piness is out of the reach of all thine enemies, Luke xii. 4. Luke X. 42. And if that be safe, thou hast no cause to be sad ; to droop and tremble at the hazard of earthly comforts, whilst heavenly and eternal things are safe, is as if a man that had gotten his pardon from the king, and had it safe in his bosom, should be found weeping upon the way home, because he hath lost his staff or glove. These reasons are strong against the dejections of God's people under outward troubles ; but yet I am sensible that all the reasoning in the world will not prevent their dejections, except they will take pains to clear up their interest in God against such a day, Psal. xviii. 2. and will act their faith by way of adherence and dependence upon God, in the want of former hght and evidence, Isa. 1. 10. And lastly, that they keep their consciences pure and inviolate, which will be a spring of comfort in the midst of troubles, 2 Cor. i. 12.
3. Consect Thirdly, It hence appears to he the greatest Jolly and vanity in the world, to make any thing but God our refuge in the day of trouble. This practice, as you heard but now, is under God's curse ; and that which is cursed of God can never be comfortable to us. It is an honour peculiar to God, the right of heaven, and therefore cursed sacrilege to bestow it on the creature. We read of some that make lies their refuge, and hide themselves under falsehood, thinking when the overflow^ing scourge comes, it shall not come nigh unto them, Isa. xxviii. 15. They will trust to their wits and policies, they will fawn and flatter, lie and dissemble, cast themselves into a thousand shapes and forms to save themselves ; but all in vain ; the flood shall sweep away their refuge of lies. Others make riches their trust and confidence, Prov. x. 15. " The " rich man's wealth is his strong city." If enemies come, their money shall be their ransom : But oh ! what a poor refuge will this be ! it may betray, but cannot secure them. " Behold, saith " God, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not *' regard silver ; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it,'* Isa. xiii. 17. Riches profit not in the day of wrath, Prov. xi. 4. Job blessed God in the day of his adversity, that he had not made gold his hope, or the fine gold his confidence, Job xxxi. 24. Bles^ not thou thyself, that thou hast such things to bestow thy hope and trust upon. Others make men their refuge, especially great and powerful men : But to how little purpose is it ! " Put not " your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is " no help," Psal. cxlvi. 3, 4. They cannot keep their crowns upon their heads, no, nor their heads upon their shoulders ; the greatest men are but dust, and what can dust do to dust ? Three things aggravate their misery, who misplace their confidence by be- stowing it on any creature, (1.) That creature will certainly deceivg
404? THE raCKTEOLS AIAX's REFUGE.
thein ; men are deceitful men, Psal. Ixii. 9. Riches are deceitfi?! riches, 1 Tim. vi. 17. Every thing you lean on beside God will start aside like a deceitful bow, Psal. Ixxviii. 57. (2.) The disap- pointment of your hopes from the creature will enflame your affliction, and greatly aggravate your sorrow, 2 Kings xviii. 21. The broken reeds of Egypt will not only fail, but pierce you. (3.) In a word, God will take none into his protection, who make any- thing besides himself their liope and confidence ; if we fly from God to the creature, God will say, To the creature thou shalt go ; except I have thy dependence, thou shalt never have my protec- tion ; where I have no honour, thou shalt have no comfort.
Consect. 4. Fourthly, The former discourse yields us also this comfortable conclusion, That whatever confusions, desolatiojis and troiibks be in the earth, the church and people of God can never be wholly exterminated and destroyed, seeing such a secure refuge is prepared for them of God, Psal. cii. 28. " The children of thy ser- " vants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before " thee." Which is assigned as the true reason of its perpetuity and safety, Psal. xlviii. 3. " God is known in her palaces for a refuge." The church's enemies have tried the utmost of their policies and powers in all ages against it, but to no purpose : whilst they have been plotting and persecuting, the preserved remnant have been sing- ing their songs upon AlamotJi, even praises to their great Preserver ; though they have no external, visible defence, yet are they as safe as salvation itself can make them, " for salvation will God appoint " for walls and bulwarks," Isa. xxvi. 1, 2. Four things are ex- ceeding remarkable in the church's preservation : (1.) No people were ever so fiercely opposed by the powers of this world, " The " kings of the earth have set themselves, and the rulers have " taken counsel together," Psal. ii. 2. All methods and artifices have been tried, sometimes to jeer and scoff them out of their re- ligion, so did the apostate Julian ; and sometimes by cruel tortures to affright them from their religion ; the variety, and more than barbarous inhumanity whereof the church-histories gives us a sad and amazing account. (2.) Under these cruel persecutions they have seemed to be utterly lost, to the eye of sense and reason ; " I am left alone, said Elijah, and they seek my life," 1 Kings xix. 10. " By whom. Lord, shall Jacob arise, (said Amos) for he *' is very small ?" Amos vii 2. (3.) Notwithstanding all which, the church hath out-lived all its dangers ; it is the true Phoenix which hath out-lived the deluge. (4.) Such deliverances are proper and peculiar to the church alone ; no people, besides the people of God, have such salvations upon record. The great and famous monarchies of the world have dashed one another to
tHE RIGHTEOUS MaVs REFUGE. 405
pieces, like earthen potsheards *. And all this by virtue of that promise, Jer. xxx. 11. " For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to " save thee ; though I make a full end of all nations whither I " have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee.""
Consect. 5. Fiftlily, to conclude. If this be so, then it is a deep and dangerous policy of Satan to shut iip our refuge in God against us, as much as may he, in times of trouble. Satan, like a cunning fowler, despairs of getting the birds in his net, except he can beat them out of their coverts ; it is therefore his great design, to estrange and alienate the saints from their God, as much as he can, thereby to cut off their retreat to him in times of trouble ; a mischief which the people of God have always vehemently depre- cated, Psal. cii. 2. Jer. xvii. 17. and oh that we would beware of it, and shun this mischief by our seasonable preventing watchful- ness. There are, among others, three special projects of Satan, "whereby he manages this mischievous design against the people of God.