2d, Covering or protection in their way : Ps. xxxi. 20., " Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence, from the pride of man ; thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion, from the strife of tongues." " Thou shalt hide them in thy presence," or " face;" thy light shall be their dark place to cover them ; " thou art my hiding-place," Ps. xxxii. 7. " In the secret of thy pre- sence;" the saint's hiding-place is a secret : such, where neither the pride of man can find them, nor can they understand what it is. Reproaches shall not find them, per- secutions shall not find them, whose souls are hid in God ; they are not found, when they are found ; they are hid when they seem to lie most open, and most exposed to men's will and lust. Sinners do not under- stand what refuge the saints have in God. It is a great secret, a mystery to them ; as the joy of the saints, the comforts of the saints, are a secret — a stranger shall not meddle with his joy — so is their safety of security ; they do not understand what kind, or how great security ; wliat sure, nor what sweet repose the saints find in God. The secret of God's presence is a sure and a sweet resting-place for all his saints ; but how sure, and how sweet, no man knows, but they that enjoy it. The secret intima- tions of the care of God for them, — of his everlasting kindness to them, — of his go- verning hand, in all that befalls them, working it to their greater good, — the se- cret supports and refreshings darted in, as the beams of his countenance, — their se- cret sense that their head, their main part is in safety, though they have bruises in their heel, — will yield such rest in the day of greatest adversity, as men can neither see, nor take from them. The ])illar of the cloud interposed, did both hinder the E- gyptians' pursuit, and hid from their eyes, the comfort of that light which shined upon the camp of Israel. Moses knew what the comfort of God's presence meant, when lie sai<l, Exod. xxxiii. 15., " If thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence." It is (if considered) a great word; Israel was then in a wilderness ; among wild beasts, — among briers and thorns, — in a weary pil-
FAREWELL DISCOURSE ON HIS EJECTION.
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grimagc, — but they had God amoiii; tliciii. The Lord was carrying tliem to Canaan, the land of their rest, a land flowing with milk and honey; but Moses prays, " li" thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence." We had ratlier be where we are, in a wilderness with (Jod, than go to Ca- naan, and leave our God behind us. If thy presence go with us, we are willing to go ; when thou wilt, whither thou wilt, which way thou wilt ; though by the tents of Edoniites, Ishmaelites, IMoabites, Hagar- enes ; though through the armies of Ana- kims, Zamzummims ; we will go any where, so God go with us. The absence of God makes a Canaan worse than a wilderness : the ]»rcsence of God makes a wilderness better than a Canaan. And this presence of God shall be the lot of all his saints.
Ilcasun 2d. If God be with you, all shall make for you ; all providential occurrences and events whatsoever, — all difficulties, straits, disasters, disappointments whatso- ever, that may come upon you, shall make for your good, Rom. viii. 31., " If God be with us, who can be against us ?" Who can be against us ? that is, none can be against us ; or if any be, yet those that are against you shall be for you : Gen. xlii. 36., " Jo- seph is not, and Simeon is not, (said old Jacob) and must Benjamin away too ! all these things are against me :" but yet as old as lie was, he lived to see all making for him : Rom. viii. 28., " We know all things shall work together for good to those that love God." This is such a promise, as, if it were thoroughly believed, would set our feet on the necks of all our fears and dangers ; and will j)rove the truth of Samson's riddle, " Out of the eater came meat, and out of the strong, sweetness." Now because there is so great encourage- ment to godliness in it, I shall spend the more time in enlarging upon it; and shall sliovv,
1a/, What those things are which are e- specially intended in that compreliensive term " all things."
2d, \\liat that good is, which these things shall work to.
3df To whom these tilings shall work for good.
4/A, How these things shall work forgood.
5//(, That they shall undoubtedly work for good to them that love God.