TO THE Ç'OOR IN SkInIT. '23ä But though churlish death do stand in our way, why look we not at thé soul's admittance into rest, and the body's resurrection that must shortly follow ? Doubtless that faith by which we are justified and saved, as it sits down on theword of truth as the present ground ofits confident repose, so doth it thence look with one eye back- ward on the cross, and the other forward on the crown. And if we well observe the scripture descriptionsof that faith, we shall find them as frequently magnifying it, and describing it from the latter, as from the former. As it is the duty and glory of faith to look back with thankful acknowledgment to a crucified Christ, and his payment of our ransom, so it is the "duty and glory of that same justifying faith to look forward withdesire and hope to the return of king Jesus, and the glorious celebration of the marriage of the Lamb, and the sentential justification and the glorification of his saints. To believe these things unfeignedly, which we .never saw, nor ever spoke with man that did see, and to hope for them so really as to let go all present forbidden pleasures, and all worldly hopes and seeming happiness, rather than to hazard the loss of them ; this is an eminent part of that faith by which the just do live, and which the Scriptures do own. as justifying and saving. Forit never distinguishes between justifyingfaith, as to their nature. It is therefore a great mistake ofsome, to look onlyat thatone eye of justifying faith which looks back upon the cross ; and a great mistake ofthem, on the other hand, that look only at that eye of it which beholds the crown. Both Christ crucified, and Christ inter- ceding, and Christ returning to justify and glorify, are the objects even ofjustifying, saving faith, most strictly socalled. The Scrip- tureoft expresseth the one only, but then it still implieth the other. The Socinians, erroneously, therefore, fromHeb. xi.,where the ex- amples and eulogies of faith are set forth, do exclude Christ cruci- fied, or the respectto his satisfaction, from justifying faith, and place it in a mere expectation of glory. And others do as, ungrounded- ly affirm; that it ïs not the justifying act of faith which Heb. xi. describeth, because theyfind not the cross of Christ there mention- ed. For as believing in Christ's blood comprehendeth the end, even the expectation of remission and glory merited by that blood, so the believing of that glory doth always imply that we believe and expect it as the fruit. of. Christ's ransom. It is for health and life that we accept and trust upon our physician. And it, is for justification and salvation that we accept and trust on Christ. The salvation of our souls is the end of our faith. They that question whether we may believe and obey for our own salvation, do'ques- tion whetherwe may gó, to the physician, and follow his advice for health and life. Why, then, do you, that are believers, so much . forget the end of your faith, and that for which it is that you be
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