RESOLUTION V.

I am resolved, by the grace of God, to hope for nothing so much as the promises, and to fear nothing so much as the threatenings, of God.

MY soul being inflamed with holy desires after God, my heart. cannot but be big with the hopes and expectations of him: and, truly, as there is nothing that I can absolutely desire, so neither is there any thing that [ can assuredly hope for and depend upon but God himself, and the promises he has made to me in his divine word. For, as all things derive their being and subsistence from him, so they are all at his beck and command, and are acted and influenced as his wisdom and pleasure sees fit to order them. All the secondary causes are in his hand, and he turns them which way soever he will; so that, howsoever improbable and disproportionate the means he uses may appear to be, he never fails to accomplish the end, or whatever he wills or decrees to be done. And., therefore, 150wherever I meet with any promises made over to the faithful in his sacred word. (since they are the promises of one who is infinitely just and true, who can neither dissemble nor deceive) I cannot in the least doubt but they will be punctually fulfilled; and if I am of that happy number (as I trust through the merits of Christ, and my own sincere endeavours, I shall approve myself to be) I have as much assurance of being partaker of them, as if I had them actually in possession, or as any of the faithful servants of God, who have already experienced the accomplishment of them.

But suppose God should not favour me with the bright part of his promises, but, instead of the blessings of health and prosperity, should visit me with crosses and afflictions; yet I have still the same grounds for my hope and confidence in him, and may say, with the psalmist, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what the devil or man can do unto me.’ For, though their spite and malice may sometimes cross, torment, afflict, and persecute me; yet, since I am assured they are only as instruments in the hand of God, that cannot go beyond their commission, nor make me suffer more than I am able to bear, I may comfort myself, under all these afflictions, by the same divine promise that St. Paul had recourse to, on the like occasion, to wit, ‘That all shall work together for good, to them that love God, who are the called according to his purpose.’¹⁶⁶¹⁶⁶   Rom. viii. 28. The devil could not touch the possessions of Job, till he had received a commission from God; nor could he come near his body till that commission was renewed; and so, neither can 151he, nor any creature whatsoever, throw any evil upon me, without the divine permission; and even that, though it seems to be evil, shall really, in the end, turn to my benefit and advantage. Oh! what a sovereign antidote is this against all despondency and despair, even under the deepest and severest trials? Permit me, O my God, to apply this sacred promise to myself, and say, I am assured of it by my own experience. For I can hardly remember any one thing that ever happened to me, in the whole course of my life, even to the crossing of my most earnest desires, and highest expectations, but what I must confess, to the praise of thy grace and goodness, has really, in the end, turned to my advantage another way: Oh! make me truly sensible of all thy promises to, and dealings with me, that whatever storms and surges may arise, in the tempestuous ocean of this transient world, I may still fix the anchor of my hope and happiness in thee, who art the source and spring of all blessings, and without whom no evil or calamity could ever befal me!

And as the promises of God, upon all these accounts, are to be the object of my hope; so are his threatenings to be of my fear and aversion; as the former are of excellent use to raise and revive the most drooping hearts, so the latter are of weight enough to sink and depress the stoutest and most undaunted spirits, and make them lick up the dust of horror and despair. Not to mention any thing of the exquisite and eternal miseries denounced against the wicked in the next world, with which the Scriptures every where abound, there is one punishment threatened to be inflicted here, which is, of itself, sufficient to do this; and that is, 152‘If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory to my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and curse your blessings.’¹⁶⁷¹⁶⁷   Mal. ii. 2. Most dreadful sentence! which none, that consider aright, can be able to read without trembling and astonishment. Alas! if God should curse me, where should I seek for a blessing, since He is the only fountain from which it flows, and by which it is conveyed and communicated to me? And if he should curse my very blessings, what could I hope for but misery and despair? my health, my wealth, my preferments, my relations, nay, my very life itself, would all be accursed to me; and what is yet worse, even my spiritual exercises and performances, upon which I chiefly build my hopes of happiness, my preaching, praying, and communicating, would all become a snare and a curse to me: yea, and Christ himself, who came into the world to bless and redeem me, if I walk not in his fear, believe not his gospel, or give not glory to his name, will himself be a curse and condemnation to me. So that I may say of every thing I have, or enjoy, or expect, All these God has made curses to me, because I have not blessed and glorified him in them. Oh! who would not tremble and be wrought upon by these threatenings; who would not fear thee, O King of nations, who art thus terrible in thy judgments; who would not love and obey thee, who art so gracious in thy promises? Teach me, I beseech thee, so to place my fear upon the former, that I may still fix my hope upon the latter, that though I fear thy dreadful curses, yet I may never despair of thy tender mercies!