judge with his Understanding; and the warmest Admonition will not enlarge the Sight, which will still depend upon the Goodness of the Eye, and the Distance and Pofition of the Object. In Faith the Cafe is much the fame: If the Affections are throughly raised, and made eager to embrace the Faith, they may chance indeed to ftep in between the Premises and Conclufion, and make Men profefs to believe, without knowing or confidering the Reasons of Belief; which is to destroy the Foundation of Faith: Or, if they keep their due Distance, and leave the Caufe to be decided by Reason and Understanding, their Influence will be nothing, and they might as well have been left out of the Cafe; fince Faith will follow the Judgment the Mind makes upon the Motives of Credibility.

But then, if this be the true Notion of Faith, That it is merely an Act of the Mind affenting to a Truth upon Motives of Credibility, how comes it that in every Page we find the Praises of it in the Gospel? What is there in this to deferve the Bleffings promifed to the Faithful? Or, whence is it that the whole of our Salvation is put upon this Foot? Abraham, we are told, was justified by Faith, and by Faith inherited the Promifes:

By

By Faith we become the Sons of Abraham, and Heirs together with him of the Hope which is through Chrift Jefus: By Faith we have Admittance to God, and are intitled through the Spirit of Adoption to cry Abba, Father: By Faith we are delivered from the Bondage of Corruption into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God: By Faith we wait for the Adoption, to wit, the Redemption of our Body. But how come all these Prerogatives to belong to Faith, if Faith be nothing elfe but believing Things in themselves credible?. Why are we not faid to be justified by Sight, as well as by Faith? For is there not the fame Virtue in feeing Things vifible, as in believing Things credible? Is not the Understanding as faulty when it rejects Things credible, as the Eye when it does not perceive Things vifible? Tell me then, what is Faith, that it should raise Men above the Level of Mortality, and make them become like the Angels of Heaven?

But farther; If Faith be only an Act of the Understanding formed upon due Reasons and Motives, how comes it to be described. in Scripture as having its Seat in the Heart? The Apostle in the Text cautions against an evil Heart of Unbelief: And the fame Notion prevails throughout the Books of Scripture,

and

"

and is as early as our Saviour's first Preaching, In explaining the Parable of the Sower to his Disciples, Luke viii. he tells them, Those by the Way-fide are they that bear: Then cometh the Devil, and taketh away the Word out of their Hearts, left they should believe and be faved, Ver. 12. So again, That on the good Ground are they which in an honest and good Heart bear the Word, and bring forth Fruit with Patience, Ver. 15. The first Sort are those who had an evil Heart of Unbelief: The second are those who, as the fame Apoftle to the Hebrews expreffes it, Chap. x, had a true Heart in full Affurance of Faith. In the Acts of the Apoftles, Philip tells the Eunuch, That, if he believed with all his Heart, he might be baptized, Chap. viii. 37. And Barnabas exhorts the Antiochans, That with Purpose of Heart they would cleave unto the Lord; which is only a Periphrafis for Faith, Chap. xi. 23. The Apostle to the Romans has ex profeffo determined this Matter: If thou shalt confefs, fays he, with thy Mouth the Lord Jefus, and fhalt believe in thine Heart that God hath raised him from the Dead, thou fhalt be faved, Chap, x. 9. In the following Verse he gives this general Reason for his Affertion: For with the Heart Man believeth

unto

unto Righteousness, and with the Mouth Confeffion is made unto Salvation.

Since then the Scripture, read to you for the Text, contains an Exhortation to Faith, which supposes a Man's Faith to be influenced by his Affections and Inclinations ; which is not always true, if we confider Faith merely as the Affent of the Mind to a credible Propofition: Since there are also fuch Things afcribed to Faith in Scripture, fuch Promises made to it, as cannot belong to it in this Acceptation: Since Faith, thus confidered, is a bare Act of the Mind; but the Faith of the Gospel is described as having its Seat and Operations in the Heart of Man It is neceffary, for the right Understanding of the Text, to inquire,

First, What is the true Notion of Faith.

From whence, in the fecond Place, it will appear, That it is a proper Exhortation, Take heed, left there be in you an evil Heart of Unbelief.

The first Thing to be inquired after is the true Notion of Faith.

Every Step by which we advance to the laft Degree of Perfection in Faith, is an Act of Faith, though of a different Kind, and not intitled either to the Praises or Rewards of the Gospel. And hence has

arisen great Part of the Confufion which has obfcured and darkened this Question concerning Faith: For, when Men, not diftinguishing between the intermediate Acts of Faith, and that Faith which is the ultimate End and Perfection of the Gospel, afcribe that to one, which only and properly belongs to the other, no wonder if they are found inconfiftent with themselves, and Deftroyers of Reason and Religion, whilst they feem to themselves to labour for the Promotion of the Doctrine of Righteousness.

To render what I mean plain and intelligible, I defire you to confider the Degrees and Steps of Faith by which Men arrive at Gospel Righteousness. It is one Degree of Faith to believe the Gospels to be true and faithful Accounts; and it is a Degree that leads to greater Perfection: He that wants this Faith is at a ftand, and can never proceed farther. But this is not the Faith we feek after. It is a farther Degree of Faith to believe the Miracles of Chrift and his Apostles to be true and real Miracles, and wrought by the Power and Spirit of God. But neither is this Faith complete: For the Miracles were wrought, not for their own fakes, but for the fake of fomething else: And therefore to believe the Miracles, with

out