10. Lastly, This must be a stay to the souls of true believers, and cause them with comfort to trust themselves and all their affairs in the hands of God. When we have first made it our care to give to God the things that are God's, Mat. 22. 21. and heartily consecrated our selves and all that we have to him as his own; we have no reason to doubt of his acceptance, nor of his care and protection and merciful disposal of us. This is a wonderful comfort to poor Christians, to think that they have such an Owner. Whoever is against you Christians, be sure ⟨p. 115⟩of it God will look to you, as his own! And if you do but promise another that you will be as careful of his child, his horse, his goods, as if they were your own, he will think you say as much as can be expected. If you be poor, or sick, or desolate, you may be sure that yet God will look to you as his own. And why should you think he will be careless of his own? Ground your prayers and confidence on this, as David doth, Psal. 119. 94. I am thine, save me.] And in all our labours and the affairs of our lives, when our consciences can say that we live to God, and study to do all we do for him, and to improve all our time and parts and other talents to his use, it may very much quiet us in all his disposals of us. If he keep us in the lowest case, if we be his, we must rest in his wisdom, that knows best how to use his own. If he take our friends from us, he taketh but his own. If he deny his saving grace to our ungodly children (a heavy judgement of which we must be sensible) yet when we have devoted them to God, and done our own part, we must be silent as Aaron was when his sons were destroyed, Lev. 10. 3. and confess that the Potter hath power over his own clay, to make of the same lump one vessel to honour and another to dishonour, Rom. 9. 21. All his disposals shall work to that end which is the most universal perfect good, and most denominateth all the means. But those that are his own by consent and Covenant may be sure that all shall work to their own good. Let us die with Christ, and be buried to the world, and know no Lord or Owner but our great Creator and Redeemer (except in a limited subservient sense) and then we may boldly argue with him to the quiet of our souls from this Relation [I am thine, help me] Psal. 35. 23.
10. Lastly, This must be a stay to the souls of true believers, and cause them with comfort to trust themselves and all their affairs in the hands of God. When we have first made it our care to give to God the things that are God's, Mat. 22. 21. and heartily consecrated our selves and all that we have to him as his own; we have no reason to doubt of his acceptance, nor of his care and protection and merciful disposal of us. This is a wonderful comfort to poor Christians, to think that they have such an Owner. Whoever is against you Christians, be sure ⟨p. 115⟩of it God will look to you, as his own! And if you do but promise another that you will be as careful of his child, his horse, his goods, as if they were your own, he will think you say as much as can be expected. If you be poor, or sick, or desolate, you may be sure that yet God will look to you as his own. And why should you think he will be careless of his own? Ground your prayers and confidence on this, as David doth, Psal. 119. 94. I am thine, save me.] And in all our labours and the affairs of our lives, when our consciences can say that we live to God, and study to do all we do for him, and to improve all our time and parts and other talents to his use, it may very much quiet us in all his disposals of us. If he keep us in the lowest case, if we be his, we must rest in his wisdom, that knows best how to use his own. If he take our friends from us, he taketh but his own. If he deny his saving grace to our ungodly children (a heavy judgement of which we must be sensible) yet when we have devoted them to God, and done our own part, we must be silent as Aaron was when his sons were destroyed, Lev. 10. 3. and confess that the Potter hath power over his own clay, to make of the same lump ae vessel to honour and another to dishonour, Rom. 9. 21. All his disposals shall work to that end which is the most universal perfect good, and most denominateth all the means. But those that are his own by consent and Covenant may be sure that all shall work to their own good. Let us die with Christ, and be buried to the world, and know no Lord or Owner but our great Creatour and Redeemer (except in a limited subservient sense) and then we may boldly argue with him to the quiet of our souls from this Relation [I am thine, help me] Psal. 35. 23.
