(5.) As it is a working grace, so it is a hold grace. '1 believe, therefore I speak.' If there be faith in the heart, it will express itself in the tongue. If the heart be a good treasure, it will vent that treasure. ' Out of the abmidance of the heart the mouth will speak,' Mat. xii. 34. And there- fore as there will be encouragement and strength and vigour, so there will be boldness in speaking to God. Faith is a grace that hath liberty with it. Wliere the Spirit is there is liberty, specially where the spirit of faith is ; because faith sets the soul at liberty from fear of guilt and damnation, and persuades the soul of contentment with God in Jesus Christ.
(6.) Where the spirit of faith is, there is boldness to the throne of grace; and therefore because we believe we speak. We speak to God in praj-er, because we believe we are reconciled to God in Jesus Christ. Whereso- ever faith is there is prayer. Speaking to God in prayer is the prime
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP, IV, VER. 13. 453
expression of faith ; as faith is the birth of a Christian, for it knits him to Christ the fountain of life. A child as soon as it is born crieth, and a new-born child as soon as it is born crieth to God. He hath a familiar kind of boldness to go with reverence to God, and say, * Abba, Father.' As soon as ever Paul was converted, 'behold, he prayeth,' Acts ix. 11. He might speak prayers before, but he never prayed till then. A man never prayeth till he believeth ; and when he believeth, he prays presently with the spirit of faith. Therefore it is a spirit of supplication ; they go always together.
And the reason is, because as soon as ever a Christian is new born, he is sensible of the root and spring whence he hath all his strength and all he hopes for. It is in Christ. And therefore as by faith he is knit to Christ, so by faith he makes use of Christ. Faith is an emptying grace of itself, and emptying the soul, seudeth forth his ambassador, prayer, to fetch all help from heaven. Prayer is the messenger, the ambassador of faith, the flame of faith. Where faith is kindled within, it flames out in prayer. ■Praj^er, you know, sheweth that there is nothing at home, for then we would not go abroad. Faith is a grace that goeth out of itself. It hath the greatest humility that can be, and is always seated in an humble soul, that despaireth of itself, and is emptied of itself; and therefore the first expression of faith out of itself must be to the fountain of help and foun- tain of strength and comfort together, and therefore sends forth prayer. Praj-er and faith are all one, prayer being nothing but faith digested into ■words and conceptions. Faith -prevails, so prayer prevails ; and according to the measure of faith, so are the degrees of the spirit of prayer. And then again, our tongues being our ' glory,' Ps. xvi. 9, it hath a desire to glorify God, and that is in speaking, praising of God, and praying to God. And therefore those that do not pray, they have no faith. Little faith, little prayer ; and great faith, great measure of prayer. And as faith gi'oweth, so the spirit of prayer and supplication groweth. They increase and decrease in a proportion.
And therefore let us examine ourselves, if we believe, to pray ; if we believe, to speak. A Christian is no still-born creature. He that is new- born, he is not still-born. He crieth to his Father for strength of grace. There is a spirit of boldness, together with the spirit of faith, whereby we can look God in the face reconciled in Jesus Christ. Now, looking upon God as a Father, we cannot but as to a Father repair to him in all our necessities. So you see the connection of these two, ' I believe, therefore I speak.'
And as it is true of prayer, so of praise, for that is also the language of the Spirit of God. God will have occasion, for our tongue is our glory ; we glorify him in our whole man. The heart giveth him the glory of all bis attributes ; the speech giveth the glory of it to him. And therefore, Ps. Ixiii. 5, ' When I am filled with marrow and fatness,' the inward com- forts of grace, ' then shall I praise thee with joyful lips ; ' that is, then shall he sound forth the praises of God in his speech. He praiseth God not only for what is past, but he praises him for what is to come, * I believe, therefore I speak.' For if a man by the spirit of faith apprehend the resurrection of the body and glory in the world to come, that Spirit, appre- hending the excellency to come, will stir him up to praise God beforehand ; as by a spirit of faith we take things in trust, as if present ; we see heaven, and glory to come, as if present : ' For faith is the evidence of things not Been,' Heb. xi. 1. So it stirs up affections as if present. In heaven we shall praise God for ever, and therefore faith makes heaven and happiness