By the life of faith, we are to understand,

"That holy exercise of a renewed Chriftian, by "which, from a conftant view and a deep impreffion "of his frequent backslidings, sins, and total inability "to do that which is good, he keeps his eye and his "heart fixed on the great mediator of the covenant, applies to him for all things, and in all circum"ftances; and having duly confidered the power, goodness, truth, and faithfulness of an unchange"able God, renounces all others, and submits himself "to his will, relying on him to make all things to "turn out to his advantage; which confidence makes "him bold, to oppose all his enemies, and fo engaged "in the duties of religion, that even in his temporal

tranfactions, his heart is elevated to things above, "that thus, by things which are fenfible and visible, "he may attain to those which are spiritual and in"vifible."

In the above description, there are certain things. fuppofed.

1. It is fuppofed that the Chriftian must have and feek to maintain a lively and feeling consciousness of his being miferable, having deserved death and deftruction, and poffeffed of nothing by which he can ftand acquitted before God; but as in his first converfion, he had need of the blood of Chrift to atone for his fins, fo he no less requires the fame precious blood every moment, to be applied to him for the removal of his daily tranfgreffions, and defects in duty. Such a view of himfelf will make the believer careful, not only to keep Chrift in his fight, but also to walk humbly with his God. This it was that made the father of the faithful confefs that he was but duft and afhes, Gen. xviii. 27; and this that made David cry out, Who can underftand his errors ?

sleanfe thou me from fecret faults. Pfalm. xix. 12. To this must be fubjoined,

2. An habitual and conftant acknowledgment of the foul's total inability in itfelf. For, though in regeneration a principle of grace is implanted in the heart, yet it is a truth, and the daily experience of the children of God confirms the obfervation, that without Jefus, the believer can do nothing. Paul, though an apostle of Jefus Chrift, confeffed, that he was not fufficient of himself to think any thing as of himfelf, but all his fufficiency was of God, 2 Cor. iii. 5. Not one duty can be performed, not one fin can be overcome, not one temptation can be refifted, without the influence and power of God; and the more this truth is impressed on the mind, the better it is pared for the exercise of faith; for as soon as a person begins to think that he can do fome things, by an exertion of his own strength, then faith must neceffarily become weaker; then the foul, in the fame degree, lofes fight of God and Chrift. Then he may be viewed as ftanding on dangerous ground: Peter relied on his own ftrength, and denied his master.

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3. Again, it is supposed that the believer always KEEPS THE LORD JESUS in his eye, as one ALLSUFFICIENT, ABLE AND WILLING to help his people in all their needs; that he acknowledges him to be the fountain of life, from whofe fulness he receives, and grace for grace, which is fufficient to enrich the poor, to fill the empty, and to render happy the miferable; the mighty God who is able to give abundantly above what we are able to afk or think; the complete Redeemer who, by his sufferings and death, hath obtained all bleffings for believing finners; and by bringing in an everlasting righteousness, hath satisfied divine juftice, and procured

the remiffion of fin for his people; and who, in the character of high priest, and king fupreme, is both feated on a throne of grace, and intercedes for his chofen, that they, in virtue of his intreaties with the Father, and of his pleading the merits of his active and paffive obedience, may receive all things neceffary both for the body and the foul; for Chrift being a merciful and faithful high priest, who is touched with a fellow-feeling of our infirmities, will give them daily what they need.

4. The believer must also have a deep conviction upon his mind of the VERACITY and FAITHFULNESS of God, as one who will accomplish all his promises; for the promises of God, and his faithfulnefs in fulfilling them, are the two immovable pillars on which faith refts. It is faid of Abraham, that he was FULLY PERSUADED that what God had promifed, he was able alfo to perform, and therefore against hope believed.

These things being taken for granted, we observe that the believer's living by faith confifts in the following particulars.

1. In a conftant application to the Lord Jefus, in all refpects, for which he is given by his father to his people, and for which they ftand in need of him every moment; for an abiding sense of INDWELLING SIN, and a daily DEFICIENCY in the discharge of duty, constrain the godly to have recourfe to the atoning blood of Chrift, for remiffion, whilst a PERSUASION OF THEIR INABILITY to do that which is good, inclines them to feek for the spirit of Jefus, who is expressly given for the purpose of fanctifying the children of his love; hence they plead the promife, I will put my fpirit within you, and will caufe you to walk in my ftatutes, Eze. xxxvi. 27. The POWER

and OPPOSITION of their fpiritual enemies induces them continually to call upon Jefus as THEIR KING, to erect his throne in their hearts, to keep within due bounds the power of their adverfaries, and to impart to them ftrength to withstand their affaults. Yes, in every act, whether it be of a temporal or spiritual nature, they wish to keep their eye fixed on Jesus, being fenfible that they are not only unable, but also unwilling to do any thing acceptable to God.

But as we purpose, in another lecture, to treat at large on the subject of faith's application of the great mediator of the covenant, we shall not, in this place, be more particular, but proceed to remark,

2. That the second act of the life of faith confifts in a holy, humble, reverential, and obedient fubmiffion to the will of God. This is accompanied with a renunciation of the believer's own will and inclinations.

A. The believer is fubmiffive and obedient TO THE DECRETIVE WILL OF GOD. Whatever be the divine purposes concerning him, he is filent and adores. In darkness and in light, in profperity and adverfity, in joy and in forrow, he reveres the ways of God as wife, holy, and good, and fays with Job, " The Lord

performeth the thing that is appointed for me, Job "xxiii. 14. God will not, to accommodate himself "to my wishes, change his counfels; and therefore "it is my fincere defire to follow him in all his deal"ings with me." The language of his heart is, Father, thy will be done. Corrupt nature may indeed fometimes repine at the providences of God, because he often leads his people in dark and dreary paths; but faith opposes its rebellious murmurs, and makes the Chriftian call upon his foul, "Wait thou upon "God," Pfal. Ixii. 6. It leads him to confider what Bb.

may be the defign of God's dealings towards him, which, though hard to flesh and blood, are notwithftanding full of majefty and glory, and will terminate in his everlasting advantage. By faith the child of God will express himself in the language of David when speaking of the ark of God.-If I fhall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and fhew me both it and his habitation. But if he thus fay, I have no delight in thee: behold, here I am; let him do to me as feemeth good unto him, 2 Sam. xv. 25, 26. By faith, when it is rightly exercised, the soul can bid defiance to all its enemies, and triumphantly exclaim, Who fhall feparate us from the love of Chrift? Shall tribulation, or diftrefs, or perfecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or fword? Nay, in all thefe things we are more than conquerors, through him that hath loved us, Rom. viii. 35, 37.

B. Faith makes the foul to submit to the PRECEPTIVE WILL of God, and inclines it to renounce its own carnal will. And in order to this the believer endeavours,

a. To know with the understanding, and by the judgment to prove what is that good and perfect and acceptable will of God; and therefore he does not counfel with flesh and blood. He does not reft fatiffied with the opinions of others, nor follow their evil example; but highly efteeming the word of God, he turns his attention wholly to the law and to the teflimony, and there ftudies to learn his duty. He knows that the will of God is his fanctification, which confifts both in the practice of piety, and in an oppofition to all that obftructs his progress in it. He is taught, by the divine oracles, that it is particularly required of the Christian to renounce self, to take up the cross, and to follow Jefus; and that the Eternal