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the truth of this propofition, Where all the parts of a thing are,

there is the whole.

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Fourthly, By infallible teftimony, when any thing is witnef fed or aflerted, by one whofe truth is unquestionable *. And of this fort is the affent of faith; which is therefore called our receiving the witnefs of God, 1 John v. 9. our fetting to our feal that God is true, John iii. 33. This prima veritas, divine verity, is the very formal object of faith into this we resolve our faith. Thus faith the Lord, is that firm foundation upon which our affent is built. And thus we fee good reason to believe thofe profound myfteries of the incarnation of Chrift; the hypoftatical union of the two natures in his wonderful person ; the myftical union of Chrift and believers; though we cannot understand these things, by reason of the darkness of our minds. It fatisfics the foul to find these mysteries in the written word; upon that foundation it firmly builds its affent; and without fuch an affent of faith, there can be no embracing of Chrift: all acts of faith and religion, without affent, are but as fo many arrows fhot at random into the open air, they fignify nothing for want of a fixed determinate object.

It is therefore the policy of Satan, by injecting or fomenting atheiftical thoughts, (with which young converts ufe to find themselves greatly infefted) to undermine and destroy the whole work of faith. But God makes his people victorious over them: yea, and even at that time they do affent to the truths of the word, when they think they do not: As appears by their tendernels and fear of fin, their diligence and care of duty. If I difcern these things in a Chriftian's life, he muft excufe me if I believe him not, when he faith he doth not affent to the truths of the gospel.

Thirdly, Our receiving Chrift neceffarily implies our hearty approbation, liking, and eftimation; yea, the acquiefcence of our very fouls in Jefus Chrift, as the most excellent, fuitable, and complete remedy for all our wants, fins and dangers, that ever could be prepared by the wisdom and love of God for us: We must receive him with fuch a frame of heart as refts upon,

* It is not becoming, that God, when he would fpeak to men, fhould confirm his words with arguments, as if otherwise he was not to be believed; but, as becomes himfelf, he fpeaks as the fupreme Judge of all things, whofe (prerogative) it is, not to argue, but to pronounce what is truth, &c. Lactan. de falfa religione, p. (mihi) 179. Faith fails, where the divine authority of the fcripture is wanting.

"To them

and trufts in him, if ever we receive him aright; "that believe he is precious," 1 Pet. ii. 7. This is the only fovereign plaister in all the world that is large enough, and efficacious enough, to cure our wounds: And therefore as Chrift is molt highly efteemed, and heartily approved, as the only remedy for our fouls; fo the fovereign grace and wisdom of God are admired, and the way and method he hath taken to fave poor fouls, by Jefus Chrift, most heartily approved, as the moft apt and excellent method, both for his glory, and our good, that ever could be taken: For it is a plain cafe, that none will efpouse themselves with conjugal affections, to that perfon whom they esteem not as the best for them that can be chofen : None will forfake and quit all for his fake, except they account him as the spouse did, "The chiefeft of ten thousand." There are two things in Christ, which must gain the greatest approbation in the foul of a poor, convinced finner, and bring it to rest upon Jefus Chrift.

tures.

First, That it can find nothing in Christ that is distaftful, or unsuitable to it, as it doth experimentally find in the best crea In him is no weakness, but a fulness of all faving abili. ties; "Able to fave to the uttermoft:" No pride, caufing him to fcorn and contemn the most wretched fool that comes to him: No inconftancy or levity, to caufe him to caft off the foul, whom he hath once received: No paffion but a Lamb for meeknefs and patience: There is no fpot to be found in him, but "He is alto"gether lovely," Cant. v. 16.

Secondly, As the believer can find nothing in Chrift that is distastful, fo it finds nothing wanting in Chrift that is necessary, or defireable: Such is the fulness of wifdom, righteoufnels, fanctification, and redemption, that is in Chrift, that nothing is left to defire, but the full enjoyment of him. O faith the foul, how completely happy fhall I be, if I can but win Chrift! I would not envy the nobles of the earth, were I but in Christ. I am hungry, and athirft, and Chrift is meat indeed, and drink indeed; this is the best thing in all the world for me, because so neceffary, and fo fuitable, to the needs of a foul ready to perish. I am a law-condemned, and a felf-condemned finner; trembling for fear of the execution of the curfe upon me every moment; in Chrift is complete righteousness to juftify my foul; O there is nothing better for me than Chrift. I fee myself plunged both in nature and practice, into the odious pollutions of fin, and in Chrift is a fountain opened for fin and for uncleannefs: His blood is a fountain of merit, his spirit is a fountain of holiness and purity: None but Chrift, none but

Chrift. O the manifold wifdom, and unfearchable love of God, to prepare, and furnish such a Christ, so fully answering all the needs, all the diftreffes, all the fears and burdens of a poor finner! Thus the believing foul approves of Christ as best for it. And thus in believing, it gives glory to God, Rom. iv.

21.

Fourthly, Receiving Chrift confifts in the confent and choice of the will; and this is the opening of the heart and stretching. forth of the foul to receive him: "Thy people fhall be willing day of thy power," Pfal. cx. 3.

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It is the great defign, and main scope of the gofpel, to work over the wills of poor finners to this: And this was the great complaint of Christ against the incredulous Jews, John v. 40. "Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life.”

It is difputed by fome, whether faith can be feated in two diftinct faculties, as we feem to place it, when we fay it involves both the approbation of the judgment, and the confent of the will. I will not here intangle my difcourfe with that fruitlefs difpute. I am of the fame judgment with thofe divines, that think faith cannot be expreffed fully by any one fingle habit, or act of the mind or will diftinctly, for that (as * one well notes) there are fuch defcriptions given of it in fcripture, fuch things are propofed as the object of it, and fuch is the experience of all that fincerely believe; as no one fingle act, either of the mind or will, can anfwer unto: Nor do I fee any thing repugnant to fcripture or philofophy if we place it in both faculties. Confent (faith + Vafquez) feems to denote the concourfe of the will with the understanding; but to leave that, it is most certain the faving, juftifying act of faith lies principally in the confent of the will, which confent is the effect of the Almighty Power of God, Eph. i. 19, He allures and draws the will to Chrift, and he draws with the cords of a man, (i. e.) he prevails with it by rational arguments: For the foul being prepared by convictions of its loft and miferable estate by fin, and that there is but one door of hope open to it for an escape from the wrath to come, and that is Chrift; being alfo fatisfied of the

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* Dr. Owen in his doctrine of Juftification, p. 135.

+ Confent feems to denote the concurrence of the will with the understanding, by relishing the fame thing which the understanding doth perceive, 12. 2. 15. a. 1. Faith is not a fimple act, but confifts of diverfe parts, knowledge, affent, and truft, which do not all belong to the fame faculty. Wendel. Theol. p. 450.

VOL. II.

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fulness, and completeness of his saving ability, and of his willingnefs to make it over for our falvation, upon fuch just and equal terms; this cannot but prevail with the will of a poor diftreffed finner, to confent, and choose him.

Fifthly and Laftly, The laft, and principle thing included in our receiving of Christ, is the respect that this act of acceptance hath, unto the terms upon which Chrift is tendered to us in the gofpel, to which it is most agreeable, 1 Cor. xv. 11. "So we

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preach, and fo ye believed:" Faith anfwers the gospel-offer, as the imprefs upon the wax doth the engraving in the feal; and. this is of principal confideration, for there is no receiving Christ upon any other terms but his own, propofed in the gofpel to us: He will never come lower, nor make them easier than they. are, for any man's fake in the world; we must either receive him upon thefe, or part with him for ever as thousands do, who could be content to agree to fome articles, but rather choose to be damned for ever, than fubmit to all: This is the great controverfy betwixt Chrift and finners; upon this, many thoufands break off the treaty, and part with Chrift, because he will not come to their terms; but every true believer receives him upon his own, (i. e.) their acceptance of him by faith, is in all things confentaneous to the overtures made of him in the written word. So he tenders himself, and fo they receive him; as will be evident in the following particulars.

First, The gofpel offers Chrift to us fincerely and really, and fo the true believer receives and accepts him; even with a faith unfeigned: 1 Tim. i. 5. If ever the foul be ferious and in earneft in any thing, it is fo in this: Can we fuppofe the heart of him that flies for his life to the refuge-city, to be ferious and in carneft, to escape by flight the avenger of blood who purfues him? Then is the heart of a convinced finner ferious in this matter; for under that notion is the work of faith prefented to us, Heb. vi. 18.

Secondly, Chrift is offered to us in the gospel entirely and undividedly, as cloathed with all his offices, prieftly, prophetical, and regal; as Christ Jefus the Lord, Acts xvi. 31. and fo the true believer receives him: The hypocrite, like the harlot, is for divid ing, but the fincere believer finds the need he hath of every office of Christ, and knows not how to want any thing that is in him.

† Rom. iv. 17. υπηκέσατε δε εκ καρδίας εις ον παρεδόθητε τυπον δια dang The will like melted metal, is delivered into the gofpelmould, where it receives the fame form and figure that the mould gives.

His ignorance makes him neceffary and defireable to him as at prophet: His guilt makes him neceffary as a priest: His strong and powerful lufts and corruptions make him necessary as a king; and in truth he fees not any thing in Chrift that he can fpare; he needs all that is in Chrift, and admires infinite wifdom in nothing more, than the investing Chrift with all these offices, which are fo fuited to the poor finner's wants and miferies. Look, as the three offices are undivided in Christ, so they are in the believer's acceptance; and before this trial no hypocrite can stand; for all hypocrites reject and quarrel with fomething in Chrift; they like his pardon better than his government. They call him, indeed, Lord and Master, but it is but an empty title they bestow upon him; for let them afk their own hearts, if Chrift be Lord over their thoughts, as well as words: over their fecret, as well as open actions; over their darling lufts, as well as others; let them afk, who will appear to be Lord and Master over them, when Chrift and the world come in competition? When the pleasures of fin fhall ftand upon one fide, and sufferings to death, and deepest points of felf-denial, upon the other fide? Surely it is the greatest affront, that can be offered to the divine Wisdom and Good nefs, to feparate in our acceptance, what is fo united. in Chrift, for our falvation and happinefs. As without any one of thefe offices, the work of our falvation could not be completed, fo without acceptance of Chrift in them all, our union with them by faith cannot be completed.

The gospel-offer of Chrift includes all his offices, and gospelfaith just fo receives him; to fubmit to him, as well as to be redeemed by him; to imitate him in the holiness of his life, as well as to reap the purchases, and fruits of his death. It mult be an entire receiving of the Lord Jefus Chrift f.

Thirdly, Chrift is offered to us in the gofpel exclufively, as the alone and only Saviour of finners; with whofe blood and interceffion nothing is to be mixed; but the foul of a finner is fingly to rely and depend on him, and no other, Acts iv. 2. 1 Cor. iii. 11. and fo faith receives him, Pfal. lxxi. 16. "I will make "mention of thy righteoufnefs, even of thine only." Phil. iii. 9. "And be found in him, not having mine own righteoufnefs, "which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Ee 2

A man may as lawfully join faints or angels in his mediation with Chrift, as graces. It is grofs idolatry to make the works of God a God, and it is but a more fubtle idolatry to make the works of Chrift, a Chrift. Burgefs de Lage.

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