A sure trust and confidence
For all this is no more than a dead faith. The true, living, Christian faith, which whoever has is born of God, is not only an assent, an act of the understanding. It is a disposition which God has wrought in the heart: "a sure trust and confidence in God, that through the merits of Christ his sins are forgiven, and he is reconciled to the favor of God."
This implies that a man first renounce himself. In order to be found in Christ, to be accepted through him, he must totally reject all confidence in the flesh. Having nothing to pay, having no trust in his own works or righteousness of any kind, he comes to God as a lost, miserable, self-destroyed, self-condemned, undone, helpless sinner, as one whose mouth is utterly stopped, and who is altogether guilty before God (Romans 3:19).
Such a sense of sin, commonly called despair by those who speak evil of the things they do not know, goes with a full conviction, such as no words can express, that from Christ only comes our salvation, and with an earnest desire of that salvation. These must go before a living faith, a trust in him who for us paid the ransom by his death, and fulfilled the law in his life. This faith, then, by which we are born of God, is "not only a belief of all the articles of our faith, but also a true confidence of the mercy of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ."
1771 text
3. For all this is no more than a dead faith. The true, living, Christian faith, which whosoever hath, is born of God, is not only an assent, an act of the understanding, but a disposition which God hath wrought in his heart; “a sure trust and confidence in God, that through the merits of Christ, his sins are forgiven, and he reconciled to the favour of God.” This implies, that a man first renounce himself; that in order to be found in Christ, to be accepted through him, he totally reject all confidence in the flesh; that having nothing to pay, having no trust in his own works or righteousness of any kind, he come to God, as a lost, miserable, self-destroyed, self-condemned, undone, helpless sinner; as one whose mouth is utterly stopped, and who is altogether guilty before God. Such a sense of sin commonly called despair, (by those who speak evil of the things they know not) together with a full conviction, such as no words can express, that of Christ only cometh our salvation, and an earnest desire of that salvation, must precede a living faith: a trust in him, who “for us paid ransom by his death, and fulfilled the law in his life.” This faith then, whereby we are born of God, is “not only a belief of all the articles of our faith, but also a true confidence of the mercy of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
About this text
Rendered in modern English, to be read and heard. Open the 1771 text under each part to check the claims and the scripture.
Rendered in modern English. The 1771 panel is his own Pine printing of the Works. It is public domain.
Catalogue & scope
Sermon 18 in the 1771 Works. John 3:8.
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. It is not a complete critical edition.