Sect. III. What remains then, seeing God is unchangeable in his love to his people, pursuing the great ends of all his gracious promises in a steady course of providence, wherein he will never effect, or permit any thing that is really repugnant to his own glory, or their good ; but that we enter also into this chamber of rest, shut the doors about us, and comfortably improve the un-
THE RIGHTEOUS MAN's REFUGE. 881
changeableness of God, while we see nothing but changes and trou- bles here below.
(1.) Enter into God's unchangeableness by faith, take up your lodging in this sweet attiibute also ; and to encourage your faith thereunto, seriously consider a few particulars.
1. Consider how constant, firm, and unchangeable God hath been to his people in all times and straits ; not one among the many thousands of his people, that are passed on before you, but by frequent and certain experience have found him so. What a sin- gular encouragement is this to our faith in the case before us ? Psal. ix. 13. " They that know thy name, will put their trust in " thee, for thou. Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.*" So Isa. XXV. 4. " Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength *' to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow " from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as the " storm against the wall."" Neither is there any thing in your ex- perience contradictory to the encouraging reports others have made of God : you must acknowledge, that notwithstanding your o^vn changeableness, who have hardly been able to maintain your hearts in any spiritual frame towards God for one day together, yet his mercies towards you have been new every morning, and great hath been his faithfulness. You have often turned aside from the way of your duty, and have not followed God in a steady course of obe- dience ; and yet, for all that, his goodness and mercy have followed you all the days of your life, as it is Psal. xxiii. 6.
2. Consider how often you have doubted and mistrusted the unchangeableness of God, and been forced with shame and sor- row, to retract your folly therein ; God hath many times convinced you, that his love to you is an unchangeable love, how many changes soever, in the course of his providence, have passed over you ; consult Isa. xhx. 14. and Psal. Ixxvii. 78. and see how the cases are parallel, both in respect of God's constancy to them and you, and the inconstancy of his people's faith then, and yours now; your fears and doubts are the same with theirs, though his good- ness and love have been as unchangeable to you as ever they were to them.
3. Consider the advocateship and intercession of 'Jesus Christ in heaven for you, by virtue whereof the favour and love of God be- come unalterable towards his people. If any thing can be sup- posed to cool or quench the love of God towards you, nothing in the world is more like to do it than your sin ; and this, indeed, is that which you fear will estrange and alienate the heart of your God from you. But, reader, if thou be one that sincerely mournest for all the grief and dishonour of God by thy sin, appliest the blood
882 THE RIGHTEOUS MAn's REFUGE.
of sprinkling to thy soul by faith, and makest mortification and watchfulness thy daily business ; comfort thyself against that fear from that singular encouragement given thee in this case, ] John ii. 1, 2. " My httle children, these things write I unto you, that " ye sin not ; and if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the *' Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the Propitiation for *' our sins." Look as the death of Christ healed the great breach betwixt God and the soul, by thy reconciliation at first ; so the pow- erful intercession of Christ in heaven effectually prevents all new breaches betwixt God and thy soul afterwards, so that he will never totally and finally cast thee off again.
(2.) Shut the door behind you against all objections, scruples, and questionings of God's immutability, and, by a resolved and steady faith, maintain the honour of God in this point, by thy con- stant adherence to it, and dependence upon it : and especially see that you give him the glory of his unchangeableness.
1. When thou shalt see the greatest alterations and changes made by his providence in the world. What though thou shouldst live to see all things turned upside down, the foundations out of course, all things drawing into a sea of confusion and trouble ? yet in the midst of those public distractions and distress of nations, en- courage thou thyself in this : Thy God, and his love to his people, are the same for ever. Psal. xlvi. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. " God is our refuge " and strength, a very present help in trouble ; therefore will we " not fear, though the earth be moved, and the mountains be cast " into the midst of the sea : God is in the midst of her, she shall '' not be moved."
2. live by faith upon God's unchangeableness under the great- est changes of your own condition in this world. Providence may make great alterations upon all your outward comforts : it may cast you down, how dear soever you be to God, from riches into po- verty, from health into sickness, from honour into reproach, from liberty into bondage ; thou mayest overlive all thy comfortable re- lations, and of a Naomi become a Marah. Thou hast lifted me up^ and cast me down, said as good a man as you, Psal. ciii. 10. Yet still it is your duty, and will be your great privilege in the midst of all these changes, to act your faith upon the never-changing God, as that holy man did, Kab. iii. 17. " Although the fig-tree shall " not blossom, neither fruit be in the vine ; the labour of the " olive shall fail ; and the fields shall yield no meat ; the flocks " shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the " stall ; . yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my " salvation ;" q. d. Suppose a thousand disappointments of my earthly hopes, yet will I maintain my hope in God. O Christian !
with how many yets, notwithstandings, and neverthelesses, must thy faith bear up in times of trouble, or thou wilt sink.
3. See thou live upon God's unchangeableness, when age and sickness shall inform thee that thy great change is at hand ; though thy heart and thy flesh fail, comfort thyself with this, thy God will never fail thee, Psal. Ixxiii. 16. " O God (saith David) thou *' liast taught me from my youth, and hitherto have I declared *' thy wondrous works, now also when I am old and gray-headed, *' forsake me not,'' Psal. Ixxi. 17, 18.