* Forma vel aliquid formce analogum ponitur differentia loco. f There are divers other expressions by which the nature of saving faith is expres- sed in scripture, viz. Eating Christ's flesh, and drinking his blood, John vi. 40. Coming to Christ, Matt. xi. 28. Having the Son, 1 John v. 12. Trusting or de- pending upon him, for which the Hebrew uses three emphatical word?, }EN; riJ32, and non. The first signifies a firm and stable trust. The second, to lean, or de- pend with security. The third, to betake one's self to a sanctuary for protection. All which is supposed or included in our receiving of the Lord Jesus Christ : In eating and drinking we must receive meat and drink : coming to Christ is neces- sarily supposed in receiving him, for there is no receiving at a distance. Having the Son, and receiving him, are notions of the same importance ; and for trusting, relying with security, and betaking ourselves to Christ for refuge, they are all in-
106 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. VI,
For, First, It is evident that no man can receive Jesus Christ in the darkness of natural ignorance : we must understand and dis- cern who and what he is, whom we receive to be the Lord our righteousness. If we know not his person, and his offices, we do not take, but mistake Christ. It is a good rule in the civil law, Non consentit qui non seniit. A mistake of the person invalidates the match. He that takes Christ for a mere man, or denies the satis- faction of his blood, or divests him of his human nature, or denies any of his most glorious and necessary offices, let them cry up as high as they will, his spirituality, glory, and exemplary life and death, they can never receive Jesus Christ aright. This is such a crack, such a flaw in the very foundation of faith, as undoes and destroys all. Ignorantis non est consensus: All saving faith is founded in light and knowledge, and therefore it is called knowledge, Isa. liii. 11. and seeing is inseparably connected with believing, John vi. 40. Men must hear and learn of the Father before they can come to Christ, John vi. 45. The receiving act of faith is directed and guided by knowledge. I will not presume to state the degree of knowledge which is absolutely necessary to the reception of Christ ; I know the first actings of faith are, in most Christians, accompanied with much darkness and confusion of understanding : but yet we must say in the general, that wherever faith is, there is so much light as is sufficient to discover to the soul its own sins, dangers and wants, and the all-sufficiency, suitableness, and necessity of Christ, for the supply and remedy of all ; and without this, Christ cannot be receded. " Come unto me, all ye that labour, and I will give " you rest/' Matt. xi. 28.
Secondly, The receiving of Christ, necessarily implies the assent of the understanding to the truths of Christ revealed in the gospel, viz. his person, natures, offices, his incarnation, death, and satis- faction ; which assent, though it be not in itself saving faith, yet is it the foundation and ground work of it ; it being impossible the soul should receive, and fiducially embrace, what the mind doth not assent unto as true and infallibly certain *. Now, there are three degrees of assent ; conjecture, opinion, and belief. Conjecture is but a slight and weak inclination to assent to the thing propound- ed, by reason of the weighty objections that lie against it. Opinion is a more steady and fixed assent, when a man is almost certain, though yet some fear of the contrary remains with him. Belief is
solved in the receiving act ; for as God offers him to us as the only prop of our hearts and hopes, so we receive him to rely upon him. And as he is held forth in the gospel as the only Asylum, or city of refuge, so we take or receive him, and accordingly betake ourselves to him for refuge.
* See Dr. Sclater on Rom. iv. 5.
SERM. VI. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 10T
a more full and assured assent to the truth ; to which the mind may be brought four ways.
First, By the perfect intelligence of sense, not hindered or de- ceived. So I believe the truth of these propositions, Fire is hot, water is moist, honey is sweet, gall is bitter.
Secondly, By the native clearness of self-evident principles. So I believe the truth of these propositions, The whole is more than a part ; the cause is before the effect.
Thirdly, By discourse, and rational deduction. So I believe the truth of this proposition, Where all the parts of a thing are, th re is the whole.
Fourthly, By infallible testimony, when any thing is witnessed or asserted by one whose truth is unquestionable *. And of this sort is the assent of faith, which is therefore called our receiving the witness of God, 1 John v. 9. our setting to our seal 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 saith the Lord, is that firm foundation upon which our assent is built. And thus we see good reason to believe those profound mysteries of the incarnation of Christ ; the hypostatical union of the two natures in his wonderful person ; the mystical union of Christ and believers ; though we cannot understand these things, by reason of the darkness of our minds. It satisfies the soul to find these mys- teries in the written word ; upon that foundation it firmly builds its assent : and without such an assent of faith, there can be no em- bracing of Christ : all acts of faith and religion, without assent, are but as so many arrows shot at random into the open air, they signify nothing for want of a fixed determinate object.
It is therefore the policy of Satan, by injecting or fomenting atheistical thoughts, (with which young converts use to find them- selves greatly infested) 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 assent to the truths of the word, when they think they do not ; as appears by their tenderness and fear of sin, their diligence and care of duty. If I discern these things in a Christian's life, he must excuse me if I believe him not, when he saith he doth not assent to the truths of the gospel.
Thirdly, Our receiving Christ necessarily implies our hearty ap~ probation, liking and estimation ; yea, the acquiescence of our very
* It is not becoming, that God, when he should speak to men, should confirm his words with arguments, as if otherwise he was not to be believed ; but, as becomes him- self, he speaks as the supreme Judge of all things, whose [prerogative] it is, not to argue, but to pronounce what is truth, &c. Lactan. de falsa relighne, p. (mihij 179. Faith fails, where the divine authority of the scripture is wanting.
10S THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERAI. VT,