Certain disputations of right to sacraments, and the true nature of visible Christianity defending…

Moreover, to Covenant with God Externally, is to profess our Consent, that God be our God, Christ our Saviour, and the Holy ⟨p. 74⟩Ghost our Sanctifier, on the Gospel offer. To profess saving faith is to profess the same consent: therefore external entering into the Covenant, and profession of saving faith, are the same thing.

That this is the only true Covenant-entrance with God, is proved thus. It is only this Covenant of Grace that God calleth us to consent to, and offereth himself to enter with us: therefore it is only this covenant of Grace, whose acceptance or consent to it, is our entrance into the Covenant of God. There can be no covenanting in the present sense, but by two parties: But God doth not offer himself to us in any other Covenant but this, nor offer his consent to any other. And its confessed, that God is the leading Party, prescribing to man and imposing on him the terms of the Covenant, or Conditions which he must perform. There is no possibility therefore of our entering into Gods covenant, when it is none of his Covenant, or when it is against his Will, or without his consent.

And that this is the nature of saving faith, is manifest: For 1. It is not a mere act of the Intellect. Though Assent be the Initial Act (from which it hath oft its name) yet it is not the whole, nor the perfecting Act: Our Divines most commonly consent (except Camero and some few more) that faith is in the Will as well as the Understanding: And its first Act in the Will must needs be velle Christum oblatum or a consent to the Gospel-offer of God, Christ, and the Holy Ghost: or an Acceptance of the Redeeming Trinity in the Relation as they are offered to to be ours in the Gospel: After which followeth Affiance, as Assent precedes it. Our Assembly of Divines in their Catechisms say, That Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving Grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the Gospel. Or, as elsewhere [to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the Gospel] And the Wills receiving is by Accepting or Consenting. Dr. Preston hath at large showed in many of his writings (as I have elsewhere showed) that Faith and Heart-covenanting with Christ is all one. The Scripture calleth Saving faith A receiving Christ Jesus the Lord,