every act of spiritual life by faith. This is a very important lesson, and therefore it is taught in Scripture as plainly as words can speak. Every thing is promised to, and is received by faith. Thus it is said, "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus; and if children, then heirs according to the promise, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, and holiness;" made for their use wisdom, to teach them, righteousness to justify them, and holiness to sanctify them; yea, he has all things in his fulness for their use, as the free grant "All things are

speaks, 1 Cor. iii. 21, &c. yours, whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ's is God's.". Consider, believer, what a large estate this is : thy title to it is good, and thou enterest into possession by faith. See then that thou make use of thine inheritance, and live upon it. Do not say, when thou wantest any thing, I know not where to get it: for

whatever the God-man has of wisdom, righteousness, holiness, power, and glory, he has it, as the head of the body, for thee as one of his members, for thy use and benefit; and he has promised it to thee in his word. Make free with him then. Go to him with confidence. Thou canst not do him greater honour than to receive from him what he has to give. That is glorifying him. It is putting the crown upon his head, and confessing him to be a perfect all-sufficient Christ, when it pleaseth thee, as it did his Father, that in him should all fulness dwell; and when thou art content to live out of thyself upon his fulness for the supply of all thy needs in time and in eternity. To live thus upon him is his glory; and it is thy privilege, thy interest, and thy happiness. In every state, spiritual and temporal, and in every circumstance, thou canst possibly be in, thou art commanded to look up to Christ, that thou mayest receive out of his fulness, and to depend upon him to save thee from every evil, and to bestow upon thee every good. In thy walk heavenwards,

and in every thing thou meetest with by the way, put thy trust in Christ, and expect from him the fulfilling of all his promises. He has all power in heaven and earth for that very purpose. Still rely upon him, and cast thy burdens on him, when thou art tempted; when old corruptions arise; when the world and the devil assault thee; when under a sense of weakness and dulness in duty; when in darkness and desertion; in persecution and trouble; in pain and poverty; in sickness and death. This is the life of faith. Thou wilt live like a Christian, indeed, if, being in any of these cases, thou believest that Christ is able, because he is almighty, and willing; because he has promised to supply thy wants, and then canst trust in him for that supply. Depend upon it, thou shalt have it, and it shall be done unto thee according to his word.

After the believer is become one with Christ, and through him has a right to all the riches of grace, and may by faith make use of them as his own; why is he so long in learning this lesson perfectly? Being adopt

ed into the heavenly family, and an heir of the heavenly inheritance, why does not he immediately live up to his privilege, and to his estate? His title is good. The inheritance is sure. All things are become his, for all fulness is in Christ; and by virtue of his union with Christ, this fulness is his, and he may by faith be always receiving out of it every grace and blessing, which Christ has promised: why then does not he at once attain to this happy life of faith? Sad experience proves that young believers do not. They meet with so many difficulties, that they grow up slowly into Christ in all things. They do not attain to a solid establishment in the faith in a day. Enemies without and within stop their progress, insomuch, that they often continue little children for a long time. They have the same right to Christ, the same privileges, and the same promised grace, which young men and fathers in Christ have; but they have not learned by experience how to improve their interest in him, and to make the most of it. The difficulties and temptations which weaken

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their hold of Christ, and stop their growth in him, are many; some of the chief, are these :

1. They continue little children, and weak in faith, because they do not presently attain a solid acquaintance with the person of Christ; and are not thoroughly satisfied, how able he was, and sufficient for every thing he undertook, and how perfectly he has finished every part of his work.

2. This keeps them ignorant of many things in which the glory of his salvation consists; hence they have not clear believing views of its fulness, and of its freeness.

3. By which means they labour under many doubts about the manner of their receiving this salvation. A legal spirit working with their unbelief, puts them upon reasoning continually against being saved freely by grace through faith; and,

4. These legal unbelieving reasonings gain great power from their unskilfulness in their warfare between nature and grace, the old man and the new, the flesh and the spirit; and,