Beyond a doubt, it will lead the person, in whom it is,
1 . To renounce all false confidences —
[Man, whilst ignorant of God, is always leaning on an arm of flesh. See God's ancient people, how continually were even they, notwithstanding all their advantages, trusting in the creature, rather than in God. To Egypt or Assyria they looked, in their troubles, rather than to their heavenly Pro- tector". Indeed, there was not any thing on which they would not rely, rather than on God p. But, when they were made sensible of their foUy, and had discovered the real cha- racter of God, they instantly renounced all these false con- fidences, saying, " Asshur shall not save us ; we will not ride upon horses ; neither will we say any more to the work of oiu' hands. Ye are our gods : for iti Thee the fatherless ^ndeth mercy^y The same proneness to creature-confidence is found amongst ourselves. Who does not, at first, rely on his own wisdom to guide him, his own strength to support him, and his own goodness to procure for him acceptance with God ? But, in conversion we learn where alone oiu: hope is to be placed, even in " God, who worketh all our works in us'^," and " in Christ, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteous- ness, and sanctification, and redemption ^" This was the effect of conversion in St. Paul, who accounted all his former attainments to be but " loss for Clirist, and desired to be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness, which was of the Law, but the righteousness which was of God by faith in Christ*." And the same effect invariably follows from a dis- covery of God as reconciled to us in Christ Jesus.]
2. To rely solely upon God—
[Yes, indeed, " they who know his flame will trust in him." See in David the confidence which such knowledge inspires. "The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want"." See him when he goes forth against Goliath : " Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield ; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand ; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee ; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Phihstines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth ; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel^." See him when all
" Isai. xxxi. 1. Hos. v. 13. and vii. 11. p Isai. xxii. 8 — 11.
q Hos. xiv. 3. ^ Isai. xxvi. 12. « i Cor. i. 30.
t Phil. iii. 7 — 9. u pg. xxiii. 1. ^1 Sam. xvii. 45, 46.