strongly confirms it in the fourth chapter, by testimony and example of the Scripture, with the saints that were of old: thereby also declaring, that though the manifestation of this mystery, were now more fully opened by Christ from the bosom of the Father, yet indeed this was the only way for any to appear in the presence of God, ever since sin entered into the world.

To make his demonstrations the more evident, he singleth out one for an example, who was eminently known, and confessed by all to have been the friend of God, to have been righteous and justified before him, and thereon to have held sweet communion with him all his days; to wit, Abraham, the father according to the flesh, of all those, who put in the strongest of all men for a share in righteousness, by the privileges they did enjoy, and the works they did perform.

Now concerning him, the apostle proves abundantly in the beginning of the fourth chapter, that the justification which he found, and the righteousness he attained, was purely that, and no other, which he before described; to wit, a righteousness in the forgiveness of sins, through faith in the blood of Christ. Yea, and that all the privileges and exaltations of this Abraham, which made him so signal and eminent among the saints of God, as to be called 'the father of the faithful,' were merely from hence, that this righteousness of grace was freely discovered, and fully established unto him: an enjoyment being granted him in a peculiar manner, by faith of that promise, wherein the Lord Christ, with the whole spring of the righteousness mentioned, was inwrapped. This the apostle pursues with sundry and various inferences and conclusions, to the end of ver. 17. chap. iv.

Having laid down this, in the next place he gives us a description of that faith of Abraham, whereby he became inheritor of those excellent things, from the adjuncts of it. That as his justification was proposed as an example of God's dealing with us by his grace, so his faith might be laid down as a pattern for us, in the receiving that grace. Now this he doth, from

First, The foundation of it, whereon it rested.
Secondly, The matter of it, what he believed.

Thirdly, The manner of it, or how he believed.

First, From the bottom and foundation on which it rested, viz. The omnipotency or all-sufficiency of God, whereby he was able to fulfil whatever he had engaged himself unto by promise, and which he called him to believe, ver. 14. He believed him who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not, as though they

were.'

Two great testimonies are here of the power of God:

1. That he quickeneth the dead:' able he is to raise up those that are dead to life again.

2. He calleth things that are not, as though they were:' by his very call or word, gives being to those things which before were not as when he said, 'Let there be light, there was light;' Gen. i. 3. by that very word, 'commanding light to shine out of darkness;' 2 Cor. iv. 6.

These demonstrations of God's all-sufficiency he considereth in peculiar reference to what he was to believe; to wit, that he might be the father of many nations;' ver. 11. of the Jews according to the flesh,' of Jews and Gentiles, according to the faith whereof we speak. For the first, his 'body being now dead, and Sarah's womb dead,' ver. 19. he rests on God as quickening the dead,' in believing that he shall be the father of many nations.' For the other, that he should be a father of the Gentiles by faith, the Holy Ghost witnesseth that they were not a people;' Hos. ii. 23. the implanting of them in his stock, must be by a power, 'that calleth things that are not, as though they were:' giving a new nature and being unto them, which before they had not.

To bottom ourselves upon the all-sufficiency of God, for the accomplishment of such things as are altogether impossible to any thing, but that all-sufficiency, is faith indeed, and worthy our imitation. It is also the wisdom of faith, to pitch peculiarly on that in God, which is accommodated to the difficulties wherewith it is to wrestle. Is Abraham to believe, that from his dead body must spring a whole nation? He rests on God, as he that quickeneth the dead.'

Secondly, His faith is commended from the matter of it, or what he did believe; which is said in general to be 'the

promise of God;' ver. 20. 'He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief.' And particularly the matter of that promise is pointed at, ver. 11. 18. that he should be 'the father of many nations;' that was his being a 'father of many nations,' of having all nations blessed in his seed.' A matter entangled with a world of difficulties, considering the natural inability of his body, and the body of Sarah, to be parents of children. But, when God calls for believing, his truth and all-sufficiency being engaged, no difficulty, nor seeming impossibilities, that the thing to be believed is, or may be attended withal, ought to be of any weight with us: he who hath promised, is able.

Thirdly, From the manner of his believing, which is expressed four ways.

1. Against hope, he believed in hope;' ver. 18. Here is a twofold hope mentioned; one that was against him, the other that was for him.

(1.) He believed against hope, that is, when all arguments that might beget hope in him, were against him. Against hope is against all motives unto hope whatever. All reasons of natural hope were against him. What hope could arise in, or by reason, that two dead bodies should be the source and fountain of many nations? so that against all inducements of a natural hope he believed.

(2.) He believed in hope;' that is, such hope as arose as his faith did, from the consideration of God's all-sufficiency. This is an adjunct of his faith, it was such a faith as had hope adjoined with it. And this believing in hope when all reasons of hope were away, is the first thing that is set down, of the manner of his faith. In a decay of all natural helps, the deadness of all means, an appearance of an utter impossibility, that ever the promise should be accomplished, then to believe with unfeigned hope, is a commendable faith.

2. He was not weak in faith;' ver. 19. un àodevhoas, 'minime debilis,' Beza. He was by no means weak:' a negation, that by a figure, μelwois, doth strongly assert the contrary, to that which is denied. He was no way weak; that is, he was very strong in faith, as is afterward expressed, ver. 20. He was strong in faith, giving glory to God.' And the apostle tells you, wherein this his not weakness did ap

pear: saith he, 'He considered not his own body being now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb;' ver. 19. It was seen in this, that his faith carried him above the consideration of all impediments, that might lie in the way to the accomplishment of the promise.

It is mere weakness of faith, that makes a man lie poring on the difficulties and seeming impossibilities that lie upon the promise. We think it our wisdom, and our strength, to consider, weigh, and look into the bottom of oppositions, and temptations, that arise against the promise. Perhaps it may be the strength of our fleshly, carnal reason; but certainly it is the weakness of our faith. He that is strong in faith will not so much as debate, or consider the things, that cast the greatest seeming improbability, yea impossibility, on the fulfilling of the promise: it will not afford a debate or dispute of the cause, nor any consideration. Being not weak in faith, he considered not.'

3. He was fully persuaded;' ver. 21. λnpopopnJeìs, 'persuasionis plenus.' This is the third thing that is observed in the manner of his believing. He fully, quietly, resolvedly cast himself on this, that he who had promised was able to perform it.' As a ship at sea (for so the word imports), looking about, and seeing storms and winds arising, sets up all her sails, and with all speed makes to the harbour. Abraham seeing the storms of doubts and temptations likely to rise against the promise made unto him, with full sail breaks through all, to lie down quietly in God's all-sufficiency.

4. The last is, that 'he staggered not;' ver. 20. This is that which I have chosen to insist on unto you, as a choice part of the commendation of Abraham's faith, which is proposed for our imitation: 'He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief."

The words may be briefly resolved into this doctrinal proposition:

Observation. All staggering at the promises of God is from unbelief.

What is of any difficulty in the text, will be cleared in opening the parts of the observation.

Men are apt to pretend sundry other reasons and causes

of their staggering. The promises do not belong unto them, God intends not their souls in them, they are not such and such, and this makes them stagger; when the truth is, it is their unbelief, and that alone, that puts them into this staggering condition. As in other things, so in this, we are apt to have many fair pretences for foul faults. To lay the burden on the right shoulders, I shall demonstrate, by God's assistance, that it is not this, or that, but unbelief alone, that makes us stagger at the promises.

To make this the more plain, I must open these two things:

I. What is the promise here intended.

II. What it is to stagger at the promise.

I. The promise here mentioned is principally that which Abraham believing, it was said eminently, that it was accounted to him for righteousness.' So the apostle tells us, ver. 5. of this chapter: when this was, you may see Gen. xv. 6. there it is affirmed, that he believed the Lord, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' That which God had there spoken to him of, was about the multiplying of his seed as the stars of heaven, whereas he was yet childless.'

The last verse of chap. xiv. leaves Abraham full of earthly glory. He had newly conquered five kings with all their host, was honoured by the king of Sodom, and blessed by the king of Salem; and yet in the first verse of chap. xv. God 'appearing to him in a vision,' in the very entrance bids him 'fear not:' plainly intimating, that notwithstanding all his outward success and glory, he had still many perplexities upon his spirit, and had need of great consolation and establishment. Abraham was not clear in the accomplishment of former promises about the blessed seed, and so though he have all outward advancements, yet he cannot rest in them. Until a child of God be clear in the main, in the matter of the great promise, the business of Christ, the greatest outward successes and advantages, will be so far from quieting and settling his mind, that they rather increase his perplexities. They do but occasion him to cry, Here is this, and that; here is victory, and success; here is wealth, and peace; but here is not Christ.

That this was Abraham's condition, appears from ver. 2.