Sarin, CV. Repentance and Faith. 3 Evils that are pall, and the Sins that we have committed ; and a firmPurpofe and Refolutionof Obedience for the future; of abflaining from all Sin, and doing whatever is our Duty ; the true Effe& of which Refolution, is the breaking off the Pra&ice of Sin, and the Courfe of a Wicked Life, and a conftant Courfe of Obedience. If. Faith in Chrifl is an effe&ual believing the Revelation of the Gofpel, the Hifiory and the Dottrine of it ; the Hifiory of it, that there was filch a Perfon as Jefus Chrift, that he was the true Mefas, prophefied of and promifed in the Old Teflament, that he was born and lived and preached, and wrote the Mira- cles that are recorded, that he was crucified and rote again, and afcended into Heaven, that he was the Son ofGod, and fent by him into the World, by his Do- arine to inflru&, and by the Example of his Life to go before us in the way to Happinefs, and by the Merit and Satisfaetion of his Death andSufferings, to ap- peafe and reconcile God to us, and to purchafe for us the Pardon of our Sins and eternal Life, upon the Conditions ofFaith and Repentance and fincere Obe- dience; and that to enable us to the Performance of thefe Conditions, he promi- fed and afterward fent his Holy Spirit, to accompany the Preachingof his Gof- pel, and to affift all Chriflians to the doing of that which God requires W them ; this is the Hillaryof the Gofpel. Now the Doarine of it contains the Precepts and Promifes and Threatnings of it, and Faith in Chrift includes a firmBelief of all thefe ; of the Precepts of the Gofpel as the Matter of our Duty, and the Rule ofour Life ; and of the Protni- fes and Threatnings of the Gofpel, as Arguments to our Duty, to encourage our Obedience, and deter us from Sin. So that he that believes the Lord Jefus, be- lieves him to be the great Guide and Teacher fent from God, to bring and con- du& Men to eternal Happinefs, and that therefore we ought to hearken to him and follow him ; this is to believe his Prophetical Office. He Believes that he is the Author of Salvation, and hath purchafed for us forgivenefs of Sins, ranfom fromHell, and eternal Life and Bleffednels upon the Conditions before mentio- ned, and therefore that we ought to rely upon him only for Salvation, to own him for our Saviour, and to beg of him hisholy Spirit, which he hath promifed to us, to enable us to perform the Conditions required on our part ; this is to believe his Priefily Office. And laflly, He believes that the Precepts of the Got- pel, being delivered to us by the Son of God, ought to have the Authorityof Laws upon us, and that we arebound tobe obedient to them ; and for our encou- ragement if we be fo, that there is a glorious and eternal Reward promifed to us; and for our terror if we be not, there are terribleand eternal Punifhments threatned to us 6 to which Rewards, the Lord Jefus Chrift at the Day of Judg- ment, will fentenceMen, as the great Judge of the World ; and this is to believe the Kingly Office ofChrift. And this is the Sum of that which is meant by Faith towards the Lord Jefus Chrifi, which the Apoflle faith was one Subjeet of his preaching. And the proper and genuine Effe& of this Faith, is to live as we believe, to conform our Lives to the Dottrine, to the Truth whereof we affent. Hence it is that true Chriflians, that is, thole who fafhioned their Lives according to the Gofpel, are call'd Believers; and the whole of Chriflianity is many times con- tained in this Word believing, which is the great Principle of a Chrillian Life. As in the Old Teflament all Religion is expreffed by the fear of God; fo in the New, by Faith inChrifi. And now you fee what is included in Repentance and Faith, you may eafily judge whether there be not the Sumof the Gofpel, that Men fhould forfake their Sins and turn to God, and believe the Revelation of the Gofpel concerning Jefus Chrift, that is, heartily entertain it and fubmit to it. What did Chrift preach tothe /ews, but that they would repent of their Sins, and believe on him as the Meffzas? And what did the Apoftles preach, but to the fame purpofe? When St. Peter preached to the Jews, Acts 2. the Effe& of his Sermon and the Scope of it was to perfwade them to repent and be baptized in the Name ofjefes, that is, to profels their Belief in him, v. 38. And fo Abls 3.19, This is the Conclulion of B a his
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