power of flesh and blood; for God must "draw. men to Christ," John vi. 44. "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." Philip. 1. 29. "Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ to believe on him." Yet it were a reflection upon Christ, and all he hath done, to say it were a matter of insuperable difficulty; as is clear, Rom. x. 6-11." The righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, say not in thine heart, who shall ascend in. to heaven? that is, to bring Christ down from above; or, who shall descend into the deep? that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith which we preach. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved; for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." It were according to that scripture, as much upon the matter as to say, Christ came not from heaven, is not risen from the dead or ascended victorious to heaven. I say, he hath made the way to heaven most easy; and faith, which is the condition required on our part, more easy than men do imagine. For the better understanding of this, consider that justifying faith is not to believe that I am elected, or to believe that God loveth me, or Christ died for me, or the like: these things are indeed very difficult, and almost impossible at the first hand to be attained by those

who are serious; whilst natural Atheists and deluded hypocrites find no difficulty in asserting all those things: I say, true justifying faith is not any of the foresaid things; neither is it simply the believing of any sentence that is written, or that can be thought upon. I grant, he that believeth on Christ Jesus believeth what God hath said concerning man's sinful miserable condition by nature, and he believeth that to be true, that "there is life in the Son, who was slain, and is risen again from the dead," &c.: but none of these, nor the believing of many such truths, do speak out justifying faith, or that believing on the Son of God spoken of in scripture; for then it were simply an act of the understanding: but true justifying faith, which we now seek after, as, a good mark of an interest in Christ, is chiefly and principally an act or work of the heart and will; having presupposed sundry things about truth in the understanding, with the heart it is believed unto righteousness, Rom. x. 10. And although it seem, ver. 9. of that chapter, that a man is saved upon condition that he believes this truth, "God raised Christ from the dead," yet we must understand another thing there, and ver. 10. than the believing the truth of that proposition for beside that all devils have that faith, whereby they believe that God raised Christ from the dead, so the scripture hath clearly resolved. justifying faith into a receiving of Christ; John i. 12. "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." The receiy-ing of Christ is there explained to be the believ-

ing on his name. It is still called a staying on the Lord, Isaiah xxvi, 3. a trusting in God, often mentioned in the Psalms, and the word is a

leaning on him. It is a believing on Christ, John vi. 29. "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent," and often so expressed in the New Testament. When

God maketh men believe savingly, he is said to draw them unto Christ; and when the Lord inviteth them to believe, he calleth them to come to him, John vi. 37. 44. "All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me; and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." The kingdom of heaven is like a man finding a jewel, wherewith he falleth in love, Matth. xiii. 44, 45, 46. Now, I say, this acting of the heart on Christ Jesus is not so difficult a thing as is conceived. Shall that be judged a mysterious difficult thing which doth consist much in desire? If men have but an appetite, they have it; for they are "blessed that hunger after righteousness," Matth. v. 6. "If you will you are welcome," Rev. xxii. 17. Is it a matter of such intricacy and insuperable difficulty greedily to look to that exalted Saviour? Isaiah xlv. 22. "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth :" and to receive a thing that is offered, held forth, and declared to be mine, if I will but accept and take it, and in a manner

open my mouth," and give way to it? Psal. lxxxi. 10. "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." Such a thing is faith, if not less. Oh, if I could persuade people what is justifying faith, which appropriateth Christ to me! we often

frighten people from their just rest and quiet, by making them to apprehend faith to be some deep mysterious thing, and by moving unnecessary doubts about it, whereby it is needlessly darkened.

(2.) Some make no use of this mark, as judging it a high presumptuous crime to pretend to so excellent a thing as is the very condition of the new covenant. To these I say, you need not startle so much at it, as if it were high pride to pretend to it: for whatsoever true faith be, men must resolve to have it, or nothing at all; all other marks are in vain without it; a thousand things beside will not do the business: "unless a man believe, he abideth in the state of condemnation," John iii. 18. 36. "He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him."

(3.) Others do not meddle with this noble mark of faith, because they judge it a work of the greatest difficulty to find out faith where it is. To these I say, it is not so difficult to find it out, since "he that believeth hath the witness in himself," 1 John v. 10. It is a thing which by some serious search may be known. Not only may we do much to find it out by the preparatory work going before it in many, as the apprehending and believing of a man's lost estate, and that he cannot do his own business, and that there is satisfying fulness in Christ, very desirable if he could overtake it; a serious minding of this, with a heart laid open for relief; as

also by the ordinary companions and concomitants of it, viz, the liking of Christ's dominion, his kingly and prophetical office, a desire to resign myself wholly up to him, to be at his disposing; as also by the native consequences of it, viz. the reconciling of the word, the reconciling of my own conscience according to the word, a heart-purifying work, a working by love, &c.; I say, not only may we know faith by these things, but it is discernible by itself and of its own nature. Although I deny not but there must be some help of God's spirit, "by which we know what is freely given unto us of God,” 1 Cor. ii. 12. As also, that God hath allowed many evidences and marks as precious helps, whereby men may clear up faith more fully to themselves, 1 John v. 13. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life;" yet I still say that faith or believing, which is some acting of the heart upon, Christ in the gospel, and the transacting with him there, is discernible of itself, and by itself, to a judicious understanding person, with an or dinary influence of the spirit; unless the Lord, for reasons known to himself, do overcloud a man's reflex light, by which he should take up and perceive what is in him.

This justifying faith, which we assert to be so discernible, is, in the Lord's deep wisdom. and gracious condescension, variously expressed in scripture, according to the different actings of it upon God, and outgoings after him; so as every one who hath it may find and take it up in his own mould. It sometimes acteth by a.