do, will be
acceptable to God [Heb. xi. 6.]. I have briefly informed you what you are
to believe--That you are sinners, that Jesus Christ is an all-sufficient
and willing Saviour--and that the word of God both warrants and commands
you to look to him for salvation. This looking unto Jesus, is what we
particularly mean by faith or believing. When we cordially and entirely
rely upon him, upon the invitation of the promises of God, for
pardon, peace, and eternal life, then we believe.

All who thus believe, through grace, are required and commanded to be
careful of maintaining good works [Titus. iii. 8.]. As our moral, and what
are often called, our virtuous actions, are to be tried by our religious
principles; it is equally true, that our religious principles or at
least the proof that they are indeed OUR principles, must be evidenced
by our moral conduct. These two are so inseparably connected, that you
may depend upon it, where one of them is wanting, what bears the name
of the other, is no better than pretended. If what we profess to
believe does not make us humble, honest, chaste, patient, and thankful,
and regulate our tempers and behaviour, whatever good opinion we
may form of our notions or state, we are but deceiving ourselves. The
tree is known by its fruits [James. ii. 17,18.; Matt. vii. 20.]. In this
way true believers are equally distinguished from profane sinners, and
from specious hypocrites. The change in their hearts always produces a
change in their whole deportment. Sin, which was once their delight, is
now the object of their hatred. It was once necessary as their food, but
now they avoid it as poison. They war, watch, and pray against it. And
their delight is to study the revealed will of God.

By these tests you may judge of your true state before God. Surely you
cannot suppose that your inward state is GOOD, while your outward
conduct is BAD. Hence you may be assured that no unclean person, or
profane swearer, no one who lives in direct opposition to the commands
of God, can be, while he continues in this course, a true christian.
Such a supposition would be no less absurd, than it would be to
suppose, that a man is a good and peaceable subject, though he lives in
open rebellion against the king. You may as well conceive of a
holy devil, as of an unholy christian.

I hope you will not mistake me. I do not mean that true christians are
without sin. But I affirm, that no true christian can live in a