II 470 Of the Chriftian Faith, the Means ofits Conveyance, Vol. II, I have infifted the longer upon this, that no Man might think, when St. yobs fays, Thefe things were written that ye might believe, that his Gofpel taken alone and by it fell is a fufficient account of Chrift, and contains all that was requifite to bring Men to believe on him. This is the fall thing in the Words, the End of committing the Gofpel to Writing. Secondly, You have here the Nature of Chriflian Faith defcribed 5 it is a belie- ving that 7efur is the Chrift, the Son of God ; that is, that he is the true Mews Prophelied of in the Old Teftament, and promifed as the Saviour of the World 5 and that he is the Son of God, who came from the Father into the World, and took our Nature upon him, that he might teach us, and go before us in the way to Eternal Happinefs. Thirdly, The bleffed Effe&of this Faith, or the Benefit that redounds to us upon believing, That believing, ye rnight have Life through his Name ; that is, that upon theft Terms and Conditions, you might be made Partakers of all thofe Bieffings and Benefits which Chrift, the Saviour of the World bath purchafed for us, which are here fet forth to us in the Name of Life ; it being ufual in the Phrafe of Scrip- ture, to exprefs to us thofe things which are molt excellent and defirable by Life. Now the Principal Benefits which Chrift hath purchafed, and which in Scripture we are Paid to be made partakers of by believing, are Regeneration, Juftification or Pardon of Sin, and Eternal Life and Salvation ; and the two firft of thefe, as well as the laft, are called Life in Scripture. Regeneration, (in which I include the continuance and progrefs of this work, which is Sanitification) that is, a new Life, Rom. 6. 4. it is called newnefs of Life. And we are faid to have this Life by Faith. Gal. z. to. And the life which I now live in the fleflr, Ilive by the Faith of the Son of God. And Col.a.. az. Buried with him in Baptifm, wherein alfo you are rifen with him ? that is, Regenerated and born to a new Life. How ? by the Faith of the operation ofGod, who hath railed him from the dead ; that is, by believing the Power of God, who railed up Chrift from the Dead, for the`confir- mation of the truth of the Gofpel, r John 5. T. Whofoever believeth that left's is the Chrift, is born of God. So likewife Juftification is call'd Life. While we are under fentence of Condemnation, we are dead in Law : but being Juftified and Pardon'd, we are reftored to Life. So the Apoftle exprefLth ir, Rom. S. t 8. So by the righteoufnefs of one, the free gift came upon all Men unto juflifuationof Life. And that we are juflifed by Faith, the Scripture tells us fo frequently, that I (hall not cite any Texts for it. And then Eternal Life and Salvation 5 and this is the confummation ofall, and I doubt not but is here principally intended in the Text by the word Life. So that the meaning of this Expreffion, that believing, ye might have Life through his Name, is, that by Faith of the Gofpel, ye might be Renewed, and Pardoned, and Saved ; tho' I think that the lait, viz. Eternal Life and Salvation, is princi- pally, tho' not folely intended, as will appear by comparing this place with theft parallel Texts, Jahn 3. 15. That whofoever believeth in him fhould not perifh : but have Eternal Life. And vet. 36. He that believeth on the Son, bath everlafiing life. John 5. a4. He that heareth my word, and believeth on him thatlent me, bath everlafling life. t Pet. 1. 9. The end of yourfaith, even the titivation ofyour fouls. Thus I have as briefly as I well could, explained to you the meaning of the words, which I have done the more fully, that you may fee how thefe Obferva- tions which I fhall raífe from them, are contained in them. The Obfervations are thefe. Firlt, That Writing is the way which the Wifdom of God bath pitched upon, as the ftanding way, to convey the Knowledge of the Gofpel to the World. Theft things are written. Secondly, That all things neceffary to be believed in order to Salvation, are con- tained in the Gofpel. Thefe things are written that ye might believe, andbelieving might have Life : but if any thing neceffary to be believed by Chtiftians, in or- der to Eternal Salvation, were omitted, then the Gofpel would be written to no purpofe, and would fail in the end for which it was written, Thirdly,
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