.5. — “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness,” Rom. 8.10.
Ant. But, sir, if my friend Nomista went wrong in seeking to be justified by the works of the law, then I think I should have gone right in seeking to be justified by faith; yet you speak as if we had both gone wrong.
Evan. I remember Luther says that in his time, if they taught in a sermon that salvation did not consist in our works or life, but in the gift of God, some men took that as an excuse to be slow to good works, and to live a dishonest life. And if they preached of a godly and honest life, others by and by attempted to build ladders to heaven. Moreover, he says that in the year 1525, there were some spirits of fantasy that stirred up the rustic people to sedition, saying that the freedom of the gospel gives liberty to all men from all manner of laws; and there were others who attributed the force of justification to the law. Now, he says, both of these offend against the law; the one on the right hand, who would be justified by the law, and the other on the left hand, who would be completely delivered from the law. Now, I suppose this saying of Luther’s may be fitly applied to you two; for it appears to me, friend Antinomista, that you have offended on the left hand in not walking according to the matter of the law; and it is evident to me, neighbour Nomista, that you have offended on the right hand in seeking to be justified by your obedience to it.