(1.) By desires, a constant and earnest desire to go to Christ: Mat. v. 6, 'Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.' Now no work of nature hath God made a promise of grace to. There may be velleities; Balaam and others had wishes, but not real desires. In these constant serious desires the soul cannot be quiet without Christ: Ps. xlii. 1, 'As the hart panteth after the waterbrooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.' The soul earnestly desires to be a partaker of Christ and his merits. These desires are drawn out in prayer. In the want of an expected good we sally out after it by passionate desires, earnest sighs and groans.
(2.) By pursuits. Whosoever is moved to make after Christ as the only means of his acceptation with God, truly believeth; who make this their work, John vi. 27, 'Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you.'
(3.) By rejoicing in hope when we have nothing in fruition: Heb. iii. 6, 'If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.'
To sum up all: the lowest act of faith we have found to be the resolution of a humbled sinner to cast himself on Christ. Recumbency is the formal vital act of faith, and a purpose of recumbency the lowest degree of that act. Well then, if, out of a sight of thy lost condition and a high esteem of Christ, thou resolvest to cast thy soul upon him, thou dost truly believe. Now this purpose is bewrayed to be serious and real by desire, by pursuit, and sometimes as faith receiveth strength and growth by rejoicing in our future hopes when we have nothing in actual feeling and fruition.
Though I suppose nothing of moment can be objected against the decision of this question, yet because some desire to clear this recumbency from that leaning on the Lord which is spoken of, Micah iii. 11, 'The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money; yet will they lean upon the Lord and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.' Whence they infer there may be a leaning and recumbency where there is no grace.
I answer by a katachrèsis. Leaning is put for a vain trust; the prophet speaketh according to their presumption; they thought it leaning or staying on the Lord when it was but a foolish confidence built upon an ill ground, the presence of God in the outward ordinances and services of the temple, as if this would secure them against all dangers, and God would be for them, though in their persons they were never so wicked and unreformed.
But to clear it more fully: in all recumbency we must not only regard the act and the object; it is not enough that there be confidence or strength of resolution, and that this confidence be in pretence placed on God and Christ; as carnal men will say, I pitch all my hopes on Christ for salvation. A wicked man may make a bold and daring adventure, and lean upon the Lord, though at length the Lord will jostle him off. But there are other circumstances which must be considered, as (1.) The necessary method and order of this recumbence; (2.) The warrant or ground of it; (3.) The fruits and effects of it.
1st. The method and order of it. It is the resolution of a humbled sinner to cast himself upon Christ. We still run to Christ out of a sense of our own misery. The heart must be touched by the word. When conscience is drowsy, it is but a presumptuous act; and the devil, to delude them in an imaginary faith, suffereth them to hold out Christ in a naked pretence. The end and use of faith is to lift up that which is cast down; therefore it is sometimes expressed by a catching or taking hold of Christ, as those that are ready to perish in the waters catch hold of a bough; as Adonijah, when guilty of death, took hold of the horns of the altar: Isa. lvi. 4, 'Thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant.' So the heirs of promise are described to be those 'who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before them,' Heb. vi. 18; it is an allusion to those that fly from the avenger of blood. Wrath maketh pursuit, and the believer runneth to the city of refuge. Whosoever sets his face to Christ when chased out of himself by his own fears, and tremblingly flieth to undeserved grace, - whosoever, I say, findeth himself in truth to be thus affected, need not doubt of his interest in Christ; he is driven from sin and wrath, and drawn to Christ to seek salvation alone in him. Certainly he is an heir of promise, and God hath sworn to him. So in the metaphor of leaning on Christ, it supposeth a falling unless Christ did bear us up. This is the sure method of grace; God comforteth those that are cast down, Christ hath a napkin for the wet face of sinners. This is not only true at first conversion, but every time we renew our access to him, it is either out of new troubles, or out of a constant tenderness of conscience. Therefore in heaven there is no faith, because there is no contrition, but a perfect oblivion of misery; the soul being full of joy, faith hath no place and use. Therefore it is in vain to boast of quiet of conscience and leaning on the Lord, as wicked men do, when the soul was never troubled. We must consider the method and order of grace. A wicked man is never reconciled to God, because he never saw there was need to seek reconciliation, his conscience is sleepy and drowsy. Here is the constant trial then; all acts of faith at first conversion and afterwards begin at conviction, and a sense of our vileness and nothingness. But you will say, Then a believer's life must be a bondage; are we always to put ourselves into scruples and fears? And if the terrors of the Lord do still chase us to Christ, this would prejudice the comfort and assurance of grace. I answer, There is a great deal of difference between a troubled stormy conscience and a tender awakened conscience; the one is a dispensation, the other a duty. Though there be not a fear that is contrary to faith, a legal dejection; yet there is a constant conviction and deep sense of our own vileness and nothingness. We have all cause to be continually humble and nothing in our own eyes, as Paul groaned sorely when yet he blesseth God for Christ: Rom. vii. 24,25, 'O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.' He had such a real confidence as produced thanksgiving. So that this is the necessary order of grace, without which we shall not prize Christ. This is wanting in carnal men; a bare supposition would destroy their peace.
2dly. The warrant or ground of it. He casteth himself upon Christ that goeth to work considerately, and understanding what he doth; as Paul saith, 2 Tim. i. 12, 'I know whom I have believed.' True confidence is an advised act, it is built on the offer of God and the ability of Christ. They go and show God his own handwriting, and modestly challenge him on his promise: Ps. cxix. 49, 'Remember thy word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.' They know Christ is so able they may trust in him. Now this resolution in wicked men is but a blind adventure, like a leap in the dark, they do not weigh the danger. Look to the ground of your trust. The two builders, Mat. vii. the wise and the foolish builder, are not commended or discommended for the structure, but for the foundation - the one built on the rock, the other on the sand. Natural conscience is crafty, and pretendeth fair; they say they trust in Christ, as those that leaned on the Lord but upon an ill warrant, external privileges; they rest not on God, but on the temple. Therefore they are said to trust in lying words: Jer. vii. 4, 'Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, are these!' So carnal men have a few ignorant hopes, and trust in their baptism and good meanings, and Christ heareth the name; they are borne up with the bladders of their own confidence, a few windy, empty hopes.
3dly. The effects and fruits of it. Affiance cannot consist with a purpose of sinning, with the purpose of casting ourselves on Christ. There is an unfeigned purpose of obedience; he that trusteth in the Lord hateth sin. Can a man be an enemy to him that saveth him? Now, wicked men cast away their souls, and then trust Christ shall save them; it is, as if a man should plunge himself in the deep, upon presumption that he shall find a bough to take hold of. God in mercy hath provided faith for the fallen creature as a remedy; it is an abuse of it to plunge ourselves again into sin. Look, as it is a vanity to cast ourselves into straits, and then to see how God will help us; so here, we tempt free grace to our loss. Wicked men embrace Christ with treacherous embraces, like Judas' kiss to betray him; as Joab took Abner aside to smite him under the fifth rib: Heb. x. 22, 'Let us draw nigh (meta alèthinès kardias) with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water;' if not without sin, yet without guile; there must be an upright and unfeigned purpose to walk in new obedience. There is a notable place: Jer, vii. 9, 10, 'Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; and come and stand before me in the house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?' - we are delivered, all these are expiated by sacrifice; Christ died for me as well as you, we shall do well enough. What! will ye be worldly, sensual, neglect duty, be drunk, be careless in the course of your conversations, and say, We are delivered, Christ died for us? And will he discharge you from the guilt of these sins when you turn again to the practice of them? It is true, there is a bath for uncleanness, and there will be continual failings, but certainly they that continue in the constant practice of iniquity have no comfort and benefit by it: John xiii. 10, 'He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit.' There will be some fleshly adherences and failings after we are washed in the laver of Christ's blood, as a man that goeth from the bath, when he hath washed his body, may defile his feet; but when you make it your constant practice to commit iniquity, it is in vain to pretend to rest on Christ.
Use 2. Exhortation to press us to faith. It is the commandment which we must teach: 1 John iii. 23, 'This is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his son Jesus Christ;' and it is the work which you must practise: John vi. 29, 'This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent;' this is your ergon; it is but waste time that you spend on pleasures and worldly businesses. Men think they are only to follow their callings, they make their temporal and worldly business their work, and so do not apply their minds to believe in Christ. Oh, consider, when there was an invitation, business would not suffer them to regard it! Mat. xxii. 5, 'They made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise.' It is not whoredom, drunkenness, and extortion, but an immoderate following of their lawful profits and pleasures - a farm, a marriage, a yoke of oxen - things plausible in their kind, and one would think necessary: Luke x. 42, 'Mary hath chosen the better part, which shall not be taken away from her:' these things ought not to be undone. How can men sleep or work till they have cleared up their interest in Christ? nay, in spiritual employments, closing with Christ; the preeminent duty is not your work so much as your faith. The disciples in their converse with Christ bewrayed many weaknesses, but Christ was never angry with them so much as he was for their want of faith: Luke xxiv. 25, 'O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!' and Mat. viii. 26, 'Why are ye so fearful, O ye of little faith?' Oh, consider, to quicken you, it is the grace that bringeth God most glory, and doth you most good. Some cry up charity, because they mistake the nature of faith - they depress it, they omit what is chiefest in faith, and they speak of it as if it were nothing worth. And so others make faith a pendulous hope, and therefore cry up obedience and love.
1. It bringeth God most glory. It is notable that faith doth that to God in a way of duty, which God doth to the creature in a way of grace - it justifieth, sanctifieth, glorifieth. It justifieth, and that is a relative word, against the slanders and contempts of the world. So it is said, Luke vii. 29, 'And all the people heard him, and the publicans justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John;' it defendeth his honour and the truth of his grace. The pharisees said, It was a foolish doctrine. How a believer justifieth God against the contempt of the world and the suspicions of his own heart! Whatever conscience saith to the contrary, the Lord is just, gracious, merciful. Unbelief slighteth God and Christ, as if he were not worth the taking; the truth of the gospel, as if it were not worth credit; his worth, as if he did not deserve respect; his power, as if he were not able to save a sinking soul; it putteth a lie upon the whole contrivance of grace. Oh, how sweet were it if we could justify God against the prejudices of our own hearts! they make the blood of Christ a base thing, the Spirit of Christ a weak instrument. So it sanctifieth God: Num. xx. 12, 'Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel.' To sanctify, is to set apart for special uses and purposes; so we are said to sanctify God when we give him a separate and distinct excellency from all the powers in the world. He is not a common help and saviour, none so holy and gracious; it setteth the Lord with admiration above all created powers, for trust, fear, and dependence: Isa. viii. 13, 'Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.' When we see man is not to be trusted nor feared, but God, we set him on the highest point of eminency, aloof from the creatures. Is there any like him for pardon, for power, for holiness? So it glorifieth God: Rom. iv. 20, 'He was strong in faith, giving glory to God.' God doth as it were receive a new being from faith; though he be infinitely glorious in himself, yet he counteth himself glorified by the faith of the creature; he hath a second heaven in the heart of a believer, there he dwelleth by faith, and displayeth the pomp of all his excellences. Now unbelief dethroneth God, it will not let him set up a new heaven or place of residence in the conscience.
2. It doth you most good; your life, your peace, your glory, all hangeth upon it. Your life: Gal. ii. 20, 'I live by the faith of the Son of God;' you may be as well without life as without faith. So for peace, would not a man be friends with God, and live at amity with heaven? Rom. v. 1, 'Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;' and for glory, 1 Peter i. 9, 'Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.' Faith beginneth salvation, and heaven is but faith perfect and believing turned into fruition. You are in the suburbs of heaven as soon as you close with Christ; it putteth you above the clouds, and in the midst of glory to come. All the blessings of the covenant are made over to faith. It is God's acquittance which he showeth to Christ; as when men are obliged to pay great sums of money, they receive an acquittance, as an acknowledgment that the money is received: John iii. 33, 'He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal, that God is true.' We give it under our hand and seal, that God is as good as his word.
But how shall we do to get faith? I answer -
[1.] The habit of faith is freely given and wrought by God himself: Phil. i. 29, 'To you it is given on the behalf of Christ to believe on him;' Eph. ii. 8, 'By grace ye are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;' Heb. xii. 2, 'Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.' And therefore the general means are waiting upon the word and prayer; commend thy case to God by prayer, and wait for an answer in the word. Hearing there must be: Rom. x. 14, 'How shall they believe in him, of whom they have not heard?' God will not infuse faith when asleep; you must lie under the authority of the word. God's seasons are not at our beck; if the first stroke of the flint doth not bring forth the fire, you must strike again; it is good to be constant. And then if God suspend the influences of his grace, pray remember the promise of giving the Holy Spirit: Luke xi. 13, 'If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?' Knock once more; a holy importunity argueth some presence of the Spirit, though we are not sensible of it; it is good to be earnest, and to follow God with renewed requests and expectations.
[2.] I answer, Because we are required to believe; though it be his gift, God requireth it of the creature. It is good to be doing; let us use the means, and leave the blessing to God; he may come ere we are aware, and though we can do nothing spiritually, yet it is good to be doing rationally. It is true, faith is not a work of nature, but this is the way of God's working. There are secret elapses of the Spirit of God, as Samuel thought Eli called, when it was the Lord; there may be a spiritual work where we think it merely rational: besides, we are under a law; God respecteth not what we can do, but what we ought to do. Three things are to be done - (1.) Something to humble the soul and fit it for faith; (2.) Something to further the immediate working and actings of faith towards Christ; (3.) Something for the regulating of these actings.
First, To fit the soul for faith, it is good to offer humbling matter. God was angry with Pharaoh: Exod. x. 3, 'How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me?' Certainly we might do something.
(1.) Reflect on your present condition, and think of changes. It will not be ever with thee as it is now. I must die, and must come to judgment. Draw it to a short issue: Mark xvi. 16, 'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned.' Do I believe? upon what terms do I stand with God? what assurance have I of his love? Especially do it, when God giveth thee a hint in his providence: 1 Kings viii. 47, 'If they shall bethink themselves in the land, whither they were carried captives, and repent and make supplication unto thee in the land, of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness,' &c. Retirement gave them an opportunity to converse with themselves. It is good for us and our consciences to be together sometimes and enter parley, What am I? how do matters stand between God and me? Man has a conscience - a power to talk with himself: Ps. iv. 4, 'Commune with your own heart on your bed, and be still;' he can look inwardly to ask himself what he hath done: Prov. xx. 27, 'The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly:' it is God's deputy, it sets up a tribunal within a man's self.
(2.) Examine yourselves by the law of God. A daily view of sins doth much conduce to humbling. Conscience is blind in many cases, therefore take the law along with you, and look into the purity of it: Rom. iii. 20, 'By the law is the knowledge of sin;' not only quoad naturam peccati, but quoad inhærentiam in subjecto. To man fallen, that is the nature and office of it: Rom. vii. 9, 'For I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.' Paul was never troubled till the law was brought home to his conscience.
(3.) Aggravate thy sins from the consideration of God's love. Two things very much humble the soul, light and love. So it was in Saul's case: I Sam. xxiv. 16, 17, 'And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.' There is a natural ingenuity in the sourest nature to make us relent, when we have done wrong to a kind person. Take the same course with your souls; all this is done against a merciful God, and against special offers of love. Surely you have very hard hearts, if they will not be melted with offers of grace.
(4.) Do not skin over the wounds of conscience: Jer. vi. 14, 'They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace;' they put it off, rather than put it away; stop the flux of humours, rather than cure the distemper. Better keep conscience raw than let it fester into an ulcerate sore: Ps. li. 3, 'I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.' This must be the disposition of your hearts, otherwise, your iniquities will find you out; we must have a care of quenching the Spirit, when a ray of conviction is darted into our bosoms.
(5.) Propound the encouragements of a common faith. Observe that mercy is made an argument to draw men to the highest pungent afflictive sorrow: Joel ii. 13, 'Rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful;' it noteth a deep and heightened sorrow upon the motive of God's goodness. The apostle tells them of a promise, Acts ii. 39; after they were pricked in hearts, ver. 37; Mat. iii. 2, 'Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand;' that is, the whole gracious administration of Christ. Partly because else there would be a despondency and despair, it is a dangerous temptation to say there is no hope: Jer. xviii. 12, 'And they said, There is no hope; but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart:' it is the nature of man to be led by hope, much more in a duty so distasteful to flesh and blood as humiliation is. Partly because greatness of sins should increase our repentance, but not diminish our faith. Rend your hearts, be deeply humble, but still remember God is merciful.
(6.) Compare thy own want with the blessed condition of those that enjoy grace. As the prodigal: Luke xv. 17, 'How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough, and to spare, and I perish with hunger!' Christ cannot want a people, but I may want a saviour: blessed are they that are at peace with God through Christ, but I am an alien and stranger to those joys. Emulation is a means to humble us; the meanest of God's family abound in spiritual comforts.
Secondly, Do something to further the immediate workings and actings of faith; that is your work when the heart is humble and sensible.
1. Consider God's gracious invitation. God hath fully opened his mind concerning the receiving of sinners that come to Christ. He prays us to come, makes public proclamation: Isa. lv. I, 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money: come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money, and without price.' God by his ministers goes a begging to poor creatures: 2 Cor. v. 20, 'Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.' He pitieth those that do not come to him, Ps. lxxxi. 13, 'Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!' so Luke xix. 41, 42, 'When he was come near he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!' He professeth his loathness that any should perish: Ezek. xxxiii. 11, 'As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?' he reasoneth with them - 'Why will you die?' So Ezek. xviii. 31. He chideth them for not coming, John v. 40, 'Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.' He promiseth and offereth to them all the favour that may be: John vi. 27, 'Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you;' Mat. xi. 28, 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' Ye need not fear an entertainment. Now it is a great advantage to faith to consider these passionate forms. Show yourselves men by a literal revolution of the promises; though it be but an act of understanding and memory, yet God may bless it. Constant thoughts have a natural efficacy; when God is in them, and giveth his blessing, they work much.
2. Season the heart with gracious maxims and discourses, such as these. The more angry you conceive God to be, the more need you have to fly to his mercy. Use a point of gospel logic, and make advantage of the temptation. Satan saith, Thou art a grievous sinner, and conscience can witness the accusation; though you take the principle, yet beware of the devil's inferences; the principle may be true, yet the inference a lie. I am a dog, yet there are crumbs for dogs: Mat. xv. 27, 'Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs, which fall from their master's table.' It is an excellent wisdom to turn discouragements into motives of believing; to make that an argument to draw us to Christ which would seem to drive us from him. Therefore I ought to come to Christ. Again, God's mercy is as infinite as his wrath; I fear his wrath, why should I not hope in his mercy? Believing is a command as well as a privilege; God is worthy to be obeyed, though I be not worthy to be received to mercy. Sins should not hinder a man from duty, nor sickness from the remedy: look upon thyself as under an obligation. Again, presumers are seldom troubled about their estate; their peace is broken when it is but suspected; there is no fear of presumption when the heart is touched: Ps. lvi. 3, 'What time I am afraid I will trust in thee:' it is good to give duties their due time and season. Again, in this work Christ will help me; if there be anything of faith he will cherish it: Mat. xii. 20, 'A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench.' He cherisheth not only the bright torches, but the smoking wick; he hates unbelief as much as you do, and will strengthen you against it, for it is the greatest enemy of his kingdom. God usually appeareth in the creature's humiliation: Ps. li. 17, 'The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise;' if thou canst say he will not accept thee, he will not despise thee. Humiliation is a good beginning, a fruit of Christ's purchase; and Christ did not only purchase the beginnings of grace, but the perfection and increase: you have your souls at a good advantage. When Paul was fasting, God sendeth Ananias, Acts ix. 10; and when Cornelius was fasting, he sendeth him an angel, Acts x. 30, 31, Christ's wounds are like those of a surgeon, not of an executioner; when he wounds and opens the vein, he thinks of binding it up again. Many such reasonings and discourses may we have within ourselves.
3. Make adventures. Faith at first goeth after Christ with a weak and trembling foot, it is a mere trial and essay: Joel ii. 14, 'Who knoweth if he will return, and repent, and leave a blessing behind him?' It is a thousand to one but he doth: Amos v. 15, 'It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph;' Jonah iii. 9, 'Who can tell if God will turn; and repent, and turn away from the fierceness of his anger that we perish not?' It is pride and curiosity to pry into God's purposes; what have you to do with God's counsels? But you have a fair offer. Why should I ascend unto heaven? the word is near me: Rom. x. 6 - 8, 'Say not, Who shall ascend into heaven to know the mind of God?' he hath declared his will in his offer, why should I dispute it? When Ebedmelech cast a cord to Jeremiah in the dungeon, shall he fall disputing; It may be thou dost not intend to pull me up? It is a vanity to wrong ourselves by affected scruples; there is pride and curiosity in the jealousy, but obedience in the adventure.
4. If, after all, this brings no comfort, run to him, and acknowledge your misery and impotency. Agnosco debitum, confiteor impotentiam. 'Turn me, O Lord, and I shall be turned,' Jer. xxxi. 18. Da quod jubes, et jube quod vis. Lord, thou hast forbidden despair, and commanded calling for mercy; I cast myself at thy feet, give me grace. Our trials are but to show us our weakness, that we may fall down, and take all at the hands of mercy. If we be not thus affected, we have no cause to complain of God's rigour, but our own penury and sin: Rom. xi. 32, 'God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.'
5. Observe the seasons of God's gracious approaches: Ezek. xvi. 8, 'Thy time was a time of love.' Grace hath its seasons: Isa. lv. 6, 'Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found; call ye upon him, while he is near.' There are seasons of sweet and spiritual refreshings; as Benhadad's servant watched for the word, 'brother.' God will be observed; it is Satan's sport to see us slip our seasons. Observe the sweet motions in the heart when the Father draws you.
Thirdly, To regulate faith, that you may not deceive yourselves with a vain confidence. It is needful to deny ourselves, our interests, or our lusts. Something is to be forsaken. Put cases - Are you come up to God's terms ? - What lusts or interests do you stick at? as Christ trieth the young man, Mat. xix. 20, 'If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me.'
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