An expository comment, doctrinal, controversial, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…An expository comment, doctrinal, controversal, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…

2 COR. 1. 9. But we had the sentence of death in our selves, that we might not trust in our selves.

WE have observed from the first part in this Verse, That even the godly themselves are apt to be deceived about Gods dispensation towards them. They make false conclusions because they err in some premisses. It remaineth that after some general and remote instances, we come to insist on that which the Text affordeth, viz.

WE have observed from the first part in this Verse, That even the godly themselves are apt to be deceived about Gods dispensation towards them. They make false conclusions because they erre in some premisses. It remaineth that after some generall and remote instances, we come to insist on that which the Text affordeth, viz.

That then the People of God are deceived, when they judge of Gods ¹dealings according to sense and humane helps, not according to Gods power and his promise. And with this deceit the Children of God are frequently overtaken. How often do we find David in many of his Psalms thus deluded? what false conclusions doth he many times make about himself and his affairs, and all this did arise because he limiteth God to his own thoughts and expectations; if God remove not such impediments; if his helps come not in before such a time, then they conclude all is hopeless. It is said of the people of Israel, that they limited the holy one of Israel, Isa. 78. 41. And wherein did this appear? The Psalmist spake of it before, viz. Can God furnish a Table in the Wilderness; They grant he provided water for them even out of the Rock the streams overflowed: But can he give bread, can he give flesh also? Oh blind and foolish unbelief, Is it not as easy for God to provide bread as water in a dry Wilderness! but they limited God to their own thoughts and ways. Now this sin of limiting God to such humane helps and ways as we propound to our selves, doth insinuate very much into the hearts of those those that are godly. What was that expression of David, I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul, but bitter fruit from that bitter root? Oh how often do the people of God in their extremities say, Can God furnish a Table in the Wilderness? Those millions of thoughts which eat thee up in a dividing distrusting way, how shall this difficulty be overcome, how shall that want be supplied, what if God suffer such a thing to be, then where am I? Is not all this to say, Can God prepare bread in the Wilderness? And this way Paul's desponding thought in this trouble. The extremity is great, death is at hand, there is no way to escape it; but that which deceiveth him, is because he looketh only to sensible helps, he considers the instruments, not the hand in which they are. This is a very secret insinuating sin, and therefore the godly are more diligently to watch and pray against it, that it do not at any time overcome