not, will I not carry thee through thy work ? Away goes Gideon in the faith of this, and doth wonders. This brought the righteous man from the east to God's foot, though he knew not whither he went, yet he knew with whom he went, God Almighty. But take a soul not persuaded of this ; how imeven and unstable is he in this obediential course ! Every threat from man, if mighty, dismays him, because his faith is not fixed on the Almighty, and therefore sometimes he will shift off a duty to comply with man, and betray his trust into the hands of a sorry creature, because he hath fleshly eyes to behold the power of man, but wants a spiritual eye to see God at his back, to protect him with his almighty power ; which, were his eyes open to see, he would not be so routed in his thoughts at the approach of a weak creature : ' Should such a man as I flee? ' saith good Nehemiah, Neb. vi. 11. He was newly come from the throne of grace, where he had called in the help of the Almighty, ver. 9. ' O God, strengthen my hands.' And truly now he will rather die upon the place, than disparage his God with a dishonourable retreat.
Secondly, The Christian's comfort increaseth or wanes, as the aspect of his faith is to the power of God. Let the soul question that, or his interest in it, and his joy gusheth out, even as blood OTit of a broken vein : it is true, a soul may scramble to heaven with much ado, by a faith of recumbency, relying on God as able to save, without this persuasion of its interest in God ; but such a soul goes with a scant side wind, or like a ship whose masts are laid by the board, exposed to wind and weather, if others better appointed did not tow it along with them. Many fears like waves ever and anon cover such a soul, that it is more under water than above ; whereas one that sees itself folded in the arms of almighty power, O how such a soul goes mounting afore the wind, with her sails filled with joy and peace ! Let afflictions come, storms arise, this blessed soul knows where it shall land and be welcome. The name of God is liis harbour, where he puts in as boldly as a man steps into his own house, when taken in a shower. He hears God calling him into tliis and other his attributes, as chambers taken up for him, Isa. xxvi. ' Come, my people, enter into thy chambers.' God calls them his, and it were foolish modesty not to own what God gives ; Isa. xlv. 24, ' Surely shall a man say, Li the Lord have I righteous- ness and strength ;' that is, I have righteousness in God's righteousness, strength in his strength : so that in this respect Christ can no more say that his strength is his own, and not the believer's, than the husband can say, my body is my own, and not my wife's. A soul persuaded of this, may sing merrily with the sharpest thorn at his breast ; so David, Psalm Ivii. 7, ' My heart is fixed, my heart is fixed, I will sing and give praise.' What makes him so merry in so sad a place a^ the cave where now he was? He will tell you in ver. 1, where you have him nestling himself under the shadow of God's wings, and now well may he sing care and fear away. A sold .thus provided, may be at ease on a hard bed. Do you not think they sleep as soundly who dwell on London-bridge, as they who live at Whitehall or Cheapside, knowing the waves that roar under them cannot hm-t them? Even so may the saints rest quietly over the floods of death itself, and fear no ill.
Section HI. — Use 1. Is the almighty power of God engaged for the saints' defence? Surely then they will have a hard pull, the saints' enemies I mean, who meddle with them that are so far above their match. The devil was so cunning, that he would have Job out of his trench, his hedge down, before he would fall on ; but so desperate are men, they will try the field with the saints, though encircled with the almighty power of God. What folly were it to attempt, or sit down before such a city, which cannot bo blocked up so as no relief can get in ? The way to heaven cannot. In the church's straitest siege, there is a river which shall make glad this city of God, with seasonable succo\n-s from heaven. The saints' fresh springs are all from God ; and it is as feasible for sorry man to stop the water-courses of the clouds, as to dam up those streams, which invincibly glide like veins of water in the earth, from the fountain-head of his mercy, into the bosom of his people. The Egyptians thought they had Israel in a trap, when they saw them march into such a nook by the sea side. They are entangled, they are entangled ; and truly so they had been irrecoverably, had not tliat almighty power which led them on, engaged to bring them off" with honour and
AND IN THE POWER OF HIS WIGHT. ]9