But it has been in such a way, I hop'd, that in some favor'd hour, Instead of this, He made me feel Yea, more, with his own hand He seem'd Cross'd all the fair designs I schem❜d, Lord, why is this? I trembling cried, These bitter trials I employ From self and pride to set thee free; That thou may'st seek thy all in me.” LV. To trust God when our warehouses and bags are full, and our table spread, is no very hard thing: but to trust him, when our purses are empty, when there is only a handful of meal and a cruse of oil left, and all ways of relief stopped, herein lies the test of a christian's grace. Yet none are exempted from this duty; all are bound to acknowledge their trust in him by the daily prayer for daily bread; even those who have it in their cupboards, as well as those that want it; the greatest prince, as well as the meanest beggar. Whatever your wants are, want not faith, and you cannot want supplies. It is the want of this binds up God's hand from doing great works for his creatures, Mark vi. 5, 6. The more we trust him, the more he concerns himself in our affairs. The more we trust ourselves, the more he delights to cross us; for he hath denounced such an one cursed, that maketh flesh his arm, Jer. xvii. 5; because it is a departing from the Lord. No wonder then that God departs from us, and carries away his blessing with him : while we trust ourselves, we do but trouble ourselves, and know not how to reconcile our various reasons for hopes and fears; but the committing our way to the Lord renders our minds calm and composed. "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established," Prov. xvi. 3. Thou shalt have no more of those disquieting anxious thoughts, what the success shall be. 1. Trust Providence in the greatest extremities-he brings us into straits, that he may see the exercise of our faith. "I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord," Zeph. iii. 12. When we are most desolate we have most need of this exercise, and have the fittest season to practise it. He is always our refuge and strength, but in time of trouble a present help, Psalm xlvi. 1. Daniel's new advancement by Belshazzar but a day before the city was taken by the enemy, the king slainand no doubt many of his nobility, and those that were nearest in authority with him, was a danger; yet God, by ways not expressed, preserved Daniel, and gave him. favor with the conqueror. God often leads his own people into great dangers, that they may see and acknowledge his hand in their preservation. God's eye is always upon them that fear him, Psalm xxxiii. 18; not to keep distress from them, but to quicken them in it, and give them, as it were, a new life from the dead-to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine, ver. 19. God brings us into straits that we may have a more lively experience of his tenderness in his seasonable relief: if he be angry, "he will repent himself for his servants, when he sees their power is gone," Deut. xxxii. 36; because then the glory of his providence is appropriated to himself. "See now, that I, even I am he, and there is no God with me; I kill, and I make alive," ver. 39. No creature can have any pretence to share in it; He delights thereby to draw up our affections to himself, and admiration of him, and to store up in us a treasure of experience, to encourage our trusting in him in the like straits. We should, therefore, repose ourselves on God in a desert, as well as in cities; with as much faith among savage beasts as in the best company of the most sociable men :—and answer the greatest strait with Abraham's speech to Isaac, "God will provide." For we have to do with a God who is bound up to no means, who delights to perfect his strength in the creature's weakness. We have to do with a God, who only knows what may further our good, and accordingly orders it, who only knows what may hinder it, and therefore prevents it. He can set all causes in such a posture, as shall work together as one link to bring about success, and make even contrary motions meet in one gracious end; as the rivers which run from north and south, the contrary quarters of the world, meet in the surges in one sea. Though providences may seem to cross one another, they shall never cross God's word and promise, which he hath magnified above all his names. And his providence is but a servant of his truth. 2 Trust in the way of means. Though we are sure God hath decreed the certain event of such a thing, yet we must not encourage our idleness, but our diligence. Though Moses was assured of the victory, when Amalek came armed against him, yet he commands Joshua to draw up the valiant men in a body, himself goes to the mount to pray, and is as diligent in the use of all means, as if he had been ignorant of God's purpose, and had rather suspected the rout of his own, than his enemies forces. Neither doth Joshua afterwards, though secured by promise in his conquest of Canaan, omit any part of the duty of a wise and watchful general; he sends spies, disciplines his forces, besiegeth cities, and contrives stratagems. Providence directs us by means; not to use them is to tempt our guardian: where it intends any great thing for our good, it opens a door and puts such circumstances into our hands, as we may use without the breach of any command, or the neglect of our own duty. God could have secured Christ from Herod's fury by a miraculous stroke from heaven upon his enemy, but he orders Joseph and Mary's flight into Egypt as a means of his preservation. God rebukes. Moses for praying and not using the means in continuing the people's march. "Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward," Exod. xiv. 15. To use means without respect to God, is proudly to contemn him; to depend upon God without the use of means, is irreligiously to tempt him; in both we abuse providence. In the one we disobey him in not using the means he hath appointed; in the other presumptuously impose upon him for the encouragement of our laziness. Diligence on our part, and the blessing on God's, Solomon joins together; "The hand of the diligent maketh rich," Prov. x. 4; but, I "the blessing of the Lord it maketh rich," ver. 22." So, our works" are in the hand of God," Eccles. ix. 1: our works, but God's blessing; God's blessing, but not without our works. Our labour should be rather more vigorous than more faint, when we are assured of the blessing of Providence by the infallibility of the promise. 3. Trust Providence by way of precept. Let not any reliance upon an ordinary providence induce you into any way contrary to the command. Daniel had many inducements from an appearance of providence to eat the king's meat-his necessity of compliance in his captivity-probability of preferment by learning the wisdom of the country, whereby he might both have advanced himself, and assisted his countrymen-the greatness of the consideration for a captive to be fed from the king's table-the ingratitude he might be accused of, for despising so kind a treatment; but none of these things moved him against a command: because the law of God forbad it, he would not eat of the king's meat. Daniel might have argued-I may ingratiate myself with the king-do the church of God a great service by my interest with him, which may be dashed in pieces by my refusal of this kindness; but none of these things moved him. No providences wherein we have seeming circumstances of glorifying God, must lead us out of the way of duty; this is to rob God one way to pay him another. God brought Daniel's ends about; he finds favor with the governor, his request is granted, the success is answerable; and all those ends attained, which he might in a sinful way, by an ill construction of providence, have proposed to himself; all which he might have missed of, had he run on in a carnal manner. This, this is the way to success. "Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass," |