Faith's Plea upon God's Word.
2 Sam. vii. 25.
----Do as thou haſt ſaid.
DAVID was a ſtrong believer; and it were our great advantage to follow him in his faith : and in the word that I fix upon to ſpeak a little to, there are two ways wherein his faith works, 1. By believing the divine word, Thou haſt ſaid ſo and ſo. 2. By pleading the accompliſhment thereof, Do as thou haſt ſaid.
1. Faith works by believing his word, Thou haſt ſaid. The object and ground of faith is the divine ſaying; and faith reſts upon a Thus faith the Lord; it is not upon a Thus faith a Man, or Thus faith a Minister; nay, nor thus faith an Angel. Divine faith can ſtand only upon a divine teſtimony: Thus faith the Lord, thou haſt ſaid. If you have faith, then, you have received the word not as the word of man, but, as it is indeed, the word of God, which effectually works in you that believe. Faith acts by taking God's word, Thou haſt ſaid; thou haſ promiſed, thou has spoken in thy holmeſs.
2. Faith acts by pleading the accompliſhment of the promiſe, Do as thou haſt ſaid. God is not a ſpeaker only, but a doer: he is not a promiſer only, but a performer; and faith looks to a promiſing God, that he may be a performing God; and ſo puts him to his word.
Observ. That it is the buſineſs of true faith, to take God's word, and to put him to it.
In the illuſtration of this doctrinal propoſition, we would incline, through divine aid, to eſſay briefly the following things.
I. To ſhew, That it is the buſineſs of faith to take God's word.
II. That it is the buſineſs of faith to put him to his word.
III. How faith takes the word of God.
