[3.] The prime benefits which faith respectetfi I make to be two — reconciliation with God, and the everlasting fruition of him in glory.
(1.) Reconciliation is necessarily eyed and regarded by the guilty soul.
First, Because there hath been a breach by which we have lost God's favour and happiness. We have to do with a God whose niiture engageth him to hate sin, and whose justice engageth him to punish it. And before we can be induced to treat with him, such a reconcilia- tion is necessary for all mankind as that he should be willing to deal with them upon the terra of a new covenant, wherein pardon and life might be oflered to penitent believers. This reconciliation is spoken of, 2 Cor. V. 19, ' God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto him- self, not imputing their trespasses: and halh committed unto us the word of reconciliation ;' that is, upon the sulficieiicy of Christ's sacrifice?, ransom, and satisfaction, there was so much done towards an actual reconciliation with God, that he offered a conditional covenant to as many as were willing to enter into his peace. He })rovided a sufficient remedy for the pardon of sin, if men would as heartily accept of it as it was freely given them ; and the office of ambassadors was appointed
1 Pet. 1. 9.] the excellency of saving faith. 157
to beseech men so to do. And unless this had been done, a guilty soul could never be brought to love a holy, sin-hating God, engaged by justice to damn the sinner. But it must be a loving, recopciled God, that is willing to forgive, that can be propounded as an object of faith and love, or as an amiable God to us : Ps. cxxx. 4, ' There is forgive- ness with thee, that thou'mayest be feared,'
Secondly, Pieconciliation is necessarily eyed by the penitent believer, because this reconciliation and recovery by Christ consists both in the pardon of sin and the gift of the sanctifying Spirit.
1st, One branch of the actual restitution of God's favour to us is the pardon of sin, without which we are not capable of life and happi- ness, Eph. i. 7. The possible conditional reconciliation consists in the ofier of pardon, and the actual reconciliation in the actual pardon and forgiveness of our transgressions, and then the man beginneth to be in a blessed estate, Ps. xxxii. 1, 2.
2dly, The other branch is the gift of the sanctifying Spirit, which is the great testimony and pledge of his love ; then is our pardon executed, or actually applied to us, and we receive the atonement, Eom. v. 11 ; and 2 Cor. v. 18, ' All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ ; ' that is, all things which belong to the new creature, ver. 17. And that is the reason why God is said to sanctify as a God of peace, that is, as reconciled to us in Christ : see 1 Thes. v. 23, ' And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly ; ' and Heb. xiii. 20, 21, ' Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will,' &c. And in all God's internal govern- ment with the saints, he showeth his pleasure or displeasure with the saints by giving or withholding and withdrawing the Spirit, as it were easy to prove to you. Well, then, you see the reasons why, in believing in Christ, we reflect the eye of our faith on reconciliation, as the prime initial benefit.
(2.) The next great consummating benefit is the everlasting fruition of God in glory ; for Christ's office is to recover us to God, and bring us to God, which is never fully and completely done till we come to heaven. Therefore the saving of the soul is the prime benefit offered to us by Jesus Christ, to which all other tend, as justification and sanctification, and by which all our pains and losses for Christ are re- compensed, and from which we fetch our comfort all along the course of our pilgrimage, and upon the hopes of which the life of grace is carried on, and the temptations of sense are defeated. So that this is the main blessing which faith aimeth at : see the scriptures, 1 Tim. i. 16, ' For a pattern to them who should hereafter believe on him to everlasting life.' AVherefore do men believe in Christ, but for this end, that they may obtain everlasting life ? Wherefore were the scriptures written? John xx. 31, ' These things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that be- lieving, ye might have life through his name.' The scriptures are written that we might know Christ aright, who is the kernel and mar- row of them ; and the chief benefit we have by him is life, or the sal- vation of our souls ; and therefore well may it be called in the text ' the end of our faith.'
158 THE EXCELLENCY OF SAVING FAITH. [1 PeT. I. 9.
[4.] In the next place, I add the immediate acts and effects of it : — (1.) Sucli as maketli us to forsake all things in this world ; and — (2.) Give up ourselves to the conduct of the word and Spirit, for the obtainini; this happiness.