believe a Lye. And therefore let this be one great and principal Ufe of your Faith, to receive all the Expreffions of God's Love in Chrift, thereby to kindle in you a Love to God; fo that your Belief of God's Love of Compaffion, may excite your fincere Love to him; and your perceiving the Sinceri ty of your Love, may affure you of your perfonal Interest in Chrift, and then your Affurance will raise your Love to a much higher Degree. Thus live by Faith in the Work of Love.

§ 4.Take Heed that your Defcription of Faith may include the whole of its Nature. The Faith to which Salvation is promifed, and by which you muft live, looks to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as giving the divine Revelation; and to Angels, Prophets, and Apoftles, by whom the Revelation is given. This Faith receives the Holy Scripture, and all its Truths; with the Covenant of Grace, and all its Bleffings. It fupremely loves God. It intirely depends upon the Lord Jefus Chrift, as God, Man, and Mediator; as a Saviour and Interceffor; and obeys him, as a Teacher and Ruler. And it applies to your Souls the precious Gifts of Pardon, Juftification, and Sanctification. It is not true Faith, if it is not really compofed of all the fe Parts.- The better to know what true Faith is, confider what your Baptismal Covenant contains. The Chriftian Faith required and profeffed in Baptifm, is a fincere Belief of the Gospel, and a cordial Acceptance of, and Confent to, the Covenant of Grace. More particularly, It is fincerely believing that God is our Creator, Proprietor, and Ruler, and our chief Good; that Jefus Chrift is God and Man, our Saviour, Teacher, and Lord; and that the Holy Spirit is our Sanctifier

Sanctifier and Comforter. It is cordially confenting that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, shall be our reconciled Father, our Saviour, and our Sanctifier, that we may be juftified, fanctified and eternally glorified.

$5.-Keep close to the Simplicity of divine Truth, without difputing for any unfcriptural Notions or Exprefions. There are many Ways of exprefling divine Truths which I cannot but approve; yet I will never account them neccflary; fince they are not used by the Spirit of God in the Scriptures, and fince there are other Phrafes which may as well be used.Take Heed of fubftituting the rectified Notions in the Place and Stead of the Life of Faith. Thoufands have right Opinions concerning Chrift, and Faith; and zealously difpute for them; and, perhaps make a Trade of preaching of them; thro' the Advantages of Education and Friendfaip,. Books and Studies, or the Cuftom of the Times, or for Reputation and worldly Emoluments. But what is all this to the faving of the Soul? How pitiable is the Cafe of many learned Men, who make that the Means of their own fpiritual and eternal Death,which should be the only Way to spiritual and eternal Life; and know little more of Chriftianity, thanwill enable them to teach and defend found Doctrine; at the fame Time that they only practife it fo far as fleshly Inclinations and Interefts will permit.

$6.Let other Graces harmonize with Faith, and not be Rivals to it. All the Chriftian Graces, however diftinguifhed by their peculiar Offices, are united together in the Work of our Salvation, and in our pleafing and glorifying God.Value thofe Things which help your Faith, but don't fet them in Oppofition to it. That Faith only will fave us, which is begotten and nourished by hearing and reading

reading the Word of God, and attending to Meditation, Prayer, and Sacraments, and is accompanied with Repentance, and works by Love,' and produces the Fruits of holy Obedience. He that omits or excludes any of thefe, in the Life of Faith, will find that he has eried againft his own Peace and Comfort.Truf not that Philofophy which contradicts Faith, or feems to do fo. No real Truths can be contrary to each other. But Philofophers too often deceive themfelves and the World, with Uncertainties and Falfities; and when they meet with any Thing in Scripture, that croffes their favourite Schemes, the Reputation of human Folly leads them to defpife the Word of God. Beware,' fays an Apoftle, left any Man fpoil you thro' Philofophy and vain Deceit, after the Tradition of Men, after the Rudiments of the World, and not after Chrift; for he only is the 'Wifdom of God' and of God is made unto us Wifdom (m).'Especially take Heed left you be cheated by Infidelity.

§ 7 Confider "how much human Society depends upon believing one another, and how much more God is to be believed. Bad as the World is, a Lyar is univerfally in Difgrace, and Veracity in Converfation and Bufinefs is reputable. There could be no living together, if Mafters and Servants, Parents and Children, Husbands and Wives, Rulers and Subjets, could not truft one another. And is not God much more to be trusted than Man? Is not hea greater Hater of Lying? Is not he the Fountain of Truth? And has he not the most tender Care for theIn tereft of his Creatures ?-Confider alfo that Veracity

(m) Col. ii. 8. 1 Cor. i. 24, 30.

Veracity in God is his Nature without which he cannot be God. Every Lye is for Want either of Wisdom, Power, or Goodness, or all of thefe. He therefore who is perfect in Wisdom, Power, and Goodnefs, cannot poffibly lye. If we believe not, yet •he abideth faithful, and cannot deny himself (n).'

$8.Exercife Faith efpecially in thofe Instances, in which finful Self is most denied and overcome. Bodily Labours are more painful to us, when we are not accustomed to them. If Faith be not much exercised in its victorious Acts, you will neither know its Strength, nor find it ftrong when you want to use it. The Life of Senfe is the Enemy which Faith muft conquer; ufe it there fore in Mortification and Self Denial, in Patience and Joyfulnefs under Sufferings, in Contentment with a low Condition, and not only in giving away fome little of your Superfluities, but even in felling all and

giving to the Poor,' if God fhall make it your Duty (o). Faith never works fo much like itself, fo clearly, powerfully, and comfortably, as when it has no Help from Senfe to adminifter Comfort, but is rather opposed and discouraged by Sense.

$9.--Conftantly obferve the Influencies of divine Grace on your Hearts. There is fo much of God and Heaven in the Heart of a true Believer, that we may as diftin&tly trace the divine Impreffion, as fee the Moon and Stars by looking down into the Water. In Order to this, let the fulfilling of Promifes, or other precious Experiences be carefully recorded.

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§ 10. Converse much with them that live by Faith. To converfe with them that only difcover fenfual Defires,

(n) Heb. vi. 18. Tit, i. 2. 2 Tim, ii. 13.

(0) Mat. xix. 21.

Defires, Joys, or Sorrows, tends to make us as fenfual as themselves. And to converfe with them that fpeak of Nothing fo feriously and comfortably, as of Heaven, and who make littleAccount of all the Wants or Plenty, all the Pains or Pleasures of the Flesh; this much conduces to make us heavenly. Thus we are apt to learn and use the Language, and Employments of thofe with whom we are most familiar.

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$11.-Think not of a longContinuance in this World, but live in continual Expectation of your Change. When Men fee they must prefently die, how light do they fet by the World! How little are they moved with the Talk of Honour, the Voice of Mirth, or the Sight of Meat, Drink, or Beauty! How feriously will they then talk of Sin and Grace, of God and Heaven! If therefore you would live by Faith, fet your felves as at the Entrance of that World which Faith forefees; live as thofe that know they may die to Morrow, nor dream of Years to come upon Earth. Watch,' and be ready," is your Lord's Warning (p). Every Man will make Haft when the Sun is fetting, if he has much to do, or far to go. Delays are the great Preventers of Repentance, and Undoers of the World, and chiefly by groundlefs Hopes of long Life.. If they hear the Phyfician fay, There is no Hope, then they would fain begin to live, and O how religious and reformed would they be! Whereas if this foolish Error did not hinder them, they might be of the fame Mind all their Lives; and might fay with Paul, I am now ready to be offered, and the Time of

(p) Mat. xxiv. 42, 44.

• my