wrong-in fickness, in adverfity. That is the time to truft him for moft grace, when you want moft. Trust and you fhall have it; for the word cannot be broken-" According to your faith fo fhall it be done unto you." And thris is the fame as trufting him for all things. Little matters require his direction, and call for his affiftance, as well as great; because without him you can do nothing. By leaving Chrift out, believers oftener mifcarry in little things than in great, He leaves them to themselves, and then they blunder, as it is fit they fhould, who negle& such a guide. He offers himself to you, to be your wifdom, and he would give you his counfel in all your matters. You cannot think till you try, and by constant trial improve it, what a happiness it is thus to live upon Chrift as your teacher. He would keep you from ten thousand scrapes; guide you through difficulties; blefs you under troubles: yea he would give you a fpiritual use of all temporal things. Refolve upon fomething of this and wait the event. In your family-in your fields-in buying and felling, confult Chrift about all. Don't cut your grafs, nor reap your corn; don't buy a cow or fell a horfe; but look up to him that he may blefs you in it. Improve this hint; eat and drink, and lie down and rife up, do all, eyeing him, and then all will profper.

I commend you to him, and your family; may he make you a fpiritual farmer. To that end you will be much in prayer; for that will keep up your dependence on him: and remember our relation is not broke although you remove to N. One in him we are, and fo I trust shall be for ever. As fuch in every good office ftill faithful to each other, and frequent in recommending each other to our common Father in Jefus, pray much for April 7, 1779.

W. R.

ON THE NATURE OF FAITH IN CHRIST.

AITH in the Lord Jefus Chrift is a grace of the Holy Spirit, by which we credit the truth, excellence and importance of the gospel teftimony concerning his perfon, offices, character and fulness, fo as to be fuitably affected by them in our views, tempers and conduct. This definition comprehends its general nature, in which it agrees with all other divine virtues; and its peculiar character, by which it may be known and diftinguished from them.

As

As to its general nature, it is a grace of the Holy Spirit. This intimates to us that it is not an act or fentiment of the mind grounded on natural principles. Men, yea all men, divine influences apart, are indeed in a miferable and helplefs ftate. Jehovah speaks to them in his word, and folicits the most close and ferious attention. But alas! "They are like the deaf adder that toppeth her car, and will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never fo wifely." The truth is, they have a real heart difaffection to his government and the overtures of his grace. As nothing but poifon can be expected from mere poison, so nothing but depravity can be expected from mere depravity. This is agreeable to our Lord's maxim, "A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit," But that faith of which we treat is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, the author of all grace. Hence it is ftiled" the faith of God's elect ;" and "the faith of the operation of God." This gives us an exalted idea of its origin; it defcends from heaven, and it carries the foul thither.

Having confidered its general nature, let us attend to its peculiar character. What office does it perform in relation to the Redeemer? It believes the gospel teftimony concerning him. When faith is imparted, the mental eye is opened, and the truth revealed in fo clear a manner as to produce correfpondent conviction in the understanding. Every doubt is removed, and the foul is fatisfied. It is convinced that Jefus is the Chrift, the Son of the living God, and that he hath perfected the work of redemption. As the eye difcerns corporeal objects, faith difcerns those which are fpiritual. Hence the Apostle Paul, who was well acquainted with the fubject in all its afpects and bearings, ufes this language refpecting it: "Faith is the fubftance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not feen."

Here I would make the following obfervation. Though all the graces of the Holy Spirit exift together, and have a clofe and indiffoluble connection with each other, they fhould never be confounded. Where faith is, there are hope and love; but at the fame time we may affirm that faith is not hope, nor hope love. On the contrary, each hath a distinct place, ufe and defign in the gospel fyftem. This may be illuftrated by referring the reader to the promifes of God, and fhewing what relation each of the graces bears to them. Faith believes the truth of them-hope waits for their accomplishment-and love takes fupreme * Titus i. . . Col. ii. 12. ↑ Heb. xi. 1. E e 2

pleasure

pleafure and delight in them. As all the members of the natural body are diftinct, and yet fo united as to form one body; fo all the graces of the Spirit are diftin&t, and yet so united together as to conftitute one "new man, which after God is created in righteoufnefs and true holinefs."

Remark further, that the faith of which I am treating is not the belief of any truth; but, "the belief of the truth:"* i. e. the belief of THE GOSPEL. It is a full and permanent perfuafion of the truth, value, and importance of the Gofpel, and of its fuitableness to our cafe as fallen, loft, ruined, helpiefs creatures. Whenever thefe qualities of the Gofpel are feen and felt; that is, whenever the Gospel itfelf is really believed, it will command the most affectionate regards, and produce the most desirable effects. True faith has always a fweet and powerful influence on the heart and mind. Does the Gofpel exhibit Jefus as the promised Meffiah-the Son of God-the Saviour of finners

and the King of faints? The believer looks to him, and him alone, for pardon, peace, and everlafting falvation. Hath the Father declared, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleafed? Is it written as with a fun-beam, This is a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Chrift Jefus came into the world to fave finners? Thefe important teftimonics have a reviving influence on his heart. He confiders them not as matters of mere fpeculation, but as truths unspeakably interefting to him; truths which are the life of his foul, and which will for ever be the joy and triumph of all the redeemed.

Should any inquire why faith in Chrift is denominated faving faith? I would answer, it certainly does not fave by its own excellence; but the truth is, as a certain writer obferves, "Faith faves in no other way than as it refpects a faving object; and all its influence upon the heart and life is, properly fpeaking, the influence of the truth believed.”

This view of the fubject is clear. It afcribes falvation to Chrift alone, and faith is no more than a free gift, difpofing us to receive and enjoy other bleffings. It gives us fuch a difcovery of our weakness and mifery on the one hand, and of the power and grace of Chrift on the other, that it induceth us to give up ourselves entirely to him, to be faved in his own way, in his own time, and on his own terms.

2 Theff.. 13.

SIR,

The following was put into the hands of the wife of a Minifter of my acquaintance by her father, on the morning of their marriage, a few months fince. By giving it a place in your Repofitory, you will much oblige yours, Sheerness, Feb. 11, 1799.

MAR

J. F. ARRIAGE is a divine inftitution of a wife and gracious God, and when two perfons are united together in the fear and love of God, they will, under him, as far as poffible, fupport one another in the path of life and in the road to heaven. From the double tie of love and duty they will watch over one another for good, bear each other's burdens, and fo fulfil the law of Chrift.

I had rather, my dear daughter, give you to a man of this defcription, even if he was deftitute of a penny, than to one poffeffed of thousands a year and a stranger to vital godlinefs. How grateful then is it to me, and what a profpect of benefit to you, when I fee you not only united to a Christian, but to one who for feveral years, even from the age of fourteen, has been called to the knowledge of the true God and Jefus Chrift, which is eternal life; and whom God has honoured with a commiffion to preach the Gofpel, and that with fuccefs. Efteem him, my dear daughter, very highly in love for his work's fake.

Would you have an honorable man? It is granted you: a fervant of the most high God, and an ambaffador of Jefus Chrift.-Would you have a man poffeffed of riches? It is granted: he has found the pearl of great price, and is employed by Him, in whom are hid all the treasures of wifdom and knowledge; who himself hath put into that carthen veffel hidden treafures, gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, and hath given him power to bring out of thofe treafures things new and old.-Is a man of good connection defirable? He belongs to the family of heaven, and the church of the first born, and is connected with a people whom the King delights to honor.

I truft, my dear child, with fo many privileges you will advance in divine knowledge, and that I fhall fee the anfwer of many prayers which have been offered up in your behalf; fome before "your infant thoughts had learned to form themselves in prayer,"-Yes, my dear, I blefs God,

you

you are the child of many prayers, not only of your parents, but alfo of the Minifters of the Gofpel who have been received under our roof, fome of whom are refting from their labours. Our united requefts are in part anfwered, and the eft are on the file to be fulfilled in due feafon. I well remember fome of the petitions which a man of God offered up for you: "God bless the child thou haft given thy fervants; preferve her to maturity if it be thy will; make her an ornament to her fex, an useful member of fociety and the church, a promoter of good, and a receiver of the Prophets of the Lord." As I then faid, fo I now repeat, "Amen, Lord grant it!" Let me advise you, my child, to improve time and opportunity. You will have much leifure and many means of grace: be careful to improve them. Read the Bible much: it is the best book. Be frequent in prayer, and above all, hearken to the teachings of Him who hath faid, learn of me; then there will be no need for me to fay much of the duty of your new connection, for the Lord will incline you to love, honor, and obey, and you will value the gift for the giver's fake.

To you, dear Sir, I have given an only child, who is now your wife, and a more near relation to you than to me. I rejoice that I can fay you know your duty better that I can inform you. Let me remind you, however, of that strong expreffion of the Apoftle's, that a man is to love his wife as Chrift loved the Church. Confider it; and under our divine Head endeavour to enrich her foul, that I may fay, “Lord thou haft anfwered the prayer of thy unworthy fervant." And now, my dear children, I commend you to God and the word of his grace; may you love one another with a pure affection, referving the chief place for the Lord.

Let us not grieve at parting; we hope to meet again. Yes, I hope to meet you at least twice a day at the throne' of grace, and I charge you to meet me there. And will not our heavenly Father finile upon us, while I fay, "Here I am, and the children thou haft given me give unto us according to thy gracious promifes, defend us by thy power, inftruct us by thy wifdom, and poffefs us by thy Spirit ?" And while you are praying, "Lord, here is my father; thou haft been the God of his youth, be the staff of his old age;" may we not expect our God will fay, "I will blefs you all; tafte my love and be happy; forget not the fufficiency there is in my Son Jefus; come often and receive much of my grace; live by faith and you are fafe, and in my own time I will take you both to myfelf in glory?" REFLECTIONS