It is plain, however, that they only who receive the evidence of things not seen, and keep the faith, can thereby be benefitted.Were a poor man to have prefented him from a wealthy neighbour, his endorfed fecurity for a great fum on demand;-but fhould he refuse the favour, or taking it, fhould he deftroy the evidence of the intereft, by trampling the bond, with his benefactors name upon it, as a worthlefs thing, under his feet, what would it profit him?-If men hate the light, and will not come to it'; if they fhut their eyes, and love darkness rather than light; what will it avail them, that light is come into the world? In the nature of the cafe, to be benefited by the infinite mercy, we must receive that evidence of things not seen, which gives a title to the kingdom of heaven, and hold it faft, and let no man take our crown. By this is meant, that we prize the intereft, that we take a hearty fide in the cause, and that by word and by deed, we make the confellion of Jefus Christ our own. Nothing anore is neceffary for the poffeffion and enjoyment of this, than of any other gift; it muft be received and kept in hand. And certainly it is as much within the reach of one man to avail himself of this advantage, as for another; one man has as good a warrant to take up the caufe of Chrift, to intereft himfelf in it, and fo to make it his own, as another; and we may be affured, that none who hear the gospel, will fail of inheriting the blefling, but thofe flupid, blind, and profane perfons who, for the tifles of time and fenfe,

will barter a kingdom of righteousness, and a crown of life.

Jefus Chrift came into the world to bear. witness unto the truth, and to confirm the promifes made unto the Fathers; which promifes to Abraham, &c. may be fummed up in a country and a feed; a country for a poffefsion, and a feed to inherit it; particularly, the anointed one, who fhould redeem the posfeffion, drive out the enemy, and bring in his brethren to inherit it for ever. The truth, therefore, contained in the promises, is the truth of the kingdom of God; and hence, in confirming the promifes, Chrift declared and teftified the truth of the kingdom of heaven, as in his confeffion before Pontius Pilate; and fo gave to the world his evidence for the truth of God, by the feal of his own blood. Whoever, therefore, receives and holds this good confeffion and teftimony of Jefus Chrift, refpecting the promised redeemed world, and his and his peoples' kingdom, is an heir of promife; for he receives and holds the word of promife, even the truth or faith which was once delivered unto the faints; and which is the sealed evidence, and uncontroverted security of things. not feen.

How different is this righteoufnefs from that of the law! and this way of falvation from that of works! By grace are ye faved! Mofes defcribeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doth thofe things fhall live by them. But the righteousness which 1s of faith, fpeaketh on this wife, Say not in

thy heart, who fhall afcend into heaven? that is, to bring Chrift down from above. Or, who Shall defcend into the deep? that is, to bring up Chrift again from the dead. But what faith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith which we preach, that if thou shalt confefs with thy mouth the Lord Jefus, and fhalt believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be faved. For with the beart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confeffion is made unto fal

vation.

This faving confeffion, embracing the unfeen glory of Chrift, and the power of the refurrection world, is precifely the fame that was witnessed by the Lord himself. It is the gofpel which was preached by Paul.-At Rome, when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him; to whom he expounded and teftified the kingdom of God, perfuading then concerning Jejus. Acts xxviii. 23. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired houfe, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching thofe things which concern the Lord Jefus Chrift. Verfes 30, 31. This is manifeltly the grand theme of the ancient fcriptures. Paul could boldly appeal to king Agrippa, who, was well acquainted with the ethics and expectations entertained among the Jews, that preaching and teflifying in this manner, was faying none other things than those which the prophets and Mofes did fay fhould come: That Chrift fhould fuffer,

and that he fhould be the first that should rife from the dead, and fhould fhew light to the people and to the Gentiles. And this we fee alfo was the hope of Abraham, Isaac, and Ifrael; as when, for preaching and testifying concerning Jefus and the refurrection, Paul was bound and carried to Rome, he called the chief of the Jews together, and faid unto them, For this caufe have I called for you, to fee you, and to speak with you: becaufe that for the hope of Ifrael I am bound with this chain.

In the doctrine of the kingdom, therefore, the whole divine fyftem is comprised; and by means of this gofpel of Chrift, we are able to acquire the molt extenfive knowledge of the only true God: Hence, fays Chrift, He that hath feen me, hath feen the Father. And, fays the apoftle, It pleafed the Father, that in him fhould all fulness dwell. Col. i, 19. And again, For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Chap. ii. 9. Difplaying the truth of Chrift is, hence, difplaying the Godhead; and the preaching among the Gentiles, the unfearchable riches of Chrift, is to make all men fee what is the fellowship of the mystery which, from the beginning of the world, hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jefus Chrift: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church the manifold wifdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purpofed in Chrift Jefus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and accefs with confidence by the faith of him,

Eph. iii. And when we are able to comprehend with all faints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Chrift, which pajeth knowledge, we shall be filled with all the fulness of God.

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all; and it is the nature of light to illuminate.Wherefore, with all the fulness of God dwelling in him, the Lord is a Sun; and he arifeth upon the world with healing in his beams. As all the promises are in Christ, and he is full of the truth of God, his appearing is the rif ing up of the faithful and true witness, and must of courfe give the evidence of things not feen. And when this light, from the face of Jefus, fhineth in the hearts of men, they become light in the Lord, children of the light and of the day, and fine as lights in the world; receiving the evidence of life and immortality, as the truth is in Jefus, they are constrained irrefiftibly to confefs it, and by word and deed to give evidence of the divine reality of the gospel to others. True believers are manifeftly declared to be the epistle of Christ, known and read of all men: Ye are my witnesses, faith the

Lord.

The evidence of things not feen is the feed of God, brought into the world by the Sower; who thought it more blessed to give than to receive; to be difperfed abroad, and fown for a harveft of life and immortality.—In the Parable of the Sower, the feed is faid to be the word, Mark iv. 14. that is the word of God, Luke viii. 11. which is the word of the kingdom, Matth xiii. 19. And when this feed is