rivers of living water: the other is tranfient and unsteady, and leaves the foul fhort of any fpiritual principle of life and activity.

2. A faving faith is an hearty consent to the terms of the gospel: 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 free. ly offering himself and his faving benefits to poor perishing finners, in the gofpel. Our compliance with and acceptance of the gospel-offer, are the terms of our intereft in him, and conftitute the faith of God's elect. They therefore, and they only, are true believers in Chrift, who heartily acquiefce in the glorious method of a finner's recovery from ruin by Jefus Chrift; and heartily accept an offered Saviour, in all his offices and benefits. A true believer, convinced of his natural blindness and ignorance, repairs to the Lord Jefus Chrift, to enlighten his mind, to make his way plain before him, and to give him a clear, fenfible, and fpiritual acquaintance with the great things of his eternal peace. The true believer has found by experience his utter incapacity to procure the divine favour by the beft of his duties, reformations, or moral performances, and that he has caufe to be ashamed and confounded in his own fight, for the great defects of his highest attainments in religion: and therefore welcomes the Lord Jefus Chrift to his foul, as the Lord his righteousness, repairs to him, and to him only, for wisdom, righteousness, fan&tification, and redemption; and builds all his hope of acceptance with God, upon what Chrift has done and fuffered for him. The true believer labours and is heavy laden with the finfulnefs of his nature: and longs for a further victory over his corrupt affections, appetites, and paflions, for more fpirituality in his duties, and for a further progrefs in piety and holinefs; and therefore heartily defires and accepts the Lord Jefus Chrift, as his fanctifier, as well as Saviour; and earnestly feeks after the renewing, ftrength, ening, and quickening influences of his bleffed Spirit. The true believer feels the neceffity of this bleffed Savi our in all his offices, relations, and characters. He fees

him to be juft fuch a Saviour as his foul wants; and therefore chearfully accepts a whole Chrift, with his whole heart, without any referve, without any defire of other terms of acceptance with God. He may entertain dark apprehenfions of himself, and complain heavily of the great defects of his faith and holinefs: but he can never entertain hard thoughts of the gofpel-fcheme; ror complain of the terms of falvation therein propofed. These appear to him the wisdom of God, and the power of God; and every way anfwer the exigencies of his ftate, and the defires of his foul.

But if, on the contrary, we confider the character of a dead faith, it is what never brings the foul to a full confent to the terms of the gofpel, without fome exception and referve. The unfound believer may imagine, that he accepts of the Lord Jefus Chrift as his Saviour: But what is the foundation and encouraging motive of his imaginary compliance with the gospel offer? Upon an impartial enquiry, it will be always found to be fomething in himself; his good affections, duties, moralities, reformations, promifes, or purposes. He endeavours by thefe to recommend himself to God; and on the ac count of thefe, he hopes to find acceptance thro' Christ. Or if he feels ever so strong a deûre of falvation by Christ, yet he is driven to it only by fear and felf-love; and will renew his affection to other lords, as soon as his awakening apprehenfions are worn off. He does not feel his want of Chrift's enlightening and enlivening in-. fluences: for he knows not what they mean. He fubmits not to the righteousness of Chrift. For he is ftill endeavouring to procure acceptance with God from fome good qualifications of his own, fome duties which he performs, or fome progrefs which he makes or designs to make in his religious course. He cannot submit to Chrift as his Lord. For there is fome flothful indulgence, which he cannot forego, fome darling luft which he cannot part with, fome worldly idol which his heart is fet upon, or fome difficult duty which he must excufe himself from.

There is nothing more apparent than the distinction between these two forts of believers. The one comes to Christ destitute of all hope and help in himself: but

fees enough in Chrift to answer all his wants.

The other is full in himself. The one looks to Christ to be his light. The other leans to his own understanding. The one makes mention of Chrift's righteoufnefs, and that only The other hopes for an intereft in Chrift and his falvation, on account of his own attainments; and in effect, expects justification by his own righteousness, for Chrift's fake. The one brings a guilty, polluted, unworthy foul to the bleffed Redeemer, without any qualification to recommend it; expecting from him alone all the fupplies he wants, repairing to him for gold tried in the fire, that he may be rich; for eye-falve that be may fee; and for white raiment, that he may be cloathed. The other ordinarily raifes his expectations from Christ, in proportion to his own imaginary qualifications and good difpofitions. The one as well defires falvation by Chrift from pollution as from guilt. The other has a referve of fome deceitful luft: and hugs fome Delilah in his bofom, which he cannot be willing to part with. In fine, the one is willing to accept of the Lord Jefus Chrift upon any terms. The other will not come to Chrift, but upon terms of his own ftating. But I fhall find occafion to speak further to fome of these things under the following head.

3. A faving faith is an humble truft în, and depen. dance upon the Lord Jefus Chrift, as the author of our eternal falvation : but a dead faith always build upon fome falfe foundation, or upon none at all A faving faith is often described in fcripture by a trusting in the Lord, committing our way to him, refting in him, and other fuch like expreffions; which suppose an humble confidence in the abundant fufficiency of the Redeemer's merits, and the boundless riches of God's mercy in him.

Accordingly the true believer, in his greatest darknefs and difcouragement, ventures his foul and eternal interefts in the hands of Chrift with at least a supporting and encouraging hope. His paft fins may appear in most affrightning forms vaftly numerous, dreadfully aggravated: however, he yet keeps his hope alive with this comforting confideration, that the blood of Jesus Chrift cleanfeth from all fin. He may be oppreffed with a fenfe of the horrible defects of his duties and religious

attainments; but he yet fees righteoufnels enough in Chrift, for a fafe foundation of confidence, though he find none in himself. This, and this alone, keeps his. foul from linking, anfwers the clamours of confcience, and difpofes him to rely upon the free grace and mercy of God. He may be diftreffed with the prevalence of his inward corruptions, he may in an unguarded hour, be furprized and foiled by the power of his finful appetites or paffions, or by fome unexpected temptation; but even in this cafe, his refuge is in that blessed Advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous. And though from fad experience of his own dreadful imperfections, he may be ready to question his ftate, and to fear left he be deceived, and left he fhould finally be afhamed of his hope, nevertheless he ventures that also in the hands of Chrift, and depends upon him, that he won't leave him to a foul-ruining deceit, but will guide him by his counfel, and afterwards bring him to glory. Such a dependance upon Chrift the believer ordinarily exercifes in his darkest hours and dulleft frames. But when in the more lively exercife of grace, and when Christ' is pleased to shine into the foul with clearer communications of his love, his confidence (like a rock in the fea) ftands unmoved in the greatest tempefts; and he knows whom he has believed, that he is able to keep that which he has committed to him against that day. With this confidence he can even glory in tribulation; he can chearfully look death itself in the face, and triumph over the king of terrors.

But now, if we take a view of a dead faith, we shall find it in the quite contrary properties. The unfincere profeffor (as has been obferved already) ordinarily raises. his expectations and encouragements from fomething in himfelf. His good frames, his joys and comforts, his endeavours or defigns to ferve God, are what he has to depend upon and upon these he does and will depend: and perhaps will never fee his mistake, till it be too late. Some of thefe indeed don't find even this falfe foundation to build upon; but quiet their fouls with a loofe and general hope. They believe that God is merciful, and that Jefus Chrift came to fave finners; or they hope, they hall fome time or another obtain grace, tho I

they find none at prefent. Thus too many of them go. an quietly in their fins, dwell at eafe, and cry peace to their fouls, 'till the flood of God's displeasure fweeps away their refuges of lies. Others there be, who by means of a better education, or from fome awakening fenfe of their guilt and danger, cannot but fee, that these beds are too short to ftretch themselves upon; and therefore their faith is their torment. They believe in Chrift as their judge; but not as their Saviour. They fpend their lives in fears and anxieties, in difquietude and uneafinefs of mind, as often as their confciences are awake, to entertain any serious apprehenfions of a future and eternal world. Thus they live under a spirit of bondage; not being able to venture their guilty fouls upon the pardoning mercy of God, and the infinite merit of the Redeemer's blood.

Nothing can be more apparent, than the diftinction and difference here reprefented, between thefe two forts of believers. The one, in all his ftraits, fears, difficul ties and dangers, looks unto Chrift as to a fure foundation of fafety, confidence and hope: and though he may, at fometimes doubt his interest in Chrift, he can at no time deliberately place his confidence or expect safety for his foul any where elfe, but in the mere mercy of God in Chrift. The other leaves the foul asleep; or elfe feeks reft only from the righteoufnefs of the law, from defires and endeavours of his own, and must either find comfort there, or no where. The one ventures all his interefts, and all his hopes of grace and glory, upon the faithfulness of the Gospel-promifes, and the infinite mercy of God in Chrift. The other fees no way to quiet the accufations of his confcience, and to obtain qualifications for falvation, by depending upon a naked promife. In a word, the one can fee fafety and fecurity, in leaving all the concerns both of time and e ternity in the hands of Chrift. The other being ignorant of the righteoufnefs of God, must make the righte oufnefs of the law his refuge, or elfe live without the comfort of hope.

4. A faving faith fubjects the foul to the fcepter and yoke of Chrift: but a dead faith leaves the foul unrenewed and disobedient. A true faith purifies the