and a belief in him as fulfilling to us all his covenant engage- ments.]
Now, " without such faith," we are told, " it is impossible to please God." Let me then proceed to shew you,
II. Why it is so indispensable for that end —
1. Without such faith, we cannot have any right dispositions towards God —
[What can we possess of love to an unknown being? or what of fear, towards one who neither regards, nor will ever take cognizance of, our actions? What can we feel of grati- tude towards one, to whom we can trace no obligations ? or of affiance in one, of whose agency in the affairs of men we are altogether ignorant? It is obvious, that, so far as respects re- ligious feelings, we are no better than " Atheists in the world ''." How, then, can God be " pleased" with such wretches as these ? ]
2. Without such faith we cannot render unto God any acceptable service —
[Any service, in order to be accepted of God, must be such as he himself has required: it must have respect to his authority, as commanding it ; to his word, as the rule to which it is to be conformed ; and to his glory, as the end for which it is to be done. But, if we possess not faith in God, how can we have respect to his authority ? or how can we conform to his word ? or how can we desire to advance his glory ? Any pretence of this kind must be downright hypocrisy or delusion : and, whatever the service be, it can be no better, in God's estimation, than " the cutting off a dog's neck for sacrifice, and the offering of swine's bloods"]
Application —
Inquire, then, I pray you,
1. Into the nature and reality of your faith —
[Men, if they inquire into their state at all, are apt to confine their attention to their tvorks. But here we see how necessary it is to inquire into our faith; since, if that be not sound and scriptural, nothing else can be right before God. Inquire, whether you have any deep conviction even of the existence of 'T^od ; and still more, of his moral government, and of his inspecting every thing in order to judge the world in righteousness at the last day. Inquire still further, what
^ Eph. ii. 12. the Greek. <= Isai. Ixvi. 3.