450 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. XLVIIL
what time I am afraid, I will put my trust iu thee.' In prosperity and adversity we are to depend upon God, and to make use of him in all conditions : Ps. xci. 9, ' Thou shalt make the Most High thy refuge, and my God thine habitation.' A refuge is a place of retreat and safety in a time of war, and a habitation the place of our abode in a time of peace. Whatever our condition be, our dependence must be on God. When all things are prosperous, God must be owned as the fountain of our blessings, all our comforts taken out of his hand, and that we hold all by his mercy and bountiful provi- dence. Because of our forfeiture by sin, and the uncertainty of these outward comforts, and the continual necessity of his providential influence and support, the heart must still be exercised in the acknow- ledgment of God and his gracious hand over us ; and so the heart is not enticed by our outward comforts, but raised by them. Indeed, in some cases, it is harder to trust God with means than without. When there are visible means of supply, the heart is prone to carnal con- fidence. Good Paul was in danger: 2 Cor. i. 9, 'We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raiseth the dead.' But then in adversity, when kept bare and low, then is a time to show trust ; how hard soever our condition be, grounds of confidence are not lost: Zeph. iii. 12, 'I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.' Every man thinketh trusting in God easy when things go well with him ; but indeed he trusteth in other things ; he eateth his own meat, and weareth his own apparel, only God carrieth the name of it. But now, when we are without all com- fort and encouragement from the creatures, as David, when he was left alone, ' Refuge failed me ; no man cared for my soul : I cried unto thee, 0 Lord, and said, Thou art my refuge and portion in the land of the living,' Ps. cxlii. 4, 5. When men fail, God never faileth ; when riches take wing, and worldly friends forsake us, then is a time for trust and dependence upon God. It is the end of providence that we should have the less comfort in the creature that we may have all in God. Now we are to depend on God for whatsoever we stand in need of, as at all times, so for all things, temporal and spiritual mercies ; for God will withhold no good thing from us. He hath undertaken not only to give us heaven and happiness in the next world, but to carry us thither with comfort, ' that we may serve him without fear all the days of our lives,' Luke i. 75. His providence concerneth the outward and inward man, and so do his promises. A whole believer is in covenant with God, body and soul, and he will take care of both. But all the difficulty is how we ought to depend on him for temporal supplies.
1. It is certain that we ought not to set God a task to provide meat for our lusts : Ps. Ixxviii. 18, ' And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lusts.' Carnal affections and hopes do but make trouble for ourselves. Though it be the ordinary practice of God's free grace and fatherly cares to provide things comfortabh and necessary for his children, whilst he hath work for them to do, yet he never undertook to maintain us at such a rate, to give us so much by the year, such portions for our children, and supplies for our families.
VeR. 42.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 451
We must leave to the great Shepherd of the sheep to choose our pas- tures, bare or large ; and he tliat will depend upon God must be sure to empty his heart of covetous desires, and be contented with our lot, if we would cast ourselves upon his providence : Heb. xiii. 5, ' Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have ; for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor for- sake thee.' We do but ensnare and perplex our own thoughts while we would reconcile the promises with our lusts, and crave more than ever God meaneth to give.
2. It is as certain that we ought not to be faithless and full of cares about these outward supplies : Mat. vi. 23, ' Take no thought what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, or wherewithal ye shall be clothed ;' because, if we had no promises, there is a common bounty and good- ness of God which is over all his works, and reacheth to the preser- vation of the smallest worm, decketh the lilies, feedeth the ravens and the fowls of the air ; and certainly more noble creatures, such as men are, may expect their share in this common bounty ; how much more when there is a covenant wherein God hath promised to be a father to us, and temporal blessings are adopted and taken into the covenant as well as other blessings. Will not he give that to children which he gives to enemies, to beasts and fowls of the air ? You would count him a barbarous and unnatural father that feeds his dogs and hawks, and lets his children die of hunger ; and can we w'ithout blasphemy think so of God ?