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ters and similitudes, so faith in him is variously denominated. It is expressed by coming to him, by looking unto him, by fleeing to him for refuge, by eating his flesh and drinking his blood, by receiving him, and by resting upon him. It is to be observed, that the terms employed in our Confession do not denote different acts of faith, but are only different expressions of the same act. Believing on Christ is called a receiving of him, in reference to his being presented to poor sinners, as the gift of God to them; and it is styled a resting on him, because he is revealed in the gospel as a sure foundation, on which a sinner may lay the weight of his eternal salvation with the firmest confidence. It is manifest, that all the figurative descriptions of saving faith in Scripture imply a particular application of Christ by the soul, or a trusting in Christ for salvation to one's self in particular; and this is what some have called the appropriation of faith. It is no less evident, that in the phraseology of Scripture, faith is not simply an assent of the understanding, but implies an act of volition, accepting the Saviour and relying on him for salvation. This does not proceed upon any previous knowledge which the sinner has of his election; nor upon any persua sion that Christ died intentionally for him more than for others, for it is impossible to come to the knowledge of these things prior to believing; nor does it proceed upon the persuasion that Christ died equally for all men, and therefore for him in particular; nor upon the perception of any good qualities in himself to distinguish him from others; but it proceeds solely upon the free, unlimited offer and promise of the gospel to the chief of sinners.

4. That the true believer receives and rests upon Christ alone for salvation. This distinguishes the true believer from such as rest their hope of salvation on the general mercy of God, without any respect to the mediation of Christ, or upon their own works of righteousness, or upon the righteousness of Christ and their own works conjoined.

5. That the true believer receives and rests upon Christ for a complete salvation. He trusts in Christ for salvation not only from wrath, but also from sin; not only for salvation from the guilt of sin, but also from its pollution and power; not only for happiness hereafter, but also for holiness here. In the language of the confession, he rests upon Christ. " for justification, sanctification, and eternal life;" and that "by

virtue of the covenant of grace; that is, as those blessings are exhibited and secured in that covenant.

SECTION III.This faith is different in degrees, weak or strong;10 may be often and many ways assailed and weakened, but gets the victory; growing up in many to the attainment of a full assurance through Christ,12 who is both the author and finisher of our faith.13

10 Heb. v. 13, 14. Rom. iv.19, 20. Matt. vi. 30; viii. 10.

11 Luke xxii. 31, 32. Eph. vi. 16. 1 John v. 4, 5.

12 Heb. vi. 11, 12; x. 22. Col. ii. 2. 13 Hleb. xii. 2.

EXPOSITION.

Different interpretations have been put on this section. Some have maintained, that "assurance is here plainly made a fruit and consequence of saving faith, and not an essential act."* Others have held that assurance is here supposed to be essential to saving faith, and that it belongs, in some degree, to every believer, strong or weak, but is always in proportion to the degree of his faith. "How faith," says the illustrious Boston, "can grow in any to a full assurance, if there be no assurance in the nature of it, I cannot comprehend." And another, amplifying this idea, says: "If there was not some degree of assurance in the nature of faith, it could never grow up to full assurance. To what degree soever anything may grow, it cannot, by its growth assume a different nature. It may increase to a higher degree of the same kind, but not into another kind."† Perhaps this difference of opinion has arisen from attaching a different meaning to the word assurance. Those who deny that assurance belongs to the nature of faith, understand, by that word, an assurance that a person is already in a state of salvation; but this sense of the term is disa vowed by those who maintain that assurance is essential to faith. "It would greatly conduce to clear views of this subject," says one of the latter class of divines, "were the distinction between the assurance of faith and the assurance of sense rightly understood and inculcated. When we speak

* Principal Hadow's Sermon on 1 John v. 11, 12, preached before the Synod of Fife, 1719, p. 33.

+ Colquhoun's View of Saving Faith, p. 247.

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of assurance as essential to faith, many suppose we teach that none can be real Christians who do not feel that they have passed from death unto life, and have not unclouded and triumphant views of their own interest in Christ, so as to joy under the manifestations of his love. My beloved is mine, and I am his.' But God forbid that we should thus offend against the generation of his children. That many of them want such an assurance may not be questioned. This, however, is the assurance, not of faith, but of sense; and vastly different they are. The object of the former is Christ revealed in the word; the object of the latter, Christ revealed in the heart. The ground of the former is the testimony of God without us; that of the latter, the work of the Spirit within us. The one embraces the promise, looking at nothing but the veracity of the promiser; the other enjoys the promise in the sweetness of its actual accomplishment. Faith trusts for pardon to the blood of Christ; sense asserts pardon from the comfortable intimations of it to the soul. By faith we take the Lord Jesus for salvation; by sense, we feel that we are saved, from the Spirit's shining on his own gracious work in our hearts.”* The distinction between these two kinds of assurance has been accurately drawn by Dr. M'Crie, and extremes on both hands judiciously pointed out. "Assurance," says he, "is of two kinds, which have been designated the assurance of faith and the assurance of sense. The former is direct, the latter indirect. The former is founded on the testimony of God; the latter, on experience. The object of the former is entirely without us; the object of the latter is chiefly within us. God hath spoken in his holiness, I will rejoice,' is the language of the former; We are his workmanship, created anew in Christ Jesus,' is the language of the latter. When a man gives me his promissory-note, I have the assurance of faith; when he gives me a pledge, or pays the interest regularly, I have the assurance of sense. They are perfectly consistent with one another, may exist in the soul at the same time, and their combination carries assurance to the highest point.

"Those who deny the assurance of faith appear to labour under a mistake, both as to the gospel and as to believing.

Essay on Saving Faith, by the Rev. Dr. Mason, New York; pub. lished along with Cudworth's Aphorisms, pp. 105, 106.

The gospel does not consist of general doctrines merely; but also of promises indefinitely proposed to all who hear it; to be enjoyed, not on the condition of believing, but in the way of believing. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy trans. gressions, for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.' I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean.' 'I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.' Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Can a person be lieve these promises, truly and with understanding, without having some assurance of the blessings promised? appears also to be a mistake as to the nature of faith, and the place which it holds in the application of redemption. It is a trusting in Christ, a relying upon him for salvation upon the ground of the divine testimony respecting him; and does not this always imply some degree of assurance or confidence?

There

"Others go to an opposite extreme. They maintain, that every true Christian always enjoys an absolute and unwavering certainty as to his final happiness; that he is a true believer, and in a state of salvation; and they dwell on the assurance of faith, to the neglect of the evidence which arises from Christian experience and growth in holiness. This is apt to cherish a spirit of presumption, on the one hand, and to throw persons into a state of despondency, on the other. There are various degrees of assurance, and in some genuine believers it may be scarcely perceptible. He who is the author and finisher of our faith, was careful not to break the bruised reed, or quench the smoking flax. While he rebuked the unbelief and unreasonable doubts of his disciples, he never called in question the reality of their faith. He received the man who said, 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.' While he said to Peter, 'O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?' he took him by the hand and lifted him out of the water. Grant that doubting is sinful; is there a just man on earth that doeth good and sinneth not? Are not the love and patience, and other gracious dispositions of a Christian, also sinfully defective? Ürge the admonition, 'Be not faithless, but believing;' but neglect not to urge also, Be ye holy, for I am holy.' 'Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.' Would it not be dangerous to the interest of holiness, and discreditable to religion, if a person were supposed to be in possession of per

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fect assurance, while subject to imperfection in every other respect? Is there not a proportional growth in all the members of the spiritual man? Would he not otherwise be a monstrous creature? Or is the exploded doctrine of sinless perfection in this life to be revived among us? He whose faith is faultless, and his assurance perfect and unvarying, sees Christ as he is, and is already completely like him. He would not be a fit inhabitant of earth; and the only prayer he could put up would be, Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace.'"*

CHAPTER XV.

OF REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE.

SECTION I.-Repentance unto life is an evangelical grace,' the doctrine whereof is to be preached by every minister of the gospel, as well as that of faith in Christ.2

SECTION II. By it a sinner, out of the sight and sense, not only of the danger, but also of the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, as contrary to the holy nature and righteous law of God, and upon the apprehension of his mercy in Christ to such as are penitent, so grieves for and hates his sins, as to turn from them all unto God, purposing and endeavouring to walk with him in all the ways of his commandments.*

1 Zech. xii. 10. Acts xi. 18.

2 Luke xxiv. 47. Mark i. 15. Acts
xx. 21.

Ezek. xviii. 30, 31; xxxvi. 31. Isa.
xxx. 22.
Ps. li. 4. Jer. xxxi. 18, 19.

Joel ii. 12, 13. Amos v. 15. Ps. cxix. 128. 2 Cor. vii. 11.

4 Ps. cxix. 6, 59. 106. Luke i. 6. 2 Kings xxiii. 25.

EXPOSITION.

The repentance described in this chapter is called repentance unto life, because it is inseparably connected with the enjoyment of eternal life, and to distinguish it from the sor

* M'Crie's Sermons, pp. 281-283.

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