THE

CHRISTIAN REMEMBRANCER.

PART II.

CHAPTER I.

On Unbelief.

THE corruption of our nature renders the life and exercise of faith the most difficult affair in the world.

It is indeed far beyond ourselves. The Apostle, therefore, ascribes our believing to the exceeding greatness of God's power, even to the effectual working of his mighty power.

Many talk of this believing, and yet but few have attained it. The assenting to a chain of principles is easy; but the grounding of the heart in these principles upon Christ, and especially in times of trial; the giving up a man's self, as nothing; the patient waiting of the soul upon the truth and promise of God; the cool and deliberate parting with the things of sense for the things of the Spirit; the discovery and suppression of carnal and corrupt motives in the heart; all these are matters, which are neither in the compass, nor taste, nor inclination of flesh and blood.

Hence it is, that, when men are made serious by affliction, sickness, or the approach of death, they find themselves so much at a loss for the use of that faith, which perhaps, from a long profession, they did not suspect they had wanted. O it is dreadful

to be in the dark, when we want the most light, and to have no assurance of everlasting things, when we are called to part for ever with the things of time. The soul, indeed, that never doubted, hath never yet believed. The office of faith being to subdue unbelief in all its activities, this often makes a sore and difficult conflict in the soul: carnal reason looks for the demonstrations of sense, and cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God; for these being in their nature out of its comprehension, they appear foolishness unto it; and therefore this weak and fleshly reason cannot bring a strong and living confidence to the soul. Faith is chiefly occupied in things above animal sense, and often against it; but reason beginning with ignorance, and proceeding upon doubt, seeks its rest in sensation, and can rise no higher. A man, therefore, cannot be reasoned by logical deductions and convictions out of unbelief into faith, but must be saved, through the gift and working of the divine power, first to possess faith, and afterwards to use it.

The mind likewise can never subdue its distressing doubts by its own exercise; but only by the gracious help of God: and the very looking for this help is from faith. Faith brings indeed its proper evidences with it; but these are all from the divine record, which, by the demonstration of the Spirit,

answers the ignorant objections of carnal reason, and (what is vastly beyond the power of all the reason in the world) at once silences, satisfies, comforts, and renews the mind. Thus faith relies, and the Spirit testifies; and this conjunction of what the soul is enabled to yield with what in that act it immediately receives, constitutes that full abundance of certitude, which should be the grand aim of the children of God. "After ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance."

This is not the work of a day. Conflicts and exercises are repeated continually; because while flesh remains in the believer, it will be unbelieving flesh, ever expecting sensation instead of faith, though it be directly contrary to God's method of salvation. Man fell by disbelieving; and he is raised again through believing. He is to trust God for every thing, before he can have the true enjoyment of any.

Faith doth not take away all doubting, because it doth not take away the body, nor the indwelling of sin in that body; but it subdues the reigning fury and the raging prevalence of doubting. It mightily attacks the body of sin, which is the grand cause of doubting. Sometimes it gives the Christian such clear views, as makes him wonder how he could doubt. at all. And yet the doubting will again and again return, though perhaps with less frequency and strength. Its sudden attacks, however, are very distressing: and these are permitted of God, in order to show, that the soul is not to live by any thing imparted to it here, but simply and continually by that faith, which

leads the soul out of itself to God in all its views and desires.

This is a difficult, though a daily lesson. Lord, teach it thy servant; or the knowledge will be too excellent and sublime for him to attain it! Let it also be not a lesson of theory and notion only, but of practice and experience, that I may become skilful in the word of righteousness, that it may "dwell richly in me in all wisdom," and that I may know how to repel by it the sad assaults, which, while I am here, will daily be made against me. "O let thy mercies come to me, O Lord; even thy salvation, according to thy word: so shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me, for I trust in thy word!"

CHAPTER II.

How have I received Christ?

THE Apostle says, "As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him." I must therefore receive him, before I can walk in him at all. It is a matter of the deepest consequence to my soul, that I should do both.

How, then, Lord, did I receive thee? Did I seek thee first, by my own will? Alas! I was gone out of the way, like all other men; I was altogether become abominable, having no will for good, but only for evil. Did I resolve to seek thee by my

away. vour?

best endeavours? I must confess, with shame and sorrow, that my resolutions are weaker to me than Samson's bands were in his full strength to him ; and that the first or the least temptation led me Could my sincere obedience merit thy faI see, that if a man could sincerely obey in his natural state, but which indeed he cannot, having no love to the work, but only a slavish fear of hell; Lord, I see that thy law requires, if I would be saved by thy law, a sinless and perfect obedience, instead of this sincere and defective one, upon pain of my utter destruction. Thou hast said in thy word, that "he who offendeth in one point, is guilty of all," and that "by the deeds of the law shall no man living be justified." How then could I, who have offended in so many points, be saved? How then didst thou, in thy righteousness, bring me to expect salvation?

Lord, I was poor, and vile, and miserable; I was helpless, yet laden with iniquities; I was wounded, and lying in my blood; my case and condition no man knew, or, knowing it, could relieve. In the midst of my misery, was the appointed moment of thy mercy. Into my deepest wounds thou didst pour thy oil and thy wine. Thou alone cheered my heart with thy free salvation. In the view of what Christ had done and suffered for poor sinners like me, and by thy gracious power applying his twofold merit, joy and gladness came into my soul, yea, greater than any found by men of the earth, "when their corn, and wine, and oil, have increased."