not And therefore how is God said to be the confidence of the ends of the earth To this we must answer according to a double acception of these words the ends of the earth They may be taken either collectively or else distributively 1. If we take these words collectively for all nations in all places then two things may be answered to the question 1. Though many nations as yet know not God yet in those nations there is sufficient meanes given from God to let them know that he only should be their trust and confidence In all nations there are such demonstrations of Gods power such declarations of his goodnes that he hath not left himself without witnes and that he only is to be depended on for all their good and to be trusted and confided in Two scriptures proves this We saith Saint Paul preach to you that you should turne to the living God which made heaven and earth and the sea and all things that are therein who in times past suffered all nations to walke in their owne wayes notwithstanding he left not himselfe without witnesse in that he did good and gave us raine from heaven And fruitfull seasons filling our hearts with food and gladnesse We see that God vouchsafed to all nations common outward temporall mercies that very heathens if they would but observe and take notice of it might thence have sufficient proofe and witnesse that he only is to be trusted in And so likewise Gods severity and judgements in smiting nations as yet not knowing him these are proofes that such nations ought to know that God only is to be confided in The wrath of God saith the Apostle is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men who hold the truth in unrighteousnesse because that which may be known of God is manifest in them for God hath shewed it to them for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are cleerely seene being understood by the things which are made even his eternall power and Godhead so that they are without excuse So then though many nations do not actually make God their confidence yet God hath witnessed to them that he is or should be their onely trust and confidence 2. Though many nations do not as yet make God their confidence yet all nations shall one day do so and so for the present it is prophetically true that God is the confidence of all the ends of the earth David in spirit foresaw the great honour and glory which God should have in all nations and therefore he being a prophet and knowing what God would do in these later dayes he seeing this before spake of the universall adoration of God in all nations and of their taking him for their only God in a confidentiall reposing themselves on him And because of the certainty of the fulfillance of all this in due time therefore David speakes of it as if it were already come to passe and here he calleth God the confidence of all the ends of the earth and of those who are a farre off upon the sea This is not only implyed in this title here ascribed to God but David hath so much in another place Aske of me and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession And againe All the ends of the world shall remember themselves and turne to the Lord and all the kindred of the nations shall worship before him And againe He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the end of the earth all Kings shall fall downe before him all nations shall serve him Take then the words as prophetically spoken of the time when God shall by terrible things shake the nations being the desire of his people and then it will appeare that he hath bin the Saviour of his from all their troubles and oppressions and then all nations will come in and choose him for their God and Lord one nation after another till all have made him their confidence and so in time these words shall be fully accomplished that God is the confidence of all the world of all the ends of the earth If the words were handled in this sense according to this exposition they would affoord much instruction touching the expectations which we are to have of the conversion of the nations of the world and concerning directions to pray for it that the arme of the Lord may be revealed to all people according to that of David God be mercifull unto us and blesse us and cause his face to shine on us that thy way may be known on earth thy saving health among all nations It is a blessing and mercy from God on his Church that for the present it knows him but it will be a new glimps of the light of his countenance on it when the nations come thoroughly to understand and praise him aright with it as their only confidence We should expect this and pray for it and desire the Lord to remove all impediments of it which for the present are very great For every valley must be filled and every mountaine and hill must be brought low the crooked must be made straight and the rough wayes made smooth People of lower and higher ranke in all places must be filled with grace after they are brought into a state of humiliation and whatsoever is crooked among them must be made straight brought to the rule be squared by the word and the wayes which are rough or offensive shall be smoothed just offences truly scrupling offences shall all be tooke away and then after this all flesh shall see the salvation of God all nations shall then come to know that Christ is the Saviour and salvation which God hath set out to the world There being no other name under heaven by which men can saved These things might be prosecuted with much instruction and comfort to all Gods people but I chuse to leave the Propheticall handling these words to the ages to come who shall experimentally finde the things now spoken of to be very true Let it suffice us to know that these words are prophetically true God is the confidence of all nations because he will be so when all nations shall come to acknowledge him for their God And so wee may safely understand the words collectively which so understood they are a full answer to the question 2. If we take the words distributively for the severall countryes of the world in parts and therein more particularly for the severall inhabitants for the particular persons dwelling in the earth and on the sea yet then the doubt remaines still How God can be said to be the cōfidence of every particular man in the earth It seemes otherwise experience teacheth us that there are very few who trust God and confide in him how then is this true that he is the
disposall to do with them as he sees fit either to bring them into straites or to inlarge them to make them vessells of honour and comfort or to be made broken vessells a people for misery and destruction This trusting in God exceedingly gloryfies his providence and soveraignty over them Confidence in him is a gracious submission to be ordered and desposed of as he sees fit It is a yeelding that he may be gloryfied thorough us whether he breake us or build us wound us or heale us save us or destroy us make us glorious or miserable Confidence in him ever implyes in it an humble acknowledgment that we are but as clay in the hands of the potter to be disposed of as will best sute with his glory 2. Confidence in God giveth unto him the glory of his truth or the glory of his promises it manifests our acknowledging of his faithfulnesse and our depending upon the word of his truth It is a great glory to God that we account him faithfull a God keeping promise with his people and this is done when we confide in him David prayed Let thy mercy come also unto me oh Lord even thy salvation according to thy word and he professes that his soule fainteth for his salvation but I hope saith he in thy word And againe uphold me according to thy word that I may live and let me not bee ashamed of my hope Thus God hath the glory of his truth when we confide in him 3. Confidence in God gives him the glory of his goodnesse it is a reall acknowledgement that the Lord is good and doth good and that we therefore depend upon him as children do on their parents for all our maintenance 4. This our confidence in God giveth unto him the glory of his Godhead Wee then glorifie him when we make him the master of our affections as when we love and feare and joy in him and the like but when we hope and confide in God we then gloryfie him above the glory which we give unto him by our other affections For though in them all the principall stream runs to Godward yet there are rivelets and by currants of these affections permitted to runne to other things As for example we love God and gloryfie him by our love when he only and cheifely is loved by us but yet our love also runnes out to other things to his children for his sake and to our neighbours and to men and to other things subordinately And so we gloryfie God when he is primely and principally our feare and dread but yet he alloweth us to feare the magistrates who beare the image of his majesty and to feare our parents and to feare and reverence others And so we gloryfie him when he is cheifely and principally our delight and joy and when our soules cheare up themselves in his word but yet he alloweth us to joy in other things we may joy and delight in his saints on the earth and in outward mercies blessings and deliverances we may take pleasure in the creatures moderately I might speake the like of all other affections But now in confiding and hoping in God we only gloryfie him The whole streame of our hope is to runne to Godward and to him only When we make him our confidence we trust not in any thing else but surrendring up to him all our hopes we then make him fully and wholy our God and we thereby give him the sole interest and command in our affections and so we hereby gloryfie him Thus the people of God being every way desirous to do so they therefore make him their confidence for confiding in him honoreth him as God 2. Gods people make him their confidence because they see in God an all sufficiency to supply their defects to comfort them in distresses to releive them in their wants and to furnish them with all things which they can desire and would have The sight of this alsufficiency in God to do all this is wrought in them from one or from all these considerations which are the ground of hope and confidence as 1. They know that God himselfe is very powerfull able to helpe and save and therfore they confide in him they know that he is able to give all what they need both in spirituals and temporalls He made and framed all and all is at his disposall and he can dispose of all for their good This the Prophet acknowledges that he made heaven and gives rain and showers and every comfort Art not thou he oh Lord our God therfore we will waite on thee Lord thou hast made all these things Gods people know that he hath power to save deliver them out of trouble and yet though he do not they wil trust in him because he can do it and none else Shadrach Meseck and Abednego said so Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace he will free us out of thy hand oh King that we will not serve thy Gods nor worship the image which thou hast set up A man who hath a strong and powerfull convoy for his safety thorough the dangerous country he travells in will be the more confident knowing that he who conducts him is of power to raise the country for his defence so a Christian in his travell to heaven hath cause to conâ—ide in God for his convoy thither seeing he knowes that God himselfe is powerfull and likewise able to raise the country to call in all the creatures both of heaven and earth for his safe conduct and to make all worke together for his best 2. His people know that Gods only care provides for them and all the world seeing he hath taken on him the care of all things The eyes of all waite on thee and thou givest them their meate in due season thou openest thy hand and satisfies the desires of every living thing and therefore they make him their confidence knowing that they have no cause to distrust him God takes care for oxen much more for his servants he hath besides his generall care in providing for all creatures a speciall care over those of his owne family He himselfe tells some men that they are worse then infidells because they provide not for their owne he himselfe therefore will both thinke on and releive his owne in due time he provides both for their bodies and for their soules and he who gives to the body now a few crummes will never deny unto the soule the crown prepared for it When Gods people do seriously thinke on this they see that they have just ground to confide and trust in God 3. Gods people know that he is so powerfull that though for our good he often imploys instruments and creatures or secondary causes bestowing on them strength and ability to worke for their good yet that these can worke nothing except he concurre with them they are without his
perplexity some noble man rides by seeing his distresse pitties him and comes in with power and sets him free from such violence and beates and smites those who molested him giving them according to their deserts So it is the poore Church is a traveller to Heaven beset with enemies of all sorts who thinke to riffle her and leave her poore naked destitute and wounded but then the Lord comes riding in his excellency to her help and rescues his Church Thus he rights a wronged world and thus he shewes his righteousnesse 2. God by delivering his people by terrible things doth it in righteousnesse because he doth therby avenge himselfe on the wronging world It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you It is indeede a very righteous thing for God to bring troubles on them 1. It is a righteous thing to bring vengance on them for their wronging himselfe for they fight against him who warre against the Church they persecute him who persecute it they rage against him who rage against his people and God will avenge the wrong done unto him by those who attempt to roote out such who keepe up his honour in the world It is a righteous thing therfore to trouble such And 2. so it is to take vengance on them for the wrong which they do unto his people The wicked and him that loveth violence his soule hates The Lord will be avenged on unmercifull men There shall be judgement without mercie on those that will shew no mercie And therfore it is just with God to render tribulation to those who have injured and unmercifully used his Church and people Thus it is evident that the Churches deliverance is in righteousnesse the righteousnesse both of his word of promise and of his word of threatning and the righteousnesse of his justice both in righting a wronged world and in revenging himselfe on a wronging world is therby made manifest This truth serves 1. To vindicate Gods justice 2. To terrifie the Churches adversaries 3. To encourage all Gods faithfull people First let it serve to vindicate the Lords justice from any aspersions Men are ready when things fall out otherwise then they would have them to charge God foolishly when they see terrible things falling out in the world as terrible attempts terrible massacres terrible impoverishing of a nation terrible executions of wrath they are ready to say that they see not how God should be just in punishing them by these things more then others who deserves in their apprehensions as much yea more then they but such murmurers should consider that God doth all in righteousnesse he can and will do no other then that which is righteous It becomes every holy man seeing things falling out otherwise then he would to conclude with the Church I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him If God cull thee out to scare thee from thy sinnes by terrible things say thou when these things happen that God is righteous and will deliver his people by terrible things in righteousnesse for he brings terrible things upon the world to keepe the inhabitants therof from sinning When thy judgements saith the Prophet are on the earth the inhabitants therof will learne righteousnesse And the Lord doth so therby to worke also the world to an awfull reverence of him and to stirre up his owne therby to a greater fervency and importunity in praying to him for deliverance and therfore never charge God with any kinde of injustice in his saving and defending his people or in ruinating his adversaries by terrible things and by terrible meanes but say as the Psalmist I know oh Lord that thy judgements are right and that thou hast in faithfullnesse afflicted me Secondly Gods delivering his Church and people by terrible things in righteousnes sheweth unto us what the adversaries are to expect namely no more and that is enough but that God should deale with them in righteousnesse and recompence them according to their deedes This Babylon of Caldea found she spoiled peeled robbed and subjected the nations and God sent spoilers accordingly unto her who dealt with her as she had dealt with others the Prophet gives the reason for the Lord God of recompences shall surely requite The westerne Romish Babylon must shall find the like God will bring upon her slayers and destroyers and such who will undoubtedly reward her as she hath served the Saints Yea all enemies shall be recompenced according to their dealings with the Church for God will deliver it by terrible things in righteousnesse They may for a while plot and project and attempt and some times seeme to thrive but their plotting will in the end ruine themselves For the Lord will be knowne by the Iudgment which he executeth and that judgment is no more but this the wicked is snared in the workes of his owne hands Adversaries of the Church must looke for no other then to eate the bread of their owne baking and to drinke of their owne brewing Their terriblenesse to the Church shall be measured out in a full cup to them in that which is terrible unto them for God is righteous and in his due time he will deliver his Church by terrible things in righteousnesse Thirdly Gods delivering his Church or people by terrible things in righteousnesse should incourage all the followers after righteousnesse such who seeke the Lord and delight to walke and be found in a way of righteousnesse and holinesse All things to the outward appearance may seeme to worke ruine and goe crosse but they shall undoubtedly worke in the end to the ruine of adversaries for God will deliver but in righteousnesse The Lord remembers the righteous cause of his servants and though it may be a while oppressed yet it shall never be suppressed and destroyed for he will againe bring on the cause of religion and will maintaine in the world a people serving him in despite of hell and of Rome which he will destroy in righteousnesse And though your owne Persons may be tooke away yet still be incouraged to keepe faith and a good conscience because the Lord will preserve a seede of worshippers and will repaire the losse of his Church by a more plentifull increase of terror to the adversary and of comfort to all those who are faithfull in the land And therefore let us all from this point be incouraged 1. To waite contentedly on God till he worke for his people in righteousnesse so the Church did In the way of thy judgments have we waited for thee Looke for him as coming to rescue and deliver for he will doe so when we are fully fitted for it 2. Be encouraged also to cry the more earnestly to God to come and save his people in righteousnesse so did the Church Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens that thou wouldest come downe that the
concurrance like broken cisternes or as the brookes of Tema affoording no comfort but soone dryed up The Lord can do with them as he did with the Aegyptian chariots if he take off the wheeles they stand The Apostle tells us that in him we live and move and have our being the Saints considering this make God their confidence Not any creature can hurt or helpe unlesse God concurre A sword may be drawen and strike but it wounds not unlesse God doth give it a commission and put strength into it The Psalmist tells us that God turnes the edge of the sword It may smite but if God blunts its edge there will be no harme Nothing likewise helpes without him cloathes could not warme freinds could not helpe or workes could not prospet unlesse the Lord give a blessing Consider your wayes saith the Lord yee have sowne much and bring in little yee cate but yee have not enough yee drinke but yee are not filled with drinke yee cloath yee but their is no warme and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes yee have looked for much and loe it came to little and when yee brought it home I did blow upon it The heavens over you is stayed from dew and the earth is stayed from her fruits Creatures are no further beneficiall to us then it pleases God to concurre Paul plants Apollos waters but yet God gives the increase The Saints knowing this do therefore see that they have a sufficient ground to make God their confidence 4. Gods people know that he is able to do alone whatsoever any secondary cause doth God can do that thing either with it or without it And this makes them confide in God only The streames depends on the fountaine but the fountaine it selfe can send out its waters some other way by some other channells The creatures depends on God the great creatour and if he but speake a word it is done what he wills he can worke without his creatures for his people and will do so if he see cause and therefore his people see reason to confide in him 5. Gods people know that he hath ingaged himselfe by promise to those that trust in him he is their father and careth for them and though a parent forsake their child yet he will not his people When my father and my mother forsake me then the Lord will take me up Indeed Godâ—â—eople may see there are many improbabilityes of their safety yet seeing God hath promised they see no cause to distrust Abraham knew that he had a dead body yet beleeved because his God was the living God Sarah had a barren wombe yet God was able to make it fruitfull He can turne a wildernesse into a fruitefull feild Though your hearts should be naughty unbelieving misgiving yet hope in Gods promises consider his infinite ability and his undoubted fidelity in keeping promise with his servants and you cannot chuse but trust in him and make him your confidence Upon these grounds or for these reasons Gods people make him their confidence Fourthly this title that God is the confidence of all his people should make us trie our selves whether we are such to whom he is the only confidence And here we will shew 1. Such signes whereby every one good and bad may know it and 2. Such whereby they who are truely Gods people may certainly finde that they do so in some peculiar acts or other 1. The trialls whereby every on may guesse at their owne condition in this respect are these 1. He who truely maketh God his confidence will above all things desire Gods favour and will part with any thing for it No man would be pulled from the hornes of the Altar which while he holdes he is in safety we cannot perswade a company of naked men to forsake the fort wherein they are safe and to commit themselves to the open feild they will desire to keepe where they have confidence thus the man who maketh God his confidence will do any thing for him and part with any thing for his favour Moses forsakes all the treasures in Aegypt and the glory in it for God It is a signe that a man maketh God his confidence when he renounces his sinnes and lusts and is content to be disgraced nicknamed and to suffer the losse of all things gladly for God It is signe that he seeth more in God then others and more in God then he can lose he findes that Christ is all in all But surely they as yet have not made God their confidence who sell God for the world as Demas Christ or the cause of Christ for gaine as did Judas who are content to let gospell conscience goodnesse and all go so they can thereby please such on whom they depend They never trusted God who prizes their sinnes lusts and sinnefull pleasures before him neither will they make him their confidence if troubles should come 2. He truely maketh God his confidence who maketh him an universall confidence and trusteth in him in all things and for all things He comitteth his whole wayes to him his whole person his whole businesse his whole managing he trusts in him in all places at all times in health and sicknes for provision and protection in times of trouble and any danger for Children and for a blessing in every thing He trusts on him for earth as well as for heaven for grace as well as for glory But that man hath not made God his confidence who doth not trust him in all things Some will not trust him with their temporalls they dare not beleive in him to provide for them and theirs after them they depend not on him for their outward estate others will trust him for temporalls but not for spiritualls they are loth to rest on him only for full salvation and pardon They would have something of their owne to justifie them before God And this is all the trouble of many but God will be the sole confidence of his people trust in him for with him there is plentifull redemption He who trusts in God will make him his universall confidence 3. He who makes God his confidence will be industrious in the use of the meanes which brings a blessing on him and which God hath appointed Thus he who confides in God for salvation will diligently search after the means of salvation hearkning and listning after the word of salvation he who confides in him for wordly things will be industrious in an honest calling They trust not God who sit still nor they who set themselves into no good way He trusts not God for salvation who saith if God hath predestinated me to life I shall be saved though I betake my selfe into no such wayes as the Preacher speakes of he considers not that God hath predestinated as well to the meanes as to the end and to the end by the meanes and that he saves only