Ct~tP. VII.                           OF TIlUST AND CONFIDENCE IN GOD.                                                             545

5. and iv. 8.    4. For these things may believers
pray to God with an holy confidence, believing they
shall have the petitions they ask of him; who has pro-
raised, When the poor and needy seek water, and there
is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord
will hear them, their cries and prayers, and supply
their wants; yea, if need be, will rather go out of the
common course of nature and providence than that
they.shal{ want, lsa. xli. 17, 18. and xliii. 19, 20. and
if earthly parents, who are evil, know how to give
good gifts to their children, who ask them of them,
our Lord has taught believers in him to reason after
this manner, how much more shall your heavenly Fa-
ther give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ? And if
he will give to them the Spirit, and spiritual things,
then much more may they expect earthly and tempo-
ral things from him they stand in need of, Luke xi.
13..    5. To trust and confidence in God with re-
spect to those things, they may be encouraged by the
experience of themselves and others. Good old Jacob
in his dying moments expressed, in very strong lan-
guage, his experience of the divine goodness through-
out the whole of his life; The God wMchfed me all
my hTe long unto this day--the Angel which redeemed
me from all evil, bless the lads, Gem xlviii. 15, 16.
David frequently takes notice of the goodness of God
to him, in providence, to encourage his own faith in
him, and that of others; ThOu art my hope, 0 Lord
God, thou art my trust from my youth ! and from what
he had experienced in time past, even from the very
dawn of life, he strongly thus concluded; Surely good-
ness and mercy shall follow ,me ag the days of my life,
Psalm lxxi. 5, 6. and xxiii. 6. and every believer may
look back on the past goodness of God unto him,
and eneourage himself in the Lord his God, in ex-
pectation and confidence of future layouts; for their
heavenly Father knows they have need of these things,
and therefore will bestow them on them, Matt. vi.

   2dly, There is great encouragement to trust in the
Lord for spiritual things; that is, for after-supplies
of grace; for faith respects present blessings of grace
enjoyed, but trust and confidence future ones; and
which may be depended on; since God is the God of
all grace, whose grace is sufficient for his people now
and hereafter; who has promised to give more grace
as they want it; and has set up a throne of grace, to
which they are encouraged to come with boldness,
that they may find grace and mercy to help them in
time of need. The covenant of grace is filled with
all spiritual blessings, and promises of them, which are
sure to all the spiritual seed of Christ; Christ has them
all in his hands for his people, and will give them
things pertaining to life and godliness.
dally, There is encouragement to trust in the Lord
for efernal things; for,          1. God has chosen his in
Christ to the enjoyment of them; they are ordained
unto eternal life; appointed unto salvation; chosen
through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth unto it; and the purpose of God, according to
election, stands sure, not upon the foot of works, hut
upon the will of him that calls; his purposes can never
be frustrated and disappointed; and therefore the

chosen ones may be confident of eternal glory and
bappiness.-----2. God has made promises of eternal
things to his pe.ople; to whom the promise of the life
that is to come is made, as well as of that which now
is; God, that cannot lie, has promised eternal life be-
fore the world began, which promise can never be
made void by any thing that comes to pass in time;
wherefore the heirs of promise have reason to trust in
God for the performance of the eternal good he has
promised.        3. God has prepared and provided ever-
lasting happiness for his people; it is inconceivable
what God has prepared for them that love him; it
cannot be said how great is the goodness which he has
!aid up in covenant for them that fear him; a crown
of glory, life, and immortality is laid up safe and se-
cure in the hands of Christ, with whom their life is
hid; an inheritance, eternal, incorruptible, undefiled,
and that fades not away, is reserved in heaven for
them, and therefore confidently to be depended on.
4. God has called them to his kingdom and
glory, even to eternal glory by Jesus Christ; and his
calling is without repentance, whom he calls he glori.-
ties; them he preserves safe to the coming of Christ;
for faithful is he that calleth.you, who also will do it,
1 Thess. v. 24.-----5. Eternal things are freely given
of God; as grace is freely given, so is glory; eternal
life is the free gift of God through Christ; and there-
fore there is encouragement to trust in him for it;
since it is not owing to the merit of the saints, but it
is their Father's good pleasure to give them the king-
dom. Christ, as Mediator, has power to give eternal
life, and he gives it to all his sheep; This is the record,
that God has given unto us eternal life; and tht7s life is
in his Son, safe and secure, and may be depended on,
I John v. 11.
Secondly, There is encouragement to trust in the
Lord always; Trust in him at all times, ye people,
Psalm lxii. 8.,    1. In times of darkness and deser-
tion; it is said to a saint walking in darkness, and has
no light, Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and
stay upon his God, Isa. 1.10. and wait upon the Lord,
who hides his face from the house of Jacob; since
light is sown for the righteous, in the purposes and
decrees, counsel and covenant of God, and gladness
for the upright in heart, iu the gospel, and doctrines
of it; and sooner or later it will arise; hence the trust
and confidence of the church; When I sit in darkness,
the Lord shall be a light unto me, Mic. vii. 8, 9..
2. In times of temptation, saints may trust in the
Lord, and be confident that his grace will be sufficient
for them; and that his strength will be made perfect
in their weakness; that he will bear them up, and not
suffeer them to sink under the weight of them; but
will in due time make a way for their escape out of
them, and deliver them from them; and as Christ has
suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them
that are tempted; and whereas he has a sympathy
with them, being in all things tempted as they, so he
prays for them that their faith fail not; and therefore
they have great reason to trust in him.------3. In times
of adversity and affliction, God leaves in the midst of
his church an afflicted and poor people; and it is said
of them, And they shall trust in the name of the Lord,