to the E P HE S 1 AN S. My Brethren, Although we hold all the Tenure, and actual Right to all ofSal, ~ vation, through Faith (for fo the Scripture fpeaks, it is of Faith, and •tbro 11 gh Serm.XX!. Faith, <?'c.). yet flill it alters not the Tenure one whit, it is only and meerly by ~ Grace fhll, 1t holds as much upon the Or~gmal Grace as before : And Faith is taught to caufe the Heart to do fo, even as if God had wrought no Faith, nor nothing elfe as an Inflrument, but had Caved him without any Act of his at all. Thus you fee rhat Faith fuits with Grace, and it fuits with Grace in bellowing Salvation. · I !hould now enlarge upon this, giving you the Reafon, why by F.a.ith: And then Secondly, by what Faith? the Faith that is pitch'd upon Grace, this Faith. And then, how through Faith, and how that nothing is derogated from Grace by it. As the whole ofSalvation is a meer free Gift ofGrace, fo is Faith a meer Re– ceiver, and Faith only could receive : For if there be any thing given by Grace, and Grace be acknowledged the Giver,you mufl have fomething that mufl receive, and in receiving mufl give all back again to Grace, and that is nothing e!Ce but Faith (for now I am !hewing you the Eteafon why Grace pitched upon Faith when it would bellow the whole of Salvation upon us.) I fay, as Faith fuiteth with Grace only, fo it is Faith on!y that can receive, it is that Grace alone that can re– ceive the whole ofSalvation from God. And therefore you fhall obferve in the Scripture, how that llill receiving is 1'ut upon Faith, as giving upon Grace. They received abundance ofGrace, and the Giji ofRighteoufoefl. The Giji of Righteoufoefl, the whole ofSalvation is ofGrace ; now what in the Scripture is it; that is (aid to receive it? Not your Love, nor your Works, nor your Holinefs ; oo, they have nothing to do with it in the Point ofSalvation, but that Principle of Faith cloth it. You fhall find it through the whole Scripture: As many a< received hint (and that is interpreted to be thofe that believed on bim) to them he gave Power to be the Sons ofGod. Son-!hip is faid to be received by Faith, G,tl, 4· 4· Remijfion of Sins, which is a part ofSalvation out ofmeer Grace, it is laid to be received by Faith, ACfs 26. 1&. The Inheritance of Heaven and Life, the whole Eflate of it, is a free Gift of God, purely and meerly, it is [aid to be received by Faith, in the fame place. The Etighteoufnefs of Chrifl, is called the Gift of Righteoufoefl, in Rom.9. Faith is faid to be that which apprehends it, it is called an Apprehenfion or laying hold ofRighteoufnefS, fo inAU. 4· 12. and AU. 10. 43· I fay,run throughout the whole New Tefl:atrierit, you !hall find mention ofthis Act ofreceiving, and it is only afcribed unto Faith. And how cloth it receive? It mee~ly receiveth, it cloth not give to God any thing, it cloth not return, as Love dqth. It was a Speech of the Ancients, that Faith only is the apprehending and receiving Principle, takes all in, but Charity isthat which gives out,and returns fomething to God. Now God did not like that, he would not go and fay, Grace fhould Cave us by thatwhich lhould return Come– thing to him, but by that which fhould be only a Receiver. If he had faid, he had Caved us through Love, or Caved us through Holinefs, and given us the whole of Salvation through thefe, or any part ofthem, or the Right unto it, what would Love have faid ? I have given you Love again for your Love. God doth not like that; for who bath given unto him,and it !hall not be recompenced unto him again? But God takes that which is but a meer Receiver, that returns nothing · again, and that isFaith. Therefore though you would fay, Is not Fditb an AU? It's true, it is in a Grammatical Signification an Act, bnt in the Senfe, in the true real Import ofit, it is meerly Paflive. Faith doth not give any thing to God; as Charity and Love cloth, but it only fl1ffers God to be good to 1t, tt takes m that Salvation which Grace would beflow upon it. My Brethren, the Hand' ofall o– ther Graces are working Hands, but the Hands of Faith are meerly receiving Hands; now faith the Apoflle, Not to bin1 tb<lt wor~th, b11t be/icveth. So that this Faith
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