If you have received never so little of his bounty by the hand of providence, in the good things of this life, yet if he have given you any measure of true saving faith, he hath dealt bountifully in- deed with you : this mercy alone is enough to balance all other wants and inconveniences of this life, " poor in the world, rich " in faith," James ii. 5. O, let your hearts take in the full sense of this bounty of God to you ; say with the apostle, Eph. i. 3. " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who " hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in u Christ Jesus:" and you will in this one mercy, find matter enough of praise and thanksgiving, wonder and admiration to your dying day, yea, to all eternity : for, do but consider,
First, The smallest measure of saving faith which is found in any of the people of God, receives Jesus Christ ; and in receiving him, what mercy is there which the believing soul doth not re- ceive in him, and with him ? Rom. viii. 32.
O believer, though the arms of thy faith be small and weak, yet they embrace a great Christ, and receive the richest gift that ever God bestowed upon the world : no sooner art thou become a be- liever, but Christ is in thee the hope of glory ; and thou hast au-
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thority to become a son or daughter of God ; thou hast the broad seal of heaven to confirm thy title and claim to the privileges of adoption, for "to as many as received him, to them gave he power u to become the sons of God." [To as many] be they strong, or be they weak, provided they really receive Christ by faith ; there is authority or power given, so that it is no act of presumption in them to say, God is our Father, heaven is our inheritance. O precious faith ! the treasures of ten thousand worlds cannot pur- chase such privileges as these : all the crowns and sceptres of the earth, sold at full value, are no price for such mercies.
Secondly, The least degree of saving faith brings the soul into a state of perfect and full justification. For if it receives Jesus Christ, it must needs therefore in him, and with him, receive a free, full, and final pardon of sin : the least measure of faith re- ceives remission for the greatest sins. " By him all that believe " are justified from all things," Acts xiii. 39. It unites thy soul with Christ, and then, as the necessary consequent of that union, there is no condemnation, Rom. viii. 1. ahzv xulazoifia, not one condem- nation, how many soever our sins have been.
Thirdly, The least measure or degree of saving faith, is a greater mercy than God hath bestowed, or ever will bestow upon many that are far above you in outward respects : All men have not faith : nav, it is but a remnant among men that believe. Few of the no- Met and potentates of the world have such a gift as this: they have houses and lands, yea, crowns and sceptres, but no faith, no Christ, no pardon ; they have authority to rule over men, but no autho- rity to become the sons of God, 1 Cor. i. 26, 27.
Say therefore in thy most debased, straitened, afflicted condition, u Return to thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt boun- " tifully with thee."
Fourthly, The least degree of saving faith is more than all the power of nature can produce. There must be a special revelation of the arm of the Lord in that work, Isa. liii. 1. Believers are not " born of the flesh, nor of blood, nor of the will of man, but " of God," John i. 12, 13. All believing motions towards Christ, are the effects of the Fathers drawing, John vi. 44. A glorious and irresistible power goes forth from God to produce it, whence it is called "the faith of the operation of God," Col. ii. 12.
So then, let not believers despise the day of small things, or overlook that great and infinite mercy which is wrapt up in the least degree of saving faith.
Infer. 5. Learn hence the impossibility of their salvation, icho neither know the nature, nor enjoy the means of saving faith. My soul pities and mourns over the infidel world. Ah I what
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will become of the millions of poor unbelievers ! there is but one door of salvation, viz. Christ ; and but one key of faith to open that door : and as that key was never given to the Heathen world : so it is laid aside, or taken away from the people by their cruel guides, all over the Popish world ; were you among them, you should hear nothing else pressed as necessary to your salvation but a blind, im- plicit faith, to believe as the church believes ; that is, to believe they know not what.
To believe as the pope believes ; that is as an infidel believes, for so they confess he may be, * and though there be such a thing as an explict faith sometimes spoken of among them, yet it is very sparingly discoursed, very falsely described, and exceedingly slighted by them as the merest trifle in the world.
First, It is but sparingly discoursed of: they love not to ac- custom the people's ears to such a doctrine ; one of themselves confesses that there is so deep a silence of explicit, particular faith in the Romish church, that you may find many every where, that believe no more of these things than Heathen philosophers *f\
Secondly, When it is preached or written of, it is falsely de- scribed : for they place the whole nature and essence of justifying and saving faith in a naked assent, which the devils have as well as men, James ii. 19. No more than this is pressed upon the people at any time, as necessary to their salvation.
Thirdly, And even this particular explicit faith, when it is spo- ken or written of, is exceedingly slighted. I think if the devil himself were in the pulpit, he could hardly tell how to bring men to a more low and slight esteem of faith ; to represent it more as a very trifle, or a quite needless thing, than these his agents have done. Some \ say if a man believe with a particular explicit faith, i. e. if he actually assent to the scripture-truths once in a year, it is enough. Yea, and others § think it too much to oblige people to believe once in twelve months ; and, for their ease, tell them, if they believe once in twelve years it is sufficient ; and, lest this should be too great a task, others || affirm, that if it be done but once in their whole life, and that at the point of death too, it is enough, especially for the rude and common people. Good God ! what a doctrine is here ! It was a saying long ago of Gregory (as I remember,) Mains minister est nisius diaboli : A wicked minister is the devil's gooshaivk, that goes a birding for hell ; and O what
* For the pope's internal faith is not necessary to the church. Canus in loc. Theel. p. 344.
f Navarr. cap. 1 1. p. 142. j Petr. a S. Joseph, sum. Art. i. p. G. § Bonacina. Tom. 2. in I precept. || Jo. San. Disp. 41. n. 32,
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