544                                  OF TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN GOD.                                                           BOOK I

by faith; that is, the righteousness which Christ has
wrought out, and which God imputes without works,
and reveals from faith to faith, Phil. iii. 4--9..              3.
In the grace of Christ, and the fulness of it in him,
for the supply of all wants; all grace, and the fulness
of it, dwell in him; out of which saints in all ages
have received an abundance of grace; and yet there
is an over-flowing fulness of it in him; and they may
be confident that their God will supply all their need
from thence; and to exercise such confidence is to be
strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 Tim. ii. 1.
4. Iu the power, might, and strength of Christ.
Believers in Christ are ready to acknowledge their own
weakness; yea, even to glory in it, That the power
Christ may rest upon them, overshadow and protect
them; for when they are weak, as they are in them-
selves, and are sensible of it, then are they strong,
that is, in the Lord, and in the power of his mtght ; and
trust in him that he will enable them to stand their
ground, and to get the victory over all their enemies;
they are encouraged, as they are directcd, to trust in
the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlast-
ing strength; to help them in the exercise of every
grace, and in the performance of every duty; to bear
the cross of Christ, to fight his baftles, and to persevere
in faith and holiness to the end, 2 Cot. xii. 8, 10. Eph.
vi. I0. Isa. xxvi. 4.
   3dly, Jehovah the Spirit is also the object of the
trust and confidence of believers; as he is the Spirit of
grace and of supplication: as the Spirit of grace, they
trust in him to communicate more grace to them, to
increase what is in them, and to draw it forth into
lively exercise: and as the Spirit of supplication, in
whom they confide for his help and assistance in prayer,
and for his prevalent intercession for them, according
to the will of God: and as the Spirit of counsel and
might, to direct and guide them, and to strengthen
them with all might in the inward man: and faith
and trust in the Spirit of God, for the carrying on and
finishing his own work of grace iu the hearts of his
people, is expressed by confidence of it, Phil. i. 6.
   III. The encouragement there is to trust in the
Lord, and that for all things and at all times.
   First, There is encouragement to trust in God for
all things.       1. All things are of him; that is, all
good things in nature, providence, and grace: all good
things in nature; He gives to all life, and breath, and
all things, Acts xvii. 25. and all things in providence
are at his dispose; for of him, and through him, and
to him are all things, Rom. xi. 36. And all things in
grace; all the blessings of grace; as reconciliation,
peace, pardon, righteousness, life, and salvation; All
things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by
Jesus Christ, 2 Cot. v. 18. and all the gifts of grace,
even every good gift, and every perfect gift, is
above, and c. ometh down from the Father of lights; as
regeneration, which is instanced in, with all the graces
of the Spirit included in it, and come with it; as faith,
hope, love, &c. James i. 17, 18.. ....      2. All good things
are pro mised by God to his people; the covenant of grace
is ordered in all things, and is full of exceeding great
and precious promises, suited to the cases and circum-
stances of good men; godliness and godly men have

the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to
come; and not one of the good things which God has
promised ever fail; they are always fulfilled; the pro-
mises are yea and amen in Christ; they, and the bless-
ings in them, are the sure mercies of David.--3. God
keeps back no good thing he has promised, and which
his people need, and which he knows is for their wel-
fare; No good thing will he withhold from them that
walk uprightly; therefore it follows, O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the man that trusteth in thee / that is, for all
good things, Psalm lxxxiv. 11, 1'2.. they are bid to ask,
and it is promised it' shall be given; God is nigh to all
that call upon him, and will fulill the desire of them.
that fiat him; he will hear their cry, and save them,
Psalm cxlv. 16, 18, 19.--4. God gives all things
freely to his people; they cannot merit any thing of
him; lVho hath first given to him, and it shall be re-
compensed to him again ? No man can be beforehand
with God: he has nothing but what he has received
from him; nor are any worthy of the least of all the
mercies, and of all the truth shexn unto them; what-
ever they have, God gives them liberally, without any
regard to any merit or desert of theirs; whether tem-
poral or spiritual and especially the latter; since with
Christ he freely gives all things, Rom. viii. 32.
5. God gives all things plenteously, even with a pro-
fusion of goodness; so that the saint, with Jacob, can
say, Ihave enough, or I have all things; for God, the;
living God, gives richly all things to enjoy ; that is, in
a large and liberal manner; for he is rich or plenteous
iu his goodness, unto all that call upon him, I Tim. vi.
17. Rom. x. 12. So that there is abundant encou-
ragement to trust in the Lord for all things.
   lsl, For things temporal, the outward mercies of
life..    1. For food: the promise is, Trust in the
Lord, and do good--and verily thou shalt be fed, Psalm
xxxvii. 3. with food convenient, and sufficient; though
not with delicacies, yet with necessaries; Take no
thought therefore, says our Lord, no anxious and per-
plexing thoughts, for.your life, what ye shall eat, or
what ye shall drink--is not the life more than meat ?
And he that has given life, the greater fayour, will
give meat to support that life, to them who trust in
him, and wait for it in a dependence on him, Matt. vi.
25. see Psalm xxxvii. 25..          2. For raiment: and this
and food are both from the Lord; and necessary for
the support and comfort of life; Jacob vowed a vow
and promised, that if God would give him bread to
eat, and raiment to put on--then, says he, shall the
Lord be my God, Gen. xxviii. 20, 21. and, indeed,
having these, a saint has enough, and should be there-
with content, ! Tim. vi. 8. and for this God should be
confided in; for if he so clothe the grass of the field,
in the manner he does, shall he not much more clothe
you, 0 .ye of little faith ? Matt. vi. 30.- -3. For the
preservation of life; from every accident, as usually
so called; from every danger; and from every enemy:
and because God not only gives life, but preserves"it,
he is peculiarly the Saylout and Preserver of them
that believe, and put their trust in him; he is their
keeper night and day; with the utmost confidence
they may commit themselves to God, and trust in his
protection from every evil, Psalm cxxii. 5, 8. and iii.