in the promises, to a tittle; for wherever you find a promise of God, you also find the name and honour of God given as a security for the performance of it ; and so his name hath ever been pleaded with him by his people, as a mighty argument to work for them, Josh. vii. 9. What wilt thou do for thy ^reat name^ q. d. Lord, thine honour is a thousand times more than our lives, it is no such great matter what becomes of us ; but ah. Lord, it is of infinite concernment that the glory of thy name be secured, and thy faith- fulness kept pure and unspotted in the world. So again, Exod. xxxii. 11, 12. " And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, " Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people which thou " hast brought out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and " with a mighty hand ? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, " and say, for mischief did he bring them out to slay them in the " mountains, and to consume tliem from the face of the earth ? turn " from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people." q. d. It will be sad enough for the hands of the Egyptians to fall upon thy people, but infinitely worse for the tongues of the Egyp- tians to fall upon thy name.
4. The unchangeableness of his nature gives us the fullest assu- rance of his faithfulness in the promises, Mai. iii. 6. " I am the " Lord, I change not ; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not fox\- '' sumed." God's unchangeableness is his people's indemnity, and best security in the midst of dangers ; as there is not yea and nay •with God, neither should it be so with our faith ; that which gives steadiness to the promises should give steadiness also to our expectations for the performance of them : and so much, briefly, of the faithfulness of God, absolutely considered in the nature and grounds of it.
2. Next let us view the faithfulness of God, as it relates to the many great and precious promises made unto his people for their security, both in their
2. Spiritual } Concernments.
1. AVe find the faithfulness of God pledged for the security of his people, in their spiritual and eternal concernments against all their dangers and fears, threatening them on that account, and that more especially in these three respects.
1. It is given them as their great and best security for the par- don of their sins, 1 John i. 9. " If v.e confess our sins, he is faith- " ful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all un- " righteousness." Our greatest danger comes from sin ; guilt is a fountain of tears, a pardoned soul only can look other troubles in the face boldly : as guilt begets fear, so pardon produces courage, and God's faithfulness in the covenant is, as it were, that pardon-office
THE RIGHTEOUS MAN^S UEFUGE. 367
from whence we fetch our discharges and acquittances, Isa. xHii. 25. " I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy trangressions for mine " own sake."" The promises of remission are made for Christ's sake, and wlien made, they must be fulfulled for his own, that is, his faithfulness sake.
2. It is engaged for the perseverance of the saints, and their con- tinuance in the ways of God in the most hazardous and difficult times; this was the encouragement given them. 1 Cor. i. 8, 9. *' Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blame- " less in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ ; God is faithful by <' whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ " our Lord." Ah Lord ! might those Corinthians say, the powers of the world are against us, suffering and death are before us, a treacherous and fearful heart within us. Ay, but yet fear not, Christ shall confirm you whosoever opposes you ; though the world and your own hearts be deceitful, yet comfort yourselves with this, your God is faithful.
3. The faithfulness of God is given by promise for his people's security in, and encouragement against all their sufferings and af- flictions in this world, 2 Thess. iii. 2, 3. " That we may be de- *' livered from unreasonable and wicked men, for all men have not *' faith ; but the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep " you from evil." He prays they may be delivered from absurd, treacherous, and unfaithful men, who would trepan and betray them to ruin ; but this is proposed as their relief, that when the treachery of men shall bring them into troubles, the faithfulness of God shall support them under, and deliver them out of those trou- bles ; they shall have spiritual supports from God under their deep- est sufferings from men, 1 Pet. iv. 19.
2. God's faithfulness is engaged for his people's indemnity and security, amidst the temporal and outward evils whereunto they are liable in this world ; and that, either to preserve them from trou- bles, Psal. xci. 1, 2, 3, 4. or to open a seasonable door of deliver- ance out of trouble, 1 Cor. x. 13. In both, or either of which, the hearts of Christians may be at rest in this troublesome world ; for what need those troubles fright us, which either shall never touch us, or if they do, shall never hurt, much less ruin us?
Sect. III". Having taken a short view of God's faithfulness in the promises, it will be a lovely sight to take one view of it more, as it is actuated, and exerted in his providences over his people. Believe it, Christians, the faithfulness of God runs through all his works of providence, whenever he goes forth to work in the world. " Faithfulness is the girdle of his loins," Isa. xi. 5. It is an al- lusion to workmen who going forth in the morning to their labour, •gird their loins pr reins with a. girdle; now there is no work
368 THE RIGHTEOUS MA>:\s REFUGE.
wrought by God in this world, but his faithfulness is as the girdle of his loins : The consideration whereof should make the most des- pondent believer, Gird up the loins of his mind, that is, encourage and strengthen his drooping and discouraged heart. Those works of God which are wrought in faithfulness, and in pursuit of his eter- nal purposes and gracious promises, should rather delight than affright us, in beholding them. It pluckt out the sting of Da- vid's affliction, when he considered it was in very faithfulness that God had afflicted him, Psal. cxix. 89, 90. But more particularly, let us behold with delight the faithfulness of God, making good six sorts of promises to his people, in the days of their affliction and trouble, viz.
1. The promises of preservation.
2. The promises of support. 8. The promises of direction.
4. The promises of provision.
5. The promises of deliverance.
6. The promises of ordering and directing the event to their advantage.