Therefore, hence we should learn to resign our bodies and estates to God. Lord, do with me what thou wilt ! only cure my soul, only strengthen my faith. I give thee liberty with all my heart to take what thou wilt, so thou save my soul. Give me not up to an unbelieving heart, to an h};j)oeritical, false heart, to false confidence, to trust in false gi'ounds, and to perish eter- nally ; for my estate and body, do what thou wilt. We should be brought to this. Why ? Because indeed the state of the soul is the true state either in good or ill. If all be naught with that, all will be naught at last. We shall try it to our cost.
Ajid therefore let us even rather thank God, and desire God to go on with his work. Lord, rather than thou shouldst give me up to a hard heart, to a stubborn heart, and perish and have no sound change, rather than sufier me to perish thus, use me as thou wilt.
Ajid thank him when we find any degi'ee of goodness or faith. Lord, thou mightst have followed me with outward blessings, and so have given me up in my soul to hypocrisy, and to pride, that I should never have felt the power of grace, that I should never have known thee, or myself throughly, or the vanity of outward things. But this thou hast not done, thou hast not given me liberty in outward things, that thou mightest do good to my soul, blessed be thy name. Let us not only take it well, but thankfully at God's hands. To proceed,
' That we might trust in God that raiseth the dead.'
Obs. The soul must have somewhat to trust to. The foundation must be laid ;
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 9. 143
for the sonl is acreatxire, and a dependent creature. Somewhat it must have to rely on ; as all weak dependent things have somewhat to depend on. The vine is a weak plant. It must have the elm or somewhat to rely on. It will sink else, it will become unfruitful and unproiitable. All things that are weak, are supported by somewhat that is stronger. It is an inclination and in- Btinct in things that are weak, to look for supply from things that are stronger than themselves to support them ; and it is their happiness to be so. The creatures that are unreasonable* are guided by those that have reason, by men ; and the creatures that are reasonable are guided by superiors, by God, and by angels that are above them, and have the care and charge over them. It is the happiness of weaker things to be under the supportation of that which is stronger. And some support it will have, good or bad.
The soul, if it have not God, it will have pleasures, it will have profit. The worst of men, that think there is little for them in heaven, by reason of their blasphemy, and filthy courses, they will have base pleasures to go to, that they will trust to, and carnal acquaintance to solace themselves withal. The worst of men will have some dirty thing or other, to give their souls to, to support themselves withal ; something the soul will have.
God loves the soul, and hath made it for himself ; and as he hath made it for himself, to join with himself, to solace himself in it (' My son, give me thy heart,' Prov. xxiii. 26) so when he takes it from outward things, "he will not have it empty, to rely upon nothing, but he takes it to himself. All this is to take our hearts from ourselves, and from self-confidence, that we may trust in him. God is for the heart, and that is for him ; as I said, he calls for it, ' My son, give me thy heart,' give me thy afiection of trust, of joy, of delight. All the afi'ections, they are made for God, and for heaven, and heavenly things. Our affections that we have, they are not made for riches. Our souls are not made for them. The soul is larger than they. They will not content the soul. The soul is a spiritual sub- stance, and they are outward things. The soul is large, they are scanty in their extent. They are uncertain, and momentary ; the soul is an eternal thing. It outlives those things. And thereupon the soul is not made for them, and they are not made for the soul.
They are to give contentment to the outward man for a while here. They are made for oui* pilgrimage, to comfort us in the way to heaven ; but the soul is not for them.
The soul is the chamber, and the bed, and, as it were, the cabinet for God himself, and Christ to rest in only.
All outward things must be kept out of the heart. We may use them ; but we must keep them out of the heart. It is not for them. We must not joy in them, and solace ourselves, and delight in them over much, further than we seek God in them, and enjoy God in them. But as they are sensible •'■= things, the heart is not for them. Therefore God takes the heart from self-confidence, and from other things. He suflers it not to wander ; but he takes it to himself, that we may trust in him.