Again, Let us labour to exercise our trust tipon all occasions ; for thinofs that are exercised are the brighter and the stronger. Let us inure our- selves to trust in God for all things, and to trust him with all things ; with our bodies, with our souls, with our estates, with our children, with our ways, with our good name, with our credit and reputation, with all ; as I said before in the signs of trust. Faith it grows in the exercise, as we see Ps. Ixii., a psalm expressing David's trust in God, and the conflict with his soul in trusting. He begins, ' Yet my soul waits upon the Lord,' &c. ; and in verse 2d, ' I shall not be greatly moved,' saith he ; but when he had gone on, and exercised his faith still, then he saith in verse 6th, ' He is my rock, and my Saviour, and defence ; I shall not be moved.' He that at the beginning saith, ' I shall not greatly be moved,' afterward, working upon his heart and soul, and exercising his -faith, saith, *I shall not be moved ; he is my rock, my Saviour and defence.' Faith it is the engine by which we do all, by which we prevail with God and overcome the world, and all the snares on the right hand and on the left ; it is that whereby we do all. Therefore we had need to keep it in exercise, and inure it, that we may have it to manage and use upon all occasions. It is not enough to have faith in us, but we must live by it. It must not only live in us, but we must live by it. This 'is another way to strengthen this faith, and assurance, and trusting in God.
The next is to practise that I spake of in the forenoon, to grow ' poor in spirit,' * for they shall trust in the name of the Lord.' Let us labour more and more to see our own wants. A Christian should have a double eye : one to look to himself and to his own wants, to be abased ; another eye to God's promise, to God's nature, to trust in God ; and thus we should pass our days. The more we can empty ourselves, the more we shall be filled with God. We see here in the text the way to trust in God, to be ' poor in spirit,' The reason is in nature. Whosoever is not poor in himself, and sees a necessity, he will never go out of himself, for he hath some other supply. Therefore, if we would learn to trust in God, we must learn to empty ourselves of all self-confidence, by observing our weakness and wants ; by taking notice, not so much of our graces, as of our wants. When Moses came from the mount, his fixce shone ; he knew rot of it. All the world about him knew it besides himself, but he observed it not, saith the Scripture, Exod. xxxiv. 29. So when a Christian considers not, especially in temptations to pride, what he hath, but what he wants — how little good he hath done, how many evil thoughts and actions have passed from him, how short he is in fruitfulness and thankfulness to God — this is the way to trust in God, for then we will keep close to God when we do see our own wealmess.
* Qu. ' confidence ' ? — Ed.
202 THE RICH POVERTY ; OR,
AikI let us labour to liare a spirit of sanctijicalion, to have our souls more and more renewed to trust in God, or else all other courses are nothing ; for when it comes to particulars, if the soul be not sanctified there is no con-espondency and harmony between it and God. How can an unsancti- fied soul close with a holy God ? Therefore we must labour to be good and to do good ; as the apostle Peter saith, ' to commit our souls to God in doing good,' 1 Pet. iv. 19. Let us labour to be good, to get grace, and then there \i\\\ be a harmony, a connaturalness between a holy God and a holy soul ; and then we shall trust and rely upon him easily. Where there is not grace in the heart subduing corruptions, when it comes to particulars, -whether to trust in God or man, then the soul will rebel, and scorn as it were trusting in God. It will go to wits, to friends, to favours, and other helps.
Let a man be never such a scholar, of never so great parts, when he comes to any shift, if he have not grace in him, he will disdain out of pride of spirit, as every man naturally is deeply proud, to rely upon con- science, and upon the truth and promises of the word, and upon such terms. These be weak things. No ; he will stir hell rather, and earth, and all means. He accounts it greatness that he can do so. It is only the holy man that will cleave fast to God, and to his truth and word, for he relis'heth it. The Spirit that penned the Scriptures and the promises, it rules in his heart, and therefore he relisheth them. Oh these promises are sweet ! And as he can trust the promises, so he can trust God ; be- cause, as I said before, he is acquainted with them. Where there is not a gracious heart, there will never be a believing, trusting heart.