(2.) Pray indefinitely, that you may be kept from the sins and temptations of the times. O watch and proy^ that you enter not hito temptation ; if you cannot prevail with God to turn away his an- ger, yet be importunate with him that you may be kept from sin ; that if ¥OU lose your outward peace, you may be able to keep in- ward peace ; that you may never sacrifice your consciences, to save your flesh ; that you may never fall under the displeasure of God, to avoid the rage of men. Ah friends ! we little think what a fearful havock an hour of temptation will make in such a profes- sing nation as this is ; then shall many be offended, INIat. xxiv. 10. O pray, that you may never give offence to others, by scan-
dal, or take offence yourselves at the ways of God, whatever suffer- ings and slmrp trials shall come.
(S.) Pray earnestly for the sanctification of all your troubles to vour eternal good ; an unsanctified comfort never did any man good, and a sanctified trouble never did any man hurt ; be more earnest therefore with God, rather to have your troubles sanctified than prevented; to get the blesshig than to avoid the smart of them; if they cannot be turned away from you, pray they may be turned to your salvation.
2. Betake yourselves to God, your refuge, by faith, resigning and committing all into his hands, " Now the just shall live by " faith,'' Heb. x. 38. The more you can trust God, the more you secure yourselves from danger ; he that can live by faith shall never die by fear ; and be sure to inform yourselves w^ell in two things, viz.
1. What it is to trust God over all.
2. What grounds you have so to do.
1. Be well instructed in the nature of this duty; there are six things imported in such acts of resignation.
1. An awakened sense of our dangers and hazards. " At what '^ time I am afraid, I will trust in thee," Psal, Ivi. 3. Suffering- times are resigning times, 1 Pet. iv. 19. " Let them that suffer ac- " cording to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to " him in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator.'' And the greater and nearer our dangers are, the more frequent and vigorous should the actings of our faith this way be : Be not far from me, for trou- ble is near.
2. Resignation to God necessarily implies our renunciation and disclaiming of all other refuges. " Ashur shall not save us, we will '^ not ride upon horses, neither will we say any more to the work of " our handsj ye are our gods, for in thee the fatherless findeth " mercy," Hos. xiv. 3. He that relies upon God must cease from man ; resignation to God excludes not the use of lawful means, but it doth exclude dependence upon them.
3. Resignation to God is always grounded upon an interest in God ; we have no warrant nor encouragement to expect protec- tion from him in time of trouble, except we can come to him as children to a father : It is the filial relation that gives encourage- ment to this fiducial resignation ; and the clearer that relation and interest is, the more bold and confident those acts of faith will be; Psal. Ixxxvi. 2. " Preserve my soul, for I am holy : O thou, my '• God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee." And again, Psal. cxix. 94. " I am thine, save me." 1 speak not here of the first act of faith which flows not from an interest, but gives the soul an in- terest in God. Nor do I say, that poor, doubting, and timorous
THE RIGIItEOUS MAN S REFUGE. 409
Ijelievers, whose interest in him is dark and dubious, have no war- rant to resign themselves and their concernments into his hands ; for it is both their right and duty to do it: but certainly the clearer our interest is, the more facile and comlbrtable will those acts be.
4. The committing acts of faith imply a full acknowledgment and owning of God's power to protect us, be the danger never so immi- nent ; Psal. xxxi. 15. " My times are in thy hand, deliver me " from the hands of mine enemies, and from them that persecute " me ;" q. d. O Lord, I am fully satisfied, my life is not at the disposal of mine enemies ; it is not in their hands, but in thine ; all the traps and snares they lay for it shall not shorten one minute of my time ; I know thine hand is fully able to protect me, and there- fore into thine hands I resign myself and all I have.
5. Resignation involves in it an expectation of help and safety from God, when we see no way of security from men. " O Lord, " saith Jehoshaphat, We have no might, nor strength, neither " know we what to do, but our eyes are unto thee," 2 Chron. xx. 12. So David, Psal. Ixii. 5, 6. " My soul, wait thou only upon " God ; for my expectation is from him : he only is my rock and " my salvation ; he is my defence ; I shall not be moved."
6. Resignation to God implies the leaving of ourselves, and our concernments with liim, to be disposed of according to his good pleasure ; the resigning soul desires the Lord to do with him what he will, and is content to take what lot Divine pleasure shall cast for him : 2 Sam. xv. 25. " And the king said unto Zadok, carry " back the ark of God into the city ; if I shall find favour in the " eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and shew me both it '^ and his habitation ; but if he thus say, I have no delight in thee, '' behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him." And so much of the nature of this duty, that we may understand what to do.
2. Next, let me shew you what encouragements you that are the people of God have to this duty ; and they will appear to be great and many.
1. The sovereignty and absolute dominion of God over all crea- tures is a singular encouragement to commit ourselves into his hands, and trust him over all, Psal. lix. 9. " Because of his strength " will I wait upon thee ; for God is my defence." If a man were in danger amidst a great army of yude and insolent soldiers, and were to put himself under the protection of any one, it would be his wisdom to chuse to do it under the general, who had all the soldiers of his army at his beck. Christian, thy God, into whose hands thou committest thyself is Lord-general of all the hosts and
410 THE ElGHTEOrs MA^' S REFUCE.
armies in heaven and earth ; how safe must thou then be in hU hands?
2. The unsearchable and perfect wisdom of God is a mighty en- couragement to commit ourselves into his hands; With him is plen^ teous redemption^ Psal. cxxx. ult. i. e. Choice and variety of ways and methods to save his people ; we are, but God never is, at a loss to find a door for our escape, 2 Pet. ii. 9. " The Lord knoweth *• how to dehver the godly out of temptation.''