and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow;" if there be any condition like unto my condition and it seems that such were the thoughts of God's people whom Peter did write unto in his first epistle, iv. 12: "Beloved (saith he) think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:" you will think that no body's condition is like unto your's, some strange thing is happened unto you. And so in 1 Peter v. 9, "Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world:" you think that you meet with such afflictions as never were in the world before; be not deceived, saith he.

But suppose that your condition be as never any body's was, hath not the Lord said, " Behold I work a new thing?" Is not the name of Christ," Wonderful," and are wonders wrought ordinarily ? If your condition be as never any body's condition was, then have you an opportunity of glorifying God more than ever any man or woman had; then you have an opportunity of glorifying God, either in doing or in suffering, more than ever any man or woman had. And then, oh, what grace is here, what mercy is here, what love is here to overcome thy soul withal, that thou shouldest have such an opportunity as never man or woman had before! And therefore, what I said unto you often, I must now conclude with: God's people have no reason for their discouragements whatever their condition be.

Thus now I have done with this last instance, and with all the instances. Give me leave to speak something by way of application, in reference to the whole, and so I will shut up this exercise.

If all these things be so, if this be true, that the children of God have no reason for their discouragements, whatever their condition be: then what a mighty necessity is there upon us all, to look into our conditions, and to consider whether we be in Christ or no; whether we be godly, yea, or nay; whether we have made our peace with God, aye, or not and whether we have faith, aye, or no? All men have not faith, saith the apostle. Indeed all men say they have faith; and should I go from seat to seat, and from bosom to bosom, and knock at every breast in the congregation, asking, whether doth faith dwell here or no? unless it were some

few troubled ones, afflicted in conscience, every one of you would say, I do believe, I praise God I do believe, I have faith here within: but all men have not faith, and few there be that do believe. Children, young men and women, faith is not a thing that is born with you; it is a harder thing to believe than to keep the ten commandments. When once you come to know what it is to believe, you will say, Oh, it is a harder thing to believe than to do any thing; I do not know any thing in all the world that is so hard as to believe. But if you do believe, be in Christ, are godly, and have made your peace with God, blessed are you of the Lord, nothing shall offend you, nothing shall discourage you. But if not godly, if not in Christ, if not believing, every thing shall offend thee and discourage thee, and thou hast no reason to be encouraged, whatever thy condition be. Shall we not then, my beloved, all of us, as in the presence of the Lord, seriously look into our condition and consider whether we be in Christ, aye, or not?

But suppose I be in Christ, or I be not in Christ; believe, or not believe; what then? If yet you do not believe, if yet you be not in Christ, if yet you be not godly; this doctrine doth here from the Lord hold forth an invitation to you to come unto Jesus Christ: for if a man be in Christ, and be godly, then he hath no reason to be discouraged, whatever his condition be. If a man be not godly, he hath no reason to be encouraged, whatever his condition be. On the one hand there lies all encouragements, on the other hand there lies all discouragements. Now, therefore, in the name of the Lord, do I here, this morning, lay before this congregation life and death; encouragement on the one hand, and discouragement on the other hand: and if there be an adulterer, a swearer, a lying child, or a stealing servant; if there be ever a poor wanton, a sabbath breaker, an opposer of God here; I beseech you, in the Lord, come unto Jesus Christ; by all these encouragements that I have been speaking of, by all the mercies of the new covenant, and by the salvation of thine own soul, man, or woman, I beseech you come unto Jesus Christ. Oh, that men and women would give no rest unto themselves, till they have made their peace with God, and till they have gotten into Jesus Christ.

And in case that you be in Christ, and that you do believe,

that you be godly, and have made your peace with God; then see that ye walk up unto all these encouragements, see that you walk in the comforts of the Holy Ghost. Oh, you that are godly, (if these things be as ye have heard,) why hang you down your heads; why are you cast down and disquieted; why do you not walk in the comforts of this truth declared, and in the strength of these encouragements? You see what a venture we have run to speak comfort to you that want comfort. You have heard in several exercises, that a godly man hath no reason for his discouragements, whatever his condition be: not in regard of sin; not in regard of failings and successlessness in duties; not in regard of want of assurance; not in regard of temptation; not in regard of affliction; not in regard of desertion; and now, not in regard of his condition, in itself considered. Now, after all this, I appeal to you, you that are without comfort, do you not think that there are some wicked men in this congregation, that have presumed, when they have heard these things preached, and have said, These things belong to me; and so have endangered their own souls by presumption, comforting themselves when they should not be comforted? I appeal to you, whether you do not think that there are some wicked men in the congregation, that have thus endangered their souls by misapplication of these consolations: and if so, that there hath been this hazard run, and all to comfort you; then will you now refuse this comfort? Oh, you that have refused comfort all this while, receive it in the Lord; and you that were never comforted before, now comfort yourselves, and walk in the comforts of the Holy Ghost. And you that have gone up and down fearing, trembling, doubting, and much discouraged; yet now at the last say, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul; and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God, wait on God, trust in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." How you should so hope, and wait, and trust in God, as to bear up your hearts against all discouragements, I shall yet speak to in the next exercise.

So much for the ninth and last instance.

SERMON XIII.

THE CURE OF DISCOURAGEMENTS BY FAITH IN JESUS

CHRIST.

Why art thou cast down, O my soul; and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God; or, wait thou, or, trust thou in God.-Psalm xlii. 11.

You have heard of the saints' discouragements, and the unreasonableness of them; there is no just cause or reason for their discouragements. Would you now hear of some means against them? The Psalmist saith in these words, "Hope thou in God," or trust thou in God, or wait thou on God. And so the doctrine plainly is this:

Faith is the help against all discouragements.

Hoping, trusting, waiting on God, is the special, if not the only means appointed against all discouragements. "I had verily fainted, unless I had believed, (saith David,) to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." I had fainted, unless I had believed. Faith bears up the heart against all discouragements.

For your more clear understanding of this truth, and our better proceeding, I shall labour,

First, To shew you what it is to hope, trust in God, or to wait on him.

Secondly, That faith doth quiet one's heart in the times of discouragements.

Thirdly, That it is the duty of all the saints and people of God, when discouragements do arise, then, and then especially to trust in God and to exercise their faith.

Fourthly, What there is in faith that can bear up the heart against all discouragements, and how faith doth it.

First, if ye ask, What it is to hope in God, to trust in God, and to wait on him?

I answer, that to hope in God, is to expect help from God; to trust in God, is to rely or rest upon God for help; and to wait on him, is to continue and abide in this expectation or reliance. Properly, according to scripture phrase, trusting in God is the recumbency or the reliance of the soul upon God in Christ, for some good thing that lies out

of sight. I say, first, it is the recumbency or reliance of the soul upon God, the staying of the soul upon God: so you read in Isaiah xxvi. 3, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee." So the spouse in the Canticles, is found leaning upon her Beloved; and so we are commanded to trust: not EV TW XeTw only, but επι τον εγειρανία ιησουν, on him that raiseth Christ from the dead: which notes a fiducial repose; so that trusting in God, is to stay upon him. Rom. iv. 11. And then I say, it is the reliance or the stayance of the soul upon God in Christ; and so I take it to be meant here, for the word here translated, God, hope or trust in God, is in the plural number, Elohim; and so when the prophet, in Isa. xxvi., doth exhort unto trusting in the Lord, he gives this reason, at verse 4, "For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength;" so you read it, but according to the Hebrew thus: "Trust in the Lord for ever, for in Jehovah Jah is everlasting strength." "For in Jehovah Jah :" Jah is an abridgment or an abreviation of Jehovah, noting the Son of God; and so when Jesus Christ comes in the end of the world, to sit upon his glorious throne, the converting Jew shall praise him under that name, singing, as you read in Revelation xix., " Hallelujah,” praise the Jah: which if you compare with Psalm lxviii., you shall find is to be understood of Christ, at verse 4: "Sing unto God, sing praises to his name; extol him that rides upon the heavens, by his name Jah; rejoice before him, extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah;" and they shall sing, Hallelujah. Now if you look into Psalm lxviii. 18, you shall find the reason why this Jah is to be praised: for, saith the Psalm, "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive, thou hast received gifts for men." Which words, Eph. iv., are applied to Christ: "But unto every one of us, is given according to the measure of the gift of Christ." Verse 8, "Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." So that when the prophet doth exhort us to trust in Jehovah Jah, he exhorteth us to trust in the Lord, in Christ; and therefore I say, both according to the Old and New Testament, faith is the repose or recumbency of the soul upon God in Christ.

But yet that is not all. A man that doth repose upon