Implicit faith and assurance

Use in the book

In III.53 trust in God’s goodness becomes a rule for inquiry. If goodness is infinite, Traherne reasons, the best things should be commonly available. He accordingly studies air, light, water, the earth, and human society, comparing their usefulness with the scarcity and conventional esteem of precious stones and metals. The initial trust is fruitful because it sets thought to work and exposes a mistaken scale of value.

IV.6 makes the desired development explicit. A Christian may believe in God, salvation, immortality, and heavenly joys sufficiently to begin obeying, yet still lack a full apprehension of what these beliefs contain. Knowledge of the soul’s dignity, the goodness of God’s works, and the blessedness of grace strengthens assurance by making their riches evident. Communion with God requires enjoyment, and enjoyment requires a lively awareness that its objects are real.

Traherne therefore neither treats preliminary trust as worthless nor recommends leaving it unexamined. Its fulfilment is an increasingly intelligent participation in the goods it first accepts. The immediate emphasis falls on the reality of joy and the understanding that supports possession; it should not be expanded without evidence into a complete doctrine of assurance of election.

Places to read

1. III.53Implicit trust directs a comparison of common goods with scarce, conventionally prized possessions.
2. IV.6The full assurance of understanding makes believed riches available for conscious enjoyment.

In this edition

The 2026 notes explain the older theological phrase and its controversial history. Traherne adapts it to trust in divine goodness and explicitly seeks its development into understanding.