foul created a new in Christ Jefus, and planted in. the fertile foil of an heart renewed by grace This faith bears in the believing heart the foul confolating fruits of love, joy, peace, fpiritual mindednefs, and every gracious difpofition correfponding with its own nature; for as is the tree fuch will be its fruit. Faith fixes its eye on Jefus, and has respect unto all the commandments of God; the believing foul is led forth in willing obedience to the fincere practice of piety, juftice, and mercy, not only as this is a duty incumbent, but from holy principles of love and affection, for faith worketh by love, Gal. v. 6. And as faith in every act, as well as in its very exiftence has refpect unto Jefus, all the works of faith are pleafing and acceptable to God in and through him, for in him is the father well pleafed, and the believer being created a new in him, is accepted through him, Eph. i. 6. Abel offered a facrifice unto God more acceptable than Cain, because he offered in faith; Cain brought bis offering unto the Lord of the fruit of the ground, his offering was an index of his mind which was void both of all fenfe of the evil of fin, and of faith in that blood which fhould make atonement for it; therefore unto Cain and his offering the Lord had not refpect; but Abel offered a bloody facrifice, looking by faith unto, and typical of the facrifice of the lamb of God; therefore unto Abel and to his offering, the Lord had refpect. Abel's faith recommended his work, and might therefore well be esteemed precious, for by this be obtained witness that he was righteous, God himself testifying of his gifts, Heb. xi. 4. It is on the account of this bi precious faith, that it can ever be faid to any of the fons of Adam, Go thy way, eat thy bread with

joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart, for God now accepteth thy works, Eccle. ix. 7.

5thly. Faith is fo excellent in all its uses to the believer, that it is well called precious; a few of which are thefe following:- ift. It takes off the believer from all dependance in himself, and truft in his own righteoufnefs, and leads him to Jefus as the fountain of every bleffing; fo that the foul is wholly staid on Chrift for its falvation and happinefs both in time and eternity. When the devil, the accufer of the brethren labours by satanical suggestions, to rally the believers paft and pardoned fins, and draw them up a fresh in the most formidable order to wound and cause to bleed again the confcience that has been bound up and healed; faith immediately looks to the cross of Chr ft, fixes the eye of the foul on the bleeding, wounded body of the fon of God, meditates on the ineftimable worth of that blood that gushes forth in crimson streams from every pore of the redeemer's bruifed body, and interprets its most expreffive language to the ear and understanding of the affaulted foul, in sweeter, better, and more pleasing accents than that of Abel.

Is the believer confcious, painfully confcious, of manifold weakneffes in his beft fervices; when he would do good, is evil prefent with him, does the law make demands upon him larger and greater than he finds abilities to anfwer, finds he by daily experience that in him, that is, in his flesh there dwells no good thing. What or who can relieve him in fuch case? Nothing, none but Chrift; and herein appears the excellency of precious faith, this, leads him to Jefus, fhews the largest demands of the law anfwered and fulfilled in him, fhews

him to be the end of the law for righteousness to all that believe, and cafts the foul upon him as it's substitute and furety, who has brought in an everlafting righteousness, Dan. ix. 24, with which righteoufnefs the Lord is well pleafed. If. xlii. 21, and for the fake of which, and in and through which the believer is accepted as righteous with God, 2 Cor. v, 21. There is nothing like faith for emptying the foul of felf-dependance, and all felf-feeking, for it refpects nothing but Chrift, aims to exalt nothing but Chrift, is concerned about nothing fo much as the honour of Chrift, and therefore leads the believer to look to, and expect all manner of bleffings and bleffedness from this exuberant fountain.

2d. Precious faith, does not only receive from Chrift's fullness as at a diftance and exifting apart from the believer; but fo cafts the foul upon him, that it becomes one with him, a living member of that body, of which Jefus is the glorious head, and thereby gives it an affurance of the following things, ift, His tender and compaffionate love and affection; for as a man naturally loves himself, and the leaft and moft infignificant member of his body shares in the affection of the whole; fo Jefus cannot but entertain a cordial affection for the smallest and meanest members of his body myftical.

2d, Care to preserve from harm ; one member of the body cannot fuffer, but the whole will be effected, nor can a member be cut off but the body thereby becomes imperfect; now can any thing be conceived more desirable than to be the object of the Redeemer's love and care? He that toucheth thee, faith the Lord, toucheth the apple

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ple of mine eye; and when omnifcience is engaged in our favour, to fecure us from any hurtful affaults of our enemies; omnipotence our guard, and heavenly love concerned to bring about our happiness; as muft really be the cafe in this confideration, one may well fay with a triumphing believer in the like view of things, " I will not "be afraid of ten thousands of the people that "rife up against me, for God is on my right-hand "therefore I fhall not greatly fall." Pf. iii, 6,

16, 8.

3d, As the members of the natural body are governed, influenced, and fupplied from the head, fo the believer in this union with Chrift, is wholly under the government and influence of his grace, and receives all fupplies from him as his head. This privilege and bleffedness is beautifully fet forth by the apoftle to the Ephefians, ch. iv, 15, 16, that we may grow up into him in all things, "which is the head even Chrift, from whom the "whole body fitly joined together and compact"ed by that which every joint fupplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increafe of the body, unto "the edifying of itself in love."

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And 4th, As faith unites the foul to Jefus, fo that in the apoftle's language, we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Eph. v. 30, The believer is hereby afcertained of a happiness proportioned to, and (in duration) commensurate with that, his Lord and living head enjoys; and if Jefus once faid, where I am, there shall my fervants be, how much more may this be applied to his members, where I the head am, there shall the members of my body be. From thefe brief

hints of the excellent ufes of faith, we may be led to observe somewhat of its preciousness; but let us yet go on.

Third, Faith will appear to be precious indeed and truly excellent in it's ufes, when it is further obferved, that every blefling the believing foul is poffeft of, taftes or enjoys more than any natural unconverted man, is brought into his foul by this precious faith. The new and fpiritual life he now lives, although in order of time prior to his pre-pasovixion cious faith, yet is only enjoyed through it, and was created for and to this end. Whatever might have been ordained and purposed in the eternal councils of God concerning any finner, as this is a fecret with God, no man can attain the knowledge of it, untill faith makes manifeft the hidden purpose to the foul; this therefore turns over the everlasting volumes carefully peruses every page and line in the book of life, and brings at length the pleafing the delightful news to the believer, that his name is written there. Or give me leave to say the fame thing in other words. Faith is that which brings home to the wounded confcience, a comfortable sense of pardoned fin; there is no poffible way defcribed or taught in the books of reafon, fcripture, or experience, how a finner under a fenfe of fin may be comforted, how a confcience bleeding under the guilt of multiplied tranfgreflions can be healed and eafed, and how one that is wounded in fpirit can be made whole, befides this one way by precious faith.

A pardon intended by the prince of heaven, a pardon fealed by the eternal king of glory, will not be fufficient to filence the tormenting clamours of an accufing confcience; diftreffing doubts

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sonit te is dupled in the beloved