joy when we fall into divers temptations," Jam. i. 2. And to rejoice in sufferings; for "blessed is the man that endureth temptation"

Jam. i. 12.

Secondly, Consider the word of promise; Many exceeding great and precious promises are in the word of God which are as full feast

for faith to feed upon. God promiseth to be "our God, to be with us in the fire, and in the water," Isa. xli. 10. and xliii. 2. to support and sustain us, " to lay no more upon us than he will enable us to bear, 1 Cor. x. 13. That all things shall work together for our good," Rom. viii. 28. And what can we desire more? There is no trouble that can befal us, but we may find a promise suitable to it: And "faithful is he that hath promised, who also will do it," 1 Thes. v. 23. And why hath the great God so wonderfully condescended to poor creatures, as to make so many sweet promises which are recorded in the holy scriptures, but for this, that "the heirs of promise might have strong consolation," Heb. vi. 17. And that their hearts might not be troubled?

Thirdly, The word of threatening; Mat.

x. 37,

"He that loveth father or mother, son or daughter, (so husband or wife) more than me, is not worthy of me," saith Christ. Now by our immoderate sorrow for the loss of these, we manifest our immoderate love of these; we should consider, that when these are removed, that Christ remains ours still,

and with us still; our relation to him is not broken: and Christ will be instead of all, and better than all to us, and this should keep us from heart trouble.

age,

the

Fourthly, The examples of God's saints in the world. We should consider also, what a famous example is Abraham, who was content to part with his Isaac, at the command of God, his only son, the son of his old son of the promise, in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed; yea, content to lay his own hands upon him, to slay him, and burn him: but when he was tried, God spared him, Gen. xxii. 12. The way to keep our earthly comforts, is to be willing to part with them, when God calls for them. So Eli, when very sad tidings was told him. "It is the Lord," said he," let him do what seemeth him good," 1 Sam. iii. 18. So Aaron when that heavy stroke fell upon him, that both his sons were struck dead upon the place for their sin, and it may be in their sin too: it is said, Aaron held his peace, Levit. x. 3. So Job stript of all his friends at once," The breath of his wife was strange to him." And David complained, that "lover and friend was put far from him." Now we should consider these examples, and set faith a-work on them and know, that it is our duty" to be followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises," Heb. vi. 12.

Fifthly, The word of experience, David tells us his experience, and saith, "It was good

for him that he had been afflicted." And many christians living can, and do bless God for their afflictions, and that God, by taking away of their relations from them, he made more room in their hearts for himself, and communicated more of himself to their souls: Thus by acting of faith upon the word of God, we may gain support, and be preserved from heart trouble.

Fifthly, Faith acted upon the work of God, will support under heart trouble. Eccles. vii. 13. "Consider the work of God. Faith looks to the work of God; who it is that killeth, who it is that taketh away: who can stop, or mend, or hinder his work? This dis quieted David's heart, when the stroke of God was heavy upon him "I opened not my mouth because thou didst it," Psal. xxxix. 9. It is the Lord, he hath done it. It is he that doth whatsoever he pleaseth.

Sixthly, Faith acted on the will of God. Faith resigns up all to the good and holy will of God: so did our Lord himself, "not my will, but thine be done,” Luke xxii. 42. and so we pray continually, Thy will be done:" and therefore when it is done, our hearts must not be troubled.

Lastly, Faith acted on the gracious ends and designs of God in afflicting us, and removing our earthly comforts from us, will prevent 'heart trouble. God hath holy and good ends which faith looks unto; God aims at our profit; as Heb. xii. 10. Such ends as these,

1. God's end is, to discover and purge away our sins, Isa. xxvii. 9, By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, this is all the fruit to take away his sin."

2. To try and exercise our graces, Job xxiii. 10. 1 Pet. i. 6, 7.

3. To crucify our hearts unto, and to estrange our affections from the things of this world.

4. To draw our hearts nearer to himself. Therefore many times God takes away our earthly comforts from us, because they had too much of our hearts, and because they lay between God, and our hearts, and kept us at a distance from him.

5. To bestow greater, and better mercies upon us. God never takes away any darling comfort from his people, but his design is, to give a better in the room of it; as in the text, Christ leaves his disciples, in regard of his bodily presence, because he would send the comforter to them, which should abide with them for ever, John xiv. 16.

6. To make them partakers of his holiness, Heb. xii. 10.

7. To fit and prepare them for that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 2 Cor. iv. 17. These are God's holy and good ends in afflicting his people, unto which faith looks, and so supports the heart.

Thus you see how faith acted on God in these particulars, will prevent or cure all our heart-trouble: faith acted on the sweet and

D

gracious nature of God; he is love, all love; on his glorious attributes, his all-sufficiency, his omnipotency, his absolute sovereignty, his unchangeableness, his wisdom, his righteousness, his faithfulness, faith acted on God's gracious everlasting covenant; on the word of God, on the word of precept of promise, of threatening, of example of experience. And faith acted on the work of God, on the will of God, and on his holy ends in all his chastisements. I say, faith thus acted on God, will exceedingly, support under all trouble. "Let not your hearts be troubled; ye believe in God." So much of this first particular. And before I enter upon the second, I shall make some short application of this:

First, It follows hence, that heart trouble under the afflicting hand of God, argues the weakness, if not the want of faith. All those sorts of heart trouble, and the parts of it which I have mentioned, as heart-sorrow, worldly sorrow, immoderate mourning, sinful fear, vexatious care, despondency of spirit, being offended; disturbance of mind, distraction, dejection, discouragement, and the like, all these flow from the want of faith, or, at least, from the weakness of faith in God. We do not believe in God; we see the causes of our troubles, they are mostly in ourselves, even our unbelief. Whatever we profess, we do not believe in God, if we could but believe in God, our hearts would not be troubled. O our wants of faith; let us heartily lament it, and cry to God for pardon through