and knowledge is the spring and principle of all real evangelical holiness and obedience, the apostle declares in that description which he gives us of the whole of it, both in its beginning and progress, Col. i. 9-11. We desire that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you might walk worthy of the Lord, in all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness. It is a blessed account that is here given us of that gospel holiness which we inquire after, in its nature, original, spring, progress, fruits, and effects: and a serious consideration of it as here proposed, a view of it in the light of faith, will evidence how distant and different it is from those schemes of moral virtues which some would substitute in its room. It hath a glory in it which no unenlightened mind can behold or comprehend; the foundation of it is laid in the knowledge of the will of God, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. This is that spiritual saving light whereof we speak ; the increase hereof is prayed for in believers by the apostle, Eph. i. 17, 18. even That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints;' which here is called 'increasing in the knowledge of God;' ver. 10. The singular glory of this saving light in its original, its causes, use, and effects, is most illustriously here declared; and this light is in every true believer, and is the only immediate spring of all gospel holiness and obedience: for, the new man is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him;' Col. iii. 10.

This light, this wisdom, this spiritual understanding, thus communicated unto believers, is the rectitude and perfection of their minds in this world: it is that which gives them order, and peace, and power, enabling them to act all their faculties in a due manner, with respect unto their being and end; it is that which gives beauty and glory to the inward man, and which constitutes a believer an inhabitant of the kingdom of light; whereby we are delivered from the

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power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of the Son of God's love; Col. i. 13. or, out of darkness into his marvellous light;' 1 Pet. ii. 9.

That which is contrary hereunto, is that ignorance, darkness, blindness, and vanity, which the Scripture declares to be in the minds of all unregenerate persons; and they are really so, where they are not cured by the glorious working of the power and grace of God before-mentioned.

Now faith discerneth these things as the spiritual man discerneth all things; 1 Cor. ii. 15. It sees the beauty of this heavenly light, and judgeth that it is that which giveth order and rectitude unto the mind; as also that which is contrary unto it is vile, base, horrid, and to be ashamed of. As for those who love darkness more than light, because their deeds are evil,' it knows them to be strangers unto Christ and his gospel.

2. Again, there is required unto this holiness a principle of spiritual life and love unto God. This guides, acts, and rules in the soul, in all its obedience; and it gives the soul its proper order in all its operations: that which is contrary hereunto is death, and enmity against God. Faith judgeth between these two principles and their operations; the former in all its actings it approves of as lovely, beautiful, desirable, as that which is the rectitude and perfection of the will; and the other it looks on as deformed, froward, and perverse.

3. The like may be said of its nature and operations in the affections, as also of all those duties of obedience which proceed from it, as it is described in the place before-mentioned.

It remaineth only, that we shew by what acts, ways, and means, faith doth evidence this its approbation of gospel holiness, as that which is lovely and desirable in itself, and which gives all that rectitude and perfection unto our minds, which they are capable of in this world. And it doth so,

1. By that self-displacency and abasement which it works in the mind on all instances and occasions, where it comes short of this holiness. This is the chief principle and cause of that holy shame which befalls believers on every sin and miscarriage, wherein they come short of what is required in it; Rom. vi. 21. The things whereof ye are

now ashamed.' Now when by the light of faith you see how vile it is, and unworthy of you, what a debasement of your souls there is in it, you are ashamed of it. It is true, the principal cause of this holy shame, is a sense of the unsuitableness that is in sin unto the holiness of God, and the horrible ingratitude and disingenuity that there is in sinning against him: but it is greatly promoted by this consideration, that it is a thing unworthy of us, and that wherein our natures are exceedingly debased. So it is said of provoking sinners, that they debase themselves even unto hell; Isa. lvii. 9. or make themselves as vile as hell itself,

by ways unworthy the nature of men. And this is one ground of all those severe self-reflections which accompany godly sorrow for sin; 2 Cor. vii. 11.

And hereby doth faith evidence itself and its own sincerity, whilst a man is ashamed of, and abased in, himself for every sin, for every thing of sin, wherein it comes short of the holiness required of us, as that which is base and unworthy of our nature, in its present constitution and renovation; though it be that which no eye sees but God's and his own, he hath that in him which will grow on no root but sincere believing. Wherefore, whatever may be the disquieting conflicts of sin, in and against our souls, whatever decays we may fall into, which be the two principles of darkness and fears in believers, whilst this inward holy shame and self-abasement, on the account of the vileness of sin, is preserved; faith leaves not itself without an evidence in us.

2. It doth the same by a spiritual satisfaction which it gives the soul in every experience of the transforming power of this holiness, rendering it more and more like unto God. There is a secret joy and spiritual refreshment rising in the soul from a sense of its renovation unto the image of God; and all the actings and increases of the life of God in it, augment this joy. Herein consists its gradual return unto its primitive order and rectitude, with a blessed addition of supernatural light and grace by Christ Jesus: it finds itself herein coming home to God from its old apostacy, in the way of approaching to eternal rest and blessedness: and there is no satisfaction like unto that which it receives therein.

This is the second way wherein faith will abide firm and constant, and doth evidence itself in the soul of every believer. However low and mean its attainments be, in this spiritual life, and the fruits of it; though it be overwhelmed with darkness and a sense of the guilt of sin; though it be surprised and perplexed with the deceit and violence thereof; yet faith will continue here firm and unshaken. It sees that glory and excellency in the holiness and obedience that God requireth of us, as it is a representation of his own glorious excellencies, the renovation of his image, and the perfection of our natures thereby, as it constantly approves of it, even in the deepest trials which the soul can be exercised withal; and whilst this anchor holds firm and stable, we are safe.

The third evidence of the faith of God's elect.

THIRDLY, Faith will evidence itself by a diligent, constant endeavour to keep itself and all grace in due exercise, in all ordinances of divine worship, private and public.

This is the touch-stone of faith and spiritual obedience, the most intimate and difficult part of this exercise: where this is not, there is no life in the soul. There are two things whereby men do or may deceive themselves herein: 1. Abounding in the outward performance of duties, or a multiplication of them; hereby hypocrites have in all ages deceived themselves; Isa. lviii. 2, 3. And it was the covering that the church of Rome provided for their apostacy from the gospel : an endless multiplication of religious duties was that which they trusted to, and boasted in; and we may find those daily that pretend a conscience, as unto the constant observation of outward duties, and yet will abstain from no sin that comes in the way of their lusts. And men may and do ofttimes abide constant in them, especially in their families, and in public; yea, multiply them beyond the ordinary measure, hoping to countenance themselves in other lusts, and neglects thereby. 2. Assistance of gifts in the performance of them; but as this may be, where there is not one dram of grace, saving grace, so when

rested in, it is a most powerful engine to keep the soul in formality, to ruin all beginning of grace, and to bring an incurable hardness in the whole soul.

Wherever faith is in sincerity, it will constantly labour, endeavour, and strive, to fill up all duties of divine worship with the living, real, heart-acting of grace; and where it doth not so, where this is not attained, it will never suffer the soul to take any rest or satisfaction in such duties; but will cast them away as a defiled garment. He that can pass through such duties without a sensible endeavour for the real exercise of grace in them, and without self-abasement on the performance of them, will hardly find any other clear evidence of saving faith in himself.

There are three evils that have followed the ignorance, or neglect, or weariness of this exercise of faith, which have proved the ruin of multitudes.

1. This hath been the occasion and original of all false worship in the world, with the invention of those superstitious rites and ceremonies wherein it consists. For men having lost the exercise of faith in the ordinances of worship that are of divine institution, they found the whole of it to be useless and burdensome unto them: for without this constant exercise of faith, there is no life in it, nor satisfaction to be obtained by it; they must therefore have something in it, or accompanying of it, which may entertain their minds, and engage their affections unto it: if this had not been done, it would have been utterly deserted by the most. Hereon were invented forms of prayer in great diversity, with continual diversions and avocations of the mind from what is proposed; because it cannot abide in the pursuit of any thing spiritual, without the exercise of faith: this gives it some entertainment by the mere performance, and makes it think there is something where indeed is nothing. Hereunto are added outward ceremonies of vestments, postures, and gestures of veneration unto the same end: there is no other design in them all, but to entertain the mind and affections with some complacency and satisfaction in outward worship, upon the loss or want of that exercise of faith, which is the life and soul of it in believers. And as any persons do decay herein, they shall find themselves insensibly sinking down into the use of these lifeless forms, or that