us to differ" from our fellows'1: and every saint, whether in heaven or on earth, must say, " By the grace of God I am what I am6."]
2. His power —
[Nothing less than omnipotence could have effected such a sudden and total change in the heart of Abram as was wrought at this time : nor, in truth, could any thing less than omnipotence have sufficed to accomplish for him all that was now promised. And is less power required for the " turn- ing of any man from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God ? " It is a new creation, and is expressly called so by God himself f. It is compared by St. Paul to the power which the Father exercised in raising his Son Jesus Christ from the dead, and exalting him to glory far above all the principalities and powers, whether of heaven or hellp. From the first awakening of a sinner to his final exaltation to glory, he must say, in reference to the whole work, " He that hath wrought me to this self-same thing is GodV]
3. His faithfulness —
[Not one foot of ground had Abram : nor for twenty- five years after the promise was made to him, had he the child to whom the promises were made. The time was past in which, according to the course of nature, it was possible for him and Sarah to have a child. Yet the child was given him ; and to his posterity all the land of Canaan ; and in due time, the seed also, in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed. Thus, in like manner, are all the promises fulfilled to every one who believes in Christ : not one jot or tittle of God's word is ever suffered to fail1. " The promises of God in Christ are, not yea and nay, but yea and amen, to the glory of Godk," and to the everlasting salvation of all who rely upon them. However numerous their clangers be, or great their difficulties, " they shall never be plucked out of God's hands1," but shall be " kept by his power unto full and complete salvation"1."]
Let us now set before yon that which is no less conspicuous in our text ; namely,
II. The virtues of Abram, for your imitation — We are told, on divine authority, that if we be
rt 1 Cor. iv. 7. e 1 Cor. xv. 10. t Eph. ii. 10.
g Eph. i. 19 — 21. See the wonderful force of the original. h 2 Cor. v. 5. » Josh, xxiii. 14. * o Cor. i. 20.
1 John x. 29. m 1 Pet. i. 5.
20.1 ABRAM's JOURNEY TO CANAAN. 103
Abram's seed, we shall do the works of Abram. Behold, then,
1. His simple faith —
[He received implicitly all that God spake unto him. To whatsoever it referred, and however improbable, humanly speaking, the accomplishment of it was, he never for one moment doubted the truth of God's word, " nor ever staggered at any promise through unbelief." Now in this most particu- larly he is set forth as an example to us ; who are required to " walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had whilst he was yet uncircumcised"." And more espe- cially are we to imitate him in relation to the faith which he exercised on the Lord Jesus Christ, whom he beheld at the distance of two thousand years as the Saviour of the world. If any person ever could be justified by his works, Abram might have claimed that honour : but, eminent as his obe- dience to the divine mandates was, " he had nothing whereof to glory before God ;" and, sensible of his own utter unworthi- ness, he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for righteousness, and was justified solely by faith in him0. And why is this so minutely recorded concerning him ? Was it for his sake, that he might be honoured ? No : it was altogether for our sakes, that we might know how we also are to be justified, and may look simply to Christ as our all in allp.]