or rightly to apprehend one object, is sufficient also to any other, for which a lesser light than that is presumed to suffice? So then a true faith hath its evidence and certainty, grounded upon the authority of the Word, as the instrument, and of the Spirit of God raising and quickening the soul to attend, and acknowledge the things therein revealed, to set its own seal unto the truth and goodness of them. But how do I know either this Word to be God's Word, this Spirit to be God's Spirit, since there are sundry false and lying spirits? I answer, first, ad hominem,' There are many particular churches and bishops, which take themselves to be, equally with Rome, members and bishops of the universal church.-How shall it invincibly appear to my conscience, that other churches and bishops all, save this only door, may err? and that this, which will have me to believe her infallibility, is not herself an heretical and revolted church ?-This is a question controverted. By what authority shall it be decided, or into what principles 'a priori' resolved? and how shall the evidence of those principles appear to the conscience? That the popes are successors of Peter in his see of Rome; that they are doctrinal as well as personal successors; that Peter did there sit as moderator of the catholic church; that his infallibility should. not stick to his chair at Antioch, as well as to that at Rome; that Christ gave him a principality, jurisdiction, and apostleship, to have to himself over all others, and to leave to his successors, who though otherwise private men, and not any of the penmen of the Holy Ghost, should yet have after him a power over those apostles who survived Peter (as it is manifest John did); that the Scripture doth say any tittle of all this; that the traditions which do say it, are a divine word; are all controverted points: and though there be sorceries more than enough in the church of Rome, yet I doubt whether they have yet enough to conjure themselves out of the circle, which the agitation of these questions doth carry them in. But secondly, There are sundry lights; there is light in the sun, and there is light in a blazing or falling star. How shall I difference these lights,-will you say? Surely I know not otherwise than by the lights themselves; undoubtedly the Spirit brings a proper, distinctive, uncommunicable majesty and lustre into the soul, which cannot be, by any false spirit, counterfeited: and this Spirit doth open first the eye, and then the Word, and doth in that discover notas insitas veritatis,' those marks of truth and certainty there, which are as apparent as the light, which is, without any other medium, by itself discerned. b." Thus then we see, in the general, that saving faith is an assent created by the Word and Spirit. We must note further, that this knowledge is twofold: First, general, mental, speculative, and this is simply necessary, not as a part of saving faith, but as a medium, degree and passage thereunto. For "how can men believe without a teacher "?" Secondly, particular, practical, applicative, which carries the soul to Christ, and there fixeth it. "To whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ *.-I know that my Redeemer liveth .-That ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend, and to know the love of Christ".-I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.-By his knowledge, shall my righteous servant justify many " This saving knowledge must be commensurate to the object known, and to the ends for which it is instituted, which are, Christ to be made ours for righteousness and salvation. Now Christ is not proposed as an object of bare and naked truth to be assented unto, but as a sovereign and saving truth to do good unto men. He is proposed as the desire of all flesh. It is the heart which believes; "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness"," and "Christ dwelleth by faith in the heart ;-If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest be baptised."-And the heart doth not only look for truth, but for goodness in the objects which it desireth, for an all-sufficiency and adequate ground of full satisfaction to the appetites of the soul; such a compass of goodness, as upon which the whole man may rest, and rely, and unto the which he may have a personal propriety, holdfast, and possession. So then, in one word, faith is a particular assent unto the truth and goodness of God in Christ, his sufferings and resurrection, as an all-sufficiency and open treasury of righteousness and salvation to every one which comes unto them: and thereupon a resolution of the heart there to fix and fasten for those things, and to look no further. Now this faith is called knowledge . First, in regard of the principles of it, the Word and Spirit: both which produce faith by a way of conviction and manifestation. Secondly, in regard of the ground of believing, which is the knowledge of God's will revealed: for none must dare demand or take any thing from God, till he have revealed his will of giving it: He hath said, must be the ground of our faith. Thirdly, in regard of the certainty and undoubtedness which there is in the assent of faith. Abraham was fully persuaded' of God's power and promise. Now there is a twofold certainty; a certainty of the thing believed, because of the power and promise of him that hath said it; and a certainty of the mind believing. The former is as full and sure to one believer, as to any other; as an alms is as certainly and fully given to one poor man, who yet receives it with a shaking and palsy hand, as it is to another that receives it with more strength. But the mind of one man may be more certain and assured than another, or than itself at some other time: sometimes it may have a certainty of evidence, assurance, and full persuasion of God's goodness; sometimes, a certainty only of adherence, in the midst of the buffets of Satan, and some strong temptations, whereby it resolveth to cleave unto God in Christ, though it walk in darkness, and have no light. Fourthly, and lastly, in regard of the reflexive act, whereby we know that we know him ", and believe in him." And yet both this and all the rest are capable of growth, as the apostle here intimates; we know here but in part, and therefore our knowledge of him may still increase." The heart may have more plentiful experience of God's mercy in comforting, guiding, defending, illightening, sauctifying it, which the Scripture calls the learning of Christ ; and thereupon cannot but desire to have more knowledge of him, and communion with him; especially in those two great benefits, his resurrection and sufferings. "And the power of his resurrection."] The apostle's desire in these words is double :-First, That he may find the workings of that power in his soul, which was shewed in the resurrection of Christ from the dead, that is, the power of the Spirit of Holiness, which is the mighty principle of faith in the heart. That Spirit' of Holiness which quickened Christ from the dead, doth, by the same glorious power, beget faith, and other graces in the soul. It is as great a work of the Spirit to form Christ in the heart of a sinner, as it was to fashion him in the womb of a virgin. Secondly, That he may feel "the resurrection of Christ to have a power in him."-Now Christ's resurrection hath a twofold power upon us, or towards us :-First, to apply all his merits unto us, to accomplish the work of his satisfaction, to declare his conquest over death, and to propose himself as an all-sufficient Saviour to the faithful. As the stamp adds no virtue, nor matter of real value to a piece of gold, but only makes that value which before it had, actually appliable and current; so the resurrection of Christ, though it was no part of the price or satisfaction, which Christ made, yet it was that which made them all of force to his members. Therefore the apostle saith, that Christ was justified in Spirit.'" In his death, he suffered as a malefactor, and did undertake the guilt of our sins (so far as it denotes an obligation unto punishment, though not a meritoriousness of punishment ;) but by that Spirit which raised him from the dead, he was justified himself; that is, he declared to the world that he had shaken off all that guilt from himself, and, as it were, left it in his grave with his graveclothes. For as Christ's righteousness is compared to a robe of triumph,-so may our guilt, to a garment of death, which Christ in his resurrection shook all off, to note, that death had no holdfast at all of him. When Lazarus was raised, it is said, that he came forth bound hand and foot with grave-clothes, to note, that he was not out as a victor over death, unto which he came to return again: but when Christ rose, he left them behind, because death was to have no more power over him. Thus by his resurrection he was declared to have gone through the whole punishment, which he was to suffer for sin; and being thus justified himself, that he was able also to justify others that believed in him. This is the reason, why the apostle useth these words to prove the resurrection of Christ, "I will give you the sure mercies of David ";" for none of God's mercies had been sure to us, if Christ had been held under by death: "Our faith had been vain, we had been yet in our sins." But his work being fully finished, the mercy which thereupon depended, was made certain, and as the apostle speaks, sure unto all the seed.' Thus as the day wherein redemption is victorious and consummate, is called the day of redemption; so the work wherein the merits of Christ were declared victorious, is said to have been for our justification, because they were thereby made appliable unto that purpose. The second work of the power of Christ's resurrection is to overcome all death in us, and restore us to life again. Therefore he is called the Lord of the living, and the prince of life, to note, that his life is operative unto others. We are, by his resurrection, secured first against the death and law, which we are held under; for every sinner is condemned already. Now when Christ was condemned for sin, he thereby delivered us from the death of the law, which is the curse: so that though some of the grave-clothes may not be quite shaken off, but that we may be subject to the workings and fears of the law upon some occasions,-yet the malediction thereof is for ever removed. Secondly, We are secured against the death in sin, regenerated", quickened', renewed, fashioned by the power of godliness, which tameth our rebellions, subdueth our corruptions, and turneth all our affections another way. Thirdly, Against the holdfast and conquest of death in the grave', from whence we shall be translated unto glory: a specimen and resemblance of this was shewed at the resurrection of Christ, when "the graves were opened, and many dead bodies of the saints a Acts xiii. 34. Rom. viii. 23. h 1 Pet. i. 3. 1 Cor. xv. 22, 23. b 1 Cor. xv. 17. i Rom. viii. 11. e Rom. iv. 16. d Eph. iv. 30. g Acts iii. 15. 1 John vi. 39, 40. 1 Thes. iv. 16, 17. |