ift, Of precious faith, the apoftle carefully diftinguishes it from every other kind of faith by the epithet precious, as having fomething in it's nature fuperior and more excellent than any other faith, and for which, it is more valuable and of greater worth.

Divines have generally spoken of faith as diftinguifhed into historical, temporary, miracle-working, and justifying, or as in our text, precious. Paul writing to Titus, mentions two kinds of faith, Ch. i, 14, the one he calls, common faith, the other, the faith of God's elect; I fhall not stay at prefent to make any enquiry into the apostle's distinction, or whether any diftinction was intended; nor fhall I ftay to examine the truth and accuracy of those several diftinctions noted; it being my design at present not to treat you with fhells, but with the kernels of truth; and to lay open before you in order to this, fome of the pecular excellencies of the precious faith our apostle speaks of,

Firft, this faith, may be called precious, in refpect to the fcarcity of it; it is not like a common weed that grows fpontaneous on every spot of ground, nor is to be found every where amongst profeffors; many talk of Jefus, and call themfelves by the name of Chrift, who never yet were put into the poffeffion of precious faith.

Many fet light by the fcripture method of falvation, and vilify the preachers of the gofpel, as men that through the preaching of faith overthrow good works and abolish the law, fuppofing that (like Naaman the fyrian) they must do fome great and good thing whereby to obtain falvation; and to believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift as all that is required of them for acceptance with God, feems

a thing

a thing so easy and infignificant, that they despise and fet it at nought, and in fo doing, fufficiently prove themselves' ftrangers to its preciousness and worth.

Many there are who know nothing more of faith or believing in Jefus, than that they can repeat a form of words, perhaps, taught them on their mother's lap, and which, (fave that in the form and order of the church-fervice they have often repeated) in all their after-life they have never feriously compared with the word of God, or brought to the touchftone of mature reafon. This folly in mankind, and thefe deceptions concerning precious faith, might be exposed and enlarged upon abundantly; but this being befide my prefent purpose I pafs by; these hints may serve to exhibit one reason why the faith of God's elect is called precious.

Faith in this view, may be compared to certain kinds of merchandife, or vendable commodities, whofe prices fall and rife in proportion to their fcarcity or plenty. I mean not by this as if I understood that faith could be bought and fold; but being (allow me the word) a fcarce commodity, rarely to be met with in this degenerate and unbelieving age, it is fo much the more precious. Believers are God's jewels, Mal. iii. 17, but jewels are fcarce things, and are fo much the more precious; pebbles are plentiful, therefore little efteemed, few, very few have obtained precious faith in comparison of thofe that have not, and therefore this faith is truly precious.

2d. This faith may be called precious, because of its real intrinfic worth, when the fpirit of God has fo far convinced a man of fin as to fhew him

the

t

;

the neceffity of believing in Jefus for life and falvation, he then begins (and never 'till then) to perceive fomewhat of the true worth of faith fuch an one finds it not so easy a thing to believe in Christ as he perhaps aforetime imagined, and as many would infinuate. He now fees the law of God to be holy, juft, and good; its language alarming to his foul is, pay me that thou oweft; thou haft not continued in all things written to do them, therefore curfed art thou; he fees by the light of God's fpirit fhining into his foul, and closely applying the holy precepts of this righteous law unto his heart and life, that he is juftly condemned by its equitable fentence; and from what he now obferves of his fallen and feeble state, hẹ utterly defpairs of doing any thing that can atone for his paft offences, or procure him favour with his offended maker; and under fuch a fight and fenfe of fin and wretchednefs, to caft the foul filthy. and defiled as it appears with its enormous load of guilt on Jefus Chrift, to be firmly perfuaded that God in him is reconciled to the finner that believes; is fuch an act as the foul not finding any power to perform, would give ten thoufand worlds to be poffeffed of.

But this faith is too valuable for created things to buy; would a man give all the fubftance of his house for faith, it would be far too little; could he convert the whole terraqueous globe to folid gold, and accumulate treafures of filver numberlefs as grains of fand, and give all this for faith, it would be rejected as a price too fmall. bleffings of heaven are not to be purchased with the corruptible things of our polluted earth, however our deluded minds may warp to them and fet

The

a value

a value on them, they cannot buy us heaven, nor bring its bleffings down into our fouls.

But will not many prayers prevail, to obtain this precious faith? No, if they are prefented as a price, as having fomething in them which may deferve the bleffing. Our prayers like all our other works are full of imperfections, and if they merit any thing it must be wrath; fo that the precious faith we fpeak of, is too valuable to be bought by thefe. Cannot this precious faith it may be asked, be obtained by good works? I anfwer, I know of no good works that do not spring from this precious faith, for the word of God knows none; and the effect cannot be prior to the caufe by which alone it can exift. But what men commonly call good works, fuch as reading the word of God, hearing fermons, doing juftly, fhewing mercy, &c. (not to fay they flow from wrong principles,) are very imperfect in the best of men, and except our innate pride should prompt us to fet an undue value upon them, we can never be led to think them an equivalent for precious faith.

3dly. Faith might well be called precious by the apostle, and fuch it fhould be esteemed by us, confidered as an effect of the death of the Lord Christ, and a bleffing which to purchase for poor finners, he emptied all his facred veins, and paid the inconceivably great and amazing price of his most precious blood. Somewhat of this is alluded to in the former epiftle by Peter, chap. i. 19. "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things "as filver and gold, but with the precious blood "of Chrift." As without the fufferings of Chrift for finners, there could have been no gospel holding forth falvation by him to be believed; fo

neither without the powerful operation of his spirit procured by his death for this purpose, could any finner ever have believed. This therefore makes faith to be precious indeed; when we can estimate the inconceivable worth of the redeemer's blood, then, and not till then, we may conceive adequately of the preciousnefs of that faith which was purchased by it. But it is worthy to be observed, as it fo much redounds to the glory of God, and manifests the love, the exceeding greatnefs of his love to us ward that what was by him fo dearly bought, is freely bestowed on finners without money, and without price, as a gift most rich and invaluable; and as fuch the fcriptures of truth ever make a grateful mention of it. "Ho, every one that "thirfteth come ye to the waters, and he that "hath no money, come buy and eat, come buy "wine and milk without money, and without

price." If. lv. 1. again, "Ye are faved by grace, through faith, and that not of yourselves, "it is the gift of God," Eph. ii. 8. To you it is given in behalf of Chrift to believe, Phillip. i. 29. And again, it is called, the faith of the operation of God, Coloff. ii. 12. &c. for all which reafons faith appears to be truly precious.

4thly. This faith must needs be precious, feeing it gives worth and excellency to all the works of the believer; what is not of faith is fin, but having believed we now speak and act to the glory of God. This faith is like a tree planted by rivers of waters, which produces fruit of the most excellent kind; faith is not a plant growing on the barren foil of nature, for an unregenerate perfon cannot believe; but is itself a fruit of the fpirit, Gal. v. 22. raifed by a divine power in the

foul