to fay by the affurance of fenfe, I feel his love burning in my breaft, and warming my heart: "After ye be lieved ye were fealed."

7. It is neceffary unto victory, fpiritual victory. And, (1.) It is neceflary to our victory over the devil; for the more clofely we apply Chrift to ourselves, the more powerfully do we defeat and drive off the devil: The fhield of faith quenches his fiery darts. This applying faith takes in Chrift to itself, and then deftroys the works of the devil. Chrift for us did it once, and Chrift in us does it again.

(2.) It is neceffary to our victory over the world: for, This is the victory whereby we overcome the world, [as well as the god of this world] even our faith;" and particularly faith as it appropriates his love. O! when it fees, and applies, and feeds upon the love of Chrift, how doth it defpife the world, and would not give a glance of his love for all the glory of the world? The believer defpifes its frowns and flatteries both, fo far as he applies Chrift, and confides in him; whereas, when people take not hold of, and rely on Chrift by faith, they take hold of the world, and the world takes hold of them, and overcomes them.

(3.) It is neceffary to our victory over the flesh, and over fin and corruption: fo far as we believe the love of Chrift to ourfelves, fo far we hate and loath fin; the love of Chrift eats out the love of fin: fo far as the love of Chrift is believed, fo far is the love of fin banished; for fin lofes its dominion while we are not under the law, which is the ftrength of fin, but under grace and love, which is the deftruction of fin. Why does fin prevail fo much, but because we believe the love of Christ fo little.

(4.) It is neceffary alfo to victory over death; let death appear in all its moft dreadful fhapes, yet by this particular faith of Chrift's love, we will be able to fay, "O death, where is thy fting? Ograve, where is thy victory? The fting of death is fin, and the ftrength of fin is the law: but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jefus Chrift." O Sirs, when unbelief prevails, crying out, Alas! I fear he hath not loved me VOL. VII.

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I doubt of his love to me; I doubt of his promife, if it be to me; how can that foul ftand before death? The fear of death overcomes him; but when faith applies the love of Chrift, and the promise fealed with the blood of Chrift, then it overcomes all the fear of death, and overcomes by the blood of the Lamb.

8. This applying faith, faying, me, me, with the apostle here, is necessary unto fervice, and to the right discharge of duties, particularly that of prayer and praife, &c. namely, that we may ferve the Lord without flavish fear; "That we, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might ferve him without fear, in holinefs and righteoufnefs before him all the days of our life," Luke i. 74. God loves a chearful giver, a chearful fervant. Doubts and fears of unbelief make very unheartfome and unholy fervice: but the more lively the faith of the love of God in Chrift is, the more loving and acceptable service is performed.

9. It is neceffary unto fuffering, as well as unto fervice. Who is the Chriftian that will take joyfully the fpoiling of bis goods, and fuffer joyfully for the name of Chrift? Even he that hath the moft lively faith of Chrift's loving him, unto fufferings and death, saying, He loved me, and gave bimfelf for me. O! how ought I to love him, and give myfelf, my life for him, through his grace? We may be called to fuffering, but it must be given us; and it is he that gives to believe, who must give to fuffer; and he gives to fuffer by giving to believe: for, "By faith, we chufe, with Mofes, to fuffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of fin for a feafon." And the more clofely faith applies the love of Chrift, the more forward it is to fuffer; and the more doubtfully it views his love, the more backward and unwilling to fuffer for him.

10. It is neceffary unto growth in all the other graces of the Spirit: for example, The grace of love will not grow, but by the faith of his love; "We love him, becaufe he first loved us."-The grace of humility and true humiliation doth not grow, but upon the appropriating faith of his love, and of God's mercy venting thro' Chrift; "That thou mayeft remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy fhame,

fhame, when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou haft done," Ezek. xvi. 63. The faith of God's being pacified in Christ, a loving and well-pleafed God in Christ, abafes the foul, and humbles it to the duft.-The grace of patience does not grow, but upon this root. We bear all things, and fuffer chaftifement kindly, while we believe that he chaftifes not in wrath, but in love. Thus I might go through the other graces of the Spirit, and fhew that this applying property in faith, is neceffary to the increase of the whole of them.

11. It is neceffary unto perfeverance: hence, fays Chrift, "As the Father hath loved me, fo have I loved you; continue ye in my love:" intimating, that the particular faith of his love, and of the firmnefs, greatness and duration thereof, like that between him and his Father, is a frong root of perfeverance, and continuing in his love. Our love to him, and perfeverance in the duties of love to him, is up and down, ebbs and flows with the believing perfuafion of his love.

12. It is neceffary unto our prefervation from the errors and defections of the times, and to our excitation to any zealous appearance for Chrift. This particular faith of Chrift's love is a notable fence against errors that abound in the day we live in: for, as the most part receive not the love of the truth, that they might be faved, and are given up to strong delufions, to believe a lye; fo, when the truth is received in love, and Christ, the centre of all truth, embraced in love, it makes the foul stand out against all damnable error, faying, Oh! fhall I deny the truth, who have got the faith and feeling of the love of Christ therein.

It is a notable fence against the apoftacy of the times: "Will ye alfo go away?" faid Chrift to his difciples; ye to whom I have manifefted myfelf and my love, as I have not manifefted my felf to the world. No, no; "To whom fhall we go?" faid Peter; Thou haft the words of eternal life:" intimating, that the faith of his word of grace, was a cord to bind them to abide with him, and to keep them back from apoftacy.

This particular faith would alfo excite us to public zeal. Public religion is only right founded, when it ftands upon

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perfonal religion, perfonal acquaintance with Chrift, and the particular faith of his love. They that can fay believingly, He loved me, will endeavour to fay it practically, fhewing their faith by their love, and fhewing their love by their zeal. Love is the fire, zeal is the flame; they will fhew the fire by the flame.

In a word, it is neceffary in all thefe particulars, for teaching the great end of glorifying God, and enjoying him. When we are ftrong in the faith, we give glory to God; and especially when we believe against unbelief, by believing his love to us as revealed in the word, against all objections to the contrary from other quarters: but we difhonour him, by unbelieving jealoufies of his kindnefs, and by difcrediting his word; denying both his mercy and truth.--Again, the more clofely we cleave to him by this applying faith, the more fully do we enjoy him; for, this faith is a drawing near to him; whereas the oppofite, unbelief, is a departing from him, Heb. iii. 12. We come now,

IV. To the Fourth and laft thing propofed, which was to make application. And this we may effay in an ufe of information, examination, and exhortation.

Ift, We may improve this doctrine for information. Is it the property of true faith, to entertain the giving love of Chrift, declared in the gofpel, with a me, me, by particular application? Hence fee,

1. The danger and difadvantage of unbelief: it rejects the grace and love of Chrift, faying, It is not to me. It rejects the gift of God, and the great falvation, faying, It is too great for me; it is too good for me; I must refolve to want it; for I am not meet for it, and it is not meet for me. Oh! dangerous cafe!" He that believeth not, hath made God a liar."

2. See the excellency and advantage of faith and believing. It takes home Chrift and all his grace and fulness to itself, faying, Oh! here is a treasure for me; here is a portion for me; a good bargain for me: however unlovely I am, yet here is a wonderful Lover and Suiter for me: he evidenced his love for me, by giving himfelf for me: he is evidencing his love to me, in giving

himself in the gofpel offer to me: It welcomes Christ and his love, faying, He loved me.

3. Hence fee the danger of that legal doctrine, that obftructs their particular application of faith, by bringing in fo many terms and conditions neceffary, in order to be the ground and foundation of faith's perfuafion; making either fome work done by people, or fome work wrought in them, to be the ground of confidence with reference to the love of Chrift; thus leading people into themselves for a foundation of faith and hence few or none can, by their doctrine, fee any ground to apply the love of Chrift to themfelves, because they cannot fee any ground in themfelves, where indeed they ought not to feek it. That legal fpirit is too natural to all mankind, and hath little need to be furthered by legal doctrine.

4. Hence fee alfo the darknefs that obfcures many gofpel fermons, even among these who are otherwife evangelical, yet in this they are bemifted, that they cannot take up any affurance or perfuafion in the matter of faith, diftinct from that affurance of fenfe, which follows after faith; nor take up the affurance, application," and appropriation of faith, grounded upon the word of God, which is the duty of all that hear the gofpel, diftinct from the affurance of fenfe, founded upon the work of God, which is the privilege of believers at times. How miferably do many confound the grounds of faith with the marks of faith? and fo fhut the door of faith, many times, against all that have not the evidences of faith; and, through mistake of the gofpel method of falvation, fometimes make the marks and evidences of faith in them who have believed, to be fo many lets and hindrances to the faith of them that never believed, as if they ought not to believe the love and grace of God revealed in the word, unless they have these marks: whereas finners are warranted to build upon the grounds of faith that are without them in the word, though they can fee no marks of faith within them; for to build upon thefe, although they had them, would be a building of fenfe, and not a building of faith.

zdly, This doctrine may be improved by way of K 3

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