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with God, yet lie hatli made with me an everlasting cove- nant, ordered in all things and sure ; for this is all my salva- tion, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.' David had a promise for the prosperity of his house ; he had also an engagement of the sure mercies of the covenant: the different tenour of these engagements, as to their success and establishment, he gives us this account of: The covenant is absolute and unchangeable, that is, ordered in all things and sure ; the prosperity of his house depends on another law and rule, that is subject to alteration.
2. Observe the nature of this dependance of God's pre- sence on our abiding with him. It doth not depend upon it, as the effect upon its proper cause, as though it were procured by it, merited by it ; we enjoy not the least morsel of bread on any such account, much less such eminent pri- vileges as attend God's special providential presence. We deserve nothing at the hand of God ; and therefore if he should take us in the midst of the choicest obedience, and fill us with the fiercest of miseries, he did us no wrong ; and therefore the Lord does so deal sometimes with his ; and that not only with particular persons, as in the case of Job, but also with his people in general, as Psal. xliv. 17 — 19. * All this is come upon us, yet have we not forgot- ten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant. Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way. Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.* Though he requires our duty at our hands, yet he is not tied to any such present reward. This is all : it ordinarily depends upon it as a consequent upon an antecedent, which allows an interposition of grace and mercy, as Nehemiah ix. 16. ' Nevertheless thou being merciful forsookest them not.' So elsewhere that good man prays, 'Remember me for good, and spare me according to the multitude of thy mercies.' For the glory of his righteousness, and of his ways in the world, God hath ordered, that his people shall walk with him, when he abides eminently and conspicuously in a special manner with them.
3. Observe, that our abiding with God, even in national administrations, is the proper effect of his presence with us in covenant dispensations ; so that all in the issue is of mere
A pf.ople's prospfrity. 559
mercy, and grace: though the condition seems to be im- posed on us, yet it is from him alone that we have strength for its performance. It is in this, and such lilce cases, as David said it was with them, at their dedicating their silver and gold for the building of the tpuiple : ra aa, e/c riov aiov, ' of thine own, Lord, have we given unto thee:' we do but return him his own, we give him but the fruits of his own grace ; and without it we can make no return whatever.
These things being premised, I shall give the proposition some confirmation, and so descend to the due improvement of it.
I suppose I need not go for proof, beyond the observa- tion of the constant tenour of God's proceedings with his people of old. When did he not deal thus with them? What instance can be given of transgressing this rule? Is the whole story of the nation of the Jews any thing, but the illustration of this proposition ? Some ruled well, and sought the Lord; and the Lord was with them, and pros- pered them in all their ways : some fell from him, and walked according to their own imaginations; and the Lord cut them short on that account. Yea, sometimes the same man, as Solomon, xVsa, Uzziah, experienced both these states and conditions. Hath not the state of all nations, since they came into the power of men, professing the know- ledge of him, been the same? Look on the Roman empire, did it not flourish under the hand of men who ruled with God, and were faithful with the saints ? Is not the present distraction of it, under the fury and cruelty of Turk and pope, the issue of the violence, unrighteousness, idolatry, luxury, and persecution of ill governors? Doth not the de- monstration of all God's people in the world, the conside- ration whereof in particular might be insisted on as the ground and reason of the truth insisted on, require that it should be thus? Lev. xxvi. and almost the whole book of Deuteronomy, are sermons on this text, and every verse almost in them would afford a new confirmation of the truth in hand. I shall need rather then to caution from mistakes, than farther to confirm the proposition. For this end, take these ensuing observations.
\. All outward flourishing, or prosperity of a people.
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(loth not always argue the special presence of God with them. There are sundry things required to make success and prosperity an evidence of the presence of God.
(1.) That the people themselves prospered be his people, his peculiar. How many wicked nations are there in the world, that for a long season have received blessings (as it were) and success in their undertakings? Is the Lord amongst them by his special presence? Not at all. He is using them indeed for his own end and purposes, to break others, or fill up the measure of their own iniquities ; that their destruction may be an evident demonstration of his vengeance, and righteous judgments to all the world ; but present with them in the sense contended about, he is not. The case is stated, Hab. i. ii. as you may see in those chap- ters at large. It is the same case with the antichristian and and Mahometan nations, in the world at this day. Their prosperity is no evidence of God's presence, because them- selves are his enemies. Other bottoms, reasons, and grounds there are of their successes ; God's owning of them, is none of them.