The Life of Faith. But it is the Believer who heartily faith, How good it the Au_ tbor and endof all this mercy 1 whence is it that this cornea P and whether d6th it tend 1 I love the Lord becaufe be bath heard the voice of any fupplication, Pfal. 116. I. O that nun mouldpraife the Lord for bis goodnefo, Pfal. 145.15, 16. The eyes of all things wait on thee : thou giveff them their meat its due feafon. Thou openelf thy band, and fatisfieff the defires of every living thing. He leaveth not himfelf without wit- nefs in that he dotb good, and givetb us Rain from Heaven; and fruitful feafons, filling our' hearts with food andgladneß, As 14. 17. The near conjundtion of foul and body, and the near relation of God and his mercies, do tell us plainly, that every pleafure which touchcth the fine, fhould touch the heart, and reach unto the foul it felt; and that as the creature is fitted to the fenfe, and God is fuitable to the foul; fo the creature thould be but Gods fervant to knockand caufc us to open the door tohimfelf, and the way ofhis communication and accetlion to the heart. Therefore fo great a judgement is threatned again(i the Ifraelites in their profperity, if they did not ferve God with jsyfulnefs and gladnefs of heart, for the abundance of all things, Dent. 28.47. And therefore the daies in which men were to rejoyce in God, with the greatelt love and thankfulnefs, wereappointed to be dalesoffealling, that thepleafure of the bodily fcnfes might promote the fpiritual pleafure and gratitude of the mind, 2 Cbron. 19.21. & 29. 30, Neb. 8. 17. & 1x.27. Efth. 9.17, 18, 19. Numb.ro.ro. Dire% 17. Let Faith feel Gods di#leafure in everycha.. ftifement andjudgement. For we mutt be equally careful that we dt bife them not' and that we faint not under them, Heb. 12. 5. They that pre- tend that it is the work offaith to feenothing in any affliiion but the love and benefit, do but fct one at% of faith againft another : For the fame word which tclleth us, that it (hall turn to a true believers good, doth tell us that it is of it fell a natural evil , and that as the good is from Gods Lovc,fo the evil is from our fins, and his difplcafure ; and that he would giveus the good without the evil, if man were without fin. He therefore that believeth not that it is a cattigatorrypunifh- ment for fin, is an unbeliever, as well as he thatbelievethnot B b the I es
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