with money! Alas, for our sinfulness if our own righteousness could have suf ficed to recommend us to God! Alas, for our impotence if we had been left unaided to descend Bethesda's Pool! Alas, for our blindness if we had been left to ourselves to discover a door of Hope. ure is in heaven. Honors are presented; | for our poverty if it were to be bought these he despises also, content with the honor that comes from God. The votaries of sinful pleasures next address him; they promise all sorts of delights if he would stay and dwell with them. He closes his car to their deceitful song; he looks upward to Jesus his Lord and his God, and taking up the song of an old pilgrim he goes on his way singing: "Thou wilt show to me the path of life, In thy presence is fullness of joy, While in this plight Jesus comes to our relief. He brings a price-a righteousness-a strength-a light. He is the light of the world-the Sun of righteousness. He shines and dispels the gloom. O, how cheering are his But what will not men in general do in rays! As the beams of the morning order to obtain those very things which give hope and consolation to the bethe Christian rejects with so much dis-nighted traveler in some dreary wilderdain? What have they not done? An-ness, so does Jesus, the "day spring swer, ye battle-fields that have heard from on high," give light and hope the dying groans of so many myriads! to those who sit in "darkness, and in Answer, ye death-beds that have lis- the shadow of death." The light of tened to the lamentations of the vota-love and the hope of heaven. The ries of pleasure! Answer, ye habita-path of duty is revealed, the promise tions of cruelty, where the life's blood of immortality is given. Do you ask of the victims of avarice oozes away yet again, what is meant by looking from day to day, under the rod of the to Jesus? Again listen. The exercise oppressor! And who or what is the of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This Christian that these things have no in- is what is meant. Man is made capafluence over him? Is he not a man? ble of confidence in man. In this conYes; an altered man from what he was sists the charms of domestic felicity. once; a new man. Old things have A man without confidence in his race passed away. All things have become is an isolated being; he is cut off from new. He looks to Jesus. Here is where his great strength lies. Here is the power by which he overcometh the world, even by looking to Jesus. Do you ask what is this looking to Jesus? What magic is there in this so powerful? Listen! Our sins have separated us from God, for "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Death, temporal, has passed upon all men, as the forerunner of eternal death, except we repent and be converted. But how shall we repent and be converted? How shall we guilty ones dare to approach the Holy God? He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. What shall we bring to gain his favor? Alas, all the sympathies of his kind. Just so, man without confidence in God, is separated from him. He is in the world without God, and without hope. Faith unites man to God. The Christian is a man of faith. He is united to God; he walks by faith, he lives by faith. The life which he lives is a life of faith in the Son of God who loved him, and gave himself-O, wondrous gift-for him. He looks to Jesus, as unto an offering for sin." He receives it as a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation, that "he hath made him who knew no sin, to be a sin-offering for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." That is, that we might be completely saved by him. This is the ground of his rejoicing, that Jesus hath made "full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world," since "he by the grace of God tasted death for every man." He regards his sins as being of such a nature that nothing bat the "precious blood of Christ" could avail to purge them away. Thus the man of God considers Jesus. He goes from strength to strength, making mention of his righteousness, who died for his sins, and rose again for his justification. Such, however, is man's nature, such are his wants, trials, and destiny, that the Lord Jesus Christ has, for his sake, assumed various offices and titles. Does man feel his helplessness, that he can not of himself do any thing that is good, he is invited to look from self to Jesus as the "Mighty God." Look unto me, and be ye saved all ye ends of the earth, for beside me there is no God. While others look at their own weakness, at the difficulties of the way, at the strength and numbers of their foes, the man of faith looks from these to Jesus. Is he tempted to think that after all he shall never see the King in his beauty? He may look to Jesus as his "Advocate" with the Father, who takes care of his interest in the court of heaven, and who is no less watchful over his affairs below. Does he need a subject calculated to fill his mind with mean ideas of self? He looks to Jesus as "the wonderful," wonderful indeed. God made man for man to die. In his birth, in his life, in his death, in his resurrection, and ascension. He is wonderful! In his character, in his operations, both of nature and of grace, in drawing, softening, sanctifying, and glorifying the believer, he is wonderful! O, the depth both of the wisdom and the goodness of God! Does he find the affairs of earth too intricate for him, and that the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light? Ho looks to Jesus as his "Counselor" who is able to guide the feet of his saints. In the time of trouble the Christian looks to his counselor and finds him a "very present help," and no expensive charges, or ruinous issues follow. He looks to Jesus as the Author or Beginner of Faith, who has called him to bo a Christian, who has pointed out to him the proner path of duty, and who will at last award to him a crown of righteousness. Painters, sculptors, and others, have, in order to be perfect in their art, studicd models of excellence. The Christian studies Jesus; he is his "model" or "example." Are his trials many? Is his cross heavy? He considers Jesus who "endured the cross and despised the shame." Is he poor? "The Son of man had no where to lay his head." Is he rich? For the rich are also called; he considers him "who was rich, and for our sakes become poor." Is ho tempted with the glories of the present world? To the Savior "all the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them" were offered. Is he persecuted? He looks to Jesus on the cross and prays "Father forgive them." Thus he looks from earthly glory to that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. From earthly possessions to that "inheritance that fadeth not away," and from earthly pleasures to those that are spiritual and eternal. Adopting the language of the poet, he looks unto Jesus as Here is depicted a man just starting | continually ascend from the gulf or from what appears to be solid ground. to walk upon a narrow plank, stretched across a deep gulf, and which ends nobody knows whither. Before him thick clouds of mist and vapor slowly but pit; rolling clouds of pitchy blackness also ascend. They spread themselves around him; in wreathy columns they stand before, and hide the future from his vision. Still he proceeds; he is a won der to many, who can not tell what to make of it. The man himself, however, appears to know very well what he is doing. He holds in his hand a book, which he reads as he goes along; though it may seem to some unsafe, yet he finds it advantageous rather than otherwise. The book, he thinks, throws light upon his path; now and then the wind blows the clouds of smoke a little on one side, and he beholds, apparently far off in the distance, a mansion; this is the palace he has heard of; it is thither the way leads, thither he would go. The sight of the mansion above, whenever he is so fortunate as to behold it, inspires him with courage and fortitude; he bears cheerfully his present labors and sufferings, and meets, without fear, any new foe. He walks onward, step by step, looking well at his footsteps; at last arrives at the end of his journey; this opens upon him quite abruptly. Suddenly he beholds right before him the mansion shining gloriously. He enters he is made heartily welcome-he is amply repaid for all his labors and sufferings. This may be considered as an allegorical representation of the Christian walking by faith through this world to the next; the young Christian, when he embraces Christ, turps his back upon the world, its vanities, and sinful pleasures. He renounces it as an object of trust and hope; he leads a new life; he walks a new path. It is the path of Faith. He knows not what is before him in the present life, whether sickness or health, prosperity or adversity; clouds of darkness, of temptation, and trouble are sometimes made to arise in his path, by the enemy of his soul, to discourage him in the way he has chosen. Yet he pursues. The Word of God is his constant, best companion; it is a light unto all his goings; by it he cleanses his way; though it occupics much of his time, so that many think it will prove his ruin, yet he finds it exceedingly helpful; nay, he would not be without it for all the world. In the midst of his labors and sufferings, he frequently enjoys rich fore-tastes of the happiness of heaven; these are refreshing to his soul, strengthening and inspiring him with zeal for the Lord of hosts. His light afflictions he reckons are not worthy to be compared with the glory of which he has had an earnest. Not knowing what shall befall him from hour to hour, and from day to day, he goes forward trusting in God, to whom he has committed the keeping of all his concerns, soul and body, for time and eternity. By and by he finishes his course; he has kept the faith, and an abundant entrance is administered to him into the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ. The man who walks by sight, looks only at the things which are seen, and which, of course, are temporal. He looks at and regards the things of earth as worthy of his esteem, of his love, of his labor, of his sufferings; houses and lands, power and renown, and whatsoever tends to supply the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life-these are the objects to which he directs all his prayers, all his purposes, and all his toils; he lives for this, and, if necessary, he will die for it. He puts faith in nobody. He will have bonds, and seals, and witnesses for all and in all his transactions. He will not trust the Almighty with any of his concerns, but manages them all himself. He asks no favors at his hands; if, indeed, he does, at any time put up a petition to God, it is that he will ask nothing of him. How different with the man of Faith. He sees the things of earth and knows their value. It is enough for him that they are temporal. He values them simply as they bear upon Eternity. He looks at the things that are not seen, which are eternal; his soul, and whatever tends to inform and purify | Nazarene, the man of sorrows, the it; his Savior, and whatever will ad- crucified Malefactor, and who dreamed vance his cause on the earth; his God, of a temporal kingdom. These all and what will glorify him; Heaven, walked by sight. Others beheld in and whatever will help him on his way him the Mighty God, the everlasting thither; Hell, and what will enable Father, the Prince of Peace, the Meshim to escape it. He looks at man as siah, the desire of all nations, the Lamb a fellow-traveler to Eternity, to the of God, the Son of God, the King of Judgment, puts a generous confidence Israel, who looked for a spiritual kingin him, and labors to benefit him tem-dom that would fill the whole earth, porarily and spiritually. His thoughts, whose dominion should be forever and his words, his actions, are all regulated ever. These all walked by faith, and according to his eternal interest. A according to their faith even so was it man must live before he can walk. So done unto them. it is spiritually. He lives a life of faith in the Son of God. Hence it is not difficult to walk by faith. He is but a sojourner here. His citizenship is in heaven. He is a denizen of immortality. Hence to him "Faith lends its realizing light, Faith is the foundation of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Faith becomes a foundation on which Hope builds her glorious temple of future happiness. The spies who brought an evil report of the land of Promise, walked by sight. They saw nothing besides the high walls, the number of inhabitants, the gigantic Anikim. Not so Joshua and Caleb. They saw only the promise, and the power of Jehovah, which they believed was sufficient to bring it to pass. While the former perished with those who believed not, they, walking by Faith, entered the goodly land and possessed it for an inheritance forever. In the days of the Redeemer, there were some who saw only the Babe of Bethlehem, the Carpenter's Son, the By faith, the good old Simeon took up the child Jesus in his arms, and said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." By faith, the friends of the man sick of the palsy broke open the roof of the house, and lowered the sick man down into the midst where Jesus was, and experienced his salvation. By faith, Joseph of Arimathea, went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus, and laid it in his own sepulcher, not doubting but that it would be raised again according to the Scriptures. By faith, Paul, when brought before kings and princes of the earth, declared boldly the gospel of Christ and his hope in the resurrection of the dead. By faith, the disciples, who were in Jerusalem when it was encompassed by the Roman armies, left the city and fled to the mountains, and thus escaped punishment in the overthrow thereof. By faith, John Huss and Jerome, of Prague, delivered their bodies to be burned, not accepting deliverance. By faith, Luther burnt the Bull of excommunication, and repaired to the city of Worms, not fearing the wrath of Pope, Emperor, or Devil. By faith, the Pilgrim Fathers braved the fury of the ocean and the violence of the savage, and planted a habitation for God in the wilderness, yea, a refuge for the children of men. |