to the same thing as before; for that ever God made any promises of life and falvation to finners was with respect unto Christ, and that he could confiftent with his justice confer these blessings, was in consequence, and as the effect of the Redeemer's righteousness, that is, his holy life and meritorious fin-atoning death. All the riches of grace and glory are treasured up in Christ, as purchased by his blood, and every gift bestowed on poor finners is for his fake alone, in him mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace bave kissed one another. God in Chrift can be just, and yet justify the ungodly. Rom iv. 5.

It appears then that precious faith is the gift of God, and that it is given and bestowed only for the fake of what Chrift has done and suffered; therefore our works whatever value we may set upon them, are no procuring cause of salvation, in whole, or in part; nor can any degree of forrow for fin, any quantity of tears shed, or any number of prayers preferred, render us more worthy to be the objects of divine compassion, or give us any good foundation that we shall obtain this precious faith, as the desert of fuch forrow and repentance. Yet here I would beg leave to observe concerning the ordinary state in which a foul finds itself at the time of it's obtaining precious faith, the following things.

1st, No man did ever yet obtain precious faith, that prior to it, had not fome sense of the evil of fin, and fome degree of forrow for it. No man, I prefume, had ever yet any real sense of the evil of fin, but in consequence of his being quickened by the spirit of God; and where this is the cafe, a foul is brought to a fenfe of feeling, and

cannot poffibly taste the bitterness of fin, and now feel himself under the deadly disease thereof, but it creates forrow, fighing, lamentation and woe ; and therefore fuch state of forrow naturally and I think necessarily, precedes that state of joy and gladness which can only be experienced as an effect of faith.

2d, The whole, says our Lord, need not a phyfician, but they that are fick; the gospel is the glad tidings of falvation by Christ, but it is certain none but finners who want falvation will either defire to credit the report, or pay any regard unto it; the minifters of the gospel may try their utmost skill to fet forth the Saviour in the most amiable and defirable character, but none will credit their report, but those to whom the arm of the Lord is revealed, If. liii. 1. We are told the whole multitude fought to touch Jesus, and that virtue went from him and bealed them all, Luke vi, 19, now this can only be spoken of the multitude of the diseased, for none else had need of healing.

All poor finners that are quickened by the spirit of God, and convinced of the evil of fin, do not all feel the same compunction of spirit, nor forrow for it in the fame degree; nor does it appear necessary that they should. Some under their first quickening and apprehenfions of their state, find their confciences stormed as it were with all the dreadful artil'ery of Mount Sinai, while others are led on step by step from the most early dawn of spiritual day, to fee fin and themselves, and are fweetly allured by the voice of the turtle to cast themselves on Jesus the Saviour.

Why it is that all conceive not alike of themselves under conviction of fin, we may perhaps be better able to say, when we know why the texture and frame of human bodies are not exactly the fame; at present it shall suffice me to say, that as men are not all guilty before God of crimes equally offensive, it seems reasonable that the degree of forrow and compunction for fin, be somewhat proportioned to the greatness of the guilt; if there be any other reason for the different degrees of forrow under a sense of fin, probably it may be owing to the difference of constitution. I have laid before you these things in order to correct a prevailing mistake, viz. that such a certain degree of forrow must be experienced, e'er a person could have any ground to expect faith and deliverance; and where such notions as these are propagated and attended to, people are naturally led to place some dependance on their forrow, as though some proportionate measure of trouble, could purchase some adequate, or proportionable degree of grace.

From all this it appears then, that although in the ordinary way of obtaining precious faith, a time of forrow and heaviness (the effect of the fpirit of bondage will generally precede a time of joy and gladness, the effect of the spirit of adoption;) yet this forrow and trouble has nothing in it of merit to deserve the gift of faith, nor deserves any farther regard than as it appears to be a godly forrow, and fo far may prove the regeneration of the soul. Precious faith then, is only to be obtained for the sake of what Jesus has done and fuffered, and to feek it, or expect it any other way, or for any other cause or reason befides this, is not only to expect the blessing out of God's appointed way, but is a depreciating of the Redeemer's

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deemer's righteousness, and a flight put upon the gofpel method of salvation.

What blessing so valuable, that his incomparably great and perfect righteousness could not procure, seeing it was a righteousness, fully answering all the demands of the injured or preceptive law; a righteousness spotless as the fun, in respect of its purity, confummate as the adorable Jehovah, that wrought it out, and infinitely glorious in its worth and excellency for poor finners.

3d, I now proceed, in the third place to speak of the fameness of precious faith in all that do obtain it. There are some things in which faith is not the fame, ist, The faith of Abraham and all the prophets, differed from the faith of apostles and christians, in that the former looked forward to the Meffiah to come, and the latter look backward to the Meffiah already come; yet the foundation of faith, which is the word of God, and the promise of salvation by Christ, was the same to both. 2d, All men have not the fame measure or degree of faith, Abraham was strong in faith, and gave glory to God, Peter was weak, in faith when he denied his Lord and master; also the apostle John writes in his epistle, to fathers, young men, and children, and some in every age and place are strong in faith, and live more abundantly the life of faith, while others are weak in the faith, and are toffed to and fro with every wind of doctrine.

Again 3d, Faith is not the same at all times in the same person; the object and foundation of faith remain immoveable and firm, but by reason of infirmities which cleave to, and are interwoven with our nature here below, our faith yields us

not

not all times the same joyous sensations, nor are we so well able to defend ourselves thereby against the enemies of our peace. What a wonderful degree of faith was manifest in Peter, when he faid, Lord bid me come to thee on the water, but how was it enervated and weakened, when he faw the winds boisterous and the billows foaming.

But precious faith is the fame in all that obtain it in the following things: ift. In the quality thereof, the faith of an inspired apostle, or prophet, and the faith of the vileft prostitute, now 7 converted and believing; for whatever it may differ in the quantity and strength, its nature and quality must needs be the fame, ist. Because, it is the effect of the same spirit, and like causes produce like effects; no man ever believed or obtained faith in any degree by the power of his natural abilities, but it is alike in all, the gift of God, produced by that spirit who gives to every man severally as he will. 2d, It is in all that obtain it the purchase of the fame blood and righteousness, for as there is but one faith, so this is the faith of the operation of God, and what * is bestowed as the effect of the Redeemer's righteousness. 3d, In whatever degree or measure it is possessed, it has been obtained the fame way, -" through the righteousness of God and our Sa"viour Jesus Christ;" for it has been proved that precious faith cannot be obtained any other way. 4th, To whomsoever precious faith is given, be its quantity or strength what it will, it is intended to answer the same gracious purposes to the poffeffor; to lead him to Chrift, to cast the foul on his merits, to bring a sense of pardon to the conscience, to fill the heart with joy and peace, and lead