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A45242
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Forty-five sermons upon the CXXX Psalm preached at Irwin by that eminent servant of Jesus Christ Mr. George Hutcheson.
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Hutcheson, George, 1615-1674.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing H3827; ESTC R30357
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346,312
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524
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a promise that Israel shall be delivered and relieved of the famine he will go in sackcloth in hopes of performance but let it come to that that one harlot contends with another about the eating of her son have at Elisha's head he will not wait for the Lord any longer but Israel in his hope must stoop low his anchor of hope must have a long cable If I may so word it to reach the bottomless Sea of hopelesness Israel must not lose hope when it comes to that Ezek. 37. That she is like dry bones in a valley and the question is Let these bones liâ—e yet they did live And Psal 141.7 Our bones are scattered at the graves mouth as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the Earth we are like the Spales of Trees about the Hewer hand then Israel is low yet verse 8. Mine eyes are unto thee says he O God the Lord in thee is my trust Nay Israels hope must not be quite when natural hope is gonâ— Abraham Rom. 4.18 Against hope believed in hope he had hope when his hope is contradicted by another hope And Jon 2.4 I said I am cast out of thy sight yet will I look again towards thy holy temple And I shall add but this one word Israel must not quite hope for growing trouble Mic. 4.10 When the Daughter of Zion is in pain like a woman in travail and thinks she is low enough already within the City she must go forth of the City and dwell in the field yea the Lord will not have her to quite hope though she go even to Babylon for there shall she be delivered there the Lord shall redeem her from the hand of her enemies Thus ye see how ye are called what ever your condition be to cherish hope and to let your hope be seen in all the Gospel fruits of hope in repentance for sin in taking encouragement for duty though ye should have the storm in your teeth for so doing God bless his word to you SERMON XXXIV Psalm 130. Verse 7. Let Israel hope in the Lord for c. WE are here upon a very useful Counsel a counsel dictated by the Holy Spirit of God and communicat by a man that had tryed the good and ill both of having and wanting it ye have heard how the Psalmist being delivered is communicative of his experience to others ye have heard also as ye will have constant need of Hope so there is a constant warrand for it And ye have heard further that whatever be the opinion of others yet whosoever have most tryed Faith and Hope they will commend them most and be most free in recommending them to those that have most use for them I entered in the morning to consider the persons to whom hope in God is recommended Let Israel hope in the Lord. Whether that Nation while it stood a Church or the Israel of God The Gospel Church or the true members thereof I closed with this That go things as they will Israel is a society that still may hope many may think that there is no hope for them in God That they are fallen down and shall no more rise up but Israel are never a hopeless society I proceed now to the 2d thing I mentioned in this Head to wit That Hope in God is the common allowance of all the people of God not only taking Israel collectively but distributively one by one they are allowed to hope in God yea which will further clear the ground of the Doctrine although many that were true Israelits did indeed come short of the Psalmist and therefore though he might hope it might be thought they should stand aâ— back yet he is free to encourage any how mean and low soever they be provided they be of Israel to hope in God I confess this Point is to be understood with much caution and warriness There are general Promises made to the Church that every particular Believer may not apply but with many restrictions There are also Promises made to some saints on particular accounts to which every one may not claim but if we consider the great bullâ— of the Promises which are the ground of hope and the main scope of all the Promises the Scripture takes in one and other as to sexes the Promise is deduced 2 Cor. 6.18 I will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters c. where the weaker and stronger and sexes are equally taken in also as to the Degrees of grace if it be true it takes in all Psal 115.13 He will bless them that fear the Lord both small and great the small as well as the great are taken in to the share of Blessings The precious Oyntment poured upon Aarons head stays not about his shoulders or the principal parts of his Body but goes down to the skirts of his Garments to the meanest and lowest Members Psal 133.2 And hence it is that a Promise made to a great Joshua 1.5 in order to a great employment to possess the people in the Land of Canaan I will not fail thee nor forsake thee though one would have thought that that was a peculiar allowance to a Joshua that might grip to that in so great an undertaking yet Heb. 13.5 None of the persecuted Hebrews are secluded from it Let your conversations be without coveâ—tousness and be content with such things as ye have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee he that said that to the great Captain of his People Joshua said it to the meanest believing Hebrew I might deduce this more distinctly and shew that the weak Lambs are so far from being excluded that there is a Promise that they shall be carried in his bosom when the stronger shall get leave to walk on foot and because the heavy with young will be put hardly to it he will gently lead them Isai 40.11 These that are sensible of their eminent worthlesness that are but dead things in their own eyes and that think the crumbs that fall from the Childrens Table too much for them they may think to find in God a magnifying of mercy for eminent worthlesness in stooping to them and being gracious and merciful to them yea these that have little or nothing of their own if they be sensible of it and lying at the Fountain for supply they may look for the more of him the less they had of their own the weaker they be his strength shall be the more perfected in weakness the more ignorant they be and as beasts before him they may look to have the wonderful Counseller taking the conduct and guiding of them and as it is 1 Cor. 12.13 These Members of the Body which we think to be less honourable upon them we bestow more abundant honour and our uncomly parts have more abundant comliness so the meanest member providing that it be a member may look for more of him than if they had much in
that would live by Faith he must not say in his heart Who shall ascend into heaven to bring down Christ or an issue from above or who shall descend into the deep to bring up a Christ or an issue from the dead But the word is near thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart The Word of Faith the Word in the Gospel which we preach This Point because there are several things in it of special concernment for us I shall deduce and branch out to you in four Heads 1. That really needy Saints who are put to live by Faith ought to be and will be much conversant with the Word that they may know what is for them and suitable to their case there 2. That as really needy Saints will be much conversant with the Word so they will judge of things according to the Verdict of the Word 3. That to fix them in that Resolution to judge of things according to the Word they must fix this Principle That the Word is of Divine Authority 4. That having fixt this That the Word is of Divine Authority the Believer must send out his Faith to believe and his hope to look for all that he finds in so Divine and sure a Word For the first of these I say That really needy Saints who are put to live by Faith ought to be and will be much conversant in the Word that they may know what is for them there and suitable to their case This is clearly imported in the Text while he saith I hope in thy Word He must know what is in the Word to lean his Faith and Hope upon for except he know he cannot lean his Faith and Confidence on it Hence David a great liver by Faith was much conversant with the Scriptures they were his meditation his meat his delight the men of his counsels his guides as ye may read at length what his esteem of the Scriptures was in that 119 Psalm And this being so it will infer not only that really needy saints should attend upon the Word preached but more especially that they should and will be much at the privat serious reading of meditation on and perusal of the Scriptures a duty that in the first place I would prove to be a duty And 2dly press it on you 1. I say it is needful to prove that it is a duty that the Scriptures be read by all in opposition to that cursed Popish principle that will not allow any laick or privat person without a peculiar licence to read the Scriptures whereby they turn that in a priviledge and confer on some only which God hath imposed as a duty on all yea further so Tyrannical are they in this that though they permit some to read the vulgar Latin or Translations according to it as they have turned it in English where Protestants are lest if they shuld hinder them in the use of that they should read other Translations without their liberty yet in other places as Spain and Italy they are sparing of these Licenses This is a damnable error not only contrair to the way of the ancient Church wherein they glory so much wherin privat persons were so well acquaint with the Word that they would make it the subject of their discourse while they were about their ordinary callings but is clearly repugnant to Scripture and principles deduced therefrom both in the Old and New Testament I shall not insist on controversial things but lay down first some instances from Scripture to which I shall add some Scripture arguments for clearing that Truth For Scripture instances look to the Old Testament it is marked Acts 15.21 That in old time Moses had in every City them that preached him being read in the synagogues every sabbath day and not the Books of Moses only but the Prophets And therefore our Lord in his solemn Sermon Luke 4.17 Read out of the Prophecy of Isaiah that Book being delivered to him Beside publick reading of the Scriptures we find privat reading enjoyned Deut. 17.18 The King was to have a Copy of the Law in a Book out of that which was before the Priests and Levits to be with him and he was to read therein all the days of his life Josh 1.8 The Commander of the people was not to let the book of the Law depart out of his mouth but to meditat therein day and night It was also to be read by mean persons for Deut. 6.6 These words commanded to the Jews they were to teach them diligently to their children to talk of them when they sat in their houses when they did walk by the way when they did ly down and when they rose up and this they could not do in all the ages of their Church unless they read the Books of Moses when Moses was gone We find that Eunuch in returning from Jerusalem in his journey reading the Scripture Act. 8.30 We find Timothy from a child instructed in the Scriptures 2 Tim. 3.15 drinking it in with his milk and in a word Psal 1.2 We find the blest man in those days and in all ages of the Church to be that man who hath his delight in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth meditate day and night If again we turn to the New Testament we find that Christ commands the Jews to search the Scriptures Joh. 5.39 We find the Bereans commended for comparing Christ Apostles Sermons with the Scripture searching the Scriptures whether these things were so Act. 17.11 We find it required That the word of Christ a well in us richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another Col. 3.16 which necessarily requires frequent reading of the Scriptures we find the Apostle supposing the Corinthians read them 2 Cor. 1.13 We wrote none other things to you than that you read and acknowledge and Eph. 3.4 Whereby when ye read ye may understand my knowledge We find him commanding it Col. 4.16 When this Epistle is read amongst you cause also that it be read in the Church of the Laodiceans and that ye likewise read the Epistle from Laodicea 1 Thes 4.27 He charges them by the Lord that that epistle be read unto all the holy brethren and if the Apostle John Rev. 1.3 pronounces them blest who reads the words of that prophesie which is a dark obstruse Book It is not the purpose of the Spirit of God that other plain Scriptures should be shut up from people But 2. Unto these Scripture instances we shall add a few Scripture Arguments as 1. For what end were the Scriptures plainly and legibly written and at first in a known language if not to be made use of and read when the Vision is written and made plain upon Tables Habakkuk tells the end of that is That he may run that readeth it 2. If the Prophets Christ and his Apostles did not spare to preach their Doctrine in the audience of all it cannot be rationally thought but that we may