Obj. But you will say, I may apprehend a lie ; perhaps God is not my God, and then it is presumption to say so.
Ans. Whosoever casts himself upon God, out of the sense of sin, to be niled by God for the time to come, shall obtain mercy. Now, dost thou so ? doth thy conscience tell thee, I cast myself upon God for better direc- tion ; I would be ruled as God and the ministiy of the Word would have me hereafter. If so, thou hast put this question out of question : thou doubtest whether God be thy God ; I tell thee God is the God of all that seek him, and obey him in truth. But thy conscience tells thee thou dost this, cer- tainly then, whatsoever thou wert before, God is now beforehand with thee. He offers himself to be thy God, if thou trust in him, and wilt be ruled by him ; and not only so, but he entreats us (we should beseech him, but he entreats us, such is his love), nay, he commands us to believe in his Son Jesus Christ. Now, when I join with God's entreaty. Oh Lord, thou offerest thyself, thou invitest me, thou commandest me, I yield obedi- ence and submit to thy good word ; then the match is stricken and made up in doing so. God is thy God, and Christ is thy Christ, and thou must improve this claim and interest here, in all the passages of thy life long. Lord, thou art my God, therefore teach me ; thou art my God, I have given myself to thee, I have set up thee in my heart above all things, thou art in my soul above all sin, above all profits and pleasures whatsoever, therefore save me, and deliver me, have pity upon me, &c. The claim is good when we have truly given ourselves up to him, else God may say, * Go to the gods you have served,' Jud. x. 14 ; men were your gods, for whom you cracked j^our consciences, riches and pleasure were your gods, go to them for succour.
Oh, beloved, it is a harder matter to say. My God, in the midst of trouble, than the world takes it. There was a great conflict in Christ when he said. My God, when he brake through all molestations and temptations of Satan, together with the sense of wrath, and could say notwithstanding, My God. There was a mighty strong spirit in him. Bat no wonder; faith is an almighty grace, wrought by the power of God, and laying hold upon that power, it lays hold upon omnipotency, and therefore it can do wonders, it overcomes the invincible God. He halh made a promise, and cannot deny . his promise ; he cannot deny himself and his truth. Put case his dealing be •as an enemy. His promise is to be as a friend to those that trust in him : he is merciful, forgiving sins ; his nature now is such. Satisfaction to his justice makes him shew mercy.
I speak this that you might beg of God the gift of faith, which will carry
CHBIST's SUFFEEINGS for MAN'S SIN. 367
you through all temptations and afflictions, yea, even through the shadow of death ; as David saith, ' Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, yet will I fear no ill,' Ps. xxiii. 4. Why? Because thou art with me, my God and my shepherd. Though we be in the valley of the shadow of death, yet notwithstanding, if God be with us, if we be in covenant with him, and can lay just claim to his promise, by giving up ourselves to him, we shall not fear. One beam of God's countenance, when we are in cove- nant with him, will scatter all clouds whatsoever. I beseech you, there- fore, labour more and more for this precious grace of faith, and increase it by all sanctified means, heaving the word, reading the Scriptures, and ti'easuring up promises, considering what special use we have of this above all other graces. But to proceed.
Christ here doth not only believe, but
4. He vents Im faith bi/ prayer.
Good works are but faith incarnate, faith working. They diflfer not much from it. So prayer is but faith flaming, the breath of faith, as it were. For when troubles possess the soul, it sends out its ambassador presently, it speeds prayer forth, and prayer stays not till it come to heaven, and there takes hold upon God, and gets a message and answer from him back, to comfort the soul. Faith and prayer are all one in a manner. When the soul hath any great desii'e of grace, or is in gi'ief, apprehending the displeasure of God, faith would, if it could, work to heaven ; but we are on earth, and cannot till we die. Therefore when it cannot go to heaven, it sends prayer, and that mounts the soul aloft, and wTestles with God, and will give him no rest till the petition be granted, and it can say. My God.
Therefore, if you have any faith at all, exercise it, and make it bright by often prayer : ' The prayer of f -ith prevails much,' James v. 15. How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed ? Indeed it is no prayer at all without faith ; great faith, gi-eat prayer ; weak faith, weak prayer ; no faith, no prayer : they both go on in an even strength. Christ here prays to God under this complaint, Wlu/ hast thou forsaken vie? There is a hidden prayer in it. Oh do not forsake me, deliver me out, &c.