The Cry of Little Faith (William Huntington)

This is excellent reading and shows the way of faith, as it grows.

http://truegospel.net/Huntington/Works/Volume09/09022.htm

Here is an excerpt:

Sometimes pride carries him away; he is so lifted up in his comfortable frames, that he concludes that no person has any faith but himself; he can admit of no doubts, fears, or misgivings; he has got a little of the good wine of the kingdom; he drinks, and forgets his poverty, and thinks he shall remember his misery no more, Prov. xxxi. 7. Prosperity has made him forget the wormwood and the gall, Lam. iii. 19; therefore it is beneath him to come down from his excellency to sympathize with them who are putting their "mouth in the dust, if so be there might be hope," Lam. iii. 29. This tincture of haughtiness procures him a little degradation; the humble soul, that he thought little of, is exalted to honour; while he, to his great mortification, is obliged for a while to take the lowest room.

Sometimes Little Faith abuses his liberty; his light joys carry him too high; filial fear is not strong enough to make him think soberly; joys and triumphs are all in all; prayer gets out of season with him; whereas we never need be more fervent in prayer than in times of prosperity. For these things he is often shut up in the black hole; then prayer becomes seasonable: "I am shut up, and I cannot come forth. Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: Lord, I have called daily upon thee; I have stretched out my hands unto thee," Ps. lxxxviii. 9, 10.

Sometimes he is too heedless in his race; he runs here and there, to try various winds of doctrine. Judging himself capable of discerning good and evil, he will dispute doctrinal points with any old sorcerer, like John's young disciples, who began to dispute with the Jews about purifying, John, iii. 25. He can play on the hole of the asp, and put his hand upon the cockatrice den, or even take a dog by the ears, Prov. xxvi. 17. He thinks his joys are sufficient to carry him through. However, in order to keep him in the company of wise men, the Lord sometimes permits the harlot, or false church, to cast such an one down wounded, until he finds himself laid by the heels, to teach him to run more carefully when he has the use of his limbs. Then he complains, "Thou puttest my feet in the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet," Job, xiii. 27.

Sometimes he discovers much rebellion and stubbornness under the rod, and would sooner run away from God than humble himself under his mighty hand. He will flee from the rod, rather than confess and supplicate; and be froward, rather than submissive: "I smote him: I hid me, and was wroth; and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart," Isaiah, lvii. 17. It is common with some children, when threatened, or when whipped, to take to their heels; for which defiance this message is often sent after them: I shall have you at night, I will give it you when you come to bed. We all know there is a night coming, in which no man can work, John, ix. 4. If we wait, the grave is our house; yet we should not like to make our bed in the darkness, Job, xvii. 13. As none would like to be put to bed in the dark, nor under the rod, let Little Faith kiss the rod, know who hath appointed it, and fly to the hand that holds it; lest at bed time he cry out, as others have done, "O spare me, that I may recover strength before I go hence, and be no more!" Psalm, xxxix. 13. the rod is useful; iniquity is bound in the heart of a child, and it is the rod of correction that shall drive it out. God does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of his love without cause: he visits sins with the rod, and we procure the stripes to ourselves.

The fatherly severity of God is intended to humble our pride, imbitter sin, and keep us in reverential awe and filial fear of him. A hiding God, a spiritual fast, and the chastening rod, are terrible things to the Lord's little ones: sleeping or waking, they can find no rest, till matters are made up, and peace be restored. Some children, when they have had a whipping over night, will often dream about it; and cry out in their sleep, as if they really felt the strokes; and this is sometimes the case with Little Faith: "When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint; then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions; so that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life," Job, vii. 13-15. If he was terrified with dreams, it is plain he dreamt of the rod. Had his dreams been heavenly, like those of Jeremiah, they would have left the same sweetness upon his soul: Upon this I awaked, and beheld, and my sleep was sweet unto me," Jer. xxxi. 26. 

To be short: the strongest man in faith was once a babe in grace. Those that are weak are to be received, but not to doubtful disputations. Faith and her evidences, Unbelief and her doubts, do inhabit a believer at one and the same time. There is little faith, growing faith, and the fullest assurance of faith, mentioned in scripture. Neither the apostles, prophets, nor even God our Saviour himself, ever refused to suckle the babe, lead and feed the child, strengthen the weak, or encourage the ewe great with young. No bible pastor ever found the whole family of God in the full assurance of faith; much less did they confine their ministry to those only who are called fathers in Christ. Lambs stand in more need of the shepherd's aid than grown sheep or old rams; and children are more craving after food than aged fathers, who can feed themselves. If you choose to reply to this, I will, God willing, urge a second plea, and shew thee that I have yet to speak in behalf of Little Faith. Meanwhile I would caution thee, as David did Joab, to deal gently with the young man, even Little Faith.