or error. The wicked world are bold to fin; but the Chriflian is bold to withstand it, and bold to lift up a banner for truth, when others are fo bold as to pull it down.

3dly, It is a humble and felf-denied boldnefs. The man is not bold or confident in himself, or in created grace, as Peter, when he faid, "Though all men fhould forfake thee, yet will not I" no, but he is "ftrong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." And when he has been helped to make a ftand for the Lord, or for his caufe, he will not be ready to facrifice to his own net, like Jehu, "Come and fee my zeal for the Lord of hosts:" no, but, with Paul, he will be ready to fay, "Not I, but the grace of God in me: Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name be the glory." And therefore, 4thly, It is a very meek boldnefs. Mofes was the meekelt earth, and yet his meeknefs was confiftent with fuch boldness of spirit, as to go at God's command to Pharaoh, and require him to let Ifrael go, under very awful certifications: and when Pharaoh was brought fo far down from his former altitudes, as to allow them to go, only to leave fome little thing behind; he boldly tells him, "not a hoof was to be left behind," Exod. x. 26. And yet in all this Mofes retained his meekness of spirit; for "the wrath of man worketh not the righteoufnefs of God."

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5. This Chriftian courage and boldnefs, its proper season for exerting itself is, when duty is attended with danger, or when the profeflion of our faith is fair to expofe us unto the rage and perfecution of men. A coward will appear courageous when there is no enemy to withstand him; but true courage difcovers itself in ftanding the fhock and attack of the enemy: fo true Chriftian courage difcovers itself in a time of danger, when truth is falling in the street, to take it up then; or when the following of the Lord in the way of duty expofes a man to hazard and danger, for a man to fet his face to the ftorm like a flint; that is, I fay, the proper time for Chriftian Courage to exert itself. This you fee in the cafe of the three children, when threatened with a burning fiery furnace if they would not worship the golden image, "We are not careful to anfwer thee in this matter, O king: we will not worship the image thou haft fet up: the God whom we ferve is able to deliver us." And we fee the fame in Daniel, when a proclamation was iflued out, forbidding any petition to be asked either of God or man, but only of the king, for thirty days, he goes into his houfe, and cafts open his windows, fo as all might take knowledge of him, and praifes and gives thanks unto his God three times a day, though he knew the upfhot of it would be his being caft into

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the lions den. The proper season of this Christian courage is a time of hazard attending duty. Alas! it is to be feared, that, among the many crowds that feem to follow Chrift, and profefs his name, in a day of profperity, he would have but a thin backing of them, if Providence were calling them to follow him to a Calvary or a gibbet. The feed that fell upon the ftony ground had a goodly braird for a while; but, wanting root and deepnefs of earth, it withered, when the fcorching fun of perfecution and trouble did arife upon it.

6. The fruits and effects of this Chriftian courage and boldness in cleaving to the Lord and his way in a time of danger, and in holding his teftimony, are very sweet and glorious. For,

ift, It is a feal added unto the truth of God in the view of the world, and lets the blind world know that there is more value in the truth of God, and a matter of greater importance, than they imagine; and, by this means, truth is brought forth unto victory, notwithstanding of all the attempts of hell to obfcure or bury it.

2dly, Chriftian courage and boldness in owning the truth, efpecially in the face of danger, ftrikes a damp upon the very hearts of perfecutors and oppreffors of it, and puts them to a ftand; as we fee in the inftance of the apoftles, Acts iv. 13. When the Jewish fanhedrim perceived the boldness of Peter and John, and took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jefus, they were brought to their wits-end, and say one to another, "What fhall we do with these men?"

3dly, It ferves to hearten the fpirits of thofe who love the truth, and affords matter of praife when they see these that are in the high places appearing valiant for the truth; as we see in the fame Acts iv. 23. 24. When Peter and John are let go, and when they come to their own company, making a report of all that had happened, they lift up their voice with one accord, and praise the Lord.

4thly, A bold appearance for the truth and caufe of Chrift is a sweet evidence to a man of his own falvation, and that he fhall be owned of the Lord another day; for, fays Christ, "He that confeffeth me before men, him will I confefs before my Father, and before his angels." To the fame purpofe is that of the apostle, Rom. x. 10. "With the heart man believeth unto righteoufnefs, but with the mouth confeffion is made unto falvation." Thus I have given you a fixfold view of that Chriftian fortitude and courage which is the fruit of faith.

IV. The fourth thing in the method was, to inquire into the influence

influence that faith has upon this boldness. Unto which, I answer in the particulars following.

1. Faith ferves to infpire the foul with Chriftian fortitude and boldness, by prefenting God to the foul's view in his glorious majesty; at the fight of whom, the fear of man, and all the dangers of time, do entirely evanish and disappear. Hence is that of Mofes, Heb. xi. 27. "By faith he forfook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king." Why, what was it that cured him of the fear of Pharaoh's wrath? We are told in the close of the verfe, that " he endured, as feeing him that is invifible." O Sirs, when the eye is opened to fee the infinite majesty, greatness, excellency, and power of the great JEHOVAH, it would choose rather to venture upon the fury of all the devils in hell, and men upon earth, than adventure to difpleafe him, by parting with the leaft truth he has revealed, or by breaking one of the least of his commandments. It renders the foul unfhaken under all trials; hence is that of David, "I have fet the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I fhall not be moved."

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2. Faith infpires the foul with Chriftian boldness and fortitude, by enabling the foul to make a right eftimate of the truth which is the great matter of strife and contention in the world. The devil deferted, or "abode not in the truth" of God and the way he ruined mankind at first, was by mincing away the truth of God's threatening, "In the day thou eateft thereof, thou fhalt furely die: Hath God faid fo and fo?" And such is his enmity at the truth of God, that his main efforts are to bring it into difcredit, and to bring these that profefs Chrift either to difbelieve it, or deny it, or defert it. Now, faith gives the foul a juft view and uptaking of the value of every truth of God, yea, of thefe that would appear lefs fundamental, that it will not quit with the leaft hoof, though heaven and earth fhould mingle. O, fays faith, I fee that God has fuch a value and esteem for his truth, that he will rather throw heaven and earth back unto their original nothing, than let one jot of it fall to the ground; how then shall I give it up? In a word, truth, particularly revealed truth, is just the food on which faith lives; and faith is nothing elfe but 66 a fetting to the feal that God is true." Take away the truth, and faith is not; and therefore it is that faith and truth do fometimes exchange names, Jude 3. "Contend earneftly for the faith once delivered unto the faints;" the meaning is, contend earnestly for the truth delivered to the faints, Faith and truth are exceedingly fib, the one cannot subsist without the other; and hence it is, that faith infpires the foul

with courage in owning it, and cleaving to it, and fears no evil in fo doing.

3. Faith infpires the foul with courage, by curing it of the fear of man, which caufes a fnare. What was it but the fear of man that made Abraham, and Ifaac alfo, to tell a lie? What but the fear of man made David to feign himself mad, and Peter to deny his Mafter? Now, faith, when in a lively exercife, fets man in his proper light, and discovers him to be what he really is. For,

ift, True faith tells the foul, that man is an inconfiderable creature before God: If. xl. 15 -17. "Behold the nations are before him but "as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the fmall duft of the balance: behold, he taketh up the ifles as a very little thing.-All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity." Faith fees the great armies of enemies to be no more than a fwarm of impotent flies before God; hence is that challenge unto Ifrael trembling at the fury of the enemy, If. li. 12. 13. "Who art thou, that thou fhouldft be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man that shall be made as grafs? And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath ftretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth? and haft feared continually every day, because of the fury of the oppreffor, as if he were ready to deftroy? and where is the fury of the oppreffor?" O, Sirs, if the majefty of fuch a challenge were but laid home upon our fpirits, we would make little account of poor man, and his displeasure, in cleaving to the Lord, and his truths and way.

2dly, Faith tells the foul, that as a man is an inconfiderable creature, fo he is a mortal dying creature; and that very day he dies, all his thoughts and defigus perif; If. xl. 6-8. "The voice faid, Cry. And he faid, What fhall I cry? All flesh is grafs, and all the godlinefs thereof is as the flower of the field. The grafs withereth, the flower fadeth; because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: furely the people is grafs. The grafs withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God thall ftand for ever." Now, faith fees that to be true, and fo it cures the foul of the fear of man.

3dly, Faith tells the foul, that any little power that man hath, is bounded by an over-ruling hand; and that he can go no further, in punishing his refentments, than God allows him: Pfal. xxvi. 10. "The wrath of man fhall praife thee: and the remainder of his wrath fhalt thou reftrain." Hence is that of Chrift unto Pilate, who was making his boaft, that he had power to take away his life, or to fave it; "Thou hast no power against me, but what is given thee from above."

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he fets bounds unto the raging fea, faying, "Hitherto halt thou come, and no further;" fo he fets bounds unto the rage of man.

4thly, Faith views man as a guilty criminal before God, the righteous Judge of all the earth; and the confcience of guilt ftrikes them with fear and terror; efpecially when there is valiant contending for the truth, which they are endeavouring to ftifle and fupprefs. Hence it was that Felix, when fitting upon the judgement-feat, fell a trembling before Paul at the bar, I mean, Paul when he fpake of righteoufnefs, temperance, and a judgement to come. They may well touch the body, the eftate, the name, and fuch external things; but they cannot harm the foul, which is the more noble part of the man. Hence is that needful caution of Chrift to his followers, "Fear not him that can kill the body; and when he hath done, cannot reach the foul: but fear him that is able to caft both soul and body into hell," Luke xii. 4. 5. They cannot thunder with a voice like God; they cannot blot your names out of the book of life, or fhut the gates of heaven, or open and fhut up your fouls in the prison of hell. Faith fees that the man's enemies, in owning the caufe of truth, are God's enemies, and all the enemies of God fhall perish. Thus you fee what a view faith gives of all the children of men, and their wrath; and this is it that infpires the foul with a holy boldnefs, and undaunted courage, in the face of the greatest dangers.

4. Faith infpires with Chriftian courage in time of danger and trouble from the world, by viewing the infide of troubles for Chrift, as well as the outfide of them. When we walk by fense, and not by faith, we will foon be difpirited in a day of trouble and danger, and be ready to cry, "There is a lion in the way, there is a lion in the streets," the way is impaffable. Banishments, prifons, and death, have fomething in them that are horrible to nature and sense. But now faith looks to the infide of troubles, and confiders what God has made, and can ftill make, thefe unto his people; it confiders how joyful the Lord's people have been in tribulation; what honey they have found in the carcafe of a lion; what fongs he has given them in the night, in stocks and dungeons, and what glorying in tribulation; how he has brought into their bofom an hundredfold of a reward even in this life; how many of the Lord's people have found themfelves quite miftaken anent a suffering lot, when once they have fairly ventured upon it in following the Lord that which at a diftance looked like a ferpent, has been found to be a rod in the hand; a prifon has been turned into a palace to them, fo that they have been more loath to come out of prifon, than they were to enter into it. VOL. II.

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