sight; only let all the dispensations of thy providence be instances of thy love, and made subservient to my salvation.

This is represented as our solemn act and deed; whereby, with the most mature deliberation, we make a surrender of ourselves to him: the prophet speaks of it as though it were done by an instrument or deed of conveyance; and our consent to be his, is represented by a giving up our names to him; One shall say, I am the Lord's, and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and sirname himself by the name of Israel, Isa. xliv. 5. This is done with the highest veneration, as an act of religious worship, and with the greatest humility, as being sen sible that we give him nothing more than his own; that he is pot profited hereby, but the advantage redounds entirely to us. We do it with judgment; as faith always supposes a conviction of the judgment, it considers those relations which Christ stands in to his people, and endeavours to behave itself in conformity thereunto: we are desirous hereby to give up ourselves to him as a Prophet, to be led and guided by him in the way of salvation; as a Priest, to give us a right to eternal life, as the purchase of his blood; as an Advocate to plead our cause; and as a King to give laws to us, and defend us from the insults of our spiritual enemies, and advance us to those honours which he has laid up for his faithful subjects. We give up ourselves to him to worship him in all his ordinances, in hope of his presence and blessing to attend them, in order to our spiritual and eternal advantage; and we do all this without the least reserve or desire to have any will separate from, or contrary to his.

(3.) Another act of faith consists in a fixed, unshaken trust and reliance upon him. This, as was before observed, is a very common and known acceptation of the word faith. As we depend on his promise, as a God that cannot lie, and give up ourselves to him, as one that has a right to us; so we trust him, as one whom we can safely confide in, and lay the whole stress of our salvation upon. This act of faith is more frequently insisted on in scripture than any other, it being a main ingredient in all other graces that accompany salvation; and there is nothing by which God is more glorified: it is not one single perfection of the divine nature that is the object thereof; but every thing which he has made known concerning himself, as conducive to our blessedness; we trust him with all we have, and for all that we want or hope for. This implies in it a sense of our own insufficiency and nothingness, and of his all-sufficient fulness. The former of these is what is sometimes styled a soul emptying act of faith; it is that whereby we see ourselves to be nothing, not only as we cannot be profitable to God, or lay him under any

obligations to us, as those who pretend to merit any good at his hand, but as unable to perform any good action without his assistance; in this respect it says, surely, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength, Isa. xlv. 24. and there is nothing tends more to humble and abase the soul before him than this.

And hereby we are led to another act, which more immediately contains the formal nature of faith; in which it depends on the all-sufficiency of God, and his faithfulness to supply our wants, and bestow the blessings which he has promised: God the Father is the object of this trust or dependence, as the divine All-sufficiency is glorified, grace imparted, and the promises thereof fulfilled by him, through a Mediator; and Christ is the object thereof, as the soul apprehends him to be full of grace and truth; sees the infinite value of his merit, and his ability to make good all the promises of the covenant of grace, and thereby to render him completely blessed. When we trust Christ with all we have, or hope for, this supposes that there is something valuable which we either enjoy or expect; and that we are in danger of losing it, unless it be maintained by him, who has undertaken to keep his people by his power through faith unto salvation, 1 Pet. i. 5. and to perfect what concerns them. We have souls more valuable than the whole world, and we commit the keeping of our souls to him in welldoing as unto a faithful Creator, chap. iv. 19. and merciful Redeemer; being assured that none shall be able to pluck them out of his hand, John x. 28. and we also commit all the graces which he has wrought in us to him, to maintain and carry on to perfection. And since we are assured, that all the promises are in his hand, and that he has engaged to make them good to us, we are encouraged to trust him for all that we expect, namely, that he will conduct us safely and comfortably through this world, and at last receive us to glory; and in so doing, we have the highest satisfaction; or, as the apostle expresses it, We know whom we have believed, or trusted, and are persuaded that he is able to keep what we have committed unto him against that day, 2 Tim. i. 12. or the day of his second coming, when grace shall be consummate in glory.

These acts of faith are generally styled, by divines, direct; in which we have more immediately to do with Christ, as our great Mediator, or God the Father in him; and being, properly speaking, acts of religious worship, the object thereof must he a divine person. But there is another sense of the word faith; which, as it does not contain in it any act of trust or dependence, as the former does, so it has not God for its immediate object, as that has; and this is what we call the reflex act of faith, or the soul's being persuaded that it believes; that those acts of faith which have God or Christ for their object,

are true and genuine. This every one cannot conclude at all times, who is really enabled to put forth those direct acts of faith, that we have been speaking of; and it is the result of self-examination, accompanied with the testimony of the Holy Spirit to his own work.

Some indeed have questioned the propriety of the expres sion, when this is styled an act of faith; as supposing that nothing can be so called, but what hath a divine person for its object but we have before considered that faith, in a sense different from that in which we have now explained it, may be conversant about divine things; therefore, as we may be said, by a direct act of faith, to trust in Christ; we may be persuaded, by this reflex act, that we do so: and this is more immediately necessary to assurance, together with that joy and peace which we are said to have in believing. But this we shall have occasion to insist on under a following answer.*

IV. We are now to consider this grace of faith as that which accompanies salvation, upon which account it is called a saving grace; and also, that it is wrought in the heart by the power of the Spirit, and by the instrumentality of the word. We do not suppose that every act of faith denominates a person to be in a state of salvation; for there is a bare assent to the truth of divine revelation, that may, in a proper sense, be styled faith; and there may be an external dedication to God, a professed subjection to him, which falls short of that faith which has been before described, as it does not proceed from a renewed nature, or a principle of spiritual life implanted in the soul. There may be a willingness and a desire to be saved, when the heart is not purified by faith; a hearing the word with gladness, rejoicing in the light that is imparted thereby, for a season, and doing many things pursuant thereunto, in some, who shall not be saved: but faith is often-times described as referring to and ending in salvation; thus we are said to believe to the saving of the soul, Heb. x. 39. and, to receive the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls, 1 Pet. i. 9. This consists, more especially, in those acts of faith, that contain in them an entire subjection of all the powers and faculties of the soul to Christ, arising from the views which it has of his glory, and its experience of his almighty power, which is not only the way to, but the first fruits of everlasting salvation. This is such a receiving and resting on Christ for salvation, as has been before described.

And this grace is farther said to be wrought in the heart of a sinner, by the Spirit. We have before considered effectual calling, as a work of divine power, and proved, that the Spirit is the author of it; and that they, who are effectually called, • See Quest. Ixxx. t. See page 39, ante.

are enabled to accept of, and embrace the grace offered in the gospel; from whence it is evident, that faith is the fruit and consequence of our effectual calling; and therefore it must be a work of the almighty power and grace of the Holy Spirit. And, this it farther appears to be, from that account which we have thereof in several scriptures: thus the apostle Peter, describing those he writes to, as having obtained like precious faith, through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; and also as having all things that pertain unto godliness, in which faith is certainly included, he ascribes this to the divine power, 2 Pet. i. 1. compared with the 3rd verse. And elsewhere we read of the exceeding greatness of the power of God exerted in them that believe, Eph. i. 19. And when the work of faith is carried on, or fulfilled in the souls of those in whom it was begun, it is considered as an effect of the same power, 2 Thess. i. 11. And, as all that grace, which is the effect of divine power, is ascribed to the Holy Ghost, when he is said hereby, as acting in subserviency to the Father and Son, to demonstrate his Personal glory: so the work of faith, in this respect, is represented as his work; upon which account he is called the Spirit of faith, 2 Cor. iv. 13.

But that which we shall more particularly consider is, that this grace of faith is wrought by the instrumentality of the word. We have before observed, that the principle of grace, implanted in regeneration, is the immediate effect of the divine power, without the instrumentality of the word; but when the Spirit works faith, and all other graces, which proceed from that principle, then he makes use of the word: thus the apostle says, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of · God, Rom. x. 17. As it is necessary, in order to our seeing any object, that the eye be rightly disposed and fitted for sight, and the object presented to it: so there are two things necessary to faith, namely, the soul's being changed, renewed, quickened, and so prepared to act this grace; and the objects being presented to it, about which it is to be conversant; which latter is done by the word of God: so that the soul is first internally disposed to receive what God is pleased to reveal relating to the way of salvation by Jesus Christ before it believes; and this revelation is contained in the gospel, which is adapted to the va rious acts of faith, as before described.

1. As faith implies a coming to Christ, or receiving him; the word of God reveals him to us as giving an invitation to sinners, encouraging them thereunto; thus our Saviour says, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink, John vii. 37. And, as a farther inducement to this, it sets forth the advantages that will attend it, to wit, that he will not reject them, how unworthy soever they be; as, he says, Him that cometh to

me, I will in no wise cast out, John vi. 37. And there are many other privileges which he will bestow on them, namely, the blessings of both worlds, grace here, and glory hereafter, all which contain the very sum and substance of the gospel.

2. If we consider faith as including in it a giving up ourselves to Christ, to be intirely his; the word of God represents him as having an undoubted right to all who do so, inasmuch as they are bought with the price of his blood, given to him as his own, by the Father. And as they devote themselves to him, to be his servants, it sets before them the privileges which attend his service, as they are delivered from the dominion of sin, and a servile fear and dread of his wrath; lets them know the ease, pleasure, and delight that there is in bearing his yoke, and the blessed consequences thereof, in that as they have their fruit unto holiness, the end thereof shall be life everlasting, Rom. vi. 22.

3. As faith looks to Christ for forgiveness of sin, in which respect it is called justifying faith; so the word of God repre sents him to us, as having made atonement for sin; as set forth to be a propitiation to secure us from the guilt which we were liable to, and the condemning sentence of the law; as bearing the curse, and, as the consequence thereof, giving us a right to all the privileges of his children. It also represents this forgiveness as full, free, and irreversible; and the soul, by faith rejoices in its freedom from condemnation, and that right and title to eternal life, which is inseparably connected with it.

4. As faith includes in it a trusting or relying on Christ, the gospel represents him as an all-sufficient Saviour, able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him, Heb. vii. 25. and as faith trusts him for the accomplishment of all the promises, it considers him as having engaged to make them good, inasmuch as they are yea and amen in him, unto the glory of God, 2 Cor. i. 20. And therefore, he runs no risque, or is at no uncertainty as to this matter; for Christ's Mediatorial glory lies at stake. If there be the least failure in the accomplishment of any promise; or any blessing made over to his people in the covenant of grace, which shall not be conferred upon them, he is content to bear the blame for ever: but this is altogether impossible, since he that has undertaken to apply the blessings promised, is faithful and true, as well as the Father that gave them; and this affords them strong consolation, who are fled for refuge, to lay hold on the hope set before them in the gospel, Heb. vi. 18. Thus Christ is set forth; and agreeably to this discovery made of him, faith takes up its rest in him, and therein finds safety and peace.

V. We shall now consider faith as strong or weak, increasing or declining, with the various marks and signs thereof. A