' \ Dire8ions to help our'truft in God. 9· P· Direct. 2· Labour for a found and .clear underjlanding •f ;be promifei ofGod, tlw thbu mai~ "now how far he caUetb thu tn trJfjl him. For to think that he prornifcth what flc doth not, is f\Ot to trull him, but to deceive thy felf: And to think that he dotli not promife what indeed he doth, is to call away the Ground of rruft. §. 10. Direct. 3· Yield not to the Tempter, wbo would either entice thee into terrijjing guilt, and Difetl. 3• blot tbine evidmcu, or el[e hide them from thee, .md ~up thee doubtful a11d fltfpiciottJ of tiJe Love of God. For almofi all that the difirufiful foul hath to fay for it felf, to jufiitie its difirull is, 1 am not furc t!ut the promlfes are mine. Rernember.fiill, that a Heart dedicatrd to God, or Con{eming tobi-1 Covenant, is your fnllefi Evidence : And fulfer not this to be hid or blotted. Wilful Gn and guiltincfs breeds fears, and will interrupt your trutl and quiet till it be forfakcn. . ~· I I· Direct. 4· Remember tht Grounds ~f confidence aHd quittnr{I which Gnd b,zth givm you in Dirttl. "1-• hi! Son, hif Covenant, hi! Spirit, hU Sacrtimtnt.t, and your own and othen m.zltifold exp~'ritncu. I name them all together, becaufe I would .have you fer the~ all together before your eyes: \\~ill he not give you aU tbings witb him, that hath givw ) Jtt hn Son l Rom. 8 32. Is not Chnll: a (uf~ J:icit:nt undertaker and encourager? Is not his Covenant, Promifc and O.lth fufficient fecurity for you? 1Yhtrein God wiUing more abund"ntly to jhew to the htir.t of promife the immut11hility of hif eoun[cl, confirmed it by an 0.1th, th.Jt by two immmablt tbing.t in which it wtu irnpoffiblt for God to .~ye, we might have a ftrong cM.folatiun---. Heb. 6. 17, I~· And is not the Heavenly fe~Jl and earne}! of his Spirit, fufficient to confirm us? 2 G•r. r. 22· & 5· 5• Ephtf. I · 13,14· & 4· 30. And have you tryed God {0 ofr, anti yet cannot you truft him? Our frequent experiences, though the leaft of all thefe helps of Truft, are very powerful, becaufe they are near Uf, and almofi fatistie fenfe it felf ? When all our boner fay, Lord wbo i1. lik,_e JOIIO thee l wbO dtliverejt the pour, &~. Pfal. 35· ro. . 9· 12. Dirc6t. 5· Confider,of thegreatneji of the fin of dijlr•JI; how it denyuh God in his Awibtew; Dirt8. 5· aJtd ufuaUy fieppofeth the creature to he abow him. Either thou doubteft of, ordenyefl his Power to help thee:, or his Wi[dom as deficient in making his promifesJ or finding out the means of thy deliverance, or his Goodnefi and Love, as if he would deceive thee ; and fo his Truth and faithfUl~ ncfsin his promifes. And if thou fear a man, how great foever, when God calkrh thee to Trufi him for thy help, what dofi thou but fay, This man is more powerful than God ? Or God .CJnnot deliver me out of his hands. If it be want, or ficknefs, or death which thou fcarefi, wh::tt doll: . thou but fay in thy heart , that God either k,t1oweth not what is brll for thee, fo well as thou. knoweft thy felf,or elfe is net Power['ltl or Gr11ciom enough to give it? nor true enough to keep his pro . mifc. He that believeth not, makes God a lyar, 1 J olm 5· to, 1 I· 9· •3· Direct. 6. Remember tlw Truj!ing God doth a! it were ,b/ige him, and dijlrufting hi"' dotb Direa. 6' greatly difoblige him : efpeciaUy whm any thing t/[e iJ trujled before him. If any m1n tflrj/ .Y'U upon any encouragement given him by you, you will take your fclves obliged to be trufly to him; and not to faiJ ·any honeft truft. But if he truft you not, or truft anothtr, you will turn him olf to thofe that he hath trufied. God may fay to thee, Let them help thee whom thou ha~ rru~ed : Thou trufiedl\ not in me ; and therefore I fail not thy trufi when I forfakc thee, ~· 14· Direct. 7· Remember that thou muft truft in God or in Hothing. For nothing is more fure, v· a 71 - nor more frequently experienced, than that all things clfe are utterly infufficient to be our ~re • help. Shall we choofe a broken reed, that we know before hand will both deceive and pierce us> Wo to the man that hath no furer a foundation for his Tru£l than Creatures? Thegreattjl of them arc unable : and the Beft of them are "ntruj/y and deceitful. How fad is thy cafe, if God turn thee otf to thefe for help in the hour of thy extremity ) Then wilt thou perceive, that it i1 betttr to trujl in the Lord, tban toput any confidence in Princu : Pfal. 118. 8, 9· The righteout fh.sll fie, and fear~ and laugb at him : .Lo, this i1 the m~n tbO.t made not God hiJ ftrengtb, hH.t tru{led in the abun· d,mcc of hi1 richc1, an~ ftr.engtbned him[tlf in hit wicJtedntji: Pfal. 52· 6, 7· But they th.Jt tru}t in the Lord foall be a1 Mount Zton, that cannot be removed, but abideth for ever, Pfal. 125. r. Creatures will certainly deceive thy trull:; but fo will not God. ~· I 5 Direet. 8. Believe and remember the particular providmce of God, which reg.Jrdeth tbe f.tl- Dirtllo s~ · ling ofa Sparrow 011 the groHnd, and numbcreth the very hairs of your btadt. Matth. 10. 30· And can you dHhufi him that is fo puntJuaUy regardful of your lcaft c:oncernments ? thlt is a/way pre~ fent, and watcheth over you? You need not fc:ar his ab(ence, difrcgud, forgetfulncfs or infuf– ficieocy. Doth henumber your hairs, and doth he not numbtr your groans, and prajcrs, and tears? How then doth he wipe away your tears, and put them all as in his bottle? Pfol. 56. 8. Rev.7 17• . . ~ r6. Direct. 9· Compare God with thy dear1ft and moft faithful friend, and then thin/;. bowboldly . . . thou caujf truft tbat friend if thy lije or wrllfart wrrt whoUy iJt hi.t hand; and bow 11-mcb mort boldlj Direct. 9• thuu fooJddjt trt9f in God, who i1 marl wife, and kind, and merciful, and trufty, than a,ry ffiarial ma, can be. When thou art in want, in prifon, in fickuefs and in pain, expetl:ing death; think now if my life:,, or health, or liberty were abfolutely in the power of my furell friend , hmV quietly could I wait? and how confidently could 1 call away 'my fears, though 1had no promife what he would do with me : For I know he would do nothi·ng but what is for my good: And is not God to be tru{itd in much more? Indeed a friend would cafe my pain, or fun:)!y rily wants, or fave my life when God. will not : But that is not beca:ufe God is lcfs kind , but becau{e he is more Wife, and better knoweth what tendcth to my hutt or good> My friend would pi>ll olf the I'!• iller as foon a~ <" Y I complain
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