Use 1. Let us labour, therefore, tu he radicated in our judgment, in our affections, in our loi>e, in our faith, in our whole inward man, in the truth revealed. To be stablished in the truth, it is our best inheritance, it is that will stand by us when all leaves us.
What consistence hath a man out of the tnith ? Are you rich or honourable ? Death will drive you out of all yom* riches and honours in the world, and strip you of all. What stablishing hath any man but in Christ, in the tnith ? Take a man that is not bottomed, that is not fastened on Christ, he is the changeablest creature in the world, he is vanity, he is nothing.
Oh ! love this state, that we may say, though I be variable here, though I be not so rich as I was, or have not that fiivour of great ones that I have had ; or it is not with me as it hath been, but in all changes I have some- what that is unchangeable ; my soul is settled upon Christ, and upon the truth in him, which is certain. As it is a glorious being to be found in Christ, so it is an etei-ual and an everlasting being : once Christ's, and for ever his ; he will never lose a member. Labour we therefore to be stablished in Christ in all the changes and alterations in the world, and then we shall have something that is unchangeable to fix and stay ourselves upon, even in the hour of death.
Use 2. Again, in the second place, to make an use of examination, I beseech you, examine yourselves whetlter yoii find tJus stablishinff in your hearts or no ? whether your hearts be thus settled or no by the Spirit of God ? For, beloved, it is worth the labour and pains to get this grace, and to be assured that you have it. StabUshing in Christ is most necessaiy, and we stand in need of a great deal of spiritual strength. Do we know what times may come ? If dangerous times come, if we be not stablished, what will become of us ? Oh ! it is a happy estate, a Christian that is stablished in the sound knowledge and faith of Christ ! I beseech you therefore con- sider of it. To give you an evidence or two whereby you may discern whether your hearts be settled and stablished.
1. A man hath the grace of stablishing, and confirmation, ivhen it is upon the word, when God doth stahlish him upon the promises.
* That is, = ' adiaphorous,' from d^ia<poo(jg, indifferent. — G.
488 COMirENTARY ON
'2. And tlion, a<,'ain, l»i the cfl'irf of it. A man is stablislitul ])j tho Spirit of God when liis teniptiitions iiro f^rcat, and his strength httle to resist, and yet notwithstanding ho pn^vails. Satan is strong. If we prevail against Satan's temptations, we are stahHshed. God is strong, too strong for us. If we can break through tho clouds when he seems an enemy, as Job, ' Though thon kill mo, yet will I trust in thee,' Job xiii. 15 : here is a pre- vailing, a stablished faith. In great atHictions, when clouds are between us and God, when wo have faith that will break through those clouds, and see God through them shining in Christ, liere is a strong, a stablished faith ; because here is mighty temptations and oppositions.
The strength is known by the strength of the opposition, and tho weak- ness of the party. In the times of martyrdom, there was fire and faggot, and the frowns of cruel persons ; who were the persons that sufli'ered ? Children, women, old men sometimes, all weak. Children, a weak age ; women, a weak sex ; old men, a withered, melancholy, dry age, fearful of constitution. ]3ut when the Spirit of God was so strong in young ones, in weak women, in old withered men, as to enable them to endure the torment of iire, to enable them to endure threatenings, and whatsoever, as we see, Heb. xi. 35-37, here was a mighty work in weak men. A man may know here is stablisbing grace, because, except there were somewhat above nature, where were a man in such a case ? Then a man may know espe- cially that there is stablisbing grace, when be sees somewhat above nature prevailing over the temptation, and confirming the weak nature of man. That is the best evidence we have of God's stablisbing grace. Some- times, them that are stronger at some times are weaker at other times ; but, as I said before, that is to teach them that they have tbeii* strength from God.
Use 3. Again, if your hearts be soundly bottomed and founded and grounded on Christ, and the promises of God in him, then you will he freed at least from all rictorij and thraldovi to base fears, arid to base cares, and base sorrows, and base passions.
A man that hath no settled being on Christ, he is tossed up and down with every passion : be is full of fears and cares for the world, which dis- tract the soul upon every occasion, full of unseasonable and needless sor- rows and griefs, which vex and perplex the soul continually. Ob ! how he fears for the time to come ! what shall become of me if such a thing happen ? how shall I be able to live in such a time, &c. ? If he were settled upon God in Christ, that he were his Father : if he were stablished upon the promises of God in Christ, ' I will not fail thee nor forsake thee,' Heb. xiii. 5. ' Fear not, little Hock, it is the Father's will to give you the kingdom,' Luke xii. 82 ; and ' Why do you fear, 0 you of little faith ?' Matt. vi. 30. And, ' He that provides for the birds of the air, for the sparrows, for the lilies of the field, for the poorest creature, will he not much more for you ?' Matt. vi. 25, seq. If, I say, we were thus stablished upon Christ, and the promises, there would be no disquietness. Those [are the] fears and griefs that usually perplex and enthral the minds of men ; but where there are these distracting cares, and vexing sorrows, and need- less fears, it argues a heart unsettled, though perhaps there may be some faith notwithstanding.