shifts may shelter him, &c. ; and indeed the heart of man is so full of atheism, that it can never light upon the right object, to trust God alone, until it sees everything else fail, as being insufficient to support the soul, or to yield any solid comfort in times of extremity and distress.
Quest. But why must we commit our souls to God ?
Ans. Because he is a, faithful Creator. Whence observe,
Obs. That the soul of man being an understanding essence, tcill not he satisfied and settled without sound reasom. Comfort is nothing else but reasons stronger than the evil which doth afflict us ; when the reasons are more forcible to ease the mind than the grievance is to trouble it. It is no difficult matter to commit om* souls to God when we are once persuaded that he is a, faithful Creator: A man commits himself to another man, and hath no other reason for it, but only he is persuaded of his ability and credit in the world ; that he is a man of estate and power to do him good. So it is in this business of religion. Om- souls are carried to anything strongly when they are carried by strong reasons, as in this particular of trusting God with our souls. When we see sufficient reasons inducing thereto, we easily resign them into his hands. This shews that popery is an uncom- fortable religion, which brings men to despair. They have no reason for what they maintain. What reason can they give for their doctrine of doubting, transubstantiation, perfect obedience to the law, &c. ? These are unreasonable things. The soul cannot yield to such absurdities. It must have strong reasons to stablish it, as here, to consider God as afaithfid Creator, &c. There is something in God to answer all the doubts and fears of the soul, and to satisfy it in any condition whatsoever. This is the very foundation of religion ; not that any worth can accrue to the Creator from the creature, but that there is an all-sufficiency in the Creator to relieve the poor creatm'e. If a man consider in what order God created him, it will make him trust God. Paradise and all ia it were ready for him, so soon as he came into the world. God created us after his own image, that as he was Lord of all things, so we should be lord of the crea- tures. They were all at his service, that he might serve God. Therefore after everything else was created, he was made, that so God might bring him as it were to a table ready furnished.
And not only in nature, but in holiness, having an immortal and invisible soul resembling God. We must take God here as a Creator of our whole man, body and soul, and of the new creature in us. God made man at the first, but that was not so much as for God to be made man, to make us new creatures. God created our bodies out of the dust, but our souls come immediately from himself. He breathes them into us, and ia this respect he is a higher Creator than in the other ; for when we had marred our first making, and became more like beasts than men, for indeed every- one that is not hke God sjonpathiseth with beasts or devils one way or other, God in Christ made us new again. Yea, God became man to enrich us with all grace and goodness, to free us from the hands of Satan, and bring us to an eternal state of communion with himself in heaven. For all the old heaven and the old earth shall pass away, and the old condition of creatures, and a new life shall be given them. God that made the new heaven and the new earth, hath made us for them. Considering therefore that God gave us our first being, and when we were worse than naught, gave us a second being in regard to our new creation, how should it stir us up to commit our souls unto him ! especially if we consider that in him we ' live and move and have our being,' Acts xvii. 28 ; that there is not
410 THE saint's hiding-place in the E-SaL DAY.
the least thought and affection to goodness in us but it comes from God ; we are what we are by his grace.
Quest. What is the reason that love descends so much ?
Ans. Because a man looks upon that which is his own and loves it. Now God looks upon us as upon those into whom he hath infused mercy *nd goodness, and he loves his o^mi work upon us ; and therefore having begun a good work, will perfect the same. Do not men delight to poUsh their own work ? As in the first creation God never took off his hand till he had finished his work, so in the second creation of our souls he will never remove his hand from the blessed work of grace till he hath perfected the same ; therefore we may well commit our souls to him.
Ohj. But suppose a man be in a desperate estate, and hath no way of escaping ?
Am. Eemember that God is the same still ; he hath not forgot his old art of creating, but is as able to help now as ever, and can create comforts for thee in thy greatest troubles. As in the first creation he made light out of darkness, order out of confusion, so still he is able out of thy confused and perplexed estate to create peace and comfort. Thou knowest not what to do perhaps, thy mind is so troubled and disquieted ; why, commit thy soul to God; he can raise an excellent frame out of the chaos of thy thoughts. Therefore be not dismayed ; consider thou hast God in covenant with thee, and hast to deal with an almighty Creator, who can send present help in time of need. Dost thou want any grace ? dost thou want spiritual life ? Go to this Creator, he will put a new hfe into thee ; he that made all things of nothing can raise light out of thy dark mind, and can make fleshy thy stony heart, though it be as hard as a rock. Therefore never despair, but frequent the means of grace, and still think of God under this relation of a Creator ; and when he hath begun any good work of grace in thee, go confidently to His Majesty, and desire him to promote and increase the same in thy heart and life. Lord, I am thy poor creature, thou hast in mercy begun a blessed work in me, and where thou hast begun thou hast said thou wilt make an end. When thou createdst the world, thou didst not leave it till all was done ; and when thou createdst man thou madest an end. Now, I beseech thee, perfect the new creature in my soul. As thou hast begun to enlighten mine understanding and to direct my affections to the best things, so I commit my soul unto thee for further guidance and dfrection to full happiness.