Edward Fisher · 55 of 56

Appendix · Part 3

Christ came to save sinners," and enables him to believe it. Thus the persuasion

of faith is begotten, which is always proportioned to the measure of evidence and

power from above that sovereign grace is pleased to put forth for working of it.

The next branch of the persuasion is, "that you shall have life and salvation by

him," namely, the life of holiness as well as of happiness; salvation from sin as

well as from wrath, not in heaven only, but begun, carried on here, and

completed hereafter;—the true notion of life and salvation, according to the

Scriptures, and as Protestant divines are wont to explain it. Wherefore this

persuasion of faith is inconsistent with an unwillingness to part with sin, a bent or

purpose of heart to continue in it. There can be little question, we apprehend,

whether this branch of the persuasion belongs to the nature of justifying faith; for

salvation being above all things in a sensible sinner's eye, he can never believe any

thing to his satisfaction, unless he sees ground to believe comfortably concerning

it. Few therefore will, we conceive, differ from Dr. Collins, laying it down as a

conclusion on this very head, namely, that "a Christian cannot have true, saving,

justifying faith, unless he doth [I do not say, unless he think he doth, or unless he

saith he doth, but, unless, he doth] believe, and is persuaded that God will pardon

his sins." Further this being a believing on the Son for life and salvation, is the

same with receiving of him, [as this last is explained by the Holy Spirit himself,

(John 1:12),] and likewise evidently bears the soul's resting on Christ for

salvation; for it is not possible to conceive a soul resting on Christ for salvation,

without a persuasion that it shall have life and salvation by him, namely, a

persuasion of the same measure and degree as resting is.

The third branch of the persuasion, "that whatsoever Christ did for the

redemption of mankind, he did it for you,"—being much the same, in other

words, with these of the apostle—"Who loved me, and gave himself for me"; and

coming in the last place, we think none will question but whosoever believes, in

the manner before explained, may and ought to believe this in the like measure

and in the same order. And it is certain, all who receive and rest on Christ for

salvation, believe it, if not explicitly, yet virtually and really.

Now, as this account of justifying faith runs in terms much less strong than those

of many eminent divines, who used to define it by a persuasion of God's love, of

his special mercy to one's self, of the remission of his sins, &c.; so it is the same

for substance and matter, though the words be not the same with that of our

Shorter Catechism, viz: "A receiving and resting upon Christ alone for salvation,

as he is offered to us in the gospel": where it is evident the offer of Christ to us,

though mentioned in the last place, is to be believed first; for till the soul be

persuaded that Christ crucified is in the gospel set forth, offered, and exhibited to

it as if expressed by name, there can be no believing on him. And when the offer

is brought home to a person by the Holy Ghost, there will be a measure of

persuasion that Christ is his, as above explained. And that receiving, or believing

in, and resting on him for salvation, cannot be without some measure of

persuasion that one shall have life and salvation by him, was said already. But

more directly to the query.

We answer, 1st, Since our reformers and their successors, such as Luther, Calvin,

Melancthon, Beza, Bullinger, Bucer, Knox, Craig, Melvil, Bruce, Davidson,

Forbes, &c.,—men eminently endowed with the spirit of truth and who fetch

their notions of it immediately from the fountain of the holy Scripture; the most

eminent doctors and professors of theology that have been in the Protestant

churches, such as Ursinus, Zanchius, Junius, Piscator, Rollock, Daneus,

Wendelinus, Chamierus, Sharpius, Bodius, Pareus, Altingius, Triglandii,

[Gisbertus and Jacobus] Arnoldus, Maresius; the four professors of Leyden, viz:

Walleus, Rivetus, Polyander, Thysius; Wollebius, Heideggerus, Essenius,

Turretinus, &c.; with many eminent British divines, such as Perkins, Pemble,

Willet, Gouge, Roberts, Burgess, Owen, &c.; the churches themselves of

Helvetia, the Palatinate, France, Holland, England, Ireland, Scotland, in their

standards of doctrine; all the Lutheran churches, who, in point of orthodoxy on

the head of justification and faith, are second to none; the renowned synod of

Dort, made up of eminent divines, called and commissionate from seven

reformed states and kingdoms, besides those of the several provinces of the

Netherlands; since these, we say, all of them stand for that special, fiducia,

confidence, or appropriating persuasion of faith spoken of in the condemned

passages of the Marrow, upon which this query is raised; the synod of Dort,

besides the minds of the several delegates on this head, in their several suffrages

anent the Five Articles, declaring themselves plainly both in their final decisions

concerning the said articles, and in their solemn and ample approbation of the

Palatine Catechism, as agreeable to the word of God in all things, and as

containing nothing that ought either to be altered or amended; which Catechism

being full and plain as to this persuasion of faith, has been commented upon by

many great divines, received by most of all the reformed churches, as a most

excellent commend of the orthodox Christian doctrine, and particularly by the

Church of Scotland, as the Rev. Mr. Robert Wodrow lately told his Majesty King

George, in the dedication of his history; and since we, with this whole church and

nation are, by virtue of the awful tie of the oath of God in our national covenant,

bound ever to abhor and detest the Popish general and doubtsome faith, with all

the erroneous decrees of Trent; among which, in opposition to the special fiducia

of faith therein condemned this is established; being by Protestants, so called,

mainly for their denying and opposing the confidence and persuasion of faith,

with application to one's self, now in question; by which renunciation our

forefathers, no doubt, pointed at, and asserted to be held and professed as God's

undoubted truth and verity, that particular and confident, or assured faith, then

commonly known and maintained in this church, as standing plain and express in

her standards, to the profession and defence of which they in the same covenant

promising and swearing by the great name of the Lord our God, bound

themselves and us: and since the same persuasion of faith, however the way of

speaking on that head is come to be somewhat altered, was never by any

judicatory of a reformed Church, until now, denied or condemned: considering all

these things, we say, and of what dangerous consequence such a judicial

alteration may be, we cannot, we dare not consent unto the condemnation of that

point of doctrine; for we cannot think of charging error and delusion in a matter

of such importance upon so many Protestant divines, eminent for holiness and

learning; upon the Protestant churches; and upon our own forefathers, so signally

owned of the Lord; and also on the standards of Protestant doctrine, in this

Church, for nigh an hundred years after her reformation: else, if we should thus

speak, we are persuaded we would offend against the generation of his children.

Nor can it ever enter into our minds, that the famous Assembly of Westminster

had it so much as once in their thought, to depart in this point from the doctrine

of their own, and of this church, which they were all of them by the strongest ties

bound to maintain; or to go off from the synod of Dort, which had but so lately

before them settled the Protestant principles as to doctrine; and by so doing yield

up to Socinians, Arminians, and Papists, what all of them have a mortal aversion

to, namely, the special fiducia or appropriating persuasion of faith, which

Protestant divines before and since that time contended for to their utmost, as

being not only a precious truth, but a point of vast consequence to religion. And

we are sure the Assemblies of this Church understood, and received their

confessions and catechisms larger and shorter, as entirely consistent with our

confessions and catechisms before that time, as we have already made evident in

our representation, from the acts of Assembly receiving and approving the

Westminster Confession and Catechisms.

Answer 2d, It is to be considered, that most of the words of the Holy Ghost,

made use of in the Old and New Testament, for expressing the nature of faith and

believing, do import the confidence or persuasion in question; and that confidence

and trust in the Old Testament are expounded by faith and believing in the New;

and the same things attributed to the latter, as were wont to be attributed to the

former; that diffidence and doubting are in their nature acts and effects contrary

to faith; that peace and joy are the native effects of believing; that the promises of

the gospel, and Christ in his priestly office therein held forth, are the proper

objects of justifying faith; that, faithfulness in God, and faith in the believer, being

relatives, and the former the ground of the latter, our faith should answer to his

faithfulness, by trusting his good word of promise for the sake of it; that it is

certain a believer in the exercise of justifying faith does believe something with

reference to his own salvation upon the ground of God's faithfulness in the

promise; that no other person whatsoever does or can believe; which if it be not

to this purpose, that now Christ is and will be a Saviour to him, that he shall have

life and salvation by him, we are utterly at a loss to conceive what it can be; that

persuasion, confidence, and assuredness, are so much attributed to faith in the

Scripture, and the saints in Scripture ordinarily express themselves in their

addresses to God in words of appropriation; and finally, that according to our

Larger Catechism, faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God, as an instrument,

receiving and applying Christ, and his righteousness held forth in the promise of

the gospel, and resteth thereupon for pardon of sin, and for the accepting and

accounting one's person righteous before God for salvation; the which, how faith

can do without some measure of the confidence, or appropriating persuasion we

are now upon, seems extremely hard to conceive. Upon these considerations, and

others too long to be here inserted, we cannot but think, that confidence, or trust

in Jesus Christ, as our Saviour, and the free grace and mercy of God in him as

crucified, offered to us in the gospel for salvation, [including justification,

sanctification, and future glory,] upon the ground and security of the divine

faithfulness plighted in the gospel promise; and upon the warrant of the divine call

and command to believe in the name of the Son of God; or, which is the same, in

other words, a persuasion of life and salvation, from the free love and mercy of

God, in and through Jesus Christ, a crucified Saviour offered to us, upon the

security and warrant aforesaid, is the very direct, uniting, justifying, and

appropriating act of faith, whereby the convinced sinner becomes possessed of

Christ and his saving benefits, instated in God's covenant and family; taking this

always along, as supposed, that all is set home and wrought by the Holy Spirit,

who brings Christ, his righteousness, salvation, and whole fullness, nigh to us in

the promise and offer of the gospel; clearing at the same time our right and

warrant to intermeddle with all, without fear of vicious intromission, encouraging

and enabling to a measure of confident application, and taking home of all to

ourselves freely, without money and without price.

This confidence, persuasion, or whatever other name it may be called by, we take

to be the very same with what our Confession and Catechisms call accepting,

receiving, and resting on Christ offered in the gospel for salvation; and with what

polemic and practical divines call "Fiducia specialis misericordia," Fiducial

application," "fiducial apprehension," "fiducial adherence," "recumbence,"

"affiance," "fiducial acquiescence," "appropriating persuasion," &c. All which, if

duly explained, would issue in a measure of this confidence or persuasion we

have been speaking of. However, we are fully satisfied this is what our fathers

and the body of Protestant divines, speaking with the Scriptures called "the

assurance of faith." That once burning and shining light of this church, Mr. John

Davidson, though in his Catechism he defines faith by a "hearty assurance" that

our sins are freely forgiven us in Christ; or, a sure persuasion of the heart that

Christ by his death and resurrection has taken away our sins, and clothing us with

his own perfect righteousness, has thoroughly restored us to the favour of God;

which he reckoned all one with a "Hearty receiving of Christ offered in the gospel

for the remission of sins"; yet in a former part of the same Catechism he gives us

to understand what sort of assurance and persuasion it was he meant, as follows:

"And certain it is," he says, "that both the enlightening of the mind to

acknowledge the truth of the promise of salvation to us in Christ, and the sealing

up of the certainty thereof in our hearts and minds, [of the which two parts, as it

were, faith consists,] are the works and effects of the Spirit of God." In like

manner, in our first Confession of Faith, Art. 3, 12, it is called, "An assured faith

in the promise of God revealed to us in his word; by which faith we apprehend

Christ Jesus, with the graces and benefits promised in him."—"This faith, and the

assurance of the same, proceeds not from flesh and blood." And in our first

Catechism, commonly called Calvin's Catechism, faith is defined by a "sure

persuasion" and "steadfast knowledge" of God's tender love towards us,

according as he has plainly uttered in his gospel, that he will be a Father and

Saviour to us, through the means of Jesus Christ; and again, "faith which God's

Spirit worketh in our hearts, assuring of God's promises made to us in his holy

Gospel." In the Summula Catechismi, or Rudimenta Pietatis, to the question,

"Quid est fides?" the answer is, "Cum mihi persuadeo Deum me omnesque

sanctos amare, nobisque Christum cum omnibus suis bonis gratis donare"; and in

the margin, "Nam in fide duplex persuasio, 1. De amore Dei erga nos; 2. De Dei

beneficiis que ex amore fluunt, Christo nimirum, cum omnibus suis bonis," &c.

And to that question, "Quomodo fide percipimus, et nobis applicamus corpus

Christi crucifixi?" the answer is, "Dum nobis persuademus Christi mortem et

crucifixionem non minus ad nos pertinere quam si ipsi nos pro peccatis nostris

crucifixi essemus. Persuasiio autem hec est vere fidei." From all which it is

evident, they held, that a belief of the promises of the gospel, with application to

oneself, or a confidence in a crucified Saviour, for a man's own salvation, is the

very essence of justifying faith; or, that we become actually possessed of Christ,

remission of sins, &c., in and by the act of believing, or confidence in him, as

above explained. And this with them was the assurance of faith, which widely

differs from the Antinomian sense of the assurance or persuasion of faith which

is, that Christ, and pardon of sin, are ours, no less before believing than after; a

sense which we heartily disclaim.

Whether these words in the query, viz: "Or, is that knowledge a persuasion

included in the very essence of that justifying act of faith"; be exegetic of the

former part of it, or a new branch of the query; we answer, that we have already

explained the persuasion of faith by us held, and do think, that in the language of

faith, though not in the language of philosophy, knowledge, and persuasion,

relating to the same object, go hand in hand in the same measure and degree.

It is evident that the confidence or persuasion of faith for which we plead,

includes, or necessarily and infallibly infers consent and resting, together with all

the blessed fruits and effects of faith, in proportion to the measure of it. And that

we have mentioned consent, we cannot but be the more confirmed in this matter,

when we consider, that such a noted person as Mr. Baxter, though he had made

the marriage consent to Christ, as King and Lord, the formal act of justifying

faith, as being an epitome of all gospel obedience, including and binding to all the

duties of the married state, and so giving right to all the privileges: and had

thereby, as well as by his other dangerous notions about justification, and other

points connected therewith, scattered through his works, corrupted the fountain,

and endangered the faith of many; yet after all, came to be of another mind, and

had the humility to tell the world so much; for Mr. Cross informs us [Serm. on

Romans 4:2, p. 148,] that Mr. Baxter, in his little book against Dr. Crisp's errors,

says, "I formerly believed the formal nature of faith to lie in consent; but now I

recant it. I believe," says he, "it lies in trust: this makes the right to lie in the

object; for it is, I depend on Christ as the matter or merit of my pardon, my life,

my crown, my glory."

There are two things further, concerning this persuasion of faith, that would be

adverted to: one is, that it is not axiomatical, but real; that is, the sinner has not

always, at his first closing with Christ, nor afterwards, such a clear, steady, and

full persuasion that Christ is his, that his sins are forgiven, and that he eventually

shall be saved, as that he dare profess the same to others, or even positively

assert it within himself; yet, upon the first saving manifestation of Christ to him,

such a persuasion and humble confidence is begotten, as is real and relieving, and

particular as to himself and his own salvation, and which works a proportionable

hope as to the issue; though, through the humbling impressions he has of himself

and his own guilt at the time, the awe of God's majesty, justice, and holiness on

his spirit, and his indistinct knowledge of the doctrine of the gospel, with the

grounds and warrants of believing therein contained, he fears to express it directly

and particularly of himself. The other is, that whatever is said of the habit,

actings, strength, weakness, and intermittings of the exercise of saving faith, the

same is to be said of this persuasion in all points. From all which it is evident, the

doubts, fears, and darkness, so frequently to be found in true believers, can very

well consist with this persuasion in the same subject; for though these may be,

and often are in the believer, yet they are not of his faith, which in its nature and

exercise is as opposite to them as light is to darkness, the flesh to the Spirit; which

though they be in the same subject, yet are contrary the one to the other, (Gal

5:17). And, therefore, faith wrestles against them, though with various success, it

being sometimes so far overcome and brought under by the main force and much

superior strength of prevailing unbelief, that it cannot be discerned more than the

fire is when covered with ashes, or the sun when wrapt up in thick clouds. The

confidence and persuasion of faith being in many, at first especially, but as the

grain of mustard-seed cast into the ground, or like a spark amidst the troubled sea

of all manner of corruption and lust, where the rolling waves of unbelieving

doubts and fears, hellish temptations and suggestions, and the like, moving on the

face of that depth, are every now and then going over it; and, were there not a

divine hand and care engaged for its preservation, would effectually extinguish

and bury it. What wonder that in such a case it many times cannot be discerned?

yet will it still hold so much of the exercise of justifying faith, so much persuasion.

Yea, not only may a believer have this persuasion and not know it for the time,

[as says Collins, Roberts, Amesius, and others, who distinguish the persuasion

from the sense of it,] but he, being under the power of temptation and confusion

of mind, may resolutely deny he has any such persuasion or conscience; while it

is evident to others at the same time, by its effects, that he really has it: for which,

one may, among others, see the holy and learned Haliburton, in his "Inquiry into

the Nature of God's Act of Justification," p. 27. And if one would see the

consistence of faith's persuasion with doubting, well discoursed and illustrated, he

may consult Downham's "Christian Warfare." But we—

Answer 3dly, There is a full persuasion and assurance, by reflection, spiritual

argumentation, or inward sensation, which we are far from holding to be of the

essence of faith; but this last, being mediate, and collected by inference, as we

gather the cause from such signs and effects as give evidence of it, is very

different from that confidence or persuasion, by divines called the assurance of

faith. "Sanctification," says Rutherford, "does not evidence justification, as faith

doth evidence it, with such a sort of clearness, as light evidenceth colours, though

it be no sign or evident mark of them; but as smoke evinces fire, and as the

morning star in the east evinces the sun will early rise, or as the streams prove

there is a head-spring whence they issue, though none of these make what they

evidence visible to the eye; so doth sanctification give evidence of justification,

only as marks, signs, effects, give evidence to the cause." He calls it a light of

arguing and of heavenly logic, by which we know that we know God, by the light

of faith, because we keep his commandments. "In effect," says he, "we know

rather the person must be justified, in whom these gracious evidences are, by

hearsay report or consequence, than that we know or see justification, or faith

itself, in abstracto; but the light of faith, the testimony of the Spirit by the

operation of free grace, will cause us, as it were, with our eyes, to see justification

and faith, not by report, but as we see the sun-light." Again he says, "We never

had a question with Antinomians touching the first assurance of justification, such

as is proper to the light of faith. He [Cornwall] 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 one sort of assurance, which is proper

to faith, and they prove nothing against another sort of assurance, by signs and

effects, which is also divine." Further, as to the difference between these two

kinds of assurance: the assurance of faith has its object and foundation without

the man, but that of sense has them within him. The assurance of faith looks to

Christ, the promise and covenant of God, and says, "This is all my salvation; God

has spoken in his holiness, I will rejoice"; but the assurance of sense looks inward

at the works of God, such as the person's own graces, attainments, experiences,

and the like. The assurance of faith giving an evidence to things not seen, can

claim an interest in, and plead a saving relation to a hiding, withdrawing God.

Zion said, "My Lord hath forgotten me"; and the spouse, "I opened to my

beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone." So he may be a

forgetting and withdrawing God to my feeling, "and yet to my faith, my God and

my Lord still," says holy Rutherford; "even as the wife may believe the angry and

forsaking husband is still her husband." But on the other hand, the assurance of

sense is the evidence of things seen and felt. The one says, "I take him for mine";

the other says, "I feel he is mine." The one says with the church, "My God,

though he cover himself with a cloud, that my prayer cannot pass through, yet

will hear me"; the other, "My God has heard me." The one says, "He will bring

me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness"; the other, "He has

brought me forth to the light, and I do behold his righteousness." The one says,

"Though he should kill me, yet will I trust in him"; the other, "He smiles and

shines on me, therefore, will I love him and trust in him."

Upon the whole, we humbly conceive, were the nature and grounds of faith's

persuasion more narrowly and impartially under the guidance of the Spirit of

truth, searched into and laid open, it would, instead of discouraging weak

Christians, exceedingly tend to the strengthening and increase of faith, and

consequently have a mighty influence on spiritual comfort, and true gospel

holiness, which will always be found to bear proportion to faith, as effects do to

the efficacy and influence of their causes.

QUERY IX.—What is that act of faith, by which a sinner appropriates Christ

and his saving benefits to himself?

Ans.—This question being plainly and fully answered in what is said on the

immediately foregoing, we refer thereto, and proceed to the tenth.

QUERY X.—Whether the revelation of the divine will in the word, affording a

warrant to offer Christ unto all, and a warrant to all to receive him, can be said

to be the Father's making a deed of gift and grant of Christ unto all mankind? Is

this grant to all mankind by sovereign grace? And whether is it absolute or

conditional!

Ans.—Here we are directed to that part of our representation where we complain

that the following passage is condemned, viz: "The Father hath made a deed of

gift or grant unto all mankind, that whosoever of them shall believe in his Son,

shall not perish"; and where we say, "That this treatment of the said passage

seems to encroach on the warrants aforesaid, and also upon sovereign grace,

which hath made this grant, not to devils, but to men, in terms than which none

can be imagined more extensive"; agreeable to what we have already said in our

representation. We answer to the first part of the question, that by the "deed of

gift or grant unto all mankind," we understand no more than the revelation of the

divine will in the word, affording warrant to offer Christ to all, and a warrant to all

to receive him; for although we believe the purchase and application of

redemption to be peculiar to the elect, who were given by the Father to Christ in

the counsel of peace, yet the warrant to receive him is common to all. Ministers,

by virtues of the commission they have received from their great Lord and

Master, are authorized and instructed to go preach the gospel to every creature,

i.e., to make a full, free, and unhampered offer of him, his grace, righteousness,

and salvation, to every rational soul to whom they may in providence have access

to speak. And though we had a voice like a trumpet, that could reach all the

corners of the earth, we think we would be bound, by virtue of our commission,

to lift it up, and say, "To you, O men, do we call, and our voice is to the sons of

men. God hath so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that

whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." And

though this "deed of gift and grant, that whosoever believeth in Christ shall not

perish," &c. is, neither in our representation, nor in the passages of the book

condemned on that head, called a "deed of gift, and grant of Christ," yet, being

required to give our judgment in this point, we think, that agreeable to the Holy

Scripture, it may be so called, as particularly appears from the text last cited,

(John 3:16), where by the giving of Christ, we understand not only his eternal

destination by the Father to be the Redeemer of an elect world, and his giving him

unto the death for them, in the fullness of time, but more especially a giving of

him in the word unto all, to be received and believed in. The giving here cannot

be a giving in possession, which is peculiar only unto them who actually believe,

but it must be such a giving, granting, or offering, as warrants a man to believe or

receive the gift, and must therefore be anterior to actual believing. This is evident

enough from the text itself: he gave him, "that whosoever believeth in him should

not perish," &c. The context also, to us, puts it beyond controversy: the brazen

serpent was given, and lifted up as a common good to the whole camp of Israel,

that whosoever in all the camp, being stung by the fiery serpents, looked

thereunto, might not die, but live. So here Christ is given to a lost world, in the

word, "that whosoever believes in him should not perish," &c. And in this

respect, we think, Christ is a common Saviour, and his salvation is a common

salvation; and it is "glad tidings of great joy unto all people," that unto us [not to