Without holding that which is a gift or improving upon it through good works, we can have no faith whereby to know that we must entirely rely upon God, and believe in him; and the apostle saith, "without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." They that have never had the gospel preached to them, but have done well with that portion of grace which is allotted to them, will yet hereafter both hear and understand when it shall be preached* (at any rate) before the end and consummation of the world, when" it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." But even now we may improve upon the gift of grace,-obtain an increase of the leaven, and advance from faith to faith; if thirsting for this wisdom from above, we rightly and sincerely ask, in singleness of heart. Elisha asked a double portion of Elijah's spirit, and his request was granted. "Whosoever hath, to him See the concluding part of this Treatise; but this matter will be better explained as we proceed. Faith is the light of the inner man, as the eye is the light of the body: as with the eye of the body, so with the eye of faith, "if the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! And if the salt hath lost its saltness, wherewith shall it be salted?" This is the blind state of unbelievers, "whose minds the god of this world hath blinded, so that the glorious brightness of the light of the gospel of Christ cannot enlighten them:" whilst on the other hand, the wise, seeking more and more for the gifts of grace, the wisdom which is from above, comprehend in an increasing fold the righte ousness of God; for, "in the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith." + The Jewish nation for the most part, though they probably believed in their prophets, did not receive the word as it was written, but gave (alas! we as too frequently do) private interpretations to prophecy, instead of " ascribing power to God," as required of them in the book of their law: the consequence was they did not believe in Christ who was the word, as they did not receive the words of their scriptures, it was not permitted them to receive the Lord, whose holy spirit had spoken by the mouth of their prophets; they rejected, therefore, the stone, the rock of salvation, who was the word; although in the book of their law it is written, "The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thine heart, that is (saith St. Paul) the word of faith, which we preach." Thus the light that was in them was blinded, that they could not comprehend the glorious liberty that there is in the word of faith; but they dwelt, or affected to dwell, upon the observances of a ceremonial law, which was purposely given to be as a yoke about the necks of the unrighteous; whilst the wise, that is, the accounted worthy, perceived that in doing justly, in loving mercy, and in walking humbly with their God, "hung all the law and the prophets." "The law was not made for a righteous man, but for sinners;" and this, for that incorrigibleness might come under the curse that is contained therein. 66 Why seek ye to put a yoke upon the necks of the disciples," saith the apostle Peter, "which neither we nor our fathers could bear? But we believe that through Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they." Thus did the merits of our Saviour atone for the sins of the accounted worthy of every generation and nation, both before and after his coming. The royal law, which is " to love thy neighbour as thyself,” is written in the heart, unless, neglectful of our spirit, our deeds have vailed it from our sight; wherefore we find in the heathen, which have not the advantages of the gospel, that they have that* within them, which is conscience, reproaching them if they have done unjustly. St. Paul expressly points out that this is the case, who saith, "For as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law. For, when the gentiles which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law are a law unto themselves: which show the work of the law written in their hearts; their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the while accusing or else excusing another." : * The Word. Without holding that which is a gift or improving upon it through good works, we can have no faith whereby to know that we must entirely rely upon God, and believe in him; and the apostle saith, "without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." They that have never had the gospel preached to them, but have done well with that portion of grace which is allotted to them, will yet hereafter both hear and understand when it shall be preached* (at any rate) before the end and consummation of the world, when" it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." But even now we may improve upon the gift of grace,-obtain an increase of the leaven, and advance from faith to faith; if thirsting for this wisdom from above, we rightly and sincerely ask, in singleness of heart. Elisha asked a double portion of Elijah's spirit, and his request was granted. "Whosoever hath, to him * See the concluding part of this Treatise; but this matter will be better explained as we proceed. |