§4. What was so testified of them by the Holy Ghost is, that they pleased God, or were accepted with him, and constituted righteous, ver. 4—6, &c. (ev avly) by it, their faith; through their believing they "obtained this report." Many great and excellent things, some heroic actions, some deep sufferings, are ascribed to them; but their obtaining this testimony is assigned to faith alone; for those were fruits of their faith, and their acceptance with God depended thereon.

§5. Hence we may observe,

1. It is faith alone, which from the beginning of the world, (or from the giving of the first promise) was the means and way of obtaining acceptance with God. There hath been great variety as to the revealed objects of this faith, but the faith itself is of the same nature and kind in all from first to last; and all the promises of God, as branches of the first promise, are in general the formal object of it; that is, Christ in them, without faith in whom none have found acceptance with God.

2. The faith of true believers, from the beginning of the world, was fixed on things future, hoped for, and invisible; that is, eternal life and glory in an especial manner: that was the faith whereby they "obtained a good report," as the apostle here testifies. So vain is the imagination of them who affirm, that all the promises under the Old Testament respected only things temporal; so making the whole church to have been Sadducees: the contrary is here expressly affirmed.

3. That faith whereby men please God, acts itself in a fixed contemplation of things future and invisible, from whence it derives encouragement and strength to abide firm in their profession, and endure to the end, against all oppositions. To which we may add,

4. That however men may be despised, vilified, and

reproached in the world, yet if they are true believers, they are accepted with God, and he will give them a good report.

VERSE 3.

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

$1. Connexion and design. §2. Faith, when spoken of as the instrumental cause, includes its object. Is superior, and sometimes contrary, to the boasted principles of reason; and give a clear understanding of facts in their true causes. $3, 4. The making of the worlds, how an object of faith. §5. Observations.

§1. THE apostle now enters on the confirmation and exemplification of his proposition by instances; first, from an especial object of faith, and then proceeds to the actings of it in believers. In this first instance of the power and efficacy of faith, the apostle hath respect to the second clause of his general description of it, the evidence of things not seen; for although this world, and the things contained in it, are visible, and are here said to be seen, yet the original framing and making of them hath a principal place among things not seen. And to prove that faith hath a respect to unseen things, as unseen, he gives an instance in that which was so long past as the creation of the world; all his other instances declare its efficacy in the prospect of unseen things that are future.

$2. «

By faith we understand." Where faith is spoken of as the instrumental cause of any thing, it always includes its object as the principal cause of the same things. So where it is said, that we are "justified by faith," it includes Christ and his righteousness as the principal cause of our justification; faith being only the instrument whereby we apprehend it: and here, where it is said, that "by faith" we understand

that the worlds were framed, it necessarily includes its object, the divine revelation that is made thereof in the word of God; for there is no other way for faith to give us an understanding of it.

The apostle here lays a good foundation of all his following assertions; for if by faith we are assured of the creation of the world out of nothing, which is contrary to the most received principle of natural reason, (ex nihilo nihil fit) nothing comes of nothing, it will bear us out in the belief of other things that seem impossible to reason, if so be they are incontestably revealed. In particular, faith well fixed on the original of all things as made out of nothing, will bear us out in the belief of the resurrection of our bodies, which the apostle takes notice of with respect to some of his worthies.

"By faith we understand;" that is, by faith we not only assent to the divine revelation of it, but also come to have a due comprehension of it in its causes, so as that we may be said to understand it: wherefore “understanding" here is not opposed only to an utter ignorance, but also to that dark and confused apprehension of the creation of the world, which some by the light of reason attained to.

§3. (Tas alwvas nainphobai) that the worlds were framed. The word always denotes the ordering, disposing, fitting, perfecting, or adorning of what is produced; the reducing of all created things into that beautiful order which we behold; and the apostle hath an especial respect to the things that are seen, as they are orderly, beautiful, and glorious, setting forth the glory of their Maker (Psal. viii, 2, 3; xix, i, 2; Rom. i, 21: so it is said, that "God by his Spirit garnished the heavens," Job xxvi, 13; that is, cast them into that curious, glorious frame which we behold; and the apostle hath in

this word respect to Gen. ii, 1, (1) "The heavens and the earth, and all the host of them were finished," perfected, and completely framed.

(Puual Oε8) by the word of God; the ineffable facility of almighty power; he spake the word, and it was made; he commanded, and it stood fast. And surely it is alike easy unto him to dispose of all things that are made; and so faith, as to the disposal of all things by divine Providence, in times of great difficulties, and inseparable obstacles, is secured by the consideration of the easy production of all things out of nothing by the same power; how easy is it with God to help, relieve, and deliver them by changing, if necessary, the nature of all these things at his pleasure, who by his word, through an almighty facility, erected and perfected the worlds! And this consideration doth God himself frequently propose for the confirmation of the faith of the church, in all her troubles, Isa. xl, 28; xliv, 24; xlv, 12; li, 13.

4. "So the things which are seen, were not made of things which do appear;"-(Ta Bhɛñoμeva) things which are seen; which are the objects of our senses, and our reason working by them; these aspectable heavens, with all their glorious luminaries; the earth, with all its furniture and ornaments; the sea, with all its fulness; their greatness, their glory, their order, and their use, with which the minds of men ought to be affected.

Of these things it is affirmed, that they were not made (ex Daivoμɛvov) of things that do appear; which seems to be a negation of any pre-existing natural cause; the word (Pavoμeve) imports, things that appear clearly, illustriously, in their shape and order. The understanding of this we have by faith alone from divine revelation; for nothing of the order of creating, can be known or understood any other way

and this the apostle intimates in the particles, (ELS TO, i. e. wole) so that; by faith alone we understand that the worlds were made, so as "that the things which are seen were not made of things that appear."

§5. Hence we may observe,

1. Those who firmly assent to divine revelation, understand the creation of the world as to its truth, season, cause, manner, and end; it was never determined among the ancient sages of the world, the pretended priests of the mysteries of reason; some said one thing, and some another; some said it had a beginning, some said it had none, and some assigned it such a beginning, as it had better never had any; nothing but an assent to divine revelation can give us a clear understanding of it. And,

2. Then doth faith put forth its power in our minds in a due manner, when it gives us clear and distinct apprehensions of the things believed; faith that gives not understanding is but fancy.

3. As God's first work was perfect, so all his works shall be; he undertakes nothing, but what he will finish and complete in beauty and order; and not only the original production of all things out of nothing, but also the framing of them into their present order, is a demonstration of this eternal power of God.

4. The aids of reason, with the due consideration of the nature, use, and end of all things, ought to be admitted for confirming our minds in the persuasion of the original creation of all things; yet they are not to be rested in, but we must betake ourselves to faith fixed on divine revelation; for if they are alone, they will be shaken with a contrary maxim, (ex nihilo nihil fit) of nothing nothing comes; and they can give us no light into the way and manner of the creation of all things, which faith discovers.