. . throitANaturallirnpoffibtlittes. ) 185 Firft of all , Thou fayeft, meanes fails, and feeme to lie dead before thee , and thou art affraid now to beleeve ; but it may be , that this is the time that God does take away the meanes on purpofe to try thy Faith. Beloved , there is a timewhen God does purpofely take away the meanes to try a mans Faith. God does firft try our Faith, before he does feed our fence. When our Lord and Saviour Chrift , was to worke that great miracle, feed- ing fo many thoufand with fivebarley loaves, and two fmall fifties, we reade in the lixth Chapter of iohx, and the 5. verfe thus, 7efiu lift up his eyes, andfar a great company, and I fail to Philip, whencelhall we buy bread, that thefe may eau ? Why did our Saviour Chrift thus put Philip upon it ? reade what follovves.A'nd this hefaid toprove him:He took away the meanes and ibis hefaid to provehim. There is a time when, the Lorddoes fometimes tale away the meanes on purpofe to prove thy Faith; how doeft thou know, (man or wo- man )!whether this be not theday and the time? "I hou fayeft, thou canft not beleeve , becaufe meanes faile ; it may be 'cis the timeof thy triall, God fending this time of purpofe to try thee. Again fecondly, , Confider this; God does never give to fupply our kis , but to fupply our Wants. Poffibly there may be meanes to fupply thy want , though not meanes to fupply thy luft.When ourLord andSaviourChrift fed fo many thoufand , what did he feed themwith ? Five barley loaves and two fifties; not with Turkey , not with Partridges, I not with wiles , not with Chickens ; but with barley loaves. It may be thou haft a barley loafe-meanes , but thou haft not Chicken-meanes ; and, becaufe thou haft not meanes, to fupply thine appetite , and to fupply thy /lift , thou fayeft thou haft no meanes, andall meanes faile: Oh 1 this is very ordinary among fome people; becaufe they havenot meanes to fatisfy their mind and their hilt, therefore they fay, that all meanes talk. Ilacfeech you 'Beloved, confider whether there be not this great millake,whal you fay, that all meanes A a z faile ; I.
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