weep, and confess their sins, and beg pardon for them: if you mean only, as they are under the law of Christ, I will agree with you, and never contradict you again.

Nom. And, truly friend Antinomista, if either you, or any man else, shall hereafter affirm, that believers are delivered from the law, and do not sin, and God sees no sin in them, nor is angry with them, nor afflicts them for their sins, and that they have no need either to humble themselves, mourn, confess, or crave pardon for their sins, if you mean it only as they are not under the law of works, I will agree with you, and never contradict you again.

Evan. I rejoice to hear you speak these words each to other : and truly, now I am in hope that you two will come back from both your extremes, and meet my neighbour Neophitus in the golden mean; having, as the apostle says, "the same love, being of one accord, and of one mind."

Nom. Sir, for my own part, I thank the Lord I do now plainly see, that I have erred exceedingly, in seeking to be justified, "as it were, by the works of the law."h And yet could I never be persuaded to it before this day; and indeed should not have been persuaded to it now, had not you so plainly and fully handled this threefold law. And truly, sir, I do now unfeignedly desire to renounce myself, and all that ever I have done, and by faith to adhere only to Jesus Christ; for now I see that he is all in all. O that the Lord would enable me so to do! And I beseech you, sir, pray

for me.

Ant. And truly, sir, I must needs confess, that I have erred as much on the other hand; for I have been so far from seeking to be justified by the works of the law, that I have neither regarded law nor works. But now I see mine error; I purpose (God willing) to reform it.

Evan. The Lord grant that you may.

§ 13. But how do you, neighbour Neophitus? for methinks you look very heavily.

Neo. Truly, sir, I was thinking of that place of Scripture, where the apostle exhorts us "to examine ourselves whether we be in the faith, or no," 2 Cor. xiii. 5; whereby it seems to me, that a man

h This Scriptural phrase is here aptly used, to intimate how men deceive themselves, thinking they are far from seeking to be justified by the works of the law, because they are convinced they cannot do good works in the perfection which the law requires : meanwhile, since God is merciful, and Christ hath died, they look for the pardon of their sins, and acceptance with God, upon the account of their own works, though attended with some imperfections; that is, as it were, by the works of the law," Rom. ix. 32.

may think he is in the faith, when he is not. Therefore, sir, I would gladly hear how I may be sure that I am in the faith.

Evan. I would not have you to make any question of it, since you have grounded your faith upon such a firm foundation as will never fail you; for the promise of God in Christ is of a tried truth, aud never yet failed any man, nor ever will. Therefore I would have you to close with Christ in the promise, without making any question whether you are in the faith or no; for there is an assurance which rises from the exercise of faith by a direct act, and that is, when a man, by faith, directly lays hold upon Christ, and concludes assurfrom thence. k

Neo. Sir, I know that the foundation whereon I am to ground my faith remains sure; and I think I have already built thereon; but yet, because I conceive a man may think he has done so, when he has not, therefore would I fain know how I may be assured that I have so done? 7

i This answer proceeds upon taking Neophitus to speak, not of the grace, but of the doctrine of faith; namely, the foundation of faith, or ground of believing as if he had desired to know whether the foundation of his faith was the true foundation of faith, or not. This is plain from the two following paragraphs: And upon the supposition that he had grounded his faith on the promise of the gospel, the tried foundation of faith, the author tells him, he would not have him make a question of that, having handled that question already at great length, and answered all his and Nomista's objections on the head, from p. 254, to 284, where Neophitus declared himself satisfied. And there is no inconsistency betwixt the author's advice in this case given to Neophitus, and the advice given in the text last cited unto the Corinthians, unreasonably and peevishly demanding a proof of Christ speaking in the apostle. Whether, with several judicious critics and commentators, we understand that text concerning the doctrine of faith, as if the apostle put them to try whether they retained the true doctrine or not; or, which is the common and (I think) the true understanding of it, concerning the grace of faith; I see nothing here determining our author's opinion, as to the sense of it; but whether he seems here to be against self-examination, especially after he had urged that duty on Antinomista, and answered his objections against it, let the candid reader judge.

k See the note on the Definition of faith.

"The assurance of Christ's righteousness is a direct act of faith, apprehending imputed righteousness: the evidence of our justification we now speak of is the reflex light, not by which we are justified, but by which we know that we are justified."— Rutherford's Christ Dying and drawing, p. 111. "We had never a question with Antinomians touching the first assurance of justification, such as is proper to the light of faith. He might have spared all his arguments to prove, that we are first assured of our justification by faith, not by good works, for we grant the arguments of one sort of assurance, which is proper to faith; and they prove nothing against another sort of assurance, by signs and effects, which is also divine."-Ibid. p. 110.

1 A good reason why this assurance, in or by the direct act of faith, is to be tried by marks and signs. There is certainly a persuasion that "cometh not of him that called us;" which obliges men to examine their persuasion, whether it be of the right

sort or not.

Evan. Well, now I understand you what you mean; it seems you do not want a ground for your believing, but for your believing that you have believed. m

Neo. Yea, Indeed, that is the thing I want.

Evan. Why, the next way to find out and know this is to lock back and reflect upon your own heart, and consider what actions have passed through there; for indeed this is the benefit that a reasonable soul has, that it is able to return upon itself, to see what it has done; which the soul of the beast cannot do. Consider, then, I pray you, that you have been convinced in your spirit that you are a sinful man, and therefore have feared the Lord's wrath and eternal damnation in hell; and you have been convinced that there is no help for you at all in yourself, by any thing that you can do; and you heard it plainly proved, that "Jesus Christ alone is an allsufficient help; and the free and full promise of God in Christ has been made so plain and clear to you, that you had nothing to object why Christ did not belong to you in particular; n and you have perceived a willingness in Christ to receive you, and embrace you as his beloved spouse; and you have thereupon consented and resolved to take Christ, aud give yourself unto him, whatsoever betides you; and I am persuaded you have thereupon felt a secret persuasion in your heart, that God in Christ doth bear a love to you; o and answerably your heart hath been inflamed towards him in love again, manifesting itself in an unfeigned desire to be obedient and subject to his will in all things, and never to displease him in any thing. Now tell me, I pray you, (and truly) whether you have not found these things in you, as I have said?

Neo. Yea, indeed, I hope I have in some measure.

Evan. Then I tell you truly, you have a sure ground to lay your believing that you have believed upon; and, as the apostle John says, "Hereby you may know that you are of the truth, and may assure your heart thereof before God." 1 John iii. 19.

Neo. Surely, sir, this I can truly say, that heretofore, when I have thought upon my sins, I have conceived of God and Christ, as of a wrathful judge that would condemn all unrighteous men to eternal death, and therefore, when I have thought upon the day of judgment, and hell torments, I have even trembled for fear, and have, as it were, even hated God. And though I have laboured to become righteous, that I might escape his wrath, yet all that I did,

m This is called assurance by a reflex act.

n In virtue of the deed of gift and grant. See the note on the Definition of Faith.

o See page 279, note k.

I did it unwillingly. But since I have heard you make it so plain, that a sinner that sees and feels his sins is to conceive of God, as of a merciful, loving, and forgiving father in Christ, that hath committed all judgment to his Son, who came not to condemn men but to save them; methinks I do not now fear his wrath, but do rather apprehend his love towards me; whereupon my heart is inflamed towards him, with such love, that, methinks, I would willingly do or suffer any thing that I knew would please him; and would rather choose to suffer any misery than I would do any thing that I knew were displeasing to him.

Evan. We read in the seventh chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, that when that sinful yet believing woman did manifest her faith in Christ by her love to him, in "washing his feet with her tears, and wiping them with the hairs of her head, (verse 38.) he said unto Simon the Pharasee, (verse 47.) "I say unto thee, her sins, which are so many, are forgiven her, for she loved much;" even so I may say unto you, Nomista, in the same words, concerning our neighbour Neophitus. And to you yourself, Neophitus, I say, as Christ said unto the woman, (verses 48-50.) "Thy sins are forgiven thee, thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace."

Ant. But I pray you, sir, is not this his reflecting upon himself to find out a ground to lay his believing that he hath believed upon, a turning back from the covenant of grace to the covenant of works, and from Christ to himself?

Evan. Indeed, if he should look upon these things in himself, and thereon conclude, that because he has done this, God had accepted of him, and justified him, and will save him, and so make them the ground of his believing; this were to turn back from the covenant of grace to the covenant of works, and from Christ to himself. But if he looks upon these things in himself, and thereupon conclude, that because these things are in his heart, Christ dwells there by faith, and therefore he is accepted of God, and justified, and shall certainly be saved, and so make them an evidence of his believing, or the ground of his believing that he has believed; this is neither to turn back from the covenant of grace to the covenant of works, nor from Christ to himself. So that these things in his heart being the daughters of faith, and the offspring of Christ, though they cannot at first produce, or bring forth their mother, yet they may in time of need nourish her.

§ 14. Nom. But, I pray you, sir, are there not other things besides these, that he says he finds in himself, that a man may look upon as evidences of his believing, or, as you call them, as grounds to believe that he has believed?

Evan. Yea, indeed, there are divers other effects of faith, which if a man have in him truly, he may look upon them as evidences that he hath truly believed; and I will name three of them unto you:

Whereof the first is, when a man truly loves the word of God, and makes a right use of it; and this a man does, 1st, when he hungers and thirsts after the word, as after the food of his soul, desiring it at all times, even as he does his "appointed p food," Job xxiii. 12. Secondly when he desires and delights to exercise himself therein day and night, that is, constantly, Psalm i. 2. Thirdly, When he receives the word of God as the word of God, and not as the word of man, 1 Thess. ii. 13: setting his heart, in the time of hearing or reading it, as in God's presence; and being affected with it, as if the Lord himself should speak unto him; being most affected with that ministry, or that portion of God's word, which shows him his sins, and searches out his most secret corruptions; denying his own reason and affections; yea, and his profits and pleasures, in any thing, when the Lord shall require it of him. Fourthly, This a man does, when he makes the word of God to be his chief comfort in the time of his afflictions; finding it, at that time, to be the main stay and solace of his heart, Psalm cxix. 49, 50.

The second evidence is, when a man truly loves the children of God, 1 John v. 1; that is, all godly and religious persons, above all other sorts of men; and that is, when he loves them not for carnal respects, but for the graces of God which he sees in them, 2 John 1, 2; 3 John 1. And when he delights in their society and company, and makes them his only companions, (Psalm cxix. 63.) and when his well-doing (to his power) extends itself to them, Psalm xvi. 3. In being pitiful and tender-hearted towards them, and in gladly receiving of them, and communicating to their necessities with a ready mind, (Philem. 7; 1 John iii. 17.) And when he has not the glorious faith of Christ in "respect of persons," (James ii. 1, 2,) but can make himself equal to them of the lower sort, (Rom. xii. 16); and when he loves them at all times, even when they are in adversity, as poverty, disgrace, sickness, or otherwise in misery.

The third evidence is, when a man can truly love his enemies, Matth. vi. 14. And that he does, when he can pray heartily for them, and forgive them their particular trespasses against him; being more grieved for that they have sinned against God than for that they have wronged him; and when he can forbear them, and yet could be revenged of them, either by bringing shame and misery upon

p So the margent reads it.