The guard of the tree of life, or, A sacramental discourse showing a Christians…The guard of the tree of life, or, A sacramental discourse shewing a Christians…

By the way then, this may discover to us, where the fault is, when we return home, our faith never the more strengthened, our hearts never the more warmed, our graces never the more nourished, our corruptions never the more weakened. It is a shrewd sign faith did not play its part in the mount. It is great suspicion that your faith did succumbere in conatu, did fail and sink in the encounter. Faith was entrusted in this employment to go over to Christ for these ⟨p. 77⟩benefits, and thy faith did fail in the undertaking; therefore God suspends the bestowing of these benefits, because thou suspendest thy faith.

By the way then, this may discover to us, where the fault is, when we return home, our faith never the more strengthened, our hearts never the more warm'd, our graces never the more nourished, our corruptiōs never the more weakned. It is a shrewd sign faith did not play its part in the mount. It is great suspition that your faith did succumbere in conatu, did faile and sink in the encounter. Faith was intrusted in this imploiment to goe over to Christ for these ⟨p. 77⟩benefits, and thy faith did faile in the undertaking; therefore God suspends the bestowing of these benefits, because thou suspendest thy faith.

A man may halt after his striving with God, and yet overcome, as Jacob did; but when a man's spirit doth halt in striving with God, when we do not strive fully with God, there is little hope of prevailing. Well then, if thou see not the fruit and benefit thou expected to come into thy soul in the use of this Ordinance, charge thy faith with it, and bewail the weakness of it: and for the future put it to its burden, let it have its full and perfect work, and thou wilt then find the comfort and fruit of it. Never did faith touch Christ in any Ordinance, but virtue came from him. But so much for the first Grace—