another is faid to rest on his word. (2.) The subjects of it are many; not all, but fome, namely, the elect of God, quickened by the fpirit of regeneration; compare ver. 13. "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Thefe receive Christ for falvation; for he offers himself as a Saviour, and the fruit of it in the text is faving.

The doctrine founded on the text is,

DOCT. "Faith in Jefus Chrift is a faving grace whereby we receive, and rest upon him alone for falvation, as he is of fered to us in the gospel."

Here we will confider,

I. How faith in Chrift is a faving grace.
II. Whence it proceeds.

III. The fubject of faith.

IV. The object of it.

V. The faving and justifying acts of it.
VI. The end of these acts of faith.
VII. The ground and warrant of it.
VIII. Lastly, Draw an inference or two.

I. I shall fhew, how faith in Chrift is a faving grace. There are four forts of faith spoken of in fcripture. (1.) Historical faith, which is a bare affent to the truths of God, Jam. ii. 19. "Thou believest that there is one God; thou dost well. The devils alfo believe and tremble." (2.) A temporary faith, which is fuch an affent, joined with fome affection to the truths of God, though unfanctified, like that of the stony ground hearers, Luke viii. 13. " who when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.'

(3.) The faith of miracles, which is a belief of the Lord's working fome miraculous effect by us, or in us, upon fome intimation of his word concerning it, 1 Cor. xiii. 2.—“ Tho' I have all faith, fo that I could remove mountains." All of these may be in reprobates, and none of them are faving. (4.) Saving faith, already described from the text.

It is called faving faith, because all that have it shall certainly be faved for ever, from fin and God's wrath; yea, as foon as one has it, falvation is his, it is in his poffeffion as to

the beginnings of it, Acts xvi. 31. "Believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou shalt be faved."

It faves us, not as an act or work, fulfilling the condition of a new law; for fo it is excluded, with all other works, from the caufing of our falvation, Rom. iii. 27, 28. "Where is boafting then? it is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." But it faves us as an inftrument, apprehending Chrift and his falvation, Rom. iii. 22. "Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference." It is as the looking to the brazen ferpent, which faved the stung Israelites; or as the hyffop dipped in blood, and fprinkling the leper, that cleanfed him.

II. I come to fhew, whence this faith proceeds.

1. It is not from our natural powers, the power of man's free-will. "No man can come to me," fays Christ " except the Father which hath fent me, draw him," John vi. 44. It is not a flower of nature's garden; otherwife one should make himself to differ from others.

2. It is a special gift of God. Hence fays the apostle to the Philippians, chap. i. 29. "Unto you it is given in the behalf of Chrift, to believe on him." It is wrought in the heart by his divine power, "through the faith of the operation of God, Col. ii. 12. No lefs power can produce it, Eph. i. 19. It is afcribed, as to the working of it, to the Father, John vi. 44. forecited; to the Son, Cant. i. 4. " Draw me;" but in a special manner to the Spirit, Gal. v. 22. “The fruit of the Spirit is-faith;" therefore he is called "the Spirit of faith," 2 Cor. iv. 13.

The outward means which the Lord ufually makes, use of to beget faith in one's heart, is the word, the word of the gofpel, preached, heard, or read, Rom. x. 17. " Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." This is the incorruptible feed which the new creature is framed of, 1 Pet. i. 23.; the vehicle of saving influences, Gal. iii. 2.

III. I proceed to confider the subject of faith. It is not all men, 2 Theff. iii. 2. "For all men have not faith." They are rare ones who get it, Luke xviii. 8. "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? But they are

1. Ele& finners; they only obtain it, Tit. i. 1. And they all do obtain it fooner or later, before they go off the world, Acts xiii. 48. "As many as were ordained to eternal life believed." The subjects of it are those of the Old Tef tament, as well as those under the New. Hence the apostle to the Hebrews, fpeaking of the former, fays, chap. xi. 13. "These all died in faith." The fubjects of it also are elect infants dying in infancy, though they have not actual faith; who, though they know nothing of the matter, like the Ifraelitish infants, Deut. i. 29. have the feed or spirit of faith. This is the general character of the fubject. But,

2. More particularly, elect convinced finners are the fubjects of it, John xvi. 8, 9. "When he is come, he will reprove the world of fin, and of righteousness, and of judgement: Of fin, because they believe not on me." The plough of the law goes through the heart, in some measure, before this feed be caft into it, Gal. iii. 23, 24. " Before faith came, we were kept under the law, fhut up unto the faith, which fhould afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Chrift, that we might be justified by faith." So that an unconvinced, infenfible finner, is an unbeliever. But,

3. Yet more particularly, elect, convinced, quickened finners, are the subject thereof, as appears from the text and the following verfe. Regeneration in the order of nature goes before believing, and faith is the first vital motion of the re generated foul. There is first a paffive reception of Christ into the foul, whereby Christ comes into the dead foul, and quickens it, and then actual believing, or active receiving of Christ, is the first motion of the new creature. But most particularly,

4. Lastly, Not only the understanding, but the heart and will of such a one, is the subject of faith, where it has its feat; the understanding knowing and affenting, and the will embracing and confenting, If. liii. 11. "By his knowledge fhall my righteous fervant justify many." Rom. x. 10 "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness.'

IV. I proceed to confider the object of faith.

1. The real object in general is the whole word of God, and therefore no falfehood can be under faith, Tit. i. 2. But the special real object of it is the promise of the gospel, Acts VOL. III. No. 26.

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xvi. 31. "Believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift," &c. for therein Christ the Saviour is held forth to a poor finner. Faith looks to the whole word; it is perfuaded of a divine authority in the commands, and an immoveable truth in the threatenings and promises. Every promise of the word it looks to, and comes wrong to none, while the believer lives in this world, and it lafts: it is a bee that roves through all these flowers in the garden of God's word. But as it is faving and juftifying, it fettles on the promise or offer of Chrift in the gospel. And,

(1.) The testimony of the word, concerning Chrift's ability to fave, is a special object of faith in this cafe, Mark ix. 33. "If thou canft believe, all things are poffible to him that believeth." Sin is a dead weight, which the foul findeth itself unable utterly to hoift up; but the gofpel holds out Chrift to be able to remove it, Heb. vii. 25. "He is able to fave unto the uttermoft.' Faith affents to this too, Pfal. lxv. 3. "Iniquities prevail against me: as for our tranfgreffions, thou fhalt purge them away."

This affent in both cafes may be mixed with doubting, yet true, Mark ix. 24. "I believe; help thou mine unbelief." If the foul have as much faith of both, as to venture itself on Chrift, though the bride fign the contract with a trembling heart, though the doubting will never be commended, the fubfcription will be sustained.

2. The perfonal object of faith is,

(1.) General: God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, as we profefs in the creed, John xiv. 1. " Ye believe in God, believe also in me."

(2.) Special; Jefus Chrift; as in the text. He is the object of faith, as it faves and juftifies the finner, typified by the brazen ferpent in the wilderness, to which the wounded Ifraelites were to look, and the look was healing, John iii. 14, 15. And Christ's perfon is the primary object of justifying faith, If. xlv. 22. "Look unto me, and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth.' And his benefits, merits, righteousness, &c. are the fecondary objects thereof, Phil. iii. 8, 9. "Yea, doubtlefs, and I count all things but lofs, for the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift Jefus my Lord: for whom I have fuffered the lofs of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Chrift, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which

is through the faith of Chrift, the righteousness which is of God by faith."

V. I proceed to confider the faving and justifying acts of faith. These are,

1. Receiving him as he is offered in the gospel, as in the text; cordially clofing with him, and heartily confenting to take him as he is offered. Hereby the spiritual marriage-tie betwixt Chrift and the foul is made. Chrift gives his confent in the gofpel-offer, and the finner gives his by faith closing with the offer. Now, he is offered in the gofpel in all his offices. So faith is a receiving of Chrift,

(1.) As a Prophet to be our Teacher, Guide, and Leader, renouncing our own wifdom, Matth. xvii. 5.

(2.) As a Prieft, renouncing all merit and confidence in one's felf, duties, and fufferings, and betaking one's felf to Christ, his obedience and death, for all, If. xlv. 24. "Surely fhall one fay, In the Lord have I righteousness and ftrength."

(3.) As a King, renouncing all strange lords, and receiving him for abfolute Governor in the foul, and over the whole man, yielding to bear the yoke of his commands, and the yoke of his crofs. If. xxvi. 13. "O Lord our God, (fays the church), other lords befides thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name."

2. Refting on him as he is offered in all his offices too, If. xxvi. 3, 4. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting ftrength." 2 Chron. xvi. 8. "Thou didft rely on the Lord." The foul has a burden of weakness and ignorance, and therefore rests on him as a Prophet; a burden of guilt, but refts on him as a Prieft, laying the weight on his blood; a burden of strong lufts and temptations, but refts on him as a King.

This receiving and refting has a most special eye to the priestly office of Christ, faith in his blood. It is a looking to him as lifted up on the crofs, If. xlv. 22.; eating of his flesh, and drinking of his blood, John vi. 53.; and fubmitting

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