Now this

may appear to be the Will of God, as may enable you to be impartial Judges. This our Saviour requires of us, when he fays, If any Man will do the Will of God, he fhall know of the Doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself: that is, If any Man has fo far got the Victory over his own Paffions and Lufts, as to be ready to give himself to the Direction of God's Will, whenever it may be made appear to him; this Man is in a right Dif pofition to receive the Truths of the Go fpel, and to judge whether Chrift be indeed. the Prophet of the Moft High. Difpofition is far from being natural to Man, according to the Nature Man has at prefent; and therefore thus to prepare and difpofe Mens Minds to receive the Gofpel, is the Work of the Spirit, and is afcribed to him conftantly in Scripture, where there is Occafion to fpeak of it: No Man, fays our Lord, can come unto me, except the Father which hath fent me draw him: And again, No Man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father; that is, Unlefs the Father, by the Grace of his Spirit, inclines and difpofes his Will to attend to the Words of Life which I deliver,

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deliver. To the fame Purpose he speaks in another Place, He that is of God, heareth God's Word; where, to be of God, is no more than to be of the Number of those who are difpofed to obey God; for, if to be of God fignifies any Thing more, it will hardly leave any tolerable Senfe for the Word: Our Saviour would not say, Those who obey God will hear God's Word; which is saying, Those who obey God, will obey God: And therefore, to be of God, muft fignify no more than to be ready and difpofed to receive the Will of God, by the Influence of his Grace. To be of God, and to be drawn of God, and to be willing to do the Will of God, are manifeftly put to fignify the fame Thing, because the fame Thing is affirmed of them: Our Saviour fays, No Man can come unto him, unless he be drawn of God; and yet he fays, He that is of God will hear his Word; and, in another Place, If any Man is willing to do the Will of God, he shall know of his Doctrine; and, if fo, then to be willing to do the Will of God, muft amount to the fame Thing with being of God, and being drawn by God. From whence it follows,. that those who are willing to do

his Will, that is, difpofed to receive his Truth, are drawn by him: that is, All who are well difpofed to receive the Faith of Chrift, owe their Difpofition to the Grace and Influence of God's Holy Spirit. Accordingly we read of Lydia, that God opened, her Heart to attend unto the Things which were spoken of Paul; where, opening her Heart, can fignify nothing but in

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clining her Will to attend to, and examine, the Truths of the Gofpel, which were the Things spoken by Paul. And, as Faith is afcribed to this Difpofition wrought by the Spirit of God, fo the Want of Faith is ascribed to the contrary Difpofition, where a Man is under the Power of Luft, and Appetite, and poffeffed with the Love of this World and the Pleasures of it: If our Gofpel be bid, fays St. Paul, it is hid to them that are loft: In whom the God of this World hath blinded the Minds of them which believe not, left the Light of the glorious Gospel of Chrift, who is the Image of God, should shine unto them.

But, fecondly, Faith fignifies likewife Truft and Reliance on God; and includes a confident Hope and Expectation, that God will perform his Promises made to us in

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his

his Son. It is defcribed as an active Principle of Religion, influencing the Mind to Obedience to the Law of God. This is the Faith through which we are faved, and is affirmed by St. Paul to be the Gift of God: To this Faith we owe our Growth and Progrefs in all Kinds of Chriftian Graces and Virtues; this is the Foundation of them, and this it is that makes them acceptable to God, That they are done in Faith. That Faith is perfect which is attended with a good Confcience, void of Offence towards God and towards Man. These two St. Paul couples together in his Advice to Timothy, enjoining him to hold the Faith and a good Confcience, which fome having put away, concerning Faith have made Shipwreck : So that Faith cannot ftand without a good Confcience; that is, it is no Faith which does not purge the Confcience from dead Works, and perfect Halinefs in the Fear of God. Now all that Reafon can do, is to affent or diffent to any Doctrine; but Obedience must come from the Will. Wicked Men often believe; but, like the Devils, they tremble at the Majefty of God, and do not love or delight in him, or feek to do his Will. Faith then is made up of

the

the Concurrence of the Will and the Understanding. The Understanding is still the Rule to judge Truth by; but the Will is not the right Rule of Action, and therefore the Affiftance of the Spirit, to induce the Will to follow the Understanding, is neceffary in the perfect Work of Faith: And this Work is afcribed to the Spirit in Scripture. Our Saviour, fpeaking to his Disciples, tells them, I am the Vine, ye are the Branches; he that abideth in me, and I in bim, the fame bringeth forth much Fruit, for without me ye can do nothing. Chrift abideth in his Members by his Holy Spirit; and therefore we are told, that our Bodies are the Temples of the Holy Ghoft. So then our Saviour's Doctrine is, That without the Affiftance of his Spirit we can do nothing, but with it we may bring forth Fruit. To bring forth Fruit, in the Phrase of Scripture, is to be obedient to the Laws of God, and to be employed in the Works of Righteousness: So that Faith cannot be perfected, or become the governing Principle of our Lives, without the Affistance of the Spirit, to fubdue our Wills to the Law of Holiness. Faith in this Senfe is reckoned among the Fruits of the Spirit, E 3

both