FORGIVENESS REVEALED TO FAITH. 1(.3 IS MADE TO FAITH ALONE. The nature of it is such, that nothing else can discover it or receive it. No reason- ings, no inquiries of the heart of man can reach it. That guess or glimpse which the heathens had of old, and falseworshippers have at present, is not the forgive- ness we insist upon, but a mere imagination of their own hearts. This the apostle informs us, Rom. 1:17; the "righ- teousness of God is," in the Gospel, "revealed from faith to faith." Nothing but faith hath any thing to do with it. It is that " righteousness of God" whereof he speaks, that consists in the forgiveness of sins by the blood of Christ. And this is revealed from the faith of God in the promise, to the faith of the believer; to him that mixes the promise with faith. And again, more fully, " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." 1 Cor. 2 : 9. We may come to the knowledge of things by the seeing of the eye, or the hearing of the ear, or the reasonings and medita- tions of the heart : but none of these will reach the matter in hand; by none of these ways can we come to an acquaintance with the things of the Gospel that are prepared for us in Christ. How then shall we obtain the knowledge of them l " God hath revealed them unto us' by his Spirit." Now it is faith only that receives the re- velations of the Spirit; nothing else hath to do with them. We remark then, L That this mystery is too deep to be fathomed by any thing but faith. Reason's line is too short to reach the depths of the Father's love, of the blood of the Son, and the promises of the Gospel built thereon, in which forgiveness dwells. Mencannot, by their reasonmerely, launch out into these deeps, or drawwater from these wells of salvation. Reason stands by amazed, and cries, How can these
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