When a child of God takes an unbelieving step, and God suffers it to succeed, this is one of the sharpest corrections he can be visited with. (2 Chron. 16:2-9.) Let us not nourish Unbelief by plans and contrivances of fleshly prudence. One step of Unbelief unrepented of leads to another. Hard thoughts of God are, alas! natural to us; and swarm in our breast: it is only as the love of God is revealed to us in the cross of Christ that we are able to cast them out. If in great tribulation we are by faith walking upon the flood, we shall seem to the eye of Unbelief to be sinking in the flood. If Unbelief prevail in saints, they slight the assemblies of God's people; but let us who diligently frequent them be able to say, "We have seen the Lord" (John 20:25): that will be the best rebuke for the negligent. Unbelief is in man's sight no sin at all—whilst in God's sight it is of all sins the greatest. Whilst we are looking to Jesus at the right hand of God, all circumstances are our occasions for honouring God by faith; but if we look to circumstances and not to Christ, they cast us down, and leave us a prey to Unbelief. By Unbelief the child of God degrades himself; losing sight of his heavenly robe he makes much of the earthly rags of this world's honour, and can even envy the wearers. (Ps. 73:3.) We do well to remember that God is as true to His forewarnings of wrath and curse, as He is to His promises of grace. We take the latter for our peculiar comfort, but should also solemnly meditate the former for our ripe and full acquaintance with God. Unbelief cripples and puts in fear where no fear is; it leads to despair, and despair is but unbelief without a bridle. Do you, at the Mercy-seat, confess the iniquity of Unbelief? Remember that it makes God to be the very contrary of what He is. Unbelief and its rebellion will make of a mere nothing a great mountain. Every murmuring thought is the child of Unbelief, and makes God a liar. The Sins of Believers The heart of man is a restless deep, ever casting up mire and dirt (Isa. 57:20); but in the sins of God's children there is a pre-eminence of guilt. Jonah could not sin himself out of the love of God; therefore, sinning himself out of communion with God, he had the greater guilt. I count myself more vile than the murderer who suffers death by the hangman's hand, because the atoning blood of the Son of God acquaints me with myself.... That which shows me my forgiveness reveals to me my pollution. By far the greater part of the sins of God's children are sins of ignorance. How needful therefore the cry, "Cleanse Thou me from secret faults" (Ps. 19:12)—faults hidden from mine own eye and from mine own conscience. Without atoning blood they would bring down God's curse on the offender's head. Oh, let us not make light of sins of ignorance!