hap. I4 about Iffurancé. 1 25 fome great and eminent fervice : he firft fh eds tome of his love into their hearts, IA hich constrains them to obedience, and encourageth them in it. Mo- lls would not fir without aifurance of Gods prefence. So God calls j ofhua roan honourable emploimenr, and prepares him for fo great a work, with a promife of himfelf and his love : Fear not, be ofgoodcouratte, I amwith thee. Iwillnev.rf,;ilathe,nor forfake thee. So whenGodcalled efbrahamto that great work of façriticing hisfon, he firft warmes his heart with his love, and feales up the Covenant of grace to him, and tells him, Iam codalfuffic tent: .. 1 am thy Bucl<Pr, and thy exceeding great reward. And thus he dealt with the Prophets and Apoflles, when he lent them upon great and dangerous meffa- ges : he alfùres them that his diredtingand prote&ing mercy (hall accompany them, and this made them fo undaunted. Fourthly, praying times are feeling times : the fame Spirit that endites the 1 V. prayer, feal.:s it up. whenHannah had prayed, r S431.1.18. the text faith, that hercountenance was no more fad. As its thepriviledge of Affluence, that thenwe may with confidence cry Abbot, Father, fo alfo its a great means to get affurance ; Bei des, we may pray for affurance, and be importunate for one fmile of his face, andhis bowelswill not let him denyus : Hence fuch as are molt frequent and powerful in Prayer, are molt bleft with aifurance. Fifthly, times of outward exigencies are feeling times, z Cor. 4. Y6. V. Thouvh our outwardman deity, yet our inwardman is renewed daily : when all provition failed the Ifraelires, then Mannah was rained down : fo is this hidden ()Hannah provided for fad and cloudy times : except in the cafe of total defer- don, when the foul hath not the leaft glimpfe f -doing upon it : But in our- ward and temporal diftreffes Godufes to reveal himfelf more immediately un- to them : and though the creature frown, yet he fmiles upon them. Believers are Gods friends, and it is not the pat of a friend to forfake them in the fad- delitines. WhenSaint fohnwas banifhed into the Ifle of Pàtmos, God thews him that glorious Revelation; Paul and Silas, when in prifon, are full of joy: andfo with Hczekiab. Sixthly, times ofvielory and conqueft over lufts and tentations, are feeling Vl. times : God after fuch vi dories will give his people a triumph, Rev. a t 7. To him that overcomes will Igive to eat of the hiddenManna: Thus whenPaul was conquering that great tentation, z Cor, i z. 9. God then ftrengrhens him with this, cí'tygrace is fufficientfor thee : So it was with that noble Mar - quefs of Vico : He never had fuch joyat Naples as he had at Geneva, when he had conquered all tentations, and hadtrampled upon all relations for a Sa- viour: So the Mourners in Ezekiel, that would not yield to the abominations of the times, muff have a feale fer on them. So that Virgin-companyin the Revelations, ark. 9.4. Rev. 7.3. Quel .+. what ufe muff Chriftiancmake of r/Iffurance, when God gives it in to them? enfw. Firft, Times of affurance fhould be times of humility anddepend- I. ance upon God ; when Mofes had been fo long converting with God on the Mount, prefently at the foot of the Mount he meets with matter of humiliati- on : the people having made them a golden Calfc. When Paulhadbeen in the third Heavens, then comes a Meflénger of Satan to buffethim, left he fhould be exalted ahoye meafure. Pride, as it twines about the fweeteft graces, fo it devoures thefweeteft comforts. Yet there is nothing that tends more to felf- abafement, then the beholdingGods face, and the feeing of his glory, this will make the foul abhor it felf in dull andafhes. None here ever faw moré of Gods face thenMofes and Paul, and there-were nonethatever had lower appre- henfions of themfelves. Secondly, Times of aflurancefhould be times of trampling upon the crea. II. R 3' ture,
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