SERM. them; it fed him in the wilderness by the purveyance of ravens; it framed the wheels of that fiery chariot, which

III.

2 Kings ii. transported him into heaven.

11.

This made Jeremy, with like zeal and courage, dare to carry most unwelcome news and unpleafant meffages to an outrageous people, not daunted by their angry meJer. xxxviii. naces or cruel mifufages; his feet funk into the mire, but faith bore up his heart above all difcouragement.

4, 6.

17, 18.

This faved the confcience of those three brave youths clear from that impiety into which barbarous violence would have driven them, fo that neither the fury of that great monarch nor his gaping furnace could terrify them into fin; faith putting into their mouths thofe manful Dan. iii. 16, words, 0 Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to anfwer thee in this matter; if it be fo, our God whom we ferve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king; but if not, be it known unto thee, that we will not ferve thy gods, nor worShip the golden image, which thou haft fet up: their faith carried them undaunted into the flames, and kept them untouched within them; fo that they became as gold not wafted, but tried and purified in the furnace.

Neither could a danger no lefs terrible fcare the noble Heb. xi. 33. Daniel from his devotions; his faith did flop the lions' Dan. vi. 10, mouths; and he, faith the text, was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, becaufe he trufted in his God.

22, 23.

Such exploits of fpiritual prowefs were achieved by an Old Testament faith, relying upon God's attributes and providence, although wanting a clear revelation of the promifes, which then lay wrapped up in mysteries and fhadows; but more heroical acts of fortitude and patience did the bright funshine of grace and glory upon the minds of our Apoftles and primitive faints produce: animated by faith, a little troop of them marched out with refolution to attack all the powers of hell, and to beat down the kingdom of darkness, to dispatch all the prejudices and errors of mankind, and to fubdue the world to the obedience of Chrift; fo armed, fuccefsfully did they

35.

knock down and trample upon all oppofition to their glo- SERM. rious defigns; they defeated all the fecular power and III. policy, they baffled all the wit, the learning, the, eloquence, which stood in their way, or gave them refistance; they triumphed over perfecutions, and in regard to all fufferings were more than conquerors; to forfake and for- Rom. viii. feit all they had, was their gain; to have nothing, was Eph. iii. 13. their wealth; to incur difgraces, was their glory; to be in continual labour and travail, was their ease; faftings, hunger, and thirst, were their pleasure, their feast, their luxury; prisons were chapels to them, in which they preached, As xvi. and prayed, and fang praifes to God; their joy was to fuffer; to receive stripes, and undergo torments, was their triumph and their glory; they conftantly defied, they often courted, death.

25.

That they were able to perform fuch prodigious acts, and to endure things fo infupportable, was not from a stupid infenfibility of things, from a sturdiness of spirit, or stiffness of humour; but from a true magnanimity inspired by faith; because they were perfuaded of God's will, because they confided in God's help, because they relied on God's word, because they did expect rewards from God able to fatisfy for all their pains and loffes; this made them to undertake fo bold enterprifes, and carried them with infuperable conftancy through all; hence were they glad to abandon their ease and pleasure, to prostitute their honour and reputation, to part with their fubftance, to venture their fafety, to facrifice their lives for God's truth; Therefore do we both labour and fuffer reproach, because 1 Tim. iv. we truft in the living God, who is the faviour of all men, (Rom. viii. Specially of thofe that believe, is the short account, which 17. St. Paul rendereth of it: and infallibly the like effects will faith produce, wherever it is found, in a degree proportionable to its fincerity and strength.

10.

2 Tim. ii.

11.

1 Pet. i. 7. iv. 13. 2 Tim. iv.

8.)

Matt. xvii.

6.

A grain of faith, our Saviour faith, is able to remove mountains; that is, to accomplish things in appearance 20. xxi. 21. very strange and difficult: and, To him that believeth all Luke xvii. things are poffible, faith the fame mouth of truth: and, 1 Cor. xiii. He, faith our Lord again, that believeth in me, the works 2. 23. ix. 23. John xiv. 12. Chryf. tom. vii. Or. 64.

Mark. xi.

SERM. that I do, he alfo fhall do, and greater works than these III. fhall he do. If this be true in reference to works concern

ing the frame of nature, it is furely no lefs true in regard to those which lie within the more proper fphere of faith, to moral and spiritual operations: if faith can obtain the help of God, enabling to transfer a mountain, it also can procure his grace difpofing to restrain an appetite, or reprefs a paffion.

Now that which is in itself fo worthy and lovely, which is attended with so good conforts, which is the daughter of fo excellent causes, the fifter of so great virtues, the parent of fo admirable effects, how can it otherwise than be very precious, very laudable, very acceptable? how can we at all wonder that it should be graced with fuch commendations, and crowned with fuch rewards?

Let us therefore (to conclude) be exhorted, if we do want it, to endeavour the acquift of it by all proper means, (by ferious contemplation and study, by prayer to God, Chryf. in by voiding all obftructions of it:) if we have it, to hold it Joh. Or. 6. faft, to cherish it, to improve it, as by all good ways, fo especially by good practice; that we may produce the good fruits, and obtain the happy rewards thereof, through the mercies of God in Jefus Christ our Lord; to whom for ever be all praise.

Rom. xv.

13.

Now the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghoft. Amen.

I Believe, &c.

SERMON IV.

OF JUSTIFYING FAITH.

ROM. V. I.

Therefore being juftified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift.

THEREFORE; that word implies the text to be a con- SERM. clufion (by way of inference, or of recapitulation) refulting IV. from the precedent difcourfe; it is indeed the principal' conclufion, which (as being fuppofed a peculiar and a grand part of the Chriftian doctrine, and deferving therefore a strong proof and clear vindication) St. Paul defigned by several arguments to make good. Upon the words, being of fuch importance, I fhould fo treat, as first to explain them, or to fettle their true fenfe; then to make some practical application of the truths they contain.

As to the explicatory part, I fhould confider firft, what the faith is, by which we are faid to be justified; 2. what being juftified doth import; 3. how by fuch faith we are fo juftified; 4. what the peace with God is, here adjoined to juftification; 5. what relation the whole matter bears to our Lord Jefus Chrift; or how through him being juftified, we have peace with God; in the profecution of which particulars it would appear, who the perfons justified are, and who juftifies us; with other circumstances incident.

IV.

SERM. I fhall at this time only infift upon the firft particular, concerning the notion of faith proper to this place; in order to the refolution of which inquiry, I fhall lay down fome useful obfervations: and,

1. First, I observe, that faith, or belief, in the vulgar acception, doth fignify (as we have it briefly defcribed Top. 4, 5. in Aristotle's Topics) a opoòpà úñóλnvis, an earnest opinion or perfuafion of mind concerning the truth of fome matter propounded. Such an opinion being produced by, or grounded upon fome forcible reason, (either immediate evidence of the matter, or fenfe and experience, or fome ftrong argument of reason, or fome credible teftimony; a for whatever we affent unto, and judge true upon any fuch grounds and inducements, we are commonly faid to believe,) this is the popular acception of the word; and according thereto I conceive it usually fignifies in holy Scripture; which being not penned by mafters of human art or science, nor directed to perfons of more than ordinary capacities or improvements, doth not intend to ufe words otherwife than in the moft plain and ordinary manner.

Rom. iv.

21. Heb. xi. 19, 11.

Pf. cvi. 24.

Belief therefore in general, I fuppofe, denotes a firm perfuafion of mind concerning the truth of what is propounded; whether it be fome one fingle propofition, (as when Abraham believed, that God was able to perform what he had promised; and Sarah, that God, who had promifed, was faithful,) or fome fyftem of propofitions, as lxxviii. 32. when we are faid to believe God's word, (that is, all which by his Prophets was in his name declared ;) to believe the truth, (that is, all the propofitions taught in the true rePf. cxix.66. ligion as fo ;) to believe God's commandments, (that is, the doctrines in God's law to be true, and the precepts Mark i. 15. thereof to be good;) to believe the Gospel, (that is, to be

2 Theff. ii. 12.

Phil. i. 27.

a Aut proba effe quæ credis; aut fi non probas, quomodo credis? Tertul, adv. Marc. v. 1.

Όταν γάρ πως πισεύη, καὶ γνώριμοι αὐτῷ ὦσιν αἱ ἀρχαί, ἐπίσαται. Arif. Etk.

vi. 3.

̓Αρισοτέλης τὸ ἑπόμενον τῇ ἐπισήμη κρῖμα ὡς ἀληθὲς, τὸ δέ τι πίςιν εἶναί φησι Clem. Strom. ii. p. 287.

Ἔνιοι γὰρ πισεύεσιν ἐδὲν ἧττον οἷς δοξάζεσιν, ἢ ἕτεροι οἷς ἐπίσανται. Αriβ. Εth. vii. 3.