And revelation, and a trusting and relying upon the me- SER M. rits of CHRIST, is included in the fcripture notion of CCXXVI. faith, will evidently appear to any that will confider thefe texts. Rom. i. Rom. i. 5." By whom we have re"ceived grace and apostleship for obedience to the "faith among all nations for his name;" where the belief of the gospel is called "the obedience of the "faith." Rom. v. 16. "But they have not all obeyed the gofpel: for Efaias faith, LORD, who "hath believed our report ?" but if faith do not include obedience, how could he prove that there were fome that did not obey the gofpel, because Ifaiah faid, there were fome that did not believe it? fo likewife by comparing, 1 Tim iv. 10. where he is faid to be the SAVIOUR of them that believe," with Heb. v. 9. where he is faid to be the "author "of eternal falvation unto all them that obey him." As alfo by comparing Gal. v. 6. where it is faid, "for in JESUS CHRIST, neither circumcifion avail"eth any thing, nor uncircumcifion; but faith which "worketh by love," with 1 Cor. vii. 19. " circum"cifion is nothing, and uncircumcifion is nothing; "but the keeping of the commandments of God." And fo likewife by thofe texts, where unbelief and difobedience are equivalently used. I will but mention one, Heb. iii. 12. The apoftle, from the example of the Ifraelites, cautions Chriftians againft unbelief; "take heed, brethren, left there be in any of 66 you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from "the living GOD." And repeating the fame caution in the next chap. at the 11 ver. he varies the phrafe a little; "left any man fall after the fame ex ample of difobedience:" the word is awella, which indeed our tranflators render unbelief, but that confirms that which I bring it for, that difobedience and. SERM. and unbelief are the fame. And fo likewife we find CCXXVI. faith and difobedience oppofed frequently in fcripture. John iii. 36. "He that believeth on the Son "hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not "the Son, fhall not fee life." In the greek it is, "he that obeyeth not the Son," as you will fee in the margin of the bible. 1 Pet. ii. 7. " Unto you "therefore which believe he is precious; but unto "them which be difobedient, the ftone which the "builders difallowed, the fame is made the head of "the corner." And this doth likewise appear in all thofe texts, wherein repentance, and our forgiving of others, and feveral other acts of obedience are made the conditions of our juftification; or the omiffion of them, fins, as well as faith. So that we cannot be faid to be juftified by faith alone, unless that faith include in it obedience. I have infifted the longer upon this, because the right understanding the fcripture-notion of faith in CHRIST doth very much depend upon this: and if this one thing, that the fcripture-notion of faith doth include in it obedience to the precepts of the gofpel, were but well understood and confidered, it would filence and put an end to those infinite controverfies about faith and juftification, which have fo much troubled the chriftian world, to the great prejudice of practical religi on, and holiness of life. Secondly, that this is truly and properly christian faith. Which I fhall prove by these two arguments. 1. Because it includes a belief of the whole gospel, or of all the revelation which Gop hath made to the world by JESUS CHRIST. And certainly there cannot be a more proper notion of christian faith, than to believe the revelation which God hath made by JESUS CHRIST: but to "believe that JESUS is the "CHRIST, "CHRIST, the Son of God," doth include this. For SERM. CCXXVI. whofoever believes him to be the Meffias, and the Son of God, believes him to have come from GOD, and to be authorized and commiffioned by him to make known his mind to the world, and confequently will believe whatever he delivers. For whoever believes the goodness and veracity of GoD, as every man does that believes a GOD, cannot but affent to the truth of every thing which he is fatisfied comes from GOD. 2. That to believe that JESUS is the CHRIST, "the Son of GOD," is truly and properly chriftian faith, or the faith of the gofpel, will appear by confidering how the fcriptures of the new teftament do constantly describe to us the faith of the gospel; and you shall find they do it, either by the very phrase in the text, or other phrases and metaphors equiva→ lent to them; or elfe by a belief of that which is the great argument and confirmation of CHRIST's being the Meffias, the Son of GOD. Very often the faith of the gospel is defcribed by the very phrase in the text, "believing that Jesus is the CHRIST, and that "he is the Son of God." John iv. 41, 42." And many more believed, because of his own word; "and faid unto the woman, Now we believe; not "because of thy faying: for we have heard him our "felves, and know that this is indeed the CHRIST, "the SAVIOUR of the world." John vi. 69. " And "we believe and are fure, that thou art that CHRIST, "the Son of the living God." John xi. 27. fays Martha to CHRIST, "Yea, LORD, I believe that "thou art the CHRIST, the Son of God, which "fhould come into the world." Acts viii. 37. "I "believe that JESUS CHRIST is the Son of God." 1 John iii. 23. "And this is his commandment, that VOL. XI. T "we SER M. we fhould believe on the name of his Son JESUS "commandment", that is, that we fhould believe on 66 Sometimes the faith of the Gofpel is defcribed to us by other phrafes that are tantamount to thefe; fuch as fignify that he came from GOD, and was fent "by him into the world," and was the Meffias whom they expected. John iii. 2. Nicodemus defcribes his faith in CHRIST thus, "I know that thou "art a teacher come from GOD." John vi. 29. "This is the work of GoD, that ye believe on him "whom he hath fent," that is, that ye believe me to be fent from GOD. John viii. 24. "For if ye "believe not that I am he, ye fhall die in your fins," that is, if ye believe not, that I am the Meffias, whom you expect and look for. And fo John xiii. 19. "that ye may believe that I am he." And I John xi. 42. "that they may believe that thou haft "fent me." And John xvi. 30. by this we be"lieve that thou cameft forth from GOD." And John xvii. 8. "they have believed that thou didst "fend me.' Sometimes the faith of the gofpel is expreffed by meta metaphors equivalent to thefe expreffions, as by SER M. coming to CHRIST, and receiving him as the true CCXXVI. Meffias, in feveral places; and fometimes by believing that which is the great argument and confirmation that CHRIST was the true Meffias, the Son of GOD, that is, believing his refurrection from the dead. Rom. iv. 24. "To whom it fhall be imput"ed" for righteousness, if we believe on him that "raifed up JESUS our LORD from the dead." Rom. x. 9. "If thou fhalt confefs with thy mouth the "LORD JESUS, and fhalt believe in thine heart, that "GOD hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be “faved." Col. ii. 12. "Through the faith of the "operation of GOD, who raifed him up from the "dead." Where faith is defcribed by a belief of the power whereby CHRIST was raised from the dead. And to mention no more, 1 Pet. i. 21. "who by "him do believe in GoD, that raifed him up from "the dead." Now the reafon why the faith of the gofpel is described by the belief of CHRIST's refurrection is, because whoever believes that CHRIST was raised from the dead, cannot but be fatisfied, that this great miracle was a fufficient atteftation that he was no impoftor, but that he was what he pretended to be, viz. the Son of God; and confequently that he ought to be believed and obeyed in all things. And thus much may fuffice to have spoken to this seventh obfervation. Eighth obfervation, that to "believe that JESUS is "the CHRIST, the Son of GOD," is truly and properly fanctifying, and juftifying, and faving faith. So the text tells us, that this faith gives us life; "but "these 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;" |