A second volume of discourses or sermons on several scriptures

when to murmuring and repining against the dispensations of God, he puts Patience upon its perfect work. Briefly, there is no Sin whatever that the Devil can by his Temptation stir up in the Heart, but God also can stir up a contrary Grace to it, to quell and master it. This is the Method of God's exciting Grace in the preventing of Sin, that when the Devil calls forth a particular Corruption out of the Stock of Corruption, God calls forth a particular Grace, contrary to it, from the Stock of Grace. But yet there are some particular Graces that are more ⟨p. 303⟩especially employed about this Service, and which God doth most frequently exercise, and set on work to keep his Children from the commission of Sin.

First, God hinders the commission of sin by keeping up the lively and vigorous actings of Faith. Indeed if Faith fail, all other Graces must fail by consequence. Faith is the Soul's Steward, that fetcheth in Supplies of Grace from Christ, in whom is the Treasure of it, and distributes them to all the other Graces of the Soul. Therefore when Christ tells St. Peter, Satan had desired to sift him by his Temptations, lest he should be thereby discouraged and dejected, presently he adds, in v. 32. But I have prayed for thee, that thy Faith fail not: And wherefore his Faith, rather than any other Grace, but because other Graces must take their Lot with Faith, and must be strong or weak, victorious or languishing, as Faith is; and therefore it is called the Shield of Faith, Ephes. 6.6. Now the Office of a Shield is to defend, not only the Body, but the rest of the Armour also; and so doth Faith, when it is dexterously managed, it keeps both ⟨p. 304⟩the Soul, and its Graces also from the Attempts of the Devil. I might be large here in showing you how Faith preserves from Sin; as, by deriving virtue and strength from the Death and Blood of Christ; by pleading God's Engagements and Promises to tread Satan under our feet; by urging and importuning Christ to fulfil in us the end of his coming into the World, which was to destroy the Works of the Devil; and many such Ways I might name, by which Faith prevents Sin, and destroys it; but waving them, I shall only mention two Particulars, wherein this energy of Faith in keeping Men from Sin, is the most conspicuous.