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fold work of faith in this continuing exercise of it in a day of trouble.

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(1.) It is the work of established faith to take a new feast upon an old experience. The man comes fometimes to a wilderness where there is nothing to be gotten but hunger and want, and then fits down and fearches around to find fomething to fupport him, and presently recollects what he has formerly enjoyed, and fo falls upon a five or fix-year-old experience, a twenty or thirty-year-old experience, and takes a feaft upon it, faying, For all that is come and gone, "I will remember the years of the right-hand of the Moft High: I will remember thee 'from the land of Jordan, and from the hill Mizar. I ' will remember the works of the Lord; furely I will remember thy wonders of old," Pfal. xlii. 6. lxxvii. 11. It is the work of faith, in the day of trouble, to take a new meal upon an old promife, as Jacob did, Gen. xxxii. 12. "Thou faidft, I will furely do thee good :" and now," Remember the word on which thou caufedft me to hope."

(2.) It is the work of established faith, in times of trouble, to fit down upon the hill of difficulties and ftraits, and fing that pleafant fong, "Tho' the fig-tree fhould not bloffom, nor fruit be found in the vine, &c.; yet will I rejoice in the Lord, and be glad in the God of my falvation. Tho' my house be not fo with God;" tho' my heart be not fo with God as I could with, "yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, well ordered in all things and fure; and this all my falvation, and all my defire."

(3.) It is the work of established faith, in a day of trouble and hiding, fometimes to make ufe of fome common relations to God as an argument for faith, till it get a more special relation to feed upon; Pfalm cxix. 73. "Thy hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn thy commandments. Thy hands have made and fafhioned me" well, may not any reprobate wretch in the world fay the fame thing? True; but they cannot make fuch an argument of it, "Give me understanding that I may learn thy commandments."Pfal. xxii. 9, 10. "Thou art he that took me out of the womb;" well, what of that? It follows in the next verse, "Thou

"Thou art my God from my mother's belly."-Faith can take an argument from a general relation, till it get a more fpecial relation to plead upon.

(4.) It is the work of faith to draw encouragements from difcouragements: What more difcouraging than to be called a dog? Matth. xv. 27. yet the poor woman draws encouragements out of it: "Truth, Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their mafter's table." Hezekiah draws encouragement even from oppreffion; Ifa. xxxviii. 14. “O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me.” David draws encouragement from the greatest of his fins, Pfalm xxv. 2. " For thy name's fake pardon mine iniquity, for it is great." He draws an argument from his weakness, Pfalm vi. 2. "Have mercy upon me, for I am weak." And fometimes from his poverty and neceffity, Pfalm xl. 17. “ I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinks upon me." Established faith will, from guilt, draw an argument for pardon; from pollution, an argument for purification; from ficknefs, an argument for healing, &c.

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(5.) It is the work of eftablifhed faith, to difpute and deny the conclufions of unbelief, Pfalm lxxxvii. 7, 8, 9. The conclufions of unbelief are, "The Lord will caft off; the Lord will be favourable no more; his mercy is clean gone; his promife fails; he has forgotten to be gracious; he has in anger fhut up his tender mercy:" but faith first difputes these conclufions, faying," Will the Lord caft off for ever? will he be favourable no more? is his mercy clean gone? doth his promife fail for ever-more? has he forgotten to be gracious? has he in anger fhut up his tender mercy?" uphistender It calls thefe conclufions into debate, difputing and quef tioning them, and then denies them in the following verfe: "I faid, this is my infirmity; I will remember the years of the right-hand of the Moft High; I will remember the works of the Lord, and his wonders of old.". And whenever faith comes to deny the conclufion of unbelief, then it is at the head of the mount, as it were, at the top of the hill, and a fong of triumph in its mouth: "I will remember the years of the right-hand of the Most High, and his works and wonders of old."

(6.) It is the work of established faith, in a day of

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the trial of faith, to recover and restore the foul, when temptation has thrown it down into the mire. David fell before the temptation that was drawn from the profperity of the wicked, and adverfity of the godly, Pfalm lxx. and fays, verse 13. Verily I have cleanfed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency; for I am plagued all day long.". Well, but whenever he went to the fanctuary of God by faith, then he recovers himfelf, and fays, "So foolith was I and ignorant; I was as a beaft before thee: nevertheless, I am continually with thee: thou holdeft me by my right-hand; thou wilt guide me by thy counfel, and afterwards receive me into thy glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none in the earth that I defire befides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the ftrength of my heart, and my portion for ever."-Thus we see what this ftability in the faith infers and carries along with it. I now proceed to the next general head,

III. To fhew that this stability and establishment in the faith, is peoples ftrength and fafety in perilous times. For opening this head, I fhall confider, 1. The evil and difadvantage of Inftability. 2. The good and advantage of Stability in the faith.

ift, The evil and disadvantage of Inftability and and unftedfaftness appears in these particulars.

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1. Infiability in the faith is hateful to God, who fays, If any man draw back, my foul fhall have no pleasure in him," Heb. x. 38. It provokes God to reject people, and to fpew them out of his mouth. And why fo? Because,

2. Inftability in the faith is a greatly aggravated fin: it is a fin against knowledge; and the fervant who knows his mafter's will, and does it not, is to be beaten with double ftripes. It is a fin againft profeffion and engagements, whether national or perfonal, in baptism and the Lord's fupper. It is a fin againft great love and mercy. 3. Inftability in the faith has fearful idolatry wrapt up in it. When, by unbelief, we depart from the fountain of living waters, we turn to earthen cisterns, which can hold no water.

4. Inftability

4. Inftability in the faith is the greateft reproach; it is a leaving of God, even after experience: few have a profeffion of faith, but have talted fomething of the fweetnefs of God's ways; and now, to prefer fin and lufts, what a reproach is caft upon God?

5. Inftability in the faith is worfe than profaneness, 2 Pet. ii. 21, 22. "It had been better for them, not to have known the way of righteoufnefs, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment.” Inftability being the porch of apoftacy, where this is total, it is worfe than profanity; for it is a greater fin to renounce Chrift, than to refufe him.

6. Inflability provokes God to write a bill of divorce. against a people; it is a fin that feparates between God and them it is juft with God to caft them off, when they caft him off. And, wo to a people when God departs from them.

2dly, The next thing was to speak of the good and advantage of Stability and establishment in the faith: and therein it will appear, that it is a church or people's ftrength to fit ftill, and abide in the faith. The advantage of stability in the faith may appear in the following particulars.

1. Eftablishment in the faith puts a man in capacity to act for God, Ifa. xi. 31. "They that wait on the Lord, fhall renew their ftrength." And again, "They that know their God, fhall be ftrong and do exploits," Dan. xi. 32. They have strength to do for Chrift: if we abide in Chrift, by faith then we bring forth fruit to the praise of God.

2. Stability in the faith puts a man in cafe to fuffer for Chrift, and to continue with him in his temptation; and thereby the Chriftian is made fure of Chrift's legacy; "Ye are they who have continued with me in my temptations, and I appoint unto you a kingdom." This legacy is fecured by the death of the Teftator, Luke xxii. 28. The men of the world think they have a poor bargain, who venture all for Chrift; but let me fee where there is fuch a noble bargain, and fo up-making for time and eternity.

3. Stability in the faith puts a man in cafe to die for Chrift, if he be called to it, Acts xxii. 13. "What mean ye to weep, and break mine heart? I am content not only

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to be bound, but even to die at Jerufalem for the name of Jefus." His friends were weeping because he was going up to Jerufalem, where bonds and imprisonments were abiding him; but fays he, "I am content not only to be bound, but to die at Jerufalem for the name of the Lord Jefus:" I value my life as well as you do; but when my life, and the Lord of life comes in competition, my life fhall go, tho' I had a thoufand lives.

4. Stability in the faith puts a man in cafe to defeat the devil; for, by faith, we quench his fiery darts, and refift him ftedfastly in the faith. Satan fought to winnow Peter, but Chrilt prayed for him, and that his faith might not fail. This fays, the devil has a fieve wherein he fifts and winnows, and winnows both minifters and people : and we may well affirm, that Satan has the minifters and Chriftians of Scotland now in a fieve, and he is fifting and riddling them: and it is like, more chaff than good corn will be found among us: but as for thefe that are stable in the faith, Satan lofes his pains and his profit with them; for, they will be able to overcome, by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony.

5. Stability in the faith makes a man reach the defign both of the word and rod: it is the end of both to eftablifh us in the faith; wherefore comes the word to us, but that we may believe and be ftrong in the faith? Wherefore comes the rod, but that by the trial of faith it may be strengthened and confirmed? So that upon on a man that is eftablished in the faith, both word and rod have got their errand; none of them are in vain.

6. Stability in the faith is an honourable duty and exercife; for, faith is the crown, and ftedfastness therein is a keeping of the crown, Rev. iii. 11. “Behold, "Behold, I come quickly; hold fast what thou haft, that no man take thy crown:" and he lays no other burden upon us but this, Hold faft till I come," Rev. ii. 24, 25.

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7. Stability in the faith proves a man to be a true difciple, John viii. 31,32. "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my difciples; and ye fhall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Men may reckon themselves free by human laws and acts, tho' yet they abide not in

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