264 The Life of Faith. fail extraordinarily in an hour of temptation, fo far as to deny Cbrifl, or fhrink from him in this fear : fo did Peter, and not only he, but all the Difciples forfook, bier, and jisd, Match. 26 56. But yet he that according to the habituated flare of bin foul, bathfomuch Faith,andLove, as will caufe him to venture life and al`,upou the :ruff whichbe baab to the prowifes of the Gofpel, bath e true and faring faitl. And here I delire all doubting Chriflians, to lay by the common miflake in the trying of their faith or truti in Chrifi, and to go hereafter upon furet grounds. Many fay, I cannot believe .r trufi CbrJt fer falvetion, for I am full of doubts, and fears, and troubles ; andPurely this is not truffi»g Crow. Anf. I. The qüeflion is not, whether you trufl h:enperfeply, fo as to have no fears, no troubles, no doubts: but whether you tr:Jt him fincerely, fo far as to venture all upon bias inhis way. If you can venture all on bins, and let go 41 to followhita, your faith is true and laying. This would abundantly comfort many fearful troubled Chritìians, if they did but underhand it well : For manyof them that thus fear, would as foon as any, fortke all for Chrift, and let go all carnal pieafures, and worldly things, or any wilful fin whatfoever, rather than forfake him ; and would not take to any other portion and felicity than God, norany other way than Chriff, and the Spirit of holinefs, for all the temptations in the world : And yet they feet bccaufe theyfear ; and doubt more bcaue they doubt. Doubting foul, let this refolve thee ; fuppofc Chrift and his way were like a Pilot with his Ship at Sea : Many more promife to con- vey thee fafcly, and many perfwade thee not to venture, but Bay at Land : But if thou haft fo much triad as that thou wilt go, and put thy fclf, and all that thou hail into this Ship, and foxlike all other, though thou go tremblingall the way, and he afraid of every Eform, and tcmpcft, and gulf ; yet thou haft true faith, though it be weak. If thy faith will but keep thee in the Ship with Chrifi, that thou neither turn back again to the Beth, and world ; nor yet take another Ship and Pilot, (as Mahometanes, and thofe without the Church) undoubt- edly China will bring thee fife to La»d, though thy fear anal et alit k gill thy fin. For
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