faith's liand rather than any other grace : Rom. xv. 13, ' The God of peace fill yon with all joy in believing.' It is observable, 1 Pet. i., to see how the apostle there doth as it were cross his hands, as once Jacol) did in blessing his son Joseph's children, and gives the pre-eminence to faith, attributing the Christian's joy to his faith rather than to his love, ver. 8, ' Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy un- speakable and full of glory.' Mark, ' believing, j^e rejoice;' here is the door the Christian's chief joy, yea, all liis fiduciary joy comes in at. It is Christ that we are in this respect allowed only to rejoice in : Phil. iii. 3, ' For we are the circmncision which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh;' where Christ is made the sole svdyect of our rejoicing fiduciarily, in opposition to all else, even our graces themselves, which become flesh when thus rejoiced and gloried in. Christ's blood is the wine that only glads the heart of God by way of satisfaction to his justice, and therefore only that can bring true gladness into the heart of man. When Christ promiseth the Comforter, he tells his disciples from what vessel he should draw the wine of joy that he was to give them : John xvi. 15, ' He shall take of mine, and shall shew it you.' No grape of our own vine is pressed into this sweet cup ; as if Christ had said. When he comes to comfort you with the pardon of your sins, he shall take of mine, not anything of yours : my blood, by which I jjurchased j'our peace with God ; not your own tears of repentance, by which j'ou have mom-ned for yom- sins. All the blessed privileges which believers ai'e instated into, they are the fruits of Christ's purchase, not of our eai'nings. Now the Christian's joy flowing in from Christ, and not anything that the poor creature doth or hath ; hence it comes to pass that faith, above all the graces, brings in the Christian's joy and comfort, because this is the grace that impi-oves Christ, and what is Christ's, for the soul's advantage. As of grace, so of comfort. Faith is the good spy that makes discovery of the excellences in Christ, and then makes report of all to the soul it sees in him and knows of him. It is faith that broacheth the promises, turns the cock, and lets them rim into the soul. It not only shews the soul how excellent Christ is, and what dainties are in the promises, but it applies Christ to the sovd, and carves out the sweet viands that are dished forth in the promises ; yea, it puts them into the very mouth of the soul ; it masticates and grinds the promise so, that the Christian is filled with its strength and sweetness. Till faith comes and brings news of the soul's welcome, O how maidenly and uncomfortably do poor creatures sit at the table of the promise! Like Hannah, ' they weep and eat not :' no, alas ! they dare not be so bold ; but when faith comes, then the soul falls to, and makes a satisfying meal indeed. No dish on the table but faith will taste of. Faith knows God sets them not on to go off untouched. It is, though an humble, yet a bold grace, because it knows it cannot be so bold with God in his own way as it is welcome.
CHAPTER III.
SHEWETH UNBELIEF TO HAVE THE PRECEDENCY AMONG SINS, AS FAITH AMONG GRACES.
Use 1. Is faith the chief of graces? This may help us to conceive of the horrible nature of unbelief. This sin-ely will deserve as high a place among sins, as faith among graces. Unbelief is the Beelzebub, the prince of sins. As faith is the radical grace, so is unbelief a radical sin, a sinning sin. As, of all sinners, those are most infamous who are ringleaders and make others sin, (which is the brand tliat God hath set upon Jeroboam's name, — ' Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who sinned and made Israel to sin,' 1 Kings xiv. IG,) so among sins they are most horrid that are most pi-oductive of other sins : such a one is unbelief above any other ; it is a ringleading sin, a sin-making sin. The first poisonous breath whicli Eve sucked in from the tempter was sent in these words, ' Yea,' hath God said, ' ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?' Gen. iii. 1 ; as if he had said. Consider well upon the matter; do you l)clievc God meant so? can you think so ill of God as to believe he would keep the best fruit of the whole garden from you? This was the traitor's gate at which all other sins entered into her heart ; and it continues to this day of the same
440 AIJOVK ALL, TAKING THE SHIELD OF FAITH.