[1.] Accepting Christ in the word. Faith is expressed by receiving him : John i. 12, ' To as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name.' Re- ceiving is a relative word, and presupposeth God's offer. Art thou willing to take Christ upon these terms ? Yes, saith the soul, with all my heart ; I accept him as a sanctinei-, as a saviour, and I can venture all in his hands. Then you answer God's question. How often doth God lay forth the excellences of Christ, and none regard him ? But a poor hunger-bitten conscience prizeth him, receiveth him with all his heart, and entertaineth him in the soul with all respect and reverence. This is to take Christ, to accept him as Lord and Saviour upon God's offer. As when Isaac was offered to Rebekah, ' Laban and Bethuel answered, saying, The thing proceedeth from the Lord ; we cannot speak unto thee good or bad,' Gen xxiv. 50 ; they consented to take him, because they saw God in it. So they see God tendering Christ in the word, and they are willing to take him upon his own conditions.
[2.] By making use of him in prayer. The great use of Christ is that we may come to God by him : Heb. vii. 25, ' Wherefore he is able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by him.' We must make our approaches to God for supplies of grace, in the con- fidence of his merit. It is a great fault in christians that they do so little think of this act of faith. We are busy about applying Christ to ourselves. The great use of Christ is in dealing with God : Heb. X. 19, ' Having therefore boldness, brethren, to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.' Every prayer that you make with any con- fidence and liberty of spirit, it cost Christ his heart's blood. He knew
VeR. 20.] SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. 21
that guilt is shy of God's presence, as the malefactor trembleth to come before the judge : Eph. iii. 12, ' In whom we have boldness, and access ■with confidence, through the faith of him.' Surely the apostle speaketh dejure, not what is de facto. We have low and dark thoughts, as if we had no such liberty purchased for us ; irapprjaLav e-)(o^ev, we may be free with God. It is the fruit of Ciu-ist's purchase. Christ's name .signifieth much in heaven.
Use. Can you thus believe in Christ, take him out of God's hand ? No ; I cannot apply Christ. I answer — Yet disclaim, when you cannot apply : Phil. iii. 9, ' And be found in him, not having my own right- eousness, which is after the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God thiough faith.' And apply yourselves to Christ when you cannot apply Christ to you ; that is, cast yourselves upon Christ. You have warrant enough from the Avord. There is an adventure of faith when there is no persuasion of interest : 2 Tim. i. 12, ' I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that lie is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.' The venture is grounded on God's free offer of him to all sorts. When we rest on him, because we know he is ours, that is another thing ; there is trust, that is a fruit of propriety : 1 John v. 13, ' These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.' But the adventure is grounded on the offer, as a child holds fast his father in the dark ; mariners cast anchor at midnighf. And ripen faith more ; all faith draweth to particular applica- tion. The lowest degree is a desire to lay hold on Christ as our Saviour ; this is the tendency and aim of the least faith, though we do not leap into full assurance at first ; as a man that climbeth up to the top of the tree, first he catcheth hold of the lowest boughs, and so by little and little he windeth himself into the tree till he cometh to the top.
Secondly, The next thing is the warrant or instrument, ' Through their word.' It is not meant only of those that heard the apostles in person. By 'their word' is meant the scripture, which was not only ])reached by them at first, but written by them ; as Paul saith, Kom. ii. 16, 'In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel;^ that is, which I have published and delivered to the church in writing : John xv. IG, ' Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.' By their ' fruit ' is meant the public treasure of the churcli, the scrij)tures, and that remaineth in all ages until Christ come ; as the Jews were children of the prophets, that never heard them, Acts iii. 2.5. So were we con- verted by their word.