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the Name of Jefus, through Faith in his Name, SERM. bath made this, i. e. the impotent Man III. Strong (1). In thefe, I fay, and fuch like Texts, Faith means that clear Conviction of Mind enjoyed by many of the first Propagators of Christianity, and founded on imimmediate Revelation, that the Almighty would enable them to work the neceffary Miracles for proving the Truth of the Doctrine, which they were ordained to preach.---And sometimes we are to underftand by it, that Truft and Reliance on the Power of Jefus Chrift and his Apostles expreffed by the Perfons, on whom those Miracles were performed, to which must be referred the high Encomium of our Saviour on the modeft Centurion (m), I have not found fo great Faith, no not in Ifrael.---It implies further the Subject-matter of our Faith, or the Gofpel itself; as when St. Jude directs the Difciples, to whom he wrote, to contend earnestly for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints (n), i. e. to be zealous in the Defence of thofe Doctrines neceffary to Salvation, which were revealed by Chrift, and preached by his Apoftles: And fo when St. Paul requires fuch, as had

(1) Acts iii. 16.
(n) St. Jude, V. 3.

G 3

(m) St. Matth. viii. x.

SERM. had the Gift of Prophefy, to prophesy acIII. cording to the Proportion of Faith (). For

to interpret this of the Truft or Office, and not of the Rule, by which it was to be executed, is a new and forced Conftruction.---We must add, that Faith moreover fignifies a firm Perfuafion of the Certainty of Rewards to come; on Account whereof the pious Men of old, both before and under the Law, are justly celebrated by St. Paul (p). But though this has been reprefented to be the principal and most important Senfe of the Word, yet furely the justifying Faith of a Chriftian is of a much more extenfive Nature.---Sometimes, again, it means fuch Evidence as is fufficient to beget Faith and Belief in us; and in this Senfe we are faid to walk by Faith, and not by Sight (q), to have, not ocular Demonftration in our religious Affairs, but God's Divine Teftimony, which yields the full Affurance of Faith.---Sometimes it is put for the Refolution of Confcience concerning the lawfulness of any Action, as, Whatfoever is not of Faith is Sin (r). Whatfoever is not done with a full Conviction of its being commanded, or at least allowed by the Laws of God, to him, who

ventures

(0) Rom. xii. 6.
(q) 2 Cor. v. 7.

(p) Heb. xi.
(r) Rom. xiv. 2

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ventures on fuch a doubtful Matter, it is SERM. Sin.---And, Laftly, over and above all the III. afore-mentioned Significations, which Faith often bears in the Holy Scriptures, it means most strictly and properly that joint Act of the Mind and Will, by which, through God's Affiftance, and on his indifputable Authority, a found and fixed Affent, not resting in mere Opinion only, but carrying its Energy into the Life and Practice, is given to the great Truths of the Gofpel of Jesus Christ.

THIS is undoubtedly the right Import of Faith in the Words before us; and the fame Notion too muft we entertain of it in every other Part of the New Teftament, where it ftands in Oppofition to the Works of the Law: The Reafon is plain; because, if under the latter are couched all the legal Obfervances incumbent on a Jew, the former will by juft Confequence imply the whole Duty of a Christian.

AND here, as we have the weightieft, and most confiderable Meaning of the Term, we are enquiring into, fo have we likewise the literal and true Signification of it. Whereas. the reft are figurative and improper; How

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SERM. ever fome may have incautiously substiIII. tuted the one for the other,---have been

fo far misled by Error or Prejudice, as to take the lowest Senfe for the primary, the Metaphorical for the Real.

THIS is ftyled in the Text, the Faith of Jefus Chrift after the fame Manner, as the initiating Sacrament of the Gofpel is called the Baptifm of Christ,---'tis in the Sense of being instituted and appointed by him, but not of terminating folely in him. For were we to view it in its Objects, we should find them to be all Matters certainly revealed, the Doctrines, Precepts, Promifes and Threatenings, difcovered to us by Almighty God in his written Word: Which therefore we are indifputably bound to fearch and study with our best Judgment, our fincereft Application, and every Help, we can call in for our Inftruction, that our Faith may not be grounded on human Invention, but on divine Inspiration.

NOTHING fhould be thought trivial, which it has pleafed infinite Wisdom to make known to us, infinite Power to confirm, and infinite Goodnefs to fecure, in fpite of the Malice of wicked Spirits and wicked Men

combined

III.

combined to destroy it. And whilst fome SERM. Latitude of Opinion may perhaps be innocently indulged in Circumftantials, an Unity of Belief must be confcientiously fought and zealously maintained in those weightier Matters; which enter fo far into the Effence, and compose the Subftance of the Chriftian Religion, that to reject, or to be diffident of them, is to make manifeft Shipwreck of the Faith.

To defcend to Particulars, and give a Detail of all Points requifite to be believed, is not properly within the Scope of my prefent Defign, having propofed to confider our Faith, not so much with Respect to the Matter of it, as the Manner how it ought to be exercised; neither is an Enumeration of Chriftian Doctrines any way neceffary here: When the inspired Books, which contain the Whole of our Obligation in this Cafe, are in every one of our Hands, and we may áll of us know the Mind of the Lord from the leaft to the greateft; and, fince not only the Letter, but also the Spirit of Revelation is to be the Regulator of our Affent, not only the Phrafe, but the Meaning of Scripture to be attended to, when our Church has given us its authentic Senfe

thereof

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