"of society; and not only fo, but I serve God, and "fhew a due refpect to all the duties of religion. "Those who are pious are my companions. The company of the men of the world I have forsaken, "so that I have escaped the pollutions of the world." Ask now the true believer in what way he was made a partaker of faith; it is frequently the cafe that he will be afraid of faying much on this fubject, but ftill true faith is always preceded by convictions, and it is no uncommon thing that before the believer durft conclude that he poffeffes faith, he is made to experience much distress, much anguish and much terror. 3. They correspond with each other in respect to their feveral acts; for inftance,

1. To faith appertains knowledge. The temporary believer will be ready to fay, "I have been taught "the truths which are necessary to be known in order "to falvation; I know that I am a miferable finner; "I know that there is a Jefus, and that I must have · "an intereft in him, if I fhall be for ever happy; I "know, in a word, that there is no other way of

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coming to him but by faith, and that faith must "manifeft itself to be genuine, by the fruits which it "produces." Of all these truths there are times when he has a very clear, exact and diftinct apprehenfion. Where faith is exercised is there an affent of the mind to divine truths? The temporary believer fays, with my whole heart I affent to them; be it far from me to entertain the smalleft doubt with respect to them; nay, I am ready to enter the lifts with all who prefume to exprefs their oppofition to them, and to evidence that I do in reality believe the doctrines of the bible, I order my walk and converfation after the manner of those who have been changed and renewed, agreeably to and by the truths of the gofpel.

Is the effential act of faith a taking of refuge unta, and a reception of Jefus? Here again the temporary believer, by the light of truth which is enkindled in his foul, may go very far; he believes that he is a finner, and that he can be juftified before God alone, by Chrift. To what does this lead him? Is he convinced of fin? Has he obtained a view of the holiness and juftice of God? He runs and flies to Chrift; he receives him for juftification, that he may be able to stand before God in judgment, and thus quiets his awakened confcience, but afterwards gives himself no concern to be conformable to the image of Christ in fanctification.

And in respect to the fiducial act of faith; the man who is in the exercife of a falfe faith goes far before the afflicted but fincere Chriflian, for he applies Chrift and all the promises to himself with the greatest confidence, whilft the latter does it with much fear and trembling, and even then dares not to draw a favourble conclufion, and is fearful left he be not one of those to whom the promises are made.

4. They agree with each other in their fruits as refpects fanctification. The temporary believer may have a fight of fin; he may hate and abhor it; he may avoid and oppose it, but then it is only with respect to thofe fins which are naked to the eye of the world, and which, by indulging himself in, would injure or deftroy his reputation, and remove the mask of religion which he had affumed, or thofe fins which would have a tendency to disturb the repose of his foul, for he is one whofe felf-love operates fo powerfully that he would go the greateft length to maintain. the good opinion of men, and to live in the enjoyment of peace and tranquillity. Hence he ufes his utmost endeavours to prevent his fins from breaking

out into open acts; this is all the ftruggle he makes. Again, the temporary believer may, in like manner, progress far in a virtuous course and appear uncommonly zealous in the performance of religious duties. Now he feeks the company of those who are diftinguished for their piety, and being poffeffed of natural talents, he speaks with confidence and in a fatisfactory manner, not only on fpeculative points, but on the very effentials of religion. Now he appears before the throne, he even excels in prayer, and his expreffions be fo correct, and at the fame time fo folemn and af fecting, that hearts the moft obdurate cannot but feel emotions of tenderness and awe. Now with a liberal hand he adminifters to the wants of the poor; in a word, he may maintain ftrictness of discipline in his family; in his conversation and walk he may be moral, peaceable, and be rendered eminent for fobriety; in his dress he may be moderate, and even appear in a garb, in neatness and elegance not corres ponding with that situation in him, in which he is placed in providence, fo that in all that refpects externals, one would say of him, he lacketh nothing.

Examples of this kind are not unfrequent in the word of God. The foolish virgins as well as the wife had their lamps, arofe at the cry, Behold the bridegroom cometh, and faid Lord, Lord, open unto us, Matt. xxv. There will be those at the last day, who, anxious to obtain the approving fentence of their Judge, will not hesitate to exclaim, Lord! Lord! have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name caft out devils, and done many wonderful works? notwith, ftanding muft hear the vindictive fentence of an infulted Deity, Depart from me, Matt. vii. 23.

Paul fpeaks of those who had been once enlightened, who had tafted of the heavenly gift, of the good

word of God, and of the powers of the world to come, who notwithstanding fell away.

The description which we meet with, Isaiah Iviii. 2. is exprefs to the point: They fought God daily and delighted to know his ways; they did righteoufnefs, forfook not the ordinance of their God, and took delight in approaching unto God.

5. The temporary believer may, equally with the poffeffor of that faith which is true and faving, experience much joy; for he views himself as interested in the promises, and fondly imagines that he hath applied Chrift and all his benefits to his foul; now his confolations abound; he goes on his way rejoicing that there is such a Saviour provided, and that he has only to believe in him in order to be faved. This joy, however, makes him to be elated with pride; it promotes not a principle of love to God in his heart, but rather has the fatal tendency of endearing him the more to himself.

To this extent a falfe or ideal faith may go; it could scarcely be credited, if the word of God had not declared it in most pointed terms, and if the examples it presents to us did not ferve as a confirmation of every fentiment we have advanced on this head.

But we must now endeavour to fhew that this faith, however fair an appearance it may exhibit, and in externals feem to transcend true faith, yet falls far fhort of it in all those points which have been mentioned, and is as widely different from it as light is from darkness, and as remote from each other as the manfions of blifs are from the gloomy regions of the damned.

a. Saving and temporary faith differ in refpect to the foundation on which the fubjects of each build,

The temporary believer may indeed have had convictions, but they were only common, and not produced by the special influences of the Spirit, for they have left him as they found him; he has never renounced his own righteoufnefs, much less entered into covenant with God in Chrift. And hence it is that he is feldom heard to speak with perfpicuity and precifion with respect to the faving operations of the Holy Spirit, manifefted in the converfion of finners, and in bringing them out of darkness into light, and from the power of Satan unto God; for of a real change of heart he is perfectly ignorant. Is he afked-"When wert thou converted to God ?"How didst thou, who, like others, wert born in fin, " and a stranger to God, come by such a change?" He will take advantage of the different ways, according to which the word declares, God is pleafed to convert men. "With such a real change," fays he, "I am altogether unacquainted"-Or, "I have had "from my earliest youth a defire so to live," or, " I "have been in a greater or lefs degree, convinced "of the reasonableness of fuch a course; I have "heard and read much of divine truths-I have

prized them, I have admired their harmony, my "foul hath delighted in them, and also I have en"deavoured to regulate my life according to them; "now certainly nothing more can be required."

Does the temporary believer reason on this wife? The real child of God is exercised quite in a different manner. Although it be true, that God may have called him from his youth, or gradually brought him to the enjoyment of his fellowship, yet he will exhibit evidences of grace--he does not reft fatisfied with any former experiences; but will often examine the ftate of his foul by the marks which are laid down