True faith is a Christ-receiving faith; it receives and embraces the whole Christ, Christ as a Savior and Christ as a Lord in all His offices, Prophet, Priest, and King. It causes those that have it to give up themselves wholly to Christ, to be ruled by Him in all things, according to His Word. Thus the gospel tenders Christ, and thus a true believer receives Christ. “My Lord and my God,” says believing Thomas of Christ (John 20:28), and it is the property of justifying faith thus to embrace Christ. “They gave themselves unto the Lord,” says the apostle of some true believers (2 Corinthians 8:5). And this is universally true of all that are true believers; they give themselves unto the Lord, and that freely and voluntarily. This faith also puts a price upon Christ above all things, and cleaves to the mercy of God in Christ as better than life, both positively and comparatively. ‘‘To you which believe He is precious” (1 Peter 2:7); “He is the chiefest of ten thousand” (Song 5:10); “fairer than all the children of men” (Psalm 45:2); “He is altogether lovely” (Song 5:16); “as the apple tree amongst the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the sons” (Song 2:3); “His mouth is most sweet” (Song 5:16); “His love is better than wine” (Song 1:2). … By all these places it is evident that it is the property of true faith highly to prize Christ in all things, places, persons, and conditions, above all things, and beyond all time.
Edmund Calamy, Evidence for Heaven (1657), 10-11.
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