You know how great a surprisal befell Job. See what his thoughts were, Job xxix. 18. After, in all the foregoing part of the chapter, he had related the manifold blessings of God upon him in his pros- perity, the uprightness of his own heart, his righteousness in his way, as he declares them to the utmost in the beginning of that chapter, he tells you his thoughts : " Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand." He expected, from the bless- ing of God, long life and peace. You know what surprisal befell him, and disappointment to all his comforts in this world, — that never man
THE BELIEVER'S SUPPORT UNDER DISTRESS. 413
fell into greater ; and he gives you an account how great his surprised was throughout the next chapter.
The reasons hereof, why it may be thus, are, —
First. Because there is no promise of the covenant to the contrary ; there is no promise of God secures absolutely unto us our outward comforts. Be they of what nature they will,- — be they in our relations, in our enjoyments, in our persons, — of what kind they will, why, yet we may have a surprisal befall us in reference to them all; because there is no promise of God to secure the contrary, therefore it may be so.
Secondly. Sometimes it is needful it should be so, though we are apt to think the contrary ; — and that for these three reasons : — ■
1. To keep' continuaily -^ipon our hearts a due awe of the judg- ments of God, — of the actings of God's providence in a way of judg- ment; which otherwise we should be apt to think ourselves freed from. David testified that this frame was in himself, Ps. cxix. 120, " My flesh," saith he, " trembleth for fear of thee ; and I am afraid of thy judgments." There ought to be in our hearts an awe of the judgments of God; "for our God is a consuming fire:" and if we were secured from surprisals in our own concerns, so fleshly are we, so selfish and carnal, it would be impossible we should keep up a due awe and reverence of the judgments of God. But when these judgments of God may reach our nearest concerns, — our lives, and all we enjoy; then doth our flesh tremble in a due manner for fear of him: and we may be afraid of his judgments. A due fear of the judgments of God is a necessary balance upon the minds of the best of the saints.
2. It is needful, to keep us off from security in ourselves. There is such a treachery in our hearts, that we are able to build carnal security upon the spiritual dispensations of God's kindness and love. "I said, I shall never be moved," saith David ; — an expression of carnal security. What was the ground? "Thou, Lord, hast made my rock so strong." He built up carnal security upon God's dispensations. It is needful, therefore, God should sometimes break in upon our con- cerns, that we may not turn a constant course of his kindness into a sinful security of our own.
3. They are sometimes actually needful, to awaken the soul out of such deep sleep of present satisfaction, or love of this world ; which nothing else will do. Sometimes we so fall asleep in our own ways, either in our satisfaction or projects and desires, and are so earnest in the pursuit of them, that no ordinary jog will awaken us; it is necessary God should break in upon us in the best of our concerns, and make us put in an " although" in our course. " Although my children live not, and my house be not so with God;" " Although my house be destroyed," etc.
414 THE EVERLASTING COVENANT,
That which we should learn from hence, by way of use, is, —
1. Not to put too great a value upon any contentment, whatever we have in this world, lest God make us write an " although" upon it. David seems to have put too great a valuation upon his house, the carnal flourishing of his house ; but in his last words he is forced to come to that, " Although my house be not so with God;" as if he had said, " What I placed all my hope and expectation upon, that I find is not so with God/'
2. Let us be in an expectation of such changes of providence, that they may not be great surprisals unto us. When we are in peace, let us look for trouble; when we are at liberty, let us look for restraint; and when our children are about us, let us look for the removal of them; and be content to see all our comforts in their winding-sheet every day. It is impossible but our hearts will be too much upon them, unless we keep them in this frame.
The SECOND general observation is this: —
That the great reserve and relief for believers, under their sur- prisals and distresses, lies in betaking themselves to the covenant of God, or to God in his covenant. " ' Although my house be not so with God,' — what shall I then do ? what will become of me ? Yet ' he hath made a covenant with me, an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure. This is all my desire, and all my salvation, although he make not my house to grow/ " I say, the great relief and only re- serve of believers in their distresses and surprisals, such as may befall them in a very few days, is, to betake themselves to God in his covenant.