First, The privilege conferred is a very high and glorious one, than which no created being is capable of greater ; " power to be- " come the sons of God :" this word efyfftav is of large extent and signification, and is, by some, rendered " this * right, by others " this dignity, by others this prerogative, this privilege or honour :" It implies a title or right to adoption, not only with respect to the present benefits of it in this life, but also to that blessed inheritance which is laid up in heaven for the sons of God. And so Grotius rightly expounds it of our consummate sonship, consisting in the actual enjoyment of blessedness, as well as that which is inchoate : not only a right to pardon, favour, and acceptance now, but to heaven and the full enjoyment of God hereafter.' O what an honour, dignity, and privilege is this !
Secondly, The subjects of this privilege are described ; " As many " as received him." This text describes them by that very grace, faith, which gives them their title and right to Christ and his be- nefits ; and by that very act of faith, which primarily confers their right to his person, and secondarily to his benefits, viz. receiving him: there be many graces besides faith, but faith only is the grace that gives us right to Christ ; and there be many acts of faith besides receiving, but this receiving or embracing of Christ, is the justifying and saving act : " As many as received him," o<roi ds sXa/Sov aurw,] as many, be they of any nation, sex, age, or condition. For " there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision, nor uncircum- " cision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond or free : but Christ is all, and " in all," Col. iii. 11.
Nothing but unbelief bars men from Christ and his benefits. As many as [received"^ him;] the word signifies " ta accept, take," or, (as we fitly render it), to receive, assume, or take to us ; a word most aptly expressing the nature and office of faith, yea, the very justifying and saving act; and we are also needfully to note its special object, sXaZov avrov : The text saith not aura, his, but avrov, him, i. e. his person, as he is clothed with his offices, and not
* Beza, hoc jus ; Piscator, hanc dignitatem. Lightfoot, preerogativam. Heinsiu?, privilegium ; nee multo aliter voce s^affiag Hellenistce usi videntur cum Chaldceorum. J137W expresserunt.
t Aa,aCa»{/v and vjciPoiXa^aniv, both signify to receive.
104; THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. VI.
only his benefits and privileges. These are secondary and conse- quential things to our receiving him * So that it is a receiving, assuming, or accepting the Lord Jesus Christ, which must have respect to the tenders and proposals of the gospel, " for therein is " the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith," Rom. i. 17. therein is Jesus Christ revealed, proposed, and offered unto sinners, as the only way of justification and salvation ; which gospel- offer, as before wras opened, is therefore ordinarily necessary to believing, Rom. x. 11, 12, 13, $c.
Thirdly, This description is yet further explained by this addi- tional exegetical clause, [even to them that believe on his name ,] here the terms are varied, though the things expressed in both be the same ; what he called receiving there, is called believing oil his name here, to shew us that the very essence of saving faith consists in our receiving of Christ. By his name, we are to understand Christ himself: it is usual to take these two, believing in him, and believing in his name, as terms convertible, and of the same im- portance, inuri 172W ; Nirr, Kirr — Ipse est nomen suum, et nomen ejus ■ipse est f : His name is Himself, and Himself is his name. So that here we have the true nature and precious benefits of saving faith excellently expressed in this scripture, the sum of which take in this proposition ;
Doct. That the receiving of the Lord Jesus Christ is that saving and vital act of faith which gives the soul right both to his 'person and benefits.
We cannnot act spiritually till we begin to live spiritually: There- fore the spirit of life must first join himself to us, in his quicken- ing work, (as was shewn you in the last sermon), which being done, we begin to act spiritually, by taking hold upon, or receiving Jesus Christ, which is the thing designed to be opened in this sermon.
The soul is the life of the body, faith is the life of the soul, and Christ is the life of faith. There are several sorts of faith besides saving faith, and in saving faith there are several acts, besides the justifying or saving act; but this receiving act, which is to be our subject this day, is that upon which both our righteousness and eternal happiness do depend. " This, as a form, differences sa-
* The gospel offer is God's act, made by means of the word : acceptance is man's act ; vet so, as it is also the gift of God ; for a man cannot receive the Me- diator, unless faith, which is the instrument of this acceptance, be given him by God.
SEBM. VI. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 105
" vino- faith from all other kinds or sorts of faith * ;" by this it is that we are justified and saved. " To as many as received him, " to them gave he power to become the sons of God :" yet it doth not justify and save us by reason of any proper dignity that is found in this act, but by reason of the object it receives or apprehends. The same thing is often expressed in scripture by other terms, as " Coming to Christ," John vi. 35. Trusting or staying upon Christ, Isa. 1. 10. But whatever is found in those expressions, it is all comprehended in this, as will appear hereafter. Now, the method into which I shall cast my discourse on this- subject, that I may handle it with as much perspicuity and profit as 1 can, shall be,
First, To explain and open the nature of this receiving of Christ, and shew you what it includes.
Secondly, To prove that this is the justifying and saving act of faith.
Thirdly, To shew you the excellency of this act of faith.
Fourthly, To remove some mistakes, and give you the true ac- count of the dignity and excellency of this act.
Fifthly, And then bring home all, in a proper and close appli- cation.
First, In the first place then, I will endeavour to explain and open the nature of this receiving of Christ, and shew you what is implied in it.
And, indeed, it involves many deep mysteries, and things of greatest weight. People are generally very ignorant and unac- quainted with the importance of this expression ; they have very slight thoughts of faith who never passed under the illuminating, convincing, and humbling work of the Spirit : but we shall find that saving faith is quite another thing, and differs in its whole kind and nature from that traditional faith, and common assent, which is so fatally mistaken for it in the world f .