Imatges de pàgina
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Our Lord himself puts it beyond question, that receiving him, means receiving or believing the doctrine of the apoftles, John xiii. 20. Matth. x. 40. "He that receiveth you, receiveth me, and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that "fent me," i. e. He that acknowledgeth you as my embassadors, i Cor. iv. I. and regards your meflage as the word of the living God, I Theff. ii. 13. receiveth me, and the Father that fent me. Hence unbelievers are reprefented as putting from them the word of God, Acts xiii. 46. And rejecting Chrift is explained, John xii. 48. as a not receiving his words. Confequently to accept Chrift, is to receive these words.

I acknowledge the generality of Calvinifts, have confidered the confent of the will as included in receiving Chrift. Nor will I peremp torily deny, that in fome Scriptures receiving Chrift may fignify, the heart chufing, and the affections embracing and cleaving to Chrift as our Prophet, Prieft, and King; and the whole foul confenting to, approving of, and delighting in the Saviour, and in the gospel scheme of falvation through him. But then, in these Scriptures, it denotes fomething different from faith, though I readily allow intimately connected with, infeparably attending, or neceffarily flowing from faith, and therefore effential to the Chriftian character. Every believer is acquainted with these actings of foul. They are not faith. Yet that is no reafon for treating them ludicrously. There may be ground for the cenfure paffed by the learned Mr. Riccaltown, Sober Enquiry, c.5. "Some feem to fpeak, as if Chrift was like a material gift, which cannot be given, unless it change "Mafters,

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"Mafters, nor received without a formal taking it into one's cuftody and poffeffion, as part of "his goods and utenfils; an abfurdity fo obvi

ous, that one would think to mention it were "to confute it." Yet I am perfuaded, that venerable divine will agree with me, that the improper ftile in which a good thing has been fometimes reprefented, and the wrong name that has been given it, will not vindicate thofe, whether Calvinists or Arminians, who have lately dreffed it in a fool's coat. Even wife and good men, by immoderate care to guard against one extreme, are often apt to fall into another no less pernicious. $ 3. There is ftill lefs difficulty in explaining thefe Scriptures, in which faith feems to be reprefented by eating or drinking, and particularly by eating Chrift's flesh and drinking his blood.

Any thing that either improves or comforts, the mind, is termed its food. Cicero fays of Demetrius Phalereus, 1. 5. de fin. “ Animi cultus erat "ei quafi cibus." Wickedness is represented as the food of the ungodly, Job xx. 14. And the graces of faints and the converfion of the wicked is reprefented as our Saviour's food, Cant, iv. 16. v. 1. Rev..iii. 20. John iv. 32, 34. because he rejoices in thefe. That which is not bread, Ifa. lv. 2. is that which can afford the foul no real improvement, no solid and substantial pleasure.

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But with peculiar propriety, truth is repre- fented as meat and drink to the foul, and knowing, believing, and confidering the truth, as eating and drinking. Thus Petronius Arbiter Satyric.

c. 5.

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"Mæoniumque bibat fœlici pectore fontem,
"Mox a Socratico plenus.
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And it was common among the Jews, inftead of faying, Mafter, we come to be thy fcholars, to fay, Mafter, we come to drink waters from thy well (h). Hence, waters are often a symbol of the gospel revelation, e. g. Pfal. xlvi. 4. Ifa. xliv. 3. Zech. xiv. 8. Joel iii. 18. Ezek. xlvii. 1. and eating and drinking often denote, faith joyfully affenting to and contemplating the word of grace. See Prov. ix. 5. Cant. v. 1. Ifa. lv. 1. lxv. 13. Jer. xv. 16. John vi. 50. vii. 37. Rev. xxii. 17. The glad tidings of falvation publifhed to all nations are the accomplishment of that promife, Ifa. xxv. 6. " And in this moun"tain fhall the Lord of hofts make unto all "people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines c on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of "wines on the lees well refined." When these glad tidings are understood and believed, the meek do eat and are fatisfied, Pfal. xxii. 27. they tafte and fee that the Lord is good, Pfal. xxxiv.

Chrift's fruit is fweet to their tafte, Cant. ii. 3. yea, with joy they draw water out of thefe wells of falvation, Ifa. xii. 3. and this affords an easy interpretation of what our Lord fays, John vi. 54, 55." Who fo eateth my "flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raife him up at the last day. "For my fleth is meat indeed, and my blood is "drink indeed." It is the doctrine of Chrift crucified, not the material flesh and blood of Chrift, which is here afferted to be the food of the foul. Hence, our Lord adds, ver. 63. "It "is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth

(b) See Schottgenii horæ Hebraicæ in John iv. 14. and Universal History, 8vc. edit. vol. III. 227.

"nothing:

"nothing: the words that I fpeak unto you, "they are fpirit, and they are life.". The fcope of that discourse, as is intimated, ver. 29. was to recommend faith; and through the whole of it believing and eating are fynonymous expreffions, and have the fame things afcribed to them. Thus what is afferted of believing, ver. 40. is afferted in almost the fame words of eating Chrift's flesh and drinking his blood, ver. 54.

In confequence of this fpiritual eating and drinking, Chrift the bread of life, i. e. the doctrine of the perfon, offices and fufferings of Chrift, abides John vi. 56; xv. 4. 7. lives Gal. ii. 20. dwells Eph. iii. 17. (i) in believers; and is in

them

(i) If this interpretation of Chrift's abiding, living, and dwelling in the foul, appears il! grounded to any, let them attend to what follows. Chrift abiding in us, and his words abiding in us, are ufed as fynonymous expreffions. John xv. 5, 7. Parallel to thefe are the expreffions 1 John ii. 24, 27. of that abiding in Chriftians which they had heard from the beginning; and of that anointing which teacheth them all things abiding in them. The effential prefence of Chrift as God is every where. And as man, the heavens must receive him till the time of the reftitution of all things. But he is prefent with his people in a gracious manner, by the words of his gofpel, accompanied by the influence of his fpirit. Thefe are the feed of the new birth, by which Chrift is formed in men.

1 Pet. i. 23. 1 John iii. 9. And where thefe are habitually confidered and believed, they are alfo the grand means of advancing real Chriftians in conformity to God's image. 2 Tim. iii. 17. Hence we are often reminded, how important it is to continue in Chrift's words, John viii. 31. to abide in the doctrine of Chrift, 2 John 9. and to continue in the things we have learned. 1 Tim. iii. 15. Chrift crucified is not only the way, the alone medium of access to God, and acceptance with him, the truth firmly believed by every Chriftian, but the life, the doctrine which imparts fpiritual ftrength and vigour to the soul.

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them the hope of glory, Col. i 27. and ftrength of their life. Pf. xxvii. Nay, divine truth thus received, becomes in the foul a well of living water, fpringing up into eternal life, John iv. 14. or as it is expreffed John vii. 38. rivers of living water. So that believers, especially public teachers, are as fo many fountains or rivers, to convey to others thefe falutary ftreams, Pl. lxxxvii. 7. Prov. x. 11; xviii. 4. If. xxxv. 7. 2 Pet. ii. 17. Rev. viii. 10. Only obferve, that it is not they that drink; their example, eloquence, or chriftian experience, but the water that is in them, that is, the truths of the gofpel, firft beJieved by themfelves, and then imparted to their hearers, which become to these hearers, fpiritual drink, or the means of nourishing them up in faith, holiness and comfort.

4. Coming to Chrift, of which we read If. xlv. 24; lv. 1. 3. John vi. 35, 37, 44, 453 vii. 37; xiv. 6; v. 40. is the immediate fruit of faith, rather than faith itfelf. It is the feeking all fpiritual and heavenly bleffings only in the way of union and communion with Chrift, from

a

John xii. 49, 50. "The Father which fent me gave me a "commandment, and I know that his commandment is "life everlasting." The doctrine of Chrift not only brings to light life and immortality, and the way that leads to them, but is the means in the hand of the spirit, to begin, preserve and strengthen that spiritual life, which fhall at last be compleated in a life of glory. With the utmoft juftice therefore, did Peter fay to our Lord, John .vi. 68. Thou haft the words of eternal life." And Chrift himself addreffing the Father, John xvii. 3. fays; "This is life eternal to know thee the only true God, "and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent." Job fpeaks, xix. 28. of the root of the word being found in him, and John rep. i. g. defcribes Chriftians as having God's feed, i. e. word remaining in them.

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