[2.] His mercy, in opposition to oui 'dnworthiness ; mercy to pardon and pity and help us. Poor creatures ! they will surely miscarry if I do not go down and help them: Heb. iv. 16, ' Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain grace, and find mercy to help us in time of need.' God is not upon his tribunal of justice, but his throne of grace. When you are in spiritual straits, be not discouraged; the time of need is a time for God to show himself. God hath mercy to pardon, and grace to pity and help ; mercy for the recovery of every •sinner, grace as a remedy for every misery. Do but observe thy heart, what thou wouldst have, and tell God every day.
[3.] His power, against our weakness : 2 Peter i. 5, ' We are kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation.' This is our garrison ; we cannot stand a moment longer than God upholdeth us by his power ; as a staff in the hand of a man, take away the hand, and the staff falleth to the ground ; or rather, as a little infant in the nurse's hand, which is God's own comparison : Hosea xi. 3, ' I taught Ephraim also to go, taking, them by their arms.' If God should but let loose his hand, as he doth sometimes to make us sensible of our weakness, we iihould soon miscarry; as if God should let loose his hand of providence, all the creatures would fall into nothing.
[4.] I might mention his holiness, against our sinfulness. He is not only ' the Holy One,' but ' the Holy One of Israel,' the church's sancti- fier ; as the pipe would be dry if the fountain cease to run. But this is enough. Deus^ quantus est ! His whole name is engaged by Christ to do his people good.
2. Why we are only kept by God.
[1.] Nothing else could keep us but God's name. We should surely miscarry if our standing did tlepend upon the frailty of our will. We are weak, and the enemies and difficulties of our salvation are very great, corruptions within, and temptations without us ; created grace could never hold out. One of the fathei's bringeth in the flesh saying, Ego deficiam ; the world. Ego decipiam ; and Satan, Ego eripiam. But God saith. Ego cusfodiam, I will keep them, never fail them, nor forsake them ; and there lieth our security. The world is a slippery place ; it is strange that any hold their footing. We are carnal, and carnal persons are about us. It were strange for a man to keep his health in a town where every person, every house, and the air itself is infected with the plague ; this is our condition. Then for the malice of Satan, he is a restless enemy, watcheth all advantages, as a dog that standeth waving his tail : it is Chrysostom's comparison. His envy and malice are bent against them that have most grace. There were two Adams, and both were tempted. In our hearts there is great deal of
312 SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. [SeR. XVII.
variableness; in the best of God's saints many ups and downs in points of grace. Our hearts are rebellious : Jer. v. 23, ' Tliis people have a revolting and rebellious heart, they are revolted and gone ;' Jer. xiv, 10, 'My people have loved to wander.' It is natural to the creature to be fickle and inconstant, especially in point of grace. It is a miracle that we, having such naughty hearts, where there is so much pride, love of pleasures, worldly cares, brutish lusts, any of us should hold out to the end. Would not we wonder to see a herb that we prize grow in the midst of weeds, a candle to burn in the water.
[2.] It is meet none else should. God will have this honour from all saints, and he will put this honour upon the saints, that he will be their guardian and keeper ; not only angels, who are ' ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them that are the heirs of salvation,' Heb. i. 14 ; they have a great deal of employment about God's children ; but God himself will keep them : 1 Peter i. 5, ' Ye are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.' If your protection were visible, all the princes of the world would come short of your guard and attendance. God will be your watchman, your keeper, to foresee the danger and defend you from it : this honour he will have. He that is the maker of the world is the preserver of it; the keeping of the world could be trusted in no other hands but his that made it. So he is the preserver of the saints, as well as their maker : 1 Sam. ii. 9, ' By strength shall no man prevail;' he keepeth the feet of his saints ; you rob God of the honour of your salvation by other confidences.
Use. It exhorteth us —
1. To a continual dependence on the name of God. All creatures have their refuges, the heirs of salvation are described to be those 'that ■fly for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before them,' Heb. vi. 18. Now what is their refuge ? Prov. xviii. 10, ' The name of the Lord is a strong tower ; the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.' At Babel, to secure themselves, they would ' build a high and strong tower,' Gen. xi. 3, 4. We have a strong tower built to our hands. We that are at continual war should have a place of retreat ; here is a sure one, you have it without cost ; you need in the hour of temptation to make speed to it. What is this running, but pleading his faithful- ness, looking up to his power, magnifying his grace in your depend- ence ? Those that go forth in the strength of their own resolutions are sure to miscarry, as Peter Avas a sad instance.