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Feb

Thomas Wilson (1563-1622) on Faith as Assurance

   Posted by: CalvinandCalvinism    in Faith and Assurance

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 St. Paul To the Romans, 3rd 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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Warne:

Thirdly, when God does offer Grace to Men, he doth not immediately infuse his grace into their Hearts, but he works it in them by the Use of Means: Now Reprobates, when as God tenders Grace unto them, do always slight, neglect, and vilify the outward means by which he offers, and conveys his grace; so that if they miss of grace, as they always do, they cannot lay the fault on God; or say, that he intended not to convert them; but they must take the blame upon themselves alone; because if they had used the means with care, with conscience as they ought, and done all that which was requisite on their parts; God would have wrought effectually by his Spirit in their hearts, for ought that they could tell, or think to the contrary.

Fourthly, when God doth seriously invite us to Repentance, to true saving faith; he doth not always peremptorily promise, much less resolve to work this faith, or repentance in our hearts, for then they should be always wrought effectually in us, because God’s purposed, God’s resolved will, is always executed, and cannot be resisted; but he doth only seriously declare what things he doth approve, and require in us, and what course we ourselves must take, if we will be saved: A king may seriously wish and desire, that such a Subject of his were a rich, or honorable person; and withal inform him of the way and means to purchase wealth or honor; but yet he may not purposely resolve to make him such a one. God doth earnestly wish, command and desire, that all men should repent and turn unto him, that none should offend, or sin against him; but yet he hath not eternally purposed to cause them to repent, or to enable them to convert, and not to sin; for most men go on in sin, without repentance; in many things we offend all; and there is no man that lives and sinns not. God may desire something in his revealed will, which he hath not decreed to effect in his secret will: He desires not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should repent and live; yet sinners always die in sin without repentance: He desires that all men should be saved, and that none perish; yet we know, that few are saved, and that most men perish: Since therefore God may command, desire, and require something in his revealed will, which he hath not absolutely decreed to effect in his hidden will, it follows not that God doth therefore resolve to work effectually by his grace in reprobates, when as he offers means of grace unto them, and so he mocks them not.

Jonathan Warne, The Downfall of Arminianism (London: Printed for T. Cooper, at the Globe in Pater-noster-Row; and S. Mason, Bookseller, over-against Love-Lane in Wood-Street, 1742), 99-100. [Some reformatting; some spelling modernized; and underlining mine.]

[Credit to Tony for the find.]

Venema:

1) It is usually asked what kind of knowledge that is by which God knows things that are conditionally future. The Jesuits here introduce their scientia media, to which they assign a middle place between scientia simplicis intelligentice and scientia visionis; inasmuch as God by the former knows things merely possible–things not absolutely but only conditionally future.

Here, therefore, scientia media is required. But we say in reply, that this scientia media is introduced without reason and foundation, because nothing else is necessary to the knowledge of future contingent events than the knowledge of the connexion between the antecedent and the consequent. Now the connexion between the conditions, namely, and the occurrence of events, is either necessary or arbitrary and free, and depending on the decree of God. If it be necessary it belongs to scientia simplicis intelligentice, by which God knows things with their consequences and relations. Thus he knew that the inhabitants of Keilah would deliver up David; not, however, by scientia media, but by scientia simplicis intelligentice, by which he knows the relations of things, whether these relations be absolutely or restrictedly necessary. But if the connexion be arbitrary, or depend upon the free determination of the will of God, then it belongs to scientia visionis, or to that knowledge by which he knows by his decree the relations and issues of things. Now there is a general decree by which he has ordained the connexions of things. This knowledge, therefore, belonged to that part of the decree by which he instituted the mutual relation of events, such as that which we have already adverted to in the case of Joash who, if he had smitten the arrows upon the ground five or six times, would have smitten and consumed Syria. The event in this case depended on the good pleasure of God, because he had instituted the connexion between it and what went before.

Such also is the connection between the condition of salvation and salvation itself;–”H e that believeth shall be saved”–a connexion which depends upon the free decree of God. The same remarks may be applied to all conditionally future events. Hermann Venema, Institutes of Theology, trans., by Alex W. Brown, (Andover: W.F. Draper Brothers, 1853), 155. [Some spelling modernized; italics original; and underlining mine.]

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