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2dly, We have the confirmation of Chrifi's being the Meffiah, from verfe 6, 7, 8. Having fhewed the excellency of faith, and that it confifted in a believing that Chrift was the Son of God; now he comes to confirm this foundation of faith, that Chrift' is indeed the Son of God; "This is he that came by water and blood, even Jefus Chrift," &c. The typical administration of old was partly by water and legal washing; partly by blood or bloody facrifices. Now, Chrift came to fulfil both thefe types. By working regeneration, he performs that which the legal wafhings reprefented; and by purchasing redemption and reconciliation with the price of his blood, he performs that which the blood of the facrifices of old, adumbrate and point forth. And hereupon the apoftle leads us to the tef timony of the Spirit, which believers have within them, and fo comes more directly to treat of the witneffes of Chrift being the Son of God, particularly the witnesses in heaven, and the witneffes on earth.

1. The witneffes in heaven, are three, ver. 7. "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one." How eminently did thefe three witness Chrift's Sonfhip when he was baptized! The Father from heaven with an audible voice, faying, "This is my beloved Sonin whom I am well-pleafed." The Son prefent in our nature which he had affumed. The Holy Ghoft vifibly appearing in the fhape of a dove, and refting on him. And many other ways do thefe three witneffes atteft Chrift's Sonfhip; as in the word; in the miracles of Chrift; in the miniftry of the gofpel: but, in whatever way, thefe three are one; not only one in effence, but one in will and confent; they agree in their tefli

mony.

3. The witneffes on earth are three; the Spirit, the water, and the blood. Where by the Spirit we are to understand the effufion of the Holy Ghoft, and his own immediate manifeftation. By the water we are to underfland regeneration and fanctification, reprefented by the old washing and cleanfing with water. And by the blood we are to understand redemption and fan&i.

fication

fication, through the blood of Christ. These give their teftimony to this truth, and witnefs that Chrift is the Son of God: and they are said to do it on earth, even in all believers.

Now, having adduced all these witneffes, he fhews them all to be divine witneffes; and the refufal thereof to be extremely dangerous, .for thereby we make God a liar. However, the ninth verfe refers especially to the feventh, concerning the witneffes in heaven; "If we receive the witnefs of men, the witnefs of God is greater: for, this is the witnefs of God, which he hath teftified of his Son." But ver. 10. where our text lies, hath a reference especially to the eighth, concerning the witness on earth; He that believeth on the Son of God, bath the witnefs in himself. The three on earth bear witnefs in the court of the believer's breast.

In the words of the text you have the believer defcribed, or his faith accounted for, and unfolded, in these four things.

(1.) The act of it; it is called a believing, namely, upon the authority of God tellifying and declaring what he fhould believe. This believing is called a receiving of Chrift; "To as many as received him, to them gave he power, [or privilege,] to become the fons of God, even to them that believe in his name," John i. 12. It is a receiving Chrift, and receiving the teftimony concerning him; fetting to the feal that God is true.

(2.) The object of this faith: it is a believing on the Son of God. This object of faith is fully illuftrated in the following verfe, namely," This is the record of God, that he hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." True faith then hath thè revelation of Chrift as the only begotten, and eternal Son of God, and Saviour of the world, for its object. This is God's record and teftimony, that Chrift is his Son and our Saviour; that he is our falvation and eternal life, by God's appointment and conftitution. But,

(3) We have the evidence of it: He that believeth, bath the witnefs thereof. By the witnefs here, I conceive, we are to understand what we have in the eight verfe, and in the clofe of the fixth. It is the Spirit

that

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that beareth witnefs, because the Spirit is truth. The Spirit, together with the water and blood, is the witnefs on earth, and within believers, which concurs with the witneffes in heaven, and agrees with them in witneffing the fame thing, namely,, that Chrift is the Son of God, and the true Meffias. This is the end and defign of all these witneffes in general. But the fpecial end and defign of this internal witness to particular fouls is, their own adoption, filiation, and falvation, through this Meffiah. This is exprefly declared to be the end, ver. 13. That ye may know, that ye have eternal life." (4.) You have the fubject of it: He hath the witnefs in himself. He that believeth the witnefs and teftimony of God, teftifying his Son to be our life and falvation, he hath the witnefs in himfelf, in his own heart, in his own foul. He finds and feels him as the Author of faith within him. It is not a fluctuating opinion, but an internal teftimony; and internal fenfation of what God tellifies and fpeaks, namely, peace and falvation, in and thro' his Son Jefus Christ. He that believeth in Chrift hath the Spirit of Chrift, of whom Chrift hath faid, "He fhall teftify of me," John xv. 26. And again, "He fhall glorify me; for, he fhall receive of mine, and fhew it unto you," John xvi. 14. He teftifies'in the man alfo by water and blood. He therefore, that believeth, hath a fufficient efficacious witnefs in himself, and needs not feek it elfewhere.

What is further neceffary for explaining this fubje&t, will come in under the profecution of the following doctrine.

OBSERV. That true faith carries its own evidence, or witnefs, along with it.

See for illuftration of this, befides the text, the following fcriptures: Eph. i. 13. "After ye believed, ye were fealed with the Holy Spirit of promife.Rom. viii. 16. "The Spirit alfo beareth witnefs, with our fpirits, that we are the fons of God." I think it was this evidence the apoftle's faith carried along with it, when he faid, 2 Tim. i. 12. I know in whom I have believed."

And

And the believer's, mentioned in the clofe of this chapter, ver. 20. "We know, that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding to know him that is true; and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jefus Chrift: this is the true God and eternal life."

The method we propofe for illuftrating this propofition, thro' the divine favour, fhall be the following.

I. To enquire what this faith is?

II. What is that evidence and witnefs that it carries along with it?

III. What this witnefs doth depone and atteft?

IV. What is the quality and property of this witness that the believer hath in himself?

V. Why true faith hath this witnefs along with it? VI. Make application of the whole fubject.

1. We return then to the first thing propofed, viz. to enquire, What true faith is? The text would give us ground to enquire into two things, viz. 1. Into the object: 2. The nature of it.

ift, The object of it is the Son of God. Not the Son exclufively: God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, is the object of our faith; "He that receiveth his teftimony, hath fet to his feal that God is true," John iii. 33. But this God would be as inacceffible to us, as fallen angels, were it not thro' his Son, who took not on him the nature of angels, but the feed of Abraham! therefore it follows, in the laft verfe of John iii. "He that believeth on the Son of God hath everlafting life:" and in John v. 12. "He that hath the Son hath life; he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life." Faith centers on him as the Son of God, as the brightnefs of the Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon. Were he not God, "Look unto me and

faith would want a fure foundation; be faved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and befides me there is none elfe." The falvation that we need, is a falvation that God only could contrive, that God only could purchase, that God only could adminif tér. This is a ftrong fupport to the foul in all things that can difficult it, that he is God, the Son of God, God-man, Mediator.

In a word, I understand here, the Son of God, and all these things in him, 'on which faith terminates. The object of our faith is the Son of God, as made of God unto us wisdom, righteousness, fan&tification, and redemption: the Son of God, whom God hath fet forth to be the propitiation for our fins. When faith takes him up as the Son of God, it looks on him as a glorious object; "More glorious than the mountains of prey:" as an able Saviour; "Able to fave to the uttermoft," being the Son of God: as one dear and near to God, and in whom God cannot but be well-pleased; he is well-pleafed with him as his own Son, and well-pleafed with him as our Saviour, and well-pleafed in him: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleafed," Mat. iii. 17.

2dly, As to the nature of faith it is not my defign to enlarge upon it at prefent; only, a fhort account of fuch as believe on the Son of God, you may take in the following particulars.

1. He that believeth on the Son of God; that is, he who is felf-condemned, and hạth the fentence of the law pronounced in his confcience, and thereupon finds himfelf loft and undone without Chrift; "The Son of man came to feek and fave that which was loft. The whole need not the phyfician, but they that are fick." For whom then is confolation prepared, but for these that are caft down? For whom is wifdom, but for the foolish? For whom juftification, but for the guilty? For whom fanctification, but for the filthy? For whom falvation, but for the finner?

2. He that believeth; that is, he that hath no expectation from the law as a covenant of works, whom the Lord hath divorced from that hufband, in order to his efpoufal to Chrift, who fees his own righteousness to be filthy rags, a bed fhorter than that he can ftretch himfelf upon; a covering narrower than that he can wrap himself into; who finds his best duties and holinefs cannot over-mantle him, and be proof against the confuming fire of God's infinite juftice, which requires infinite fatisfaction; or vindicate God's infinite holiness, which requires perfe& obedience.