q.76 Of the Chri/lian Faith, vhich Vol. L pentance, and our forgiving of others, and feveral other A&s of Obedience are made the conditions of our Julification or the million of them, Sins, as well as Faith. So that we cannot bePaid to be juflifiedby Faith alone, unlefs that Faith include in it Obedience. I have infifted the longer upon this, becaufe the right un- derftanding the Scripture-notion of Faith in Chrift, doth very much depend upon this : and if this one thing that the Scripture-notion of Faith doth include in it Obedience tothe Precepts of theGofpel, were but well underftood and confidered, it would filence andput an end to thofe infinite Controverlies about Faith and ju= ftification, which have fo much troubled the Chriftian World, to the great pre- judice of Pra&ical Religion, and Holinefs of Life. Secondly, That this is trulyand properly Chriftian Faith. Which I shall prove by thefe two Arguments. I. Becaufe it includes a Belief of the whole Gofpel, or of all the Revelation Which God bath made to the World by jefus Chri(f. And certainly, there can- not be a more proper Notion of Chriftian Faith, than to believe the Revelation which God hash made by Jefus Chrift : but tobelieve that Jefus is the Chrifl, the Son of God, doth include this. For whofoever believes him to be the Mega', and the Son of God, believes him to have come fromGod, and to be Authorized and Commiflioned by him to make known his mind to the World, and confequently will believe whatever he delivers. For whoever believes the Goodnefs and Vera- city of God, as every Man does that believes a God, cannot but aflent to the truth of every thing which he is fatisfied comes from God. z. That to believe that Jefus is the Chrifi the Son of God, is truly and properly Chriftian Faith, or the Faith of the Gofpel, will appear, by confidering how the Scriptures ofthe New Teftament do conflantly defcribe to us the Faith of the Gof- pel ; and you (hall find they do it, either by the veryPhrafe in the Text, or other Phrafes or Metaphors equivalent to them, or elfe by a belief of that which is the great Argument and Confirmation of Chrift's being the Me5aa the Son of God. Very often the Faith of the Gofpel is defcribed by the very Phrafe in the Text believing that Jefus is the Chrift, and that he is the Sox of God. John 4, 4t, 42, Andmany more believed, becaufe of his own word ; and faid unto the Woman, Now we believe, not becaufe of thy Paying : for we have heard him our felves, and know that this is indeed the Chrifi, the Saviour of the World. John 6. 69, And we be- lieve and arefore that thou art that Chrifi, the Son of the living God. John a I. 27, Pays Martha to Chrift, Tea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Chriff, the Son of God, which fhouldcome into the. World. Ai is 8. 37. Ibelieve that Jefus Chrift is the Son of God. r John 3. 23. And this is his Commandment, that we fhould believe on the Name of his Son Jefus Chrifl, andlove one another, as hegave us Commandment, that is, that we fhould believe on him under this Name and Title of Jefus Chrift the Son of God. a Johns. a, Whofoever believeth that Jelin is the Chrift, is born of God. And ver. s. Who is he that overcometh the World, but he that believeth that PA: is theSon ofGod ? And ver. so. He that believeth on the Son of God, that is, belie- veth Jefus to be the Son of Gad 5 and ver. 13. Thefe things bave I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal Life, and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God. Sometimes the Faith of the Gofpel is defcribed to us by other Phrafes that are tantamount to thefe ; fuch as lignifie that he came from God, and was fent by him into the World, and was the Mejias whom they expected. Jahn 3. 2. Nicodemus defcribes his Faith in Chrift thus, I know that thouart a Teacher come from God. John 6. 29. This is the work of God, that ye believe on himwhom he bath lent, that is, that ye believe me to be tent from God. John 8. 24. For if ye believe not that I am he, ye (hall die inyour fins, that is, if ye believe not that 1 am the Mefflas, whom you expeh and look for. And fo John s3. 19. That ye may believe that I am he. And John t i. 42. That they may believe that thou hail fens me. And John 16. 3o. By this we believe that thou cameftforth from God. And John 17.8. They have believed that thou didfi fend me. Sometimes the Faith of the Gofpel is exprefl by Metaphors equivalent to thefe expreflions, as by coming to Chrift, and receiving him as the true /Vegas, in leve- ral
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