pains and sicknesses; I am deprived of my li berty, my sweet relations and comfortable friends are laid in the dust; I have none about me to counsel or comfort me; I am brought low in the world, my estate is diminished, my honour and reputation lost, my pleasure gone, my flesh faileth me, my strength faileth, lovers and friends fail me, &c. Such complaints we are apt enough to make, and it may be worse than these my God hath forsaken me, he hides his face from me; I am compassed about with temptation, sad dejecting and distracting thoughts; I am persecuted, banished from house and home, all my outward and inward comforts fail me. These have been the cases and conditions of God's dearest servants, as Job, David, Heman, and others; but yet let not your hearts be troubled for all this; ye believe in God act your faith on God, yea, and act it on Christ also believe in Jesus, look up by faith unto Jesus your dear Lord; whatsoever whomsoever you have lost, you have not lost your Jesus, your best friend, your heavenly husband: you have his heart, his bowels towards you still ; you have his eye, his tender watchful provident eye upon you still; you have his ear, open to your cries still; yea, you have his everlasting arms underneath you to sustain you still, for else you would sink. Oh then, act faith upon the sweet nature of Christ as your head and husband. "Can a mother forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?"

Isa. xlix. 14. possibly she may: but can Jesus forget those whom he died for, and travelled for? No, no, he will not hide his face for ever, he will never forget his people. Your maker is your husband; and he is the father of mercies.

If we read these things, or hear them read, and do not apply them to our own souls by faith; if we do not meditate on them, and let them sink down into our hearts, if we do not pray earnestly that the holy spirit would bring them home, and lay them close to and fix them on our hearts, they will do us no good, yield us no comfort; therefore meditate on them, apply them, and act faith upon them.

Secondly, We must act faith upon the many precious attributes of Jesus Christ; all which will afford to faith much matter of support under all our heart troubles whatever. And these are exceeding many, I shall mention only some.

First, Jesus Christ is our advocate with the father, 1 John ii. 1, 2. One that undertaketh for us to plead our cause, in that highest court of heaven. If a man be sued in law, or be accused of any crime in any court, it is a great privilege to have a solicitor there for him, that is skilful and faithful, and powerful with the judge in that court. Jesus Christ is such an advocate, or solicitor, for us in heaven, he will plead our cause: and he is wise, he is the wisdom of the father; he is a great counsellor, and the only counsellor, none else can plead in that high court; and he is most faithful, he

is a

"merciful and faithful high priest in all things pertaining to God," Heb. ii. 17. He appears for us in heaven, Heb. ix. 24. When a man is indicted in a court, and hath none to appear for him there, he is in a bad case; but all pcor believers are in a better case, they have a blessed advocate to appear in the presence of God for them, he continually presents his blood, his sacrifice to the father for them, Heb. x. 10. And it is his will, to have that sacrifice accepted for our justification and sanctification. Christ prevails so with his father, that he always heareth him, John xi. 42, now if we can act faith on this blessed advocate in heaven, who is there always pleading for us, ever living to make continual intercession for us, Rom. iii. 25. presenting himself before God as our sacrifice and propitiation when men accuse us, and our own consciences too: when we are deprived of our near and dear relations, distressed with pains and sicknesses, pinched with wants and necessities: I say, then for us to act our faith on this precious advocate at the right hand of God for us, interceding there for us, one who knows and feels all our misery, it must needs be a great support and relief to us, and the best remedy against our heart troubles: O that we could act faith strongly on this our advocate.

To have a friend in heaven, and such a friend, so wise, so powerful so faithful, so merciful, so sensibly affected with all our misery, so tender, so able, and so willing to

hear and help us; I say, this is infinitely bet ter than all the friends that ever we had, or could have on earth: and this friend ever liveth, and maketh continual intercession for

us.

And as this is matter of comfort in case of suffering, so in case of sin too. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins," 1 John ii. 1, 2. Faith acted on this blessed advocate, is the best remedy against heart trouble, in case both of sin and suffering.

Secondly, Jesus Christ is bread from heaven; the true bread for souls, the bread of life, the water of life, John vi. 35, 48, 51. Now when poor saints are fed with the bread of affliction, and with the water of adversity, let them look up to Christ, and act faith upon him, he will be living bread, life giving bread, living waters to their souls, to revive their drooping, and to refresh their fainting spirits. By acting faith on this blessed Jesus the fountain of living waters, their souls shall be so satisfied, as that they shall never hunger more, never thirst more (that is inordinately) after the things of this world. When your souls want strength to bear your burdens, want comfort in your distresses, act faith on this Jesus, this bread of life, this water of life, and you shall be refreshed; you shall have joy and peace in believing, Rom. xv. 13.

Thirdly, Jesus Christ is called "the son of righteousness and the bright morning-star,"

Mal. iv. 3. Rev. xxii. 16, He is the fountain of righteousness and life, as the sun is of light; he hath healing in his wings. "He was wounded for our transgressions, that by his stripes we might be healed," Isa. liii. 4, 5. and Ixi. 1, 2. He was appointed to heal the broken hearted, Luke iv. He will heal our back slidings, Hos. xiv. 4. He is the great physician, he can heal all our spiritual and corporeal diseases. His blood, is an healing blood; his spirit, an healing spirit; his word, an healing word; his promises, healing promises. He hath all healing virtue in him: he is the true brazen serpent; could we but act faith on this Jesus, we should be healed of all our diseases. He is, the bright morning-star. We are in darkness, clouds and darkness upon our spirits; many dark providences befal us, we see not our way many times, know not what to do; now, let us act faith on Jesus, he will bring light out of darkness. We are under black fears and sorrows, and all dark night sometimes with us; but if we can look up to this bright morningstar, he will enlighten our darkness, he will shine in upon our hearts, and scatter all those clouds, and give us a joyful morning.

Fourthly, Jesus Christ is called the " сарtain of the Lord's hosts, and the captain of our salvation," Josh. v. 14, 15. Heb. ii. 10. He hath the command of all the creatures, for he is head over all things, Eph. i. 22. over men and devils; "all power in heaven and earth is his," Matt. xxviii. 18. O if we could