SO4 FAITH THE WAY TO SALVATION. [SEEM. XVIit. love turned toward God and things spiritual, and their desire and delight fixed upon things divine and holy, in- stead of their sensual entertainments of flesh and blood. They have no concern about the. pardon of the guilt of sin, and restoration to the favour or image of God, and not so much as a wish for the joys that arise from his love, or from the blessed presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the world to come. I have shewn you therefore in the foregoing discourse what this salvation is, and made it appear that the gospel is the power of God to salvation ; that is, it is a power- ful means in the hand of the Spirit of God to save us from the guilt of sin, and to give us a right to heaven; to save us from the power of sin to fit us for the business and thejoys, of heaven, and,ensure to us the actual pos- session of it. There are two things yet remain, to be considered in discoursing on this subject: I. The place or influence that faith, or believing, bath in this salvation : for the gospel provides this blessing only for believers. It is called the power of God to salvation to every one who believrs: II. The wide extent of this gloriousbenefit: It belongs to every one that believes, Whether Greek, or Jew. I shall treatofeach of these particularly. First, Since the gospel is the power of God to the sal- vation of them that believe,. _let usenquire, what place or influence has our faith in this concernment? To answer this, we may consider faith in its various acts or degrees of exercise, as"itbegins in assent, as it proceeds to affiance, andas itis:cempleted in assurance; and shew what influence`each of them bath in the work ofsalVation. 1: An assent to the"'truths of the gospel must begin the work of salvation in us: "There must be a belief and inward conviction of our 'sinful and 'dangerous state, which is more clearly. revealed udder the gospel, and that there is an Atonement ,made for sin by the blood of Christ : We must believe, that there is forgiveness to be ' found vith God, for the sake of this atonement; and that there is grace eneugh in our Lord Jesus Christ, to renew our sinful natures, and to fit us for heaven, This úsuallybesets in the sinner, who is truly awakened, some.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=