his office. Notwithstanding faith carried them through all this darkness, and caused them to make a believing venture of their souls upon God, his faithfulness, mercy, and grace.

When it comes to this consideration, it lays all things in the balance; in the one scale, our being, our walking, and life in this world; our sins, and their guilt, our fears, uncertainties, and darkness of a future state, our abhorrence of a dissolution, the consideration of all things that are round about us; in the other, the power, faithfulness, and mercy of God, and his ability to receive, preserve, and keep us to that day, and to be better to us than all these things. Here shall be my portion, saith faith; all things in the other scale are of no value, of no weight to this exceeding weight of power and goodness of God; this is a glorious exercise of faith. Have you tried it, my brethren? Lay things on the one side and the other in the balance, and see which way the scale will draw, what faith will do in such a case.

2. It is the last victorious act of faith, wherein it hath its final conquest over all its adversaries. Faith is the leading grace in all our spiritual warfare and conflict; but all along while we live, it hath faithful company that adheres to it, and helps it. Love works, and hope works, and all other graces, self-denial, readiness to the cross, they all work and help faith. But when we come to die, faith is left alone. Now try what faith will do. The exercise of other graces cease, only faith comes to a close conflict with its last adversary, wherein the whole is to be tried. And by this one act of resigning all into the hand of God, faith triumphs over death, and cries, 'O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?' Come give me an inlet into immortality and glory, the everlasting hand of God is ready to receive me. This is the victory whereby we overcome all our spiritual enemies.

I thought to have made some use of what hath been said; to examine whether we do live in the exercise of this grace, or no, and what benefit we have thereby. And I should have touched especially upon this one thing, this alone will keep us from all surprisal of death. Not to be surprised with any thing is the substance of human wisdom; not to be surprised with death is a great part of the substance of our spiritual wisdom.

SERMON XLIV.*

I MADE an entrance upon this portion of Scripture the last Lord's day. And I judged the subject very suitable, because of the warnings God hath variously given us to be exercising ourselves unto this duty. God hath since increased the seasonableness, by taking away a great and eminent servant of his from among us; concerning whom, I will say this one word, and no more.

As far as I know by thirty years acquaintance and friendship, and half that time in church-fellowship, it may be the age wherein he lived did not produce many more wise, more holy, more useful than he in his station, if any. And so I leave him at rest with God.

I proposed to insist upon those things which are necessary for us, to obtain a peaceable and comfortable departure out of this world. And I have spoken to one head, which was the daily exercise of faith in the resignation of a departing soul to the sovereign power and will of God, to be treated and entertained by him according to the tenour of the covenant of grace.

I will not leave this point till I have made some use of it. And I shall take no other measure of my time, but the strength God is pleased to give me.

Use 1. It may be worth our while to inquire into the especial nature of this duty which we are exhorted unto; for we may every day more and more understand the weakness of many, who think, it may be, they know something of it, when they know not what it means. We may therefore consider three things in it. (1.) What is the special and immediate object of this exercise of faith. (2.) What is the form or special nature of it. And, (3.) What is the way and manner of its performance.

(1.) As to the especial and immediate object of this exercise of faith, and which must take with it a special motive, that, I say, is God, under the consideration of his sovereignty, power, and faithfulness; and this upon the motive of some

*This sermon was preached Oct. 3, 1680.

experience of his kindness and grace. So speaks the psalmist, Psal. xxxi. 5. Into thy hand I commit my spirit.' What was it that gave him confidence so to do? Thou hast redeemed me,' saith he, O Lord God of truth.'. A sense of redeeming grace, conveyed by the truth of the promises, is required in all that would commit their spirits into the hand of God. And therefore, brethren, when you come to the exercise of this great duty, you must lay this foundation, in some sense and experience of the grace and kindness of God, or you can never perform it in a due manner. And,

[1.] Upon this motive, the first thing we consider in God, in the resignation of our souls to him, is his sovereignty. It is mentioned in two places in the Psalms, in both which this duty is proposed unto us: Psal. xvi. 1, 2. Preserve me,. 0 God, for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord' (thou hast said unto Jehovah), 'Thou art my Lord.' He doth not use the word again, but "178, 'Thou art my Lord,' nns 8 who hast the sovereign disposal of me; I am going to give up my spirit to thee, and I do it upon the consideration of thy sovereignty, that thou` art my Lord.' So Psal. xxxi. 14, 15. I trusted in thee, O Lord.' Why so? I said, thou art my God, my times are in thy hand.' It is because of thy sovereignty; Thou art my God,' who has the sovereign disposal of me, therefore I commit myself to thee. It follows those words, Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.' Faith regards the glorious sovereignty of God, as the absolute free disposer of all things here, and unto eternity, without any reserve but his own pleasure, when it makes this resignation of the soul unto him.

[2.] It hath a peculiar respect unto the power of God: 2 Tim. i. 12. I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day.' It is common for persons to go through it in a customary manner, die they must; but there is nothing can encourage them to yield up their souls to God, but an apprehension of such an infinite power that is able to preserve them in eternal being in the invisible world; especially to the day of the resurrection.

[3.] It respects the faithfulness of God, as one who hath promised that he will take care of us when we are gone out

of this world. 1 Pet. iv. 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator;' that is, as a God who is omnipotent, who made all things, and is faithful in the accomplishing of his promises.

So then this duty I exhort unto, is an immediate address unto God, an exercise of faith upon him, with special respect unto his sovereignty, power, and faithfulness, upon an experience we have in some measure, of his goodness and grace.

The seat before my eyes is very much changed in a short time, and I know not, brethren, how soon it may be the lot of any of you to stand in need of understanding this thing, and bringing it into practice. You may, if you please, remember it, for it is of great importance to have immediate converse with God, with respect unto those great and awful attributes of his sovereignty, power, and faithfulness. That is the first thing.

(2.) As to the special form of this duty, there are two words wherein it is expressed, and both of the same import; for in one place it is rendered, commending,' in another, 'committing,' Psal. xxxi. 5. and Luke xxiii. 46. But it is a re-commending or committing, as men commit a trust. If a man lay a dying, and had an only child, and an estate to leave him; with what solemnity would he commit him to the trust of his friend, to take care of him? I commit this poor child, who is helpless and fatherless, I commit him to your trust, saith he, to your love, care, and power to look after him. He doth it with great solemnity. The psalmist calls his soul, 'his darling,' and 'only one:' 'Deliver my darling from the dog,' and 'my only one.' And now when a person is about to leave this world, he is to commit his soul, and leave it in trust.somewhere. Then this exercise of faith, is a leaving in trust, or committing our darling,' our only one,' that is departing out of this tabernacle, unto God, under the consideration of his sovereignty, power, and faithfulness. I do not yet speak unto the life of this duty, which consists in committing the trust of our souls unto God, to be dealt withal, not according to our choice, but according to the terms of the covenant of grace, let it fall where it will, to all eternity; that is the solemn committing..

(3.) As to the manner of it, it ought to be done expressly

in words that we should say to God. I do not give instructions to them who are dying, but to them that live, that they may be prepared to die. We should say to God, Lord, I have been thus long in this world, I have seen much variety in the outward dispensation of things in the world, but a thousand times more in the inward frame of my spirit, and I am now leaving the world upon thy call; I am to be here no more: O Lord, after all, being to enter into a new, eternal state, I commit my soul unto thee, I leave it with thee, I put all my trust and confidence in thy faithfulness, power, and sovereignty, to be dealt withal according to the terms of the covenant of grace; now I can lie down in peace.

Use 2. What benefit shall we receive hereby, if we do thus exercise our souls? I answer, We shall receive these advantages:

(1.) I know nothing that is more meet to keep our souls in a constant reverence of God, which is the very life and soul of holiness and obedience. And the best profession where this is not, is of no value. Now nothing is more suited to this, than an immediate access unto God every day, frequently at least, under the consideration of his glorious sovereignty, power, and faithfulness, as if you were immediately going into his presence, and into his hands. The more you abound in it, the greater will your reverence of God be. We have deceitful hearts, and a very crafty adversary to deal withal. We are commanded to draw nigh, and to have our access unto God with boldness, Heb. x. 'To come boldly to the throne of grace;' Heb. iv. 16. And we should do it frequently. Now nothing in this world is so suited to take off reverence, as boldness and frequency, Where men make bold, and where they frequent, as in a multitude of duties many are bold and frequent, it works off the reverence of God. That is carnal boldness. But the more frequently you make your accesses unto God with spiritual boldness, the more will your hearts be filled with a reverence of God continually. And the more frequently you make your approaches unto God in outward duties without this holy and humble reverence, whatever your gifts be, reverence of God will decay. What poor, slight, withering things have I seen some men grow to be, under a fair outward conversation, and multiplication of duties! And you