lieve our Redeemer, that he cometh from God, and hath the words of life; and must rely on him to perform the word of falvation which is gone out of his mouth. But neither upon the performance of this condition can we fay that our own arm hath faved us, or that we have done any thing towards perfecting our redemption; for this falvation through faith, and this faith, is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God.

I shall discourse on this propofition, that faith is the gift of God: Firft, I fhall endeavour to fhew what the Scripture doctrine on this head is; and, Secondly, fhall fuggeft to you fome confiderations proper to this fubject.

First then, let us confider what the Scripture doctrine on this head is. The faith which St. Paul speaks of in the text is such a faith as is effectual to falvation; for it is the faith through which, by grace, we are faved: this faith he afferts to be the gift of God. There are different fignifications of the word faith in Scripture: fometimes it fignifies barely an affent of the mind to the revelations and doctrines of the Gospel, grounded upon fuch evidence as the things were capable of. This faith fometimes is merely the effect of common fenfe; for men cannot help believing the things they fee. Sometimes this faith is grounded on the neceffary deductions of reafon from common principles; by this means we arrive at the knowledge of God: a man of reason can no more avoid believing the existence of a firft caufe, than a man with eyes can avoid thinking that there is a material world, in which he lives. But neither has this affent of the

mind the true nature of faith in it: Thou believeft, faith St. James, that there is one God; thou doeft well; the devils also believe, and tremble. But neither of these kinds of faith being the faith through which we are faved, you cannot fay, that St. Paul afferts of thefe, that they are the gift of God; any farther than as fenfe and reafon are his gifts, by which we know these and all other things. Nor do we teach that nature and reafon cannot lead to the fpeculative knowledge of divine truths; for the evidence of all divine truth refolves itself ultimately into either fenfe or reafon; which are the common gifts of God to mankind, by the principles of which the truth of all things, depending upon the deductions of fenfe and reason, may be proved and examined. From the exercife of reafon we come to know God, and the effential difference between good and evil; and by these principles are enabled to judge of any doctrine, whether it be agreeable to the pure and holy nature of God; which is the first prefumptive argument for the truth of any divine revelation; that it is holy and pure, and such an ône, as, were God to have given a law to the world, he would have given: from reason we learn the unlimited power of God; and from fenfe and reafon we know the limited power of man; and are enabled to diftinguish between the works which the power or policy of man can perform, and the works which can flow only from the unbounded power of God: from hence we can judge of the pofitive arguments of a divine revelation, the works and miracles which are offered to the world in confirmation of its truth. Thus far the natural gifts of

sense and reason can carry us; but the refult is barely the affent or diffent of the mind to the things under inquiry; which affent alone is not the faith through which we are faved.

But let it be observed, as to these first rudiments of faith, that though reafon and knowledge may attain to them, yet the exercise of reason and knowledge depends upon the will and inclination; which are not naturally much given to dwell upon the fubject of religion, but are engaged in the affairs and concerns of the world, and taken up in the pursuit of present pleasures and enjoyments: that, were men left to themselves, but few would arrive even to this degree of faith; not for want of underftanding to difcern, but for want of will to inquire after, the things which make for their falvation. Thus, at the first preaching of the Gospel, all the worldly-minded men, and generally all the great men, were profeffed enemies to our Saviour. No fooner did he appear to preach a new doctrine, but they opposed him: not that they had time or opportunity to examine his pretenfions; but this prefumption, that his doctrine would thwart their interest, and lessen their power and authority among the people, prevailed with them to endeavour to ftifle and suppress this new doctrine before it spread to their prejudice: in which they were evidently guided, not by sense or reason, but by a perverse will and evil difpofition. And fince men cannot but know, from their natural notions of good and evil, that any revelation coming from a pure and holy God muft cross their evil defigns and affections, they cannot but lie under a great indifpofition

to inquire after divine truths, in which, as long as luft and paffion have the dominion over them, they can promise themselves but little comfort or fatiffaction fo that, to enable men fairly to examine the truth of a divine revelation, and to acknowledge it upon full and fufficient evidence, there must be fuch a difpofition of mind to receive whatever may appear to be the will of God, as may enable you to be impartial judges. This our Saviour requires of us, when he fays, If any man will do the will of God, he fhall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself; that is, if any man has fo far got the victory over his own paffions and lufts, as to be ready to give himself to the direction of God's will, whenever it may be made appear to him; this man is in a right difpofition to receive the truths of the Gospel, and to judge whether Chrift be indeed the Prophet of the Moft High, Now this difpofition is far from being natural to man, according to the nature man has at prefent; and therefore thus to prepare and difpofe men's minds to receive the Gofpel, is the work of the Spirit, and is afcribed to him conftantly in Scripture, where there is occafion to speak of it: No man, fays our Lord, can come unto me, except the Father, which hath fent me, draw him. And again, No man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father; that is, unless the Father, by the grace of his Spirit, inclines and difpofes his will to attend to the words of life which I deliver. To the fame purpose he speaks in another place, He that is of God, heareth God's word; where, to be of God, is no more than to be of the number of

those who are difpofed to obey God; for, if to be of God fignifies any thing more, it will hardly leave any tolerable fenfe for the word. Our Saviour would not fay, Those who obey God will hear God's word; which is saying, Those who obey God, will obey God: and therefore, to be of God, muft fignify no more than to be ready and disposed to receive the will of God, by the influence of his grace. To be of God, and to be drawn of God, and to be willing to do the will of God, are manifeftly put to fignify the fame thing, because the fame thing is affirmed of them. Our Saviour fays, No man can come unto him, unless he be drawn of God; and yet he fays, He that is of God will hear his word; and, in another place, If any man is willing to do the will of God, he fhall know of his doctrine; and if so, then to be willing to do the will of God muft amount to the fame thing with being of God, and being drawn by God. From whence it follows, that those who are willing to do his will, that is, difpofed to receive his truth, are drawn by him; that is, all who are well difpofed to receive the faith of Chrift, owe their difpofition to the grace and influence of God's holy Spirit. Accordingly we read of Lydia, that God opened her heart to attend unto the things which were spoken of Paul; where, opening her heart, can fignify nothing but inclining her will to attend to, and examine, the truths of the Gospel, which were the things fpoken by Paul. And, as faith is afcribed to this difpofition wrought by the Spirit of God, so the want of faith is afcribed to the contrary difpofition, where a man is under the power of luft and appetite, and poffeffed with the