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Objeйum.

grieve him in the least measure, who cleave unto him as the only rock of their falvation, who would not relinquish their interest in him for millions of worlds. And yet they weep with Mary, (because) they cannot fee their Lord; they conflict day and night with feares and doubts, they have not this reflexive evidence and affurance, that Chrift is their Chrift, that Jefus is their Jefus, that this Lord is their Lord. Yet ask them, are you willing to accept of him? O, none in the world rather or more: are you willing that he should be your Saviour, he only is falvation è can you fubmit to have him to be your Lord Chrift? O bleffed Saviour (faith the foul ) none to rule me but thou; none to fave me but thou; thy blood is precious, and thy Lawes are righteous, and I could bestow a thousand hearts, and a thousand lives if I had them, on thee, to be changed, guided, ruled, ordered by thee.

And thus the foul,though it cannot see him, yet it beleeves on him; it believes on him, though as yet it cannot say, that my be. loved is mine, and I am bis.

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Ow I come to the object of fustifying faith, and that is twofold. First, Immediate, which is Jefus Christ our Lord. Secondly, Concomitant, or Confequent, which is Remiffion, and Righteouf neffe, and Salvation for faith:first, takes Christ himself, and then these, in and for Chrift.

Sect.

SECT. 1.

'He immediate object of faith, as justifying,is fefus Christ him.

felf; as it is in Marriage, marriage is an action twixt perfon and perfon, not twixt perfon and eftate, that is a refulting thing; fo is it in the nature of faith and Chrift. Faith doth not match the foul to the portion, to the benefits, but to the perfon of Chrift.

You heare that God hath put falvation into Christs hand, he hath put remiffion of fins into his blood; there is eternal life to be had by him. Now if a perfon faith, I will have this falvation by Chrift, which he hath purchased, but I will not have his perfon, I will have the remiffion of fins by his blood, but I care not for his perfon, I will have his righteoufneffe by which I may ftand before God, but I care not for his perfon; this now is no faith, it is no justifying faith. For faith, juftifyeth us, when we take the person of Chrift. It is true, that we may, and fhould have an eye to the purchase and benefit by Chrift, but Christ himself. is that which faith lookes upon.

But wherein is the person of Chrift the Object of justifying faith.

For the refolution of this I will open two things.

First, that whole Chrift, is the proper object of faith.

Secondly, how faith doth exercise it (elf about whole @hrift.

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SECT. II.

Hole Chrift is the adequate and proper object; Chrift you know(in refpect of his perfon)isGod and man and he may be confidered as a Prieft, or as a Prophet, or as a King. We ufually fay as a Saviour, and as a Lord. Now he offers himself in all these to finners: faith Chrift there is no Name under beaven by which you can be faved but me, no Jefus but my felf, and I have been the Priest, who have offered my heart blood to procure the pardon of your fins, and salvation: I have fatisfied my

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Father to the utmost, and have fulfilled all righteousnesse, Now I am willing to bestow my felf on you, as one who can and will affuredly fave you. But if you would have me to be your Prieft to fave you, you must alfo be willing to have me to be your Prophet to inftruct you, and direct you; and to be your King and Lora to command you; you must refigne up your selfe to my Scepter and Government; for I am a Lord as well as a Saviour, and I will be taken in both, or elfe you fhall have part in

neither.

There be three things which lay hard on us.

One is the gilt of fin, which expoleth the foul to hell, and wrath,for which Chrift is a Saviour and a Prieft. He became a curfe for us, and bare our finnes, (that is) ftood in our stead, and under went that indignation, which else should have lighted on

us.

Another is the corruption or pollution of fin, which breeds inconformity to Gods Will, and depraves the whole nature, for which Chrift is a Saviour and a Prophet, (that is) he is appoin ted to informe the minde, and reforme the heart.

A third is the rebellion of fin, rifing in finfull notions, and fordid delights and way es, for which Chrift is a Saviour and a King, (that is) he is to fubdue thofe iniquities, to give them the bill of divorce, to captivate all imaginations, and to bring the whole man into the fubjection of himself; but then he will be Jefus and Lord too; thou mayeft not think that Chrift muft fave thee, and fin fhall rule thee; thou must not think that he will pay thy debts, if thou wilt give thy heart and fervice to finne and the world. How ridiculous is it to conceive that God fhould raise up Chrift, as the Pope raiseth up his indulgences, only to keep or fetch fouls out of Purgatory; as if Chrift were given only to pay our fcores, and not to rule our hearts, for no other end but to keep us out of prifon, that we might do nothing but fin against God, because Chrift can take away the gilt of fin.

Nay, whole Chriftis eyed by faith, taken and received by faith. Do I feel my finfull gilt? I now by faith take Jefus Christ,whom the father hath appointed, and offered to be my Prieft, to be my furety, to beare my fins, to ftand 'twixt God and me? Do I feel my finfall nature and motions,I now take Jefus Chrift, whom the

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Father hath appointed to be my Prophet and King: He hath undertaken to be the teacher of hearts, and conquerer of fin; as fo do I take him to be my Lord.

SECT. III.

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Herefore confider in the second place, How faith doth exercife it felf about whole Chrift: if you please I will difcover it in the particulars.

For Chrift, as a Saviour and Prieft: Thus faith looks on him, not only that he is fo, but to be fo to me; he was God and man, and dyed, and fatisfied, and took away fin; God proclaimes thus much, and offers him to me, here is the Saviour of the world, this is my well beloved Son, here is the blood of atonement and peace. What doth faith now? O faith takes hold on him; I acknowledge him, I receive him O Lord, to be my Saviour and Prieft; not I, O Lord, not I could ever have fufteined thy wrath, or fatisfied thy juftice, I could never have made my own peace, I could never have blotted out the hand writing, I could never have paid my debts, but thou haft fet forth Christ to be the propi tiation for fin. O Lord, I embrace him, my life is in his death, my healings in his fufferings, my fatisfaction in his obedience; in none but him; I reft on none but him, on him do I believe, he hath fatisfied to the utmoft, and I truft on him that he hath done it for me.

Brethren, the cafe ftands thus, a man is borne in fin, and he goes on in much fin, (a long time) at length God awakens his confcience, makes him to poffeffe the iniquities of his heels, of his birch, of his youth, of his age, of his life, and perhaps befets the foul round about with fome fenfible dread of his infinite difpleafure. Now the man knowes not what to do: good Lord faith he, what a miferable creature am I? here's fin committed over and over, the Law broken, God provoked, confcience raging, hell gaping; I am violated faith the Law, wronged faith Justice, thou haft fioned faith Conscience, I will be fatisfied faith the Lord, faith the poor foul, what shall become of me? what have I to quiet God? I can finde nothing, what fhall I do to

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pacifie bim? I cannot imagine it: If I fay that I have not finned my confcience tells me i lye, if I fay I will not fin hereafter Why! yet how will this fatisfie for former gilt? I tell you brethren that a heart brought to this fenfible experience is marveloufly oppreffed, the very heart cracks, and the fins of that foul fnap a funder, under the fenfe of manifold gilt,and Gods difpleafure.

But then God comes in the Gofpel, and calls out to the poor and diftreffed finner, come hither faith God, I will fhew thee a way of falvation? O how the foul liftens to fuch a meffige! but how Lord can this be, what am I, or what can I do! Nothing faith God for thou art an enemy, and thou art without ftrength: But I have laid Salvation upon one that is Mighty.Who is that Lord! It is my own Son, whom I have out of my love fent into the world to be made man, and to dye, and fatisfie for finners, to beare their iniquities, to answer for all their tranf greffions, and he is become a (urety, and a Prieft, and hath facrificed his own foul, to be an offering for fin,and I offer him unto thee, to be thy furety, to be thy Prieft, to take away thy finnes : Now take him faith God to the foul and with him the discharge of thy fins. Hereupon the foul being perfwaded of the truth of this good teftimony, and with many teares admiring at the riches of divine love and mercy, it doth now by faith close in with Chrift, put it felf on him, embraceth him with all the heart, as a fufficient and perfe& Saviour. As if the foul now faltning it felf by faith on Christ in this respect should thus be speake the Lord.

O Lord, thou art pleafed juftly to charge my fins upon my confcience, I confeffe and am afhamed that I have thus finned against thee; yea, and I acknowledg that I am never able to anIwer thee for thofe fins? But thou haft appointed thine own Son to be my Saviour and Prief, whofe office it was to beare the fins of the people, thefe fins therefore which confcience now chargeth upon me, I do by faith charge upon thine own Sonne, for he was made fin for us; thou didst ordaine him to be a furety, and therefore I befeech thee Lord look for fatisfaction of my. debts in his precious blood, and take away thy curfe from my foul, for he was made a cure for us, he did fufteine thy wrath in our fteed to deliver from wrath: Now therefore O Lord! I

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