A word in season to this present generation, or, A sober and serious discourse…

Sixthly, If the signal presence of God be with his People, in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers, then know for your comfort, that there is no presence like this presence, no presence to the presence of God; let me evidence this by an induction of six particulars briefly thus: For First, It is the presence of an Almighty God. Genes. 17. 1. I am the Almighty ¹God, walk before me, and be thou perfect. Some derive the word Shaddai, here used from day, that signifieth sufficiency. God is an all sufficient good, and a self-sufficient good, he is an Independent good, an absolute ⟨p. 214⟩good, an original good, an universal good; some derive the word Shaddai from Shad, that signifieth a breast, a dug, because God feedeth his Children with sufficiency of all good things, as the loving Mother doth the Child with the milk of her breasts. God is the only satisfactory good, and proportionable good, and suitable good to our souls; as the breast, the dug is the most suitable good to the Child's stomach: And others derive the word Shaddai from Shaddad, which signifieth to spoil, conquer, or overcome, and so they say; that God did here invert or overcome the order of nature, in causing the barren to bear: But most Authors do translate it Omnipotent; God then is called Shaddai, that is omnipotent and all-sufficient, for his omnipotency includeth also all-sufficiency. Secondly, you have the presence of a loving God with you. Isa. 43. 4. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee. But that this may the better stick and work, you must remember, First, that God loves you with a first ²love. 1 John 4. 19. We love him because he first loved us. Our love is but a reflex of his. God first cast an eye of love upon us, before we cast an eye of love on him, and therefore God is no way indebted to us for our love. Mary answers not Rabboni, till Christ first said unto her ³