of faith. And the great and gracious promises are made to such
as believe, and not to such only as know they do believe. I grant such
as know not that they do believe, cannot draw comfort from these
promises; yet it is true that one may, by reflecting on the actings of
his own soul, see and know that really he is going out to Christ,
forsaking himself, casting his burden on him, waiting and depending upon
him; when yet he will not say that he doth believe. And when he seeth
this working of soul towards Christ, he is obliged to believe that he
believeth, and thereupon rejoice in hope of the great promises. And
however the very sight and knowledge of this acting and motion of soul
may give them some comfort, though they shall not take it for faith,
because it is the way of duty, and it is the thing the gospel calleth
for, and because they cannot show an instance of anyone soul that did
so, and perished. But the truth is, the right understanding of the
nature of faith would clear many doubts, and prevent many questions.

I come to speak a little to the last case which I shall handle, which
is,

CHAPTER XVIII.

HOW WE SHALL MAKE USE OF CHRIST AS THE TRUTH, THAT WE MAY WIN TO RIGHT
AND SUITABLE THOUGHTS OF GOD.

This is a case that much troubleth the people of God,--they cannot get
right and suitable thoughts of God, which they earnestly desire to have,
nor know not how to win at them; and certain it is, he only who is the
Truth, and came out of the bosom of the Father, can help here. Therefore
for our use-making of him for this end, it would be remembered,

1. That the mind of man, through the fall, is nothing but a mass of
ignorance and blindness; that "the understanding is darkened," Eph. iv.
17, 18; "and naturally we are in darkness," 1 John ii. 9, 11; "yea,
under the power of darkness," Col. i. 13; and, which is more, our minds
are naturally filled with prejudice against God, and enmity, through
wickedness naturally residing there, and which the prince of the power
of the air, the spirit which worketh in the children of disobedience,
increaseth and stirreth up.

2. That this evil is not totally taken away, even in the godly, but
helped only in part; for they see and know but in part, 1 Cor. xiii. 13.

3. That hence it cometh to pass, that through the working of corruption,
the soul of a believer can sometimes win to no right thought of God at
all; or at best to some very narrow and unsuitable conceptions