[2.] As to trust and dependence on his goodness for relief in all our straits and necessities. This is the grand principle that keepeth up an acknowledgment of God in the world, by prayers and supplica- tions : Ps. Ixii. 8, ' Trust in the Lord at all times ; ye people, pour out your heart before him.' When you retire your souls from all secular confidences, and repose all your trust in him, you will be instant in prayer, and earnestly beg his relief ; you see all things sub- sist by him, and it is in vain to expect any real assistance from the creature, but what God will communicate to us by it. Now, if it be not so, but the creatures could stand of themselves, and live of them- selves, this would blast all devotion, and prayer be withered and dried up at the root ; humbling ourselves to God in our straits and neces- sities would look like dejection or poorness of spirit, whining to no purpose.
[3.] For thankfulness for benefits received, which is the great means to knit the hearts of men to God, and the bellows which bloweth up the fire of love and religion in our hearts. How can we ascribe our
452 PRE-EXISTENCE OF CHRIST BEFORE ALL THINGS. [SeR. IV.
deliverances to God, if he hath not a hand in all things ? But when we acknowledge his sustaining and governing power, we see God in the face of the creature, and every benefit we receive representeth his good- ness to us. But, alas ! they have no thought or care of praise and thanksgiving that think not themselves obliged to God for the least hair of their heads. God is banished out of their sight, because they look for all from the creature. But they cannot enough praise and bless God, who is the strength of their lives, and the length of their days. They acknowledge that every good gift cometh from him, that he heareth their prayers, relieveth their necessities, continues their lives to them every moment ; therefore God is all in all with them, but to others he is a shadow or nothing. His memory is kept up in the world by his benefits. Acts xiv. 17.
[4.] For obedience and service to him. Certainly dependence begets allegiance and observance. We are obsequious to those from whom we expect our dole and portion : Ps. cxxxi. 2, ' As the eyes of ser- vants look to the hand of their masters, and the eyes of a maiden unto the hands of her mistress, so do our eyes wait on the Lord our God.' The masters gave the men-servants their portion and allowance ; and the mistress to the maid-servants : they looked for all from their hands, and therefore to them they performed their service ; so do the people of God. What reverence do we owe to him who is our Creator and pre- server, as well as Kedeemer ! As he made all things, so he supporteth all things. Did we see God in us and in all things round about us, these thoughts would be more frequent in us, and we will still be con- sidering what we shall render unto the Lord for all his benefits to- wards us. But obedience soon languisheth where men think they subsist of themselves without God: Ps. Iv. 19, 'Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.' They are not interrupted in their sinful course, and therefore have no reverence and respect to God.
Use 1. This doth strengthen our dependence and reliance on our blessed Kedeemer. By him all things do subsist, therefore he can hear all prayers, relieve us in all our straits, supply us in all wants, preserve us in all dangers. All nations are in his hands, our whole life is in his keeping, and upheld by his intimate presence with us ; our days cannot be longer nor shorter than he pleaseth. If he were absent from us, he might forget us or neglect us ; but he is within us, and round about us in the effects of his power and goodness. Since he is so near us, why should we doubt of his particular care and providence ? All nations are in his hands, the lives and hearts of friends and enemies, therefore our eyes should be upon him : Ps. xvi. 8, ' I have set the Lord always before me, he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.' We set the Lord before us both in point of reverence and dependence — for fear and trust agree in their common nature — and so it may note our care to please him, or our trust and quietness in him. All means are nothing to us, can do nothing for us without him.
2. It teaches us a lesson of humility. We depend on him every moment, can do nothing without him, either in a way of nature or grace ; not in a way of nature, for God hath not left us to stand by ourselves on the first foundation of our creation. The creatures are not
Col, I. 18.] chrtst the head of the church. 453
capable of subsistence withont dependence on the first cause, but merely live and act by his power : ' In him we live and move and have our being :' Ps. civ. 29, ' Thou takest away their breath and they die, and return to their dust.' The withdrawing his concurrence and sup- portation is the cause of all our misery. When he sees fit, all the crea- tures soon return to the elements of Avhicli they are compounded ; all the strokes and judgments which light upon them are dispensed accord- ing to his pleasure. In a way of grace we are nothing, can do nothing without him, John xv. 5. He rnust have all the praise, Luke xvi. 14, 1 Cor. XV. 10, Gal. ii. 20. The more perfections we have, the more prone we are to fall if he sustain us not : witness the fallen angels, and Adam in innocency.