Counsel to the Afflicted, Question 3 · Section 13
SECT. 13.
13. Endeavour to demean your ſelves in ſuch ſort towards God, that you may prevail with him to continue ſtill to watch over, and preſerve both your perſons, houſes, and ſubſtance. If you ask what you ſhould do that you may engage the Lord to continue his preſervation of your perſons and ſubſtance. I anſwer;
1. Walk in the fear of the Lord, and ſerve him with an upright and ſincere heart. Satan ſaith of Job, who was an upright man, one that feared God and eſchewed evil, Job 1.9,10. Doth Job fear God for nought? Haſt not thou made an hedge about him, and about his houſe, and about all that he hath on every ſide? Thou haſt bleſſed the work of his hands, and encreaſed his ſubſtance in the land. Prov. 2.7.—He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. Pſal. 84.11. The Lord God is a Sun and Shield, the Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly. Protection from evils is a good thing, if you walk uprightly with God he will not with-hold his protecting providence from you; but as he hath been, ſo he ſtill will be your ſhield.
2. Shew mercy to the Poor, and do good with your Eſtates, that is the way to have them preſerved, Pſal. 41.1,2. Bleſſed is he that conſidereth the poor, the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble; the Lord will preſerve him, and keep him alive, and he ſhall be bleſſed upon the earth, and thou wilt not deliver him into the will of his enemies.
3. Love the Lord for preſerving you hitherto, and thereby you ſhall be preſerved ſtill, Pſal. 145.20. The Lord preſerveth all them that love him. Pſal. 91.14. Becauſe he hath ſet his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him.
4. You muſt not preſerve any of your ſins from deſtruction, if you would have God preſerve your perſons and ſubſtance; for God threatens to deſtroy both the perſons and the ſubſtance of ſuch as live wicked and ungodly lives, Job 15.20,21,29. The wicked man travelleth with pain all his dayes, and the number of years is hidden to the oppreſſor: A dreadful ſound is in his ears, in proſperity the deſtroyer ſhall come upon him. He ſhall not be rich, neither ſhall his ſubſtance continue; neither ſhall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth. Zophar ſpeaking of a man that ſpares his ſins, and will not forſake them, among other Judgments mentioneth this, that God will not ſpare, but will deſteoy ſuch a mans ſubſtance, Job 20.12,13,15,26,28. He hath ſwallowed down riches, and he ſhall vomit them up again; God ſhall caſt them out of his belly—All darkneſs ſhall be hid in his ſecret places, a fire not blown ſhall conſume him—The increaſe of his houſe ſhall depart, and his goods ſhall flow away in the day of his wrath. If this merciful providence of God, will not prevail with you to caſt away your ſins; your continuing in your ſins, will cauſe God to caſt away your ſubſtance, Prov. 10.3. The Lord will not ſuffer the ſoul of the righteous to famiſh, but he caſteth away the ſubſtance of the wicked.
5. Commit your ſelves and your ſubſtance into the hands of the Lord, and truſt in God who hath graciouſly preſerved you hitherto, to preſerve you and all that belongth unto you for the time to come. There is no better way to engage God to help us, than to commit our ſelves to him, and to put our truſt in him, Prov. 29.25. Who ſo putteth his truſt in the Lord ſhall be ſafe. Pſal. 17.7. Shew thy marvellous loving kindneſs, O thou that ſaveſt by thy right hand, them which put their truſt in thee, from thoſe that riſe up againſt them. Pſal. 10.14. The poor committeth himſelf unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherleſs. Pſal. 5.11. Let all thoſe that put their truſt in thee, rejoyce; let them ever ſhout for joy, becauſe thou defendeſt them. Pſal. 22.4. Our fathers truſted in thee; they truſted, and thou didſt deliver them. Dan. 6.23. Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, becauſe he believed in his God.
Now in regard that truſting in God availeth much towards our preſervation, I ſhall mention three or four conſiderations that may encourage you to truſt in God for preſervation of your perſons and ſubſtance, at ſuch times as you apprehend your ſelves to be in greateſt danger of ſuffering either in your Perſons or Eſtates.
1. Conſider how ſolicitous and careful God is of your welfare, 1 Pet. 5.7. He careth for you. You are as dear to him as the apple of his eye, Zech. 2.8. He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye. He is ſo careful of your welfare, that he giveth all his Angels a charge concerning you, to pitch their tents about your dwellings, and to take the care of you wherever you go, and to deal tenderly with you, to carry you in their arms, that you may be preſerved from being hurt either by evil Angels, or evil Men, Pſal. 91.11,12. He ſhall give his Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy wayes; they ſhall bear thee up in their hands, leſt thou daſh thy foot againſt a ſtone. Pſal. 34,7. The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. Beſides the charge that God giveth his Angels to look after his people, he himſelf taketh a ſpecial care of them, the Lord himſelf is their keeper, and watcheth over them both by night and by day, Pſal. 121.4,5. Behold, he that keepeth Iſrael ſhall neither ſlumber nor ſleep; the Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy ſhade upon thy right hand. Iſa, 27.3. I the Lord do keep it, I will water it every moment, leſt any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. His eyes are alwayes upon his people, to behold their dangers, that the may ſend them relief and deliverance in due ſeaſon, 2 Chron 16.9. The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to ſhew himſelf ſtrong in the behalf of them, whoſe heart is perfect towards them. His hand is alwayes ſtretched out for their defence, Deut. 33.27. The eternal God is thy refuge, underneath are the everlaſting arms. The Lord is ſo tender of you, that he doth as it were lay you in his boſom, Iſa. 40.11. He ſhall feed his flock like a ſhepherd, he ſhall gather his lambs with his arm, and carry them in his boſom.
2. This care of God for his peoples welfare extendeth not only to ſome, but to every one of his ſervants, Deut. 33.3. All his Saints are in thine hand. Pſal. 145.20. The Lord preſerveth all them that love him. The meaneſt of all Gods ſervants is of more value than many Sparrows; yet there is not ſo much as one Sparrow forgotten of God, Luke 12.6,7. Are not five Sparrows ſold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? Fear not therefore, ye are of more value than many ſparrows. Surely then there is not the meaneſt of all Gods ſervants, which is forgotten of the Lord.
3. God is not only careful of his peoples perſons, but of their ſubſtance and habitations, Pſal. 16.5. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup; thou maintaineſt my lot. Job 1.10. Haſt not thou made an hedge about him, and about his houſe, and about all that he hath on every ſide? When you are afraid your houſes ſhould be fired, or any other evil ſhould befall your habitations, think on ſuch Scriptures as theſe, wherein God hath engaged himſelf to preſerve your habitations in ſafety, Pſal. 91.10. There ſhall no evil befal thee, neither ſhall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. Prov. 1.33. Whoſo hearkeneth unto me, ſhall dwell ſafely, and ſhall be quiet from fear of evil. Iſa, 4.5,6. The Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of Mount Zion, and upon her aſſemblies, a cloud and ſmoke by day, and the ſhining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory ſhall be a defence, and there ſhall be a Tabernacle for a ſhadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from ſtorm and from rain. Prov. 12.7. The houſe of the righteous ſhall ſtand.
4. The preſervation which God hath promiſed to his people, is not limited to this or that particular evil, or to any period of time; but it extendeth to all ſorts of evils, and to all times. He hath promiſed to preſerve them from all evils, Pſal. 121. The Lord ſhall preſerve thee from all evil—Pſal. 91.10. There ſhall no evil befal thee—Job 5.19. He ſhall deliver thee in ſix troubles, yea, in ſeven there ſhall no evil touch thee. And as this preſervation is not limited in reſpect of evils, ſo neither in reſpect of time; he hath not promiſed to preſerve them for a time, and then give over his care of them, but he hath promiſed them preſervation all their dayes, Pſal. 121.8. The Lord ſhall preſerve thy going out, and thy coming in, from this time forth, and even for evermore. Pſal. 125.2. As the mountains are round about Jeruſalem, ſo the Lord is round about his people, from henceforth even for ever. Iſa. 46.3,4. Hearken unto me, O houſe of Jacob, and all the remnant of the houſe of Iſrael, which are born by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb. And even to your old age, I am he, and even to hoare haires will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear, even I will carry and will deliver you. If any ſay, notwithſtanding theſe promiſes of preſervation, we ſee the ſervants of God do oft-times fall into many troubles as well as other men, how then can theſe promiſes be any encouragement to us to truſt in God? I anſwer, 1. We muſt rely on the promiſes of God, when his providence ſeemeth to run croſs to his promiſe, Rom. 4.18. Who againſt hope, believed in hope—according to that which was ſpoken—Job 13.15. Though he ſlay me, yet will I truſt in him. 2. When God doth not preſerve his ſervants from trouble, he doth them good by their troubles; he fulfils that promiſe, Pſal. 85.12. Yea, the Lord ſhall give that which is good. Now oft-times it is good for the people of God to fall into affliction, Pſal. 119.71. Wherefore we may with much freedom and ſatisfaction commit our ſelves to God in our greateſt dangers upon this account, that he will make all our troubles work for our good, when he doth not preſerve us from trouble.