by private friends Nay canst thou desire this search that thou maist know thy â—inne more and more for this end that thou mayst truely hate it with a more perfect hatred Canst thou truely appeale to God as Peter did to Christ thou knowest that I love and preferre thee above all It is a sure signe of thy sinceritie which the world cannot have and therefore when they see their sinnes laid open they spurne at the ordinances and spite the Minister and their true friends that put them in minde of their faults accounting them as their onely enemies Surely they shall never be able to indure the search of God hereafter and the last day when he shall lay them open they shall be overcome with shame A fourth signe is That at the houre of thy death this spiritual worshipping of God will give thee content when nothing else can Thou mayst say with comfort as Hezekiah did Lord remember how I have walked before thee in sinceritie When down-right affliction comes outward verball profession vanisheth with all the comforts thereof then perisheth the hope of the hypocrite Two things upheld Iob in comfort in his great extremity he was first assured that his redeemer lived and secondly he knew his innocency in those things that his friends charged him with and such times will fall on us all either at the time of death or before when nothing but innocencie and sincerity shall be able to uphold us Labour therefore for sincerity and spirituall worship Worship God in spirit but let it be done outwardly also But first bring thy heart and intention to what thou dost and that will stirre up the outward man to its duty and for the performance hereof follow these directions First learne to know God aright For worship is answerable to knowledge for how can we reverence God aright when we know neither his goodnesse nor his greatnesse how can we trust on God when we see not his truth in the performance of his promises in the Scriptures and in our owne experience those that doe not these know not God for as the heart affects according to knowledge So also its true in divinitie as we know his justice wee shall feare as we know his mercy wee shall love him and as we know his truth we shall trust on him Psal. 9.10 They that know thy name shall trust in thee and in other places of the said Psalme the Lord is knowne in the judgement he executeth vers 16. Secondly know God to be the first mover and cause of all men ordinarily feare the creature attributing that to it which belongs to the Creator But God he is the giver of all and Christians looke on the secondary means as to the first author and ground of all the rest they behold the Magistrate as in God feare them no otherwise but in the Lord. Atheists they will not sticke at any sinne whatsoever to get the love of those that may bring them any worldly commodity A Christian hee pleases and seekes the love of him that can make enemies friends when he lists and when it s for our good he knowes in him we live move and have our being Thirdly make much of spirituall meanes God he works by meanes by his word attend to it it works love feare joy and reverence in us and therefore no marvaile if those that neglect these meanes are not acquainted with these graces of Gods spirit 4 Fourthly Lift up thy heart to Christ the quickening spirit 1 Cor. 15. Our hearts naturally are dead Christ is our life when thou art most especially called to love to feare to humilitie pray to him to move thee and yeeld thy selfe to him and then shalt thou pray in spirit as it is said in Iude 20. heare in spirit doe all in spirit doe outward workes of thy calling in spirit for a true worshipper will out of spirituall grounds doe all outward works of his particular calling as well as the workes of his generall Christian vocation Let us therefore doe all things from our hearts to God and to our neighbour else will not God accept of our workes It is the Iew inwardly who shall have praise of God The want of this sincerity hath extinguished the light of many a glorious professour and thereby hath brought a great scandall upon the true worshippers of God in spirit VERS 3. And rejoyce in Christ. THe word rejoyce implyes a boasting or glorying of the heart manifesting it selfe in outward countenance and gesture as also in speech it also implies a resting on and contenting in the thing we glory in proceeding from an assurance that we glory in a thing worthy of glory for they are fooles that delight in bables Observe hence therefore That those that will worship Christ aright must glorie in him For the worship of Christ is a thing that requires incouragement and nothing can worke this incouragement like the glorying in Christ and therefore Paul in the first part of his Epistle to the Romans having shewed that God had elected them freely and had begun the worke of sanctification in their hearts he comes in the 12. Chapter I beseech you saith he present your selves as a holy living and acceptable sacrifice to God And in Tit. 2.11 The grace of God teacheth by incouraging us to deny ungodlines to walk unblameably soberly righteously and godlily in this present world And therefore whensoever wee grow dull or dead think of the great benefits that we have by Christ and it will quicken us and all our performances In the next place observe That Christ is the matter and subject of true glory and rejoycing and onely Christ for they well goe together a full and large affection with a full and large object boasting is a full affection the object is every way as full First as he is God and man he is God full of all things he is man full of all grace and void of all sinne he is Christ anointed to performe all his offices he is a Prophet all-sufficient in all wisedome in him are the treasures of wisedome he teaches us not onely how to doe but he teaches the very deed he is our High-priest he is the sacrifice the altar and the Priest and he is our eternall Priest in Heaven and on earth on earth as suffering for us in Heaven as mediating for our peace Who shall condemne us it is Christ that dyeth yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Rom. 8.34 He is also our King he is King of all King of kings and Lord of lords a King for ever and at all times subduing all rebellions within us and all enemies without us and he is all these so as none is like him and therefore is worthy of our glory Secondly Christ is communicative in all these he is Prophet Priest King for us he is God man he is Christ for us he
Paul to the Philippians PHILIP 3.1 Finally my Brethren rejoyce in the Lord. THIS Chapter containes a general Exhortation to severall duties In this Verse you have the manner of doing them all must bee done in rejoycing From thence he proceeds to backe other particular Exhortations with reasons and examples of himselfe which we will speake of particularly when we come at them Now in this Verse I wil speake first of the Compellation Brethren then of the Exhortation Rejoyce and lastly of the Limitation In the Lord. Brethren By this loving Compellation hee labours to enter into their hearts and affections well knowing That exhortations are of the more force being directed to those that are perswaded of the good affection of the speaker If exhortation comes from the pride of a man the pride of man in the hearers will beat it back and give no entertainment thereunto But why are Christians Brethren First they have the same beginning of life from the same Father as also they have the same common Brother that is Christ. They have the same wombe the Church the same food the Word of God They have the same promises they are all heires all borne to an Inheritance Furthermore the word Brother is a word of equality and of dignitiy of equality though in personall Callings one is superior to other yet this takes not away the common Brotherhood This should fill up the vallies of mens hearts dejected here in regard of their meane estates as also pull downe the mountaines of the proud hearts of men lifted up through these outward things Kings must not lift up themselves in disdaine of others because all these personall respects end in death we carry them not to Heaven and in those respects that we agree in here as in Grace and Goodnesse we shall continue united for ever And yet must we honour such as are in eminencie and acknowledge them as men worthy of all respect and give them dignity according to their places But further this is a name of Dignitie it argues that we are not basely borne that we are sonnes of God and heires of Heaven Christ after his resurrection the first terme he gives his Disciples tell my Brethren saith he I go to my Father and their Father This word is also a word of love and therewith the Apostle insinuates the affections of the Philippians Examine therefore thy affections towards the sonnes of God If we love and respect them as our own Brethren good is our estate if we hate them our estate cannot be good And in the second place Let not this word be appropriated to some and not to others which are notwithstanding of the same number For one brother cannot make another no brother for it is one and the same Father that makes Brethren So long therefore as thou seest any thing of Christ in any breake not off thy affection and disdaine not the name of brother to such for where the spirit is it workes in us a resemblance of God and where it stamps his Image it makes them Brethren Rejoyce It is not only an affection but a dutie that we are injoyned Wherein first observe It is a Christians dutie to rejoyce It is commanded here Ministers are injoyned to speak comfort to such Isa. 40. Comfort yee Comfort yee my people and Christ came to binde up the broken in heart and the Ministers sent to shew men their unrighteousnesse Iob. 33.23 The spirit that is in such is the spirit of joy and therefore joy is reckoned as a fruit of the spirit Gal. 5.22 And why should not Christians rejoyce they are free from the spirituall Egypt from greatest miseries Nay why should not we sing as the Israelites did after their deliverance our enemies and deliverance is farre greater than theirs And we have the greatest prerogatives we have here an assured hope of eternall perfect happinesse hereafter we have peace with God Rom. 5.1 We have free accesse in all our wants to the throne of grace and wee have a God ready to heare all our prayers and to helpe us we have many gift already received Christ is already given us we are in a state of regeneration and for the time to come wee have promises from God the God of truth that nothing shall separate us from Christ surely these are great causes of joy in us and having such things as these wee dishonour them the giver of them and our selves and our profession if we rejoyce not in them In the second place observe That it belongs only to Christians to rejoyce Others have neither cause of joy nor commandement to rejoyce the Ministers and Prophets are bidden to bid such howle and lament to shew them their miserable estate And indeed what ground can a condemned person have of joy for the wicked till they have remission of sins they are in a damned estate and though they will snatch this to themselves and say that they are sure to be saved yet is salvation not their portion They joy indeed but it is in sinne in seeing or doing evill to others Or if sometimes they joy in the Gospell for a wicked man may doe so it is but a forced joy and much like hot waters to a cold fit of an Ague it brings heate and expulses cold for the present but it burnes them after So this joy seemes to comfort them now but when triall comes it failes him and makes him more disconsolate to see himselfe thus beguiled Fitter it were for such to bee first humbled and brought to the sight of their estate than to administer comfort to them to speake peace where none belongs is to undoe men It is the broken that must be healed and the wearie that must come to Christ. 3 In the third place observe The limitation of this joy it must be in the Lord That is in Christ who in the new Testament is often called Lord and he is our Lord First by gift God hath given us all to Christ. Secondly by Conquest he hath gotten victory of Sathan And thirdly by marriage And therefore we may well call him Lord and rejoyce in him because he is our Lord for by him we come to conquer all our enemies by him wee have peace Rom. 5. he makes us Kings and Priests and brings us to heaven Now for the practise of this dutie of rejoycing in the Lord that we may be incouraged let us consider how it is a meanes not onely of adherence to God but also of obedience to his Lawes 1 Ioy if it bee sound knits us firme to God so as we rest contented in him as our only and sufficient joy seeking for no other joy in any other thing To us Christ is made all in all That we should solace our selves in his fulnesse which if we truely doe we will count all other things as despised assuring our selves they cannot minister or adde any jote of sound comfort at all and therefore will not
the naturall sonne in whom is no blemish should suffer and the adopted sonnes who are the causes of all offence should goe free It is equitie that we having taken Christ for our husband he should bee accompanied by us in sicknesse and in health in dishonour as in honour Thirdly it is long agoe decreed of God and predestinated and therefore cannot bee avoyded Rom. 8. â— 9 Whom hee did fore-know them he predestinated to be conformed to the Image of his Sonne Fourthly its equall that if hee were conformed to us we should be conformable to him now he was conformed to us in that hee suffered that which wee should have suffered and did that for us which we were to do and could not he having drunke deepe of the cup prepared for us let us therefore at the least taste of it Yea let us suffer any thing with an undaunted courage when we are called thereto for Christ he will come with comforts he is not emptie he will make us like him hee will prepare us hereby for glorie feare not therefore God will turne all thy troubles to thy good And thus we doe fill up the measures of the afflictions of Christ in our flesh Col. 1.24 And are made partakers of Christs sufferings 1 Pet. 4.13 We have the like exhortations hereunto 1 Pet. 2.21 1 Pet. 3.14 to 18. Thus did Paul 2 Cor. 4.10 hee carryed the dying of Christ about with him Let no Christian therefore promise to himselfe immunitie from crosses he that will be a Christian must be conformable to Christ and he that will be like to him in glorie he must be like to him in drinking the Cup hee dranke of while hee was here in the flesh VERS 10. If by any meanes I might attaine to the Resurrection of the dead BY Resurrection of the dead he meanes the glorious estate after this life whereas the resurrection is but the beginning and the words sound as much in effect as if the Apostle had said I know I shall be happie at length but betweene this time and that I know I shall meet with troubles with many crosses yet let the way be never so difficult I passe not by any meanes to come to such an excellent end as the resurrection of the dead is in which words wee will First consider that there is a happie estate reserved hereafter which begins with the resurrection of the bodie whereby wee are farre more happie than the Angels that fell and also more happie than we were in our first estate in Adam which we lost and therefore our hearts should be inlarged with thankes to God that respects us above the Angels whom hee hath left without hope of recoverie In the next place consider that the beginning of our blessed estate hereafter is at the resurrection which is called the day of restoring of all things and a time of refreshing Acts 3.19 It s a day when all good shall be perfected and all evill shall cease all griefe of minde all trouble of body and death it selfe shall be swallowed up into victorie But why are we not happie before our resurrection I answer because our bodies and soules are partakers of miserie and sinne here and therefore cannot partake of fulnesse of happinesse before they be united together again God will have us to stay while all his familie of blessed Saints shall meet together as well us that are now alive as our seed and posteritie after us In the third place observe that the Apostle makes resurrection of the dead the last thing establishing thereby an order that there must be meanes to the resurrection and then the resurrection it selfe Ought not Christ to suffer these things and so to enter into his glorie Math. 28. And if we suffer with him we shall also reigne with him the second resurrection must begin with the first we are sonnes and Saints hereafter but so we must also be here onely a difference there will be in degree of holinesse this resurrection doth not follow every manner of life although men ordinarily expect a crowne without crosses and never looke for justification and sanctification but thinke they shall be in heaven at an instant without them But we must suffer with Christ in Mount Calvarie before wee come with him to the Mount Olivet In the fourth place wee may likewise note that its hard to come to heaven because of this order established by God not in comparison of the end for that surmounteth in excellencie the hardnesse of the meanes but in respect of the meanes some by faire death with many crosses in their life some not by many outward crosses yet have store of inward troubles of the minde by reason of their inward corruption that doth trouble them others by violent deathes and by martyrdome the wayes are so many and the meanes so diverse as there is no certainty which way wee shall passe As St. Paul knew not the meanes so he cared not what the means were for he was content to go thither by any meanes let the cup of affliction be never so bitter the glorie insuing will sweeten all Away therefore with all idle and secure thoughts of sparing our selves Pitie thy selfe said Peter to Christ but was answered sharpely get thee behinde me sathan no the way is very hard we must come to health by physick the end is so amiable as it will sweeten all sowre meanes and therefore its good for us to be afflicted crosses bring at length the sweetest comforts Denie wee our selves therefore in Christs cause know no bodie looke upon God and Christs promises and promise wee ourselves no more than God promises it s beyond our knowledge what God will doe with us he promises no immunitie from crosses Nay the Saints and the Apostles chose crosses and afflictions rather than the pleasures of sinne who were wise and had triall of both kindes and yet accounts these momentanie afflictions not worthy of comparison with the glory that shall bee revealed they were but light 2 Cor. 4.17 Rom. 8.18 And if wee would truly beleeve this it would be easie for us to be resolved as St. Paul was to come to heaven by all assurances and to come to all manner of assurances by any meanes for no worldly thing can bring content like these heavenly assurances of the presence of the light of Gods love which the children of God will by no meanes lose Secondly in all crosses let us not looke into the state we are in so much as that we are going into we are going to a Pallace let us not bee dejected in the consideration of the narrownesse of the way that leadeth thereto God will not suffer this fierie triall to consume any thing but drosse and therefore let us with Christ suffer the crosse and despise the shame Heb. 12. Thirdly labour for a right esteeme of the things of this world they are but momentarie and fading yea our lives they are given to us by
it is becâ—use its a dishonour to God not to take notice of his goodnesse and glorious graces in others and therefore if the starres doe praise him surely these starres must much more set forth his glorie that being of themselves sinfull wretched men by his power are made glorious lights for others to walke by And in the seventh place in things whereof there is no certaine rule to direct us wee ought to imitate the example and custome of the most holy and sober sort As in apparell much question is what sort what fashion is most to be imitated let the most sober and moderate of thine owne ranke be guide unto thee It s singularitie to differ from such with a desire to be noted and it savours of pride and such shall be condemned by their examples even as Noah condemned the old world For use of all this learne hence what is the best succession that is the best and surest note of succession which is both in doctrine and example locall succession is nothing they are the children of Abraham that doe the workes of Abraham they are Iewes which are Iewes inwardly in the spirit the Papists they cry out against us we have no succession but it is they have no succession their doctrine every where crosses the doctrine of the ancient Church of Rome their practice is without president what president have they for rebellion for their equivocation and the like they follow indeed but as corruption doth generation VERS 18. For many walke of whom I have told you often THese woâ—â—s containe a reason of Pauls exhortation and from the connexion wee may observe that where truth is error is where wheat is there are tares walke as I doe for there are many with whom yee converse that walke as enemies to the crosse of Christ. Our enemies tell us because of our errors wee are not the true Church they may better conclude contrarily that because we have some few errors therefore there is a true Church amongst us where truth is there will be opposers and therefore we are not to be scandalized hereat the skill and courage of a Christian is seen most where truth is in danger as the goodnesse of a Pilate is seene specially in a tempest The Papists will not have the Word read in the vulgar tongue why because they say many errors will thence arise while the common people understand it not They may as well argue because there is much deceipt therefore I will not buy nor sell. St. Paul was of another minde he would preach at Ephesus for a great dore and effectuall was opened though he knew there were many adversaries 1 Cor. 16.9 In the next place observe he saith many there were meaning of the better and more eminent sort that is of teachers a pitifull thing that in the golden times of the Church the chiefe leaders of the Church should be mislead and therefore we are not to wonder that we should finde it thus and thereforâ— wee must not bee scandalized by the multitude one Micaiah is better than 400. false Prophets and therefore we must not number the followers but weigh them aright To proceed he saith there are many he nameth none in particular yet no doubt but noted scandalous persons may and ought to bee particularly named that others may take notice and heed of them yet this must bee warily done The Apostle curses the Copper-smith but onely names Demas Those that are weake must be gently touched those that are obstinate and scandalous must bee plainely made knowne and this draweth some of our writers particularly to lay open the vices and falshoods of those that are obdurate and therefore we must not take scandall thereat it arising from a zealous care of Gods Church not of malice In the next place he saith he told them often the Apostle was affectionately bent for their good and therefore to write the same things often to them it was not greevous to him seeing to them it was safe for the nature of man is very dull in conceiving of things that belong to salvation and their memories are but brittle If therefore we doe often inculcate and lay open the danger of that whorish Religion long since condemned it must be well taken in these times especially wherein men are so secure daring to venter on any thing yea to goe to their Masses upon pretence of their strength that they câ—n come away without being defiled VERS 18. And now tell you weeping AS if he should have said if nothing else will make you beware yet let my teares move my teares proceeding from griefe and compassion of the miserable estate of such Teachers and of such as are led by them Affections therefore are lawfull yea necessarie in Gods children all actions in Gods worship are esteemed according to the affections that they are done with we are as we love not as we know what is the life of a Christian but the performance of things with courage delight and joy and therefore the strongest Christians have strongest affections for Religion doth not harden the heart but molifies it and regeneration doth not take affections away but restores them sanctified and pure But to come particularly to the matter here he is compassionate and so compassionate as his naturall constitution will admit hee expresseth this with teares which ariseth from griefe for something within our selves or by reason of sympathie with others for some danger that they are in or like to fall into The reasons hereof are because they are led by the spirit of Christ who was all made of compassion for he wept for his friends for Lazarus and for his enemies O Ierusalem Ierusalem how often would I have gathered you and you would not hee was tender in bearing the infirmities of his weake Disciples and of weak women his compassion was such as drew him to the lowest degree of humiliation to free us from danger Secondly the Saints have cleere sanctified judgements to apprehend true causes of remorse they know what danger is as Paul saw here that the Sheepe were in danger of wolves and saw the danger so much the greater by how much they saw not the danger they were in Thirdly the Saints have their hearts broken with sense and feeling of Christs compassion in their hearts and so are molified expressing it outwardly towards their brethren contrarily the wicked never felt any remorse or pitie of Christ in them and therefore know not what compassion meanes so as their mercies are cruelties Use this as a note whereby we may discerne of our Christian estate for surely where there is no compassion there can be no excellent estate Againe from the Apostles object of compassion and weeping observe that spirituall evill and danger is the most proper object of Christian compassion Paul he pities not himselfe because of his fetters he was in but it was the bonds of sinne made him cry Oh wretched man that
here wee must entertaine it well into this house of our bodie it s but a guest use it not basely it s no ill guest it gives us sight taste speech motion when it goes away our body is but a dumbe dull base lumpe of earth Nay when it is gone whilst the body is in the ground the soule having a most vehement and earnest desire to be knit to it again puts God continually in minde of raising it up at the last day of the generall resurrection and of glorifying it in a holy eternall and happy estate Secondly out of the words wee may observe That these vile bodies of ours shall bee changed this we receive as anarticle of our faith and yet were it beleeved truely as it ought it would worke a strange alteration in the mindes and manners of men contrary to that they are now and howsoever it is not imbraced yet it remaines a grounded truth that these bodies of ours sowne in corruption shall rise incorruptible 1 Cor. 1.15 It was foretold in way of consequence in Paradice for the head of the serpent could not bee broken but by conquering death which is the last enemie it was figured out unto us in Aarons dead seare rod that budded and Ionahs deliverance out of the bellie of the fish where he had beene 3. dayes and three nights It was beleeved of all the fathers Heb. 12. And for securitie before the floud Enoch and after the floud Elias were taken up in their bodies And besides it is not contrarie to reason I doe not say that reason can reach unto it for Christ he is alive still the dust whereof we are made and whether we goe is preserved it is not annihilated and why cannot Christ raise a body out of the dust as at the first make it out of dust why should he not be as able to quicken dust now as at the first and especially seeing the soule is reserved in heaven to this end till the day of his second comming Nay it is not contrarie to the course of nature we see every yeere summer comes out of winter day out of night youth out of infancie mans age out of youth And the Apostle in the Corinthians Thou foole the corne is not quickned except it die nay wee see what strange changes are dayly wrought by Art and shall wee thinke Gods almighty power cannot worke farre more strange effects The use therefore is to instruct us if we beleeve that Christ shall change these vile bodies Then sure the same bodies shall rise that died for change is of qualities it abolisheth not substances and therfore Iobs confidence herein is remarkable Iob. 19. Whom I shall see for my selfe and mine eyes shall behold speaking of Christ so is it 2 Cor. 15.53 This corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortall must put on immortalitie and the ancient Creeds had credore surrectionem carnis hujus Secondly it s very unequall that one body should honour or defile it selfe and another bodie should be honoured or damned its comfortable therefore to us that love our bodies and honor them that they shall rise againe and wee shall injoy them for ever Thirdly Christ our surety hee raised the same body that was crucified and therefore the same bodies here that fulfill the measure of the sufferings of Christ here shall partake of his fulnesse in glorie A second use is for comfort is this a life of changes let it not daunt us but know they are all to end in glorie and they all tend to bring us thither we ever change for the better and the last change of all is the best of all and therefore let us indure these changes with a light heart In the third place who is the Authour of this change in us the Text saith that Christ shall change us Iob. 6.39 and 40. I will raise them up at the last day saith Christ of those that know him and beleeve on him Hee is furthermore our head now wee know the body must be conformable to the head if it bee crowned the body is crowned and therefore Rom. 8.11 the Apostle saith that if the spirit dwell in us that did dwell in him the spirit that raised him up will raise us up also Thirdly Christ is a whole Saviour he therefore will raise up our bodies as well our soules for he is the Saviour of both he hath delivered both from hell hee will raise up both to heaven Fourthly he is the second Adam as wee did beare the image of the first Adam in corruption so must we beare the image of the second Adam in glorie Fifthly hee is the seed of the wowan that must breake the serpents head and therefore hee must worke this change Sixthly Christ changed his owne bodie being burthened with all our sinnes and therefore as an exemplarie cause shall much more raise us up for sinne being once overcome which is the sting of death what can keepe us in the grave Let this strengthen our faith in the consideration that wee have such a strong Saviour that nothing shall bee able to separate us from his love nor to take us out of his hande Secondly make it a ground how to direct us how to honour our bodies not making them instruments of sinne against him but so to use them that we may with comfort and joy expect and desire his comming to change these our vile bodies Thirdly let us labour to assure our selves of our parts in this change in this resurrection This we shall know if we finde Christs spirit in us the same spirit that raised up him if it bee in us will raise us up also Rom. 8. for the first resurrection is an argument of the second and he that findes his understanding in lightned his will pliable his affections set upon right objects will easily beleeve the second resurrection of his bodie Secondly if wee hope for this change and so hope that we are stirred up thereby to fit our selves for it to cleanse our selves Thirdly if wee grow in grace 2 Pet. 1.11 it is a siâ—ne that wee have an entrance into Christs kingdome for God doth ever honour growth with assurance of a blessed estate Fourthly this should comfort us in time of death considering wee lose nothing but basenesse and our bodies are but sowne in the earth and this depositum which God committeth to the fire ayre earth and the water they must render up againe pure and changed by Christ and therefore it was a foolish conceipt of the heathen to burne the Martyrs bodies and to cast their ashes into the water thereby to put them out of hope of their resurrection not knowing God is as able to raise them out of fire and water as out of earth Fifthly this ought to administer comfort to us at the death and departure of our friends out of this life knowing that they are not lost that the earth is but a house and a hiding place