A golden chaine: or The description of theologie containing the order of the causes of saluation and damnation, according to Gods word. A view whereof is to be seene in the table annexed. Hereunto is adioyned the order which M. Theodore Beza vsed in comforting afflicted consciences.

The 16. point. Of implicite, or infolded faith. (Book 16)

Our consent.

We hold that there is a kind of implicite, or vnexpressed faith: yea that the faith of euery man in some part of his life, as in the time of his first conuersi∣on, and in the time of fome grieuous temptation or distresse, is implicite or infolded. The Samaritans are saide to beleeue, Ioh. 4. 14. be••ause they tooke Christ for the Messias, and thereupon were content to learne and obey the glad tidings of saluation. And in the same place, v.51. the Ruler with his fami∣lie is said to beleeue, who did no m••••e but generally acknowledge that Christ was the Messias, and yeelded himselfe to beleeue and obey his holy doctrine; beeing mooued thereunto by a miracle wrought vpon his yong sonne. And Rahab Heb. 11.13. is said to beleeue, yea shee is commended for faith euen at the time when shee receiued the spies. Now in the word of God we cannot finde, that shee had any more but a confused, generall, or infolded faith, wher∣by shee beleeued that the God of the Hebrewes was the true God, and his word to be obeied. And this faith (as it seemes) was wrought in her by the re∣port and relation of the miracles done in the land of Egypt, whereby she was

mooued to ioyne hir selfe vnto the people of God and to beleeue as they did. By these examples then it is manifest, that in the very seruants of God, there is and may be for a time an implicite faith. For the better vnderstanding of this point, it is to be considered that faith may be infolded two waies: fi••st in re∣spect of knowledge of things to be beleeued: secondly in respect of the ap∣prehension of the obiect of faith, namely Christ and his benefits. Now faith is infolded in respect of knowledge, when as sundrie things that are necessarie to saluation are not as yet distinctly knowne. Though Christ commended the faith of his disciples, for such a faith, against which the gates of hell should not preuaile; yet was it vnexpressed or wrapped vp in regard of sundrie points of religion: for first of all, Peter that made confession of Christ in the name of the rest, was at that time ignorant of the particular meanes whereby his redemption should be wrought. For after this, he went about to disswade his master from the suffering of death at Ierusalem, whereupon Christ sharp∣ly rebuked him, saying, Come behinde me Sathan, thou art an offence vnto me. A∣gaine, they were all ignorant of Christs resurrection, till certaine women who first saw him after he was risen againe, had told them: and they by experience in the person of Christ had learned the truth. Thirdly, they were ignorant of the ascension: for they dreamed of an earthly kingdome, at the very time whē he was about to ascend: saying, Wilt thou at this time restore the kingdome to Isra∣el•• Act. 1.6. And after Christs ascension, Peter knew nothing of the breaking downe of the partition wall betweene the Iewes and Gentiles, till God had better schooled him in a vision, Act. 10.14. And no doubt, we haue ordinarie examples of this Implicit faith in sundrie persons among vs. For some there be, which are dull and hard both for vnderstanding and memorie, and there∣upon make no such proceedings in knowledge as many others doe: and yet for good affection and conscience in their doings, so farre as they know, they come not short of any; hauing withall a continuall care to increase in know∣ledge, and to walke in obedience according to that which they know. And such persons though they be ignorant in many things, yet haue they a mea∣ning of true faith: and that which is wanting in knowledge, is supplied in affe∣ction: and in some respects they are to be preferred before many that haue the glibbe tongue, and the braine swimming with knowledge. To this purpose Melancthon said well,* 1.1 We must acknowledge the great mercie of God, who puts a difference betweene sinnes of ignorance, and such as are done wittingly; and forgiues manifold ignorances to them, that know but the foundation and be teachable; as may be seene by the Apostles, in whome there was much want of vnderstanding before the resurrection of Christ. But, as hath bin saide, he requires that we be teachable, and he will not haue vs to be hardned in our sluggishnesse and dulnesse. As it is saide psal. 1. he meditateth in his law day and night.

The second kind of implicite faith, is in regard of Apprehension; when as a man can not say distinctly and certenly, I beleeue the pardon of my sinnes, but I doe vnfainedly desire to beleeue the pardon of them all: and I desire to repent. This case befalls many of Gods children, when they are touched in conscience for their sinnes. But where men are displeased with themselues for their offences, and doe withall constantly from the heart desire to beleeue, and to be recon∣ciled

to God, there is faith and many other graces of God infolded: as in the little and tender budde, is infolded the leafe, the blossome, and the f••uit. For though a desire to repent and to beleeue be not faith and repentance in na∣ture, yet in Gods acceptation it is, God accepting the will for the deede. Isa. 42.3. Christ will not quench the smoking flaxe, which as yet by reason of weakenesse giues neither light nor heate. Christ saith, Math. 6. 6. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnes: for they shall be satisfied: where by persons hungring and thirsting are meant all such, as feele with griefe their owne want of righteousnesse, and withall desire to be iustified and sanctified. Rom. 8.26. God heares & regards the very grones and sighes of his seruants: yea, though they be vnspeakable by reason they are oftentimes little, weake, and confused: yet God hath respect vnto them, because they are the worke of his owne spirit. Thus when we see that in a touched heart desiring to beleeue, there is an infolded faith. And this is the faith which many of the true seruants of God haue: and our saluation stands not so much in our apprehending of Christ, as in Christs comprehending of vs: and therefore Paul saith, Phil. 3. 12. he followeth, namely after perfection, if that he might comprehend that, for whose sake he is comprehended of Christ. Now if any shall say, that without a liue∣ly faith in Christ none can be saued: I answer, that God accepts the desire to beleeue for liuely faith, in the time of temptation, and in the time of our first conuersion, as I haue saide. Put case, a man that neuer yet repented falls into some grieuous sicknes, and then beginnes to be touched in conscience for his sinnes, and to be truly humbled: hereupon he is exhorted to beleeue his owne reconciliation with God in Christ, and the pardon of his owne sinnes. And as he is exhorted, so he endeauoureth according to the measure of grace recei∣ued, to beleeue: yet after much striuing he can not resolue himselfe, that he doth distinctly and certenly beleeue the pardon of his owne sinnes: onely this he can say, that he doth heartely desire to beleeue: this he wisheth aboue all things in the world: and he esteemes all things as dung for Christ: and thus he dies. I demaund now, what shall we say of him? surely, we may say nothing, but that he died the child of God, and is vndoubtedly saued. For howsoeuer it were an happie thing if men could come to that fulnesse of faith which was in Abraham, and many seruants of God: yet certen it is, that God in sundrie cases accepts of this desire to beleeue, for true faith indeede. And looke as it is in nature, so is it in grace: in nature some die when they are children, some in olde age, and some in full strength, and yet all die men: so againe, some die babes in Christ, some of more perfect faith: and yet the weakest hauing the seedes of grace, is the child of God; and faith in his infancie is faith. All this while, it must be remembred I say not, there is a true faith without all appre∣hension, but without a Distinct apprehension for some space of time: for this very desire by faith to apprehend Christ and his merits, is a kind of apprehen∣sion. And thus we see the kinds of implicite or infolded faith.

This doctrine is to be learned for two causes: first of all it serues to rectifie the consciences of weake ones, that they be not deceiued touching their e∣state. For if we thinke that no faith can saue, but a full perswa••ion, such as the faith of Abraham was, many truly bearing the name of Christ must be put

out of the role of the children of God. We are therefore to know that there is a growth in grace, as in nature: and there be differences and degrees of true faith, and the least of them all is this Infolded faith. This in effect is the do∣ctrine of M. Caluin:* 1.2 that, when we begin by faith to know somewhat, & haue a desire to learne more, this may be tearmed an vnexpressed faith. Secondly this point of doctrine serues to rectifie and in part to expound sundrie Cate∣chismes, in that they seeme to propound faith vnto men at so high a reach, as few can attaine vnto it: defining it to be a certen and full perswasion of Gods loue and fauour in Christ; whereas, though euery faith be for his nature a cer∣ten perswasion, yet onely the strong faith is the full perswasion. Therefore faith is not onely in generall tearmes to be defined, but also the degrees and measures thereof are to be expounded, that weake ones to their comfort may be truly informed of their estate. And though we teach there is a kinde of im∣plicite faith, which is the beginning of true and liuely faith: yet none must hereupon take an occasion to content themselues therewith, but labour to in∣crease and goe on from faith to faith: and so indeede will euery one doe that hath any beginnings of true faith, be they neuer so little. And he which thinks he hath a desire to beleeue, and contents himselfe therewith; hath indeede no true desire to beleeue.

The difference.

The pillars of the Romish Church laies downe this ground: that faith in his owne nature, is not a knowledge of things to be beleeued; but a reuerent assent vnto them whether they be knowne or vnknowne. Hereupon they build: that if a man know some necessarie points of religion, as the doctrine of the Godhead, of the Trinitie, of Christs incarnation, and of our redempti∣on, &c. it is needelesse to know the rest by a particular or distinct knowledge, and it sufficeth to giue his consent to the Church, and to beleeue as the pa∣stours beleeue. Behold a ruinous building vpon a rotten foundation: for faith containes a knowledge of things to be beleeued, and knowledge is of the na∣ture of faith: & nothing is beleeued that is not knowne. Isai 53.11. The know∣ledge of my righteous seruant, shall iustifie many. and Ioh. 17.2. This is eternall life, to know the eternall God, and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. In these places, by knowledge is meant faith grounded vpon knowledge, whereby we know and are assured that Christ and his benefits belong vnto vs. Secondly this kind of assent is the mother of ignorance. For when men shall be taught, that for sundrie points of religion they may beleeue as the Church beleeues: a 1.3that the studie of the Scriptures is not to be required of them: yea that to their good they may be barred the reading of them, so be it they know some prin∣cipall things contained in the articles of faith; that b 1.4 common beleeuers are not bound expressely to beleeue all the articles of the Apostles Creede: c 1.5 that it sufficeth them to beleeue the articles by an implicite faith: by beleeuing as the Church beleeueth, fewe or none will haue care to profit in knowledge. And yet Gods commaundement is that we should grow in knowledge, and that his word should dwell plenteously in vs, Col. 3.16. Againe, the Papists say, that the deuotion of the ignorant, is often seruice better accepted then that which is done vpō knowledge. Such (say they) as pray in latin, pray with as great

consolation of spirit, with as little tediousnes, with as great deuotion and affection, and oftentimes more then the other, and alwaies more then any scismaticke or hereticke in his owne language. To conclude, they teach that some articles of faith are be∣leeued generally of the whole Church onely by a simple or implicite faith, which afterward by the Authoritie of a generall Counsell are propounded to be beleeued of the Church by expresse faith.* 1.6 Roffensis against Luther giues an example of this, when he confesseth that Purgatorie was litle known at the first, but was made knowne partly by Scripture, and partly by reuelati∣on in processe of time. This implicite faith touching articles of religion we re∣iect; holding that all things concerning faith and manners necessarie to salua∣tion, are plainely expressed in Scripture, and accordingly to be beleeued.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Epitom. phil. moral. de grad. delict.
• * 1.2

  Iust. lib. 3. c. 2.9.5.
• a 1.3

  Mol. tract. 3. c. 27. con∣clus. 15.
• b 1.4

  Bonnav. & Durand.
• c 1.5

  Bannes 2. q. 2. art. 7. ascribes this opi∣nion to Gul. Pa∣••isiensis, and to Altisiodoransis. Rhem. Test. on 1. Cor. 14.
• * 1.6

  Mol. tract. 5. c. 30. con∣clus. 12. Contra af∣fer. Luc. art. 8.