Background Image
Table of Contents Table of Contents
Previous Page  316 / 514 Next Page
Basic version Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 316 / 514 Next Page
Page Background

SOS

IwAITH

THE

WAY TO

aALVATIOP.

CSERhi.

XV/TI;

faith

of

the

Son

of

God,

who

bath

loved

me,

and

gave

hintse

f

fóß

me,

Gal.

ii.

20.

How

is

it

possible

that

I

should

hope to

be made

like

Christ

in

glory, with

a

full

assurance of arriving thither, and

not

purify

myself as

he

is

pure,

1

John

hi.

z:,

3.

While

I

Believe

and

ai»

persuaded,

that

the

promise

of the

joys

of

heaven shall

be fulfilled to

Ine,

I

would

awaken myself hourly

to

the

joyful `próspectand

be

ever

preparing

for the possession

of that

blessedness."

Thus

when

faith

rises

to

a

sublime

and eminent

degree

in this world, the believer may be said to rejoice

with

joy

:truspeakable,

and

full

of

glory, and: to

-

receive

the

end

of

his-

faith, even the

salvation

of

his soul;

t

Pet.

i.

8,

Before

I'

pass

-to the

second head,

I

desire leave

to

make these

few

remarks.

RrMARK I.

Though

the

first

degree

of

faith

or assent

to

the gospel

be

necessary

to

salvation, yet

it

is.

not

of

itself

sufficient; and though the

last

degree

of

faith

or

assurance

be

gloriously useful in this work,

yet it

is

not

absolutely

necessary.

A

rÑi

assent

to

the truths of

the

gospel

is

not

suffici-

ent

to have

;

for

there

are

many

who by

the force

of

education,

or

by

the

force

of argument,

yield

their

as-

sent

to

the

doctrine, and

believe

it

to be

true,

yet

it

is

a

cold,

feeble,

languid

assent; it

begins

and

ends

in

the

head,

and never reaches

the

heart

;.

it

does

not

awaken

them thoroughly,

nor

make them

long.after

the

pardon

and

the grace promised,:

They

seem

to

sit still

contented

with the forms

of their

catechism,

and

a

general belief

of the

christian

religion,

so

far

as. they

know

it;.

but are

under

no

painful solicitude,

or;concern of

soul,

about

the

forgiveness

of their

sins,

the

sanctification

of

their

hatureS,

their interest

in

the favour

of

trod

and

eternal

happiness; and therefore

they

proceed

no

farther, they

never heartily apply

themselves

to

Jesus Christ

the

only

Saviour,

and

they-

-fall

short

of

the.

blessing.

The

devils

believe

as

much as they do,

but

are...in

a

state

of

damna

tiers

still.

Again,

consider

that

a full

assurance

of

our

own in

terest

in

the favour

of God

through

Jesus

Christ,

is

the

highest

degree

of attainment

on

earth; but

it

is

not

ne-

cessaty

to

tbe-being

9f

cliristianity,

nor doth it

belong