another miracle, exactly similar to this% shall be con- sidered, we shall fix our attention upon two things, which are very strongly marked in the words before us :
I. The object of faith —
The whole sacred volume is to be received by us ; but God has revealed in it the proper object of our faith : his perfections are the foundation on which we build ; and though every perfection is equally an object of our love, yet there seems a propriety in regarding his power as the more immediate object of our faith; because it will be to no purpose to believe him well-disposed towards us, if we do not also believe him able to effect his gracious intentions —
[In confirmation of this we may observe, that in the most eminent instances of faith, the power of God has been chiefly
regarded ^
And in the most remarkable instances of unbeHef, his power
has been principally doubted*^ Moreover God in a
peculiar manner points out this attribute to our notice^, expostulates with us for not attending to it sufficiently^, and exhorts us to take it for our strength^ ]
The address of our Lord to the two suppliants leads us further to remark,
II. The importance of faith —
[Our Lord makes more inquiry after this than after any other graced He overlooked many faults, where this was
a Matt. XX. SO — 34.
^ Abraham^ whose faith is so highly commended, had respect to the power of God to give him a son in his old age, Rom. iv. 19 — 21. and to raise him up from the dead, Heb. xi. 19. In dependence on. this, Jonathan attacked a Philistine garrison, 1 Sam. xiv. 6. Jehosha- phat went forth against three confederate armies, 2 Chron. xx. 6, 12. and the Hebrew Youths withstood the command of the Babylonish monarch, Dan. iii. 17, 18.
*= Sarah questioned the power of God to give her a child, Gen. xviii. 12 — 14. As did also the Israelites to give them bread and, flesh, Ps. Ixxviii. 20, Moses himself on one occasion staggered at God's promise, from an apprehension that it could not be performed, Numb. xi. 21, 22. And Martha deemed the putrid state of her brother's corpse an insurmountable bar to his restoration to life, John xi. 39,40.
'J Ps. Ixii. 11. e isai. xl. 28, 29. ^ Isai. xxvi. 4.
s He inquired to this effect of Martha, John xi. 26 ; of the blind man, John ix. 35. See also the text.