Use 3. This should teach and direct us also in all thhifjs to look up to God in all use of means. Lord, I may read, hear, and use helps and means long enough, to little or no purpose, unless thou give a blessing. Paul may plant and ApoUos may water, but if thou give not fruit from heaven, all is to no purpose, 1 Cor. iii. 6. We forget this, and therefore prosper accordingly. We think we can work fruit out of the means, by our own wit. Oh ! it is not so ! "Wliatsoever is comfortable or gi-acious in the use of means, it is merely God's blessing. And therefore seeing all our fruit whatsoever, that is good, comes from God, let us stir us up to practise the spiritual worship of God, to adore God, to beg of his fulness in Christ Jesus, and likewise to resign ourselves in all conditions unto him. Lord, I put myself upon thee ; all my fruit is from thee ; thou canst sanc- tify any condition unto me. This adoration and resignation are parts of the spiritual worship of God. And likewise the service of the Lord in fear and reverence, that inward service of the Spirit ; all depends upon this, that all our fruit is from God. Therefore I must serve him, and serve him as he must be served, in spirit and truth, John iv. 24. What makes a man reverence another ? I depend upon him ; without him I sink. Will this make a man serve man "? And will it not make us serve God, and serve him with fear ? What breeds an awful fear ? This, that if he withdraw his influence, I fall into sin, despair, and discomfort. So that the ground of all fear of God, and service springing from this fear, it is from hence, that from him all my fruit, all my grace and comfort, is found ; therefore I must have grace to serve him, as a God in fear. For if the soul be not possessed and seasoned with this heavenly doctrine, that all comes from him, then surely where is God's service ? What becomes of it ? Where is that adoration and magnifying of God in our hearts '? Where's that putting off ourselves upon him in all conditions ?
Use 4. Again, this enforceth another part of God's spiritual and heavenly worship, cleaving to God in our affections, especially these two, in om* faitli and love ; that as all comes from and by Jesus Christ, so thereby we may draw from him the fruit of grace and comfort. So that this spiritual cleav- ing and uniting of our souls to Christ, it comes from this, that I have all from him, therefore I must cleave to him ; seeing whatsoever is spiritual, holy, and comfortable I must have from him. Therefore if we would wor- ship God in spirit and truth, as we should do, and set him up in his due place in the soul, let us labour to have our judgments sanctified in this, that all comes from God. If we were surely grounded in the goodness, mercy, and riches of God's grace, and knew that all our fruit comes and is from him, this would make us to conclude that therefore it is reason that
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we should worship him and depend upon him strictly. As the prophet speaks of idols, that they can neither do us good nor harm, Jer. x. 5, en- forcing that they should not fear them, so we may say of aU other things distinct from God, they can neither do good nor harm, except God enable them. Will you be slaves to men ? They cannot do good nor harm, but as God uses them, whose creatures they are. Therefore the worship of God is also founded hence, that God does all good or harm. If men do it they do it from him, he gives them leave ; as it is said of Shimei, God bid him rail on David, 2 Sam. xvi. 10. If they do us good, they are his conduits, whereby he derivcth good to us ; therefore all is from him. We see then how all the true and hearty worship of God comes horn this, ' From me is thy fruit found.'
Une 5. This should m.ake us likewise, as to worship God in spirit and in truth, so to he resolute in f/ood causes, whatsoever come of it. Look for a ground, and then be resolute ; because all comes from God, who will stand by us in his own cause and quaiTol.
But if I forsake this and that support, I shall lay open myself to injuries and wrongs.
Mark what the Spirit of God saith, ' Ye that love the Lord, hate that which is evil,' Ps. xcvii. 10. But if I hate that which is evil, idols, &c., as Ephraim here doth, I shall be despised and trampled upon. No ! saith he, ' God presences the souls of his ; he will be a shield and a buckler ; a sun and a shield ; and no good thing shall be wanting to them that lead a godly life,' Ps. Ixxxiv. 11. God will be a sun for all good, and a shield to keep off all ill ; therefore let us be resolute in good causes. Whence comes all shifting, halting, imperfect walking, and inconstances in the ways of God, but from this, that men know not w^here to have men '? They are not grounded on this, that whatsoever is fruitful and good comes fi-om God, who will give whatsoever is fruitful and good in depending upon him. This made the three children in Daniel courageous. They knew they should have fniit from God ; that is, gi'ace, comfort, and peace, the best fruit of all. And therefore ' know, 0 king, that we will not worship thine idol, nor fall down before it,' Dan. iii. 18. So holy Esther, being well grounded, could say, 'If I perish, I perish,' Esth. iv. 16. I know the cause is good ; and if all help in the creature be removed and taken away, yet I shall have fruit in God.