I went on, “Hear _Thomas_, when having seen he believed, crying out my Lord and my God.” Hereon you comment thus, “The meaning of which is that St. _Thomas_ makes a confession, both of his faith and repentance.” I agree with you. But you add, “in St. _Thomas_’s confession there is not implied an assurance of pardon,” you cannot agree with yourself in this; but immediately subjoin, “If it did imply such an assurance, he might well have it, since he had an immediate revelation of it from God himself.”
Yet a little before you endeavoured to prove that one who was not a whit behind the very chief apostles had not such an assurance: where, in order to shew that faith does not imply this, you said, St. _Paul_ methinks has fully determined this point (_1 Corinthians iv. 4._) _I know nothing by myself_, says he, _yet am I not hereby justified_.――“And if an apostle so illuminated, don’t think himself justified”――Then I grant, he has fully determined the point. But before you absolutely fix upon that conclusion, be pleased to remember your own comment that follows, on those other words of St. _Paul_, _the life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of |God|, who loved me and gave himself for me_. Your words are, “And no question a person indowed with such extraordinary gifts, might arrive at a very eminent degree of assurance.”――So he _did arrive at a very eminent degree of assurance_, tho’ _he did not think himself justified_!
I can scarce think you have read over that chapter to the _Colossians_: else surely you would not assert, that those words on which the stress lies, (_viz._ _Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption thro’ his blood, even the forgiveness of sins_) do not relate to _Paul_ and _Timothy_ who wrote the epistle, but to the _Colossians_, to whom they wrote, I need be at no pains to answer this; for presently after your own words are, “he hath made us, meaning the _Colossians_, as well as himself, meet to be inheritors.”――――
3. You may easily observe, that I quoted the council of _Trent_ by memory, not having the book then by me. I own, and thank you for correcting my mistake: but in correcting one, you make another. For the decrees of the sixth session were not “published on the 13th of _January_:” but the session itself began on that day.
I cannot help reciting your next words, although they are not exactly to the present question.
“The words of the 12th canon of the council of _Trent_ are,”
“If any man shall say that justifying faith is nothing else but a confidence in the divine mercy, remitting sins for Christ’s sake, and that this confidence is that alone by which we are justified, let him be accursed.” You add,
“This Sir, I am sure is true doctrine, and perfectly agreeable to the doctrine of our church. And so you are not only anathematized by the council of _Trent_, but also condemned by our own church.”
“Our church holds no such scandalous and disgraceful opinion.” ――According to our church, no man can have “the true faith, who has not a loving heart.”――_Therefore_ faith is not a confidence that any man’s sins are actually forgiven, and he reconciled to God.” (What have the premisses to do with the conclusion!)
4. To decide this, let our church speak for herself. Whether she does not suppose and teach, that every particular believer knows that his sins are forgiven, and he himself is reconciled to God.
First then, our church supposes and teaches every particular believer, to say concerning himself, “In my baptism _I was made a member of Christ, a child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven. And I thank God who hath called me to that state of salvation. And I pray to God that I may continue in the same to my life’s end._”
Now does this person _know_ what he says to be true? If not, it is the grossest hypocrisy. But if he does, then he knows, that _he in particular_ is reconciled to God.
The next words I shall quote may be a comment on these: May God write them in our hearts!
“A true christian man is not afraid to die, who is the very member of Christ, the temple of the Holy Ghost, the Son of God, and the very inheritor of the everlasting kingdom of heaven. But plainly contrary, he not only puts away the fear of death, but wishes, desires and longs heartily for it. _Sermon against the fear of death._” I. part.
Can this be, unless he has a sure confidence that he, in particular, is reconciled to God?
“Men commonly fear death, first because of leaving their worldly goods and pleasures. 2. For fear of the pains of death; and 3. For fear of perpetual damnation. But none of these causes trouble good men, because they stay themselves by true faith, perfect charity, and sure hope of endless joy and bliss everlasting.” _ibid._ II. part.