This  cannot  be  questioned,
as  thousands,  whose  intelligence  and  veracity  are  unimpeachable,  are  ready  to
rise  up,  and  solemnly  affirm,  that  they  would  not  exchange  their  faith  for  the
full  enjoyment  of  all  the  pleasures  of  sense  for  ages  of  ages  :  and  what  highly
aggravates  the  sin  of  neglecting,  which  is  to  despise,  this  precious  grace,  if  it
were  possible  unavailingly  to  pursue  it  through  every  stage  of  life,  the  pursuit
itself,  would  realize  far  greater  advantages  than  the  world  bestows  on  its  most
favored  votaries. You  may  suppose,  after  all,  that  faith,  acknowledged,  with
boundless  gratitude,  to  be  the  gift  of  God,  cannot  be  an  object  of  our  rational
endeavours  :  but  why  not  ?  Bread  is  the  gift  of  God :  yet  we  are  not  only
taught  to  pray,  '  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,'  but  commanded  to  labour
for  it  with  our  hands. 