And then for the third. After his experience, confidence, and hope well built, as his fashion is, when his heart was once warmed, he breaks out into thanksgiving, in the consideration of God's favours past, and to come. His tongue is large thereupon, and God hath the fruit of it. ' To whom be gloiy for ever ; ' and lastly, he seals up all with the word, ' Amen.'
' I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion,' &c. Beloved, by nature we are all lions, and nothing will alter us, save the eficctual knowledge of Christ. Education may civilise, but not subdue. A sound knowledge of God's truth hath a changing power ; for when the spirit becomes tender, and when the heart, which lies in a cursed estate, under and in danger of, the wrath of a just God, whose eye cannot spare iniquity unrepented of, is cited and afirighted effectually by the spirit of bondage, it will cast down, and pull sorrow from the strongest spirit, making it melting and tender. Again, in this estate, when the soul hath felt favom- shining upon it ; when * That is, ' each of the ' branches. — G.
81 G THE saint's safety in evil times.
the eye is opened to see the high prerogatives and exceeding riches of Christ; when we find ourselves that we are dehvered from the Hon's mouth, we cannot but shew that pity to others, which we felt from God ourselves. Paul thirsts as eagerly after the conversion of others now, as ever he did for their blood before, Acts ix. 22. The jailor also, a man by nature, custom, and calling, hardened in the practice of cruelty, Acts xvi. 33 ; yet after he had felt the power of God's blessed truth, shewed forth those bowels of pity he felt from Christ, which v/ere shut before (/).
Let us then be thankful, that God hath changed us from being lions, and with meekness submit om-selves unto God's ordinances, desiring him to write his law, not onl}' in our understandings, but in our very hearts and bowels, that we may not only know that we should vv^alk harmless and fuU of good, Jer. xxxi. 33, but be so indeed, resembling him by whom we hope to be saved, in a right serviceable pliableness to all duties of love.
And because our imperfect measure of mortification in this life, hinders us from a full content in one another's communion, let this make us the more willing to be translated to God's holy mount, where, being purged from all such lusts as hinder our peace and love, we shall fully enjoy one another, without the least falseness or distrust. Then shall we see total accomplishment of these promises, v>'hich are but in part fulfilled in this life.
Obs. 1. That God sufiereth his children to fall into the mouth of lions, or into some danger proportionable, wherein they shall see no help from him, is a truth clear as the sun. The history of the church in all ages shews as much. Was not Christ in the mouth of the lion, so soon as born, when Herod sought to kill him ? Mat. ii. 13. Did not Satan and all the spiritual powers of hell daily come about him, like ramping and I'oaring hons ? And hath it not been thus with God's church from Abel to this present, as appears by the children of Israel in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in their journey to Canaan, being environed round about with cruel enemies, and dangers on every side, like Daniel in the midst of lions ? So far God gave them up to the power of their enemies, that the wisest of the heathen judged them a forlorn people, hateful to God and men.* For particular instances, see Job and David, so near as there was but a step between them and death.
Besides, God often awakens the consciences of his children, and exer- ciseth them with spiritual conflicts ; their sins, as so many lions, stand up against them, ready to tear their souls. Nay, rather than those that belong to God shall want that, which will drive them unto him, God himself will be a lion unto them, as unto Ephraim, Hos. v. 14, f which made David pray, * Oh Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure,' Ps. vi. 1. Of all the troubles which a child of God under- goeth in his way to heaven, these bring him lowest. When the body is vexed and spirit troubled, it is much ; but when God frowns, when neither heaven nor earth yields comfort to a distressed soul, no evil in the world is like to this. Imagine the horror and sti'aits of such a soul, when all things seem against it, and itself against itself, as near to the pains of the very damned in hell.
The reasons of this dispensation of God are : 1, because we are so des- perately addicted to present things, and so prone to put confidence in the
* Cicero. See ante, p. 303.— G.
t ' For I will he unto Ephraim as a lion, and aa a }'Oung lion to the house of Judah : I, even I, will tear and go away ; I will take away, and none shall rescue hira.'