(3.) Have you not plainly discerned the hand of God in the re- turns and accomplishments of your prayers ? Nothing can be more evident than this to men of observation, Psalm xxxiv. 4, 5, 6. " I " sought the Lord, and he heard me, and dehvered me from all " my fears. They looked unto him and were lightened, and their " faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord " heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.'* Parallel to this, runs the experience of thousands and ten thousands of Chris- tians this day ; they know they have the petitions they asked of him. The mercy carries the very impress and stamp of the duty upon it. So that we can say, This is the mercy, the very mercy I
THE MYSTIllY OF PR0VIDE>;CE. 415
hsive so often sought God about. O how satisfying and convincing are these things.
(4.) Have you not evidently discerned the Lord's hand in the guiding and directing of your paths to your unforeseen advantage? Things that you never projected for yourselves, have been brought about beyond all your thoughts. Many such things are with God ; and which of all the saints hath not found that word, Jer. x. 23. verified by clear and undeniable experience ? '* The way of man " is not in himself I presume, if you will but look over the mercies you possess this day, you will find three to one, it may be ten to one, thus wrought by the Lord for you. And how satis- fying beyond all arguments in the world are these experiences, That there is a God to whom his people are exceeding dear, a God that perjbrineth all things for them !
(5.) Is it not fully convictive, that there is a God who takes care of you, in as much as you have found in all the temptations and difficulties of your lives his promises still fulfilled, and faith- fully performed in all those conditions ? I appeal to yourselves, if you have not seen that promise made good, Psal. xci. 15. " I " will be with him in trouble ;" and that, 1 Cor. x. 13. " God *' is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what •• you are able ; but will with the temptation also make a way to " escape, that ye n\ay be able to bear it."" Have not these been as clearly made out by providence before your eyes, as the sun at noon-day ? What room then is left for atheistical suggestions ia your breasts ?
The recording and recognizing of the performances of providence will be a singular support tojhith in future exigencies *. This ex- cellent use of it lies full in the very eye of the text. There never befel David in all his troubles, a greater strait and distress than this ; and doubtless his faith had staggered, had not the consider- ations of former providences come in to its relief From this topic faith argues, and that very strongly and conclusively. So did Da- vid's faith in many exigencies. When he was to encounter the champion of the Philistines, it was from former providences that he encouraged himself, 1 Sam. xvii. 37. And the apostle Paul im- proves his experiences to the same purpose, 2 Cor. i. 9, 10. In- deed the whole scripture is full of it. What Christian understands
• We should ponder diligently things that are past as well as present, that we may be prepared and ready for future trials. Faith uses to argue from tlie past to the present ; and from both to the future. Alsted,
446 DIVINE CONDTTCT ; OH,
not the exceeding usefulness of those experiences he hath had to rehevc and enliven ? But I shall not satisfy myself with the com- mon assertion, than which nothing is more trite in the lips of pro- fessors ; but will labour to shew you, wherein the great usefulness of our recorded experiences, for encouraging faith labouring under difficulties, consists. To this purpose, I shall desire the reader to ponder seriously these following particulars.
1. How much advantage those things have upon our souls, which we have already felt and tasted, beyond those which we never relished by any former experience ? What is experience, but the bringing down of the objects of faith to the dijudication and test of spiritual sense ? Now, when any thing hath been once tasted, felt, and judged by former experience, it is much more easily believed and received when it occurs again. It is much easier for faith to travel in a path that is well known to it, having formerly trode it, than to beat out a new one which it never trode, nor can see one step before it. Hence it is, though there be a diffi- culty in all the acts of faith, yet scarce in any like the first adven- ture it makes upon Christ ; and the reason lies here, because in the subsequent acts it hath all its former experiences to aid and encou- rage it ; but in the^r^-^ adventure it hath none at all of its own, it takes a path which it never knew before.
To trust God without any trial or experience, is a more noble act of faith ; but to trust him after we have 'often tried 'him, is known to be more easy. O it is no small advantage to a soul, in a new plunge of distress, to be able to say. This is not the first time I have been in these deeps, and yet emerged out of them. Hence it was that Christ stirred up his disciples' memories with what providence had formerly wrought for them in a day of straits. Mat. xvi. 8, 9, 10, 11. " O ye of Uttle faith, w^hy reason ye *' among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread ; Do ye *' not yet understand, neither remember ?" q. d. Were ye never under any strait for bread before now ?" Is this the first difficulty that ever your faith combated with ? No ; you have felt straits, and experienced the power and care of God in supplying them, before now ; and therefore I cannot but call you men of little Jaith ; for a very ordinary and small measure of faith, assisted with so much experience as you have had, would enable you to trust God. There is as much difference betwixt believing before, and after ex- perience, as there is betwixt swimming with bladders, and our first venture into the deep waters without them.
What a singular encouragement to faith do former experiences yield it, by answering all the pleas and objections of unbelief drawn from the object of faith ? Now there be two things that unbelief
•tllE ilYStERY OF PROVIDENCE. 447
stumbles at in God ; one is his power, the other his willingness to help.
(1.) Unbelief objects the impossibility of relief in deep distresses, Psal. Ixxviii. 19. " Can God furnish a table in the wilderness ? " Can he give bread also ? Can he provide flesh for his people ?"
0 vile and unworthy thoughts of God ! proceeding from our mea- suring the immense and boundless power of God, by our own line and measure : because we sec not which way relief should come, we conclude, none is to be expected. But all these reasonings of unbelief are vanquished by a serious reflection upon our own ex- periences ; God hath helped, therefore he can, Isa. lix. 1. " His *' hand is not shortened ;'' i. e. he hath as much power and ability as formerly.