Wherefore, on such occasions, when the hearts of men are ready to quake, when they see all things about them filled with dread and terror, and all help far away, it is, I say, their duty and wisdom to abstract and take off their thoughts from all outward and present appearances, and to fix them on the presence of God. This will greatly change the scene of things in their minds; and they will find that strength, and power, and wisdom are on their side alone ; all that ap- pears against them, being but vanity, folly, and weakness.
So when the servant of Elisha saw the place where they were compassed with a host, both horses and chariots that came to take them, he cried out for fear, 'Alas ! my master, how shall we do V But upon the prayer of the prophet, the Lord opening the eyes of the young man, to see the heavenly guard that he had sent unto him, the mountain being full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha, his fear and trouble departed; 2 Kings vi, 15 — 17. And when in the like extremity God opens the eye of faith to behold his glorious presence, we shall no more be afraid of the dread of men. Herein did the holy martyrs triumph of old, and even despised their bloody persecutors. Our Saviour himself made it the ground of his supportment on the like occasion ; John xvi. 32. * Behold' (saith he to his disciples, his only friends), * the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered every one to his own, and eave me alone, and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.' Can we but possess our souls with the appre- hension, that when we are left alone in our trials and dan-
BEING SPIRITUALLY MINDED. 349
gers, from any countenance of friends, or help of men, yet that indeed we are not alone, because the Father is with us, it will support us under our despondencies, and enable us unto our duties.
4. Especial providential warnings call for thoughts of God's omnipresence and omniscience. So Jacob, in his nightly vision, instantly made this conclusion; ' God is in this place, and I knew it not.' We have frequently such warnino-s o-iven unto us. Sometimes we have so in the things which are esteemed accidental, whence it may be we are strangely delivered. Sometimes we have so in the things which we see to befall others, by thunder, lightning, storms at sea or land. For all the works of God, especially those that are rare and strange, have a voice whereby he speaks unto us. The first thing suggested unto a spiritual mind in such seasons, will be, God is in this place, he is present that liveth and seeth, as Hagar confessed on the like occasion ; Gen. xvi. 13, 14.
Thirdly, Have frequent thoughts of God's omnipotency, or his almighty power. This mostm en, it may be, suppose they need not much exhortation unto; for none ever doubted of it; who doth not grant it on all occasions? Men grant it indeed in general; for eternal power is inseparable from the first notion of the Divine Being. So are they conjoined by the apostle, * his eternal power and Godhead,' Rom. i. 20. Yet few believe it for themselves, and as they ought. Indeed, to believe the almighty power of God, with reference unto ourselves and all our concernments, temporal and eternal, is one of the highest and most noble acts of faith, which in- cludes all others in it. For this is that which God at first proposed alone as the proper object of our faith, in our en- trance into covenant with him. Gen. xvii. l.'I am God Almighty :' that which Job arrived unto after his long exer- cise and trial : ' I know,' saith he, 'thou canst do every thing, and no thought of thine can be hindered ;' chap. xlii. 2. ' God hath spoken once' saith the psalmist, ' twice have I heard this, that power belongs unto God;' Psal. Ixii. 11. It was that which God saw it necessary frequently to instruct him in. For we are ready to be affected with the appear- ances of present power in creatures, and to suppose that all things will go according unto their wills, because of their
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power. But it is quite otherwise ; all creatures are poor feeble ciphers that can do nothing : power belongs unto God ; it is a flower of his crown imperial, which he will suffer none to usurp ; if the proudest of them go beyond the bounds and limits of his present permission, he will send worms to eat them up, as he did to Herod.
It is utterh' impossible we should walk before God, unto his glory, or with any real peace, comfort, or satisfaction in our own souls, luiless our minds are continually exercised with thoughts of his almighty power. Every thing that befalls us, every thing that we hear of, which hath the least of danger in it, will discompose our minds, and either make us tremble like the leaves of the forest that are shaken with the wind, or betake ourselves to foolish or sinful relief, un- less we are firmly established in the faith hereof. Consider the promises of God unto the church which are upon record, and as yet unaccomplished ; consider the present state of the church in the world, with all that belongs unto it ; in all the fears and dangers they are exposed unto, in all the evils they are exercised withal, and we shall quickly find that unless this sheet-anchor be well fixed, we shall be tossed up and down at all uncertainties, and exposed to most violent temptations; Rev. xix. 6. Unto this end are we called hereunto by God himself, in his answer unto the despon- dent complaints of the church in its greatest dangers and calamities; Isa. xl. 28 — 31. 'Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary ? There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might, he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall : but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength : they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.'