131eciott Pitt). the Chriftian. There the way of life is clearly manifefted ; yet none, void of faith, ever trod a right fiep in it, nay, nor fpiritually difcerned it,unto them that are without all things are in pa- rables, Mark 4.r r. to the unbeliever, thoùgh never fo great a Scholar, Chrifl and grace and heaven are but as it were -in parables. The Kohathites (whofe name,as a learned man ob- ferves, is derived from ftupidity) carried the holy things covered, and fo do all the unrege- nerate Rabbies in the Church, till faith waken them,out of the ftuporcf the fall: they difcern not fpiritually the beatitude objectively expofed to view in the Gofpel, till faith draw off the nail from their hearts, but as foon as that is done, the way into the holy of Holies is mani- feft, and paffable, and fo the noble inlfind af- ter happinefs receives a compleature. Now this precious faith, being precious in the leali minim of it, may be conlidered either in its 1ìrfi and loweft meafure, or in its fruits and glori- ous progreffes. In its hi-fi and loweft meafure, it is the very condition of the Gofpel, and puts a man by virtue thereof into a flate of falvati- on; whofoever believeth, even with the leafl degree of precious faith, (hall be faved. I (hall therefore firft treat of it according to the lewefl ineafure, which hath falvation entailed on it, and then proceed to the progref es and fruits thereof ; and according to the loweft meafure, it may be thus defcribed. Precious Faith is a grace of the holy Spirit, whereby the heart fu- pernaturally illuminated, Both fo believe the te- B 3 fiimonn
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