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My dear friends and brethren,—That faith, which is the gift of God [Eph 2:8], which all the saints lived in, (and by which they pleased God [Heb 11:6], and had victory [1 Jn 5:4], by which they had access to God [Rom 5:2], and by and in which faith they did walk: and all the just, in all ages and generations, did live by the same faith [Rom 1:17],) do you all live and walk now in your age. I say, walk in that faith by which Enoch (the seventh from Adam) [Jude 1:14] was translated, and by which he had this testimony, that he pleased God [Heb 1:5].
And also keep in that faith by which Noah built his ark, wherein he and his family were preserved [Heb 11:7], when the old world [2 Pet 2:5], that grieved God, and his good spirit, were drowned.
And also walk in that faith by which Abraham forsook his father's house [Gen 12:1], and native country, and their idolatrous religion.
And live in that faith, by which Moses forsook Egypt [Heb 11:27], and refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter [Heb 11:24], and chose rather to suffer ‘affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of the world for a season [Heb 11:25].’ And by this faith (which is the gift of God) he saw God, who is invisible [Heb 11:27].
And by this faith was Rahab the harlot saved, and her family [Heb 11:31]. And by this faith the walls of Jericho fell down [Heb 11:30], without any outward instrument of war.
And by this faith Jacob went down into Egypt, and his children; and by this faith he knew they should return again [Gen 46:2-7]. And the Jews that did not keep in this faith, their carcases fell in the wilderness [Num 14:29]; but they that kept in this faith entered into the land of promise. And by this faith had all the valiants of God the victory, and his holy prophets and prophetesses, as you may read all along in the scriptures. And by this faith were they kept in the fire, and by it the violence of the fire was quenched [Heb 11:34]; and by it the mouths of the lions were stopped [Heb 11:33]. So by this faith they had the victory.
And by this faith was Elijah taken up to heaven [1 Ki 2:11]. And so as Christ Jesus saith, ‘faith saves, and makes whole [Luke 7:50, 8:48].’ And all are to look unto Jesus, the heavenly and the spiritual man, the second Adam, the Lord from heaven [1 Cor 15:45,47], by whom all things were made and created [John 1:3], who is the first and the last [Rev 22:13], to be both the author and finisher of their faith [Heb 12:2].
Now Christ said, ‘When the son of man cometh, shall he find faith in the earth? [Luke 18:8]’ For all, both Jews and Gentiles, were concluded under sin and unbelief [Rom 11:32/Gal 3:22]; so sin and unbelief were over them, and they shut up under it. So whosoever hath this true, saving, and justifying faith, Christ Jesus hath been the author of it, and is the finisher of this divine and precious faith. So all eyes must look unto him, for he is both the <134> author and finisher of this living, precious, and divine faith. And this is the faith of God's elect [Tit 1:1]; by which faith they have access to God [Rom 5:2], and know their election [1 Th 1:4]; by which faith they are translated from death to life [John 5:24], and from the darkness to the light, and from the power of satan unto the power of God [Acts 26:18], and from the corruption to the incorruption [1 Cor 15:42], and from the mortal to the immortal, and from the natural to the spiritual [1 Cor 15:44].
And by this faith, the devil, the destroyer, is resisted [Jas 4:7], who abode not in the truth [John 8:44]; and by this faith the fiery darts are quenched, of satan [Eph 6:16], (the adversary [1 Pet 5:8] of man,) and he thereby is overcome. So by this faith you come to know the partition wall broken down [Eph 2:14], that hath been betwixt you and God. So in this faith are all the household of faith [Gal 6:10] to build upon Christ Jesus, (who bruises the serpent's head,) who is the author and finisher of faith; and this is called the holy faith [Jude 1:20], and the one faith [Eph 4:5], and by this one faith, which Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of, (by whom all things were made and created,) by it we do understand the worlds were made, [by the word of God,] [Heb 11:3] and this is the faith which all the household of faith are to contend for [Jude 1:3], this one faith which Christ Jesus is the author of; which faith is the gift of God [Eph 2:8], and is held in a pure conscience. And it is called the mystery of faith [1 Tim 3:9]; for no natural men, with all the arts, languages, and wisdom upon the earth, can find it out, or know this mystery, nor make it; for Christ Jesus, the heavenly and spiritual man, [1 Cor 15:47] is the author and finisher of it; and no natural man, though he may have all the languages that began at Babel [Gen 11:1-9], and yet he may not know the mystery of this one faith, which Christ Jesus is the author of. For Pilate, that set Hebrew, Greek, and Latin atop of Christ [John 19:18f], who was the author and finisher of faith; he was so ignorant of the mystery of faith, that he asked Christ, ‘what is truth?’ [John 18:38] And the Greeks, that spoke natural Greek, and the Hebrews, that spoke natural Hebrew, the preaching of Christ, the author and finisher of the true faith, was a stumbling block and foolishness to them [1 Cor 1:23].
So I do conclude, that no man or woman hath true faith only by the natural knowledge, reading, or understanding of the original tongue and language of the New Testament, no more than the natural Jews had by the reading or knowing of the natural tongue of the Old Testament; nor can any in the whole world have true faith, except Jesus Christ be the author and finisher of it.
Now those that do say, that the tongues are the original, and that by them the orthodox men and divines (so called) are qualified, (which tongues began at Babel,) and these are the preachers that make faiths for people, who have gotten scriptures in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. But I must tell you, that Pilate, and Herod, and the Jews, and the chief priests, and the Grecians, and others that could speak Latin, and Greek, <135> and Hebrew naturally, knew not Christ, nor this one faith, which is the gift of God, which Christ is the author of. No more can they, with all their natural knowledge of all the tongues, until Christ Jesus, the author of the true and saving faith, give it unto them; by which one faith was Enoch translated [Heb 11:5] before the many languages were; and by which faith Abel's sacrifice was accepted [Heb 11:4], and by which faith Noah built the ark, and by which faith he was saved [Heb 11:7]; and by which faith now all the household of faith [Gal 1:10] are saved from the wrath [Rom 5:9], by which God will destroy the wicked world, which is reserved in store by the same word unto fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men [2 Pet 3:7]; which word will hammer down all, and burn up all [Jer 23:19], and cut down all [Heb 4:12] the ungodly; and by which word all things were made; by which word of life [1 Jn 1:1] and wisdom [1 Cor 1:24] his people are reconciled to God; and therefore they love the word Christ, who doth fulfil the mind of God.
G. F.
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