A holy life, the beauty of Christianity, or, An exhortation to Christians to be…

¹There is therefore a twofold Faith of Christ in the World, and as to the notion of Justifying Righteousness, they both concur and agree, but as to the manner of application there they vastly differ.

1. 1A twofold Faith.

The one, to wit, the non-saving faith, standeth in speculation and naked knowledge of Christ, and so abideth idle:¹ but the other truly seeeth, and receives him, and so becometh Fruitful. And hence the true justifying Faith, is said to receive, to embrace, to obey the Son of God as tendered in the Gospel: by ⟨image 4⟩which expressions is showed both the nature of Justifying Faith, in its actings in point of Justification, and also the cause of its being full of good Works in the World. A gift is not made mine by my seeing of it, or because I know the nature of the thing so given: but then it is mine if I receive and embrace it, yea, and as to the point in hand, if I yield my self up to stand and fall by it. Now he that shall, not only see, but receive, not only know, but embrace the Son of God; to be justified by him, cannot but bring forth good Works, because Christ who is now received and embraced by Faith,² leavens and seasons the Spirit of this Sinner (through his Faith) to the making of him capable so to be. Faith made Sarah receive Strength to conceive Seed, and we are Sanctified through Faith, which is in Christ. For Faith hath joined Christ, and the Soul together, and being so joined, the ⟨image 5⟩Soul is one Spirit with him: not essentially but in agreement, and oneness of design. Besides, when Christ is truly received and embraced to the justifying of the sinner, in that Mans Heart he dwells by his Word and Spirit through the same Faith also. Now Christ by his Spirit and Word must needs season the Soul he thus dwells in: so then the Soul being seasoned, it seasoneth the Body, and Body and Soul, the Life and Conversation.