to a minister, asked him the reason why he could not get peace. The
minister looked to his catalog. "Away," says he, "I do not find one
word of the sin of unbelief in all your catalog." It is the peculiar
work of the Spirit of God to convince us of our unbelief--that we have
got no faith. Says Jesus Christ, "I will send the comforter; and when
he is come, he will reprove the world" of the sin of unbelief; "of
sin," says Christ, "because they believe not on me."

Now, my dear friends, did God ever show you that you had no faith?
Were you ever made to bewail a hard heart of unbelief? Was it ever the
language of your heart, Lord, give me faith; Lord, enable me to lay
hold on Thee; Lord, enable me to call Thee my Lord and my God? Did
Jesus Christ ever convince you in this manner? Did he ever convince
you of your inability to close with Christ, and make you to cry out to
God to give you faith? If not, do not speak peace to your heart. May
the Lord awaken you and give you true, solid peace before you go hence
and be no more!

Once more, then: before you can speak peace to your heart, you must
not only be convinced of your actual and original sin, the sins of
your own righteousness, the sin of unbelief, but you must be enabled
to lay hold upon the perfect righteousness, the all-sufficient
righteousness, of the Lord Jesus Christ; you must lay hold by faith
on the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and then you shall have peace.
"Come," says Jesus, "unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden,
and I will give you rest."

This speaks encouragement to all that are weary and heavy laden;
but the promise of rest is made to them only upon their coming and
believing, and taking Him to be their God and their all. Before we can