Page DISCOURSE I.: The Birth and Growth of FAITH. ROM. i. 17. Therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. HE light of the natural day is fo ordered by Providence as not to fall on the eye, all at once, in its full luftre, but rifes and encreases by infenfible degrees, left that organ of fight should either be forced to fhut itself up in voluntary darkness, or be expofed to the danger of lofing its power of vision. In like manner, he who is ftiled the Eaft, the Light, and Righteousness, breaks not forth on us, at firft in all his brightness, but difcovers himself, bere a little, and there a little, and fo fbineth more and more unto the perfect day of that evangelical knowledge, which lays open too deep and too glorious a mystery of wisdom, power, and love, to be endured by the human mind, were it not gradually difpenfed. Reason, weak reafon, must have fled from, or been loft in, a light fo over-powering, had it burft at the first moment in its full noon of brightness, on that naturally benighted and enfeebled faculty. From the beginning therefore it VOL. IV. B did did but dawn on the world through an obfcure, but confolatory prophecy; fhone fomewhat more clearly through the promise made to Abraham; emitted a ftill more diftinguishable and fteady ray through the typical inftitutions, and vicarious facrifices of the Mofaical law; became more characteristical in the prophecies of David, Ifaiah, and others; marked out the time of its own meridian in thofe of Daniel; grew more diffufive, in the repeated captivities of the Jews; and being preceded by its morning ftar the Baptift, had its day-fpring in the birth, and arose to its full height in the miracles, preachings, fufferings, and refurrection of Christ. Even in this fullest difplay of itself, a fingular fimplicity and plainness of drefs, allaying its heat, and veiling its brightness, prefents it to the mind through a Chili fky, fo tempered as neither to fcorch nor glare. Thus was the gofpel introduced; and thus in that gofpel, was the righteoufnefs of God revealed in Chriß, whereby not only the rectitude, but the mercy alfo, of his dealings with men, is fully iuftified to us, and we to him. Here we fee, how from the lowest degree of faith, excited by the least ftriking lights or proofs, a yet higher and stronger is produced, as the lights advance in number and force.o Parallel to this progrefs of faith among mankind. in general, is another, made in the breaft of every individual Chriftian, who first believes in the gospel hiftory, as he does in any other, on the ftrength of the teftimony afforded by its witneffes; then refigning his heart to that, which his judgment had pronounced fo true, and fo replete at the fame time with God's infinite goodnefs to him, he foon finds his rational or human, improved into divine faith by the demonftration of the Spirit. He, like the church of God, is trained by dimmer lights to bear the more vivid, and as the eye of his mind is more and more familiarifed to the light, that light pours on him in a ftronger beam, and opens to his view the incomprehenfible wonders of that original righteousness, which interpofing between the divine and human nature, juftifies God to the reafon of man, and man to the mercy of God. If the faith of a Chriftian can be vindicated as ra tional, and well founded in the first step of its progrefs, and, in the fecond, as productive of real goodness and folid happiness, wherever it takes place; I hope, it will be amply vindicated at the fame time against the cavils of those infidels, who, to run down Chriftian faith, treat faith in general as a weak credulity, vilify both as not founded on argument, and endeavour to reprefent the former as rather a vice, if not supported by evidence; at least as no virtue, if countenanced by that which is fufficient. This good defign, together with another, namely, to make faith somewhat more intelligible, than it is at prefent, among the profeffors of Chriftianity, will be attempted in a fhort feries of difcourfes on that fubject, which I intend, with God's permiffion, to deliver from this place. Whether the one or the other of these defigns is of the greater confequence to truth, will not be known, till it is determined, which of the two, our fenfelefs controversies about faith, or the artful attacks made on it by our common adversaries, have been the more fruitful fource of confufion. Faith, as an inlet to, or a branch of knowledge, is well enough defined, and diftinguished from the other inlets and branches, by logicians. But to this definition and diftinction, our controvertists on the fubject of faith feem to pay little or no regard. Yet till knowledge, in its feveral branches, and in this particularly, is carefully analyfed, and closely confidered, there will be no end of mistakes. That we may not therefore continue to talk at random on a fubject of fuch infinite moment, Let us first briefly delineate these branches, as diftinct from one another, that we may fee their mutual connections, and find out the comparative dependence which we may fafely have on each. After this, let us lay down fuch rules for regulating our belief in all cafes, as may diftinguish, in the clearest manner, the credible from the contrary reports. The ufe, nay the abfolute neceflity of doing both will evidently appear by applying that delineation, and these rules, to Chriftian faith in particular. In the first place then, there are certain luminous truths, which we either receive through our fenfes, or more inwardly feel the force of, by immediate contact, as it were, with the very faculties of our minds. Thefe truths of both forts, which I call, primary, carry their own evidence with them, and produce full conviction, without the help of borrowed lights or proofs. At the fame time that they difcover themselves to all capacities by their own native luftre, they also enlighten and prove fuch other points, not evident in themselves, as are naturally connected with them, and can be brought by the mind within the influence of their light. To give an inftance of each; one thing I know, faith he in the gospel, whom Chrift cured of his blindness, that whereas I was blind, now I fee. God heareth not finners, (the vileft impoftors he means) so as to work miracles at their request. This kind of knowledge, by an expreffion taken from a particular fenfation applied to all our immediate perceptions of truth, whether external or internal, is called intuitive, is in its outward and proper fenfe enjoyed by man in common with the whole animal creation; and, in a metaphorical fenfe, but reftrained |