Bucanus:

1)

What is the form of justifying faith?

Trust in the mercy of God through Christ, or hupo_sa_?¹ a firm confidence, and pl____ia a full persuasion of the grace of God the father towards us, whereby any man does as it were with fil concourse, strive toward the mark. William Bucanus, Institutions of Christian Religion, Framed Our of God’s Word, and the Writings of the Best Divines, Methodically Handled by Questions and Answers, Fit For All Such as Desirous to Know, or Practice the Will of God, trans., by Robert Hill (Printed in London by George Snowden, 1606), 300.²

2)

How prove you that certainty belongs unto faith?

1. John 3:2, The faithful know themselves to be the sons of God, but being rather confirmed in the persuasion of the truth of God by the Holy Ghost, then taught by any demonstration of reason.

2. By the consideration of the truth of the promises and power of God. For Psal. 18:21: “The word of the Lord is a tried shield to all that trust in him.” And Rom. 4:20: “Abraham did not doubt the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in the faith, and gave glory to God, bring fully assured that he which had promised also able to do it.

3. Pl_____ia³ is always attributed to faith in the Scriptures, which sets before us the goodness of God most manifestly without all manner of doubting [Rom 4:21.] so also is parresian and pepoithesei Ephes. 3:12, “By faith we have parresian boldness or freedom, and entrace en pepoithesei with confidence by faith in him.”

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Wilson:

Tim: Now tell us of the measure of Abraham’s faith, what it was?

Sil: It was not a little and weak faith, but a strong and great faith, such a faith as fully assured him. This word [full assurance] is fetched from ships, which against wind, and waves, are yet with full strong sail carry unto the haven: so Abraham by the strength of his faith, overcame all the waves of doubts beating against his mind.

Tim. What may be observed from hence?

Sil. That in every truth faith, there is an assurance and persuasion of that which it believes, but not a full assurance, for this is proper to a strong faith. Secondly, that weak Christians should not be discouraged, because they be not fully assured, so as they strive towards it: for the measure of true faith is differing, and God looks not to the quantity but to the truth of faith.

Thomas Wilson, A Commentary on the Most Divine Epistle of S^t. Paul To the Romans, 3^rd ed., (London: Printed by E. Cotes in Aldersgate-Steet, 1653), 124. [Some spelling modernized; italics original; square bracketed inserts original; and underlining mine.]

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Lamb:

And in the eleventh section it is affirmed, “That all the assurance that any man has is grounded mainly and principally upon the uniform, regular, constant tenor of his life and conversation in the ways of holiness.”

To this I answer, first, every true believer that is the child of God knows it, for “he that believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself.” [1 John 5:10.].

And secondly, this witness is not principally from the ways of holiness, but from the Spirit of God which bears witness to the soul of every true believer that he is the child of God; “Yea, and because they are sons, God has sent forth [the Spirit of]¹ his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father, and witnesses such heirs of God through Christ” [Rom. 8:15, Gal. 4:6-7.]; yea, the Office of the Spirit, which every faithful soul receives is that “they may know the things that are freely given them of God,” [1 Cor. 2:12.].

Thirdly, as Christians witness of his good estate with God does not arise from his holiness so much as holiness arises from the witness as from its proper cause; “for it is the grace of God that brings salvation unto all men,” [Tit. 2:11.], and so particularly, to each man’s heart and soul, that is in any way effectual to teach him to “deny ungodliness,” &c., and all the works that have never so great a show of piety and holiness in them as are dead, hypocrites, and merely carnal, and fleshly, that sprung not from the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us [Rom. 5:5.]: and so it is true, that “he that does righteousness is righteous,” [1 John 4:18, 19.], which none does but he that works from love and life, not for love and life, for righteous works do not make a righteous man, but a righteous man does make or work righteous works, for the tree is before the fruit, and as is the tree such is the fruit; and therefore as it is true, and the Scriptures quoted do prove that righteousness is the constant trade of a righteous man; so it is as true, that the assurance that believers have is not grounded mainly and principally upon the uniform and regular constant tenor of his life and conversation in the ways of holiness; neither do any of the Scriptures quoted it so; and therefore the alleging of them for this purpose is but a perverting and endeavoring to make them speak that which is not in them and the Doctrine not true, nor has it foundation to bear it up, but is uncomfortable.

Thomas Lamb, Absolute Freedom from sin by Christs Death for the World, as the object of faith in opposition to the conditional set forth by Mr John Goodwin in his Book (hereby appearing falsly) entituled [Redemption Redeemed], (London: Printed by H.H. for the Authour, and are to be sold by him, and also by William Larnar in Fleet-street at the Sign of the Black Moor, 1656), 10-11. [Some spelling modernized; marginal citations cited inline; and underlining mine.]

[Note: the context of this work is Lamb’s polemic against the Arminian John Goodwin. In it, Lamb affirms both sovereign election and unlimited expiation against Goodwin’s denials of perseverance of the saints and support for “free will.”]

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¹Square bracketed insert mine.

Marbeck:

FAITH

What Faith is.

Faith is a sure confidence of things which are hoped for [Heb. 11:8.], and a certainty of things which are not seen. ¶ Faith and trust in Christ only, is the life and quietness of the conscience, and not trust in works how holy so ever they be or appear. Works cannot se the heart at rest, because we ever think they be not enough, nor yet good enough, but to few, and so fall we into mistrusting, after which follows despairing and so damnation, if we leave not the confidence in them, and stick to faith, which can receive and believe without mistrust, that Christ’s works no the cross, has full purged, cleansed, and loosed us from our sins.

Again, Faith is a lively and steadfast trust in the favor of God, wherewith we commit ourselves altogether unto God, and that trust is so surely grounded, and sticks so fast in our hearts, that a man would not once doubt of it, though he should die a thousand times therefore, and such trust wrought by the Holy Ghost through faith, makes a man glad, lusty, cheerful and true hearted unto God and all creatures, by means whereof, willingly and without compulsion, he is lad and ready to do good to every man, to suffer all things, that God may beloved and praised, which has given him such grace, so that it is impossible to separate good works from faith, even as it is impossible to separate heat from fire. Therefore take heed and beware of your own fantasies, which to judge of faith and good works, will seem wise, when indeed they are stark blind, and of all things most foolish. Pray God that he will vouchsafe to work faith in your heart, or else you shall remain evermore faithless, feign you imagine you, enforce you wrestle with yourself, an do what you wilt.

Again, Faith is to believing of God’s promises, and a sure trust in the goodness and truth of God, which is faith justified Abraham, Gen. 15. and was the mother of all his good works, which he afterward did, for faith is the goodness of all works in the sight of God. Good works are things of God’s commandment, wrought in faith. And to show a show at the commandment of God, to do your neighbor service with all, with faith to be saved by Christ (as God promises us) is much better then to build an Abby of their own imagination, trust to be saved by the feigned works of hypocrites. Jacob robbed Laban his uncle, Moses robbed the Egyptians, and Abraham is about to slay and burn is own son, and all are holy works because they are wrought in faith at God’s commandment. To steal, rob and murder, are no holy works before worldly people, but unto them that have their trust in God, they are holy when God commands them. What God commands not, gets no reward with God. Holy works of men’s imagination, receive their reward here as Christ testifies. Math. 6:2.                                                                       Tyndale.

Faith is an undoubted belief most firmly grounded in the mind.                           Bullinger. fo. 30.

Again, True faith is the well-spring and root of all virtues and good works, and first of all satisfies the mind and desire of man, and makes it quiet and joyful.                   Bullinger. fol. 54.

Iohn Marbeck, A Book of Notes and Common Places, collected and gathered out of the works of diuers singular Witers, and brought Alphabetically in order (Imprinted at London by Thomas East, 1581), 361-362. [Some words and spelling modernized.]