I speak this, to commend the estate of a believing, repentant Christian, to make you in love with it. In all the changes and varieties in this world, a Christian hath somewhat to take to. And likewise in all the dangers of this life, he hath a rock to go to, a hiding-place. God hath chambers of providence, as it is, Isa. xxvi. 20, he bids the church ' come into thy cham- bers.' God hath a hiding-place, and secret rooms to hide children in, when it is good for them, in the time of pestilence and war, in the time of public distui'bance ; when there is a confusion of all things, ' come into thy chambers.' God is a resting-place and a hiding-place. He is styled so everywhere in the Psalms : Ps. xviii. 2, ' my rock and my shield,' as if David had said, I have many troubles in the world, but in God is my defence ; for he is my rock, my shield, and all. Whatsoever is defensive, I have it in him.
898 COMMENTARY ON
What a comfort is this in all danf:;crs ! a Christian knows either he shall be safe here or in heaven ; and, therefore, he doth rest. ' He dwells in the secret of the Alnii^'hty,' Ps. xci. 1, that is, in the love and the protec- toction of God Alniif^hty ; and as Moses saith, ' Thou art our liiiLitation from everlastinff to everlastiiij^,' Ps. xc. 1, that is, God is a dwelling-place for him that builds on his promise ; for God and his word are all one. ' Thou art our dwi'lling-place,' &c. He saw they dropped away in the wilderness by the wrath of God, as we do now by the pestilence,* and Moses made that psalm. He took occasion to meditate (jf the frailty of man's life. We are as grass, as a tale that is told ; but what is our estate in God, in the promises ? ' Thou art our habitation from everlasting to everlasting,' Ps. xc. 2. We dwell not long in the world, sickness may come and sweep us away, but ' thou art our habitation.' We dwell in God when we are dead, when we are out of the world ; we dwell in God in Christ for ever. Our estate in Christ is an everlasting estate. Therefore in Psalm cxii. 7, the Psalmist saith of the righteous man there, * that he is not troubled for ill news.' He is not senseless, he is very sensible ; but yet notwithstanding he is not shaken from his rest, from his rock and stay for no ill news or tidings, why ? The Psalmist gives the reason, ' his heart is fixed.' Upon what foundation ? Upon the promises and providence of God. God hath promised to provide for him. He is his Father ; and, therefore, he is not afraid of ill tidings.
What a blessed estate then is it to be in Christ, and to have promises in Christ to be protected and preserved here, so as is for our good, and to have such a state in God, for him to be our habitation and hiding-place fi-om everlasting to everlasting ! If our hearts be fixed here, let us hear of ill tidings, of war, of this sickness and contagdon, let it be what it will, if our hearts be fixed, blessed men are we. But if we have nothing to take to when trouble comes, we are, as I said before, as a man in a stoim with- out a hiding-place. Now every word of God, saith the Psalmist, ' is a tried word, as silver tried in the fire,' Ps. xii. 6. The promises are tried promises that w^e may rest on them, and as we are Christians, what are we but men of promise ? The best is behind, and what is our comfort in this world ? God lets down his love to us in gracious promises ; and he gives us a taste of the performance. As children have somewhat of their inheritance in their nonage to keep them, so somewhat of heaven to comfort our souls we have, but the main is to come, and the performance is left till then ; therefore we cannot too much consider of this comfortable point. Consider how many promises we have in the word ; the certainty of them, that they are ' yea and amen ; ' and in whom they are founded, in him that is ' Amen ' himself; for Christ is 'Amen, the true and faithful witness,' Rev. iii. 14. These are comfortable considerations.
Are the promises of God in Christ ' yea and amen ? Let us divide men who may make any use of them. All men, they are either such as are in Christ, or such as are not in Christ.
Quest. All the promises being made in Christ, what comfort or what good can those that are not yet in Christ have by the promises ?
Ans. I answer, till thej' be in Christ, none at all ; for a man out of Christ is out of the favour of God. God cannot look on such a man but as the object of his wrath, and as fuel for his vengeance ; and, therefore, tkere is no hope for such a man till he be in Christ. All other things in the world cannot comfort such a man ; for, alas ! his being in the world, » In the margin, 1625. See note r. — G.