they ought to devote to seeking God: they can converse now so familiarly with worldly men, of whom they used to be suspicious; they are exceedingly estranged from communion with God, they live without him, and are unconcerned about it; with respect to the frame of their own minds, they neglect it, they seldom look into themselves, and are, as it were, strangers to themselves: yea, their discretion, which used to preserve their souls, is become giddy and extravagant: reading the word, family devotion, secret prayers, mutual conferences are neglected, or performed heartlessly, and in a cursory manner: the communion of saints, edifying others, and being edified by them is now become a strange work; yea, they will be even afraid to come into the presence of a serious, godly person; if they must be present with him, they will not enter upon serious discourse, or they will break it off by something else, and go their way. In the mean while, since the weak soul is not blind nor dead, she sees this as it were like a person who is half asleep, although her heart is awake, but she hath not strength enough to break her chains; she complains of her weakness, she prays against it, and that she may be delivered from it, she will sometimes bestir and exert herself, and will encourage herself amidst her defects; but her strength is gone, the Lord, the strength of the soul, is departed from her; therefore she becomes dejected, languishes still more, and declines finally so far, that neither she herself, nor others can perceive any difference between her and a worldling.

Ye, who are become so weak in the faith, are ye not ashamed? is this your kindness to your friend? hath he deserved this at your hand? do ye reward him thus for all his love, for his groanings and writhings under his Father's wrath? will ye thus grieve the Spirit, by whom ye are sealed to the day of redemption? did the Father for this elect you from such a hearty love, bestow his Son upon you, his Spirit, the pardon of your sins, his image, a blessed hope? is this the fruit of his word, of his sacraments, and of all his operations in your souls?"Do ye thus requite the Lord,, O foolish people and unwise is not he thy Father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?" Deut. xxxii. 6. Know that the Lord hath this against you, that ye have left your first love." Rev. ii. 4. Hear what he saith to his people, who were become vain, and regard it as if said to you, Jer. ii. 2-5. "I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and become vain?" Do ye find now

Bo much tranquility of mind, and peace with God? doth it not grieve you, that ye have declined so far from your youthful vigour, and experience the decripitude of old age? and whereas ye were once fat sand flourishing, that ye are now become so meager and lean? would ye indeed die in such a condition? surely ye would not? "Remem ber therefore whence ye are fallen, and repent, and do your first works, lest he come quickly to you, and remove your candlestick out of his place," as he admonisheth and threatens, Rev ii. 5, or he will visit you with another grievous judgment, which will awaken you out of your sleepy humour: "Return, return, O Shulamith; return, return, that we may look upon thee." Thus he calls to you, Song vi. 13.

Other believers are in a better condition, they are confirmed in the faith, although they do not perceive it, but are fearful that their faith doth not increase, because they have almost forgotten how weak they were formerly: they will see just day by day how much they are confirmed, which is as impossible as that they should see how much a man, as a tree grows: they think that they are not confirmed, because they cannot exercise faith with so much clearness and liveli ness as at the beginning, when they were dandled and fondled like children; but this is no evidence that they do not grow: perhaps their faith is now more single: they are also too much prejudiced against themselves, not daring to think highly of the grace of God, which hath been shown to them; and this hinders them from seeing the confirmation of their faith.

There are others who advance greatly in the faith, and like young ren grow strong in it, according to 1 John ii. 14. I will not repeat now what one of my highly esteemed teachers hath said very beautifully and pertinently in his book, entitled "Reasonable Service," when he speaks of the spiritual growth, that the believer grows, when his spiritual light increaseth, when he maintains a steadfast walk with God, when he makes a wiser, and a more believing use of Christ, when he acts in a more single manner, and improves more than formerly in active graces, both by exerting himself against more sins, and in more virtues, and also by continuing steadfast in a vigourous, opposition to sin, and prosecuting every duty with more prudence, with more firmness, faith and zeal: but I would add to this, that be

• The author intends by this person the celebrated William Brakel, a pastor of the Reformed church in the city of Rotterdam. His book entitled Redelyke Godsdienst, or Reasonable Service, is considered as one of the most excellent treatises on practical and experimental theology extant in the Dutch Janguage. VOL. II.

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lievers who increase in faith, (a) have a more settled and steadfast assurance of their state of grace. Do they experience darkness, the hiding of God's countenance, deadness, and the power of corruption, it doth not shake them so, that it causes them to doubt of their state: they are grieved, and they humble themselves on account of it, but they will not therefore abandon their hope in the Lord. Continual exercises of faith, frequent discoveries of God's work of grace in their minds by his Spirit, and manifold experiences of the goodness of the Lord have established their hearts so, that all their doubts concerning their blessed condition are banished out of their minds, and have no more hold on the soul, that is thus advanced in faith: "they have made their calling and election sure, so that they will never fall," 2 Peter i. 10. (b) They value now likewise more highly the mysteries and truths of the gospel than formesly: they have a better insight into them; they see more truth, divinity, and glory in them: they can improve them better, and direct themselves better by them. Formerly the literal truths were too high for them, too barren, and had but little influence upon their apprehensions and exercises, so as to comfort and excite them, their principal concern was about their state of grace, their contemplations were exercised chiefly relative to the frame of their minds, and their desires and longings were more for immediate influences and sensible grace: but now they have a greater knowledge of the truths of the gospel, their understandings are more nourished by them, and their hearts become thus more established; yea, the contemplation of the mysteries of the gospel transmits the image and glory of them into the soul, which increases habitual grace in the mind, and establishes it the more; for “they are filled with the knowledge of the will of God, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that they may walk worthy of the Lord unto ail pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the ko vledge of God, strengthened with all might according to his giorious power," Coll. i. 9, 10, 11. See also Heb. v. 13, 14. 2.Cor. i. 18. 2 Peter iii. 18 (c) The soul being confirmed in the faith, will pursue sanctification more, and with more steadfastness and singleness than before. She is at first chiefly employed with her state of grace, in order that she may obtain assurance: one while she is encouraged, but soon after the merest trifle discourageth her; but when her faith is confirmed, she is not perplexed with these matters any more but labours now only for sanctification. Before her confirmation she had indeed an inclination to holiness, ard endeavoured to be holy; but how soon was she forced out of her way, and she knew not how to enter upon it again, but fainted and was discouraged; buț

being now confirmed, she doth not stop at any difficulty, but proceeds, and "treads like the mighty men in the mire of the streets,” Zech. x. 5. Do her feet at any time turn out of the path, doth she transgress against the Lord, she humbles herself before him, lays hold on the Mediator for reconciliation, and begins her course anew in the strength of the Lord, she runs, and is not weary nor faint," Isaiah xl. 31. While the soul s yet weak, she is exceedingly defective with respect to singleness in her sanctification, she often labours in her own strength, and with her own exertions from a legal motive, pursuing holiness, that she may the more easily obtain reconciliation, peace and boldness toward God: how often is she exceedingly strai ened, and full of anxiety whether she may do this or that, and she stumbles continually, because, since she is not established in the faith, she can do but few things from faith. See Rom. xiv. 22, 23. But when she is further advanced, she endeavours to do all things by the Spirit, " being strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might," Eph. vi. 10. It is her highest aim to do the will of God, because he commands it, and that he may be glorified by her: before this she aimed at her own pleasure and ease: but in whatsoever she now doth, she is enlarged, because she doth it with an assurance, and thus with a belief, that it is his will. See Philip. i. 11. Coll. iii. 17. (d) The believer, after his faith is confirmed, is more actively busy in his pursuits, than while he was weak; he would then have just such immediate, high, mighty and urging influences of grace to do aught, or he would stand still, and was disconcerted, and wist not how to engage in his duty, or to excite himself to it; he was more passive than active: but being now es ablished in the faith, he becomes more active and working in his holy exercises, knowing how to employ his reason and habitual grace, according to the measure of preventing grace, to direct himself thereby, and to perform his duties with a wonderful dexterity and ease, he knows how to comfort and excite himself by the word of God: when the law of his mind urgeth him to do his duty, he obeys it with David, Psalm xxvii. 8. He hath learned the evangelic art to derive by his faith influences and grace for grace from the fulness of Jesus, to improve him according to his offices, and to adjust the sails of his desires, and to direct the whole ship of his soul by the rudder of his understanding and judgment in зuch a manner, as to receive the wind and breathing of the Holy Spirit, and to proceed thus toward the land into pleasant havens; for it is not only his happiness, but also his duty to be "filled with the Spirit," Eph. v. 18. And thus he "works out his salvation with fear

and trembling; for God worketh in him, both to will and to do,” Philip. ii. 12, 13.

Truly a glorious condition, that a person not only hath faith, but that he is also so strong in it. O that I could say of each of you, and "thank God, that your faith groweth exceedingly," as the apostle said of the believing Thessalonians, 2 Thess. i. 3. Are ye, O believers, desirous of growing in faith? have ye a desire to exert yourselves, in order that your faith may be confirmed? and would ye know what ye must do for this purpose? see here,

1. Thank God that ye have obtained faith. Though it may not be strong, but weak, it is nevertheless a precious faith: ye partake of Christ and of all his benefits by it; it hath been wrought by the Holy Ghost with an almighty power; yea, he will confirm it: we have shown above how happy this renders you; behold then how much it obligeth you to be thankful to the Lord, and how it excludes boasting: It is not of you, it is the gift of God; not of works; lest any man should boast," Eph. ii. 8, 9. "For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou, which thou didst not receive? and if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" thus asks the apostle, 1 Cor. iv. 7. If the soul would exercise herself more in thanksgiving on account of her faith, she would also obtain more grace, and a greater confirmation of her faith by the Holy Spirit: the Lord saith, "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright, will I show the salvation of God," Psalm 1. 23.

2. Impress it upon your minds, and let it have a due influence on your souls, that it is your duty to become strong in the faith. It is the nature of faith to grow; it is acting contrary to the nature and natural tendency of it, to keep it in a weak and dwarfish condition; yea, every evil frame proceeds from the weakness of faith, God also enjoins it on you to confirm your faith; the commands are too numerous to be transcribed here, read them, 1 Cor. xvi. 13. Eph. vi. 10 Coll. ii. 6, 7. Heb. vi. 1. 2 Peter ii. 18. When this hath a due weight on your hearts, ye will indeed strive for a confirmation of your faith, and will "go from strength to strength," Psalm lxxxiv. 7.

3 Study the truths and mysteries of the gospel, and endeavour to obtain an excellent and thorough knowledge of them. Ye ought with Apollos to be mighty in the scriptures," Acts xviii. 24, with Paul to have a knowledge of the mysteries of Christ," Eph. ii. 4, and with the believing Romans to be "filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another," Rom. xv. 14. This would -nourish your understandings, and cause your faith to grow, and be