27 FAITH BUILT 015 KVOWLEnoi, believer that is arrived at such a knowledge of Christ, has ob- tained it partly by the testimony of others¡ andpartly byhis own experience. 1. It is a knowledge that arises from the testimony ofothers. And this sort of knowledge is generally called faith ; that is, the believing ofany proposition upon the authority ofthose that relate it ; and accordingas the witnesses that make the report are more credible, and more numerous, so we give the firmer assent to their testimony ; our faith grows so much the stronger, and our knowledge is the more certain. Now the witnesses 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 the most rational andsolidground for his faith. Let us take a short survey of these witnesses, and humbly examine theirtestimony. God himself, the all-wise, the true, and the eternal God, in the person of the Father, has borne witness from heaven to his SonChrist Jesus in all ages. Thishe did in old time by visions and voices, by prophecies and holy institutions. It is of him that God bath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world began; Acts iii. 21. What is the seedy the woman, that should break the serpent's head; Gen. iii. 15. but a promise of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour, given to Adam, to prevent his despair : and atestimony of his power to destroy the works of the devil, and to savefallen man ? What is the seed of Abraham inwhom all nations should be blessed ; Gen. xxii. 18. but a pro- phecy 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 Gen- tiles might commit their souls into his hands, and join them- selves to him as their head and governor ? Gen. xlix. 10. It would be endless to run through all the messages from God, which the inspired prophets of old delivered to men, and which gave divine testimonyto the Saviour that should be born. Who was the angel of the covenant, that was sent to conduct the Jews through the wilderness, and to keep that nation, and to bring them safeto Canaan ? Who was the captain of the Lord's host, that was sent and appeared to Joshua, engaging for the protection ofhim and his army ? What was the vision that ap- peared to Isaiah, the Lord sitting upon a throne in much glory and power, but somany prefigurations of the Son of God, that was to take our natureupon him, andbecome a Saviour ? What were all these appearances of God in the form of man, but signs and pledges, and, as it were, essays towards his incarnation ? What were the types of the Old Testament, but emblems of de- liverance, atonement and salvation, that were to be conferred by
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