PREFACE. THE present treatife is a continuation of fome remarks formerly publifhed concerning the experience of a true Chriftian, who, quickened by the Spirit of life in Chrift Jefus, lives by faith, and who is enabled to go forward in his walk by the faith of the Son of God. There was one volume upon this subject, entitled, The Life of Faith, and fome years after, two volumes on The Walk of Faith: In which the divine helps and Supports were confidered, great and many, not only for the eftablishment of believers in the way, but also for their happiness every A 2 Step ftep of it, that they might rejoice in the Lord always, yea, with fuch a fulness of joy, as to make them triumph in the God of their falvation. This is the grand gospel privilege, which is granted to believers, as believers, and promifed to them in the freeft and fulleft manner that any grant can be conveyed, pringing from fovereign grace in the giver, and received not from any qualification in themfelves, but entirely from his own bounty, continued and increafed with all the rich and ripe fruits of faith to the praife of the glory of the grace of God. It has been long obferved, and much lamented, that there are very few of thefe happy believers, who give fuch a perfect credit to the promifes of God in Chrift, as to reft their hearts upon his faithfulness, without any doubt or wavering: They They do not truft fo far as the promifes warrant them, which flops the exercife of faith, and hinders the growth of the Spiritual life. Weak faith has little fruit. Strong faith improves love to God, loving obedience, patient fuffering, perfevering warfare, and the other fruits of the Spirit: Indeed for this very purpose is commanded, that we might trust and not be afraid: And there are promifes made to them who obey the command, and all things promifed are poffible to them who believe: For there is ftrength fufficient in the promifer to make faith grow, yea, to make it grow exceedingly: And be has done it, giving us a happy inftance in the church of the Theffalonians, in which perfecution raged, but faith was victorious, and patience triumphant. It has pleafed God to give us in the fcriptures ma ny encouragements for the growth of faith, which are in the following treatife fet before the reader; that we may honour his word, and trust in it at all times; efpecially when appearances make against their being fulfilled. Then it is high worship, against hope to believe in hope, as the father of the faithful did: And they are his children, and follow the Steps of his faith, who when fin is felt in its defilement, in its guilt, in the fenfe of inward corruptions, and of Strong temptations, in the many troubles of life, in the infirmities of age, and in the approach of death, put their whole truft and confidence in the promises of God. Nothing elfe is appointed, either to bring in the peace of God to the conScience, or to keep it in. God only in fuch trials can be a fafe refuge, and a fure defence, and faith look ing at what he has engaged to give, fecures the promised help to the glory of God. Under thefe feveral heads fomething is here offered from the fcriptures of truth to encourage a more fedfaft reliance on the divine faithfulness, than one commonly meets with. And what is faid upon each head is here fet before the reader, on the authority of God's word, and is alfo followed with fervent prayer, that the end of publishing this treatife may be answered, even, that the fcriptural faith may be hereby increased, that it may abound yet more and more, and in fuch a great degree, as may bring the highest glory to God, the trueft holiness to the heart, and the happieft experience in the life, and in the warfare of the Chriftian. May the gracious Lord, who is the author and finisher of the faith, accompany it with his Spirit |