March 28

Faith and patience. - Hebrews 6:12.

WITH regard to these excellent graces of the Holy Spirit, observe, First, Their dependence and order: faith and patience, not patience and faith; patience does not produce faith, but follows it: so does everything in religion. Other things are the stream, this the spring; other things are the produce, this the root.

Secondly, The nature of their service. One word will explain this fully; it is “through faith and patience,” says the Apostle, “they inherit.” This shows at once their present use and future vocation. Neither of these graces will be found in the future world.

Where is the need of faith, where we see and know? and where is the need of patience, when we have nothing to endure? But both of these are admirably adapted to our present state, and of unspeakable use in our passing through this world. What could we do without faith? It is through faith “we understand the worlds were framed by the word of God.” “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath revealed”-revealed them unto us by his Spirit. “Without faith it is impossible to please God;” for he that cometh unto God must “believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” “We are saved through faith.” There is neither justification nor sanctification without faith. We “live by faith,” “walk by faith,” “overcome by faith.” Hence we read of the “word of faith,” the “fight of faith,” the “work of faith,” and of the “household of faith.”

May this, therefore, ever be our prayer, “Lord, increase our faith.” What could we do without patience? Patience has two offices to perform; the one regards waiting for the good, and the other the bearing of evil. How necessary is it, therefore, that we should pray that patience may have its perfect work,” that “we may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.” Both of these graces will be constantly required while we are here, and it is only through these that we can ever inherit the promises.