the favour sued for, and Patience is exercised in waiting for it; and, if he waits quietly, it is a good thing; "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." "And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it," Hab. ii. 2. This vision contains the object and mystery of faith; and it was the eye of faith that saw this vision, the sum of which was to be written and made plain upon tables, that every one that sat down to a table to eat the sacrifices might have it before his eyes, and rise up and run the heavenly race set before him : he was to run in faith of the grand Sacrifice to come, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ, and wait in hope for his appearance; for it was the appearance of him, and the gospel to be preached by him, that was the vision, and the voice of it: "For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." This is living by faith, and this is the way that all shall live who are saved. Some of the Jews said, Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?' And others contemptuously said, Messiah has lost his legs, and will not come at all.' To these God speaks. "Wo unto you that desire the day of the Lord: to what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand

on the wall, and a serpent bit him," Amos v. 18, 19. But there were some who held fast the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: unto which promise they, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come, Acts xxvi. 6, 7. These were found waiting for the Consolation of Israel; and they did not wait in vain, for the Consolation and Hope of Israel found them, and saved them. But those who despised this life of faith found the day of the Lord to be darkness indeed. For judgment the vision appeared, and of judgment he spake; "That those who see not might see, and that those who see might be made blind." These were the proud doers who rejected grace. "Behold, his soul, which is lifted up, is not upright in but the just shall live by his faith."

him ;

Our life must be like theirs if we would live to God here, and with him hereafter. The vision has appeared; Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among us. The vision did not tarry: the vision has spoken, and not lied; and the substance of it hath been preached to you; you have heard the joyful sound, and felt the pleasing power, and could set to your seal that God is true. And what remains? Why, we are saved by hope; and are called to a patient waiting for the Lord from heaven, and for the hope of righteousness by faith. And in this patient waiting, accompanied with a patient continuance in well-doing, we are to seek for immortality; and the promise is eternal life, which is promised to confidence. "Cast not away

your confidence, which hath a great recompence of reward." Now abideth Faith, by which we live; Hope, by which we are saved, and by which the glory of God is expected; and Charity, which beareth all things, endureth all things, and loves and longs for the Lord's appearing. And what is the end? Why, "he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe, (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day." Thus we must eye the promise made of God unto Abraham; and serve God in hope to come, or in hope of the glory of God: "Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ."

The voice of the vision to us is the same as to the Jews of old; "Now the just shall live by faith; but, if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." By faith we are to live, not by the law; by faith we are to walk, not by sight; by faith we have life, and by faith Christ lives in us. Act faith on the Saviour, and the Saviour will act in you. This is the will of God concerning you; by the which will we are sanctified, through faith in him who offered himself up once for all. This is a life that no hypocrite ever knew, and a doctrine that no hypocrite ever loved; nor shall the happy possessor of it ever find favour, either in the eyes of the world, or in the eyes of carnal professors.

I once knew a man at Thames Ditton, who made

a great profession of religion before I knew any thing about it. There was something of a superficial persuasion on his mind, like those who for a while believe, but in time of temptation fall away for want of root. In this superficial confidence he was wonderfully lifted up; and became a reprover of all, and at times a teacher of all; frequently suspecting the sincerity of others; and at times would contradict all that I have said in the pulpit. If you would sit and hear him talk, he was all life; but if you contradicted him, though ever so wrong, you stript him of all his fancied joys, and sunk him to the shades of death, till some wild notion sprung up afresh in his brain, and then he was the same as ever. All this while he was a Sabellian in his heart; and at last opened his mouth, and displayed his talents, against the doctrine of the ever-adorable Trinity; and began to deceive others, as himself had been deceived; which was no small grief of mind and trouble to my soul. However I had a dispute with him before some friends, and confuted him. Soon after God stopped his mouth in a way of judgment, by sweeping away his false hopes, and sinking him into despondency. This cut his pride, and exposed his nakedness before many whom he had often distressed and wounded. At this dispensation he began to spurn, and to tempt God by refusing to labour for his family. When I saw that he provided not for his own house, I took it for granted that he had denied the faith, and was worse than an infidel; and there

fore would have no more to do with him. He is now a warm advocate for the law of Moses; the works of the law are all in all with him: though it must be allowed that industry, honesty, and paying one's lawful debts, is a better way of preaching good works than by words, which are things he pays little regard to; this I know by experience. A few days ago he called on Mr. Rogers, shoemaker, at Paddington; and, after some conversation about his own good works, he predicted my fall; and said it was that cursed doctrine of looking out of one's self that hurt him; it led him to be careless. It is strange that looking to Christ for salvation, looking to the hills for help, running the race set before us looking to Jesus, till we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, should be attended with such dreadful consequences! Careless he is in every sense; but I think this ought to be ascribed to himself and the devil, rather than to the grace of God. But cannot men make the law their only rule of life, trust in the works of it, and proclaim their own merit, without cursing the doctrines of Christ? Why should their good be evil spoken of? This cannot be called fulfilling the law of righteousness; for that says, "He that curseth his God, let him die the death." And Mr. Butler aimed at the same object when he dropped this sentence on the doctrine of God; "A bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter." If the gospel of the grace of God doth