up the Heart of Mofes, that it funk not under the preffure of his fears, when all things threatned his ruine.

Secondly, He that would thus wait upon God, had need to have an equal Ballance of Spirit, in reference to fecond caufes; Defpife or Neglect them he may not, when he may bave them, for that were intollerable prefumption, and fo to center our Hopes and Expectations upon them, as if our welfare did certainly depend up on them, is an high affront to Gods Omnipotency, and no less than a finful idolizing of the Creature; but the engagements ofour Duty muft keep carefully to the first, and the confideration of an dependency of an Almighty Power, as to any fubordinate means or caufes, muft help us against the other mifcarriage. When all means vifible fail us, we muft look to live upon Omnipotent Faithfulness and Goodness, which is not tyed to any thing, but that without all means, and contrary to the Powers of fecond Cau fes, can do what he hath promised, or fees fit.

Thirdly, There is no waiting upon God and keeping his way, without a particular trust in God, to this we are not only warranted by frequent Commands, Truft in the Lord, I fay, Trust in the Lord; but highly encouraged to it, under the greatest Affurances of help. Pfal.37.5. Trust in him, and he shall bring it to pass. Trust in the Lord and do Good, and verily than fhalt be fed. ver. 3. The Lord fhall help and deliver them, because they trust in him. And this we are to do at all times, and in the greatest Hazards, and with the Pfal. 3.5, 6. bighest Security. I laid me down and flept, I will not be affraid of ten thousands of People, that have set themselves against me round about.

Quest.

Answ. 1.

But fome (poffibly) may fay, Is it our Duty to fit ftill in fuch a cafe? when all the ufual ways of fupply fail us, muft nothing be attempted ?

I Answer, First,At such times greater Care and Diligence is neceffary in outward things; that what one lawful courfe cannot help, another lawful courfe may; and as to fpiritual Diligence, it should be extraordinary, we should be more earneft and frequent in Prayer, Faftings, Meditations, and the exercife of Graces.

Secondly, While we are in the purfuit of Duty, and where the Subftance of it may be preferved entire, if our Straits and Wants unavoidably put us out of the way, we may be fatisfyed to go on, though fome Circumftances be neceffarily waved and hindred. Phinews might kill Zimri and Cosbi upon the Command of Mofer. Numb.

Numb. 25. 5. And confequently in Profecution of Duty, though (other Circumstances confidered) it was in fome refpects extraordinary.

Thirdly, But let the Strait be what it will, we must not forfake Duty; for fo we go out of Gods way,and do contradict that Trust and Hope which we are to keep up to God-ward.

But (it may be further urged) muft we when all Means fail, Quest. pofitively Truft in God for thofe very things which we might expect in an ordinary way?

In fome cafes, our Duty is fubmiffion to his Will, and the par- Anf. 1. ticular Mercy neither pofitively to be expected, nor yet distrusted. Thus did David behave himself, when he fled from Jerufalem upon Abfolom's Rebellion; Let him do what feemeth him good.

But there are other Cafes wherein 'tis our Duty to fix our Truft upon the particular Mercy or help. I fhall name four, and poffibly a great many more may be added. As,

Firft, When Mercies are exprefly and particularly promised ; as when the Kingdom was promised to David. When a Son was promised to Abraham. Whatever had been the Improbabilities of their obtaining the thing promifed, it was their duty pofitively to believe. This is indeed not a general Cafe.

Sécondly, When God leads us into straits by engaging us in his Service, as when Ifrael followed the Lord into the Wilderness, in order to an enjoyment of a further Mercy,which was the Poffeffion of the Land of Canaan; when they had no Water to drink, nor Food to eat, and faw no natural poffibility of fupply in that Wildernefs, they ought pofitively to have expected fupplies from God in an Extraordinary Way, and it is reckoned up against them as their Sin that they did not believe. This was the very cafe of Chrift under this Temptation, the Spirit led him into the Wilderness upon the profecution of a further defign; when there was no Bread there to fatisfy his Hunger, he refufeth to work a Miracle for his fupply, but leans upon an Extraordinary Providence.

Thirdly, when the things we want are common universal Bleffings, and fuch as we cannot fubfift without: if we have nothing to eat, and nothing to put on, yet feeing the Body cannot live without both, we must pofitively expect fuch fupplies from Providence, This though we fee not the Way whence they fhould arife to us. kind of Diftruft (which reflects upon the general neceffary Provi

K 2

dence

Mat. 6.30.

dence of God, by which he is engaged to preferve his Creatures in their Stations, To cloath the Grass of the Field, to feed the Birds of the Air, &c.) Chrift doth feverely challenge, Shall be not much more cloath you, Oye of little Faith? He hath little or no Faith, (and in that regard a very Prodigy of Diftruft) that will not believe for Neceffaries. Hence Heb.3. 17. the Prophet refolves upon a rejoycing Confidence in God, when neither Tree, nor Field, nor Flock would yeild any hope in an ordinary way.

Fourthly, When God is eminently engaged for our help, and his Honour lies at Stake in that very matter; fo that whether God will help or no, or whether he is able, is become the Controversy, upon which Religion in its Truth, or the Honour of God is to be tryed; then are we engaged to a certain belief of help. The three Children upon this ground did not only affert, that God was able to deliver them, or that their Death and Martyrdome they could bear (which is all that most Martyrs are able to arife up to) but they afferted poffitively, that God would deliver them, and that the Fire fhould not burn them they faw evidently that the Contest, whether the Lord was God, was managed at fo high a rate, that God was more concerned to Vindicate his Honour by their preservation, than to Vindicate their Grace and Patience by their Conftancy in Suffering. Another Inftance we have in Matth. 8. 26. where Chrift rebukes his Disciples for unbelief, in their fears of Shipwrack in a great Storm (not that every Sea-man ordinarily lies under that charge, that gives himself up to the apprehenfions of Danger:) the ground of which charge was this, that Christ was with them, and confequently it had unavoidably contradicted his Defign, and reflected upon his Honour, if he had fuffered his Difciples at that time to be drowned: their not minding how far Chrift was engaged with them, and not fupporting themselves against their Fears by that Confideration, made Chrift tax them for their little Faith..

CHAP.

CHA P. XII.

Of Satans proceeding to infer Diftruft of Sonship from Diftruft of Providences. Inftances of the probability of Such a Defign. The Reasons of this undertaking. Of Satan's endeavour to weaken the Affurance and Hopes of God's Children. His general Method to that purpose.

Aftly we are to confider the suitableness of the Means to the End; he had (as we have seen) fitly proportioned the fubordinate Means to the chief and principal. The failure of ordinary Means of help, was fhrewdly proper to infer a Distrust of Providence. Now let it be noted how fitly he improves this Distrust of Providence, to bring about the End he aimed at, which was a Diftruft of his Filial Intereft in God, as if he fhould have thus reasoned; He that in ftraits is forfaken, as to all the ufual fupplies that may be expected in an ordinary way, hath no reason to rely on Providence; and be that hath no reason to rely on Providence for the Body, bath less caufe to expect Spiritual Bleffings and Favours for the Soul. Hence,

note,

That 'tis Satan's endeavour, to make Men proceed from a Distrust of Obf. 14. Providence, to a Distrust of their Spiritual Sonfhip, or Filial Interest in God. Firft, Ifhall evidence that this is Satan's Design, and next, Ifhall give the Reasons of it. The former I fhall make good by these feveral Confiderations.

Firft, We fee it is an ufual Inference that others make of Men whofe Heart fails them, under an absence or disappearance of all means of help in their Diftreffes. If Providence doth not appear for them, they conclude God hath forfaken them. Bildad "thus concludes against Job chap. 4.6. Is not this thy fear,thy Confidence,thy Hope, and the uprightness of thy ways? Which must not only be understood as an Ironical Scoff at the weakness of his Confidence and Hope, as not being able to fupport him against fainting in his.

trouble,

Job 8. 6.

.

trouble, but as a direct accufation of the falfenefs and Hypocrify of his fuppofed Integrity, and all the Hopes and Confidence which was built upon it; and ver. 7. doth evidence, where he plainly declares himself to mean, that Job could not be Innocent or Righteous, it being (in his apprehenfion) a thing never heard of, that fo great Calamities fhould overtake an upright Man; Whoever perished being Innocent? The ground of which affertion was from ver. 5. It is now come upon thee, and thou fainteft. That is, Diftreffes are upon thee, and thou haft novifible means of help, but defpaireft ever to fee a Providence that will bring thee out; therefore furely thou haft had no real Intereft in God, as his Child. Eliphaz alfo feconds his Friend in this uncharitable Cenfure; If thou wert pure and upright, he would awake for thee; that is, because he doth thus overlook thee, therefore thou art not pure and upright.

If Men do thus affault the Comforts of God's Children, we have reafon enough to think that Satan will; for befides that we may conclude they are fet on work by the Devil, (and what he speaks by them,he will alfo by other ways promote,as being a defign that is upon his Heart ;) we may be confident, that this being a Surmife fo Natural to the Heart of Man, he will not let slip fo fair an advantage, for the forming of it in our own Hearts againk our felvés.

Secondly, The beft of Gods Children, in fuch cafes, efcape it very hardly (if at all ;) which declares, not only the depth and Power of that Policy, but alfo how usual it is with Satan to urge the Servants of God with it. Job, chap. 19. 25. recovered himself to a firm perfwafion of Sonfhip, Iknow that my Redeemer liveth,&c, but by the way his Foot had well-nigh flipt, when ver. 10, 11. he cryes out, He hath deftroyed me on ever fide, and I am gone; be bath alfo kindled his Wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of bis Enemies. His earnest refolve, not to give up his Truft in God, and the Confidence of his Integrity, is fufficient to discover Satans eager Indeavours to have him bereaved of it.

Thirdly, Satans Success in this Temptation over the Saints of God, (who fometime have actually failed;) fhews how much it is his work to caft down their hopes of Intereft in God, by overthrowing their Truft in his Providences. If he attempts this, (and that fuccefsfully 3) on fuch whofe frequent Experiences might difcourage the Tempter, and in probability frustrate his

under