Chapter IV
What act offaith it is ichich those that want assurance may exercise upon such
absolute declarations and promises, and of the suitableness between that act and such objects.
2. All acts do receive their specification or kind from their objects and
their tendency thereunto, and so we must next discern the kind of the
actings of these men s faith from that (with difference from that other per sonal assurance) by their suitableness unto those their objects, viz., these
absolute promises. In such absolute declarations and promises for salva
tion there are eminently two things to be attended.
(1.) The matter of them, or things contained in them, and absolutely promised or declared, and that are exposed to be the object and aim of
faith.
(2.) The tenor of them as they respect persons.
(1.) The matter of them promised is either salvation itself, which is
expressed in those promises of God s pardoning a man s sins for his name s
sake, and of God s being our God, and writing his law in our hearts, and
222 OF THE OBJECT AND A3TS [BOOK III.
his saying, I am a Saviour, and there is none besides me, and many the like ; or there are the causes thereof which do express the motives moving God thereunto, such as are the declarations of the riches of his mercy and
grace, his free love, the good pleasure of his will for his name s sake, &c. Although these in the matter of them are thus absolutely declared or pro mised, yet the tenor of them to persons is not universal, as if God intended
all and every man in such promises, as was said ; but they are indefinite
only, and promiscuous, yet are to be promulged or made known to all. This may suffice as to the object. Again,
(2.) There being two faculties in the soul, the understanding and the
will, each of these have a proper acting and exercise of faith towards God and Christ, as they have revealed themselves in these declarations and
promises, that so a soul may obtain the things therein. And we must allow even in them that first believe, as well as in any other that want assurance, actings of faith both in the understanding and also in the will. For every man that believes must believe with his whole heart, as the eunuch, Acts viii., and with the heart man believeth to salvation, Rom.
x., and that with respect towards these absolute promises. And in the first place, it must be granted that there is both an assurance of faith in the understanding, and in the will a firm adhering to the things revealed in the promises. First, In the understanding there must be an act of assurance. But how ? and of what ? Namely, of and about that
first thing we noted in the promises, viz., the matter or things contained in them. And as in respect thereunto, look as the promises and declarations are absolute, yea and amen ; so every believer must have as absolute an assurance of faith thereof. As, for instance, a soul must be assured con
cerning Christ that he is a Saviour, and that there is none besides him, and that he came into this world with a most absolute purpose to save sinners of mankind (for they are only the dwellers in this world to which he came), which elogy or saying the apostle doth therefore propose and commend to the faith of men as the most sure and faithfcil saying that ever was uttered: 1 Tim. i. 15, This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ; of whom I am chief. I say, he proposeth it to be entertained with all acceptation of faith and assent by them, and to be absolutely believed by them without
wavering or doubting. And Christ himself imposeth the faith thereof as
essentially necessary to salvation : John viii. 24, If ye believe not that I am he, the Messiah, or Saviour of the world, as I have often declared
* you shall die in your sins. Thus likewise, concerning God, we must absolutely believe that he is a God of mercies, pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin, Exodus xxxiv. 6, a justifier of the ungodly, Rom.
myself to be,
iv. 5, a God of pardons, Neh. ix. 17 (so it is in the Hebrew). These
things must be as verily and indubitably believed with full assurance of
understanding (as it is termed, Col. ii. 2) as that we believe there is a God; for by the same necessity that he that comes to God must believe that he
is, by the same parallel of necessity, he that cometh to God or Christ to be saved and justified, must as absolutely believe that he is a justifier of the ungodly. There must be fixed likewise in every believing soul a firm
persuasion of the full resolvedness of God s and Christ s will, purposes, and
intentions to save some of the sons of men effectually, concerning which there are likewise so many testimonies and absolute declarations in the word.
Lastly, There is necessary a belief of the infinite riches of mercy that
are in the divine nature, which are as the sea that feeds and maintains the
CHAP. IV.] ] OF JUSTIFYING FAITH. 223
springs of those his purposes and intentions, and the streams issuing from
those springs in overflowing promises with abundant kindness and truth. And the more the soul comes to be persuaded and possessed of all these
things in the assurance of understanding, the deeper foundation is laid, and
the stronger hold and obligation there is upon his will to draw it to trust on God for a man s particular salvation.
Secondly, In the will there is to be in every believer a firm and fixed
adherence or cleaving unto God and Christ, and unto the good things pro mised by them : Ps. Ixiii. 8,
* My soul cleaveth unto thee (so the Hebrew word is, it being the same that is used Deut. x. 20, and chap. xiii. 4) ; it
is further added, My soul cleaveth to thee behind.* The meaning is, that when God seemed to turn away from him, and to leave him, yet the soul
will not part so with him, but takes hold of him, though behind, when yet
it cannot see his face and favour. A soul that hath assurance, and sees
the face and favour of God to stand towards him, may be said to cleave unto God before ; but when God turns away his face, that soul cleaves to him behind ; that is, it both will and doth lay hold on him through adher ence of faith, as it resolves never to leave and forsake him, however he should seem to deal with it. Thus Kuth is said to cleave to Naomi, Ruth
i. 14, which act of cleaving to her, when Naomi bade her return, Kuth thus
expresseth, verse 1G, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from
following after thee, for whither thou goest I will go; and where thou
: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. And verse 17, Where thou diest I will die, and there will I be buried :
lodgest I will lodge
the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me. Which cleaving, verse 18, is further termed a being
* stedfastly minded to
go with her, analogically unto which this cleaving of the soul by faith to God is termed a cleaving with purpose of heart ; that is, a stedfast fixed
resolution of heart not to part with him, Acts xi. 23. And thus doth the
will of a believer cleave firmly and stedfastly unto God, when yet God makes as if he would shake it off, and to depart therefrom. And whereas Ruth said, Nought but death shall part thee and me, Job, he says,
* Though thou kill me, I will trust in thee ; that is, death itself shall not
part me from thee, will this soul say unto God in his ultimate resolves.
Nay, the soul says to God, Hell shall not part thee and me ; for thou art
there, and I will cleave to thee if thou throwest me thither. Thou shalt never be rid of me, for that is my resolution. The reason of this fixedness
of the will is from that spiritual sight and assurance that (as we said) is in
the understanding, of the things themselves contained in the promises, the
understanding being thereby invincibly possessed of those riches of mercy and goodness which are in God, of that mercy and forgiveness that is with
him, and that is there to be had, and of that abundance of grace and
righteousness which is in Christ, and plenteous redemption for the
salvation of sinners (Ps. cxxx.), and all these shining in those absolute
declarations and promises, and through them into the soul. Faith in the
understanding lets down into the will the absolute and complete goodness of the salvation promised, and that in the causes of it ; and the will is drawn thereby with as invincible a resolution to cleave unto God for the obtainment thereof. And then again, another reason of this its cleaving,
is, that God, though he hide his particular favour and grace from this soul, and holds it yet in suspense as to that, yea, and turns away, as was said :
yet, in the mean time, he secretly by his right hand upholds that soul, and draws it by that his efficacious power to cleave to him ; and that also * For this reading of the words, see Piscator, Dutch Annotat., Genebrard, Muis.
224 OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [BOOK III.
follows in the next words of that verse, in that psalm fore-cited, Thy right hand, that is, thy power, upholdeth me, and causeth me thus to hang upon thee, though it be but behind ; and if he seems to go away, yet then the soul is carried to follow hard after him the more ; as our translators have rendered it, My soul follows hard after thee. And hence it is that though God should defer him long, yet he continues to seek him. And thus you see, as to the matter of those absolute promises, there is both an assurance in the understanding, and a firmness of adherency in the will, even in him that at present wants sight and assurance of the face and favour of God, which was the case of the psalmist at that time, and therefore the same may be in any that wants that assurance.
And these two acts are (though in a greater or lesser degree) common unto all believers.
But, 2dly, there is further, the tenor of those absolute promises, which comes to be considered as they respect persons ; and from thence it is that so great a difference is between the faith of him that hath a personal assurance of his interest therein, and the faith of these other believers that want it. As also from hence it is that difficulty ariseth, how such souls, wanting personal assurance, may yet come to lay hold on such absolute promises for their own persons, and with what kind of faith.
(1.) What is the difference between that act of faith, which the apostle to the Hebrews calls full assurance of faith, Heb. x., as comprehending not
only an assurance of the things and matter of the promises, as that God s absolute will is to save sinners, &c., but together therewith an assurance that I am the very individual person whom God means to save, &c. Between this faith, I say, and the faith of single and simple adherence, the difference lies herein, inasmuch as faith in the understanding of him that is an adherent only comes short in this, that he doth not as yet firmly and prevailingly over his doubts believe that himself is the individual person intended by God in the promises, concerning which the other is
fully satisfied, and accordingly can and doth with assurance apply those promises to himself, that they are his, &c. So as indeed the former hath a whole or complete assurance, both of the matter and also of his own
personal interest; but this other poor soul hath but an half assurance, namely, of the matter, &c., but not of the second, viz., his personal interest therein, touching which God is as yet pleased not to reveal that to him.
(2.) As to the difficulty mentioned, viz., how such souls may yet have recourse to such absolute promises, and with what kind, or rather degree, of faith ; for answer hereto, I still take that rule along with me, that faith
is to be some way or other answering and conformable to what is in the
promise, or it is not faith ; and that if it comes up to the tenor of it, as we see it hath done to the matter thereof, it must needs be true faith. And my grand assertion here about it is, that there is and may be place for actings of true faith both in the understanding and the will of such an
one, answering and conformable unto the tenor of these promises, as we heard there was in each of those faculties towards the matter of them. And this correspondency must be distinguished by its tendency towards that tenor of them. Now, this suitableness and conformity between this faith wanting personal assurance, and the tenor of these promises (which I
call absolute) lies thus.
1. On the part of the promises, the tenor of them is indefinite to
persons, and not universal to all men. It is true those second sort of promises fore-mentioned, which express a condition whereunto salvation
CHAP. IV.] OF JUSTIFYING FAITH. 225
is annexed, are universal, that is, to all and every one that hath the
qualifications in them. And in that strain they run, Whosoever believeth shall be saved ; and more emphatically, Rom. iii. 22, the apostle speaks of the righteousness of God, which is by faith of .Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe, where he ingeminates the universality to
all, and upon all them that believe, but not "to all men absolutely
: Promissiones evangelii universales sunt, non absolutd, sed respectu credentium, says Paraeus very well in his commentary on that text : the promises of the
gospel are universal, not absolutely, but with respect to believers. But in absolute promises it is not so, for they mention no such qualifications already wrought.
[2.] In this very tenor of them which thus respecteth persons, we must consider that they have yet something of absoluteness, or of certainty, concerning persons, which is as certainly to be believed, and yet some
thing that is but indefinite ; both which I shall specify, to the end that I may by and by shew the punctual conformity of faith wanting personal assurance unto the tenor of those promises.
1st. That which is absolutely or certainly declared in those promises concerning persons, for all faith as of a certainty to build on, is this :
(1.) It is most certain and absolutely declared in such promises concerning persons, that some shall have those promises fulfilled on them : Heb. iv. 6, It remaineth, therefore, that some must enter in. Which declaration made thus under the gospel, speaks the true intent of all absolute promises as to persons, shewing they are understood, but only of some, and yet cer
tainly and absolutely of some. The expression is, they must enter in ; for which also the apostle there allegeth an oath of God, than which nothing could make the promise more absolute. Likewise those passages
: John x. 16, Other sheep I have
i of Christ s evidence the same thing
| which are not of this fold : them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, &c.
(2.) It is absolutely certain also in those promises, that these persons
i are (1.) Of all sorts of sinners, and all manner of iniquity shall be forgiven,
except that against the Holy Ghost, says Christ, to some or other. (2.) Of persons in all ages or successions of times. (3.) In all nations, and of all
places : Look unto me, all the ends of the earth, and be saved ; and Thou hast redeemed us out of all nations, tongues, and kindreds, &c., Rev. v. 9. (4.) Out of all ranks and conditions, bond and free, poor and
rich, kings, and all in authority. By all men, all sorts of men are intended.
2dly, Yet these promises are withal still indefinitely uttered as to per-
; sons. For if some, and but some that I may win some, says the greatest
i converter of souls are saved, then still not all ; if out of all nations, then
! not all in or of a nation. And truly in their saying, Thou hast redeemed
! us out of all nations, tongues, and kindreds, he makes the very redemption of Christ to be but of some in all, and they that speak this speak it not of themselves, as they had been justified, called, and sanctified. No; they say not, Thou hast called us out of all nations, &c., but plainly, Thou hast redeemed us with thy blood out of all nations, so limiting it to redemption. They speak of those namely on whom Christ, in shedding his blood for ,them (they speaking it to Christ), had his redeeming eye, which he had
1 not in redeeming unto the rest of those nations, which are therefore distin-
i guished from these even by a redemption of them, which is not of those
other. And there is a vast difference between saying, Thou hast redeemed
,all nations, as the Universalists say, and, Thou hast redeemed us, a select
j company, out of all nations, as they speak here. 1here is no such univerVOL. VIII. P
226 OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [BOOK III.
sality the promises are made unto, though these promises are to be promulged to the universality of all mankind. And the promises are then
to be styled indefinite, whilst they absolutely and certainly declare that some must and shall enter in, and that all shall not, and yet do no way
signify who they are, either by any discernible mark or character of differ
ence, or by naming those persons (God reserving that to himself, and leav
ing it in suspense) until the qualification of faith and such other graces are wrought in them. And those promises which are made unto such
qualifications we call conditional promises, which are in their tenor uni
versal ; but not so these absolute of this sort which we speak of, for they can bear no other title, as they respect persons, but of indefiniteness,
though they be otherwise never so absolute. If we will take an impartial
survey of all absolute declarations and promises of salvation, they will be
found thus indefinite, as in respect to persons, as they are proposed for
objects unto our faith. Thus it is in that grand proclamation which was made on purpose as the foundation of Old Testament faith, wherein the
* The
riches of the mercy in the divine nature are discovered and exposed,
Lord, gracious, merciful, &c., Deut. xxxiv. 6. This, as it respects persons, to whom God means to be gracious, have this professed restriction pre mised thereto by God himself the promulger: I will be merciful to whom
I will be merciful; chap, xxxiii. ver. 19, I will proclaim the name of
the Lord before thee, and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and
will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. The import of which, what
is it other than that he will absolutely be merciful unto some, even those whom he will, but not to all ? And who those are to whom he will be
merciful he reserves within himself, and yet professeth to proclaim this,
that all the people might know it, and accordingly Moses published it to
all. And this was of all other the first most solemn promulgation of mercy
publicly made that ever was made before, and so the tenor of it is mensura
reliquorum, the measure of the rest. That God also will blot out, or pardon
transgressions for his name s sake, Isa. xliii. 25, is an absolute promise,
fitted to the faith of any one that hath a will to believe. It speaks to no
: ver. 22-24, But thou hast
condition or qualification, but the contrary
not called upon me, Jacob ; but thou hast been weary of me, Israel. Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burntofferings, neither
hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices : I have not caused thee to
serve with an offering, nor weaned thee with incense. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of
thy sacrifices ; but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast
wearied me with thine iniquities. He names no person but Jacob ; that
is, his people elect, as elsewhere he calls them; yea, and there also, ver. 21,
1 The people he had formed for himself, to shew forth his praise, who are
< children of God, John
in other scriptures termed before their calling,
xi. 52 ; his people, Acts xv. 14, and Acts xviii. 10. But who these are,
till they believe, none knows. Yea, and he limits this pardon unto them: Micah vii. 18, 19, Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and
passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage ? he retaineth
not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us ; he will subdue our iniquities ; and thou
wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. The words are purely what are in Exod. xxxiii. and xxxiv., and they whom they concern are but
the remnant whom he hath chosen for his heritage, which who knows but
he ? The like we have also in that declaration concerning Christ s inten
tion of coming into the world to save sinners, commended for such a
CHAP. IV.J OF JUSTIFYING FAITH. 227
: 1 Tim. i. 15, This
faithful saying, for all our faith to receive and accept
is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners ; of whom I am chief. It is sinners in the world indefinitely, he sa}
rs not all, not all universally, which the very sound and tenor of the speech shews. And it is of great force to confirm it to be
so, that he speaks of that redemption by Christ, and that sort of purpose therein to save these sinners, to be every way one and the same with that which he had of saving the apostle himself, which the apostle came then
to find and discern, when Christ had by such an overflow of love and
almighty power wrought faith in him : ver. 14, And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. And therefore he was now able with assurance to put in his own name, in
saying, of whom I am chief. And in saying so he puts himself (we evidently see) into the same rank and number, sort and heap, of all the sinners that were redeemed, and all of them redeemed with the same grace and intention that Paul himself had been redeemed with, and made the
subject of in Christ s heart. He himself was redeemed with no other aim than they all were. That which did put the difference was, that he was the chief of that rank in sinning. And surely Christ s aim and eye at him
in dying for him was out of a special grace and love, whereby he died not
only to make him salvable, as some would dilute Christ s intention in dying for the non-elect, affirming that Christ died for all men thus far, barely to make this proposition true of all men, that if they would believe they should be saved. It is certain that he died for Paul with a further intention of love than so; even efficaciously to give him faith, and invincibly save him. For that grace in converting him effectually it is he there so predicates, ver. 14, The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and
love, &c., and magnifies Christ for having come into the world to bestow it on him. Christ did not die with one intention for Paul, and another inten tion for others, for he ranks the other sinners for whom Christ died in common with himself, together in one rank with his own person. He puts himself and them in the same rank. Now Christ died for him as a chosen vessel to himself, &c., as Christ himself that died for him from heaven
speaks of him, Acts ix. 15, and in dying bore the same love to the rest of those sinners he died for that he did to Paul ; he dying for him and them considered in one body, Eph. ii., whereof Paul was but a member. And therefore Paul propounds himself as a pattern of this grace unto all that should by virtue of Christ s dying come to believe : ver. 16,
* For this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all
long-suffering, for a pattern to them that should hereafter believe on him
to life everlasting. And withal commends this faithful saying thus inde
finitely uttered, that Christ came into the world to save sinners, as the most accommodate object to their faith, npon which they should embrace and lay hold on Christ, as it had been so to him, when in his humiliation he had seen himself to be the chiefest of sinners. To conclude this, I will
say, that after all the wringing, and writhing, and turning things this way and that, and when men have said all that they can, it will be found that the
world, which is the adequate object of Christ s aim in dying (which he is elsewhere said to have come to save, and is thereupon proclaimed to be the Saviour of the world, John iv. 42) is no otherwise to be understood than of men in the world indefinitely taken. Yea, and that other phrase of
all men, of whom likewise he is said [to be] the Saviour, will after all agi tations issue in and come to its being an indefinite expression (as we have
explained it), noting out men in all nations, of all ranks, ages, conditions,
228 OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [BOOK III.
and sorts of sinners over all the world. And so it imports an indefinite-
ness, and not an universality of persons to have been intended in it ; and
so all these declarations and promises of salvation which are absolute are
to be understood.
I come now to demonstrate the suitableness of the faith of one that knows not of a certainty of himself to be intended, unto the tenor of the
promises as it respects persons. Let us see then what actings of faith
there may be in such an one for his own personal salvation, although he is
not assured of his personal interest, and view withal (which I mainly intend) the correspondency which faith in such an one doth hold with the tenor of
such promises, as it hath been opened ; which will at once evince that such
a faith is saving; for if faith answers the promise, it is certainly true saving
faith ; as also make way to instruct us how in such a case we may apply ourselves unto absolute promises, which is the point I ultimately drive at.
I shall, as I have done before, when I shewed the correspondency of
such a man s faith to the matter of the promises, go over the actings of
the soul towards the tenor of them, and that as to both the understanding and will.
1. These absolute promises do in the tenor afford and lay before faith
in the understanding of such an one, these great truths that follow, which
are productive of faith in his will, and do draw on this will to close with God and Christ, with acts therein suitable to the tenor of the promises for
his particular salvation. They present to faith in his understanding
1st, That there are some, and those not a few, persons whom God cer
tainly and undoubtedly intends to save, and whom he will effectually give
faith unto. And although the man may yet be suspensive whether his own
person or no be included, yet in the mean while faith may and doth meet with
and come up to this part of the promise, in that he fully believes that some
shall be saved. And he may and doth believe this piece of the tenor of it,
notwithstanding his wavering as to his own person, even as absolutely as
the promises themselves, viz., that God is absolutely (that is, certainly)
resolved to save some with a free and efficacious grace. There are that
shall come to me, says Christ, John vi. 37. And again, there are those
that are the children of God (in God s purpose) who shall hear my voice, John xi. 52 ; and the belief of this at once gives hope as concerning this
thing ; for if the example of that one person, Paul, is proposed by himself, and the Holy Ghost speaking in him, as a pattern and flag of mercy held
out to toll and invite others in, who were after to believe (as in that 1 Tim. i.
we may read), then much more are we encouraged when we hear that
there are a many for whom Christ came into the world with an absolute
: My blood, said he, that
intention to save them. Thus Christ speaks
is shed for many for the remission of sins, when now he was to die, Mat.
xxvi. 28 ; and when they shall come together in that last great general
assembly, it is said of them, Rev. vii. 9, Lo, a great multitude, which
no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes,
and palms in their hands. And likewise the belief of thus much concerning
persons in a matter of so near and great concernment as a man s salvation
is, will, through the Spirit s drawing, quicken and stir up the will to put in
for it for a man s self (although he knows not certainly that he is the person
intended), and accordingly to endeavour after the obtaining of it. This we
manifestly may find in the coherence of the 6th and llth verses of Heb. iv.,
Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein (namely, that
* and they to whom it was first preached entered not in, because of
rest),
CHAP. IV.] OF JUSTIFYING FAITH. 229
unbelief, the confirmation of which he prosecutes in the following verses.
In the llth verse, he draws forth this inference from that his former : Let
us labour therefore to enter into that rest, says he in ver. 11, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief; which punctually answers
in the way of exhortation unto both parts of his foregoing doctrine in that
ver. 6 ; and the true reason of such an inference may be seen in the ordi
nary practice of men : for if when men know aforehand that one, yea, but
one shall, in running a race, obtain a crown, yet all that are habilitated for
a race will venture their ability and skill to run for it, and this when it is
but for a corruptible crown, as the apostle enforceth his exhortation,
1 Cor. ix. 24, 25, then how much more when we know that not one only,
but many, and so great a multitude shall obtain, and that the gage or
* an incorruptible crown, as the
price at stake is not a corruptible, but
apostle (ver. 25) further heightens and raiseth his motive and argumenta
tion to this our very purpose in hand.
2. These absolute promises and declarations do lay before the under
standing of such an one, that these some or many are of all sorts (as was
said), out of all nations, ages, both of succession of times, and ages of
persons, and also of all sinners of all sorts, in all the degrees, and sizes, and proportions of sinnings, even the chiefest, as the apostle s vision shews,
Acts ix. 12; all manner of beasts, wild and creeping things, from the basest
worms to the most loathed and monstrous beasts, were involved in that
sheet, which was the figure of the church catholic, represented unto Peter,
as those that were to be called and converted out of all sorts of sinners,
even the vilest. These declarations, in like manner, hold forth that it is God s very design to comprehend and take in of all these, whatever their
sins, their ranks, their conditions be. He would have some of all kindreds,
families, callings, that he might be said to extend his rich free grace unto
an all, all in some respect. And this opens the door of hope to the soul we are speaking of, yet far wider. For he now looking upon himself
round about in all circumstances whatsoever, and viewing himself all over,
may see that whatever rank, condition, or sinfulness we can suppose him
to be in, or he finds himself to be in, yet he finds that his own condition is
not only not to be excluded, but taken in in that indefinite way mentioned
in the promise. The very same condition and degree of sinfulness that he
stands in, is to be found in the persons of some or other, whom in the pro mise God intends, and so comes to be comprehended in the promises ; and,
further, he may thereby see, in such absolute declarations, all objections of
all kinds that can any way be made by carnal reason (which is so jealous of
God), or that can be alleged either from his sins, or circumstances, or con
jectures, wholly to be removed and answered ; and all this these absolute
promises do suggest and prompt him with. And though still he demurs
whether his person, singly and particularly considered, be certainly the man whom God will own still further, yet, even as to that point, namely, his
person singly considered, he hath this to say, that seeing God hath no
where, nor by any fatal mark or brand, as upon Cain, set him out for
destruction, why then (may he not well think thereupon) shall I exclude
myself? There is no difference, saith the apostle, for all have sinned ;
being therefore all alike, whoever they be that have sinned, they are capable
alike of being freely justified by his grace, through the redemption that is
in Jesus Christ, Rom. iii. 22-24. The meaning is, that there is no differ
ence of sins, small or great (as to the point of God s free grace to justify a
man), which is any bar that shuts any man out. He finds, likewise, that
as there is nothing of good in him that should move God to be merciful to
280 OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [BOOK III.
him ; so, nor on the contrary, nothing of evil that will be of power to divert God from his declared resolution to pardon all manner of sin de facto (but that one against the Holy Ghost), as Christ that bore our sins, and paid the price for us, tells us. So as his single individual person stands free of
all incumbrances, of all quare impedits, of all that should prejudge him, and
let him ; he stands as free for free grace as freely to accept and receive him, as ever any man did whom it hath accepted, anything in the whole word of God notwithstanding. It is not that such or such sins, or manner of sinnings after illuminations, &c., shall be a cross-bar, or spoke, or hin drance against a man, no more than sins before ; for, whenever a man cometh to God to be justified, whether after calling or before, he comes and sues it sub forma impii, as looking upon himself as an ungodly person, whilst he is a-suing for justification, and appears in that court. He is not to consider his being already godly ; there is no difference, no, not in that
respect neither. He may see that it is pure free grace in God s heart he hath to deal withal, and to treat with God by, and to try what quarter it will give ; and it is the glory thereof that moves God to be merciful where he will be merciful ; and where he proves to be gracious, he is to an bnto-
irXeovafff&a, he is to an overflowing superabounding fulness gracious to them. Those that run in a race, or strive for masteries, have the confidence of their own skill, or strength, or use, and accustomed agility for their confi
dence, and do venture thereupon ; but this soul hath the absolute grace of God before him to rely upon, and so ventures upon what it shall be
willing to do for him.
^ 3. These absolute promises do, together with all these considerations, hint to him an it may be ; that is, that he may be one God will be merciful unto.* If it must be somebody s lot (in that language the apostle speaks, Eph. i.), then, says he, why not mine ? So prompts the Holy Ghost often such souls ; and this, though but a far-off apprehension, hath brought many a soul near, and drawn and encouraged them to come to God for their
particular salvation. The people of Nineveh believed God in his threaten-
ings, Jonah iii. 5 ; and this thought withal fell into them by the suggestion of the Spirit
< Who can tell if God will return and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not ? And, says the prophet, Joel ii. 14, 15, The Lord your God is gracious and merciful, slow, to
: ver 6, 9,
anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil : who knows if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him ? In the case of the child David sought the Lord : for, says he, I said (that is, I had this saying or apprehension of faith in my mind), Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me ? 2 Sam. xii. 22, in sparing his life ; and yet the prophet had told him it should die ; but David thought it might be but of the nature of a conditional threatening, which by prayer might have been diverted. And, in other scriptures, promises are uttered in the slender
style of an it may be, as Zeph. ii. 3,
< It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord s anger. Some of these were promises and apprehensions in case of temporal deliverances, others of eternal salvation connexed with them.
^ However, my argument is strong from either, for these so indefinite expressions uttered in temporal promises with but an
< it may be, and who can tell but that God ? &c., did yet however draw them in to seek God with a true faith for the obtaining the things promised, the faith in them answer
ing to the utterance and tenor of the promise from God ; then much more * Interrogo nunc credisne, peccator, Christo ? Dicis, Credo. Quid credis ? Gratis universa peccata tibi per ipsum posse remitti. Habes quod credidisti. Auq. Gerard, de Just. p. 1050.
CHAP. IV.] OF JUSTIFYING FAITH. 231
in the case of eternal salvation, if the promises thereof speak, or whisper
rather, but an it may be, and who knows ? should we be drawn to believe. And so much (for certain) these absolute promises do speak of hope to such
a soul before us, yea, or any soul whatever that hears and observes them ; and if they leave but such a hint or impression upon the soul as David had and spake of I said, who can tell but God will be gracious to me ? that
so such a soul comes but once to say within itself, Who can tell but God
will be gracious to me, in pardoning and saving of me ? This it may be in
the soul s apprehension may and will have, through the Spirit s assisting, and God the Father s drawing (without which never so certain and direct
promises made to all universally, or particularly to any one by name, would
not have any drawing virtue in them to work faith), I say these it may bes, or I may be the person, may have as much power and force in them to win
the heart to believe, and by faith to put in for them, and to pray to obtain
them, as in temporal salvations they had. For the reason is the same in
both, yea, and the weight far the more on this side of salvation eternal, by how much a man s salvation (the subject-matter of such spiritual promises)
is infinitely nearer to such a man s soul, to move and stir him, than all or
any temporal salvation is or can be supposed to be to any. This the
apostle hath instructed us in, as touching the very point before us : They strive for a corruptible crown, says he, we for an incorruptible; it is an
inference from the less to the infinitely greater. And a soul once made
apprehensive to purpose, as we say, of the weight of salvation, the massy import and concernments thereof joining all their forces with these so weak
it may bes, will yet, as smaller and more weak cords, twisted with greater and stronger, have together a mighty power in them to draw the soul, when withal God shall be at the end of these ropes, and draw with them. And how slender these hopes, and however contemptible some may and do account them, which these it may bes do afford, yet they are from God, who is pleased to speak in that style to us men ; and
* the weakness of
God, when he comes to work upon souls by them, is stronger than the
greatest power of men. He can draw a mighty whale to shore with a
twine thread. He can hold fast the greatest ship in the most tempestuous storm by the cable of a slight straw.
Now, behold the correspondency and conformity of such an apprehen sion of faith in such a soul unto the indefiniteness of these promises in
the word; just as God speaks, so they believe. God is a gracious and
merciful God (that is, absolute), and it may be God will be gracious to
you, and who can tell ? So says the promise on God s part, as it is
spoken unto us; that is, it is but indefinitely spoken. And then says the
soul, Who can tell but he will be gracious to me (as David said,
* It may be God will bless me for Shimei s cursing to-day ) ? So speaks the heart as
it were in an echo to the other voice in the promise.
4. There is a fourth act of faith may be in the understanding of one that
is not yet assured of his present personal salvation, and it may be an act
of assurance too, as for the future, namely, that if that faith which in his
will he is now a-putting forth (of which next) prove true spiritual faith, and that he hold fast the beginning of his confidence unto the end, then it
is an absolute certainty that he shall be saved. And this is a great addi
tion, that crowneth all the former considerations with a further hope ; and who is there that is at the very brink of believing would not, upon this and the other considerations, cast himself in upon God s mercy ?
* He
that plougheth should plough in hope; and he that thrasheth in hope should be partaker of his hope, 1 Cor. ix. 10. The apostle speaks it to
OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [BOOK III.
another business; but I may thus far apply it to this in hand, that as it is a comfortable encouragement to a ploughman to plough and to cast in his seeds into the ground, because he is in an ordinary way hopefully assured he shall, if his corn take root, have an expected and desired crop ; and with that hope he ploughs, and in the hope of it doth at the present throw away^his seed. Do men take pains to plough, and venture to sow their corn in hope ?
^ Then how much more should we ! We endeavour, as the apostle s word is, and take pains to believe, knowing that if our seed that is cast come to have a root, as Christ in opposition to the thorny ground insinuates, it will bring forth fruit unto perfection, and
< in due time we shall reap if we faint not. And this is a sowing far more certain for the hopes of it than that other, and yet we see men ordinarily venture both their labour and seed corn. Yea, this venture to believe (for so I call it as to the soul s own apprehension) upon these it may bes of salvation, are far more sure and certain than our exercising faith and spending prayers upon those it may bes of temporal promises for things outward. For faith, although it be true faith, doth often prove uncertain and issueless as to the obtaining of the particular thing we aimed at in such promises for outward things (which was David s case in that instance mentioned), but this adventure of faith and of our souls on these it may bes for salvation, if it prove true faith in the end, though in the lowest degree, will never be un successful as to that salvation we seek for. For Christ hath said, He that seeks (continues so to do) shall find, and to him that knocks it shall be opened.
2. I shall now consider these acts of faith in the will in such a believer, and how conformable those also are to the indefinite tenor of absolute pro mises. Let us next consider what acts of faith in the will (that are true acts of faith) such a soul may put forth, and which may stand with these indefinite apprehensions, when very far short of an assurance that he is the person ; for which the pure, absolute promises afford him no further ground.
(1.) There may be a coming unto God and Christ. The act of coming which is so often used to express believing both on God and Christ (as Christ himself expresseth it in his sermons, and we read of coming unto God through Christ, Heb. vii.), is an act of the will (as Rev. xxii. 17, Let him that is athirst come, and let him that will, &c.). And the saving act of faith is expressed by it: John vii. 37, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink; and it follows (as explaining what he meant by coming), He that believeth on me, &c. And the aim, end, or errand of such a soul in its coming, and for which it comes, is said to be that it may be saved; that is its busicess it comes unto God and Christ for. Now, such an act may well stand with the fore-mentioned indefinite apprehension as concerning his own person, and with that suspensive un certainty (as I may term it), for in that respect he may yet come to have it given and made good to him, although he knows not that he hath, or certainly shall have, a share in it. And therefore undeniably the saving act m the will may be put forth without such a personal assurance. That phrase of coming is taken from what is ordinary with men, and is on pur pose chosen out to express the aim of such a faith in such a condition. For a man useth to come to another for a thing that is in that man s power to bestow whom he comes to, when yet he utterly hath no assur ance from him that he shall obtain it, and yet ventures to come. Nothing is more ordinary in common practice than this, and therefore the act of faith which is without assurance is most aptly set forth thereby. And
CHAP. IV.J OF JUSTIFYING FAITH. 233
truly that speech of Christ s, Him that corneth unto me I will in no ways cast out, John vi. 37, was spoken as on purpose to the heart of many an
one that comes (especially at first), to hearten him against, and obviate
this very fear of being rejected; and who therefore so comes, as in his own thoughts he may remain suspensive in himself, whether he shall be
received as to salvation, which is his errand, yea or no, especially in the
case of him who but now first comes, seeing that until he hath come and
put forth such an act, he cannot come to know whether it will be a true and spiritual act of faith, or coming with a true heart, yea or 110. Yet however at his first coming the intent of his soul in coming is, that he may be received. And come he must first in a direct line to Christ ere he
can reflect upon his coming, whether it be with a true heart (as, Heb. x.,
it is explained), nor will he know his welcome unto Christ until he actually comes or hath come.
And that the aim of such an act of coming to God or Christ, or God in
Christ, is purely that he may be justified, and that this is that genuine act
whereupon a man is indeed justified, the example and instance of the
apostles themselves, as it is alleged by one of the greatest of them in the name of himself and all the rest of them, doth manifestly declare: Gal. ii.
16, We, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but
by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the
law. In which words he tells us plainly, that by such a faith, having such an aim or tendency in it, that they might be justified, it was that
they came to Christ. And it is spoken of their having renounced works
for justification (which the Jewish principles did lead unto), and their
betaking themselves unto faith, that they might be justified, from the first
of their conversion unto Christ. Those words, even we, do point unto
the other apostles together with himself; even we that were the first-fruits
of Christianity, and eminentest among believers, had yet but the same like
faith at first which all believers else have, viz., that which was pitched upon the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ (as Peter, 2 Peter i. 1, speaks), which he styles like precious faith, which was then and is to be for ever common to all believers, both small and great, at
first; which faith (as by comparing this in the Galatians appears) was not
a believing at the first dash, that they were justified, but a believing that
they might be justified, and so a coming unto Christ with this aim and
errand, that I may be justified as to the future. And if any would question whether it were spoken of all the apostles or no, yet however, to be sure,
it was Paul speaks it of himself, and Peter of himself, who was the chief
of the apostles ; and of Peter, who professed his faith in the name of all
the apostles, Mat. xvi. For, if you observe, it is the continuation of a
: ver. 14, I said unto
speech he had begun to make unto Peter personally
Peter, &c., and this is part of what he said to him, We who are Jews by
nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have
believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ,
and not by the works of the law ; for by the works of the law shall no flesh
be justified ; in which he proceeds to confute and reprove Peter, who by Judaism had exposed no less than the great point of justification by faith.
But Paul appealeth to his own experience at and from his first conversion, and often after, by what a faith he had lived to be justified by it, and
< before all that were present (as he relateth it in verse
presseth it on him
14), as a commonly received principle amongst believers, yea, and even
OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [BOOK III.
amongst us too, says he, that are Jews, and not Gentiles. And that the act of coming to Christ, whereby faith is expressed, includes this as the end and intent of that coming, and is indeed in the form of it, viz.,
< that I may be saved, or, that I might be justified, that speech of Christ s shews (although spoken to Pharisees, and yet spoken of the contrary act of un belief in them, and so as the contrary illustrates wherein the spirit of true faith lies), Ye will not come to me that ye might have life, John v. 40 ; that is, you will not believe, which is a coming to me with that intention to have life from me ; which all those whom I save do put forth and exercise towards me, and do come unto me for ; but these proud justiciaries did scorn to do it, and would not thus come. That particle iva, that, denotes out the end or aim which he is to take up, who would come to Christ, or believe on him savingly, and imports not only what is the event or consequent upon believing.* "And as the sole aim of a soul in believing is, that he may be saved, so likewise God s will and intention in requiring faith is declared to be, that he that believes may have life, John vi., God s aim answering that of the believers. And again, that this is the aim and business of the soul in coming, Christ s invitation to come shews : Mat. xi. 28, &c., Come to me, ye that are heavy loaden, and I will give you rest ; which promise in the last words doth at once speak to what their souls were burthened for the want of, and most of all desire, namely, rest ; and also guides and directs those souls with what they should intend and design in coming to obtain from him, even rest : And you shall find rest to your souls. Now, as this act of coming with this intention, that I may have rest, doth and may well stand with a suspensive uncertainty, that I am the person, so it may and doth answer to the indefinite apprehension ie understanding of such an one hath. The understanding tells him from the promise, that he may be the person whom God may justify ; then in correspondency, says the will, I do believe, or come to God and Christ, that I may be justified, and so he exactly comports with the indefiniteness of the promise as to his person ; for as that holds forth an it may be God
will, &c., so the aim of his coming is, that he may be saved. And it is certain in experience, that with such a poor and slender it may be at the
first, many a soul hath cast anchor within the veil blindfold (as seamen cast their anchors when yet they see not the earth at the bottom of the sea, or know that their anchor will take hold, nor yet know how to trail it or apply it certainly to that earth, so as to bo able to say, it shall without peradventure fasten and take sure hold thereon, but a long time perhaps comes back to them again), and yet have in the end found a firm and sure holdfast in the heart of God and grace of Christ, to hang upon with the whole weight of their souls, the weight of their sins nankin" upon them also, with all the pondus of them.