Thirdly, The effects of this faith, or if you will, the effect, and the sign, and visible symbol of it.
First, The first effect of his faith is — He made mention of the de- 'parlure of the cliildren of Is^'ael : Gen. 1. 24. 'I die, and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land into the land which he sware to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' ' In visiting he will visit you.' Now this he mentioneth, not only to testify his own faith and hope, but also to confirm his brethren that they might hope well though he should die ; and to draw them out of Egypt as much as he could. Now the strength of his faith was shown in this, that this deliverance and de- parture out of Egypt was a great while yet to come, to come to pass a great many years afterwards ; and in the meantime they were to be after his death under a hard and cruel oppression in Ejjvpt ; for in all this he alludeth to the promise: Gen. xv. 13, 14, * Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stransrer in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years. And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge, and afterwards shall they come out with great substance.' There is a great deal of faith
410 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL [SeR. LVI.
shown in the public deliverance of God's people. Here I shall show —
1. Why faith is to be herein exercised.
[1.] So far as a christian is interested to act and look after blessings, so far is he bound to believe. Now a christian is not only to seek his own things, but the common welfare of the saints: Phil. ii. 21, 'AH seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.' If men do so, though, it is against Immanity, for man is ^coov ttoXItckov, a sociable creature. The heathens were sensible of a duty they owed to their country ; yet if men do so, let not christians. It is a self-excommunication to be selfish and senseless, to have such narrow lines of communication as our own private sphere, and the interests and concernments of our own families ; you cast yourselves out of the body. It is not enough to look to your own estate, to your own souls ; but that it is also well with the body, and to help on the common good ; and therefore he is bound so far to believe. For all action is supported by faith ; men would soon stick else in duties of public relation which mostly expose to danger and hazard.
[2] So far as God hath promised, so far we are bound to believe. Now God hath made promises, not only to our persons, but to the church in general ; to particular persons, and to Sion : not only for our preser- vation, but for the preservation of the cluu-ch as a church, to believers considered in a collective body, that ' the gates of hell shall not pre- vail against it,' Mat. xvi. 18.
2. How we must believe promises.
[1.] That they will be accomplished, though long delayed. Faith looketh over that length of time that is between the promise and the accomplishment. For a long time they were to lie under Egyptian thraldom, j'et surely God will visit you : Hab. ii. 3, ' For the vision is yet for an appointed tinie, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie : though it tarry, wait for it ; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.' It is the weariness of the flesh that thinketh that God tarrieth — ' He is a present help in trouble,' Ps. xlvi. 1. And if it were seasonable, you should have it next hour, if there were not more of the beauty of providence to be seen, and more profit to redound to the church — ' He that believeth shall not make haste,' Isa. xxviii. 16. Hold out then, God's delays are not to deny our prayers and frustrate our hopes, but to quicken us to call upon him, and to fit us for the mercy we look for.
[2.] Though the case of the children of God be very afflicted, yet faith is to wait. In Egypt they were in sore bondage. Faith is to out- work all difficulties — ' Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,' Job xiii. 15 ; and Ps. xxiii. 4, ' Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil ; for thou art with me, and thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.' When we are ploughed enough, then God will cut their cords asunder ; he may suffer the ploughers to make long furrows, yet Christ will have his crop. Quando duplicantur lateres, turn venit Mose — When the tale of bricks was doubled, then Moses came and delivered them.
3. Propositions to help us.
[1.] It is not for the profit of the church always to enjoy serenity. As to the fruitfulness of the earth and the health of men, it is not pro-