Com.r. Of Faith and`Unbelief. Chap.°, i r7 2. The right ufe, is the fecond,and this becaufe the means are ofno force without a ble(íingannexed, we arc to feek for fomething further that may add vigour and ftrength to them, which, as the Apoftle faith, is thanksgivingand prayer to fanaife themeans. And this thanksgiving and prayer arc not to be formal. It was that r Tim,44,5- which yob feared in his Sons : for he knew by his good education of them that they omitted not thankfgiving nor prayer every day, but feared that they performed not thole duties as they ought, and therefore every morning he offered burnt offerings Job s. according to the number of them. And in doing thus we fhall make the right ufe of the means, andbe in the number of the Saints, whofe praftife we fhall finde in Scriptures to be the fame. 74cob Gen3a-y,' in reconciling himfelf to his Brother, ufed all the means that could be, as in fend- ing Mefiengers before he met him, thereby to fed his affection towards him, not forgetting. Prefents to make his way thobetter, and withál infruE}ing his Ser_ vanrs to feparate his wives and children, and droves in feveral flations, that if his Brother fhould let upon one, theother might efcape, yet for all this we fee, that in the firft place he giveth himfelf to prayer, thinking that all the means he ufed could beof little force,, except God bieffed the means. So in Exodwt we finde Exod,i7. that in the War with the eAmalekires, all things were provided, yofbea made Cap_ tutu, and the Battle let in order, but knowing that all this was not available with- out Gods bleffrng, Mofes went up to the top of the mount with Atron,,and Har to pray ; and we fee, that no longer than Mofes lifted up his hands,no longer did the Ifraelites prevail. We finde in the Fathers two feverai ways whereby a man may know and certifie himfelf whetherhis truft be more in the means, than in God the Author and giver. i . .Qaid primum in mente vent. cogitandem, what firft comes into a mans thoughts. z. uidpotremum, what Taft. s. For the firft, fay they, when thou goeft about any thing, corneth thy wealth firft into thy mmdc or thy Money? or thy Chariot ? or thy Horfe? or thy arm of flefh? orcometh he that bath theprerogative of all there ? the firft that firft of- fereth it felf te, thy mind, 'trieth"it and tieth it to it felf, and all other are but fecon- dary means. If there be firft a calling tomind` of God, it is probablethat he is the ground of thy confidence. z. And fecondly, what wefet down in our minds.as our laft refuge, and this is too commonly fees tobe the means. The Wifeman faith, The rich mans wealth is his Prov.to.t q, ftrong City; which the Fathers expound thus, when the Jultice and goodnefs of his caufe, when God and good men, and all elfe forfake him, then will thatflick to him (as heconceives) and help him at a pinch, and he is perfwaded that argenta refpondent sonnies, pec?mixomnia obedient, when we are like to them (againft.whom Mic.a,r. the Prophet denounceth a woe) that devife iniquity, and work evil upon their beds, and when the morning is light theypraftife it, becaufe it is in the power Of a Cor.t 3,8. their hand. And indeed our nature is Inch, that as long as means prevail, fo long we tt uft in them. But when aman in theplenty of his means can fay, I will do nothing againlI the truth, but for the truth, notwithltandingall my means,wifdom, friends, Crc. I will do nothing against a good caufe, if the event conduce not to the Glory of God, nonoffaciendem, I will not goabout it ; when a rich man fhall bepoor to do evil, and foa wife man foolifh and ignorant in evil, then he hath a goodwarrant that flefh is not his Arm, and that his truft is not in his means, but in God, though his means be mnny. Nay, when we can trait in God though means be wanting. The Greeks have a 'Proverb, x while the Pot feetheth, their love feetheth ; and to we can be content to g« 1e« , « hold out fo long as our means hold out, and no longer. And this is the caufe that 4w provoketh God in his jut} Judgment to give the means without the [Aching, as alfo to bring many things to pafs without means. For as, where the bleffuig of God is, there it falls out, thatmens bellies are filled with Gods hidden Treafure, there -is thriving and growing, no man can tell by what meths, So wherehecur- Pfal.17.14, feth the means, it fares with them, as with thofe in the Prophet, ye have fowen much and bring in little, ye eat but ye have not enough, ye drinkbut ye are.not Agg i 6' filled with drink ; ye cloathyou, but ye are not warm, and he that earneth wa-, ges,.
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