though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Col. i. 21. "And you that were sometimes alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled." It is the according of the whole soul, and not merely of the understanding. Matth. xi. 6. "Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me."

§ 19. There is contained in the nature of faith a sense of our own unworthiness. Matth. xv. 27, 28. "Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith." See concerning the centurion, Luke vii. 6....9; this woman which was a sinner, ib. v. 37, 38, and especially 50; the prodigal son, Luke xv. the penitent thief, Luke xxiii. 41. Consult also Hab. ii. 4. "Behold his soul which is lifted up, is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith. Prov. xxviii. 25,; Psal. xl. 4, and Psal. cxxxi.

§ 20. It is a being drawn to Christ. None can come unto Christ, but whom the Father draws. The freeness of the covenant of grace is represented thus, that the condition of finding is only seeking; and the condition of receiving, asking; and the condition of having the door opened, is knocking. From whence I infer, that faith is a hearty applying unto God by Christ for salvation, or the heart's seeking it of God through him. See also John iv. 10. "If thou knew

est the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." And Luke xxiii. 42; it is calling on Christ; it is the opposite unto disallowing and rejecting Christ Jesus. John xii. 46, 47, 48. "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." 1 Pet. ii. VOL. IV 3 F

7. "Unto you therefore which believe, he is precious; but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner."

$21. Love either is what faith arises from, or is included in faith, by John iii. 18, 19. "He that believeth not, is condemned already; and this is their condemnation, that men loved darkness rather than light." 2 Thess. ii. 10, 12. « And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

§ 22. The being athirst for the waters of life is faith, Rev. xxi. 6. It is a true cordial seeking of salvation by Christ. Believing in Christ is heartily joining ourselves to Christ and to his party, as is said of the followers of Theudas, Acts v. 36. And we are justified freely through faith, i. e. we are saved by Christ only on joining ourselves to him. It is a being persuaded to join ourselves to him, and to be of his party. John viii. 12. "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: He that followeth me, shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." To believe in Christ, is to hearken to him as a prophet; to yield ourselves subjects to him as a king; and to depend upon him as a priest. Desiring Christ, is an act of faith in Christ, because he is called the desire of all nations; Hagg. ii. 7, that is, he that is to be the desire of all nations, when all nations shall believe in him and subject themselves to him, according to the frequent promises and prophecies of God's word; though there are other things included in the sense, yet this seems to be principally intended. There belongs to faith a sense of the ability and sufficiency of Christ to save, and of his fitness for the work of salvation: Matth. ix. 2, and 28, 29, and 21. Rom. iv. 21. "And being fully persuaded, that what he had promised, he is able to perform." Of his fidelity, Matth. xiv. 30, 31. "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid And beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, where

fore didst thou doubt ?" Of his readiness to save, Matth. xv. 22, &c. 2 Tim. i. 5, 12. "Now the end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry." Of his ability, Matth. viii. 2. "And behold, there came a leper, and worshipped him, saying, Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." Matth. viii. 26. "The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof: But speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

§ 23. It is submitting to the righteousness of God. Rom. X. 3. "For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." It is what may be well represented by flying for refuge, by the type of flying to the city of refuge. Heb. vi. 18. "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge, to lay hold upon the hope set before us," It is a sense of the sufficiency and the reality of Christ's righteousness, and of his power and grace to save. John xvi. 8. "He shall convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment." It is a receiving the truth with a love to it. It is receiving the love of the truth. 2 Thess. ii. 10, 12. " And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." The heart must close with the new covenant by dependence upon it, and by love and desire. 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. "Although my house be not so with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure. This is all my salvation and all my desire, although he make it not to grow."

§ 24. Upon the whole, the best and clearest, and most perfect definition of justifying faith, and most according to the scripture, that I can think of, is this, faith is the soul's entirely embracing the revelation of Jesus Christ as our Saviour. The

word embrace is a metaphorical expression; but I think it much clearer than any proper expression whatsoever : It is called believing; because believing is the first act of the soul in embracing a narration or revelation; and embracing, when conversant about a revelation or thing declared, is more properly called believing, than loving or choosing. If it were conversant about a person only, it would be more properly called loving. If it were only conversant about a gift, an inheritance or reward, it would more properly be called receiving or accepting, &c.

The definition might have been expressed in these words, faith is the soul's entirely adhering and acquiescing in the revelation of Jesus Christ as our Saviour....Or thus, faith is the soul's embracing that truth of God, that reveals Jesus Christ as our Saviour....Or thus, faith is the soul's entirely acquiescing in, and depending upon the truth of God, revealing Christ as our Saviour.

It is the whole soul according and assenting to the truth, and embracing of it. There is an entire yielding of the mind and heart to the revelation, and a closing with it, and adhering to it, with the belief, and with the inclination and affection. It is admitting and receiving it with entire credit and respect. The soul receives it as true, as worthy and excellent. It may be more perfectly described than defined by a short definition, by reason of the penury of words; a great many words express it better than one or two. I here use the same metaphorical expressions; but it is because they are much clearer, than any proper expressions that I know of.

It is the soul's entirely acquiescing in this revelation, from a sense of the sufficiency, dignity, glory and excellency of the author of the revelation.

Faith is the whole soul's active agreeing, according and symphonizing with this truth; all opposition in judgment and inclination, so far as he believes, being taken away. It is called believing, because fully believing this revelation, is the first and principal exercise and manifestation of this accordance and agreement of soul.

§ 25. The adhering to the truth, and acquiescing in it with the judgment, is from a sense of the glory of the revealer, and the sufficiency and excellency of the performer of the facts. The adhering to it, and acquiescing in it with the inclination and affection, is from the goodness and excellency of the thing revealed, and of the performer. If a person be pursued by an enemy, and commit himself to a king or a captain, to defend him, it implies his quitting other endeavors, and applying to him for defence, and putting himself under him, and hoping that he will defend him. If we consider it as a mere act of the mind, a transaction between spiritual beings, considered, as abstracted from any external action, then it is the mind's quitting all other endeavors, and seeking and applying itself to the Saviour for salvation, fully choosing salvation by him, and delivering itself to him, or a being willing to be his, with a hope that he will save him. Therefore, for a person to commit himself to Christ as a Saviour, is quitting all other endeavors and hopes, and heartily applying himself to Christ for salvation, fully choosing salvation by him, and acquiescing in his way of salvation, and a hearty consent of the soul to be his entirely, hoping in his sufficiency and willingness to

save.

$26. The first act cannot be hoping in a promise, that is, as belonging to the essence of the act. For there must be the essence of the act performed, before any promise belongs to the subject. But the essence of the act, as it is exercised in justifying faith, is a quitting other hopes, and applying to him for salvation, choosing, and with the inclination closing with salvation by him in his way, with a sense of his absolute, glorious sufficiency and mercy. Hope in the promises may immediately follow in a moment; but it is impossible that there be a foundation for it, before the essence of faith be performed; though it is the same disposition that leads the soul to lay hold on the promise afterwards. It is impossible that a man should be encouraged by a conditional promise, to trust in Christ, if you mean by trusting in Christ, a depending upon his promises to the person trusting; for that is to suppose a dependence upon the promise antecedent to the first depend