Bo.ok lV. FA 1 T tr MORE PRECious THAN c o t o. 599 Doft thou be/!eve on the So~t of God? Who is he, Lqrd? &c. John ix. 24. ahd ix. 35· HowJhallthq believe on him of whom they have not heard? Rom. x. I 4· z. There muft be a true Knowledge of, and a free and full A!fent and Confent.to the Truth of rhat which is contained in the holy Scnptures, conceremg God, Chnfi-, aQt\ Salvation, and all other el{ential Principles of true Religion. It is not enough to believe as the Church believes, as fome ignorantly teach and affirm• . 3· He that hath obtained true Faith, hath had his Underfi-anding enligh~e~ed, to f~e what his State and Comlltlon was by Nature; he hath been under Humrhanon for Sio, .dfls ii. 37· 2 Cor. vii. 9-I2. +· He fcoth alfo, that all his own Righteoufnefs will avail him nothing in point of Juftification and Acceptation with God. 'Without Chrift, his Prayers, Tears, l<ead• iog, Jdearing, and Almf-deed,, will not fave him. To trufi-_to any_ of thefe, he fees is the way to make Farth vord. The Jews burlt upon thrs foundatton, and thereby mi!fed of Salvation, Rom. iii. 8. anJ x. 2, 3• ' 5· There is in that Soul where true Faith is wrought, or where the Seed of it is fp_w.ed, a Defire after Chrift, not Gmply after his Merits, bur alfo after Union, andin– timate Acquaintance with him. rea, doubt/eft, I aCCOU111 all Things but Loft, for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Jefus Chrijl, my Lord; for whom 1 have fuffered the Loft of all Things, and do account them but Dung, that· I may win Chrift, &c. Phi/. iii.8. A true enlightened Soul looks firft to Chrift's Perfon, as being affeCted with his Beauty, mJcl Swcetnefs of his Love; and rhen to the Goods and R1ches he po!feifeth: As a: Woman newly married, looks firft to her Hulband, and then to the In!Jeritance, or elfe is little better than an Harlot. 6. But did I fay, a DeGre after Chrift? Be not miftaken, to think that every De– fire after him is a Sign of true Faith. ( 1.) lt is a fervent Delire; fuch delire him more than all the World. That Soul p•nts after him, ami Union with him, more than after Heaven and Glory. It greatly endears Chrifi- to the SouL He is the chief eft of ten 'fboufa~~d, Pjal. lxxv. 25. (2.) It is fuch aDelire, as in a hungry Man, nothing will fo>tisfy him but Bread; fo nothing will fatisfy a true Believer, but Chrifi-, the Bread of Life. 7· If a Man hath true Faith, he knoweth the Time when he was without it; he knoweth he was once blind, and without God and Chrifi-. I will uot fay, he knows the very Inftant when God wrought it in his Soul; but he can fay with the Man whofe Eyes Chrift opened , Whereas I was blind, I now foe, John ix. 25. 8. And nor only fo, but he knows the Way and Means by which he obt.ained it, viz. either by licaring, or reading, or meditating on the Word of God; either in the free Tender of Chrift to Sinners in general, or to dejeCted, burrhened, and heavy– laden Sit)ners, in particular. 9· Faith is ufually obtained of God in a conftant and laboriom Seeking and Cry in<>: to ·him fo\-jt, What Pains hath it cofr you, Sirs? Precious Faith is not eafily attained to. \'ilhat 'Ccrnf!ids have you found within? Satan ever makes ftrong Refiltante, there is r.othing he ftrives to obftruCt or hinder more. 10. What Love to God hath thy Faith wrought in thee? True Faith works by Love. Mary believed, and loved much. I I. Bath thy Faith purified thy Heart? Hafi- thou feen its horrid Filth and Pollu– tion? And dolt thou long after Purity? not only to have thy Sins pardoned, but alfo purged away, and the Power and Dominion thereof deftroyed? I2. What Alteration in the Courfe of thy Life harh Faith wroughtr Faith made Jordan go back. There is a Turning the whole Man to God, a o-lorious Chano-e irt every Faculty, in Heart, and alfo in Life. Half my Goods, faith Zaccheus, I give to the Poor, Luke xix. 8. And in the .dfls it is faid, Thofe that ufed unlawful Arts, lmrned their Books, .dfls xix. I 9· If any Man be in Cbrijl, he is a new Creature, 2 Cor. ~I~ • 13. Faith leads the Soul to receive ·Chrifl in all his Offices, not only as a Savior; but alfo as a Sovereign: Not only as a. Priefi-, ro die, and appeafe the Wrath of God for us, bat alfo as a Princ~, to rule and reign in us. I4. What Obedience therefore flows from thy Faith? Dofl: thou boldly and viGbly profefs J efus Chnft, followrng_ h1m whrtherfoever he goeth; not clofing in with one of h1s P recrpts only, but obeyrng all of them from thy Heart, which thou arr con– vmc 'd of, and knoweft to be thy Duty. Then fhnll J.not be afhamed, when I have re– fpefi to all tby Commmtdments, P{al. cxix. 6. 3 ~s- What
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