Here, then, was man"s terrible position. He had lost all. His dominion--his dignity--his happiness--his innocence--his purity--his peace--all was gone from him; and, what was still worse, he accused G.o.d of being the cause of it.[7] There he stood, a lost, ruined, guilty, and yet, _self-vindicating_, and, therefore, _G.o.d-accusing_ sinner.
Now, it is perfectly true, that no man can believe the gospel, except by the power of the Holy Ghost; and it is also true, that all who so believe the gospel are the happy subjects of G.o.d"s eternal counsels.
But does all this set aside man"s responsibility to believe a plain testimony set before him in G.o.d"s Word? It most certainly does no such thing. But it does reveal the sad evil of man"s heart, which leads him to reject _G.o.d"s testimony_ which is plainly revealed, and to give as a reason for so doing _G.o.d"s decree_, which is a profound secret, known only to himself. However, it will not avail, for we read in 1 Thess. i.
8, 9, that those "who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, shall be punished with everlasting destruction."
Men are responsible to believe the gospel, and they will be punished for not believing it. They are not responsible to know any thing about G.o.d"s counsels, inasmuch as they are not revealed, and, therefore, there can be no guilt attached to ignorance concerning them. The apostle could say to the Thessalonians, "knowing, brethren beloved, your election of G.o.d." How did he know it? Was it by having access to the page of G.o.d"s secret and eternal decrees? By no means. How then?
"Because ([Greek: hoti]) our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power." (1 Thess. i. 4, 5.) This is the way to know the election of any. When the gospel comes in power, it is a plain proof of G.o.d"s election.
But, I doubt not, the people who draw a plea from the divine counsels for rejecting the divine testimony, only want some flimsy excuse to continue in sin. They really do not want G.o.d; and it would be far more honest in them to say so, plainly, than to put forward a plea which is not merely flimsy, but positively blasphemous. Such a plea will not avail them much amid the terrors of the day of judgment, now fast approaching.
But, just at this point, G.o.d began to reveal himself, and his purposes of redeeming love; and herein lay the true basis of man"s peace and blessedness. When man has come to the end of himself, G.o.d can show what he is; but not until then. The scene must be entirely cleared of man, and all his vain pretensions, empty boastings, and blasphemous reasonings, ere G.o.d can or will reveal himself. Thus it was when man was hidden behind the trees of the garden, that G.o.d unfolded his wondrous plan of redemption through the instrumentality of the bruised seed of the woman. Here we are taught a valuable principle of truth as to what it is which alone will bring a man, peacefully and confidingly, into the presence of G.o.d.
It has been already remarked that conscience will never effect this.
Conscience drove Adam behind the trees of the garden; revelation brought him forth into the presence of G.o.d. The consciousness of what he was terrified him; the revelation of what G.o.d was tranquillized him.
This is truly consolatory for a poor sin-burdened heart. The reality of what I am is met by the reality of what G.o.d is; and this is salvation.
There is a point where G.o.d and man must meet, whether in grace or judgment, and that point is where both are revealed _as they are_.
Happy are they who reach that point in grace! Woe be to them who will have to reach it in judgment! It is with what we are that G.o.d deals; and it is as he is that he deals with us. In the cross, I see G.o.d descending in grace to the lowest depths, not merely of my negative, but my positive condition, as a sinner. This gives perfect peace. If G.o.d has met me, in my actual condition, and himself provided an adequate remedy, all is eternally settled. But all who do not thus, by faith, see G.o.d, in the cross, will have to meet him, by and by, in judgment, when he will have to deal, according to what he is, with what they are.
The moment a man is brought to know his real state, he can find no rest until he has found G.o.d, in the cross, and then he rests in G.o.d himself.
He, blessed be his name, is the Rest and Hiding-place of the believing soul. This, at once, puts human works and human righteousness in their proper place. We can say, with truth, that those who rest in such things cannot possibly have arrived at the true knowledge of themselves. It is quite impossible that a divinely quickened conscience can rest in aught save the perfect sacrifice of the Son of G.o.d. All effort to establish one"s own righteousness must proceed from ignorance of the righteousness of G.o.d. Adam might learn, in the light of the divine testimony about "the seed of the woman," the worthlessness of his fig-leaf ap.r.o.n. The magnitude of that which had to be done, proved the sinner"s total inability to do it. Sin had to be put away. Could man do that? Nay, it was by him it had come in. The serpent"s head had to be bruised. Could man do that? Nay, he had become the serpent"s slave. G.o.d"s claims had to be met. Could man do that?
Nay, he had already trampled them under foot. Death had to be abolished. Could man do that? Nay, he had, by sin, introduced it, and imparted to it its terrible sting.
Thus, in whatever way we view the matter, we see the sinner"s complete impotency, and, as a consequence, the presumptuous folly of all who attempt to a.s.sist G.o.d in the stupendous work of redemption, as all a.s.suredly do who think to be saved in any other way but "by grace, through faith."
However, though Adam might, and, through grace, did, see and feel that he could never accomplish all that had to be done, yet G.o.d revealed himself as about to achieve every jot and t.i.ttle thereof, by the seed of the woman. In short, we see that he graciously took the entire matter into his own hands. He made it, altogether, a question between himself and the serpent; for although the man and the woman were called upon, individually, to reap, in various ways, the bitter fruits of their sin, yet it was to the serpent that the Lord G.o.d said, "Because thou hast done this." The serpent was the source of the ruin; and the seed of the woman was to be the source of the redemption. Adam heard all this, and believed it; and, in the power of that belief, "he called his wife"s name the mother of _all living_." This was a precious fruit of faith in G.o.d"s revelation. Looking at the matter from nature"s point of view, Eve might be called, "the mother of all _dying_." But, in the judgment of faith, she was the mother of all _living_. "His mother called him Ben-oni; (the son of my sorrow;) but his father called him Benjamin (the son of my right hand)."
It was through the sustaining energy of faith that Adam was enabled to endure the terrible results of what he had done. It was G.o.d"s wondrous mercy to allow him to hear what he said to the serpent, before he was called to listen to what he had to say to himself. Had it not been so, he must have been plunged in despair. It is despair to be called upon to look at myself, without being able to look at G.o.d, as revealed in the cross, for my salvation. There is no child of fallen Adam who could bear to have his eyes opened to the reality of what he is, and what he has done, without being plunged in despair, unless he could take refuge in the cross. Hence, in that place to which all who reject Christ must finally be consigned, hope cannot come. There, men"s eyes will be opened to the reality of what they are, and what they have done; but they will not be able to find relief and refuge in G.o.d. What G.o.d is, will, _then_, involve hopeless perdition; as truly as what G.o.d is, doth, _now_, involve eternal salvation. The holiness of G.o.d will, then, be eternally against them; as it is now that in which all who believe are called to rejoice. The more I realize the holiness of G.o.d, now, the more I know my security; but, in the case of the lost, that very holiness will be but the ratification of their eternal doom.
Solemn--unspeakably solemn--reflection!
We shall, now, briefly glance at the truth presented to us in G.o.d"s providing coats for Adam and Eve. "Unto Adam, also, and to his wife, did the Lord G.o.d make coats of skins, and clothed them." We have here, in figure, the great doctrine of divine righteousness set forth. The robe which G.o.d provided was an effectual covering, because he provided it; just as the ap.r.o.n was an ineffectual covering because man had provided it. Moreover, G.o.d"s coat was founded upon blood-shedding.
Adam"s ap.r.o.n was not. So also, now, G.o.d"s righteousness is set forth in the cross; man"s righteousness is set forth in the works, the sin-stained works, of his own hands. When Adam stood clothed in the coat of skin he could not say, "I was naked," nor had he any occasion to hide himself. The sinner may feel perfectly at rest, when, by faith, he knows that G.o.d has clothed him: but to feel at rest till then, can only be the result of presumption or ignorance. To know that the dress I wear, and in which I appear before G.o.d, is of his own providing, must set my heart at perfect rest. There can be no true, permanent rest in aught else.
The closing verses of this chapter are full of instruction. Fallen man, in his fallen state, must not be allowed to eat of the fruit of the tree of life, for that would entail upon him endless wretchedness in this world. To take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever, in our present condition, would be unmingled misery. The tree of life can only be tasted in resurrection. To live forever, in a frail tabernacle, in a body of sin and death, would be intolerable. Wherefore, the Lord G.o.d "drove out the man." He drove him out into a world which, everywhere, exhibited the lamentable results of his fall. The Cherubim and the flaming sword, too, forbid fallen man to pluck the fruit of the tree of life; while G.o.d"s revelation pointed him to the death and resurrection of the seed of the woman, as that wherein life was to be found beyond the power of death.
Thus Adam was a happier, and a safer man, outside the bounds of Paradise, than he had been within, for this reason--that, within, his life depended upon himself; whereas, outside, it depended upon another, even a promised Christ. And as he looked up, and beheld "the Cherubim and the flaming sword," he could bless the hand that had set them there, "to keep the way of the tree of life," inasmuch as the same hand had opened a better, a safer, and a happier way to that tree. If the Cherubim and flaming sword stopped up the way to Paradise, the Lord Jesus Christ has opened "a new and living way" into the holiest of all.
"I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (Compare John xiv. 6; Heb. x. 20.) In the knowledge of this, the believer now moves onward through a world which is under the curse,--where the traces of sin are visible on all hands. He has found his way, by faith, to the bosom of the Father; and while he can secretly repose there, he is cheered by the blessed a.s.surance that the one who has conducted him thither, is gone to prepare a place in the many mansions of the Father"s house, and that he will soon come again and receive him unto himself, amid the glory of the Father"s kingdom.
Thus, in the bosom, the house, and the kingdom of the Father, the believer finds his present portion, his future home and reward.
FOOTNOTES:
[6] There is a profoundly interesting thought suggested by comparing the word [Greek: theiotes] (Rom. i. 20) with the word [Greek: theotes]
(Col. ii. 9.) They are both rendered "G.o.dhead;" but they present a very different thought. The heathen might have seen that there was something superhuman, something divine, in creation; but pure, essential, incomprehensible Deity dwelt in the Adorable Person of the Son.
[7] Man not only accuses G.o.d of being the author of his fall, but also blames him for his non-recovery. How often do we hear persons say that they cannot believe unless G.o.d give them the power to believe; and, further, that unless they are the subjects of G.o.d"s eternal decree, they cannot be saved.
CHAPTERS IV., V.
As each section of the Book of Genesis opens before us, we are furnished with fresh evidence of the fact that we are travelling over, what a recent writer has well termed, "the seed-plot of the whole Bible;" and not only so, but the seed-plot of man"s entire history.
Thus, in the fourth chapter, we have, in the persons of Cain and Abel, the first examples of a religious man of the world, and of a genuine man of faith. Born, as they were, outside of Eden, and being the sons of fallen Adam, they could have nothing, natural, to distinguish them, one from the other. They were both sinners. Both had a fallen nature.
Neither was innocent. It is well to be clear in reference to this, in order that the reality of divine grace, and the integrity of faith, may be fully and distinctly seen. If the distinction between Cain and Abel were founded in nature, then it follows, as an inevitable conclusion, that they were not the partakers of the fallen nature of their father, nor the partic.i.p.ators in the circ.u.mstances of his fall; and, hence, there could be no room for the display of grace, and the exercise of faith.
Some would teach us that every man is born with qualities and capacities which, if rightly used, will enable him to work his way back to G.o.d. This is a plain denial of the fact so clearly set forth in the history now before us. Cain and Abel were born, not inside, but outside of Paradise. They were the sons, not of innocent, but of fallen Adam.
They came into the world as the partakers of the nature of their father; and it mattered not in what phase that nature might display itself, it was nature still,--fallen, ruined, irremediable nature.
"That which is born of the flesh is (not merely fleshly, but) flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is, (not merely spiritual, but) spirit." (John iii.)
If ever there was a fair opportunity for the distinctive qualities, capacities, resources, and tendencies of nature to manifest themselves, the lifetime of Cain and Abel furnished it. If there were aught in nature, whereby it could recover its lost innocence, and establish itself again within the bounds of Eden, this was the moment for its display. But there was nothing of the kind. They were both _lost_. They were "flesh." They were not innocent. Adam lost his innocence and never regained it. He can only be looked at as the fallen head of a fallen race, who, by his "disobedience," were made "sinners." (Rom. v. 19.) He became, so far as he was personally concerned, the corrupt source, from whence have emanated the corrupt streams of ruined and guilty humanity,--the dead trunk from which have shot forth the branches of a dead humanity, morally and spiritually dead.
True, as we have already remarked, he himself was made a subject of grace, and the possessor and exhibitor of a lively faith in a promised Savior; but this was not any thing natural, but something entirely divine. And, inasmuch as it was not natural, neither was it within the range of nature"s capacity to communicate it. It was not, by any means, hereditary. Adam could not bequeath nor impart his faith to Cain or Abel. His possession thereof was simply the fruit of love divine. It was implanted in his soul by divine power; and he had not divine power to communicate it to another. Whatever was natural, Adam could, in the way of nature, communicate; but nothing more. And seeing that he, as a father, was in a condition of ruin, his son could only be in the same.
As is the begetter, so are they also that are begotten of him. They must, of necessity, partake of the nature of him from whom they have sprung. "As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy." (1 Cor.
xv. 48.)
Nothing can be more important, in its way, than a correct understanding of the doctrine of federal headship. If my reader will turn, for a moment, to Rom. v. 12-21, he will find that the inspired apostle looks at the whole human race as comprehended under two heads. I do not attempt to dwell on the pa.s.sage; but merely refer to it, in connection with the subject in hand. The fifteenth chapter of first Corinthians will also furnish instruction of a similar character. In the first man, we have sin, disobedience, and death. In the Second man, we have righteousness, obedience, and life. As we derive a nature from the former, so do we also from the latter. No doubt, each nature will display, in each specific case, its own peculiar energies; it will manifest, in each individual possessor thereof, its own peculiar powers. Still, there is the absolute possession of a real, abstract, positive nature.
Now, as the mode in which we derive a nature from the first man is by birth, so the mode in which we derive a nature from the Second man is by _new_ birth. Being born, we partake of the nature of the former; being "born _again_," we partake of the nature of the latter. A newly-born infant, though entirely incapable of performing the act which reduced Adam to the condition of a fallen being, is, nevertheless, a partaker of his nature; and so, also, a newly-born child of G.o.d,--a newly-regenerated soul, though having nothing whatever to do with the working-out of the perfect obedience of "the man Christ Jesus," is, nevertheless, a partaker of his nature. True it is that, attached to the former nature, there is sin; and attached to the latter, there is righteousness,--man"s sin, in the former case; G.o.d"s righteousness in the latter: yet, all the while, there is the actual, _bona fide_ partic.i.p.ation of a real nature, let the adjuncts be what they may. The child of Adam partakes of the human nature and its adjuncts; the child of G.o.d partakes of the divine nature and its adjuncts. The former nature is according to "the will of man," (John i.,) the latter is according to "the will of G.o.d;" as St. James, by the Holy Ghost, teaches us, "of his own will begat he us by the word of truth." (James i. 18.)
From all that has been said, it follows, that Abel was not distinguished from his brother Cain by any thing natural. The distinction between them was not grounded upon aught in their nature or circ.u.mstances, for, as to these, "there was no difference." What, therefore, made the vast difference? The answer is as simple as the gospel of the grace of G.o.d can make it. The difference was not in themselves, in their nature, or their circ.u.mstances; it lay, _entirely_, in their _sacrifices_. This makes the matter most simple, for any truly convicted sinner,--for any one who truly feels that he not only partakes of a fallen nature, but is himself, also, a sinner.
The history of Abel opens, to such an one, the only true ground of his approach to, his standing before, and his relationship with, G.o.d. It teaches him, distinctly, that he cannot come to G.o.d on the ground of any thing in, of, or pertaining to, nature; and he must seek, _outside himself_, and in the person and work of another, the true and everlasting basis of his connection with the Holy, the Just, and only True G.o.d. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews sets the whole subject before us, in the most distinct and comprehensive way. "By faith Abel offered unto G.o.d a more excellent sacrifice ([Greek: pleiona thysian]) than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, G.o.d bearing witness ([Greek: martyrountos]) to his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh." Here we are taught that it was, in nowise, a question as to the men, but only as to their "sacrifice,"--it was not a question as to the offerer, but as to his offering. Here lay the grand distinction between Cain and Abel. My reader cannot be too simple in his apprehension of this point, for therein lies involved the truth as to any sinner"s standing before G.o.d.
And, now, let us inquire what the offerings were. "And in process of time it came to pa.s.s, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering; but unto Cain and to his offering, he had not respect." (Gen. iv. 3-5.) This pa.s.sage sets the difference clearly before us: Cain offered to Jehovah the fruit of a cursed earth, and that, moreover, without any blood to remove the curse. He presented "an unb.l.o.o.d.y sacrifice," simply because he had no faith. Had he possessed that divine principle, it would have taught him, even at this early moment, that "without shedding of blood there is no remission." (Heb.
ix.) This is a great cardinal truth. The penalty of sin is death. Cain was a sinner, and, as such, death stood between him and Jehovah. But, in his offering, there was no recognition whatever of this fact. There was no presentation of a sacrificed life, to meet the claims of divine holiness, or to answer to his own true condition as a sinner. He treated Jehovah as though he were, altogether, such an one as himself, who could accept the sin-stained fruit of a cursed earth.
All this, and much more, lay involved in Cain"s "unb.l.o.o.d.y sacrifice."
He displayed entire ignorance in reference to divine requirements, in reference to his own character and condition as a lost and guilty sinner, and in reference to the true state of that ground, the fruit of which he presumed to offer. No doubt, reason might say, "what more acceptable offering could a man present, than that which he had produced by the labor of his hands, and the sweat of his brow?" Reason, and even man"s religious mind, may think thus; but G.o.d thinks quite differently; and faith is always sure to agree with G.o.d"s thoughts. G.o.d teaches, and faith believes, that there must be a sacrificed life, else there can be no approach to G.o.d.
Thus, when we look at the ministry of the Lord Jesus, we see, at once, that, had he not died upon the cross, all his services would have proved utterly unavailing as regards the establishment of our relationship with G.o.d. True, "he went about doing good" all his life; but it was his death that rent the veil. (Matt. xxvii. 51.) Naught but his death could have done so. Had he continued, to the present moment, "going about doing good," the veil would have remained entire, to bar the worshipper"s approach into "the holiest of all." Hence we can see the false ground on which Cain stood as an offerer and a worshipper. An unpardoned sinner coming into the presence of Jehovah, to present "an unb.l.o.o.d.y sacrifice," could only be regarded as guilty of the highest degree of presumption. True, he had toiled to produce this offering; but what of that? Could a sinner"s toil remove the curse and stain of sin? Could it satisfy the claims of an infinitely holy G.o.d? Could it furnish a proper ground of acceptance for a sinner? Could it set aside the penalty which was due to sin? Could it rob death of its sting, or the grave of its victory? Could it do any or all of these things?
Impossible. "Without shedding of blood is no remission." Cain"s "unb.l.o.o.d.y sacrifice," like every other unb.l.o.o.d.y sacrifice, was not only worthless, but actually abominable, in the divine estimation. It not only demonstrated his entire ignorance of his own condition, but also of the divine character. "G.o.d is not worshipped with men"s hands as though he needed any thing." And yet Cain thought he could be thus approached. And every mere religionist thinks the same. Cain has had many millions of followers, from age to age. Cain-worship has abounded all over the world. It is the worship of every unconverted soul, and is maintained by every false system of religion under the sun.
Man would fain make G.o.d a receiver instead of a giver; but this cannot be; for, "it is more blessed to give than to receive;" and, a.s.suredly, G.o.d must have the more blessed place. "Without all contradiction, the less is blessed of the better." "Who hath _first_ given to him?" G.o.d can accept the smallest gift from a heart which has learnt the deep truth contained in those words, "of thine own have we given thee;" but, the moment a man presumes to take the place of the "first" giver, G.o.d"s reply is, "if I were hungry, I would not tell thee;" for "he is not worshipped with men"s hands, as though he _needed any thing_, seeing he _giveth_ to _all_ life and breath and _all_ things." The great Giver of "all things" cannot possibly "need any thing." Praise is all that we can offer to G.o.d; but this can only be offered in the full and clear intelligence that our sins are all put away; and this again can only be known by faith in the virtue of an accomplished atonement.
My readers may pause, here, and read prayerfully the following scriptures, namely, Psalm i.; Isaiah i. 11-18; and Acts xvii. 22-34, in all of which he will find distinctly laid down the truth as to man"s true position before G.o.d, as also the proper ground of worship.
Let us now consider Abel"s sacrifice. "And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof." In other words, he entered, by faith, into the glorious truth, that G.o.d could be approached by sacrifice; that there was such a thing as a sinner"s placing the death of another between himself and the consequence of his sin, that the claims of G.o.d"s nature and the attributes of his character could be met by the blood of a spotless victim,--a victim offered to meet G.o.d"s demands, and the sinner"s deep necessities. This is, in short, the doctrine of the cross, in which alone the conscience of a sinner can find repose, because, therein, G.o.d is fully glorified.
Every divinely-convicted sinner must feel that death and judgment are before him, as "the due reward of his deeds;" nor can he, by aught that he can accomplish, alter that destiny. He may toil and labor; he may, by the sweat of his brow, produce an offering; he may make vows and resolutions; he may alter his way of life; he may reform his outward character; he may be temperate, moral, upright, and, in the human acceptation of the word, religious; he may, though entirely dest.i.tute of faith, read, pray, and hear sermons. In short, he may do any thing, or every thing which lies within the range of human competency; but, notwithstanding all, "death and judgment" are before him. He has not been able to disperse those two heavy clouds which have gathered upon the horizon. There they stand; and, so far from being able to remove them, by all his doings, he can only live in the gloomy antic.i.p.ation of the moment when they shall burst upon his guilty head. It is impossible for a sinner, by his own works, to place himself in life and triumph, at the other side of "death and judgment,"--yea, his very works are only performed for the purpose of preparing him, if possible, for those dreaded realities.
Here, however, is exactly where the cross comes in. In that cross, the convicted sinner can behold a divine provision for all his guilt and all his need. There, too, he can see death and judgment entirely removed from the scene, and life and glory set in their stead. Christ has cleared the prospect of death and judgment, so far as the true believer is concerned, and filled it with life, righteousness, and glory. "He hath abolished death, and brought life and incorruptibility to light, through the gospel." (2 Tim. i. 10.) He has glorified G.o.d in the putting away of that which would have separated us, forever, from his holy and blissful presence. "He has put away sin," and hence it is gone. (Heb. ix. 26.) All this is, in type, set forth in Abel"s "more excellent sacrifice." There was no attempt, on Abel"s part, to set aside the truth as to his own condition, and proper place as a guilty sinner,--no attempt to turn aside the edge of the flaming sword, and force his way back to the tree of life,--no presumptuous offering of an "unb.l.o.o.d.y sacrifice,"--no presentation of the fruit of a cursed earth to Jehovah,--he took the real ground of a sinner, and, as such, set the death of a victim between him and his sins, and between his sins and the holiness of a sin-hating G.o.d. This was most simple. Abel deserved death and judgment, but he found a subst.i.tute.
Thus is it with every poor, helpless, self-condemned, conscience-smitten sinner. Christ is his subst.i.tute, his ransom, his most excellent sacrifice, his ALL. Such an one will feel, like Abel, that the fruit of the ground could never avail for him; that were he to present to G.o.d the fairest fruits of earth, he would still have a sin-stained conscience, inasmuch as "without shedding of blood is no remission." The richest fruits, and the most fragrant flowers, in the greatest profusion, could not remove a single stain from the conscience. Nothing but the perfect sacrifice of the Son of G.o.d can give ease to the heart and conscience. All who by faith lay hold of that divine reality, will enjoy a peace which the world can neither give nor take away. It is faith which puts the soul in present possession of this peace. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with G.o.d, through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom. v. 1.) "By faith Abel offered unto G.o.d a more excellent sacrifice than Cain."
It is not a question of feeling, as so many would make it. It is entirely a question of faith in an accomplished fact,--faith wrought in the soul of a sinner, by the power of the Holy Ghost. This faith is something quite different from a mere feeling of the heart, or an a.s.sent of the intellect. Feeling is not faith. Intellectual a.s.sent is not faith. Some would make faith to be the mere a.s.sent of the intellect to a certain proposition. This is fearfully false. It makes the question of faith human, whereas it is really divine. It reduces it to the level of man, whereas it really comes from G.o.d. Faith is not a thing of to-day or to-morrow. It is an imperishable principle, emanating from an eternal source, even G.o.d himself: it lays hold of G.o.d"s truth, and sets the soul in G.o.d"s presence.
Mere feeling and sentimentality can never rise above the source from whence they emanate; and that source is self; but faith has to do with G.o.d and his eternal word, and is a living link, connecting the heart that possesses it with G.o.d who gives it. Human feelings, however intense,--human sentiments, however refined,--could not connect the soul with G.o.d. They are neither divine nor eternal, but are human and evanescent. They are like Jonah"s gourd, which sprang up in a night, and perished in a night. Not so faith. That precious principle partakes of all the value, all the power, and all the reality of the source from whence it emanates, and the object with which it has to do. It justifies the soul; (Rom. v. 1;) it purifies the heart; (Acts xv. 9;) it works by love; (Gal. v. 6;) it overcomes the world. (1 John v. 4.) Feeling and sentiment never could accomplish such results: they belong to nature and to earth,--faith belongs to G.o.d and to heaven; they are occupied with self,--faith is occupied with Christ; they look inward and downward,--faith looks outward and upward; they leave the soul in darkness and doubt,--faith leads it into light and peace; they have to do with one"s own fluctuating condition,--faith has to do with G.o.d"s immutable truth, and Christ"s eternally-enduring sacrifice.