'Curse God, and die,' said he to Job by his wife, Job ii. 9. As if she had said. What! wilt thou yet hold the castle of thy sincerity for God? Captains think they may yield, when no relief comes to them ; and subjects make account, if the prince protect not them, they are not bound to serve him. Thou hast lain thus long in an afflicted state, besieged close with sorrows on every hand, and no news to this day comes from heaven of any care that God takes for thee ; there- fore 'curse God, and die ;' yea, Christ had him using the same engine to draw him off from his faithfulness to his Father, when he bade him turn stones into bread. We see therefore of what importance it is to strengthen our faith on the care and providence of God, for our provision and protection ; which is the cause why God hath made such abundant provision to shut all doubting and fear of this out of the hearts of his people. The promises are so fitly placed, that as safe harbours, upon what coast soever we be sailing, or what condition soever we are in, if any storm arise at sea, or enemy chase us, we may put into some one or other of them, and be safe, though this one were enough, could we find no more to serve ovu- tin-n, 2 Chron. xvi. 9 : ' The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in behalf of them,' (or strongly to hold with them,) 'whose heart is perfect towards him.' God doth not set others to watch, but his own eyes keep sentinel; now to watch with the child, like the own mother, there is the immediacy of his pi'ovidence. We may say of sincere souls, what is said of Canaan, Deut. xi. 9, 10: ' It is a land,' (so they are a people,) 'the Lord himself careth for, his eyes are always on them.' Again, ' his eyes run to and fro ;' there is the vigilancy of his provi- dence ; no danger, no tem^itation finds him sleeping, but as a faithful watchman is ever walking up and down, so the eyes of God run to and fro ; ' he that keepeth Israel,' (the sincere soul, which is the Israelite indeed,) ' shall neither slumber nor sleep,' Psa. cxxi. 4 ; that is, not little nor much; nor slumber by day, nor sleep by night ; two words are there used, one that signifies the short sleep used in the heat of the day, the other for the more soiuul sleep of the night. Thirdly, 'Throughout the whole earth;' there is the imiversality and extent of God's care ; it is an encompassing providence, it walks the rounds ; not any one sincere soul left out of the line of his care. He has the number of them to a man, and all are alike cared for. We disfigure the beautiful face of God's providence, when we fancy him to have a cast of his eye, and care to one more than another. Fourthly, To shew himself strong in the behalf of them ; there is the efiicacy of his care and providence ; his eyes do not run to and fro to espy dangers, and only tell us what they are, as the sentinel wakes the city when any enemy comes, but cannot defend them from their fury. A child may do this, yea, the geese did this for Rome's capital. But God watcheth, not to tell us our dangers, but to save us from them ; the saints must needs be a happy people, ' because a people saved by the Lord,' Deut. xxxiii. 29. God doth not only see with his _eyes, but also fights with his eyes. He gave such a look to the Egyptians, as turned the sea on them to their destruction.
Section II. — Secondly, Labour to act from love, and not fear. Slavish fear and sincerity cannot agree ; if one be in the increase, the other is in the wane always. See them opposed, 2 Tim. i. 7 : ' God hath not given us the spirit of feai', but of power, of love, and of a sound mind;' that is, sincere; where he implies that fear is weak and impotent, easily scared from God, his truth, and service; and not so only, butunsound also ; not trusting such a one with any great matter. The slave, though he works hard, because, indeed, he dares no other, yet is soon drawn into a conspiracy against his master, because he hates him while he fears him. We see this not only among the Turks, (against whom those Christians, used as absolute slaves by them in their galleys, do, when they have advantage in fight, often purchase their own liberty by cutting the throats of their tyrant masters,) but also in kingdoms where subjects rather fear than love their princes, how ready they are to invite another into the throne, or welcome any that should court them. Thus fast and loose will he be with God, that is pricked on with the sword's point of his wrath, and not drawn with the cords of his love. Israel is an example beyond parallel for this : ' When God slew them, they sought after him ; nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongue ; for their heart was not right
GIRT ABOUT WITH TRUTH. 267