Now the Spirit of God brings faith with it, which is a conquering, victo- rious grace over the world, and ' sees him that is invisible,' Heb. xi. 27 ; which brings love also, ' which is strong as death,' Cant. viii. 6 : wherewith the soul being warmed, it constraineth us to do duties in spite of all impe- diments. The Spirit of God will strengthen our hope also of heaven, which strengthens us against all discouragements which stand in our way. For this hope is on greater and better grounds than discouragoments are ; and he that giveth us this hope, will enable us to possess it.
Therefore labour first, to have a clear understanding of the things of God, and of the cxccllencg of them ; for light will cause heat Why did the king- dom of heaven in John Baptist's time, ' sufier violence ?' Why were men then so violent to cleave unto Chi'ist ? Because from that time the gospel was more clearly manifested. And heavenly truths, the more they are discovered and laid open (there is such an excellency in them), the more they work upon the heart and aflections. Therefore, ' the kingdom of heaven suffered violence.' And where are people more earnest after good things, than in these places where the evangelical truths of God are laid open most ? There they break through all discouragements whatsoever.
And so, labour for faith to believe those truths : which is the most victorious and conquering grace, that will cany us through all discouragements what- soever ; because it will set greater things before us, than the discourage- ments are. Are we afraid of men? Faith, it sets hell before us. Are we allured by the world ? It sets heaven before us. It conquers the world, with all the discouraging temptations thereof. Are the discouragements
* This recalls the little hook of Thomas Watson's, called ' Heaven taken by Storm,' memorable as having been the occasion of the conversion of the celebrated Colonel Gardiner, whose life by Doddridge is one of our Christian classics. — G
Cant. V. 3.] * i have put off my coat.' 99
from impossibilities ? 0, it is bard, I cannot do it. Aye, but, saitb Paul, ' I am able to do all tbings tbrougb Cbrist tbat strengthens me,' Phil. iv. 13. There is a kind of omnipotency in faitb, * 0 woman, be it unto tbee as tbou wilt,' Mark xv. 28. We bave abundance of strength in Christ. Faith is but an empty hand, that goes to Christ to draw from him what it hath need of; 'In Christ I can do all things.'
So, to have our hearts irarmcd icith love to him. This grace of the Spirit will make us pass through all discouragements, for it hath a constraining power. * The love of Chiist constrains us,' saitb the apostle, 2 Cor. v. 14. K our hearts once be warmed with the love of Christ, this will make us to think nothing too dear for Christ, and will cut off all excuses and pretences whatsoever, which come from coldness of affection. ' Love is strong as death,' as we have it in this book, ' much water cannot quench it,' Cant. viii. 6. All oppositions and discouragements whatsoever, all the water which the devil and the world hath or useth, cannot quench the heavenly fire of love, when it is kindled in any measure. "What carried the blessed saints and martyrs of God in all times through the pikes of all discom-age- ments ? The Spirit of God, by the spirit of love, from a spiiit of faith, and heavenly conviction of the excellency and truth of the things. They saw such a light, which ^^Tought upon their affections, and carried them amain against the stream (contrary to the stream of the times wherein they lived), that the worse the times were, the better they were.
10. And let us consider again, that Christ icill not be ahcays thus alluring us ; that we shall not always have these encouragements, such truths and motions of God's Spirit, as perhaps we feel now. Therefore, when we feel any good motion stirred up toward Christ, entertain it presently. Happily we shall never hear of it again. The longer we defer and put it off, the worse. As a man that is rowing in a boat, let him neglect his stroke, the neglecting of one may make him tug at it five or six times after to overtake those that are before him. So nothing is gotten by sloth and negligence. We do but cast ourselves back the more.
11. And let us help ourselves ivith setting the glory to come before our eyes , with Moses to have a patriarch's eye to him ' that is invisible,' to see ' a country afar ofiV Heb. xi. 27. Now, ' we are nearer salvation than when we believed.' Let us help our backward souls this way : that so, having still glory in our eyes, it may help us to go through all discouragements, whatsoever they be. We know Zaccheus, when he was afraid that he should not see Christ, went before the multitude ; and getting up upon the top of a tree, thus helps himself. So doth grace help itself by glory. And so far is gi-ace from objecting and pretending lets,* as it makes supplies in God's service ; as David, who in this case was pleased to be accounted vile, 2 Sam. vi. 22. Let us look unto the recompence of the reward ; not to the present discouragements, but to the prize at the end of the race. What makes a soldier to fight hard for the victory in the end ? The sweetness of the tri- umph. What makes a husbandman go through all discouragements ? He hopes to receive a crop in the end. Consider the issue which followeth after a conscionable, careful, and Christian life, after a more near and per- fect walking with God, maintaining communion with him. Let there be what discouragements there will be in the world, ' the end thereof is peace.' ' The end of that man is peace,' Ps. xxxvii. 37. Upon this ground, the apostle exhorts us, ' to be fruitful and abundant in the work of the Lord ; knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord,' 1 Cor. xv. 58.