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ST?<ffi.
RVIII.]
FAITH
THE
WAY TO
SA2.VATION.
'3O9
to
'every christian.
It
is
true
indeed,
that
every
one-
-ought
to
seek
after it
by the.
frequent
exercise
of faith
and
love,
and every
grace, thus brightening the
evi-
dences
of
his
saving
interest
in
the
blessings
of
the gos-
pel daily; and
where.
assurance
is
obtained
-upon solid
grounds, holiness
and joy
will
rise
by
-
swift degrees,
and
the soul
will
make glorious advances towards
the
heavenly
state-
and complete salvation
:
But
some
chris-
tians scarce
ever arrive
at
this
attainment
all
their
days.
Since
therefore
a
mere assent to
the
gospel in
general
is
not
sufficient
for salvation, ..and a
hill
assurance
of
our
own
interest
is
not
necessary,
.
it
follows,
that
an affiance
-or
trust
in
Christ
as
a
Saviour
is
the most essential
and
important
act of
faith.
This
is
that
sacred and
appoint-
ed duty
of
a
convinced
soul,
whereby it
is
made
par-
taker
of
the-blessings
of
salvation according
to
the
gos-
pel,
if
it
be
practised
in
the
way
which'
have
just
before
,described.
REMARK
II.
Take
notice
Isere
of
the difference
be-
tween the
law
and
the
gospel,
between the covenant
of
works and the
covenant of grace:
The
one
gives
us
life
upon our
working,
the
other
saves, us
from death,
and
gives
us
a
right
to
heaven upon
our
believing,
therefore
one
is
called the law
of
works,
and
the other
the
law
of
faith, Rom.
iii. 27.
It
is
proper
here
to
Observe,
that the scripture
some-
times
speaks:
of
two
covenants; the
old
and the
new
:
and
means
chiefly
the
oeconomy
or dispensation
-
of
the
Jews
under
Moses, and the.oeconomy of
Christ, or the
dispensation
of
the gospel
since
the Messiah came.
But
by the two covenants
I
now
speak
of,
I
would
be
under-
stood to mean the
law
or constitution
of
innocency,
and
the
constitution
of
grace.
By
the constitution, or
law
of
innocency,
.man
was
to
have obtained eternal
life before
his fall
;
-
and
as
this
law
or covenant
was
given to
Adam
as
the head and
re-
.
presentative
of
all
mankind,
so
every son
and daughter
of
Adam continues
under
it till
they accept
of
the cove-
nant of
grace, or the
offers
of the
gospel,
either
in
the
darker
or brighter
discoveries
of it
:
And
therefore
all
mankind, Jews and
gentiles,
are laid
under
condemna-
tion
by
it
in
the
writings,
of
St.
Paul,
in the
second
and
third
chapters
to
the Romans.
By
this
law of
works every
x