glowing affection, in as strong, and perhaps stronger, emotions than

ever.

Thus the believer' may have real love to God in exercise, exciting him to a cheerful and habitual discharge of duty, and a careful watch against evil, and yet feel little, or none, of that desirable tenderness of heart which, at other times, he experiences. He has grace in exercise, only it does not work in the same way as it does at some other times; and he in general enjoys a conscious satisfaction, that the more he knows of God, his holy law, and glorious gospel, the more he loves them. During this, he may have an abiding satisfaction that things are right with him. But this is a very different thing from a person, at all events, maintaining the safety of his state; yea, and reckoning himself, in so doing, to be strong in faith, giving glory to God, while carnality governs his spirit, and folly debases his conversation.

This case, no doubt, ofprevalence of carnality, evidences for glory so

The other case is, when, on a failure of evidence, from a reflection on past experiences, the believer has recourse to an immediate application to the Lord Jesus Christ, casting himself directly on his mercy, and relying on his word; seeing he has said, Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise east out. ten occurs. The believer, through the with some other causes, too often finds his obscured, that past experiences will afford but small consolation. At such a time, his mind is either easy, and carnally disposed; in that case, a few painful fears will do him no harm or else his heart is depressed with perplexity and gloom; in that case, nothing is better than immediately to go to Christ, as a poor sinner, for salvation. This is the shortest, and it is commonly the surest way. It is not best, in such a state of mind, to stand disputing, whether we have believed, or not be that as it may, the door of mercy is still open, and the Redeemer still says, Him that cometh to me, I will in nowise cast out. It is best, therefore, to make a fresh venture of our souls upon him; that, if we have never before trusted in him, we may now.

This is no more than he has a warrant, at any time, to do, let things be as they may with him: for, though internal qualifications are necessary to our concluding ourselves interested in Christ, yet VOL. VII.

3

it is not so in respect of application to him. The perplexed soul need not stay, before he ventures, to inquire whether he be fit to come to Christ. It is not required that he should prove his saintship before he applies for mercy, though it is, before he claims an interest in gospel-blessings. All that is necessary here is, that he be sensible of his being a vile and lost sinner: and that is not to be considered as a qualification, giving him a right to come, but as a state of mind essential to the act itself of coming.

Many a Christian has found sweet rest to his soul by such a direct application to Christ; and surely it would be much better for Christians who go almost all their life in painful perplexity, lest they should be mistaken at last, if instead of perpetually poring on past experiences, they were to practice more in this way. This would furnish them with present evidence, which is much the best and what God best approves; for he loves to have us continue to exercise our graces, and not barely to remember that we have exercised them sometime or other, heretofore. This, in some sort, may be called walking by faith, and not by sight; and, in this case, faith may, in some sense, be opposed to spiritual sight. It is opposed to that discernment which we sometimes have of being true Christians, from a review of past experiences. But, then, this is ever attended with present spiritual discernment of Christ's excellence, and a longing desire after interest in him; and, herein, essentially differs from what we have been opposing. Confidence, in the one case, is nothing else but carnal security, tending to make men easy without God: confidence, in the other, is an actual venture of the soul afresh on the Lord Jesus, encouraged by his gracious testimony. The subject of the one considers himself as an established saint; the other, as a poor, lost sinner, and deals with Christ for salvation, just as he did when he first applied to him. To the one we say, Be not high-minded, but fear to the other, Fear not, thou shalt not be ashamed; none ever trusted in him, and was confounded.

In what sense, then, do we walk by faith, and not by sight? answer, in general, Walking by faith is a GOING FORWARD in the

WAYS OF GODLINESS, AS influenced, NOT BY SENSIBLE, BUT BY INVISIBLE OBJECTS; OBJECTS, OF THE REALITY OF WHICH WE HAVE

NO EVIDENCE BUT THE TESTIMONY OF GOD. But, perhaps, faith may be considered as opposed to sight, more particularly, in three senses; namely, to corporal sight, to the discoveries of mere reason, and to ultimate vision.

ers.

1. To walk by faith is opposed to walking by corporal sight. In this sense we shall find it plentifully used in the eleventh chapter to the Hebrews, concerning Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and othThus Abel, by faith, offered a more excellent offering than Cain. God had said, in effect, once for all, that he would never speak, nor be spoken to, in a way of friendship, by any of the bu man race, but through a mediator. This was intimated, partly by man's being debarred from all access to the tree of life, partly by the promise of the woman's seed, and partly by the institution of sacrifices. Cain overlooked all these, and approached God without an expiatory sacrifice; as if there had been no breach between therm, and so no need of an atonement. This was an instance of daring unbelief Abel, on the contrary, took God at his word, perceived the evil of sin, and the awful breach made by it; dared not to bring an offering without a victim for atonement; had respect to the promised Messiah; and thus, by faith in the unseen Lamb, offered a more excellent offering than Cain.

Thus also it is said of Noah, By faith he being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, &c. No doubt, the world were ready to despise Noah, while building his ark, as an enthusiast, whose faculties were probably deranged, who put himself to a deal of trouble, and wanted to put other people to as much, merely through a notion that ran in his head, that the world should be drowned. Why, was there any thing in the world that looked like it, or seemed to portend such an event? Nothing at all all things seemed to continue as they were from the creation. What, then, could induce Noah to do as he did? Nothing but the testimony of God, which he credited, and acted accordingly.

So also it is said of Abraham, when called to go into another country, by faith he obeyed, and went out, NOT KNOWING WHITHER A pretty errand it would seem, to his friends and

HE WENT.

neighbours. It is possible that some of these, observing him preparing for a journey, might inquire whither he was going. Going? I am going to a land which the Lord is to show me.' 'And have you ever seen this land?' 'No: I neither know the country, nor a step of the way to it.' 'A fine tale, indeed! but seriously, what in the world can move you to such an undertaking?” 'I rely upon the testimony of God. He hath said, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, unto a land THAT I WILL SHOW THEE: I take him at his word, and act accordingly.'

These were cases in point for the Apostle to quote. The Hebrews seemed hardly contented with an unseen High-priest, an invisible religion. They had been used to priests and sacrifices that they could hear, and see, and handle, with their bodily senses. Like their fathers by Moses, therefore, they were ready to say of Jesus, 'We know not where he is gone; come, let us make us a captain, and return to Judaism.' 'Judaism!' says the Apostle, 'methinks true Judaism would condemn you. All your forefathers acted upon a principle which you seem about to abandon. They walked by faith, not by sight. They lived, they died, in the faith, even in the faith of that very Messiah of whom you make so light.'

In this sense, it is easy to see, faith and sight are to be taken, in our Lord's rebuke to Thomas, when he says, Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. It is as if he had said, 'You think you have acted very prudently; but what must the Christian word do, in after ages, if they act upon your principle? Christianity, in the whole of it, will depend upon testimony: whoever receives it after your death, yea, in your life time, besides yourselves, must receive it upon your testimony. Blessed are they that shall cordially so receive it; and blessed had you been, Thomas, to have set them the example, by believing the testimony of your brethren.'

2. Faith may be considered as opposed to the discoveries of mere reason, unassisted by revelation. In this sense it seems to be used in reference to Sarah. Through faith she received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. How Sa

rah should have a son, was not only indiscernible by the corporal eye, but by an eye of reason; since it must be, if at all, entirely beside the common course of nature. She had nothing to rely upon, in this case, but the promise of God.

We do not suppose faith and right reason to be opposites: that be far from us. On the contrary, nothing is more evident, than that Christianity is entirely a rational system; and it is its glory that it is so. We should never have been required to give a reason for the hope that is in us, if there had been no reason to be given. But, though nothing in revelation be contrary to right reason, yet there are many things which our reason could never have found out, had they not been made known by the Supreme Intelligence. The plan of redemption by Jesus Christ, in particular, contains a set of truths which the eye had never seen, nor the ear heard, nor had they entered the heart of man to conceive, had not God revealed them to us by his Spirit. For all the pleasure that we enjoy, brethren, in contemplating these glorious truths, we are wholly indebted to the testimony of God. Indeed, so far are they from being discoverable by mere reason, that every blessing contains in it abundantly more than men or angels could have asked or thought! It staggers our reason to receive it, even now it is told At every pause we must stand and wonder, saying, Is this the manner of man. O Lord!

us.

Not only was our reason incapable of finding out many truths before they were revealed; but, even now they are revealed, they contain things above our comprehension. It is one thing to say, that scripture is contrary to right reason, and another thing to say, it may exhibit truths too great for our reason to grasp.* God

* May not the great disputes which have taken place concerning faith and reason, as if the one were opposite to the other, have arisen, in a great degree, from using the term reason without defining it? The word reason, like the word understanding has two senses. 1. It signifies the fitness of things. So the apostles used it, when they said, It is not REASON that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables: that is, it is not fit, or proper. 2. It signifies our power or capacity of reasoning. So it is said of Nebuchadnezzar, that his reason returned to him: that is, his power or capacity of reasoning. Now, it is easy to see, that these are two essentially-different ideas: the one is perfect and immutable, remaining always the same: the other is shattered and broken by sin, and liable