In the next place, This recumbent act of Faith may not only thus receive Christ, but we may also be assured and know that we do believe, and that Christ is ours. Indeed former Divines from an opposition to Popery, which teacheth doubting in our Justification and uncertainty, did define justifying faith, to be a full persuasion ⟨p. 552⟩of the heart, whereby we believe our sins are pardoned, and that Christ died for us, but to believe that Christ is mine, or that I am justified, cannot be justifying faith, but it supposeth it, for Christ must be mine before I know he is mine, The object must be before the act: 1Therefore faith hath two acts, a Direct Act, whereby it layeth hold on Christ, and a Reflex Act, whereby I know that I do lay hold on him, or that I am such an one to whom the promises do belong. Now this believing on Christ, which justifieth is in the former act, out of the sense of my sins and deep unworthiness to lay hold on Christ. The latter which we call Assurance, Though the people of God may and ought to attain unto, yet is not to be confounded with the former; nay it may be, and is often separated from it; and this is much to be heeded by practical Christians, you would have assurance first, and then you would believe in Christ, you would know whether your graces are true, whether you are so and so qualified, and then you would believe: This is, as if a woman would be assured such a man were her husband, and then she would marry him, whereas it is marriage makes the husband: It's believing makes Christ thine, and when he is thine, then thou mayest be assured he is thine. The cripple, and the woman, labouring under a bloody issue, felt themselves whole after Christ had healed them, they could not before: So when faith hath made Christ thine, that thou canst say with Thomas, My God, my Lord, then you may come to be assured, he is thine. Christ had not that sense of Gods favour, when yet he had that fiducial confidence, crying out, My God, my God, &c. The promise is made to him that believeth, not to him that knoweth he doth believe: It's not said, If you have assurance, but if you believe you shall be saved.
In the next place, This recumbent act of Faith may not only thus receive Christ, but we may also be assured and know that we do believe, and that Christ is ours. Indeed former Divines from an opposition to Popery, which teacheth doubting in our Justification and uncertainty, did define justifying faith, to be a full perswasion ⟨p. 552⟩of the heart, whereby we beleeve our sins are pardoned, and that Christ died for us, but to beleeve that Christ is mine, or that I am justified, cannot be justifying faith, but it supposeth it, for Christ must be mine before I know he is mine, The object must be before the act: 1Therefore faith hath two acts, a Direct Act, whereby it layeth hold on Christ, and a Reflex Act, whereby I know that I do lay hold on him, or that I am such an one to whom the promises do belong. Now this beleeving on Christ, which justifieth is in the former act, out of the sense of my sins and deep unworthiness to lay hold on Christ. The latter which we call Assurance, Though the people of God may and ought to attain unto, yet is not to be confounded with the former; nay it may be, and is often separated from it; and this is much to be heeded by practical Christians, you would have assurance first, and then you would beleeve in Christ, you would know whether your graces are true, whether you are so and so qualified, and then you would beleeve: This is, as if a woman would be assured such a man were her husband, and then she would marry him, whereas it is marriage makes the husband: It's beleeving makes Christ thine, and when he is thine, then thou mayest be assured he is thine. The cripple, and the woman, labouring under a bloody issue, felt themselves whole after Christ had healed them, they could not before: So when faith hath made Christ thine, that thou canst say with Thomas, My God, my Lord, then you may come to be assured, he is thine. Christ had not that sense of Gods favour, when yet he had that fiducial confidence, crying out, My God, my God, &c. The promise is made to him that beleeveth, not to him that knoweth he doth beleeve: It's not said, If you have assurance, but if you beleeve you shall be saved.
- 1Faith hath two acts, a direct and a reflex.
