Is God our God, and will he suffer anything to befaU us for om- hmi ? Will he lay any more upon us than he gives us strength to bear ? Will he suffer any wind to blow upon us but for good ? Doth he not set us before his face ? Will a father or mother sufler a child to be wronged in their presence if they can help it ? Will a friend sufier his friend to be injured if he may redress him ? And will God, that hath put these affections into parents and friends, neglect the care of those he hath taken so near unto himself? No, surely. His eyes are open to look upon their condition; his ears are open to theu' prayers ; a ' book of remembrance,' Mai. iii. 16, is written of all theii' good desires, speeches, and actions ; he hath bottles for all their tears, Ps. Ivi. 8 ; their very sighs are not hid from him, Ps. Ixxix. 11 ; he hath written them upon the ' palms of his hands,' Isa. xlvi. 16, and cannot but continually look upon them. Oh, let us prize the favom* of so good a God, who, though he dwells on high, yet will regard things so low, and not neglect the mean estate of any; nay, especially delights to be called the ' comforter of his elect,' John xiv. 16, and the God of those that are in misery, and have none to fly unto but himself.
But we must luiow that God only thus graciously visits his own children; he visits with his choicest favours those only that fear his name, Ps. xxv. 14. As for those that cither secretly undermine or openly oppose the cause and chm-ch of God and join with his enemies, such as savour not the things of God, but commit spiritual idolatry and adultciy with God's enemies, the world and the devil, God will answer these as once he did the
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Israelites, when in their necessity they would have forced acquaintance upon him, ' Go to the gods whom ye have served,' Judges x. 14, to the great men whose persons you have obeyed for advantage, to your riches, to your plea- sures, which you have loved more than God or goodness. You would not lose a base custom, an oath, a superfluity, a thing of nothing, for me; therefore, I will not own you now. Such men are more impudent than the devil himself, that wiU claim acquaintance with God at last when they have carried themselves as his enemies all their days. Satan could tell Paul and Silas they were ' the servants of the hving God,' Acts xvi. 17, but he would not make that plea for himself, knowing that he was a cursed creature.
Miserable, then, is their condition who live in the world, nay, in the chm-ch, without God, Eph. ii. 12. Such are in a worse estate than pagans and Jews ; for, li\'ing in the house of God, they are strangers fi'om God and from the covenant of grace ; usurping the name of Christians, having, indeed, nothing to do with Chi'ist.
Some of these, like spiritual vagabonds, as Cain, excommunicate them- selves from God's presence in the use of the means, or rather like devils, that wiU have nothing to do "nith God, because they are loath to be tonnented . before their time. They think eveiy good sermon an arraigning of them, and therefore keep out of reach.
Others wiU present themselves under the means, and carry some savour away with them of what they hear, but it is only till they meet with the next temptation, unto which they yield themselves presently slaves. These shewed themselves under a general profe^ion, as they did, who called themselves Jews and were nothing less. But, alas! an empty title will bring an empty comfort at last. It was cold comfort to the rich man in flames, Luke xvi. 25, that Abraham called him son; or to Judas, that Chi-ist called him fi'iend, Mat. xxvi. 50 ; or to the rebellious Jews, that God styles them his people, Isa. 1. 2. Such as our profession is, such will our comfort be. True profession of religion is another thing than most men take it to be. It is made up of the outward duty, and the inward man too, which is, indeed, the life and soul of all. What the heart doth not in religion is not done. Quod cor non facit nonfit.
God cares for no retainers that will only wear his livery, but serve themselves. ' What hast thou to do to take his name into thy mouth, and hatest to be reformed? Ps. 1. 16. Saul lived in the bosom of the chm*ch, yet, being a cruel tyi'ant, when he was in a desperate plunge, his outward profession did him no good; and, therefore, when he was envii'oned with his enemies he uttered this doleful complaint, * God hath forsaken mo, and the Philistines are upon me,' 1 Sam. xxviii. 15. A pitiful case! Yet so will it be with all those that rest in an outward profession, thinking it enough to compli- ment * with God when their hearts are not right within them. Such will at length be forced to cry, sickness is upon me, death is upon me, hell is before me, and God hath forsaken me. I would have none of God hereto- fore, now God wiU have none of me. When David himself had offended God by numbering the people, then God counted him but plain David, ' Go and say to David,' &c., 2 Sam. xxiv. 12; whereas before, when he pm'posed to build a temple, then, * Go, tell my servant David,' 2 Sam. vii. 5. When the Israelites had set up an idol, then God fathers them on Moses, ' Thy people which thou hast brought out of Egypt.' He would not own them as at other times then. They are my people still whilst they keep covenant. No care, no present comfort, in this near relation. * That is. ' to pretend compliance.' — G.