thoughts, as not knowing whether thou niaycst venture to cast anchor on it or no? Because thou liast lost the sense of his love, does thj' eye of faith fail tliee also, tliat tliou liast lost the sight of his mercy and truth in the promise ? Surely the eye of fnitli is weak, or else it would read the promise without these spectacles. The little child, indeed, thinks the mother is quite lost, if she goes but out of the room where he is^ but as it grows older, so he will be wiser, and truly so will the believer also. Christian, bless God for tlie experiences and sensible tastes thou hast at any time of his love ; but know, that we cannot judge of our faith, whether weak or strong, by them. Experiences, saith Parisiensis, are like crutches, which do indeed help a lame man to go, but they do not make the lame man sound or strong ; food and ph}'sic must do that. And therefore. Christian, labour to lean more on tlie promise, and less on sensible expressions of God's love, whether it be in the present feeling, or past experiences of it. I would not take 3'ou oif from improving these, but leaning on these, and limiting the actings of our faith to these. A strong man, thougli he doth not lean on his staff all the way he goes, as the lame man doth oji his crutch, which bears liis whole weight, yet he may make good use of it now and then to- defend himself, when set upon by a thief or dog in his way. Thus the strong Christian may make good use of his experiences, in some temptations, though he doth not lay the weight of his faitli upon them, but the promise. Canst thou, secondly, bear thyself upon the promise, when the other crutch of reason breaks under thee, or does thy faith even fall to the ground with it? That is a strong faith, indeed, that can trample upon the improbabilities and impossibilities which reason would be objecting against the performance of tlie promise, and gives credit to the truth of it with a ?ion obstante. Thus Noah fell hard to work about the ark, upon the credit he gave both to the threatening and promissory part of God's word, and never troubled his head to clear the matter to his reason, how these strange things could come to pass. And it is imputed to the strength of Abraham's faith, that he would not suifer his own naiTow reason to have the hearing of the business, when God promised him a Michaelmas spring, (as I may so say,) a son in his old age : Rom. iv. 19, ' And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, that was now dead:' and skilful swimmers are not afraid to go above their depth; whereas young learners feel for the ground, and are loth to go far from the bank-side. Strong faith fears not, when God carries the creature beyond the depth of his reason : ' We know not what to do,' saith good Jehoshaphat, 'but our eyes are upon thee,' 2 Chron. xx. As if he had said, We are in a sea of troubles, beyond our own help, or any thought how we can wind oiit of these straits ; but our eyes are upon thee : we dare not give oiu- case for desperate, so long as there is strength in thine arm, tenderness in thy bowels, and truth in thy promise. Whereas weak faith, that is groping for some footing for reason to stand on, it is taken up, how to reconcile the promise and the creature's understanding; hence those many questions which drop from its mouth. When Christ said, 'Give ye them to eat," Mark vi., his disciples ask him, 'Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread?' as if Christ's bare word could not spare that cost and trouble. 'Whereby shall I know this,' saith Zacharias to the angel, 'for I am an old man ?' Luke i. Alas ! his faith was not strong enough to digest, at pre- sent, this strange news.
Secondly, The more composed and contented the heart is under the changes which Providence brings upon the Christian's state and condition in the world, the stronger his faith is. Weak bodies cannot bear change of weather so well as healthful and strong do ; hot and cold, fair or foul, cause no great alteration in the strong man's temper; but, alas! the other is laid up by them, oj- at best goes comi)laining of them. Thus strong faith can live in any climate, travel in all weather, and fadge with any condition. ' I liave learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content,' saith Paul, Phil. iv. 11. Alas! all Christ's scholars are not of Paul's form; weak faith luith not yet got the mastery of this hard lesson. When God turns thy health into sickness, thy abundance into penury, thy lionour into scorn and contempt, in what language dost thou now make thy condition known to God? Is thy spirit embittered into discontent, which thou ventest in mui-muring complaints ? or art thou well satisfied with God's dealings, so as to acquiesce cheerfully in thy ]n-esent portio7i, not from an insensibleness
468 ABOVE ALL, TAKING THE SHIELD OP FAITH.