DIRECTION IV.

DIRECTION IV.

DIRECTION IV…

The pieans or instruments whereby the Spirit of God accomplished our union with Chflst, and our fellowship with him in all holiness, are the gospel, whereby Christ entereth into our hearts to work faith m Msf*^ faith, whereby we actually receive Christ bim» yelf, with ail his” fulness, into our hearts. And this faith is • graceof the Spirit, whereby are heartily believe the gospel, an<4 also EeBeve oir Christ, as he is revealed and freely promised to us therein, for all his salvation.

EXPLICATION,

That which I asserted in the foregoing direction, concerning the necessity of our being in Christ, and having Christ in us, by a. mystical union, to enable us for a holy practice, might put us to a stand in our endeavours for holiness; because we cannot imagine how we should be able to raise ourselves above our natural sphere, to this glorious union and fellowship, until God he pleased to make known to us, by supernatural revelation, the means whereby his Spirit maketh us pat-takers of so high a privilege. But God is pleased to help, us, when at a stand, to go on forward, by revealing two means pr instruments whereby his Spirit accorr:..lisheth the mystical union and fellowship between Christ and us, and whereby rational creatures are capable of attaining thereunto, by his Spirit working in them.

On* of these means is the gospelo( the grace of God j wherein Gpd doth make known to us the unsearchable, riches of Christ, and Christ in us* the., hope of glory, Eph. iii. 8. Col. i. 2,7. ^nd doth also invite us and com,-* mand us to believe on Christ lor his salvation, and doth encourage us by a free promise pf that salvation, to all that believe on him, Acts, jciv., 31. Rom., x. 9, 11.—» This is Grad’aaw^iastsiiment of conveyance* wherein he sendeth Christ to. us, to bless us with his salvation, Acts iii. 26* It is the ministration of the Spirit and of righteousness, 2 Cor.iii. 6,8, 9. Faith cometh by the hearing of Ui and therefore it, is the greaj iastrwn«nt whereby we are begotten in Christ, and he is* formed in us, Horn. x. 16, 17. 1 Cor. iv. 15. GaL iv. 19.— There is no, need for us to say in our hearts, “who will ascend into heaven, or bring Christ down from above? or, who shall descend into the deep, to bring Christ up. from the dead,” that we may be united, and have fellowship with him in his death and resurrection? for, the word is nigh to us, the gospel, the word of faith in which Christ himself graciously condescendeth to be nigh to us; so that we may come at him there, without going any farther, if we desire to be joined to him, Rom. x. 6, JT, 8. . f *

The other of these means is faith that is-wrought ia us by the gospel. This is our instrument of reception-, whereby the union between Christ and us is accomplished on our part, by our actual receiving with Christ himself, with all his fulness, into our heart; which is the principal subject of the present explanation.

The faith which philosophers commonly treat of is-only, a habit of the understanding, whereby we assent to a testimony upon the authority of the testifier. Accordingly, some would have faith in Christ to be no more than a believing the truth of things in religion,, upon tlu authority of Christ testifying them. But the aposde sheweth, that the faith whereby we are justified, is “faith in Christ’s blood,’” Rom. in. 24, 25. not only in his authority as a testifier. And though a mere assent to a testimony were sufficient faith for knowledge of things, which the philosophers aimed at; yet we;i are to consider, that the design of saving faith, is not * only to know the truth of Christ and his salvation,, testified and promised in the gospel, but also to apprehend and receive him and his salvation, as given by and with the promise. Therefore, saving faith must necessarily contain two acts, believing the truth of the gospel, and believing on Christ, 5s promised freely Jo us in the gospel, for salvation. By the one, it coneeiveth the means wherein Christ is conveyed to us by the other, it receiveth Christ himself and his. salvjw

believe on Christ for his salvation. “They that know the name of the Lordr will certainly put their trust in him,” Psalm ix. 10. Therefore, in scripture, saving faith is sometimes described by the former of these acts, as if it were a mere believing the gospel; sometimes by the latter, as a believing on Christ, or in Christ, R >m. x. 9. “If thou believest in thine heart, that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Yerse 11. “The scripture saith, that whosoever believeth on him» shall not be ashamed.” 1 John v. J. “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God.” Verse 13. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that •ye. may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

For the better understanding of the nature of faith, let it be further observed, that the second and principal act of it, believing on Christ, includeth believing on God. the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; because they are one and the same infinite God, and they all concur in our •salvation by Christ, as the only mediator between God and us, “in whom all the promises of God are yea and. amen,” 2 Cor. i. 20. “Ry him (as mediator) we believe on God, that raised him. from the dead, and gave him ■glory, that our faith and hope might be in God,” 1 Pet. i. 21. And it is the same thing with trusting’ on God, or on the Lord, which is so highly commended in the whole scripture especially in the Old Testament; as may easily appear, by considering, that it hath the same causes, effects, objects, adjuncts, opposites, and all the same circumstances, excepting only that it had a respect t« Christ as promised before his coming, and now it respecteth him as already cojjie in the flesh. 4’Relieving on the Lord, and trusting in his salvation,” are equivalent termSj that explain one another, Psal. lxxviii.22. I confess, that trusting on things seen, or known by the mere light of reason, as our own wisdom, power, riches, on princes, or any arm of flesh, may not so properly be called believing on them; but trusting on a Saviour as discovered by a testimony, is properly believing on him. It is also the same thing that is expressed by the terms of resting, rel) ing, leaning, staying ourselves on the Lord, called hoping in the Lord; because it is the ground of that expectation which is the proper act of hope, though our believing and trusting be for the present as well as future benefit of this salvation. The reason why it is so commonly expressed, in the scriptures of the New Testament, by the terms of believingon Christ, might be probably, because, when that part of scripture was written, there was cause, in a special manner, to urge believing the testimony that was then newly revealed by the gospel.

Having thus explained the nature of faith, I come now to assert its proper use and office in our salvation. That it is the means and instrument whereby we receive Christ and all his fulness, actually into our hearts. This excellent use and office of faith is encountered by a multitude of errors. Men naturally esteem that it is too small and slight a thing to produce so great effects, as jVaaman thought washing in Jorcb.n too small a matter for the cure of his leprosy. They contemn the true means of entering in at the strait gate, because they seem too easy for such purpose ; and thereby they make the entrance not only difficult, but impossible to themselves. Some will allow that faith is the sole condition of our justification, and the instrument to receive it, according to the scriptural doctrine maintained formerly by the protestants against the papists; but they account that it is not sufficient or effectual to sanctification, but that it rather tendeth to licentiousness, if it be not joined with some other means, that may be powerful and effectual to secure anv holy practice. They commend this great doctrine of protestants, as a comfortable cordial for persons on their death-beds, or in agonies under terrors of conscience; but they account that it is not good for ordinary food, and that it is wisdom in ministers to preach it seldom and sparingly, and not without some antidote or corrective, to prevent the licentiousness to which it tendeth. Their common antidote or corrective is, that sanctification is necessary to salvation as well as justification; and that though we be justified by faith, yet we are sanctified by our own performance of the law: and so they set up salvation by works, and make the grace of justification to be of none effect, and not at all comfortable. ‘If it had in0 deed such a malignant influence upon practice, it could not be owned as a doctrine proceeding from, the most holy God; and all the comfort that it affords, must needs be ungrounded and deceitful. This consequence is well understood by some late refiners of the protestant religion; and therefore they have thought fit to new-model this doctrine, and to make saving faith to be only a condition to procure a right and title to our justification by the righteousness of Christ, which must be performed before we can lay any good claim to the enjoyment of it, and before we have any right to use any instrument for the actual receiving of it;’ and this they call an accepting of, and receiving Christ. And, that they may tb,e better secure the practice of holiness, by their conditional faith, they will not have trusting” in God or Christ for salvation, to be accounted the principal saving act of it; because, as it seemeth to them, many loose wicked people trust on God and Christ for their salvation as much as others, and are by their confidence, hardened the more in their wickedness; but they had rather it should be obedience of all Christ’s , laws, at least in resolution; or a consent that Christ should be their Lord, accepting of his terms of salvation, and a resignation of themselves to his government in all things. It • is a sign that the scripture form of teaching is grown into disesteem with our great masters of reason, when trusting in the Lord, so much commended in the scripture, is accounted a mean and ordinary thing. They endeavour to affright us from ‘owning faith to be an instrument of justification, by telling us that thereby we thai use the instrument, are •made our own principal justifiers, to the dishonour of God ; though it might be easily answered, that we arc made thereby only the principal receivers of our own justification from God, the giver of it, to whom all the glory doth belong. keepeth it at a distance from Christ; as all confidence, iri our strength, endeavours, works, privileges, or in liny worldly pleasures, profits, honours, or in any human helps and succours for our happiness and salvation: because such confidences are inconsistent with our confidence in Christ for all salvation. Paul, by his confidence in Christ, was taken off” from all confidence in the flesh: he suffered the loss of glorying in his privileges and legal righteousness, and counted all other enjoyments in matters of the world, or of religion, to be but ” dung, that he might win Christ, and be found in him,” Phil. iii. 5—9. The voice of faith is, “Asher shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses, neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ye are our gods; for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy,” Hosea xiv. 3. We have no might against this great company” of our spiritual enemies; “neither know we what to do : but our eyes are upon thee,” 2 Chronj xx. 12.

All these errors will fall, if it can be proved that such a faith as I have described, is an instrument whereby we actually receive Christ himself into our hearts, and holiness of heart and life, as well as justification, by xmion and fellowship with him. For the proof of it, I shall offer the following arguments.

1. By faith we have the actual enjoyment and possession of Christ himself, and not only of remission of sins, but of life, and so of holiness. “Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith,” Eph. iii. 17. “We live to God, and yet not we, but Christ liveth in us by the faith of the Son of God,” Gal. ii. 19, 20. “He that believeth on the Son of God, hath the Son, and everlasting life that is in him,” 1 John v. 12, 13. John ii.. 36. “He that heareth Christ’s word, and believeth on him that sent Christ, hath everlasting life, and is passed from death unto life,” John v. 24. These texts express clearly such a faith as I have described. Therefore the efficiency or, operation of hath, in order to the enjoyment of Christ and his fulness, cannot be the procurement of a bare right or title to this enjoyment; but rather it must be an entrance into it, and taking possession of it. “We have our access and entrance by faith into that grace of Christ wherein we Stand,” Rom. v. 2.

2. The scripture plainly ascribeth this effect to faith, that by it we receive Christ, put him on, are rooted and grounded in him: and also that we receive the Spirit, remission of sins, and an inheritance among them which are sanctified, John i. 12. Gal. iii. 26, 27. Col. ii. 6, 7. Gal. iii. 14. Acts xxvi. 18. And the scripture illustrateth this receiving by the similitude of eating and drinking; “he that believeth on Christ, drinketh the living water of his Spirit,” John vii. 37, 38, 39. “Christ is the bread of life; his flesh is meat indeed,

I might multiply places of scripture, to shew what a self-emptying grace faith is, and how it casteth other confidences out of the soul, by getting above them to Christ, as the only happiness and salvation. The same act of trusting or believing on Christ, or on God, is the very manner of our souls coming to Christ, John yi. 35; ” drawing near to the Lord,” Psal. lxxiii. 28 > “fleeing unto the Lord to hide us,” Psal. cxliii. 9; V making our refuge in the shadow of his wings,” Psal. lvii. 1; “staying ourselves and our minds upon the Lord,” Isa. C 10. and xxv. 3; “laying hold on eternal life,” 1 Tim. vi. 12; “lifting up our souls to the Lord,” Psal. xxv, 1; ” rolling our way, or casting our burden upon the Lord,” Psal. xxxvii. 5. and.lv. 22; and of our eating and drinking Christ, as hath already appeared* Let us consider, that Christ and his salvation cannot be seen, or handled, or attained to, by any bodily motion; but are revealed and promised to us in the word. Now let any invent, if they can, any way for the soul to exercise any motion or activeness in receiving of this unseen promised salvation, besides believing the word, and trusting on Christ for the benefit promised. If Christ were to be earned by works, or any other kind of conditional faith : yet a faith must be instrumental to receive him. Some think love as fit to be the uniting grace; but I have shewed that love to Christ’s salvation is an ingredient unto faith; and though love be an appetite unto union, yet we have no. other likely way to fill this appetite, while we are in this world, besides trusting on Christ for all his benefits, as he is promised in the gospel.

^ 2. There is in this saving faith,, a natural tendency to furnish the soul with a holy frame and nature, and all endowments necessary thereunto, out of the fulness of Christ. A hearty affectionate trusting on Christ for all his salvation, as freely promised to us, hath na■ turally enough in it to work in our souls a rational bent and inclination toy and . ability for, the practice of all ho* liness; “because it comprehendeth in it a trusting, that “through Christ, we are dead to sin, and alive to God;” that ” our old man is crucified,” Rom. iv. 2,< 3, 4; and that ” we live by the Spirit,” Gal…v. 25; and that ” we have forgiveness of sin,"" and that ” God. is our God,” Psal. xxxi. 14; and that ” we have in the Irfird righteousness and strength, whereby we are able to do all things,” Isa. xlv. 24. Phil, iv.. 13; and that 44 we shall be gloriously happy in the enjoyment of Christ to all eternity,’* Phil. iii.. 20, 21.. When the saints in scripture speak so highly of such glorious spiritual privileges^ as I have here named, they acquaint Us” with the familiar sense and language of their faith, trusting on God and Christ, and they give us but an «xplication of the nature and contents of it;. and they speak of nothing more than what they receive out of the fulness of Christ.. And how can we otherwise judge, but that those that have a hearty love to Christ, and can upon a good ground, think, and speak such high, things concerning themselves, must needs be heartilv disposed, and mightily strengthened for the practice of holiness? . j

3. Because faith hath such a natural tendency to dispose and strengthen the soul for the practice of holi. ness, we have cause to judge it a meet instrument tc» accomplish every part of that practice in an acceptable manner. Those that with a due affection believe stedfastly on Christ for the free gift of all his salvation, may find, by experience, that they are carried forth by that faith, according to the measure of its strength or weakness, to love God heartily, because God haUi loved them first, 1 John iv. 19; to praise him, to pray unto him, in the name of Christ, Eph. v. 20. John xvi. 26, 27; to be patient with cheerfulness under ail afflictions, giving thanks to the Father, that hath called them to his heavenly inheritance, Col. i. 11, 12 ; to love all the children of God out of love to their heavenly Father, 1 John v. 1; to walk as Christ walked, 1 John ii. 6; and to give themselves up to live to Christ in all things, as constrained by his love in dying for them, 2 Cor. v. 14. We have a cloud of witnesses, concerning the excellent works that were produced by faith, Heb. xi» And though trusting on Christ be accounted such a. slight and contemptible thing, yet I know no work of obedience, which it is not able to produce. And note the excellent manner of working by faith. By it we ive and act in all good works, as people in- Christ, as ■aised above ourselves, and in cur natural- state, by pentaking of him and his salvation; and we do all in his name, and on his account. This is the practice of that mysterious manner of living to God in holiness, which is peculiar to the christian religion wherein we live; ’** and yet not we, but Christ liveth in us,” Gal, ii. 20, •And who can imagine any other way but this for such a practice, while Christ and his. salvation are known to us only by the gospel? . •«/.;• v 4 > ;■>.»’—<d$&ife

The explanation that I have made of the nature and office of true faith, and of its aptitude for its office, is , sufficient to evidence, that it is a most holy faith, as it is cafled, Jude ver. UO; and that such a trusting on Christ, as I have described, in its own nature, cannot have any tendency to. licentiousness, but only to holiness: and that it rooteth and groundeth us in holiness, more than the mere accepting of any terms of salvation, and consenting to have Christ for our Lord can do; and is more powerful to secure a holy practice, than any of those resolutions of obedience, or resignation acts, that some would have to be the great conditions of our salvation; which are indeed no better than hypocritical acts, if they be not produced by this faith. There is indeed a counterfeit dead faith, such as wicked men have: and if that tend to licentiousness, let not true faith be blamed; but rather mark the description of it which I have given, that you may not be deceived with a counterfeit faith instead of it.

I shall add something concerning the efficient cause of .this excellent grace, and of our union with Christ by it; ■whereby it may appear, that it is not so slight and easy a way of salvation, as some may imagine. The author and finisher of our faith, and of our union and fellowship with Christ by faith, is no k ss than the infinite Spirit of God, and God and Christ himself by the same Spirit; for ” by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body of Christ, and are all made to drink into one Spirit, 1 Cor. xii. 13. “God grant us, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with all might, .by the Spirit, in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith,” Eph. iii. 16, 17. If we do but consider the great effect oi faulv, that by it we are raised to live above our natural condition, by ChrLt and his Spirit living in us, we cannot rationally conceive, that it should be within the power of nature to do any diing . that advanceth us so high.

If God had done no more for us in our sanctification, than, to restore us to our first natural holiness ; yet this could not have been done, without putting forth his o«n almighty power to quicken those that are dead ■n sin; how nuich more is ,this almighty power needful to advance us to this wonderful new kind of frame, wherein we live and act, above all the power of nature, by a higher principle of life than was given to Adam in innocency, even by Christ and his Spirit living and acting- m us i The natural man bringeth forth his offspring, according to his image, by that natural power of multiplying, with which God blessed him at his firstr creation; but the second Adam bringeth forth his offspring new-bom according to his imager only by the Spirit, John iii. 5. “As many as received him, even those that believe on his name, are bora not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God,”’ John u 12, 13. Christ took his own human nature into personal union with himself, in the womb, of the Virgin Mary, by the Holy Ghost coming upon her, and the power of the Highest overshadowing herr the same power whereby the world was created, Luke i. 35. So he that taketh us into mystical union and felhrvship with himself, by no less than an infinite creating power; for ”■ we are the workmanship of God, created m Christ Jesus unto good works,” Eph. ii. 10; and, ** if any man be in Christ, he is a new creatUFe,” 2. Cor. v. 17.not know or enjoy their union with Christ, and the comfort of it, or make use of it in acting any othtj- duties of holiness acceptably in this life.

For the accomplishing this great work of our nevr creation in Christ, the Spirit of God doth first work upon our hearts,, by and with the gospel,, to produce ip us the grace of faith* For if the gospel should come to us in word only, and not in power, and in the Holy Ghost, Paul might labour to plant, and Apollos to water, without any success, because we cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God : yea, we shall account them foolishness, until the Spirit of God enable us to discern them, 1 Thess. i. 5* 1 Cor. iii. 6. and ii. 14. We shall never come to Christ, by any teaching of man, except we also hear and learn of the Father, and be drawn to Christ by bis Spirit, John vi. 44, 45. And. when saving faith is wrought in us, the same Spirit giveth us fast hold of Christ by it. As he openeth the mouth of faith to receive Christy so he frlleth it witfi