It is no small privilege for a Christian to have this free access to God in times of extremity. Be we what we can be, take us at our worst in regard of sin or misery, yet we are his creatm-es still. I am the clay, thou art the potter ; I am a sinful wretch, yet I am the workmanship of thy hands. 0 Lord, thou hast framed me and fashioned me, &c. No wicked person in the world can, upon good ground, plead in this manner, though they may say to God, I am thy creature, yet they have not the grace in their troubles to plead this unto him. Why, Lord, though I be a rebellious son, and am not worthy to be called thy servant, yet I am thy creature, though a sinful 'one. Sm-ely, had we faith, we would take hold by a httle. The soul of man is like the vine, it winds about and fastens upon every httle help. Faith will see day at a little hole ; and where it sees anything it will catch at it, as the woman of Canaan. Christ calls her dog. Why, be it so. Lord, I am a dog, yet I am one of the family though I be a dog ; therefore have mercy on me.
414 THE saint's hiding-place in the evil DAT.
Oh, it is a sweet reasoning thus to cling about God, and gather upon him ; it is a special art of faith. Though a carnal man may reason thus, as having a gi'ound from the truth of the thing, yet he hath not grace to reason out of an affection thereunto. Though he should say, Lord, I am thy creature ; yet his heart tells him thus, if he would hearken to it, I am thy creature. Lord, but I have made all my members that I have received from thee, instruments to sin against thee, and I pm'pose not to reform ; my tongue is an instrument of swearing, lying, and profane speeches ; my hands are instruments of bribeiy and violence, continually working mis- chief in thy sight ; my feet carry me to such and such filthy places, and abominable courses ; mine own heart tells me that I fight against thee, my Creator, with those very limbs and weapons which thou hast given me. Beloved, the conscience of this so stifles the voice of a wilful sinner, that notwithstanding he acknowledgeth himself to be God's creature, yet he cannot with any comfort plead for mercy at his hand in times of distress.
But to a right godly man this is an argument of special use and conse- quence ; in the midst of troubles he may allege this, and it binds God to help him. We see gi'eat ones when they raise any, though perhaps there is little merit in them, yet they call them their creatures ; and this is a moving argument with such to pohsh their own work still, and not to desert them. Will it not be a prevailing argument with God then, for a Christian to plead with him ? Lord, thou hast raised me out of nothing, yea, out of a state worse than nothing ; I am thy poor creature, forsake not the work of thine own hands. We may see what a fearful thing sin is in God's eye, that the works of our hands should make God depart from the work of his hands, as he will certainly do at the day of judgment: 'Depart, you cursed,' &c.. Mat. xxv. 41. Though we be his creatures, yet because we have not used those gifts and abilities which he hath given us to serve His Majesty, he will not endure the sight of us in that day.
But that you may the better practise this duty of committing your souls to God, take these directions.
1. Directions how to commit our souls to God. First, see that thou be thy own man. It is an act of persons free to covenant. Our souls must be ours before we can commit them to God. Naturally we are all slaves to Satan ; the strong man hath possession of us, and therefore our first care must be to get out of his bondage, to which purpose we should much eye the sweet promises and invitations of the gospel, allming us to accept of mercy and deliverance from sin and death, as—' Come unto me, all you that are weary and heavy laden,' &c., Mat. xi. 28, and so cast the guilt of our souls upon God to pardon fu'st, and then to sanctify and cleanse, that we may no more retm-n to folly, but lead an unspotted hfe before him for the time to come.
It is therefore a silly course and dangerous, which poor worldly wretches take, who think Lord, have mercy upon them, will serve their turn, and that God will certainly save their souls ; whenas they were never yet in the state of grace or reconciliation with him, nor never had any divorce made be- tween them and their sins, and consequently never any league between God and their souls to this day.
Beloved, when once a man hath alienated his soul from God by sin, he hath then no more command of it ; for the present it is quite out of his power. Now, when wo would commit our souls to God aright, we must first commit them to him to pardon the guilt of sin in them. When this is done, God will give us our souls again, and then they may truly be said