SECOND. THAT MAN CAN BE JUSTIFIED FROM THE CURSE BEFORE GOD, WHILE SINNERS IN THEMSELVES, BY NO OTHER RIGHTEOUSNESS THAN THAT LONG AGO PERFORMED BY, AND REMAINING WITH, THE PERSON OF CHRIST.
USE SECOND.—I come now to the second use—Have faith in Christ.
But what are we to understand by faith?
Answ. Faith imported as much as to say, Receive, embrace, accept, or trust in, the benefit offered. All of which are, by holy men of God, words used on purpose to show that the mercy of God, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life, are not to be had by doing, or by the law; but by receiving, embracing, accepting, or trusting to the mercy of God through Christ: ‘We believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved, even as they’ (Acts 15:11; John 1:12; 2 Cor 4:1, 11:4; Col 2:6; Heb 11:13; 1 Tim 1:15; Eph 1:12-13). Thus you see what the gospel is, and what faith does do in the salvation of the soul. Now, that faith might be helped in this work, for great are they that oppose it, therefore the Scriptures, the Word of truth, hath presented us with the invitation in most plain and suitable sentences: as ‘That Christ came into the world to save sinners—Christ died for our sins—Christ gave himself for our sins—Christ bare our sins in his body on the tree—and that God, for Christ’s sake, hath forgiven you.’ Further, as the invitations are plain and easy, so the threatening’s to the opposers are sore and astonishing: ‘He that believeth not shall be damned—Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved, God gave them up to strong delusions, that they all might be damned’ (Mark 16:16; 2 Thess 2:10-12).
Object. But faith is said to be an act of obedience.
Answ. And well it may, for it is the most submitting act that a man can do; it throws out all our righteousness; it makes the soul poor in itself; it lived upon God and Christ, as the alms-man doth upon his lord; it consented to the gospel that it is true; it giveth God and Christ the glory of their mercy and merit; it loveth God for his mercy, and Jesus Christ for his service; whatever good it doth, it still cried, hereby, am I not justified, but he that justified me is the Lord. Well, but is there in truth such a thing as the obedience of faith? Then let Christians labor to understand it, and distinguish it right, and to separate it from the law and all man’s righteousness; and remember that it is a receiving of mercy, an embracing of forgiveness, an accepting of the righteousness of Christ, and a trusting to these for life. Remember, again, that it put the soul upon coming to Christ as a sinner, and to receive forgiveness as a sinner, as such. We now treat justification.
But a little to insert at large a few more of the excellencies of it, and so draw towards a conclusion. The more thou believes for the remission of sins, the more of the light of the glorious gospel of Christ thou receive into thy soul—’ For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith’ (Rom 1:17). That is, according to the degree of faith. Little faith see but little but great faith see much; and therefore he saith again, that by faith we have ‘access into the grace of God’ (Rom 5:2). The reason is,
1. Because faith, having laid hold upon Christ, hath found him ‘in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (Col 2:3). In him, therefore, it finds and sees those heights and depths of gospel mysteries that are nowhere else to be found; nay, let a man be destitute of faith, and it is not possible he should once think of some of them.
Apprehended 