(1.) A spiritual light into, and discovery of, the revelation and de- claration made in the gospel of the wisdom, love, grace, and mercy of God in Christ Jesus. It is not a mere assent unto the truth of the revelation or authority of the revealer; — this, indeed, is sup- posed and included in it; but it adds thereunto a spiritual discern- ing, perception, and understanding of the things themselves revealed and declared ; without which, a bare assent unto the truth of the revelation is of no advantage. This is called " The light of the know- ledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," 2 Cor. iv. 6 ; the increase whereof in all believers the apostle doth earnestly pray
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for, Eph. i. 15-20. So we discern spiritual things in a spiritual manner; and hence ariseth "the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ," Col. ii. 2 ; or a spiritual sense of the power, glory, and beauty of the things contained in this mystery: so to know Christ as to know "the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings," Phil. iii. 10.
Faith affects the mind with an ineffable sense, taste, experience, and acknowledgment of the greatness, the glory, the power, the beauty of the things revealed and proposed in this way of salvation. The soul in it is enabled to see and understand that all the thing's belonging unto it ai'e such as become God, his wisdom, goodness, and love; as was before declared. And a spiritual light enabling hereunto is of the essence of saving faith ; unless this be in us, we do not, we cannot, give glory to God in any assent unto the truth. And faith is that grace which God hath prepared, fitted, and suited, to give unto him the glory that is his due in the work of our redemption and salvation.
(2.) Upon this spiritual light into this revelation of God and his glory, in this way of saving sinners, the mind by faith finds and sees that all things in it are suited unto its own justification and salvation in particular, and that the power of God is in them to make them effectual unto that end. This is that act and work of faith whereon the whole blessed event doth depend. It will not avail a man to see all sorts of viands and provisions, if they be no way suited unto his appetite, nor meet for his nourishment; nor will it be unto a man's spiritual advantage to take a view of the excellencies of the gospel, unless he find them suited unto his condition. And this is the hardest task and work that faith hath to go through with.
Faith is not an especial assurance of a man's own justification and salvation by Christ; that it will produce, but not until another step or two in its progress be over : but faith is a satisfactory persuasion that the way of God proposed in the gospel is fitted, suited, and able to save the soul in particular that doth believe, — not only that it is a blessed way to save sinners in general, but that it is such a way to save him in particular. So is this matter stated by the apostle, 1 Tim. i. 15, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all accepta- tion," or approbation, " that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" His faith doth not abide here, nor confine itself unto this, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, — that this is the holy and blessed way of God for the salvation of sinners in general; but he puts in for his own particular interest in that way : " It is God's way, fitted, and suited, and able to save me, who am the cliiefest of sinners."
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And this, as was said, is the gi'eatest and the most difficult work of faith ; for we suppose, concerning the person who is to believe, —
[1.] That he is really and effectually convinced of the sin of [our] nature, of our apostasy from God therein, the loss of his image, and the direful effects that ensue thereon. [2.] That he hath due ap- prehensions of the holiness and severity of God, of the sanction and curse of the law, with a right understanding of the nature of sin and its demerit. [3.] That he have a full conviction of his own actual sins, with all their aggravations, from their greatness, their number, and all sorts of circumstances. [4.] That he hath a sense of the guilt of secret or unknown sins, which have been multiplied by that con- tinual proneness unto sin which he finds working in him. [5.] That he seriously consider what it is to appear before the judgment-seat of God, to receive a sentence for eternity, with all other things of the like nature, inseparable from him as a sinner.
When it is really thus with any man, he shall find it the hardest thing in the world, and clogged with the most difficulties, for him to believe that the way of salvation proposed unto him is suited, fitted, and every way able to save him in particular, — to apprehend it such as none of his oojections can rise up against, or stand before. But this is that, in the second place, that the faith of God's elect will do : it will enable the soul to discern and satisfy itself that there is in this way of God every thing that is needful unto its own salvatiou. And this it will do on a spiritual understanding and due considera- tion of, — [1.] The iufiniteness of that wisdom, love, grace, and mercy, which is the original or sovereign cause of the whole way, with the ample declaration and confirmation made of them in the gospel. [2.] Of the unspeakably glorious w^ay and means for the procuring and communicating unto us of all the effects of that wisdom, grace, and mercy, — namely, the incarnation and mediation of the Son of God, in his oblation and intercession. [3.] Of the great multitude and variety of precious promises, engaging the truth, faithfulness, and jDOwer of God, for the communication of righteousness and salvation from those springs, by that means. I say, ou the just consideration of these things, with all other encouragements wherewith they are accompanied, the soul concludes by faith that there is salvation for itself in particular, to be attained in that way.