Book li Chap j.SeCl: ~ ~· It SHan fbve y,)tl olf, f.1ying f lritdf nff, the duc.ztuln7,J, and not tbe promi. ~e belrmg1 t~,::o y tt '.reil Saran again,rhat when yim went on in away of tin, hC could tell you other.. w1fc , vrz. tbat tbc promife, and 1111t thr thrc.Jtning bclo1tq.ed t1 y u; but now it is not wi:h you JS it was then, now all fin is to yoa as a burthen , and now every promife is to you as a wot·lJ of gold, and tberrfm Sar.11, didjl tbo" tell me that the promifc did bei-mg t:J me then? j:trel)J 11ow , rnuch m::rc : Avoid S.1t:m, fur it W written, Come ta rne, ;1c tbut are wear} and bcavy laden witb fi;t. 4· RLmember that the fame Lord Jefus that invites you, commands you to bchcve, anJ to relye upon htm , and therefore to apply the promifc to yonr fdvcs• t)oh.3· 2 l· 'fbiJ i1 tbe Comrrundment, tb;t rre Jh•~<ld believe 011 ti" Name of his Son Jefi« Cimjl. Lutbir was a man that Ia?oured uudtr great temptations, and being once fvrdy tempted, and the tears tncklmg down h1s checks, My frimi ( faah he) c•nze 11/lto me, and [lid, 0 my fon, why doff tb,, m.urn.? dojl thou not k,now tbat God b<~th comm>nd2d thee ta belie~e l When C!ayes Lutber ) 1 heard that word Com– m~nd J it prevailed more with my heart than all that was fail, or thought on before: So fay I now unto thee, does Satan come iu with this temptation, and tell thee ':[be promife bfiongs not to thee' Anfwcr , Ay, but the Lord hath commanded me to believe ; and therdore it is my dury to believe; and becaufe I cannot believe, unlefs I apply the promife to my felf, th<refore I ti1ay' conclude, that the promife doth bdo"",; unto me. Thus for the firll temptation. z. for the other, that your rdying on Chrill is not con lant : True faith (faith Satan) is ever alike 1\rong and !ledfall; bm thy fJith .is but a wavering, inconlllnt, flit· ting faith. Confider-- 1'. It is a fallacy, and no truth, that faith in the exercifc or feufe, is ever a· like firong and lledfall. The experience of all Sm1ts can tell you, tlut faith bath its f!owings and ebbings, full and wane: Somcti.,Jc5 .. Chriilian is on the wing, and then he {aith, I think if the clevil bid hold on me, yet I could troll in God for !oh , 3 , 15 • hcaven; as Job could fometimes fay, If t be Lord/IJy me, Y" ,..;ill I trufl in him . but we know that was not J obJ temper always : Sometimes 1think, tlut if G6d would take me away in a malfacre, I lhould yield rny blood without a repining word ; •no• ther d111e, I fo doubt my inttrefr in Chrill, that I do not hnuw how I lhould die upon my bed , unlels with cryin~ , ~ord, tak,e me 1101 aw•y with the_>7ick$J. David Pfal.•s. 3· fometimes would not be afratd ol l11s foul gomg out of hiS Body, •f ten thoufand pfal. 6. 3 • {words were ready to cut out a palfage ; I will net br afraid of tm thoufond of 'eople, tb31 bJve [et tbemfc/ves againft me rGund about: at another time he cryes, Pfal. 39· '1· ~omplaining and fhrieking, 0 jparc me, tbat I may recover ftrwgth before I go bence, ""d be no more. Faith may be fo inrerrcptecl, that the pulfeof it cannot alway!beot alike; and yet while there is life, 1he pulfe of faith beats, though Cometirnes more faintly and deadly, than at other ~irnes. . . 2 , Faith , that in the exerc.fe or Cenfe IS not ever altke flrong and fiedfall, yet in the habit or Effence is ever true, and truly relies upon }efi1s Chrill: Senfe in collinr Cor. a Chrifiian, may not ooly have a mill call before its _eyes_, but (as faith a modi,!. dern ) may have Its eyes put out. Chrtfbans are m•sjudgmg creatures, and too ready upon Satan? temptations to fufpect their own happinefs; they may call their· faith prefumption , as well as fome call the" prefumptl<>n fmh: The hypocme calls his drufs oold, and his alchymy fil.ver, and the fttfpeCl:ing Chrillian is as ready on the other hand to call his gold brafs, and his filver kad: Chrifi may be laying in heaven, concerning fuch a one, Thou art faved, thott art [avcd, whilell he may be crying on eanh, 0 1 am damned, l am damned: The Angels m•y b:m heaven r;· joicing over him, whom we fee here mourmug over h1s ewn foul. for fin, and w•,f not Le comforted: It may be thou fayll, Id> not belu~e, I do not relte on Je[tt< Cbrift; But let me ask Could there t'le fuch an hungring and thirlling alter Chrili, if thou didll not bclievd on Chril! ? Could there be fuch a care to pkal~ \. hrill, and a fear ofof– tending Ch;il'\ in thy whole life and converfation, 1ft.hou didH not relic upon. him for Eternal Life and 5alvatiog.? C11nld there be fnch a wlllingnels "' thee to parr w1th all fo• ChriH, if thou did{\ not relicupon him as tby P?rtion, and thy All in All? Surely this is impoffible, content thy !elf; it thou h~f( not the fenfc, yet thou hall the flab!t, and not on– ly the habit, but the act of faith alfo in fame mcafiue, at lL>rn<tim.:s, thoush it !~cm very weal!. SECT.
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