And know him in his special attributes that the word sets him out in, besides the promises, that we may know that he is able to make good all these promises ; and then we shall trust him. What are those attributes ? He hath made himself known to be all-sufficient. What a world of comfort is in that. He saith to Abraham, ' I am God all-sufficient : walk before me, and be perfect,' Gen. xvii. 1. Take thou no thought for any other thing : ' I am God all-sufficient.' There is in him whatsoever may l)e for an object of trust. He is all-sufficient. He hath power. ' Our trust is in the name * That is, ' essays,' endeavours, = undertakings.' — G.
2G0 THE RICU POVERTY ; OR,
of the Lord, that made heaven and earth,' Ps. cxv. 15. Thero is a con- sideration to strengthen faith : there is power enough. We bcheve in a God that made heaven and earth ; and there is will to help us, he is our God ; and there is skill to help us : as St Peter saith, ' lie knows how to deliver,' 2 Pet. ii. 9. It is his practice. Ho hath used it from the begin- ning of the church, and will to the end. Ho knows how to deliver them, to protect and stand by them ; he hath power, and will, and skill to do it. And then again, he is everywhere. He is such a castle, and tower, and defence. We have him near us in all times : ho is * a present help in trouble,' as it is Ps. xlvi. 1. What an object of trust is here, if we had but faith to make use of it. Let us therefore know God in his word, in his attributes, and this will be a means to strengthen trust ; as it is Ps. xxxvi, 7, * How sweet is thy goodness ; therefore shall the sons of men trust under the shadow of thy wings.' Why come we under the shadow of God's wing ? Because his goodness is sweet : he is a fit object for trust. The things of this world, the more we know them, the less we trust them, for they arc but vain. But there is such infiniteness in God, that the more we know him, the more we shall trust him. Therefore, let us grow in the knowledge of God's word and truth.
And add experimental knowledge. It helps trust marvellously : the experience of others, and our own experience. When we see God hath helped his church in all times, especially when they have sought him by fasting and prayer : ' Our fathers trusted in thee, and wei'e not confounded,' Ps. xxii. 4, 5. Therefore, if we trust in thee, we shall not be confounded. So for our own experience : * Thou hast been my God from my mother's womb ; I have depended upon thee from my mother's breast : forsake me not in mine old years, in my grey hairs, when my strength faileth me,' Ps. Ixxi. 18. Thus we may gather upon God from former experience, that God will not now forsake us, because we have had experience of his kind- ness in former times. He hath been my God from my childhood ; there- fore he will be now. This is a good argument^ because God is as he was ; he is the same, he is never drawn dry : ' Where ho loves, he loves to the end,' John xiii. 1. Where he begins, he will end. Therefore, this should strengthen our faith, to gather experience from former things. Thus David allegeth the lion and the bear ;.and so St Paul, ' He hath delivered me, therefore he will deliver me,' 2 Tim. iii. 11. It is ordinary with the saints of God.
Again, If we would trust in God, labour every day to be acquainted with God in daibj jjmye?-, in hearing, and reading, and meditation. We trust friends with whom we are much acquainted ; and those that are not acquainted with God, in that communion which belongs to Christians, that do not often talk with God by prayer and meditation, when they go to God in extremity, what will God say to them ? Upon what acquaintance ? You are strangers to me, and I will be a stranger to you ; and ' Wisdom itself will laugh at their destruction,' Prov. i. 2G, when they will force acquaint- ance upon God when they have use of him, and never care for him in the time of peace. Therefore, if we would trust God, and go to God boldly, as who is there here now that will not have need of him ? We have need of him continually, but sometimes more than others. Therefore, I say, let us be acquainted with him, that we may after trust him. Those that have not the care to be acquainted with God, either they have not the heart to go to God, or if they have, they have but a cold answer. But indeed, for the most part, they have no heart to go to God, for their hearts misgive them,
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and tell them they have been careless of God, the}' have neglected God. Therefore, God will not regard them : ' Go to the gods ye have trusted,' as it is Judges x. 14. Answerable to our care, beloved, in the time of peace, will our comfort be when we are in trouble. Therefore I beseech you, let us remember this, as one means to strengthen our trust, our daily acquaint- ance with God ; and acquaint ourselves so with him, as to keep him our friend, not to offend him, for if we offend him, we shall not trust him. A galled conscience is afraid of God, as a sore eye is of light. A comfortable conscience- is from a conscience to please God. ' This is our boldness and confidence,' saith Paul, that we have laboured to ' keep a good conscience,' that we may have him our friend, 2 Cor. i. 15, Heb. xiii. 18.