I. I begin with the first, " Faith in Jesus Christ," Rom. iii. 22, 25., " Whom God hath sot forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood." The great privilege in the text is to have Christ for a propitiation ; which is not only to free us from God's wrath, but to ingratiate us into God's love and favour. And the means of having Clirist to be our propitiation is, ' Faith in his blood.' There is a twofold faith. Fides qucB creditur, i. e. ' the doctrine of faith ;' and Fides qua creditur, i. e. ' the grace of faith.' Tlie act of justifying faith lies in recumbency ; we do rest on Christ alone for salvation. As a man that is ready to drown catcheth hold on the bough of a tree: so a poor trembling sinner, seeing himself ready to perish, catcheth hold by faith on Christ the tree of life, and so is saved. The work of faith is by the Holy Spirit ; therefore faith is called the " fruit of the Spirit," Gal. v. 22. Faith doth not grow in nature, it is an outlandish plant, a fruit of the Spirit. This grace of faith is sanctissimum humani pectoris boniim, — of all others, the most precious rich faith, and most holy faith, and faith of God's elect. Hence it is called " precious faith," 2 Pet. L 1. As gold is the most precious among the metals, so is faith among the graces. Faith is the queen of the graces ; faith is the condition of the gospel ; " Thy faith hath saved thee," Luke vii. 50., not thy tears. Faith is the " vital artery of the soul," it ani- mates it, Hab. ii. 4., " The just shall live by faith." Unbelievers, though they breathe yet want life. Faith is (as Clemens Alex- andrinus calls it) a mother-grace ; it excites and invigorates all the graces ; not a grace stirs till faith sets it awork. Faith sets re- pentance awork ; it is like fire to the still. Faith sets hope awork, — first we believe
the promise, — then we hope for it. Did not faith feed the lamp of hope with oil, it would soon die. Faith sets love awork. Gal. v. 6., '' Faith which woiketh by love." Who can believe in the infinite merits of Christ, and his heart not ascend in a fiery chariot of love? Faith is a catholicon, or remedv a- gainst all troubles, — a sheet-anchor we cast out into the sea of God's mercy, and are kept from sinking in despair. Other graces liave done worthily, — thou, O Faith, ex- cellest them all ! Indeed in heaven, love will be the chief grace ; but, while we are here militant, love must give place to faith. Love takes possession of glory, but faith gives a title to it. Love is tlie crowning grace in heaven, but faith is the conquering grace upon earth, 1 John v. 4., " This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." Faith carries away the garland from all the other graces ; other graces help to sanctify us, but it is faith only that hath the honour to justify; Rom. v. L, " Being justified by faith."
Quest. Bid how comes faith to be so pre- cious ?
Ans. Not as it is a more holy quality, or as if it had more worthiness than other graces, but respectu ohjecti, — " as it lays hold on Christ the blessed object," and fetcheth in his fulness, John ix. 16. Faith in itself considered, is but mantis mendica, — " the beggar's hand ;" but as this hand receives the rich alms of Christ's merits, so it is precious, and doth challenge a superi- ! ority over the rest of the graces. i Use \st. Of all sins beware of the rock of unbelief, Heb. iii. 12., " Take heed lest there be in any of us an evil heart of unbe- lief." Men think, as long as they are not drunkards or swearers, it is no great mat- ter to be unbelievers. This is the gospel- sin, it dyes your other sins in grain.
(1.) Unbelief is a Christ-reproaching sin. Unbelief disparageth Christ's infinite merit, as if it could not save ; unbelief makes the wound of sin to be broader than the plas- ter of Christ's blood. This is an high con- tempt offered to Christ, and is a deeper
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spear than that which the Jews thrust into Ms side.
(2.) Unbelief is an ungrateful sin. In- grains vitnndus est xU dinim scelus, tcllus ipsa fcJi'iis niliil crcat. Ingratitude is a prodigy of wick-edncss ; unbelief is ungrateful, being ai;ain>t the richest mercy. Suppose a king sl.ouhi redeem a captive, and to redeem him should part with his crown of gold from his head ; and when he had done this, should sav to the man redeemed, " All I desire of thee in lieu of my kindness, is to believe that I love thee." Now, if he should say " No, I do not believe any such thing ; or that thou carest at all for me :" I appeal to vou were not this odious ingratitude? So is this case here : God hath sent his Son to shed his blood. God requires only to be- lieve in him, that he is able and willing to save us. " No," saith unbelief, " his blood was not shed for me, I cannot persuade my- self that Christ hath any purpose of love to me." Is not this horrid ingratitude ? And this enhanceth a sin, and makes it of a crimson colour.