Ohj. If God hath not chosen me in Christ to be his, what ground have I to trust in him ? I may cast away myself upon a vain confidence.
Ans. We have no ground at first to trouble ourselves about God's election. Secret things belong to God, Deut. xxix. 29. God's revealed will is, ' that all that believe in Christ shall not perish,' John iii. 15. It is my duty there- fore, knowing this, to believe, by doing whereof, I put that question, whether God be mine or no ? out of all question ; for all that believe in Christ are Christ's, and all that are Christ's are God's. It is not my duty to look to God's secret counsel, but to his open offer, invitation, and command, and thereupon to adventure my soul. And this adventure of faith will bring at length a rich return unto us. In war men will adventure their lives, be- cause they think some will escape, and why not they ? In trafiic beyond the seas many adventure great estates, because some grow rich by a good return, though many miscarry. The husbandman adventui'es his seed, though sometime the year proves so bad, that he never sees it more.* And shall not we make a spiritual adventure in casting ourselves upon God, when we have so good a warrant as his command, and so good an encourage- ment as his promise, that he will not fail those that rely on him ? God bids us ' draw near to him, and he will draw near to us,' Deut. xxix. 29. Whilst we in God's own ways draw near to him, and labour to entertain good thoughts of him, he will delight to shew himself favourable unto us. Whilst we are striving against an unbelieving heart, he will come in and help us, and so fresh hght will come in.
Pretend not thy unworthiness and inability, to keep thee ofi" from God, for this is the way to keep thee so still. If anything help us, it must be God, and if ever he help us, it must be by casting ourselves upon him; for then he will reach out himself unto us in the promise of mercy to pardon our sin, and in the promise of grace to sanctify our natures. It was a good resolution of the lepers, ' If we enter into the city, the famine is there, and we shall die, say they ; if we sit still, we shall die also : let us therefore faU into the host of Assyrians, if they save us, we shall live ; if they kill us, we shall but die,' 2 Kings vii. 4. Omnia in rebus hinnanis spes futurorinn agunt. So we should reason : if we sit still under the load of om' sin, we shall die ; if we put ourselves into the hands of Christ, if he save us, we shall live ; if he save us not, we shall but die. Nay, surely he will not suffer us to die. Did ever Christ thrust any back from him, that put themselves upon him ? unless it were by that means to draw them the nearer unto him, as we see in the * woman of Canaan,' Mat. xv. 27. His denial was but to in- crease her importunity. We should therefore do as she did, gather all arguments to help our faith. Suppose I am a dog, saith she, yet I am one of the family, and therefore have right to the crumbs that fall. So, Lord,
* Quia poUicetur serenti, proventum; naviganti portum ; militanti victoriam? Ideo navigantcs vitam ventis crcdunt, etc. Ideo terris frumenta crcdimus ut cum usuris crcdita rccipiamus. — Salvia7i[us'}.
THE soul's conflict. 267
I have been a sinner, yet I am thy creature ; and not only so, but such a creature as thou has set over the rest of the works of thy hands ; and not only so, but one whom thou hast admitted into thy church by baptism, whereby thou wouldst bind me to give myself unto thee beforehand ; and more than this, thou hast brought me under the means, and therein hast shewed thy will concerning my turning towards thee. Thou hast not only offered me conditions of peace, but wooed me by thy ministers to give up myself unto thee, as thine in thy Christ. Therefore I dare not suspect thy good meaning towards me, or question thy intendment,* but resolve to take thy counsel, and put myself upon thy mercy. I cannot think, if thou hadst meant to cast me away, and not to own me for thine, thou wouldst ever have kindled these desires in me. But it is not this state I rest in, my purpose is to wait upon thee, until thou dost manifest thyself farther unto me. It is not common favours that will content me, though I be unworthy of these ; because I hear of choice blessings towards thy chosen people, that thou enterest into a peculiar covenant withal, sure mercies, Isa. Iv. 3 ; and such as accompany salvation. These be the favours I wait for at thy hand. ' 0 visit me with the salvation of thy chosen,' Ps. cvi. 4, 5. 0 remember me with the favour of thy people, that I may see ' the good of thy chosen.' Whilst the soul is thus exercised, more sweetness falls upon the will and affections, whereby they are drawn still nearer unto God ; the soul is in a getting and thriving condition. For God delights to shew himself gracious to those that strive to be well persuaded of him, concerning his readiness to shew mercy to all that look towards him in Christ. In worldly things, how do we cherish hopes upon little gi'ounds ! if there shineth never so little hope of gain or preferment, we make after it : why- then should we forsake our own mercy, which God offers to be our own, if we will embrace it, having such certain grounds for our hope to rest on ?