Quest. VII.

Q. BUt seing it is impossible to perswade me of the truth and sincerity of saving faith in me, except I do observe in me, and can bring forth my good works to prove the reality of faith in me; how is it possible that I should not lean weight on my good works, seing the proof of my faith is by my works, which proof if I have not, I am at a stand, I cannot prove my self to have been a true believer in Christ, I cannot perswade Page  408 my self that I have been and am a true believer in Christ?

Ans. 1. The observation of the fruits of faith in me is not the only proof of my believing in Christ; for, the very act of imbracing the offer of reconciliation made to me in the Gospel, and flying unto Christ for a refuge, when I am chased by the Law, by the conscience, and felt wrath pursuing me for sin, may be clear to me by its own light and scriptural evidence, albeit (it being possibly the very instant of my conversion) I cannot produce any fruits or evidences of my conversion past; or else what shall be said of malefactors on the scaffold presently to be put to death, and possibly not wakened in conscience before, not fled to Christ before? What shall be said of sick persons near unto death, who being self-condemned, do betake themselves in their last agony unto the grace of God in Christ offered to self-con∣demned sinners in the Gospel? 2. I must put diffe∣rence between a reason to prove that I have believed, and a reason why I may and must now believe. The reason to prove that I have believed, is from the effect to prove the cause thereof, to wit, faith to be in me: but the rea∣son why I may now, and must believe, is from the cause to infer the effect that should be in me: the cause of believing in Christ, is Gods command to self-condem∣ned sinners; which command I must now obey left I perish, and so if I find fruits, I prove I have believed, be∣cause I feel the love of God shed abroad in my heart, and that I love God who hath freely loved me; and here I reason from the effect, to prove that the cause of this fruit, to wit, sa•ing faith, hath preceeded and is gone before. Again I prove that I should believe, because the offer of the Gospel and of free grace in Christs, made to all self-condemned persons, renouncing confidence in their own worth or works, is made to me, with a command to believe in the Son of God, Christ Jesus; for which cause, I may and ought to cast my self upon his grace, who justifieth the ungodly, flying to him, Page  409 without the works of the Law. 3. I must put diffe∣rence between my having fruits of faith in me, and my observing and finding these fruits in me: for, a true con∣vert may have both faith and fruits; and for the time, being under tryal and temptation, may be so darkened, that he can see nothing in himself but sin, and apparent wrath pursuing him for sin, as may be seen in Ionah in the belly of the fish, Ionah 2. 4. and, David, Ps. 51 9, 10. 4. I must put difference between my perswasion, that I have been and am a true convert and a sincere believer, and my perswasion, that I have right, reason and good warrand to believe in Christ in my lowest condition: howsoever then I find my self emptied of all signes of saving grace in me for the time, yet my perswasion, that I should in this sad condition flye to Christ and believe in him, doth serve to make me consent heartily unto the offer of the covenant of grace in Christ, doth serve to make way for my justification, and looseth all doubts and objections of Sathan tempting me to mis-believe, and to run away from Christ and the offered mercy in him. 5. And last of all, I must put difference between making use of good fruits brought forth by me, for con∣firmation of my faith, and my putting confidence in, or laying weight on, these good fruits: for, many true converts do here fail, and do not mark the mistakes; for when they find love to God and his Saints, with fear and holy reverence, and such other like signes of grace in their hearts, and outward fruits thereof in their life, then they do believe in Christ and rejoice in him: but when at another time, they find hardnesse of heart, pro∣fanity and perversenesse of a wicked nature in them∣selves, they are like to quite their interest in the covenant of Grace, and to stand aloof from Christ like strangers, when they should most be humbled and creep in to him for remission of sin, a•d hiding of their nakednesse by his imputed righteousnesse. And what is this in effect else, then in the first place to lean on their works and holy disposition, as if there were merit in them, and Page  410 then after in the next place to believe in Christ who hath furnished them those fruits? whereas they should, in the sense of their sin and unworthinesse, first, flye to Christ, and firmly adhere to him by faith, that out of his fulnesse they may receive grace for grace, according as we are taught to do by Christ himself, Ioh. 15. 5. He that abideth in me, and l in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me, you can do nothing.