The Cry of Faith. "O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah." Psalm 1xxxiv. 8. “Behold, O God, our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed," Psalm lxxxiv. 9. "Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me: for I am desolate and afflicted; the troubles of my heart are enlarged; O bring thou me out of my distresses," Psalm xxv. 16, 17. "The Lord hath chastened me sore, but he hath not given me over unto death," Psalm cxviii. 18. "O that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat," Job xxiii. 3. "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine," Songs i. 2. "O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee: I should not be despised," Songs viii. 1. "Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: 1 did moan as a dove; mine eyes fail with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me," Isa. xxxviii. 14. Is not this the heaven-born cry of every newborn child of God at times? Let all such read our kind Father's answer. 66 The Divine Promise. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth; and delivereth them out of all troubles,” Pslam xxxiv. 17. "Fear not, Abram : (this holds good to all the princely seed,) I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward,” Gen. xv. 1. Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty (or hidden) things which thou knowest not," Jer. xxxiii. 3. “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord, shall be delivered,” Joel ii. 32. "My son, (mark, christian reader, the sweet endearing relation spoken to) my Son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, (Jehovah thy Father in covenant); neither be weary of his correction; for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth: even as a father the son in whom he delighteth," Prov. iii. 11, 12. See the gospel of this, Heb. xii. 5 to 9. "And he arose, and came to his father; but when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him," (sweet kiss of mercy) Luke xv. 12. "For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise saith the Lord I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him," Psalm xii. 5. Then fear not, ye redeemed of the Lord, for he shall judge the poor of the people. He shall save the children of the needy, and shall "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right (or a constant) spirit within me; cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me," Psalm li. 10, 11. "Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside (or as one that is vailed) by the flocks of thy companions," Songs i. 7. break in pieces the oppressor, Psalm lxii. 4. "I tell you, (saith Jesus) this man went down to his house justified," Luke xviii. 4. "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Read Heb. viii. 10 to 13, with Exodus xxxiv. 5 to 7. Here is a blessed opening of covenant love, free grace, and sovereign mercy, suitable to, and for every feeling, guilty, praying son and daughter of Adam.. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh." Read Ezek. xxxvi. 22 to end. "Then said Christ, ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you," John xv. 3. "If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents," Songs i. 8. Now, reader, if thou art a grace-humbled sinner, let us, my dear brother in the Lord, take the finger of affection and contemplate for a moment the believer's walk of faith, as God the Spirit saith by our great apostle, 2 Cor. v. 7." We walk by faith, not by sight." I shall begin this article with what the man of God felt by an holy inspiration a thousand years before the incarnation of the great God our Saviour and Redeemer: Yes, and blessed be his most holy precious Majesty, what I have by his grace tasted and handled, felt and experienced many years. As for the endless disputes which hath arisen about faith, and its blissful divine properties, and employed the minds of sensual men, in all ages to explain, and yet to millions remains as obscure as ever, we have little to do with; for the word of God saith, that all men have not faith, i. e. "the faith of God's elect," Titus i. 1. "Like precious faith with us," 2 Peter i. 1. "Through the righteousness of God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ." The scriptural account of faith is the sweetest, simplest, and plainest. Let us turn to 1 John v. 9, and following verses, then to Hebrews, 11th chapter. Here, as in all the holy word, we see that faith is the hearty assent and consent of the mind to the affectionate belief of the being, promises and revelation of Jehovah, made to his church in the redemption of our persons by the Lord Jesus Christ. "If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand; but if not, be it known unto thee, O king! that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up," Dan. ii. 17, 18. Here was walking by faith indeed. O my honoured Lord, in mercy give all thy children faith to glorify thee in every day of trial, for surely, precious Lord Jesus, as thou didst then cause king The Warrant of Faith. "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant (Christ Jesus), that walketh in darkness and hath no light (or bright shinings on his path as heretofore), let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God," Isaiah 1. 10. "And Jesus said unto them, verily, (O sweet affirmation) verily, (as it were with an oath) I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones," Matt. xix. 28 to 30. "The just shall come out of trouble," Prov. xii. 13. the just man (no doubt this is the man Christ Jesus) walketh in his integrity; his children are blessed after him, Prov. xx. 7. “ Behold, his soul which is lifted up, is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith," (though not on his faith), Hab. ii. 4. "Then was the haughty imperious king astonished, and rose up in haste (as well he might), and spake and said unto his counsellors, did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They say, true, O king. He answered and said, Lo I see four men loose, (Jesus will loose all bands put on his church for his name's sake) walking in the midst (yes, in the midst of the fire Christ's presence quenches the violence of fire,) and they Nebuchadnezzar to declare, so wilt thou deliver all that through grace trust in thee; devils and devilish men. Cords of malice, lies, flames, and prisons, may shut thy saints up, by thy permission; but, dearest Lord and Saviour, no power, or person, can shut thee out of the heart. O grant all thy dear suffering ones enlargement of soul in thee; for is it not of thee, that thy people shall glorify thee in the fire? have no hurt, (how could they be hurt, when Jesus, the Lord "of life and glory was with them) and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God? How could he see and know this glorious form in the furnace but by revelation to open his eyes. O, reader, let us see to it, for truly it is one thing to have the eyes opened with light to inform the head, and another to have the heart influenced by God's power, love, and grace. See this verified in the characters of Balaam, Numb. 24th chapter, with Lydia," Acts xvi. 14. Thus shall every feeble bruised reed in the Lord's hand go on conquering and to conquer in his strength; and at times shall feel a joyful confidence witnessed by God the Holy Ghost, that He who hath begun this good work in him will perform it, and all things in him, with him, by him, and for him, until the day of Jesus Christ; and that the Almighty Lord of all his mercies will keep him pressing on towards the mark of the prize of his high calling and adoption blessings of God in Christ Jesus, his Lord and Redeemer. His mental longings, pantings, and all his spiritual desires are of the same nature (however weak, and weak enough, alas, at times do we feel them,) is produced by the same divine agent, and all lead to the same blessed end, as those created in the heart and mind of the apostle Paul, Phil. iii. 10. "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." These are the heaven-born and heartfelt desires of all in the new creation of grace. The Assurance of Faith. "Now, to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt; but to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted to him for righteousness," Romans iv. 5. "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant (Christ Jesus is here meant, who is Jehovah's servant, the faithful and true witness, to all his purposes VOL. X.-No. 130.] The Triumph of Faith. "For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect, because the law worketh wrath, &c., therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace: to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed," Rom. iv. 14 to 16. "And blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 3 E 11th chapter. Here, as in all the holy word, we see that faith is the hearty assent and consent of the mind to the affectionate belief of the being, promises and revelation of Jehovah, made to his church in the redemption of our persons by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Walk of Faith. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me ; thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath (mark it, against the wrath) of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall serve me," Psalm cxxxviii. 7. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but to suffer for his sake," Phil. i. 29. ،، Then Peter (as spokesman for the rest of the disciples) said, lo, we have left all, and followed thee: what shall we liave therefore?" Luke xviii. 28 to 30. with Matt. xix. 27. "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair: persecuted, but not forsaken; cas down, but not destroyed," 2 Cor. iv. 8, 9. "If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand; but if not, be it known unto thee, O king! that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up," Dan. ii. 17, 18. Here was walking by faith indeed. O my honoured Lord, in mercy give all thy children faith to glorify thee in every day of trial, for surely, precious Lord Jesus, as thou didst then cause king The Warrant of Faith. "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant (Christ Jesus), that walketh in darkness and hath no light (or bright shinings on his path as heretofore), let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God," Isaiah 1. 10. "And Jesus said unto them, verily, (O sweet affirmation) verily, (as it were with an oath) I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones," Matt. xix. 28 to 30. "The just shall come out of trouble," Prov. xii. 13. the just man (no doubt this is the man Christ Jesus) walketh in his integrity; his children are blessed after him, Prov. xx. 7. "Behold, his soul which is lifted up, is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith," (though not on his faith), Hab. ii. 4. ،، Then was the haughty imperious king astonished, and rose up in haste (as well he might), and spake and said unto his counsellors, did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire ? They say, true, O king. He answered and said, Lo I see four men loose, (Jesus will loose all bands put on his church for his name's sake) walking in the midst (yes, in the midst of the fire Christ's presence quenches the violence of fire,) and they |