disappear, as stars do in a cloudy night. How often do we hear the Christian say in an hour of desertion and temptation, I know not whether I love God or not in sincerity. I dare not say I have any true godly sori'ow for sin. Indeed, I have thought formerly these graces had a being in me ; but now I am at a loss what to think, yea, sometimes I am ready to fear the worst! Now, in this dark, benighted state, faith under-girds the soul's ship, and hath two anchors it casts forth, whereby the soul is stayed from being driven upon the devouring quick- sands of despair and horror. First, Faith makes a discovery of the rich mercy in Christ to poor sinners, and calls the soul to look to it, when it hath lost the sight of his own grace. It is no small comfort to a man that hath lost his receipt for a debt paid, when he remembers that the man he deals with is a good and just man, though his discharge is not presently to be found. That God whom thou hast to deal with is very gracious ; what thou hast lost, he is ready to restore ; (the evidence of thy grace I mean.) David begged this, and obtained it, Psa. li. Yea, saith faith, if it were true what thou fearest, that thy grace was never true, there is mercy enough in God's heart to pardon all thy former hypocrisy, if thou comest in the sincerity of thy heart ; and so faith persuades the soul by an act of adventure to cast itself upon God in Christ : Wilt not thou, saith faith, expect to find as much mercy at God's hands, as thou canst look for at a man's ? it is not beyond the line of created mercy, to forgive many unkindnesses, much falseness and unfaithfulness, upon an humble, sincere acknowledgment of the same. The world is not so bad, but it aboimds with parents that can do thus much for their children, and masters for their servants : and is that hard for God to do, which is so easy in his creature ? Thus faith vindicates God's name. And so long as we have not lost the sight of God's merciful heart, our head will be kept above water, though we want the evidence of our own grace. Secondly, Faith goes further ; when the Christian cannot see this grace or that in his own bosom, then faith makes a discover}' of them in the promise, where they may be had. And it is some comfort, though a man hath no bread in his cupboard, to hear there is some to be had in the market. O, saith the complaining Christian, there were some hope, if I could find but those relentings and meltings of soul which others have in their bosoms for sin ; then I could run under the shadow of that promise, and take comfort, ' Blessed are they which mourn, for they shall be comforted,' Matt. v. ; but, alas ! my heart is as hard as the flint. Well, saith faith, for thy comfort know, there are not only promises to the mourning soul and broken heart, but there are pro- mises, that God will break the heart, and give ' a spirit of momniing.' So for otlier graces, not only promises to those that fear God, but ' to put the fear of God into our hearts;' not only promises to those that walk in his statutes, and keep his judgments, but also ' to put his Spirit within us, and cause us to walk in his statutes,' Ezek. xxxvi. 27. Why, then, O my soul, dost thou sit here bemoaning thyself fruitlessly, for what thou sayest thou hast not, when thou knowest where thou mayest have it for going? As Jacob said to his sons, * Why do ye look one upon another? behold, I have heard there is corn in Egypt ; get you down thither, and buy for us from thence, that we may live, and not die,' Gen. xlii. 1, 2. Thus faith rouseth the Christian out of his amazed thoughts, ujjon which his troubled spirit dwells like one destitute of coimsel, not knowing what to do ; and turns his fruitless complaints, wherein he must necessarily repine and starve, into fervent prayer for the grace he wants. There is bread in the promise, saith faith ; sit not here languishing in sluggish despondency, but get you down upon your knees, and humbly, but valiantly, besiege the throne of grace, for grace in this time of need. And certainly the christian may sooner get a new evidence for his grace by pleading the promise, and plying the throne of grace, than by yielding so far to his unbe- lieving thoughts, as to sit down and melt away his strength and time in the bit- terness of his spirit, which Satan deaidy likes, without using the means, which he will never do to any purpose till faith brings thus much encouragement from the promise, that what he wants is there to be had freely and fully.
Section V. — Fifthly, As faith succours the Christian when his other graces fail him luost, so it brings in his comfort when they most abound. Faith is to the Christian as Nehemiah was to Artaxerxes, Neh. ii. 1. Of all the graces this is the Christian's cup-bearer. The Christian takes the wine of joy out of
ADOVE ALL, TAKING THE SHIELD OF FAITH. ^^J)