Sect. 4. — The necessity of marks and signs of grace.
Sect. 4. — The necessity of marks and signs of grace.
Therefore, friend Antinomista, if either you or anyone else, under a pretence of being in Christ, exempt yourselves from being under the law of the Ten Commandments, as they are the Law of Christ, I tell you truly, it is a sharp sign that you are not yet in Christ. For if you were, then Christ would be in you; and if Christ were in you, then he would govern you, and you would be subject to him. I am sure the prophet Isaiah tells us that the same Lord who is our Saviour, “is also our King and Lawgiver,” Isa. 33.22. And truly, he will not be Jesus a Saviour to any but those to whom he is Christ a Lord; for the very truth is, wherever he is Jesus a Saviour, he is also Christ a Lord; and therefore, I beseech you, examine yourself whether he is so to you or not.
Ant. Why then, sir, it seems that you stand on marks and signs?
Evan. Yes indeed. I stand so much on marks and signs, that I say to you in the words of the apostle John, 1John 3.10, “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil; whoever does not practice righteousness, is not of God.” For Luther says, “He that is truly baptized, has become a new man, and has a new nature, and is endowed with new dispositions; and loves, lives, speaks, and does far otherwise than he was used to, or could do before.” For, says godly Tyndale, “God works with his word, and in his word: and brings faith into the hearts of his elect, and looses the heart from sin, and knits it to God, and gives a man power to do what was impossible for him to do before, and turns him into a new nature.” And therefore, says Luther in another place, “Works are to be extolled and commended in this: that they are fruits and signs of faith. And therefore, the one who has no regard for how he leads his life, so that he may shut the mouths of all blamers and accusers, and clear himself before all, and testify that he has lived, spoken, and done well, is not yet a Christian. How then, says Tyndale again, “dare any man think that God’s favour is on him, and God’s Spirit is within him, when he does not feel the working of his Spirit, nor is disposed to any good thing?”
Ant. But, by your favour, sir, I am persuaded that many a man deceives his own soul by these marks and signs.
Evan. Indeed, I must confess with Mr. Bolton and Mr. Dyke, that in these times of Christianity, a reprobate may make a glorious profession of the gospel, and he may perform all the duties and exercises of religion, and do so in his outward appearance with as great a spirit and zeal as a true believer. Indeed, he may partake of some measure of inward illumination, and have a shadow of true regeneration; for there is no grace that is effectually wrought in the faithful, a resemblance of which may not be found in the unregenerate. And therefore, I say, if any man rests on the sign, without having the thing signified by the sign —that is, if he rests on his graces (or rather his gifts) and duties, and draws his assurance from them, as they are in him and come from him, without any reference to Jesus Christ as their root and fountain — then they are deceitful marks and signs. But if he looks at them with reference to Jesus Christ, then they are not deceitful, but true evidences and demonstrations of faith in Christ. And a man does this when he looks at his outward actions as flowing from the inward actions of his mind; and he looks at the inward actions of his mind as flowing from the habits of grace within him; and he looks at the habits of grace within him as flowing from his justification; and he looks at his justification as flowing from his faith; and he looks at his faith as given by and embracing Jesus Christ. Thus I say, if he does not rest till he comes to Christ, then his marks and signs are not deceitful, but true.
Ant. But, sir, if an unbeliever may have a resemblance of every grace that is wrought in a believer, then it must be a hard matter to find out the difference. Therefore I think it is best for a man not to trouble himself at all about marks and signs.
Evan. Let me deal plainly with you, in telling you that although we cannot say everyone that has a form of godliness also has the power of godliness, yet we may truly say, that he who does not have the form of godliness, does not have the power of godliness. For though all is not gold that glitters, yet all gold does glitter. And therefore, I tell you truly, if you have no regard for making the Law of Christ your rule, by endeavouring to do what is required in the Ten Commandments and avoid what is forbidden there, it is a very evil sign. And, therefore, I ask you to consider it.