44 The MORTIFICATION the feeble knees be ftreugthned (a); behold the Lord Chrift that hath au fulnefs of grace in his heart, allfulnefs ofpower in his hand ; he is able to flay all theft his ene- mies. There is fufficient provifion in him for my relief andaffflance : he can take my drooping dying foul and make me more than a conqueror (b). Why fayefl thou, Omy foul, my may is hid from theLord, and my judgment is pattedover frommy God ? Haft thounot known, haft thou not heard that the everlafbing God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no feare4,ing ofhis underffanding ; he giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he encreafeth fie egtb. Even the youths Pall faint and be weary, and the young men (ball sanely fail ; but they that emir upon theLord fhdll renom their Jfrength, they £hall mount up with wings as Eagles, they (hall run and not be weary, they find walk and not faint, Ifa. xl.49, &t. He can make the dry parched ground ofmy foul to become a pool, and my thirfly barren heart as fprings of wa- ter yea, he can make this habitation of dragons, this heart, fo full of abominable tufts, and fiery temptations to be a place for grafs, and fruit to himfelt; Ifa. xxxv.7. So God flayedPaul under his temptation, with the confideration of the fufficiency of his grace : my grace is Molest for thee, z Cor. oil. 9. Though he werenot imme- diately fo far made partaker of it, as to be freed from his temptation, yet the fuf- 6ciency of it in God, for that end and purpofe, was enough to flay his fpirit. I fay then, by faith, be much in the confideration of that fupply andthe fulnefs of it, that is in Jefus Chrift; and how he can at any time give thee ftrength and deliverance. Now if hereby thou dolt not find farcela to a conqueft, yet thou wilt be Maid in the chariot, that thou !halt not flyout of the field until the batted be ended ; thou wilt be kept from an utter defpondencÿ, and a lying downunder thy unbelief; or a turning afide to falfe means and remedies that in the iffue will not relieve thee. The efficacy of this confideration will be found only in the praltice. (z.) Raifeup thy Heartby faith to an expeltation of relief from Chrift ; relief in this cafe from Christ is like theprophet's vision, Hab. ii. 3. It is for an appointed time, but at the end it !hall£peak, and not lye ; though ittarry, wait for it, beca f ie will not tarry i though it may feem fomewhat long to thee, whilft thouart under tiny troubleand per- plexity, yet it !hall furely come in the appointed time ofthe LordJefus, which is the heft feafons. If then thou canft rail raffle up thy heart to afettled expe&ation of relief fond Jefus Christ, if thine eyes aretowardshim, as the eyes ofaTeresa to the hand of his matter (c), when he he expelas toreceive fomewhat from him, thy foul £hall be fa- tisfied, he will affuredly deliver thee (d) ; he will flay thy luft, and thy latter endshall be peace ; only look for it, at his hand, expel when and how he will do it. If you will not believe, Cutely ye lhalí not be eflablifhed. But wiltthou fay, What ground haveIto build fuck an expeftation upon, fo that I may expel?not to be deceived ? As thou haft neceffity to put thee on thiscourt (e), thou mull berelieved and laved this wayor none; to whomwilt thougo? fo there are in the Lord Jefus innumerable things to encourage and engage theeto this expeaation. For theneceffity ofit, I have in part difcoeered it before, when I manifefted that this is theworkof offaith, and ofbelievers only. Without me, Pays Chrift, you can do nothing, John xv. 15. fpeaking with especial relation to the purging of the heart from fin, v. z. mortification ofany fin,muft be by a fupply ofgrace. Ofour felves we cannot do it. New it bathpleafed thefather that is Chrift allfulnefsfhouiddwell, Col. i. 19. that ofhisful- nefswe might receivegypfor asace; John i.16. He is the head, from whence thenewman midihave influences oflife and ífrength,or itwill decayevery day (f). Ifwe are ftrength- ened with might inthe inner man,it isbyChrift's dwelling in our hearts byfaith,Ephefiii. 16, 17. That this work is not tobe donewithout the fpirit, I have alto ?hewed before. Whence then do we expel? the fpirit? Fromwhom do we look for him? Who bath pre:- ruffed him tous, having procured him for us? Ought not all our expeltations to tbispur- pafe to be on Chrift alone? Let this thenbe fixed upon thy heart, that ifthouhaft notre- lieffrom him, thou ¡halt never have any : all ways, endeavours, contending,that are not animatedby this expe&ationofrelieffrom Christ and him only,are tono purpofe;will do thee no good : yea if they are any thing but fupportments of thy heart in this expelt- ation, or means appointed by himfel , for the receiving helpfrom him, they are in vain. Now farther toengage thee to this expeltation, (e) lohn i. 16. Meth. xxvü;. t8. (b) Rom. viii. 38. (e) Pfal, maid. a. (d) Ifa nil. 8. (e) John vi. 68. (f) Col. ü. lg. LI.3 Confider
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