fome con fequent, and fome formal. are ante- ftrictly fo called; as the knowledge of revealed cedent, truth, to which fome excellent divines add a pious affection of the will towards God; that other acts belong to the very form or effence of faith, as affent, hunger and thirst after righteousness, the receiving Christ as Lord and Saviour, and the fouls flying to him for refuge; and that others are accidental, which agree only to a confirmed and ftrengthened faith; as the certainty or affurance that Chrift is now become mine, and the moft delightful reliance upon him as mine, joined with exultation and glorying in him we fee no reason why fuch a perfon may not enjoy his accuracy; without any displeasure to us: for we only intended to fhew, that all these things concur in the full practife and exercife of faith. Hiftorical faith whether rightly fo called. XXVIII. From what has been said, it is evident, that the faith ufually called biftorical and temporary, what, and tho' I queftion the propriety of that name, very widely differs from faving faith, which we have thus far defcribed. They call an hiftorical faith a naked affent given to the things contained in the word of God, on the authority of God, by whom they are afferted, but without any pious motion of the will. But fince this affent may be given not only to the hiftorical parts of fcripture, but alfo may extend to the precepts, doctrines, promifes, and threatnings, the character biftorical given to that faith feems to be too reftricted. Unless perhaps it be fo called, with respect to the manner, in which it is converfant about its object. For, as he who reads hiftories of tranfactions, with which he has no concern, barely contemplates them, without being inwardly moved or affected by them; fo they, who have that kind of faith, do only, in an idle and carelefs manner, obferve and think of thofe things, which are taught in the word of God, but do not reduce them to practice: tho' it is not univerfally true, that even the most antient histories, and the things, which concern another world, are read read without any affection, emotion and application. It had therefore been better to call this faith theoretic or a naked affent. tempo what. XXIX. Our Lord Mat. 13. 21. Calls that a Tempora temporary faith, which, befides that general affent, ry faith, exults in the known and acknowledged truth, makes profeffion thereof, and ftirs up many emotions in the heart and actions in the life, which ex-hibit fome appearance of piety; but for a time only, while every thing is profperous under the Gofpel; but falls off, when the ftorms of perfecution affault it. This is wifely called by our Lord poxa rary or for a while. But as it may, and even does, frequently happen, that, in the profperous ftate of the church, men may perfevere to the end of their life in this profeffion of faith and imaginary joy, and in fuch a course of life, as they fuppofe to be fufficient for the purposes of piety; fo this being a conftant but not faving, is not fo properly called temporary faith, that being the title, which our Lord only gave to the faith of Apoftates. We might rather perhaps better call it a prefumptuous faith. I. In the of the truth. XXX. But it is needful for our confolation, that Differs we diftinctly know, how this may be diftinguifhed from fav from a true, lively and faving faith, which it boldly, ing faith. though falfely, refembles. And firft, there is no acknow fmall difference in the acknowledgement of revealed ledment truths; to which, as to truths, this prefumptuous faith really affents, but as it is deftitute of the true light of the fpirit, it fees not the proper form or beauty of thefe truths, and as they are truths in Chrift; it does not observe the perfections of God fhining in them; does not rightly eftimate their value: when it begins first to know them, it is indeed taken, with the novelty, and rarity of them, but neither burns with an ardent love to them; nor labours much to have them, not only impreffed upon the foul, but alfo expreffed in the life and converfation: and as often as other things present themselves to the mind, which G 2 2. In the tion of the which flatter it with a great pretended fhew of pleafure, or profit, it easily fuffers the ideas of those truths, which oppofe that advantage, to be blotted out, and almoft wishes, these were no truths, which, in spite of itself, it is conftrained to acknowledge for fuch. But these things are quite the reverse in true faith, as we fhewed, Thes. XVII. XXXI. Secondly. There is a great difference in the applica- application of the promises of the Gospel. For, prepromifes fumptuous faith does not proceed in the right method: of the it rafhly imagines, that the falvation, promised in the Gofpel. Gofpel, belongs to itfelf; but this is either upon no foundation, or upon a falfe one. For, fometimes But humility, a kind of facred dread, and a fincere felfdenial that they approach to lay hold on the grace of Chrift. Nor do they boaft of having laid hold of this, till, after an exact examination, first of the marks of grace, and then of their own hearts. But it is otherwife in both these respects with prefumptuous perfons; who rafhly lay hold on what is not offered them in that order (for, God does not offer fecurity and joy to finners, before the foul is affected with forrow for the guilt of his past fins, and a due folicitude about falvation) and then prefumptuously boast of their having laid hold on grace; but they cannot produce any neceffary arguments to make the fame appear.. XXXII. The third difference confifts in that joy, 3. In joy. which accompanies or follows both forts of faith, and that is twofold; ift, In respect to the rife. 2dly, In respect of the effect of that joy. In prefumptuous faith, joy arifes partly from the novelty and rarity of the things revealed (for the knowledge of a truth, which is more rare and abftrufe gives delight to the understanding; as the enjoyment of a good does to the will) partly from that vain imagination, that the good things offered in the Gofpel, belong to them; of which they have, from the common gifts of the Holy Spirit, fome kind of tafte, but a very fuperficial one, affecting only the outside of their lips. But in a living faith, there arifes a joy much more noble and folid, from a love of thofe moft precious truths, by the knowledge of which the foul, taught of God, rightly esteems itself moft happy; from a hope that maketh not afhamed, and a fure perfuafion of its own fpirit, with the fuper-added teftimony of the divine spirit concerning the prefent grace of God and future glory; and laftly, from a most sweet sense of prefent grace, and a real foretaste of future glory. And as the causes of both these joys are fo diverfe, no wonder, tho' the effects are very different too. The first makes the foul full of itself, leaves it empty of the love of God, and, by a vain tickling of its own imagination, heightens the fleep of carnal fecurity. But G 3 the 4. In the fruits the latter ftrikes believers with an incredible admiration of the unmerited philanthropy, or love of God to man, inflames them with a mutual return of love to the most kind and bountiful Jefus, and infpires them with a follicitous care, left they commit any thing unworthy of that in nite favour of God, or grieve the spirit of grace, who hath dealt kindly with them. XXXIII. The fourth difference confifts in the fruits. For, prefumptuous faith either finks men in the deep fleep of fecurity, which they encrease by indulging the flesh; or brings with it fome outward change of conduct for the better, and makes them, in a certain measure, to escape the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jefus Christ, 2 Pet, 2. 20; or when it operates in the brightest manner, it excites fome flight and vanishing purposes, and endeavours after a stricter piety, but does not purify the heart itfelf, nor introduce new habits of holinefs; and whenever either the allurements of the world and flesh, or fome inconveniences attending Gospel piety, affault them more ftrongly than ufual, they immediately grow weary in that course of goodness they had entered upon, and return as fwine that were washed, to their wallowing in the mire. By that fuperficial knowledge of evangelical truth, and of a good, fo pleafing and useful, as well as honorable, which is held forth by the Gospel, anḍ which is not deeply imprinted on their minds, they are, indeed, ftirred up to fome amendment of life; but when the matter ftands either upon the acquifition of fome prefent good, or the avoiding some imminentcalamity, the ideas of true and of good, which the Gofpel had fuggefted to them, are fo obliterated and defaced, that they prefer the obtaining a prefent pleasure or advantage, or the avoiding a prefent impending evil, to all the promises of the Gofpel and all evangelical piety. But a living faith impreffes on the foul, in such deep characters, the image of what is right and good, that it accounts nothing more lovely, |