food for faith to feed upon; as, that he is the everlasting father, Isa. ix. 6. he hath pity and compassion for all his poor children, and power to help them, being the father almighty, and hath a portion for them too; he is their portion, and hath provided for them "an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled and that fadeth not away,' 1 Pet. i. 4. He is the prince of peace; he giveth his peace to his people, even that peace that the world can neither give to them, nor take from them. When he speaks peace, none can cause trouble. He is our peace, and hath made our peace with God; and it is he alone that speaketh peace, and creates the fruit of the lips, peace, Isa. lvii. 19. He is also our shepherd, therefore (said David) I shall want nothing, Psal. xxiii. 1. He is a fountain opened, a fountain of light, life, love, grace and truth. He is the head of his body the church. The husband, the bridegroom, his people are his members, his spouse. He is the "heir of all things, Heb. i. 2. In him dwelleth all fulness." He is the "king of saints, the rock of ages." Yea, he is all and in all. O beloved, had we but faith to act on this blessed Jesus, and on these his most sweet names and gracious attributes, our hearts would not be troubled into what condition soever we were brought. Could we act faith on Jesus as our head, husband and father, who is all fulness, all in all, could we doubt of having all seasonable supplies from him? Let our faith but apprehend, apply and appropriate

Jesus as our blessed head, our most dear husband, and then consider in earnest who he is, and what he is: how mighty, how full, loying, pitiful, compassionate, tender-hearted, and kind; how ready to help, how engaged to us by many promises, and can we then take up such unworthy thoughts of him, as to think he hath forgotten us? Will he not timely support and supply us?. Hath he shed his blood for us, and will he forget us? Are not all his people as dear to him as "the apple of his eye" Zech. ii. 8. Surely it is our want, or the weakness of our faith, that causeth all our heart trouble. "O my poor soul how comfortably mightest thou live, if thou couldest live by faith? Lord, I believe, help, strengthen my faith." Could we but apply and appropriate Christ to our souls, and act faith upon those precious names of Christ, which are not as so many empty titles which are sometimes given to men, but they are real representations of that most dear love and tender affection, of that special care, mercy, and loving-kindness that is in Jesus towards all his poor children, that they might draw out the same for their strong consolation; and that they might trust in him, and not despond nor be dejected. Thus, if we can believe in Jesus, our hearts shall not be troubled.

Thirdly, Faith acted on the covenant of grace, whereof Christ is the mediator, and upon all his exceeding great and precious promises, will prevent and cure all heart-trouble.

Believe in the blessed mediator of the new co venant, who hath undertaken, not only on God's part, to see that his part be performed to us, but also is become our surety; undertaking for us, and by himself, to fulfil the whole law of God both actively and passively; to fulfil all righteousness for us, and by his spirit to enable us to fulfil the conditions of the covenant, working in us faith, love, obedience, and all grace.

In this sense God hath given Christ to be a Covenant to us, Isa. xlii. 6. and his blood is the blood of the covenant, by which he rescueth poor souls that were prisoners to sin and satan, out of the pit of destruction, Zech ix. 11. By this covenant, upon Christ's shedding of his blood as a sacrifice for sin, and his performing all the work of mediation, and upon our receiving of him, and believing in him as he is offered to us in the gospel, God is pleas ed to promise to become our God, our reconeiled father, to pardon all our sins, to give us his spirit, and all grace here, and glory here. after. Now Christ, our blessed mediator, hath perfectly fulfilled all that God required for us, and in our room and stead; that is most certain, for he finished the work that his father gave him to do: and he hath made many sweet promises to us, that he will send the spirit into our hearts, to work faith in us, to receive him, and to apply the merit of his blood to us, to sanctify, and renew us there. by; and hath promised, that "whosoever

comes unto him, he will in no wise cast out," Mat. xi. 28. And all that come unto him, shall find rest to their souls. "That whosoever believeth in him shall be saved; that he will keep them, and none shall pluck them out of his hand. That he will raise them up at the last day," John x. 28. Assuring us, that he is gone to heaven, as our "forerunner to prepare a place for us there, and that he will come again, and take us to himself, that where he is, we may be also." Now, if we can but act faith on this Jesus, and on the covenant, whereof he is the mediator, and on his promises, applying them, and relying on them, our hearts shall not be troubled.

Besides, let us consider, there is not a passage of providence from God to us, but it comes through the hand of this mediator, 1 Cor. viii. 6, All things are by him. Put what you will in the hand of a mediator, and in his power, it must needs turn to the good of him, for whom he is a mediator. Now to support and comfort us in all our troubles, let us consider two things.

1. This mediator steps in between God's wrath and us, in all our afflictions; that no fury, or effects of it, may break forth from God on his people, for whom he is the mediator, that nothing but fatherly love may be in the chastisement, and if love send the affliction, whatever it be, to try and purge, &c. there can be no hurt in that affliction.

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gain, our mediator interposeth, either to hold off the smart, or to allay and mitigate it, that it shall not distract, Dan. iii. 25. no, nor hurt.

2. He steps in to uphold us, and to strengthen our weakness enabling us to endure. Phil. iv. 4, 12, 13 It was the Mediator that did strengthen Paul; "The Lord stood by me, and strengthened me," said he : faith acted on this blessed Mediator, eyeing him, and believ ing that our afflictions come through his hands, even his who loved us, and died for us, our dearest friend, and who hath all power in heaven and earth, must be a mighty support to us in all our troubles.

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Fourthly, Let faith be acted on the word of Christ also; ye believe the word of God, believe the word of Christ also; his mouth is most sweet, none but gracious words proceed out of his mouth. "Grace was poured into his lips," Psal. xlv. 2. and he poured out grace in all his words, his whole gospel is a gospel of grace, words of peace and salvation. Hear him speaking most sweetly, Mat. xi. 28. "Come unto me, all that are weary and hea, vy laden, and I will give you rest.' O what sweet words are these! "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters and drink, without money and without price, Isa. lv. 1, 2. I am the way, the truth, and the life, John xiv. 6. Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in and sup with him, and he with