"that hath the Son hath life." In it the whole of Christ is set before us; viz. his person, love, covenant-engagements, incarnation, life, sacrifice, salvation, offices, fulness of grace, and riches of mercy, with the testimony of God concerning him. Every thing concern ing Christ in this record of God is clear and plain. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ gives us therein his own thoughts of Immanuel, declares his everlasting acceptance of him, and his infinite complacency in him and his finished work. He records in it the inestimable perfection, the eternal virtue, and the perpetual efficacy of the life and death of his co-equal Son. He pre sents his Son to us in the word of his grace in the very same light and point of view, in which he beholds him; proclaiming him to be his elect, in whom his soul delighteth, and testifying that his blood cleanseth from all sin. The Holy Spirit takes of the things of Christ thus revealed, and shews them to the believer; and by this way and means exalts him in the mind and heart, and makes him supremely glorious in the view of faith. The views which faith takes in of Christ are true and real, being founded on the account which God hath given of his Son. What is revealed of Christ in the word must have

its existence in the mind, and be there stated just as it is in the scripture, or we cannot make a proper advantage of it. The apprehensions which the believer takes in of Christ by faith must be strong and lively to influence his heart, and to enable him to live a life of faith on the Son of God. The gift and grant of eternal life must be understood, or he cannot set his seal to it by believing. The life of faith consists in the believer's living on Christ, in the exercise of his spiritual faculties on him, as set forth in the word; and the highest lefson in the school of Christ is to learn to live on Christ in the word, as exactly suited to every want, wound, weakness, and misery, which we feel ourselves to be the subjects of. The believer reads, and through the power of the eternal Spirit he believes it to be an immutable truth, that there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and that they testify that there is life and salvation for every one that believeth in Jesus; that the gift of God is eternal life, and that this life is in his Son. He considers that his receiving God's testi mony and believing the record, which he hath given of his Son, is a real evidence of his interest in Jesus. Faith gives a real subsistence or existence to

Christ and the things of Christ in the believer's mind. From what he receives from the word concerning him he is led to exercise his mind in spiritual contemplations on him. And his life of faith consists in living over in his own mind the great thoughts which God the Father hath of his Son. The believer's mind is fed in spiritual contemplations on the Father's everlasting love, which he bears to his co-equal Son, and the delight which he takes in him; who is the object of his infinite complacency. What he beholds in Christ and his work of salvation fills him with real satisfaction: so that what the believer apprehends of Christ is the life of his soul. His faith is just what his knowledge of Christ is. What he takes in of the knowledge of Jesus feeds, sustains, and strengthens his faith. His living over in his own heart what is revealed of the person, love, and work of Immanuel, is living on Christ; and the mean of his living on the most precious Jesus is the word. There the heart of Christ is opened, his bowels of mercy displayed, and the perfection of his work described and the exceeding great and precious promises, which are contained therein, exprefs his immutable love and fulness of grace, as every way suited to relieve and comfort him. The believer

He

finds it his duty to renounce self constantly, and to make use of Christ continually. His practical divinity consists in this: and so far as he lives on Christ in the word, exercises his mind on him as set forth therein, and brings him into all things which concern him, both for soul and body, for life and death, for time and eternity, he lives a life of faith;-he lives Christ, which is such a life as cannot be exceeded, but by the life of glory. Whilst the believer is living thus, he gets above himself, and learns to renounce himself. finds nothing in himself to encourage his heart and hope in God. His whole salvation is in the finished work of Jesus. The ground and warrant of his faith are the record of God concerning his Son. The whole foundation of his hope in God is without him. His faith produceth great experience; but is not nourished and increased by it. No. Christ is the immediate object of his faith. The word and promises are the means of nourishing it and faith is the exercise of the spiritual mind on Christ irrespective of any thing felt or experienced in us. It is a going off and out of ourselves to Christ for all things. It is trusting to him to be unto us just what he hath promised to be, and to fulfil his word to us, as far as it will be

for his glory and our good. Faith is both pafsive and active: it takes in the knowledge of Christ from the word, and is exercised on him accordingly. It is the eye of the mind, and Christ is the object; the word is the mean, and the Holy Ghost is the enlightener. He sets Christ forth in his own light in the word, and thereby gives the believer a clear and spiritual knowledge of him; and it is by what faith sees in Christ, his work, and word, that it is supported: not by any of its own acts or fruits. He finds himself most exactly suited to Christ, and Christ to him; and that his faith is most divinely suited to take in all that is revealed concerning his most precious and perfect salvation.

This

causes the believer to cleave to him with full purpose of heart. Having received Christ Jesus the Lord he walks in him by the same faith with which he received him. Believing in Christ and walking in him are but the repeated acts of one and the same faith. The object of faith is immutably the same. The word by which we believe on Christ changeth not. The testimony of God the Father is always one; and faith is also at all times one. There is never more ground for believing at one time than at another. Therefore the believer should be always exercising the same faith on