"If the Scripture point forth the freedom of Divine grace, to the setting aside of all human distinctions, in such language as this, If any man will come after me; - If any man will be my disciple; - Let him that heareth say, Come; - And let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely; our preachers immediately put an emphasis of their own, a very impertinent one too, on the expression will,* and, accordingly, go about to limit the Divine grace to the better disposed part of mankind. But it would be endless to trace them in all their glosses on the sacred Scripture. In a word, when they read the various effects of faith recorded in Scripture, they persuade their hearers to labour to attain some shadow of these in their hearts, and then to work out faith as a prop to them all. - building downward to the foundation. And, indeed, the more seriously we consider the popular doctrine, we shall find the more reason to conclude it to be a castle in the air." - Robert Sandeman, Letters on Theron and Aspasio
In the footnote: * The deceit and falsehood of all such glosses on the Scripture will readily appear to us, if we can only attend to the meaning of one plain passage, wherein Jesus addresses the woman of Samaria thus: If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink; thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The knowledge here spoken of is saving faith. And this knowledge, which was never yet acquired by human endeavours, never yet sought, or in the remotest manner wished for by any unbeliever, is the only spring of all willing, wishing, desiring, asking, of every motion of the heart that is agreeable to God, and attended with a sense of his favour. This knowledge influencing the mind, is, in Scripture, called the new heart, the right spirit, new man, &c.
Also read Archibald Alexander:
"Much has been written about the various acts of faith; some making a greater and some a less number of essential acts; but although what they ascribe to faith belongs to its various actings, yet if we examine the matter more accurately, we shall find that faith is one simple exercise of the mind, including, however, both the understanding and will; and that all its various acts arise from the various truths brought into view. A full persuasion of the truth revealed, is faith, in every case; but when the truth believed is a divine promise, this persuasion is of the nature of trust or confidence. Most of the phrases which speak of faith are figurative, and express the common actings of Faith in allusion to some analogous thing. Thus receiving, flying for refuge, looking, coming, hungering, and thirsting, &c. are used to convey to our minds in an intelligible and striking manner, the exercises of a soul when it believes in Christ, but cannot be considered so many distinct acts. Of these figurative expression, no one is more frequently used, or better suited to express the whole of a genuine faith, than that of 'receiving' Christ. - Archibald Alexander, A treatise on Justification by Faith, pg. 43-44
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