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So far as our faith in Christ is founded on rational evidence only, it is merely human and historical. So far as its assent is rendered strong and powerful in the understanding by the evidence of the spirit, and impressed effectually on the heart and will by the grace of God, it is called a lively, operative, saving, or divine faith, which never takes place in any man, before the human or historical faith hath laid a foundation for it. Christianity, or the faith of Christians, considered as the basis, is founded on reason only; but Christianity, considered as the superstructure, is not founded on argument, but on the grace of God. The affecting to overlook this distinction, gave occasion to one of the shrewdest pieces of sophistry ever levelled against our religion.

That this distinction is neither notional nor chimerical, appears plainly from experience, which supplies us with frequent instances of men, equally and thoroughly satisfied, on rational grounds, with the arguments for Christian faith, who nevertheless differ widely in their lives and conversations; and of others, who differ almost as much in their degrees of assent; though all assenting on the same arguments, and equally strangers to doubting. St. James was well aware of all this distinction, when he mentioned the faith of devils, who probably believe on as rational and convincing evidence of a judgment to come, as the immediate disciples of our Saviour did; yet only fear and tremble in consequence of their faith, because their forced unsanctified faith hath no effect on their wills, nor of course on their morals.

It is one thing barely to believe, and another to believe in a lively manner. Reason alone can guide us to the former; God's Holy Spirit only can lead us up to the latter. In like manner, there is a wide difference between speculatively believing with the understanding only, and practically believing with that and the heart also. This we owe to the grace of God, that to a due use of our rational faculties. He who believes historically as a rational creature, hath entered the porch of faith; but cannot pass into the temple, nor warm himself at the altar, without believing with all his heart, without feeling his will and affections engaged. So infinitely sweet are the promises, so infinitely dreadful the

menaces, whereon the eye of faith is fixed, that a mere historical believer appears a phenomenon of the most amazing kind, when nothing but faith and reason are considered. But experience presents us with so many instances of such believers, as reduce this phenomenon to a common occurrence, and shew, that more than human aid is required to open a passage between the head and heart, for the descent and operation of conviction.

To every one thus believing, such is the goodness of God, this aid is afforded; but many, such is the perverseness of human nature, and such the power of our enemy, barricade that passage against the Holy Spirit, who will not force his way.

In these, faith degenerates into fear; but rises and improves into hope in those, who, not satisfied, that their heads should pull one way, and their hearts another, are determined to go, with the whole man, in the way of salvation; and therefore pursuing the path of their own rational convictions, and heartily concurring with the great assistant, they give themselves up to meditation, devotion, mortification, and labour, which nothing can force them to intermit, till their hearts and wills are as warmly attached to the gospel of Christ, as their understandings are clearly convinced of its truths. The gospel, as a system, wherein the principles of faith and virtue are essentially incorporated, having taken an entire possession of these men, 'the righteousness of God is revealed, from faith to faith,' in the holiness and goodness of their lives, which give evident proofs of a power more than human.

Having already, I fear, exhausted the time usually given to discourses of this kind, in laying before you the nature, evidence, and progress of Christian faith, I shall conclude with exhibiting a small sample of its fruits.

St. Paul, in a catalogue of these, calls faith, 'the substance or support of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' His meaning is, that Christian faith, once received and perfected in the mind of a believer, serves as a principle or axiom for the establishment of many other comfortable truths, which can no otherwise be discovered or proved; such, for instance, among others, as these, that through faith we obtain remission of sins,' peace with God,

and eternal life, the grant of all we pray for, comfort under afflictions, and victory over the world.

It is faith that cleanses our affections, raises them from 'things on earth, and sets them on things above,' by discovering to us their real natures, and teaching us how to choose on the comparison: though an unbeliever may by experience perceive, that the enjoyments of this world are uncertain, and unsatisfactory; yet he can hardly think any thing else of much consequence to him. But if he ever becomes a convert to Christianity, how is he surprised to see, by the light of this faith, himself, and every thing about him, appear so very different from what they did before! to see the size, the weight, the colour of every thing changed! to see gain and loss, good and evil, happiness and misery, shifting sides on his apprehension and judgment! to see the true cause of his former mistakes, namely, the great deceiver, and his four assistants, imagination, passion, appetite, and custom, transforming the things, as well as persons, of this world, in order to an universal masquerade! giving splendor to infamy, and contempt to merit! by an inverted art of painting bestowing beauty on deformity, and ugliness on that which is lovely! by a preposterous art of cookery infusing nauseousness into things the most delicious, and sweetening poison, seasoning ordure, and perfuming brimstone. He is amazed to see how the things of this world, are by these artists tinselled for the vain, gilded for the covetous, and aggrandized for the ambitious; and more amazed still, when he perceives into what a despicable meanness they are sunk again by that prospect of immortality and eternal life, which true faith sets before him.

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It is this faith, which turns our very infirmities into virtues; our fear (God being made its object) into 'wisdom and strong confidence;' and our sense of shame into humility, chastity, and honesty. This derives redoubled vigour on the mind and conscience even from our falls, at once demonstrating and making perfect the strength of God in our weakness.' This sweetens and sanctifies correction. This gives calm within, when all is tempest without. This makes day-light in the mind, when there is night only in the world, confusion in the pursuits of men, and mystery in the schemes of Providence. This clearly shews us our path, or safely

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leads us by the hand through that we cannot see. when the means of useful knowledge are afforded, rouses our attention, opens and sharpens the eyes of our understandings; and this, when the nature of God's works, the drifts of his providence, or the depths of his religion become, in any instance, unfathomable to the scanty line of our reason, this faith, this evidence of things unseen, shuts the eyes of the soul again, and lays it to rest on a downy resignation, and in the fortress of a comfortable trust, that all is right, or will be well.

Behold here that tree of life, to which all may come, striking its roots deep into the rock of God's promises; rising towards heaven with a strong and lofty stem; defying the blasts of persecution in one age, of sophistry in another, and of ridicule in all; sheltering virtue and civil society under its extended branches; feeding the Christian, to the stature of a saint, with its fruits of hope, charity, peace, contentment, patience, joy; and crowning the martyr with its leaves.

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Having said enough for the present on this necessary, and inexhaustible subject, I shall here finish with beseeching the God of hope to fill you with all joy and peace in believing,' through Christ Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith,' to whom, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all might, majesty, dignity, and dominion, now and for evermore. Amen.

DISCOURSE XLVII.

INFIDELITY IS OF THE HEART.

HEB. 111. 12.

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief. THE exhortation here, to take heed, had been impertinent and absurd, were it not in some measure within the power of the persons exhorted, to shun the thing to be heeded or guarded against. To bid a man beware of an evil, is to suppose, he may by taking care, avoid it, if he pleases. Now, the thing we are cautioned in this precept to beware of, and to prevent or correct in ourselves, is an evil heart of unbelief,' in which caution there is nothing of depth or obscurity, as soon as the word, heart, is once rightly understood, I mean, in the apostle's use of it, who in other passages makes the heart the seat of faith, and consequently here, of its opposite, unbelief.

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By this word the Scriptures of both testaments frequently express the whole mind or understanding, as well as particularly the passions and affections, to which latter sense it is, that the custom of speaking hath now commonly confined its meaning. In Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, and, I believe, in the generality of cultivated languages, there are, at fewest, three words to express that in man, which is taken for the principle of thought, life and action. There are three also in English, spirit, soul, and mind. It is probable this diversity of terms was not owing to accident, nor the use of it introduced at random, not only in regard that so many knowing nations have given into it, and, when they speak precisely, apply the terms with some variety of meanings; but because a like distinction is observable in the operations of thought itself. Almost all the learned ancients, and many among the moderns, observing, that in man there is a rational spirit, an animal soul, and, as it were, between these, a mind or will, which is some

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