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

Abraham believed the promise of the Messiah; ¹but his Faith was not a Faith in Christ: Why so? no man could believe in Christ till he came; that is, he could not believe upon his Authority: But surely Christ was a Prophet under the Old Testament, his Spirit, and surely then his Authority too was in the Prophets, 1 Pet. 1.11. And so it was in the Promise to Abraham: Besides, true Faith in Scripture imports a reliance or fiducial recumbency; so [Greek or Hebrew] and [Greek or Hebrew], in the Old Testament signifies; and to these, (as Dr. Ward proves by many parallels) answers [Greek or Hebrew], in the new, where also we often find that phrase, [Greek or Hebrew] ⟨p. 332⟩[Greek or Hebrew], which is a phrase totally the holy Spirits, found in no humane Author; I mean not for the Object, but the form of speaking, [Greek or Hebrew], is not any where but in Scripture (as Dr. Ward observes) which surely must import a reliance, or fiducial recumbency. According to this notion of Faith, I conceive Abraham rested on, or trusted in the Messiah for Salvation; he being the Messiah, he could not but expect some great thing from him; and what was it, Temporals or Spirituals? Surely not Temporals, his Faith was gone beyond the Line of this World, even as far as the City which hath foundations in another, Heb. 11.10. And how did he think to come thither, but by the Messiah? He did not speak to God, Gen. 18. trusting in his own righteousness; But in the lowest posture of humility: much less did he think to enter Heaven upon the account of his own worthiness; he was a man of great Faith, and the Father of the faithful: The Promises of the Messiah were Spiritual Ones, The seed of the woman shall break the serpents head, Gen. 3.15. that is, Christ should dissolve the works of the Devil, and erect his own Kingdom of Grace and ⟨p. 333⟩Glory; In thy seed shall all nations be blessed,