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to follow him that he may dwell with him forever. The foal takes up the refolution of cleaving to Jefus, as Ruth to Naomi = "Whither thou goest, I will go; where thou lodgeft, I will "lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my "God." In this manner he receives Chrift in his perfon, pardons, promifes, and graces ; in his humiliation and exaltationAccept a perfect, a whole and compleat Saviour, and you receive eternal life.

Thirdly, the perfon who would believe, to the confolation of his heart, muft exult in Chrift Jefus, and triumph in his Saviour. There is a fweet joy, and holy pleafure attending a true and lively faith. How does St. Paul in exulting raptures fay? Thanks be to God, that giv eth us cause always to tri"umph in Chrift." Can there be a greater caufe of rejoicing than to have fuch a friend and husband as the prince of life. All who believe are married unto Jefus, that was raised from the dead, that they may bring forth fruits unto eternal life; and he is a friend who fticketh closer than a brother. The christian then may triumph in joy with the spouse and say, "This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of "Jerufalem."

Fourthly, the faith of that perfon who peculiarly pleases Christ, resigns itself unreservedly to him. Thus between Christ and the believer, their is a mutual delivery of themselves to each other. As faith receives Chrift, fo it furrenders all to him. He gives up foul and body, and all that he hath, keeping back no part of the price. He feels and confiders him. felf no longer his own, but the Lord's who bought him. And Christ makes himself wholly over to the believer. All that he hath he gives unto him, his person, his benefits, his merits, righteousness, and all his infinite poffcffions. Thus he gives liberally, and confers upon his people every poffible good. How rich, how dignified, how glorious are the faints

They have indeed, all things richly to enjoy. Hence with propriety, they may be congratulated as by the prophet Zachariah; "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, fhout,

O daughters of Jerufalem, behold, thy king cometh unto thee, he is just and having salvation."

Fifthly, another property of faith is, to difplay itself in the most profound homage and adoration. All caft their crowns at the feet of Jefus, and they exalt him to the throne of his glory and excellency. "The four and twenty elders fall

down before him that fat on the throne, and worship him "that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the

throne, faying, thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, "and honor, and power, for thou haft created all things, and << for thy pleasure they are and were created. Every creature "which is in heaven and in earth, heard I, faying, bleffing " and honor and glory and power be unto him that fitteth "upon the throne, and unto the lamb forever and ever.

Thus at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow." All in heaven and in earth, proftrate themselves in the deepest adoration before him. The wife men, who came from the east, worshipped the infant Jefus in the manger; all his difciples worship him. It is the duty of the whole earth to call on his name. It is difficult to conceive how they can be christians, who refuse to honor the Son as they honor the Father. True faith always pays the most exalted worship to him. He is therefore ever pleafed and delighted therewith.

Laftly, that faith, which is acceptable unto Christ, and acquires the praife in our text, "O great is thy faith," muft vigorously act in a way of appropriation. Faith is not mere. ly to operate in the form of affiance, truft, reliance, leaning and committing itself to him; but in a direct and reflex manner combined, it is to act in the way of affurance. Thus when the clouds were diffipated from the mind of an unbe

lieving Thomas, and his faith aroufed into proper exercife, he appropriates Chrift to himself; he not only confeffes, it is the Lord, but cries out, "My Lord, and my God." A lively faith, under the exercife of fpiritual reflections, claims Jefus as its own property, afsuring the believer that he is in a state of grace, that Chrift is his, and all his benefits are his. Thefe reflex acts from whence appropriation ftrictly takes its origin, never have any true existence but by and with direct acts of believing. Where there are no direct acts of faith, there can be no gracious affurance, or fcriptural and comfortable fatiffac tion in the foul. The former may and often does exift without the latter, but the latter rever without the former. As well might we speak of affurance without exercises of faith, as of believing without evidence. But affurance is the duty of chriftians to acquire as well as faith. Without the latter he cannot be faved, fo without the former he cannot be comfortable. Hence it is the duty of all believers-it is the only way to peace and confolation of foul, to be appropriating Chrift as their own, often thinking and often speaking of him as theirs. They fhould often be reflecting upon his beauties and glories, riches and grace; making an appropriating application thereof to themfelves; "This is my beloved, this is my friend; this is This would cause the foul to my Saviour and my God."

cleave closely to Chrift, to walk in the light of his countenance, and would fill it with confolation, joy and peace in believing. Thus he would go on his heavenly courfe rejoicing, and receive the approbation of his Lord, faying to, and praifing him, "Great is thy faith."

An inference or two, and a fingle admonition. fhall finish this difcourfe.

First, we infer from this doctrine, that faith is of an holy There are kinds of faith, which have no holiness in them, but not fo with that faith which unites to Chrift and

nature.

connects the foul with falvation. As holiness is its nature, fo its exercifes and operations have a fanctifying virtue and quali ty in them. It renders the creature in fome measure holy in heart and life. If without holiness no man can fee the Lord, fo without this faith, which eminently dwelt in this woman, no one can be holy. Where this faith lives and reigns, it puri. fies the heart from ungodliness, and worldly lufts; it fanctifies the conversation, and elevates the foul from terrene things to God. It poffeffes a transforming power, fprinkles the confcience from dead works, affimilates the foul to holy angels, transforms it into the likeness of God, and fits it for the habi tations of the bleffed.

Secondly, we infer that faith is the ground of all communion with God and Jefus Chrift. Without this grace, no fellowship with the Father or with the Son; no converfe with heaven, no fpiritual mindednefs, nor holy living. Where faith is, it caufes believers "To cry with their voice, even unto God with their voice, and he hears their cry, and boweth his heavens and cometh down." And St. Paul speaking of himfelf and other believers, fays, " Our converfation is in hea

ven, from whence alfo we look for the Saviour, the Lord "Jefus Chrift." Let us all be exhorted firmly to believe, and to look well to the nature, properties and fruits of our faith. Is it cleanfing in its nature, fanctifying in its operations, and purifying in its effects? Does it cleanfe from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, purify the heart, work by love and over. come the world?

A word of admonition fball close the fubje&.

Let us all be admonished to believe, and to fee that our faith be strong, lively and vigorous. Let us beware of a dead faith, which is alone, and unaccompanied with godly living, and the fruits of righteoufnefs. Let our faith be fuch as will

be pleafing to Chrift, and insure his praife and divine recommendation. Remember that faith is a principle of righteouf nefs; let it admonish us then to become rich in good works. Let us beware of a mistaken, felfifh, delufive and fruitless faith, and be careful to obtain, poffefs and cultivate that faith, which is the gift of God, which all the faints enjoy, and those now around the throne of God once exercifed upon earth, who by this grace, "Wafhed their robes and made them "white in the blood of the lamb." Seeing we are compaffed about with so great a cloud of witnesses in heaven and in earth, "Let us lay afide every weight, and the fin which doth fo "eafily befet us, and let us run with patience the race which "is fet before us, looking unto Jefus, the author and finisher "of our faith, who for the joy that was fet before him, endu"red the cross, defpifing the fhame, and is fet down at the right hand of the throne of God."

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