want of power is felt, not to credit the truth of the sacrifice of Christ, or its merits, or its sufficiency, but a want of power to trust wholly, and with confidence, in it, as to the issue. It is then that, like the disci- ples, and all good men in all ages, every man in these circumstances prays for faith ; for this poM'cr to trust personally, and for himself, in the atonement made for his sins. Thus he recognises Christ as ' the Au- thor and Finisher of faith,' and faith as the gift of God, though his own duty: tlius there is in the mind an entire renunciation of self on the one hand, and a seeking of all from Christ on the other, which cannot but be followed b}' the gift of faith, and by the joy which springs, not from mere sentiment, but from the attestation of the Spirit to our acceptance with God. Then the Holy Spirit is given, not only as the Com- forter, but as the Sanctifier. It is in this way, too, that faith saves us to the end, 1)}' connecting us with the exerted influence and power of God, through Christ. ' The life that I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave him- self for me.' These are views which will, it is true, be a stumbling-stone and a rock of offence to the phi- losophers of this world. But there is no remedy in concession. Still this will stand, 'Whosoever receiv- eth not the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no Avise enter therein' " (Watson, Worlcs, London, 1835, vii, 224).
Pye Smith {First Lines of C'lnstian Theology, bk. v, ch. V, § 3) defines the specific act of saving faith to be that act of the mind which directly and necessarily arises from the principle of faith, Avhich is the proper and characteristic exertion of that principle, and in which the real nature, design, and tendency of genu- ine faith is made apparent. This act or exercise is expressed in Scripture by the terms " coming to Christ — looking to him — receiving him — eating the flesh of the Son of Man, and drinking his blood — trusting in him, and being fully persuaded of his truth and faith- fulness." It is that which our old and excellent di- vines usually denoted liy the phrase (perhaps too fa- miliar, but very expressive and easily understood) closing icitk Christ. President Edwards expresses it thus: "The whole act of acceptance, or closing of the soul or heart with Christ" {Works, viii, 540). " Faith is an assured resting of the soul upon God's promises of mercj' in Jesus Christ for pardon of sins here and glorv hereafter" (Dr. Owen's Catechisni).
4. It has been said (above) that Protestant theologi- ans are substantially agreed as to the nature of saving faith. But th.ere is a class of divines in the Church of England (the so-called sacramental or Romanizing party) who seem to have gone back wholly to the scholastic doctrine of faith, if not, indeed, to that of Rome. One of the best writers of this school is bishop Forbes, of Brechin, who, in treating on Art. xi of the Church of England, asserts that the faith liy wliich we are justified is not the Jtdiicla of Luther, but is " that beginning and root of the Christian life whereby we willingly believe, etc.," thus adopting the very phrase- olog}' of Trent in framing his definition of faith. So, also, he adopts Bellarmine's statement that "love is the vivifying princijile of the faith which impetrntes justification." While he admits that the fathers often affirm tliat we are justified by faith alone, he adds that " they never intended, by the word alone, to exclude all -works of faith and grace from the causes of justi- fication and eternal salvation" {Exphtnntion of the 39 Article,'!, London, 1867, i, 177 sq.). These views are not Protestant ; j'ct bishop Forbes, and the set of theologi- ans who agree with him in going back to Romish doc- trine, still belong to a Church which calls itself Protes- tant. In happy contrast, we cite another divine of the same Church, Dr. O'Brien, who, in his excellent trea- tise on Jiisiificn/ion hi/ Faith (Lond. 2d ed. 18(!3), after a clear statement of the nature of Christian faith as ''</•?«< in Christ ; an entire and unreserved confidence in the
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efficacj'- of what Christ has done and suffered for us, a full reliance upon him and his work," protests against the error that, "in justification, faith is accounted to us for righteousness because it is in itself a right prin- ciple, and one which naturally tends to produce obedi- ence to divine precepts ;" and he shows tliat, " while it is the fit instrument of our justification, nnd the seminal principle of holy obedience, it is, notwithstanding, the instrument of our justification, essentially and proper- ly, because it unites us to the Lord Jesus Christ, so that we have an interest in all that he has done and suffer- ed. God having, in his infinite wisdom and mercy, ap- pointed that we sliould be pardoned and accepted for the sufferings and for the merits of another, seems most fit- ly to have appointed, too, that our voluntary acceptance of this his mode of freely forgiving and receiving us, by putting our trust in him through whom these bless- ings are to bo bestowed upon us, should necessarily precede our full participation of all the benefits of this