[By it has " righteousness been wrought," in its utmost extent. Not only has political righteousness been given for the government of kingdoms, as to Asa, Hezekiah, and Josiah, but moral righteousness, in a degree never produced by any other principle under heaven. Where do we find such cha- racters as those recorded in the Scriptures ? Yet it was faith which made them what they were : and faith, in proportion as it exists in the soul, enables every child of God to resemble them. The weakest of the human race shall " out of weakness be made strong;" and prevail, not only over men, but over all the powers of darkness also ^, if only he rely on the promise of a faithful God. His faith, though it were only small as a grain of mustard-seed, would be abundantly sufficient for all the powers that the occasion called for'.]
2. To obtain any thing —
[By it "have promises been obtained;" even such as, ac- cording to human expectation, could never have been fulfilled. To Abraham and Sarah was the birth of a son delayed, till there remained not the smallest probability of its accomplish- ment, nor a possibility, according to the course of nature. And David's establishment on the throne of Israel was as unlikely, according to man's estimate of things, as any event that could be conceived. But never, in any single instance, did a promise, apprehended by faith, fail him who relied upon it''. Take, then, the promises of God (no matter how great they are, or how small) ; and only rely on them, and plead them before God in prayer ; and sooner shall heaven and earth pass away, than you be disappointed of your hope. " Ye may ask what ye will," provided only it be contained in a promise, and " it shall assuredly be done unto you."]
3. To siiffe?' any thing —
[It is scarcely to be conceived what sufferings men have inflicted on the people of God. Of these we have many in- stances mentioned in the verses after my text'. But, perhaps, the instance more immediately referred to in my text is one recorded in the book of Maccabees, respecting a woman and her seven sons, who endured all that the cruel tyrant Antiochus could inflict upon them ; and refused all his offers of deliver- ance ; having an assured prospect of a recompence from God, even an eternal recompence, which would infinitely outweigh all that it was in the power of man to grant'". Similar in- stances we have had in our own favovired land, in the days of popish persecution : and God alone knows to what any of
^ Rom. viii. 37. Eph. vi. IG. Jam. iv. 7. ' Matt. xvii. 20.
k Josh, xxiii. 14. ' ver. 30, 37. •" 2 Mace. ver. 7.