Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

First, A mere implicit faith, if at any time might have passed for currant, in the days before Christs Incarnation, whilst religion was wrapped up in veils and shadows; but even then faith in holy men was explicit according to the measure of divine light imparted unto them: all along they looked to the Messiah, the promised seed, and probably in an obscure manner to his future sufferings. Whilst Adam was in Innocency, there was no promise of a Messiah, no footstep of a sacrifice; but as soon as man was ⟨p. 42⟩fallen, out came that first Gospel, the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpents head, Gen. 3.15. and sacrifices were set up: without doubt not without Gods appointment, for God had respect to Abel's sacrifice; which, had it been a piece of will-worship, could not have been, and Abel offered it up by faith, Heb. 11.4. which, without a divine word, moves not in the least measure. These sacrifices were as it were visible Commentaries on that first Gospel, and types of a suffering Messiah. And if so and so by Gods own institution, it is not at all probable that God should hide the sacred meaning thereof totally from the faith of the first believers. Adam then, as I conceive, by the eyes of Faith saw the Messiah in that first Gospel, and withal some glimmering of his sufferings in the sacrifices: And if he saw it, no doubt he did preach and reveal it to others,¹ and probably (as Franzius conceives) in a solemn manner at the sacrifices. Abel (saith the Apostle) by faith offered up a sacrifice to God, not only by such a faith as did it in obedience to Gods command, but by such a faith, as through his own sacrifice did pierce to the antitype, the great sacrifice of the Messiah. ²Thus the learned Essenius, cum sacrificia Veteris Testamenti fuerint typi sacrificii Christi, ea sides intelligenda est, quâ sacrificium illud refertur ad suum antitypum, such a faith was proper to his sacrifice. In Noah's sacrifice the Lord smelled a sweet savour, or a savour of rest, such as did (saith one of the Rabbins) make him ab irâ suâ quiescere, rest ⟨p. 43⟩