2 COR. 13. 5.
I Shall absolve this Doctrine, in handling of one practical Question, and that is, Whether Hypocrites may not attain to some measure of practical Knowledge in matters of Religion? Is that ignis, which in the godly is Calidus & lucidus, in hypocrites Lucidus tantúm? Can unregenerate men go no further then to meer knowledge and illumination? may not this oil poured upon their heads fall down upon the will and affections also? As they have imperfect knowledge, so may they not have inchoate affections about good things? and if they may, wherein shall we be able to give sound differences, or exact bounds and limits between the practical knowledge in the one and the other? This is a point of universal usefulness; And for the opening of this, consider there are three general sorts of men who go under the name and title of Christians, all pretending a right and interest to all the priviledges of the Covenant of Grace,
The first is of those who have only the Name and outward Ordinances of the1 Christian Religion, but have not the least influence or power from it, In works they deny him. These are like some Apothecary boxes that may have the inscription of some cordial, but within is deadly poison; They are in names Christians, in actions Heathens; and the Prophet called the Rulers of the Jews for their wickedness, though circumcised, Princes of Sodom and Gomorrah. These are (as a Father said) Sine Christo Christiani, yea contra Christum, Christians without Christ, yea against Christ. Howsoever in some respects they may be said to be better then Heathens, in which sense Arnobius said, Melior invenietur judicio Christianus fornicator, quàm castissimus idololatra. A Christian even in fornication is better then a most chast idolater; yet in other respects he is far worse: such as these are have no real and saving benefit by Christ, for Non actibus, sed finibus pensantur officia; They being like dead corpses, that have sweet fragrant flowers strewed upon them, but yet are not in the least degree made more savoury by them; and certainly it is an aggravation of the wickedness of such, that when moral Philosophy, and the principles of reason have been able to cure the outside ungodliness of many men; The truths of Christianity, which have a power to regenerate, and to work a new nature, should not so much as change the skinne of men. Yet if we cast our eye upon the greatest number of those who yet are baptized into the name of Christ, shall we not finde them in the rank of those, who have only a name in Christianity, and nothing else, who derive not the least efficacy or power from Christ, but are as a dead hand, or a withered branch, whose lives are a continual blasphemy to the Gospel of Christ?
- Another sort is of those, who besides the name, have also some influence2 and operations of the Spirit of God upon them, and many of them are in such a way as an embryo to a childe, only they prove abortive, Matth. 13. The second and third kinde of hearers were in this number; Divines as they attribute to the former sort a meer historical faith, such as the devils have, though it may be thought they have no faith at all in any respect or notion, unlesse it be an humane assent; so they give to these later a temporary faith, which they make to differ from historical thus, because it is carried with some kinde of affections, both in revelantem, the person revealing it, who is God, and in rem revelatam, the matter revealed, whereas historical faith is without any affections at all; now although these who are in this condition, be in respect of their estate carnal and unregenerate, yet they differ from the former, as much as copper from dung, and howsoever comparatively to the godly, they are but counterfeit and false, yet they are as pearls and starres respectively to prophane men, for these have a practical experience of some power of divine truths upon them (and howsoever the Spirit of Christ doth not dwell in them, because they are not members of the body of Christ, and as the soul of a man works not as a form to any part that is not united to the body; so neither doth the Spirit of Christ operate savingly, but to the body of Christ) yet the Spirit of God works as an outward efficient cause breathing upon them. The Spirit of God works not in them, Ut in domicilio, but ut in organo, an instrument, which he useth for the good of the Church; Now in this sort there is a great latitude, some having a greater measure of these workings then others, as the third kinde of ground went beyond the second.