I go to Christ with faith for faith.

One touch of Christ makes him mine, with all he has and is. In him I am well beloved, clear of all blame, and perfectly righteous. All comes with this faith-love, fidelity, gratitude, pure obedience,― without it, nothing.

It is a most reviving, transporting thought, that faith makes me as clean from all spot of sin, as pure and perfectly white, as a saint in heaven; and if I do not believe in Christ, chiefly for this, what do I believe in him for?

What have I to do, on the peril of my soul, but to take God at his word; to lay all my sins down at the foot of the cross; and then prostrate myself there in humble adoration, pure love, and the most sincere professions of fidelity to my crucified Saviour?

He who has already done so much for me, will leave nothing undone.

Cordial, perfect closing with the will of God, from a root of faith and lively sense of Christ's peace, to do whatever he commands, to avoid what he forbids, to suffer what he ordains, will be a step to heaven; and I shall then know on what plan life should have been conducted, and what happiness I have lost.

"The Lord hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die." The Lord speaks this to me as much as he did to David; and though I do not always apprehend it with the same degree of clearness or height of assurance, yet the scripture always say it to me; and I ought never to disbelieve the word of God so much as for a moment.

The love of God in Christ, apprehended by faith, will give me an understanding, a heart, a tongue. Man's sin is God's glory in the forgiveness of it by Christ; and God's forgiveness is man's eternal shame, if he continues to sin against it.

Forgiveness of sin by the death of Christ, is a reason why we should never forgive ourselves.

Every man is, what he once was and always will

be without an interest in Christ, a condemned sinner, notwithstanding any repentance or future obedience.

It is the joy of my heart that I am freed from guilt, and the desire of my heart to be freed from sin.

I see plainly that such a one has better qualities than I have. But if I am more a believer, I have a much better righteousness than any man can have in himself.

"No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." I do say that Jesus is the Lord; therefore I say it by the Holy Ghost. This reasoning would set a world of souls at ease, who are perplexed about the reality of their faith. They cannot deny the second member of the syllogism, but will not be persuaded that they have a faith of the Spirit's operation, because it has not been given them in some sensible manner, or because it is sometimes assaulted with doubts, or because they cannot prove it by a higher measure of holiness. Query, what is that measure of holiness which must prove our faith? and whether any thing can prove it but itself?

Either there is such a thing as predestination to life, accompanied with a perfect renovation of heart, mind and will, and then I do not find that I am of the number of the elect, as having no such experience; or I may hereafter attain to the perfection of the predestinated; or Christ apprehended by faith is a safe ground of hope, with imperfection, a great remainder of sin, and low degrees of holiness in himself. In the last only I have comfort; and a blessed hope it is, if I do not make it a pretence for sloth, or acquiescence in my present state.

Faith is trust in the promises of God for eternity.

CHAPTER VIII.

GOOD WORKS.

Ir is the hardest thing in the world not to think our good works better than they are, and to make the very best keep their distance in the office of justification. Though we must be judged by and according to our actions, yet we shall not be saved for them.

Doubtless God takes care to qualify his faithful servants for the happiness he intends for them; which is the enjoyment of himself. And there can be no other possible qualification for this happiness, or a capacity of receiving and enjoying it, but holiness; that is to say, a full bent of soul towards God, and a hearty love and liking of all that he is, does, wills, and ordains. But then we must not pretend to bring this holiness to account, as the ground of our acceptance. A person who is continually receiving favours from another, may as well reckon the last to be the procuring cause of the first, as we make our holiness, whatever it is, to be in any sense the cause or ground of our acceptance with God. When we have done all we ever shall do, the very best state we ever shall arrive at will be so far from meriting a reward, that it will need a pardon.

The doctrine of justification by faith alone, is our fitness, advantage, and encouragement, for the practice of good works, and can never be made a handle

for sloth or licentiousness, when it is preceded by repentance, as, if received in faith, it necessarily must be. Whoever entertains it as a pretence or excuse for not working or doing his best, is still impenitent and unbelieving, let him think what he will.

God makes himself a debtor to man, for his own goodness in man.

He that has once felt the peace of God in the remission of sins, will hardly stop short, or make it a handle for sloth or licentiousness. This would be as if a man were travelling to a certain country, and having by some means or other got a taste of its excellent fruits, should make it a pretence for going no farther, or for turning back again.

It is well said, that though faith justifies us, yet works must justify our faith.

Justification by sanctification is man's way to heaven, and it is odds but he will make a little serve the turn. Sanctification by justification is God's, and he fills the soul with his own fulness.

The maintainers of imputed righteousness must be content to undergo the mortification of being thought opposers or discouragers of good works, though they constantly plead for them, and for their own doctrine, as the best, if not the only sure way of attaining to them; do not come a whit behind their adversaries in the performance of them; and perform them more freely and sincerely, and on more generous principles of love, gratitude, and obedience, than those who venture all on their own actions, and make them the ground of their acceptance. I trust to Christ for sanctification, and not to sanctification for Christ. "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." But then holiness is not the foundation of our reward. It is itself God's gift to us, in order to qualify us for our proper happiness, and as the grand means of enjoying him, and therefore cannot in any sense be the procuring meritorious

cause of it. But nevertheless it is, by this kind of reasoning, every way as necessary as if it were.

God pardons in order to cleanse. Whoever expects forgiveness without any thought or desire of being cleansed, cannot receive it. It is impossible for God to forgive an unrepenting sinner; and he does not repent, who does not purpose and wish to be changed.

I know and believe that all I am, have, or can be, without charity, is nothing; but I do not believe in charity for my acceptance with God.

Every other faith but that which apprehends Christ as a purifier, as well as our atonement and righteousness, is false and hypocritical. He can only be received into the soul, when he is desired for his goodness; and when he is there, he will not sit down idle.

We are accepted in Christ in the performance of good works, and not for them.

What motive to goodness is there in all nature so forcible as the love of God in the forgiveness of our sins? And what fitness can any one possibly have in himself for works or working, on whom it will not operate?

It is next to impossible to do good actions, merely because they are good, till we are in possession of that principle so strenuously asserted by Martin Luther, viz. that our salvation is wholly of faith; and that good works are only a ground of comfort, as proofs of our faith, but signify nothing to our acceptance with God. And what a glorious recommendation of faith is this, that it is the only thing that makes way for the truth of obedience, from a pure motive of love; our own interest in all the good we do, according to this notion, being quite out of the question!

It is impossible for a proud man to have so much as one virtue. He wants the very essence of all virtue viz. disinterestedness and a pure love of rectitude.