The Breastplate of Faith and Love

The use now that thou shouldest make of Faith, is to see thy joy may be full: if thou be not certainly persuaded, thou doest not use thy Faith as thou oughtest. When thou hast done this once, when thou hast settled upon this conclusion, to say certainly CHRIST is mine, my sins are forgiven; now come to the privileges, consider them, and go through them all: (I have named them heretofore upon another occasion:) and labour to comfort thy self with them; labour to have thy ⟨p. 155⟩heart filled with joy; at the least, get so much comfort as may overvalue any affliction in the World, that there may be a greater weight in the other Balance, that though great afflictions do befall thee, yet thou art not drowned, thou art not swallowed up of affliction, that thy heart faints not; but set thy faith awork, that thou mayest have so much joy, as that thou mayest go through it. And again, get so much joy, as at least may overtop any prosperity outward, any comfort that thou mayest take in thy friends, or in thy wealth, or in those things that thou findest thy heart too much to cleave unto, that thou settest them at too high a rate; set thy Faith on work, that thy joy may be full, that thou mayest not prize those so much, but that thou mayest look upon them as trifles, as matters of nothing, in comparison of the joy that is prepared for thee in Heaven. Thus a man should use faith; that is, in any affliction, that he do not over-grieve; and that no outward comforts, whatsoever befall him, take not up his joy too much.

The vse now that thou shouldest make of Faith, is to see thy ioy may be full: if thou be not certainely perswaded, thou doest not vse thy Faith as thou oughtest. When thou hast done this once, when thou hast settled vpon this conclusion, to say certainely CHRIST is mine, my sinnes are forgiuen; now come to the priuiledges, consider them, and go thorow them all: (I haue named them heretofore vpon another occasion:) and labour to comfort thy selfe with them; labour to haue thy ⟨p. 155⟩heart filled with ioy; at the least, get so much comfort as may ouervalue any affliction in the World, that there may be a greater waight in the other Ballance, that though great afflictions doe befall thee, yet thou art not drowned, thou art not swallowed vp of affliction, that thy heart faints not; but set thy faith aworke, that thou mayest haue so much ioy, as that thou mayest goe thorow it. And againe, get so much ioy, as at least may ouertoppe any prosperity outward, any comfort that thou mayest take in thy friends, or in thy wealth, or in those things that thou findest thy heart too much to cleaue vnto, that thou settest them at too high a rate; set thy Faith on worke, that thy joy may be full, that thou mayest not prize those so much, but that thou mayest looke vpon them as trifles, as matters of nothing, in comparison of the ioy that is prepared for thee in Heauen. Thus a man should vse faith; that is, in any affliction, that he doe not ouer-grieue; and that no outward comforts, whatsoeuer befall him, take not vp his ioy too much.