to be found in men. But to make this rule practicable, and im provable to peace and quietnefs of heart in an evil day, it will be neceffary that you well understand,

1. What the committing act of faith is.

2. What grounds and encouragements believers have for it. 1. Study well the nature of this committing act of faith, and what it fuppofes or implies in it; for all men cannot commit themselves to God, it is his own people only that can do it: nor is it every thing they can commit to God; they cannot commit themselves to his care and protection in any way but only in his own ways. Know more particularly,

ift, That he, who will commit himself to God, must commit himself to him in well doing, as the apoftle limits it in 1 Pet. iv. 19. and in things agreeable to his will; elfe we would make God a patron and protector of our fins: Let them that fuffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their fouls to him in well-doing. We cannot commit our fins, but our duties, to God's protection; God is fo great a friend to truth and righteousness, that in fuch a cafe he will not take your part, how dear foever you be to him, if truth be found on your ene mies part, and the mistake on yours. Think not to entitle God to your errors and failings, much less to any finful designs; you may commit a doubtful cafe to him to be decided, but not a finful cafe to be protected. It is in vain to fhelter any cause of your own under his wings, except you can write upon it, as David did, Pfal. lxxiv. 22. Thine own caufe, O Lord, as well as mine. Lord, plead thine own cause.

2dly, He that commits his all to God, fuppofes and firmly believes that all events and iffues of things are in God's hands; that he only can direct, over-rule, and order them all as he pleafeth. Upon this fuppofition the committing acts of faith in all our fears and diftreffes are built: I trufted in thee, O Lord, I faid, Thou art my God, my times are in thy hand, deliver me from the hands of my enemies, and from them that persecute me. His firm affent to this great truth, That his times were in God's hands, was the reafon why he committed himself into that hand. If our times, or lives, or comforts were in our enemies hands, it were to little purpose for us to commit ourfelves into God's hands. And here the contrary fenfes and methods of faith and unbelief are as confpicuous as in any one thing whatsoever: unbelief perfuades men that their lives, and all that is dear to them is in the hands of their enemies, and therefore perfuades them the best way they can take to secure themfelves, is by compliance with the will of their enemies, and

:

pleafing them but faith determines quite contrary, it tells us, We and all that is ours, is in God's hand, and no enemy can touch. us, or ours, till he give them a permiffion; and therefore it is our duty and intereft to please him, and commit all to him.

3. The committing ourselves to God, implies the refignation of our wills to the will of God, to be disposed of as feems good in his eyes: So David commits to God the event of that fad and doubtful providence, which made him fly for his life,: from a strong confpiracy, 2 Sam. xv. 25. " And the king faid: "unto Zadock, Carry back the ark of God into the city; if I "fhall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me "again, and fhew me both it and his habitation: but if he thus "fay, I have no delight in thee, behold, here am I, let him do "to me as feemeth good to him; " q. d. Lord, the confpiracy againft my life is ftrong, the danger great, the iffue exceeding doubtful; but I commit all into thy hand; if David may yet: be used in any farther fervice for his God, I fhall fee this city: and thy lovely temple again; but if not, I ly at thy foot, to be disposed either for life or death, for the earthly or the heavenly Jerufalem, as feemeth beft in thine eyes. This fubmiffion to Divine pleasure is included in the committing act of faith. Chriftian, what fayeft thou to it? Is thy will content to goback, that the will of God may come on, and take place of it? It may be thou canst refer a difficult cafe to God, provided he will determine and iffue it according to thy defires; but, in truth, that is no fubmiffion or refignation at all, but a finful limiting of, and prescribing to God. It was an excellent reply that a choice Christian once made to another, when a beloved and only child lay in a dangerous fickness at the point of death, a friend afked the mother, What would you now defire of God. in reference to your child? would you beg of him its life or its death, in this extremity that it is now in? The mother an fwered, I refer that to the will of God. But, faid her friend, if God would refer it to you, what would you chuse then? Why truly, faid he, if God would refer it to me, I would even refer it to God again. This is the true committing of ourselves and our troublesome concerns to the Lord.

4. The committing act of faith implies our renouncing and disclaiming all confidence and trust in the arm of flesh, and an expectation of relief from God only. If we commit ourselves to God, we must ceafe from man, Ifa. ii. 22. To truft God in part, and the creature in part, is to fet one foot upon a rock, and the other upon a quickfand. Those acts of faith that

give the entire glory to God, give real relief and comfort to

us.

2. Let us see what grounds and encouragements the people of God have to commit themselves and all the matters of their fears to God, and fo to enjoy the peace and comfort of are figned will; and there are two forts of encouragements before you, let the cafe be as difficult and frightful as it will, you may find fufficient encouragements in God, and fomewhat from yourfelves, viz. your relation to him, and experiences of him.

1. In God there is all that your hearts can defire to encourage you to truft him over all, and commit all into his hands. For,

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1. He is able to help and relieve you; let the cafe be never fo bad, yet let Ifrael hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is "plenteous redemption," Pfal. cxxx. 7, 8. Plenteous redemption, i. e. all the ftores of power, choice of methods, plenty of means, abundance of ways to fave his people, when they can fee no way out of their troubles: therefore hope, Ifrael, in Jehovah.

2. As his power is almighty, fo his wifdom is infinite and unfearchable; "He is a God of judgment, bleffed are all they "that wait for him," Ifa. xxx. 18. When the apostle Peter had related the wonderful prefervation of Noah in the deluge, and of Lot in Sodom, one in a general destruction of the world by water, and the other in the overthrow of those cites by fire; he concludes, and so should we, "The Lord knoweth how to "deliver the godly out of temptation," 2 Pet. ii. 9. Some men have niuch power, but little wifdom to manage it, others are wife and prudent, but want ability; in God there is an infinite fulness of both.

3. His love to, and tenderness over his people, is tranfcendent and unparalleled: and this fets his wifdom and power both at work for their good; hence it is, that his eyes of providence run continually throughout the whole earth, to fhew himself ftrong in the behalf of them whofe hearts are perfect, i. e. upright towards him, 2 Chron. xvi. 9. Thus you fee how he is every way fitted as a proper object of your truft.

2. Confider with yourselves, and you fhall find encouragements to commit all to God. For,

1. You are his children, and to whom should children commit themselves in dangers and fears, but to their own father? Doubtless thou art our Father, faith the diftreffed church, Ifa. lxiii. 15, 16. yea, Chriftian, Thy Maker is thy busband, Ifa. liv. 5. Is not that a fufficient ground to caft thyself upon him?

What! a child not trust its own father? a wife not commit herself to her own husband?

2. You have trufted him with a far greater concern already than your estates, liberties, or lives; you have committed your fouls to him, and your eternal interefts, 2 Tim. i. 12. Shall' we commit the jewel, and dispute the cabinet; truft him for heaven, and doubt him for earth?

3. You have ever found him faithful in all that you trusted him with, all your experiences are fo many good grounds of confidence, Pfal. ix. 10. Well then, refsolve to trust God over all, and quietly leave the difpofal of every thing to him: he hath been with you in all former ftraits, wants, and fears, hitherto he hath helped you, and cannot he do fo again, except you tell him how? Oh! truft in his wifdom, power and love, and lean not to your own understandings. The fruit of refignation will be peace.

Rule 5. If ever you will get rid of your fears and diftractions, get your affections mortified to the world, and to the inordinate and immoderate love of every enjoyment in the world.

The more you are mortified, the lefs you will be terrified; it is not the dead, but the living world, that puts our hearts into fuch fears and tremblings; if our hearts were once crucified, they would foon be quieted. It is the ftrength of our affections that puts fo much ftrength into our afflictions. It was not therefore without great reafon that the apostle compares the life of a Chriftian to the life of a foldier, who, if he mean to follow the camp, and acquit himself bravely in fight, must not entangle himself with the affairs of this life, 2 Tim. ii. 4. Sure there is no following Chrift's camp, but with a difintangled heart from the world; for, proportionable to the heat of our love, will be the ftrength and height of our fears about these things; more particularly, if ever you will rid yourselves of your uncomfortable and uncomely fears, use all God's means to mortify your affections to the exorbitant efteem and love of,

1. Your eftates. 2. Your liberty. 3. Your lives.

encounters.

1. Get mortified and cooled hearts to your poffeffions and eftates in the world. The pooreft age afforded the richeft Chriftians and nobleft martyrs. Ships deepest laden are not best for The believing Hebrews took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing in themfelves that they had in heaven a better and enduring fubftance, Heb. x. 34. They carried it rather like unconcerned fpectators, than the true proprietors ; they rejoiced when rude foldiers carried out their goods, as if

fo many friends had been bringing them in. And whence was this, but from an heart fixed upon heaven, and mortified to things upon earth? Doubtlefs, they efteemed and valued their eftates, as the good providences of God for their more comfortable accommodation in this world; but it seems they did, and oh that we could look upon them as mercies of the lowest and meanest rank and nature. The substance laid up in heaven was a better fubftance, and as long as that was safe, the lofs of this did not afflict them.

They could blefs God for these things which for a little time did minifter refreshment to them, but they knew them to be tranfitory enjoyments, things that would make to themselves wings and flee away, if their enemies had not touched them; but the fubftance laid up for them in heaven, that was an enduring fubftance. So far as thofe earthly things might further them towards heavenly things, fo far they prized and valued them, but if Satan would turn them into fnares and temptations to deprive them of their better fubftance in heaven, they coed eafily flight them, and take the spoiling of them joyfully. In a ftrefs of weather, when the fhip is ready to fink and founder in a storm, all hands are readily employed to throw the richest goods overboard; no man faith it is pity to cast them away, but reafon dictates to a man in that case, Better these perish, than I perish with and for them. These be the wares that fome will not cast overboard, and therefore they are faid to drown men in perdition, 1 Tim. vi. 9. Demas would rather perifh, than part with these things, 2 Tim. iv. 10. But, reader, confider feriously what comforts they can yield thee, when thou must look upon them as the price for which thou haft fold heaven, and all the hopes of glory; even as much as the price of blood yielded Judas; and fo they will ensnare thee, if thy unmortified heart be over-heated with the love of them as his was.

2. Be mortified to your liberty, and take heed of placing too great an esteem upon it, or neceffity in it. Liberty is a defirable thing to the very birds in the air; accommodate them the beft you can in your cages, feed them with the richest fare, they had rather be cold and hungry with their liberty in the woods, than fat and warm in your houses. But yet, as sweet as it is, there may be more comfort and sweetness in parting with it, than in keeping it, as the cafe may stand. The doors of a prifon may lock you in, but they cannot lock the Comforter out. Paul and Silas loft their liberty for Christ, but not their comfort with it; they never were fo truly at liberty, as