ose truths;--because there would be no such
truths in existence for us to exercise faith in. If the objector will
not allow these facts unalterably to exist _previous_ to believing,
what then will he call upon us to believe? Will he call upon us to
believe that we have an eternal life in Christ when no such fact
exists, and contend that our believing this lie will create the fact?
This would be the most ridiculous absurdity.

But the truth exists, and the believer by faith enjoys it before hand.
He enjoys it by anticipation, not in _reality_. It can be brought to
his understanding or experience no other way, only through the gospel
medium of faith. I challenge the objector to show me between the lids
of the new Testament, any regeneration, new birth, justification, or
sanctification, that has already taken place in any other sense than
through faith. All these things in their _reality_ are to take place
in our resurrection, when we shall be like the angels of God and by
faith we bring them present to our minds and enjoy them _here_. Dr.
Watts says--"Faith brings distant prospects home, Of things a thousand
years ago, Or thousand years to come." Paul, therefore, exhorts us to
forget the things that are behind, and reach forward to those that are
before--to press to the mark &c. because the reality--the object of
our faith lies before us. But persons, who do not understand the
operations of faith on the mind in view of its correspondent truth,
and who honestly believe that the new birth has in reality already
taken place with them, are always looking back to the time they were
born again, and telling over their "old experiences" Now this is right
in them, if they have passed through the _reality_; for every man
ought to look to the substance in which he exercises faith and hope.
But certainly the scriptures exhort us to look forward, and anchor our
faith and hope within the vail, where our forerunner hath for us
entered. It is therefore certain that the reality exists there, and is
yet to come. Such persons then, in looking back to their experience,
are mistaking the birth produced by faith for the real birth itself.
This is just as unreasonable as it would be to suppose that the
foretaste, we sometimes enjoy of immortal life, was that life itself.
It is true we at times enjoy a heaven on earth. But as it respects the
kingdom of immortal glory, "eye hath not seen, ear heard, neither hath
it entered into the heart of man t