I’m not sure if this is only my 2nd time through, or the 3rd, reading Walter Marshall’s The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, but I am reminded of my human weakness in that there are such rich things written therein that have faded from my memory. The following is Marshall’s commentary with regard to assurance being necessary in the direct act of faith for the purpose of advancing in sanctification (pp. 172-174):
It is also a great and necessary office of saving faith, to purify the heart, and to enable us to live and walk in the practice of all holy duties, by the grace of Christ, and by Christ himself living in us, as hath been shewed before; which office faith is not able to perform, except some assurance of our own interest in Christ, and his salvation, be comprehended in the nature of it. If we would live to God, not to ourselves, but by Christ living in us, according to Paul’s example, we must be able to assure ourselves as he did, “Christ loved me, and gave himself for me,” Gal. 2:20. We are taught, that, “if we live in the Spirit, we should walk in the Spirit,” Gal. 5:25. It would be high presumption if we should endeavour to walk above our natural, strength and power by the Spirit, before we have made sure of our living by the Spirit.
I have shewed, that we can not make use of the comfortable benefits of the saving grace of Christ, whereby the gospel doth engage and encourage us to a holy practice, except we have some confidence of our own interest in those saving benefits. If we do not assuredly believe, that we are dead to sin, and alive to God through Christ, and risen with Christ, and not under the law, but under grace, and members of Christ’s body, the temple of his Spirit, the dear children of God, it would be hypocrisy to serve God upon the account of such privileges as if we reckoned ourselves to be partakers of them. He that thinks he should doubt of his salvation, is not a fit disciple for this manner of doctrine; and he may reply to the preachers of the gospel, "If you would bring me to holiness, you must make use of other more effectual arguments; for I cannot practise upon these principles, because I have not faith enough to believe, that I have any interest in them. Some arguments taken from the justice and wrath of God against sinners, and his mercy towards those that perform the condition of sincere obedience, would work more powerfully upon me."
O what a miserable worthless kind of saving faith is this, that cannot fit a believer to practise in a gospel maner, upon the most pure and powerful principles of grace, but rather leaveth him to work upon legal principles, which can never bring him to serve God acceptably out of love! And as such a faith faileth wholly in the right manner of obeying, upon gospel principles, so it faileth also in the very matter of some great duties, which are of such a nature, that they include assurance of God’s love in the right performance of them; such are those great duties of peace with God; rejoicing in the Lord always; hope that maketh not ashamed; owning the Lord as our God and our Saviour; praying to him as our Father in heaven; offering up body and soul as an acceptable sacrifice to him; casting all our cares of body and soul upon him; contentment and hearty thanksgiving in every condition; making our boast in the Lord; triumphing in his praise; rejoicing in tribulation; putting on Christ in our baptism; receiving Christ’s body as broken for us, and his blood shed for us in the Lord’s Supper; committing our souls willingly to God as our Redeemer, when he shall be pleased to call for us; loving Christ’s second appearance, and looking for it as that blessed hope.
When we fall into any sudden doubting whether we are in a state of grace already; when we are called to any present undertaking, to partake of the Lord’s Supper, or any duty that requires assurance to the right performance of it, we must relieve ourselves, by trusting confidently in Christ for the present gift of his salvation, or else we shall be driven to omit the duty, or not to perform it rightly or sincerely. Can we judge ourselves already in a state of grace, by the reflex act of faith, if we do not find, that we perform these duties, at least several of them, sincerely; or, if we do not find, that we have such a holy faith as doth fully enable, or incline us to the performance of them? And can we be thus enabled and inclined by any faith that is without some true assurance of our salvation? Therefore, I conclude, that we must necessarily have some assurance of our salvation in the direct act of faith, whereby we are justified, sanctified and saved, before we can, upon any good ground, assure ourselves, that we are already in a state of grace, by that which we call the reflex act.
I have shewed, that we can not make use of the comfortable benefits of the saving grace of Christ, whereby the gospel doth engage and encourage us to a holy practice, except we have some confidence of our own interest in those saving benefits. If we do not assuredly believe, that we are dead to sin, and alive to God through Christ, and risen with Christ, and not under the law, but under grace, and members of Christ’s body, the temple of his Spirit, the dear children of God, it would be hypocrisy to serve God upon the account of such privileges as if we reckoned ourselves to be partakers of them. He that thinks he should doubt of his salvation, is not a fit disciple for this manner of doctrine; and he may reply to the preachers of the gospel, "If you would bring me to holiness, you must make use of other more effectual arguments; for I cannot practise upon these principles, because I have not faith enough to believe, that I have any interest in them. Some arguments taken from the justice and wrath of God against sinners, and his mercy towards those that perform the condition of sincere obedience, would work more powerfully upon me."
O what a miserable worthless kind of saving faith is this, that cannot fit a believer to practise in a gospel maner, upon the most pure and powerful principles of grace, but rather leaveth him to work upon legal principles, which can never bring him to serve God acceptably out of love! And as such a faith faileth wholly in the right manner of obeying, upon gospel principles, so it faileth also in the very matter of some great duties, which are of such a nature, that they include assurance of God’s love in the right performance of them; such are those great duties of peace with God; rejoicing in the Lord always; hope that maketh not ashamed; owning the Lord as our God and our Saviour; praying to him as our Father in heaven; offering up body and soul as an acceptable sacrifice to him; casting all our cares of body and soul upon him; contentment and hearty thanksgiving in every condition; making our boast in the Lord; triumphing in his praise; rejoicing in tribulation; putting on Christ in our baptism; receiving Christ’s body as broken for us, and his blood shed for us in the Lord’s Supper; committing our souls willingly to God as our Redeemer, when he shall be pleased to call for us; loving Christ’s second appearance, and looking for it as that blessed hope.
When we fall into any sudden doubting whether we are in a state of grace already; when we are called to any present undertaking, to partake of the Lord’s Supper, or any duty that requires assurance to the right performance of it, we must relieve ourselves, by trusting confidently in Christ for the present gift of his salvation, or else we shall be driven to omit the duty, or not to perform it rightly or sincerely. Can we judge ourselves already in a state of grace, by the reflex act of faith, if we do not find, that we perform these duties, at least several of them, sincerely; or, if we do not find, that we have such a holy faith as doth fully enable, or incline us to the performance of them? And can we be thus enabled and inclined by any faith that is without some true assurance of our salvation? Therefore, I conclude, that we must necessarily have some assurance of our salvation in the direct act of faith, whereby we are justified, sanctified and saved, before we can, upon any good ground, assure ourselves, that we are already in a state of grace, by that which we call the reflex act.
