Εικόνες σελίδας
PDF
Ηλεκτρ. έκδοση

Now, if these two were carefully diftinguished, and that people confidered, that it is the former, namely, fiducial perfuafion, that we put into the nature of faith, as effential to it, not the latter, namely, evidential perfuafion, which is confequential to it; it would prevent many mistakes, and mifreprefentations on this head; as if some placed affurance fo in the nature of faith, as that none were to be reckoned believers, but fuch as have this full evidential perfuafion, and affurance of fenfe, which is a grofs mifapprehenfion of matters, and flows from the confounding of this twofold perfuafion, which differs as much as faith and fenfe; affurance of faith carries in it the perfuafion of the faithfulness of God in the promife; the affurance of sense carries in it a perfuafion of the reality of grace in the heart by the one we fee with our eyes, as it were; by the other we handle with our hands the word of life: the one, to wit, Faith, is begun-vifion; the other, to wit, Senfe, is begun-fruition: affurance of faith is effential to faith, the affurance of fenfe is confequential to it, and not always in, or with it. And hence we fay, with respect to this evidential affurance and perfuafion, as our Confeflion hath it, That it does not 'fo belong to the effence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many dif 'ficulties, before he be partaker of it; namely, of that affurance, that is grounded upon the inward evidence of grace, and teftimony of the Spirit, which is the affurance of fenfe there spoken of; but the affurance of faith, which is founded upon the divine truth of the promise of falvation, and upon the word of God without us, as the object thereof, this must be as effential to faith, as feeing is effential to the eye. yet this will not fay, that the believer hath always even this fiducial perfuafion, unlefs his faith be in exercise : for, as it is in the nature of the eye to fee, though the man, that hath eyes, is fometimes fleeping, or winking, or dim-fighted; fo it is in the nature of faith, to be perfuaded of the favour and good-will of God in Chrift, as revealed in the word of grace, though he, that hath this faith, is fometimes doubting; fometimes

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

And

faith

faith is not exercifed; fometimes the eye of faith is dimmed with the duft of corruption and unbelief. It is with faith, as with other graces; as fome have a true love to Chrift, yet dare not fay they love, because they have fo much enmity remaining: they have true grace, but dare not fay they have it, because they have too much fin and corruption; but their doubting of their love and grace does not infer, that they have no love, no grace; fo fome have this fiducial perfuafion and affurance of faith, who yet dare not fay they have it, because they have fo much unbelief and so many doubts but as love is oppofite to enmity, and grace opposite to corruption, tho' they are in the fame fubje&; fo is faith oppofite to doubting, in its very nature, even though faith and doubting may be in the fame believer, as light and darkness in the fame air: yet their natures are oppofite to one another.

As this fiducial act of gathering to Shiloh imports a believing perfuafion, so alfo a particular application. In the offer of the gospel, falvation is particularly held forth to every one, faying, "The promife is to you; to you is the word of this falvation fent;" therefore in gathering to Chrift, people are to lay hold on falvation to themfelves particularly: Chrift came to fave finners, of whom, fays Faith, I am the chief; mercy is held out to me, and I lay hold on it as held out to me. As when the law comes with power, it fays not only in the general, All have finned; but it comes in particular, faying, You have finned; and makes you fay, I am the man, the finful man, the guilty man, the condemned man: fo when the gofpel comes with power, it fpeaks to the perfon particularly, faying, not only, "Chrift came to fave finners;" but, Here is a Saviour for you: and the foul is made to fay, I am concerned in this. The gospel offers life and falvation to the poor foul particularly, and he is commanded to believe for falvation particularly; and the man believes with particular application. Thus a certain divine illuftrates it: "As the "fad fentence of the law, generally and indefinitely "held forth in the fcripture, is particularly applied for "his (viz. the man's) conviction and condemnation;

66

"fo the precious promife of the gofpel, generally and indefinitely held forth to all finners, that hears the "gofpel, is particularly applied for falvation:" and without this particular application, there is no effectual gathering to Shiloh.When gofpel-light fhines into the heart of the awakened finner, it applies the promife particularly to itself, as it did formerly apply the threatenings of the law particularly; and as from the law it did particularly condemn itfelf; fo now, from the gofpel, it does by faith particularly abfolve itfelf, or rather find itfelf abfolved from the law-fentence, in its being helped to make particular application of the gofpel-promifes. Again,

4. In gathering to Shiloh, the people that are brought to him, are made to act evangelically, or to believe in a gospel-manner; to receive and reft upon him as he is offered to us in the gofpel.-There is a gofpel-ground, on which the people gather: legal faith acts upon a legal ground, fuch as inherent ftrength, and natural righ teousness; but true faith acts upon the ground of a borrowed ftrength, and an imputed righteoufnefs of another, faying, "In the Lord have I righteoufnefs and ftrength," Ifa. xlv. 24. This gathering to Shiloh is a felf-renouncing bufinefs, ftripping the man of his own righteoufnefs, of his own ftrength, and taking him entirely off his own bottom: they that are gathered to Christ, are gathered out of themselves. There is a gofpel-rule alfo, whereby they gather, in a fuitableness to the gofpel-offer and difpenfation; "So we preach, and fo ye believed," 1 Cor. xv. 11. II. Faith anfwers the gofpel-call, as the imprefs upon the wax does anfwer the engravings of the feal; fo Chrift offers himself, and fo finners gather unto him, and believe in him for wifdom, righteoufnefs, fanctification, and redemption.-Hence again, there is a gofpel-order, wherein the gathering of the people is to him; the foul, in coming to him, receives firft the person, and then the portion; even as God gives Chrift, and then with him all things, Rom. viii. 32. The people gather to him in a day of power, firft, as JESUS, and then, as a LORD; firit, E 2

for,

[ocr errors]

for JUSTIFICATION, and then, for SANCTIFICATION *. Legal adventures invert this gospel-order, seeking fanctification firft, that upon that bottom it may build its juftification: Seeking righteousnefs, as it were, by the works of the law," Rom. ix. 32. And however confufed and indiftin&t the true believer's faith may be, in his first believing, yet repeated acts of faith, may af terwards make it more and more evident to him; that right believing is in the forefaid gofpel-order.-There is a gofpel-warrant, upon which this gathering pro- . ceeds; they that gather to Shiloh act warrantably, upon the warrant of an objective fufficiency: there is a fufficient Chrift prefented. O the fufficiency of his perfon; being God-man in one perfon! the fufficiency of his offices and commiffion, being fealed of God to be a Surety, a Saviour, a Prophet, a Prieft, and King! the fufficiency of his righteoufnefs, his doing and dy、 ing, his obedience and fatisfaction! the fufficiency of his power, as being able to fave to the uttermoft! the fufficiency of his will, while he proclaims his good-will towards men; and that God is in Chrift reconciling the world to himself! They gather upon the warrant of a general gofpel-difpenfation of grace through Chrift, in the external revelation of the word, where the elect are not characterised more than others, but life and falvation through Chrift is held out to finners of mankind, without diftinction of nation, state, or condition; and fo in an indefinite way. Thus run all the promifes, except thefe that are made to believers, or fuch as have grace already: to them indeed the promises are definite; fo alfo they are definite to the elect, in the decree of heaven; but in the external difpenfation of the gofpel, they are indefinite and general, faying, " To you belongs the covenants and the promifes," Rom. ix. 4. And as the promife is indefinite, fo the call is univerfal, whether by exhortations, invitations, intreaties, counfels, or commands, to all and every one, to come and receive Chrift, and all his fure mercies freely, Ifa.

* See this important point of doctrine copiously handled, Vol. III. page 40, 45. 69,-71.

lv. I.

lv. I.

-

And upon thefe gofpel-warrants do the people gather to Shiloh. In a word, the whole covenant, and all the promises of it, are held forth to all the people, that they may gather to it; "I will give thee for a covenant of the people," Ifa. xlii. 6. Hence we are faid, to receive the promise through faith, Gal. iii. 14. to be perfuaded of them, and embrace them, Heb. xi. 13. and the faith we are called to, is faid to be a receiving of the word, Дcts ii. 41.; a taking hold of his covenant, Ifaiah lvi. 4.; a believing of the teftimony, 2 Theff. i. 10. Chrift cannot he received, but as he is offered; he is not offered to us, but in a word, a promife, a teftimony: hence the fubftantial act of faith being an affent, there muft be a word, promife, or teftimony, for faith's immediate object, wherein we fee and receive Chrift: if a man would fee his fhadow in a glass, he first looks to the glafs, and through it fees his own fhadow, or image; the glafs is the immediate object, to which his fight is directed: fo, in order to our feeing of Chrift, the glafs of the gofpel-promife is fet before us. Thus a difplayed covenant of grace, as flanding faft in Chrift, feems to be the warrant for the people gathering to Shiloh, Jer. 1. 5. "Come and let us join ourfelves to the Lord, in a perpetual covenant, (fays our translation) that fhall not be forgotten:" I know this is viewed, by fome, in another fenfe, with reference to our covenanting; but I think the original reading that others notice, is very pleasant and evangelical; for it may be read, Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord, the perpetual covenant fhall not be forgotten: q. d. Come and let us gather together unto Shiloh; why, the everlasting covenant, that ftands faft in him, who is the all of the cove. nant, fhall never be forgotten. And fo it may be viewed, as an encouragement of faith, and reafon for the gathering of the people to him; behold he is given for a covenant of the people, and this perpetual covenant fhall not be forgotten.Thus they are made to act evangelically.

5. In gathering to Shiloh, the people that are brought to him, are made to act cordially and fpontaneously, with heart and will; yea, with a thoufand good-wills :

E 3

Q take

« ΠροηγούμενηΣυνέχεια »