In times of extremity, no man but a Christian can pray with any com- fort, with any sweet familiarity, ' Abba, Father; ' but they be like Pharaoh, ' Go, Moses, pray to your God,' Exod. ix. 28. He hath no such familiarity with God as to pray for himself. And so carnal men will say, ' Pray to your God.' And many, like devils, will have no communion with God in their prosperity, but their whole life is a provoking of God to enmity, by swearing, loose, debauched, irregular carriage, hateful even to moral men. Their hearts tell them they be even like Satan, ' What ! dost thou come to torment us before our time ? ' Mat. viii. 29. What hast thou to do with me ? What have they to do with God ? They have scarce a Bible in their chambers ; if one, it is for fashion's sake. And that they may not appear to be naught, they will hold conformity in public assemblies ; but for private familiarity, they have nothing to do with it. The show of reli- gion goeth under an opprobrious name, but if they would put off the show it were nothing, and not make ostentation of what they are not ; but they have no communion with God in prayer. They will go for God's people, and own him for their God, when they have no trading with him so much as by prayer. Take heed we deceive not ourselves, I beseech you ; salva- tion dependeth upon it.
(3.) We may further try ivhether our claim of God to be our God be a good claim, on good grounds, by our siding, by our part-taking ; for those whom God is a God to in a peculiar manner will be sure to side with God. God hath two things in the world he prizes more than all the world ; that is, his children and church, his cause and religion. They that be God's will be sure to side with the church, they will stand and fall with the church ; and the cause of religion, they will live and die with it. But a carnal politician, that hath perhaps great parts of nature, he is ' AXKa v^og aXkoZg, as the Grecian calleth him ; they be for all turns ; they can bring themselves to any figure, like water that will receive any figure {j ). Take it, put it into a vessel that is square, it will be square ; put it into a round vessel, it will be round. How can they own God for their God when they will not seek him, and they are yet to choose their God and religion? And because they will be sure to be safe in all times, they will own no religion in any time. And, beloved, is it possible any such should say with con- fidence, God is their God ? Will he own them that will not own him, nor his church, nor his cause ? You know Jehu crieth out, ' Who is on my side, who ? ' Cast her out. And so God, in doubtful times of danger, crieth out, ' Who is on my side, who ? ' Stand out ; appear, if you be on my side ; if you be on my side, own my cause ; if you be not on my side, if you have no degree of goodness, it will appear. Christian wisdom is
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one thinr^, carnal policy is another thing. ' The wisdom of the flesh is enmity with God,' Kom. vii. 8. Many applaud, and think themselves for somehody in this kind ; but this wisdom is enmity itself against God. When a man will be wise in a distinct kind of wisdom from God, when he will have a cause severed from God, and will not side with God, he must look that God will account him his enemy, and make him his ; but espe- cially in the hour of death and deep extremity, he shall not bo able to look God in the face, to whom he hath been a traitor in the church and in the cause of religion. And therefore, as we will be able to own God for our God, especially in doubtful and dangerous times, side with the church, and side with religion. It was objected to that good Jchonadab, a good man, * Have we anything to do with God's enemies ? ' Jer. xxxv. 6, scq. Now there be two sorts of enemies that we are especially to have nothing to do withal if we side with God : enemies within us, and enemies without us. Sin within us. We must take part against our sins ; take God's part and the Spirit's part against corrupt motions and afi'ections. Divinity must begin from within, else it is faction without. It is not religion, but faction, if the religion begin not in our hearts, and if we hate not sin in ourselves. Where there is true antipathy, the nearer anything is that is opposite to our nature, the more hateful it is. He that hateth a toad, hateth it in his bosom most of all. And he that hates sin as sin, hates it in his own heart most of all. And therefore they that will pretend religion, and be naught in their own particular, it cometh not from a true principle ; for they that will side with God, side with God in their own hearts, and be good men in their own particulars. Therefore, I beseech you, try yourselves by this. Likewise, when men esteem God's enemy wheresoever they see it, and so far as their authority and power reacheth, they will take God's part in themselves against themselves, and in the world too. I will not enlarge the point, because it cometh in by way of trial, and I cannot but touch it as a trial. Thus you see how we may know whether we be God's or no, by owning his cause and siding with him. You have some expressions in Scripture to this purpose : Micah iv. 5, ' All people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.' Every man will walk and converse in the name of his god ; they will own their god and take part with him ; and we will walk in the name of our God for ever and ever, and own his cause at all times, and constantly, for ever and ever.