SERMON IV.

"According to your faith be it unto you."-MATTHEW ix. 29.

It is obvious to every individual, who is at all acquainted with the gospel of Christ, that faith is a grace of pre-eminent importance. The Apostle Paul occupies one entire section of his incomparable epistle to the Hebrews, in defining its nature and effects. St Peter tells us that it is "much more

precious than gold :" it is derived from a better origin. Gold is the product of the earth; faith is the gift of God, and cometh down from heaven. It partakes of a better nature. Gold is but dust refined; faith is a spiritual, incorruptible treasure. It is of more intrinsic worth. Gold may invest us with the favor of men, and many worldly advantages; faith invests us with the favor of God, and all the blessings of eternity. "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus;" "and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ." Faith is the author of a better and more certain hope. That which springs from gold, will be swept away like the spider's web, because it is built only on glittering dust; but hope, the offspring of faith, will never perish, because it rests on the immutable rock of God's own testimony; "and heaven and earth shall pass away, but one jot, or one tittle of his word shall never fail." In short, so important, so precious is faith, that without it, no man can be saved. Next to the love of God, it is the most essential article to our salvation. From his love emanates every act

of mercy toward man; and from our faith springs every act of holy, acceptable obedience to God. "Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin."

It is not our design to confine your attention to the narrative immediately connected with our text; but from that and other instances of faith, in those who came to Christ to be healed, it will be our aim to illustrate the nature of saving faith; and we conceive that they are most happily adapted to the case before us. It is obvious, that those miraculous performances were designed, not only to establish the Saviour's doctrines, and to confirm his mission, but also to illustrate and explain the nature of his doctrines, and to develope the object of his mission. There is, for instance, a striking analogy between the diseases of the body, and the moral maladies of the soul. The resemblance holds good in the extraordinary remedy in both cases. Who could have thought of Siloam's water restoring sight to the blind, or Bethesda's pool giving strength to the lame? And who could have thought of deriving life and strength from the Redeemer's blood? The instrument of healing is in both cases the same; "if thou believest" was the language to the sick; "if thou believest" is the language addressed to sinners; "if thou believest, thou shalt be saved." Singly and collectively, our Saviour's miracles are "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, and for instruction in righteousness." Individually, they usually illustrate some one important point; collectively, they throw light upon truth generally. Thus, one is raised from the dead, to show us that men are dead in trespasses and sins, and that salvation is an act of sovereign. grace; another comes voluntarily to be healed, to teach us that God expects to find in us a willing mind; a third is restored upon the prayer and faith of a friend, to show us the efficacy of fervent prayer in behalf of them that are out of the way. Collectively, these miracles teach us that all men

are by nature wretched and depraved; that Christ is the only Saviour, and that salvation is through faith.

Before we enter further into our subject, we would make one remark, which will tend to divest it of that air of mystery which has been thrown around it by the labored explanations of men, who have but darkened counsel, by words without knowledge.

Our remark is, that faith, so far from being the most incomprehensible, is the simplest act of the mind. Faith, credence, or belief, is in every instance one and the same principle. It is not one thing in the common concerns of life, another in miracles, and another in salvation, but is, as it has been well defined, in all cases, "the influential belief of testimony." Thus the mariner believes upon the evidence of competent witnesses, that in certain parts, there are dangerous rocks, and it influences the course of his navigation. The sick believed upon sufficient ground, that Christ and his Apostles were able to heal their sicknesses, and they sought for relief. And upon the testiomny of the word of God, we believe, that sin unpardoned, will be attended with awful consequences; upon the same testimony, we believe that Christ is able and willing to save from the love, and power, and curse of sin, and this faith influences our heart and life.

With this remark premised, we proceed to illustrate the nature of that faith which is unto salvation, in the manner we have already proposed.

I. We observe, first, that saving faith is a principle of

assurance.

By assurance, we do not mean that persuasion of the mind whereby one is enabled to say that he is in a state of salvation; though we doubt not that this is a privilege which all Christians may attain, and towards which all Christians

ought continually to aim. That the disciples of old were evangelically assured of their gracious state, must be admitted, if there be any meaning in such declarations, as, we know that we are of God," and "we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." That it may still be attained is equally manifest, if there be any propriety in urging Christians to "examine themselves, whether they be in the faith." But, that it is either generally attained, or that it is at all essential to the nature of saving faith, we are by no means warranted to affirm. It is indeed necessary to our peace and comfort, and when joy and consolation are most needed, this holy assurance is usually the most strong; witness saints in persecution, martyrs at the stake, and Christians on their sick and dying beds. The promise is, "as thy day is, so shall thy strength be;" but what can so fill the soul with resignation, and enable it to look forward to the last great change. with composure, yea with desire, as an inward persuasion that we are the children of God? Let Christians then follow after this holy assurance in health and prosperity, or it may fail to succour them in sickness and adversity. Follow after it, Christians, in a way of holy obedience. It is not produced in the soul by an effort of the mind, but is the result of close walking with God. Follow after it; it will make thy soul fruitful in joy and peace; it will renew thy inner man with firm, unshaken strength; it will give thee "an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

We have said, that faith is a principle of assurance; by which we mean a persuasion of the mind in the all-sufficiency of Christ. Thus, the Centurion's faith persuaded him that a word from Christ could as easily control the disease

of his servant, as his command would ensure obedience from the soldiers placed under his authority. Thus, the faith of the woman, who had many years tried the skill of physicians and could not be healed, persuaded her, that if she might “but touch the hem of his garment, she would be made whole." Thus, Martha was assured, that whatever Jesus asked of his Father, it would be done; "I know that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee." Here, in each instance, is a full persuasion of Christ's sufficiency to meet each individual case. But what gave such energy to their faith? The known ability and benevolence of the object of their faith. Their confidence was grounded upon testimony. They knew the promise which testified of the Messiah, that when he came, "the eyes of the blind should be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; that the lame man should leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb should sing." They had heard or seen that the promise was verified; "the dead were raised, the lepers cleansed, and the blind received their sight;" and it gave birth in them, to a vigorous, active faith.

Upon such testimony, O sinner! such faith is demanded from thee, in His sufficiency to bring salvation to thy soul. Observe, we assume the idea, that you are sensible of your state as a sinner; that you feel yourself polluted as a leper; helpless as a paralytic; wretched as a demoniac; and unless a Saviour can be found, as inevitably exposed to eternal ruin, as ever any disease subjected any mortal frame to temporal death. Is the assumption false? Ah! my hearer, it is in vain then that we talk with you of faith in Christ, for the whole need not, and they who fancy themselves whole will not seek a physician, but they that are sick. Go thou first, and learn that "the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint," and that a malignant distemper pervades