Four rules whereby to know if we act faith in prayer or no 3/3

         (c.)  If thou actest faith in prayer, thy faith will not only make thee choice of the means thou usest, but curious and careful in using the means that God chooseth for thee.  Thou wilt be afraid lest it should stand in God’s light, by stealing thy confidence in him to trust in it.  Faith will teach thee to use means as God’s ordinance, but rely on God to bless it.  While faith’s hand is on the plow, her eye is to heaven. Annus non ager facit fructum—the influences of heaven, not the tillage of the husband, make it a fruit¬ful year.  Sometimes the physician appoints a powder to be taken in wine or beer.  Now it is not the beer or wine that does the cure, but the powder, which they are only used to convey and carry into the stomach. Thus mercy is handed over to us by the blessing of God in the use of means, yet think not the means do it, but the blessing of God mingled with it and infused into it.

         (d.)  If thou actest faith in prayer, as thou wilt be careful to improve means when God provides them, so thou wilt not suspend thy faith when God denies them.  The believing soul dares not trust to the means when he hath them, therefore he dares not distrust God when he wants them.  Faith knows, though God useth means, yet he needs none.  The sun and showers are the means he useth for the growth of the grass and herbs; yet he made these to grow out of the earth before there was sun or rain, Gen. 1:11.  Ploughing and sowing are the ordinary means whereby man is provided with bread; but he fed Israel with bread without their pains and husbandry.  Ships [are] the means to waft us over the seas; but God carried Israel through the Red Sea without ship or boat.  May be times are hard, and thou art poor; thy charge is great, and thy comings in little; with the widow in the prophet, thou art making the last cake of the little meal that is left.  To reason and sense thou must either beg, steal, or die.  Canst thou now, upon praying to thy God, wait upon his promise which tells thee, ‘verily, thou shalt be fed,’ Ps. 37:3; and on his providence, which records his care of the sparrows on purpose to assure us he will much more provide for his children?  Or, at least, dost thou chide thy heart for its distrustful fears after praying, charging it to hope in God, to whom thou hast made thy moan? Truly, if thy heart hath not some hold on God after duty to stay it, more than before in this thy strait; either thou hast no faith, or if thou hast faith, thou didst not act it in that prayer.  True faith will either expel these dejections of heart, or at least protest against them.