An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

When the Scripture describes the Profession of Christianity, a sincere Belief and Obedience to the Gospel, by having of Christ, being in him, coming to him, and receiving of him, these men expound these phrases to a proper natural sense, to signify I know not what unintelligible Union and closure of the Soul with him.

When the Scripture describes the Profession of Christianity, a sincere Belief and Obedience to the Gospel, by having of Christ, being in him, coming to him, and receiving of him, these men expound these phrases to a proper natural sence, to signifie I know not what unintelligible Ʋnion and closure of the Soul with him.

I never yet took any pleasure in Drollery,¹ and least of all when it sports it self with Scripture, which is sacred all over to the lowest Hem and Fringe of Metaphors: Methinks no man can play with these, but he will meet with some stops or Remora's in Conscience; the tragical Stories of Theopompus and Theodectes, mentioned by Josephus, might serve for retractives, or the Reverence of Scripture might fly in the face, as the Fringe did in that Jew's, who was addressing himself to his forbidden pleasure. I conceive Faith, which is the Instrument of Union with Christ, is not luckily, but purposely and in wisdom called Coming; It being, as our Church tells us,² the first coming unto God, whereby we be justified: And ⟨p. 121⟩in another place,³ The only mean and instrument of Salvation required of our parts. The divine Spirit did not plant those Metaphors in Scripture, as so many Flowers in a Garden, in vain or to no purpose, but to set and shadow forth in lively colours that excellent Grace of Faith, which doth in so admirable a way unite to Christ, as if it had all Motions, postures and Sensations spiritually in it self, to take in Christ with his incomparable Benefits into the Soul: Christ is the Centre of Rest, rich Treasure, infinite Beauty, sure Foundation, Rock of Salvation, heavenly Covering, and the very Food and Life of Souls; and Faith is coming, receiving, embracing, leaning, hiding, putting on, and feeding on him; denoting thus much to us, That Faith is, as I may say, the commune Sensorium, or common Capacity, which takes in Christ and his excellent Benefits in an appropriative way into the Soul. The Author indeed thinks this Union and Application of Christ to be but a Fancy; but it is such an one, as without which his Blood and Merits are like to avail us little or nothing, as I before noted. St. Austin upon that Text of receiving Christ,