A55299:339
An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…
An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ, and our union and communion with him by Edward Polhill ..., Esquire.
London: printed for Ben. Foster, 1675
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
From hence we learn: Thirdly, 1what Faith in Christ is, which is now imputed to us for righteousness, as Abraham's Faith was to him; for to make our Faith in Christ answer to the Faith of Abraham, and all good men in former ages (without which the Apostles argument from Abraham's being justified by Faith is of no force) our Faith in Christ must signify such a steadfast belief of all those Revelations, which Christ hath made to the world, as governs our lives and actions: Abraham was justified by believing the Revelations, which God made to him, and we are justified by believing those Revelations which Christ hath made of God's Will to us; for if by the righteousness of Faith, you understand the righteousness of Christ apprehended ⟨p. 352⟩by Faith, and imputed to us; you utterly destroy the Apostles argument for our justification by Faith; for Abraham and all the good men of old were not justified by such a Faith as this; they never heard of the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us: Noah was made heir of Righteousness, because he believed the deluge, and prepared an Ark at Gods command. Abraham's Faith was imputed to him for righteousness, because he left his own Country, followed God into a strange Land, believed that God would give him a son, and offered this son at God's command. Now what hath all this to do with an imputation of Christ's Righteousness? How does it follow, that because Abraham was justified by such noble and generous acts of Faith; therefore we should be justified by imputed Righteousness, by rolling our souls on Christ? These two Faiths are of as different kinds, as can be imagined; we cannot reason from the one to the other: The difference between the Faith of Abraham, and the Faith of Christians is this; Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness; we believe in Christ, and this is counted to us for righteousness: Abraham believed the Revelations God made to him; we believe ⟨p. 353⟩the Revelations God hath made to to us by his Son, Heb. 1.1. So that the first notion of Faith in Christ, is a firm belief of his divine Authority; which necessarily draws after it a belief of the whole doctrine of the Gospel: Thus