§. 74. Of the persons whom God will not forsake.
THe persons to whom in speciall this promise of Gods not leaving and forsa∣king* 1.1 is made, is comprised under this Pronoun THEE. This promise was of old by God himself made in particular to Ioshua. Ioshua was a man of such cou∣rage and confidence in Gods Word, as he, together with Caleb, stedfastly be∣lieved that God would not leave nor forsake them, when the whole Congrega∣tion of Israel so fainted, as they wept that God had brought them out of Egypt, and murmured against the Ministers imployed in that service of bringing them out▪ They must therefore be such as Ioshua was, who have right to apply this promise to themselves. Such were they to whom Moses doth apply it, Deut. 31 6.
It cannot be denied but that Gods generall providence is extended to all of all sorts For in him all live, and move, and have their being, Act. 17. 28. And he maketh his sunne to rise on the evil and on the good: and sendeth rain on the just, and on the unjust, Matth. 5. 45. But his speciall care is on them that beleeve on him, 1 Tim. 4. 10. In this case the Psalmist maketh an apparent difference betwixt the wicked and the righteous, Psal. 37. 17, 18, &c. The Lord knoweth how to deli∣ver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust to be punished, 2 Pet. 2. 9. The Apostle exemplifieth this in the good Angels, that were not left nor forsa∣ken, and the evil Angels that were cast down into hell: and in Noah and his family, whom God saved when he brought the flood upon the world of the un∣godly; and in Lot, whom God delivered when he destroyed four Cities, and the inhabitants thereof.
This providence of God in not leaving nor forsaking his, might further be ex∣emplified in the three great Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, and in sundry of their posterity. Hundreds, thousands, millions of instances might be given for the proof hereof. I dare boldly avouch that from the beginning of the world to this day, not one that trusted in God was left or forsaken.