In thirteen sermons on Psalm 42:11 William Bridge speaks firstly on true peace and and then on how this peace can be interrupted by discouragements. He spends time looking at various discouragements such as sin, weak grace, lack of assurance, temptation, affliction and more. He finishes the series by looking at the cure for these discouragements. These extracts are taken from his last sermon…

Faith is the help against all discouragments. Hoping, trusting, waiting upon God is the special, if not the only, means appointed against all discouragements…

What is it to hope in God, to trust in God, and to wait on Him? I answer, that to hope in God is to expect help from God; to trust in God is to rely or rest upon God for help; and to wait on Him is to continue and abide in this expectation or reliance…

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3). The Lord here engages Himself to give peace unto those that stay upon Him, and that have this faith of reliance, though they have not yet attained to this faith of assurance so as to be able to say, I know my sin is pardoned and that Christ is mine. Yet if they can but stay themselves upon God, the Lord hereby engages Himself to give peace unto them. Yea, He not only engages Himself to give peace unto such a soul as stays himself upon God, but double peace. You read it in English, “perfect peace”, but in the Hebrew it is, “peace, peace.” “Thou wilt keep him in double peace.” He shall have peace and peace; not peace and doubting; not peace and no peace: but if he stay himself upon the Lord, he shall have peace, peace; he shall have double peace…

Who would not hope, trust, wait upon the Lord? Is there anything to be gotten by your sad discouragements “O ye of little faith?” Are you able to alter one hair of your condition by all your thoughtfulness? Is it not much better to wait on God? Why then do you not call your own heart aside, and say, Come, O my soul, why have you limited the Holy One of Israel thus long? why have you dishonoured Christ thus long by your vain fears? “Why art thou cast down, O my soul; and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope, trust, wait on God; for he is the health of my countenance and my God.”

Buy the book and read more… A Lifting up for the Downcast by William Bridge, published by Banner of Truth in the Puritan Paperbacks series.