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Use. Let us make nso of this. To what use is riches and friends, if we do not use them '? To what use is God and Christ, if we use them not '? Xostronnn * esl, ittamur nostro bono. He is ours, let us use him for our special good on all occasions. Oh that we had faith answerahle to our prerogative. It is a prerogative more than heaven and earth, that God is om-s ; and had we faith suitahle, what kind of persons should we be in grace and comfort, and whatsoever is good ? Therefore labour to make use of it. But more of this after we have spoken of some rules of trial, because whatsoever I may say this way may be misapplied. They be excellent comforts. But perhaps, saith the distressed soul, they belong not to me, to whom it doth belong. Perhaps it belongeth to me, saith another that is a stranger and a carnal man, to whom it doth not belong. Therefore our Saviour givcth some notes of distinctions, to know whether God be our God or no. Not to be much in the argument, yet to be plain in it.
(1.) God is their God in this peculiar manner I speak ; that is, in the cove- vant of grace, not otherwise; and I speak not what God is by creation of man, for so the devil is God's, and every creature. But the question is, Whom God is a God to in the nearest bond of the covenant of grace ? That is the only comfortable relation that can be ; for if God be not our God in that, all other comforts will be nothing. It is better we be no creatures at all, than not creatures in the covenant of grace. It is there- fore worthy the commending to you, especially considering our naughty hearts are prone to deceive us. Satan, and melancholy, and temptations do make some refuse the comfort, and some presumptuous persons to snatch at it when it doth not belong to them. Those to whom God is a God indeed, in a sweet relation of the covenant of grace to be their God, as to the patriarchs, prophets, and Christ and the apostles, he giveth his Holy Spirit to witness so much to them. Though the voice of the Spirit is not always heard in the best children of God, yet he giveth them the Holy Spirit, that though it doth not always witness, yet it always works something in them which may be an evidence that they are God's.
(2.) Now the spirit of adoption and sonship is known by a spirit of sup- plication especialli/. Whom God is a God to, he vouchsafeth a spirit of prayer, to go to him in all their necessities, which is an issue or branch of their faith. He giveth them faith to believe it, and prayer to make use of it; for God will not give this great privilege without hearts to make use of it, which is done by faith and prayer; and prayer is nothing but the frame of faith. Acts ix. 11. As soon as Paul was a good man, presently after his conversion, ' behold he prayeth.' The child crieth as soon as born, and the child of God is known by his praying ; as soon as he is converted, an intercourse is opened between God and the soul, which a Christian soul will never neglect. If they are placed in the worst condition, they will pray to God, or at least sigh and groan, which is a prayer that God can make sense of.
Those that have any strong places of defence, in trouble they will be sure to fly to that ; in times of war they will betake them to their castle and place of munition. And so they that be God's, in time of danger run presently to God ; he is their rock, their refuge, and place of defence. [They] repair to him by faith and prayer. ' The name of the Lord is a tower of defence : the righteous in trouble fly thither, and they are safe,' Prov. xviii. 10. A man may know what his god is by his retiring in times * Qu. ' nostrum ' ? — Eu.
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of extremity. Your carnal man, if lie hath any place to retire to, it is to his friends, to his purse, to bring him out. He will go to that which his instinct will specially lead him to in times of trouble. As every creature, together with the nature of it, hath received an instinct from God to go to the place of refuge wherein it is safe — as the weakest creature hath strong- est refuge — the conies, a poor weak creature, hide themselves most strongly, out of instinct they have of their own weakness — so God's child, being privy of his weakness, and need of support and strength, hath the strongest support that may be, and runneth to his God. Worldly men have many shifts, as the wily fox hath ; but a Christian hath but one, but that is a great one : he goeth to his God in time of need. And therefore you may know who is in covenant with God in times of extremity, espe- cially by a spirit of faith, a spirit of prayer.