portant; and deferves a most careful and diftinct answer which I fhall endeavour in the following particulars.

I. A true and faving 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 apoftle described, the fubftance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not feen: that which brings eternal things into a near view; and represents them unto the foul 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 ftate by nature, he is then brought in earneft to look to Jefus, as the only refuge and safety of his foul. 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 intereft in him, rejoices in Chrift Jefus, having no confidence in the flesh. Now, the bleffed Saviour and his glorious falvation is the subject of his ferious, 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 con-cerns of the unfeen and eternal world, appear of greater importance than every thing elfe. He now mourns under a fense of his former fins; he groans under the bur-den of his remaining corruptions and imperfections; and with earnest diligence follows after holinefs, endeavouring to work out his own falvation with fear and trembling. And in a word, he has such an impression of these invifible realities, that whatever temptations, desertions, 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, fhort of having his heart and affections engaged in the things of God and godliness and his appetites and paffions under the reftraint and governing influence of the law of the fpirit of life.

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But now, on the other hand, if we take a view of the influence which a dead faith has upon the foul, it is vifible that this ufually leaves the fubjects of it fecure and careless, trifling and indifferent, in the concerns of the eternal world. These appear to fuch a perfon but dif tant futurities, which does not engage his folemn attention, and make him in earneft folicitous about the event; nor give any effectual check to his inordinate appetites and paffions. Or if (as it fometimes happens) any awakening difpenfation alarms the confcience of such 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 falvation by Jefus Christ. He either endeavours to pacify the juftice of God, and his own confcience, by his du ties and religious performances; and fo lulls bimfelf a fleep again in his former fecurity: or elfe continues to agonize under moft dark, dreadful, and unworthy appre henfions of the glorious God, as if he were implacable and irreconcileable to fuch finners as he. Such a perfon would readily acknowledge, but he cannot feel this bleffed truth, that Chrift Jefus 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. Though he owns this to be true: yet he can never comfortably venture his foul and his eternal interefts upon it, unless a ray of divine light fhine into his foul, 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 gofpel, 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 foul into the fame image, from glory to glory: the os ther only fwims in the head, and leaves the heart in a ftate either of fecurity or defpondency. The one is an abiding principle of divine life, from which there flow

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

2. A faving faith is an hearty consent 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 free. ly offering himself and his faving benefits to poor perishing finners, in the gospel. 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 Christ, 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 cause 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, fanctification, 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 finfulness of his nature: and longs for a further victory over his corrupt affections, appetites, and paffions, for more fpirituality in his duties, and for a further progrefs in piety and holiness; and therefore heartily defires and accepts the Lord Jefus Chrift, as his fanctifier, as well as Saviour; and earnestly feeks after the renewing, ftrengthening, and quickening influences of his bleffed Spirit. The true believer feels the neceffity of this bleffed Saviour 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 apprehensions of himself, and complain heavily of the great defects of his faith and holiness: but he can never entertain hard thoughts of the gospel-scheme; r.or complain of the terms of falvation therein proposed. These appear to him the wisdom of God, and the power of God; and every way answer 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 con.. fent to the terms of the gospel, 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, promises, or purposes. He endeavours by these to recommend himself to God; and on the ac count of these, he hopes to find acceptance thro' Christ. Or if he feels ever fo ftrong a defire of falvation by Chrift, 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 influences: for he knows not what they mean. He fubmits not to the righteoufnefs 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 defigns to make in his religious courfe. He cannot fubmit 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 diftinction 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 anfwer all his wants.

The o

ther is full in himself. The one looks to Chrift to be his light. The other leans to his own understanding. The one makes mention of Chrift's righteousness, and that only The other hopes for an interest in Chrift and his falvation, on account of his own attainments; and in effect, expects juftification 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` he may fee; and for white raiment, that he may be cloathed. The other ordinarily raises his expectations from Chrift, 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 reserve 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 fpeak further to fome of thefe things under the following head.

3. A faving faith is an humble trust in, and dependance upon the Lord Jefus Christ, as the author of our eternal falvation: but a dead faith always builds upon fome falfe foundation, or upon none at all. A faving faith is often described in fcripture by a trufting 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 greateft darknefs and difcouragement, ventures his foul and eternal interests in the hands of Chrift with at least a supporting and encouraging hope. His paft fins may appear in moft affrightning forms vaftly numerous, dreadfully aggravated: however, he yet keeps his hope alive with this comforting confideration, that the blood of Jefus Christ cleanfeth from all fin. He may be oppreffed with a sense of the horrible defects of his duties and religious