Disc..IX.] FAITH BUILT. ON. KNOWLEDGE, 249 firm confidence, we proceed to enquire; What sort of knowledge this is, or how he comes to know him so as to trust in him, and rejoice in his faith ? The answer may be reduced to these two heads : A believer that is arrived at such a knowledge, of Christ, has obtained it partly by the testimony of others, and partly by his own experience. L It is a knowledge that arises from the testimony of others. And this sort of knowledge is generally called faith ; that is, the believing of any proposition upon the authority of those that relate it ; and according as the witnesses that make thereport are morecredible, and more numerous, so we give the firmer assent to their testimony; our faith grows so much the stronger, and our know- ledge is the more certain. Now the witnessess that give evidence to the power and faithfulness. of Christ our Saviour, are so gloriously credible in themselves, and so many in number, that .a believer has themost rational and solid ground for his faith. Let us take a short sur- vey of these witnesses, and humbly examine' their tes- tirnony. God himself, the all-wise, the true, and the eternal God, in the person of the Father, has borne witness from heaven to his Son Christ Jesus in all ages. This he did in old time by visions and voices, by prophecies and holy institutions. It is of him that God Math spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world be- gan Acts iii. 2 1. What is the seed of thewoman, thai . should break the serpent's head ; Gen. iii. 15. but apro- mise of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour, given to Adam, to prevent his despair : and a testimony of his power to destroy the works of the devil, and to save fal- len man ? What is the seed of Abraham " inwhom all nations should be blessed ; Gen. xxii. 18. out a prophecy of the blessings of life and salvation to the nations of the earth, by Jesus the son of Abraham ? Who was Shiloh, of whom Jacob prophesied, to him shall be the gathering of the people, but Christ, who was sent of God, that the gentiles Might commit their souls into his hands, and join themselves to him as their head and governor ? Gen. xlix, 10, It would be endless to run through a11'flie, messages 5
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