"fied by the faith of Chrift, and not by the works of the "law; for by the works of the law fhall no flesh be jus "tified. But if while we feek to be juftified by Christ, "we ourselves alfo are found finners, is therefore Chrift "the minifter of fin? God forbid. For if I build again "the things which I destroyed, I make myself a tranfgref"for. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: "nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me: "and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the "faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave him"felf for me."

I proceed now, in the fecond place, to confider the actings of faith, or what is implied in believing thefe truths to the faving of the foul. And I cannot help observing to you, that it is but in compliance with common custom, or at leaft with the prefent ftate of things, that I

fay much upon this part of the subject. I am perfuaded it is of much more confequence, and much more proper, to direct you to the object of faith in God's revealed will, to explain it in all its extent, and to prefs it with all the evidence that attends it, than to examine curioufly into, and diftinguish nicely upon the nature of faith, as it is an act of the human mind. I do not find, that the fcripture fays much upon the act of believing; but it is in a manner wholly employed in telling us what we ought to believe, both with regard to our apoftafy and recovery. We do indeed read in fcripture of believing with all the heart. We read alfo of a temporary faith in the ftony-ground hearers; and of the ftrength and weakness of faith. But all this feems, at least chiefly, to relate to the firmnefs or uncertainty of our perfuafion of, or affent to the truths which are addreffed to us in the name of God. The fimpleft view of faith feems to be receiving "the record which God hath given us of his Son." Agreeably to this, the reverfe of faith in fcripture is doubting: Matth. xiv. 31. "O thou of little faith, wherefore didft thou doubt?" Matth. xxi. 21. Jefus anfwered and faid " unto them, Verily I fay unto you, If ye have faith and ས doubt not, ye fhall not only do this which is done to

the fig tree, but alfo, if ye fhall fay unto this mountain, "Be thou removed, and be thou caft into the fea; it fhall be done."

(But, my brethren, fince there have been queftions upon this fubject, and fince it is certain from experience that there is a deceitfulness in the human heart, and a fuppofed faith, which yet is vain and fruitless, I fhall obferve, that the actings of faith may be refolved into the three following particulars, or that the faith of God's elect will difcover itself by the three following effects.

1. A firm affent of the understanding to what is revealed of Chrift in fcripture; particularly as fummed up in the preceding part of this difcourfe: That you believe the loft and helpless state of man by nature and practice: That Chrift is able to fave to the uttermoft; and that he hath made effectual provifion, both for expiating your guilt and purifying your hearts. Perhaps you will think this is eafy, and be ready to fay, that you have from your youth given, and that you do at this moment give, entire credit to the whole. But, my brethren, there is more here than you are aware of: there is a great difference between a common and traditionary belief, which was never tried, and that inward and perfonal conviction which dwells in the heart, and therefore will govern the life. If any man believe, that all the pofterity of Adam are in a state of guilt and mifery, one would think it unavoidable that he muft perceive his own danger as a part of the whole; and yet I am perfuaded, it is ufually a perfonal conviction of guilt and danger by the law upon the confcience that first opens the finners eyes upon the general truth; and then his own intereft makes it bulk in his apprehenfion, and raises in him an earnest folicitude, both to examine into the caufe of the disease, and to afk after the method of cure. There is another way of confidering the affent of the understanding to divine truth. The teftimony of faith is Faith tells us, that our

oppofed to the teftimony of fenfe. only happiness is in the favor of God, and that this can only be obtained through Chrift; that eternity is coming on; and that there is no time to be loft. Senfe, on the other hand, tells us, that the world is good, that its delights

are pleasant and that our comfort is here; not forgetting to represent the service of God as a burden and drudgery, In the mean time, the corrupt principle within, affents to the delufion, and affifts in blinding the mind; adding, that whatever may be in religion, the danger may be warded off by a late repentance. It is not enough then to give a cold and general afsent to the truths of religion when they are not contradicted, but to believe the teftimony of faith, in oppofition to the fuggestions of fenfe; or, in other words, to walk by faith, and not by sight. That this may be brought to the teft, I obferve,

2. That faith implies the consent and approbation of the heart to every truth with regard to Chrift's person and character, and falvation through his blood. To every believer, the plan of redemption by the Mediator of the new covenant, appears not only true, but wife, reasonable, gra, cious, and neceffary. This, my brethren, particularly diftinguishes true faith, not only from unbelief and fecurity, but from an empty and barren profeffion, The carelefs defpife the truth, the believer adores it; the half Chriftian is afhamed of it, the believer glories in it: " God forbid," fays the apoftle, Gal. vi. 14. " that I fhould glory fave in "the crofs of our Lord Jefus Chrift." 1 Pet, ii. 7. "Unto

you therefore which believe, he his precious: but unto "them which be difobedient, the ftone which the builders "difallowed, the fame is made the head of the corner."

I believe indeed it is ufually a deep and heartfelt conviction of danger, which first perfuades the finner of the truth, and makes the trembling penitent a willing believer. But because there may be fometimes a belief of that truth, which we do not efteem, nay, even a jealoufy and fufpicion of the truth of what we inwardly hate, I have added, that faith implies the confent and approbation of the heart. The whole doctrine of redemption appears to the believer most admirably calculated to promote the glory of God, and fecure the falvation of finners. Even what bears hardest upon man, taking away the foundation of felf-righteoufnefs and felf-dependence, appears to him perfectly reasonable: he not only fubmits to it, but embraces and clofes with it. He fees the law to be holy; he con

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feffes the threatening to be juft; and he is not only content, but thankful, that his prefent deliverance and future. fecurity depend, not on himself, but on the Redeemer.. He is willing to be only and eternally indebted to the unmerited mercy and sovereign grace of God in Christ Jefus.. Thus you fee the doctrine of falvation is reprefented in fcripture under the form of a bleffing to be received, as well as a truth to be believed: If lv. 1, 2, 3. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye tothe waters, and he that hath "no money; come ye, buy and eat, yea, come. buy wine "and milk without money, and without price. Wherefore "do ye fpend money for that which is not bread? and แ your labor for that which fatisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your foul delight itself in fatnefs. Incline your ear, and "come unto me; hear, and your foul fhall live, and I "will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the "fure mercies of David." Matth. xi. 28. "Come unto

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me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft." And indeed the infpired writers always speak of it in fuch terms as fhew themselves not only fatisfied of the truth, but deeply penetrated with a fenfe of the greatnefs of the mercy; Eph. iii. 17, 18, 19. "That Chrift may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted “and grounded in love, may be able, to comprehend with "all faints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Chrift, which paffeth "knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness "of God."

3. In the laft place, faith implies fuch a perfonal application of the truths of the gospel as produceth repofe of confcience, dependence and reliance on the Saviour. This, my brethren, is the point firft in view, and the termination of the whole; and I cannot help thinking, that it is fo effential to faith, that faith and truft are often put reciprocally for one another in the New Teftament; as in Eph. i. 12, 13. "That we fhould be to the praise "of his glory, who first trusted in Chrift. In whom ye "alfo trufted after that ye heard the word of truth, the gof

"pel of your falvation: in whom also after that ye believ "ed, ye were fealed with that holy Spirit of promise."

“There

I do not mean to fay, that divine faith is a belief that Christ died for me in particular. I know the strong objections which lie against that form of expreffion. The object of faith is, that Chrift died for loft finners of the race Adam. But as it can hardly be fuppofed, that any give their affent to this truth till they are convinced that they themselves are finners, fo, if they believe that there is no falvation in any other, and that he is able to fave to the uttermoft, it seems to follow of neceffity, that they will reft and rely upon him alone for falvation as he is offered "in the gofpel." This is certainly the view given us of the matter in the holy scripture: Rom. v. 1. "fore being juftified by faith, we have peace with God, "through our Lord Jefus Chrift." Heb. vi. 18. Heb. vi. 18. "That "by two immutable things, in which it was impoffible for "God to lie, we might have a strong confolation, who have "fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope fet before us." Faith and despair are inconfiftent. Faith and hope are infeparable. The glory of the Redeemer's perfon, the perfection of his atonement, and his ability to fave, are all fet before us in the gofpel; and if we cannot rely upon him, if we cannot trust our falvation in his hands, it certainly arifes from fome doubt or difapprobation of these interesting truths. If you doubt of the truth, it is no wonder that you diftruft the promife; but if you are truly and inwardly fatisfied of Chrift's power and mercy, you will close with him, as your Saviour, and fay unto him, in the words of Thomas, when his doubts were removed, " My Lord, "and my God."-Thus I have fhortly given you a view of the actings of faith: which may all be reduced to what I have endeavored to illuftrate; the affent of the understanding, the approbation of the heart, and thefe jointly producing repole of confcience and peace with God.

II. I proceed now, in the last place, to make fome practical improvement of what hath been faid on this important subject. And, in the