to grow forgetful of him, and have any continuing prevalence of a dead, carnal, worldly frame in his foul, this darkens the evidence of his ftate, robs him of his comfort and peace, and will at length put him upon vigorous and active endeavours for obtaining a revival of his languishing graces, by a fresh fupply of the Spirit of Jefus Chrift.

Thus, the true believer hath the love of God dwelling in him; and from the fame principle, he likewife loves his neighbour as himself.-He maintains a life of juftice, meeknefs, kindness, and beneficence towards all men, bears injuries, is ready to forgive, entertains the best opinion of mens state and actions, that the case will allow; and endeavours to live in the exercife of love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meeknefs. And as he thus maintains a love of bene. volence to all men, he has, in a special manner, a love of complacence towards thofe who bear the marks of the divine image.-These he delights in, on account of their being (or at least appearing to be) the children of God. He loves them for their heavenly Father's fake, as well as for these gracious qualifications which make the righteous more excellent than his neighbour. He loves the company of the faints. These are the excellent, in whom is all his delight. He loves their piety, and ftudies an imitation of them, wherein they follow Christ; and studies to equal (if not excel) them in their highest improvements in religion. He loves their perfons, and hopes to join in comfort with them, in the eternal praises of God.

This is the real and genuine character of every true believer; while the highest attainments of a dead faith do fall fhort of every part of this defcription. The falfe profeffor may imagine, that he has fomething of the love of GOD in him; but, L

upon

upon a juft view of the cafe, it will appear, that it is only to an idol, the creature of his own imagination. If he seems to love God under an apprehenfion of his goodness and mercy, he yet dreads him on account of his juftice, and has an inward averfation to his purity and holiness; fo that the object of his love is an imaginary Being of infinite goodness and mercy, without either juftice or holinefs. If from the alarms of confcience, or fome emotions of his natural affections, he may take fome pleasure in religious exercifes, this pleasure is fhort and tranfient, like the principle from whence it flows; he foon returns to carelefsnefs and forgetfulness of God, and has his affections quickly engaged in worldly and fenfual purfuits. And however he may deceive himself, in any fuppofed progrefs in religion, he can never fatisfy his foul with having God for his portion: He can never in courfe keep up a life of fpiritual-mindednefs, and delight in God, and in a way of obedience to him, and communion with him.

The fame defects are likewife found in the unfound believer, with refpect to his love to his neighbour.-If he be not (as it is too commonly found) unjuft and deceitful, wrathful and contentious, hard-hearted and unkind, bitter and cenforious, revengeful and implacable, yet he never loves the children of God as fuch.-Whatever love he may have to any fuch from fpecial intimate acquaintance, or from their being in the fame caufe, party or perfuafion with hinfelf, (which is indeed no more than the exercise of felf-love or self-esteem), he never loves the image of Chrift in every fect or party, in whom he finds it, nor can he love a conformity to the children of God, in the holiness of their hearts and lives.

Here

Here then you see an apparent difference in these two forts of believers.-The one loves God above all things: And indeed he that does not love him with a fupreme love, does not love him as God, and confequently does not love him at all: But the other feeks the favour of God, from no other motive but fear of his difpleasure, or fome defire of happiness, and not from a fenfe of the excellency of his glorious perfections, and the bleffednefs of an interest in his favour.-The one loves what God loves, hates what he hates, and loves and efteems himself but in proportion to his conformity unto God. The other retains his delight in his lufts and idols; and repairs to God because he durft not do otherwife.-The one, like God himself, takes pleasure in doing good to all men, and takes fpecial delight in all, without diftinction, who are partakers of the divine nature.-The other, at the beft, has his love to man influenced by felfish principles, and therefore takes moft delight in those who are moft conformable to his own fentiments or difpofitions.

Left I fhould weary out your patience, I fhall just mention but this one particular more..

6. A faving faith humbles the foul, and makes it low and vile in its own eyes; whereas a dead faith tends to exalt the mind with vain apprehenfions of, or endeavours after, fome fufficiency or excellency of its own. The true believer has a deep fenfe of the greatness and aggravations of his fins, loathes himfelf on account of them, and adores the patience and long-fuffering of God towards him, that has kept him out of hell. He is fo fenfible of the great defects of his duties, of the finfulness of his heart, the imperfections of his life, and his utter unworthiness of any favour from God, that he cannot but entertain a moft deep and fenfible impreffion, that In 2

it

it must be a wonderful difplay of mere fovereign grace, if ever he obtains falvation.-It is always true, that the greater manifeftation of God's love is made to his foul, the greater fense he hath of his own nothingness and unworthinefs, and the more he admires and adores the aftonishing riches of free distinguishing grace to fuch a guilty polluted creature as he is.-Though the true believer lives in the exercife of that charity towards others which thinketh no evil, but believeth all things, and hopeth all things; yet he always finds occafion to condemn himself, and to cenfure his own inward affections, and outward performances, religious duties, and moral conduct, and therefore cannot but esteem others better than himself.—In short, the true believer always, while in this tabernacle, groans, being burdened. He finds occafions of a renewed repentance every day: He every day finds new caufe to complain of himself, and new caufe to commit a finful and unworthy foul to the mere mercy of God in Christ.

On the contrary, a dead faith always either puffs up the vain mind with a haughty, pleafing appre henfion of its own attainments, makes it cenforious and uncharitable, and infpires it with that proud pharifaical language, I thank God, I am not as other men; or elfe, from the fame haughty princple, either leaves the foul fecure and eafy, in its good defigns and purposes of future repentance; or impatient and defponding, through want of those good qualifications which it supposes neceffary.

I think I need not enlarge upon this diftinction; it is so apparant and manifeft, and the characters fo easy to be known.

And now, Sir, to fum up the whole in a fhort and eafy view. If you have good evidence of a faving faith in Christ, you must have fuch a fenfible impreffion

impreffion of the truth of the gospel, as makes you feel the importance of your eternal concerns, and your neceffity of an intereft in Chrift, and puts your foul upon. earnest and active defires after him, as your only hope and fafety.-You must heartily approve the way of falvation which the gofpel reveals, and heartily confent to the terms on which it is offered.-You must accept of Chrift as a free gift, bringing nothing with you of your own to recommend you to his acceptance.-You must ac cept of him as your only righteousness to juftify you before God; and as your Prince, as well as Saviour; confenting as well to be governed as to be faved, to be fanctified as to be juftified, by him. -And as you must receive him, fo you must confidently truft in him alone, as a fure foundation of fafety and hope, and as a continuing fountain of all fupplies of grace to your foul, whatever difficulties and difcouragements you may meet with.-And you must have this standing evidence of the fincerity of your faith, that it purifies your heart, and brings you to an earnest desire of, and endeavour after, habitual holinefs of heart and life; that it works by love to God and man, and keeps up in your foul an abasing sense of your own vileness and utter unworthiness after all.This is that precious faith, to which the promises of the gofpel are made, and to which no falfe profeffor can make any juft pre

tence.

To conclude with a ftill shorter view of this cafe. -When a realizing belief of the gospel; and a despair of all help in yourself brings you to repair to Chrift as your only fafety, and to venture your foul, guilty as it is, upon the merit of his obedience, the fufficiency of his grace and ftrength, and the faithfulness of his promife, and heartily to fubmit to his rule and government, now you cannot fail