according to the gracious tenor of the new covenant, characterizes the possessor as a real Christian, and proves his interest in the promises: but in general he cannot make out his title, with habitual satisfaction, except as he is growing in grace, fruitful in good works, and careful not to grieve the Holy Spirit by negligence, or improper conduct.

If any man doubt whether the promises be thus restricted to characters, and desire to give the subject an impartial investigation; let him collect for himself from the Scriptures all the promises he can find, and compare them diligently with the context: and this will convince him, that they all either expressly mention some branch of holiness, as marking out the persons to whom the promise is made; or relate to such blessings, as no man, destitute of holiness, can sincerely desire and long to obtain.

The invitations indeed, and such promises as imply exhortations, counsels, warnings, or expostulations are addressed to the vilest of sinners without exception but they alone become interested in the annexed or implied promise, who embrace the invitation, attend to the exhortation, and "through grace obey the call." For it is folly, not faith, for a man to imagine the feast, the treasure, the kingdom to be his own, merely because he has been invited, or instructed how to apply, exhorted to the diligent use of certain means, warned of the consequences of neglecting such unmerited kindness, and assured that nothing but this neglect can deprive him of the benefit; while all the time he absolutely refuses to comply with the end and design of the gracious message!

There is a sense in which Christ may properly be said to have died for all ; and the infinite sufficiency of his merits and atonement, with the general proposals made in the Scripture, authorise and require the ministers of Christ, to call on all that hear them without exception, to repent and believe the gospel. But sober Christians, even if they hesitate as to some deep points of doctrine, will scarcely contend, that Christ died with an express intention of saving all men; yet this express intention alone could warrant a sinner, while an entire stranger to "the things which accompany salvation," confidently to believe, that Christ died for him, and will assuredly save him. Such a confidence, therefore, is entirely destitute of any scriptural foundation, and is a most unwarrantable presumption.

Some persons indeed seem to think, that the proposition, Christ is mine and will save me, would never be true, if I should never believe it: but that, if I believe it confidently, with or without reason or evidence, it will certainly prove true: But surely it is very extraordinary, not to say absurd, that believing what before was not true should convert it into truth!—The doctrines of Scripture are eternal truths, whether we believe them or not; and God abideth faithful to his promises, though we prove faithless. When a sinner truly believes in Christ, he is interested in all the promises and securities or the new covenant, even while his fears and doubts harass him incessantly: and when, on scriptural grounds, he obtains the full assurance of hope, he merely discovers what, though true in itself, he had not before been able to perceive.—One thing indeed is now true which once was not, namely, he is now born of God, a true penitent, a real convert, a believer, a living member of Christ's body, a child of God, a temple of the Holy Spirit, and an heir of heaven; whereas he was (not before his assured hope, but before his regeneration) dead in sin, a slave of Satan, and under the wrath of God, notwithstanding the secret purposes of electing love respecting him.

The words of St. Peter are peculiarly worthy of our attention in this argument, "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you." Now the well-instructed Christian, and he alone, is capable of doing this. He can assign his reasons for believing the Scriptures to be the word of God; he can state the warrant and encouragement given in them to the chief of sinners to believe in Jesus Christ; and he can show from his own experience, character, and pursuits, compared with the declarations and examples of the word of God, the grounds on which

he concludes himself a true believer, and an heir of immortal glory. But what reason can be given for an assured hope of everlasting life, as the gift of God in Christ, by that man who has no consciousness of having fled to him for refuge, and no experience of a new creation unto holiness?-Indeed it would exceedingly perplex one, to find words more suitable to describe an irrational, unscriptural, and enthusiastical presumption, than those which some men have employed on this subject; while they have exhorted and counselled their readers, to "work themselves, by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, into an assurance that Christ, grace, and heaven are theirs, without any evidence from reason, sense, or Scripture ;" and then they have gravely told them, that all holiness will certainly result from this kind of confidence!* What reason can a man who follows this counsel give, either of his faith, or hope, or of his religion in general?

The amount of this assured persuasion (call it by what name you will,) is no more than, I believe that I am a believer. But if this is true faith, and if the full assurance of faith is our duty, (and doubtless we ought to believe the testimony of God without wavering,) it follows of course, that we cannot deceive ourselves; for the more firmly a man believes that he is a believer, the stronger must his faith be! Thus all exhortations to self-examination, and all warnings against self-deception, with which the Scriptures abound, are at once vacated and set aside; and that man is actually the safest, who most confidently thinks himself safe!

Far be it from me to charge all who favour, or seem to favour, this notion of faith, with perceiving or allowing these consequences; for many of them bestow much laudable pains to inculcate a contrary spirit and conduct, and imagine they can show that their doctrine has no such tendency. But after all, the inference fairly and undeniably follows from the premises; and more consistent men, who have none of their piety, will deduce it, and practise accordingly.

If the reader has imbibed the sentiment, that this high confidence of salvation by Christ, even without conscious humiliation and change of heart, is the strong faith spoken of in Scripture; let him very seriously ask himself, (and ask the Lord too in earnest prayer for his teaching) whether this is not the very character delineated under the similitude of the stony-ground hearers ? Whether this is not the vain confidence of all those evangelical hypocrites, who deceive themselves without expressly designing to deceive others? And whether James does not most directly address such professors when he says, "Know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead!"-These are questions which should not be cursorily passed over by him who would know the truth as it is in Jesus;" for in fact they comprise the substance of the whole controversy.

It is not generally and expressly denied, by those who feel themselves interested in these inquiries, that the gospel was intended to honour the holy law of God; to display in perfect harmony the infinite justice, purity, wisdom, goodness, mercy, and truth of his all-glorious character; to lay a foundation for the hope of the vilest transgressors connected with the most effectual provision for their humiliation and renewal to the divine image; to excite in the hearts of the redeemed the most fervent exercises of admiring, adoring, zealous, joyful, and thankful love to the God of their salvation; and finally to exhibit the divine glory, in the most awful and affecting light that possibly could be, to the whole intelligent creation through eternal ages. But if another gospel be introduced, which merely provides for the encouragement of sinners at any rate, while the other ends of infinite importance, are overlooked, or at least greatly kept out of sight; then the justice and holiness of God, and his strict and spiritual law, appear terrible rather than glorious and lovely; the odiousness and desert of transgression are concealed or palliated; salvation from punishment is detached from “the sanc

Marshall on Sanctification.

tification of the Spirit unto obedience:" and then it is no wonder that unconverted men often credit such a gospel, which is entirely congenial to their pride and carnal minds. Because they may be delighted with the false_notions thus given them of the character of God; while they continue to hate the infinitely just and holy God, whom the Scriptures reveal: as the Jews imagined they loved the God of Abraham, whose favourites they deemed themselves, though the Truth himself testified, "Ye have both seen and hated both me and my Father." And having once thus awfully quieted and pleased themselves with an unholy faith, a presumptuous confidence, selfish affections, and a carnalized gospel, it is alas not probable they should ever be undeceived, till the light of eternity tremendously show them their real character and situation.

The true gospel of Christ reveals "a just God and a Saviour."-The eternal Son of the Father became incarnate, to honour the righteous demands of the holy law by a divinely perfect obedience, during the whole course of his suffering life; and to honour its curse by his unknown agonies in the garden and on the cross; that sinners, who most justly deserved, and who must otherwise inevitably have endured the everlasting wrath of God, might through his merits, ransom, and mediation, be freely pardoned, completely justified, and gradually recovered to perfect holiness by the Spirit of God given unto them. But an unhumbled unholy heart cannot truly believe this gospel ; and a faith which does not allow the excellency of the law, the desert of sin, and the justice of God in the awful sentence denounced against transgressors, cannot render him the glory of his free mercy in salvation. Much less can such a faith give God the glory of all his other perfections, as harmonizing with his mercy in that stupendous design, which is the admiration of angels, and all redeemed sinners, and shall be so to all eternity.

It is not meant, that the sinner, when he first comes for mercy to the Saviour distinctly perceives these things: but he must be so far enlightened, humbled, softened, and changed, as to yield the point in contest; he must willingly come as a justly condemned criminal, for a free and holy salvation in the Lord's appointed way. So that an unholy faith can only welcome an unholy gospel, and make an unholy use of it: and it is observable, that such · respectable men as are induced to plead in behalf of this kind of faith; when they proceed to answer objections or to show its sanctifying tendency imperceptibly, and doubtless unintentionally, slide into quite another view of faith, and then it becomes very easy to make the cause appear specious; nor do most readers bestow sufficient pains to detect the latent fallacy, or to become so conversant in such subjects, as to be capable of exactly discriminating between them. The author, however, is confident, that his arguments, if duly weighed and compared with Scripture, will be found conclusive; and fully prove that saving faith is a holy exercise of the soul.

SECTION V.

Saving Faith the Principle of all other holy Dispositions, Affections, and Behaviour THE holy nature of true faith may likewise be inferred, with absolute certainty, from the effects produced by it: for "a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit;" and every tree is known by its fruit."-Faith, when genuine, excites all holy affections, and works by them in all holy obedience. "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark."-Sinners, when warned to flee from the wrath to come, if they believe the warning, are moved with fear to forsake their sinful courses and carnal confidences; and when they have been instructed in the gospel,

if they believe that gracious message, they are moved "to flee for refuge, to lay hold on the hope set before them." Even confirmed disciples are repeatedly warned, "not to fear them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do ; but to fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.' Matt. x. 28. Luke xii. 4, 5. "Blessed is he that feareth always." "Be not high minded, but fear.” "Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." "Let us have grace to serve God, with reverence and godly fear; for our God, is a consuming fire." In proportion to the degree in which we understand and believe these words, we shall be moved with fear, to use proper means, and flee to a distance from the danger: for "a prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished." And this fear implies reverence to the authority and justice of God, hope in his mercy, and a desire of his favour, and the happiness he bestows; which implies love of his excellencies, as well as dread of his awful power and indignation.

But the highest and purest energy of Faith consists in calling forth holy love into vigorous exercises; and by its powerful influence constraining the believer to all devoted and self-denying obedience, and patient suffering for the Lord's sake. Indeed this will be perceived, by those who well consider the subject, to comprise every thing: for love is the leading affection of the soul, and governs all others.-When therefore the apostle would mark, in few words, the essential distinction between a Christian and all other men, he says, "In Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love." Gal. v. 6, 13, 14. Now "love is the fulfilling of the law," and likewise the principal fruit of the Spirit; GOD is LOVE, and heaven is love: and can faith not at all holy excite in us the most holy and spiritual of all exercises of the rational soul?—I say excite, not produce; for, in strict propriety, the production of any holy disposition must be ascribed entirely to the Holy Spirit; and no sort of faith could possibly work by holy love, if the heart continued unregenerate, and in a state of enmity against God.

The views, which saving faith gives the soul of those objects that revelation brings to our knowledge, are suited to call forth the most lively exercises of love to Christ, and the most delightful admiration of his glorious excellencies, and his compassion to lost sinners: they will excite also an ardent desire after the nearest union and communication with him, a decided preference of his favour to all earthly objects, a fear of coming short of this highest privilege and advantage, gratitude proportioned to our hope, zeal for his glory, attachment to his cause, and a peculiar regard to all which stands related to him or bears his image. This love of Christ is substantially the same with the love of God: for we sinners know, approach, believe, trust, love, and honour the Father, only in and by his beloved Son. The same exercises of faith call forth our love to our brethren, and to all men, according to the precepts and example of our beloved Redeemer: and thus faith working by love manifests itself in all godliness, righteousness, temperance, kindness, and beneficence. Even repentance, in all its exercises to the end of life, is excited by a belief of the divine testimony in one way or other; while some degree of true repentance is necessary to explicit faith in Christ. In proportion to the increase and vigour of living faith, will be the growth and ardour of all holy affections, and our persevering fruitfulness in all real good works. The more clearly and constantly the believer contemplates a crucified Saviour, and scripturally relies on him with earnest application of heart for all the blessings of salvation; the more humble, spiritual, obedient, zealous, loving, harmless, pure, self-denying, and actively beneficent will he be. And the reason of this is, because true faith, springing from regeneration, co-exists in the heart with all other gracious dispositions; and evidencing to the soul one part of divine truth after another, as circumstances require and occasions are given, it excites them all by turns into more vigorous and sen

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sible exercise. It is, however, an unedifying curious speculation to dispute which of them in order of time has the priority: "seeing the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus," quickening the sinner who had been dead in sin, is at once the Author and Source of them all. The varied experiences of different persons, with the numberless undiscoverable, and generally unnoticed, circumstances, which cause some first to attend to one, and some to another, of the feelings of their own minds, will certainly lead them to different and even contrary determinations, according to the schemes of doctrine which they severally adopt.

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It is very commonly stated that "faith purifies the heart:" but the language of Scripture is more accurate :-namely, that "God purifieth the heart by faith." Acts xv. 9. Having enabled the sinner, by his new-creating grace, cordially to believe the gospel; by the varied actings of that faith he excites every holy affection; and as these prevail and gather strength, all unholy desires and propensities are dethroned, hated, mortified, and gradually abolished. In entire agreement with this, yet taking another view of the subject, the apostle Peter says, obeying the truth, through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren; see Seeing ye have purified your souls, in that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently." 1 Peter i. 22. They were active in this purifying of their souls; but it was effected by obeying the truth; and this was done by the grace of the Holy Spirit. For "the fruit of the Spirit is love." No man, who scripturally holds the doctrine of regeneration, will ascribe the "purifying of the heart" to faith, as to its efficient "cause;" but faith is the spiritual organ of sight and perception, through which invisible things are so shown to the soul by the Holy Spirit, as to effect, through his continual agency, a gradual renovation. Faith (being itself the gift of God and the operation of the Spirit) applies for, and receives those heavenly influences, by which the seeds of universal holiness, sown in regeneration, spring forth and grow to maturity; according to the declaration of St. Paul,We all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord;" and thus we are gradually purified from the remainder of our proud, carnal, and selfish passions and propensities.

Similar to this is the language of St. John," This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" The apostle ascribes these effects of loving God, keeping his commandments, and overcoming the world," to the faith of those who are born of God; and he evidently speaks of this faith as essentially belonging to that which is born of God. Such a faith, exciting and working by holy love, gives the soul a decided victory over the love of worldly objects, the fear of men, a false shame and regard to character, and every carnal and selfish principle: and it thus renders obedience not only practicable, but delightful. Thus St. Paul exclaims, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom the world is crucified to me, and I unto the world." Gal. vi. 14.

He also shows us that all the self-denying, courageous, and zealous obedience of the Old Testament saints sprang from faith, as its immediate cause. "By faith Enoch walked with God." offered Isaac." daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's "By faith Abraham obeyed;-and to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of reward. the king; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible." By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of and pious mind determine whether the judgment, choice, and purpose of faith, in these cases, were not spiritual and holy.-In many instances, the Let any sober particular exercise of faith, to which the obedience is ascribed, was entirely