Now for the second : Hath not tliis God revealed himself gracious in Christ ? Nature declareth there is a God, and scripture that there is a Christ, As there is one God, the first cause of all, infinitely powerful, wise, and good, therefore it is but reasonable that he should be served, and according to his own will. But we have faulted in our duty to our creator, and therefore are in dread of his justice. Certainly reasonable creatures have immortal souls, and so die not as the beasts ; therefore there is no true happiness in these things wherein men ordinarily seek it. Is it not then a blessed discovery that God hath brought life and immortality to light by Jesus Christ ; that he sent him into the world to be a propitiation, and to satisfy his justice, and to redeem us from our guilty fears ? And shall we neglect this great salvation brought to us by Jesus Christ, or coldly seek after it ? Surely God is willing to be reconciled to man, or else he would pre- sently have plunged us into our eternal state, as he did the angels upon their first sinning. But he waitcth, and beareth with many in- conveniences; he beseecheth us, and prayeth us to be reconciled. And ' how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which was first spoken by the Lord, and then confirmed unto us by them that heard him ; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?' Heb, 2-4. Would holy men cheat the world with an imposture, or would God be accessory in lending his power to do such marvellous things ? It cannot be.
And then for the third : Is not this a part of the word of God, which holy men have written to consign it to the use of the church in all ages? 1 John ii. 25, ' This is the promise which he hath pro- mised us, eternal life.' Is not this God's promise? And will not God be mindful and regardful of his word? He was wont to be ten- der of it : Ps. cxxxviii. 2, ' Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name;' above all that is named, or famed, or spoken and believed of God. His truth and trustiness is most conspicuous. In the new covenant he hath given his solemn oath, as well as his word, that the heirs of promise ' might have strong consolation,' Heb. vi. 18. What
IIeb. X. 3D.] THE excellency of saving faith. 145
is the matter that my belief of these things is so cold and ineffectual ? If , this be God's promise, and he hath put in no exception against me to exclude me from the benefit of this promise, what is the reason why I can no more encourage myself in the Lord to seek after this salva- tion, but am disturbed so often by distracting fears and cares, and so easily misled by vain delights ? Thus should we excite our faith.
But I digress too long.
3. The nature of this faith I express by a trust and confidence. There is in faith an assent, which is sufficient when the object requireth no more. As there are some speculative principles wliich are merely to be believed, as they lead on to other things, Heb. xi. 3, there an intellectual assent sufiiceth. But there are other things which are propounded, not only as true, but good. There, not only an in- tellectual assent is required, but a practical assent, or such as is joined with consent and affiance ; as suppose when Christ pi-omiseth eternal life to the serious Christian or mortified believer ; there must be not only an assent, or a believing that this proposal and offer is Christ's, and that it is true ; but there must be a consent to choose it for my portion and happiness, and then a confidence and dependence upon Christ for it, though it lie out of sight, and in the meantime I be ex- ercised with sundry difficulties and temptations. Trust is not a bare opinion of Christ's fidelity, but a dependence upon his word. I do believe thei-e is a God, and that there is a Christ, I do well. I do believe that this God in Christ hath brought life and immortality to light, I do well still ; but I must do more. I believe that he hath assured his disciples and followers, that if they continue faithful with him, they shall have eternal life : John v. 24, ' Verily, verily, I saj' unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation.' I know that Christ hath fidelity and sufficiency enough to make good his word. This is well, but I must go farther ; that is to say, I must choose this eternal life that is offered to me for my felicity and por- tion ; this is consent : and I must continue w^ith patience in well- doing, depending upon his faithful word whilst I am in the pursuit of it ; this is trust or confidence. As this world is vanity, and hath nothing in it worthy to be compared with the hopes which Christ hath given me of a better life, so I choose it for my happiness. But as I judge him faithful that hath promised, and depend upon him that he will make good his word, though this happiness be future, and lieth in another, an unseen, an unknown world, to which there is no coming but by faith, this is the trust, and by that name it is often expressed in scripture. It is nothing else but a sure and comfortable dependence upon God through Jesus Christ, in the way of well-doing, for the gift of eternal life : Ps. cxii. 7, ' His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.' So Isa. xxvi. 3, ' Thou keepest him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.' The New Testament also useth this term, 2 Cor. iii. 4, ' Such trust have we through Christ to Godward ; ' and 1 Tim. iv, 10, ' For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God.' Well, then, this trust is more than an assent or bare persuasion of the mind that the promises are true ; yea, it is more than a motion of the