[1.] Because the first radical act of faith is knowledge. There are
41G A TRACTICAL EXPOSITION UPON [ISA. LIII. 11.
three radical acts of fuitli — knowledge, assent, and affiance. The first is knowledge ; by that God begetteth persuasion and confidence in the spirit. God dealeth in the new creation, and framing of the heart to his own use and service, as he dealt in the old creation and framing of the world. The first creature that he made was light ; so in the new creation he shineth in upon the heart, and taketh away the natural blindness and folly of the spirit.
[2.] Because it is the property of the Hebrews to count and apply all words of knowledge and of the understanding to such affections as are suitable and becoming sucli knowledge ; so God's knowing and re- membering of us implieth his pity and relieving, and our remembering of God our duty and observance of him ; and in an ill sense imaginations are usually put for all those vicious affections following them. What the New Testament expresseth by lusts, the Old does by imaginations ; because the understanding being the great wheel of the soul, the scripture expresseth the good or ill carriage of the soul by acts proper to the understanding. By knowledge is meant such an apprehension of Christ according as he hath revealed himself in the gospel, so as to close with him, embrace him, and rely upon him for salvation, acknowledging and relying upon Christ for justification. To all such as thus know him, Christ will procure a perfect absolution from all their sins. By one act are implied the other acts of faith, it being the manner of the Hebrews thus to express themselves. And there- fore you must understand other suitable dispositions and goings out of the heart to Christ as will become such knowledge.
[3.] Because it is no unusual thing in scripture to make knowledge to be the hand to receive the greatest conveyances of grace : 2 Peter i. 2, ' Grace and peace be multii)lied unto you, through the knowledge of God, and Jesus Christ our Lord.' He maketh it to be multiplied, and shed into the heart through knowledge. So eternal life, which is the greatest of blessings : John xvii. 3, ' This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.' It is made to be a happy fruit of knowledge, even life eternal. The knowing of God in Christ entitleth us to it. Well, then, you see the reason of the expression why he saith ' by his knowledge.'
I shall give you the points : —
Doct. 1. That it is the privilege of the gospel to discover a way for the justification of sinners ' by his knowledge,' or by his doctrine; and you have that only in the gospel of Christ.
Doct. 2. That faith is knowleilge, or an api)rehension of Christ ; and therefore it is expressed by such a term here : ' the knowledge of him.'
Doct. 3. That by faith we are justified. He saith by his know- ledge, but he meaneth faith ; such a knowledge as is affective, such apjuehensions of Christ as cause answerable dispositions in the spirit.
For the first of these, that it is the privilege of the gospel to discover a way for the justification of sinners.
My woik shall be to show you : —
1. That by no other way, doctrine, or knowledge in the world, can tliis be done to make a sinner just l>efore Goil ; not by your vain pretences, that may serve to justify you before men, but not in the
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sight of God : Ps. cxliii. 2, * Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified ; ' which is quoted by the apostle. The business is to get a righteousness that will endure the eye of God: Eom. ii. 13, ' For the hearers of the law are not justified before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.' That is the intent of that verse ; that it is not appearances, but exact obedience, not any outward excellency and privilege, that could endear you to God's acceptance: Rom. ii. 11, 'For there is no respect of persons with God, bond or free, Jew or Gentile.' God is not charmed by any outward pomp and glory of the creatures ; the wicked may be justified for a reward. Men are apt to prize anything that is pompous. The disciples showed Christ the buildings of the temple, Mat. xxiv. 1. God did not regard Saul for his personage, nor Jezebel for her painting, nor Absalom for his beauty, nor Sodom for her beauty. Not any device of the creatures ; men and angels could not find out a way for the re-instating of sinners into the favour of God, and absolving them from their guilt. God himself seemeth to hint that he could find no other way : Isa. lix. 16, ' And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor ; therefore his arm brought salvation.' No endeavours or contrivance of the creature would serve the turn ; our own prayers and endeavours, lashing and punishing others, will not serve the turn ; nor the law, which is the chiefest thing that discovereth a way of justification, but not for the justification of sinners, for the making of a man righteous, but not for the making of a sinner righteous : if a man could walk up to the exactness of it, yet how shoufd he do to redeem his soul from guilt, and to expiate sin ? Papists fondly dream of a satisfaction in the creature's endeavours. Alas ! all will not do : ' The law is weak through our flesh : ' Rom. viii. 3 ; that is, we being weak creatures, it were impossible it should be done that way. The law in itself might have done it, were it not that we were sinners ; and therefore mere doing will not serve. Doing indeed may make us less sinners, but it cannot make us righteous. But alas! we are weak through the flesh, and we cannot do anything : Rom. iv. 5, ' But believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly ; ' that is the circumstance that maketh it emphatically glorious.