Chapter VI
What our behaviour toward God, as his friends, ought to be, with respect unto
his providential dispensations to us. We should ask his advice and counsel on ail occasions. We should make use of and depend upon Jiis favour and
assistance in all affairs. We should have an entire confidence in him, with out any jealousy or distrust.
I shall now begin a new and second set of duties, which our relation of
friendship with him brings upon, us ; such as do respect his providential outward dispensations towards us, as the former related to communion with
his person. As much of God s friendship unto us is given forth in his
ordering all things that fall out unto us for good, so much on our part lies in observing those his dealings, and applying ourselves to him therein. And
for that I give these following directions :
1. First, Ask his advice and counsel upon all occasions, and in all (espe
cially great) turnings of thy life. This is an improvement of a friend whom we count wise and faithful. Thus David sets out a man who had been his
friend : Thou, man, my guide (says he, Ps. Iv. 13) ; and we took sweet counsel together, says he, ver. 14. Yea, when one that we have chosen for our friend, and is a friend indeed, is }
Tet below us in parts and
wisdom, yet we love to see how our thoughts look in the glass of his mind and apprehensions. You may see it in God himself, who is the most per fect pattern of friendship, as of all relations else. He, you well know,
204 OF GOSPEL HOLINESS [BOOK II.
needs no advice ; for who is his counsellor ? Rom. xi. 34. Yet when he was to do a great act, whereof the whole world would ring, and when he knew it would certainly come to Abraham s ears, though it did not concern Abraham s particular at all, yet, says God with himself, I have singled forth this poor man to be rny friend, and shall I do so great an act, that
will make such a report, and not tell Abraham of it ? Gen. xviii. 17,
4 Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do ? That ingenuity that works in the heart of a friend, wrought in the heart of God, insomuch as he could not do a great thing, but he must tell his friend of it. He speaks as one shackled and restrained by the laws of friendship ; and upon that law he had an inward regret when he came to the execution of it. The ground and account thereof the text gives you, Abraham was the friend of God. And Abraham followed God in the same path, and upon the same
principle, though haud passibits (cquis, not with equal pace ; he stirred not a foot without God s direction, Isa. xli. 2, where it is said, God called him (that is, Abraham*) to his foot; which the apostle, in Heb. xi. 8,
interprets thus : he went out, not knowing whither he went, but gave up himself and every step unto God s direction and appointment. And we have the like instance of friendship to God in David : Ps. Ixiii. 23, 24,
* Nevertheless I am continually with thee ; thou hast holden me by thy right hand. Thou shalt guide me by thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to
glory. That word nevertheless brings this as a lesson and experiment he had learned from the contrary. He had had the reins laid upon his own neck for a while, and was left to the counsel of his own heart, and so he had miscarried. So foolish was I, says he, and as a beast before thee; ver. 22,
< Nevertheless thou holdest me by my right hand ; that is, I have found by this experience, that when I, being left to myself, am gone out of the way, yet thou secretly and invisibly holdest me by the hand, to reduce and bring me back again. And what lesson learns he from it, and what conclusion issues thence ? You have it in ver. 24, Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and I will never more follow my own, but give myself up to thee (as Herbert well expresseth it in his poems), only give me thy hand, since both mine eyes are thine. Neither doth the psalmist mean his hand merely to guide, but to support and strengthen
: Thou holdest me by my right hand. And I also observe it, that God s guiding of us by his counsel serves us but in this life ; but afterwards he is said to receive us to
glory ; he pulls us up, by the same hand which here guided us, unto that
glory above. You have seen an instance or example of this. See a pro mise also on God s part for this, which calls loud upon us for this duty
Isa. xxx. 21, And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, This
is the way, walk in it, when ye turn to the right hand, or when ye turn to the left. God had promised in the words before to give them teachers, who
doctrinally, or by the delivery of the right rules, should teach them the good and right way
< Thy teachers shall not be removed from thee, &c. Well, but we poor Christians are to put those rules and instructions our teachers
give us into practice and execution ; and when we are personally to act, we have not our teachers and tutors by us, and (God wot) we through ignor ance (as the psalmist, Ps. Ixxiii.) or forgetfulness are, when we come to act, at a loss, and know not which way to turn us. Hence therefore at the voice of thy cry, when he shall hear it, he will answer thee, ver. 19, and upon such outcries and occasions promiseth his Spirit, who can be and is
always with us: Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, This is * It is by no means clear that the reference in this passage is to Abraham. ED.
CHAP. VI.] IN THE HEART AND LIFE. 205
the way, &c. The psalmist had said, Thou boldest me by my right
hand, unknown to me, and wilt guide me by thy counsel. The prophet
says, Thou shalt hear a word behind thee, wherein he compares him to
a friend or companion, that secretly watcheth aloof of another friend he
takes care of, whom he lets go to see how he will order his steps of himself,
yet in great straits and turnings, or (as the text expresseth it) when he
turns to the right hand or the left, comes stealing behind thee ; so the
phrase is, comes behind thee, and whispers (for it is called a word), This
is the way, walk in it. The prophet compares him to a bonus geniw, who
doth aurem vellicare, pull him by the ear, and brings things practicable to
our remembrance, as Christ hath it. The psalmist compares him to a
companion that never leaves us, but gives strength as well as guidance
* Thou art continually with me, and boldest me by the hand. These things are evidently spoken of guiding us in practice, as these phrases, This is
the way, walk in it, as also turning to the right hand and the left, do import. They declare the various occasions and affairs of man s life, his going hither and thither, as elsewhere it is expressed. This for the promise of God. Now then, that*God de facto effectually performs when he is sought to by
< The
thee, that otherfpassage of the psalmist assures us : Ps. xxxvii. 23,
steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord ; which is spoken in respect of that happy issue and success which good men s actions are through the
blessing of God accompanied withal. But what if he falls into any disaster ?
It follows, ver. 24, Though he fall, he shall not utterly be cast clown; for
the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. Therefore in all thy ways take Solomon s counsel: Prov. iii. 6, In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he
shall direct thy paths. To acknowledge God in all thy ways doth in Solomon s sense import,
(1.) To come to God in a sensibleness of a man s own inability to guide himself in any of his ways, which the same Solomon pathetically utters, How can a man understand his ways ? And Jeremiah having by vision
understood that great calamity that was in his time to come upon his
nation, not knowing what might become of himself, nor which way to take
to help himself, comes to God, and cries out concerning his own person
* I know that the way of a man is not in himself : it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. And therefore seeing I must be
Jer. x. 23,
involved in a common calamity, I submit to thy correcting hand : Correct me (if thou pleasest), but not with judgment ; not in anger. And God
dealt with him accordingly, he had the best quarter from the king of Babel
of all the Jews.
(2.) It imports that we should acknowledge him, by giving ourselves up to his direction, as is evident from what follows : He shall direct thy
paths. His meaning therefore is, so to acknowledge him as to give a man s
self up to his direction ; or if you will have it in the terms this aphorism was first expressed in, take his advice and counsel. And so the opposition both before and after carries it : Lean not to thine own understanding, and be not wise in thine own eyes. Often, though man knows not his own way, yet having distrusted his own understanding, and coming in
simplicity to God for counsel by prayer, either God in prayer leaves a
biassing impression on his heart, which is the voice behind him, or by pro vidence casts him upon it. And truly when a soul hath thus come unto
God, he may blindfold cast it on him. I end this direction with this great
consolatory, that look as Jesus Christ is thy priest to obtain and accomplish
thy salvation, so he is thy prophet ; that is, his prophetical office is in its
206 OF GOSPEL HOLINESS [BOOK II-
kind as much for thee and thy good, and for ordering thy ways, as his
priestly office is for thy salvation hereafter. And he being the mighty counsellor, that knows all events and issues, will, if thou hast addressed unto him under that relation, put forth his abilities and power given him in that office for thee, to direct thee as effectually as to save thee, therefore
present all to him.
2. When thou hast thus asked and sought his advice, be sure thou follow
it. To that end, observe the impressions which God upon seeking him maketh upon thy spirit in prayer. Observe the most swaying weight that God casts into the balance, when otherwise the scales are even. Observe
especially what spiritual motives, that are purely for God, are cast into thy heart (for they are from God which are most for God), and follow them
fully, as Caleb is said to do. Our Lord and Saviour Christ is in this (as in all things else practicable by us) a pattern to us. He was (as you know) to die and offer up himself to God, and to enter into a conflict with his wrath for sin. He saw the black cloud and the storm coming, and some
drops had been let fall upon his soul : John xii. 27, 28, and nature (as you know) wrought in him, and you have heard the voice and cry of it, Lord, let this cup pass
! Now you read in Ps. xvi. 7, Christ blessing the Lord for giving him counsel :
* I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel ; my reins also instruct me in the night-seasons. I have set the Lord always before me, &c. Therefore my flesh rests in hope
: thou
wilt not leave my soul in hell. Concerning which passages in this Psalm Peter hath plainly instructed us, Acts ii. 25, 29-37, that they were imme
diately intended of Christ, and not of David at all, as his type or shadow, as in other psalms and passages of prophecy. And they are (being thus
applied unto Christ) the inward workings and discussions of his soul when he was to give up himself to that great encounter and adventure, the
greatest that ever creature was to undergo. You have the inward agita tions of his spirit, and the considerations that heartened him to give him
self up unto it, ver. 8-11. He mentions the night seasons, in which his reins instructed him. Now you read, Luke xxi. 37, that immediately before his passover, chap. xxii. 1, 2, he spent the mornings in preaching, but the nights in mount Olivet, to pray all night to God, according to his
custom, Luke vi. 12. And the context immediately before this, ver. 37 of Luke xxi. shews it, Watch ye therefore and pray, ver. 36, for which his
example is propounded, ver. 37. Thus he spent the night before his
passion ; for Jesus knew beforehand all that should come upon him, John
xviii. 4. But thus especially he spent that night in which he was betrayed and taken. You know how he spent the time in prayers and conflicts, with strong cries and tears, being heard in that he feared ; Heb. v. 7,
great fears and conflicts were upon him, he was at a stand : Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. And when his soul was thus
wrestling it out, God evidently came in with a new and peremptory declara tion that he would have him go through with it, which that speech that
* Not my will, but thine, be done, which, say
immediately follows shews :
I, was Christ s motto. Why, now that which I aim at to my purpose in hand is, that Christ blesseth his Father for giving him this counsel, and
supporting him with this advice : I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel. To be sure we have cause to bless God that gave him that counsel ; it was good counsel for us ; and you hear of this conflicting no more ; but after that, though he knew all that should come upon him, he went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye ? John xviii. 4. Peter
CHAP. VI.] IN THE HEART AND LIFE. 207
had given him other counsel, Master, spare thyself; but God, that was
his ancient friend, gave him this counsel, and he thankfully receives it, follows it, and blesseth him for it that ever he gave it him. My brethren, such advices in great and difficult cases God gives us in prayer and by the
word, and the flesh comes and gives the contrary. Solomon, Eccles. vii. 16,
brings in a man solicited by flesh and spirit, by contrary counsels. Says the flesh, Be not righteous overmuch, not too strict; why shouldest thou destroy thyself, waste thy spirits in duties, and bring miseries and
hazards of ruin to thy name, estate, and life, which attend ordinarily a liv
ing godly in Christ Jesus ? On the contrary, replies the spirit, Be not
over much wicked ; why shouldest thou die before thy time ? Loose ways and courses will bring thee to thy grave sooner than the course of nature ; A dart will strike though thy liver, &c., and thou wilt go to hell when thou hast done. And Paul speaks similarly unto this, Bom. viii. 12-14,
Therefore, brethen, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die : but if ye through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. The meaning whereof is,
follow not the counsel of the flesh, it is the counsel of a flatterer, an enemy.
It adviseth thee, as the young men did Behoboam, for thy hurt ; or its
advice is like that of Job s wife, Curse God and die ; or like that of Peter
to Christ, Master, spare thyself. Where had our salvation been then ? And where will thine be if thou followest it ? But, on the contrary, Paul
exhorts them to give themselves up to the Spirit, to be led by him as God s
sons, ver. 14. His advice is the advice of a father, of a comforter ; and
though his advice for the present may lead thee into such a way and course,
as for which thou mayest hazard life, yet consider, said he, ver. 11, that
he that raised up Jesus from the dead, and, as you heard, gave him counsel
to die, will raise up thy mortal body again ; whereas, if you follow the
flesh s advice, and mortify not the deeds thereof, ye shall die. Above all, take heed of rejecting his counsel when thou hast asked it; as the Pharisees
are said to have done against themselves, Luke vii. 30, and the people in
the prophet Jeremiah did. The heathen, when they inquired of their
oracles, durst not go and do contrary; nor would Socrates act against what
his genius dictated ; much less let us act against the counsel of God and
his Spirit, for this breaks friendship with him. Yea, let me cast in this, take his very reproof kindly ; Prov. xxvii. 5, 6,
* Even the wounds of a
* Let the righteous smite me, says David, Ps. cxli. 5,
friend are faithful. He speaks it of rebukes : ver. 5,
* it shall be a kindness ; let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break, but cure my head.
If, therefore, the righteous God shall smite me, if the Holy Spirit, who is
that holy anointing, rebukes thee in thy way, it is to save thee, to heal
* He went on frowardly in the way of his heart, and I smote him, says God, Isa. Ivii: 17. But it was to heal him : I will heal him, and restore comforts to him.
thee, and to comfort thee in the end :
3. Make use of his favour and friendship in all businesses, and depend thereon alone. God would have all kindnesses run through his hands, for he would have all your thanks ; as David said to Barzillai, 2 Sam. xix. 38,
* Whatever thou requestest of me, that will I do for thee, that doth God
say to us. Great men in power that are friends take it ill, if it be a suit wherein they can stead us,: if we use or trust to other friends beside them,
for by doing so, we either question their power or their love.
There are two things which this direction holds forth : 1. To use God in
208 OF GOSPEL HOLINESS [BOOK II.
small matters as well as great. And 2. To make use of his special favour and peculiar love in all.
1st. Let us make use of God in small things as well as great, even all.
It is said, Isa. xxvi. 12, he works all our works in us and for us. It is read both ways, for we have two sorts of works to be done : 1. Inward, in our own spirits ; and 2. Outward, which are for us in the course of provi dence ; and of the two, the inward is of the greater concernment, not to
fear what we shall suffer, but what we shall do. We are to use God in
small things, and herein God s friendship exceeds that of men s ; for men
are shy to use great friends about trifles, but reserve their interest for
greater; for they are both loath to be troubled, and cannot mind us therein, and their stock of favour is soon spent ; but God doth not deal so with us.
I observe in the parable made on purpose (as one evangelist hath it) to
encourage us and provoke us to pray, Christ represents the crgoraff/c, or
story of it, thus : Luke xi. 5, that a man having a friend, goes to him at
midnight, and says to him, Lend me three loaves. What ! trouble a friend
for so small a matter as three loaves, and that at midnight ; and those not
for himself neither, it is for his friend s friend ; ver. 6, For a friend of mine
is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him. Christ shews the
disposition of a man in this case : ver. 7, He from within shall answer and
say, Trouble me not : the door is now shut, and my children are with me
in bed ; I cannot rise and givethee. They are loath to be troubled in such
a case, though they are neighbours and friends, and may themselves need
the like at another time. And yet, ver. 8, for importunity s sake, though not for friendship, he will rise and give him them. Now the reddition or moral of this is, that much more God, that professeth himself a friend and
father, ver. 13, will hear you in whatever you ask, even the smallest, if a man asks an egg, or asks a fish, as Christ insinuates, ver. 11, 12, or daily bread, as he had taught them, ver. 3. And he thinks it no trouble, at all
seasons, upon all occasions, to be visited. Come to him at midnight, come
to him for thy friend s friend, for what thou wilt; this is an honour to him, he is hereby acknowledged to be God that ruleth and governeth all things, even the least.
2dly. Make use of God s peculiar love in all. Outward providential mercies do come to the people of God out of peculiar love, as the connection
of Rom. viii. 28, 29, tells us. The love of friendship in God is the fountain and spring of all ; out of that he bestows all, and therefore will have it
acknowledged in all. If therefore, in thy outward affairs, thou seekest God
for a mercy, and thou hast found a particular promise which mentions the
very thing thou needest, yet let me advise thee to go to eternal love, and
treat with it to bestow it on thee, and treat with it in all as well as for thy salvation. My brethren, the effectualness of this cause* is not known
enough ; to be sure the thing is not enough practised by saints.
1. It is utterly a fault that either, even in great matters, they treat not with God, or walk rashly whilst they are in dependence on God for them; that is, they leave the issue and casting of such a matter to all adventures,, and seek him not in it ; which often provokes God to give a man a sound
stroke, a shrewd blow, ere he is aware, in what is most near to him, as if he cared not where he did hit him. The Israelites would have a king, but God gave him in his anger, and took him away in his wrath.
2. Or else they treat not his special favour, but leave it to bare ordi
nary providence ; and things which accordingly come out of ordinary pro-
* Qu course ? ED.
CHAP. VI.] IN THE HEART AND LIFE. 209
vidence, are by the course of that providence turned into bitter crosses, even to God s own people ; though when they are taught otherwise, and
humbled, his love at last turns them again into blessings. But those wherein eternal love is sought, prove pure blessings, and God adds no sor row with them. The Israelites did seek a king at the hands of God, and
* They have set up kings, but not by nie ; they have made princes, but I knew it not. And yet how could so
yet God complains
: Hos. viii. 4,
great a matter be done without him by whom kings reign, and who knows
all that is done in the world ? But they carried it so as they sought not God in it, nor acquainted him with it. They did it ipso inconsulto, with out advising with him, or interesting him in them ; and without having recourse to, and dependence upon, his favour. If a man should see his son or his friend stand among the crowd of beggars that wait at his door for a common dole, and that he casts his lot for his meals with them, to be served as his turn comes, as they are, would not this provoke him ? would he not say, What do you mean thus to stand there ? are you not at home ? Why do you not come to me for money for all necessaries ? Or why do you not come in and sit down at table, and eat with me as becomes sons and friends
to do ? Thus doth God take it ill to see his own children carelessly stand at the common door of providence, when they should come in and seek what
they want by prayer, and interest his fatherly love in the business. The truth is, that those blessings only prove pure, stable blessings, which are fetched ex isto dolio. As God gives, so he would have you receive ; now he gives out of eternal love, and that therefore he will have us apply unto.
4. Yet I add, take some seeming denials of particular requests of thine
kindly from him. Remember it is friendship with a superior, who is only wise, knows what is best for thee, hath many great and vast ends in the
government of this world ; and some things thou hast earnestly desired for
thy particular, may and do cross some other and greater designs for his
glory. As kings that have large interests, multitude of persons and things to deal with, are forced to deny some things which their dearest favourites ask of them, as crossing some other engagement, or more general project. But if God denies thee, he will be sure to remember thee in some other
thing.
The truth is, we shew ourselves unfriendly to God, and usurp upon the
privileges and dues of friendship, if we expect everything should be as we would have it. Should it be as thou wilt ? as God said to Job. God denied Moses his request of entering into Canaan, and it was a great request of him ; and yet he murmurs not, but quietly goes up and dies, as God bade him.
5. Trust God especially in great exigents, and take heed of being jealous of him. Mutual confidence is a great part of friendship ; therefore David, speaking of his friend, saith, Yea mine own familiar friend whom I
trusted, Ps. xli. 9. If a man were to procure the friendship of another, he would deal with him in his kind : as if you were to deal with a covetous man, ye would bring him gold ; if with a vain-glorious man, you would flatter him. But now the way to deal with God, and to procure friendship with him, is to trust him ; and the reason is, because he doth all his kindnesses
freely ; and one that doth all freely desires to be trusted before he doth the benefit, and to be thanked after. Since I knew what love and friend
ship was, I have the less wondered why God chose our faith rather than our love to save us by, and that he calls so much for it. The reason is
plain, that one that loves much desires rather (and prefers it far) to have VOL. VII. O
210 OF GOSPEL HOLINESS [BOOK II.
the party lie freely loves to believe much that he loves him, than that he
should love him, for he desires to magnify his own love to them. Now that
is God s distinction, for it is his main end, in loving us, to commend his
love. The Holy Ghost exhorts, Ps. xxxvii. 3, Trust in the Lord, and
cast all thy care upon him. Friends are participes curarum, they are
partners in our cares. There are two eminent places for this : 1 Pet. v. 7, Cast all your care upon God, for he careth for you ; and Phil. iv. 6,
* Be
careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. Be careful or
solicitous in nothing ; he doth not say, God leaves small things unto us,
or that we should not be anxious, but avoid rag fis^t^vag, those cares that
divide and distract the soul. Great momentous care is God s work, not
ours. Cast all your care upon him, says Peter, for he careth for you. He speaks it of the sorest trials under God s mighty hand, ver. 6. He
quotes Ps. Iv. ver. 22, Cast thy burden on the Lord. So much care as
is a burden on thy thoughts, lay it on God. What a friendly part is this,
that God loves us so well as he would have no burden lie on our spirits, but is willing to take that burden on himself! Let me have all the load,
says he, like a friend that travels with another, and for his friend s ease
carries and takes off all the baggage. God is not only willing to bear it with
us, but to take it wholly off from us on himself. He doth not only offer
to take one end of it, and so ease us (as the word is, Kom. viii. 26, cvvavr/-
Xa/aCavsra/), to help us only by taking it together with us at the other end
of our burden, but he takes it wholly off; Cast thy burden on him, for he careth for you. The truth is, says he, whether you trust him or no, he
: or it is spoken thus, his is the great care ; as if we should
careth for you
say to a wife that hath a good husband to her consort, he takes all the
care, and is so wise as you need take none, but may sleep quietly and take
your ease ; so doth God say to us. Qui kabuit tui curam antequam esses,
quomodo non Jiabelit cum jam es ? says Augustine. He took care how to redeem thee from sin, and he will for all things else. Yea, he takes such
care for every one, as if he took care of none else Only, indeed, this
Paul requires, Philip, iv., that in every thing our requests should be made known to God. He would not have us so much as troubled ; only, says he, come and tell me ; that is enough, and it is but what a man would do to a
friend when burdened, if it were but to ease his mind ; not that God needs
that we should make known our requests to him, for he knows, says Christ,
* you have need of these things ; but that there may be a recourse to him, that he may be acknowledged to be the carer for you, and also your depend ence on him may be owned : Prov. iii. 5, 6, Trust in the Lord with all
thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. He speaks it as a friend, that would have his friends but come and tell him when they want. It is
as if he said, Come, and but communicate your wants and your necessities
to me, and I will suppty them. Thus our Abraham in the text did trust
in God as a friend, when he went to offer up Isaac. father, says
* Take no care, son, says he ; God
Isaac, but where is the sacrifice ?
will provide, Gen. xxii. 8, 9, 13, 14. Hence that proverb went amongst the Jews, when any one was afflicted, that in the mount the Lord would
be seen, and provide, as he did for Abraham and Isaac in their straits. Let
your heart, therefore, in all occurrences be quiet, and repose itself safely in him ; trust him at all times, Ps. Ixii. 8, and trust him in all things, and
in small things as well as great ; make use of him, and come to him for
CHAP. VI.] IN THE HEAKT AND LIFE. 211
every thing, for he thinks you account him not your friend else, and he thinks it no trouble but an honour to him. I add to this an appendix of it : be not jealous of him. There cannot be a greater wrong done to friendship. Trust hath made many a friend ; and
, suspicion hath broke many fast and entire friendships. Hence charity, or love to men, binds us to interpret all things well. 1 Cor.
so, on the contrar}
xiii. 5, Charity thinketh no evil, believing all things for the present, hopeth all things for the future. And if this rule hold of men, who are a lie, as the Scripture speaks, and of whom a suspicion may be that they are false, and a lie is in their ways, then much more is this true in love, and much more ought we to act thus to God, who is truth itself, Rom. iii. 4, and love
itself, 1 John iv. 16. And accordingly, as his nature is love and truth, so
all his ways are mercy and truth, Ps. xxv. 10. They are mercy in respect of aiming at our good, and truth in respect of fulfilling his promises and
faithful carriage to us ; therefore whatsoever befalls theo, though it be clean
contrary to thy expectation, interpret it in love. Many actions of men are such as a good interpretation cannot be put upon them, nor a good con
struction made of them ; therefore interpreters restrain those sayings of
love, that it believes all, &c. ; that is, credibilia, all things believable, other wise to put all upon charity, will eat out charity. But none of God s ways are such, but love and faith may pick a good meaning out of them. A bono Deo nil nisi bonum, from a good God there comes nothing but what is good ; and therefore says Job, Though he kill me, I will trust in him. Endeavour to spy out some end of his for good at the present, and if none ariseth to
thy conjecture, resolve it into faith, and make the best of it. To be jealous provoketh God exceedingly, for no faithful friend can endure to be suspected. It breaks amity between man and wife when they live never so entirely ; and the reason is because one that loves and makes a business of it to shew himself a friend, and counts it one of his greatest excellencies, as God doth
(for all his attributes seem but to set out his love), cannot therefore bear to have it questioned. Take a man that is both wise and loving, and he had rather be thought unwise by his friend, than unloving or false to him.
It provoked God much, well nigh as much as anything, that the people of
Israel said that he brought them into the wilderness to destroy them, which
sin moved him to destroy many of them. And yet thus, and worse, do many wrong God, who though God hath humbled them, and given them many evident tokens of his love and everlasting good will, yet still they suspect it to be but a common work, that God hath enlightened them, to make their damnation greater. He hath brought us out of Egypt indeed, say they, the gross sins that others lie in, but it is but to destroy us : Jer.
xxix. 11, I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord :
thoughts of peace, not of evil, to give an expected end. It was when the
people were carried away captive into Babylon, they thought God carried them thither to destroy them, these were their thoughts ; and therefore, in
opposition unto their thoughts, saith God, it is no matter what you think, I know the thoughts I think, even to give an expected end ; that is, as good an end as you could wish. God speaks like one suspected, and is fain to comfort himself, as it were, with the consciousness of his own thoughts toward them, against the hard thoughts and speeches they had of him.
Well, but I know mine own heart, says God. His eyes were as much and more upon the end of their deliverance and peace after seventy years, than upon the captivity itself, as appears by the verse going before ; for the end
is first ordained, and chiefly in an agent s eye. Let but God alone. See
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the end he made with Job ; says James, chap. v. 11, whilst God was
apulling down Job s estate and house piece after piece, Job nor no stander
by could have known what to have made of God s purpose in it ; but the
issue was such as was evident to the eye of all beholders, that all this was
in love. Therefore he useth this phrase, Ye have seen the end of the Lord
in it. He did but put down the old house to set up a new one ; some
interpret it of Christ s passion, you have seen the end of the Lord Jesus. Whilst the apostles and believers beheld him on the cross, yea, the angels themselves, they might wonder what God meant to do with him, what
should be in his thoughts to hang his Son there ; but ye have seen the end
of the Lord, saith he. For we have see n Jesus, through the suffering of
death, crowned with glory and honour, Heb. ii. 9. This was fresh news
in those days, for it was new done, so as they saw it. When thou art in
affliction, thou art apt to think that he is a-destroying thee, but thou knowest not his thoughts. If a man be poor and down in the world, then he is apt to say, If God did love me, he would not suffer me to be so low ;
if rich, he is apt to say that God puts him off as Abraham did his younger
sons, and reserves his inheritance for others. So likewise young Christians
are often jealous that God will one day take advantage against them for
their offending him and backslidings, and take his favour from them and
cast them off ; but do not suspect him, for he is a constant friend. It is a
slander papists and Arminians have raised on him, that he should cast away those are entered into friendship with him, and discard his old friends ; and
therefore, Isa. Iv. 3, God s mercies are called the sure mercies of David.
If others have comfort, joy, and peace, which such an one wants, the poor man begins to be jealous of God, as if God did not love him ; as when the
Gentiles were called, Zion was jealous, and took it amiss, Isa. xlix. 14, and
says, God hath forgotten me.
6. Study his favours, how to find out his loving-kindness in them. God would not willingly lose his kindness in what he doth. As a wise man would not his notions on one that is not apprehensive or capable of them, and a man s love is dearer to him than his notions ; this is the least recipro cation of friendship that can be expected. God doth study how to contrive
all the circumstances of his mercies, so as to make them mercies, and to shew his love in them, and accordingly orders them. He thinks how to
bring them in best to make them take, when and where they will be best
placed and bestowed, and most seen and taken notice of. He waits to be
gracious, Isaiah tells us, even as a curious orator orders all his matters,
brings in this after this, and sets out all with metaphors and elegancies, and
all to make it take and please his hearers ; so doth God strew mercies
through thy whole life, and you should study them and the circumstances
of them, as you would study and delight to read a curious speech, and
observe all the art that love hath bestowed upon the whole. As you shall have a world of wit and matter couched in a word, a short sentence, so God
casts out sometimes a sea of love in a drop of providence, in a small
by-passage that a man would scarce take notice of. Ps. cxxxix., when David considered but that part of it, of his outward and ordinary providence
only, he wonders : Marvellous are thy works, says he ; and that my soul knows right well, ver. 14. David had studied them, he was versed and
* How precious, saith he, are thy thoughts, or the
skilful in them.
thoughts of thee unto me ? Lord, how great are the number of them ! And Ps. cxi. 2-4,
* The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them
that have pleasure therein. His work is honourable and glorious ; and his
CHAP. VII.] IN THE HEART AND LIFE. 213
righteousness endureth for ever. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered : the Lord is gracious, and full of compassion. His goodness and compassion he would have observed by us ; more especially, the Lord
is gracious, and full of compassion, so it is in the close of all, and therein
lies the glory that is the conclusion of all. And as in searching into any
experiments in nature, there is an infinite pleasure that accompanies such
a study to them that are addicted thereunto ; so to him that hath pleasure in such works of God, and is addicted to spy out his kindness in them, there is nothing so pleasant as the discovery of such or such a new circum
stance of mercy, that renders it glorious and honourable. Get therefore
skill in his dealings with thee, and study thy friend s carriage to thee. It
is the end why he raised thee up, and admitted thee into friendship with
him, to shew his art of love and friendship to thee, how well he could
love thee.