These are not only joined with it, but may be said to be excited thereby; so that faith is, as it were, the principal of all other graces. Thus when the heart is drawn forth in love to Christ, it may be said, that _faith worketh by love_, Gal. v. 6. and when this love is accompanied with _joy unspeakable and full of glory_; this we have in a way of believing, and that which tends to excite the grace of love, is the view that faith takes of Christ’s mediatorial glory and excellencies, and the obligations we are under to love him, from his grace of love to us; and this is a strong motive, inducing us to express our love to him, by universal obedience, which is called, _the obedience of faith_, Rom. xvi. 26. When we exercise the grace of repentance, and thereby hate and turn from all sin, and are, in a peculiar manner, sensible, as we ought to be, of the sin of unbelief; it is faith that gives us this sense thereof, as it is best able to see its own defects. When we confess sin, or humble ourselves before God for it, faith views it not only as a violation of the divine law, but as an instance of the highest ingratitude; and when we desire, in the exercise of repentance, to forsake sin, faith makes us sensible of our own weakness, and puts us upon a firm and stedfast dependence on Christ, to enable us thereunto; and when, in the exercise of this grace, our consciences are burdened with a sense of guilt and unbelief is ready to suggest, that our sins are so heinously aggravated, that there is no room to hope for pardoning mercy, faith relieves us against these despairing thoughts, and encourages us to wait for the mercy of God, who will _abundantly pardon_, Isa. lv. 7. and with whom there is _forgiveness, that he may be feared_, Psal. cxxx. 4. And when we use endeavours to mortify sin, this is to be done by a fiducial view of Christ crucified; and when we encourage ourselves to hope that the indictment brought against us for it, was nailed to the cross of Christ; and that there is _no condemnation to us_, as being in him, Rom. viii. 1. and that, as the apostle says, _Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed: that henceforth we should no longer serve sin_, chap. vi. 6. all this is to be done by faith.