with every sincere soul under doubtings ; lie dares no more sit down contented in that iniresolved condition, than one who thinks he smells fire in his house dares settle himself to sleep till he hath looked in every room and corner, and satisfied himself that all is safe, lest he should be waked witii the fire about his ears in the night ; and the poor doubting soul nmch more afraid, lest it should wake with hell-fire about it; whereas a soul in a state and inider the power of luibelief, is secure and careless. The old world did not believe the threatening of the flood, and they spent no thoughts about the matter; it is at their doors and windows ])efore they had used any means how to escape it.
Fourthly, In the midst of the true believer's doubtings, there is a leaning of his heart on Christ, and a secret purpose still to cleave to him. At the same time that Peter's feet were sinking into the waters, he was lifting up a prayer to Christ, and this proved the truth of his faith, as the other its weakness. So Jonah, he had many fears, and sometimes so predominant, that as bad humours settle into a sore, so they gathered into a hasty unbelieving Conclusion ; yet then his faith had some little secret hold on God, Jonah ii. 4 : ' Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight, yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.' And verse 7 : ' When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord.' Holy David, also, though he could not rid his soul of all those fears which got into it tlixough his weak faith, as water into a leaking ship, yet he hath his hand at the pump, and takes up a firm resolution against them, Psa. Ivi. 3 : * At what time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.' The doubting Christian sinks, but as a traveller in a slough, where the bottom is firm, and so recovers himself; but the unbeliever sinks in his fears as a man in a quicksand, lower and lower, till he be swallowed up into despair. The weak Christian's doubting is like the wavering of a ship at anchor ; he is moved, yet not removed from his hold on Christ ; but the unbeliever's, like the wavering of a wave, which having no- thing to stay it, it is wholly at the mercy of the wind, James i. 6 : 'Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering ; for he that wavei-eth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed.'
Object. Thirdly, O but, saith another, I fear mine is a presumptuous faith, and if so, to be sure it cannot be right, ylns. For the removal of this objection, I shall lay down three characters of a presumptuous faith.
First, A ])resumptuous faith, it is an easy faith ; it hath no enemy of Satan, or our own corrupt hearts to oppose it, and so, like a stinking weed, shoots up and grows rank on a sudden. The devil never hath a sinner surer, than when dream- ing in this fool's paradise, and walking in his sleep, amidst his vain phantastical hopes of Christ and salvation. And therefore he is so far from waking him, that he draws the curtains close about him, that no light nor noise in his conscience may break his rest. Did you ever know the thief call him up in the night, whom he meant to i-ob and kill ? No, sleep is his advantage. But true faith he is a sworn enemy against ; he persecutes it in the very cradle, as Herod did Christ in the manger ; he pours a flood of wrath after it, as soon as it betrays its own birth, by crying and lamenting after the Lord. If thy faith be legitimate, Naph- tali may be its name ; and th.ou mayest say. With great ' wrestlings have I wrestled ' with Satan and my own base heart, and at last have prevailed. You know the answer that Rebecca had, when she inquired of God about the scuffle and striving of the children in her womb. Two nations, God told her, were in her womb. If thou canst find the like strife in thy soul, thou mayest comfort thyself, that it is from two contrary principles, faith and unbelief, which are lusting one against another ; and thy unbelief which is the elder, (however now it strives for the mastery,) shall serve faith the younger.
Secondly, Presumptuous faith is lame of one hand; it hath a hand to receive
{)ardon and heaven from God, but no hand to give up itself to (iod : true faith lath the use of both her hands. ' My beloved is mine,' there the soul takes Christ; 'and I am his,' there she surrenders herself to the use and service of Christ. Now didst thou ever pass over thyself freely to Ciu-ist ? I know none but will profess they do this. But tlie presumptuous soul, like Ananias, lies to the Holy CJhost, by keeping back part, yea, the chief part of that he promised to lay at Clu-ist's feet. This lust he sends out of the way, wiu'U he should deliver it up to justice ; and that creature-enjoyment he twines about, and cannot per- suade his heart to trust God with the disposure of it, but cries out when the
474 ABOVE ALL, TAKING THE SHIELD OF FAITH.