when he knows that his helper is almighty. In short, the person who
has a firm trust on the Supreme Being is powerful in His power, wise
by His wisdom, happy by His happiness. He reaps the benefit of
every Divine attribute, and loses his own insufficiency in the
fulness of infinite perfection.

To make our lives more easy to us, we are commanded to put our trust
in Him, who is thus able to relieve and succour us; the Divine
goodness having made such reliance a duty, notwithstanding we should
have been miserable had it been forbidden us.

Among several motives which might be made use of to recommend this
duty to us, I shall only take notice of these that follow.

The first and strongest is, that we are promised He will not fail
those who put their trust in Him.

But without considering the supernatural blessing which accompanies
this duty, we may observe that it has a natural tendency to its own
reward, or, in other words, that this firm trust and confidence in
the great Disposer of all things contributes very much to the
getting clear of any affliction, or to the bearing it manfully. A
person who believes he has his succour at hand, and that he acts in
the sight of his friend, often exerts himself beyond his abilities,
and does wonders that are not to be matched by one who is not
animated with such a confidence of success. I could produce
instances from history of generals who, out of a belief that they
were under the protection of some invisible assistant, did not only
encourage their soldiers to do their utmost, but have acted
themselves beyond what they would have done had they not been