its effects, is juftly called a quick, or lively faith, it being a fure truft in God's mercies, through Chrift; a ftedfaft hope of receiving all good things at the hands of God; and that although through weakness of our nature, or temptation of our ghostly enemy, we do fall from God by fin, yet if we return to him again by true repentance, he will forgive, and forget our offences, for his Son's fake, and make us partakers with him at laft, in his heavenly kingdom. In the mean time, it comforts us in the affurance, that He will be our protector, and defender, in all dangers and difficulties whatfoever: and that though fometimes he may vifit us with fharp adverfity, yet that He will finally prove himfelf a loving Father to us, correcting us for our fins, but not wholly withdrawing his favor from us. Always provided we trust in Him with our heart, refign ourselves to his care, depend upon his love, and continually call upon him for help, and are ready to obey and serve him in all things. The feat of this faith is declared to be the heart, by the voice of Wisdom itself, (My fon, give me thy heart, fays God) because when that is truly turned to God, it prompteth us to every virtuous action that may be neceffary to forward our falvation, and qualify us for the future recompence. This is the faith St. Paul has described fo fully in the xith of the Hebrews, and fome inftances of which have been recited to you: It is the fure ground of the benefits we ought to look for from above, and the certificate, as it were, of our receiving them hereafter, although it does not now appear fo evidently what they will, be; but bleffed be all who die in the true faith, for their works follow them. And he adds, that he who cometh to God must not only believe that he is, but that He is a gracious rewarder of well doers; for nothing commendeth good men fo much to the almighty favor, as intire confidence in his power.

E 4

But

1. That

But to repeat what has been faid in few words, and to fix this truth moft deeply in your minds (it being the only ground of your everlasting happinefs), you must be exhorted never to lofe fight of the three effential properties of this faith. it prove fruitful. 2. That without it, no good deeds, acceptable to God, can be performed; and 3. What defcription of good actions it is calculated to produce. 1. As the light cannot be hid, but will fhew itself on fome part, or in some shape or other; fo a true faith cannot be kept fecret, but will break out, as occafion offers, and prove itself by its effects; and as the living body of man is ever exercifing fuch ways as belongeth to a natural and living body, for nourishment and prefervation of the fame, according as neceffity and opportunity require; even fo the foul, that is influenced by true faith, will always be in pursuit of fomething, that will declare it to be a living principle; it can never be indifferent to godly deeds; and much less under the government of any wilful fin. Therefore, when you hear in fcripture fuch high praise of faith; that it causes us to pleafe God; to dwell with him, and to become his children; if you inagine by these expreffions, that no active virtue is required from you, and that you may live as you pleafe, without concern on that account, relying upon a faith that is all in all, and which being the gift of God, it would be lowering his glory to work out your own falvation, and that a diligent and fcrupulous attention to correct your ways, is a prefuming to help his work;

* They are mere pretenders to faith, and falfe difciples, who do neither feel their heart inclined to good, nor evince it, by performing all the good they can, for the principle of universal benevolence ever attendeth the poffeffion of found faith. This is abun dantly proved both by St. John in all his writings, as alfo by St. James. He who feeth his brother have need, and relieveth him not, how dwelleth the love of God in him? Shew me thy faith by thy works.

depend

depend upon it, you trifle with your Maker, and deceive yourselves. And on the contrary, any fuch perfons living thus madly, and unwarrantably, not only afford the strongest mark that they are far from having acquired any portion of real faith, but that they are wholly ignorant of what it means.

To conclude: By faith in Chrift, we trust that our offences are washed away or blotted out, whenever we truly repent, and return to him in fincerity, which very words do pointedly demonftrate, that it is poffible both to fall, and to be restored to his favor; and nothing ftronger need be advanced to establish the doctrine of conditional falvation, or the neceffity of good works. The following words, if poffible, confirm it further: we must return to him with our whole heart, ftedfaftly refolving with ourfelves, through his grace, to obey and ferve him by keeping his commandments, and never wilfully to live again in fin. All which argues the restoration of a freedom of will, or power to act; or the doctrine tends to render us mere machines, and confequently neither juft objects of reward, or punishment. The faving faith then, fo highly recommended in the Scriptures, worketh upon us by love, or grati tude *. When it feeth and confidereth what God hath done for us, (in which light, it is both an object of the understanding, and convinces us like wife of our natural weakness), it moveth us, through the continual affiftance of the Spirit of God, to ferve, and please him; to preserve his favor, fear his displeasure, and continue his obe

The explication given by our church concerning this grand principle of the Chriftian life is this; the wifely and fcripturally uniteth faith and works; and when she afferts plainly, that by faith only we are faved, the meaning is, a reliance on Chrift's merits only, as the cause (to prevent men's boafting); but the ever fupposes, and enforces a good life, as the effect of that caufe, without which the principle is dead to all intents and purposes.

dient

dient children *, fhewing our return of thankfulnefs, by keeping God's commandments. And this muft proceed from a principle of love, and not a felfish fear of punishment, or lofing any temporal reward; from a motive of pure gratitude for having received his mercy and pardon freely, without any previous act or merit of our own. In short, it is

a faith that cannot poffibly remain inactive; for as the Apostle fpeaketh in the words of the Prophet Habbakuk, The just man doth live by his faith, that is, his fure belief in God, doth make him what he is. He is neither careless or indifferent, when he should be cautious, and zealous, and well employed. And God, fpeaking by his Prophet Jeremiah in the xviith chapter and 7th and 8th verfes, delivers this defcription of the faithful perfon: Blessed is the man that trufteth in the Lord, and whofe hope the Lord is; for be fhall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that Spreadeth out its roots by the river; and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green, neither shall ceafe from yielding fruit. Even thus, every Chriftian who is built up in faith, (casting aside all dread of adverfity, or reproach) will invariably fhew forth the fruit of their good works, as opportunity and ability admit. May we all have grace to do fo likewife, through the merits and mediation of Jefus Chrift, to whom, &c.

*This grace, though free on God's part, is by no means a partial gift, for Chrift makes a general offer of it by his Gofpel. He tells us we muft afk, and seek, and be earneft in our defires, in order to obtain it; but our gratitude muft difcover the quality alluded to in the Homily, and proceed on that pure principle to render it accept

able.

DISCOURSE V.

The Second Part of the Sermon upon Faith.

ROM. iii. 31.

Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

You

YOU have heard in the firft fermon upon the nature of faith, that it is of two kinds; that one is unfruitful, the other lively; that is, it proceedeth from the love of God, and a juft fense of our duty towards him; the firft is, in fome degree, profitable, and must be poffeffed, but it relates chiefly to the understanding; the fecond ought also to be well understood, as being abfolutely necefJary for obtaining our falvation; and is known by being joined with charity, and fruitful in all good works. Now as this is the main article on which to lay the foundation of that degree of perfection which is expected from us in this life, it will be expedient to instruct you still further upon this

matter.

The wife man faith in the iid of Eccluf. 15. They that fear the Lord will not disobey his word, and they that love him will keep his ways; and nothing will be found more true, than that if we do not fhew ourselves holy in our actions, the faith which we pretend to is but feigned;