1. If thou art in Covenant with God, then hath God wrought in thee that condition of the Covenant,1 a true, and lively, and soul-saving, and justifying faith. Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved. If thou believest, thou shalt be saved. The promise of life contained in the Covenant is made only to believers; This is so sure a way of trial,2 that the Apostle himself directs us thereunto, Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith; Ay, But how shall I examine, for there are many pretenders to faith in these days? Why thus, 1. True faith will carry thee out of thy self into Christ,3 I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; a faithful man hath not his life in himself, but in Christ Jesus: he hath his spiritual being in the Father, and in his Son Jesus Christ; he is joined to the Lord, and is one Spirit; he seeth the Father in the Son, and the Son within himself, and also the Father within himself through the Son;4 Know ye not that Christ Jesus is in you, except ye be reprobates? Ye shall know me (saith Christ) that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you. By faith we enjoy the glory of union. The glory which thou hast given me, I have given them that they may be one even as we are one, I in them, and thou in me; though we have not the glory of equality, yet we have the glory of likeness; we are one with Christ, and one with the Father by faith in Christ.—2. True faith will carry thee beyond the world; a believer looks on Christ over-coming the world for him, and so by that faith he overcomes the world through him;5 This is the Victory that overcometh the world, even your faith: Hence it is that the Saints are said To be clothed with the Sun, and to have the Moon under their feet; when through faith they are clothed with The Son of Righteousness, the Lord Jesus; then they trample upon all sublunary things, as nothing worth in comparison of Christ. 3. True faith is ever accompanied with true love: if once by faith thou apprehendest Gods love, and Christs love to thee, thou canst not but love that God, and love that Christ who loved thee, and gave himself for thee;6 We love him, because he first loved us; he that loveth not God, hath not apprehended Gods love to him; if ever God in Christ be presented to thee for thy justification,7 it is such a lovely object, that thou canst not but love him;
1. If thou art in Covenant with God, then hath God wrought in thee that condition of the Covenant,1 a true, and lively, and soul-saving, and justifying faith. Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved. If thou believest, thou shalt be saved. The promise of life contained in the Covenant is made onely to believers; This is so sure a way of tryal,2 that the Apostle himself directs us thereunto, Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith; Ay, But how shall I examine, for there are many pretenders to faith in these dayes? Why thus, 1. True faith will carry thee out of thy self into Christ,3 I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; a faithful man hath not his life in himself, but in Christ Jesus: he hath his spiritual being in the Father, and in his Son Jesus Christ; he is joyned to the Lord, and is one Spirit; he seeth the Father in the Son, and the Son within himself, and also the Father within himself through the Son;4 Know ye not that Christ Jesus is in you, except ye be reprobates? Ye shall know me (saith Christ) that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you. By faith we enjoy the glory of union. The glory which thou hast given me, I have given them that they may be one even as we are one, I in them, and thou in me; though we have not the glory of equality, yet we have the glory of likeness; we are one with Christ, and one with the Father by faith in Christ.—2. True faith will carry thee beyond the world; a believer looks on Christ over-coming the world for him, and so by that faith he overcomes the world through him;5 This is the Victory that overcometh the world, even your faith: Hence it is that the Saints are said To be cloathed with the Sun, and to have the Moon under their feet; when through faith they are cloathed with The Son of Righteousness, the Lord Jesus; then they trample upon all sublunary things, as nothing worth in comparison of Christ. 3. True faith is ever accompanied with true love: if once by faith thou apprehendest Gods love, and Christs love to thee, thou canst not but love that God, and love that Christ who loved thee, and gave himself for thee;6 We love him, because he first loved us; he that loveth not God, hath not apprehended Gods love to him; if ever God in Christ be presented to thee for thy justification,7
- 1Acts 16.31. Rom. 10.9.
- 22 Cor. 13.5.
- 3Gal. 2.20.
- 42 Cor. 13.5. John 14.20. Joh. 17.22, 23.
- 51 John 5.4. Rev. 1.12.
- 61 John 4.19.
- 71 John 4.8.