1 . The gospel holdeth out a way how poor sinners may be accepted with God, a way wherein God will look after sinners : 2 Sam. xix. 28, as Mephibosheth said to David, ' For all of my father's house were but as dead men before my lord the king ; yet didst thou set thy ser- vant among them that eat at thine own table.' All we were as dead men before God : Ezek. xvi. 6, ' I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood. Live ; yea, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, Live.' The expression is doubled, because that is a notable circum- stance, that God should seek to them twice, that he should look upon them when they were in their blood, that he should think of poor sinners, that could expect nothing but the sentence of condemnation,
2. The gospel holdeth out a way how sinners may be made right- eous. If we are vile in ourselves, yet we shall be glorious and comely in Christ : Ezek. xvi. 14, ' For it was perfect through my comeliness, which I have put upon thee ;' Zcch. iii. 4, 'I will cause thine iniqui- ties to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.' If thine own garments l)e filthy, Christ will give thee the royal robe of his righteousness : Luke xv. 22, ' Bring forth tlie best robe, and put it on him.' We have raiment out of Christ's own wardrobe.
3. It showeth a way how God cometh to be delighted in the per- sons, and prayers, and services of poor sinners : Frov. xv. 8, ' The
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prayer of the upright is liis delight ;' Prov. xi. 20, 'But such as are upright in their way are his delight.' Alas ! we do not deserve the meanest respect with God ; as Abigail said to David, 1 Sam. xxv. 41, ' Let thine handmaid be a servant, to wash the feet of the servants of my lord;' Isa. Ixii. 3, 'Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord.' Oh, therefore let us prize the gospel, and never leave till we have gotten a share in it. Tlie corn in Egypt will not nourish us, unless we go and fetch it : Mark x. 49, ' Be of good com- fort, rise, he calleth thee.'
Doct. 2. That faith is a knowledge, or an apprehension of Jesus Christ. So it is called here.
To clear and vindicate the point, and to recover it out of the hands of exception, observe —
1. That the doctrine I have laid down is not convertible ; for there is a knowledge, and there are apprehensions of Christ that are not faith; every faith hath knowledge, but every knowledge is not faith.
2. The doctrine is not an adequate and absolute definition of faith ; for there is more than knowledge in faith. There is a firm assent, consent, and affiance. So that the point is not exclusive of other acts of it, but only to show what is a most necessary and radical act of faith ; and the sense of it will be this : In faith there is a knowledge, and that only because of the prophet's word here, and because know- ledge is the most necessary and first act of faith ; therefore did I put it in this form. So that I do not only make faith to be a knowledge, and an assent to the truths of the gospel, as some do, mistaking the nature of it ; nor, with the papists, make this knowledge to be some general apprehension and avowing the articles of religion. But I shall show you by and by what kind of knowledge is here meant.
But to determine the point, or to prove the acts of it ; it appeareth that faith is knowledge by these hints from scripture.
1. Because the effects and consequents of faith are given to know- ledge : as knowledge is said to justify here, and life eternal is said to be through knowledge, John xvii. 3 ; and ' grace and peace ' is said to be ' multiplied through knowledge,' 2 Peter i. 2. And so Luke i. 77, ' To give the knowledge of salvation to his people.' And the work of faith is called ' the knowledge of salvation.'
2. Because the most considerable acts of faith are expressed by words that are proper to knowledge, and belong to the understanding ; and yet that barely is not sufficient : Job xix. 25, ' I know that my Redeemer liveth,' for ' I believe.' And Mat. xiii. 23, ' He thatheareth the word, and understandeth it ; ' that is, understandeth and believeth it. And Eph. i. 28, ' The eyes of your understandings being en- lightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling.' But yet more expressly : John vi. 69, ' We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.' We believe, and iyvcoKUfMev ; we translate it, ' are sure that thou art the Son of the living God ; ' 2 Tim. i. 12, 'For I know in whom I have believed ;' and that is made the ground of his committing his soul to him, his knowledge of God : 1 John V. 20, • And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him.'