But now under the New Testament, because Christ, as Mediator, exists not only in a promise of Gods, but is come, and manifest in the flesh, and is set forth by God, (as the Apostles phrase is) to transact all our businesses for us between God and us. Hence the more usual and immediate address of our faith is to be made unto Christ; who as he is distinctly set forth in the New Testament, so he is as distinctly to be apprehended by the faith of believers. Ye believe in God, (says Christ to his Disciples, whose faith and opinion of the Messiah was till Christs Resurrection, of the same elevation with that of the Old-Testament-believers) believe also in me: Make Me the object of your trust for Salvation, as well as the Father. And therefore when Faith and Repentance come more narrowly to be distinguished by their more immediate objects, it is Repentance towards God, but Faith towards ⟨p. 14⟩our Lord Jesus Christ, Act. 20. 21. not but that God and Christ are the objects of both, but that Christ is more immediately the object of Faith, and God of Repentance: So that we believe in God through believing in Christ first, and turn to Christ by turning to God first. And this is there spoken, when they are made the sum of Christian doctrine, and of the Apostles preaching: And therefore the faith of some being much enlarged to the mercies of God and his free grace, and but in way of supposition unto Christ, or in a taking for granted, that all mercies are communicated in and through Christ, yet so, as their thoughts work not so much upon, nor are taken up about Christ; although this may be true faith under the New Testament, in that God and his free grace is the joint object of faith, together with Christ and his righteousness, and the one cannot be without the other, and God oft-times doth more eminently pitch the stream of a mans thoughts in one channel rather then in another, and so may direct the course of a mans thoughts towards his free grace, when the stream runs less towards Christ, yet it is not such a faith as becomes the times of the Gospel; it is of an Old-Testament strain and Genius: whereas our faith now, should in the more direct and immediate exercises of it, be pitched upon Jesus Christ, that through him (first apprehended) our faith might be in God, (as the ultimate object of it) as the Apostle speaks. And so much for the first.
But now under the New Testament, because Christ, as Mediator, exists not onely in a promise of Gods, but is come, and manifest in the flesh, and is set forth by God, (as the Apostles phrase is) to tranfact all our businesses for us betweene God and us. Hence the more usuall and immediate addresse of our faith is to be made unto Christ; who as he is distinctly set forth in the New Testament, so he is as distinctly to be apprehended by the faith of beleevers. Ye beleeve in God, (sayes Christ to his Disciples, whose faith and opinion of the Messiah was till Christs Resurrection, of the same elevation with that of the Old-Testament-beleevers) beleeve also in me: Make Me the object of your trust for Salvation, as well as the Father. And therefore when Faith and Repentance come more narrowly to be distinguished by their more immediate objects, it is Repentance towards God, but Faith towards ⟨p. 14⟩our Lord Iesus Christ, Act. 20. 21. not but that God and Christ are the objects of both, but that Christ is more immediately the object of Faith, and God of Repentance: So that we beleeve in God through beleeving in Christ first, and turne to Christ by turning to God first. And this is there spoken, when they are made the summe of Christian doctrine, and of the Apostles preaching: And therefore the faith of some being much enlarged to the mercies of God and his free grace, and but in way of supposition unto Christ, or in a taking for granted, that all mercies are communicated in and through Christ, yet so, as their thoughts work not so much upon, nor are taken up about Christ; although this may be true faith under the New Testament, in that God and his free grace is the joynt object of faith, together with Christ and his righteousnesse, and the one cannot be without the other, and God oft-times doth more eminently pitch the streame of a mans thoughts in one chanell rather then in another, and so may direct the course of a mans thoughts towards his free grace, when the streame runs lesse towards Christ, yet it is not such a faith as becomes the times of the Gospel; it is of an Old-Testamentstraine and Genius: whereas our faith now, should in the more direct and immediate exercises of it, be pitcht upon Jesus Christ, that through him (first apprehended) our faith might be in God, (as the ultimate object of it) as the Apostle speaks. And so much for the first.
