have this confidence to give your holy God the keeping of your soul, and that He may accept of it, and take it off your hand, beware of wilful pollutions and unholy ways. Walk so you may not discredit your Protector, and move Him to be ashamed of you, and disclaim you. Shall it be said that you live under His shelter, and yet walk inordinately? As this cannot well be, you cannot well believe it to be. Loose ways will loosen your hold of Him, and confidence in Him. You will be driven to question your interest, and to think, Surely, I do but delude myself: can I be under His safeguard, and yet follow the course of the world, and my corrupt heart? Certainly, let, who will be so, HE will not be a guardian and patron of wickedness. No, He is not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with Him. Psal. v. 4. If thou give thy soul to him to keep, upon the terms of liberty to sin, He will turn it out of His doors, and remit it back to thee to look to as thou wilt thyself. Yea, in the ways of sin, thou dost indeed steal it back, and carriest it out from Him; thou puttest thyself out of the compass of His defence, goest without the trenches, and art, at thine own hazard, exposed to armies of mischiefs and miseries.

Inference. This, then, is primarily to be looked to; you that would have safety in God, in evil times, beware of evil ways; for in these it cannot be. If you will be safe in Him, you must stay with Him, and in all your ways, keep within Him as your fortress. Now, in the ways of sin you run out from Him.

Hence it is we have so little established confidence in God in times of trial. We take ways of our own, and will be gadding, and so we

are surprised and taken, as they that are often venturing out into the enemy's reach, and cannot stay within the walls. It is no idle repetition, Psal. xci. 1 He that dwelleth in the secret places of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He that wanders not, but stays there, shall find himself there hidden from danger. They that rove out from God in their ways, are disquieted and tossed with fears; this is the fruit of their own ways; but the soul that is indeed given to Him to keep, keeps near Him.

Study pure and holy walking, if you would have your confidence firm, and have boldness and joy in God. You will find that a little sin will shake your trust, and disturb your peace, more than the greatest sufferings, yea, in those sufferings, your assurance and joy in God will grow and abound most, if sin be kept out. That is the trouble-feast that disquiets the conscience, which while it continues good, is a continual feast. So much sin as gets in, so much peace will go out. Afflictions cannot break in upon to break it, but sin doth. All the winds which blow about the earth from all points, stir it not; only that within the bowels of it makes the earthquake.

I do not mean that for infirmities a Christian ought to be discouraged. But take heed of walking in any way of sin, for that will unsettle thy confidence. Innocency and holy walking make the soul of a sound constitution, which the counterblasts of affliction wear not out, nor alter. Sin makes it so sickly and crazy, that it can endure nothing. Therefore, study to keep your consciences pure, and they shall be peaceable, yea, in the worst of times commonly most peaceable and

best furnished with spiritual confidence and comfort.

Commit the keeping of their souls. The Lord is an entire protector. He keeps the bodies, yea, all that belongs to the Believer, and, as much as is good for him, makes all safe, keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken, Psal. xxxiv. 18; yea, says our Saviour, The very hairs of your head are numbered. Matt. x. 30. But that which, as in the Believer's account, and in God's account, so, certainly in itself is most precious, is principally committed and received into His keeping, their souls. They would most gladly be secured in that here, and that shall be safe in the midst of all hazards. Their chief concern is, that, whatsoever be lost, this may not; this is the jewel, and therefore, the prime care is of this. If the soul be safe, all is well; it is riches enough. What shall it profit a man, though he gain the whole world, says our Saviour, and lose his own soul? Mark viii. 36. And so, what shall it disprofit a man, though he lose the whole world, if he gain his soul? Nothing at all.

When times of trial come, oh, what a bustle to hide this and that; to flee, and carry away and make safe that which is but trash and rubbish to the precious soul; but how few thoughts of that! Were we in our wits, that would be all at all times, not only in trouble, but in days of peace. Oh, how shall I make sure about my soul? Let all go as it may, can I but be secured and persuaded in that point, I desire no more.

Now, the way is this, commit them to God: this many say, but few do. Give them into His hand, lay them up there (so the word is,) and they are safe, and may be quiet and composed.

In patience possess your souls, says our Saviour, Luke xxiv. 19. Impatient, fretting souls, are out of themselves; their owners do not possess them. Now, the way to possess them ourselves in patience, is, thus to commit them to him in confidence; for then only we possess them, when He

keeps them. They are easily disquieted and shaken in pieces while they are in our own hands, but in His hand, they are above the reach of dangers and fears.

Inference. Learn from hence, what is the proper act of Faith; it rolls the soul over on God, ventures it in His hand, and rests satisfied concerning it, being there. And there is no way but this, to be quiet within, to be impregnable and immoveable in all assaults, and fixed in all changes, believing in His free love. Therefore, be persuaded to resolve on that ;-not doubting and disputing, Whether shall I believe or not? Shall I think He will suffer me to lay my soul upon Him to keep, so unworthy, so guilty a soul? Were it not presumption !-Oh, what sayest thou? Why dost thou thus dishonour Him, and disquiet thyself! If thou hast a purpose to walk in any way of wickedness, indeed thou art not for Him; yea, thou comest not near Him to give Him thy soul. But wouldst thou have it delivered from sin, rather than from trouble, yea, rather than from hell? Is that the chief safety thou seekest, to be kept from iniquity, from thine own iniquity, thy beloved sins? Dost thou desire to dwell in Him, and walk with Him? Then, whatsoever be thy guiltiness and unworthiness, come forward, and give Him thy soul to keep. If He should seem to refuse it, press it on Him. If He stretch not forth His hand, lay it down at His foot, and leave it there, and resolve not to take

it back. Say, Lord, Thou hast made us these souls, Thou callest for them again to be committed to Thee; here is one. It is unworthy, but what soul is not so? It is most unworthy, but therein will the riches of Thy grace appear most in receiving it. And thus leave it with Him, and know He will make thee a good account of it. Now, should you lose goods, or credit, or friends, or life itself, it imports not; the main concern is sure, if so be thy soul is out of hazard. I suffer these things for the Gospel, says the Apostle: nevertheless, I am not ashamed-Why ?-for I know whom I have trusted, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against that day. 2 Tim. i. 12.

The ground of this confidence, is in these two things, the ability and the fidelity of Him in whom we trust. There is much in a persuasion of the power of God. Though few think they question that, there is in us secret, undiscovered unbelief, even in that point. Therefore the Lord so often makes mention of it in the Prophets. See Isa. 1. 3, &c. And, in this point, the Apostle Paul is particularly express: I am persuaded that He is able to keep, &c. So this Apostle: Kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Ch. i. ver. 5. This is very needful to be considered, in regard of the many and great oppositions, and dangers, and powerful enemies, that seek after our souls: He is able to keep them, for He is stronger than all, and none can pluck them out of His hand, says our Saviour. John x. 23. This the Apostle here implies in that word, Creator; if He was able to give them being, surely He is able to keep them from perishing. This relation of a Creator, implies