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return to his mere glory. ' Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to thy name be given the praise,' Ps. cxv. 1. It is the song of the church mihtant on earth, and it is the song of the church triumphant in heaven, that all glory is to God in the whole carriage of our salvation. The promises are in him. He only made the covenant, and he must perform it to us : without him we can do nothing. Labour, therefore, to be wise in his wisdom, strong in his strength, to be all in all in Christ Jesus.
Ohj. How shall we know that a man hath establishing grace ?
Ans. His assurance is firm when his temptations are great, and his strength to resist little ; and yet notwithstanding he prevails over them. Satan is strong and subtile. Now if we can stand against his snares, it is a clear evidence of greater strength than is in ourselves. In great afflic- tions, when God seems an enemy, and clouds appear between him and us, if then a man's faith can break through all, and in the midst of darkness see God shining in Christ upon him, and resolve, ' Though thou kill me, yet I will trust in thee,' Job xiii. 15 ; here is a strong establishing.
In the times of martyrdom there was fire and faggot, and the frowns of bloody men ; but who were the persons sufi'ering ? Even many children, old men and women, the weakest of creatures. Notwithstanding the Sphit of God was so strong in these feeble ones, as their lives were not precious to them ; but the torments and threatenings of their cruel persecutors were cheerfully undergone by them, as Heb. xi. 34, seq. Here was God's power in man's infirmity. If we have not something above nature, how is it possible we should hold out in great trials ?
Means to obtain establisJiiiu/ grace.
By what means may a Christian obtain this stablishing grace ?
First, Labour for fundamental graces. If the root be strengthened, the ti'ee will stand fast.
(1.) Humiliation is a special radical grace. The foundation of religion is \ery low. Abasement of spirit is in all the parts of holiness. Every grace hath a mixture of humility, because they are all dependencies on God. Humility is an emptying grace, and acknowledgeth that in ourselves there is nothing. If God withhold his influence, I am gone ; if he with- di'aw his grace, I shall be like another man, as Samson was when his hair was cut ofl". Self-emptiness prepares for spiritual fulness. ' When I am weak,' saith blessed Paul, ' then I am strong ;' that is, when I feel and acknowledge my weakness, then my strength increases ; otherwise a man is not strong when he is weak ; but when he is sensible and groans under the burden of his infirmities, then he is inwardly strong.
(2.) Another fundamental grace is dependence upon God ; for considering our own insufficiency, and that faith is a grace.that grows out of ourselves, and lays hold of the righteousness of another to justify us, nothing can be more necessary to quiet the soul. ' Believe, and you shall be established :' as the promises are sure in themselves, so should we repose firm confidence in them.
Obj. But how doth God establish us by faith ?
Ans. By working sound knowledge in us : ' This is life eternal, to know thee,' John xvii. 3. When we know the truth of God's word aright, we have a fu-m ground to depend on ; for the more a man knows God in cove- nant, the more he knows Christ and the promises, the more he will trust and rely upon them. ' They that know thy name will trust in thee,' Ps. ix. 10, saith the prophet. Therefore labour for certainty of knowledge, that thou mayest have a certainty of fiiith. What is the reason our faith
128 YEA AND AMEN ; OR,
is weak ? Because wo are careless to increase in knowledge. The more wo know of God, the more we shall trust in him. The more wc know of a man that he is able and just of his word, the more safely we put confi- dence in him. Ho the more our security is in God's promises, as his bonds increase, so our trust will be strengthened.
(3.) Thirdly, if thou wouldst have establishing grace, her) it earnestly of God. Onr strength in him is altogether by prayer. Bind him, therefore, with his own promise ; beseech him to do unto thee according to his good word. He is the God of strength, desire of him the spirit of strength ; allege to him thy own weakness and inability without him, and that if he helps not, thou shalt soon be overcome ; lay open thy wants in God's pre- sence ; shew him how unable thou ai't of thyself to withstand temptations, to bear crosses, to perform duties, to do or suffer anything aright ; turn his gracious promises into prayers ; desire God that he would stablish thee by his grace ; that he would prop and uphold thy soul in all extremities.
Quest. What is the reason that Christians are so daunted, and fly off in time of danger ?