10. For our better encouragement in these sad times, and to help our trust in God the more, ive should often call to mind the former experiences, which eitlier ourselves or others have had of God's goodness, and make use of the same for our spiritual good. ' Our fathers trusted in thee,' saith the head of the church, ' and were not confounded,' Ps. xxii. 14. God's truth and goodness is unchangeable, ' he never leaves those that trust in him,' Ps. ix. 10. So likewise in our own experiences, we should take notice of God's dealings with us in sundry kinds; how many ways he hath refreshed us, and how good we have found him in our worst times. After we have once tried him and his truth, we may safely trust him. God will stand upon his credit, he never failed any yet, and he will not begin to break with us. If his nature and his word and his former dealing hath been sure and square, why should our hearts be wavering? ' Thy word,' saith the Psalmist, * is very pure (or tried), therefore thy servant loveth it,' Ps. cxix. 140; the word of God is ' as silver tried in the furnace, pui-ified seven times,'
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Ps. xii. 6. It is good therefore to observe and lay up God's dealings. Ex- perience is nothing else but a multiplied remembrance of former blessings, which will help to multiply our faith. Tried truth and tried faith unto it, sweetly agi-ee and answer one another. It were a course much tending to the quickening of the faith of Christians, if they would communicate one to another their mutual experiences. This hath formerly been the custom of God's people, ' Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul,' Ps. Ixvi. 16; and Da-vdd urgeth this as a reason to God for deliverance, that then ' the righteous would compass him about,' Ps. cxlii. 7, as rejoicing in the experience of God's goodness to him. The want of this makes us upon any new trial, to call God's care and love into question, as if he had never formerly been good unto us ; whereas every experiment of God's love should refresh our faith upon any fresh on- set. God is so good to his childi-en even in this world, that he trains them up by daily renewed experiences of his fatherly care ; for besides those many promises of good things to come, he gives us some evidence and taste of what we believe here ; that by that which we feel we might be strengthened in that we look for, that so in both (1, sense of what we feel; and 2, cer- tainty of what we look for) we might have full support.
11. But yet we must trust God, as he will be trusted, namely, in doing good, or else we do not trust him but tempt him. Our commanding of our souls to trust in God, is but an echo of what God commands us first ; and therefore in the same manner he commands us, we should command our- selves. As God commands us to trast him in doing good, so should we ' commit our souls to him in well doing,' 1 Pet. iv. 19, and trust him when we are about his own works, and not in the works of dax'kness. We may safely expect God in his ways of mercy, when we are in his ways of obe- dience ; for religion, as it is a doctrine of what is to be believed, so it is a doctrine according to godliness ; and the mysteries of faith are mysteries of godliness, because they cannot be believed but they will enforce a godly conversation. VvThere any true impression of them is, there is holiness always bred in that soul ; therefore a study of holiness must go jointly to- gether with a study of trusting in God. Faith looks not only to promises, but to directions to duty, and' breeds in the soul a liking of whatsoever pleaseth God. There is a mutual strengthening in things that are good ; trusting stirs to duty, and duty strengthens trusting by increasing our liberty and boldness with God.
12. Again, we must maintain in om* souls, a high esteem of the grace of faith, the very trial whereof is 'more precious than gold,' 1 Pet. i. 7.
What then is the grace of faith itself, and the promises which it layeth hold on ? Certainly they transcend in worth whatever may di-aw us from God ; whence it is that the soul sets a high price upon them, and on faith that beheves them. It is impossible that anything in the world should come betwixt the heart and those things, if once we truly lay hold on them, to undermine faith or the comfort we have by it. The heart is never drawn to any sinful vanity, or frighted with any terror of trouble, till faith first loseth the sight and estimation of divine things, and forgets the necessity and excellency of them. Our Saviom- Christ, when he would stir up a desire of faith in his disciples, Luke xvii. 6, shewed them the power and excellency of the same. Great things stir up faith, and keep it above, and faith keeps the soul that nothing else can take place of abode in it. When the ' great things of God,' Hos. \'iii. 12, are brought into the heart by faith, what is there in the whole world that can out-bid them ? assm-ance of these