Reason 1. Because there be multitudes of believing and justified persons in the world, who have no such manifestation, evidence, or assurance, that God laid their iniquities upon Christ, and that he died to put away their sins ; but daily conflict with strong fears and doubts, whether it be so or no. There are but fevv among behevers that attain such a jDcrsuasion and manilestation, as Antinomians make to be all that is meant in scripture by justification through faith. Many thousand new-born Christians live as the new-born babe, which neither knows its own estate, or the inheritance to which it is born.
or ANTINOMIANl^sM. 5.63
Vivct, et vitoo nesc'ius ipse suae. " Not conscious of life, it lives."
A soul may be in Christ, and a justified state, without any such persuasion or manifestation, as they here speak of, fta. 1. 10. and if any shall assert the contrary, he will condemn the greatest part of the generation of God's children. Now that cannot be the saving and justifying act of faith, which is not to be found in multitudes of beheving and justified persons.
But manifestation, or a personal persuasion of the love of God to a man's soul, or that Christ died for him, and all his iniquities are thereby forgiven him, is not to be found in multitudes of be- lieving and justified souls.
Therefore such a persuasion or manifestation is not that saving justifying faith which the scripture speaks of
That faith which only justifies the person of a sinner before God must necessarily be found in all justified believers, or else a man may be justified without the least degree of justifying faitli, and consequently it is not faith alone by which a man is justified be- fore God.
Reason 2. That cannot be a justifying act of faith which is not constant and abiding with the justified person, but comes and goes^ is frequently lost and recovered, the state of the person still remain- ing the same. And such contingent things are these persuasions and manifestations ; they come and go, are won and lost, the state of the person still remaining the same. Job was as much a justified believer when he complained that God was his enemy, as when he could say, " I know that my Redeemer liveth." The same may be said of David, Heman, Asaph, and the greatest num- ber of justified believers recorded in the scripture. There be two things belonging to a justified state, (1.) That which is essential and inseparable, to wit, faith uniting the soul to Christ. (2.) That which is contingent and separable, to wit, evidence and persuasion of our interest in him. Those believers that walk in darkness and have no light have yet a real, special interest in God as their God, Isa. 1. 10. Here then you find believers without persuasion or manifestation of God's love to them ; which could never be, if justifying faith consisted in a personal persuasion, manifestation, or evidence of the love of God, and pardon of sin to a man's soul. That cannot be the justifying faith spoken of in scripture, withour. which a justified person may live in Christ and be as much in a state of pardon, and acceptation with God, when he wants it, as when he hath it. But such is persuasion, evidence, or manifes- tation of a man's particular interest in the love of God, or the
5oG THE SECOND .APPENDIX.
pardon of his sins. Therefore this is not the justifying faith the scripture speaks of.
Reason 3. That only is justifying, saving faith, which gives the soul right and title to Christ, and the saving benefits which come by Christ upon all the children of God. Now, it is not persuasion that Christ is burs, but acceptation of him that gives us interest in Christ, and the saving benefits and privileges of the children of God. John i. 12. " But as manv as received him, to them " gave he power to become the sons of God ; even to them that " believe on his name." So that unless the Antinomians can prove, that receiving of Christ, and personal persuasion of pardon be one and the same thing, and consequently, that all believers in the world are persuaded, or assured, that their sins are pardoned ; and reject from the number of believers all tempted, deserted, dark and doubting Christians ; this persuasion they speak of is not, nor can it be the act of faith, which justifies the person of a sinner before God. That which I think led our Antinomians into this error, was an unsound and unwary definition of faith, which, in their youth, they had imbibed from their catechisms, and other systems, passing witliout contradiction or scruple in those days ; which, though it were a mistake, and hath abundantly been proved to be so in latter days, yet our Antinomians will not part with a notion so serviceable to the support of the darling opinion of eternal justification.
Reaso7i 4. A man may be strongly persuaded of the love of God to his soul, and of the pardon of his sins, and yet have no interest in Christ, nor be in a pardoned state. This was the case of the Pharisees and others, Luke xviii. 9. Kev. iii. 17. therefore this per- suasion cannot be justifying faith. If a persuasion be that which justifies the persuaded person, then the Pharisees and Laodiceans were justified. Oh ! how common and easy is it for the worst of men to be strongly persuaded of their good condition, whilst hum- ble, serious Christians doubt and stacs-oer ? I know not what such doctrine as this is useful for, but to beget and strengthen that sin of presumption, which sends down multitudes to hell out of the professing world : For wliat is more common amongst the most carnal and unsanctified part of the world, not only such as are mere- ly moral, but even the most flagitious and profane, than to support themselves by f^ilse persuasions of their good estate ? When they are asked, in order to their conviction, what hopes of salvation they have, and how they are founded ? their common answer is, Christ died for sinners, and that they are persuaded, that whatever he hatli done for any other, he hath done it for them as well as others : but such a persuasion cometli not of him that called them, and is of dangerous consequence.
OF AKTIXOMIANISM. 56T