now to expect and in all perilous and dangerous conditions and circumstances whatsoever are we to trust in his good Providence and Protection and to expect help and relief from him We are not to be afraid for the terror by night nor for the arrow that flyeth by day nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness nor for the destruction that wasteth at noon-day Psal 91.5 6. We are not so to be afraid of these or the like as to despair of mercy and help from Almighty God but at all times and in all places where we are threatned with any dangers we are to have recourse to him in prayer and then to rest securely upon his divine Help and Assistance and to know that he will be a very present help in all our trouble as the Psalmist saith Psal 46.1 And we are further assured of his blessed help at such times in several other places of his sacred word Psal 91.3 saith the Psalmist Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from the noisom pestilence He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust And God doth give his People great assurance of his Help and Protection when they have great need of them by his Prophet Isaiah 41.10 Fear thou not saith he for I am with thee be not dismayed for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness Behold all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded they shall be as nothing and they that strive with thee shall perish Thou shalt seek them and shalt not find them even them that contended witb thee They that war against thee shall be as nothing and as a thing of nought For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand saying unto thee fear not I will help thee This large exhortation and great encouragement doth God give to his People to rest themselves securely upon him and not to fear their enemies which should thus vanish away and come to nought And if we firmly trust in God we may expect that this promise will be made good to us now and that our enemies shall thus vanish and come to nought And he promiseth to be with his People in all the great dangers that they are brought into Is 43.2 When thou passest thorow the waters saith he I will be with thee and thorow the rivers they shall not overflow thee When thou walkest thorow the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee And even at the Stake if it should please God to suffer us to be brought thither are we to confide and trust in the Lord Jehovah and to expect that even then he will be a Mighty God and Saviour to us and furnish us with extraordinary help and strength fit for such a Fiery Tryal He that hath promised to be with his People and Servants when they pass thorow the fire and water will be sure to be so with them when there shall be this great occasion for his assistance We are to trust in the Lord for ever and upon no account whatsoever to distrust him and despair of his mercy and succor and help Thirdly We may see that such are blessed and happy that place their Trust and confidence in Almighty God and securely rely upon him and that this will engage him the more firmly to succour and protect them at all times especielly when they most of all want his help and assistance This the Psalmist doth often assert that such are blessed that put their Trust in him Psal 2.12 saith he Blessed are all they that put their trust in him And Psal 34.8 O tast and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man that trusteth in him And Psal 40.4 Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust and respecteth not the proud and such as go about with lyes In these places doth he shew how blessed and happy such men are And saith Solomon Prov. 16.20 Whoso trusteth in the Lord happy is he And saith the Prophet Jeremiah 17.7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters and that spreadeth out her roots by the river and shall not see when heat cometh but her leaf shall be green and shall not be careful in the year of drought He is blessed because he shall find comfort and refreshment when an evil Time cometh and will not be so shaken and terrified with it as others are like to be And in several places do the sacred Scriptures shew what great good shall be to such as wait and rest upon God and trust in him alone Psal 31.19 saith the Psalmist O how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men And Psal 32.10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked saith he but he that trusteth in the Lord mercy shall compass him about And Psal 34.22 The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate And Psal 125.1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion which cannot he moved The Psalms we see are very full to this purpose exhorting men to trust in Almighty God and assuring them that they shall find great benefit and advantage in so doing And saith God by the Prophet complaining of the infidelity of his People towards him Is 57.13 When thou cryest let thy companies deliver thee but the wind shall carry them away vanity shall take them But he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land and shall inherit my holy Mountain To such doth he promise the inheritance of his land and holy Mountain that make him their Rock and Trust And such as shall now trust in him in this great Day and dark Time that is coming upon us I hope will now be preserved to inherit his land here and holy Mountain This trusting in God is that which alone must afford us comfort and refreshment in the midst of all our sorrows ond miseries that befall us here And this will be sure to do it and will free us the most from all solicitous care and anxious thoughts about the Concerns of this World and set our hearts the most at rest that can be here Such is our condition here in this World that we shall always be lyable to wants and dangers and can have no other security of freedom from them The Revolutions of this World are so various and frequent and our condition here so uncertain that we must of necessity be often exposed to an indigent condition and great hazards and there is no securing our selves against them by all the humane Arts and subtilty that we can use For these are soon frustrated
and in one that is able to help and succour us in all our needs and wants and to save and defend us in all our straits and dangers whatsoever and to preserve and bring us to the enjoyment of his Eternal Kingdom in the World to come And therefore we may well trust and rely upon him at all times Fourthly The Lord Jehovah is a God of love and goodness and tender and compassionate of us and therefore we have the greater cause to trust and confide in him at all times His great love and goodness will be a farther assurance to us that he will be a Rock of Salvation to us in all our straits and dangers He is a God of Love and taketh pleasure and delight in all the works of goodness and mercy and is kind and benign to all his Creatures and desireth the good and prosperity of them all especially of all Mankind This St. John affirmeth that God is love 1 Jo. 4.8 He that loveth not knoweth not God saith he for God is love And so again ver 16. And this shews how full of love and goodness he is as if this were all in all And his love and goodness is diffused abroad like the light of the Sun and communicated to all his Creatures Psal 145.9 The Lord is good to all saith the Psalmist and his tender mercies are over all his works And to this purpose Wisd 11.24 For thou lovest all the things that are and abhorrest nothing which thou hast made for never wouldest thou have made any thing if thou hadst hated it His love is universal and extended to all his works and there is none of his numerous Off-spring and Creatures but shall share therein till they exclude themselves from it by their wilful transgressions and provocations and sin against him with a high hand And for all his Creatures doth he provide and take care and feeds them all This the Psalmist sheweth Ps 104.27 These wait all upon thee that thou mayest give them their meat in due season That thou givest them they gather thou openest thy hand they are filled with good And Psal 145.15 The eyes of all wait upon thee saith he and thou givest them their meat in due season Thou openest thine hand and satisfyest the desire of every living thing All his Creatures do experience his great goodness and more especially doth Man do so Our high Creation and the rich preparations that he hath here made for us do shew how full of love and goodness he is towards us And upon this account doth the Royal Psalmist cry out with admiration Psal 8.4 What is man that thou art mindful of him and the son of man that thou visitest him For thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels and hast crowned him with glory and honor Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands thou hast put all things under his feet And he proclaimed himself a gracious and merciful God to Moses Exod. 34.6 And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth And this the Psalmist doth often declare Psal 86.15 But thou O Lord art a God full of compassion and gracious long-suffering and plenteous in mercy and truth And Psal 103.8 The Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and plenteous in mercy And to this purpose in several other places And saith God by the Prophet Jeremiah 9.24 I am the Lord which exercise loving kindness judgment and righteousness in the earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. These are the things wherein he delighteth and taketh pleasure And this was the Prophet Jonah's reply to God when he spared Niniveh Jonah 4.2 For I knew that thou art a gracious God and mercifull slow to Anger and of great kindness and repentest thee of the evil And saith St. Paul Eph. 2 4.5 But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were Dead in sins By these and many more places are we taught how full of love and all manner of goodness our God and great Creator is He is no cruel and merciless Being that knows not what belongs to love and goodness but a God of infinite love and kindness and is greatly delighted in doing acts of mercy and beneficence to all mankind For he doth not onely shew himself kind to the good but also to the evil as our Lord hath told us Matt. 5.45 And we may see that he is a God of great pity and mercy and tender of his People in all their sorrows and miseries He takes no delight to see them miserable and to labor and groan under any Affliction and Calamity but is troubled for them and is then forward to help them and therefore we have the greater cause to rely upon him Like as a father pitieth his children saith the Psalmist 103.13 so the Lord pitieth them that fear him For he knoweth our frame he remembereth that we are dust He considereth our weak and frail nature and what need we have of succour and relief and doth pity us as a Father doth his tender and helpless child His bowels will always yearn towards his Servants whensoever they are in any afflicted and suffering condition and he will then pity and help them Psal 12.5 For the oppression of the poor for the sighing of the needy now will I arise saith the Lord I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him And saith he to Moses Ex. 3.7 I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt and I have heard their cry by reason of their task-masters for I know their sorrows and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians Thus did God pity them and was moved with their sorrow and misery and redeemed them with a mighty hand and out-stretched arm And saith the Prophet Zechariah 2.8 For he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye So tender is he of his People And though the Children of Israel did often rebel against him yet so prone is he to mercy and pity that he was ready to help and succour them whensoever they returned and cryed to him for mercy and help This we may see Judges 10.15 And the children of Israel said unto the Lord we have sinned do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee deliver us only we pray thee this day And they put away the strange Gods from among them and served the Lord and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel And saith the Psalmist Psal 106.44 Nevertheless he regarded their affliction when he heard their cry And he remembered for them his covenant and repented according to the multitude of his mercies He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives He cannot shew himself hard-hearted towards his People when they repent and cry
to him for succour and help He that is the Father of mercies will not then stop his ears at their cry but will then hear and help them and shew them mercy and kindness By these and such places we see that he is full of pity and compassion and takes no delight to see his People miserable but does greatly commiserate them in their distress and sorrow and is forward to help them and this will give us greater encouragement to trust and rely upon him as the Rock of our Salvation Fifthly For our greater assurance we may see that he is not only a God of love and goodnes but that he doth undertake our protection and is engaged by promise to succor and help us in all our troubles and distressed conditions if we serve him and obey him as we ought and therefore we have the greatest reason of all to trust and confide in him at all times He is a God of truth and faithful in all his promises and he hath promised that he will always watch over us and take great care to preserve and keep us and therefore we have no reason to doubt of his protection and help if we faithfully serve him as we should This Balaam declared that God was true and faithfull and would make good what he had promised Num. 23.19 God saith he is not a man that he should ly neither the son of man that he should repent hath he said and shall he not do it or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good And St. Paul declareth the same to Titus Tit. 1.2 In hope of eternal life which God that cannot ly promised before the world began And saith Moses Deut. 7.9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God he is God the faithful God which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations He is a God of veracity and truth and will not fail to make good his promises And he hath promised that he will never fail nor forsake all such as fear him and keep his sacred Commandments This Moses told the Children of Israel when they were to encounter and engage with their enemies Deut. 31.6 Be strong and of a good courage saith he fear not nor be afraid of them for the Lord thy God he it is that doth go with thee he will not fail thee nor forsake thee And saith the Apostle Heb. 13.5 For he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee And this is God's command that we should call upon him in the time of trouble and he doth promise that he will then deliver us Psal 50.15 And call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me And God doth give his People great assurance of his Help and Protection in all times of need and danger by the Prophet Isaiah Is 43.2 saith he When thou passest thorow the waters I will be with thee and thorow the rivers they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest thorow the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee For I am the Lord thy God the holy One of Israel This great and gracious promise doth God make to his People of being their mighty Protector and Saviour in all great and eminent dangers And saith he again by the Prophet Is 54.16 Behold I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work and I have created the waster to destroy No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn Both the weapons of War and the waster that destroys are at God's command and shall not prevail farther than he gives them leave And he doth promise that they shall not prosper so far as to destroy his Church and Servants though he may sometimes let wicked men put some of his Servants to death for a testimony of the Truth with whom he will then be in an extraordinary manner by his Grace and Spirit that they shall in a manner even then triumph over them And saith our Saviour Matt. 28.20 And lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the world Amen And we may be sure that he will be with us according to our needs and in an extraordinary manner when there is extraordinary occasion for it By these and such places we see that God doth undertake our protection and doth promise to help and defend us in all our straits and dangers And a watchful care hath he over us at all times as we have seen before 2 Chr. 16.9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro thorow out the whole earth saith Hanani the Seer to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him And saith the Psalmist Psal 121.3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved he that keepeth thee will not slumber Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep The Lord is thy keeper the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand He continually watches over such as fear him and is never unmindful and regardless of them And how exceedingly his mind is bent towards them and how much his heart is set upon them he sheweth by the Prophet Isaiah 49.15 Can a woman forget her sucking child saith he that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb Yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee So mindful and careful will he be of all his faithful Servants And his Angels shall watch about such as the Psalmist affirmeth Psal 34.7 The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them With such a watchful Gard are they always encompassed and protected And to shew the exquisite care of God concerning all things and even the smallest matters that belong to us our Saviour hath told us that the very hairs of our heads are numbered Matt. 10.30 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered Fear ye not therefore A due regard is had even to the smallest matters that belong to us And the Apostle doth shew that nothing can separate us from the love of God if we do it not by our own wickedness Rom. 8.38 For I am persuaded saith he that neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are assured of God's truth and faithfulness and we see that he hath engaged and promised to be our Protector and Helper in all our necessities and dangers and that he doth continually watch over us and mind us and therefore there is no reason to doubt of his Almighty aid and help in all our needs and dangers whatsoever if we are careful to
serve and please him as we ought But so long as we go on in a sinful course he is not obliged to be our Protector and Defender By going on in a wicked course of life without repentance we put our selves from under his protection and cause him to cast of his care of us For he hath engaged himself to be a Rock and Shield only to such as fear him and keep his Commandments This is manifest from several places before mentioned He sheweth himself strong but it is in behalf of those whose heart is perfect towards him 2 Chr. 16.9 And saith St. Peter 1 Pet. 3.12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil Such as do evil and go on in a wicked course are not to expect his care and watchful Providence to attend them for good but have cause to expect the contrary and are to know that God will not then be their Protector and Helper but their Adversary But if such repent and return unto the Lord and resolve for the future to keep his sacred Commandments he is gracious and prone to mercy and will then pardon them and receive them into his care and protection Isaiah 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon He will be reconciled to sinners if they will repent and return to him and will then become their mighty God and Protector and will then save and help them as we see he did the Jews when they returned and cryed to him for help Jud. 10.15 If men do serve him as they ought or will return and become obedient to him he will be a most sure Helper and eternal Protector to them and there is no cause that they should doubt of his help and succour at any time Sixthly The extraordinary and miraculous deliverances that God hath wrought for his People and Servants in their straits and distressed conditions when they have had little or no means of helping themselves will be a farther encouragement to us to rely and depend upon him for help and succour at all times when we have no power to help and relieve our selves Seeing God hath stretched out his Almighty Arm to defend and help his Servants in times past we may the more chearfully hope that he will do the like for us now in our great need and helpless condition if we serve him as we ought and rely upon his mercy and goodness for protection and relief For his Arm is not shortened that it cannot save nor will he now be more backward to do it than he hath been heretofore And many and great deliverances and extraordinary Succours and Supports hath God vouchsafed to his People and Servants when there hath been occasion for such some whereof I shall here mention 1 God hath often relieved his Servants and People in their wants and necessities in a wonderful manner with food and such things as they stood in need of He gave the Children of Israel Manna and Quails in the wilderness when they wanted food and began to murmur against Moses and Aaron Exod. 16.12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel saith God speak unto them saying at even ye shall eat flesh and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God And for forty years together did he feed them with Manna in the wilderness where they wanted food untill they came into a land that had food sufficient for them And he caused their garments not to wax old in all this time that they might not want raiment as Moses tells them Deut. 8.4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee neither did thy foot swell these forty years And when they wanted water he brought them water out of the rock Numb 20.8 Take the rod saith God to Moses and gather thou the assembly together thou and Aaron thy brother and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes and it shall give forth his water and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink And ver 11. And Moses lift up his hand and with his rod he smote the rock twice and the water came out abundantly and the congregation drank and their beasts also God gave Samson water in his great thirst Judg. 15.18 And he commanded the ravens to feed the Prophet Elijah and they did so 1 Kings 17.2 And the word of the Lord came unto him saying Get thee hence and turn thee eastward and hide thy self by the brook Cherith that is before Jordan And it shall be that thou shalt drink of the brook and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith that is before Jordan And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening and he drank of the brook And after this was he and the Widow Woman of Zarephath and her House sustained many days with a handful of meal and a little oyl at God's command when the famine was great in the land ver 13 And Elijah said unto her fear not go and do as thou hast said but make me thereof a little cake first and bring it unto me and after make for thee and for thy son For thus saith the Lord God of Israel The barrel of meal shall not wast neither shall the cruse of oyl fail until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah and she and he and her house did eat many days And the barrel of meal wasted not neither did the cruse of oyl fail And when he fled from Jezebel and was in the Wilderness beyond Beersheba in a destitute condition the Angel of the Lord brought him a cake and water to support and strengthen him 1 Kings 19.5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper-tree behold then an Angel touched him and said unto him Arise and eat And he looked and behold there was a cake baken on the coals and a cruse of water at his head and he did eat and drink and laid him down again And when he had eaten again he went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God Such a blessing did God give to it that made it sufficient to sustain him for so long a time When the Hosts of the Kings of Israel and Judah were distressed for want of water they sought to God by the Prophet Elisha and God gave them plenty of water in their great necessity 2 Kings 3.16 And he said Thus saith the