Author and founder of it Rom. 3.21 and 10.3 Phil. 3.9 1. It was found out and contrived by his infinite wisdom Eph. 1.7.8.11 and therefore Christ whom he sent to put in execution that wonderfull profound contrivance of his is called the wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1 24. Christ the power of God and the wisdome of God 2. God the Father is the Author of it and object of our Faith about it because it issues and proceeds out of the womb of his grace where this blessed design was first conceived Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his grace The goodness and compassionateness of his nature meeting with the misery and necessity of his poor creature inclined him to set such a thing on foot disposed him to use both his Wisdom and Power to contrive and bring it to passe The creature neither did nor could put any obligation upon him to do this thing for him but by sin and unworthiness provoked him to that which was quite contrary and therefore the more wonderfull that it should make its way through so many and so mighty contrary provocations which it meets with from men This grace of God is so great a doer hath so mighty a hand so potent an influence in the whole and entire business of Mans Election Redemption Justification Adoption Sanctification Eternal Life and Salvation that all from first to last from the beginning to the end is worthily ascribed to the riches of his grace both in the things themselves and means of their accomplishment as might easily be shewn from Scripture but I will hasten on my way 3. The means by which this justification is effected and brought to passe are of and from God the Father and their power to justifie depends upon his will appointing them to that end 1. Christ is the great means of bringing this about but yet is given and sent by the Father for that purpose Whom God saith he hath set forth to be a propitiation for sin Rom. 3.25 In that Christ becomes righteousness or justification to men it is because God would have it so 1 Cor. 1.30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdom righteousness c. Again it is God that was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing trespasses 2 Cor. 5.19 It is he that hath made us accepted in the beloved Ephes 1.6 Then said he lo I come to do thy will O God by the which will we are sanctified through the offering up of the body of Jesus Christ once for all Heb. 10.9 10. Though we are sanctified by the offering up of the body of Jesus yet it is by vertue of the will of the Father which the Son came to do and to fulfill According to these Scriptures the attoneing purging power and vertue of Christs blood seems to depend upon the Divine will and good pleasure of the Father Else if it did not why should not the whole world be justified for Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world 1 Iohn 2.2 and why then is not the whole world justified Surely it is not because the Sacrifice of Christ is not as sufficient to justifie all as some the whole world for whom he dyed as a few only which shall actually be justified and saved but it is because the Fathers will is such that the justifying saving benefit of his death shall be limited unto such only as do beleeve Iohn 3.16 God so loved the world as that he gave his only begotten Son viz. to or for the world or whole world 1 Iohn 2.2 but yet so and upon such termes as that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life The will of the Father piches the bounds how far the justifying vertue of his Sons blood shall extend and determines the termes upon which it shall be actually enjoyed And so 2. It is in respect of Faith another and compared with Christ an inferior means of mans justification it does not justifie in its own name or by its own power or vertue but its ability in this behalf to justifie and save depends meerly upon the will of him that hath appointed it to this office but of this afterwards So then the grace power and authority to justifie recides originally in the Father and what force and power there is in Faith or more remotely in Works to justifie they have it by way of designation and act what they do act in that kind not out of any intrinsical worth or merit but meerly in the strength and by the authority of the will of God And however there is in the blood of Christ a richness of intrinsical worth and vertue of it self to justifie as is clearly intimated when it 's said We are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.20 Purchased with his blood Acts 20.28 c. yet since Christ did not glorifie himself to be made an High Priest and to offer himself a Sacrifice but was made so by the Father Heb. 5.5 thence it is that the Priestly offering and sacrifice it self in the effecting of that thing to which it is appointed by the Father viz. the purgation of sins and justification of sinners hath a dependance upon the Fathers will And therefore when men do beleeve in and depend upon Christ for justification they do ultimately beleeve in and depend upon the Father for it Iohn 12.44 Jesus cryed and said he that beleeveth on me believeth not on me but on him that sent me 1 Peter 1.21 Who by him do beleeve in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your Faith and hope might be in God The Father hath the power of life and death hath the power of giving Laws to his Creature Iames 4.12 it 's his Law that is transgressed by Sin and against him that the offence is committed Psal 51.4 and therefore it belongs to him to forgive sin Isai 43.25 Luke 5.21 and accordingly Christ directs us to pray the Father to forgive our Trespasses Mat. 6.12 It 's true also that the Son hath the same power of life and death of giving Laws and forgiving sins For all power both in Heaven and earth is given unto him that all men should honour the Son even as they that honour the Father But this he hath according to the order of his being from the Father Mat. 28.18 Iohn 3.35 and 17.2 Faith acts it self upon the Father as its object in three respects especially First by believing him to be the true God in opposition to Idols and all false gods Iohn 17.3 This is life eternal to know thee the only true God c. 1 Cor. 8.6 But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him Eph. 4.6 One God and Father of all Secondly by believing that notwithstanding the sin of men that he having received an attonement in his Sons blood is most willing to be favourable and
said consider the persons and their opinions against which the Apostle disputes The persons against whom the Apostle was ingaged in this dispute of his were the unbeleeving Jews or at least such as did judaiz it that is in a great measure comply with them in their opinion touching the necessity of Circumcision and other Mosaical Rites to Justification For the Jews then being scattered among the Gentiles here and there in the Roman Cities and Provinces and particularly here at Rome Acts 28.17.24 did vehemently oppose the doctrine of the Apostles especially in their preaching Salvation to the Gentiles upon their beleeving without the works of the Law forbidding them to speak to the Gentiles or to declare unto them that they might be saved upon any such termes 1 Thes 2.16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved c. To fortifie the beleevers whether Jews or Gentiles against their insinuations and oppositions in this kind the Apostle at large debates the case in difference between them both in this Epistle to the Romans and in that to the Galatians which Churches viz. of Rome and Galatia it is like were then pestered more than others in this kind The unsound opinions held by them and which this Apostle in his doctrine of Justification doth oppose in this and other of his Epistles were such as these Sect. 3 1. That the Messiah or Christ which God had promised they expected should whenever he came abide for ever and not die John 12.34 We have heard out of the Law say they that Christ abideth for ever and how sayest thou the son of man must be lift up This was a doctrine which it seems past for current among them their guides mis-interpreting some one or more passage in the Old Testament to that purpose that the Messiah should never dye but abide for ever without any change by death which doctrine they took as inconsistent with Jesus his being the Christ indeed and yet suffering death by being lift up upon the Cross which he Prophetically fore-told 1 Cor. 2.7.8 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory Which none of the Princes of this world knew for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory What was that wisdom of God in a mystery which he sayes they preached why it was this that God had offered Salvation to the world by Christ as crucified which both to the Jews and Greeks was such a mystery as but few of them understood but was their occasion of stumbling at Christ 1 Cor. 1.23 24. But we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness but unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God Which mystery saith he 1 Cor. 2.7 8. viz. that the counsel of God was so laid to bring about the life of men by the death of the Messias None of the Princes of this world knew viz. the chief of those that had their hands in his death for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory No surely they would not but it was their ignorance touching those Scriptures which fore-told his humiliation and death that proved a snare to them first to reject him because of his low condition and afterward to crucifie him so saith the Text in effect Acts 13.27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem and their rulers because they knew him not nor yet the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath day they have fulfilled them in condemning him Sect. 4 2. The next damnable opinion which they held into which they were led by the hand of the former was this that Jesus was not the Christ For they concluded him therefore not to be the Christ because he suffered and was crucified they holding the former opinion that such a thing was impossible to befall the Christ of God This is clear from 1 Cor. 1.23 it was his being crucified that caused them to stumble at him and not believe him to be the Christ as it is still unto this day In opposition to which opinion it is that the Apostle hath that saying Heb. 9.16 For where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the Testator Where he argues the necessity of the death of the true Christ for the ratification of the New Testament of which he is Mediatour in opposition to some of another mind Therefore we shall find that to prove the necessity of the Death and Resurrection of the true Christ as also to prove that Christ his being Crucified did not at all argue him not to be the true Christ but the contrary was a great part of the Apostles dispute against the Jews who as it thereby appears held the contrary Acts 17.2 3. And Paul as his manner was went in unto them viz. the Jews in their Synagogue ver 1. and three Sabbath dayes reasoned with them out of the Scriptures opening and alledging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead and that Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ Sect. 5 3. Another thing which they held also was this that their Sacrifices in conjunction with Circumcision and other observances did take away sin For 1. In that they offered Sacrifices for sin they thereby acknowledged themselves to be sinners and such as stood in need of attonement for saith the Apostle Heb. 10.3 In those Sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year 2. In that they held the true Christ should never dye as we heard before they must therefore needs hold withall that sin was not to be purged by his death and Sacrifice And then 3ly If not by that by what then but by those very Sacrifices of Bulls and Goats which were offered for sin which indeed was the naughty opinion against which the Apostle saith so much in the Epistle to the Hebrews Heb. 10.1 For the law having a shaddow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with those Sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect as some it seems on the contrary did hold Again ver 4. For it is not possible that the blood of Bulls and of Goats should take away sins What shall we think that the Apostle sets up a man of Straw and then fights with it or that he beats only the aire with his word shall we think that he so solemnly over and over and over denies that which no man affirmed or would he make such a business of it to argue the inefficaciousness the unavailablenes of those sacrifices to take away sin if no body had asserted their power and efficacy in that behalf surely he would not such a thing is much below the wisdom of an ordinary man and much more below
as it beleeves the blood of Christ to be it and it alone that is in it self and by the ordination of God fully sufficient to take away sin the guilt of it or the condemning power or destroying nature of it so accordingly does it relye upon this blood of Christ under the gracious appointment of the Father to do this great thing for him to particular in whom this Faith dwells Rom 8.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his blood In this Scripture there are three things that are especially to be marked in relation to the point in hand 1. That Christs blood is the blood of propitiation or that Christ himself is the propitiation by means of his blood i. e. the reconciler the procurer of savour in pardon or remission 2. That God hath ordained him in his blood thus to be and accordingly hath proposed and offered him to all the world as a publick propitiation but yet so and upon condition that men have Faith in his blood i. e. do believe it to be of it self and by the appointment of the Father of sufficient efficacy force and vertue to purge them from their sins Which Faith also must be of the right kind or else it will not interesse any man in this great benefit 3. That which is moreover implyed is that the Faith of a man feeling so good a foundation and ground under it as is the blood of Christ in conjunction with the Fathers will as by which to be confident of a plenary purgation from all sins how great or how many soever they have been does accordingly safely and securely build thereupon Sect. 7 4. Christ as being risen from the dead is the object of justifying Faith Rom. 10.9 If then shalt confess with thy meuth the Lord Iesus and shalt beleeve in thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Rom. 4.25 Who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our Iustification And no marvel that the Resurrection of Christ should be the object of saving Faith inasmuch as in it is included the beleef of the main foundation Doctrines of the Gospel and without it Faith could have no firm footing to rest upon touching other great Gospel-truths As 1. The beleeving of him to be the Son of God which is an ingredient absolutely necessary in the Gospel-faith doth at least in great part depend upon the Faith of his Resurrection For Faith can ground its belief touching his being the Son of God upon nothing else than that which declares him to be so But now he is declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the Resurrection from the dead Rom. 1.4 2. The keeping promise and Covenant with the holy Patriarchs and their Seed which Faith must needs eye did depend upon Gods raising Christ from the dead Acts 13.32 33. And we declare unto you glad tidings how that the promise which was made unto the Fathers God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children in that he hath raised up Iesus again as it is also written in the second Psalm Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee And again Acts 2.30 31. Therefore being a Prophet and knowing that God hath sworn with an Oath to him that of the fruit of his loyns according to the flesh he would raise up Christ to sit upon his throne he seeing this before spake of the Resurrection of Christ that his soul was not left in hell neither his flesh did see corruption 3. The Resurrection of Christ is so necessary to Justification and to the Faith of it that take away this and Justification and the beleef of it are all laid in the dust 1 Cor. 15.14 17. And if Christ be not risen then is our preaching vain and your Faith is also vain And again vers 17. And if Christ be not raised your Faith is vain ye are yet in your sins Without beleeving is no justification and if there had been no Resurrection of Christ there could have been no Faith touching that attonement that is now made by his death For could men have beleeved that the death of Christ had been of sufficient force and vertue to expiate sin had it not been manifested by his Resurrection surely no. For so long as he was under the power of death he was under the power of sin of which death is but the wages For in that he dyed he dyed unto sin saith the Apostle Rom. 6.10 The sting of Death to wit that which gives it power of prevailing over the creature is sin 1 Cor. 15.56 And the time when that saying O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory shall be brought to passe is not till the day of Resurrection When this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal immortality 1 Cor. 15.54 And therefore as the Saints shall not actually and perfectly be delivered from all the effects of sin till the day of their Resurrection so neither was Christ delivered from that burden of other mens sins which he bore in his own body untill he rose from the dead And if sin had been too hard for him in keeping him under the power of death it would much more have been too hard for us But in that God raised Christ from the dead he did as it were thereby acknowledge satisfaction for the debt of mens sins which he by his death as a surety had discharged While he lay in the grave he was detained as a prisoner for other mens debts but when the prison doors were opened and he let out the Father acknowledged satifaction and did as it were seal him in the behalf of those for whom he undertook a release and discharge By his entring into suffering he took the sins of the world upon him but by his Resurrection by which he came out of his suffering-state he put them off As in his suffering he was made sin for us and dealt with as if he had been a sinner so by his Resurrection he was justified from those sins which were imputed to him And unlesse he had been first justified from our sins which were imputed to him all the while he suffered we could not have been justified from them our selves And therefore no marvel that the Apostle should attribute our Justification with a Rather unto the Resurrection of Christ than to his Death as he does Rom. 8.33 34. Who is he that condemneth it is God that justifieth it is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen again He seems to feel a firmer footing for his Faith in the Resurrection of Christ than in his death more to bear him out against the accusations of any that had a mind to condemn him the answer which a good conscience makes it is by the Resurrection of Christ from the dead 1 Pet. 3.21 4. I might here add that the beleef of the Resurrection of our bodies
of Saviour in a moral sence he does not at all receive him that does not receive him in that capacity which is proper to him no publique Ambassador would judge himself received by him to whom he is sent in case he should be received in the capacy of a private person only when he is not sent as such Neither let any deceive their own souls and think that they do receive him as their Lord because they are wont to call him so as frequently as any unless they make it their design and the care and business of their Lives to wait for his counsel promote his interest faithfully to do his business fulfil his Will and do his commands Why call you me Lord saith he to such and do not the things which I say Luke 6.46 As if he counted himself but wronged and disgraced by such a claim what he to be their Lord that have this vile sin and that base Lust to be their Lord yea more their Lord than Christ and more observed and obeyed than he He only their titular Lord but their worldly and fleshly Lusts their real And is not that a horrible disparagement to Christ for him to be joyned with such Masters and to be made one of the number yea inferior to them as having less command over such persons than their Lusts have Do you not know that the Father designed as well the glory and honour of his Son in your salvation and in the way of bringing you to it as your Salvation it self That all men might honour the Son even as they honour the Father Iohn 5.23 and do you think then that he will suffer his Son to be dishonoured and disgraced by you while you do but mock him in calling him Lord but denying him your faithful obedience and yeild your subjection to his utter Enemies like those that crucified him who indeed bowed the knee before him and cryed hail King of the Jews as well as you Do you think it will serve your turn to neglect Christ all your dayes as you do if you do not serve him in holiness and righteousness and then think he should save you when you can serve his enemies no longer O I beseech all such to consider it betimes for God will not be so mocked by you 3. A receiving of Christ clearly implies in it a receiving of his Word and Doctrine for whoever doth not receive that does not receive him but whoever does receive that does receive him 2 Iohn 9. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God he that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son Iohn 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my Word hath one that judgeth him where not to receive the Word of Christ and to reject him is constructively the same thing Whereto that also agrees Psalm 81.11 But my people would not hearken to my voice Israel would none of me in refusing his voice God took himself to be refused as any King would do whose Laws and Commands should be refused Look then into the Scriptures the 5 6 and 7. Chapters of Matthew and elsewhere and see what holy and strict injunctions the Lord hath laid upon his Disciples and then look into your hearts and see if you can find them there not only in the notional knowledge of them but as having begotten principles dispositions and affections in their own likeness and from thence proceed to your conversations words and wayes and see how they answer the pattern in the Mount and if World Lust abide there with more authority and command than the Doctrin of Christ you may be confident you have not yet received Christ for he is King and his Laws in chief regard where ever he dwels And thus you see what receiving of Christ that is which is interpreted to be a believing in his Name and consequently what a true and sincere belief in Christs name carries in it to wit a loving and loyal cleaving to him and an imbracing of him and his Word Sect. 6 4. Remission of sin and Salvation are suspended upon Repentance from dead Works and therefore when pardon of sin and Salvation is promised unto believing indefinitely it may not safely be understood of any other Faith than such as actually turns the Soul to God from serving of sin to serve him from the love of vanity to the love of piety wherein the work of Repentance does consist Remission of sin is the next and immediate effect of a sound Faith Acts 10.43 and so is it the next and immediate effect of true Repentance Luke 24.47 Acts 2.38 and 5.31 and 3.19 yea Pardon does so depend upon Repentance that it 's not to be had without it Luke 13.3 5. Except ye repent ye shall all perish And so actual Salvation which is the last compleating effect of Faith 1 Pet. 1.9 is likewise the finishing effect of Repentance and therfore called Repentance unto life Acts 11.18 and repentance unto salvation 2 Cor. 7.10 If then Repentence begins ends with Faith sets out with it and runs along with it to the end of its race in the effects produced by both impossible it is that any Faith should justifie or save but such as hath the nature of Repentance in it or which does inseparably accompany it By which consideration alone their Faith is detected of invalidity and unavailableness what ever the object of it may be whose hearts and lives are not reformed by it but still remain under the power of some thing or other condemned by the Word of the Lord and their own Consciences enlightened by it yeilding themselves rather unto the impositions of fleshly Lusts in some way of pride covetousness or carnal pleasure than unto the sweet motions of the Holy Spirit calling to humility sobriety temperance love mercy serious devotion and holiness towards God As it is true that Men shal be saved by Christ and justified by Faith so it is as true that that Faith by which they shall be justified does purifie the heart Acts 15.9 i. e. work out evil affections sinful motions and unclean inclinatinations as nature where it is not overcome by the strength of a Disease by degrees works out those malignant humours which do ill affect the body and which otherwise would be the overthrow of it as the other of the Soul and therefore where Faith doth not work this way there 's the same reason for a Man to be confident that that Faith is not right as there is to be confident thar a right Faith will save having the same word for the one as for the other Sect. 7 5. The same is true of unfeigned Love to the Lord the same promise of Life is made to that as is to Faith Iames 1.12 and 2.5 1 Cor. 2.9 Nay the want of this does as well render a man unworthy of Christ and that which comes by him and layes him as open to
Lord for ability and strength to follow those directions and to walk in those wayes of God which they beleeve do lead to life And there is good reason why they should depend upon him for this as well as the other because as the way of Life is not of mans contrivance but Gods nor yet of his findding out being contrived but of Gods revealing So neither is the ability or power to walk in that way of man himself but is the gracious donation or gift of God Whereupon it is that the Scriptures deny the power of acting in this way to be of man himself without the preventing or concurrent grace of God or both Joh. 15.5 2 Cor. 3.5 1 Cor. 15.10 12.3 Gal. 2.20 But on the other hand they ascribe both will and deed purpose and performance unto Gods working them in men of his own good pleasure Phil. 2.13 2 Cor. 8.16 1 Chron. 29.14 2 Chron. 30.12 Ezra 1.1 5. 7.27 Nehem. 2.12 7.5 Hag. 1.14 Prov. 16.1 Heb. 13.21 It would be beside the business I have in hand here to enquire how far the Lord hath prevented all men with that which is called common grace and in what capacity they are thereby put of receiving special grace but that which concerns what I have in hand is to shew That as no man hath power of himself to walk in that way which he is convinced to be the way of life but that who soever hath it hath it of Gods special gift and working in him so the way of Gods communicating this ability unto the Soul is by Faith exercised on himself thereabout and consequently that it is the property of their Faith who have this power to be thus exercised And this I would shew in some Particulars Sect. 2 1. Though it is indeed by the same almighty power that raised Christ from the dead by which men are raised to their new and spiritual state and are enabled to live act and walk as those that are alive from the dead yet when this power is drawn forth into act for the effecting hereof it is by or through their Faith towards whom this power is thus acted Col. 2.12 Buried with him in Baptisme wherein also ye are risen with him through the Faith of the operation of God who raised him from the dead Observe here on the by â—hat mens burial with Christ in Baptisme pre-supposeth their being dead with him or made conformable to his death by their being dead unto sin before even as Christs burial pre-supposed his death which went before And therefore to bury such by Baptisme who are not dead unto sin and death unto sin pre-supposeth a living in sin before is in common cases as incongruous in reference to the right use of Baptisme as it would be to bury men alive in reference to the right use of civil burial But this I note only by the way as most worthy their consideration whom it most concerns to take light from it touching the right subject and form of the New Testament Baptisme But that other thing signified by the baptized parties rising out of the water is a living a new life unto God in conformity to Christs new life after his resurrection to which the Christian solemnly engages by his Baptisme But the power and ability mark this thus to live is through the Faith of the operation of God who raised Christ from the dead not through the operation of God simply but through the Faith of it Though a man were he not releeved by this Faith might think it an impossible thing for him having been so long accustomed to vain company and vain courses and an enemy to the strict lives and holy wayes of the Saints that now he should be able to throw off all those vanities which he esteemed the joy and pleasure of his life and to subject himself unto the self-same course which was to him a scorn dirision before yet when he remembers that that which is impossible to men is possible with God and that the same power which raised up Christ from the dead and put him into possession of immortality now no more to return to corruption can with like ease raise him up from that sinful condition into which he was sunk and strengthen him with strength in his soul to live that Gospel-life that life of God to which he is called by the Gospel and now no more to return to his former corrupt state and shall thereupon depend upon that grace and power of his for this very thing and under an expectation of divine assistance and armed with resolution shall humbly undertake this new life he shall certainly meet with power and strength from God to effect and carry through this great and notable change Christ Jesus himself who in his death burial and Resurrection is the Christians patern is prophetically brought in rejoycing under the hope and confidence he had in his Fathers power and love as that he would not leave him in the grave under the power of corruption and death Acts 2.25 26 27. For David speaketh concerning him I foresaw the Lord alwayes before my face for he is on my right hand that I should not be moved Therefore did my heart rejoyce and my tongue was glad Moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope because thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell neither wilt thou suffer thine holy One to see corruption And in this confidence he undertaking the work which his Father had given him to finish all came to pass accordingly as the new life and deliverence from the old state of corruption and death is accordingly effected and accomplished in all those that in dependance upon the divine power and grace undertake it It is the operation or working of God that raises up the poor creature from his impotent state of spiritual death unto spiritual life and yet this great effect is attributed to the Faith of it And why But because it then works actually this way when the creature once depends upon it for this end 2 Pet. 1.3 According as his divine power hath given us all things pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and vertue The Lord he calls he invites to glory but it is by the way of vertue and therefore he exhorts them afterward vers 5. To give all diligence to add to their Faith Vertue to their Faith of Salvation by Christ as the end at which they aimed the vertue of a godly life as the direct way thereto And the divine power saith he hath given us all things pertaining to both both to glory and vertue both to life and godliness it hath made such provision and put things into such a way as that all things may be and are had of him by the Saints that necessarily appertain to both but mark how through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and vertue He does not communicate
gracious not only in forgiving but also in rewarding such who duly and diligently seek his favour grace and love in such wayes and by such means as he himself hath appointed for that end Heb. 11.6 But without Faith it is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is there 's the former act of Faith touching the truth of his being and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Thirdly by trusting in and relying on his might mercy grace and love for pardon justification and eternal salvation Psalm 52.8 But I will trust in the mercy of the Lord for ever Rom. 4.5 But beleeveth on him that justifieth the ungodly Iohn 5.24 But all this at least since God was manifested in the flesh in and by Christ there being no coming to or believing in the Father but by him Iohn 14.6 1 Pet. 1.21 Though formerly he was worshipped and served under the name and title of the God of Abraham the God of Isaac the God of Iacob yet now in the New Testament under the Name and Title of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Eph. 1.17 and 3.14 Sect. 3 I might here shew also that the word promise or record of the Father concerning his Son is the object of Faith Yea Abrahams justification is cast upon his beleeving this word of God So shall thy seed be For Abraham beleeved God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse Gen. 15.6 Rom. 4.3.18 Gal. 3.6.8 Iames 2.23 Now the record which the Father hath given of Christ in the New Testament as the object of Faith is two-fold 1. That he is his beloved Son in whom he is well pleased and that he ought to be heard and obeyed Mat. 3.17 and 17.5 And 2. That in him is life and that salvation is now offered to the World by beleeving in and obeying of him 1 Iohn 5.9 10 11 12. If we receive the witnesse of men the witnesse of God is greater for this is the witnesse of God which he hath testified of his Son He that beleeveth on the Son hath the witnesse in himself he that beleeveth not God hath made him a lyar because he beleeveth not the record which God gave of his Son And this is the record which God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life This testimony which the Father gave of his Son was partly by voice from Heaven 2 Pet. 1.17 18. and partly by those Works which he gave him to finish by which men saw his glory as the glory of the only begotten of the Father Iohn 5.36 I have greater witnesse then that of Iohn for the works which the Father hath given me to finish the same works that do I bear witnesse of me that the Father hath sent me John 10.37 38. If I do not the works of my Father beleeve me not but if I do though ye beleeve not me yet beleeve the works that ye may know and beleeve that the Father is in me and I in him Sect. 4 II. As the Father so also Christ the Son is in Scripture set forth as the more immediate object of Faith Acts 16.31 And they said beleeve on the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house Now ye must know that Christ is propounded as the object of Faith in several respects and under several considerations Sect. 5 1. As he is the Messias of which Moses and the Prophets wrote and said should come And therefore is Christ called the He that should come Mat. 11.3 Art thou he that should come or do we look for another John 13.19 Now I tell you before it come that when it is come to passe ye may beleeve that I am HE. It was one thing to beleeve in general according to the Prophets that Messiah should come which was the common Faith of the Jews and as it should seem of the Samaritans too Iohn 4.25 and another thing to beleeve in particular that Jesus which is come is the Christ This was the Faith of such as did receive him and cleave to him when he did come Iohn 11.27 She said yea Lord I beleeve that thou art the Christ the Son of God which should come into the world The want of which is the destroying sin that lies so heavy upon the Jews John 8.24 For if ye beleeve not that I am HE ye shall dye in your sins 2. Christ as he is the Son of God is made the object of Faith Joh. 20 31. But these are written that ye might beleeve that Iesus is the Christ the Son of God and that beleeving ye might have life through his name Acts 8.37.1 John 5.1 4 5. and 4.15 By Faith he is beleeved to be the Son of God not as Adam was the Son of God viz. by Creation Lu. 3. last in which sence we are all his Offspring Act. 17.28 Nor yet as the Saints are the Sons of God to wit by Adoption Gal 4.5 but that he is the begotten yea the only begotten Son of the Father so the Son and so begotten of the Father as none else is among all the creation of God John 1.14 and 3.18 He that beleeveth on him is not condemned but he that beleeveth not is condemned already because he hath not beleeved in the name of the only begotten Son of God Sect. 6 3. Christ as dying and shedding his blood is the object of Faith and that by which sinners become justified Rom. 5.9 Much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his blood Faith eyes the blood of Christ as its object under a three-fold consideration First it believes that Christ did dye and shed his blood for our sins 1 Cor. 15.2 3. If ye keep in memory what I preached unto you unlesse ye have beleeved in vain For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received how that Christ dyed for our sins according to the Scriptures Mat. 26.28 For this is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins Secondly that this death and shedding of this blood of Christ is both the only and the all-sufficient means appointed by God to make an attonement for and to purge away sin Heb 1.3 When he had by himself purged our sins sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high Revels 1.5 Vnto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood c. Heb. 10.14 For by one offering hath he perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God Thirdly