Faith in Christ now Essential. 53 God could, consistently with His justice, hold intercourse with them during life, and at death receive them to Himself. It will now appear how it is that, although they might be saved, without conscious and intelligent faith in Christ we cannot-how it is that the revelation we are favoured with places us in a position entirely different from theirs. It is because that revelation is a test of the true state of our minds in relation to God. Possessed of it, if we do not believe in Christ, we reject the Divine testimony, and prove that we have no faith in anything which God says, but are still in a state of unbelief, and rebellion, and enmity. Without the revelation, they could have genuine faith, though they did not "believe in Him of whom they had not heard." With the revelation, if we do not believe in Him of whom it tells us, our faith is not worthy of the name. Without the revelation, they might-albeit their faith did not apprehend Christtrust that God would save them, in accordance with His promise, and consistently with His righteousness, through a medium which He had not yet revealed to them. revelation, if we do not believe in Christ, we spurn the medium which God has revealed-the only possible, because the Divinely appointed, medium of a sinner's salvation-and thus cut ourselves off from all hope in the Divine mercy. In fine, in the absence of a revelation, confidence in God and submission to His will were possible, though under the circumstances faith in Christ was impossible. Whereas, in possession of a revelation, the want of faith in Christ shuts us out from a state of confidence in God, and submission to His will, and must therefore debar us from the enjoyment of salvation. With the From all this it is obvious that the Gospel presents no arbitrary requirement, when it makes our safety contingent on our faith in Christ. The harshness which some attribute to it on this ground, exists only in their own imagination. It does not, as is sometimes represented, condemn and punish men, however upright in purpose, simply because they mistake its teaching. The case so put is quite at variance with the representations of Scripture. According to it men suffer for their unbelief, because the message of the Gospel which they reject is the only thing that can save them from that disorder and wretchedness which sin has induced, and produce in them that state of mind in which salvation essentially consists. They are condemned, ruined already; and their rejection of the Gospel does but leave them in their condemned and ruined state. It is true that their unbelief is wrong in itself—an indication and result of a wrong state of mind, and as such will bring its appropriate punishment; but it is equally true, that the primary cause of their suffering is the moral ruin which sin has induced. Men are the enemies of God. Their nature is at variance with His character, their life with His law-that is their ruin. And they can only be brought into that state of reconciliation and harmony which the Gospel is designed to promote through faith in Christ. Nothing else, in those who hear the Gospel, will overcome the enmity and distrust with which man regards his Maker. Nothing else will supplant these feelings, but confidence in God and submission to His will. Hence, not harshly, but mercifully, faith in Christ is demanded of all to whom the Gospel comes; and not arbitrarily, but necessarily, owing to the very nature of things, are we required to believe, before we can either enjoy God's favour, or render Him acceptable service; for without faith it is impossible to please him. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh."-Heb. xi. 4. "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous."-1 John iii. 12. THE SACRIFICE OF ABEL. The evil consequences of sin soon apparent―The signification of the two names—The way in which Abel's sacrifice was accepted-The universal prevalence of sacrifice-The truth which underlies the sacrifices of the heathen-Sacrifice of Divine appointment-Meaning and purpose somewhat obscure-Substitution a principle in the Divine economy— Mosaic sacrifices cleansed from ceremonial, not from moral guilt-Ceremonial impurity and cleansing symbolical of spiritual truth-Showed that sin will and must be destroyed in order to union between man and God-Earlier sacrifices impressed this on the worshipper-The spirit in which Abel approached God - Our only way of approaching is in a similar spirit, looking to the better sacrifice of Christ. CAL AIN and Abel! Strange emotions are excited, and strange thoughts come crowding on us at the mention of these names. Who could have imagined of the two first brothers of the race, that the one was to become the victim of the other's violence? In consequence of their father's sin, the sentence of death has already passed upon them. |