ply myself, according to my Capacity, in my accuftomed Methods of Addrefs, to anfwer your Defires.

You obferve," that I infinuate as if Men may "believe the Truth of the Gospel, without a fav"ing Faith in Chrift, without an Interelt in him,

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or a Claim to the Benefits of his Redemption. "You therefore defire I would give you the di"ftinguishing Characters of a 'aving Faith, and "fhew you wherein the Difference lies, between a 66 true Faith, and that which is common to y66 pocrites, as well as to Chriftians indeed."

i do indeed infift upon it, that Men may notionally and doctrinally believe the Truth of the Gofpel, without a faving Faith in Christ, and without an Interest in him, or a Claim to the Benefits of his Redemption.This is a Truth clearly taught in the Scriptures, and abundantly evident from the Reafon and Nature of Things.--If any therefore fhould expect Salvation from a mere doétrinal and hiftorical Faith in Chrift, they will, in the Conclufion, find themselves disappointed, and ashamed of their Hope.

We read (Joh. xii. 42, 43.) of many of the chief Rulers who believed in Chrift, but dared not confefs him; for they loved the Praife of Men, more than the Praife of God.--And will any Man imagine, that fuch Believers who dare not confefs Chrift before Men, fhall be confeffed by him before his Heavenly Father and his holy Angels, in the great Day of Retribution?-Will any Man imagine, that our bleffed Lord will own fuch for his fincere Difciples and Followers, who love the Praife of Men, more than the Praife of God?-Here then is a clear Inftance of a doctrinal and historical Faith, which was not faving, and could give no Claim to the Promife made to true Believers. We have this Mat

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ter further illuftrated and confirmed by the Apostle James, in the fecond Chapter of his Epiftle; where we are fhewn, that fuch a Faith is dead, being alones that it is but a Carcafe without Breath: As the Body without the Spirit is dead, fo Faith without Works, is dead alfo. Of fuch a Faith we may therefore fay with the fame Apoftie, What doth it profit, though a Man fay that he has Faith? Can Faith

fave him?

But I need not multiply Scripture Quotations in this Cafe. It is what is continually confirmed to us by our own Observation.- -How many do we fee every Day, who acknowledge the Truth of the Gofpel, and yet live worldly, fenfual and vicious Lives; who profefs they know Chrift, but in Werks deny him; who call themfelves by his Name, and yet value their Lufts and Idols above all the Hopes of his Salvation; and even run the Venture of eter nal Perdition, rather than deny themselves, take up their Crofs, and follow him?-Now there can be nothing more certain, than that these Men are utterly unqualified for the Kingdom of God; and that they can have no special Interest in him who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar People, zealous of good Works.

As, on the one Hand, there is a gracious Promife of final Salvation to all who believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift: He that believeth, and is baptized fhall be faved: He that believeth on the Son bath everlafting Life:So, on the other Hand, there is a Sort of Believers, who can have no Claim to this Promife, nor any Intereft in the Salvation by Chrift-It must therefore be of infinite Confequence, that we have indeed the Faith of God's Elect, that we may become the Children of God by Faith in Jefus Chrift; and therefore that our Faith

be

be diftinct, in its Nature and Operations, from fuch an empty, lifelefs, and fruitless Belief, with which the formal, worldly, and fenfual Profeffor may deceive and destroy his own Soul.--From whence it appears, that your Queftion is molt important, and deferves a most careful and diftinét Answer; which I shall endeavour in the following Particulars.

1. A true and Javing Faith is a realizing and fenfible Impreffion of the Truth of the Gofpel; whereas a dead Faith is but a mere notional and speculative Belief of it.-Faith is, by the Apoitle, defcribed, the Substance of Things hoped for, and the Evidence of Things not feen; that which brings eternal Things into a near View, and reprefents them unto the Soul as undoubted Realities. Whence it is, that the true Believer, when he has experienced the Defect of his own Purposes and Endeavours, when he is wearied out of all his falfe Refuges, emptied of all Hope in himself, and is brought to fee and feel the Danger and Mifery of his State by Nature, he is then brought in earneft to look to Jefus, as the only Refuge and Safety of his Soul.. He then fees the incomparable Excellency of a precious Saviour, breathes with ardent Defire after him, repairs to him as the only Foundation of his Hope; and, proportionably to the Evidence of his Interest in him, rejoices in Christ Jefus, having no Confidence in the Flesh.--Now, the bleffed Saviour and his glorious Salvation is the Subject of his serious, frequent, and delightful Contemplation.-Now, an Intereft in Chrift is valued by him above all the World; and he is in earnest to obtain and maintain good Evidence, that his Hope in Chrift is well founded.

Now, the Favour of God, and the Concerns of the unfeen and eternal World, appear of greater Importance than every Thing elfe. He now mourns under a Sense of his former Sins; he groans under

the Burden of his remaining Corruptions and Imperfections; and with earnest Diligence follows after Holiness, endeavouring to work out his own Salvation with Fear and Trembling.And in a Word, he has fuch an Impression of thefe invisible Realities, that whatever Temptations, Defertions, or prevailing Corruptions he may conflict with, nothing can fo banish the great Concern from his Breast, as to make him habitually flothful and indifferent about it: Nothing can quiet him short of having his Heart and Affections engaged in the Things of God and Godliness; and his Appetites and Paffions under the Restraint and governing Influence of the Law of the Spirit of Life.

But now, on the other Hand, if we take a View of the Influence which a dead Faith has upon the Soul, it is visible, that this usually leaves the Subjects of it fecure and careless, trifling and indifferent, in the Concerns of the eternal World. Thefe appear to fuch a Person but diftant Futurities, which do not engage his folemn Attention, and make him in earnest folicitous about the Event; nor give any effectual Check to his inordinate Appetites and Paffions. Or if (as it fometimes happens) any awakning Difpenfation alarms the Confcience of fuch a Perfon to a diftreffing Apprehenfion of his Guilt and Danger, drives him to Duties and external Reformations, and makes him more careful and watchful in his Conduct, he has yet no fenfible impreffive View of the Way of Salvation by Jefus Chrift.

-He either endeavours to pacify the Juftice of God, and his own Confcience, by his Duties and religious Performances, and fo lulls himself asleep again in his former Security; or elfe continues to agonize under moft dark, dreadful and unworthy Apprehenfions of the glorious God, as if he were implacable and irreconcileable to fuch Sinners as he.

-Such

-Such a Perfon would readily acknowledge, but he cannot feel this bleffed Truth, that Jefus Chrift is a fufficient Saviour.-He allows it to be Truth; but it is to him fuch a Truth, as has no effectual Influence upon his Heart and Life. Tho' he owns this to be true, yet he can never comfortably venture his Soul and his eternal Interests upon it, unless a Ray of divine Light shine into his Soul, and give him a lively and fenfible View of what he could before have but a flight and fuperficial Apprehenfion of.

Here then you fee an apparent Difference between a true and a falfe Faith; the one realizes the great Truths of the Gospel by a lively and feeling Difcovery of them, giving the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jefus Chrift. The other gives but a lifeless and unactive Affent to these important Truths.-The one influences the Heart and Affections, and by beholding with open Face, as in a Glass, the Glory of the Lord, changes the Soul into the fame Image, from Glory to Glory; the other only fwims in the Head, and leaves the Heart in a State either of Security or Defpondency.-The one is an abiding Principle of divine Life, from which there flow Rivers of living Water: The other is tranfient and unsteady, and leaves the Soul fhort of any spiritual Principle of Life and Activity.

2. A faving Faith is an hearty Confent to the Terms of the Gofpel; while a dead Faith is but a cold Affent to the Truth of it.-Accordingly a true Faith is in the Gospel described to be a receiving of the Lord Jefus Chrift. To as many as received him, to them gave he Power to become the Children of God. Our bleffed Redeemer is freely offering himfelf, and his faving Benefits, to poor perishing Sinners in the Gofpel. Our Compliance with, and Acceptance