504r 1HE WISDOM OF MAKING THE LOUD OUR REFUGE
by we are relieved do proceed. And let us, any of us, set ourselves1' to the most glorious stream that appears for our refreshment, if we do not by faith trace it unto the immensity of God's nature, we shall deal with it as behemoth thinks to do with Jordan, drink all up, swallow up the glorious stream of refreshment that lies before it, if we do not see it by faith stream from the immensity of God's na ture. "Trust in the LORD for ever," saith he, Isa. xxvi. 4. Why? what is the reason? "For in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength." The eternity of God and the omnipotency of God, the everlasting strength and name of God, that he is Jehovah, are rea sons for us to place our trust and confidence in him. " Trust in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength." Ye know that God doth often invite us to trust in his name; and they that know his name will put their trust in him: Ps. ix. 9, 10, "The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee." " The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it and is safe," Prov. xviii. 10. Is there any one that " walketh in darkness, and hath no light ? let him trust in the name of the LORD," Isa. 1. 10.
Ay, but you will say, 'Is it wisdom so to do? is it matter of counsel? the best course?' We have briefly seen it is great folly to trust in any thing that is not God by nature. Now we come to the positive part, that we are to make him our refuge. Is it good counsel so to do? Yea, ' Trust in my name/ saith God.
1. I would observe two things concerning this name of God, that he doth propose to us for the object of our trust, to make our refuge of:—
(1 .) In general, what is there in this name of God? Why, the whole Scripture is but a declaration of the name of God. All the preaching of Jesus Christ is nothing but to declare the name of God. He saith so himself, John xvii. 6, where he gives an account of his ministry: " I have manifested thy name," saith he, " unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world." And ye have a summary description of it, Exod. xxxiv. 5-7, " I will proclaim my name." What name? Why, saith he, "The LORD, strong and mighty;" or, as we read it, " The LORD God,1 merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abun dant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty." Certainly, if this be the name of God, it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confi dence in princes. It is wiser, it is better, of better counsel ; for this is bis name. The name of a prince may be Nabal ; but God proposeth his name to us, so as to suit every state and condition we may pos- i In the Hebrew EL, which signifies " Mighty."
THE WISDOM OF MAKING THE LORD OUR REFUGE. 505
sibly be in, under any distress: "The LORD God, merciful and gracious/'
(2.) It is wisdom, because God hath, in the revelation of his name, from the foundation of the world, accommodated himself unto the state and condition of his people, that they might thereby be wrought upon to trust in him, When he revealed himself to Abraham, who was to wander up and down the earth in the midst of strange and wicked nations, without a dwelling-place, and was, I am persuaded, in that state oftentimes which he expresses once, " The fear of God is not in this place, and they will slay me" (he had occasion oftentimes to think thus, "They will slay me for my goods and possessions;" he was a very great eye-sore to all the wicked inhabitants of the land, as Isaac was afterwards, " Thou art much mightier than we"), why saith God, " Fear not, I am God Almighty."" He accom modates his name to his condition. And you know when the chil dren of Israel quite despaired, and thought they should die under their bondage, and be worn away, God comes to them, and reveals himself unto them by his name Jehovah ; — ' I will fulfil all my promises now/ When the children of Judah came out of captivity from Babylon, and the world was full of noise, confusion, and tumult, and armies were round about them, as you may see in the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah, what was the name God revealed himself by? " Thus saith the LORD of hosts/' He revealed that he had the power of all the armies in the world. What name hath God revealed himself now by, that may be relief unto us, and make it advice and counsel now? Why, he is revealed now as "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." That is his name, and that is his memorial throughout all generations, which takes in all our spiritual and temporal concerns, — one who is afflicted with us in all our afflictions, tempted in all our temptations, suffers with us under all our sufferings. He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the captain of our salvation, and able to save unto the utter most. He hath called us to trust in this name, and hath given us this reason for it.