Then the other act of God is, the imputation of the righteousness of Christ to us. It is not enough to us that our sins are all carried away into a land not inhabited; we stand in need of a righteousness whereby we may be accepted before God. He makes us to be the righteousness of God; we do not make ourselves so, but are made so by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ.
Our second act of faith, that God may stir us up unto in this ordi- nance, is, to " receive the atonement." So the apostle expresses it, Rom. v. 11. We receive together with it all the fruits of the atone- ment.
Now, if the Lord will be pleased to stir up our hearts from under their deadness, — to gather them in from their wanderings, to make us sensible of our concern, to give us the acting of faith in this matter, that truly and really the holy God has laid all our iniquities upon Christ, and tenders to us life, righteousness, justification, and mercy by him, — we shall then have the fruit of this administration.
600 SACRAMENTAL DISCOURSES.
DISCOURSE XVIII.1
I shall offer a few words, with a view to prepare our minds to the exercise of faith and communion with God in this ordinance : and because we ought to be in the highest exercise of faith in this ordi- nance, I shall take occasion from those words, which express as high an acting of faith, I think, as any is in the Scripture ; I mean those words of the apostle in
Gal. ii. 20, — "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Our inquiry now is, How we may act faith? It acts two ways: —
1. By way of adherence, — cleaving to, trusting and acquiescing in, God in Christ, as declaring his love, grace, and good-will in his pro- mises. This is the faith whereby we live, whereby we are justified, — the faith without which this ordinance will not profit, but disadvan- tage us ; for without this faith we cannot discern the Lord's body, — we cannot discern him as crucified for us. This is that we are in an especial manner to examine ourselves about in reference. to a parti- cipation of this ordinance; for self-examination is a gospel institution proper for this ordinance. And this is the faith whereby we are in Christ; without which a participation of the outward signs and pledges of Christ will not avail us. So, then, with faith thus act- ing, we are to be qualified and prepared unto a participation of this ordinance.
2. Another way by which faith ought to act in this ordinance, is that of special application. " Who loved me, and gave himself for me;" — this is faith acting by particular application. 1 hope the Lord has given us that faith whereby we may be prepared for this ordi- nance. And now I am to inquire and direct you a little in that faith which you may act in this ordinance. I say, it is this faith of special application to our own souls that God now requires we should act; and I prove it thus: — It is because in this ordinance there is a proposition, tender, and communication of Christ to every one in par- ticular. In the promise of the gospel Christ is proposed indefinitely, to all that believe ; and so the faith I mentioned before (of acquies- cence in him) answers what is required of us by virtue of the promise in the gospel : but in this ordinance, by God's institution, Christ is tendered and given to me and to thee, — to every one in particular; for it is by his institution that the elements in this ordinance are
1 Delivered April 16, 1676.
SACRAMENTAL DISCOURSES. 601
distributed to every particular person, to show that there is a tender and communication of Christ to particular persons. Now, such a particular communication is to be received by this particular faith, the faith of application, to receive him to our own souls.
And then, moreover, one great end of the ordinance is, manifestly, that it requires the acting of faith in a particular way of application to every one of us. It is for a farther incorporation of Christ in our souls; it is for receiving Christ as nourishment, — as the bread that came down from heaven, — as giving his body and blood for spiritual food. Now every one knows, that whatever feasts be prepared in the world, unless every one in particular takes his own portion, and eats and digests it, it will not turn to nourishment unto him. This particular act of application answers that eating, drinking, and digest- ing, which the nature of the ordinance does require. So, brethren, this is that I aim at, — that it is our duty, in this ordinance, to act a particular faith as to the application of Christ and all his benefits, each one to his own soul.
You will say, then, "What is the special object of this special faith?" Truly that which the apostle tells us here ; — it is special love, in the first place ; and it is the special design of the death of Christ, in the next place: "Who loved me, and gave himself for me." The object you ought to fix upon, in the exercise of this faith of application to your own souls, is the special love of Christ, — that Christ had a spe- cial love, not only to the church in general, but the truth is, Christ had a special love for me in particular. It will be a very hard thing for you or me to rise up to an act of faith that Christ hath a love for us in particular, unless we can answer this question, Why should Christ love you or me in particular? What answer can I give hereto, when I know he does not love all the world? I can give but this answer to it. Even because he would. I know nothing in me, or in any of you, that can deserve his love. Was there ever such a thing heard of, — that Christ should have a particular love for such as we are? would ever any person go and fix his love on a creature who was all over lep- rous ? is this the manner of man ? Truly, Christ would never have fixed his love upon any of our poor, defiled, leprous souls, but upon this one consideration, I know I can cleanse them, and I tvill. He loved us.