N00347:166
A brief discourse of justification. Wherein this doctrine is plainly laid down according to…
A brief discourse of justification. Wherein this doctrine is plainly laid down according to the Scriptures. : As it was delivered in several sermons on this subject. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. ; [Ten lines of quotations]
Boston: printed by S for Samuel Phillips, 1686
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
4. This is done by every one who upon the Gospel invitation, is persuaded by the Spirit of God to cast himself upon Christ, and to put his trust in him. It is not a believing Christ to be, but a believing in Christ: it is not a bar• act of the understanding that is here exerted, but the promise comes in at the understanding, which judgeth of it, and gives approbation to it as that which is true and eligible and so passeth it over to the affections, which are raised and stirred by it, but all this is too little alone, but at last the Will sets its Seal to it, chooseth, embraceth, rolls it self upon it: So that Faith and Unbelief are rooted in the Will: hence we shall find that Christ lays the blame of mens not believing in him upon their Wills, Joh. 5.40. Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life: thus also the Scripture is frequently expressing the work of Faith, by the Souls putting of its trust in Christ, as psal. 2.12. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. So Isai. 50. 10. Let him ⟨p. 93⟩trust in the Name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. And unbelief is called a departing from him, Heb. 3.12. Faith also is expressed by the notion of embracing the promise, and so of the good that is brought in it, Heb. 11. 13. they were persuaded of them, and embraced them. So that every one who believes, hath performed the thing which is required; he hath come up to that which the promise challenged of them that would be entitled to it.
4. This is done by every one who upon the Gospel invitation, is perswaded by the Spirit of God to cast himself upon Christ, and to put his trust in him. It is not a believing Christ to be, but a believing in Christ: it is not a bar• act of the understanding that is here exerted, but the promise comes in at the understanding, which judgeth of it, and gives approbation to it as that which is true and eligible and so passeth it over to the affections, which are raised and stirred by it, but all this is too little alone, but at last the Will sets its Seal to it, chuseth, embraceth, rolls it self upon it: So that Faith and Unbelief are rooted in the Will: hence we shall find that Christ layes the blame of mens not believing in him upon their Wills,