scudderpage257

beloved of God. Moreover, I deny not that Job and David had faith and hope in God; but these graces in them were oftentimes overclouded with unbelief and distrust; as appears in their various passionate exclamations; at which times their faith appeared to others in their good speeches and actions, rather than to themselves. And the Psalmist confesses, that those his faithless complaints were in his haste, and from his infirmities, Psa. xxxi. 22, lxxvii. 10.

How say you now? Is it not thus with you? Are you not like others of God's children, off and on, up and down? You would pray and cannot; you would believe, but, as you think, cannot; you would have comfort, but cannot feel it. Only you feel a secret support now and then; and now and then, you see and feel a glimpse of God's light and comfort; for which you must be thankful, which you must cherish by all means, and with which you must rest contented, waiting until God give you more.

You should know and consider, that this is an old device of Satan, to make you believe that your case is worse, or at least much different from the case of any others, because he knows that while he fixes this upon your mind, no common remedy, which did cure and comfort others, can cure and comfort you. For you will still ask, Was ever any as I am? And if God's ministers and people cannot say, yea; and that such an instruction, and such a promise in the word did help him; then you conclude that you are incurable.

But, last of all, let it be supposed that your case is worse than any body's else, is there not a sovereign balm in God's word, Jer. viii. 22, a catholicon, or universal remedy, that will heal all spiritual diseases? God's word is like himself, to a believer, an omnipotent word, Mark ix. 23. Is any thing too hard for the Lord? Gen. xviii. 14. Neither is there any spiritual disease too hard for his word and Spirit to cure. When Christ healed the people with his word, did it not heal even such as were never known to be cured before?