The saints everlasting rest, or, A treatise of the blessed state of the saints in their enjoyment of God in glory wherein is shewed its excellency and certainty, the misery of those that lose it, the way to attain it, and assurance of it, and how to live in the continual delightful forecasts of it and now published by Richard Baxter ...

SECT. V.

2. HAving thus shewed you what Examination is,* 1.1 and what Assurance is, I come to the second thing promised; To shew you, That such an Infallible Certainty of Salvation may be attained, and ought to be laboured for, (though a Perfect Certainty cannot here be attained:) And that Examination is the means to attain it. In which I shall be the briefer, because many writers * 1.2 against the Papists on this point have said enough already. Yet somewhat I will say, 1. because it is the common conceit of the Ignorant Vulgar, That an Infallible Certainty cannot be attained, 2. and many have taught and printed, That it is only the Testimony of the Spirit that can assure us; and that this proving our Justifi∣cation by our Sanctification, and searching after Marks and Signs in our selves for the procuring of Assurance, is a dangerous and de∣ceitful way. Thus we have the Papists, the Antinomians, and the ignorant Vulgar conspiring against this doctrine of Assurance and Examination. Which I maintain against them by these Argu∣ments.

1. Scripture tells us we may know, & that the Saints before us have

known their Justification, and future Salvation; 2 Cor. 5.1. Rom. 8.36. Joh. 21.15. 1 Joh. 5.19. & 4.13. & 3.14, 24. & 2.3, 5. Rom. 8.15, 16, 36. Ephes. 3.12. I refer you to the places for brevity.

2. If we may be certain of the Premises, then may we also be certain of the undenyable Conclusion of them. But here we may be certain of both the Premises. For 1. That whosoever believeth in Christ shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life, is the voyce of the Gospel; and therefore that we may be sure of: That we are such Believers, may be known by Conscience and internal Sense. I know all the question is in this, Whether the Moral Truth or Sincerity of our Faith and other Graces can be known thus, or not? And that it may I prove thus.

1. From the natural use of this Conscience, and internal Sense; which is to acquaint us not only with the Being, but the Qualifi∣cations of the Acts of our Souls. All voluntary Motions are Sen∣sible. And though the heart is so deceitful, that no man can certainly know the heart of another, and with much difficulty clearly know their own; yet by diligent observation and examination known they may be: for though our inward Sense and Conscience may be depraved, yet not extirpated, or quite ••••••••inguished.

2. The Commands of Believing, Repenting, &c. were in Vain, especially as the Condition of the Covenant, if we could not know whether we perform them or not.

3. The Scripture would never make such a wide difference be∣tween the Godly and the Wicked, the Children of God and the Children of the Devil, and set forth the happiness of the one and the misery of the other so largely, and make this Difference to run through all the veins of its doctrine; if a man cannot know which of these two estates he is in.

4. Much less would the Holy Ghost urge us to give all dili∣gence to make our Calling and Election sure, if it could not be done, 2 Pet. 1.10. And that this is not meant of Objective Cer∣tainty, but of Subjective, appeareth in this, That the Apostle men∣tioneth not Salvation or any thing to come, but Calling and Electi∣on, which to Believers were Objectively Certain before, as being both past.

5. And to what purpose should we be so earnestly urged to ex∣amine, and prove, and try our selves, Whether we be in the Faith, and

whether Christ be in us, or we be Reprobates? 1 Cor. 11.28. and 2 Cor. 13.5. Why should we search for that which cannot be found?

6. How can we obey those precepts, which require us to Re∣joyce always, 1 Thes. 5.16. to call God our Father, Luk. 11.2. to live in his Praises, Psal. 49.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. and to long for Christs Com∣ing▪ Rev. 22.17, 20. 1 Thes. 1.10. and to comfort our selves with the mention of it, 1 Thes. 4.18. which are all the Consequents of Assurance? Who can do any of these heartily, that is not in some measure sure, that he is the Child of God?

7. There are some duties that either the Saints only, or chiefly are commanded to perform: And how shall that be done, if we cannot know that we are Saints? Psal. 144.5. & 132.9. & 30.4. & 31.23. &c.

Thus I have proved that a Certainty may be attained: an Infal∣lible, though not a perfect Certainty: such as excludeth deceit, though it exclude not all degree of doubting. If Bellarmine by his Conjectural Certainty do mean this Infallible, though imperfect Certainty, (as I doubt he doth not,) then I would not much con∣tend with him; And I acknowledg that it is not properly a Cer∣tainty of meer Faith, but mixt.

Notes

• * 1.1

  §. 5.
• * 1.2

  Yet I be∣lieve that their divines have some of them made the difference betwixt us and the Pa∣pists seem wider then it is, as do these words of one of them: Ex hoc unico articulo quantumvis minutus a plerisque reputari queat, universus Papatus & Lutheranismus dependet. Martinus Eisengrenius initio Apolog. de Cert. Salv. And so have some of our Divines on the other side, as Luther in Gen. 41. Etiamsi nihil preterea peccatum esset in doctrina pontificia, just as habe∣mus causas cur ab ecclesia infideli nos sejungeremus.