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greedily to look to that exalted Saviour?"Look unto me, and be ye faved all the ends of the earth :" and to receive a thing that is offered, held forth, and declared to be mine, if I will but accept and take it, and in a manner open my mouth," and give way to it?" Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." Such a thing is faith, if not lefs. Oh, if I could perfuade people what is juftifying faith, which impropriateth Chrift to me! We often fcar people from their just rest and quiet, by making them to apprehend faith to be fome deep myfterious thing, and by moving unneceffary doubts about it, whereby it is needlefsly darkened.

(2.) Some make no ufe of this mark, as judging it a high prefumptuous crime to pretend to fo excellent a thing as is the very condition of the new covenant. To thefe I fay, You need not ftartle fo much at it, as if it were high pride to pretend to it for whatfoever true faith be, men must refolve to have it, or nothing at all; all other marks are in vain without it; a thoufand things befides will not do the bufinefs: "Unless a man believe, he abideth in the state of condemnation," "He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. He that believeth not the Son fhall not fee life, but the wrath of God abideth on him."

(3.) Others do not meddle with this noble mark of faith, because they judge it a work of the greatest difficulty to find out faith where it is. To thefe I fay, It is not fo difficult to find it out, fince "he that believeth, hath the witnefs in himfelf; it is a thing which by fome ferious fearch may be known. Not only may we do much to find it out by the preparatory work going before it in many, as the apprehending and believing of a man's loft eftate, and that he cannot do his own business, and that there is fatisfying fullness in Chrift, very defira. ble if he could overtake it; a ferious minding of this, with a heart laid open for relief; as alfo by the ordinary companions and concomitants of it, viz. the liking of Chrift's dominion, his kingly and prophetical office, a

defire to refign myself wholly up to him, to be at his difpofing; as alfo by the native confequence of it, viz. the affoilzieing of the word, the affoilzieing of my own confcience according to the word, a heart purifying work, a working by love; I fay, not only may we know faith by these things, but it is difcernable by itfelf and of its own nature. Although I deny not but there must be fome help of God's Spirit," by which we know what is freely given unto us of God," as alfo, that God hath allowed many evidences and marks as precious helps, whereby men may clear up faith more fully to themfelves, "Thefe things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life;" yet I ftill fay, that faith, or believing, which is fome acting of the heart upon Chrift in the gofpel, and the tranfacting with him there, is difcernable of itfelf, and by itfelf, to a judicious underftanding perfon, with an ordinary influence of the fpirit, unless the Lord, for reafons known to himself, do overcloud a man's reflex light, by which he fhould take up and perceive what is in him.

This juftifying faith, which we affert to be fo difcernable, is, in the Lord's deep wifdom and gracious condefcendency, variouflý expreffed in Scripture, according to the different actings of it upon God, and outgoings after him; fo as every one who hath it may find and take it up in his own mould. It fometimes acteth by a defire of union with him in Chrift: this is that looking to him in Ifa. xlv. 22. "Look unto me, and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth." This feems to be a weak act of faith, and far below other actings of it at other times perhaps in that fame perfon. Men will look to what they dare not approach, to their apprehenfion which they dare not touch or embrace: they may look to one to whom they dare not speak: yet God hath made the promife to faith in that acting, as the fore cited fcripture doth fhew: and this he hath done mercifully and wifely; for this is the only difcernable way ofthe acting of faith of fome perfons fometimes. Such are the actings or out

goings of faith expreffed in fcripture by "hungering and thirfting after righteoufnefs," and that expreffed by willing, "And whofoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Again, this faith goeth out fometimes in the act of recumbency, or leaning on the Lord, the foul taking up Christ then as a refting-stone, and God hath fo held him out, although he be a ftumbling-ftone to others. This acting of it is hinted in the expreffions of trufting and flaying on God, fo often mentioned in fcripture and precious promifes are made in this acting of faith, as "God will keep them in perfect peace whofe minds are ftayed on him; because fuch do truft in him. Trust in the Lord; for with him is everlasting ftrength.' "“They that truft in the Lord fhall be as Mount Zion, which abideth for ever." I fay, the Lord hath made promises to this way of faith's acting, as knowing it will often go out after him in this way with many perfons; and this way of its acting will be moft difcernable to them.

It goeth out after God fometimes by an act of waiting; when the foul hath fomewhat depending before God, and hath not got out his mind fatisfyingly concerning that thing, then faith doth wait; and fo it hath the promise, "They fhall not be ashamed that wait for me." Sometimes it acteth in a willful way upon the Lord, when the foul apprehendeth God thrufting it away, and threatening its ruin; "Though he flay me, yet will I truft in him." The faith of that poor woman of Canaan, fo highly commended by Chrift, did go out in this way of willful acting over difficulties; and the Lord fpeaketh much good of it, and to it, because some will be put to it to exercise faith that way fometimes, and fo they have that for their encouragement. It were tedious to inftance all the feveral ways of the acting of faith upon, and its exercise about, and outgoing after Chrift. I may fay, according to the various conditions and preffures of the foul of man, the Lord hath varioufly held out himself and his fullness in Chrift, under divers notions, as might moft fitly meet the diftrefs or condition of man.

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And accordingly faith, which God hath appointed to traffic and travel between Chrift and man, as the inftrument of conveyance of his fulness unto man, and of maintaining union and communion with him, acteth variously and differently upon God in Chrift; for faith is the very fhaping out of a man's heart according to God's device of falvation by Chrift Jefus," in whom it plea"in fed the Father that all fulness fhould dwell;" fo that, let Chrift turn what way he will, faith pointeth that way. Now he turneth all ways in which he can be useful to poor man; and therefore faith acteth accordingly on him for drawing out of that fulness, according to a man's cafe and condition, As for example, The foul is naked, deftitute of a covering to keep it from the storm of God's wrath; Chrift is fine raiment, then accordingly faith's work here is to put on the Lord Jefus."The foul is hungry and thirsty after fomewhat that may everlastingly fatisfy; Chrift Jefus is milk, wine, water, the bread of life, and the true manna;" he is "the feaft of fat things, and of wine refined ;" then the work. and exercife of faith is to "go, buy, eat and drink abundantly. The foul is purfued for guilt more or lefs, and is not law-biding; Chrift Jefus is the city of refuge, and the high prieft there, during whofe lifetime, that is for ever, the poor man who gets thither is fafe; then the work and exercife of faith is to flee thither for refuge, to lay hold on the hope fet before us. In a word, whatfoever way he may benefit poor man, fo he fpeaketh of himfelf. And as he holdeth out him felf in the Scripture, fo faith doth point towards him. If he be a bridegroom, faith will go out in a marriage relation if he be a father, faith pleadeth the man to be a child if he be a fhepherd, faith pleads the man may be one of his sheep; if he be a Lord, faith calleth him fo, which none can do but by the Spirit of Jefus; if he be dead, and rifen again for our juftification, faith "believeth God hath raifed him" on that account, Wherefoever he be, there would faith be; and whatfoever he is, faith would be fomewhat proportionally for by faith the heart is fha

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pen out in breadth and length for him; yea, when the fame and report of him goeth abroad in his truth, altho' faith feeth not much, yet it "believeth on his name, upon the very fame he hath fent abroad of himself, John

i. 12.

But here, for avoiding of mistakes, confider, (1.) That although juftifying faith acteth fo variously, yet every believer who hath a good title to Chrift Jefus hath not all these various actings and exercises of faith for his condition craveth them not; and alfo the Mafter is pleafed not to lead out the faith of fome perfons, at fome times, in fome of these ways, for reasons known to himfelf, even when their neceffity (to their apprehenfion) calleth for fuch acting of faith. Surely, every one dare not fay, "Though he kill me, yet will I truft in him." Many would not have gone up with the woman of Canaan I spake of, but would have been difcouraged, and have quit the purfuit. It is on this account that Chrift doth highly commend the faith of fome beyond the faith of others; of the centurion; of the woman of Canaan. Many good people are much difquieted concerning their faith, because it goeth not out in all thofe way's we find recorded in Scripture; but there is hardly any man will be found whofe faith hath acted all thefe ways.

(2.) Many of thefe actings of faith are much intended and remitted. They are fometimes ftrong and vigorous, and difcernible; and fometimes they fail, and mifbelief doth prevail, fo as it were an uncertain thing to judge of a man's ftate by thefe. We find the faints very different from themfelves in regard of the actings of faith fometimes, as we fhewed before.

(3.) Each one of these actings of faith fpeaketh good to the perfon in whom it is, and hath promifes annexed unto it, as we have faid. Yet,

(4.) Although thefe actings of faith have promises annexed unto them, they are not, for that, the condition of the new covenant; for then every one behoved to have each one of them, which is not true, as we faid before. A promife is made to him who overcometh; but perfe