ginal, and how it was brought about, in ver. 2. And then expreffes the happinefs of it, offering a folemn thanksgiving to God upon that account, because they were new-born to the heavenly inheritance, and preferved by divine power in the way that led to poffeffion, ver. 3, 4, 5. In this their happy ftate, he fays, they could rejoice, even in the midit of various fufferings which attended them; for they knew, that thofe fufferings were only trials of their faith, and upon their acquitting themfelves well in the trial, would redound to their own, as well as to their Master's "praife and honour and glory, at the appearing of Jefus Christ," ver. 6, 7. Upon the mention of Chrift's name, the Apostle adds an elegant reprefentation, how they food affe&ted to him. Whom, having not feen," &c. Wherein we may obferve,

1. Their temper itself towards the Lord Jefus. They believed in him: That was fundamental to all the reft. And their faith wrought by love; they loved him, upon the fentiments they entertained concerning him, with a faith unfeigned, And this faith and love produced a joy in him. The difpofition of mind towards our bleffed Lord, to which Christianity calls us, may be fummed up in thefe three things. But then we are to observe,

2. A circumftance of feeming difadvantage taken notice of in the cafe of thefe converts, beyond the cafe of fome others. Some had feen the Lord; had had the advantage of being fpectators of his life and miracles, of his death and refurrection and afcenfion into hea

wen, and had heard the gracious words which proceeded out of his lips. This was the privilege of Peter himself, and of the other difciples during Chrift's abode below. But the Chriftians in the text had not had the fame opportunity; they had not feen him, because he was withdrawn into heaven before they came to the knowledge of him or of his Gofpel. Herein their circumftances were parallel to ours; the fame with all those, who, after Chrift's entrance into glory, are called to believe in him through the word of the Gofpel.

I intend to difcourfe particularly of the three feveral branches of the difpofition of Chriftians here mentioned; and fhall keep in view this circumftance of his being unfeen, in the confideration of each.

I. Faith in Chrift is an effential branch of the chriftian temper, and neceffary to be cultivated in us who fee him not. This is the peculiar and the firft call of the Gofpel whereever it comes, next to a belief of the Gofpelrevelation in general, that men believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift. It is made the grand term of our intereft in the various bleflings of grace and glory, which are offered to finners: We have no encouragement given us to expect the acceptance of our perfons or of any of our fervices without it: and we are directed to it, as the principle of the whole divine life. So the Apoftle tells us, Gal. ii. 20. "The life, which I now live in the flefh, (which, in the verfe before, he fays, was a living unto God; this life) I live by the faith of the Son of God." His whole life of godliness was in

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fluenced and animated by this: hence he derived his principal motives to it, and his main fupports and encouragements under the difficulties attending it: hereby he was furnifhed with ftrength and grace fufficient for it and by this means the whole was acceptable to God through Jefus Chrift. And of the fame im portance is faith in Christ to every one of us. Upon this therefore I would,

First, Give you a brief account of the nature of faith in Chrift.

Secondly, Confider it as that which we are called to exercise in our prefent circumstances, without feeing him.

First, The nature of faith in Chrift is briefly to be explained. And it must be underftood to comprehend thefe two things.

1. A firm perfuafion of the truth of what the Gospel teftifies concerning him.

The whole compafs of the divine revelation concerning this bleffed Perfon, is the thing to be believed. The discovery of him was made gradually, the light not breaking in all at once. Some notices were given of him immediately upon the fall, as a neceffary foundation of hope to apoftate creatures; and through the feveral periods of God's antient church," to him gave all the prophet witnefs." But all the prophets and the law (only) prophefied until John," Mat. xi. 13. i. c. Though they defcribed or prefigured the Meffiah in his principal characters, yet there was a degree of obscurity attending all this; as a matter is not equally clear in a prophefy what it is in the accomplishment; till John VOL. I.

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the Baptift came, and directly pointed out the perfon. When Chrift himself entered upon his public miniftry, the main thing, which he took care to inculcate and give evidence of, was his being the true Meffiah, and the great Prophet fent by God, promised under the Old Teftament, and expected by good men from gave indeed many age to age. He intimations of the dignity of his perfon, of his priestly and regal offices, and of the great defign of his death yet it is plain, that these things were but darkly apprehended by his own difciples, till the defcent of the Spirit, who was to lead them into all truth. But now in the New Teftament, we have the whole teftimony of God concerning him completed. And all that taken together, is the object of the chriftian faith his divine perfon, as God over all bleffed for evermore; as the Word, who was in the beginning, who was with God [the Father,] and who was God: his incarnation, or that he was "the Word made flesh, God manifefted in the flesh :" his life and actions and fufferings in the human nature: the doctrine he preached, and the mighty works he did the propitiation he made for our fins, by dying the juft for the unjuft: his refurrection from the dead, and afcenfion into heaven, and conftant interceffion for us there at God's right hand the univerfal kingdom and dominion committed to him as Mediator; his claims from us as fuch; the fulness of grace dwelling in him for our fupply; and the many bleffings he hath authority to bestow upon us in his appointed way and his fecond coming

at

at the end of the world to complete the defigns of his mediatorial kingdom. All and every part of the difcovery made in Scripture concerning Chrift, is the matter of a Chriftian's faith, as far as he can perceive it to be revealed there.

Now the first act of faith is a firm perfuafion of the truth of this teftimony. A doubtful and wavering opinion will have little practical influence. Nothing can effectually animate and engage to that divine temper, to which faith in Chrift is intended to raise us; nothing can furnifh us out a conftant fupply and nourishment for maintaining fuch a fpirit; nothing can carry through the exercife of it in all weathers and trials, fhort of a lively and ftedfaft conviction of the truth of the Gofpel. The practice of most nominal Chriftians is a proof of this; and the unevenness and inconftancy which we all find, in our own frames from the infirmity of our faith, fhews of what importance it is to be daily confirming the affenting act of faith. Many of Chrift's difciples, while he was below, having but a faint and weak perfuafion about his character, "went back, and walked no more with him," John vi. 66. But that, which under the influence of divine grace fecured the rest who continued with him, was this, that "they believed, and were fure, that he was the Chrift, the Son of the living God, ver. 69.

2. A perfonal acceptance of Chrift according to his character in the gospel, or a confent that he shall be fuch to us, enters into the nature of faving faith in him. A Chriftian's