3.  The Lord has his own time of making good all his promises, and we must not limit him to a day.

4.  Hereby the Lord may be trying and exercising thy faith, patience, hope, dependence, submission, diligence, &c., and “if these be in thee, and abound, they shall make that thou shalt neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” 2 Pet. i. 11.

But lastly, It will be inquired, what can support the believing soul in this case?

Ans. 1.  The consideration and faith of the covenant of redemption, wherein both the Father’s engagement of the Son, and the Son’s engagement to the Father, secureth grace and holiness, and salvation to the believer.  And whatever we be, they will be true to each other,—­our unbelief will not make the faith of God of none effect.

2.  The consideration of the noble and faithful promises contained in the covenant of grace, which shall all be made good in due time.

3.  If we be humbled under the sense of our failings and shortcomings, and made to mourn before the Lord, stirred up to more diligence and seriousness, that may yield comfort to our soul.  If we be growing in humility, godly sorrow, repentance, diligence, and be gripping faster by faith to the root, we want not ground of joy and support; for if that be, we cannot want fruit.

4.  It should be matter of joy and thanksgiving, that the believer is kept from turning his back on the way of God, and kept with his face still Zion-ward.  Though he make but little progress, yet he is still looking forward, and creeping as he may, waiting at God’s door, begging and asking, studying, labouring, and endeavouring for strength to go faster.

5.  It is no small matter of peace and comfort, if we be kept from fretting, grudging and repining at the Lord’s dispensations with us, and be taught to sit silent in the dust, adoring his sovereignty, and ascribing no iniquity to our Maker.

CHAPTER VIII.

HOW TO MAKE USE OF CHRIST FOR TAKING THE GUILT OF OUR DAILY OUT-BREAKINGS AWAY.

The next part of our sanctification is in reference to our daily failings and transgressions, committed partly through the violence of temptations, as we see in David and Peter, and other eminent men of God; partly through daily infirmities, because of our weakness and imperfections; for, “in many things we offend all,” James iii. 2; and, “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us,” 1 John i. 8; “a righteous man falleth seven times,” Prov. xxiv. 16; “there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not,” Eccl. vii. 20; and Solomon further saith, 1 Kings viii. 46, “That there is no man that sinneth not.”  This being so, the question is, how Christ is to be made use of, for taking these away.