VeR. 3.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXXXI. 457
certainly more noble creatures, such as man is, 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 bless- ings are adopted and taken into the covenant as well as other blessings, so far forth as they conduce to God's glory and our good ; and upon other terms a mortified and weaned heart would not desire them. Will he not give to children that which he giveth to beasts, to fowls of the air, to enemies ? You would count him an unnatural father that feedeth his dogs and hawks, and lets his children die of hunger.
(3.) The dependence we exercise about these things lieth in' referring ourselves to God's wisdom, power, and goodness, and to determine all events as it shall seem good in his eyes. He is so able that he can bear us out in his work ; so good, that we have no reason to trouble ourselves about his will, but absolutely to submit it to him without hesitancy; so wise, that he will do what is best, all things considered. Now if we could bring our hearts to this, it would ease us of many troublesome thoughts and burdensome cares and fears : 1 Peter iv. 19, ' Commit yourselves {i.e., your lives) to him in well-doing; ' Prov. x. 3, 'Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established ; ' Ps. xxxvii. 5, ' Commit thy way unto the Lord ; trust him, and he shall bring it to pass.' Put yourselves into God's hands, and let the Lord do what is good in his sight. But we would have the world governed by our fancies, our particular affairs at least, and expect a certain tenor of temporal happiness ; and so lay ourselves open to Satan, who makes an advantage of our disappointments, and abuseth our rash confidence into a snare and temptation to us to distrust God's ordinary providence and the misbelief of other truths.
[4.] Such a dependence as encourageth us to go on cheerfully with our duty, whether of our general or particular calling.
(1.) General : 1 Tim. iv. 10, ' Therefore we both labour, and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God.' Hope in God is not an idle expectation or a devout sloth, but such a dependence as giveth life to our services, that we go on readily, without disquiet in our minds, notwithstanding all difficulties.
(2.) So in our particular calling; for when we hope in God, we must not neglect to use the means. God never undertook to protect us or provide for us in our sins, in our laziness, carelessness, luxury, and neglect of our affairs, tliat sin should not be our ruin. Then his pro- vidence would run directly contrary to his word. The diligent hand maketh rich, and the blessing of the Lord maketh rich : Prov. x. 4, ' He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand, but the blessing of the Lord maketh rich,' ver. 22.
Thiidly, The reasons wliy they are to hope in God.
1. Trust is naturally required in the fundamental article of the covenant, in the choice of God for your God. If you do not trust and hope in him, you deny him to be God. It is natural worship, jwe venit cullos ad sihi quisquc Deos : Jonah i. 5, 'Every one will seek unto his god.' It immediately resulteth from the owning of a God that we should trust him with our all.
2. We cannot bo true and faithful to God unless we rely upon him.
458 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXXXI. [SeR. V.
The soul will necessarily warp, and turn aside to crooked ways, unless we be persuaded that God taketh care of us, and will maintain us by honest and lawful means. The ground of uprightness is the persuasion of God's all-sufficiency : Gen. xvii. 1, ' I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be thou upright.' As, on the other side, the ground of apostasy is unbelief : Heb. iii. 12, ' Take heed lest there be in you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.' They that do not trust God cannot long be true to him, but will seek another paymaster.
3. To keep up a commerce between God and us. Therefore a con- tinual hope and dependence is necessary for a christian, to engage him to prayer and thanksgiving. That is only made conscience of by those who take all out of God's hands : Ps. Ixii. 8, ' Trust in the Lord at all times; pour out your hearts before him;' 2 Sam. xxii. 3, 4, ' God is my rock, in whom I trust ; I will call on the Lord, so shall I be saved.' We act our trust and hope at the throne of grace, encourage ourselves in God's hearing.
4. To keep the heart fixed and quiet : Ps. cxii. 7, ' He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.' He looketh higher than the course of affairs in the world ; not senseless, but established : Ps. xiii. 5, * I have trusted in thy mercy, my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation;' Ps. xlii. 6, ' Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him.' Vexation is the fruit of distrust : Ps. cvi. 24, ' They believed not his word, and murmured in their tents.' God is carrying on all things for our good, and we cannot trust him. Dis- tracting cares are forbidden : Mat. vi. 25, ' Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink,' &c. It is a reproach to our heavenly Father. Go to God, then be at peace : Phil. iv. 6, 7. * Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God ; and the peace of God shall keep your hearts and minds,' &c.