After the apostle had laid down the description of faith, he applies it to the patriarch fathers, or ancient servants of God under the dispensa- tion of the Old Testament. Hence observe —
Ohs. 1. That the fathers under the law had the same kind of faith that we have. They had the same promises, not of Canaan, but of heaven : Heb. xi. 13, ' And confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth ;' they sojourned here as in a strange countiy, and counted the world a strange place, and looked for heaven as their home, as we do. And the promises were made to them upon the same terms of grace. The same reason or inducement that moves God to covenant with us moved God to covenant with the fathers of the Old Testament : Dent. vii. 8, ' Because the Lord loved you,' &c. The merit upon account of which lie might receive them into favour was the same, the blood of Jesus Christ: Heb. xiii. 8, ' Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.' It is not meant of his eternal divinitj^ and the unchangeableness of his godhead, but of the manifestation of his grace. The ages past and the ages to come, they are all one in Christ. Though we lived not in Christ's time, yet we have salvation by him, ' for he is the same for ever;' and though they lived not in our time, 3'et they had salvation by him, ' for he was the same yesterday,' &c. He is called the ' Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,' Eev. xiii. 8, that is, in God's decree ; and he was slain in the figures and ty2)es of his death. Though Christ's blood was not as yet shed, yet it was decreed to be shed in the purpose of God, and so it was as effectual to them as to us.
Use. Free grace is no novel doctrine, it is the old course which God hath always taken for saving of souls. The curiosity of man is alto- o-ether for new ways ; but however the new may seem more [)lausible, yet the old is more certain and true: Jer. vi. IG, 'Ask for the old paths, where is the good way,'— the ancient way of God's grace, — 'and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.' Novelty maketh things liable to suspicion. Verum quod iwimum, that is true which is the first. Though error be very ancient, error may be mouldy, as well as truth greyhaired ; yet that which is oldest is best, and truth is
VeK. 2.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL 375
first. Now this is God's old way, to bring- in sinners to Christ by free grace. When we shall come to heaven, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we shall hear the elders of old reading lectures of free grace, and singing praises to the Lamb, by whose blood they were redeemed, and by whose merit they were brought to glory. There will be Abraham, and ■\Ioses, and all the worthies of God ; God hath used several dispensations, but the end of the journey is the same.
Secondly, ' By it the elders obtained a good report.' I observe again —
Obs. 2. That the apostle ascribes their renown in the church to their faith. By it they obtained. They were famous for other graces, — Abel for righteousness and innocence ; Enoch and Noah for walking with God ; Moses for meekness, and wise conduct ; Abraham for obedi- ence ; others for their valour and resolution ; but mark, the crown is set upon the head of faith ; ' by it the elders obtained a good report.' Nay, throughout the whole chapter many effects here spoken of do more directly and formally belong to other graces, as to self-denial, and christian fortitude, rather than to faith : yet siill the apostle saith, by faith they did this, by faith they did that. Though the private soldiers do worthily in the high places of the field, yet the general bears away the honour, he gets the battle and wins the day ; so here, all graces have their use in the holy life, all do worthily in their order and place ; love worketli, hope waiteth, patience endureth, zeal sparkleth, and obedience urgeth to duty ; but faith bears away the prize, this is the chiefest pin and wheel in the whole frame of salvation. Partly because it is the grace of reception on our part, by which we receive all the influences of heaven. On Christ's part it is all ascribed to the Spirit, on our part to faith ; Christ lives in us by his Spirit, and we live in him by faith. There is no more intrinsic worth in faith than in any other grace, but Christ hath appointed it to this office. And partly because it directs and quickens all other graces — 'Faith worketh by love,' Gal. v. 6. It feeds hope, it teaches patience to wait, it makes zeal to sparkle, it gives relief to self-denial, and encourageth obedience. Faith is like a silken string, which runs through the chain of pearl ; or like the spirits that run with the blood throughout all the veins. Other graces without faith are but the moral elevations of nature ; this gives a man acceptance with God ; this conserves his other graces, and preserves him against assaults. It is called ' the shield of faith,' Eph. vi. 11, as the shield covereth the whole armour. God hath assigned this office to faith to quicken and preserve graces, and conquer difficul- ties : 1 John V. 4, ' This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.'