suited to the revelation of him. His seeing of the day of Christ, says, that the light of the revelation had not staid without him, but it had entered into his heart; according to that which the apostle says, 2 Cor. iv. 6: "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts." God, by his Spirit, "takes the things of Christ, and shows them unto" us. "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven."

3. Abraham's seeing the day of Christ, has in it an act of delectation, He saw my day, and was glad. He was delighted at the sight of the day of Christ, Zech. ix. 9: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and having salvation!" &c. Oh, with what triumphant delight does the spouse express her sight of him! Cant. ii. 8: "It is the voice of my ⚫ beloved: behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills."

4. An act of application and improvement. To be sure, when Abraham got that promise of the Messiah, to come of his loins, "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed," he would be ready to say as Jeremiah did, chap. xv. 16: "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart." He would, no doubt, bring it home with particular application to his own soul, saying, Surely in this blessed seed "have I righteousness and strength; in him will I be justified, and in him alone. will I glory." "This is my beloved; and this is my friend."

5. I think it may have in it, also, an act of wonder and admiration. He saw the day of Christ, and was surprised with the sight, saying with the apostle, "Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh." Thus, you see what is implied in that sight that Abraham had of the day of Christ; but especially, I think, it points at the two principal acts of faith, namely, knowledge and application.

Quest. What are the grounds of the metaphor? or why is faith represented in scripture under the notion of the bodily sight? I shall endeavour to clear this in the few following particulars:

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Just so is it with faith; it does not give or communicate any thing to God, or Christ, or to what it beholds in the world of grace; but it just takes them up, or takes them in, as they are presented to the soul's view in the light of revelation. What did the Israelites give to the brazen serpent, when they looked to it and were healed ? As little do we give or add to Christ, when 66 look unto him and are saved."

2. The eye of the body is a very assuring sense. What are we more sure of, than of what we see with our eyes? If a man see the light of the sun, all the world will not persuade him that it is not day, or that the sun is not up.

So faith is a grace that carries a great deal of certainty in the very nature and bosom of it, Heb. xi. 1 : “ Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.” And, ver. 13, it is said of the worthies, that they saw “ the promises afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them.”

3. The eye is a directing organ. The man that has the light of the day, and his eyes open, will know his way, and he is not so ready to stumble and fall into ditches and over precipices as a blind man, or one that walks in darkness.

So faith is a directing grace; when by faith we “ look unto Jesus, then we run the race that is set before us.” said to walk by faith, and not by sight." 2 Cor. v. 7.

4. The eye, though little, is a very capacious organ. The man that has the light of day, and his eyes open, will see every thing visible; it takes up the whole visible frame of nature.

So faith is a most capacious grace, extending itself to every thing that lies within the vast circuit of revelation. I own, indeed, there may be a true faith which takes up but little of the light of revelation at first. Like the eye of an infant, it really takes in the light, and perceives external objects; but with a great deal of weakness and confusion, until it come gradually to more strength; and then it widens and extends itself farther and farther. Just so is it with the eye of faith: At first the light of knowledge is dim; the man, like an infant, does not see far; but " the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day,” Prov. iv. 18. As the light and strength of faith grows, it widens itself to take in more of God; more of Christ; more of things that are above, where Christ is. It wades deeper and deeper into the mysteries of the kingdom, until it come to be at last swallowed up in immediate vision.

5. The eye is an impressing organ; what we see with our eyes leaves an impression upon our minds. If a man look upon the sun for awhile, he will find the impression of

the sun in his eye, even though he shut it, or though he turn his eye away from it.

Even so faith leaves an impression of the glory of the Sun of righteousness, 2 Cor. iii. 18: “ All we, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image.”

6. The eye is a very quick sort of an organ, taking up things at a great distance: it will run from the one end of the heavens to the other, in a moment, it will mount up to the heavens among the stars, and in a moment will view the whole circuit of the heavens.

So faith is such a quick-sighted place, it takes up things at a great distance, as the faith of Abraham did here, when he saw the day of Christ afar off. It will in a moment, as it were, look back to an eternity past, and view the everlasting springs of electing and redeeming love, before ever the foundations of the world were laid ; and then, at the same breath, turn itself towards an eternity to come, and take a view of the hidden glories of the invisible world that are within the veil.

7. The eye is a curious piece of work. Naturalists tell us, it is the most curious part of the whole body of man: There is much of the glory, wisdom, and power of the great Creator, to be seen in the formation of the eye of the body.

So faith is a grace that is curiously wrought in the soul. There is more of the power and wisdom of God discovered in the formation of the grace of faith, than in any other part of the new creature. Hence it is he takes one of his blessed names from it, and styles himself “ The Author and the Fi. nisher of faith.” Heb. xii. 2. And as “ he fulfils in us all the good pleasure of his goodness,” so in a particular manner the “ work of faith with power,” 2 Thess. i. 11. Yea, that same "exceeding great and mighty power of God," which was put forth in the resurrection of Christ from the dead, is said to be exerted in them that believe, Eph. i. 19.

8. The eye of the body is a very tender thing; it is soon hurt and injured. Very little will do it hurt, and if it be hurt it will soon weep." And this is the way how it comes to health; it weeps out any dust or mote that gets into it.

; Just so is it here, faith is a very tender kind of grace, it thrives best in a pure conscience. Hence the apostle speaks of “ keeping the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.” The lively actings of faith are marred by the dust of sin, or the vanities of the world getting into the mind where it is seated. And wherever true faith is, if it be hurt by sin, it vents itself in a way of godly sorrow and repentance, Zech. xii. 10: “ They shall look on him whom they have pierced, and mourn." And as long as there is any thing of the dust of sin cleaves to the soul, faith will be venting itself in a way of repentance, and mourning, saying, “ Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death ?" Rom. vii. 24. Thus I have given you some account of Abraham's faith, by which he saw the day of Christ.

III. The third thing in the method was, to speak a little of his joy, which was the fruit of his faith. He saw his day, and was glad. For clearing of this, I offer the few following propositions:

1. There are several sorts of joy incident to man. 1st. A natural joy, common to all, with the rest of the affections, and is in itself neither good nor bad, and is commonly raised by the actual enjoyment of something loved or desired.

2dly, There is a sensual joy; when the heart is, as it were, soaked and drenched with the delights and pleasures of a present life. Such a joy was that of the rich man, Luke xii. 16–20: who cried, “ Soul, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry; for thou hast goods laid up

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many years.” See James v. 5.

3dly, There is yet a more criminal, or rather I may call it a devilish joy: when men are so far abandoned of God, as to take pleasure in sin, that abominable thing which God hates ; like those who are said to drink iniquity like water," Job xv. 16. To“ draw iniquity with cords," Iš. v. 18. We are told of some who not only commit sins, but “ have pleasure in them that do them.” Rom. i. 32.

4thly, There is a spiritual joy and gladness; so called, because the Spirit of God is the author of it, and spiritual things the object thereof." Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for all that are upright in heart.” Ps. xcvii. 11. And it is of this last kind of joy that I now speak.

Prop. 2. This spiritual joy is a thing proper and peculiar to believers in Christ: it will not, it cannot grow in any other soil, than a believing heart. The rest of the world are strangers to it, and strangers do not intermeddle with their joy. Indeed, a believer may want the exercise of this holy joy; his harp may (through prevailing troubles, temptation, unbelief, and despondency) " be turned into mourning, and his organ into the voice of them that weep.” Job xxx. 31. Hence David cries out, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice, Ps. li. 8, 12. But though a believer may want the exercise of this holy joy, yet,

1st, He has always ground of rejoicing; while Christ live

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while the covenant stands, while the love of God lasts, he can never want ground and matter of rejoicing. Hence,

2dly, He has always God's call and warrant to rejoice: “Rejoice evermore. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again, 1 say, rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous, and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.”

that are upright in heart.” i Thes. v. 16; Ps. xxxii. 11; xcvii. 12.

3dly, He has always the promise of joy: “Your hearts shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you,” John xvi. 22. The redeemed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: “ They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away,” Is. xxxv. 10. He has promised the oil of joy for mourning.

4thly, They have always the seed of joy in the soul. The seed of God is the seed of joy; yea, their very tears of godly sorrow are the seed of joy : “ They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him," Psal. cxxvi. 5, 6.

Prop. 3. This spiritual joy has several ingredients of which it is made up: As,

1st, It includes in it some measure of spiritual health and soundness of mind and spirit. A sick man may have the habit of joy, but the want of health will restrain the exercise of it. Where this joy is, the Sun of righteousness has arisen, with some measure of healing under his wings, upon the soul; the broken bones are restored, and set in their joints again.

2dly, It includes some measure of satisfaction, arising from a supply of spiritual wants. Where there is nothing but want, there can be but little of this holy joy. Prov. xiii

. 12: Hope deferred maketh the heart sick." If thy soul be rejoicing in the Lord, it is a sign thou hast got a taste of the marrow and fatness that are to be found in the house of God.

3lly, It has in it a dilatation or enlargement of the heart, that was under bonds and fetters. With respect to a man under the bonds and fetters of darkness, unbelief, and de-. spondency, his joy is marred. But oh! when his fetters are knocked off, and he brought out of prison, he “leaps like a hart.” “I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart," Psal. cxix. 32.

4thly, It has in it something of an internal peace, quiet, and serenity of mind: for where there is no peace, there can be no true joy. The storms of an awakened conscience must be hushed into a pleasant calm, where this joy is, through "the discovery of a reconciled God, or some beams of his fa

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