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fchools, an imporate, or commanded act of faith, he is indeed welcome to do fo for us; if he only maintain that it is not poffible, but the believing foul, while in the exercife of faith, muft fincerely love the truth, as it is in Chrift, when known and acknowledged, rejoicing that these things are true, and delighting itself in that truth: far otherwife than the devils and wicked men, who, what they know to be true, they could wish to be falfe.

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and thirst

after

XVIII. Hence arifes a fourth act of faith, a hunger, Hence a and thirst after Chrift, For the believing foul know hunger ing, acknowledging and loving the truths of fal vation cannot bus wifh, that all thofe things, which Chrift. are true in Chrift, may also be true to him, and that he may be fanctified and bleffed in and by those truths: And he feriously defires, that, having been alienated from the life of God,thro' fin, he may be again fealed unto the glory of God by free juftification, and in that by fanctification. This is that bunger and thirst after righteousness, mentioned Mat 5: 6. And praywhat reafon can be given, why he, who believes and feels himself a moft miferable creature, and is fully perfuaded, that he can be delivered from his mifery by nothing either in heaven, or on earth; who fees, at the fame time, the fulness of that falvation, which is in Chrift; and is affured he can. never obtain salvation, unless he be united to Christ who, from his very foul, loves that truth that treats of the fulness of falvation which is in Chrift alone, and in communion with him; how is it poffible, I fay, that fuch a perfon fhould not ferioufly and ardently defire to have Chrift dwelling in him, feek, and pant after this, and indeed with fuch longings, as nothing short of the poffeffion of the thing defired can fatisfy as hunger and thirt are only allayed by meat and drink.

XIX. This hunger and thirft are followed by a This fol lowed by receiving of Christ the Lord for juftification, fancti- a receivfication and fo for compleat falvation: which is the

ing of

fifth, Christ.

fifth, and indeed, the formal and principal act of
faith. Thus the heavenly father freely offers his
fon to the fick and weary foul; and Chrift the Lord
offers himself with all his benefits, and the fulness of
falvation which is in him, faying, behold me, behold
me, Ifa. 65. 1. And the foul now confcious of its
own mifery, and with joy and hope obferving the
fulness of falvation, that is in Chrift, and earnestly
defiring with him, cannot but lay hold
on, a cour
with the highest complacency of foul
that extraordinary bleffing thus offered, and thus,
by receiving appropriate or make it his own.
by this act, at length Chrift becomes the peculiar
property of the believing foul. Thus it lays claim
to whatfoever is Chrift's, which is offered, at the
fame time, with Chrift, and above all, the right-
coufnefs of Chrift, which is the foundation of fal-
vation. And in this manner, by apprehending
Chrift, he is united to him; and being united to
him, he is judged to have done and suffered, what
Chrift, as his furety, did and fuffered in his room
and ftead. And thus it is eafy to understand, how
we are juftified by faith on Chrift.

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And

I 304 Of which XX: The fcripture more than once reprefents the Scrip- this act of faith in express terms. Remarkable is ture often the paffage John 1. 12, as many as received him,

Speaks,

biphatically faid Ifa. 27.

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which is equivalent to them that believe on his name. and Col. 2. 6. as ye have therefore received Chrift Jefus the Lord: to which may be added, what the Lord has very 5, we in, let bim take faft bold of my strength, or my tower; fo as not to let it go. For i take faft bold of, and no, let go, are oppofed Prov. 4. 13..... XXI. But because the foul, thus with a re-Chrift for falvation, does, at the fame time, recline, and Chintay itself upon him, therefore this act of faith is ex

Joined

רפח

thus apprehending

plained by this metaphor alfo, as F. 71. 6, by thee nɔnda Thy have I been bolden up (layed). Ifa. 48. 2.

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Stay themselves upon the God of Ifrael, pretending to
and feigning a true
true faith: ws, he is stayed, is ano
ther term used, Ifa. 50. 10, stay upon bis God; add
Ila. 10. 20. 2 Chron. 16. 7, 8. If you would fubtily
diftinguish this act of the believing foul, thus re-
clining and thus ftaying itself upon Chrift, from the
act of receiving Chrift, and make it pofterior thereto,
I thall not oppofe it. Let us therefore call this the
Sixth act of faith.

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XXII. Which we think, is very fignificantly expon ex preffed by the Hebrew word on which properly plained fignifies, to throw one's felf, in order to be carried, on the truth and power of another; as an infant throws itfelf to be carried on the arms of its nurfe. For, it is derived from 1, which properly fignifies to carry hence in a carrier, a nurfing father, Numb, 11. 12. carry them in thy bofom, as a nurfing father beareth the fucking child and ON fignifies to be carried, Ifa. 60. 4, thy daughters fhall be nurfed (carried) at thy fide. Instead of which it is faid, Ifa. 66. 12, 7 Nw, ye fhall be borne upon her fides. And Chrift really carries believers as nurflings, in his rsas bosom, Ifa. 40. 11; for Mofes alfo ufes that fimilitude, the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bare his fon, Deut. 1. 31, underneath are the everlasting argis, Deut. 33. 27: 7 therefore in virtue of its fignification denotes to give up oneself to be carried by Chrift, and fo to call himfelf into his bofom and arms. By which fimilitude the activity of the believing foul to wards Chrift is moft elegantly expreffed.

בחיקו ישא

,תנשאך

על עד

A

XXIII. Moreover, when the believer fo receives By faith Chrift and leans upon him, he not only confiders the foul him as a Saviour, but alfo as a Lord. For he receives gives itfelf up to a whole Chrift, and receiveth him just as he is but Chrift as he is no lets I Lord than a Saviour. Yea, he cannot be Lord. a Saviour, unlefs he be likewife a Lord. In this doth our falvation confift, that we neither belong to the devil, nor are our own, nor the property of any. creature, but of Chrift the Lord. Faith therefore

receives

Hence the

whofe

receives Chrift the Lord, Col. 2. 6. Nor does Chrift offer himself as a husband to the foul upon any other condition, but this, that he acknowledge him as his Lord, Pf. 45. 10, 11. And when the foul cafts himfelf upon Jefus, he, at the fame time, renounces his own will, and furrenders himfelf up to the will of Jefus, to be carried whitherfoever he pleaseth. Whence there is alfo in faith a humble furrender and giving up onefelf, whereby the believer, as in duty bound, yields himself, and all that is his, to Chrift, who is freely given him. I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine. Cant. 6. 3; 2 Cor. 8. 5, gave their own felves to the Lord. Almott in the fame form as Amafai, with his companions, gave themselves up to David, 1 Chron. 12. 18, thine are we, David, and on thy fide, thou fon of Jeffe. And this our furrender to Chrift, which we account the feventh act of faith, is the continual fountain and fpring of all true obedience, which is therefore called the obedience of faith,

Rom. 1. 5.

XXIV. After the believing foul has thus received fyllogifm Chrift, and given himself up to him, he may, and of faith, ought, thence to conclude, that Chrift with all his conclufion faving benefits are his, and that he fhall certainly be is, Chtift bleffed by him, according to this infallible fyllogifm, is mine. or reafoning, of faith Chrift offers himself as a

Whence arifes

full and compleat faviour to all, who are weary, hungry, thirsty, to all who receive him, and are ready to give themfelves up to him: but I am weary, hungry &c. Therefore Chrift has offer"ed himself to me, is now become mine, and I "his, nor fhall any thing ever feparate me from his

love." This is the eighth, and the reflex act of faith, arifing from consciousness or reflexion, Gal. 2. 20. 2 Tim. 1. 12. Rom. 8. 38.

XXV. Hence, in fine, the foul, now confcious of its union with Chrift by faith, obtains truft or cona happy fidence, tranquillity, joy, peace, and bold defiance tranquillity of foul, to all enemies and dangers whatever, a glorying in

the

the Lord, a glorying in adverfity; while the foul leans, (Stays itfelf) with delight on its beloved; with ftretched out arms throwing itfelf, or with its elbow fweetly leaning, upon him (po fignifies according to the Talmudifts the arm-pit) being affured of hutual communion and mutual love, while it fings, I am my beloved's, and his defire is towards me, Song. 7. to; it pioufly exults and delights itfelf in its Lord, is enebriated with his love, rejoices with joy unfpeakable and full of glory, 1 Pet 1. 8, and favingly melts at the glowing flames of reciprocal love; in one word; rejoices in the hope of the glory of God, Rom. 5.

2.

faid.

XXVI. We fhall now briefly compendize, as it Summary were, in one view, what we have fo largely explained. of what Faith comprehends the knowledge of the mystery of has been God, and of Chrift in the light of grace, the truth of which mystery the believer acknowledges with full affent of mind, on the authority of the teftimony of God. And not only fo, but he is alfo in love with that truth, exults therein and glorifies God, he likewise ardently defires communion with Chrift; that the things which are true in Chrift, may be alfo true to him for falvation: wherefore, when Chrift is offered to him by the word and fpirit, he receives him with the greatest complacency of foul, leans and rests upon him, and gives and furrenders himfelf to him; which done, he glories that Chrift is now his own, and, moft fweetly delights in him, repofing himself under the fhadow of the tree of life, and fatiating himself with it's most delicious fruits. This is the faith of God's elett, Tit. 1. 1, an invaluable gift, the bond of our union with Chrift, the fcale of paradife, the key of the ark of the covenant, with which its treasures are unlocked, the never ceafing fountain of a holy, quiet and bleffed life.

XXVII. If any imagines that he fpeaks more of the exactly, when he distinguishes these acts of faith, fo foregoing as to think fome of them preceed or go before faith acts of

11

VOL. II.

G

Strictly

faith,fome

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