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Tay in Sion a stumbling stone, and rock of offence; and who soever believeth on him, shall not be ashamed." The apostle there in the context is speaking of justifying faith; and it is evident, that trusting in Christ is implied in the import of the word believeth. For being ashamed, as the word is used in Scripture, is the passion that arises upon the frustration of truth or confidence. There is implied in justifying faith, a trusting to Christ's truth and faithfulness, or a believing what he declares and promises; as is evident, in that it is called not only believing in Christ, and believing on Christ, but believing Christ; John iii. 36. "He that believeth not the Son, shall not see life." Trusting in Christ is often implied in faith, according to the representations of Scripture; Isa. xxvii. 5. "Or let him take hold of my strength that he may maké peace with me, and he shall make peace with me.”'

§45. Why is this reception or unition of the soul proper. ly expressed by faith? Answer, Not so much, merely from the nature of the act, more abstractedly considered, which is unition, reception, or closing; but from the nature of the act, conjunctly with the state of the agent and the object of the act, which qualifies and specifies the act, and adds certain qualifications to the abstract idea of unition, closing, or reception. Consider the state of the receiver; guilty, miserable, undone, impotent, helpless, unworthy; and the nature and worth of the received, he being a divine, invisible Saviour: The end for which he is received, the benefits invisible: The ground on which he is received or closed with, the word of God, and his invitations and promises: The cir cumstances of those things that are received, supernatural, incomprehensible, wonderful, difficult, unsearchable: The proper act of unition or reception in such a case, is most aptly expressed by the word faith. Fearfulness is opposite to faith, Mark iv. 40. "Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?" And Rev. xxi. 8. "But the fearful and the unbelieving." Justifying faith is sometimes called hope in Scripture.

§ 46. The condition both of the first and second covenant, is a receiving, compliance with, or yielding to, a signification or declaration from God; or to à revelation made from God.

A receiving or yielding to a signification of the will of God, as our sovereign Lord and lawgiver, is most properly called obedience. The receiving and yielding to a strange mysterious revelation and offer which God makes of mercy to sin. ners, being a revelation of things spiritual, supernatural, invisible, and mysterious, through an infinite power, wisdom and grace of God, is properly called faith. There is indeed. obedience in the condition of both covenants, and there is faith or believing God in both. But the different name arises from the remarkably different nature of the revelation or manifes tations made. The one is a law; the other a testimony and offer. The one is a signification of what God expects that we should do towards him, and what he expects to receive from us; the other a revelation of what he has done for us, and an offer of what we may receive from him. The one is an expression of God's great authority over us, in order to a yielding to the authority; the other is a revelation of God's mysterious and wonderful mercy, and wisdom, and power for us, in order to a reception answerable to such a revelation.

The reason why this was not so fully insisted upon under the Old Testament, under the denomination of faith, was, that the revelation itself of this great salvation, was not thus explicitly and fully made.

It must most naturally be called faith, 1. Because the word that is the object of it, is a revelation, which most nearly concerns our interest and good; and that a revelation not of a work to be done by us, but an offer made to us only to be received by us.

If it were a manifestation otherwise than by testimony, a receiving of it, and yielding to it, would not so naturally be called faith; and if a mere manifestation of something not nearly concerning us, it would not naturally be called faith. For idle stories, that do not concern us, are not the object of trust or dependence. If it were a manifestation in order to something expected from us; some work to be done by us; a yielding to it would not so properly be called faith. For yielding, then, would imply something more than just receiy: ing the testimony.

2. Because the person that is the object of it, is revealed in the character of a wonderful Saviour. A receiving of a person in the character of a Saviour, is a proper act of trust and affiance. And a receiving a divine invisible Saviour, that of fers to save us by infinite power, wisdom, and mercy, and by very mysterious supernatural works, is properly faith.

3. The benefits that are revealed, which are the objects of faith, are things spiritual, invisible, wonderful and future; and therefore, embracing and depending on these, is proper ly faith.

§ 47. Faith implies a cleaving to Christ, so as to be disposed to sell and suffer all for him. See John xii. 42, 43. "Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also, many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." John v. 44. How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?"

§ 48. Faith is not all kind of assent to the word of God as true and divine. For so the Jews in Christ's time assented to the books of Moses, and therefore Christ tells them, that they trusted in Moses; John v. 45. "There is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust." Yet the very thing that Moses accuses them for, was not believing in him, i. e. believing so as to yield to his sayings, and comply with him, or obey him, as the phrase in the New Testament is concerning Christ. And therefore Christ says in the next verse," For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me." There may be a strong belief of divine things in the understanding, and yet no saving faith; as is manifest by 1 Cor. xiii. 2. "Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have no charity, I am nothing." Not only trusting in Christ, as one that has undertaken to save us, and as believing that he is our Saviour, is faith; but applying to him, or seeking to him, that he would become our Saviour, with a sense of his reality and goodness as a Saviour, is faith; as is evident by Rom. xv. 12. “In him shall the Gentiles trust." Compared with the place whence

it is cited, Heb. xi. 10. "To it shall the Gentiles seek;" together with Psalm ix. 10. "And they that know thy name, will put their trust in thee: For thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee." Which agrees well with faith's being called a looking to Christ, or coming to him for life, a flying for refuge to him, or flying to him for safety. And this is the first act of saving faith. And prayer's being the expres sion of faith, confirms this. This is further confirmed by Isaiah xxxi. 2. "Wo to them that go down to Egypt for help, and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong: But they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord." When it is said, "Psalm lxix. 6. "Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord, be ashamed for my sake: Let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake." It is equivalent to that scripture, "He that believeth shall never be confounded." And when it is said, verse 32. "And your heart shall live that seek the Lord;" it is equivalent to that scripture, "The just shall live by faith." So Psalm xxii. 26. and Psalm 1xx. 4. And so Amos v. 4. "For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live." And verse 6. "Seek the Lord, and ye shall live." And verse 8. "Seek him that made the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning." Cant. iv. 8. "Look from the top of Amana." Isaiah xvii. 7, 8. « At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel, and he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands; neither shall respect that which his fing ers have made, either the groves or the images." Isaiah lxv. 22. "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” Jonah ii. 4. "I will look again towards thine holy temple." Micah vii. 7. "Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: My God will hear me." Psalm xxxiv. 5. "They looked unto him, and were lightened; their faces were not ashamed."

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§ 49. Faith is a taking hold of God's strength; Isaiah xxvii. 5. "O let him take hold of my strength, that he

may make peace

with

me, and he shall make peace with me."

Faith is expressed by stretching out the hand to Christ; Psal, lxviii. 31. "Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands to God." So Christ said to the man that had the withered hand, "Stretch forth thine hand." Promises of mercy and help are often in Scripture made to rolling our burden, and rolling ourselves, or rolling our way on the Lord. Prov. xvi. 3. "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established." Psal. xxii. 8, and xxxvii. 5. “ Не trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: Let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him...." Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass."

§ 50. That there are different sorts of faith, and that all believing that Christ is the Son of God, and Saviour of the world, &c. is not true and saving faith, or that faith which most commonly has the name of faith appropriated to it in the New Testament, is exceedingly evident by John vi. 64. "But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning, who they were that believed not, and who should betray him." Here all false disciples, that had but a temporary faith, that thought him to be the Messiah, but would fall away, as Judas and others, are said to be those that believed not, making an essential difference be tween their belief, and that grace that has the term faith, or believing, appropriated to it. Faith is a receiving of Christ into the heart, in such a sense as to believe, that he is what he declares himself to be, and to have such an high esteem of him as an excellent Lord and Saviour, and so to prize him, and so to depend upon him, as not to be ashamed nor afraid to profess him, and openly and constantly to appear on his side. See Rom. x. 8....13.

§ 51. Trusting in 1iches, as Christ uses the expression concerning the rich young man, and as the expression is used elsewhere, is an extensive expression, comprehending many dispositions, affections, and exercises of heart towards riches; so faith in Christ, or trusting in Christ, is as extensive. The soul's active closing or uniting with Christ, is faith. But the act of the soul, in its uniting or closing, must be agreeable to

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