The Shield of Righteousness, Part 9
VERSE, 9. Seeing thou haſt made the Lord (which is my refuge.) Euen the most High thy habitation.
THe euidence, for further proofe of the ſecure eſtate of the Righteous, caſting themſelues vponupon God, is in the Prophet himſelf; who, out of his owne triall aſſureth it; calling the Lord his Refuge. As if he had ſayd: becauſe thou haſt done as I did, who ran to the boſome of the Almightie in times of temptation; thou haſt as good an euidence, or the ſame for thy ſafetie that I euer had: which is, that God will bee their refuge, who make him their refuge in trouble, and will deliuer them. This is his meaning: and to truſt in God, is not to ſay ſo onelyonly; but by faith, and with the amendment of our wayes, by his word to do ſo.
Doct. 1 The Doctrine from hence is: He that maketh the Lord his deliuerer, by putting truſt in him and by beleeuing his word, ſhall be deliuered. Aſa did ſo, (as we heard) when an hoſte of ten hundred thouſand came againſt him, and the Lord tooke him to Sanctuarie, and put them to ſlaughter, 2. Chron. 14.11, 12. The Apoſtle Saint Paul, notwithſtanding that he was enuironed and begirt with many and long afflictions on all ſides, yet ſafely paſſed through them, as his Maſter through the multitude, who had brought him to the edge of an hill to hauehave caſt him downe, Luk. 4. 29.30. for, he had committed himſelf to a good keeper, who neuer ſuffered him to take ſhame, ſeeing he beleeued him, 2 Tim. 1.12. or (as here) made him his habitation. God himſelfe ſaith by Samuel: them that honour me, I will honour, 1 Sam. 2.30. that is, them that honour him with truſt, he will honour with ſafety: and Dauid prayeth with aſſurance not to bee confounded, ſeeing hee truſted in him, Pſal. 25.2. So, the three ſeruants of God could ſay to the King; the God whom we ſerue, or in whom wee truſt, is able, and will deliuer vsus, Dan. 3.17. viz from the fiery fornace, and out of thy hand O King: as if they had ſaid: we ſerue God, or we beleeue God; and therefore ſhall moſt certainely bee deliuered from the fornace by miracle, or from thy power by death, verſe 18. the Scriptures are plentifull in this matter. I ſay then: them that truſt the Lord, mercy ſhall compaſſe on eueryevery ſide. The reaſons:
Where God is truſted, he ſetteth ſtore by his credit to do for Reaſon 1 thoſe that truſt in him: for, to ſuch he hath promiſed large redemption; and hee cannot denie himſelfe, or ſuffer his truth to faile.
Secondly, they that truſt in God, and make him their confidence, Reaſon 2 will giuegive him this honour with the obedience that is better then ſacrifice, 1. Sam. 15.22. and more then all burnt offerings, Hoſ. 6.6. If God hauehave deliuered them from one fornace or kind of death, by Plague or otherwiſe, they will ſhine in a better life, like pure gold, to the glory of God their owner; hauing praiſe in their mouth, and not ſinne in their right hand: they will make a penitent ſong with Hezekiah, Eſay 38. and a confeſſing Pſalme with Dauid, Pſal. 116. and hauing bene careleſſe of the word before, become (afterward) carefull both hearers and doers of it. To be ſhort, they will ſet themſelues to ſerue God by that ſame word, hauing receiued thoſe gracious fauours (as it were) wages for their ſeruice: and being reſolued thus to turne vntounto God, and thus to put truſt in his merciemercy, how can he denie them? How can he turne from them, and leaue them? beſides, they cannot truly truſt in him, that cannot comfortably with repentance do ſo: and what contrite ſinner was euer reiected by him? Pſal. 51.17. and who (euer) was confounded that (ſo) put truſt in him.
Reaſon 3 Thirdly, if earthly fathers will not caſt thoſe children off, that fully and altogether reſt on them by promiſe for protection: much leſſe will he that is our Father in heauen, forſake them, or the defence of them, who hauehave like confidence in him for their helpe in trouble; and wholly reſt on his promiſe, when others go from him to ſecond cauſes, as to other Gods. But if a child in the extreamitie of ſickneſſe ſhall chuſe rather to endure any hardneſſe and paine, then not to content his father: who will ſay but it muſt needes moue a good father the more to ſeeke, and (what he may) to provide for the eaſe and recouery of ſuch a child? So, for Gods children that ſo ſubmit to him, that they will patiently beare the the ſoreſt gripes and pulles of the croſſe, rather then prouoke ſo good a Father; and who ſo watch all their wayes, that they are vnwilling to giuegive him the leaſt matter of offence, or his ſpirit of griefe by an impatience or rude moode: how can they but obtaine both pitie and deliuerance at ſuch a fathers hands? and who can thinke that the Father of mercies will deale otherwiſe then mercifully with ſuch children?
Vſe 1 An inſtruction more to reſt on God, then on the greateſt earthly ſafetie. For, oftentimes mans helpe proueth vaine, where Gods helpe neuer faileth. Man may hauehave mens good wills and be neuer the better: but he that with repentance truſteth in God, is ſure to bee deliuered. Dauid (therefore) in danger, and Chriſt in death, commended their ſpirit into Gods hands, Pſal. 31.5. Luke 23.46. So the godly do not build towers to themſelues, but make the Lord their tower of defence. This tower is on high, farre aboue all troubles and Plagues: and they that reſt in this highly mounted caſtle of Gods protection, cannot but hauehave both the higher and better hand of all enemies and changes mortall. But this hath bene much ſpoken of alreadie.
Vſe 2 A terrour to thoſe, who by great impatience in their afflictions, will needs be their owne deliuerers: or, who in them flie not to God, as to their ſure place or houſe of rocke to dwell in him, till they be deliuered, ſaying, The Lord, euen the moſt high is my habitation, but truſt in worldly refuges as hath bene ſaid: for, ſuch hauehave no promiſe nor hope by it that God will deliuer them: which may be ſpoken (alſo) of all proud perſons, whoſe egge being hatched in a Phariſes neſt, vſe to ſay in their diſtreſſe: becauſe I am worthy, or hauehave ſhewed my ſelfe wiſe, I ſhall be deliuered. Theſe men, when their troubles and ſorrowes come to a head, intangle themſelues the more by their ſtriuings, as birds in a ſnare, and for the aduerſitie they are in, their euill conſcience cannot be perſwaded, it is Gods louing viſitation, but the hand of ſome enemie vponupon them, which they ſhall neuer be able, either to auoyde or endure. A iuſt recompence to all thoſe who promiſe to themſelues a larger Patent in comforts then God will ſeale, and ſhorter in troubles then he meaneth to giuegive vntounto them. And what maruell (then) if that yoke which is eaſie to all that make the Lord their habitation, bee full of ſtraightneſſe to all that will bee an habitation to themſelues; and if it gall the very necke of their ſonles?
But is the Lord the deliuerer of all that make him their habitation? Vſe 3 then, ſuch alſo as ſerue him may come into trouble and bee afflicted by the ſtrokes of God and men, as well as they that ſerue him not. In Luke we reade of a daughter of Abraham that was bound by Satan eighteene yeares, in the chaine of a very lamentable infirmitie, Luke 13.10.11.12. Dauid Hezekiah, and Iob were viſited this way, as appeareth by their ſtories. And God beginneth his anger (ſometimes) at his owne houſe, and viſiteth firſt there: but there is great difference betweene the righteous and the wicked in theſe viſitations, whether we reſpect the cauſe, effects, or end of this hand of God vponupon them. For, in louelove he layeth his rod vponupon the righteous, which he doth not when he breaketh the wicked and ſinners with his iron rod. Alſo, the tribulations of the godly bring forth patience, which patience begetteth experience, and experience the hope that maketh not aſhamed, Rom. 5.3.4.5. but no ſuch things are to be ſeene in the tiring Plagues of the vngodly, and for the end of God in this matter, there is great difference to be put betweene the viſitation of Sion to humble his children; and the deſtruction of Sodom to plague his enemies. A father may correct his child and ſeruant with one rod, and after one manner: yet he loueth his child as his child, and his ſeruant as is fit; or, he loues him as his child, though he chaſten him as his ſeruant. So in a common viſitation by Plague, famine, ſtrange diſeaſes and deaths, the Lord may and doth ſtrike with the ſame rod of common viſitation both his children and enemies, yet his children hee correcteth in great louelove and for their great good, but conſumeth the ſinners, and where are they? and he taketh away his children, but not as he cutteth off the wicked in the continuance of his anger, Ierem. 15.15. His children he whipeth ſometimes with death, becauſe by ſome vnpurged euill they hauehave prouoked him; the other he puniſheth with euerlaſting death, that he may be auenged of his enemies, & eaſed of them that hate him. It is our dutie (therefore) when God begins any publicke viſitation to ſubmit preſently, and preſently by repentance to purge for the diſeaſe that cauſeth it: that is, for ſinne that aboundeth. For, if we ſtriue with God, by our prayers and conuerſion to him, as Iacob; we ſhall (then) preuaile as Iacob, who (therefore) was called Iſrael, Geneſ. 32.28. Thus we hauehave heard the deliuerance of Gods children largely, the ſame repeated followeth.