(4.) Again, AVhere this faith is, it is a triumphing, a conquering grace, a prevailing grace. It overcomes the world and whatsoever is opposite, for it sets before the soul greater things than the world can. The world pre- sents terrors. What are these ' to the glory that shall be revealed ? ' The world sets out pleasures to allure us, and profits, and favours, and this and that ; but what are all these to the favour of God in Christ ? what are they to heaven ? What can the world set before the soul of a believer that is not beneath ? Faith can raise the soul above all worldly things. It sub- dues the natural doubts and loves, the fears of troubles and cares for the world, and all the affections that were before ruling in the soul. Faith coming into the soul subdues all to itself, and makes them all serviceable. Thus it prevails, if not at the first, yet in the continuance of time. It prevails by little and little in the hearts of all believers. It is a victorious grace, as we see in Moses and Abraham, &c., how it prevailed against all obstacles whatsoever. How many discouragements had blessed Abraham to leave his father's house, and to go he knew not where, and after to sacrifice his son ! Yet faith overcame all. So Moses to leave the court, and to cleave to a despised people, what a work of faith was there ! Faith is victorious. Therefore when people are drawn away with anything, that the looks of any man scares them, that the very noise of danger affrights them ; when the hope of any rising will make them warp to do anything, when the hope of any gain will make them crack their conscience ; where is the triumph of faith ? As I said before, there is a prevailing power in faith, because faith sets before the soul that which is incomparably better
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and incomparably worse. What is all that man can do in comparison of liell and damnation ? Conscience saith, If you do this, ye shall die. And on the other side, what is all the world can give, in comparison of heaven, which faith presents to the eye of the believer ?
(5.) Again, Where this believing is, it is a working grace; it ivorks hy love. By the love to God it desires the communion and fellowship of that it desires, and it works by love to other believers. It works towards Satan hatred, toward wicked men strangeness in conversation. It is a working grace. It works by love, to all good, to God and God's people, and to ourselves. It makes us have too high esteem of ourselves to bo stained with the base services of sin. It works every way ; and indeed it must needs be so, when faith sets before the soul the love of God in Christ : Hath God loved me so, to redeem me from such misery by such a course as this, ' God manifest in the flesh,' to advance mo to such hap- piness, being, such as I was before, a sinner ? Oli the thought of this will constrain us, as the phrase of the apostle is, ' The love of Christ con- straineth me,' 2 Cor. v. 14 ; and then the soul will be active and earnest in anything that may be for the honour of Christ. Hath Christ thought nothing too dear for me, not his own blood, for the salvation of my soul is the price of his blood ? He came down from heaven, he was ' God mani- fest in the flesh,' on purpose, in love to my soul ; and shall I think any- thing too dear for him ? And hereupon faith works and stirs up love, and when it is stirred up by it, it is acted by it ; it useth the love of God in all the performance of worship to God, and in doing all good to our brethren and to ourselves, to carry ourselves as we should every way.
We see the woman in the Gospel, Luke vii. 47, when she had much for- given her, ' she loved much.' All duties come from love. What need I speak of particular branches ? Christ brings all to love. He includes all duties in that one, in love, because they come from love, and have love to carry them, and to mingle itself with them ; and love comes from faith. ' Faith working by love ' evidenceth that we believe, Gal. v. 6. Where there is no love there is no faith. Therefore let us labour to have this aflection of love kindled. If we would have love kindled, we must stir it up hy faith. You see then that this believing is the leading grace.
Let us labour by all means therefore to water this root. When we would have trees flourish and thrive, we pour water to the roots of them. Now, the radical grace in a Christian's soul is this believing, this trusting in God reconciled in Christ, this relying upon Christ ; a convincing persua- sion that God and Christ are mine. This is the radical grace of all other. Let us water and cherish this by all means whatsoever.