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Senfe does inquire if tombs of clay
Can fend their guests alive away;
But faith will hear Jehovah's word,
Of life and death the fov'reign Lord.
Should I give ear to rotten dust,
Or to the tombs confine my trust;
No refurrection can I fee,

For duft that flies into my eye.

What! Thomas, can't thou trust so much
To me, as to thy fight and touch?
Won't thou believe till fense be guide,
And thrust its hand into my fide?
Where is thy faith, if it depends
On nothing but thy finger-ends?
But blefs'd are they the truth who feal
By faith, yet neither fee nor feel.

SECT. II. Faith and Senfe Spiritual, compared and diftinguifbed. Where alfo the Difference between the Affurance of Faith, and the Affurance of Senfe.

THE certainty of faith and fenfe
Wide differ in experience;

Faith builds upon, Thus faith the Lord:
Senfe views his work, and not his word.
God's word without is faith's refort,
His work within doth sense support.
By faith we truft him without *pawns,
By fenfe we handle with our hands.
By faith the word of truth's receiv'd,
By fense we know we have believ'd.
Faith's certain by fiducial acts,
Senfe by its evidential facts.
Faith credits the divine report,
Senfe to his breathings makes refort:
That on his word of grace will hing,
This on his Spirit witneffing.

By faith I take the Lord for mine,
By fenfe I feel his love divine :
By that I touch his garment hem,
By this find virtue thence to ftream.

* Pledges.

By faith I have mine all on band,

By fenfe I have fome stock in hand :
By that fome vifion is begun,

By this I fome fruition win.

My faith can fend ev'n in exile,

Senfe cannot live without a smile.
By faith I to his promife fly,
By fenfe I in his bofom lie.

Faith builds upon the truth of God,
That lies within the promise broad;
But fenfe upon the truth of
grace
His hand within my heart did place.
Thus Chrift's the object faith will eye,
And faith's the object fenfe may fee:
Faith keeps the truth of God in view,
While fenfe the truth of faith may shew.
Hence faith's affurance firm can stand,
When fenfe's in the deep may strand:
And faith's perfuafion full prevail,
When comfortable fenfe may fail.
I am affur'd, when faith's in act,
Though fenfe and feeling both I lack:
And thus myfterious is my lot,
I'm oft affur'd when I am not;

Oft pierc'd with racking doubts and fears:
Yet faith these brambles never bears;
But unbelief that cuts my breath,
And ftops the language of my faith.
Clamours of unbelieving fears,
So frequently disturb mine ears,
I cannot hear what faith would fay,
Till once the noify clamours ftay.
And then will fresh experience find,
When faith gets leave to speak its mind,
The native language whereof is,
My Lord is mine, and I am his.
Sad doubtings compafs me about,
Yet faith itfelf could never doubt;
For, as the facred volume faith,
Much doubting argues little faith.

The doubts and fears that work my grief,
Flow not from faith, but unbelief;
For faith, wheneʼer it a&teth, cures
The plague of doubts, and me affures:
But when mine eye of faith's asleep,
I dream of drowning in the deep:
But as befals the fleeping eye,
Though fight remain, it cannot fee;
The feeing faculty abides,

Though fleep from active feeing hides:
So faith's alluring powers endure
Ev'n when it ceafes to affure.
There's ftill perfuafion in my faith,

Ev'n when I'm fill'd with fears of wrath;
The trufting habit still remains,

Though flumbers hold the act in chains.

Th' affuring faculty it keeps,

Ev'n when its eye in darkness fleeps,
Wrapt up in doubts; but when it wakes,

It rouses up affuring acts.

SECT. III. The Harmony and Difcord between Faith and Senfe; how they help, and how they mar each other.

THOUGH gallant faith can keep the field,
When cow'rdly fenfe will fly or yield;
Yet while I view their ufual path,
Senfe often ftands and falls with faith.
Faith ushers in sweet peace and joy,
Which further heartens faith's employ:
Faith like the head, and sense the heart,
Do mutual vigour fresh impart.
When lively faith and feeling fweet,
Like deareft darlings, kindly meet,
They ftraight each other help and hug
In loving friendship clofe and fnug.
Faith gives to fenfe both life and breath,
And fenfe gives joy and ftrength to faith;
"O now," fays faith, "how fond do I
"In fenfe's glowing bofom lie!"

Their mutual kindness then is fuch,
That oft they doating too too much,
Embrace each other out of breath;
As Efop hugg'd his child to death.
Faith leaping into fenfe's arms,
Allur'd with her bewitching charms,
In hugging thefe, lets rafhly flip
The proper object of its gripe.
Which being loft, behold the thrall!
Anon faith lofes fenfe and all;
Thus unawares cuts fenfe's breath.
While fenfe trips up the heels of faith.
Her charms affuming Jefus' place,

While faith's lull'd in her soft embrace;
Lo! foon in dying pleasures wrapt,

Its living joy away is fnapt.

SECT. IV. The Valour and Victories of Faith.

By faith I unfeen Being fee

Forth lower beings call, And fay to nothing, Let it be, And nothing hatches all.

By faith I know the worlds were made

By God's great word of might;
How foon, Let there be light, he faid,
That moment there was light.
By faith I foar and force my flight,
Through all the clouds of fenfe;
I fee the glories out of fight,
With brightest evidence.
By faith I mount the azure sky,
And from the lofty sphere,
The earth a little mote efpy,
Unworthy of my care.

By faith I fee the unfeen things,

Hid from all mortal eyes;
Proud reafon stretching all its wings,
Beneath me flutt'ring lies.

By faith I build my lafting hope
On righteoufnefs divine;

Nor can I fink with fuch a prop,
Whatever ftorms combine.

By faith my works, my righteousness,
And duties all I own

But lofs and dung; and lay my stress
On what my Lord has done.
By faith I overcome the world,
And all its hurtful charms;
I'm in the heav'nly chariot hurl'd
Through all oppofing harms.
By faith I have a conqu'ring power
To tread upon my foes,

To triumph in a dying hour,
And banish all my woes.

By faith in midst of wrongs I'm right,
In fad decays I thrive;

In weakness I am strong in might,
In death I am alive.

By faith I ftand when deep I fall,
In darknefs I have light;
Nor dare I doubt and queftion all
When all is out of fight.
By faith I trust a pardon free,
Which puzzles flesh and blood;
To think that God can justify,
Where yet he sees no good.

By faith I keep my Lord's commands,
To verify my trust;

I purify my heart and hands,
And mortify my luft.

By faith my melting foul repents,
When pierced Chrift appears;
My heart in grateful praifes vents,
Mine eyes in joyful tears.
By faith I can the mountains vast
Of fin and guilt remove;
And them into the ocean caft,
The fea of blood and love.
By faith I fee Jehovah high
Upon a throne of grace;
Cc

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