V.11. And Afa cried unto the Lord his God, and Said, Lord it is nothing with thee to help whether with many, or with them that have no power; help us o Lord our God, for we rest on thee, and in thy Name we go against this multitude: O Lord, thou art our God, let not man prevail against thee. 2 Chron.20.12. O our God! wilt thou not judge Pfal.73.28. But it is good for me to draw near to Ifa.26.3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace Pfal.10.14. The poor committeth himself unlo thee, thou art the helper of the Fatherleffe. Pfal.62.5. My foul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from him. W 22 V.6. χειμε V.6. He only is my rock, and my falvation, he is my defence, I fhall not be moved. 2 Cor.1.20. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the Glory of God by us, Josh.21.45. There fail'd not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Ifrael, all came to paffe. Heb.13.5. Let your converfation be without covetoufneffe, and be content with fuch things as ye have, for he hath faid, I will never leave thee, nor for fake thee. Rom.8.28. And we know that all things work to gether for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to bis purpose. Mat.6 30. Wherefore if God fo cloath the graffe of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is caft into the oven, fhall he not much more cloath you, Oye of little Faith! Pfal.34.9. O fear the Lord ye his Saints, for there is no want to them that fear him. V.10. The young lions do lack, and fuffer hunger, but they that feek the Lord fhall not want any good thing. Pfal.84.11. For the Lord is a Sun and a fhield, the Lord will give Grace and Glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Ha 54.17. No weapon that is formed against thee fhill profper, and every tongue that shall rife 4 gainst thee in judgment thou shalt condamn, this is the heritage of the fervants of the Lord, and their righteoufneffe is of me, faith the Lord. 2 Chron. 16.9. For the eies of the Lord run to and fro, throughout the whole earth, to shem himself ftrong in the behalf of them, whose heart is perfect towards him. John 11.40. Fefus faith unto her, faid I not unto thee,that if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldft See the Glory of God. Sixthly, Obferve all the paffages of his Providence towards thee, whether of justice, or mercy, Take notice of every frown, and every fmile from God, and that will much direct thee, how to order thy fervices of praier, and praise, and teach thee fubmiffion to his holy will. Many duties depend on the confideration and taking notice of Gods Providential difpenfations. How blame worthy then are they, that do not care to obferve or regard the works of God? Certainly, it is our duty, to obferve and acknowledge Gods foveraignty and dominion in the world, and over all events here below, (not afparrow, not a hair fals to the ground without our Heavenly Father) And where we cannot understand the waies of God, let us with an humble reverence believe, and admire the wisdome of them. The deep and unsearcheable 23 waies wales of God are not to be judged before the Tribunal of mans reafon. Labour therefore to get a firm belief of this great truth, fetled in thy foul, that God governs all humane affairs, and thou wilt find it of great efficacy against those damps and dejections of mind, that in afflictions we are too prone unto; and it will be a fin gular antidote against all murmurings, and repinings. How did this confideration quiet and compofe the heart of old Eli, 1 Sam.3.18. It is the Lord. And David on the fame account faies, I was dumb, and opened not my mouth, because thou didft it, Pfal.39.9. So when a fore and terrible affliction fell upon Aaron, (his two fons Nadab and Abihu being confumed by fire from Heaven) all that the Scripture reports of his carriage and demeanour is this, And Aaron held his peace, Lev. 10.3. As therefore thou art dilgently to obferve and mind Gods Providential difpenfations towards thee, fo remember it is thy duty, and ought to be the pofture of thy Spirit, that whatever he takes from thee, or whatever he does unto thee, perfectly and abfolutely to fubmit to his will. Remember there is no refifting the Almighty, Shall a Grafhopper contend with an Eagle? Shall we that are wormes contend with our maker? If we confider our finfuineffe and guilt, we have reafon to admire he afflicts us no more; If as the unjust steward in the Gospel for ne hundred, fet down but fifty; fo if God for an hundred hundred stripes due to us, inflicts but fifty, nay but ten, have we not reason to be patient, and to fay, He punisheth leffe than our iniquities deServe? Labour therefore to be patient under his hand. Murmuring and repining does but increase our guilt, and provoke God to double our punishment. The Parent takes up the child for whimpering and crying, as well as for any other fault; not patiently to let God have his will, is the way to beg another whipping from him. In patience therefore poffeffe thy foul. Solomon faies, If the Iron be blunt, put the more Strength to it, Ecclef.10.10. So lay I, it the affliction be ftrong, put the more patience to it. Let patience have its perfect work (not only its half work) in thee. Patience meets God in fuch an humble way, as difcreet Abigail met David, let not my Lord be angry. Impatience, and fretting against the Almighty, is juft as if a man fhould beat his fhinnes against an iron bar; or as if he should throw a ftone against Heaven, that will be fure to fall on his owne head. And further confider the way to have what thou defireft, is to fubmit to God, and lay thy felf at his feet: When thy foul is wrought to that perfect fubmiffion, that thou canst truly fay, here I am, let the Lord do with me, what feemeth bim good; Let the Lord please himself, and he fhall please me, thou haft conquered the difficulty of living in this world. Thou haft got Q4 that |