faith call forth our love to our brethren, and to all men, according to the precepts and example of our beloved Redeemer: and thus faith working by love manifests itself in all godliness, righteousness, temperance, kindness, and beneficence. Even repentance, in all its exercises to the end of life, is excited by a belief of the divine testimony in one way or other; while some degree of true repentance is necessary to explicit faith in Christ. In proportion to the increase and vigour of living faith, will be the growth and ardour of all holy affections, and our persevering fruitfulness in all real good works. The more clearly and constantly the believer contemplates a crucified Savour, and scripturally relies on him with earnest application of heart for all the blessings of salvation; the more humble, spiritual, obedient, zealous, loving, harmless, pure, self-denying, and actively beneficent will he be.

And the reason of this is, because true faith, springing from regeneration, co-exists in the heart with all other gracious dispositions: and evidencing to the soul one part of divine truth after another, as circumstances require and occasions are given, it excites them all by turns into more vigorous and sensible exercise. It is, however, an unedifying curious speculation to dispute which of them in order of time has the. priority: "seeing the Spirit of life in Christ "Jesus," quickening the sinner who had been dead in sin, is at once the Author and Source - of them all. The varied experiences of different persons, with the numberless undiscoverable, and generally unnoticed, circumstances, which cause some first to attend to one, and some to another, of the feelings of their own minds, will certainly lead them to different and even contrary determinations, according to

the schemes of doctrine which they severally adopt.

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It is very commonly stated, that faith puri'fies the heart:' butthe language of Scripture is more accurate :-namely, that " God purifieth "the heart by faith*." Having enabled the sinner, by his new-creating grace, cordially to believe the gospel; by the varied actings of that faith he excites every holy affection; and as these prevail and gather strength, all unholy desires and propensities are dethroned, hated, mortified, and gradually abolished. In entire agreement with this, yet taking another view of the subject, the apostle Peter says, "Seeing

ye have purified your souls, in obeying the "truth, through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love "of the brethren; see that ye love one another "with a pure heart fervently +." They were -active in this purifying of their souls; but it was effected by obeying the truth; and this was done by the grace of the Holy Spirit. For "The fruit of the Spirit is love." No man, who scripturally holds the doctrine of regeneration, will ascribe the, "purifying of the heart" to faith, as to its efficient "cause;" but faith is the spiritual organ of sight and perception, through which invisible things are so shewn to the soul by the Holy Spirit, as to effect, through his continual agency, a gradual renovation. Faith (being itself the gift of God and the operation of the Spirit,) applies for and receives those heavenly influences, by which the seeds of universal holiness, sown in regeneration, spring forth and grow to maturity: according to the declaration of St. Paul; "We "all, with open face, beholding as in a glass "the glory of the Lord, are changed into the

"same image from glory to glory, even as by "the Spirit of the Lord;" and thus we are gradually purified from the remainder of our proud, carnal, and selfish passions and propensities.

Similar to this is the language of St. John, "This is the love of God, that we keep his "commandments, and his commandments are "not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God "overcometh the world; and this is the victory "that overcometh the world, even our faith. "Who is he that overcometh the world, but he "that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" The aposle ascribes these effects, of "loving "God, keeping his commandments, and overcom"ing the world," to the faith of those who are born of God; and he evidently speaks of this faith as essentially belonging to that which is born of God. Such a faith, exciting and working by holy love, gives the soul a decided victory over the love of worldly objects, the fear of men, a false shame and regard to character, and every carnal and selfish principle: and it thus renders obedience not only practicable, but delightful. Thus St. Paul exclaims, "God forbid that I "should glory, save in the cross of our Lord "Jesus Christ; by whom the world is crucified "to me, and I unto the world*."

He also shews us that all the self-denying, courageous, and zealous obedience of the Old Testament saints sprang from faith, as its immediate cause. 66 By faith Enoch walked with "God." "By faith Abraham obeyed;-and offered Isaac." "By faith Moses refused to "be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; "choosing rather to suffer affliction with the "people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures

66

Gal, vi. 14.

"of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach "of Christ greater riches than the treasures of "Egypt: for he had respect unto the recom

pence of reward. By faith he forsook Egypt "not fearing the wrath of the king; for he "endured, as seeing him who is invisible." Let any sober and pious mind determine whether the judgment, choice, and purpose of faith, in these cases, were not spiritual and holy. In many instances, the particular exercise of faith, to which the obedience is ascribed, was entirely distinct from reliance on Christ for salvation: but even here faith had the same general nature; it cordially received the testimony of God, and in his prescribed way expected the performance of his promises, from his divine mercy, power, and faithfulness; and had reference to the predicted Messiah, in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed. The same faith, which interested these ancient servants of God in Christ for justification, influenced them to render the promptest obedience in the most difficult. circumstances: and it is observable, that the same actions, which the apostle ascribes to faith as their principle, are elsewhere spoken of as the result and evidence of other holy dispositions. "By faith Abra"ham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac." "By this I know that thou fearest God, seeing "thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only 66 son, from me *"

The words of the Lord Jesus to the apostle of the gentiles, shews the holy nature, as well as the sanctifying efficacy, of true faith. 66 I "send thee to them, to open their eyes, and to "turn them from darkness to light, and from "the power of satan unto God; that they may

* Heb. xi. 17. Gen. xxii. 12.

"receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance. among them that are sanctified by faith that " is in me." This commission the apostle executed, by "shewing that men should repent "and turn to God, and do works meet for re

pentance*:" and certainly it implies, that sinners are illuminated, and converted unto God, in order to their forgiveness, and not in consequence of it. And as sanctification is here ascribed to the efficacy of faith in Christ, so our Lord elsewhere says, "Sanctify them by "thy truth; thy word is truth +." Holy truth alone can be the seed of holiness in the soul: "the good seed is the word of the king"dom:" but tares produce tares: and an honest and good heart is the only ground, in which that seed takes root, springs up, and brings forth fruit; or a holy faith alone can so receive the holy truth, as to use it in progressive sanctification. Dropping the metaphor, Christ had before said to the eleven, "Now ye are "clean, through the word which I have spoken "unto you: Thus our Lord, while Judas was present, said to the apostles, "Ye are "clean but not all:" yet after the traitor was gone, he said to the eleven "Now ye are clean "through the word I have spoken to you."It is however evident, not only that Judas had heard the same word; but that his faith differed from that of the other apostles, more in the manner of his believing, than in the doctrines he believed.

Indeed every thing holy in the hearts and lives of sinners, (except regeneration,) is ascribed in the Scripture to the energy of faith in its varied exercises; whereas many seem almost entirely to confine this influence to justification,

• Acts xxvi. 17-20.

+ John xvii, 17. + John xv. 3.

G