Faith

It is natural to the soul to rest upon everything below Christ ; to rest upon creatures , to rest upon graces , to rest upon duties , to rest upon divine manifestations , to rest upon celestial consolations , to rest upon gracious evidences , and to rest upon sweet assurances . Now the Lord , to cure His people of this weakness , and to bring them to live wholly and solely upon Jesus Christ , denies comfort , and denies assurance etc , and for a time leaves His children  to walk in darkness . Christians , this you are always to remember , that though the enjoyment of assurance makes most for your consolation , yet the living purely upon Christ in the absence of assurance , makes most for Christ's exaltation. He is happy that believes upon seeing , upon feeling , but trice happy are those souls that believe when they do not see; that love when they do not know that they are beloved ; and that in the want of all comfort and assurance , can live upon Christ as their only all . He that hath learned this holy art , cannot be miserable , he that is ignorant of this art cannot be happy .

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