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to sin, or the performance of duty, but it is influenced and under the guidance of the kingly power of Christ. I suppose we have herein not only the common faith, but also the common spiritual sense and experience of them all. They know that in their spiritual life it is he that liveth in them as the efficient cause of all its acts, and that without him they can do nothing. Unto him they have respect in every the most secret and retired actings of his grace, not only performed as under his eye, but by his assistance; on every occasion do they immediately in the internal actings of their minds look unto him, as one more present with their souls, than they are with themselves; and have no thoughts of the least distance of his knowledge or power. And two things are required hereunto.

1st, That he be kapdioyvwsns, that he have an actual inspection into all the frames, dispositions, thoughts, and internal actings of all believers in the whole world, at all times, and every moment. Without this, he cannot bear that rule in their souls and consciences which we have described, nor can they act faith in him, as their occasions do require. No man can live by faith on Christ, no man can depend on his sovereign power, who is not persuaded, that all the frames of his heart, all the secret groans and sighs of his spirit, all the inward labourings of his soul against sin, and after conformity to himself, are continually under his eye and cognizance. Wherefore it is said, that all things are naked and open unto his eyes,' Heb. iv. 13. And he says of himself, that he searcheth, that is, knoweth the hearts and reins of men,' Rev. ii. 23. And if these things are not the peculiar properties of the divine nature, I know nothing that may be so esteemed.

2dly, There is required hereunto an influence of power into all the internal actings of the souls of believers; an intimate efficacious operation with them in every duty, and under every temptation. These, all of them, do look for, expect, and receive from him, as the King and Head of the church. This also is an effect of divine and infinite power. And to deny these things unto the Lord Christ, is to raze the foundation of Christian religion. Neither faith in him, nor love unto him, nor dependence on him, nor obedience unto his

authority, can be preserved one moment, without a persuasion of his immediate intuition and inspection into the hearts, minds, and thoughts of all men, with a real influence into all the actings of the life of God in all them that believe. And the want of the faith hereof, is that which hath disjoined the minds of many from adherence unto him; and hath produced a lifeless carcase of Christian religion, instead of the saving power thereof.

But it was not the

3dly, The same may be said concerning his sacerdotal office, and all the acts of it. It was in and by the human nature that he offered himself a sacrifice for us. He had somewhat of his own to offer, Heb. viii. 3. And to this end a 'body was prepared for him,' chap. x. 5. work of a man by one offering, and that of himself, to expiate the sins of the whole church, and for ever to perfect them that are sanctified, which he did, Heb. x. 14. God was to purchase his church with his own blood,' Acts xx. 28. But this also I have spoken to at large elsewhere.

This is the sum of what we plead for. We can have no due consideration of the offices of Christ, can receive no benefit by them, nor perform any act of duty with respect unto them, or any of them, unless faith in his divine person be actually exercised as the foundation of the whole. For that is it whence all their glory, power, and efficacy are derived. Whatever therefore we do with respect unto his rule, whatever we receive by the communication of his Spirit and grace, whatever we learn from his word by the teachings of his Spirit, whatever benefit we believe, expect, and receive by his sacrifice and intercession on our behalf, our faith in them all, and concerning them all, is terminated on his divine person. The church is saved by his offices, because they are his. This is the substance of the testimony given concerning him, by God even the Father, 1 John v. 10, 11. This is the witness that God hath testified concerning his Son, that God hath given unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.' Eternal life is given unto us, as it was wrought out and procured by the mediation of Christ on our behalf. But yet in him it was originally, and from him do we receive it in the discharge

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of his office; for this life is in the Son of God. Hence it is that all those by whom the divine person of Christ is denied, are forced to give such a description of his offices, as that it is utterly impossible that the church should be saved by the discharge of them.

CHAP. VIII.

THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH UNDER THE OLD TESTAMENT, IN AND CONCERNING THE PERSON OF CHRIST.

A BRIEF view of the faith of the church under the Old Testament, concerning the divine person of Christ, shall close these discourses, and make way for those that ensue, wherein our own duty with respect thereunto shall be declared.

That the faith of all believers from the foundation of the world had a respect unto him, I shall afterwards demonstrate; and to deny it, is to renounce both the Old Testament and the New. But that this faith of theirs did principally respect his person, is what shall here be declared. Therein they knew was laid the foundation of the counsels of God for their deliverance, sanctification, and salvation; otherwise it was but little they clearly understood of his office, or the way whereby he could redeem the church.

The Apostle Peter, in the confession he made of him, Matth. xvi. 16. exceeded the faith of the Old Testament in this, that he applied the promise concerning the Messiah unto that individual person; 'Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God;' he that was to be the Redeemer and Saviour of the church. Howbeit, Peter then knew little of the way and manner whereby he was principally so to be; and therefore when he began to declare them unto his disciples, namely, that they should be by his death and sufferings, he in particular was not able to comply with it, but, saith he, 'Master, that be far from thee,' ver. 22.

As flesh and blood, that is, his own reason and understanding, did not reveal or declare him unto Peter to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, but the Father which is in heaven; so he stood in need of fresh assistance from the same Almighty hand, to believe that he should redeem and save his church by his death. And therefore he did refuse the external revelation and proposition of it, though made by Christ himself, until he received internal aid from above. And to suppose that we have faith now in Christ or his death, on any other terms, is an evidence that we have no faith at all.

Wherefore the faith of the saints under the Old Testament did principally respect the person of Christ, both what it was, and what it was to be in the fulness of time, when he was to become the Seed of the woman. What his especial work was to be, and the mystery of the redemption of the church thereby, they referred unto his own wisdom and grace; only they believed, that by him they should be saved from the hand of all their enemies, or all the evil that befel them on the account of the first sin and apostacy from God.

God gave them indeed representations and prefigurations of his office and work also. He did so by the high priest of the law, the tabernacle, with all the sacrifices and services thereunto belonging. All that Moses did as a faithful servant in the house of God, was but a 'testimony of those things which were afterwards to be declared,' Heb. iii. 5. Howbeit, the Apostle tells us that all those things had but a 'shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things themselves,' Heb. x. 1. And although they are now to us full of light and instruction, evidently expressing the principal works of Christ's mediation, yet were they not so unto them. For the vai is now taken off from them in their accomplishment, and a declaration is made of the counsels of God in them by the gospel. The meanest believer may now find out more of the work of Christ in the types of the Old Testament, than any prophets or wise men could have done of old. Therefore they always ear. nestly longed for their accomplishment; that the day might break, and the shadows flee away by the rising of the Sun of righteousness with healing in his wings. But as unto his

person, they had glorious revelations concerning it, and their faith in him was the life of all their obedience.

The first promise, which established a new intercourse between God and man, was concerning his incarnation, that he 'should be the Seed of the woman,' Gen. iii. 16. that is, that the Son of God should be made of a woman, made under the law,' Gal. iv. 4. From the giving of that promise, the faith of the whole church was fixed on him, whom God would send in our nature, to redeem and save them. Other way of acceptance with him there was none provided, none declared, but only by faith in this promise. The design of God in this promise, which was to reveal and propose the only way, which in his wisdom and grace he had prepared for the deliverance of mankind from the state of sin and apostacy whereunto they were cast, with the nature of the faith and obedience of the church, will not admit of any other way of salvation, but only faith in him who was thus promised to be a Saviour. To suppose that men might fall off from faith in God by the revelation of himself in this promise, and yet be saved by attending to instructions given by the works of creation and providence, is an imagination that will no longer possess the minds of men, than whilst they are ignorant of, or do forget what it is to believe and to be saved.

The great promise made unto Abraham was, that he should take his seed upon him, in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed, Gen. xii. 3. chap. xv. 18. chap. xxii. 18. which promise is explained by the Apostle, and applied unto Christ, Gal. iii. 10. Hereon Abraham believed on the Lord, and it was counted unto him for righteousness,' Gen. xv. 6, For he saw the day of Christ and rejoiced, John viii. 56.

The faith that Jacob instructed his sons in, was, that the Shiloh should come, and unto him should be the gathering of the nations,' Gen. xlix. 10. Job's faith was, that his 'Redeemer was the living One, and that he should stand on the earth in the latter days,' Job xix. 25.

The revelations made unto David principally concerned his person and the glory thereof, see Psal. ii. xlv. lxviii. lxxii. cx. cxviii, especially Psal. xlv. and the lxxii. compared, which give an account of their apprehensions concerning him.

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