Chapter III: Holiness and good works attained to only by faith.

Holiness and good works attained to only by faith.

Neo. Truly, sir, for mine own part, I do much marvel that this my friend Antinomista should be so confident of his faith in Christ, and yet so little regard holiness of life, and keeping of Christ's commandments, as it seems he does. For I give the Lord thanks, I do now, in some small measure, believe that I am, by Christ, freely and fully justified and acquitted from all my sins, and therefore have no need either to eschew evil or do good, for fear of punishment or hope of reward; and yet, methinks, I find my heart more willing and desirous to do what the Lord commands, and to avoid what he forbids, than ever it was before I did thus believe. [284] Surely, sir, I do perceive that faith in Christ is no hindrance to holiness of life, as I once thought it was.

Evan. Neighbour Neophytus, if our friend Antinomista do content himself with a mere gospel knowledge, in a notionary way, and have run out to fetch in notions from Christ, and yet is not fetched in by the power of Christ, let us pity him, and pray for him. And in the mean time, I pray you, know that true faith in Christ [285] is so far from being a hindrance from holiness of life and good works, that it is the only furtherance; for only by faith in Christ, a man is enabled to exercise all Christian graces aright, and to perform all Christian duties aright, which before he could not. As, for example, before a man believe God's love to him in Christ, though he may have a kind of love to God, as he is his Creator and Preserver, and gives him many good things for this present life, yet if God do but open his eyes, to see what condition his soul is in, that is, if he do but let him see that relation that is betwixt God and him, according to the tenor of the covenant of works, then he conceives of him as an angry Judge, armed with justice against him, and must be pacified by the works of the law, whereunto he finds his nature opposite and contrary; and therefore he hates both God and his law, and doth secretly wish and desire there were neither God nor law. And though God should now give unto him ever so many temporal blessings, yet could he not love him; for what malefactor could love that judge or his law, from whom he expected the sentence of condemnation, though he should feast him at his table with ever so many dainties? "But after that the kindness and love of God his Saviour hath appeared, not by works of righteousness that he hath done, but according to his mercy he saved him," (Titus 3:4,5); that is, when as by the eye of faith, he sees himself to stand in relation to God, according to the tenor of the covenant of grace, [286] then he conceives of God as a most merciful and loving Father to him in Christ, that hath freely pardoned and forgiven him all his sins, and quite released him from the covenant of works; [287] and by this means "the love of God is shed abroad in his heart, through the Holy Ghost which is given to him," and then "he loves God because he first loved him," (Rom 5:5, 1 John 4:19). For as a man seeth and feeleth by faith the love and favour of God towards him in Christ his Son, so doth he love again both God and his law; and indeed it is impossible for any man to love God, till by faith he know himself beloved of God.

Secondly, Though a man, before he believe God's love to him in Christ, may have a great measure of legal humiliation, compunction, sorrow, and grief, and be brought down, as it were, to the very gate of hell, and feel the very flashing of hell-fire in his conscience for his sins, yet it is not because he hath thereby offended God, but rather because he hath thereby offended himself, that is, because he hath thereby brought himself into the danger of eternal death and condemnation. [288] But when once he believes the love of God to him in Christ in pardoning his iniquity, and passing by his transgressions, [289] then he sorrows and grieves for the offence of God by sin; reasoning thus with himself: And is it so indeed? Hath the Lord given his own Son to death for me who have been such a vile sinful wretch? And hath Christ borne all thy sins? and was he wounded for thy transgressions? Oh then, the working of his bowels, the stirring of his affections, the melting and relenting of his repenting heart! "Then he remembers his own evil ways, and his doings that were not good, and loathes himself in his own eyes for all his abominations"; and looking upon Christ, "whom he hath pierced, he mourns bitterly for him, as one mourneth for his only son," (Eze 36:31, Zech 12:10). Thus, when faith has bathed a man's heart in the blood of Christ, it is so mollified that it quickly dissolves into tears of godly sorrow; so that if Christ do but turn and look upon him, Oh then, with Peter, he goes out and weeps bitterly! And this is true gospel-mourning; and this is right evangelical repenting. [290]

Thirdly, Though, before a man do truly believe in Christ, he may so reform his life and amend his ways, that as "touching the righteousness which is of the law," he may be, with the apostle, blameless, (Phil 3:6); yet, being under the covenant of works, all the obedience that he yields to the law, all his leaving off of sin, and performance of duties, all his avoiding what the law forbids, and all his doing what the law commands, is begotten by the law of works, of Hagar the bond-woman, by the force of self-love; and so, indeed, they are the fruit and works of a bond-servant, that is moved and constrained to do all that he doth, for fear of punishment and hope of reward. [291] "For," says Luther, on the Galatians, p. 218, "the law given on Mount Sinai, which the Arabians call Agar, begetteth none but servants." And so indeed all that such a man doth is but hypocrisy; for he pretends the serving of God, whereas, indeed, he intends the serving of himself. And how can he do otherwise? for whilst he wants faith, he wants all things: he is an empty vine, and therefore must needs bring forth fruit unto himself: (Hosea 10:1). Till a man be served himself, he will not serve the Lord Christ. [292] Nay, while he wants faith, he wants the love of Christ, and therefore he lives not to Christ, but to himself, because he loves himself. And hence, surely, we may conceive it is that Dr. Preston says, "All that a man doeth, not out of love, is out of hypocrisy. Wheresoever love is not, there is nothing but hypocrisy in such a man's heart."

But when a man, through the "hearing of faith, receives the Spirit of Christ," (Gal 3:2), that Spirit, according to the measure of faith, writes the lively law of love in his heart, [as Tindal sweetly says,] whereby he is enabled to work freely and of his own accord, without the co-action or compulsion of the law. [293] For that love wherewith Christ, or God in Christ, hath loved him, and which by faith is apprehended of him, will constrain him to do so; according to that of the apostle, (2 Cor 5:14), "The love of Christ constraineth us." That is, it will make him do so, whether he will or no; he cannot choose, but do it. [294] I tell you truly, answerably as the love of Christ is shed abroad in the heart of any man, it is such a strong impulsion, that it carries him on to serve and please the Lord in all things, according to the saying of an evangelical man: [295] "The will and affection of a believer, according to the measure of faith and the spirit received, sweetly quickens and bends, to choose, affect, and delight in whatever is good and acceptable to God, or a good man; the Spirit freely and cheerfully moving and inclining him to keep the law, without fear of hell or hope of heaven." For a Christian man, says sweet Tindal, worketh only because it is the will of his Father; for after that he is overcome with love and kindness, he seeks to do the will of God, which is indeed a Christian man's nature; and what he doth, he doth it freely after the example of Christ. As a natural son, ask him why he does such a thing. Why, says he, it is the will of my Father, and I do it that I may please him; for, indeed, love desireth no wages, it is wages enough to itself, it hath sweetness enough in itself, it desires no addition, it pays its own wages. And therefore it is the true child-like obedience, being begotten by faith, of Sarah the free-woman, by the force of God's love. And so it is indeed the only true and sincere obedience: for, says Dr. Preston, "To do a thing in love, is to do it in sincerity; and, indeed, there is no other definition of sincerity; that is the best way to know it by."