allowed you in your endeavours after the otlier graces, because you are more strongly provoked and excited up to the getting and keeping this. The apostle would intend your care here, but not remit it there. Cannot we bid a soldier, above all parts of his body, to beware of a wound at his heart, but he must needs think presently he need take no care to guard his head ! Truly such a one woukl deserve a cracked crown to cure him of his folly. The words thus opened, we shall content ourselves with one general observation from them.
CHAPTER II.
SIIEWETH THE PRE-EMINENCE OF FAITH ABOVE OTHER GRACES, IN FOUR PARTICULARS.
Docf. 1. That faith, of all graces, is the chief, and chiefly to be laboured for. There is a precedency or pre-eminence peculiar to tliis above all other ; it is among graces as the sun is among the planets, or as Solomon's virtuous woman among the daughters, Prov. xxxi. 29. Though every grace hath done virtu- ously, yet thou, O faith, excellest them all. The apostle, indeed, gives tlie prece- dency to love, and sets faith on the lower hand, 1 Cor. xiii. 13 : ' Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest is charity ;' yet you may ob- serve, that this prelation of it before faith, hath a particular respect to the saints' blissful state in heaven, where love remains, and faith ceaseth; in which regard love indeed is the greater, because it is the end of our faith ; we apprehend by faitli, that we may enjoy by love : but if we consider the Christian's present state, while militant on earth, in this respect love must give place to faith. It is true, love is the grace that shall triumpli in heaven; but it is faith, not love, which is the conquering grace here on earth : ' This is the victory that over- cometh tlie world, even our faith,' 1 John v. 4. Love, indeed, hath its place in the battle, and doth excellent service, but it is under faith, its leader. Gal. v. 6 : 'faith which worketh by love;' even as the captain fighteth b}' his soldiers, wliom he leads on, so faith works by love, which it excites. Love, it is true, is the grace that at last possesseth the inheritance; but it is faith that gives the Chris- tian right unto it, witliout which he should never have enjoyed it, John i. 12 : ' To as many as received him, he gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.' In a word, it is love that unites God and glorified saints together in heaven ; but it was faith that first united them to Christ, while they were on earth, Eph. v. 17 : ' Tliat Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.' And if Christ had not dwelt in them by faith on earth, they should never have dwelt with God in heaven. But I proceed to shew wherein it appears, that faith hath such a prelation above other graces, which take in these followiiig particulars.
Section I. — First, In the great inquiry that God makes after faith above all other graces. Nothing more speaks our esteem of persons or things, than our inquiry afier them. We ask first and most for those that stand highest in our thought. ' Is your father well,' said Joseph ; ' the old man of wliom ye spake, is he alive ?' Gen. xliii. 27. No doubt there were others of whose welfare Joseph would have been glad to hear also, but being most pent and pained with a natural affection to his fatlier, he easeth himself of this first. And when David asked for Al)salom above all otliers, ' Is the young man Absalom safe?' and over again with it to Cnsh, 2 Sam. xviii., it was easy to guess how high he valued his life. Now you shall find the great inquiry that God makes is for faith : ' When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the cartli '!' Luke xviii. 8 ; implying, that this is the grace which he will especially look for, and desires to find. We read, John ix., of a great miracle, a man by Christ restored to his sight, that was born blind. This so enraged the malicious Pharisees, that they excommunicate the poor man for no other fault but giving his merciful physician a good word. This brings Christ the sooner to him ; so tender is he of those that suffer for him, that they shall not long want his sweet company; and he liath no cause to complain for being cast out of man's society, that gains Christ's presence by the same. Now observe what Christ saith to hiin at his first meeting, ver. 35 : ' Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and wlien he had found hiin, he said unto him. Dost thou believe on the Son of God V The
432 ABOVE ALL, TAKING THE SHIELD OF FAITH.