1. Because he would have his people wholly wrapt up in his all-sufficiency, not to straiten themselves with what their faith can ken in a promise, much less to what their reason can perceive in appearance. In the application of •promises to particular trials and extremities faith oftentimes is exceedingly disturbed, either in respect of persons, or things, or seasons ; but when it will wholly swallow up
'^ Gen. x\u. 14. xixix. &:c.
152 A MEMORIAL OF THE DELIVERANCE
itself in all-sufficiency, the fountain of all promises, there is no place for fear or disputing. Have your souls in spiritual trials never been driven from all your outworks unto this main fort? Hath not all hold of promises in time of trial given place to temptations, until you have fallen down in all-sufficiency, and there found peace? God accounts a flioht to the stroncr tower of his name to be the most excel- lent valour; this. is faith's first, proper, and most immediate object; to particular promises it is drawn out, on particular occasions; here is, or should be, its constant abode; Gen. xvii. 1. And indeed the soul will never be prepared to all the will of God, until its whole complacency be taken up in this sufficiency of the Almighty. Here God delights to have the soul give up itself to a contented losing of all its reasonings, even in the infinite unsearchableness of his goodness and power. Therefore will he sometimes send ibrth such streams of blessings, as can flow from no other fountain, that his may know where to lie down in peace. Here he would have us secure our shallow bottoms in this quiet sea, this infinite ocean, whither neither wind nor storm do once approach. Those blustering temptations which rage at the shore, when we were half at land and half at sea, half upon the bottom of our own reason, and half upon the ocean of providence, reach not at all unto this deep. Oh, if we could in all trials lay ourselves down in these arms of the Almighty, his all-sufficiency in power and goodness! Oh, how much of the haven should we have in our voyage, how much of home in our pilgrimage, how much of heaven in this wretched earth! Friends, throw away your staves, break the arm of flesh, lie down here quietly in every dis- pensation, and you shall see the salvation of God. I could lose myself in setting out of this, wherein I could desire you would lose yourselves in every time of trouble. ' 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 who 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.
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and not be wearv, they shall walk and not be faint;' Isa. xl. 28— 31.
2. To convince the unbelieving world itself of his power, providence, and love to them that put their trust in him, that they may be found to cry, ' Verily there is a reward for the righteous ; verily he is a God who ruleth in the earth \ Psal. Iviii. 11. When the Egyptian magicians see real mi- racles, beyond all their juggling pretences, they cry out, ' This is the finger of God;' Exod. viii. 19. Profane Ne- buchadnezzar beholding the deliverance of those three wor- thies from the fiery furnace, he owns them for the' servants of the most high God ;' Dan.iii.26. Daniel being preserved in the lion's den, Darius acknowledgeth the power and king- dom * of the living God;' Dan.vi.26. Glorious appearances of God for his people, beyond the reach of reason, wrests from the world amazement, or acknowledgment, and in both God is exalted. He will appear in such distresses, as that he will be seen of his very enemies ; they shall not be able with the Philistines to question, whether it be his hand, or a chance happened to them, 1 Sam. vi. 9. but conclude Vv'ith the Egyptians, that fly they must, for God fights for his people ; Exod. xiv. 25. If God should never give blessings but in such a way, as reason might discover their depend- ance on secondary causes, men would not see his goings, nor acknowledge his operations. But when he mightily makes bare his arm, in events beyond their imaginations, they must veil before him.
Use 1. Consider whether the mercy celebrated this day ought not to be placed in this series of deliverances, brought from beyond the ken of sense and reason, from above the reach of much precious faith. For the latter I leave it to your own experience, to the former let me for the present desire your consideration of these five thino-s.
(1.) By whom you were surprised and put under re- straint. Now these were of two sorts: [1.] The heads and leaders ; [2.] The tumultuous multitude.
[1.] For the first, some of them being dead, and some under durance, I shall not say anything. ' Nullum cum vic- tis certamen,et sethere cassis.' I leave the stream from the flint to your own thoughts.