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citing in Us the Act of Believing, by Illuminating the Understanding that it may perceive, and enflaming the Will that it may heartily embrace the Truth. Briefly, not only by presenting the Object, but also by Enlightning the Subject of Belief. Accordingly we find St. Paul Praying in the behalf. of his Ephefians, That God would give them the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of Him. Πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ ἀποχα ausas. Not only a Spirit of Revelation to remove the Veil from off the Object, but a Spirit of Wisdom alfo to bring Light into the Eye of the Mind, that it may fitted for the Reception of it. So that the beginning and progrefs and encrease and perfection of Faith is from the Spirit of God, that not only by an External propofal in the Word difcovers to us the things of God, but also by an internal Operation in the Soul enables every Believer, both to Affent to them, tho' they are Foolisbness to the Understanding, and to Love them, tho' they are Enmity to the Will of the Natural Man. For it is not with Religion as with Sciences purely Speculative, which only aim at an acquiefcence of the Mind in the perception of the fimple Truth of a Propofition, but the Scope of Divine Truth is more to perfwade Men than to convince them, to attract their Wills rather than to

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force their Understandings. And thus after having offer'd outward Motives of Credibility fufficient to create a Rational Affent, out of this Rational Affent to form a Chriftian Faith, which includes befides a bare Belief, a Complacency alfo and Delight in what it receives, is a further effect of the good Spirit of God evincing the goodness of the Gospel to fuch as are perfwaded of the Truth of it, and rendring it Worthy of all Acceptation to them that own it a Faithfull Saying. We are therefore under the strongeft Obligation both of Juftice and Gratitude, to acknowledge (and if we have True Faith we cannot do otherwife) that it is not of Ourselves: it is the Gift of God. And a Gift of Ineftimable Price it is, And of fuch Virtue and Power as nothing is able to withftand. This is the Victory which Overcometh the World, nay by this we are more than Conquerors, more than Conquerors of the World, for by This we encounter and withftand, we defeat and vanquish all the Subtilty and Malice of our Spiritual Enemies all the Wiles and Powers of Darkness and Hell. By this, which is yet a harder Victory, we fubdue our felves, our own Fleshly Defires and Inordinate Lufts and Vicious Inclinations. In fhort, a true Faith works as great Wonders ftill, as our Saviour promis'd fhould follow them that Believe. R

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Name they shall cast out Devils, they shall take up Serpents, if they drink any deadly thing it fhall not hurt them, They shall lay hands on the Sick, and they fball recover. Where Faith really is, it cafts out Devils ftill, the Spirit of Envy and of Pride, of Uncleanness and Revenge, every Foul and Evil Spirit that poffeffes Man. It works now as mighty things upon the Souls, as in the first and miraculous Age it did upon the Bodies of Men, If it does not indeed exert Works really more Miraculous, than thofe vifibly perform'd by the first Believers. Such, as if they make less fhew without, yet need as great, if not greater, Efficacy within to Effect them. Doubtless Sanctification, Juftification, Salvation, all which are in a right Senfe afcrib'd to Faith, are Arguments of as Divine a Power, as to caft out Devils, or to heal the Sick, or to raise the Dead. Nay, if we may presume to compare the Works of Omnipotence, how much harder feems it to infpire Virtue into the Vicious Soul, than to breath the Breath of Life into a dead Carcafs? To make the Children of the Devil become the Sons of God, than our of the Stones to raise up Children unto Abraham? To animate a -Lump of Earth, is but to Determine to one Form, that Matter which is capable of any. To cure a Disease, or to caft out a Devil, is but to remove an Unnatural Oppreffion, a

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weight that a Man labours under and groans to be discharg'd of. The Subject in thefe Cafes, is purely paffive, or else affistant and willing to contribute to the Effect. But the raifing us up to a new Spiritual Life,the healing of the inward Sickness of the Soul, the difpoffeffing every Evil Spirit that had taken up its dwelling there, these Works are attended with no fuch favourable Circumftances instead of a meer Inactivity, there is a warm and vigorous Refiftance, inftead of an inclination to comply with the change, an obftinate purpose to hinder and refift it; An Opposition not to be overcome, but by as much or more of Virtue fupernatural,than was requir'd to the Production of the most aftonishing Wonders that were wrought, even by the Apostles, or by Christ himself. So much is imply'd in what our Saviour tells us, John. 14. 12. He that Believes in me, the Works that I do he fball do alfo, and greater Works than these ball he do. Every true Believer then doth not Work Miracles, yet fomewhat greater it feems by the Grace of God and Faith in Chrift, he performs. Thanks therefore be unto God for This his unfpeakable Gift! fruitful in the production of fuch Glorious and Bleffed Effects! and chiefly of that most Bleffed Effect of all, which as the Crown of its other Excellencies and Perfections,is here affirm'd of Faith in the Text,

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that Through it ye are Sav'd, which is the other thing that comes next to be confider'd

2dly, Te are Sav'd through Faith. That We are Justify'd by Faith, and that He that Believeth ball be Sav'd, can be no doubt to any one that Reads and Believes the Gospel, the Power of God unto Salvation to every one that Believes. Rom. 1. 16. This great and comfortable Truth is therein fo plainly exprefs'd, or fo neceffarily imply'd in places so many as were endless, so obvious as 'tis needless to repeat.

But what this Faith is, and in what manner it produces fuch admirable Effects, as are on all hands allow'd to be afcrib'd to it in Scripture, is the great Question and Subject of Debate.

But not to trouble you with Scholaftick Niceties, by Faith ye may understand a deep and full perfwafion of, and a Real and Cordial affent to, all Truth reveal'd in Scripture upon the account that it is the Word of God fo Infinitely Wife, that he cannot be deceiv'd, and fo Infinitely Good, that he cannot deceive. Which is fo juft a Foundation of Affurance, that Faith is therefore rightly describ'd by the Apostle, Hebr. 11. 1. The Subftance of things hoped for, the Evidence of things not feen. By which is meant that a found and firm Belief makes that, as it

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