Some of the Ancients Report unto us, That beholding sometimes the Picture of Abraham, going to stab and burn his only Son as a Sacrifice, they never could behold it without ⟨p. 2⟩falling into Tears. I was now going to say. Tears, where are you? But something better I am to call for. There is no concern of our Inward or Outward man, wherein our Faith is not necessary, serviceable, advantageous. A good mans Faith, is a good mans Life. It is a Sentence of the Old, often repeated in the New- Testament: The Just by Faith shall live. How? But by his Faith. Behold our Inward man: By Faith 'tis that we are to receive the gift of Righteousness through Jesus Christ: By Faith it is that we get power to become the Children of God: By Faith it is that our hearts are purified: By Faith it is that we have a Victory over the World: And by Faith it is that we come to the End of our Faith, the Salvation of our Souls. Behold our Outward man! By Faith it is that we are to bear all that God lays upon us; and by Faith it is that we are to gain by what we bear. Nothing is to be done without Faith; No Living without it, nor any Dying without it. Admire not that it is in this Chapter so very admirably recommended unto us. It was a very true assertion of a Great Reformer, that the meanest action done in ⟨p. 3⟩Faith upon the Command, and in Faith up on the Promise of God, is a more noble thing, than the most celebrated Victories of an Alexander, or a Caesar. But I am sure then, the Chapter before us is a narrative of the most noble things in the world; they are the most Renowned Actions that ever were, and performed by the most Renowned Persons; In short, what Faith can do is here set before us. What it can do, is demonstrated, from what it hath done already. The Chapter is a Chronicle of Christian Faith; and an History of the Heroical Acts produced & performed by such a Faith. After the Apostle had mentioned the Patriarchs in Common, as famous for their Faith, he comes to instance Abraham in particular. There were many trials given to the Faith of Abraham; The Tenth (as they use to fancy of the Waves) was the biggest and hardest of them all; a trial in Isaac his only Son. There are three things in the Text before us.
SOme of the Ancients Report unto us, That beholding sometimes the Picture of Abraham, going to stab and burn his only Son as a Sacrifice, they never could behold it without ⟨p. 2⟩falling into Tears. I was now going to say. Tears, where are you? But something better I am to call for. There is no concern of our Inward or Outward man, wherein our Faith is not necessary, serviceable, advantageous. A good mans Faith, is a good mans Life. It is a Sentence of the Old, often repeated in the New- Testament: The Just by Faith shall live. How? But by his Faith. Behold our Inward man: By Faith 'tis that we are to receive the gift of Righteousness through Jesus Christ: By Faith it is that we get power to become the Children of God: By Faith it is that our hearts are purified: By Faith it is that we have a Victory over the World: And by Faith it is that we come to the End of our Faith, the Salvation of our Souls. Behold our Outward man! By Faith it is that we are to bear all that God layes upon us; and by Faith it is that we are to gain by what we bear. Nothing is to be done without Faith; No Living without it, nor any Dying without it. Admire not that it is in this Chapter so very admirably recommended unto us. It was a very true assertion of a Great Reformer, that the meanest action done in ⟨p. 3⟩Faith upon the Command, and in Faith up on the Promise of God, is a more noble thing, than the most celebrated Victories of an Alexander, or a Caesar. But I am sure then, the Chapter before us is a narrative of the most noble things in the world; they are the most Renowned Actions that ever were, and performed by the most Renowned Persons; In short, what Faith can do is here set before us. What it can do, is demonstrated, from what it hath done already. The Chapter is a Chronicle of Christian Faith; and an History of the Heroical Acts produced & performed by such a Faith. After the Apostle had mentioned the Patriarchs in Common, as famous for their Faith, he comes to instance Abraham in particular. There were many tryals given to the Faith of Abraham; The Tenth (as they use to fancy of the Waves) was the biggest and hardest of them all; a tryal in Isaac his only Son. There are three things in the Text before us.
