ling, that knowest, not where nor how to bestow thy goods,-do riches profit thee? Could Mammon save thee? Deceived souls! Go now to the gods that you have chosen. Alas, they cannot for ever administer a drop of water to cool your tongues.

But the portion of Jacob is not like them. From everlasting to everlasting he is God.b His power is my confidence, his goodness is my maintenance, his truth is my shield and my buckler.

SECTION III.

It confounds the soul 2, with the amazing greatness and difficulty of the things.

But my clamorous unbelief hath many wiles, and afresh assaults me with the difficulty of the things promised; and labors to confound me with their amazing greatness.

The triumph of faith in God's omnipotency and veracity.

But why should I stagger at the promise through unbelief, robbing at once my Master of his glory, and my soul of her comfort? It is my

a Jer. x. 16. b Psalm xc. 2.

great sin to doubt and dispute; and yet shall I be afraid to believe? O my soul, it is the highest honor thou canst put upon thy Lord, to believe against difficulties; and to look for, and reckon upon great things and wonderful, passing all created power and human faith.

Let not the greatness, nor the strangeness of the benefits bequeathed unto thee, put thee to a stand. It is with a God thou hast to do, and therefore thou must not look for little things; that were to darken the glory of his munificence, and the infiniteness of his power and goodness. Knowest thou not, that it is his design to make his name glorious, and to make thee know he is able to do for thee above all that thou canst ask or think? Surely they cannot be any small or ordinary things that shall be done for thee, when the Lord shall show in thee what a God can do, and shall carry thee in triumph before the world, and make proclamation before thee," Thus shall it be done to the man whom the Lord delighteth to honor!" What wonder, if thou canst not comprehend these things, if they exceed all thy apprehensions and conceptions? This is a good argument for thy faith: for this is that which the Lord hath said" that it hath not entered into the heart of man, to conceive what things he hath prepared for them that love him." Now, if thou couldest conceive and comprehend them, how should this word be made good? is enough for thee, that the Lord hath spoken it. Is not the word nigh thee? Hath God said, "I

It

will receive you; you shall be kings and priests unto God, and inherit all things; and shall sit on thrones, and judge angels, and be ever with the Lord?" And shall I dare to say nay? Unreasonable unbelief! What! never satisfied? Still contradicting and blaspheming? False whisperer, no more of thy tales! I believe in God, that it shall be as he hath told me a

And now thanks be to God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ; therefore my lips shall praise thee, and my soul which thou hast redeemed. For thou hast made me glad through thy word, and I will triumph in the works of thy hands. I will praise the Lord whilst I live, I will sing praises to my God whilst I have any being.e

Oh my soul, if thou couldest wear out thy fingers upon the harp, and wear thy tongue to the roots, thou couldest yet never sufficiently praise thy Redeemer.

O mine enemies, where is now your confidence, and where is your armor, wherein you trusted? I will set Christ alone against all your multitudes, and all the powers, and malice, and policy, wherewith they are armed. The field is already won, and the captain of our salvation returned with the spoils of his enemies; having made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in his cross. And thanks be to God, who

a Acts xxvii. 25. b 2 Cor. ii. 14. c Psalm lxxi. 23. d Psalm xcii. 4. e Psalm civ. 33. f Col. ii. 15.

hath given us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.a

Of whom then shall I be afraid? Behold he is near that justifieth me; who shall plead with

me?

O ye powers of hell, you are but chained captives; and we have a sure word, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against us. Though the world be in arms against us, and the devil in the head of it, as its champion; yet who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? Behold I come out to thee, as the stripling against Goliath; not with sword and with spear, but in the name of the Lord of hosts, in whose strength I am more than a conqueror.c

O grave, where is now thy victory? Christ is risen, and hath broken up thy prison, and rolled away the stone; so that all thy prisoners have made an escape. Rejoice rot against me, O mine enemy; though I fall, I shall rise again, though I lie in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. Enlarge not thy desires, O tophet, but shut up thy flaming mouth; for there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.

O deceitful world, thou art already overcome. and the conquered enemy is become my servant ; and I am fed with honey taken out of the

a1 Cor. xv. 57. b Matt. xvi. 18. 47. d Mic. vii. 8. e Rom. viii. 1. Cor. iii. 22.

c 1 Sam. xvii. 45, 46, f John xvi. 33. g 1

carcase of the slain lion. I fear not thy threats, nor the enchantments of thy syren songs; being kept by the power of God, through a victorious faith, unto salvation.a

O my sins, you are already buried, never to have any resurrection; and the remembrance of you shall be no more.b I see my sins nailed to the cross, and their dominion is taken away, though their lives be prolonged yet for a little season. Awake, therefore, O my glory; awake, psaltery, and harp, and meet thy Deliverer with triumph; for his right hand, and his holy arm, have gotten us the victory; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

SECTION IV.

It upbraids the trembling soul 3, with its unworthiness.

Yet, methinks my unworthiness flies in my face, and I hear a cavilling unbelief thus upbraiding me, and crying out, "O proud presumption! That thou, who art conscious to thyself of thy great unworthiness, shouldest pretend a claim to God and glory! Sal daring dust think to share

a 1 Pet. i. 5. 1 John v. 4. b Heb. viii. 12. c Psalm xcviii. 1, 2.