He that believeth
Not notionally only, or that gives a bare assent to the truth of
the Gospel; but spiritually, who sees Christ, his need of him,
and the worth and excellency, suitableness and fulness of him;
who comes to him as a poor perishing sinner, and ventures on him,
and commits himself to him, and lives upon him; believing alone
in him, and expecting life and salvation alone by him:
and is baptized;
faith must precede baptism, as these words of Christ, and
Scripture examples show; and such as have it, ought to make a
profession of it, and be baptized; and in which way it is that
faith discovers itself, and works by love to Christ; namely, in
observing his commands, and this among the rest:
shall be saved,
such receive the remission of their sins a justifying
righteousness, the privilege of adoption, a right and meetness
for heaven now, and shall be saved in Christ, with an everlasting
salvation; not that either faith or baptism, are the procuring
causes of salvation: not faith, for Christ is the author of
salvation; and faith is the grace that looks to him for it,
receives the assurance of it now, and that will be the end of it
hereafter: faith and eternal life are so connected together, that
he that has the one, shall have the other; and it is descriptive
of the person that shall enjoy it: and baptism, though it is said
to save by the resurrection of Christ, as it is a means of
leading faith to Christ's resurrection for justification, yet has
no casual influence upon salvation; it is not essential to it;
the thief on the cross, went to heaven without it, and Simon
Magus to hell with it; but it is the duty of every one that
believes, and he that truly believes, ought to be baptized, and
prove the truth of his faith, by his obedience to Christ, and
such shall be saved:
but he that believeth not shall be damned;
such are here chiefly designed, who, are favoured with the Gospel
revelation; but either deny it, reject and despise it, or neglect
it, and are disobedient to it; whose guilt is the greater, and
whose punishment and damnation will be the more intolerable; even
more so, than that of Sodom and Gomorrha, Tyre and Sidon, or any
of the Gentiles that perish without the law, and the knowledge of
the Gospel; and also such are meant, who are finally unbelievers,
who live and die in a state of impenitence and unbelief;
otherwise, one that believes not today, may believe tomorrow, and
be saved.
