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of him for your part in the character of a Saviour, wherein his Father fent him forth to you? It is not a taking of him to yourself, as offered to you? Our Lord complains of the Jews, John v. 43. that whereas he came in his Father's name, they received him nɔt, to wit, in the character wherein he was fent, namely, as the Meffias, the Saviour of the world, and their Saviour, trusting in him that he would fave them. This plainly appears to be the meaning, if one compares herewith the words there immediately following: If another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive: q. d. Ye will believe him to be the Meffias, and your Saviour, and truft on him accordingly, that he will fave you; the which has been often verified in that unbelieving people. Moreover, this is refting on Chrift in the fcripture fenfe of that manner of expreffion: Ifa. xxvi. 3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whofe mind is ftayed on thee: because he trufteth in thee. And indeed one cannot devife what way a perfon can reft on a word, or a foul or fpirit can reft on a perfon, but by trufting them, or trusting in or on them. It is faid, 2 Chron. xxxii. 8. The people refted themselves upon the words of Hezekiah. What way can one imagine they did fo, but by trufting them? Chap. xiv. 11. Help xs, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee. How could they do fo, but by trufting on him for their help?

2. This is believing, in the fcriptural use of that word, which, in our entry on the question under confideration, we established from the fcripture itself. For it is a trusting of, or trusting in a perfon, namely Jefus Chrift, and God in him, the perfonal object of faving faith, Acts xvi. 31.; a trufting in a thing, namely, the righteoufnefs of Chrift the ultimate real object of faith, Rom. i. 17.; and a trusting in a word, namely, the record and teftimony of God, the word of the promife of the gofpel, the proximate or neareft real object of faith, ibid.; and all this for the

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great purpose of salvation. And then it is nothing but fuch believing: for thus faith is not explained away into, but as a thing quite diftinct from the nature of a work, as the fcripture contradistinguisheth works to faith.

Wherefore we conclude, that this truft is that believing on Chrift, by which the soul is united to him, and favingly inflated in the covenant. And for opening of it, we fhall take notice of these five things plainly imported in it.

1. This truft imports, not only a willingness, but a fincere and honeft defire to be delivered from fin and wrath; a defire to be fanctified, as well as to be justified; to be delivered from the reigning power,‹ pollution, practice, and inbeing of fin, as well as from the guilt of it; according to that of the apostle, Rom. vii. 24, 25. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death! I thank God, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. For it is a trusting on Chrift, not for the half of his falvation, to wit, falvation from wrath only, which is all the truft of many, being by no means defirous to part with fin; but for the whole of it, namely, falvation from wrath, and falvation from fin too, which is the principal part therecf, Matth. i. 21. Now, a man may indeed fear that from one, which he doth not defire: but no body trufts in one for what he defires not. Faith is a believing with the heart, Rom. x. 10. The whole falvation of Christ

is the believer's choice; it is the end he defires to compafs and the truft of faith is exerted as the means to compafs that end.

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2, A renouncing of all confidence in all that is not Christ, or in Chrift, as to the matter of falvation particularly. In this truft is overturned felf-confidence, law-confidence, creature-confidence; and the foul builds on a quite new ground: Philip. iii. 3. We re joice in Chrift Jefus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Jer. xvi. 19. The Gentiles shall come unto thee,-and

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Shall fay, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. For it is a trusting wholly on Chrift and his righteousness, a trufting, or a believing with all the heart, Prov. iii. 5. Acts viii. 37. At this rate the believer is carried off from the works of the law, to the blood of Jefus, for his juftification; and carried out of himself too, unto the Spirit of holiness in Chrift, for his fanctification: being perfuaded, that no doing nor fuffering of his own, can procure him the pardon of, or atone for the least piece of guilt; and that he is not able truly to mortify one luft, more as to purge away the guilt of one fin, Matth. v. 3. Ifa. xlv. 24.

3. A hearty approbation of the plan or device of falvation according to the covenant, manifefted in the gospel, as fifted to the divine perfections, and to the cafe of finners, and their own in particular : 1 Cor i. 23. We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews. a ftumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; Verse 24. But unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Chrift the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Without this no man knowing what God is, what fin is, and what is the worth of his own foul, will never venture his falvation upon it; but one's trusting his falvation to Chrift and his righte oufnefs, fpeaks him to be well pleafed therewith, as what one may safely trust to, even in the fight of a holy God. And this is that rejoicing in Chrift Jefus, which makes an illustrious piece of the believer's character, Philip. iii. 3.

Withal it bears three things, (1.) An eying of Christ in this matter, as a crucified Saviour, who hath fulfilled all righteousness, according to the stated condition of the covenant, 1 Cor. ii. 2. It is not Christ in the eternal glory he had with his Father before the world was, that faith fixeth its view on, while the foul in this cafe ftands trembling before a holy God; but Chrift the Son of God made man,

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come in the flesh, being born holy, leading a life perfectly righteous, and at laft dying on the cross, to fatisfy the demands which the law had on poor ners. It looks unto him lifted up on the cross, as those who were bitten by the ferpents in the wildernefs looked unto the brafen ferpent lifted up on the pole, Ma. xlv. 22. Numb. xxi. 8. John iii. 14, 15. Therefore it is called faith in his blood, Rom. iii. 25. his righteoufnefs, whereof the fheding of his blood was the compleating part, being the fpring of the believer's hope. (2.) A real perfuafion of the fufficiency of Chrift's righteoufnefs to fave finners, and us in particular, from fin and wrath; to anfwer for us before a holy just God, in the eye of his holy law; and to procure for us eternal holiness and happiness. There is no faving faith without this: Chrift's ability to fave must be believed, and that with application to your own cafe in particular, Matth. ix. 28. Believe ye that I am able to do this? And in order hereunto, faith eyes Chrift's righteoufnefs. as the righteoufnefs of God, and therefore of infinite value and efficacy, Philip. iii. 9. 1 John i. 7. The reafon why the gofpel, and no other doctrine whatsoever, is the power of God unto falvation of finners, is becaufe therein is revealed the righteoufnefs of God unto faith, Rom. i, 16, 17. and that is the only righte oufuefs, fuited at once to the divine perfections and our cafe. (3.) An acquiefcing to that way of falvation, for ourselves in particular. The believer hath a cor dial liking of it, for the way of his falvation as perfectly fafe, being the power of God, and the wisdom of God, I Cor, i. 24. His foul pronounceth them fate and happy, that are in it; he defires for his own part to be found in it; and is perfuaded he would be faved if he were in it. Thus faith acted in the woman difeafed with an iffie of blood, Matth. ix. 21. She faid within herself, if I may but touch his garment, I skall be whole. And thus it acteth in all believers, deter

mining them to that way, and to that way alone, for their cafe in particular. And here unbelievers are always unfettled.

4. A betaking one's felf unto Chrift and his righteoufness alone, for falvation from fin and wrath. This is done by this trufting. For the finner believing that Chrift is his Saviour, and that his righteoufnefs is made over to him by free gift; and withal, that this his Saviour, with his righteoufnefs, is fufficient to fave him from fin and wrath; doth accordingly. truft on Chrift and his righteoufnefs for his own falvation, and fo betake himself thereto: even as a beggar once having, and withal believing himfelf to have riches and wealth made over to him by a friend, leaves off to beg, and for his maintenance trufts to that wealth allenarly; and thereupon betakes himself to it. It is true, that wealth being a corporal thing, to which there is a bodily motion, the betaking one's felf thereto is not the fame thing with the trufting to it; howbeit the former is a native confequent of the latter but Chrift and his righteoufnefs, as revealed unto faith, being things purely fpiritual, to which there is no bodily motion requifite, that we may be take ourselves to them; the trusting and betaking one's felf thereto, are one and the fame. So by this truft, the foul takes poffeffion of Chrift and his righteoufnefs; and ufeth the fame as its own, to the purpose of falvation. By it the finner betakes himself as a condemned man unto Jefus Chrift as the propitiatory mercy feat through his blood, affording fafety to the guilty before a holy God: and by it the finner betakes himself as a fick man unto the fame Jefus as the physician of fouls, having the fulness of the Spirit of fanctification in him, to be communicate. Accordingly faith is called a coming to Chrift, John vi. 35.; a fleeing for refuge, as one in hazard of his life by a purfuer, Heb. vi. 18. and is often expreffed, as Pfalm ii. 12. by a word which properly fignifies to retire

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