A faithfull friend true to the soul: or The soules self-examination, preparing it self for the great triall of life or death eternall in the other world, in 86. quæries. Whereunto is added, the Christian jewell of faith, or the ready way to beleeve and be saved. By Timothy Rogers, minister of the church at Chappell in Essex.

CHAP. 5. Questions resolved concer∣ning the manner of the Gospels working of Sa∣ving Beliefe.

Quest. HAd this hum∣bled sinner sa∣ving Beliefe till now that he is come to this true perswasion of mercie by Christ?

Ans. Yes; now it is brought forth, but it was

conceived and in bree∣ding before, namely in his * 1.1 resolving, and earnest desiring it; the 5. and 6. points of the Gospels working mentioned be∣fore; then it was in him more unsensibly and in conception; but when he comes to be truly persua∣ded, this is the birth of it, now it is in him more sen∣sibly, now he sees that he beleeves; as a woman hath a child in her womb before it be brought forth and she hold it in her armes and look upon it.

Quest. How can you prove that there was sa∣ving

Faith begun in him then?

Ans. 1. Because in his resolving upon, and ear∣nest desiring of Christ, Gods Remedie, he gave his heart and will to Christ; for what wee greatly desire that hath our heart.

2. The Promise is made to this kind of desiring, Matth. 5.6.

3. He then yeelds to Gods demand and condi∣tion, which is willingly to accept and make choice of Christ as God is wil∣ling to bestow him; the Soul in this desiring him,

saith, Yea, I make choice of him above all.

4. This resolving on, and accepting of Christ, Gods Remedie, is to be∣leeve, for the Soule saith to Gods proffer, I will, and consents thereto; as in Marriage, Wilt thou have this man to thy wedded Husband? I will: This makes the match; so be∣tween Christ and the Soul, God by his Proffer as∣keth; the humbled soul by resolving and desiring it answers, yea, and consents thereto.

Plainly thus, the sinner rightly humbled by the

Law, and being also con∣vinced in Conscience by the Gospels enlightning, of Gods free proffer of the Remedie to him, as well as to any other, doth by his resolving on it, and fervent desiring it, shew his good liking thereof, yea, accepts thereof, as if he should say, yea let me have it, this accepting is weak implicite beleeving; the very beginning of it; but to be perswaded is stronger beleeving, the making up of it: but right applying of Christ (the definition of Faith, Ch. 1.) comprehends both.

Quest. But what if this desire and resolution be not sound and unfained?

Answ. Then it doth no good, neither is it saving Beliefe, but only a coun∣terfeit of it, but I speak all this while of that which is true and unfained.

Quest. How may it be knowne?

Ans. 1. It is a desiring of Christ above any other thing that can be thought or named, as one readie to die for thirst desires wa∣ter above any thing else.

2. It is very earnest, pro∣ceeding from the very A∣gonie of Conscience, and

will have no Nay, (as Ra∣chel, Give me Children, or else I dye) it cannot be sa∣tisfied, nor endure with∣out him whatsoever else it hath.

3. It desires the Remedy not by haves, but as God hath provided it, whole Christ, as well for a san∣ctifying Remedie, as a sa∣ving, else it is not a true desire, nor a right accep∣ting of him, such an one doth not apply the true Christ, but an halfe Christ, or an Idol-Christ of his owne making; viz. to save without sanctify∣ing, which is not the

Christ, that God hath ap∣pointed for a Remedie.

And for as much as our first coupling and uniting unto Christ consisteth in this point, we must be so much the more carefull of it, that it be well done, for by Humiliation we are pluckt out of the old Stocke, by beleeving we are set into the new, that is Christ, there must bee great Care had that we be rightly joynted in, as the Science well set into the Stock at first, thrives more in one yeere, then another will doe in foure, if it grow at all.

1. First then, we must desirously and resolvedly accept of whole Christ (this is to be rightly joyn∣ted into him) that is a Sanctifier as well as a Sa∣ver of us, to make us holy, as well as to make us whole; as a * 1.2 Lord to have the whole command of us, and we to be ruled by him, to follow him, and doe as he would have us; we must be joyned to him as our * 1.3 Head, to in∣fuse spirituall life and power of Grace into us, to vanquish corruption, and to delight in God, and to glorisie him in ho∣linesse;

else we shall be, as it were, ingraffed into a dead or saplesse Stocke, Can such a Science grow or prosper? Therefore we must take the whole Re∣medie, not a Jesus onely, but a Christ too, and that not partly, viz. a Priest to die for us, but a King also to rule over us, and a Pro∣phet to teach us.

2. We must be wholly joynted into him, not partly into our selves, and partly into him, as to thinke that though we have need of Christ, yet that * 1.4 there is some good∣nesse in our selves.

3. To an holy end, viz. Not to take libertie to sin more, but with a Cove∣nant in our hearts to sinne no more; that is, what we know to be sin, not wil∣lingly to give our selves leave to do it for a world.

That humbled sinner, that by unfained desire and Resolution thus ac∣cepteth of Christ is right∣ly joynted into him and a true Beleever.

Quest. But can such be in danger of beleeving wrong, that have beene rightly humbled?

A. Not so, but they that are not thus rightly joyn∣ted

into Christ, have not beene rightly humbled, but only in part, to wit, to see themselvs in danger of damnation by sin, which therefore, they would have forgiven, but not to abhorre their sins and be wearie of them, willing to be rid of them, and to doe any thing that God shall bid them, or would have them do, which are parts of sound Humiliation, as CHAP. 3. was shewed: thus as they are humbled onely in part, so they ap∣ply Christ onely in part (for one cannot desire or accept of Christ any fur∣ther

then he is sensible of his own necessitie) this is to divide him; therefore a false affection of desire to him, as the false mother, 1 King. 3.26. would have the child divided.

Quest. Whether are the Promises to be applyed to one truly humbled by the Law, and enlightened by the Gospel, &c. touch∣ing the Remedie proffe∣red to him, though not yet ressolved to rest per∣swaded thereof, but puts it from himselfe, because of unworthinesse?

Ans. Apply the Pro∣mises to him we may not,

because they doe not be∣long to him till he * 1.5 be∣leeve, but the precept of Beleeving ought to be ap∣plyed to him, that is, he is to be exhorted to give his minde to be perswaded of Gods good will to him, in offering him the Re∣medie in good earnest, and is as willing to shew him mercie and to be∣stow the Remedie on him, as on any other, so that be refuse it not and so judge himselfe * 1.6 unworthy of everlasting life, therfore he is to be required by re∣solving theron desirously, to accept thereof, which is to Beleeve.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Act. 11.21, 23.
• * 1.2

  Act. 2.36
• * 1.3

  Eph. 4.15, 16.
• * 1.4

  Non in∣telligit be∣neficia di∣vina qui se tantum∣modò à Deo juvari pu∣tat. Lac. li. 1. c. 11. Divi. Inst.
• * 1.5

  Gal. 3.22
• * 1.6

  Act. 13.46.