act as to relieve himself by an indirect course for he would not take the name of God upon him in vain he had rather die then do it Now when God hath thus drawn out the desires of the soul after grace then he gives in such a measure as shall preserve it and keep it from yielding to the temptation and Beloved it is a gratious relief to be kept in an holy and gratious frame of heart under a strong and powerful temptation 't is worthy of a Christians taking notice thereof So doth the Prophet this poor man cried and the Lord heard him Psal 34.6 Beloved if you be never so poor yet if God draws out your hearts after him in prayer you shall be kept that you shall not take any indirect course to help your selves but be able to say as David of himself this poor man cried and the Lord heard him As prayer is the desire of the soul formed into requests and petitions so crying is the importunity of the soul in prayer Petitions and requests presented to God with an humble and reverential boldness it is a wrestling with God for a blessing a perseverance in prayer with an holy resolution not to be put off Now 't is the poor that thus crys sense of want that pinches the soul joyned with some hopes of obtaining makes the soul to cry and he that crys shall be heard Divine relief shall come in to help it in this time of need Thus you see how relief comes in to a good man in the want of all outward comforts Secondly When the strength of the outward man fails And this is properly the failing of the flesh when a man is in a consumptive condition God smites the body and then the flesh wasts the beauty thereof fades and the senses grow dull and heavy The Prophet David had great experience hereof and therefore often mentions it in his Psalms Psal 38.10 my strength faileth and Psal 109.24 my flesh faileth of fatness and Psal 69.3 mine eyes fail He was brought low even to the mouth of the grave but Divine relief came in As you may see Psal 116.6 I was brought low and he helped me God sometimes raises a man from the very gates of death and gives him a new life restores him to his former health and strength But if God doth not thus by a gratious man yet he shall have cause to say the Lord is the strength of my heart in this weak and low estate and condition Divine relief shall be given to him 1. To support and strengthen him to bear his affliction with patience the power and grace of God is wonderfully seen in bearing up the spirits when the body sinks and in giving grace to exercise patience under the pains and sorrows of death you have heard saith Saint James of the patience of Job Jam. 5.11 As you heard of his corporal affliction how soarly he was handled so you have heard of his patience how gratiously he was he was supported that he could bear his affliction without murmuring or repining 't is true it made him groan I but the stroke was heavier then his groaning As he saith Job 23.2 Even to day is my complaint bitter my stroke is heavier then my groaning The spirit of a man will sustain corporal infirmities when God sustains the spirit Now patience under afflictions is equivalent to a deliverance from them to be able to bear an affliction is as great a mercy as to be freed from it if God rebukes the feavour of impatiency and thereby cures that it is as much as to rebuke a bodily distemper and thereby to cure it So you may see 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no temptation taken you but that which is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to â—scape that ye may be able to bear it i. e. I can assure you that thus far you shall be set free from your temptations afflictions that you shal be able to bear them This is a gratious relief for there is no affliction but impatiency makes a greater affliction many afflict themselves when God doth not and many afflict themselves more then God doth their impatiency first makes their groaning heavier then their stroke and then their stroke heavier then it is in it self 2. Divine relief and strength comes into the heart of a good man in this consumptive condition to renew the inward man as the outward man decays So saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 4.16 Though our outward man perish yet our inward man is renewed day by day As God pulls down the old house the house of clay he frames and erects a new building that shall abide for ever So that a Christian may say as Peter Martyr said when he was dying My body is weak my mind is well well for the present and it will be better for the future The flesh and spirit of a good man are like two buckets when the flesh goeth down the spirit gets up he is ever best within when he is worst without when the body is going down to the earth from whence it came the soul is ascending to heaven from whence it came And you have a gratious promise for it Psal 92.13 14. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God They shall still bring forth fruit in their old age they shall be fat and flourishing Old age shall have green fruit upon it When â—he flesh proves the most barren the spirit is most fruitful a true Christian never flourisheth so much as when old age hath nipt the flesh and it is a lovely sight to see gray hairs a consumptive body and a withered face fat and flourishing in Holiness and Righteousness to see Summer-fruit upon an old tree in Winter-time and yet thus it is with good Christians their Winter of old age is their most flourishing time When nature is most spent grace comes to its greatest strength and perfection Faith strongest love to God and Christ most enflamed hope most lively and holiness most beautiful and sparkling the greatest beauty in the soul when the body is turning to rottenness and putrifaction When the natural breath smells of the earth the spiritual breath savours most of heaven the eye of the soul most clear in discerning spiritual and heavenly things when the eye of the body grows dim and dark the hand of faith most steady to take hold on Divine promises when the corporal hand shakes with the palsie and the feet of the soul run fastest towards the mark for the price of the high calling in Christ when the bodily feet cannot move So true it is that a Christian may say as S. Paul said When I am weak then am I strong weak in my outward man but strong in the inward 3. Divine relief comes in to the heart of a
from his sense as well as from faith This you have in the Text My flesh and my heart faileth me but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever q. d. I now find it to be true by mine own experience I can give a particular demonstration thereof God was good to me I was in a languishing sinking condition my strength gone and my life almost gone the pains of death and the sorrows of hell took hold on me that I was giving up all my hopes for lost And then God appeared to me and revived and strengthened my heart My case was very sad and now 't is as comfortable My hell is turned into an heaven of joy and comfort So that in the words you have a two fold experiment brought in to demonstrate one precious truth That God is good to Israel that is the truth 1. The first experiment is the Prophets malady 2. The latter is the Prophets relief The first is brought in to grandize and heighten the other Had not the Prophets malady been so desperate his relief had not appeared so glorious The worse the Prophets state was the more was Gods goodness seen in his relief and help Let us therefore take a further Surveigh of both First of the malady and therein consider 1. The nature or kind of it failing 2. The Subject wherein it was seated both in the flesh and in the heart Failing of the flesh notes out a consumption of the outward man or a loss of external supports So we find flesh taken in Scripture both properly for the outward man or the body of man when the strength thereof abates and departs the bulk or quantity thereof lessens or the beauty and glory thereof fades and also Metaphorically for the loss of external priviledges So Phil. 3 4 Flesh is taken for all external advantages These may fail Failing of the Heart notes out a sinking or dying When 1. The faculties of the soul sink and cannot perform their due offices either by way of apprehension election or retention 2. When the infused or acquired habits of the heart are indisposed to act or are weakened not only our moral but our Spiritual habits much abate 3. When the Animal spirits are expiring and even breathing forth This seems to be the Prophets disease and malady he was brought very low even to the very pit ready to die soul and body failed all his powers weakened When the body is smitten it flies for succour to the heart the spirit of a man will sustein his infirmities but when the heart is smitten also and that fails him too the man is done then he can afford himself no relief Die he must and will if God comes not in When communicated strength fails 't is time for the man to look abroad and seek for strength in God or else he sinks and never riseth more Secondly This is the Prophets relief God comes in and fetcheth life again reinsouls him communicates a new supply of strength to him sets him upon his feet again this makes him to say as you have it in the Text But is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rock of my heart In which words we may take notice of five things 1. The order inverted When he mentions his malady he begins with the failing of the flesh and then of the heart but when he reports the relief he begins with that of the heart From hence Observe That when God works a cure in man out of love he begins with the heart he cures that first And there may be these reasons for it 1. Because the sin of the heart is often the procuring cause of the malady of body and soul 2. The body ever fares the better for the soul but not the soul for the body 3. The cure of the soul is the principal cure 2. The suitableness of the remedy to the malady Strength of heart for failing of heart and a blessed portion for the failing of the flesh Obs That there is a proportionate remedy and relief in God for all maladies and afflictions whatsoever both within and without If your hearts fail you God is strength if your flesh fails you or comforts fail you God is a portion 3. The Prophets interest he calls God his strength and his portion Obs That true Israelites have an undoubted interest in God He is theirs 4. The Prophet's experience in the worst time He finds this to be true that when communicated strength fails there is a never failing strength in God Obs That Christians experiences of Gods all-sufficiency are then fullest and highest when created comforts fail them 5. Here is the Prophet's emprovement of his experience for support and comfort against future trials and temptations Obs That a Saints consideration of his experience of Gods all sufficiency in times of Exigency is enough to bear up and to fortifie his spirit against all trials and temptations for the time to come Thus you may emprove the Text by way of Observation But there are two principal Doctrines to be insisted on First That God is the Rock of a Saints heart his strength and his portion for ever Secondly That Divine influence and relief passeth from God to his people when they stand in most need thereof First God is the rock of a Saints heart strength and portion for ever Here are two members or branches in this Doctrine 1. That God is the rock of a Saints heart strength 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. That God is the portion of a Saint Branch 1. God is the rock of a Saints heart strength He is not only strength and the strength of their hearts but the rock of their strength so Esay 17.10 Psal 62.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same word that is used in the Text from hence comes our English word sure Explic. God is the rock of our strength both in respect of our naturals and also of spirituals he is the strength of nature and of grace Psal 27.1 the strength of my life natural and spiritual God is the strength of thy natural faculties of reason and understanding of wisdom and prudence of will and affections He is the strength of all thy graces faith patience meekness temperance hope and charity both as to their being and exercise He is the strength of all thy comfort and courage peace and happiness salvation and glory Psal 140.7 O God the rock of my Salvation In three respects First he is the Author and giver of all strength Psal 18.2 It is God that girdeth me with strength Psal 29.11 he will give strength to his people Psal 138.3 Psal 68.35 Secondly He is the increaser and perfecter of a Saints strength it is God that makes a Saint strong and mighty both to do and suffer to bear and forbear to believe and to hope to the end so Heb. 11.34 Out of weakness they were made strong so 1 Joh. 2.14 And
if I had not been undone The issue is good although the means seem never so cross This is excellently set forth under a type Ezek. 1.16 And their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel i. e. very cross and intangled one in another one goes one way and another goes another way and yet all perform one and the same work Thus is the providence of God it is often very cross and complexed it works by cross and intangled means yet carries on one glorious design All these cross ways and means work together as the Apostle saith for the good of them that love God Rom. 8.28 2. When a Christian is most in the dark yet he shall not want a secret though insensible conduct of Gods Holy Spirit that shall secure him from ruine in his way It is a notable relief to a blind man to have a sure guide God is a sure guide to a good man when he is unable to direct himself Alass no man is able to guide himself without the assistance of Gods Holy Spirit So Jer. 10.23 O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps Why how then shall he escape ruine and destruction when so many snares and rocks are in his way See that Psal 37.23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. God goeth along with a good man and orders him in every step he takes though we cannot see a step of our way yet if we take God with us he will direct us I will guide thee with mine eye Psal 32.8 His eye is open upon the righteous and he will guide them in the right way even then when they cannot see their way before them and therefore is that counsel of Solomon In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths Prov. 3.5 6. As God orders the steps of a good man so he orders the ways of a good man It may be thou art apt to walk in one way and God will put thee into another where thou shalt find the greatest comfort and peace we never walk so safely as when God takes the sole care of us When Abraham followed God in the darkness of sense and reason not knowing whither he went his course was never better steered and oftentimes we do best when we know not what to do when we are at the greatest stand our reason darkned and our spirits perplexed and all the ways we can imagine of true peace and comfort block'd up and we know not where to set one foot forward then God comes and takes us by the hand and leads us into such a way as we dream't not of where our desired peace and comfort is prepared for us There is an excellent promise for this purpose Esay 35.8 And an high way shall be there and a way and it shall be called the way of holiness the unclean shall not pass over it but it shall be for those the way faring men though fools shall not erre therein Observe first God makes out a way for good men to walk in an high way Via Regia the Kings way the way of God an holy way or the way of holiness sin and wickedness is not Gods way Secondly fools shall not erre therein i. e. the people of God sometimes are much in the dark and know not what to do in a particular case I but yet they shall be guided that they shall not loose their way but how shall they be guided Why God will be with them and so that passage may be read for he shall be with them In our translation it is rendered but it shall be for those but it may be read thus but he i. e. God shall be to them or with them to conduct and guide them in their way How many Christians have cause to bless God and say I could never have found the way to peace and comfort had not God been my guide This very experience brought the Prophet to that confidence for the future As you may see in the second verses before my Text Psa 73.24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory 3. When a Christian is in the dark God is so far the strength of his heart that he can wait for light When they know not what to do nor what to think yet they can wait for light they are expectants And now Lord what wait I for My hope is in thee saith David Psal 39.7 My soul waiteth for the Lord more then they that watch for the morning Psal 130 7. As a man that hath a long journey to go upon very great and important business how doth he watch for the morning because the darkness of the night suspends his motion I but David waited more for the Lord then a traveller watcheth for the morning or as the words may be read as they that watch unto the morning and so he makes a comparison between himself and watchmen i. e. There is no watchman doth more observe and wait for the breaking forth of the light of the day then I do wait for the Lord. And this is a blessed relief to the soul to be put into a waiting posture When the soul knows not what to do yet it can wait for light Not like Saul And why should I wait for the Lord any longer But as David I waited patiently for the Lord Psal 40.1 Though a good heart will not let God wait long No nor at all willingly for obedience yet he is willing to wait as long as God seeth good for light to guide him in his obedience loath is a gratious heart to miscarry in his work or to tread awry or step out of Gods way and therefore he will wait for light glad would he be of one beam of light to clear up his spiritual state to him I but he knows that Gods time is the best It is sad to him to be in the dark yet he knows that none can scatter the cloud that overspreads him but God and therefore he concludes with the Prophet It is good both to wait and to hope in the Lord. 4. Though a good man may be in the dark yet God will not always leave him in the dark Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness Psal 112.4 Oftentimes when they least expect it then it ariseth as the night is darkest a little before the day breaks so when the thickest cloud hath overspread the soul then God causeth light to spring forth Even as it was with Saint Paul in another case 2 Corinth 1.8 10. We were pressed out of measure above strength insomuch that we despaired of life but we had the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in the living God who delivered us from so great a death When his condition was at the heighth when nothing could help or relieve
retain them long with him I dare not question the truth of that mans grace that can't remember every truth he reads or hears delivered Nor may we say that the work of Gods grace is not wrought in every one that cannot at all times call to mind The great things that God hath done for him the Apostle Paul writing to the Hebrews tells them That they had forgotten the exhortation Heb. 12.5 Or you have forgotten the consolation as some render it For the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies both because consolation oft-times flows in by a word of exhortation and it intimates that they had forgotten both the word of comfort and the work of comfort And thus it is with many a good Christian he comes to Church with great desire to learn that which tends to the good of his soul and he is resolved to treasure it up in his memory I but that is not faithful to him but presently looseth that which he hath committed to its trust And it may be God hath done great things for him and given him great experience of his fatherly care over him and tender love to him I but he hath lost much of his experience that it is to him as if it had not been Oftentimes when Christians are under a cloud they forget that the Sun of Gods favour ever shined upon them And when they are in streights forget the great Salvation that God hath wrought for them when he called them out of a state of sin and misery into a state of grace and happiness And this is a great affliction to him that he can't remember the works of the right hand of the Lord nor the gracious and soul ravishing words of his mouth Now is there no relief to be had from God in this case Yes and that I shall shew you in three particulars 1. Sometimes God brings truths and experiences to our minds and remembrance when we stand in the greatest need of them God deals with us as natural parents do with a dear child whom they love exceedingly it may be they bestow a thing upon it which is very useful for it but for want of care it looseth it the parents finding it lay it up for the child against a time of need and then bring it forth Even thus doth God sometimes that truth and experience which we have lost he treasures up against a time of need then brings it forth when he knows it will do us the most good Comfort shall be given in when the soul hath quite forgotten that she ever had comfort And as 't is the office of the Holy Ghost to comfort mourners so in order hereunto he must teach the soul and bring things to our remembrance So it is promised John 14.26 But the comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance First He must teach the soul those things that belong to comfort I but the soul is very apt to forget what she hath learned Why if it doth so then he is a remembrancer to bring things forgotten to our remembrance As 't is a notable comfort to a Christian in the time of trouble and sorrow to call the promises and providences of God to mind so it is part of the Office of the Holy Ghost to bring things to our remembrance for our comfort And sometimes when things are quite out of our remembrance and even buried in the grave of forgetfulness the Holy Ghost brings them all to our minds as fresh as if we had but newly received them Saint Paul wrote the same things to the Phillippians which he had either preach'd to them or wrote to them before that he might imprint them the better upon their minds and some gather out of Matth. 5. compared with Luke 6.20 that our Saviour preached the same Sermon twice over because many hearers are dull to conceive hard to believe and apt to forget And the Holy Ghost sometimes comes and Preaches that again to the soul which it may be she heard ten or twenty years before but had forgotten it Perhaps thou art at a great loss for a promise and for former experiences and wouldst give any thing in the world for the comfort that once thou hadst thereby and then the Holy Ghost gives them in to thee Dying Christians sometimes have had experience hereof when all their comfort hath fled from them as the brooks passed away from the troops of Tema 2. Sometimes when a Christian hath forgotten old experiences God creates new for his joy and comfort When old mercies are worn out of our remembrance he engraves new mercies upon our minds and when some promises of grace and comfort are slipt out of our memory he points us to others that are as suitable to our present state It may be thou hast forgot the promises of this life and God fastens the promises of eternal life upon thy spirit thou hast forgot something of that which thou hast learnt heretofore And to supply the want thereof he teacheth thee something which thou didst never learn and sometimes a word of precept is more needful to be taught then the word of promise and a Christian finds it so When the heart begins to grow wanton and loose under gratious promises and experiences it is just with God to take them away and to feed her with harder Diet yet so that she shall have cause to bless God at last for it for else she might have died of a surfeit God doth not always administer that to us which is most toothsome but that which is most wholsome not always that which is most delightful but that which is most needful as is hinted by our Saviour Matt. 6.8 Your father knoweth what you have need of i. e. You may be sure of that which God knows necessary and suitable to your present state and condition although he denies you that which you most desire A father doth not always provide the same diet for his children but gives them sometimes one thing and sometimes another but however they shall have that which is most needful for them and when he denies them that which their appetite longs for and it can't be had he gives them that which may be more for their health Even thus God doth with his children spiritual food they shall have and although they must not always feed upon the same dish yet they shall have that which is best for them New mercies are oftentimes given in to them who have forgotten old So that a Christian hath a new song put into his mouth to sing before the Lord as the Prophet saith Psal 40.3 He hath put a new song into my mouth even praise unto our God I confess it is the sin and weakness of Christians to forget old experiences of Gods goodness to them yet such is the indulgence of our heavenly Father as to supply our defects herein