The life of faith in three parts, the first is a sermon on Heb.…

All that remaineth to be said is that indeed Faith in Christ is an act whose nature partly (that is, one act of it) consisteth in the Acceptance of Christ himself who is given to us for our Justification and Salvation, by a Covenant which maketh this believing-acceptance its condition. And so this accepting-act in the very essence of it, is such as some call a receiving instrument (or a passive) which is indeed no instrument, but an act metaphorically called an instrument (And in disputes metaphors must not be used without necessity; and to understand them properly is to err.) So that such an improper instrument of Justification Faith is, as my trusting my Physician (and taking him for my Physician) is the instrument of my cure: And as my trusting my self to the conduct of such a Pilot, is the instrument of my safe voyage; or as my trusting my Tutor is the instrument of my learning; or rather as a woman's marriage-consent is the instrument ⟨p. 339⟩of all the wealth and honour which she hath by her husband. Indeed marriage may be better called the instrument of it; that is, not her own consent (which is properly the receiving condition) but the consent and actual marriage by her husband: For he is the giver. And so the Covenant is Gods justifying instrument, as signifying his donative consent; and Baptism is the instrument of it, by solemn investiture or tradition; as the delivering of a Key, is the instrumental delivery of the house.

All that remaineth to be said is that indeed Faith in Christ is an act whose nature partly (that is, one act of it) consisteth in the Acceptance of Christ himself who is given to us for our Justification and Salvation, by a Covenant which maketh this believing-acceptance its condition. And so this accepting-act in the very essence of it, is such as some call a receiving instrument (or a passive) which is indeed no instrument, but an act metaphorically called an instrument (And in disputes metaphors must not be used without necessity; and to understand them properly is to erre.) So that such an improper instrument of Justification Faith is, as my trusting my Physician (and taking him for my Physician) is the instrument of my cure: And as my trusting my self to the conduct of such a Pilot, is the instrument of my safe voyage; or as my trusting my Tutor is the instrument of my learning; or rather as a womans marriage-consent is the instrument ⟨p. 339⟩