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12, * And behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you, 0 children of Israel/ Num. xxiii. 23, * Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel ; ' that is, there is none against Israel that shall be of fbrce, or that shall take any effect to do the posterity of Jacob or Israel any hurt, any harm, any preju- dice. But why ? Because the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. The presence of God with his Israel blasts all Balaam's enchantments, and makes null and void all his divinations. God is with his people to counsel them in all doubtful and difficult cases, and to defend them, and secure them against all their enemies and opposers. Balaam had a month's mind to curse the people of God, as his unwearied endeavours to that purpose do abundantly evidence, Num. xxiii. 1, 13, 28, 29, and xxiv. 1 ; but the presence of God with his people prevented all his mischievous designs. Shimei curses David, but his curses could not hurt him, for God was with him, 2 Sam. xvi. 7, 9, 11, 12. The people generally cursed Jeremiah, chap. XV. 10, and i. 17-19 ; but all their curses could not harm him, for God was with him. The Jews in their prayers daily curse the Chris- tian churches, but all their curses can't prejudice them, because God is in the midst of them, Exod. xx. 24. And who will say that the reformed churches are one pin the worse for all the pope's excom- munications and execrations with bell, book, and candle ? The sig- nal presence of God with his people is a most sovereign antidote against all the curses and cursings of cursed men, and therefore what- ever you part with, be sure you don't part with your God ; let him be but in the midst of you, and then no curses shall be prevalent against you. This age abounds with such monsters, whose mouths are full of curses ; but if every curse should stick a visible blister on the curser's tongue, as it doth insensible ones on the curser's soul, their tongues would quickly be too big for their mouths, and they would soon grow weary of cursing the people of God, the things of God, the ways of God, the providences of God, and the faithful dispensers of the mysteries of God, But the best of it is, when they have done their worst, and spat out aU their curses, ' the curse causeless will not come,' Prov. xxvi. 2, for the ever-blessed God is in his people, and with his people, and among his people, and ' a wall of fire always about his people/ Zech. ii. 5, and therefore they are safe and secure enough when men and devils have done their worst. But,
[10.] Tenthly and lastly. To move you so to order, demean, and carry yourselves, as that you may enjoy the gracious presence of God with you in your greatest troubles and deepest distresses, consider that the divine presence luill make up the absence of all outward comforts. This gracious presence will supply and fill up the place of a friend, a child, a father, a husband. Some of the rabbis write that manna had all sorts of tastes and all sorts of sweets in it. Sure I am that the favourable presence of God has all sorts of sweets in it, Ps. iv. 6, 7; Prov. iv. 23. It has the sweet of all ordinances in it, it has the sweet of all duties in, it has the sweet of all church privileges in it, it has the 8weet of all relations in it, it has the sweet of all your outward com- forts in it: and therefore, above all keeping, keep the presence of
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God with you. Many in their distresses and miseries are full of complaints. One cries out, he wants a faithful friend ; another cries out, he wants an active relation ; a third cries out that he wants necessaries both for back and belly ; a fourth cries out he wants the means that others enjoy ; but he'^that enjoys the gracious presence of God finds all these wants made up to him — yea, he finds the divine presence to be infinitely better than the presence of all outward com- forts. As Elkanah said to Hannah, ' Am not I better than ten sons ?' 1 Sam. i. 8, so assuredly the presence of the Lord is wonderfully better than all other things to every soul that has tasted the sweetness of it. You know that one sun is more glorious, delightful, useful, and comfortable than ten thousand stars; so here. Seneca tells a courtier that had lost his son. Fas tihi non est, salvo Ccesare, de for- tuna tua queri, &c., That he had no cause to mourn, either for that or aught else, so long as his sovereign was in safety, and he in favour with his sovereign ; he had all things in him, and he should be un- thankful to his good fortune if he were not cheerful both in heart and look, so long as things stood so with him as they did. How much more may we say to every sincere Christian that enjoys the gracious presence of God with him, let thy wants and thy crosses be never so great, thy afflictions never so pressing, thy necessities never so biting, thou hast no just cause to be troubled or dejected, so long as thou art in favour with God, and enjoyest the presence of God. All mercies, all comforts, all contentments, all enjoyments, they meet and centre in the gracious presence of God, as all lights meet in the sun, and as all waters meet in the sea ; and therefore let not that soul mourn or complain of the want of anything, who enjoys that gracious presence of God that is better than every terrene thing. Thus much for the motives.
But some may say, 0 sir, what means should we use that we may enjoy the gracious presence of the Lord with us in our greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers ? I answer,
1. First, There a7'e some things that you m.ust carefully shun and take heed of; as,
[1.] First, Take heed of high sinnings, take heed of scandalous sins. High sinnings do greatly dishonour God, wound conscience, reproach religion, stagger the weak, grieve the strong, open the mouths of the wicked, and provoke God to withdraw his gracious presence, Ps. li. 11, 12 ; Exod. xxxii. 8, and xxxiii. 3 ; Isa. Ixiii. 10. Turn to these scriptures, and seriously ponder upon them. Great transgressions do eclipse the favour of God as well as the honour of God. In great transgressions we turn our backs upon God, and God turns away his face from us. Gross sins will provoke God to withdraw his presence, both in respect of vigour and strength, as also in respect of peace and comfort. But,
[2.] Secondly, Take heed ofimpenitency. Next to our being pre- served from sin, it is the greatest mercy in the world, when we are fallen by our transgi-essions, to make a quick and speedy return to God. When by your sins you have made work for repentance, for hell, or for the physician, souls, immediately make up the breach, take up the controversy between God and your souls, humble yourselves,
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