2. Serve Gods Providence in the use of meanes.So far as God affords us helpes and meanes, we must not be wanting in our Dutie to actuat their power, and to employ them to the best advantage; we must go along with Providence, and serve occasion and opportunities, and be exactly carefull of all meanes,Josu. 1. although we must not trust in any. God promised Josuah, not to leave him nor forsake him, yet he bids him be strong and of a good courage: the Israelites must fight it out, when God had given the Enemy into their hands. Indeed sometimes he will have us only spectators of his Actions, he will tell Jehosaphat and the people of Judah,2. Chro. 20.17: they shall not need to fight in the battel; stand still, move not, and behold the salvation of the Lord towards you: when he is pleased to shew a strange deliverance, and to get honour in the confusion of his Enemies, as he did on Pharaoh in the red Sea;Exod. 14. then there shall be no concurse of second causes, he will fight himself, and do his own work with his own hands; but most commonly he requires the service of the Creatures, which he doth not want, and sets down a course of meanes which he will not alter; and then it concerns us to answer Providence with in∣dustrie, to put forth our strength, and to use such meanes as God vouchsafes. If we have the honour to be Gods Instruments, we must do the office of Instruments and be active: we must cast our care on God for the issue, but we must sweat our selves in the prosecution. Hell it self shall never prevaile against the flock of Christ,Luk. 13.4 Phil. 2.12. yet they must strive to enter in at the narrow Gate, they must work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. Ele∣ction to the end, includes the meanes, & whosoever will be happy in another world, must first be good in this. Presumption is as dangerous as distrust, and he may justly lose the fruite of a happy end, who neglects the use of lawfull meanes.3. Confide in God in the want of meanes.It was a pious speech of Luther in an Epistle to Melancton, God is able to preserve his own cause from falling, or to raise it when it is 0