In complete accordance with this clear statement on the subject of assurance, the Westminster Confession declares that this infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith "but that a true believer may wait long and conflict with many difficulties before he be a partaker of it." Such an assurance of a personal interest in Christ is so necessary to the peace and comfort of the believer, that he ought not to rest until he has attained a reasonable and well-grounded persuasion of it, but that persuasion cannot be obtained from an examination of the statements of the Bible, but from an examination of the state of the soul. "It is founded," says the Westminster Confession, "upon the Divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces into which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God; which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance whereby we are sealed unto the day of redemption." This assurance having respect to our own personal condition, has been often termed the assurance of sense, and is carefully to be distinguished from that assurance which has respect to the truth of the Divine testimony, and is therefore properly styled the assurance of faith.

Intimately connected with the questions which have been raised as to the nature of faith, is the kindred question-Whether or not man has an inherent capacity of believing unto the saving of the soul. The Pelagians in former days, who denied, and the Morisonians (see EVANGELICAL UNION) of our own day, who admit original sin, both agree in maintaining that man has in himself a power to believe. It is plainly impossible, however, consistently to hold the original and total depravity of man, and yet to maintain that he can of himself exercise saving faith. This all-important principle, indeed, is assumed in Scripture to be so completely opposed to the natural powers of the human mind, that the Spirit is said to work in the soul the work of faith with power. Faith belongs not to the natural, but to the renewed man. Were it nothing more than a bare assent to certain abstract truths, it would be otherwise, but since it involves a cordial embracing of the truth as it is in Jesus, and an implicit, exclusive dependence upon Christ for salvation, we are compelled to acknowledge the truth of our Lord's explicit statement on the subject; John vi. 44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

The grand controversy, however, on the subject of faith, respects the precise place which it holds in the justification of the sinner. This was the chief theological point on which the controversy turned between the Reformers and the Romanists in the sixteenth century. Luther declared the Scriptural doctrine on the subject of the connection between faith and the sinner's acceptance before God to be, that

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we are justified by faith alone. This he declared to be the article of a standing or a falling church. The Romanists, on the other hand, taught, to use the words of the Council of Trent, that "If any man shall say that the ungodly man is justified by faith only, so as to understand that nothing else is required that may co-operate to obtain the grace of justification, and that it is in no wise necessary for him to be prepared and disposed by the motion of his own will, let him be accursed." And again, "If any one shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in the Divine mercy, pardoning sins for Christ's sake, or that it is that confidence alone by which we are justified,-let him be accursed." Still further, "Whosoever shall affirm that the entire punishment is always remitted by God together with the fault, and therefore, that penitents need no other satisfaction than faith, whereby they apprehend Christ who has made satisfaction for them, let him be accursed." Such statements as these, which occur in the acknowledged standards of the Romish church, are plainly opposed to the statements of the Word of God. The apostle Paul teaches us that "by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." The same apostle tells us, that "we are justified by faith without the works of the law." Faith, however, is not the ground, but the means of justification. We are justified by means of faith; we are not justified because of faith. The sole ground of a sinner's justification is the righteousness of Christ imputed to him; and the manner in which a sinner becomes a partaker of that righteousness, is solely by a believing reception of it. That such is the doctrine of the Bible may be proved by such passages as these, Rom. iii. 20-22, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference." Gal. ii. 16, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Gal. iii. 11, "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident : for, The just shall live by faith." Rom. iii. 24, 'Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Another view of faith, in connection with justification, is that which is held by the Arminians, that faith is the ground of our acceptance, being substituted instead of that perfect obedience which formed the original ground of justification. In this view of the matter, God is considered as departing from that perfect obedience which he originally required from

man.

But such a supposition cannot for a moment be sustained. The law of God never can possibly demand less than it has always done, a perfect, uniform, universal obedience. Faith never can form our justifying righteousness, for it is itself a work, and in the apostolic view of justification, all works are excluded without a single exception, and we are justified by faith, not as constituting our righteousness, but as receiving the righteousness of Christ.

It is interesting to observe how well adapted faith is to promote the great design of God in our justification. On this subject, Dr. Dick makes the following judicious remarks: "Between grace and works there is an irreconcilable opposition, and the admission of the one involves the exclusion of the other. If we are justified by works, we are not justified freely; and the honour of grace, which gives without money and without price, is impaired. This would have been the effect if any act of ours had been made the condition of our justification, if we had been pardoned on account of our repentance and reformation, and restored to the favour of God on account of our love to him and sincere obedience to his law. But by the appointment of faith, the glory of grace is fully displayed. It cannot be supposed, that a poor man has any merit in taking the alms which are presented to him without his solicitation. It is not his acceptance which gives him a right to enjoy them, but the offer made by his charitable neighbour. It cannot be supposed, that there is any merit in consenting that Christ should perform for us what we could not perform for ourselves; any merit in relying on his obedience and sufferings, and acknowledging that there is nothing in ourselves which could recommend us to God. This consent to the suretiship of Christ, this dependence on his righteousness, is the essence of justifying faith. The wisdom of God is manifest in this constitution, which takes away from man every ground of boasting, abases his pride, and leads him to give all the praise to the true Author of salvation. Having saved us by his own arm, he makes it bare, if I may speak so. stretches it out openly, to make all men see that by it alone the mighty work was achieved. To the sinner nothing is left but to receive, with profound humility and gratitude, the precious gift which God most freely bestows. There is an express acknowledgment in the exercise of faith, that there is no goodness in himself for which God should be favourable to him; and he says, 'Surely in the Lord have I righteousness and strength.'

And besides, the faith which thus glorifies God in the sinner's justification is itself a Divine gift, wrought in the soul by the Holy Spirit. Lest, therefore, we should boast of this important grace, we are taught, that it comes not from ourselves, but from God. Salvation is of faith, that it might be, or rather might clearly appear to be, of grace; that all the glory might be ascribed to God alone, and sin

ful man might be seen to be simply the recipient of a justification wholly gratuitous.

FAITH (RULE OF). In all matters of religious controversy, nothing can be more important than to ascertain what is the common standard to which the contending parties may lawfully appeal with the view of settling the truth. On this point Romanists and Protestants are completely at variance. The Protestants confidently assert that the Bible, and the Bible alone, is to every Christian the rule of faith, being the only revelation of God to the world, and containing in itself all that is necessary to salvation. And in vindication of this opinion, they are wont to quote such passages as these;-2 Tim. iii. 15—17, "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Ps. xix. 7, "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." Rom. xv. 4, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." Jam. i. 21, "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls."

The Romanists, on the other hand, assert that Scripture is not the only rule of faith, but that tradition must be placed on the same footing, and received with equal reverence as the Bible; the unwritten and the written Word being in their view of equal authority. The creed of Pope Pius IV. divides tradition into two kinds,-apostolical, which refers to doctrine; and ecclesiastical, which refers to ceremonies instituted by the church. Some Roman Catholic writers speak of three kinds of tradition,— divine, apostolical, and ecclesiastical. Divine tradition they regard as that which was delivered by Christ himself; apostolical, as that which the apostles received by inspiration; and ecclesiastical, as that which has been taught by the church. Besides adding tradition to Scripture, the Romish church adds to both the decrees of the church, and declares such decrees to be infallible.

The question in dispute between Romanism and Protestantism as to the rule of faith, is not whether the Word of God is the rule, that being admitted on both sides, but what is to be regarded as the Word of God. Protestants believe that the Bible which is admitted to be the Divine Word, is the only certain, because the only inspired record of what Christ and his apostles taught, and therefore the only rule of faith. But Romanists allege that it is capable of proof, that many things were unwritten, as well as many things written, which Christ and the apostles