Chapter 28: Of Cases of Law-Fear and Gospel-Faith

From these properties flow diverse cases touching the stability of the saints, their perseverance, their temptations, their standing in grace.

1. If they cannot fall away, who are thus seated in the covenant, is not free will left to much looseness of security? Answ. Not at all: For a principle of godly fear is fixed in the heart, and so in free will, never to depart from God (Jeremiah 32:39-40). And where this godly awe is, the heart is in a godly trembling and fear, and dare not be loose, wanton, and secure to fear nothing, but fears always (Proverbs 28:14), and fears and trembles at the Lord and his goodness (Hosea 3:5). A godly heart trembles more for fear of grace and the debt of grace, than of justice and wrath; and fears sin more, as it is against the bands of grace, and against Christ, and Gospel-love who can save, than as it is against Law the Law-giver, and him who eternally destroys. And so the awe of heaven has a stronger impression than the terror and awe of hell.

Quest. 2. How can the fear of falling away, and the faith of perseverance absolutely promised and absolutely given, consist together?

Ans. The Law-fear of falling away, and the Gospel faith of persevering are not consistent. The legal fear of the least sin is a fear of hell and of eternal wrath to be irrecoverably inflicted, but because the person is under grace, the believer cannot fear this fear, except the Law-fear be let loose against him as a temptation, but it is not his obliged duty so to fear.

2. The Law-fear upon a believer is conditional, and not absolute, as he fears hell and falling away, jure, as his deserving, if God should enter in judgment with him, and if he were not in Christ: But he is obliged to a Gospel-faith which lays hold on Christ, righteousness, and deliverance from condemnation, and if Christ and interest in him be hid from him, and nothing on but Law-fear, that is a trial, not a duty of Law-fear. But there is a godly Law-fear, or a Gospel-Law-fear, which is a godly horror conditional for that which is never to be inflicted, but yet according to deserving may be inflicted, and this is the terror of the Lord, which breeds Gospel persuasion (2 Corinthians 5:11), and so may well stand with Gospel-faith and assurance of deliverance from falling away and of being established and confirmed to the end. As a child in the father's arm threatened to be cast over a sharp rock in the sea, may have horror and fear, and cry out for fear, and yet believe so his father's compassion as he will not throw him in the sea, because the threatening is ordained not to be exercised, but that the child may so much the more thrust his arms about his father's neck.

Quest. 3. What is the best victory over temptations from such fears?

Ans. As in all temptations, so here, overcoming is attended with precious promises, which are to be read (Revelation 2:7, 2:17, 2:26-28; Revelation 3:5, 3:12, 3:21; Revelation 21).

For 1. Fevers of the Law that have no kindly cools, and relenting by the promises of the Gospel, tend not to the strengthening of the life of God, but only when they leave a standing self-loathing, and loving of Christ.

2. It argues the strength of faith, after many, indeed six foils to stand; as the army that is broken six times, yet rallies and draws up again, is often at the seventh time victorious.

3. Such as stand against a strong and mighty temptation, being pressed out of measure, above strength, as Paul was (2 Corinthians 1:8-9), in so much (says he) that we despaired even of life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, do prevail to the being taught of God, not to trust in ourselves, but in God who quickens the dead: For here there comes real strength from fighting: As he who, by strength of nature, lives and convalesces after a running botch and strong pestilence, goes through pest-houses and is never infected again. So the worthies by faith who overcame strong temptations (Hebrews 11) to the end, keep the fields and prevail till death.

4. Godly fear of self-weakness and trembling at sin which may darken the feelings of received mercies and sweet influences adds strength. Something of that is here (2 Corinthians 12:10): when I am weak, then am I strong.

5. A fixed peace in assurance of deliverance from condemnation, and quietness in believing pardon and righteousness in Christ, ought always to be, as touching the state of justification: for the questioning of this in a believer, if Antinomians will yield to truth, is contrary to faith, and no warrantable assurance. But 2. a fixed peace in David, immediately after blood-shed and adultery, before believing of the remission of these particular sins be, in the Lord's order, renewed, is security, and not godly peace. (Psalm 32:3) While I kept silence, my bones waxed old, through my roaring all the day. 5. I acknowledged — and you forgavest the iniquity of my sin. (Psalm 51:1-3, etc.) prove this. But it may be said, does not this holy feeling of, and trouble for the particular heinous guiltiness, disturb the fixed peace and the person's faith and confidence that he is in a state of justification? Ans. Not at all: for the outcries of the child of God (Romans 7:24), under, not a finger, or an arm, or a leg, but a body of sin: O wretched man, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? are good, and much feeling of pain argues much life. And such as in this regard say, I thank God, I was plagued and pained, but now nothing ails me, I have peace, I am rich, I have need of nothing (Revelation 3:17), I am all whole, must be in a dangerous case. Indeed the complaining of want of justification and of the righteousness of God in a believer, and a raising of the foundation, as (Psalm 31:22), (Jonah 2:4), I am cast out of your sight: are both false and bastard-feelings, and hasty unbelief: for this is a reflection upon, and a reproaching of the office of the Healer of sinners. This is contrary to faith, and the former is a complaining of the body of sin that can hardly be slandered; so a complaining of self, and the feeling of inherent corruption weakens not, but strengthens faith. And complaining thus, and triumphing in a believed justification, do well consort in Paul (Romans 7:24), O wretched man, etc., verse 25, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord: and (Romans 8:1). Then every feeling of sin is not contrary to faith, as Mister Town and other Antinomians teach, some godly tender feeling foments faith.

Q. 6. How comes it to pass that seldom feeling of sin lacks unbelief?

Answer: Our looking, in a Legal, not in an Evangelic way, upon sin, occasions unbelief: for looking to the sickness of the sinner is but abused, when this use is made of it, that the question which Christ has abundantly answered — Ah he has not, who satisfied and paid my ransom, justified me also by the Redemption that is in him — but the strong body of sin which leads me captive (Romans 7:23) does also lead, rather mislead me to doubt whether the ransom was sufficiently paid, and I sufficiently and freely, by his grace and the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus, justified, as (Romans 3:24). And because the sinner feels the stirring and too vigorous acting of a body of sin, which is his own work, he removes the foundation-stones laid by Christ, and questions the well-done work of Christ, and thrusts in his sickle into Christ's harvest: which is upon the matter to say, Ah my sanctification is nothing or small: therefore Christ's satisfaction is weak, so the man, laying the burden upon the wrong back, will take and pull off the burden that Christ in his own body did bear on the tree, as (1 Peter 2:24) and wrestle under his own body of sin himself, and he thinks he will do the business better himself than Christ. This is that which Antinomians impute to us groundlessly, but it is our sinful weakness so to be troubled at the indwelling of a body of sin, as we doubt of and call in question the work of Justification and the satisfaction of Christ. But there is good cause why the sinner quarrel with himself and complain of a body of sin, and yet not only quarrel with Christ, but exalt Christ, and by faith close with the absoluteness of his gifted satisfaction and righteousness. And this is as easy by the Grace of God, as we see the more that a gracious soul abases himself, as one carnal and sold under sin (Romans 7:14) as one in whom there dwells no good, as touching the flesh (Romans 7:18) in whom sin dwells (Romans 7:20) as one brought into captivity to the law of sin, and a wretched man (Romans 7:24) so much the more does he exalt Christ the only deliverer (Romans 7:25) (Romans 8:1, 23, 33, 34, 35) and why should not our blackness commend Christ's beauty, our deadness exalt his life, our sinful wretchedness his glorious office in saving, and our emptiness and dryness his fullness of the anointing who is all fullness?