testimony or record of God, concerning his giving life eternal through his Son; that they hope in God according to his word; and, which is represented as a very essential act of faith, that they not only believe that God is, but that he is a rewarder of them that diligent ly seek him, and that they take the waters of life freely these, and the like scriptures, plainly imply that just persuasion and impression of the divine promises and offers, is a principal branch of true practical faith. And seeing it is the promise of God that gives a right to salvation, that true faith, the end of which is the salvation of the soul, must fix the heart on that which gives a right and title to salvation. Though there are various other ways of acquiring rights among men, yet seeing God cannot be under such obligations to us, as we are under to one another, we cannot acquire a right to any thing from God, but by virtue of his promise. And it is also evident, that without believing and relying on the offers and promises of the gospel, the doctrines of it cannot administer that relief and consolation, which is necessary to an awakened conscience; or to a sinner deeply sensible of sin, and concerned about salvation. For though the doctrine of redemption and grace be in itself a joyful doctrine; yet. what comfort could it give to know, that there is a Redeemer, a Saviour provided for others, but not offered to us?

The end of assenting to the offers of the gospel, is cordial acceptance of them. As a man may esteem and desire what is not in his offer; so, what a man knows to be in his offer, may be the object of his indifference or aversion. Cordial acceptance of the offers of the gospel, must include not only a persuasion of the reality of them, but also a high esteem of the things contained in them. That esteem must extend not only to all the parts, but also to all the causes of salvation, and particularly to Christ's mediation. Our esteem of that mediation must, according to scripture, imply a disclaiming of the self-confidence formerly explained, a hearty willingness to be indebted to divine free merey in Christ's redemption, as the source of our salva

tion; a holy propensity to honour the love and grace, and other perfections of God, manifested in the Medi átor of the covenant of grace, and in the promises of it; with a careful improvement of these things as our relief, from the fears that are the effects of sin, and as the grounds of our hope and pleading before God, for remission and for all other blessings. All this is partly evident from the scriptures formerly mentioned, in speaking of the objects and ends of faith, particularly the scriptures about excluding boasting, about our glorifying God's grace, our glorifying only in the Lord, our counting all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ; and farther proofs of this matter will occur afterwards, in considering the means and grounds of that esteem, which we ought to have of Christ's Mediation.

Sincere belief of the offers of the gospel, and due esteem of the things contained in them, ought to be joined together in our acknowledgment of Christ's Mediation; but it is needful to treat of them separately, in order to explain the scripture directions relating to this important subject. It is of use to divide these directions into two sorts, as they are more directly subservient to the one or the other of these valuable attainments between which, however, there is so near a relation, that in treating of the one, we ought not to lose sight of the other. In considering the excellency of the blessings of God's covenant, we should remember that they are blessings graciously offered to us and in endeavouring, after abundant persuasion of the offers of these things, we should still remember the worth and excellency of them.

VIII. It is of importance, as to all the attainments belonging to faith in Christ, to have just apprehensions of the ultimate object of it. Though in acknowledging Christ's redemption, Christ is to be considered, not only in his highest capacity of divine nature, but as manifested in the flesh, and clothed with his Mediatory offices; yet, all our acknowledgments and desires, all our hope and trust must ultimately terminate on the divine perfections and authority of God the

Father, and of the Son, and Holy Ghost, according to the signification and scope of the Christian baptism.This is, in effect, included in the nature of Christ's office as Mediator, between God and man; and is evident from the whole tenor of gospel instructions on that subject. It is evident, more particularly from the scriptures formerly cited, to prove that the glory of God's perfections, is the end of Christ's Mediation, and of our faith in him; and from other scriptures, which shew, that by Christ we believe in God, who raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory, that our faith and hope might be in God, i Pet. i. 21. that Christ is the way to the Father, John xiv. 6. that by him we draw near, and have access to the Father through the Spirit, Eph. ii. 18. iii. 12. and that we are to do all things, and to ask all things in his name, that the Father may be glorified in him, John xiv. 13. Col. iii. 17. There are some scriptures which have a particular fitness, to give us just conceptions of it, by giving us comprehensive views, both of the ultimate and of the more immediate object of faith: such as the scriptures, which teach us to consider God as setting forth his Son, to be the propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness in the remission of sins, Rom. iii. 25. as God in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing to them their tres- › passes, 2 Cor. v. 19. and to consider Christ as made of God, to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, 1 Cor. i. 30. These, and the like scriptures teach us, in acknowledging Christ's Mediation, to consider jointly, the love and grace of the Father in sending, revealing, offering, and giving his Son, and with him all things; and in a special manner, the divine authority giving efficacy to his satisfaction, and to all the parts of his Mediatory undertaking.

The instructions which the gospel gives us concerning the characters and the means of true faith in Christ, are useful not only for directing our first endeavours after that attainment, but also our endeavours after continuance and progress in it, and abundant lively exercise of it. It is a general direction :

common to these with all other religious endeavours, that we should depend on the grace of the Spirit of God, who is called both the Spirit of Christ and of faith, in the diligent use of the means appointed by God. And as in all other cases, the great mean of inclining the heart to accept of any offer, is due consideration and impression of the necessity and of the worth and excellency of what is offered; so it is by impressions of that kind that cordial acceptance of the offers of the gospel is both produced and promoted.

IX. As to just impression of our need of the salvation revealed in the gospel a principal mean of it is that just apprehension of the hatefulness and danger of sin, which was explained at some length formerly.Though various things which shew the evil of sin, are in some measure, evident from the light of nature; yet the scripture gives far more abundant discoveries of these things; and the chief discovery it gives of the evil of sin, is in that same redemption by which we are delivered from it

All the things that were formerly mentioned as the just grounds of a sinner's sorrow and fears are represented in scripture in that strong light that has the greatest energy in awakening the sinner's conscience, and in penetrating it with the deepest concern about deliverance from sin, Isa. i. 2, 3 Rom. viii. 22. Jer. ii. 12, 13. Isa. xxiv. 19, 20. Instructions of such a tendency are evidently suitable to the holiness and godness of God, when he is making a revelation of mercy and grace to transgressors. When the great sovereign and lawgiver of the world, offers to disobedient sinners, the greatest blessings that could have rewarded the most perfect obedience, it is suitable to the majesty and purity of his administration to make them sensible of their unworthiness of such blessings. It is suitable also to his goodness to sinners. It is a considerable part of the happiness of sinners to be duly sensible of their unworthiness of it. We are not truly delivered from sin and its worst effects till we are delivered from pride and self-confidence. But the scripture-instructions which are designed for awaken

ing and alarming the sinner's conscience, are not designed for overwhelming him with sorrow or fear. They are designed to make him take sanctuary in that redemption which gives a sufficient relief from all fears and sorrows, and is a satisfying foundation for the greatest hopes. Thus we are taught that as by the law is the knowledge of sin, and as the law worketh wrath, or declares the danger of sin; so Christ is the end of the law for righteousness: the divine law shews our need of the redemption and grace revealed in the gospel; as on the other hand it is the end of the gospel to bring sinners to conformity to the precepts of God's law, which is conformity to God himself.

X. Though just impression of the evil of sin, be one principal means of due esteem and cordial acceptance of the blessings offered in the gospel: yet it is needful to take various other views of the worth and excellency of these blessings. The gospel not only promises deliverance from sin, and from all evil, but the enjoy ment of God the chief good, and of all true good in subserviency to that highest enjoyment. In order to due esteem of these promises, it is needful to have just impressions of the evil of sin and also of the vanity of the world; between which things there is a near connexion: seeing a main thing that shews the evil of alienation from God is the vanity of the things that are preferred to him.

The doctrine formerly insisted on concerning man's chief good or true happiness, viz. that God is both the author and the object of it, is a doctrine of natural religion; but it is proposed in revelation with peculiar advantages: and that in subserviency to a due' esteem of the blessings of the covenant of grace. Thus when the holy scripture describes true blessedness, it tells us that the man is blessed whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered, Psalm xxxii 1. that God blesses sinners by turning them from their iniquities, Acts iii. 25. that he is blessed whom God chooses, and causes to approach to him, Psalm lxv. 4. and satisfies with the goodness of his house; and that it is good for us to draw near to God, Psalm lxxiii, 28. As to the