grace of faith, it was only failing in the exercise of faith; their failing was not in the grace itself, but only they failed in the exercise of their faith, and they were shut out of Canaan for it. And Moses besought the Lord earnestly in prayer, that he would reverse this threatening, and it might not be; he was shut out of Canaan, merely for failing in the exercise of his faith. Oh! what an evil thing is it then, for a Christian to fail in his faith, though it be no more than in the exercise of his faith.

Further, in this failing of one's faith, though but in the exercise of it; a Christian does lose much of the benefit, and sweetness of the mercy promised. Look as it is with a wicked man, in regard of the judgment threatened; so with a godly man in regard of the mercy promised. Now take a wicked man, and let the threatening of God be fulfilled before him upon others, upon himself; he profits not by God's judgments. Why? because that he does not exercise faith concerning the threatening; and so when the judgment comes, he profits not by God's dealing, by God's judgment, he loses the benefit of God's dispensations that way. So I say with a godly man: let the promise be fulfilled, and possibly he does not find the sweetness, or the benefit of the mercy promised when the promise is fulfilled. Why? because he does not exercise faith in the promise itself. When as the Lord gave manna, Moses had the sweetness of it, why? because he exercised faith about it! but the children of Israel, they made a tush of it, a light matter of it: why? because they looked upon it in a way of sense, and did not take it in a way of believing, and so they lost the benefit, and sweetness of the mercy promised. Beloved, it is no small matter this, for to lose the benefit and sweetness of the mercy promised: that a Christian loses by failing in his faith in regard of the exercise of it; and therefore certainly it is a very evil thing: though their faith fail not in regard of the grace itself, yet if it fail in regard of the work, and the exercise of it, it is a very evil thing, and much inconvenience comes unto the saints thereby.

Thirdly, whereby may it appear, that Satan's great design is upon our faith in the time of temptation?

He does tempt most unto that sin which is the greatest: and the sin against the gospel is the greatest sin. Satan's

great design is to hinder the work of Christ, the kingdom of Christ in the hearts of the saints; to counter-work the Spirit of God. Satan does tempt that he may tempt: and the greatest temptation usually comes in the rear, comes at the last. Satan does tempt a man to break the law; but he hath a further reach in that: for he tempts a man to break the law, that so he may tempt him afterwards to sin against the gospel: he lies in ambush in one temptation, for to draw to another. When Satan tempted our first parents Adam and Eve, he tempted like a serpent, in form of a serpent: and so now too, he comes, and he winds about us in his temptation; but his sting is in the tail, and at the latter end. And thus ye see it was in the temptation of our Saviour Christ, his great design was upon Christ's faith in the ivth of Matthew, ye know he hath three temptations there and says he, in the two first temptations, "If thou be the Son of God?" and, "If thou be the Son of God?" and in the last temptation: "All this will I give the, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." He tempted him to blasphemy, and atheism; and what greater unbelief? so it is with the saints also: Satan, comes and he tempts them to sourness, frowardness, and passion in their families, but he hath a further reach upon that distemper: for, says he, I will tempt this man or woman to passion, and frowardness, and when he hath been froward, and passionate, then I will tempt him to be doubting whether he be the child of God or no: first I will tempt this man for to break the law, and when he hath broken the law, then will I tempt him to sin against the gospel, then will I strike at his faith: his great design still is upon your faith in all his temptations. But you will say, Why is Satan's great design upon our faith in time of temptation?

He is the great robber, or thief: and if he can, he will be sure to spoil a man of that which is the best. Now faith is more precious than gold; the trial of your faith is, faith. is the gift of God: and therefore if he can get any thing from a man, he will get that which is God's gift. He is the great hinderer of all good, of every good work; and he will especially labour to hinder that work which is the work of God in a special manner: and this is the work of God, that ye believe in his Son. Satan knows, that faith is the most

called; and the anchor of faith. If ye be in a storm at sea; faith is your anchor: If ye be in danger at land, before enemies, faith is your shield. If that a man's faith fail, his duties fail, his heart fails, and all fails. He knows well enough, that he shall soon make us suffer shipwreck, if he can but weaken faith, and therefore his great design is upon our faith. He knows, that faith is most prejudicial to himself; for "by faith we overcome the world; whom resist, steadfast in the faith; and by faith we quench the fiery darts of the devil." Now then, says Satan, does faith quench my fiery darts then will I labour to quench faith if I can. The devil does labour always to present himself in Christ's clothes unto a soul, as an angel of light: and he does labour to present Christ in his own clothes, as an angel of darkness. When as he is a liar himself, he does labour to make the soul put the lie upon Christ, and upon the Spirit. The Spirit of God, that comes and testifies unto a man or woman, thou art the child of God: Satan says, no. When a man therefore does say, he is not the child of God; the language of his action is, he gives the lie unto the Spirit, and he says that Satan speaks true: so here he makes Christ and the Spirit of Christ a liar by his unbelief; and he makes the devil to speak true. Now this is Satan's great design, and therefore in all his temptations, still he strikes at the faith of the saints, labours to weaken their faith; his great design is upon their faith.

In the fourth place, how does Satan weaken our faith in time of temptation? What are those strokes that Satan gives unto our faith? and how shall we be able to bear them off.

In the general, Satan does sometimes labour to weaken our faith, by drawing us from the means of faith. Take the wood away from the fire, it will soon lose its heat, if not put out. And if a man be but drawn away from the means of faith; the means drawn from him, or he from the means by his own default, his faith will be soon weakened. This Satan labours to do sometimes.

Sometimes, again, he raises up mountains of difficulties; and discouragements in the way of a Christian's obedience; and so labours to wound his faith. Throw water upon the fire, it will soon be out.

But that I may speak the more fully unto this great question, the answer whereof is of concernment every day amongst you.

Ye know there are three acts of faith: there is the faith of reliance; whereby a soul does rely upon God in Christ. There is the faith of assurance; whereby a man is persuaded of God's love towards him, and his love to God, and that he is the child of God. And there is the faith of acknowledgment; whereby a man does own, and acknowledge the cause, and truth of Christ. I shall now spend some time, and shew ye how Satan strikes at all these faiths: and withal labour to shew you, how we may bear off his blows, that so we may stand in the time of temptation, and our faith may not fail.

First, For the faith of reliance: Satan does sometimes strike at the faith of reliance in the saints, by hiding from them their former experiences of God's gracious dealing with them. So long as a man hath the sight, and view of his experiences of God's gracious dealing with him before, he does rely on God, and he says, I will for ever rest upon God, and rely upon God in Christ, for thus and thus he hath dealt with me heretofore. Now therefore, Satan does labour in the time of temptation, to hide the experiences of the saints from them, and so does strike at their faith, and labours to make their faith fail.

But then, how should we bear off this blow?

Thus: Take heed that ye never rest upon the promise barely, or only because of your experience; but rather deal with your experience because of the promise. It is a good thing for a man to come up to the promise by the ladder of experience: but it is better for a man to go down to the promise by his experience. And if ye look into the cvith Psalm, ye shall find, that when a man does rest upon the promise, barely by reason of his experience, his faith will soon fail. "The waters covered their enemies" (at the 11th verse, it is spoken of the Israelites when they came through the Red Sea) "there was not one of them left." Verse the 12th. "Then believed they his words." Mark now, because of their experience, now they believed God's word, now they believed his promise by reason of their experience; "Then believed they his words, they sang his praise." But what became of

this read the next words: "They soon forgat his works, they waited not for his counsel." So that I say, take heed that ye do not rest upon the promise barely, and only because of your experience, for if your experience be but out of the way a little, then your heart will fail, and your faith fail presently.

Secondly, Take heed that ye never mourn for any evil, no not for sin itself, so as to be unthankful for, or unmindful of former mercies. We are very apt to this, and Satan he comes, and tempts, and says unto a poor soul, Are you speaking of former mercies, or blessings to be thankful for them? That is a good work for others, but as for you, you have committed such a sin, and it is your duty now to mourn for your sin committed, look you to that, to be humbled; apply yourself to that work: and so when he hath gotten a man's heart fixed upon that work in opposition to thankfulness for former mercies received, the soul loses the sight of his experience, and so his faith fails in the time of temptation. Wherefore my exhortation is, that you may avoid this blow, and this stroke. Never mourn, no not for sin committed; but so as still to be thankful for grace received, otherwise your experience will go out of sight, and then your faith fails you. Again, thirdly, Satan does sometimes strike at the faith of reliance, labours to weaken the faith of the saint's reliance, by sundering or severing their souls from the promise. So long as a man hath the sight of the promise, and the promise is by him; a gracious heart says, I will for ever trust in God, and rely upon God in Christ, for thus and thus hath God spoken, and thus and thus saith the promise to me. But now, if the promise be gone, then a man's reliance fails. Satan therefore, in the time of temptation, labours to take away the promise; scaring the soul, or cogging the soul from the promise; this he does many ways, but sometimes he speaks out thus ; What! do you meddle with the promise? the promise does not belong to you, the threatening belongs to you; you have sinned so and so, and the threatening belongs to you, but the promise does not belong to you: and if he can but get the soul to believe this, then his faith fails.

Oh! but, how should we bear off this blow in time of temptation? for I confess thus, by this temptation does Satan strike at my faith, and labours to make my faith to fail.