The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ

PROPOSITION, 5.

That the promise of eternal life is made to one act of believing on Jesus Christ: 'tis not the habit but the act of Faith that the promise is made to: the promise under the covenant of works was not made to habitual holiness, and the promise under the covenant of grace is not made to habitual Faith: as a Woman's disposition to marry a man does not give her a right to him or his estate, but the actual marrying of the man, so it is here: it is in a way of covenanting that we have an interest in the covenant of grace: the Scripture sets forth that Faith that gives us right in the covenant of grace by words that signify actions: as coming to Christ, opening to him, believing on him, and the like: but it is one act of believing that makes a man an heir of life: God offers eternal life on condition of one act of believing: when God says, He that believeth shall be saved; the meaning is not that he that believeth as long as he lives shall be saved, but he that performeth one act of Faith: one act of Faith gives a man as real an interest in Christ as a thousand: one act of covenanting makes up the match: one act of closing with Christ makes a man an heir of life: after acts of Faith may evidence his title to heaven, but it is the first act of Faith that gives him his title; God offers life to us in the Gospel on this condition, that he will accept of it, Joh. 5.24. and it is unreasonable to think that the meaning of it is, if we accept of it an hundred or a thousand times, or as long as we live, but the meaning is, if we do once accept of it, and therefore those that have accepted of it are said to have eternal life, 1 Joh. 5.13.

That the promise of eternal life is made to one act of believing on Jesus Christ: 'tis not the habit but the act of Faith that the promise is made to: the promise under the covenant of works was not made to habitual holiness, and the promise under the covenant of grace is not made to habitual Faith: as a Womans disposition to marry a man does not give her a right to him or his estate, but the actual marrying of the man, so it is here: it is in a way of covenanting that we have an interest in the covenant of grace: the Scripture sets forth that Faith that gives us right in the covenant of grace by words that signifie actions: as coming to Christ, opening to him, believing on him, and the like: but it is one act of believing that makes a man an heir of life: God offers eternal life on condition of one act of believing: when God sayes, He that believeth shall be saved; the meaning is not that he that believeth as long as he lives shall be saved, but he that performeth one act of Faith: one act of Faith gives a man as real an interest in Christ as a thousand: one act of covenanting makes up the match: one act of closing with Christ makes a man an heir of life: after acts of Faith may evidence his title to heaven, but it is the first act of Faith that gives him his title; God offers life to us in the Gospel on this condition, that he will accept of it,