An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches by reconciling explication without much disputing. Written by Richard Baxter.

CHAP. XX. Of the Nature of Saving-Faith. (Book 20)

§. 1. SO much of this came in before on the by, as will excuse my brevity here. I have before shewed, That the Faith now in question is not meerly our general Belief and Trust in God, as a part of our Holiness, but the mediate Belief and Trust in God our Redeemer and our Saviour, which is made the Condition of the Covenant, & the means of our sanctification: And also that as the editions of the Covenant vary, and promulgation of it, so it is not the same degree or acts of Faith, as to the particular credenda or Articles to be believed, that was and is necessary to all persons in all times.

§. 2. Though the word [Belief] in English, and Assent in Latin, signifie strictly only the act of the Understanding, and Saving Faith is oft na∣med from one act, yet really that Faith which in Scripture is made the Condition of Pardon and Salvation, doth essentially contain the Acts of every Faculty, even Assent, Consent, and Affiance;

and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and fides do properly signifie Trust, even a consenting or voluntary Trust upon believing; as is afore said.

§. 3. We do very aptly call both the Act and Object by the same name fides in Latin, (and Faith in English, oft-times): For Faith is a trusting on another's Faith, Fidelity or Trustiness; and so the fides asserentis seu promittentis, & fides credentis, are related.

§. 4. The Faith that hath the promise of our Justification, is not to be called one only Physical act in specie (much less in numero): (That were but prophanely to jest with holy things); but it is a moral act or work of the Soul, containing many physical acts. Otherwise we should be all con∣founded, not knowing how to distinguish of all our physical acts of Faith secundum speciem, and then to know which of them is the right: And it would be but some very little of the true Objects of Faith, that justifying Faith must be constituted by: In a word, the Absurdities are so numerous that would follow, that I will not be so tedious as to name them.

§. 5. Saving Faith is such a moral work as we use to express by the names, Believing, Trusting, Consenting, Taking, Accepting, Receiving, in Con∣tracts personal with men. If we say [You shall Trust such a Physician, or take such a man for your Physician] all men understand us, and none is so logically mad, as to think that by Taking or Trusting we mean only some one physical act of the smallest distribution. If we say [I take this man for my King, my Master, my Commander or Captain, or this woman to be my Wife, &c.] every one knoweth here what Taking meaneth: viz. our Consent to

that Relation, according to the nature and ends of it.

§. 6. Therefore though we use divers names for this Faith, and also on several occasions, give several half-descriptions of it, we mean still the same thing, and suppose what we omit to make the description entire.

§. 7. When we call Faith [a Believing] or [Assent] we mean such an Assent as prevaileth with the Will, to accept Christ with his Grace as offered in the Gospel, and consent to the Baptismal Cove∣nant; and this indeed as a fruit of the assenting act, but as essential to justifying Faith.

§. 8. When we call it [Consent] or Acceptance, or [Receiving Christ] we mean, that as Man's Soul hath an Intellect and Will, and a true actus huma∣nus vel moralis, is the act of both, but of the Intel∣lect as directive, and of the Will as more perfe∣ctive, or as the Faculty, primarily moral; so the same Faith which is initially in the intellect's Assent, is perfectlier in the will's Consent: And it is the Receiving of a Saviour believed, or the Consent to a believed Covenant: We suppose Assent when we name it Consent.

§. 9. And when we name it Affiance or Trust, we include both the former, and mean a resol∣ved practical Trust, and dedition of our selves ac∣cordingly to one that covenanteth to bring us from Sin and Misery to GOD and Glory; where Belief and Consent to that Covenant are supposed.

§. 10. And the Terminus a quo, and the renun∣ciation of Competitors and Opposites, is connoted, if not essentially included in Saving Faith: And

therefore Christ doth so often tell us, of forsa∣king all, if we will be his Disciples.

§. 11. I use to express it by this similitude: A Prince redeemeth a Slave, and also promiseth him great Possessions and Honours in a Kingdom in the East Indies, or at the Antipodes, if he will leave his Servitude and his Country, and all that he hath there, and go with him in his Ship, and patiently endure the Sea-trials till he come thi∣ther. Here he must, 1. believe that the Prince hath paid his ransome: 2. That he is a wise man, and knoweth what he promised, and skilful to conduct him safely through all the perils of the Seas: 3. That he is an honest man, and intendeth not to deceive him: 4. That he is sufficient or able to perform his word: 5. And if upon this belief he trust him, he will let go all and venture in his Ship, and follow him. And here one tells him that the Ship is unsound; another tells him that the Prince is a Deceiver, unable to perform his Word, or unskilful, or dishonest, and some way untrusty; and another tells him that small matters in his own Country, are better than grea∣ter with so much hazard; and sets out the dangers and terribleness of the Seas: Now if the man be ask'd [Do you believe, or will you trust me, or will you not?] here every one by believing and trusting knoweth, that a practical Trust is meant, which lieth in such a confidence as forsaketh all, and taketh the promised Kingdom for all his hope. Such is our Saving Faith.

§. 12. As many Acts and many Objects go to constitute Saving Faith, so if you will logically anatomize it, all these following must be taken in.

§. 13. 1. The principal Efficient Cause is God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost respectively, ac∣cording to their several operations.

§. 14. 2. The Instrumental Cause is the Word of God, and the Preaching and Preachers of it, or Parents, Friends, or some that reveal the Word unto us.

§. 15. 3. Subordinate auxiliary means are Providential Alterations, by some awaking Judg∣ments, or inviting Mercies, or convincing Exam∣ples, &c.

§. 16. 4. The Soul of Man in all its three Faculties, Vital-active, Intellective, and Volitive, is, 1. the Recipient of the Divine Influx, and then, 2. the immediate Efficient or Agent of the Acts of Faith.

§. 17. 5. Preparatory Grace and Duty is ordina∣rily Man's Disposition, as he is the Recipient of God's Grace, and the Agent of believing. But God is free, and can work on the unprepared; but it is not to be taken for his ordinary way.

§. 18. 6. The formal Object of the assenting Act of Faith, is veracit as Dei revelantis, the Veracity or Truth of God revealing his Will.

§. 19. 7. The formal Object of the accepting and receiving Act, is the Goodness of the Benefits offered us by the Covenant, as offered.

§. 20. 8. The formal Object of our Trust or Affiance is God's fides, Fidelity, because of his afore∣said Veracity in promising, and his Power, Wisdom and Benevolence as a Performer; and this full Act comprehendeth all the rest: It is God's Trustiness.

§. 21. 9. The material Objects of the assenting Act in genere, are all God's Assertions or Revela∣tions:

More especially the Gospel, or the Christian Faith objective; according to the Edition of the Covenant which we are under.

§. 22. The Essentials of our objective Christian Faith constitute the Essence of our active Saving Faith; and the Integrals of it constitute the In∣tegrity.

§. 23. And it is of great importance to distin∣guish here (as to the Word and Objects) between 1. the signa or words, 2. the signification or sence, 3. the things, matter or incomplex objects, as distinct from words and sence, viz. God, Christ, Grace, Heaven, Goodness, Iustice, Men, &c. And to hold, 1. That the words are not ne∣cessary* 1.1 for themselves, but for the sence; and therefore Translations, or any words which give us the same sence, may serve to the being of Saving Faith. 2. That the sence it self is not ne∣cessary for it self ultimately, as if Holiness lay in notions, but for the things which that sence re∣vealeth, viz. God to be loved and obeyed, Christ to be received, the Holy Ghost to be received and obeyed, Holiness and all Grace to be received, lo∣ved, used, encreased; our Brethren to be loved, Heaven to be desired, &c. All sence will not bring us to the reception of the things; for all is not apt; but any that doth this (which must be divine and apt) will constitute us true Belie∣vers.

§. 24. 1. The material Objects of our acceptance and consent, are the Word of God commanding, offering, and promising, and the good of Duty and Benefit commanded, offered and promised; that is, All that is given us in the baptismal Covenant, God the Father and his Love, the Son and his Grace,

and the Holy Ghost and his Communion: The Fa∣ther as reconciled and adopting us, the Son as having redeemed us, to teach, rule, justifie and save us; the Holy Spirit to sanctifie, comfort, and perfect us.

§. 25. 11. The material Object of our Trust or Affiance is God himself, the prime Truth, Power and Good, and Christ as his Messenger and our Saviour, and the Holy Ghost as the Author of the Word, and the Word as being the Word of God: You must pardon us as necessitated to call God a material Object, analogically, for want of words.

§. 26. 12. The ultimate or final Objects of Saving Faith are, 1. God himself, the ultimate ul∣timum; that is, the perfect Complacency of his will in his Glory eternally shining forth in our Glory and the Glory of Christ with all the Church tri∣umphant. 2. Next to that, This Glory it self (which is a created thing) and the Perfection of the Universe, and of Christ's Church and our selves▪ in which it consisteth. And therein our own Perfection, and our perfect sight, love and praise of our glorious God, and our Redeemer. 3. And next under that, the first fruits of all this in this World, in the foresaid love of the Father and Grace of the Son, and Communion of the Holy Spirit and the Church.

§. 27. If therefore we were put to give a full description of Saving Faith, we must be as large as this following, or such-like in sence, viz.

[

The Faith which the Adult must profess in Baptism, as having the Promise of Justificati∣on and Salvation, is a sincere fiducial practical Assent to Divine Revelations, and especially to the Gospel, revealing and offering us God

himself to be our God and reconciled Father, Christ to be our Saviour, viz. by his Incarna∣tion, meritorious Righteousness and Sacrifice, Resurrection, Doctrine, Example, Government, Intercession and final Judgment; and the Holy Ghost to quicken, illuminate and sanctifie us, that so we may live in the Love of the Father, the Grace of the Son, and the Communion of the Holy Spirit, and of the Christian Church, being saved from our Enemies, Sin and Misery initially in this Life, and perfectly in eternal perfect Glory: With a fiducial acceptance of the Gifts of the Covenant according to their nature, and a sincere federal Consent; and with a sincere devoting and giving up our selves to God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; and renouncing of all that is inconsistent with this Covenant: Which Assent, Consent and Trust are the effects of the Gospel and Spirit of Christ, and are founded on God's Fidelity, that is, on the Veracity, Love and Sufficiency of God Almighty, most wise and good, and on Christ the Father's great Apostle, and on Christ's sub-Apostles; and on the Gospel and especially the Covenant of Grace, as on God's revealing and donative Instrument; and on the manifold ob∣signant operations of the Holy Ghost (miracu∣lous and sanctifying) as God's infallible Atte∣station to the Gospel-Verity.

]

§. 28. Historical Tradition of the Words, Books, and Matters of Fact, are subordinate neces∣sary means of transmitting the Objects to our sense of Hearing, who live at such a distance from the Time, Place and Facts.

§. 29. But though all these things aforesaid are in true Faith, yet a distinct Perception or De∣scription of them all is not necessary in him that hath them. But a more general Conception of it, which will but consist with the true Reception of the Things signified by the Words (God, Christ, Grace &c.) may be certainly saving to a plain and simple-hearted Christian; when one that can describe it accurately, may be graceless: For it is Believing, and not Defining Faith, which God hath made necessary to Salvation.

§. 30. Therefore we do ordinarily well use shorter Descriptions to the People, and sometime we say, That Faith in Christ, is our Christianity; that is, our Assent and Consent to the Baptismal Covenant, and our Self-dedition to God there∣in. For in Scripture it is all one to be a Believer, a Disciple of Christ, and a Christian.

§. 31. Sometimes we say, That saving Faith is a fiducial-practical Assent to the Truth of the Gospel, and Consent to the Covenant of Grace; or an Acce∣pting of all the Benefits of the Covenant, as they are, and on the terms offered; or an Accepting of Christ and Life in, and with him there offered us.

§. 32. Sometimes we say, It is a practical Af∣fiance, or trusting on Christ as our only Saviour for Sal∣vation, or to bring us to God and glory: And in all these and the like we speak truly, and mean the same thing; some terms being used on occasion, while the rest are implyed, and to be under∣stood.

§. 33. Those that will needs call no act by the name of Faith, but Assent, and confine it to the Intellect, do yet seem to differ with us but de nomine, about a Word, and not the Matter: For they con∣fess,

if there concur not a Consent of the Will, it is not saving, but as some call it ••ides informis; and so that Assent and Consent make up our necessary Condition, or means of our Union with Christ, or Interest in the Covenant-Rights or Gifts. And then seeing we are agreed so far of the matter, it's not worth much striving, whether one only, or both Acts shall be called Faith.

§. 34. When the first Reformers had to do with men that commended uncertainty of our Sin∣cerity and Salvation, and kept People under a Spi∣rit of Bondage, and tempted them (contrary to the Nature of Faith) to love this World better than the next, and to be afraid of dying, by be∣ing doubtful whether they should be saved; in the heat of opposition, some of them called Faith, As∣surance, or certain or full Persuasion of our own personal Election, Pardon, and Salvation. But those that came after them, and those that conversed practically with Men of troubled Consciences, and observed the state of the greatest part of good Christians, followed not this Example, but spake more cautelously and soundly, and described Faith as I before have told you. For they found that not one of a multitude of godly Christians could say they were certain of their Election, Sincerity, or Salvation: And some that were forwardest to say so, were none of the best, and had not what they said they had.

§. 35. But whatever the transmarine Divines say, I can witness, that except ignorant Antinomi∣ans, or such Sectaries, rejected by the Orthodox, I remember not that I have met these forty years with one Divine that taketh saving-Faith to be such Assurance of our personal Election, Justification or

Salvation, especially the first act, which is not to believe that we are justified, but that we may be justified.

§. 36. Indeed you would think those few must hold this, who say, That Justification is an immanent eternal Act of God. But, 1. this is but a diffe∣rence about the word [Iustification]: All con∣fess, that God's essential Volition of our Justifica∣tion is eternal, as being himself; but some think that his Will may be denominated an Eternal Iusti∣fication; and others better say, Not: But all con∣fess that the Law of Grace doth justifie no man till he believe, much less the Sentence of Christ as Judge. And though some call our Perswasion that we are justified, by the name of Faith, yet they deny not another act of Faith antecedent to this, that maketh us true Christians.

§. 37 And indeed, besides Mr. Pemble and Dr. Twisse (both excellent Men) it's rare to meet with any English Divine that talks for Eternal Iu∣stification: And Mr. Pemble, who let fall some such things in his Vindiciae Gratiae, did set all right again in his Treatise of Iustification (being very young when he wrote even the last:) And Dr. Twisse, who in his Vindic. Gratiae, hath some such words, speaketh elsewhere soundly, as Mr. Iessop his Scholar hath shewed in a Treatise purposely written to prove it, when I had taken exceptions against his words.

§. 38. It is therefore shameless Calumny of those who perswade their Followers, That the Reformed Churches take Faith for such an Assu∣rance or Belief, that we are justified or elected, and shall be saved; only because they find some such word in some former disputing Doctors of

ours; when as all, or near all have so long re∣nounced that Opinion, that he would be a Wonder among us in England, Scotland, or Ireland (and I think abroad) that should hold it.

§. 39. Yet we still say, That saving Faith is not only a believing that God's Word is true, but a believing it with personal Application to my self.

§. 40. But that Application is such as follow∣eth. 1. I believe that Christ hath died for my sins as well as for the rest of the World. 2. I be∣lieve that the Gospel offereth Pardon and Salvati∣on to me as well as to others. 3. I believe that God will have mercy on me, and Christ and Life shall ••e mine, if I shall truly believe and repent; and Glory, if I persevere. 4. Hereupon I accept the Offer and Consent to the Covenant of Grace, which giveth me right to these Benefits, if I con∣sent. 5. And so far as I can say that I am sincere in my repenting and believing, so far my Faith help∣eth me to conclude that I am justified.

§. 41. But this last is a mixt act, and a ratio∣nal Conclusion helped by Grace, whereof the ma∣jor only is de fide [He that believeth is justified] but not the Minor [I believe.] Therefore we u∣sually call it a fruit of Faith.

§. 42. Some incautelous Divines in the heat of Dispute do indeed say, That it is de fide divina, or a Divine Word, that [I am a true Believer.] And Chamier too unhappily goeth about to prove it by saying, That it is the Word of the Spirit in us, which is the [Word of God:] As if the Spirit spake in us new Articles of Faith, or a new Word to be believed, whose work in those that are not in∣spired Prophets, is but, 1. to cause us to believe that

Word already given: 2. To be a witnessing Evi∣dence that we are God's Children, by making us holy as he is holy, as similitude witnesseth a Child to be his Fathers. 3. And to help us to discern that Holiness or Evidence, and to exercise it, and to gather Comfort from such discerning it, and ex∣ercise.

§. 43. We now commonly disown all such As∣sertions; I meet with no sober Divine that own∣eth them, because we grant, that Conclusio semper sequitur partem debiliorem: But yet we find that those few that call it de fide, do most of them mean no more, but that it's partly de fide, because the Major Proposition is so; and so they differ but about a Logical Notion.

§. 44. Some have said indeed (beyond-Sea) That a man cannot believe, and not know it; but we know thousands may believe, and yet doubt whether it be a sincere and saving sort of Faith.

But I have written so many Books of these mat∣ters, that I here add no more.

Notes

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