joint heirs with Christ, they can rejoice in tribulation and poverty itself. The Son of God being their Saviour with their own consent, all his creatures, from Gabriel who stands before him, down to the meanest insect, must be their servants. Angels and elements, men, yea, and devils themselves, shall be subservient to their happiness. In one word, having believed in Christ, they shall be saved, sure as he is faithful who hath pro

mised.

11thly. From what was said, we may see the misery awaiting those who do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. They shall not be saved. The great and precious promise made to such as believe, implies the most dreadful threatening to such as do not. They shall not only miss the great salvation, but suffer positive and perpetual punishment. That Christ who now offers to be their Saviour, shall become an enemy, and pursue an eternal quarrel with them. Now he bids them come, and they will not. At last he shall command them to depart, and they must. Every slighted opportunity, every despised offer of mercy, will add a terrible heat to their furnace. Of that cup of salvation which the gospel presents, they scorn to drink; but the day is near when the Mediator's own hand will mingle them one which they shall not be able to refuse. How their hearts shall fail, and their lips quiver at the sight of the cup of vengeance! Drink they must, and ah! ah! it will be ETERNITY to the bottom. So much gospel grace as they have despised, so much torment shall be given them. The joyful sound they shall hear no more. A second trial they shall not have. This their day being finished, they shall never see another. No light amidst the blackness of darkNo morning to succeed that doleful night. No mitigation, no period of punishment. Such the portion which God will appoint to unbelievers. And this suggests another part of application, with which we shall conclude. And that is,

ness.

12thly. Let all be persuaded to believe. Let such as have believed, continue stedfast in the life of faith,

and such as are yet strangers to Christ, acquaint them. selves with him, and so be at peace, and be saved. Ye who have believed, go on from faith to faith. Let your whole life be a coming unto Christ. If any can satisfy themselves with once believing, it is a sign they know nothing of the matter. Our faith is never perfect, it is still susceptible of new degrees. Yea, though it were perfect as to the intenseness of the act, still it were our duty to add permanency to that intenseness. It must be our habitual temper to be relying on Christ for all. We must go up through the wilderness, leaning upon our Beloved, Cant. viii. 5. Our whole life should be a continued resting on him, going from one degree of faith to another, till we come to the land of immediate light and vision. "Lord, said the disciples, increase our faith," Luke, xvii. 5. And said the belov ed disciple, "These things have I written unto you, who believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may believe," 1 John v. 13. And said he who laboured more abundantly than them all," the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me," Gal. ii. 20. By these footsteps of the flock let us go forth, as we would approve ourselves to be the sheep of Christ's pasture.

Ye who are yet in your sins, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Look unto him, and ye shall be saved. Come unto him, and he will in no ways cast you out. Cast your burden on him, and he shall sustain you." Come, sinners, for Saviour is his name, and salvation is his work. Come, ye guilty, and receive a pardon. Come, ye filthy, and be washed. Come, ye diseased, and be healed. Come, ye naked, and be clothed. Come, ye poor, and be rich. Come, ye children of wrath, and be the sons of God. Come, ye miserable, and be happy. Come, ye who have nothing, and receive all. Come, ye young, for ye have been too, too long without a Saviour. Come, ye old, for it is not yet too late. Come, all without exception, unto Christ. Come, for there is room. Three things, among others,

יי

should have weight with you. Your opportunity is fair, your time is short, and your all, your eternal all is at stake. Your warrant to believe is firm and broad, having God's own seal annexed to it. The Father commands you to believe in the name of his Son; the Son makes offer of himself; and the Holy Spirit, saith, Come. There is nothing in the way betwixt Christ and you, but your own unbelief. Wind and tide make for you, and why will ye not sail? Why not ply every oar to reach the Saviour? Come you must. You shall not be brought to him sleeping, much less against your will. Christ is willing, but so must you, otherwise he never shall be yours. Your opportunity, though fair, is short. Your glass has been running ever since ye began to live. Trifle as you may, your golden sands are passing, and all the world cannot tell you how few may be to run. Now is your day. It is but a day, and God may send darkness as at noon. While you are shutting your ears and your eyes, the slighted Redeemer may turn his back, break off the treaty, and swear, that ye shall die in your sins. Your times, as well as his gracious offer, are wholly in his hands. And while ye slight the one, he may in awful judgment put an end to the other. And then, then sinner, where art thou? From a land of Bibles, thou shalt be hurried to the bottomless pit. Despised ministers shall solicit thee no more. Nothing henceforth but messengers of vengeance. Our text shall sound no more in your ears. It shall not be then, "Believe in the Lord Jesus." No: Very different orders shall be given concerning thee. "Take him, bind him hand and foot, and cast him into utter darkness." And if this be the case, is not thy all at stake, sinner? There is no other alternative, but believe, or be damned. If thou wilt not believe, Christ shall not be thine. And if thou hast not him, thou losest all. To eternity the thoughts of a lost salvation, a lost soul, a lost heaven, shall be like oil to thy flame. Falling as from the pinnacle of gospel-offers into hell, dreadful, dreadful beyond all imagination, shall be thy plunge. If therefore, there

be any authority in God's high command, if any thing inviting in a Saviour's aspect and offer, if any thing al luring in the Spirit's motions, if any value in time, if any gain in godliness, if any joys in heaven, if any torments in hell, finally, if thou hast any love to thine own soul, I beseech by every one, I beseech thee by all of these, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ."

A TREATISE

ON THE

NATURE OF SAVING FAITH.

PART SECOND.

ACTS xvi. 31.

and thou shall be saved.

HAVING spoken at large concerning faith in Jesus, we come now to the second thing proposed in the method, viz. To speak of the salvation promised to the believer. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

In discoursing on this salvation, we intend two things.

I. To speak concerning its properties.

II. To take a view of its various parts.

First we are to mention its properties.

And in the first place. It is a purchased salvation, purchased by him in whom we are called to believe. Though by nature the Son of God, he became a man, yea, a servant, to purchase salvation to the sons of men. They having forfeited all right to glory, in that condition they had still continued, had not Christ