perpetual prosperity; and those of you shall freely possess it, who shall part with your own estates and country, and go in a ship of my providing, and trust me for your pilot to bring you thither, and trust me to give it you when you come there. My power to do all this, I have proved by my miracles, and my love and will, my offer proveth. How now will you know whether a man believe Christ, and trust this promise or not? Why, if he believe and trust him, he will go with him, and will leave all, and venture over the seas whithersoever he conducteth him, and in that ship which he prepareth for him: but if he dare not venture, or will not leave his present country and possessions, it is a sign that he doth not trust him.

If you were going to sea, and had several ships and pilots offered you, and you were afraid lest one were unsafe, and the pilot unskilful, and it were doubtful which were to be trusted; when after all deliberation you choose one, and refuse the rest, and resolve to venture your life and goods in it, this is properly called trusting it. So trusting in God, and in Jesus Christ, is not a bare opinion of his fidelity, but a practical trust; and that you may be sure to understand it clearly, I will once open the parts of it distinctly.

Divines commonly tell us that faith is an affiance or trust in God: and some of them say, that this is an act of the understanding, and some, that it is an act of the will, and others say, that faith consisteth in assent alone, and that trust or affiance is as hope, a fruit of faith, and not faith itself: and what affiance itself is, is no small controversy, (and so it is what faith and Christianity is, even among the teachers of Christians).

The plain truth is this: As to the name of faith, it sometimes signifieth a mere intellectual assent, when the object requireth no more: and sometimes it signifieth a practical trust or affiance, in the truth or trustiness of the undertaker or promiser, that is, in his power, wisdom and goodness, or honesty, conjunct as expressed in his word; and that is, when the matter is practical, requiring such a trust. The former is often called, the Christian faith; because it is the belief of the truth of the Christian principles: and is the leading part of faith in the full sense. But it is the latter which is the Christian faith, as it is taken, not 'secundum quid,' but simply; not for a part, but the whole; not for

the opinion of men about Christ, but for Christianity itself, or that faith which must be professed in baptism, and which hath the promise of justification and salvation.

And this trust or affiance is placed respectively on all the objects mentioned in the beginning; on God as the first efficient foundation; and on God as the ultimate end; as the certain full felicity, and final object of the soul: on Christ as the Mediator, and as the secondary foundation, and the guide, and the finisher of our faith and salvation; the chief sub-revealer and performer: on the Holy Ghost, as the third foundation; both revealing and attesting the doctrine by his gifts: and on the apostles and prophets as his instruments and Christ's chief entrusted messengers: and on the promise or covenant of Christ as his instrumental revelation itself: and on the Scriptures as the authentic record of this revelation and promise. And the benefit for which all these are trusted, is, recovery to God, or redemption and salvation, viz. pardon of sin, and justification, adoption, sanctification and glorification; and all things necessary hereunto.

This trust is an act of all the three faculties: (for three there are) even of the whole man: of the vital power, the understanding and the will: and is most properly called a practical trust; such as trusting a physician with your life and health; or a tutor to teach you; or a master to govern and reward you; or a ship and pilot (as aforesaid) to carry you safe through the dangers of the sea: as in this similitude; affiance as in the understanding, is its assent to the sufficiency and fidelity of the pilot and ship (or physician) that I trust: affiance in the will is the choosing of this ship, pilot, physician, to venture my life with, and refusing all others; which is called consent, when it followeth the motion and offer of him whom we trust. Affiance in the vital power of the soul, is the fortitude and venturing all upon this chosen Trustee: which is the quieting (in some measure) disturbing fears, and the 'exitus' or 'conatus,' or first egress of the soul towards execution.

And whereas the quarrelling peevish ignorance of this age, hath caused a great deal of bitter, reproachful, uncharitable contention on both sides, about the question, 'How far obedience belongeth to faith? Whether as a part, or end, or fruit, or consequent? In all this it is easily discerned, that as allegiance or subjection differ from obedience, and hiring myself to a master, differeth from obeying him; and taking a man for my tutor, differeth from learning of him; and marriage differeth from conjugal duty, and giving up myself to a physician, differeth from taking his counsel and medicines; and taking a man for my pilot, differeth from being conducted by him; so doth our first faith or Christianity differ from actual obedience to the healing precepts of our Saviour. It is the covenant of obedience and consent to it, immediately entering us into the practice: it is the seed of obedience, or the soul, or life of it, which will immediately bring it forth, and act it. It is virtual, but not actual obedience to Christ; because it is but the first consent to his kingly relation to us; unless you will call it that inception from whence all obedience followeth. But it may be actual (common obedience to God, where he is believed in and acknowledged before Christ: and all following acts of faith after the first, are both the root of all other obedience, and a part of it: as our continued allegiance to the king is: and as the heart, when it is the first formed organ in nature, is no part of the man, but the organ to make all the parts, because it is solitary; and there is yet no man, of whom it can be called a part; but when the man is formed, the heart is both his chief part, and the organ to actuate and maintain the rest. Object. But faith, as faith, is not obedience.'

Answ. Nor learning, as learning, is not obedience to your tutor: nor ploughing, as ploughing, is not obedience to your master: or to speak more aptly, the continuance of your consent, that this man may be your tutor as such, is not obedience to him; but it is materially part of your obedience to your Father who commandeth it; and your continued allegiance or subjection as such, is not obedience to your King; but as primarily it was the foundation or heart of future obedience; so afterward it is also materially a part of your obedience, being commanded by him to whom you are now subject. And so it is in the case of faith: and therefore true faith and obedience are as nearly conjoined as life and motion; and the one is ever connoted in the other! Faith is for obedience to Christ's healing means, as trusting and taking a physician, is for the using of his counsel : and faith is for love and holy obedience to God, which is called

our sanctification, as trusting a physician, is for health. Faith is implicit virtual obedience to a Saviour: and obedience to a Saviour, is explicit operating faith or trust.

I. In the understanding, faith in God's promises hath all these acts contained in it.

1. A belief that God is, and that he is perfectly powerful, wise and good.

2. A belief that he is our Maker, and so our Owner, our Ruler, and our chief good, (initially and finally) delighting to do good, and the perfect felicitating end and object of the soul.

3. A belief that God hath expressed the benignity of his nature, by a covenant or promise of life to man.

4. To believe that Jesus Christ, God and man, is the Mediator of this covenant, (Heb. viii. 6. ix. 15. xii. 24.) procuring it, and entrusted to administer or communicate the blessings of it; Heb. v. 9.

5. To believe that the Holy Ghost is the seal and witness of this covenant.

6. To believe that this covenant giveth pardon of sin, and justification and adoption, and further grace, to penitent believers; and glorification to those that persevere in true faith, love and obedience to the end.

7. To believe that the Holy Scriptures, or word delivered by the apostles, is the sure record of this covenant, and of the history and doctrine on which it is grounded.

8. To believe that God is most perfectly regardful and faithful to fulfil this covenant, and that he cannot lie or break it; Titus i. 2. Heb. vi. 17, 18.

9. To believe that you in particular are included in this covenant, as well as others, it being universal as conditional to all if they will repent and believe, and no exception put in against you to exclude you; John iii. 16. Mark xvi. 15, 16.

10. To believe or know that there is nothing else to be trusted to, as our felicity and end instead of God; nor as our way instead of the Mediator, and the aforesaid means appointed by him.

II. In the will, faith or trust hath, 1. A simple complacency in God as believed to be most perfectly good as

afore-described.

2. It hath an actual intending and desiring of him as our end and whole felicity to be enjoyed in heaven; Gal. v. 6, 7. Ephes. iii. 17-19. Col. iii. 1. 3, 4. 1 Cor. xiii, Heb. xi. Matt. vi. 20, 21,

3. It is the turning away from, and refusing all other seeming felicity or ends, and casting all our happiness and hopes upon God alone.

4. It is the choosing Jesus Christ as the only way and Mediator to this end; with the refusing of all other, (John xiv. 6.) and trusting all that we are or hope for upon his mediation.

III. In the vital power, it is the casting away all inconsistent fears, and the inward resolved delivering up the soul to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in this covenant, entering ourselves into a resolved war with the devil, the world, and the flesh, which in the performance will resist

us.

And thus faith or trust is constituted and completed in the true baptismal covenant.

Direct. 28. In all this be sure that you observe the difference between the truth of faith, and the high degrees.'

The truth of it is most certainly discerned by (as consistingin) THE ABSOLUTE CASTING OF VENTURING not part, but ALL YOUR HAPPINESS and HOPES UPON GOD and the MEDIATOR ONLY, and LETTING GO ALL WHICH IS INCONSISTENT WITH THIS CHOICE AND TRUST. This is true and saving faith and trust.

Pardon me that I sometimes use the word VENTURING ALL, as if there were any uncertainty in the matter. I intend not by it to express the least uncertainty or fallibility in God's promise: for heaven and earth shall pass away, but one jot or tittle of his word shall not pass, till all be fulfilled: but I shall here add,

1. True faith or trust may consist with uncertainty in the person who believeth; if he believe and trust Christ but so far, that he can cast away all his worldly treasures and hopes, even life itself upon that trust. Every one is not an infidel; nor a hypocrite, who must say, if he speak his heart, 'I am not certain past all doubts, that the soul is immortal, or the Gospel true: but I am certain, that immortal happiness is most desirable, and endless misery most terrible; and that this world is vanity, and nothing in it worthy to be compared, with the hopes which Christ hath given us of a better life: and therefore upon just deliberation I am resolved to let go all my sinful pleasures, profits,