fon of the Lord Chrift in the estimation of faith, whofe language by reafon of his fuper-eminent excellency is, none but Chrift, none but Chrift. Before his incarnation and manifeftation to the world, he is called, the defire of all nations; after his appearance and the manifeftation of himfelf to the believing foul, all things are esteemed as drofs and dung in comparison of him.

3d, Precious faith, is the fame in all ages and places in refpect to it's fubject, that which it is converfant about; which is the righteousness of the Lord Chrift.

What can the believer see in himself or in any other creature in the heavens above or in the earth below, wherein he may take comfort, and on which he may rely, befides the fuffering fon of God? Faith fees a fullness in him that can filence every cry and fatisfy every want; all the patriarchs and prophets looked to this and were faved. Noah's faith was principally employed about the holy and obedient life of Jefus, when he built an ark for the fafety of himself and his houfe, and was made an heir of that righteousness which is by faith, and having feen the vengeance of God executed on the world of ungodly finners, he faw in the facrifice he offered unto the Lord when he came out of the ark, the fweet favour of the Mediator's death.

The patriarch Jacob, fweetly fung of Chrift and his righteoufnefs, a little before his departure from his pilgrimage-ftate; "the scepter shall not "depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from be

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tween his feet untill SHILOH come; and un"to him fhall the gathering of the people be, binding his fole unto the vine, and his affes colt

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66 unto

"unto the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his cloaths in the blood of the grapes." Gen. xlix, 10, 11. II. Simeon rejoiced, when the child Jefus was brought into the temple, feeing that falvation, Jacob waited for, and therefore defired to depart in peace. David celebrated the righteousnefs of the Redeemer, as that which was more to be defired, and more to be delighted in, than all manner of riches. My tongue fball talk of thy righteousness all the day long, for it is very high: Blessed is the people that know the joyful found, they shall walk, O Lord in the light of thy countenance, in thy name shall they rejoice all the day, and in thy righteoufnefs fhall they be exalted. Pf. lxxxix, 15, 16, &c. Thus fang the holy men of old, and rejoiced in the diftant profpect of him upon whom help was laid; and bleffed Paul, has made it manifeft in all his writings that his faith was folely employed about Jefus and the perfection of that righteoufnefs, he had wrought out in his holy life, and obedient death.

I determined, fays he, to know nothing among you, fave Jefus Chrift and him crucified; and thofe things that were gain to me, I counted lofs for Chrift, yea drofs and dung, in comparifon of thofe things that pertain to Jefus. Paul no longer talked about his ancestry, and regular life, when he had once by faith feen Jefus; Chrift was all his theme, and his blood and righteousness the crown of his rejoicing; God forbid, fays he, that I should glory fave in the cross of our Lord Jefus Christ. Gal. vi, 14. Paul could not bear the thought of being found at last in any other state than in this righteousness, which is of God by faith. Phillip.

iii, 9.

4th, Precious faith is the fame in all believers, in the ordinary effects it produces. All that obtain it are justified by it, and equally justified, for the smallest measure of precious faith obtains from God in Chrift, 1ft, A full juftification, let his tranfgreffions have been ever so many, or the guilt of them ever fo enormous, the precious blood of Jefus which precious faith has refpect unto, cleanfeth from them all. Never a finner yet came to Jefus whofe tranfgreffions were too many to be pardoned; finners are not forgiven, because they feek not mercy according to the appointed means, our Saviour complained when upon earth, Ye will not come to me that ye might have life; whosoever cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out,

Such as conclude against themselves that their fins are too great to be pardoned, do a double difhonour to him that made them; having injured his juftice by finning, they now injure his mercy by defpairing: This was the cafe of Cain, when he had cruelly and in a butcherly manner, imbrued his hands in his brother's blood, he cries out in defpondency, my iniquity is greater than can be pardoned, and hereby fets bounds to infinite mercy, and undervalued the precious blood of the Lord Chrift. 2d, Precious faith in every degree thereof, obtains juftification as a free and fovereign act of mercy in Chrift; faith pleads no merit in itself, or in the foul where it is wrought, nor fets any value on any of it's works, but looking to what Jefus has done, ftretches forth it's hand to receive as a free benefit beftowed for his fake, a juftification or abfolution from the guilt of all fin through the redemption that is in him, Rom. iii. 24. 3d, Precious faith, obtains from God

through

through Chrift a final juftification; fins pardoned by the free grace of God in the mediator, will never be retracted, but are caft like a ftone into the depth of the fea, and God remembers them no more. Thus faith in whatever degree it is poffeffded, if it be genuine, the real precious faith we fpeak of, obtains a juftification full, free, and final.

2d, Every degree of precious faith, obtains fanctification; though not in the fame degree or measure thereof; juftification, is the fame in all that are juftified, for a man is either pardoned, or not pardoned; fan&tification, may admit of infinite degrees, fo that the fame measure thereof will fcarce be found in any two believers; yet all that do believe, have received a new and fan&tified nature; holiness is fown but not yet ripe, the child is born, but not grown up; yet fuch fantification in the smallest measure thereof, or in the lowest degree, has glory in it's nature, and is infeparably connected with it; for whom he justifies, them be alfo glorifies.

3d, As peace with God, accefs to God, joy in the Holy Ghoft, a lively hope, &c. are the or- » dinary effects of precious faith, fo all that partake thereof, find in a degree proportionable to their faith, thefe inward fruits are produced, and these bleffings are obtained. Holy David was comforted, ftrengthened and fupported according to his faith, when he fays, "I fhould utterly have "fainted, but that I believed to fee the good"nefs of the Lord in the land of the living." Pf. 27. And Paul, "we truft in the living God, "who hath delivered us, and doth deliver, in

"whom

"whom we truft that he will yet i. 9, 10.

deliver." 2 Cor.

4th, Where ever precious faith is planted, as it is in it's nature a fruit-bearing tree, fo it will produce the fruits of piety, juftice, mercy, temperance, chastity, &c. in proportion to it's fize and ftrength; for faith worketh by love. Noah be ing poffeffed of precious faith, was a man eminent in his generations, a juft man, a perfect man, and be walked with God.

Paul tells Titus, that the grace of God taught men to deny ungodliness, and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world.

From what has been delivered we may deduce thefe inferences.

ift, That falvation belongeth to the Lord; feeing our works have nothing in them to deserve the favour of God, and that precious faith is the gift of God. Whofoever then would lay any claim to falvation otherwife than as the gift of God, robs his maker, makes the blood of Jefus of no avail, and if a miracle of mercy does not prevent it, will eternally ruin his own foul.

2d, Inafmuch as the falvation we fpeak of, is the effect of the righteoufnefs of Chrift, it must needs be moft perfect and compleat in every part thereof. As his active and paffive obedience, was the obedience of God-Man, there could be in it no imperfection, for as the human nature was hypoftatically joined with the divine, and the hyman body was impregnated with God, every part of his obedience active and paffive, had the ftamp

of