(366) Defign in the Gofpel, to advance any one Aa of mans foul above the rell, and fo to honour it ? or rather to advance the Lord ?e'er,' whom faith Receiveth ? as Mr. Gatakertzls Salt- mar[1. Many pakdangeromfly in over-nragniflinz thiir own fakth, w!en they fboreld magnifie Chrifi whom it relater to. know the great thing that Hicks with force , is that the Scrip_ ture oft kerns todefcribe faith by theAct of Affenting. But confider,fo it doth in other places byTrufling,Refling,Taking, Receiving,Coming, Eating and Drinking, ( which ciTlitaphors muff needs lignifie actsofthe will,)&c. which thew that it is not any fingle Ad. Again, as J laid, the Whole is denomina- ted from the firfi leading and moll difficult A&: the Language of Scripture is much fitted to the times and temper of the per- fons to whom it was fpoken. Now theJews didgenerally and gladly acknowledge that theMeffias or Mediator mutt be Re- ceived, welcomed, Honoured, Loved, fubmittedto : but they could not Believe that Chriti war be ; And thiswas fooliffinefs to the Gentiles alfo, as well as a Rumbling-block to theJews; that one that lived and walked among them , and feemed a poor contemptible man, andat laft was crucified, fhould be God and the great Redeemer and Lord ofthe world. I tremble fometimes to think, if we had lived our felves in thofe times, how hard it would have been even tous to believe ; fo that when thegreat D fficult act isnamed, the other ( Confent and Affiance) are filll implyed,and included. I will end with ,ime- fra true obfervation to this purpore,Medid. I. r. c. 3. ,94.14110- vis infcripturisaliquando Afcenfur veritatiqua eft de Deo & amigo, job. I. so. habetHr pro vera fide ; includitur tamers fetnrer fp fiducia : adeo omnibus in heir rebi fermo eft de fdsrtarifide, velprafupponitur fiducia inMefflam, & indica- tier tantrinodeterminatio, velapplicatio ejur adperfonakn Cbrtfli; velpar Afenfirm iliumdefignatror, tompAgi effethim per fuam caufam,Joha 1.25,2,6,27. ( §. 20.) The fecond Argument which you anfwer, lyeth thus. If Faith be the workof the Heart and the whole Heart, then it is not only in the Underftanding but in the Will alfo. But the former is thewords of Soripture Al. 8. 37. Rom. ro. IO Zrgo,ec. Here
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