with reference to the _growth in faith_. How can I
possibly continue to act faith upon God, concerning anything, if I am
habitually grieving him, and seek to detract from the glory and honor of
him in whom I profess to trust, upon whom I profess to depend? All my
confidence towards God, all my leaning upon him in the hour of trial,
will be gone, if I have a guilty conscience, and do not seek to put away
this guilty conscience, but still continue to do things which are
contrary to the mind of God. And if, in any particular instance, I
cannot trust in God, because of the guilty conscience, then my faith is
weakened by that instance of distrust; for faith with every fresh trial
of it either increases by trusting God, and thus getting help, or it
decreases by not trusting him; and then there is less and less power of
looking simply and directly to him, and a habit of self-dependence is
begotten or encouraged. One or other of these will always be the case in
each particular instance. Either we trust in God, and in that case we
neither trust in ourselves, nor in our fellow-men, nor in circumstances,
nor in anything besides; or we DO trust in one or more of these, and in
that case do NOT trust in God.

3. If we, indeed, desire our faith to be strengthened, we should not
shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried, and, therefore,
through the trial, be strengthened. In our natural state we dislike
dealing with God alone. Through our natural alienation from God we
shrink from him, and from eternal realities. This cleaves to us more or
less, even after our regeneration. Hence it is that, more or less, even
as believers, we have the same shrinking from standing with God alone,
from depending upon him alone, from looking to him alone; and yet this
is the very position in which we ought to be, if we wish our faith to be
strengthened. The more I am in a position to be tried in faith with
reference to my body, my family, my service for the Lord, my business,
etc., the more shall I have opportunity of seeing God's help and
deliverance; and every fresh instance in which he helps and delivers me
will tend towards the increase of my faith. On this account, therefore,
the believer should not shrink from situations, positions,
circumstances, in which his faith may be tried, but should cheerfully
embrace them as opportunities where he may see the hand of God stretched
out on his behalf, to help and deliver him, and whereby he may