None so opposed as a Christian, and in a Christian nothing so opposed as his faith, because it opposeth whatsoever opposes God, both within and without us. It captivates and brings imder whatsoever lises up against God in the heart, and sets itself against whatsoever makes head against the soul.
And because mistake is veiy dangerous, and we are prone to conceive that to trust in God is an easy matter, therefore it is needful that we should have a right conceit of this trust, what it is, and how it may be discerned, lest we trust to an untrusty trust, and to an unsteady stay.
We may by what hath been said before, partly discern the nature of it, to be nothing else but an exercise of faith, whereby looking to God in Christ through the promises, we take off our souls from all other supports, and lay them upon God for deUverance and upholding in all ill, present or future, felt or feared, and the obtaining of all good, which God sees expedient for us.
1. Now that we may discern the truth of our trust in God the better, we must know, that true trust is willing to be tried and searched, and can say to God as David, ' Now, Lord, what wait I for, my hope is in thee,' Ps. xxxix. 7 ; and as it is willing to come to trial, so it is able to endure trial, and to hold out in opposition, as appears in David. If faith hath a promise, it will rely and rest upon it, say tlesh and blood what it can to the contrary. True faith is as large as the promise, and will take God's part against what- soever opposes it.
2. And as faith singles not out one part of di-vine truth to believe and rejects another, so it relies upon God for every good thing, one as well as another ; the ground whereof is this, the same love of God that intends us heaven, intends us a supply of all necessaries that may bring us thither.
A child that beheves his father will make him heu% doubts not but he will pro\'ide him food and nourishment, and give him breeding suitable to his future condition. Fides non eligit ohjectum. It is a vain pretence to believe that God will give us heaven, and yet leave us to shift for ourselves in the way.
3. Where trust is rightly planted, it gives boldness to the soul in going to God ; for (1) it is grounded upon the discovery of God's love fii-st to us, and seeth a warrant from him for whatsoever it trusts him for. Though the things themselves be never so great, yet they are no greater than God is willing to bestow. Again, (2) trust is bold because it is grounded upon
224 THE soul's conflict.
the worthiness of a mediator, who hath made way to God's favour for us, and appears now in heaven to maintain it towards us.
4. Yet this boldness is with humiUty, which carries the soul out of itself; and that boldness which the soul by trust hath with God, is from God him- self. It hath nothing to allege from itself but its own emptiness and God's fulness, its own sinfulness and God's mercy, its own humble obedience and God's command ; hence it is that the true believer's heart is not lifted up, nor swells with self-confidence ; as trust comes in, that goes out. Trust is never planted, and grows but in an humble and low soul. Trust is a holy motion of the soul to God, and motion arises from want. Those, and those only, seek out abroad that want succour at home. Motus ex indigentia. Plants move not from place to place, because they find nourishment where they stand ; but living creatures seek abroad for their food, and for that end have a power of moving from place to place. And this is the reason why trust is expressed by goijig to God,
5. Hereupon trust is a dependent grace, answerable to our dependent condition. It looks upon all things it hath or desires to have as coming from God and his free grace and power. It desireth not only wisdom, but to be wise in his wisdom, to see in his light, to be strong in his strength. The thing itself contents not this grace of trust, but God's blessing and love in the thing. It cares not for an3rthing further than it can have it with God's favour and good liking.
6. Hence it is that trust is an obsequious* and an observing grace, stirring up the soul to a desire of pleasing God in all things, and to a fear of displeasing him. He that pretends to trust the Lord in a course of ofiending may trust to this, that God will meet him in another way than he looks for. He that is a tenant at courtesy will not ofiend his lord. Hence it is that the apostle enforceth that exhortation to work out our sal- vation with fear and trembling, Phil. ii. 12, 13, because it is God that worketh the will and the deed, and according to his good pleasure, not ours. Therefore faith is an effectual working grace ; it works in heaven with God, it works within us, commanding all the powers of the soul ; it works with- out us, conquering whatsoever is in the world on the right hand to draw us from God, or on the left hand to discourage us ; it works against hell and the powers of darkness ; and all by \drtue of trusting, as it draweth strength from God. It stirs up all other graces, and keeps them in exercise, and thereupon the acts of other graces are attributed to faith, as Heb. xi. It breeds a holy jealousy over ourselves, lest we give God just cause to stop the influence of his grace towards us, so to let us see that we stand not by our own strength. Those that take liberty in things they either know or doubt wiU displease God, shew they want the fear of God ; and this want of fear shews their want of dependency, and therefore want of trust. Depend- ency is always very respective ; f it studieth contentment and care to com- ply. This was it made ' Enoch walk with God, and study how to please him,' Heb. xi. 5. When we know nothing can do us good or hurt but God, it draws our chief care to approve ourselves to him. Obedience of faith and obedience of life will go together ; and therefore he that com- mits his soul to God to save, will commit his soul to God to sanctify and guide in a way of well pleasing, 1 Peter iv. 19. Not only the tame, but most savage creatures, will bo at the beck of those that feed them, though they are ready to fall violently upon others. Disobedience, therefore, is against the principles of nature.