according to learned Authors, is in the middle voice, and may be taken actively or paffively, or rather both, it working by Love, is thereby confummate or made perfect. Dr. Hammond understands it in a passive fence, and reads it thus, Faith which is confummate by Love. When St. Paul faith, I could not write to you as unto fpiritual but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Chrift, because of the envy, ftrife and divifion they lived in, 1 Cor. 3. 1. his words feem to intimate that men might be babes in Chrift by fuch a Faith as fell short of purifying the heart, and working by love, and which left them in a carnal ftate. And when S. Peter faith, Add to your Faith Vir[4]

tue,

tue, &c. 2 Pet. 1. 5. he suppofeth it very poffible for fome Chriftians to have a faith without the addition of thofe Chriftian virtues there enumerated, and to be barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift, as it follows Verf. 8, 9. And we read of fome who believed in Christ when they faw his Miracles, to whom yet he would not commit himself, Joh. 2. 23. and of others who believed on him, but would not confefs him, left they fhould be put out of the Synagogue, and because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. John 12. 42. And its faid of Magus that Simon himfelf alfo believed, A&t. 8. 13.

This may fuffice to shew what that Faith is which falls short of that which is fuftifying, and wherein it differs from it. I fall now improve this to flew how unlikely a thing it is, that the Apoftles fhould receive none into the Church by Baptism but fuch as they esteem'd to have a Juftifying Faith.

1. It is no ways probable that those who had lived in the darknefs of Paganifm, fhould ordinarily if at all, in their first beginning to believe, believe unto Fuftification, but that there was fome space of time between their first believing, and their believing unto Juftification: and if fo, then it cannot be probable that the Apostles who Baptifed men [42] pres

prefently and when they first began to believe, would Baptize them under the notion of their having already believed unto Juftification. Now the reason why it is not probable that fuch men when they first began to believe, did then believe unto Fuftification is this; because men do not believe unto Fuftification untill their Faith bath wrought fuch a change in the whole man as by which they become Regenerate, as I have fhew'd: for we cannot fay God juftifies unregenerate men while they are fuch. Now fuch a change as this, is not ordinarily if at all, wrought in an inftant and as foon as men begin to believe. For the word of God by believing of which this change is wrought,

wrought, does not effect it phyfically, but morally, by causing fuch thoughts and confiderations to rife in the mind, as do by degrees alter and change the moral frame and conftitution of the Soul. For tho' the Spirit of God is the principal Agent, and the word of God bis Inftrument in this work, yet he causeth this change by working upon mens thoughts, and by bringing them ferionfly to confider the things they believe, whereunto they tend, and how they were concern'd in them. And mens difcerning things of this nature, and confequently their thoughts and confiderations about them are brought on but by degrees, as light comes in, being confufedly and indiftinctly difcerned at firft. [43] Aul

a