[4.] Fourthly, Inordinate cares are a dishonour and a reproach to the mercy, bounty, and liberality of God. They proclaim God to be a hard master, and not to be of so free, so noble, and so generous a spirit, as Scripture and the experiences of many thousands speaks him to be. I have read of a duke of Milan, that marrying his daughter to a son of England, he made a dinner of thirty courses, and at every course ' Ps cxxxix. 11 ; Pb. xl. 5 ; Job. xxxi. 4 ; 2 Chron. xvi. 9, &c.
64 AN ARK FOR ALL GOD's NOAHS. [LAM. III. 24.
he gave so many gifts to every giiest at the table, iis there were dishes in the course. Here was a rich and royal entertainment, here was noble bounty indeed ; but this bounty is not to be named in the day wherein the bounty and liberality of God to his people is spoken of Princes' treasures have been often exhausted and drawn dry, but the treasures of God's bounty and liberality were never, nor never shall be, exhausted or drawn dry.^ O sirs ! you are as well able to tell the stars of heaven, and to number the sands of the sea, as you are able to number up the mercies and favours of God that attends his people in one day, yea, that attends them in one hour of the day, or in one minute of an hour; such is his liberality and bounty towards them. God is always best, when he is most in the exercise of his bounty and liberality towards his people. His favours and mercies seldom come single. There is a series, a con- catenation of them, and every former draws on a future ; yea, such is the bounty and liberality of God, that he never takes away one mercy, but he hath another ready to lay in the room of it ; as Joshua began to shine before Moses his candle was put out ; and before Joshua went to bed, Othniel the son of Kenaz was risen up to judge. Eli was not gathered to his fathers, before Samuel appeared hopeful ; nor Sarah was not taken away till Rebekah was ready to come in her stead. The Jews have a saying, that never doth there die any illustrious man, but there is an- other born as bright on the same day.
[5.] Fifthly, Inordinate cares are a reproach and a dishonour to the fidelity of God. As if he were not the faithful witness, the faithful God, that hath bound himself by promise, by covenant, and by oath, to take care of his people, and to provide for his people, and to look after the welfare of his people.'* God is that ocean and fountain from whence all that faithfulness that is in angels and men do issue and flow, and his faithfulness is the rule and measure of all that faithfulness that is in all created beings, and his faithfulness is unchangeable and perfect Though the angels fell from their faithfulness, and Adam fell from his, yet it is impossible that ever God should fall from his. God's faith- fulness is a foundation-faithfulness ; it is that foundation upon which all our faith, hope, prayers, praises, and obedience stands ; and there- fore,, whoever is unfaithful, God will be sure to shew himself a faithful God, in making good all that he hath spoken concerning them that fear him. I had rather, said Plutarch, that men should say there was never any such person in the world as Plutarch, rather than say that Plutarch is unfaithful. Men were better say that there is no God, than to say that God is an unfaithful God ; and yet this is the constant language of inordinate cares. O sirs ! God's goodness inclines him to make good promises, precious promises ; and his faithfulness engages him to make those promises good, 2 Peter i. 4. If the word be once gone out of his mouth, heaven and earth shall sooner pass away, than one jot of that word shall fail. Mat. v. 18. Men say and unsay what they have said ; they often eat their words as soon as they have spoke them ; but so will not God. This faithfulness of God Joshua stoutly asserts to the height ; he throws down the gauntlet, and doth, as it were, challenge
• Mercy and bounty is as essential to God, as light is to the sun, or as heat is to the fire. » Rev. i. 6, iii. 14 ; Isa. xlix. 7 ; 1 Cor. i. 9, x. 13 ; 2 Thes. iii. 3 ; Heb. x. 23 ; Rev. xix. 11 : Heb, vi. 13-19.
Lam. III. 24.] an ark for all god's noahs. 65
all Israel to shew but that one thing that God had failed them in of all the good things that he had promised, Joshua xxiii. 14, 15. If God in very faithfulness afflicts his people to make good his threatenings, oh, how much more in faithfulness will he preserve and provide for his people, to make good his promises ! Ps. cxix. 75. God hath never broke his word nor cracked his credit by deceiving, or by compounding for one penny less in the pound than what he hath promised to make good. God stands upon nothing more than his faithfulness, and glories in nothing more than his faithfulness ; and yet all inordinate cares leaves a blot upon his faithfulness. But,