. This very day I am
in great trial in connection with the work in which I am engaged; yet my
soul was calmed and quieted by the remembrance of God's power and love;
and I said to myself this morning: "As David encouraged himself in
Jehovah his God, when he returned to Ziklag, so will I encourage myself
in God;" and the result was peace of soul.... It is the very time for
_faith_ to work, when _sight_ ceases. The greater the difficulties, the
easier for _faith._ As long as there remain certain natural prospects,
faith does not get on even as easily (if I may say so), as when all
natural prospects fail.

DEPENDENCE ON GOD.

Observe two things! We acted _for God_ in delaying the public meetings
and the publishing of the Report; but _God's way leads always into
trial, so far as sight and sense are concerned. Nature_ always will be
tried _in God's ways._ The Lord was saying by this poverty, "I will now
see whether you truly lean upon me, and whether you truly look to me."
Of all the seasons that I had ever passed through since I had been
living in this way, _up to that time,_ I never knew any period in which
my faith was tried so sharply, as during the four months from Dec. 12,
1841, to April 12, 1842. But observe further: We might even now have
altered our minds with respect to the public meetings and publishing the
Report; for _no one knew our determination, at this time,_ concerning
the point. Nay, on the contrary, we knew with what delight very many
children of God were looking forward to receive further accounts. But
the Lord kept us steadfast to the conclusion, at which we had arrived
under His guidance.

GIFT AND GRACE OF FAITH.

It pleased the Lord, I think, to give me in some cases something like
the gift (not grace) of faith, so that unconditionally I could ask and
look for an answer. The difference between the _gift_ and the _grace_ of
faith seems to me this. According to the _gift of faith_ I am able to do
a thing, or believe that a thing will come to pass, the not doing of
which, or the not believing of which would not be sin; according to the
_grace of faith_ I am able to do a thing, or believe that a thing will
come to pass, respecting which I have the word of God as the ground to
rest upon, and, therefore, the not doing it, or the not believing it
_would be sin._ For instance, _the gift of faith_ would be needed, to
believe that a sick person should be restored again, though _there is no
human probabili