There be two afiections vrhich mightily disturb the peace of Christians. 1. Sinful cares; and 2. sinful fears. To both which we have remedies prescribed in the Scripture. 1. ' Fear not, little flock,' saith Christ, 'for it is your Father's will to give you a kingdom,' Luke xii. 32 ; as if he had said, Will not he that gives you heaven, give you other things ? In nothing be careful, saith the apostle, that is, in a distracting manner, but do yom- duty, and then ' let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God shall keep you,' Phil. iv. 7 ; and therefore were v/e redeemed from the hands of our enemies, that we might ' serve him without fear all our days,' Luke i. 74.
A Christian should keep an inward sabbath in his soul, and go quietly on in doing all the good he can. What a fearful thing is it to see men He grovelling in the earth, and live without God in the world, troubling and turmoiling themselves how to compass this thing and that thing, as if they had no God to seek unto, nor no promise to rely upon.
422 THE saint's hiding-place in the EXlh DAY.
Trial 3. Again, -where this committing of a man's self and his soul to God is, there icill be a looking to God only, in all a man doth, not fearing any danger or opposition that may befall him from without. As the three young men said to Nebuchadnezzar, ' Our God can keep us if he will,' Dan. iii. But what if he will not ? ' Yet know, 0 king, that we will not worship nor fall down before thy image.' So it is with a Christian ; foreseeing some danger, disgrace, or displeasure of this or that man which may befall him, he resolveth notwithstanding, in despite of all, to commit himself to God in doing his duty, come what will. Whether God will save him or no, he will not break the peace of his conscience, or do the least evil. He is no fool, but foresees what may befall him for well-doing. This inconvenience maj^ come, and that trouble, yet he sets light by these. He hath an eye to heaven, and sees more good to himself in the Creator that gave him his being of nothing, and more good for the time to come, that will make him a blessed saint in heaven, than there can be ill in the creature. Therefore, come what can come, his heart is fixed to trust the Lord, and rather than he will displease him, desert his honour and his cause, or do any unworthy action, he will commit himself to God in the greatest dangers.
Reason of tnisting in God. The ground hereof is this : a Christian is the wisest man in the world, and he understands well enough that God is all- suiScient. He sees there is a greater good in God than he can have in the creature, and counts it madness to ofiend God to please the creature ; be- cause there is a greater evil to be expected from God than from the crea- ture, though it were the greatest monarch in the world. Considering, therefore, that he hath liis best good in his union with God, and in keeping his peace with him, he will not break with him for any creature. And thus he doth wisely, for he knows if he lose his life he shall have a better life of God than he hath in his body ; for God is his life, God is his soul and his comfort, and he hath his being from God. He is his Creator, and he hath a better being in God when he dies than he had when he hved ; for our being in God makes us happy, and therefore Christ saith, He that loves his life, before God and a good cause, hates it, and he that hates his life when Chi'ist calls for it, loves it, John xii. 25, for he hath a better life in him. We give nothing to God, but he returns it a thousand times better than we gave it. Let us yield our Hves to him. We shall have them in heaven if they be taken away on earth. He will give us our goods a thousandfold. We shall have more favom- in God than in any creature, and therefore a Christian, out of this ground, commits himself to God, though he foresee never so much danger like to fall upon him.
Trial 4. Again, if Vv'e do in deed and not in ^n-etence commit ourselves to God, as to a faithful Creator, ive ivill not limit his majestij, as many carnal hearts do. Oh, if God will do so and so for them, then they would trust him. If they had but so much to live on a year, and such comings in, &c., then they would depend upon God. But they must have a pawn and so much in hand first. What a shame is it that we should trust the vilest man in the world as far as we see him, and yet, unless we have somewhat to lean on, we will not trust God ! Beloved, when a man limits God in anything, such a one may talk, but he trusts him not at all. Lideed, we should indent with God, and tic him to look to the salvation of our souls ; but for other things leave them to his own wisdom, both for the time, for tlie manner and measure, do what he will with us. Suppose it come to the cross, hath he not done greater matters for us ? Why then should we distrust him in lesser ? If times come that rchgion flourish or goes down-