taste that the Lord was gracious, was mercy indeed, mercy which should have a constraining power to make them most dutiful subjects of their gracious Lord.

II. THE MANNER IN WHICH CHRISTIANS OBTAIN THEIR PECULIAR PRIVILEGES; BY FAITH OF THE TRUTH, AND RELIANCE ON THE SAVIOUR.

Let us now turn our attention, for a little, to the view the text gives us of the manner in which those miserable beings became possessed of their peculiar privileges, to the immediate cause of so favourable a change in their state and circumstances. It was by "coming to Christ as a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious;" it was by "believing on Him," as "the chief corner-stone, elect, precious, which God had laid in Sion."

To believe on Christ as the chief corner-stone, and to come to him as the living stone, have generally been understood as synonymous expressions, and both have been viewed as significant of that faith which, by the constitution of the new covenant, is necessarily connected with the enjoyment of the blessings of the Christian salvation; and the passage, "He that cometh to me shall never hunger, he that believeth on me shall never thirst," has often been quoted as clearly proving this. I apprehend that that passage merely proves, that "he that cometh to Christ," and "he that believeth on him," are two descriptions of the same person, not that they are expressions entirely synonymous in meaning. The following passage seems, indeed, clearly to distinguish between believing on and coming to, and to represent the latter as the consequence of the former, the former as the means of the latter, "He that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of all who diligently seek him." To believe, is to count a proposition

true on the ground of what appears satisfactory testimony; to believe on, or in a person, is a Hebraistic mode of expression, and signifies to count a testimony, given either by or respecting that person, to be true; to believe in Christ, is to count true what Christ says, or what is said about Christ; to know and be sure of it, to reckon it a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation.1 To come to Christ is a figurative expression, denoting those mental exercises which may be termed the movement of the mind and heart towards Christ, in the various characters in which the divine testimony represents him, and which equally, by the constitution of human nature and of the new covenant, grow out of the faith of the truth respecting him, of which the bodily movement of coming is a natural figurative representation. The peculiar character of the mental movement, depends on the view at the time before the mind respecting Christ. Believing the truth respecting him as the great Prophet, I come to him seeking the knowledge of his will, with a determination to receive any doctrine, every doctrine, which he delivers, just because he delivers it. Believing the truth with respect to him as a Priest, I come to him relying with undivided, unshaken confidence on his atonement and intercession. Believing the truth with respect to him as a King, I come to him in a cheerful, unquestioning obedience to his commands and appointments, just because they are his. This exactly accords with the view given in our excellent Shorter Catechism, which teaches us not that faith is resting and relying on Jesus Christ for salvation, but "that it is by faith that we rest and rely on Christ;” and in the Confession of Faith, which teaches us, "that it is by faith that we accept and rest on Christ, yield obedience to the commands, tremble at the threatenings, and embrace the promises of God."2

It was, then, by believing the truth about Christ, and by those outgoings of the mind and heart to him that neces

1 Vide "Hints on Faith and Hope."

2 Westminster Short. Cat. Q. 86. Confession of Faith, Ch. xiv. sec. 2.

sarily grow out of this faith, that the Christians to whom Peter wrote obtained and retained possession of the high honours and privileges which are here enumerated. It was thus that not shame but honour was their portion, that they became living stones, that they were built up, on him the living foundation, a spiritual house, that they became a royal priesthood, a chosen generation, a holy nation, partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, a people, the people of God, partakers of distinguishing saving blessings. This is just the fundamenal doctrine of the gospel, which meets us every where in the Bible; that it is by the faith of the truth as it is in Jesus, that individuals obtain personal possession of the blessings of the Christian salvation.

Let us look a little more closely at this interesting view of the faith of the gospel, and its immediate and necessary effects. Those to whom Peter wrote had believed on, and come to the Lord. What they believed, and how they came to him, will appear very plain on examining the passage before us. What they believed was, that Jesus Christ was indeed "a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious; the chief corner-stone laid by God in Sion, elect, precious;" and that every man thus believing may rest satisfied that he shall not be ashamed by the disappointment of his hopes. And, believing this, they had come to him as the divinely appointed and divinely qualified foundation; they had exercised hope and confidence in him; they had built their creed on him; they had rested their expectations of eternal life on him; they had submitted to him as their only Lord and King.

There is some difficulty in forming a clear, distinct idea of the principal figurative representation here used, in which Christ is compared to a stone, a living stone, a chief cornerstone, elect, precious. There can be no doubt that the Apostle had before his mind the following passages of Scripture: "The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner; this is the doing of the Lord, and it is marvellous in our eyes;" "He shall be for a sanctuary; but

for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel; for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and taken;" and, "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion a foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."

1

It is sufficiently obvious that the general representation is, Jesus Christ is the foundation of a spiritual temple, of which believers in him form the superstructure. He is the foundation, they are stones built on the foundation. Whatever the meaning of this may be, so far the figurative expression is distinct enough; but what are we to make of the epithet, "living," applied both to the foundation and to the superstructure? He is the "living stone," they are "living stones." It seems impossible satisfactorily to account for our translators having rendered the same word living in the first instance, and lively in the second. Some have supposed that, in these expressions, there is an allusion to the undoubted fact, that the ancients were in the habit of speaking of stone in its native state, lying compact, unbroken in its original place in the earth, as the living rock. Jesus Christ, according to this view of the matter, is compared to a mighty rock, resting in the place where the omnipotent hand of God placed it, when "by his power he set fast the mountains, being girded with power," affording an immoveable foundation, very different from any stone, however large, which the hand of man could lay; and when it is said that believers are built upon him as living stones, the idea intended to be conveyed is the closeness and indissolubleness of their connexion with him; they form as it were a part of the living rock; so intimately connected are they, that they cannot be disjoined either from the foundation, or from one another.

This is certainly ingenious, but we doubt if it be the Apostle's reference. The epithet "living," in reference to the

1 Psal. cxviii. 22. Isa. viii. 14; xxviii. 16.

a See note A.

foundation, and the stones built on it, like the epithet "spiritual," in reference to the house or temple, seems to belong not to the figurative representation, but to the exposition of it, just as in the 12th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, the epithet "living" is connected with sacrifice; and "reasonable" or rational with "worship," religious service. The epithets are intended to indicate that the temple spoken of, is a temple worthy of him who cannot "dwell in temples made with hands;" a living temple for the living God: a spiritual temple for God who is a spirit. Its foundation is a living foundation; the stones of which it is composed are living stones. Considering this as the true interpretation of the phraseology, let us now enquire what are the great truths respecting Christ contained in this figurative phraseology, the belief of which is represented as that by which the Christians, whom Peter was addressing, had obtained possession of their high and distinguishing privileges.

The great principle is, Jesus Christ is the foundation of the spiritual temple of God; this is the central statement: Then, this foundation has been laid by God; it is a chief corner-stone; it is elect or chosen; it is precious; it was disallowed of men, but by God it is made to serve the purpose for which it was intended; and this foundation is a living stone; these are the subsidiary statements which cluster round that central one. Let us endeavour to ascertain their meaning, and, if I mistake not, we will find that they contain a very full and striking statement of the gospel of our salvation. Jesus Christ is the foundation, the sole foundation, of the spiritual temple of God.' What that temple is, there is no room to doubt. It is true Christians, viewed as connected with Christ, and with each other, through their common connexion with him. It is this holy society, viewed as the residence of God, and as the grand means of promoting his glory in the world. These are the purposes of a temple. It is the Deity's house; and it is the medium by which he is

1" Christus est vera et prima Ecclesiæ petra; a quo Petrus, et ceteri fideles fiunt petræ.-CORNELIUS A LAPIDE.