Background Image
Table of Contents Table of Contents
Previous Page  234 / 652 Next Page
Basic version Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 234 / 652 Next Page
Page Background

22

1.

FAITH

IN ITS LOWEST DEGREES..

DISC.

vxr.

most

limits

of

the

camp, might,

as

it

were from the

borders

of

the wilderness, look up. to

the brazen

remedy,

and

find

health and

life

:

From the ends

of

the

land

they

looked

and

were saved.

Physicians

were

useless in

that

day,

and

all

medicines

insignificant.

The

swift

and

fiery poison

wrought pow-

erfully

in

them

that

were bitten,

and

they

were

quickly

brought

to the

borders

of

the

grave.

But

before

their

eyes were closed in

death,

if

they

could but cast a

look

towards the appointed

signal,

the

divine medium

of

sal-

vation, behold they

are miraculously healed,

and

live

!

And which

of

all

the sons or

daughters

of Israel

could

boast of

any thing

of

his own in

this

wondrous

deliver-

ance, when

on

the

very confines

of

life

and the

brink

of

the

grave they were

healed

by

a

look

to

the brazen

image

of

a

serpent

?

Such

is

the perishing sinner casting an

eye

toward

Christ

for salvation

!

But

some

poor

trembling sinner

will be

ready

to say,

Surely this

is so

little

and

so low

an

act of

faith,

that

I

"

am ready to

question whether

this

can

save me

or

no

:

"

How

shall I know

whether

my

looking to

Christ

is

of

"

that

kind

as

shall be effectual

to my

salvation

?"

Now

in

answer

to such an

inquiry,

let

the fearful

soul

remember

what

I have said

before

under

the

second

par-

ticular, concerning

the several acts

of

the soul,

that

are

secretly included

in this looking to

Jesus

;

and

ask

it-:

self

whether it

has

put

forth

these acts or

no

?

Besides

this,

I

would

mention

also

these

two

properties of

saving

faith, as

it

is

described

by

looking.

1.

It

must

be

such a

look

as

immediately

affects

the

heart

with love and sorrów

;

sorrow for

our

own

sins,

aid

love to

Christ our

Saviour.

If

we

have

ever

seen

him

with

sincere delight

as

a Saviour

from

sin, we shall

mourn heartily

that ever

we

were

sinners. We cannot

but repent

for

sin, while

we

believe

or hope for the

for

-

giveness

of

it

through

such

condescending

grace. And

we

cannot but

love

so

compassionate

and

almighty a

Friend, that

has delivered

us

from

eternal

destruction.

Having

seen

Christ

we

are

weaned

from

sin,

and

we

love

the Lord. Mary Magdalene

:

that remarkable

sinner,

lying

at

the foot

of Christ;

wept

much

and

".loved

much

;"

Luke

vii.

3:3,

47.

You

have

never

seen Christ,

as

your

Saviour,

if your

sins

are not

the objects

of

your