Trial 7. Lastly, those that commit themselves to God icill he faithful stewards in ivJiatsoerer lie hath trusted them uithal. Thou committest thyself and thy health and estate to God, and at length thou wilt commit thy soul when thou diest unto him. Veiy well ; but what doth God trust thee withal ? Hath he not trasted thee with a body and a soul, with a portion of goods, with place, time, strength, and abilities to do good? Hast thou not all thou hast from God as a stewai'd, to improve for thy Master's advantage ? If ever thou expectest the performance of what thou hast put in him, be faithful in that trust which he hath committed to thee. Those that have misused their bodies and wounded theii* souls in their lives, how can they commit them to God at their deaths ? IJow dares the soul look up to him, when the life hath been nothing else but a perpetual offending of his majesty?
I lieseech you, let us learn this wholesome lesson ! Great is our benefit thereby. ' He that trusts in the Lord shall be as Mount Sion, that cannot be moved.' We may be shaken, but shall never be removed. The earth is shaken with earthquakes, but the earth keeps its own centre still. Our best peace is in God, and our chiefest safety in his protection. ' I laid me down to rest, because thou, Lord, watchest over me,' Ps. iii. 5, saith the prophet; and, ' Return, 0 my soul, to thy rest, for the Lord hath been very beneficial to thee,' Ps. cxvi. 7. Is it not a good thing to have a sweet security of soul that whether I sleep or wake, whether I be at home or abroad, live or die, I have a providence watching over me better than mine own ? When I yield myself up to God, his wisdom is mme, his strength is mine; whatsoever he hath it is for me, because I am his. What a heaven upon earth is this, that a Christian, out of a holy familiarity with God, can resign up his soul to him upon all occasions ! Set heaven and salvation aside, what greater happiness can bo desired ? Plow sweet is a man's rest at night after he hath yielded himself to God by faithful prayer ?
Use. Exliorlation. I beseech you, let us be acquainted with the practice of this duty, and labour to be in such a state as God may own us, and receive our poor souls to himself. Let us keep them pure and undefiled, and labour to improve our talents, that when we give anything to God, we may say, Lord, according to the grace I have received I have kept it, and therefore now return it to thee again.
Beloved, when trouble of conscience comes, when sickness and death comes, what will become of a man that hath not this sweet acquaintance with
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God ? He was a stranger to God in the time of prospeiity, and God is now a stranger to him in adversity. Saul was a profane- spirited man; he did not acquaint himself with God in the time of his happiness, and therefore in time of distress he goes fii-st to the witch, and then to the sword-point. So fareth it with all wicked wretches in then- great extremities. No sooner doth any evil hetide them, or the least danger approach them, let conscience never so little fly in their faces, &c., but presently they go to cui'sed means, and run upon desperate conclusions.
Therefore, as we desire to die even in God's ai'ms, and yield up ourselves into the very hands of the Almighty with comfort, let us daily inm-e our- selves to this blessed course of committing ourselves and all our ways to him in doing good.
* Come and see,' saith the Scriptm-e, John i. 4G. Beloved, if you will not believe me, make trial of this course a while. Did you once taste the sv^eetness of it, how would yom- di'oopiug spirits be cheered up !
Let a man continually keep a good conscience, and he shall be satisfied with peace at last. Suppose he meets with danger and opposition in the world, this may seem harsh at the first. Oh, but he shall know afterwards what it is to part with anything for Chi'ist's sake, to commit his cause, or whatsoever he hath, unto God, as to a faithful Creator ! Then we taste of God to the purpose when we put him to it, for God will not be indebted to us. We never find such sweet immediate comfort fi'om him as when we deny ourselves comfort of the creature for his sake.
Little do we know what times may befall us. There is much danger abroad, and we have cause to fear, not far from us. It may be the clouds even now hang over our heads. Oh, if we would be hid in the day of the Lord's wrath, and have no evil come nigh our dwellings, let us, above aU things in the world, make sm"e our interest in Christ, and title to the promise. We should seek to know God more, and then we would trust him more. ' They that know thy name will trust in thee,' saith David, Ps. ix. 10. Oh, the blessed estate of a Christian, that now he may be acquainted with God ; that through Christ there is a thi'one of grace to fly unto ! I be- seech you, improve this happy privilege; and then, come what will, come famine, come danger of war or pestilence, &c., God will be a sanctuary and an abiding place to you. A Christian carries his rock and sure defence about him. ' I will be unto them a little sanctuary in all places,' saith God. What a comfort is it to have a ' wall of fire ' still compassing us about, a shield that our enemies must break through before they can come at us ! He that trusts in God shall be recompensed with mercy on eveiy side. It is no matter what dangers compass him. Though he be in the midst of death and hell, or any trouble whatsoever, if he commits himself to God in obedience, out of good grounds of faith in his word, hes hall be safe in the evil day.*