And those that disfurnish themselves by their negligence and carelessness of such blessed helps, what enemies are they to their own comfort !
Therefore consider God's dealing, remember it, observe it, think of it, and desire God's Spirit to help your minds and memories herein, that nothing may be lost. For, I say, all will be little enough, the comforts of others, our own experience, the promises of Scripture, our hearts are so ready to sink, and to call in question God's truth, and Satan will ply us so in the time of temptation.
Especially those that are old and grow into years, they should be rich in these experiments, and able even to have a story of them. We should be able to make a book of experiments from our childhood. God's care to every man in particular, it is as if there were none but he, and there is no man that is a Christian but he observes God's ways to him, that he can say, God cares for me as if he cared for none but me. Let us, therefore, treasure up experiments. We see one notable example in David, how he pleads with God, Ps^ Ixxi. 3, from his former experience, ' Be thou my
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 10. 175
habitation, wherein I may continually rest : thou hast given command to eave me ; for thou art my rock and my fortress.' Whatsoever is comfort- able in the crc^atui-c, God huth taken the name of it to himself, that in all ti'oubles we might fly to him as the grand deliverer ; for it is he that de- livers, whatsoever the means be, whether it be angels or men. It is he that sets all on work. Therefore he is called a ' rock ' and a ' fortress,' &c. * Thou hast given command to save me,' Ps. Ixxi. 3, that is, God hath the command of all creatures. He can command the fish to give up Jonah, He can command the devils to go out. Christ did it when he was on eai'th in the days of his flesh. Therefore much more now he is in hea- ven. He can command winds and storms, and devils and all troubles. He hath the command of all, as he saith to Elias, ' Behold, I have com- manded a widow to feed thee,' 1 Kings xvii. 9. ' The hearts of kings are in his hand, as the rivers of waters,' Prov. xxi. 1. He that com- mands the creatures can command deliverance, ' Thou hast commanded to save me,' for the time past. What doth he say for the time to come ? ' Deliver me, 0 God, from the wicked : thou art my hope and trust from my youth, &c. Cast me not off in mine old age ; when my strength faileth me, forsake me not.' It is a good argument, ' Thou hast been my God from my mother's womb, therefore cast me not off in my old age.'
Well ! we see here the practice of God's children in all times. Let it be a pattern for our imitation, that we ' do not forsake our own mercy,' as Jonah Baith, ii. 8.
When God hath provided mercy, and provided promises to help us with experience, let us not betray all through unbelief, through base despair in the time of trouble. If we had but only God's promise that he will be our God, that he will forgive our sins, were not that enough '? Is it not the promise of God, of Jehovah, that is truth itself? But when he hath sweet- ened his promise by experience, and every experience is a pledge and an earnest of a benefit to come, what a good God have we, that is content, not only to reserve the joys of heaven for us, but to give us a taste, to give us the assurance and earnest of the time to come, and, besides his promise, to give us comfortable experience, and all to support our weak faith !
But remember withal that this belongs only to God's children, and in a good cause. For wicked men to reason thus, ' He hath, and therefore he will,' it is a dangerous argument. They must not trust former experience. We must hope that God will continue as he hath been, upon this ground, that we are his, or else the ground of the ruin of wicked men is presumption that God will bear with them as he hath done. ' The king of Sodom ' and his people were rescued out of trouble by Abraham and the army that he raised ; yet they were pitifully consumed, not long after, b}' fire from hea- ven. Pharaoh was delivered by Moses's prayer. God delivered him from ten plagues. They made not a good use of it, and they perished after miserably in the Red Sea. Rabshakeh comes and tells of the former pros- perity of Sennacherib, ' Where are the Gods of Hamath and Arpad,' &c. 2 Kings xviii. 34. Hath not my lord overcome all ? Aye, but it was im- mediately before his reign.* Herod, he prospered, and had good success in the beheading of James, and therefore he would set upon Peter. He thought to trust to his former success. He was flushed in the execution of James. He thought God hath given me success, and blessed me in this. He thought God was of his mind, as it is, Ps. 1. 21, ' Thou thinkest me to be like thyself,' thou thinkest I hate those that thou hatest, that are my