terrible day are God's own people, they only are taken into fecurity, ver. 7. The Lord is good, a ftrong-hold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that truft in him, i. e. he so knoweth them, as to care and provide for them in that evil day; and fo, throughout the whole fcripture, you fhall find the promises of protection still made to the people of God. When the Chaldean army, like a devouring fire,, was ready to feize upon the land, the finners in Zion were afraid, fearfulness furprized the hypocrites; for who among us (fay they) fhall dwell with devouring fire, and everlasting burnings? Yes, faith God, fome there are that fhall abide that day, viz. "He that walketh righteously, and speaketh "uprightly; he fhall dwell on high, his place of defence fhall "be the munition of rocks ;" i. e. God will be a fanctuary to "them, when others fhall be as ftubble before the flames, Ifa. xxxiii. 14, 15, 16.

But for the right ftating of this propofition, three things muft be heedfully regarded.

1. That all good men are not always exempted from the stroke of outward calamities. In that fenfe the righteous may perifh, and merciful men be taken away; yea, they may perish in love, and be taken away in mercy from the evil to come, Ifa. lvii. 1, 2. Micah vii. 1, 2.

2. That all wicked men are not always expofed to external miseries; but a juft man may perifh in his righteoufnefs, and a "wicked man prolong his life in his wickedness," Ecclef. vii. 15.

3. But in this fenfe we are to understand the propofition, That none but the people of God have right, by promife, to his fpecial protection in evil days, that all fuch fhall either be preferved from the ftroke of calamities, or from the deadly fting, namely, eternal ruin by them though they should fall by the hands of enemies, yet they die, as Jofiah did, in peace, 2 Kings xxii. 19, 20. If they be taken away, it is but out of the way of greater mischiefs Death doth but lay the faints in their beds of reft, when it hurries away others into everlafting miferies: If they be not excufed from troubles, yet their troubles are fure to be fanctified to their eternal good, Rom. viii. 28. And the Lord will be with them in their troubles, Pfal. xci. 15. Ifa. xli. 10.

Two things remain to be confidered, before we finish this laft propofition: viz.

1. Who the people of God are?

2. Why this privilege is peculiar to them?

1. Who are the people of God? the fcripture defcribes them two ways; negatively and pofitively. Negatively, in oppofition to those who are not the people of God, but are, (1.) The fer

:

vants of fin, obeying it in the luft of it, which the people of God
neither are, nor dare to do, Rom. vi. II, 12. &c.
(2.) The
men of this world have their portion in this life, favouring and
minding the things of the world only; whereas the people of God
are called out of the world, John xvii. 16. and principally study
and labour after the higher concernments of the world to come,
Rom. viii. 5. (3.) The vaffals of Satan, do his lufts, and are in fub-
jection to his power, Acts xxvi. 18. Eph. ii. 2. from which bon-
dage the people of God are made free. (4.) Nor yet are they their
own, living wholly to themselves, and feeking only their own ends,
as others do, 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. Thefe, all thefe are not the peo-
ple of God, God will not own them for fuch; they but deceive
themselves in thinking and calling themselves fo. But then pofi-
tively, they are (1.) A people regenerated, and born again, John
i. 13. Their regeneration gives them both the effence and deno-
mination of the people of God: It is as impoffible to be the chil-
dren of God without regeneration, as it is to be the children of
men without generation. (2.) They are a people in covenant with
God, Ezek. xvi. 8. "I entered into a covenant with thee, and
"thou becamest mine." For in this covenant they give them-
felves to the Lord, 2 Cor. viii. 5. They avouch the Lord to be
their God, and make over themfelves to him to be his people,
Jer. xxxi. 33. devoting unto God all that they are, their fouls and
bodies, with every faculty and member inclufively, Rom. xii. 1.
Luke x. 27. All that they have, Rom. xi. 36. all is dedicated
and devoted to the Lord's ufe and fervice, and thefe only are the
people of God.

2. The last thing to be cleared is, Why the people of God, and
none befide them, have this peculiar privilege of an hiding-place in
the day of trouble? and the grounds of it are,

1. Because they only have fpecial intereft in God, and proprie-
ty is the ground on which they claim and expect protection: I am
thine, fave me, Pfal. cxix. 94. Upon this very ground it was that
David encouraged himself in one of his greateft plunges and dif-
treffes of his whole life, I Sam. xxx. 6. "But David encouraged
"himself in the Lord his God."

2. The people of God only are at peace with God; and where
there is no peace there can be no protection: The harbours and
garrifons of one kingdom never receive into their protection the
fubjects of another kingdom that are in open hoftility against them.
Now there is open war betwixt God and the wicked, Pfal. vii. II.
Zech. xi. 8. Till they have peace with God they can claim no
protection from God.

3. The promises of protection are made only to God's people;
and where there is no promife, there can be no warrantable claim

to protection, 2 Cor. i. 20. 2 Pet. i. 4. Common providence may fhelter them for a time, but the faints only have the keys of the promifes, which open the chambers or attributes of God to them.

4. None but the people of God walk in the ways of God, and none but thofe that walk in his way can, groundedly, expect his protection; for fo runs the promise, 2 Chron. xv. 2. "I am with

you whilft you are with me,” i. e. I am with you, by way of protection, direction, fupport, and falvation, whilft you are with me in the duties of obedience, and exercifes of your graces; fee that. you love, fear, and obey me, and then, depend upon it, I will look after, and take care of you.

5. To conclude, The people of God only flee to God for fanctuary, and caft themselves upon him for protection, Pfal. Ivi. 3. "At what time I am afraid, I will truft in thee."

Pfal. xviii. 2. "The Lord is my rock, and my fortrefs, and my deliverer; my "God, my ftrength, in whom I will truft, my buckler, and the "horn of my falvation, and my high tower." This their confidence in God, and reliance upon him, engage him to protect them in their dangers, Ifa. xxvi. 3. All others put themselves out of God's protection by making flesh their arm, and fo giving the honour of God to the creature, Jer. xvii. 5. And thus much for

clearing this laft propofition alfo. All that remains will be dif patched in a brief and close application of the point thus opened and confirmed.

CHAP. XII.

Containing the first use of the point in feveral informing confectaries and deductions of truth from it.

Confect. 1.

FR

ROM the whole of this difcourfe we may be informed what a miferable and fhiftlefs people all thofe will be in times of trouble who have no fpecial intereft in God, or the promifes. Sad and lamentable was the case of Saul, as it is by himfelf expreffed, 1 Sam. xxviii. 15. "I am fore dif"treffed, for the Philiftines make war against me, and God is de"parted from me, and anfwereth me no more." It is a wonderful and unaccountable thing, how carnal men and women fubfift and bear up, when their earthly props and hopes fink under and fail them; fo long as any creature-comfort is left, thither they will retreat for relief and fuccour: but if all fail, as quickly they may, whither will they turn for comfort, having not a God nor a pro

mife to flee to which the people of God can do when all things elfe fail them, Heb. iii. 17. Their different conditions in the day of trouble is clearly expreffed in Zeph. ii. 3, 4. "Seek ye the Lord "all ye meek of the earth which have wrought his judgment, feek " righteousness, seek meeknefs, it may be ye fhall be hid in the "day of the Lord's anger." There is God's may-be, which is better fecurity than man's ball-be, for their temporal deliverance: But what thall become of others that have no refuge but in the creature? Why, the mifery and fhiftlefnefs of their condition follows in the next words: "Gaza fhall be forfaken, and Afhkelon a de"folation; they fhall drive out Afhdod at noon-day, and Ekron "fhall be rooted up;" i. e. All their earthly fecurities fhall fail them; their strong-holds fhall not fecure them; they fhall find no fhelter in the fcorching heat of the day of trouble. Moab, Afhdod, and Ekron have no more benefit bythe promises made to Zion, than the inhabitants of Rome can claim by the charter of London. If a wicked or hypocritical perfon cry to God in his diftrefs, he will not hear him, Prov. i. 25, 26. Job xxvii. 9. but will bid him go to his earthly refuges which he hath chofen. If he go to the promifes, knock at thofe doors of hope, they cannot relieve him, being all made in Chrift to believers; if to the name and attributes of God all the doors are fhut against them, Pfal. xxxiv. 16. There are feven dreadful aggravations of a wicked man's troubles.

(1.) When troubles come upon him, the curfe of God follows him into his carnal refuges; Jer. xvii. 5. "Curfed be the man "that trufteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whofe heart "departeth from the Lord." Trouble is the arrow, and this curfe the venom of the arrow, which makes the wound incurable.

(2.) When troubles fall-upon him from without, a guilty confcience will terrify him from within; fo that the mind can give no relief to the body, but both fink under their own weights. It is not fo with the people of God, they have inward relief under out ward preffures, 2 Cor. iv. 16.

(3.) The gufts and ftorms of wicked men's troubles may blow them into hell, and hurry them into eternal deftruction: if death march towards them upon the pale horfe, hell always follows him, Rev. vi. 8.

(4) If troubles and diftreffes overwhelm their hearts, they can give them no vent or eafe by prayer, faith, and refignation to God, as his people ufe to do, 1 Sam. i. 18.

(5.) When their troubles and diftreffes come, then come the hour and power of their temptations; and, to fhun forrow, they will fall into fin, having no promife to be kept in the hour of temptation, as the faints have, Rev. iii. 10.

(6.) When their troubles come, they will be left alone in the midst of them: thefe are their burdens, and they alone must bear them. God's gracious, comfortable, fupporting prefence is only with his own people.

(7.) If trouble or death come upon them as a ftorm, they have no anchor of hope to drop in the storm; the wicked is driven away in his wickedness; but the righteous hath hope in his death, Prov. xiv. 32. By all which it appears, that a chriftlefs perfon is a most helpless and fhiftlefs creature in the day of trouble.

Confect. 2. Secondly, Hence it follows, That Chriftians ought not to droop like other men in the day of trouble. A wicked man's boldnefs, and a Chriftian's cowardlinefs, in times of affliction, are alike ungrounded and uncomely. Why should thy heart, Chriftian, defpond and fink at this rate, upon the prospect of approaching troubles? Are there not safe and comfortable chambers taken up, and provided for thee against that day? Is not the name of the Lord a ftrong tower, into which thou mayeft run and be fafe? The heart of a good man, faith Chryfoftom, fhould at all times be like the higher heavens, ferene, tranquil, and clear, whatever thunders and lightnings, ftorms and tempefts trouble and terrify the lower world. If a man have a good roof over his head, where he can fit dry and warm, what need he trouble himself to hear the winds roar, fee the lightnings flafh, and the rains pour down without doors? Why, this is thy privilege, Chriftian; "A man "(to wit the man Chrift Jesus) fhall be as an hiding-place from "the wind, and a covert from the tempeft; as rivers of water in "a dry place, as the fhadow of a great rock in a weary land," Ifa. xxxii. 2. Art thou in Chrift, and in the covenant? give me then one good reason for thy dejections in a day of trouble; or if thou haft none to give, hearken to these reasons against it.

1. If thou be in Chrift, thy fins are forgiven thee; and why fhould not a pardoned foul be a cheerful foul in adversity? Afflictions may buz and hum about thee, like bees that have loft their fting, but they can never hurt thee.

2. If thou be in Chrift, thy God is with thee in all thy troubles; and how can thy heart fink or faint in fuch a prefence? Let them that are alone in troubles fail under them: but do not thou do fo, who art furrounded with Almighty power, grace, and love, Ifa. xliii. 1, 2.

3. If thou be in Chrift, thy greatest afflictions fhall prove thy beft friends and benefactors, Rom. viii. 28. Sure then thou art more afraid than hurt; thou mistakeft thy best friends for thy worst enemies; thou and thy afflictions fhall part more comfortably than you met.

4. If thou be in Chrift, thy treafurc is fafe, thy eternal hap