one from another. But is not the spirit of perfecution uniformly and invariably the fame fpirit, in whatever nation or individual it❘ exifts? If it be, what need of a diverfity, to reprefent it? But if to reprefent the various genius and character of thefe conquering and powerful kingdoms, how apt and ftriking the types? 2. Does this interpretation agree with the reprefentation of fcripture? The bear, the Perfians, with an infatiable voracity attacked and fubdued the lion, the Babylonians; and the Macedonians with the courage and fierceness of the leopard, attacked and conquered the bear; and the Romans combining the various nature of the lion, the bear, and the leopard, broke in pieces and devoured not only the Macedonians, and fo virtually the Medes, Perfians and Babylonians, but the whole earth, as with great iron teeth. And is it not affigned as the reason why this kingdom is reprefented by iron, that as iron breaketh in pieces and fubdueth all things, fo as iron that fubdueth all thefe fhall it break in pieces and shall bruife? Is this kingdom reprefented by iron to denote its ftrength for perfecution or conqueft? If ftrong to break in pieces the preceding kingdoms, is not the idea of perfecution foreign from the view of the scriptures? 3. Is this interpretation supported from fact? The people of God, the Jews, it is true fuffered grievously from Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, but did he fubdue and distress them as a perfecutor, or as a conqueror? Did they fuffer more from him than other conquered nations? If it be faid, They did. Had they not given him peculiar and aggravated provocation? He took Jerufalem, made Jehoiakim king, and, exacting tribute of him, left the city in peace. Jehoiakim rebelled against him. He canie again, took the city, and made Mattaniah king, requiring him to fwear by God that he would be true and faithful. And to remind him of this facred obligation, changed his name and called him Zedekiah, the oath of the Lord. But Zedekiah was treacherous and rebelled against him. He came again, took the city and rafed it, as a bad city, which made infurrection against kings. If they, therefore, fuffered more from him than other nations, did they not procure this severity of treatment by their perfidy and rebellion? But after this did he distress them? Did they not dwell in peace in the cities of Chaldea? Did not Daniel fit in the gate of the king, as a diftinguished favorite ? and were not Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego promoted to offices of authority and influence in the province of Babylon? Did not Evelmerodach exalt the throne of Jehoiachin above the throne of the kings that were with him?-and did not Belshazzar fo entirely confign the affairs of the empire to Daniel and his other officers of ftate, that he did not know him when he came before him? Did he perfecute the Jews?-Will Shadrach, Mefhach and Abednego, be produced as martyrs ? but did not the edict by which they fuffered equally extend to idolatrous nations with the Jews? This for the lion.-Cyrus liberated the Jews from captivity, and made a decree for their rebuilding the temple and reftoring the worfhip of God. The work was embarraffed by the envy and artifices of the Samaritans, Ammonites, and Moabites, Ezra iv. but the decree of Darius, Ezra vi. removed the embarraffments. Obfervations on John vii. 36. "He that believeth on me, as the feripture hath faid, out of his belly fhall flow rivers of living water." F NUMBER I. AITH makes a very capital figure in the writings of the New Teftament. Our Saviour declares this to be the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath fent.* This is effential to all spiritual life, to all our and accelerated the work. Under The nature and effects of Faith. Artaxerxes, called Ahasuerus, who had Efther for his queen and Mordecai for his prime minifter of ftate, the Jews enjoyed great profperity and peace. Do we find a fingle inftance of perfecution, or even of vexation, which occurred to the Jews through the whole duration of the Perfian empire, if we except the decree of Smerdis the ufurper, (but he reigned only one year) called Artaxerxes, Ezra iv., and the attempt of Haman which coft him his life? Was this mild and lib-communion and acceptance with eral difpofition of the Perfian God. Without faith it is im kings toward the Jews reprefent- poffible to please him for he ed by a bear?-Alexander grant- that cometh to God must believe ed many favors and privileges to that he is, and that he is a re the Jews. Antiochus the great, warder of them that diligently tranfported many of the Jews to feek him. Moft important is it the leffer Afia, and, providing lib- therefore that Christians fhould erally for their fubfiftence, com- understand the nature and effects mitted his moft important castles of faith, and that they fhould be to their valor and fidelity for de- indeed the fubjects of this divine fence. Paleftine lying between principle. Of this and its happy Syria and Egypt, the Jews fuf- effects it is that our Saviour fpeaks fered great calamities from the in this paffage. In the preceding contents of their kings, but can verfe, he had with great earneftmore than three or four of all the nefs, the laft, that great day of fucceffors of Alexander be justly the feast of tabernacles, called all denominated perfecutors ?-The who were thirsty to come and Roman empire, ancient and mod-drink; importing that he was the ern, it is acknowledged, hath gen-water of life, and that in him erally been a perfecuting power, but if a perfecuting character be not jufly applicable to any one, is it not a conclufive exception againft applying it to any of them all? But whether fuch an interpretation be formed from the rep. refentation of feripture, or hath proceeded from the common pro-ters, wash and be clean, drink and penfity of mankind to understand thirft no more, but live for ever. and judge of all fubjects with In this verfe Jefus explains what reference to themfelves, it is not he defigned by coming to him the province of the writer to and drinking, viz. believing on decide. (To be continued.) there was every thing neceffary to cleanfe and refresh the foul, and to give it all imaginable entertainment : That he was a fountain open for public ufe, for Jews and Gentiles, to wash in for fin and uncleannefs; and that whofoever would, might come unto the wa his name. Coming to Chrift, and believing on his name, are fre.. quently ufed in the New Teftament to exprefs the fame thing, a genuine faith.* To every fuch perfon who believeth in Jefus it is promifed, That out of his belly fhall flow rivers of living water. This imports that his faith fhall not be a dormant principle, but have great activity, producing the moft ufeful and happy effects. It will be a principle of life flowing out in all pious, righteous and benevolent affections, exercises and conduct. To illuftrate this fubject it will be natural to contemplate the nature of faith, its activity and effects. With refpect to faith in Chrift, it is the act of a convinced, regenerate finner, embracing him, in his whole character, as he is exhibited in the gofpel. Every believer acting faith in Jefus Chrift is a convinced finner, who is bro't practically to fee that he is totally ruined and entirely hleplefs in himself, curfed by the law ;t and that without a Saviour he muft have inevitably perished. The commandment comes home to his confcience, and fin revives and he dies. He is brought to renounce his own name and righteoufnefs, and every name and righteoufnefs, in heaven and on earth, but the name and righteoufnefs of Jefus Chrift. He is certain that there is falvation in no other. He has allo a strong conviction that Jefus is the Chrift, the Son of the living God, by whom he is reconciling the world unto himself, and that there is forgiveness with God thro' our Lord Jefus Chrift. He is a * Matth. xi. 28. John vi. 37. Gal. iii. 10. John iii. Rom. vii. 9. VOL. I. No. 7. regenerated, as well as a convinced finner, whofe heart is reconciled to God, and who believes the record which God hath given of his Son; that he is the refurrection and the life; fet forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteoufnefs for the remiffion of fins; and that through him all who do believe are juftified from all things from which they could not be juftified by the law of Mofes. The true believer is not only rationally and entirely convinced of thefe truths, but he fully believes them on the teftimony of God, given in his word. It is effential to faith, that men affent to the truths of the gofpel on the divine teftimony; especially to those which refpect the Redeemer, and falvation in his name. Faith alfo involves in its very nature the entire confent of the heart or will to these truths. It approves them and clofes with them as excellent and worthy of all acceptation. The believer having been renewed by the Spir it, and illuminated with the knowledge of God, and his fon Jefus Chrift, apprehends a commanding beauty in the divine character, in the gofpel, and in Jefus Chrift: He appears to be a glorious, willing and all-fufficient Saviour. The believer rejoices exceedingly in the difcovery of this rich treafure, and for joy thereof goeth and felleth all that he hath, and buyeth it. His heart unites in fupreme love to God and the Redeemer. He renounces all for Chrift, and choofeth him as his only beloved. He chooses or embraces him in his whole character, as prophet, prieft and king. He fubmits to him as king, to be ruled by his law, and protected by his power, no less than to be faved by his death. Thus with K k the heart man believeth unto rightcoufnefs. He embraces Christ on his own terms, as he is freely of fered in the gospel, rejoicing to receive pardon, adoption, fanétifi. cation and eternal life as a free gift, to a guilty, helpless finner, whom he realizes God might juftly deftroy for ever. He fets God upon the throne, takes his own place in the duft, at the foot of the crofs, if it may be fo expreffed, and afks and receives all on the footing of fovereign grace, as it reigns through the righteoufnefs of Jefus Chrift; which is unto all and upon all them who believe without any difference.† This confent of the heart to the terms of mercy, and embracing Jefus as the only beloved of the foul, is an exercife of love. For the heart embraces nothing, unites to nothing but what it loves; and thus love is effential to the very nature of faith. | places all his reliance upon him for the forgiveness of his fins, for grace to keep his commandments, to receive his foul to mercy when he dies, to raise him up at the last day, and to give him eternal life. He commits his immortal foul and all its interests into the hands of his Saviour, and with an unfhaken confidence, refts upon him for the accomplishment of all that he hath promifed. Hence that remarkable declaration of the apoftle, 2. Tim. i. 12. "I know whom I have believed, and I am perfuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him againft that day." In this view, faith, in the Old Testament, is often termed trufting in God. In the exercifes of faith in Chirft believers refpect him, as a mediator between them and God the Father, by whom they come unto the Father, as the ultimate object of faith. Hence he is termed the way, and men are faid to come to God by him. In this view it is that the apoftle affirms of all thofe for whom Chrift died, as is manifeft, That they by him do believe in God, who raised him up from the dead and gave him glory, that their faith and hope might be in God. This is a doctrinal and experimental view of faith, as it refpects Chrift, unites the foul to him, and is juftifying. Further, an entire truft in Christ, or in God the Father, through him, is effential to a fav. ing faith. Chrift is offered in the gofpel as an all-fufficient Saviour, as the refurrection and the life, as able to fave them to the uttermoft, that come unto God by him. God is offered as an all-fufficient portion, and in the covenant of makes himself grace over to the believer in Chrift, as a covenant God and Father, to perform all things for him, to preferve him from all evil, and to conduct him to his heavenly kingdom. The true believer, fenfible of his own weakneffes, dangers and un-promises, believes the divine threatworthinefs, and believing in the enings, and realizes the invifible mercy, power, wifdom and faith- and immenfe objects and scenes of fulness of his God and Redeemer, another world. It brings God and Chrift, death, judgment and eternity near to the mind, and *Rom. x. 10. + Chap. iii. 22. Faith, in a more large and comprehenfive view, receives the teftimony of God concerning all that he hath fpoken: It embraces the - I Pet. i. 21. enables the believer to live as fee- | Again it is written, this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.f Faith not only purifies the heart and operates by the love which is in it, but as it apprehends the great love of God the Father and of our Lord Jefus Chrift, conftraining the believer to love and new obedience. In both thefe refpe&ts faith purifies the heart and makes the believer alive to God. Faith brings God near to him, and enables him, as the Pfalmift expreffeth it, to set him at his right hand, and to live as in his prefence. It enables him to apprehend his greatnefs and glori ing him who is invifible, and all thofe invifible things of which he hath fpoken in his word. The apostle therefore terms faith, The fubftance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not feen.* But the nature of faith will further appear from its excellent effects. It is a principle of life in the foul, of conftant and powerful influence. Out of his belly fhall Bow rivers of living water. In another paffage the Saviour taught, The water that I fhall give him fhall be in him a well of water fpringing up into everlafting life.† Thefe are strong expreffions, fhow-ous holinefs, and fo it purifies and ing the power of a divine princi- ftimulates him to duty. Behold ple in the foul, and the activity of ing as in a glafs the glory of the faith in the true Chriftian. It will Lord, he is changed into the fame produce wonderful and happy ef- image, from glory to glory, even fects with refpect to the believer as by the Spirit of the Lord. himfelf, cleanfing, refreshing and Faith, as it makes the doctrines, exgiving great peace and joy to his amples, promifes and threatenings foul, and it will do great and laft- of the word real; as it brings ing good to others. death, the refurrection of the dead, the judgment of the great day, the folemn and immenfe realities of eternity near to the mind, and caufes the Chriftian to act under the influence of them, purifies his heart and makes him faithful. As water cleanfeth those things to which it is applied, and as rain and dews, ftreams and rivers fer It is to the believer himself, cleansing and refreshing as ftreams and rivers of water. It renders him ever green and fruitful, like trees planted by the rivers of wa ter, which bring forth their fruit in due season, and whofe leaf shall not wither. Faith, by the divine conftitution, unites the believer to Christ the living vine, fotilize the earth, the fields and that he derives conftant life and meadows, fo doth faith cleanfe nourishment from him, and is ́ena- the believer and render him fruitbled to bear much fruit. Faith ful. It applies the blood of purifies his heart and works by Chrift which cleanfeth from all love. That is, it operates thro' fin. that love which is in faith itself, and which is effential to it. Love is a powerful principle of obedience. If a man love me, faith the Saviour, he will keep my words.‡ * Heb. xi. t. Further, the true believer hath great peace, comfort and joy in believing. Chrift and his benefits are like ftreams and rivers to the thirty traveller. How beautifully does the prophet Ifaiah reprefent this! A man fhall be as § 1 John v. 3. |