〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Concision who instead of circumcising themselves did cut asunder the Church of God But the sound Believers were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Circumcision indeed as being circumcised by the Circumcision made without Hands in putting off the Body of the Sins of the Flâ—sh by Christ Câ—ll 2. 11. They were the true Children of Abraham who did indeed perform that for which Circumcision was intended For we are the Circumcision which worship God in the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Iesus and have no confidence in the Flesh. In the words we have a three-fold Description of the True Circumcision How they stand affected To God Christ Self I. They worship God in the Spirit II. They rejoice in Christ Jesus III. They have no confidence in the Flesh. I. They worship God in the Spirit This Clause may be interpreted 1. In opposition to the Legal Ordinances So 't is taken Iohn 4. 23 24. But the hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth For the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth The Jewish Worship is in a sense called Carnal the Christian Spiritual Heb. 7. 16. A Carnal Commandment Heb. 9. 10. Carnal Ordinances imposed on them till the Time of Reformation And Shadows Heb. 10. 1. Now the Lord would have a Spiritual Worship and the Truth of what was in these Shadows these external Forms he allowed instituted in the Infancy of the Church so that they worship God in the Spirit is they have embraced the true Worship of the Gospel and serve God not by the Carnal Rites of the Law but by the pure rational Worship of the Gospel This is part of the sense 2. It implieth worshipping God with the inward and spiritual Affections of a renewed Heart Heb. 12. 28. Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved Let us have Grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with Reverence and Godly Fear Worship flowing from Grace engaging the Heart in God's Service is that which God prizeth Therefore a Christian should not rest in an External Form God is my Witness whom I serve with my Spirit Rom. 1. 9. 3. It doth also imply the Assistance and continual Influence of the Holy Spirit Ephes. 6. 18. Praying always with all Prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints And Iude v. 20. Praying in the Holy Ghost The Doctrine is this That a True Christian is known by his Worship or is one that doth worship God in the Spirit Here I shall shew you 1. What is Worship 2. What a true Christian 1. doth worship 2. Why in the Spirit 1. What is Worship 'T is either Internal or External The Internal consisteth in the Love and Reverence we owe to God The External in those Offices and Duties by which our Honour and Respect to God is signified and expressed 1. Internal The Soul and Life of our Worship lieth in Faith and Reverence and delight in God above all other things Psal. 2. 11. Serve the Lord with Fear and rejoice with Trembling Such a delight as will become the greatness and goodness of God Worship hath its Rise and Foundation in the Heart of the Worshipper there it must begin In our high thoughts and esteem of God especially two things Love and Trust. 1. Love Deut. 6. 5. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart with all thy Soul and with all thy Might We worship God when we give him such a Love as is Superlative and Transcendental far above the Love that we give to any other thing that so our respect to other things may sâ—oop and give way to our respect to God 2. The other Affection whereby we express our esteem of God is Trust which is the other Foundation of Worship Psal. 62. 8. Trust in the Lord at all Times pour out your Hearts before him Delightful adhesion to God and an intire dependance upon him if either fail or be intermitted our Worship faileth If Delight Job 27. 10. Will he delight himself in the Almighty Will he always call upon God Isa. 43. 22. But thou hast not called upon me O Jacob but thou hast been weary of me O Israel They that love God and delight in him cannot be long out of his company They take all Opportunities and Occasions of being with God So Dependance and Trust Heb. 3. 12. Take Brethren lest there be in any of you an evil Heart of unbelief in departing from the Living God James 1. 6 7. Let him ask in Faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a Wave of the Sea driven with the Wind and tossed For let not that Man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. Dependance begets Observance They that distrust God's Promises will not long keep his Precepts If we look for all from him we will often come to him and take all out of his hands Be careful that we do not offend him and displease him 2. External In those Offices and Duties by which our Honour and Respect to God is signified and expressed As by Invocation Thanksgiving Praises Obedience God will be owned both in Heart and Life In all these prescribed Duties by which our Affections towards him are acted If God did not call for outward Worship why did he appoint the Ordinances of Preaching Praying singing Psalms Baptism and the Lord's Supper God that made the whole Man Body and Soul must be worshipped of the whole Man Therefore besides the Inward Affections there must be External Actions In short we are said to worship God either with respect to the Duties which are more directly to be performed to God or in our whole Conversation 1. With respect to the Duties which imply our solemn Converse with God and are more directly to be performed towards him such as the Word Prayer Praise Thanksgiving and Sacraments Surely these must be attended upon because they are special Acts of Love to God and Trust in him And these Duties are the ways wherein God hath promised to meet with his People and appointed us to expect his Grace Exod. 20. 24. In all places where I record my Name I will come unto thee and bless thee And Mark 4. 24. 'T is a Rule of Commerce between us and God With what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you and unto you that hear shall more be given 2. In our whole Conversation Luke 1. 74 75. That we should serve him without Fear in Holiness and Righteousness before him all the days of our lives A Christian's Life is a constant Hymn to God or a continued Act of Worship ever behaving himself as in the sight of God and directing all things as to his Glory He turneth Second-Table Duties into First James 1. 27. Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the
the praise of all that Wisdom Glory and Power which is seen in the things that are made Now you should make one among the Worshippers of God 2. Let me reason with you as Christians Are you a Christian and have such Advantages to know more of God and will you be dumb and tongue-tied in his Praise Have you the discovery of the Wonders of his Love in your Redemption by Christ and do you see no cause to own and acknowledg him Have you no Necessities to bring to the Throne of Grace In Christianity you know his particular Providence and Redemption by Christ and should you eat and drink and trade and sleep and never think of God Have you no Pardon to sue out no Grace that you stand in need of that you should live like a brute Beat go on in the circle of Trade Business Comforts and never think of God! You profess you know him but in your Works you deny him and sin doubly both against the Light of Reason and Christianity All that are not avowed Athâ—ists must have some Worship 2. It cutteth off their Conâ—idence that worship him by halves They are of many sorts 1. Some worship him in publick but never in private and secret though Christ hath given us direction to enter into our Closets Mat. 6. 6. And surely every Christian should make Conscience of secret Duties There are many Disputes about praying in Families though those that take their daily Bread should seek God together but there can be no dispute about praying in Secret for the Precept that requireth Prayer first falleth upon single Persons before it falleth upon Families and Churches 1 Thess. 5. 17. Pray without â—easing This cannot concern Families and Churches they are done at stated times when they can conveniently meet but every Man in secret is to be often with God Christ was often alone Mark 1. 35. He went â—ut into a solitary place and there prayed Surely Christ had not such need to pray as we have nor such need of retirement his Love to God being always â—ervent and so in no danger of distraction God poured out the Spirit that we might go apart and mourn over Soul-Distempers Zech. 12. 10 11 12 13 14. Now God's precious Gifts are not given in vain So Acts 10. 2. Cornelius prayed to God alway Therefore certainly secret Prayer is a necessary Duty of God's Worship to be observed by all that acknowledg God to be God and the World to be ruled by his Providence or themselves to have any need of his Grace and Pardon or hope for any thing from him in the World to come Therefore if you have any sense of Religion or think you have any need of particular commerce with God you should make Conscience of secret Prayer 2. Others that make Conscience of External Worship Prayer Hearing Reading Singing of Psalms but not of Internal Worship Faith Love and Hope The External Forms were appointed for the acting or increasing of Internal Grace and so they superficially are conversant about the Means and never mind the End External Worship is sensible and easily done but Internal Worship is difficult External Worship may procure us esteem with Men but Internal Acceptance with God External Worship satisfieth blind Conscience but doth not better the Heart External Worship may puff us up with a vain Confidence but Internal Worship maketh us lament Spiritual Defects We have not that purity of Heart that deep sense of the World to come that absolute dependance upon God which may quiet our Souls in all Exigencies Surely they are better Christians that have the Effect of the Ordinances than they that have only the Formality of them The External Duty may procure us toil and wearisomness to the Flesh but the Internal Worship bringeth us Comfort and Peace The more Faith in Christ and Love to God and lively Hope of Eternal Life the more is the Soul comforted Therefore if you will always lick the Glass and never taste the Hony go on in a Tract of Duties but you will have no comfort in them In short They that go on in External Duties may be said in some sense to serve God but they do not seek after him In pretence they make God the Object of their Worship for they do not worship an Idol but they do not make him the End of their Worship A Man maketh God the End of his Worship when he will not go away from God without God when he looketh to this that his delight in God be quickned his dependance upon God strengthned his hatred of Sin encreased and by every Address to God is made more like God 3. It reproveth and disproveth those that put on a garb of Devotion when ministring before the Lord but are slight and vain in their ordinary Conversation A Man should be in some measure such out of Duty as he giveth out himself to be in Duty For his whole Life should be as it were a continued Act of Worship Prov. 23. 17. Let not thy Heart envy Sinners but be thou in the Fear of the Lord all the day long We should still live in a dependance upon God and in subjection to him Psal. 16. 8. I have set the Lord always before me He is at my right hand I shall not be moved In Point of Reverence and in point of Dependance because we are in danger to miscarry both by the Delights of Sense and the Terrors of Sense If a reverence of and a dependance on the great God do still possess our Hearts we shall carry our selves more soberly as to the Comforts of the World and not be easily discouraged and daunted with the Fears of the World This is our Preservative and maketh us true and faithful to our great End 3. Those that do not serve God in the Spirit You should worship God so as it may look like Worship and Service performed to God and due to God 'T is Spiritual Worship God requireth and is ever pleased with all He seeketh such to worship him as worship him in Spirit and in Truth Iohn 4. 23. And this is most agreeable to his Nature Iohn 4. 24. God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth When Hearts wander when Affections do not answer Expressions Is this like Service and Worship done to an All-seeing and All-knowing Spirit Is there any stamp of God upon the Duty of his Majesty Goodness and great Power Vse 2. For the Comfort of good Christians Here is their Carriage towards God briefly set down They worship God in the Spirit A Christian is described by his proper Act Worship and by the prâ—per Object thereof God and by the proper part and seat thereof In the Spirit Do you worship him with Reverence and with Delight and Affection with a Trust Hope and Confidence 1. With Reverence Considering God's Majesty and our own Vileness The Majesty of God Mal. 1. 13. For I am a great
by which we own God in Christ for our God So the assembling our selves together for publick Worship is a part of this Profession and must not be omitted for fear Heb. 10. 23 with 25. Let us hold fast the profession of our Faith without wavering How vers 25. Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is These Assemblies were instituted for publick converse with God testifying their Union and Agreement in the same Faith and Worship Indeed in lesser Truths that fall within the latitude of allowable differences in the Church Profession is not always a Duty for in some cases we may have Faith to our selves But a denying of God or being ashamed of him is always a sin When called to give an account we are with boldness to own our Profession Acts 4. 10. Be it known unto you all and to all the People of Israel that by the Name of Iesus Christ of Nazareth whom ye crucified whom God raised from the dead even by him doth this Man stand here before you whole And Dan. 3. 17 18. If it be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery Furnace and he will deliver us out of thy hand O King But if not be it known unto thee O King that we will not serve thy Gods nor worship the golden Image which thou hast set up 3. This Profession must be honoured and recommended to others by an holy Conversation But now what kind of conversation honoureth Religion 1. Such as is carried on with diligence and seriousness As Noah Heb. 11. 7. By Faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet moved with fear prepared an Ark to the saving of his House by the which he condemned the World and became Heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith They behaved themselves as those that in earnest believed a Flood when they made such thorow preparation which was a just reproof to the security and incredulity of the carnal World Whâ—n we do as we say in good earnest make preparation for another World otherwise Religion is but suspected as a vain pretense and empty talk Then we look after Heaven indeed then we believe it when we do the things that belief bindeth us unto A carnal Man that is all talk and no practice he doth not Religion so much honour in his words as he doth dishonour it in his works He liveth down his Profession while he seemeth to cry it up Titus 1. 16. They profess that they know God but in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate Contrary motions are an implicite denial of the Faith 1 Tim. 5. 8. But laziness and negligence do also foment and breed Atheism and we carry on the life of Godliness coldly and faintly and so our Conversations which should be a confirmation of the Gospel prove a confutation rather Those that are Disciples in Name only the Word of God cometh to them in Word only The careless Practicer is as bad as he that is haunted with actual doubts about the Truth of Christianity The troubled Doubter mindeth his business but these never regard it and do in effect say That Christ and his Salvation is not worth the looking after As 't is said of the Israelites Psal. 106. 24. They despised the good Land they believed not his Word Those that resolved to give over the pursuit of Canaan are said to doubt of his Promise So they that neglect Salvation do not believe the truth of it Heb. 2. 3 4. and tho they talk high they secretly propagate their infidelity The strength of our Faith should appear by the diligence of our Lives the seriousness of our Endeavours and the fervor of our Duties Practices do more express the Image of our Minds than Words The Faith that issueth out into Works doth most commend it self to others 2 Thess. 1. 11 12. That you may fulfil the Work of Faith with Power that Christ Iesus may be glorified in you and you in him Then is Christ glorified when you live answerably to your Profession and do by the Power of God carry on an Holy Life upon the incouragements of the Promises of the Gospel 2. Such as is governed by the respects of the other World When we are patient and joyful under the Cross and full of hope and comfort in great straits and delight in our Work which the World hateth and discountenanceth and hope against Hope and live in the Promises Psal. 119. 111. Thy Testimonies have I taken as an Heritage for ever for they are the rejoicing of my heart Then we justify Wisdom and commend our Faith to others God was angry with Moses and Aaron Numb 20. 12. Because ye believed not to sanctify me in the Eyes of the Children of Israel We are not only firmly to believe our selves but to sanctify him in the eyes of others and that is done by the labour of our Faith the patience of our Hope our joyfulness and delight in God when we have but little in hand and the readiness of our Obedience even under deep Sufferings When the Thessalonians had received the Word in much Assurance and 〈…〉 and much joy in the Holy Ghost The Apostle telleth 1 Thess. 1. 5 6 7. They were â—â—samples to all that believed in Achaia and Macâ—donia and from them sounded out the Word of God to other places Thus we propagate our Faith and commend the Truth of God to others The Life of Faith is a glorious Thing but the Life of Sense or Reason hath no glory in it or a Life carried on meerly upon external Probabilities When we can contemn this World both the good and evil things of it in hopes of a better and part with all that is dear to â—s in this World upon the Conscience of our Duty then we justify Wisdom 3. By an exact purity and holiness or a full conformity to all God's Precepts and Institutes and by a faithful discharging all Duties to God and Men. Every true Christian should be a transcript of his Religion 2 Cor. 3. 3. Ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ written not with Ink but with the Spirit An Epistle is that wherein a Man hath written his Mind our Conversations should be Religion exemplified a real Sermon Phil. 2. 16. Holding forth the Word of Life The Wax hath an impression and stamp left upon it according to what is engraven upon the Seal Then we honour Religion when the impression and print of it is left upon our Hearts and Lives and we are cast into this Mould More particularly Duties of Relations which are visible and easily observed justify and honour Religion Titus 2. 10. and 1 Pet. 2. 15. So is the Will of God that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish Men. These conduce to the good of humane Societies are most regarded and make the ways of God
evident to you 1. I shall prove That all other things must be hazarded for the saving of the Soul 2. That nothing will make us hazard all things for the purchasing or acquiring the Salvation of the Soul but only Faith 1. That all other things must be hazarded for the saving of the Soul Mat. 10. 39. He that findeth his Life shall lose it and he that loseth his Life for my sake shall find it So 't is repeated again upon the occasion of the Doctrine of Self-denial Mat. â—6 25 26. The saving of the Soul is more than the getting and keeping or having of all the World For the World concerneth only the Body and bodily Life but the saving of Soul concerneth Eternal Life If Life be lost Temporally 't is secured to Eternity when we shall have a Life which no Man can take from us And the Case standeth thus That either we must bring Eternal Perdition upon our selves or else obtain Eternal Salvation They that are thrifty of Life bodily and the Comforts and Interests of it are certainly prodigal of their Salvation But on the other side If we are willing to venture Life Temporal and all the Interests thereof for the saving of the Soul we make a good Bargain That which is left for a while is preserved to us for for ever In short so much as God is to be preferred before the Creature Heaven before the World the Soul before the Body Eternity before Time so much doth it concern us to have the better part safe And as Men in a great Fire and general Conflagration will hazard their Lumber to preserve their Treasure their Mony or their Jewels So should we take care that if we must lose one or other that the better part be out of hazard And what-ever we lose by the way we may be sure to come well to the end of our Journey 2. That nothing will make us hazard all things for the purchasing or acquiring the Salvation of the Soul but only Faith The Flesh is importunate to be pleased Sense saith to us Favour thy self that is spare the Flesh But Faith saith Save thy Soul Faith which apprehendeth things future and invisible will teach us to value all things according to their worth and to lose some present satisfaction for that future and eternal Gain which the Promises of God do offer to us Now Faith doth this two ways By convincing us of the Worth and of the Truth of things promised by God through Christ. The Apostle when he bloweth his Trumpet and summoneth our reverence and attentive regard to the Gospel in that Preface 1 Tim. 1. 15. he saith This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Iesus Christ came into the World to save Sinners Salvation by Christ is worthy to be regarded above all things And if it be true all things should give place unto it Now Faith convinceth us of the Worth and Truth and maketh us to take the thing promised for all our Treasure and Happiness and the Promise it self or the Word of God for our whole security 1. It maketh us to take the thing promised for all our Treasure and Happiness Mat. 6. 19 20 21. Lay not up for your selves Treasures upon Earth where Moth and Rust doth corrupt and where Thieves break through and steal But lay up for your selves Treasure in Heaven where neither Moth nor Rust doth corrupt nor Thieves break through and steal For where your Treasure is there your Heart will be also It highly concerneth us to consider what we make our Treasure Worldly things are subject to many Accidents and deseâ—ve not our love nor esteem only heavenly things deserve to be our Treasure If our Hearts be set upon these things 't is a sign we value what Christ hath offered So 2 Cor. 4. 18. While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are Temporal but the things which are not seen are Eternal We make these things our End aud Scope and Happiness 'T is easy to prove the worth of these things in the general as 't is easy to prove that Eternity is better than Time that things incorruptible are better than those which are subject to corruption That things exempted from Casualty are better than those things which are liable to Casualty and are not out of the reach of Robbery and Violence But to Creatures wedded to sense and present enjoyment 't is difficult and hard to cause them to set their Hearts in another World and to lay up their Hopes in Heaven and to part with all things which they see and love and find comfortable to their Senses for that God and Glory which they never saw This is the Business of Faith or the Work of the Spirit of Illumination changing their Hearts and Minds This general Truth all will determine as that things Eternal are better than things Temporal But we undervalue these gracious Promises whose accomplishment must with patience be expected whilst their future Goodness cometh in actual competition with these bodily Delights which we must forgo and those grievous bodily Afflictions which we must endure out of sincere respect to Christ and his Ways Therefore before there can be any true self-denial Faith must incline us to this offered Benefit as our true Treasure and Happiness whatever we forgo or undergo to attain it 2. For the truth of it the Word of God must be our whole security as being enough to support our Hearts in waiting for it however God cover himself with Frowns and an appearance of Anger in those Afflictions which befal us in the way thither The Word of God is all in all to his People Thy Testimonies have I taken as my Heritage for ever they are the rejoicing of my Soul Psal. 119. 111. If a Man hath little ready Mony yet if he have an Heritage to live upon or sure Bonds he is well â—paid So is a Believer rich in Promises which being the Promises of the Almighty and Immutable God and built upon the everlasting Merit of Christ are as good to him as Performances and therefore cause joy in some Proportion as if the things were in hand Heb. 11. 13. These all died in Faith not having received the Promises but having seen then afar off and were perswaded of them and embraced them And Psalm 56. 4. In God will I praise his Word in God have I put my trust I will not fear what Man can do unto me Faith resteth upon God's Word who is able to save to the uttermost all that come to him by Christ. 1. Vse is Information concerning a weighty Truth namely what the Faith is by which the Just do live 'T is such a trust or confidence in God's Promises of eternal Life through Iesus Christ as that we forsake all other hopes and happiness whatsoever that we may obtain it To make good this Description to you let me
sum of the Salvation which we expect or our everlasting Happiness with God in Heaven 2. What is the Right of Believers or the Interest of Faith in this great Benefit I Anser 1. It doth not merit this Reward for it is not a Reward of due Debt by virtue of any intrinsick Righteousness in us or any thing that we can do and suffer but of mere Grace and Favour Ephes. 2. 8. For by Grace ye are saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the Gift of God The Apostle is very tender of the Honour of Grace and the Interest of Grace in our Salvation From the first step to the last period all is of Grace and this Glory of his free Grace God must not be robbed of neither in whole nor in part We have all from his Elective Love we have all from the Merit and Righteousness of Christ and all from the almighty Operation of the sanctifying Spirit Faith it self is a Gift and Fruit of God's Grace in us To you 't is given to believe Phil. 1. 29. Therefore surely 't is God's free Grace Favour and Good-will which doth freely bestow that Salvation on the Elect which Christ by his Merit hath purchased and that very Faith by which we apply and make out our actual Claim and Title is wrought in us by the Spirit so that there is nothing in the Persons to whom all this is given to induce God to confer so great Benefit on us 2. Tho it be an undeserved Favour upon which our Works have no meritorious Influence yet Believers have an undoubted Right by the Grant and Promise of God wherein they may comfort themselves and which they may plead before God John 3. 16. God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have Life Everlastingly And Iohn 5. 24. Verily verily I say unto you He that heareth my words and believeth in him that sent me hath everlasting Life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from Death to Life And in many places where the Believer is qualified as the Heir of Glory He that entertaineth Christ's Doctrine and receiveth and owneth him as the True Messiah and Saviour of the World and dependeth upon him and obeyeth him this Man hath a full right and new Covenant-Title to eternal Life 3. He hath not only a new Covenant-Right but a begun Possession We have some small Beginnings Earnests and Foretastes of it in this partly in the Graces partly in the Comforts of the Spirit 1. In the Graces of the Holy Spirit For Salvation is begun in our new Birth Titus 3. 5. And therefore Sanctifying Grace is called Immortal or incorruptible Seed 1 Pet. 1. 23. There is an eternal Principle put into them which carrieth them to eternal Ends. The Life is begun in all that shall be saved and it is still working towards its final Perfection The Apostle telleth us That he that hateth his Brother hath not eternal Life abiding in him 1 Joh. 3. 15. Whereby he implieth That he that loveth his Brother or hath any saving Grace he hath eternal Life begun in him 2. As to Comforts so they have some foretastes of that sweetness which is in Heaven by the Life and Exercise of Faith which is followed with Peace and Joy Rom. 15. 13. Or in their approaches to God in the Word and Prayer where Cod most familiarly manifests himself unto his People 1 Pet. 1. 3. or upon some apprehensions of his favour or the exercise of Hope and Love 2 Pet. 1. 8. By these or the like ways the Spirit of God giveth us the foretaste Surely such an Author such an Object must needs put ravishing and heavenly Joy into the Heart of a Believer 4. They are also made meet to partake of the heavenly Inheritance Col. 1. 12. There is Ius Haereditarium and Ius Aptitudinale The difference is as between an Heir grown and in his nonage when a Child in the Cradle As their Natures are more renewed and purified and their Souls weaned from the delights of sense they are changed into the Divine Nature 3. What is that saving-Faith which giveth us a title to it This deserveth to be cleared that we may not deceive our selves with a false claim Saving-Faith is such a believing in Christ for reconciliation with God and the everlasting Fruition of him in Glory as maketh us to forsake all things in this World and give up our selves to the conduct of the Word and Spirit for the obtaining of it 1. The general Nature of it I express by believing There is in it Assent Consent and Aâ—â—iance 1. Assent That leadeth on the rest when we believe the Truth of God's Word Acts 24. 14 15. especially those practical Truths which do most nearly concern our recovery to God as concerning Man's Sin and Misery that we have broken his Laws and are obnoxious to his Justice and have deserved punishment for our Sins Rom. 3. 23. And concerning Christ his Person and Office that he is the Son of God and that he came from God to bring home Sinners to God and what he hath done to reconcile us to him 1 Pet. 3. 18. For Christ also hath once suffered for our Sins the Iust for the Vnjust that he might bring us to God being put to death in the Flesh but quickned by the Spirit And also concerning your Duty and Happiness the End and the Way There is no other End and Happiness but God no other Way but the Mediator and the Means appointed by him Iohn 14. 6. Now these and such-like Truths must be believed that is in the sense we are now upon assented unto as faithful Sayings and worthy of all acceptation and regard 2. There is a Consent in Faith whether you apply it to the Word or Christ. If Christ be propounded as the Object of it 't is called a receiving Iohn 1. 12. But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God So the word Acts 2. 41. They gladly received his Word that is embraced the Gospel-Covenant being really affected with what he had spoken concerning their Sin and their Duty Without this the Assent is but Intellectual and Speculative not Practical An Opinion not an Act or Motion of the new Nature I am to receive the Christ offered to embrace the Covenant propounded To accept of the Blessings offered for my Happiness and to resolve upon the Duties required as my Work This is Consent or an hearty accepting of Christ or the Covenant of Grace offered to us in his Name 3. There is Affiance Trust Dependance or Confidence which is a quiet repose of Heart in the Mercy of God or Fidelity of Christ that he will give me Pardon and Life if I seek after it in the way that he hath appointed This cometh in upon the former for when I consent to seek my happiness in God through Christ I depend