benefits of redemption; and this makes them absolutely necessary to all who expect salvation by Christ: and indeed it would not be that go on in the honour of God to pardon or save any that go on in sin, and neglect Christ and his worship. Quest. 86. What is faith in Jesus Christ? Ans. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel. Q. Is not faith taken in different senses in scripture ? A. Yes; sometimes it is taken for the doctrine of faith, and sometimes for the grace of faith. Q. How is it otherwise distinguished? A. Into historical faith, the faith of miracles, and saving faith. Q. Is it saving faith for a man to believe that there is a God, or that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of sinners, or that the Bible is true? A. No; for that is only historical faith, and the devils come this length, James ii. 19. Q. What is historical faith? A. It is the assent of the understanding unto the truths revealed in the word, whereby a man believes and gives credit to them as he doth to the truth of a history. So did these, Matth. xiii. 20. John ii. 23. Acts viii. 13. and xxvi. 27. Q. What more is there in saving faith than for a man to assent or give credit to the divine testimony? A. If the assent be strong and full, it will indeed bring along with it the other acts of faith; that is, if a man not only assent to the things revealed in the gospel as true, but also firmly believe that they are as valuable and excellent as they are held forth to be, then he cannot but close with them. But if our assent doth only regard the truth of the things proposed, and not their goodness and suitableness to us, it is not true and saving; for where faith is true, there is not only an assent of the mind to the verity of gospel-truths, but also a consent of the heart unto them, as worthy of all acceptation, Tim. i. 15. Rom. x. 10. Q What is the faith of miracles ? A. It is a peculiar confidence in the power of God, for producing of miraculous effects, which many had in the first times of the gospel both actively and passively. Some had faith to heal, and others to be healed; and both these were sometimes found in persons. void of saving faith, as in Judas and the unthankful lepers. Q. Why is faith in the answer called a grace A. Because it is God's free gift, without any deserving in us, Eph. ii. 8. Q. Why is it called a saving grace? A. Because there is no salvation without it, and all these who have it shall be saved, Mark xvi. 16.5 Q. How is it that faith doth save us ? A. Not by virtue of any worth in faith, or of its being a deed or work of ours; but because faith is the grace that takes hold of the righteousness of Christ, by which only we are justified and saved. Q. Why then are we said to be justified and saved by faith? A. Because faith is the instrument and means of our justification and salvation. Q. Is not faith the fruit of Christ's purchase ? A. Yes; for it is given in the behalf of Christ to believe: he sends his Spirit to work faith, and hence he is called both the author and finisher of faith, Phil, i. 29. Eph. i. 17, 19. Heb. xii. 2. Q. What mean you by the righteousness of Christ, which is the matter and ground of our justification before God? A. Christ's doing and dying, or all that he did and suffered for us as our Surety and cautioner. (See Quest. 33.) Q. Is it the same righteousness then, which we find sometimes called the righteousness of God, and sometimes the rightebusness of faith? Rom. x. 3, 6. A. Yes, it is the very same: and it is called the righteousness of God, because it is of God's devising and of God's performing, he being God that wrought it out for us. It is called the righteousness of faith, because it is by or through faith that the righteousness of Christ becomes ours; and hence we find it sometimes called the righteousness of God by faith, Phil. iii. 9. Q. What is the proper object of faith? A. The general object of faith is the whole word of God; faith doth assent and consent to all its truths, offers, commands, promises, and threatenings; but the special object of faith is Christ and his Surety-righteousness; for it is to this the penitent soul doth look as the only ground of its justification before God, 2 Cor. ii. 2. Q. What are the principal acts of justifying or saving faith? A. There are two mentioned in the answer, namely, res ceiving and resting upon Christ 〃 Q. What are we to understand by these two acts of faith? A. 1. To receive Christ, is to make choice of Christ, and embrace the offer of him as our Surety, and to consent with a hearty approbation to the gospel-way of justification and salvation through Christ. 2. To rest upon Christ, is to adventure our ali upon a crucified Jesus, by trusting in him alone, and laying the full weight and stress of our souls and our whole salvation upon him, as the only foundation and ground-stone laid in Zion for perishing sinners to rest on, Psal. ii. 12. 1. Pet. ii. 6.. Q. Why is faith said to rest upon Christ alone in the answer? A. To shew that sinners must not rest partly upon Christ, and partly upon their own doing's for salvation, but upon Jesus Christ alone. Q. Doth not the soul's resting on Christ import that it is laden and burdened when it comes to Christ? A. Yes; for the soul is burdened, not only with the fears of wrath, but also with the guilt and pollution of sin, and with the power of indwelling corruption, which it longs to get rid of. Q. What is there in Christ to give rest to the burdened soul? A. There is in him a fulness of merit to expiate guilt, satisfy justice, and obtain cleansing and purity to the soul, yea, there is a fulness of the Spirit in him, to renew and sanctify the natures of all who come to him. Q. Must not we by faith receive and rest on Christ in all his three offices, of prophet, priest and king. A. Yes, we must receive and rest on Christ, 1. As our priest, by renouncing all confidence in our own doings, and being content to be justified by Christ's sacrifice and righteousness only. 2. We must receive and rest upon Christ as our prophet, by renouncing all our carnal reasonings, and submitting to be taught by Christ, and to learn and believe according to the revelations of his word. 3. We must receive and rest upon Christ as our king, by renouncing our own wills and inclinations, and subjecting our whole man, hearts and wills, to Christ, to be inclined and ruled by his Spirit according to the directions of his word. Q. Hath saving faith any other acts besides these of receiving and resting upon Jesus Christ. A. Yes; for saving faith doth also receive and believe the whole word of God, and that because of the divine testimony; and acteth differently upon the several parts thereof, giving credit to its histories and prophecies, yielding obedience to its commands, trembling at its threatenings, and embracing its promises as infallibly true and certain: though still the receiving and resting upon Christ, as tendered in the gospelpromises for salvation, be the chief and main acts of saving faith, John iv. 42. 1 John v. 10. Acts xxiv. 14. Rom. xvi. 26. Isa. lxvi. 2 Heb. xi. 13. John i. 12. Isa. xxvi. 3. Q. For what ends are we by faith to receive and rest upon Christ? A. For salvation; that is, for our complete salvation, not only from wrath, but from the filth, power and right of sin, and all the effects of it; so that it includes justification, sanctification, and eternal glory. Q. What is the ground upon which we are warranted to receive and rest upon Christ for salvation? A. Upon this, that he is offered to us in the gospel. Q Unto whom is Christ offered in the gospel? A. Not to believers only, but to all who hear the gospel, even the greatest sinners, Mark xvi. 15. Rom. x. 18. Isa. xlv. 12. and xlvi. 12. Q. By whom is Christ offered to us in the gospel? A. By his Father, by himself, by his Spirit, and by his ministers, Matth. xxii. 2, 3. Isa. lxv. 1. Rev. iii. 20, 22. Mark xvi. 15. Q. Upon what terms is Christ offered unto us? A. He is offered, 1st, Freely, without money or price, or without regard to any good thing in us, but merely to our need, Isa. lv. 1. and lxv. 1. 2dly, Christ is offered to us wholly and undividedly, in all his offices, of prophet, priest and king; in all which we must receive him, as before mentioned. Q. Do any refuse Christ who have him offered to them ? A. Yes; the most part do refuse him, John i. 11. Isa. liii. f. Q. Who are they that will be reckoned refusers of Christ? A. All who do not believe the report of the gospel, and embrace the offer made unto them. Q. Is saving faith a sure proof of our being elected to eternal life? A. Yes, and therefore it is called the faith of God's elect; and it is said, ' As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed,' Tit. i. 1. Acts xiii. 48. Q. Wh is faith called precious in scripture? 1 Pet. i. 7. 2 Pet. i. 1. A. Because it is honoured by God to be the instrument of. our justification, to be the eye that discerns Christ, the hand that takes hold of him, and the bond of our union with him; it is the spring of the other graces, and doth set them a-work; it is the means of our spiritual life and supplies, and of our peace and joy, Rom. v. 1, 2, 3, &c. Eph. iii. 17. Gal. ii. 20. Rom. xv. 13. Q. Why doth God put such respect upon faith above the other graces ? 』,,』,, Y A. Because faith puts the highest honour upon his beloved Son, and approves of God's device of saving us through him; it strips the creature of all ground of boasting, and doth highly exalt free grace; it gives God all the glory of our salvation, which is most acceptable to him, Matth. xvii. 5. 1 Pet. ii. 7. Rom. iii. 27. and iv. 16. Eph. ii. 7, 8. Q. By what marks may we know if we have saving faith? A. True faith produceth a high esteem of Christ, and worketh by love; it softens and purifies the heart; it vents itself much in prayer and good works, and looses the heart from earthly things; 1 Pet. ii. 7. Gal. v. 6. Mark ix. 24. Acts xv. 9. Heb. iv. 14, 16. James ii. 18. 2 Cor. iv. 18. Q. Have all believers saving faith in the same degree? A. In much doubting and staggering at the promises, in depending upon the means more than Christ, in living much by sense, in distrusting of God, and fainting in the day of adversity. Q. How may we know if there be faith in reality, amidst such weaknesses and signs of unbelief? A. It is a hopeful evidence, if the soul in the mean time be mourning for its unbelief, crying for more faith, and looking sincerely to Christ for righteousness and strength. Q. What are the evidences of a strong faith? A. Where faith is strong, the soul will be aiming at the Redeemer's honour in all its actions; the love of Christ will constrain more powerfully to hate sin, and live godly, than the fear of hell, or the hope of reward can do the soul will rejoice in tribulation, and be much in the exercise of praise; it will trust God in time of danger, and look through all discouragements to the faithfulness of God, and rely upon it. : Quest. 87. What is repentance unto life? Ans. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after new obedi ence. |