The second point is, that,
2. God s children, when they arc in this conflict, they recover themselves. God sufi'ers them to be foiled, but then they recover themselves. First,
there is a conflict, and then ofttimes the foil. A man is foiled by the worst part in him, and then after a while he recovers ; and then, as in other conflicts, there is triumph and victory, as we see here his conflict and recovery.
For God's children go not far off from him, as it is in ver. 27, ' Lo, they that are far ofi" from thee shall perish.' They may have their thoughts unsettled a little concerning God's providence, but they run not far off", they go not a-whoring, as carnal men do. Thev begin to slip, but God hath a blessed hand under them to recover them, "that they do not fall away, that they fall not foully. They may slip and fall a little, to stand better and surer after, but they go not far ofl' as wicked men do. They never slip so low but God's goodness is lower to hold them up. He hath one band under them and another hand above them, embracing them, so that
THE saint's eesolution. 83
they cannot fall dangerously. This is the second ; from this that we see here, he recovers out of this conflict.
Use. Which may serve to discern our estate in grace. If we belong to God, though such noisome imaginations rise, yet, notwithstanding, there is a contrary principle of grace always in God's children that checks them, at the least afterwards, if not presently. Such noisome thoughts as these rule and reign in carnal men, for they take scandal* at God's government, and they judge, indeed, that the ways of wicked men are happy. They have false principles, and they frame their course of life to such false prin- ciples and rules, from cherishing atheistical doubts of God's providence, and the like. It is far otherwise with God's children. There are conflicts in them, but there is a recovery ; they check them presently ; they have God's Spirit, and the seed of grace in them. That is never extinct. '
3. The way of recovery is to enter into God's sanctuary. For we must not give liberty to ourselves to languish in such a course, to look to present things too much, but look into God's book, and there we shall find what is threatened to such and such ill courses, and what promises are made to good courses. And then apply God's truth to the example; see how God bath met with wicked men in their rufie,t ^^^1 advanced his children when they were at the lowest, when they were even at the brink of despair. Examples in this kind are pregnant and clear throughout the Scripture. The Lord saith, ' It shall go well with the righteous, and it shall [not] go well with the wicked,' Ps. xci. 8 ; ' Let him escape a thousand times. Doubt- less there is a reward for the godly,' Ps. Iviii. 11. Let us look in the book of God, upon the predictions, and see the verifying of those predic- tions in the examples that act the rules, and bring them to the view : let us see the truths in the examples. This entering into God's sanctuary it is the way to free us from dangerous scandals, and to overcome dangerous conflicts ; for the conclusions of the sanctuary are clean contrary to sen- sible carnal reason. Carnal reason saith. Such a one is a happy man ; sure he is in great favour ; God loves him. Oh, but the sanctuary saith, It shall never go well with such a man. Carnal reason would say of Dives, Oh, a happy man ; but the sanctuary saith, * He had his good here,' and ' Lazarus had his ill here.' Carnal reason saith. Is there any providence that rules in the earth ? Is there a God in heaven, that suffers these things to go so confusedly ? Ay, but the word of God, the sanctuary, saith, there is a providence that rules all things sweetly, and that * all things are beautiful in their time,' Eccles. iii. 11.
"VVe must not look upon things in their confusion, but knit things. ' Mark the end, mark the end of the righteous man,' Ps. xxxvii. 37. Look upon Joseph in prison. Here is a horrible scandal ! For where was God's providence to watch over a poor young man. But see him after, * the second man in the kingdom.' Look on Lazarus at the rich man's door, and there is scandal ; but see him after in Abraham's bosom. If we see Christ arraigned before Pilate, and crucified on the cross, here is a scan- dal, that innocency itself should be wronged. But stay awhile ! See him at the right hand of God, ' ruling principalities and powers, subjecting all things under his feet,' Eph. i. 21.
Thus the sanctuary teacheth us to knit one thing to another, and not brokenly to look upon things present, according to the dreams of men's
* That is, ' make a stumbling-block of.' — G.
t Edward Philips, Sibbes's contemporary, uses the word ' ruffe ' very much as here. See ' Godly Learned Sermons ' (1605), p. 160. It seems = height of prosperity. — G.