The life of faith in three parts, the first is a sermon on Heb.…

Nay, you must not only have first this special love; but also must have so much knowledge, that indeed you have it, as you will have knowledge of your special interest in Christ, and the love of God: for no act of Faith will truly evidence special grace, which is not immediately and intimately accompanied with true love to God our Father and Redeemer, and the ultimate object of our Faith: Nor can you any further perceive or prove, the sincerity of your Faith it self, than you discern in or with it, the Love here mentioned. For Faith is not only an act of the Intellect, but of the Will also: And there is no volition or consent to this or any offered good, which hath not in it the true nature of Love: and the intention of the end, being in order of nature, before our choice or use of means; the intending of God as our end, cannot come behind that act of Faith, which is about Christ as the chosen means or way to God.

Therefore make this your great and principal use of your Faith, to receive all the expressions of Gods Love in Christ, and thereby to kindle in you a love to God; that first the ⟨p. 154⟩special true belief of Gods more common love and grace, may kindle in you a special love, and then the sense of this may assure you of your special interest in Christ; and then the assurance of that special interest, may increase your love to a much higher degree: And thus live by Faith in the work of Love.

Direct. 7. That you may understand what that Faith is which you must live by, take in all the parts (at least that are essential to it) in your description; and take not some parcels of it for the Christian Faith; nor think no• that it must needs be several sorts of Faith, if it have several objects; and hearken not to that dull Philosophical subtlety, which would persuade you that Faith is but some single physical act of the soul.