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SERMON XXI.

The Nature and Importance of Love to God.

Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God.-JOSHUA Xxiii. 11.

SERMON XXII.

Conformity to the Death of Christ.

Being made conformable unto his death.-PHIL. iii. 10.

SERMON XXIII.

The Life of Christ the Security and Felicity of his Church.

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.-REV. i. 18.

SERMON XXIV.

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Christianity the Antidote to Presumption and Despair.

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.-1. JOHN ii. 1.

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SERMON XXV.

The Sorrow attending Wisdom and Knowledge.

And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. ECCLES. i. 17, 18.

SERMON XXVI.

The Magnitude of the Heavenly Inheritance.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope: because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth, and travaileth in pain together until now: and not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.-Rom. viii. 18–23.

SERMON XXVII.

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The Principles and Prospects of a Servant of Christ. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto eternal life.-JUDE 20, 21.

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THE

NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF

WALKING BY FAITH.

SERMON I.

[Preached before the Northamptonshire Association, held at Nottingham, June 2, 1784.]

2 COR. v. 7.--WE WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT.

MUCH is said, concerning faith, in the holy scriptures, especially in the New Testament; and great stress is laid upon it, especially by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews. This, I apprehend, is not very difficult to be accounted for. Ever since the fall of man, we have been entirely dependent on the mercy of God, through a Mediator. We all lie at his discretion, and are beholden to his mere sovereign grace for all the happiness we enjoy. We have nothing on which we can rely for the possession or continuance of any good, but the word and will of God. The only life, therefore, proper for a fallen creature in our world, is a life of faith; to be constantly sensible of our dependence upon God, continually going to him, and receiving all from him, for the life that now is, and that which is to come.

Believers, and they only, are brought to be of a spirit suitable to such a kind of life. The hearts of all others are too full of pride and self-sufficiency; but these are contented to be pensioners on the bounty of another, can willingly commit their all into Christ's hands, and venture their present and everlasting concerns upon his word. The just shall live by faith.

Self-renunciation, and confidence in another, are ideas which seem ever to accompany that of faith. The Apostle speaks of being Vol. VII.

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justified by faith; that is, not by our own righteousnes, but by the righteousness of another: of living by faith; that is, not by our own earnings so to speak, but by the generosity of another of standing by faith; that is, not upon our own legs, as we should say, but upon those of another and, here, of walking by faith; which is as much as if he had said, 'We walk, not trusting our own eyes, but the eyes of another: we are blind, and cannot guide ourselves; we must, therefore, rely upon God, for direction and instruction.' This, my brethren, is the life we must live, while in this world, and this the manner in which we must walk in our progress toward the heavenly state. Great is the wisdom and goodness of God in so ordering it; great glory hereby redounds to him, and great good accrues to us.

All I shall attempt will be, to explain the NATURE, and show the IMPORTANCE, of the Christian's walk by faith. Both are necessary, the one, that we may form just ideas of what we have to do ; and the other, that we may feel our hearts excited to do it. O may the same SPIRIT who indited the sacred passage breathe upon us that these ends may be accomplished!

the sacred writer, Faith and sight, it

1. Let us inquire, WHAT IS INTENDED by when he says, We walk by faith, not by sight. is easy to see, here stand opposed: as, indeed, they do in many other parts of scripture; especially in that remarkable definition of faith, wherein the Apostle to the Hebrews calls it the evidence of things not seen. But what kind of sight it is opposed to, may deserve our attentive inquiry.

And here before I proceed any farther, in order to make the way clear, I will advert to a notion which has been too generally received, but which appears, to me, unscriptural and pernicious : what I refer to is, that faith is to be considered as opposed to spiritual sight, or spiritual discernment. It is true, I never heard of any person, either in preaching, writing or conversation, who said so in express words; but expressions are often used, which convey the same idea. When the terms faith and sense are used, it is common with many, to understand, by the latter, sensible communion with God. So it is common to hear a life of faith opposed to a life of frames and feelings. Those times in which we have

the most spiritual discernment of God's glory, sensible communion with him, and feel our love most ardently drawn out to him, are. thought to have the least of the exercise of faith. It is common to say,There is no need for faith then; at those times we live by sense but that, when all our graces seem dead, and we can see no evidence from whence to draw the favourable conclusion, then is the time to walk by faith." The meaning is, then is the time to believe all is well, and so rest easy, whether we have evidence that it is so, or not.

Thus we have often heard several passages of scripture applied, or rather miserably misapplied; for instance, that in the last chapter of Habakkuk Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and no herd in the stalls: yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my Salvation. As if, by the fig-tree not blossoming, &c. was meant the Christian graces not being in exercise; and that then was the time to walk by faith, to rejoice in the God of our salvation! That passage also concerning Abraham, who, against hope, believed in hope, has been understood, as if to be strong in faith, giving glory to God, like Abraham, was to maintain an unshaken persuasion of the goodness of our state, whether we have evidence, or no evidence.

So also that passage, in the fiftieth of Isaiah, has been frequently brought for this purpose: Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. As though a state of darkness, there, meant a state of mind wherein a person could discern no evidence whatever of his being a good man; and as though such were there encouraged to make themselves easy, and leave the matter with God, not doubting the goodness of their state. Our Lord's rebuke to Thomas has been understood in the same manner: Because thou hast seen me thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. As if a blessing should rest upon those, who, destitute of all discernible evidence of their Christianity, nevertheless believe it with an unshaken confidence. If this is to

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