He doth not say, he shall preserve me from death. He knew he should die. But, ' he shall preserve me to his heavenly kingdom.' So put the case that God do not deliver /Voj/i death, yet he delivers % death.
There is a partial deliverance, and a total deliverance. There is a deliverance from this and that trouble, and there is a deliverance from all troubles. God delivers us most when we think he delivers least ; for we think how doth he deliver his children when we see them taken away by death, and ofttimes are massacred ?
That is one way of delivering them. God by death takes them from aU miseries. They are out of the reach of their enemies. Death delivers them from all miseries of this life, both inward of sin, and outward of trouble. All are determined in death. Therefore, God when he doth not deliver them from death, he delivers them b}^ death, and takes them to his heavenly kingdom.
God oft-times delivers his by not delivering them out of trouble ; for when he sees us in danger of some sin, he delivers us into trouble to deliver us from some corruption. Of all evils God's children desire to avoid the delivering up to themselves, and to their own lusts, to their own base earthly hearts, to a dead heart. He delivers them into trouble therefore to deliver them from themselves.
2 CORINTHL\NS CHAP. I, VER. 10. 171
God will deliver us for the time to come, so that we depend upon him, and humlile ourselves, and be like ourselves. When God delivereth us at the first, it may be we are like ourselves, but perhaps afterward we grow prouder, and self-confident, and will not do that we formerly did. There- fore, God sometimes though he put us in hope of deliverance, yet he will not deliver us, because we are not prepared, we are not thoroughly humbled. As we see in Judges xx. There the Israelites were to set on the Bonjamites. They go the first time, and had the foil.-:- They go the second time, and are foiled. The third time they set on them with fasting and prayer, and then they had the victory.
What was the reason they had it not at the first time ? They were not humbled enough ; they did not flee to God, with fasting and prayer. It may be there is some sin, some afiection unmortified, of revenge and anger. When God hath subdued that, and brought it under, and brought us to fasting and prayer, then God will deliver us ; as at the third encounter they carried away the victory. When we have not made our peace with God, we may come the first and second time, and not be delivered ; but when we are thoroughly humbled, and brought low, then God will dehver us.
And then, we must know that alway these outward promises have a reservation to God's glory, and our eternal good. ' God hath delivered me,' and he doth, and will deUver me, if it may stand with his gloiy and my good. And therefore the soul saith to God, with that reserved speech of him in the gospel. Lord, ' if thou wilt, thou canst heal me,' Mat. viii. 2. If thou wilt, thou canst deliver me. If it be for thy glory, and my eternal good, or for the church's good, thou wilt do it. And neither the church nor the particular members of the church, desu-e deliverance upon any other terms. But when it may be for the glory of God, and for the church's good ; when they may be instrumental by long life to serve God, and to serve the church ; and when it is for their own advantage to gather further assurance of their salvation, then he hath, and doth, and will deliver still. This is enough to build the confidence of God's childi'en upon, for their deliverance for the time to come.
God will deliver his church and children, and he will deliver them out of all. He will ' deliver Israel out of all his troubles,' Ps. xxv. 22. He will not leave a * horn or a hoof,' as Moses said, Exod. x. 26. He will not leave one trouble. He will deliver us at the last out of all, and advance us to his heavenly kingdom. His bowels will melt over his church and children ; he is a father, and he hath the bowels of a mother. This may serve to answer all objections that will arise in our hearts, as indeed we are ready to cavil against divine truths and comforts ; especially in the time of trouble and temptation, our hearts are full of complaints and disputes ; therefore I thought good to answer this.
But what is the argument of the apostle here ? Especially experience ; * He hath delivered, he doth deliver, and he will deliver me.'
Doct. As Gud ivill deliver his church for the time to come, so this is one main aniiuiient that he will do it, experience of former favours and deliverances.
This St Paul useth familiarly, ' I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion,' and ' the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and preserve me to his heavenly kingdom,' 2 Tim. iv. 17, 18 — a blessed arguing. So David argues, * God delivered me from the bear and the lion, and therefore he will deliver me from this uncircumcised Philistine,' 1 Sam. xvii. 87.