The sound believer, or, A treatise of evangelical conversion discovering the work of Christs…The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs…

This is the fourth particular in the description of Faith: The whole soul cometh to Christ, For Christ and all his benefits; and this is the end of Faith, or of a believers coming unto Christ: the end of faith is sometimes expressed by a general word Life, John 5.40. but you must remember that hereby is meant the Lord of life first, and so all the blessings of life. The falseness and hypocrisy of Christs followers appeared in this, John 6.26. you seek me, saith Christ, for loaves, that was their end; as many a one in these days if they be in outward misery seek unto Christ for outward mercy, corn in time of famine, health in time of sickness, peace upon any terms in time of war; and if they be in any inward distress, now they seek to Christ for comfort and quiet, and so like many sick patients desire the Physician, not to have him married to them, but for some of his physic only, to be healed by ⟨p. 199⟩him; but what saith our Saviour to these persons? verse 27. Labour not for the meat that perisheth, what should be the end of their labour then? he tells them, but for that bread that endures to everlasting life; what is this bread? see the 33. and 35. and 48. verses, he tells them, I am the bread of life; seek for me therefore, come for me; and look as none can have life from the bread, unless he first feed upon the bread it self, so none can have any life or benefit from Christ that comes not first to Christ for Christ. Conceive of this thus: God in Christ is the complete object of faith under a double notion; First as sufficient, in being all we want unto us; Secondly, as efficient, in communicating all to us, and doing all for us. In the first respect, he is Elshaddai, in his promis•; in the second respect he is Jehovah, Exod. 6.3. in making good his all-sufficient promise; hence faith comes to him for a double end, first that he would give himself and be all to it, Secondly, that he would communicate all his blessings and benefits also, and so do all for it. For in the covenant of Grace, the Lord doth not only promise a new heart, pardon of sin, with the rest of those spiritual benefits, but, also himself, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Hence Faith comes first for that which the Lord principally promiseth, viz. God himself,