world; confcious too of the worth and value of the great Captain of falvation, and God himself in him, with all the power and all the hofts of heaven on his fide; he contracts a true greatness of fpirit, quite different from the filly pride of the fons of Adam; he walks in the name of the Lord, and in him he is allowed, and commanded, to boast and glory.

What follows would be all pure enjoyment, were it not for that load of flesh which the new creature in his present embryo state is forced to carry about with him, by which he is fo closely connected with a prefent world, kept abfent from his Lord, and conftantly plagued with the perverse appetites, and paffions, and affections, of the old man. For however he is crucified, that is, fastened to the cross of Chrift; yet he is not dead until the body be laid in the duft. And though fin cannot have dominion over the man in Christ, yet it can strongly folicit, and too often prevails against him. And hence in the

7. and last place, Faith keeps the Chriftian in a constant sense and feeling of his own nothingness and corruption, and a

needy

needy dependence on the Spirit and grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and his all-fufficient facrifice and interceffion; on his Spirit and grace to be preserved from temptation and fin, and on his blood for pardon and cleanfing. Thus the Apostle ftates the cafe, 1 John ii. 1. "These things "write I unto you, that ye fin not. And (6 if any man fin, we have an advocate "with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous and he is the propitiation for 66 our fins." As neither his As neither his courage and refolution, nor any of the grounds of that greatness of spirit I mentioned, lie in himself, the more vigorously they are excited, the more is the Spirit and life of Christ felt, and the greater his humility and self-denial. And there lies his fafety.

I fhall now conclude with two or three observations, which may be of fome use for the further clearing this very ufeful and important subject.

The first relates to the feveral accounts, that are given of faith, or believing, in the divine writings, both of the Old and New Teftaments, and the different expreffions made ufe of concerning it; all of them indeed very fignificant and proVOL. II. 3 M

per

per where they are used, but which may eafily occafion fome confufion in the conceptions of unexperienced readers. From the account we have been giving of it, it will be easy to see how justly faith, or believing, is applied to exprefs the proper regard with which the record and teftimony of God ought to be received and entertained, and how, from the different views there given us of Chrift, the faith of Chrift is likewife differently expreffed. As he is fent of God, he is to be received, acknowledged, and entertained, as becomes the character he bears, as a Saviour, Redeemer, Prophet, Prieft, King, and all that is comprehended in the name Chrift or the Meffiah. It is believing, that Jefus is the Chrift, with all the confequential fentiments and affections which these views of him natively raise and influence, as we have shortly pointed them out; and which give rife to trusting him, trusting in him, rejoicing, boasting, glorying in him, with other fuch expreffions of confidence and love; which have occafioned many learned and laborious difcourfes upon the nature of faith, and not a few mistakes: for while fome pitch up

on one view, and fome upon another, it is no wonder that the common reader fhould be left in great confufion, when things are feparated and taken afunder which God hath fo very closely and infeparably united.

It is to be further obferved, that faith in Chrift is infeparably connected with faith in God the Father, and in the Holy Spirit. With respect to the first, our Lord affures us, that he that believeth on him, believeth not on him, but on the Father that fent him. And the Apostle Peter tells us, 1 Pet. i. 21. That it is through him that Chriftians do believe in God. Nor indeed can it be otherwife in the nature of the thing. In him God manifefts himself unto us, not only in the beauty and excellency of his adorable fulness, but efpecially in the glory of the riches of his grace, the only view that could ever restore a convicted rebel to any confidence in his justly offended fovereign. The faith of Chrift leads as neceffarily to faith in the Holy Spirit, who dwells in him without measure, and which accordingly he communicates unto every Christian; and thus, faith terminates equally on the 3 M 2 whole

whole adorable Trinity, and raises the heart into fuitable fentiments and affec¬ tions.

And hence it neceffarily follows, that all thofe fentiments and affections commonly and very properly called the graces or free gifts of the Spirit; fuch as those which we find the Apostle recommending, Gal. v. 22. 23. as fruits of the Spirit, are no other than the proper impreffions which the faith of Christ makes upon the heart, and which it cannot mifs to do where-ever it is true and real. And this gives us a further view of the fecurity that is provided for the Christian againft his continuance in fin, viz. That as, by the Chriftian's union with Christ, he is made a partaker of his Spirit; fo the Spirit dwelling in him by faith, forms his heart at once into the belief of, and conformity and fuitablenefs unto the divine record. And this gives a further view of the thoughtless perverfeness of those who reproach the gospel of Christ, as giving encouragement to fin; which they would fee to be abfolutely impoffible, if they knew what the Chriftian faith and the grace of the gospel really are.

Here