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 firmness 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 seems to be receiving "the record which God hath given

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us of his Son." Agreeably to this, the reverfe of faith in fcripture is doubting: Matth. xiv. 31. "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst "thou doubt ?" Matth. xxi. 21. " Jefus an"fwered and faid unto them, Verily I fay un❝ to you, If ye have faith and doubt not, ye "shall not only do this which is done to the "fig-tree, but also, 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 supposed faith, which yet is vain and fruitless, I fhall observe, that the actings of faith may be refolved into the three following particulars, or that the faith of God's elect will discover itself by the three following effects.

1. A firm affent of the understanding to what is revealed of Christ in fcripture; particularly as fummed up in the preceding part of this difcourfe: That you believe the loft and helpless ftate of man by nature and practice: That Chrift is able to fave to the uttermoft; and that he hath

hath made effectual provifion, both for expiating your guilt and purifying your hearts. Perhaps you will think this is easy, 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 firft opens the finner's eyes upon the general truth; and then his own intereft makes it bulk in his apprehenfion, and raifes in him an earnest folicitude, both to examine into the cause of the disease, and to ask. after the method of cure.

There is another way of confidering the af fent of the understanding to divine truth. The teftimony of faith is opposed to the testimony of fenfe. Faith tells us, that our only happinefs is in the favour 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 pleafant, and that our comfort is here; not forgetting to

reprefent

represent the fervice 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 affent to the truths of religion when they are not contradicted, but to believe the teftimony of faith, in oppofition to the fuggeftions of sense; or, in other words, to walk by faith, and not by fight. That this may be brought to the test, I obferve,

2. That faith implies the consent and appro bation of the heart to every truth with regard to Christ's perfon and character, and falvation thro' his blood. To every believer, the plan of redemption by the Mediator of the new covenant, appears not only true, but wife, reasonable, gracious, and neceffary. This, my brethren, particularly distinguishes true faith, not only from unbelief and fecurity, but from an empty and barren profeffion. The careless defpife the truth, the believer adores it; the half Christian is afhamed of it, the believer glories in it: "God forbid," fays the apostle, Gal. vi. 14. "that I fhould glo"ry fave in the crofs of our Lord Jefus Chrift."

1 Pet. ii. 7. "Unto you therefore which be

"lieve, he is 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 heart

felt

felt conviction of danger, which firft 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 esteem, nay, even a jealousy 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 moft admirably calculated to promote the glory of God, and secure the falvation of finners. Even what bears hardest upon man, taking away the foundation of felf-righteoufnefs and felf-dependence, appears to him perfectly reafonable: he not only fubmits to it, but embraces and clofes with it. He fees the law to be holy; he confeffes the threatening to be just; and he is not only content, but thankful, that his present 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 fovereign grace of God in Chrift Jefus.

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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 thirfteth, come ye to the 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 your labour for that which "fatisfieth not hearken diligently unto me, "and eat ye that which is good, and let your

"foul

"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 me, all ye that la"bour, and are heavy laden, and I will give "you reft." And indeed the infpired writers always fpeak of it in fuch terms as fhew themfelves not only fatisfied of the truth, but deeply penetrated with a fenfe of the greatness 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 last place, faith implies fuch a perfonal application of the truths of the gospel as produceth repose of confcience, dependence and reliance on the Saviour. This, my brethren, is the point first 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 firft trufted in Chrift. In "whom ye alfo trufted after that ye heard the "word of truth, the gofpel of your falvation: "in whom alfo after that ye believed, ye were "fealed with that holy Spirit of promife."