"The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart; that is the word of faith which we preach. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith, whosoever believeth in him shall not be ashamed*.”

This is the answer to our second question, "what is this precious faith?" You see it is the receiving of this gift of righteousness in Christ. "They which receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness." Faith itself no more will justify a man than works. It justifies only as it receives Christ's justifying righteousness. Well then may it be called PRECIOUS. It is the closing act of the soul, by which she receives Christ, becomes one with him, and partakes of all his saving benefits, besides this of his righteousness. For he who has one benefit of redemption, has them all in right and title. Inestimably great as all this salvation of the gospel is; wonderfully joyful as its tidings are, which we preach to you, Jesus can do no mighty works where unbelief prevails. According to men's faith, so it is unto them. BELIEVE, that is, receive Christ heartily, (men will not do so till they see and feel themselves perfectly helpless and miserable without him) and Christ with his righteousness and eternal life, is yours.

If I need say any thing more to show the preciousness of faith, (its nature has been shown)

So it is. Observe close of 1 Cor. 15,

I would carry myself and you to a sick-bed, a dying hour. What is the comfort of the dying saint, think you? Is it a life well spent here? Ah! no: this is nothing to build on. St. Paul has called his well spent life dung in this view. the remarkable passage at the "the sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." In this faith a Christian has been taught to be stedfast and immovable, and hence to abound in the work of the Lord, knowing that his labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. The fruits of faith in good works will be rewarded in eternity, according to their quantity. But they would be of no avail in taking away the sting of death. That which makes death terrible is sin; and that which makes sin terrible is the law, condemning it. But he thanks God who has given him the victory through Jesus's righteousness. He has satisfied the law. Hence sin is taken away, as to any power of condemning him, for that is the meaning of the passage. By this alone the sting of death is drawn. Oh! happy soul, that dies thus in Christ. "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his."

When men come to a death-bed, they may see that that faith is precious which thus takes hold of a precious Christ, and enables a believer to leave the world, and go to the Father, in his name. But, ah! what right have those to expect the Christian's comfort in death, who in life have despised that which disarms death of its sting? Justly is it said that they have no right to expect to die like the

righteous, who will not lead his life, and his life is altogether a life of faith in Christ.

ness.

3d. It remains to consider "whence this faith is to be obtained." For the apostle speaks to them who have obtained this "precious faith in the righteousness of our Saviour." It is not derived from men for "there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God," by nature. It is obtained from above, being the gift of the Holy Ghost; for the natural man discerneth not the things of the Spirit of God; to him they are foolishHear how the apostle prays for this gift of faith in behalf of the Ephesians: "Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." "To Το you it is given, says the apostle, speaking to the Philippians, "in the behalf of Christ to believe on him." If any would hear our Lord himself speak on the subject, they may hear him, John vi. "No man can come to me, except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him." To the unbelieving Jews he says, ye be

lieve not, because ye are not of my sheep: my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." Then after giving them precious faith in their Redeemer, he takes care, in his glorious faithfulness, to ensure to them all the happy consequences. "And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand."

Thus have I, my brethren, briefly and plainly considered, according to the Scriptures, (and if this will be of any weight with men, according to the articles and homilies of the Church of England)

I have set

the three questions implied in the text. forth to you what that righteousness is by which alone a man is entitled to expect eternal life. And by all Scripture it appears to be, not any thing done in a man, or by a man at all, but the righteousness of Christ received as a free gift, by a guilty fallen sinner, without the least mixture of dependance on his own works, even the very best of them.-2d. What this faith is which receives this righteousness, and is deservedly called PRECIOUS. Our Reformers found it so. By it, as the instrument of receiving and enjoying a precious Christ, they emerged out of Popery, and transmitted to us the doctrines of the gospel, for which they glorified God in the fires.3d. Whence this precious faith is to be obtained, and it appears to be the gift of the Holy Spirit alone.

I trust there are some souls before me, who know these things to be true in experience. You were made restless and uneasy in your consciences. You became more and more sensible of your wretched, undone, perishing condition. You found your very natures depraved, and notwithstanding all the pains you took to work out a righteousness to appease your consciences, you could not.-Perfection you saw was what the law required, and the more enlarged your understandings were concerning the extent and strictness of the law, the farther distant from perfection you found yourselves. Gladly did you hear of Jesus Christ, "the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." You then found that to be delivered from wrath, and to enjoy eternal life, you needed precious faith; and when you strove to believe in Christ, you found you

had not a heart for it. Then, at last, you learnt that faith was the gift of God, and that you never really had been believers in Christianity. You prayed heartily for the Holy Spirit, which our Saviour taught you to ask; and in God's time you believed, rejoicing in the Lord. He became your glory and boast. "Blessed are ye who know the joyful sound: ye shall walk in the light of God's countenance: your delight shall be daily in his name, and in his righteousness shall you make your boast: for he is the glory of your strength, and in his loving-kindness he shall lift up your horns. The Lord is your defence, the Holy One of Israel your King."

is

So rich a subject as this, the very fundamental of our Christianity, and without which the gospel is a mere name, deserves our most serious consideration; and I am persuaded would be more regarded than it is, if men would think more deeply of death and judgment, of sin, and the holiness of God. But while men have a slight view of sin, and think that a merciful God will readily pardon their enormities, which they please to call frailties, they go on contented with a round of external duties, which they make their righteousness. All this time their hearts are wedded to the pomps and vanities of this wicked world; so that there is a certain previous view of things which every man must have, before he will heartily relish, much less comfortably experience, the gospel-truths I have set forth.

A man ought to know, that sin deserves death eternal. He ought to be affected in some worthy manner with the view of the infinite majesty and greatness of God.

He ought to be practically con