OUR WEAKNESS OF FAITH, that these figns are not among us; they are figns promised to attend thofe that BELIEVE. So many doctrines of men, Mark vii. 7. have been from time to time mixed with the pure word of God, that faith is weakened, and the POWER of faith is almoft forgotten! It feems to me to be very unadvised to draw lines of diftinction that we do not find in the word of God, and to limit this promife of our bleffed Lord to the apoftolic age, or to the primitive times. If the promife of power from on high, Luke xxiv. 49. had been intended to be a limited promife, extending no further than a given era, furely there would have been fome words of limitation to be found in the word of God; I cannot perceive any fuch limitation, but I can perceive that this opinion prevailing, is fufficient of itself to ftrip the Chriftian churches of this power, or rather to keep them from regaining this power from on high; for I appeal to the experience of the reader, whether WEAKNESS OF FAITH, or as it is called in the Epistle to the Hebrews, "AN EVIL HEART OF UNBE"LIEF," Heb. iii. 12. is not the SOREST TRIAL that we have to contend with. How greatly then is this, which may be almost called the NATURAL INFIRMITY, to which we are all of us fubje&t, increased by fuch affertions; if on the contrary we read the 11th chapter of the Epiftle to the Hebrews, we shall fee that FAITH was uniformly the power from on high, whereby the faints of the Jewish nation were enabled to OVERCOME, to the glory of him

who

who thus gave them power from on high, and that we are exhorted to emulate their faith.

The great gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecoft, was this POWER FROM ON HIGH, Luke xxiv. 49. and our blessed Lord hath inftructed us to pray for it: "Afk and it fhall be given you; feek, and 66 ye fhall find; knock, and it fhall be opened unto For every one that afketh receiveth; and "he that feeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh "it fhall be opened. If a fon fhall ask bread of 66 any of you that is a father, will he give him a "ftone? or if he afk a fifh, will he for a fifh give "him a ferpent? or if he fhall afk an egg, will he

"you.

offer him a fcorpion? If ye then, being evil, know "how to give good gifts unto your children, how "much more shall your HEAVENLY FATHER "give the HOLY SPIRIT to them that afk him ?" Luke xi. 9-13. Again, our bleffed Lord and Saviour spake thefe words, " Have faith in God..

For verily I fay unto you, That whofoever fhall "fay unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be "thou caft into the fea; and fhall not DOUBT IN "HIS HEART, but fhall BELIEVE that those "things which he faith fhall come to pafs; he fhall "have whatsoever he faith. Therefore I fay unto

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you, What things foever ye defire, when ye pray, "BELIEVE that ye receive them, and ye fhall have "them." Mark xi. 22-24.

How frequently do we find our bleffed Mafter reproving his difciples for their want of faith! It is

only

only by FAITH that we can OVERCOME; if, like Peter, we look to the winds and waves that threaten to overwhelm us, we immediately begin to fink; but he who fupported Peter in his finking ftate, and faid unto him, "O thou of little faith, wherefore "didft thou doubt ?" can increase our faith," if we feek it of him; for he is "the author and finisher of "our faith," and we fhall do well ever to remember those words that he spake: "No man can come unto "me, except the FATHER that hath fent me draw "him;" and that word of the apoftle, that "no man

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can fay that Jefus Chrift is the Lord, but by the "Holy Ghoft." Matt. xiv. 31. Luke xvii. 5. Heb. xii. 2. John vi. 44. 1 Cor. xii. 3.

All Chriftians are interefted in thefe things, for unbelief is contagious; and on the other hand, the flame of faith is also increased by COMMUNICATION; but surely if there are those to whom these things become peculiarly interefting, it is those who interest themselves in the Miffionary caufe; thofe who are ardently defirous that the command of our blessed Saviour may be obeyed; "Go ye therefore and "teach all nations," Matt. xxviii. 19. It is by the obedience of his fervants to this precept, that he will "gather together in one, the children of God that

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are scattered abroad," John xi. 52. When we confider the vaft extent of thofe countries in which the Gospel hath never yet been preached; when we confider that "EPHRAIM AND THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL HIS FELLOWS," Ezek. xxxvii. 19. are fcattered among thefe nations that have never yet

heard

heard the glad-tidings of falvation; when we confider that MANASSEH hath become great, although his younger brother, EPHRAIM, hath become greater than he, and that EPHRAIM is called MY FIRSTBORN by the God of Ifrael; and finally, when we confider that EPHRAIM is now become a MULTITUDE OF NATIONS; Gen. xlviii. 19. Jere. xxxi. 9. furely there is fufficient room for the exertions of thofe who ardently defire the good of the Jewish nation, without concerning themfelves with the opinions of Judah, and the children of Ifrael his companions, who refide among us, and whom we acknowledge to be of the Jewish nation.

Though Christians of the Gentile nations can produce no authority to juftify them in their endeavours, as far as "Judah, and the children of Ifrael his "companions," Ezek. xxxvii. 16. are the object; though Jerufalem is the place in which THEY will mourn, on beholding him whom they have pierced, Zech xii. 10, 11. yet there does actually appear to be good ground for Chriftians to believe that an IMPORTANT WORK is reserved, and appointed for THEM to perform, with respect to "EPHRAIM, 66 AND THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL HIS FELLOWS," Ezek. xxxvii. 19. but who is fufficient for these things? 2 Cor. ii. 16. If they are employed in this great work, they will only be enabled to fucceed by that FAITH, which will prove their fufficiency to be of God, 2 Cor. iii. 5.

"Whofoever doth not bear his crofs, and come "after me, he cannot be my disciple. For which of

you intending to build a tower, fitteth not down ❝ first, and COUNTETH THE COST, whether "he have fufficient to finish it? Left haply, after he "hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish

it, all that behold it begin to mock him, faying, "This man began to build, and was not able to "finish." Luke xiv. 27-30. If in thus counting the coft, the largenefs of the collections, the powers of difputation, the ftore of arguments, or the quicknefs of parts of the Miffionaries, are the chief articles upon which the efltimate is formed, difappointment will be the refult; but if on the other hand FAITH in the promises of God's moft holy word, and in particular FAITH in that promife, that those who will have the high honour to "teach all nations," Matt. xxviii. 19. will actually and really be "EN66 DUED WITH POWER FROM ON HIGH," Luke xxiv. 49. to accomplish the arduous undertaking, it will be found that they ARE fufficient for these things; for in fuch case their fufficiency is of God, 2 Cor. iii. 5.

Even as far as the "houfe of Judah, and the chil"dren of Ifrael his companions," Ezek. xxxvii. 16. who dwell among us, are concerned, I think I am juftified in faying, that thofe who defire to render THEM service cannot engage in any undertaking of fairer promise to their advantage than obeying the command, "Go ye and teach all nations," Matt. xxviii. 19. which appears to afford fuch good profpect in favour of "Ephraim, and the tribes of Ifrael "his fellows," Ezek. xxxvii. 19. for there is no di&tinction

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