Serra. CLXXIII. Of fufiibing. Faith. ,485 commanded me to do : this is just the cafe ; and if it be, it is no wonder that Men are (o loth to difbelieve this pleafant Opinion, which gives Mencomfortable hopes of the Pardon of their Sins upon filch eafie terms. Not that I am fo uneharita- ble, as not to acknowledge that our Worthy and.Excellent Divines, who have been of this Judgment, have always prefs'd the neceffity of Holinefs and Obedience bin I am lorry they could not do it with fo good Advantage, according ro their Principles, the natural confequence of them tending to Licentioufnefs, and a neg- lea of the Precepts of the Gofpel, to which purpofe they have been fadly abufed by feveral Libertines in thefe and formertimes, ever fnce Luther's days, and I could never yet fee how Antinomieinifm could folidlybeconfuted upon thofe Principles. ç. That no Metaphorical defcriptions ofJuftifying Faith are allowable any far- ther than as they ferve to illuftrate the plain, and proper, and flmple notion ofFaith; My meaning is, be that would teach Men what Faith is, hemutt firft acquaint Men with the thing, and defcribe it in as proper and Pimple words as canbe, and not by Figurative and Metaphorical Phrafes. Indeed after a Manhath delivered the fmple Notion of a thing in proper words, he may afterward illunrate it by Metaphors but then thefe are not to be inlified upon, and drained to the utmo.ft 'extent of the Metaphor, beyond what the true Notion of the thing will bear : foi if Confequen- tes once come to be drawn from Metaphors, and Do trines founded, and Theories built upon them, inftead of illuftrating the thing, they blind and obfcure it, and ferve to no other purpofe, but ro i:duce and miflead the Underftandings of Men; and to multiply Controveriìes without end g and (as I rota you before) I do the rather take noticeof this abide of Metaphors upon this Subei`t, becaufe I do nor know any other head of Divinity which bath fuffered fo much by them, as the Dòftrine of Juflifying Faith, whereby the plain Truth bath been very much dark- ned, and occafion miniftred to many endiefs Difputes. But this will belt appear by fome particular Inflames. Juftifying Faith bath ufually been defcribed by thefe Metaphors, ruling, and relying, and leaning upon Chrift, apprehending and laying hold, and applying of Chrift, receiving of Chrift, and coming to him. Now con- cerningthefe, I (hall briefly fpeak thefe three or four Things. (t.) That none of thefe Metaphors, except the two laft, receiving ofaria, and coming to him, are any whereufed inScripture, to defcribe Juflifying Faith by g and therefore there is no rcafon why they fhould be fo much ufedand iuftfted on. Let any Man thewme where Juflifying Faith is any where in Scripture deferibed by rifling, and relying, and leaning upon Çhrift, by apprehending and laying hold, and applying of him. (z.) If thefe Metaphors were explained and turned into proper and plain words, they can lignite nothing elf , but that Faith which t have been all this while defcribing. for what can any Man underftand by rolling, and relying, and leaning upon Chrifl, bur to truft in him as the Author of our Eternal Salvation, under which word all the Bette-firs which Chrift bath purchafed for us are comprehended P Now can any Man be Paid to truft in Chrift, as the Author of his Salvation, other- wife than by oftinting to the truth of the Gofpel, andcomplying with the Terms and Conditions of o ? And what can any Man underftand by apprehending, and laying hold on, and applying Chrift, other than this, tomake ufc of him for all thofe Ends,and Pnrpofes for which God bath appointed him t And what thofe are the Scripture tells us g that he it made unto oes of God, Wifdom, and RighteoufnelS, and SanPiftcation, and Redemption. (i.) As for thofe Scripture Metaphors of receiving Chrift, and ço ntng to him, the Scripture ufeth them but fparingly, and i dare fay, for once that it ufeth thefe Metaphors, it doth twenty tidies defcribe Faith by plain and properwords ; and where it does make ufe of thefe Metaphors, it doth fufliciently' explain them. So you find horning to Chriti, is explained by learning sob him. lklatth. In. z8, 29, Come unti me allye that labour, and are heavy laden, and Iwill give.you refl. ; Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me : for''lammeekand lowly in heart ; andye pallfind ref( unto your Souls. That is, conic tome as Scholars and Difciples to be taught by me ; in order to which, it is requifite that we fhould believe hint. Oportet difceatem ci'edere,he that nill learn,mufl lelotve him that teacheth hirn,and trust his Skill. And .fo foe"
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