6ij'fappofing the Authorityof a Superior, the acknowledge= ment of that Authority, A command from that .. uperinr,and that the aftion be therefore done becaufe fo commaiited.Now the firft Afï'ent to,or acknowledgement of the Redeemers Of face and Soveraignty;muft needs inorder ofNature precede all obedience tohim as a Soveraign. I confers improperly a mats may be laid to obey, when he y i lds to the Reafon and perfwa- fion ofanother; but this wants thevery formofobediencepro. perly fo called. If it betructhat the ruff Acceptanceofawl: for our Soveraign as Redeemer, by the Wills content, may be both the Reception ofhim for King, and Obedience to him Yet in order of Nature it is refpcctively a Reception fira ; though in time it is both at once. But the firft Affent toChrifts Soveraignty cannotbean obeyinghim as Soveraign. And for theunderftanding theText, when I find Chritt give theworld., a fyfleme of Precepts, and tell them thathe is become the Au< thor of Eternal Salvationto all them that obeyhini, I dare not without Reafon reltrain that obedience (in the fence (fie) to fome one or two acts : Efpecially when I find that he bath made the like promife on condition of other acts of ours be- fides Believing : as is manyText 1 have (hewed in thofe A- phor. Take m1yoke andburden, &e. Learn ofwe to be 'neck and lowly., &c. and ¡ Will cafe you, and ye (hallfind rill : For_ give and ye (ballbeforgiven. He that confejJ'eth and forfaketh hie fin Jhall have mercy,with multitudesofthe like. And Rom. i o. that is called Faith, ver. '4,17. which is called obeying the gefel, ver.i6. And if the Gofpel do as directly and urgent- ly commandConfine as Affent;yea ifit command love toChrift as of equal neceffity withboth, I have reafon to think that in this large fence, Faith includes it. Why íhould obeying the Çol el, and obeying theTruth, be made Synonima's withBelie Tying as it is one fingle Act, when the Gofpe! commands many other Acts as ofaqua! neceffity and excellency ? Let me ar- gue thus exconcefi, fromyour felf and others. Moil Divines affirm that the proper Reafonwhy Faith juftifieth, is its Rela- tion toChrift ; becaufe it is a Receivingofhim,(it juftifie: Re- la:üve i.e. A Chrift received Juf#ifies :) but Mr. T,,sbescon- , fefï'eth that other Graces receive Chri* as well as Faith; there- fore C3 68)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=