2Ìs FAITn BUILT ON KNOWLEDGE, a christian comes by this knowledge ; He has abundant testimony to the truthof all these things from heaven and from earth: God himself hath givenWitness from heaven,bymiracles, visions, and voices : The apostles, prophets, and martyrs, have filled the earth with their witness ; and, by most convincing argument's, have proved the all-suthiciency of Christ to save. The believer bath a witness in his own soul, tp the power and grace of Christ when he feels holiness wrought in his heart by the gospel, and divine peace in his conscience, with the fore-tastes of heaven. Now from such a knowledge, derived fromscripture and inward experience, hegrows up to a holy courage in believing; he can venture his ¡inmortal concerns with assurance into the hands of Christ; he is bold, and triumphs in his faith, and can suffer for it without being ashamed. Thus having briefly recalled thedoe" trinal part, I proceed now to the last thing I proposed ; and that was, to attempt some useful remarks on this subject or dis, course. _ I. Here we may learn the true nature of saving faith in Christ. It is a committing of the soul into the hands of Christ, from a the knowledge of his person, and his power to save. Ìt is tree, that my text is not the mere language of a young and feeble faith, but the divine oratory of holy confidence, joy, and triumph; yet the nature of saving faith is so fully comprised, and so plainly expressed in it, that I have often thought I know not any one single verse in the whole bible, that gives us so clear and- distinct an account of this grace. By the words of my text it is rendered as intelligible as love, or hope, or fear, or almost any -of thecommon actions of lifeor religion. It is a committing or betrusting of the soul to Christ for complete salvation, flowing from a sense of our sin andmisery; a knowledgeof his personal qualifications, and his divine commission ; or a persuasion of his ability and willingness to keep what is thus committed to him to thedey of final judgment. Saving faith is not a feeble belief of the words, or works, or power of Christ, upona short hearsay and slight notice, but it is built upon knowledge and just evidence. It is not a mere doc- trinal and Historical assent to the truths whichour Saviour spoke ; nor is it a mere rational conviction by the best arguments, that Christ is furnished with such abilities to save : It is not a sudden fit of desire, or hope, or well -wishing to our souls to be saved by Christ ; nor is it a rash and bold presumption that Christ will save me, and make mehappy : But it' is a solemn betrusting of my soul into his hands for salvation, built upon a deep sense of my own sin and danger : a solidknowledge of his sufficient fur- niture for such anundertaking; and an earnestdesire to be made partaker of this salvation, in the Full nature of it both the holi- ness and the icy.
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