To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
THe Lord is God in heauen* 1.1 aboue, and in earth be∣neath, Ios. 2. 11. blessed is the man, that makes the Lord his trust, & re∣gardeth not the proud: Psal. 40. 4. for they who trust in the Lord, shall be as mount Sion, which cannot be remoued, Psal. 125. 1. The eye of the Lord is vpon them that trust in his mercy, to deliuer their soule in death, and to preserue them in famine. Psal. 33. 18. The Lord is good, and as a
strong hold in the day of trouble, and hee know∣eth them that trust in him. Nahum. 1. 7. There∣fore trust in the Lord for euer, and you shall be assured. 2. Chron. 20. Trust in the Lord, and hee shall comfort thine heart. Psal. 2•…•…. 14. Com∣mit thy way to the Lord, trust in him, and hee shall bring it to passe. Psal. 37. 5. Hee that walk∣eth in darknesse and hath no light, let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay vpon his God: Esay. 50. 10. for in the Lord is strength for euer∣more. Esay. 26. 4.
But in his owne might let no man be strong,* 1.2 1. Sam. 2. 9. leane not to thine owne wisedome: Prou. 3. 5. for he that trusteth in his owne heart is a foole. Prou. 28. 26. Neither put you your trust in Princes, nor in the Sonne of man: Psal. 146. for confidence in man is like a broken tooth, Prou. 29. there is no help in him, his breath doth depart, and hee returneth to his earth, then his thoughts perish. Psal. 146. 4. Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and doth make Flesh his arme, and with-drawth his heart from the Lord. Ierem. 17. 5.
O Lord, a 1.3 who dost preserue the state of the righ∣teous, and b 1.4 art the hope of Israel, seeing all that forsake thee shall be confounded, and they that depart from thee, shall be written in the earth, c 1.5 it is good for me to draw neere vnto thee, O Lord: d 1.6 therefore be thou my strong rock, wher∣unto I may alwyes resort: e 1.7 be thou the glory of my strength, that by thy fauour my horne may be ex∣alted: for my shield appertaineth to the Lord, and my King is the holy One of Israel. f 1.8 Haue mercy on me, O God, haue mercy on me: for my soule trusteth in thee, and in the shadow of thy wings will I trust till these afflictions ouerpasse. g 1.9 Giue me help against trouble for vaine is the help of man, and let thy mercy be vpon me, as I trust in thee,* 1.10 through Iesus Christ.
TRuely the hope of hils is but vaine, and the* 1.11 multitude of mountaines, but in the Lord our God is the health of Israell. Ieremie 3. 23. Some trust in Chariots, and some in Horses, but I will remember the name of God my Lord Psal. 20. 7. The eternall God is my refuge, and vnder his armes I am for euer. Deutro. 33. 27.* 1.12 I will not say to the wedge of Gold, thou art my confidence, Iob. 31. 34. but O Lord thou art my fort, my strength, and my refuge in the day of affliction, Ierem. 16. 9. I trust not in my Bow, nor my sword, thou sauest me from mine aduersaries. Psal. 44. 6. My defence is in the munition of rocks, Esay. 33. 16. euen in the Lord, who preserueth the vpright in heart: Psal. 7. 10. he is my rocke, my fortresse, the horne of my saluation, and my refuge: Psal. 81. 21. he is the strength of my heart, Psal. 73. 26. his Name is a strong tower: Prou. 18. therefore I will trust in the Lord, and will not feare what flesh can doe vnto me. Psal. 56. 4.
IN a worldling feare and confidence consists* 1.13 not together, the one of them weakeneth the other: in a Christian it is not so, his feare of God is not without confidence in God, neither is his confidence in God without feare of God; and of this it is euident that the confidence by which the feare of God is weakened and em∣payred is carnall, and not Christian. Christian confidence is that grace of God, whereby the beleeuing man rests so vpon the promises of God, that in greatest commotions and temp∣tation he abides fixed stedfast and vnmoued.
As a rocke in the Sea beaten with the waues* 1.14 which are raised by euery Winde, so liues a Christian in the world, an obiect of all tentati∣ons: sometime impugned by trouble comming from God: sometime by trouble comming from men: and sometime by trouble comming from Sathan: but in all these assured confidence su∣staines him.
For in such troubles as come immediatelie
from God, it is the Nature of faith that by it* 1.15 his Children cleaues fastest to God when hee seemes sharpliest to put them from him; they runne to the hand that strikes them, and will know no other. Come, and let vs returne to the Lord, for he hath spoyled and hee will heale vs, he* 1.16 hath wounded and he will binde vs vp. So deeply is the assurance of Gods truth rooted in their hearts, that their conclusion is set downe with that holy man Iob, albeit the Lord would slay* 1.17 me, yet will I trust in him.
And as for all those troubles that come by* 1.18 men, they consider that they are moderated by God, according to that which our Sauiour said to Pilate: Thou couldst haue no power ouer mee were it not giuen thee from aboue. And in this* 1.19 by manifold experience hath God confirmed them.
For hee made the Barbarians courteous to* 1.20 Paul: Artarxerxes fauourable to Nehemiah: the keeper of the prison friendly to Ioseph: yea the Lyons peaceable to Daniel. Againe hee raised Absalom against Dauid to chastise him: he made Pharaoh rigorous to Israel, that so hee might winne them from the loue of Egipt. Seeing it is so that their harts are ruled by God to like or dislike his Children as hee sees may be for their good, why shall trouble comming from them disquiet vs?
And by the same consideration is the Chri∣stian* 1.21 sustained in all those troubles that come from Sathan: hee knoweth he can doe nothing but by diuine permission, and therefore in trou∣ble from Sathan, hee seekes his comfort from God. Thus is the Christian shaken with many temptations, but is neuer remoued.
But the confidence of Worldlings, is eyther* 1.22 in themselues, as namely in their owne might, and these proue weake like Goliah; or in their owne wisedome, and these proue fooles like A∣chitophel; or in their owne righteousnesse, and these proue most vnrighteous, as the Pharises,* 1.23 before whom Publicans and sinners shall goe into the kingdome of heauen.
Or else their Confidence is without them, as* 1.24 eyther in men; and of all these it is true which Rabsache spake of the King of Egypt, they are but broken staues of Reede: or else in strong holds, which are as easily shaken by the Lord, as ripe figs fall from a tree, said Nahum: or else in riches, which are deceitfull refuges of vanitie, and cannot help in the day of trouble.
Outward meanes are good to vse, but euill* 1.25 to trust in: if we set them in Gods roome, they become either very pernitious, or most vnpro∣fitable. Example of this, one for many we haue in Asa and Ezechia, whereof the one being dis∣eased but in his se•…•…, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thereof, because he
sought Physitians and not the Lord, the other being diseased in his bowels recouered of it, because hee looked to GOD, more then to meanes.* 1.26
Thus we see how the wicked like a Reed sha∣ken with the winde, are tost with euery tenta∣tion, because their confidence is not in God.
Now the great number of them who eyther turne aside to vnlawfull meanes, or looke to the lawfull meanes more then to God, proues that all are not Christians indeed, who now vsurpe the Christian name.
Confidence in God commanded and commended for most excellent blessings it brings to them that haue it.
Confidence in man forbidden and con∣demned, whether it be in our selues or in others.
Prou. 2. 7.
Ierem. 45.
Psal. 73. 27.
Psal. 71. 3.
Psal. 89. 17.
Psal. 57. 1.
Psal. 60. 11.
h Psal. 33. 2.
The strength of a Christian is in God alone.
Let Idolatrous worldlings who make gold their God, thinke shame of their sinne.
1 In a Worldling feare and confi∣dence consists not, it is otherwise in the Christian.
2 As a Rocke in the Sea beaten with the waues of euery winde, so is a chri∣stian in the world.
3 The confidence & refuge of a Christi∣an in such troubles as come from God immediately.
Hosea. 6. 1.
Iob. 4.
4 The confidence of a Christian in such troubles as come by men.
Matth. 27.
5 Hee knowes the harts of men are in the hands of God.
6 The confidence of a Christian in such troubles as come by Sathan.
7 The confidence of worldlings is ey∣ther in themselues.
Luke 18. 13.
8 Or in others with∣out them.
9 How in trouble outward and se∣cond mea•…•… are to be vsed.
10 Miserable are the wicked, whose confidence is not in God.