"prophets, fubdued kingdoms, wrought righteouf"nefs, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of "lions, quenched the violence of fire, efcaped the "edge of the fword;" with much more too large to be uttered here. This is that faith, which the apoftle James magnifies against all false faiths: "Faith," fays he, "if it " has not works, is dead. A man may say, thou haft faith, and I have works; fhew me thy faith without thy works, and I will fhew thee my faith by my "works." And as if he had forefeen the pother made by the men of creeds and articles, he speaks on this wife; "Thou believeft that there is one God; "thou doft well; the devils alfo believe and tremble. "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith with"out works is dead? Was not Abraham, our father, juftified by works, when he had offered Ifaac his fon "upon the altar? Seeft thou how faith wrought with "his works? And by works was faith made perfect."And he was called the friend of God." Very notable and informing is that expreffion of his, "The devils "alfo believe and tremble;" and as if he had faid, < The devil believes, as well as you; and trembles <too, which is more.' This fhows there is a faith that is not the true faith, and that not with relation to the matters believed, but the fpirit of the mind in believing for the devils believe the truth literally; but their faith works not by love, no more than their knowledge by obedience, and therefore it does them no good, and is not the true faith. O that Christendom would lay this very one thing to heart! But I muft proceed. The exhortation of the apoftle Peter is a farther and plain difcrimination of true faith: "And befides this, "giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and "to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to pa • Heb. xi. f James ii. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. "tience "tience godlinefs, and to godlinefs brotherly-kind"nefs, and to brotherly-kindness charity. For if "these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye fhall neither be barren nor unfruitful "in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift. But " he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot fee "far off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from "his old fins:" as if he had faid, they have forgot where they begun, that think they can be Chriftians without a life of holiness. I will feal up these scripture teftimonies of faith, with that account which is given us by the apostle John, "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 over"cometh the world, but he that believeth that Jefus " is the Son of God?" So that the belief in the Son of God muft have this evidence to prove it a true belief in God's account, that by it men are born of God and overcome the world: wherefore their faith is falfe whom the world overcomes: "I am not of this world," faith Chrift Jefus; neither can that faith be, that is rightly called the faith of the Son of God. There are three paffages left upon record by this beloved difciple of Jefus, of great weight and importance to us: when he had difcourfed of the propitiation and advocateship of Chrift, he does immediately add;" And hereby do we know that we know him, "if we keep his commandments. He that faith I "know him, and keepeth not his commandments, " is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whofo keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God "perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. "He that faith, he abideth in him, ought himself also "fo to walk, even as he walked." The fecond paffage, very pertinent to this matter, is in the next chapter;' "My little children, let us > John v. 5. John xiv. 17. * John ii. 3, 4, 5, 6. 1 John iii. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. "not "not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and "in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the "truth, and fhall affure our hearts before him: for if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our "heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our "heart condemn us not, then have we confidence to"wards God: and whatsoever we afk we receive of "him, because we keep his commandments, and do "thofe things that are pleafing in his fight. And "this is his commandment, that we should believe on "the name of his Son Jefus Chrift, and love one another, as he gave us commandment." m The third and laft paffage, which I fhall mention on this account, is in his fourth chapter of the fame epiftle, viz." And we have feen, and do teftify, that "the Father fent the Son to be the Saviour of the "world. Whofoever fhall confefs that Jefus is the "Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. "And we have known and believed the love God "hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in "love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein "our love is made perfect, that we may have bold"nefs in the day of judgment; because, as he is, fo "are we in this world." So that keeping God's word and commandments, and our confciences from accufing us, and our being like to CHRIST in this world, is our loving of God as we ought to love him. These are the holy fruits of all thofe that love God, and believe in Christ, that are the family of the faithful,' regenerated and redeemed from the earth: wherever two or three of them are met together, Chrift is in the midft of them; they neither ask nor hope in vain. With this character let us take a view of all perfons and focieties of Chriftians throughout the world, not forgetting ourfelves; let us hereby try their faith and religion, and our own:" If it be of God the Father, it is pure and undefiled; it leads t ⚫ them that have it, to vifit the fatherlefs and widows in their affliction, and to keep themfelves unfpotted from the world.' Is this our cafe? O that it were fo! If it be objected, Which way fhall we obtain this like precious faith?' I anfwer, We must take diligent heed to the light and grace that comes by Jefus; that candle of the Lord, which he has fet up in our fouls: we muft bring our deeds to this light, and fee if they be wrought in God or no? for this gives us to difcern betwixt the precious and the vile; the one gives joy, the other brings a load of guilt upon the foul. Do we not know, that we do the things we ought not; and that we leave undone the things we ought to do. This, alas! will be our judgment one day, the laft, the terrible day for therefore men are condemnable, because they know. Thofe, therefore, that would obtain this precious faith, that overcomes the world, muft embrace the "GRACE of our Lord Jefus Chrift," by which this faith is begotten; and they who believe not in this grace, nor receive it in the love of it, nor give themfelves up to be taught and led by it, can never be faid truly to believe in him from whom it comes, any more than the Jews may be faid to believe in God, when they rejected him that came from God, his Beloved Son. He that denies the meafure, can never own or receive the fulness. John bears record, that he was "full of grace and truth, and that of his fulness they "received, and grace for grace: for the law was given P by Mofes, but grace and truth came by Jefus Chrift:" fo that it is utterly impoffible for a man to believe in Chrift, and not to be taught and led by the grace that comes from him, and by him. It is a common faying of people in thefe days, "We "are not under the law, but under grace;" who are in truth under fin and the law of death, and subjects to P John i. 14. 16, 17. • John iii. 20, 21. the the prince of the power of the air, who reigns in the hearts of "the children of disobedience;" and their lives fhow it: no, those are under grace, that live the holy life of grace. "For the grace of God, that bringeth falvation," faith the apostle Paul, "hath "appeared unto all men; teaching us, that denying "ungodliness and the world's lufts, we should live fo"berly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world:" These are the people that believe in Christ, unto the faving of the foul. This is that bleffed light which fhines in the hearts of those that believe, and gives "the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrift." The ancients walked in it, and found eternal life by it." "I am the light "I am the light of the world," faid Chrift," he that follows me fhall not walk in "darkness, but have the light of life." The faints armed themselves with it againft the fiery darts of Satan; and, by the virtue and power that is in it, were enabled to overcome temptation. And this will be the condemnation of difobedient men, That they fee, but fhut their eyes; they know the light, but rebel against it.' Chrift, by his holy light in the confcience, fhews men their danger, warns them of it, before it comes upon them: no man on earth can plead either ignorance or surprise. It is true, the "Candle of the wicked is often put "out" but that implies it is often lighted, and that men fin against conviction, against fight and knowledge it is wilful, and that is dangerous. No faith, in difobedience, will do; no faith, without holy fruits, holy works, will fave. Men must be born again, if ever they will enter into the kingdom of God: there is no fellowship between Chrift and Belial :" people must part with their vile affections and inordinate defires, or they are no company for Chrift; they have no fhare in him. What part can pride have in humility, wrath in meeknefs, luit in felf-denial, revenge in for |