I spoke of that a man that is wronged can only forgive what concerns his own interest but the person that wrongs God is still lyable to God for his interest thy forgivenness of the wrong done to thee is not a total absolution but for what concerns God the injurious person is still comptable to God 3. If it be inquired on what terms should men forgive I Answer as to the matter of envy malice desire of revenge rancour hatred a man is bound to forgive whatever the temper of him be that does the wrong Mark 11.24 When ye stand praying forgive says Christ if ye have ought against any that your Father which is in Heaven may forgive you intimating that if a man hath done thee an ill turn thou must not because of that do thy self a worse by keeping up a grudge thou must not let rancour obstruct thy access to God in Prayer yea whether he repent or not thou art bound to heap coals of fire upon his head to melt him Rom. 12.20 And therefore Exod. 23.4 5. When our neighbours Ox or Ass is going astray or the Ass of him that hates us is lying under a burden we must bring the one to him and help up the other And Rom. 12.20 If thine enemy hunger thou must feed him if he thirst thou must give him drink and so witness that thou art willing to pardon him all this thou art bound to what-ever be the carriage of him that injures thee but for familiar or intimat converse there is repentance in the injurer required Luk. 17.4 If thy brother trespass against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn again unto thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him 4. If it be inquired How shall this forgivenness be gone about and expressed I answer that here we must beware of Satans wiles there are many that will forgive but not forget ye will find many in forgiving their carriage is like Absaloms to his Brother Amnon 2 Sam. 13.22 He spake not to his brother good nor bad but when he got an opportunity he killed him This is not Christian-forgivenness it 's the practice of many to cover their hatred with lying lips Prov. 10.18 There are many that speak fair unto their neighbour when seven abominations are in theâ—r hearts Pro. 26.25 Many whose carriage is like Joaâ—s to Amasa who came and said Art thou in health my brother And took him by the beard to kiss him but smote him under the fifth rib and slew him 2 Sam. 20.9 10. That 's not Scripture-forgivenness the Scripture presseth forgivenness from the heart Mat. 18.35 So shall my heavenly Father do unto you if ye from your hearts forgive every one his brother And Mat. 5.44 We should love our enemies bless them that curse us do good to them that hate us pray for them that despitefully use and persecute us that 's forgivenness acceptable to God 5. If ye inquire how often and frequently are folk bound to forgive the debts of injuries done to them I can give you no more fuccinct answer than Christ gives Mat. 18.21 Peter saith How often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times Christ answers I say not to thee till seven times but till seventy times seven that is though injuries were never so often repeated that as ye use to speak it would provoke patience it self yet it is the will of our blessed Lord that there be forgivenness 6. If ye ask Shall men then so forgive that there shall no pursuit be of injuries done to them Shall they ly down and take as many wrongs as folks like to do unto them and make no more of it but forgive them I answer no doubt reparations are allowed and required and the Law and Civil Magistrat may be made use of for that end or â—n case the matter be betwixt Magistrats by a Civil War But in so far as concerns us in our privat stations I shall give you a few words for clearing the case And first when a man forgives an injury he is not always obliged to pass the damnage he may forgive the wicked disposition of any oppressor or cheater when he is not bound to forgo the loss he hath sustained partly because by the eighth Command he is bound to look to his own subsistence and so to recover his own for that end partly because the damnage belongs to the Civil Magistrat to see to and right or punish and therefore privat persons cannot forgive these Yet 2. in some cases we are not only bound to forgive the injury but the damnage also That is when a man may subsist without that which the injurer hath taken from him and the injurious person cannot without his own ruine make satisfaction or restitution in that case the Law of Charity though not strict Justice will plead for forgivenness in the matter of damnage And 3. Even when a man is to forgive the injury but not the damnage he is not to make reparation at his own hand he is not to walk out of Gods way to get the damnage repaired when he hath got a wrong he is not to do himself a wrong and God another wrong to right it And 4. In seeking reparation in the matter of damnage we would take heed that we be not scandalous The Apostle taxeth a fault in the Corinthians 1 Cor. 6.1 That they vexed their brethren in going to Law with them especially under Infidels and Heathen Judges There are many cases which may prove scandalous among Professors and this is one when in petty injuries which they should bury they vex one another in Law And 5. When a man goes to Law to seek reparation of a damnage it should not only be the last refuge as a Physitian when he cuts off a leg or an arm for the preservation of the life of the Patient but his seeking reparation must be so managed that it may bear witness to all that he seeks the good of hiâ— Party as well as his own 7 If it be asked How stands all this that hath been spoken of forgivenness with that of the Apostle 2 Tim. 4.14 Alexander the Copper-smith did me much evil the Lord reward him according to his works This if I might insist upon would lead me to speak to these imprecations in Scripture used against men that are not only injurious to others in private wrongs but are enemies and injurious to the work of the Gospel and imprecations vented by godly men led by an extraordinary spirit against them are not a pattern to be imitat by us only ye would know that a mans forgiving of wrongs doth not import that he is to call ill good a knave an honest man or that he is to assoil him at Gods Tribunal what-ever pardon he give the injurer is to answer to God for his interest 8 If ye ask How shall folk win to this sweet condescending humour to forgive injuries
on and not be hasty under delays I shall offer four considerations to perswade you to it And the 1. which relates to what I spoke before of Faith is that ye would remember that delayed success is not denyed success so long as the Word speaks good news That the needy shall not always be forgotten that the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever Psal 9.18 There is no cause why our hearts should envy sinners but that our hearts should be in the fear of the Lord all the day long For surely there is an end and our expectation shall not be cut off Prov. 23.17 So long as the Word speaks thus we are to bless our selves in it that delayed success is not denyed success and that therefore all that God hath promised were it never so long betwixt the promise and the performance will certainly come to pass as is marked in the Book of Joshua 23.14 That of all the good things which the Lord had promised to that people and many a time there seemed to be an utter impossibility of the performance of it not one thing had failed but all did come to pass A man that hath good things laid up for him in the Scripture though he be put to wait for them he needs not make a cheap Market of them they will be found forth-coming to him And Isai 60 22. The Lord will hasten it in his time which is alway the best time the Lord will afford mercy and grace to help not when we will but in the time of need Heb 4. ult He will make out his mercies in the time when they will be found double mercies for their seasonableness Psal 94.18 When I said My foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up And as he will thus in due time make out all that he hath promised so in the mean time he will not deny support to them that wait on him it may be he let temptations such as are common to men ly on But 1 Cor. 10.13 He is faithful and will not suffer them to be tempted above what they are able to bear but will with the temptation make a way to escape that they may be able to bear it It may be when they are crying for a good account of a messenger of Satan sent to buffet them that he remove it not but he will make out that My grace is sufficient for you my strength is made perfect in weakness 2 Cor. 12.9 That then is one Consideration to perswade you to waâ—t on That delayed success is not denyed success 2. This may press and perswade to on-waiting that if we be doing our duty we may very safely trust the love and wisdom of God with the time of doing us good There are three things which I have had occasion sometimes to hint at to you that I shall now resume in reference to this We may and ought to wait 1. Because God never comes out of time look things never so desperat-like to make up all that was looked for men may come out of season but God never comes out of season although it were come to that that there were nothing but dry bones in a Valley he can make these dry bones to live Ezek 37. Although there were no Witnesses left And O but it 's sad to see a decay of a faithful Ministry and few laying it to heart many going off the Stage and few coming in their room though they were killed after three days and an half they shall rise again and ascend up to Heaven in a Cloud and their enemies shall behold them Rev. 11.11 When thou hast said thy strength and thy hope is perished from the Lord it is as easie for him to make all things well as when thou hast all probabilities that things shall be well 2. We may safely remit the proofs of Gods love to himself if we consider he never delays so long but we may be getting good of delays It 's true thou may be ready to tyre fag and weary and look on thy continued trial as a lot thou wilt get no good of and thereupon turn idle or ly down and die but the longest trial if improven shall yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby Heb. 12.11 If we were thrifty we might be getting good of every moments delay 3. We may and ought to wait and submit to the wisdom and love of God and trust him for good under our delays on this account that he never delays so long but he is able to give a satisfactory account of his delays Thou wilt say Why doth he delay so long from comâ—ng to comfort or give an out-gate But he can convince thee with satisfying reasons that his delays were needful When as it is Hab. 2.3 sense says The vision tarries he can make thy faith say Tarry for it because it will surely come and not tarry he can make thy self say he doth not tarry even when thy sense says he doth tarry This for the second Consideration for perswading you to wait on God under delays and not to be hasty 3. A third Consideration to perswade to waiting in opposition to making haste is That they that are sweet to wait would look if they be busie at work and at the work they are called to This is a needful diversion which I would offer to such folk were they busie in making use of long and feeding storms they would make less dinn in waiting for an issue of them but they would be ready to say rather Alas let him tarry never so long he will come ere I be ready for him ere I have reaped the blessed fruit of the dispensations of his providence that I am under And therefore a wearier and a hasty person under delays doth proclaim that he is an idle person not about his work for not only as ye know work is a mean to take away langour but in particular the thrifty improvement of a hard lot would make folk wonder that God should come to them at all 4. To perswade you to wait and that ye would not be hasty if none of the former Considerations will press you to it remember the Soveraignty of God and that ye are his Creatures when thou wearies to wait consider what thou art a bit of nothing a dependent bit of beeing to be made or not made formed or marred at his pleasure if he hath given thee a back why may he not lay on a burden and continue it on so long as pleases him Wherefore serves thy beeing in the world but to be at his disposing and to be what seems good to him This Argument prevailed with Job that was put otherways to it than any of us he was stripped in an instant of all that he had and sitting down on the dust he says Chap. 1.21 Naked came I out of the womb and naked shall I return God gave and God hath taken blessed be the Name
yet he is born up in waiting on God for an out-gate he cannot quite nor give over he cannot go to another door for relief that 's a good evidence that there is ground of hope in such a mans lot For certainly Psal 9.18 the needy shall not always be forgotten the expectation of the poor shall not perish for â—ver And he that never said to the seed of Jacob seek ye me in vain Isai 45.29 he never engages a heart to wait on him in vain Their very waiting on and not giving over is if they could but discern it a sufficient refutation of their temptation to diffidence and despondency But I shall leave this and look on the words another way and these two principal Doctrines are obvious from them to any capacity 1. That waiting on God needs the support of Faith and Hope 2. That Faith or Hope must have the Word of God for its ground The first of these is clear in that he says I wait because I hope The other is clear from that he says in his word do I hope For the first of these That waiting on God needs the support of Faith or Hope Patience and On-waiting will never be gotten well cherisht without Hope or Faith a man that would keep waiting on God would keep Faith and Hope on foot So doth the Psalmist here while he tells that he waits because he hopes And hence it is that in Scripture we find a frequent conjunction of Faith and Patience as Heb. 6.12 The followers of them who through faith and patience have inherited the promises Rev. 13.10 Here is the faith and the patience of the Saints they must go together Rom. 8.25 If we hope for that we see not then do we with patience wait for it It 's hoping for that which is not seen that draws along a patient waiting for it 1 Thess 1.3 True patience is called the patience of hope that patience which is the product of hope And to add no more ye have them conjoyned Heb. 10.35 36. Where in the first place the Apostle says to them Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath a great recompence of reward and then he adds to good purpose Ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye may receive the promise Intimating it is to no purpose to speak of patience if folk cast away their confidence thus ye see how these two Faith and Patitience or Patience and Hope are linked together in Scripture to tell that patient waiting on God hath need of the support of Faith and Hope And if we should follow out this a little more distinctly we will find that the brangling of Faith and Hope cuts Patience short when a mans Faith or Hope fails he gives over waiting on God his Patience is gone as in that wicked King 2 King 6.33 Who when God by the Prophet had promised delivery would not believe it but says This evil is of the Lord what should I wait for the Lord any longer Fraâ— once he cast off confidence he gave over waiting on God And to clear this further see Jer. 2.25 and 18 12. In the one place when the Lord is perswading his people to keep his way they say There is no hope and what follows on that They say We have loved strangers and after them will we go And in the other place when they say There is no hope they add But we will walk after our own devices and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart Thus ye see how on the one hand the brangling of Faith and Hope cuts the throat of patient waiting for God and on the other hand Faith and Hope entertained keeps life in patience to wait still on God Ye know what is said of Hezekiah 2 King 18.5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel so that after him was none like him among all the Kings of Judah nor any that was before him Trust in God made him singular and in nothing doth the singularity of a Christian appear more than in this the drawing forth of his Faith in patient waiting on God in difficulties 1 Sam. 27.1 When David gives over confidence he gives over patience and waiting and goes down to the Land of the Philistines but look upon him again as a Believer holding fast coâ—fidence what says he Psal 27.13 I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living Nothing but Faith kept me from giving over But now as Psal 116.10 I believed therefore have I spoken attaining to believing he dare subjoyn as v. 14. Wait on the Lord and be of good courage and he shall strengthen thy heart wait I say on the Lord. Thus ye have the point generally cleared that patient waiting on God needs the support of Faith and Hope To break it a little smaller and bring it nearer you I shall branch it out in these two 1. That the trials of the people of God may be such as only Faith can see an out-gate And 2. When they are so Faith will see an out-gate and enable a man to wait on God for the out-gate For the first I say The trials of the people of God may be such and so ordered for their greatness sharpness darkness and continuance that an out-gate will be the object of Faith only and not of Sense nor Reason A mans trials may be such that if he will betake him to Sense and carnal Reason to see if there will be an end of the Lord he will give it over if Faith step not in and take him off the hand of both A waiter for God here under difficulties must be a hoper else he will not wait on we are generally called in the whole course of our life to walk by Faith 2 Cor. 5.7 We walk by faith and not by sight but especially in great and eminent trialls and difficulties when they are of a long continuance to prove that we are among the just that live by faith Hab. 2.4 with Heb. 10.38 I might instance this both in the greatness and in the long continuance of trials In the greatness of trials which may be such as Faith only can see an issue 3 Cor. 1.8 In the trouble that came to us in Asia we were pressed out of measure above strength in so much that we dâ—spaired even of life and had the sentence of death in our selves And why That we should not trust in our selves but in God that raiseth the dead We were put to it to imploy Faith in our deadly difficulties else we had been gone So Jonah 2.4 is put to say I am cast out of sight till Faith holding a grip of God bids him look again towards his holy Temple Sâ— Abram Rom. 4.19 hath all probabilities his own dead body and the deadness of Sarahs womb against the thing promised and what gave the issue only this he was not weak in the
of request with him self and others of the Lords people Ye know it is said 2 Cor. 5.7 That here we walk by faith not by sight we must always have to do with the graces of Faith and Hope as long as we live In all the times of our life they will never be useless nor out of fashion and consequently these graces should never be out of esteem with us To deduce the constant need that we have of Faith and Hope and so the constant obligation that lyes upon us to esteem of them I shall branch the point in five particulars 1. Consider that whenever the people of God get any good account of their Faith and Hope in God when they attain to any proofs of his help by Faith and Hope then without all peradventure they are engaged to praise God and will have an high esteem of these graces It 's no small part of God's praise when he hath done his people a good turn to speak it out to the commendation of God as the Psalmist doth Psal 28.7 The Lord is my strength and my shield my heart trusted in him and I am helped And Psal 2. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him And with that Messenger to Mary Blessed is she that believed If all the proofs of kindness that folks get by the exercise of Faith and Hope were well improved it would be no small part of their improvement to cry up to Gods praise these noble graces of Faith and Hope in him 2. Consider that even when the Saints are put to exercise their Faith and Hope in him in trouble more Faith and Hope to believe more and hope more is and will be found an out-gate and delivery in its own kind To love the way of believing and hoping in God better is no small part of an out-gate Thou it may be mistakes the success of thy endeavours thou cryes to God from under thy pressures and thou hopes in God yet thou sees no out-gate but art thou helped to believe and hope on There thou hast an out-gate till more come If thou do not weary to believe if thy Anchor of Hope be not come home but keeps ground And I shall add were thou falling more in love with Faith and Hope thou were more delivered When a man goes to God under his pressures and puts Faith and Hope in exercise and comes away content to believe and hope on till delivery come he gets a double answer of his Prayer and when he goes to God again and comes away with a greater love to Faith and Hope he is yet more delivered though he get not an out-gate It 's like Elijah's Meal in the strength whereof he walked 40 days 1 King 19.8 And that was an out-gate when Christ said to the poor woman Luk 8.50 Fear not only believe and she shall be made whole So when David can say Ps 56.3 What time I am afraid I will trust in thee He is a saved man for all the fears and perplexities that assaulted him that 's all a matter he hath an out-gate So long as he can trust in God he will not fear what flesh can do unto him So ye see there will be a constant need of Faith and Hope to the Saints and a constant obligation lyes on them to esteem of them as a Plank to carry them to the Shore and as an out-gate in themselves Several other things would be touched for the clearing of this which I remit to the Afternoon SERMON XXXII Psalm 130. Vers 7. Let Israel hope in the Lord for c. FRom what is supposed in this Exhortation and from the general scope thereof already ye have heard partly that there will be a good account of all the exercises of the Saints particularly of waiting on God and partly that it is an evidence of blessed exercises and issues when the Saints are publick-minded and communicative of what is betwixt God and them for the edification and good of others I came in the morning to speak to the second Head of Doctrine to be gathered from this Exhortation that is the duty recommended to hope in the Lord. From which without any large repetition I proposed to deduce two Notes The first on which I brake in was That Faith and Hope are Graces that the Saints will constantly need and which therefore they will constantly esteem of or at least should prize highly for all the issues the Psalmist himself or the people of God before or in the present Generation had gotten he will have Faith and Hope in God looked on as constantly necessary I deduced this first in shewing how many proofs of Gods help attained to by Faith and Hope should be an engagement to praise God by highly commending of these Graces And 2. By shewing that in the greatest pressures of Gods people to get grace to believe more is a blessed out-gate I proceed now to deduce the Point further and in the third place this presses the constant necessity of Faith and Hope and our obligation to esteem of them that no issues no deliveries or out-gates warrands us to lay them by as if we had no more need of them It is true as it is 1 Cor. 13. Love is the great Grace because of the longest continuance and Faith and Hope will be laid by in the next life as to the way of exercising them now but that says not that they will ever be unnecessar to us while we are here upon earth David took a wrong measure when Psal 30.6 He said in his prosperity he should never be moved Therefore when God hid his face he was troubled When the most glorious issues to be had here-away are afforded the Believer and hoper in God must make for new storms when he hath gotten a Harbour he must look upon it but as a Creek to take in new refreshment and he must weigh Anchor and make to Sea again and exercise his Faith and Hope 4. If we consider the relation that Faith and Hope have to Duty it will discover the constant need that we have of them and consequently the esteem that we should have of them The Fountain of all acceptable doing of duty is by abiding in Christ by abiding in him we bring forth fruit Joh. 15. and we abide in him by Faith The fountain of all our doing duty is Faith and Hope Therefore saith Paul 1 Tim. 1.10 We both labour and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God Would a man have his heart purged from pollutions It 's faith that purifies the heart Acts 15.9 Would a man go about any duty in Religion he must draw his Furniture out of Christ by Faith To go about duty with discouragement is the way not only to render duty unacceptable but to cut the throat of it Not only a man must make use of Faith for furniture to do duty but when duty is gone about he hath work for Faith to renew his strength to
use to speak ye will find him in another tune Psal 116 10. I believed therefore have I spoken Not only esteeming of faith for his own use but a man that dare commend it to others as Psal 27.14 Wait on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart wait I say on the Lord. All that I shall draw from this Head shal be first to recommend to the people of God who have hard pulls in time to assay this Trade of trusting in God and hoping in him it hath not an enemy but an ignorant one that 's a stranger to it that knows not the worth that is in it the rich advantages that follow it were it more tryed it would have more to commend it therefore let it be more your study and thou that would set about the Trade of believing and hoping in God must not take the report concerning faith and hope from every fit of a temptation thou must lay thy account to meet with many a fiery dart and with many a reproach cast upon thy confidence and to have thy self counted a fool for cleaving to that way but hold at it and the more thou do so thou shalt like it the better not only wilt thou not need any to commend it unto thee but thou wilt commend it to all that will take thy advice and counsel And 2. They that have been essaying faith and hope and have gotten good of it they would be afraid in any after-assault they may be put to to bring up an ill report upon the way of faith and hope thou may let these that never got good of it suspect it but thou that hast been helped to believe and wait on God and hast seen an end of the Lord and found the good of believing that can with the Psalmist Psal 28.7 say My heart trusted in him and I am helped How guilty must thou be if thy faith and hope be to seek in a new strait If after thou hast found the good of believing thou be put out concerning it in a new trial when that Song is cast up Psal 107.1 O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever who-ever let that Note ly by the second Verse tells thee Let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy Who ever have a slender opinion of faith and hope it ill becomes thee to have it who has tryed it and has found the good of it or to be to seek in esteeming of it in a new trial But now I proceed to the 4th thing I proposed to be spoken to from this Exhortation that is the consideration of the persons who they are to whom this hope in God is recommended Let Israel hope in the Lord saith he Hope in God is not an Anchor that will be budded on every one It 's true none are secluded from coming to seek a right to hope in the right method and due order but there is an hope of the hypocrite that will perish that will be like the giving up of the Ghost and that hope is only for fair weather and for little to do but this hope of the Saints is the peculiar allowance of the Saints at all times Now for what is mean'd by Israel here I shall not deny but in the first place we are to understand that Nation of Israel a peculiar people to God who in various Ages while they continued a Church and Nation were meeting with work for their hope and with many rich advantages and proofs of the good of hoping in God and in the latter days when as it is Rom. 11.26 All Israel shall be saved they shall find this made out to them that they may hope in God But it is not to be restricted to them only since their off casting there is an Israel come in their place as the Apostle tells us Rom. 9.6 That they are not all Israel which are of Israel all that Nation were not true Israelits in Gods account So Phil. 3.3 There is a circumcision even among the Gentiles who do worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Jesus Christ and have no confidence in the flesh And Gal. 6.16 he tells There is an Israel of God Gods peculiar people of whatsoever Nation upon whom walking according to the Rule of the new Creature given them there shall be peace and mercy Again we may consider Israel either Collectively or Distributively Consider Israel Collectively for the Church of God correspondent to the ancient Nation of Israel Then by Israel we are to understand the invisible Church the society of Gods converted Elect through the World yet not excluding particular visible Churches who partake of the priviledges of the true Israel of God according to their purity and the number of true Israelites that are among them Again Israel taken Distributively takes in every Child of God who in his own place according to the tenor of the promises made to Israel hath no less ground to hope in God than Israel taken Collectively hath In the prosecution of this Head three things occurr to be spoken to 1. That Israel is a Society that is allowed to hope in God 2. That this hope is the common allowance of all and every one that is indeed an Israelite as well as of the Body of Israel in general And 3. That it concerns every one that would claim to hope in God in all exigencies to make it sure that they are true Israelites indeed and may put their names in those passages and promises wherein Israels priviledges are contained For the first Israel are a people that however matters go have ground to hope in God however things fare in the world or whatever may be said of the desperat case of others Israel is a Society that may still hope in God Hence when Ezra Chap. 9 is laid by with mourning for that generation that had mingled with the abominable Heathen a godly man Chap. 10.2 comes and tells him It 's true we are guilty yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing Had such a thing fallen forth among others it had been a presage of dreadful news but in Israel there is hope of pardon hope of redress hope of making up this breach in Israel things otherwise desperate are not hopeless Jer. 31.15 17. Though in Israel there be a Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because they are not She looks upon it as needless to offer to comfort her when her Children are gone yet even when they are not and she thinks that rationally she refused to be comforted Verse 17. There is hope in thy end saith the Lord that thy children shall come again to their own border It 's Israels priviledge that she can say that none else can say It 's Israels Song Psal 129. Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up may Israel now say She might
Particularly I have laid Jacob the first Israelites prayer before you that ye may learn to write after his copy that ye may feed on it and bring the first fruits from Heaven by intercourse with God in Prayer rightly regulated and ordered God bless his Word to you for this end SERMON XXXV Psalm 130. Verse 7. Let Israel hope in the Lord for c. THE Psalmist as ye have heard when he sees through his own wrestling he cannot will not be but publick-minded to the Lord 's Israel and if he hath gotten any good in wrestling with God under difficulties guilt and delays of comfort or issue the very good he hath gotten enlargeth his heart and makes him publick-minded towards others and what ever be the hight of his own enlargement he doth not forget that Faith and Hope will be still necessary neither doth he forget that there is a constant warrand for Faith and Hope in God and that they are of so universal and constant use and what-ever others may think of that exercise or whatever it might be he himself thought of it when he was in the midst of the trial yet he now in his practice makes it out that these who try Faith and Hope most will esteem them most and will be most confident in recommending them to all others of the Lords people That which now I am upon is the consideration of the persons to whom hope in God is recommended it is to Israel whether we take them Collectively or Distributively one by one ye have heard that hope in God is the common allowance of all the people of God Not only is Israel a society that may still hope however matters go or what-ever their case be but hope in God according to the nature and tenor of the promises is the common allowance of all and every one of them and in pursuance of this I broke in upon that great point and our duty that seing however hope be the coÌ„mon allowance of all every one of Israel yet it is their allowance only who are Israelites indeed Therefore these that would claim to that allowance of hope in God they would make it sure that they are Israelites indeed that though they be not all Israel that are of Israel yet that they are Israelites in the spirit though not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God And forbearing to speak abstractly of the marks of regeneration I offered two things to be spoken to for clearing up who they are who are Israelites indeed and may claim to this allowance One is the occasion of Jacob's getting this name of Israel when he was with God in Prayer to which I have spoken and led you through some Characters of Israelites indeed who have ground of hope in God which I gathered from his Prayers Now I am to touch a little upon that other thing I proposed to be spoken unto to find out these Israelites to whom hope in God belongs and that is the Character given to them by way of Explication who they are Psal 73.1 Truly God is good to Israel and who are there Even such as are of a clean heart I shall not offer to make any common place of this but in reference to my scope in following forth this point as ye heard the last day that the Israelite indeed is a praying man so ye would take a look here of an Israelite indeed First as a self-purifying man one that purifies his heart An Israelite indeed his great work is about his heart he is one that desires to look as God doth 1 Sam. 16.7 Man looketh on the outward appearance but God looketh on the heart and so doth the Israelite indeed he desires to have that Character Rom. 2.28 Not to be a Jew outwardly or to have that circumcision or baptism which is outward in the flesh but to be a Jew or Christian inwardly and to have that circumcision and baptism of the heart to be one in the spirit and not in the letter to be one whose praise is not of men but of God An Israelite indeed is one whose great study is to keep the heart with all diligence as Solomon enjoyns Prov. 4.33 for out of it are the issues of life 2. A true Israelite in looking after his heart is a man that finds very much pollution there and that needs to be cleansed and purged He is a man that the further he goes in searching after himself he finds still the greater and the greater abominations He is a man that though he bless God as he hath reason that he is kept from outward out-breakings yet when he looks within himself he never wants that which makes him humble and to carry a low Sail so long as he finds his heart a Cage of unclean Birds He is a man in whose ears doth sound aloud that word which ye have Jer. 4.14 O Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee He is one that abomâ—nats and is sensible of the manifold pollutions of his heart not only upon the account of the many and gross evils that he finds there of the suspitions of hypocrisie and formality in the performance of duties that he is afraid he please himself with or on this account that his heart should be Gods Throne and kept at the Brides Chamber for the Beloved and he finds it no such thing but further upon this account and consideration that he finds his heart can act more wickedness in a short time than many bodies could commit for a long time 3. The sense that the Israelite indeed hath of his heart-pollutions appears in his endeavours to be cleansed from them that he may have his heart washed from wickedness He is a man that will not pay God with a sighing and going backward he is not satisfied that his pollutions he knows them and his uncleannesses are with him No no he must be further benn nothing but bosomewashing heart-cleansing will satisfy and he must be set seriously on work to that and whereas other folk take their Faith their Hope and Confidence to play them with all the stock that he hath of Faith Hope and Confidence or that he can win to he puts it out to help to purge his heart according to that word Act. 19.5 Purifying their hearts by faith It not only imports that the Israelite indeed finds that there is no way of purging he heart but by Faith in Christ But further if he get any Faith he sets it on work to purifie his heart And 1 Joh. 3.3 He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure If he get any hope of being made like Christ his sense of the pollution of his heart is such that it sets him on work to purify the heart 4. This endeavour of a true Israelite will not be altogether in vain and without success but he may win
through grace to be of a clean heart as the Psalmist suppones although he win not to perfection yet he may win to that commended in Nathanael Joh. 1.7 Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile Do not understand it that there is any Israelite that hath not the seeds of hypocrisie and guile But he is an Israelite indeed that hath not approved of predomining or reigning guile and hypocrisie and that may be win at which I speak for their encouragment who are true Israelites And 5. This sense of inward pollution and endeavour to purify the heart through the exercise of Faith in Christ it will appear in the outward conversation if a man be an Israelite indeed in whom there is no approven guile that must accompany him which ye have Gal. 6.16 He must be a man that walks according to the Rule of the new Creature Now these are some brief hints which I have given you of the Characters of an Israelite indeed but when I have minted thus to decipher him I have not done with this point it 's a concerning point indeed to make it sure that ye are true Israelites who may lay claim to hope in God And therefore I would press it a little further in the doing of which if I should offer to you motives from what I said before of Israels having still ground of hope in God I should run in a round and come back upon that which ye have heard and therefore to press it another way I shall press you to consider what is said of the Israel of God which may help to stir you up to make it sure that ye are of that number that have ground of hope in God I find in that fore-cited place Gal. 6.16 Mercy and peace to be to their allowance peace be on them and mercy and upon all the Israel of God mercy for their miseries and peace for their disquiets and vexations And I find it said Psal 73.1 That truly God is good to Israels It is beyond all peradventure that he is good to them which goodness is a solid ground of hope in all exigencies that it shall be well with Israel And to press this motive if the Lord may please to bless it for your quickening and up-stirring to make it sure ye are of that number and so have good ground to hope in God I shall deduce this goodness of God to Israel in three or four steps only And 1. In the general consider that the goodness of God to his people is unquestionably so great and so satisfying that were it well known it could not but rationally invite all to share in it by becoming true Israelites I may say of Gods goodness to Israel as Christ said to that woman of Samaria Joh. 4.10 If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith to thee Give me to drink thou wouldst have asked of him and he would have given thee living water If folk knew this goodness they would need no other motive to excite them to be Israelites that they might share in it That is remarkable which we find of it Jer. 31.12 They shall come and sing in the hight of Zion and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord for wheat and wine and for oyl and for the young of the flock and of the herd and their soul shall be as a watered garden and they shall not sorrow any more at all What a refreshful satisfying thing must the goodness of God be that hath such effects And vers 14. I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness saith the Lord. It 's beyond all peradventure that the goodness of God to his Israel is so satisfying and satiating that it hath not a slighter but he that is ignorant of it were it known mens reason would tell them that they were irrational if they should not seek to share in it But 2. For your exciting to enquire after it in general ye would consider that it is a goodness whereof little account can be given but by experience there is no describing of it but by feeling of it David when he is overcome with it Psal 34.8 says O taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man that trusts in him A man must experimentally taste of before he can see this goodness of God as it is And we find 1 Pet. 2.23 the Apostle lays a great stress on this that no man as a new born babe can desire the sincere milk of the word that he may grow thereby but he that hath tasted that the Lord is gracious If one should enquire what is all this goodness of God that should invite me to make it sure that I am an Israelite that I may share in it There is no answer comparable to this Taste and see that the Lord is good Speak of it to a stranger to it in experience he cannot take it up Prov. 14.10 The heart knoweth its own bitterness and a stranger doth not intermedle with his joy The world knows not what is betwixt God and his people either in their ups or downs And if it be thought that these who have tasted of this goodness can give an account of it ye will find them profess that the hight of the account they can give of it is to sit down and wonder at it to admire it as being surcharged and overcome with it What saith David of it Psal 36.7 8. How excellent is thy loving kindness O Lord therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy plâ—asure And Psal 31.19 O how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee c. He wonders at it as being overcome with it but he cannot well make language of that which he feels of Gods goodness to Israel so that experience is the only sit mean to bring folk to know and take up how good God is But yet 3. The Scripture is not wanting to give such hints of it as we are capable of and such as may tell us that it is a matchless goodness I shall not offer to enter upon this deep to speak of all the goodness and kindness of God to Israel from Election to Conversion from Conversion to Glorification To essay to find out or fathom this Ocean were to lose our selves in this Subject There are three general words which if we would ponder might give some hints of this matchless goodness of God to his people As 1. That in an appropriated and peculiar sense it is said That God is good to Israel Is he good to none else Yes Psal 145.9 The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works Psal 104.24 The earth is full of his riches Psal 33 5. The
merciful bowels to deal about them according to their ability and as there is cause and a cruel unmerciful disposition is a shrewd token that such an one has not obtained mercy But more of this afterward 5. And Lastly The Objects of this Mercy are described to be tender walkers according to the Rule and Pattern set before them Gal. 6.16 As many as walk according to this rule peace be on them and mercy Their tender walk puts them not without Mercies mister The more tender they are in their walk they see the more need of mercy and this keeps them under the drop of mercy So much for the Object of this Mercy that is with God and for the characters of them to whom it is exprest which would be looked to by all of you who would be partakers of it I proceed now in the 3d place to speak to the properties of this Mercy which will help to unfold the nature of it a little more distinctly and among all the Properties that might be assigned to it a little briefly to these five 1. This would be fixed that the mercy of God is a real mercy Ye will get fair weather and complemental mercy enough in the World mercy professed where it is not and where it kythes not in any effect ye will get mercy enough like that Jam. 2.15 When a brother or sister is naked or destitute of daily food men that will say to them depart in peace be ye warmed and filled but they give them nothing needful for the body The whole world as one says are like Histrionicks counterfeit masked persons and in nothing more than in their pretences and professions of mercy but the mercy of God is a real mercy a mercy that folk may lippen to if ye enquire for it in the inward affection what can be required but it is adduced to express it Isai 23.15 It is exprest by sounding of the bowels Jer. 31.20 By bowels being troubled or moved Hos 11.8 By the turning of the heart within and repentings kindled together All these expressions are to point out how cordial and real the Lord is as to the inward affection of mercy and for the Effects of it men want rather eyes to discern them than the mercies themselves Even his own people are straitned in their own bowels how to keep the proofs of mercy when his heart is enlarged to bestow them and yet they never want a proof of his mercy while they have a room in the Hospital of his Heart and Faith to believe that they are in the Hospital of his Compassion that is an evident proof how real his mercy is 2. As his mercy is real so the Scripture tells it is that wherein he delights Mic. 7.18 He retains not his anger for ever Why Because he delights in mercy No but he delights in himself and in all his Attributes and in the manifestation of them in the World but in a peculiar manner in his mercy upon divers accounts He may be said to delight in it partly on the account of the frequency of his merciful dispensations and manifestations in acts of mercy For works of Judgment towards his people are his Work his strange Work and his Act his strange Act. Isai 28.21 But the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord Psal 35.5 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to such as keep his covenant c. Psal 25.10 Again he delights in mercy because there is nothing flows from him but that which may invite not hinder sinners from coming to him being objects of his mercy It is true he willeth the death of sinners for sin to glorifie his Justice Yet Ezek. 18.23 He hath no pleasure at all in the death of him that dieth but rather that he should return from his ways and live Nothing flows from him to seclude any from his mercy that will not seclude themselves even when he strikes it is to drive to his mercy when he afflicts the language is Turn you and live why will ye die O house of Israel Again he delights in mercy because all the good he doth to his people he doth it not grudgingly Many a good turn among men is as ye speak spilt in the doing But the good that he does to his people he does it with his whole heart and soul Jer. 32.41 He acts mercy toward his people to speak so as one in his own Element and as going about a work that is kindly to him if I may so word it And lastly he delights in mercy because to speak after the manner of men he hath no pleasure that his people should ever raise any cloud betwixt his mercy and them the people of God cannot do themselves a greater wrong nor him a greater unkindness if ye understand it aright than by their provocations to incapacitat him to manifest his mercy towards them But mistake not this for he hath a Soveraignty in his grace even when they in a manner necessitat him to keep up the acts of his mercy and to afflict them hence when they go onfrowardly in the way of their own heart his tender mercy will make a stepping-stone of impediments that are put in its way Isai 57.17 Because he delights in mercy he will come over all these impediments to do them a good turn freely And that is a 3d property of this mercy it is a free mercy it is a mercy bestowed without money and without price But this as I told you the last day is comprehended under the notion of Grace that is imported in the Goodness of God in that it is freely given And therefore Exod. 33.19 cited Rom. 9.15 He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy compassion c. And it 's not in him that wills nor in him that runs but in God that shews mercy There is no place for disputing here Why he will have mercy on such and such and not on others it is an act of his royal prerogative in grace that none can hinder for who can hinder him to do with his own what he will A 4th Property of this mercy with God is That it is an eternal mercy I do not mean that any creature that gets not an Interest in the mercy of God in this life may look to be partaker of it after this life that was the Opinion of Origen that Devils and damned men and women should at length share in the mercy of God Either thou must grip mercy here or thou hast done with it eternally But to them that close with mercy here it is an everlasting mercy Hence is that over-word of the 136. Psalm His mercy endureth for ever and Psal 103.17 His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him from election to their eternal glorification so David finds that his tender mercies and loving kindnesses have been for ever of old And the Church Lam. 3.23 finds It is of the
Why hast thou smitten us and there is no healing for us we looked for peace and there is no good and for the time of healing and behold trouble yea all their endeavours to extricate themselves out of Trouble may be frustrate Jer. 8.18 When I would comfort my self against sorrow my heart is faint in me and Job 9.27 28. If I say I will forget my complaint I will leave off my heaviness and comfort my self I am afraid of all my sorrows But 3ly This Metaphor of a Deep or Depths Imports not only that which is dark and hard to get out of but that which appears ruining put a man into a deep Pit if he get none to help him out of it he must Starve and Ruine as Ebedmelech said to the King they have put Jeremiah in the Dungeon and he will die for hunger in the place where he is Jer. 38.9 Put a man in a Pit where there is deep Water he will drown if he be not taken out So the People of God their Trouble may be such as not only all ground of hope of Out-gate may be taken away but all hope of Issue may be accompanied with apparent present Ruine David is put to a humbling posture when he is put to that Psal 69.15 Let not the water floud overflow me neither let the deep swallow me up and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me But 4ly The Metaphor of Depths in the Plural number imports a plurality of them a multitude of these depths dark hard hopeless ruining pressures trysting all together on a Child of God that his sad lot may be like that of the Church Lam. 2.22 Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about There is a Convocation of them one trouble seldom comes it alone upon the People of God as one Wave uses not to come its alone to beat upon the Shore but Tryal upon Tryal Wave upon Wave one Depth calling upon another Depth till their Tryal be perfected More particularly the plurality of these Depths may be taken up in these steps 1. Their outward Trouble may be attended with other visible disadvantages for when a man is under trouble then ordinarly he is in contempt Job 12.5 He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised as a dying out snuff in the thought of him that is at ease Hence Heb. 12.2 It is said Christ endured the cross despising the shame The Cross and Shame the Cross and Ignominy go hand in hand It is not enough to be in Affliction but thou must be content to be reproached and counted a fool yea not only doth outward trouble and contempt go ordinarly together but outward affliction and slighting from nearest relations which is a load above a burden Psal 31.11 My lovers and friends stood aloof from my sore and my kinsmen stood afar off Psal 88.8 and 18. Lover and friend hast thou put far from me and my acquaintance into darkness 2ly It comes to the Depths with the people of God upon this account That great outward trouble readily wâ—akens the Conscience of Guilt as we see of Joseph's Brethren when they were put into prison Gen. 42.41 They said one to another we are verily guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us and we would not hear Therefore is this distress come upon us Yea outward trouble and Conscience of guilt under it wakened may break the peace of the mind and that adds to these depths The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can bear That is deep upon deep trouble and guilt trouble and broken mind turns to be the greatest burden And 3ly It may come to Depths with the people of God on this account that when once the mind is broken there is no need of many real Crosses The imagination can no sooner hatch an apprehension but the broken Minde will make it a Cross and then so many apprehensions so many depths are created And thus ye have some sort of account of the Importance of this Metaphor a Depth or Depths I proceed to the second thing being to name a few Considerations for clearing how it comes to be thus with the people of God That they are brought into these Depths I shall name but a few having been long in breaking in upon this purpose which will save me a labour afterward And 1. Take this Consideration in general The folly of the people of God puts them to this posture That is one Psal 38.3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin And v. 5. My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness Whatsoever there may be of a Tryal of Faith in their Trouble Sin is the door at which their troubles particularly their overwhelming Troubles enter in But 2ly Because the people of God may sometime through Mercy be keeped from gross out-breakings therefore consider that even the ordinary and habitual Faults of the people of God will provoke him to put them in these Depths I shall instance but in these two Faults 1. The ordinary Fault of negligence in doing Duty I do not say of neglecting Duty custom and Conscience may keep them at Duty but ordinary negligence in doing Duty hath need of a rousing Douk in a Depth to set them to their feet If the Psalmist cryed out of the Depths and the poor speaks Supplications as he doth v. 2. It intimats there is little crying little humiliation in ordinary diligence therefore he sends to the Depths to put an edge upon folks diligence and to teach them to say their Prayers in earnest A 2d Fault in ordinar is the neglect of ordinar needy dependence upon God in all things the neglect of going through the Wilderness leaning on the beloved a small fault as ye would think but sad in a Christian life to live in this neglect Hence the Apostle 2 Cor. 1.8 9. Saith We were pressed out of measure above strength insomuch that we despaired even of life we had the sentence of death in our selves And for what end To learn us dependence that we should not trust in our selves but in God who raiseth the dead And 3. Whereas it might be thought that such faults as these and grosser are passed in many others I shall add that the Lords near relation with his People will not let them win away with their faults win away who will Amos 3.2 You only have I known of all the Families of the earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities Or as it is in the Original I will visit upon you your sins His people will not want the Rod when their faults call for it want who will 4. Consider there is this to be looked upon as a cause of his putting his people in the Depths to wit his purposes of love to
of the Saints when they are right that be Prayer hopeless or not hopeless they will not quite it they will not give it over put them in the Depths It 's a great encouragement to them that they know it is to good purpose to Pray but be it to purpose or no purpose they must be about it they will not quite it that place cited in Jonah proves it let God cast him out of his sight yet will he look to his holy Temple and Pray shut him out at the Door he will be in at the Door by Prayer Tell him his difficulty is so great as Temptation will be ready to say that crying to God will do him no good it 's all a matter to Prayer he must he 'll rather sink Praying than be saved without it Psal 61.2 From the ends of the earth will I cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed That 's a notable word from a man in a deep Distress What could a man imagine to be discouraging that he wanted for his Case he is as far from God as the ends of the earth for his Heart he is under Perplexity his Heart is overwhelmed and yet in that condition he will cry unto God if so be he will lead him to the Rock that is higher than he come of it what will he will Pray And Heman is another notable instance Psal 88.13 and vers 14. he says Lord why castest thou off my soul why hidest thou thy face from me and vers 15. I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted I am put out of my Wits my Wit gets a rack with thy terrors and yet vers 13. Vnto thee have I cryed O Lord. No hopelesness of my undertaking no hardship I meet with could put me from crying to thee and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee I will continue Praying and to speak after the manner of men Thou shalt be soon up but my Prayer shall be at thy Door to prevent thee That then is the 4th thing imported here not to be put from Prayer were our Case never so desperate nay not by the apprehension of drowning in the Depths though at the next Bout we should sink to the bottom But 5ly That he says Out of the depths have I cryed unto thee it imports that not only a Saint will not be put from Prayer through the greatness of his Distress but his Distress will put an edge upon Prayer when he is most fervent and made to cry out when he is in the Depths And this word Crying expressing Prayer in the Text suffer me to Explicate more particularly what it imports I intend not to Speak of it as it is generally used in Scripture but as it expresseth Prayer And I shall here offer four or five Things to be looked to by them that would continue Praying in the Depths or out of the Depths 1. It imports a Mans being Affected with that which is his Case The crying Man knows what ails him when a Man Scricks or Cryes out it is an evidence that he feels somewhat that Affects him much Thus Crying is used upon the account of Grief Ezek. 5.4 The marked Persons are such as sigh and cry for all the abominations done in the midst of the city They cry out of sad oppression from Grief And I find Crying in Prayer made us of to signifie the fears of the Supplicant Heb. 5.7 Our blessed Lord is said to offer up prayers and supplica-with strong crying and tears and he was heard in that he feared Grief and fear importing the sense of our Case the source and fountain of our Cryes a stupid Man that wots not how it 's with himself or the people of God who is like Pharaoh that knew not that Egypt was destroyed will not be a crying Man 2. This Crying imports not only a sense of ones Case but an earnest affection after that which our cryes are employed about it 's not for Triffles that a Man cryes either to obtain or avoid them at least they are not Triffles in his opinion it 's given as an estimation of Wisdom Prov. 2.3 when a man cryes and lifts up his voice for it And David cryes about that which he is affected with Ps 84.2 my soul longeth yea euen fainteth for the courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God It 's a token of raised Affections either to be rid of some imminent ill or hazard or to attain some excellent good that puts folk to Crying A slighting of Trouble when a Man is like Ephraim Hos 7 9. gray hairs are here and there upon him and he knows it not and a slighting of desyrable Mercies will not produce Crying for the one or to avoid the other But 3ly This Crying imports with sense of need and earnestness of Affection to be at the thing cryed for a sense of a distance Wee use to cry to folk that are far off and not within ordinar speaking or rounding and this follows well upon the former When folks are put to Pray from the Depths they will discern God at a distance from them and themselves at a distance from God it is another thing when a man is in the Depths to be within speaking terms with God as when he is at ease The children of God while they are at ease are like Sampson who thinks he hath no more ado but go out and shake himself and have God at his command but the Man in the depths will not find such an easie matter to come near God He will not only be sensible of his natural distance but of that distance he is under upon the account of his Provocations and so this Crying will take in sense of Guilt to be confessed and mourned for before God But this I shall leave because it will fall in upon the third and fourth Verses following A 4th Thing imported in this Crying is That notwithstanding of all that hath been said a Saint should cry out of the Depths with Confidence in God and of Relief from him hence the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 Gal. 4.6 It doth not prompt a Man to muter or peep or whisper his Prayer to God but to cry out with Confidence Abba Father And whatever sense we have of our need or of our distance from God or of the Guilt hath drawn it on Confidence is needfull to usher in Prayer Heb. 4.16 Having such an high priest let us come boldy The word in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies let us come with an all-saying with an open mouth unto the Throne of Grace with Confidence that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need 5ly and lastly This Crying out of the depths it imports as the result of all that I have been speaking to from it a fervency of Affection when folks are not only sensible of that they need have an
makes him say Isai 1.13 Bring no more vain oblations incense is an abomination unto me the new Moons and Sabbaths the calling of assemblies I cannot away with it is iniquity even the solemn meeting And lastly consider God in his Power and Justice that if he put forth his Dominion to call thee to account thou being considered in thy self what will the issue be but that Heb. 10.31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God where there is not a Cautioner to interpose betwixt Justice and thee consider God thus if thou would be sensible of the desert of sin 2. When thou hast taken a right look of God thy Party in his Supream Dominion Omniscience Holiness Purity Power and Justice cast up the Sum of thy Debt which thou art owing to this Party and thou wilt be like that man Mat. 18.24 that was owing ten thousand Talents Consider the Law in its spiritual sense and meaning and thou wilt find that Paul found himself guilty upon the account of his concupiscence before it came to the consent of the will and so art thou Consider that the Law condemns evil thoughts unripe and indeliberat motions and how many of these art thou guilty of Again consider the Gospel what a Mass of Duties it commands or recommends upon the account of Gospel-encouragements and what a vast count or reckoning wilt thou find over thine head Sins of commission and sins of omission sins in the seed and root and sins in the fruit against the Law against the Gospel in thy particular station and in thy general Calling O! what a dreadful count will there be if a man cast up the rate of his duty and in how many things he hath offended There will be such a Count that as Job says Chap. 9.3 That if God contend with him he cannot answer one of a thousand There is not one of a thousand challenges that a righteous man can put off but he must say as David Psal 40.12 Innumerable evils compass me mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I cannot look up they are moe than the hairs of my head But 3ly When thou hast considered thy Party and the Debt which may be charged upon thee and the number of thy sins take another look of the nature of them and their aggravations from the times wherein thou hast sinned as if they have been times of light and it may be also thou hast been sinning with Zimri and Cozbi when the Congregation was weeping Num 25. When sad affliction hath been lying upon the people of God it may be thy sin hath been against as clear light as Absalom's sin was when he committed incest with his fathers concubines upon the top of his fathers house 2 Sam. 16.22 It may be when thou was under punishment and judgment for former sins to deterr thee from future It may be it was when thou was surrounded with mercies when God was drawing thee with cords of love with the bonds of a man and was to thee as they that take off the yoke from thy jaws and laid meat unto thee Hos 11.4 It may be thou hast been a person much obliged to God who hast often been refreshed with pardoning mercy he hath spoken peace to thee upon condition thou would not return to folly and yet thou hast returned to it It may be thou art one whose example hath had influence to harden many others in sin c. I cannot enumerat the aggravations of sin that Professors of the Gospel have been or are lying under but when the Account is casten it will not be found an Account of Cyphers or insignificant petty Nothings but an Account of iniquities and transgressions very hainous and dreadful all circumstances being considered I shall in the 4th place when you have considered your Party the Sum of your Debt the number of your sins in their nature and aggravating circumstances exhort you to ponder how just God is The truth of his threatnings against sin and the curse Think on that place Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them and it were to good purpose that these Chapters Deut. 28. and Lev. 16. were more frequently read and thought upon It were to good purpose that we heard Moses from Mount Sinai thundering oftner not to drive us from Christ but to him It 's a woful trick in our hearts that leads us to look over threatnings with a light eye We would consider that the threatnings will be accomplished as well as the promises and the least farthing of the sinners debt will be exacted off the sinner or off his Cautioner Thou must either do or get one to do for thee and when thou reads the threatnings think on the posture wherein thou stands And 5ly That ye may sensibly say over this assertion If thou Lord mark iniquity who shall stand I recommend to you to consider the sufferings of our blessed Lord. Consider if such things were done to the green tree what will be done to the dry And there a man that hath any sense of sin will read the dreadful desert of sin when he considers that wrath for sin made him cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And how his Holy Nature abhorred that Cup and put him to pray that it might pass from him and how it made him in his agony sweat drops like blood when thou judges of the desert of sin by that thou wilt stand then and more sensibly think that thou wilt not be able to stand before God marking iniquity for if such things were done to the green tree when his Holy Humane Nature suffered so much being supported by his Divine Nature what will be done to thee who art a dry Tree out of him If God would speak home these things to your hearts ye would Subscribe to that Verdict Solomon hath Prov. 14.9 that they are fools that make a mock at sin nay that they are distracted that are lying under the guilt of sin and can take rest in themselves till they see if a remedy can be had till they come to that which follows in the Text But there is forgivenness with thee that thou mayest be feared There are some particular inferences that I intended to have spoken to from this point but the time being past I quite them Only remember that which I have been upon what hath been spoken to you of the dreadful desert of sin a Doctrine that is very necessary but little laid to heart by many of you Ye have got the Gospel-knack among you and have learned to talk of sin and of making Christ a refuge against it But I dare not account all Gold that glisters nor look upon all them as real Converts that can talk in a Gospel-Dialect in Irwine I would drive none of you from Christ if any of you find your need of a Saviour
an hundred times and his days be prolonged yet surely I knovv that it shall be well with them that fear God How will ye prove that because he fears before him but it shall not be vvell with the wicked neither shall he prolong his days which are as a shaddow because he feareth not before God No approbation lyes in the bosom of forbearance Another Scripture that gives a dreadful refutation to them that take forbearance for pardon is that Psal 50.21 These things thou hast done and I kept silence thou thought that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Now consider this all ye that forget God lest I tear you in peices and there be none to deliver There is a refutation of all the wicked mans dreams anent God and his forbearance And if ye would have a third Scripture take the forecited place Rom. 2.4 5. Thou despisest the riches of his goodness forbearance and long suffering not knowing that it leadeth thee to Repentance but after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up to thy self wrath against the day of wrath Thou may treasure up other things as thou will for thy advantage but thou shalt find thou treasurest up wrath to thy ruine thou may think because thou prospers in Sin God approves of thee as the saying is prosperum faelix scelus virtus vocatur Wickedness is called a virtue because it thrives yet remember that forbearance is no Pardon 4. In taking up the nature of pardon negatively Consider That God's pardoning of particular Sinners whereby he restores them in favour is not to be confounded with National Pardons which God gives to Nations This pardon is many times spoken of in Scripture though by analogy we may draw them to a particular pardon So the scope of that place Num. 14.19 runs another way than to particular Persons and respects a National Pardon Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people sayes Moses according to the greatness of thy mercy as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even untill now I have pardoned according to thy word sayes the Lord but truly as I live all the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. I have pardoned but yet I will punish and vindicat mine honour So that passage Psal 78.38 But he being full of compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not when they deserved That was a pardon of the Nation or a National Pardon Now a National Pardon amounts only to this when the Lord forbears to root out a Nation as the Lord threaten â—o Moses that he would root out Israel in that forecited place Num. 14.12 That he would Dis-inherit them and make of him a greater Nation and a Mightier than they when he keeps them in their own Land as he did Israel and does not root them out or when he continues with them the priviledge of a Church though he plague them and weed out a godless generation from among them as he did out of Israel that in the space of 38 years time there was not a man of them left that were 20 years old and upwards when they came out of Egypt save Caleh and Joshua So the Lord may pardon a Nation and yet punish them he may by his Judgments weed out the generality of a Generation and send them to the Pit which may consist with a National pardon when he doth not cut off the Nation or suffers them to enjoy the priviledges of a Church But the pardon of a particular Sinner is when he sits down at God's Footstool and Judges himself and closes with Christ for righteousness and that 's another thing And 5. In taking up the nature of pardon Negatively We must beware of confounding the pardon of Sin with the removal of Sin the prosecution whereof would lead me to speak Positively wherein pardon of Sin consists to the guilt and pollution of Sin and the different acts of God about both but because that will give the rise to other Questions I shall remit it to another occasion only here ye shall distinguish these three The filth of Sin the power of Sin and the guilt of Sin The filth of Sin is the foul stain that Sin leaves behind it The guilt of Sin is the Offence done to God and the Obligation to punishment resulting thereupon the power of Sin is the Tyrrany that Sin exercises over the Sinner Now when I say we are not to confound the pardon of Sin with the removal of Sin ye would understand it aright I grant that God strikes at the guilt of Sin and the power of Sin both at once which is this in plain languege that a pardoned sin must not be a reigning sin where the vertue of the blood is applyed for pardon the power of the blood will also be applyed for the subjugating of sin and putting it from the Throne and therefore in the by ye may take it as a noble evidence of pardon when sin is subdued or if it be not subdued yet ye are engadged against your own sinful disposition that it prevails not with your consent but for the filthiness of sin though it be stricken at as soon as any of the former Regeneration layes the Ax to the Root of that Tree yet it remains in the Saints till death make the separation Paul Rom. 7. Hath a Law in his members rebelling against the Law in his his mind till Death but the pardon of sin is attainable before death and given in Justification and afterward upon the justified persons Repentance for particular faults and therefore consequently it is not to be confounded with the removal of sin sin may be pardoned and pardon of sin is consistent with the sight of the filthiness of sin for which the soul is abased before God dayly after Regeneration though sin doth not reign and that 's it wherein the pardon of sin consists even in the taking away of the guilt of sin and the souls obligation to wrath though the filth of sin remain SERMON XI Psalm 130. Verse 4. But there is forgivenness with thee I Am now insisting upon the refuge to which the man abased with the conscience of sin betaketh himself who when he hath reflected upon Gods proceedings in strict Justice according to the tenor of the Covenant of Works with sinners and who when he hath found that if God should thus mark iniquity none even the most godly should be able to stand he subjoyns this as a blest aftergain in mans deplorable case But forgivenness is with thee In prosecution of this great truth that there is pardoning-mercy with God to be a relief for Self-condemned sinners I have spoken to two of the five heads that I proposed to be spoken to upon it 1. I have spoken to the Consideration of that which is pardoned that is Iniquity Sin or Transgression or call it by what name ye will 2. I
be humbled for pardoned sin Though God be good and gracious in pardoning sin we should be severe on our selves for provoking him Though the pardoned mans Count be cleared he must ly in the dust for that he offended God and brought so much wo and vexation on himself And further this will follow upon it that God by afflicting the pardoned sinner invites him to mortifie sin daily that he may not fall in the like sin again Yea and further when he afflicts the sinner with an eye to sin that is pardoned he invites the sinner to more and more thankfulness to him for the pardoning of it when he considers what-ever afflictions or rods be inflicted yet his pardon is ensured to him These are some of the blessed ends why the Lord with an eye to pardoned sin is pleased to let out afflictions and chastisements upon justified persons and it is upon this account that chastisement with pardon is put in the Covenant Psal 89.32 That however he will not take his loving kindness from his children nor suffer his faithfulness to fail yet he will visit their transgressions with the rod and their iniquity with stripes therefore we would mind this well It is no great wonder that Antinomians say God chastens not the Saints at all upon the account of sin for they say God sees no sin in them to chasten but let us not deceive our selves but when the rod is laid on let us hear the voice of the rod and who hath appointed it Mic. 6.9 Ye have heard that all afflictions comes in by the door of sin and therefore it 's a sweet study under afflictions to be sensible of sin Ye have heard that God may send afflictions on justified persons to prevent sin and to waken them out of security and put them to repentance when sin is committed to imprint upon their spirits the folly of their wanderings and the bitterness that follows sin to caution them for the future against relapsing in sin to stir them up to mortifie sin c. These are better Lessons than the dreams of Antinomians that God hath no respect to the sins of his children when he afflicts them And yet I shall add a third word more for Caution against their error that is That Gods afflicting of Saints with an eye to sin doth not at all clash with that which they assert that the afflictions of the godly are for the trial of their faith That they are meerly for the trial of their faith we deny that they are for the trial of their faith we grant For though afflictions be for the trial of faith yet they are also for other ends as before they repent to stir up to repentance in order to pardon and after repentance to humble them and caution against sin and for producing other effects yet they are still trials of faith whether they will adhere to God yea so much the more trials of faith are they as we have not only trouble to graple with but guilt that brought on the affliction It is easier for faith to hold its feet under a cleanly trial than when affliction is lying on and conscience of guilt is staring us in the face And therefore we shall easily grant providing the mind of God in other ends of affliction be not neglected That when we have done all we should look on the trial of faith as a main end of affliction and when in affliction we cast away confidence we miss a main end and imped the good that we might get by affliction The time having prevented me and I cannot win to the other two Questions whether the truth of pardon depends on the intimation of it to our hearts and whether pardon be it revocable so that guilt makes not former pardon void though it needeth pardon and ought to be mourned for I shall not now break in upon them The Lord bless his Word to you SERMON XIII Psalm 130. Verse 4. But there is forgivenness with thee THough I have insisted long and may insist yet some while upon this great priviledge the forgivenness of sins yet ye may know that I am not upon an unnecessary Subject I am upon a Subject that will be found absolutely necessary for you to make your Testament comfortably with and with the cordials thereof ye may digest any bitterness that occurreth in your empty pilgrimage These general Heads on which I am now treating they want not their ground in the Text and Context That which is pardoned to which I have spoken the Text tells that it is iniquity there is forgivenness with thee of these iniquities which if thoâ— mark who can stand The Author of this benefit of pardon is expresly held out in the Text There is forgivenness with thee and the benefit it self the nature whereof I am now inquiring after is held out in that term of forgivenness There is forgivenness with thee Now concerning this having cleared negatively what it is not I told you particularly that pardon takes not away the filth and beeing of sin but the guilt of sin God in pardoning the sinner remits the offence done to him by the violation of his Law and restores the pardoned sinner to his favour and exempts him from the deserved punishment of sin and in pursuance of this I spoke to two of four Questions which are needful to be discussed for clearing the nature of remission I cleared to you that though guilt be inseparable from the filth of sin yet the sinner might be pardoned though the filth of sin remain and how that his pardon did not take away the desert of sin considered in it self but that it takes away that desert and guilt as it results on the person sinning so as it never taketh effect upon him so that though the person fled unto Christ for refuge be troubled not only with the pollution but with the guilt of sin yet he needs not be afraid for it takes no effect against him since he has betaken himself to the City of Refuge And to confirm this I gave you several Scriptural expressions of pardon which may quiet the Conscience and be ground of peace that although the filth of sin and the inherent desert of sin remain yet pardon is a real security to the pardoned sinner 2. Another case or Question which I spoke unto was that seing pardon frees the pardoned man from obligation to punishment whether or not doth or may the Lord pursue a pardoned justified man with any chastisement or punishment for sin and there not to resume what I spoke unto you the last afternoon I gave you some grounds of refutation of the Popish Doctrine who will have the fault or guilt remitted when the punishment is retained which is to say that sin is remitted and it 's not remitted And upon the other hand I cleared to you against the Antinomians how that as all trouble came in by the door of sin and that the Lord may and doth chasten
them There is a fear of God as a plague and punishment and that 's the fear of Devils James 2.9 Thou believest there is one God thou dost well the devils also believe and tremble There is a servile and slavish fear which however it may be in a Child of God especially at his first Conversion while under the spirit of bondage yet it is much of the nature of that fear that is of God as a punishment of sin that tormenting fear the Apostle speaks of 1 Joh. 4.18 That perfect love casts out that fear that is not afraid of offending God but of punishments only is that which is in Devils and that fear that apprehends punishments not as they are separat from God the chief Good but as painful and grievous to a mans self is slavish and servile but right fear is when apprehensions of the Majesty Greatness and Goodness of God fills the heart with holy awe and reverence towards him and the Faith of his Greatness seasoned with the Faith of his Condescendency makes the soul afraid to offend him or lose his favour on any terms All that I shall say from this shall be to exhort and perswade you to get some stamp of this reverential fear on your heart that ye be not of them of whom it is said Psal 36.1 O dreadful Character The transgression of the wicked says within my heart there is no fear of God before his eyes consider and think upon this the fear of God is the only Antidote the only preservative against an evil course the fear of God will make a man that when it is in the power of his hands to do evil he dare not do it Gen. 42.18 Joseph when his brethren in ward are afraid of him says to them This do and live for I fear God I might soon cut you off and who would challenge me for so doing but I fear God Nâ—hem 5.15 He would not be burdensom to the people as the former Governours had been they were chargeable to the people but so did not I says he because of the fear of God among Heathens there may be many Motives to keep men from this and that ill but all will be like Samsons cords if the fear of God be wanting ponder Gen. 20.11 when Abimelech says to Abraham What sawest thou that thou hast done this thing Abrâ—ham answers because I thought surely the fear of God is not in this place and they will slay me for my wifes sake There is no protection for me here for I see no fear of God among this people what will men not be if a suitable Temptation come in their way if they want the fear of God and how calm will the fear of God make men that have it It will make a Lion a Lamb a Boar a Calf O how tractable will it make the wild humours of men to have a stamp of the fear of God and therefore I say it again seek for it that it may not be said of you such a mans or such a womans walk says within my heart There is no fear of God before their eyes A 2. Word from the words abstractly considered is That as fear is due to God so this fear is eminently to be exprest in the service and worship of God For that thou mayest be feared is not to be understood as that folk should make a Bogâ—e of God but that their fear of him should bring them to worship and serve him and that their worship and service should be seasoned with an holy awe and dread of God I might touch here on several things on the one hand among other Characters of base and servile fear this is one when it drives from God and his worship and service which was the result of Adam's fear after his fall Gen. 3.8 When he heard God's voice in the garden he was afraid and hid himself This was the Sinai fear at the giving of the Law Exod. 20.18 When the people saw the thundring and lightning and heard the noise of the Trumpet they removed and stood a-far off they went further away from God that is never right fear that makes a Scar-crow of God that is only right fear that chases in to him But on the other hand how should service and worship to God be loaded and ballanced with fear of God when Jacob had some intercourse with God in a vision Gen. 28.17 He was afraid and said how dreadful is this place this is none other but the House of God and this is the gate of Heaven If we speak of the service of God in general and would serve him acceptably it must be with reverential and godly fear Heb. 12.28 Not with presumption yea the greatest on Earth as they are commanded to kiss the Son lest he be angry and they perish from the way so they are bidden serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling Ps 2.11 and that King Dan. 6.26 could see that much though he came not a full length when he made a decree That in every dominion of his kingdom men should tremble and fear before the God of Daniel and for fear in duties of immediat worship such as ye are now about how is it pressed Psal 89.7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of his Saints and to be had in reverence of all that are about him and Psal 5.7 we will find those to be the two stilts so to speak that David walked on going to the publick Ordinances As for me I will go into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple The faith of Gods Mercy ballanced with Fear that it turn not in presumption and fear again under proped with Mercy that it degenerat not into despondency and there are many Considerations to press the seasoning and ballasting of the service and worship of God with fear whether partly we consider the Majesty of God compared with our baseness There are few folk that converse with God at Abraham's rate Gen. 18.27 Behold now says he I have taken upon me to speak to the Lord who am but dust and ashes and Solomon's rule Eccles 5.1 is keep thy foot when thou goes into the house of God and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools be not rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God for God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth therefore let thy words be few When there is a ladder betwixt Heaven and Earth such as Jacob had how dreadful a place should such a Sanctuary be Or whether partly we consider the Holiness and Purity of God compared with our Impurity This made Isaiah Isai 6.5 to say Wo is me I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and dwell among a people of polluted lips for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts And further the Consideration of the
he had not done without cause all that he had done in it And doth not the evil improvement of Trouble and folks security and negligence under trouble justifie God in the long continuance of trouble when we are ready to cry how long Lord how long shall this calamity last The Lord may retort it upon us Why will ye die O house of Israel For as it is Jer. 44.10 The Lord may say They are not humbled even unto this day neither have they feared nor walked in my Law A sight of this that God keeps a sincere serious godly man so long waiting on under delays for comfort and out-gate may silence the clamors of them who are not yet begun to think on a suitable walk under their troubles and the right improvement of them But 3. If the Lord for the ends before-mentioned may long delay his people and keep them waiting in trouble take heed that Faith the great support of Patience fail not in that exigent as I told you in the deducing of the Doctrine the great thing tryed in the people of God under delays is their Faith whether they will believe his word and therefore when Faith is tryed look that it be not found drossie when Faith is weighed see that it be not found light I speak it because I find the Faith of the Saints has gotten sore shakes under delays when they have been put to wait on Psal 116.11 I said in my haste all men Samuel Gad and others that had told me I should come to the Crown and Kingdom are liars And Jer. 15.18 while speaking to God hath a dreadful word when he reflects on the Promises God made to be with him in his Ministry says he Wilt thou be to me altogether as a liar and as waters that fail When we find so strong Cedars so shaken we would look well to it that our Faith be not brangled and that Faith be not brangled we would beside be looking well to the Atheism of our hearts for there is a seed of Atheism in every bosom that if the Lord put us hardly to it and make not out that Promise Isai 48.10 I have refined thee but not with silver I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction It may put us to tremble what stuff may boil up in our hearts and they are not sicker in the matter of their Faith that are not mourning over their heart-atheism but beside that I say we would guard against wrong conceptions of the Promise as that wherein the great stumbling lies as to this matter when we conceive more to be in the Promise than we are allowed and make a carnal Commentar on a Spiritual Text and as the saying is The Bell to clink as the fools think As also we would beware of limiting God to our time but give him his own time to make good his Promises These that are not mourning over the Atheism of their heart that are not cautious in understanding the Promises a-right and are not leaving God to his own time for performing them may take a snapper in their Faith when tryals are continued But a fourth word of Use shall be this That ye would learn to read Gods delays aright delays make discoveries and that is the exercise of many folk Jer. 8.15 We looked for peace but no good came and for a time of healing but behold trouble But if thou would read aright Gods delays I shall shortly offer thee these four and wise confiderers will find them to be the work of the generation 1. If thou read delays aright thou will find that God calls thee to exercise and that the best thing within thee as in a storm best Anchors and Ropes and the best things of the Ship are brought out so in a Trial when he delays he calls thee to exercise the best things in thy bosom and if God call thee to exercise Grace bring not out Corruption though at first thou may cast a scum of Corruption Grace is to be brought out afterwards If he call for Affection meet not his Call with Bitterness if he call to Diligence do not intertain that Call with Idleness remember God by delays calls for the exercise of Graces affections and diligence in his people 2. If thou read delays aright Thou will read That every days delay is a new Tryal and I may add every moments delay is a new Tryal When thou art carried through the day thou must not take that for surety that thou wilt through the next day without Self-denial and needy dependance The day may discover that which the foregoing day did not discover and the morrow may discover that which lies hid this day and therefore though thou may set up one Ebenezer at every step of thy way and say hither to hath the Lord helped Remember that thou art not yet off the stage and thou must not think because thou art hasted with the Tryal thou art better buckled to bear it but know there is still a necessity of Self-denial and needy-dependance lest the length of Trial discover that which the greatness of the Trial did not discover 3. If thou would read delays aright read in them a Call as I said in the Explication of the Doctrine to die to and to be above Time and the Consolations in Time then men go through Afflictions rightly when they read Their light afflictions which is but for a moment worketh for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while they look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen 2 Cor. 4.17 Then men will be patient and stablish their hearts when they consider that the coming of the Lord draws near Jam. 5.8 In a word when God exercises with delays that is an useful Preaching which ye have 1 Cor. 7.29 This I say brethren the time is short he touches the Glass and lets them see it is near run out It remaineth that both these that have wives be as though they had none they that weep as though they weeped not they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not One serious look of Time and Eternity will break many a snare that mens Corruptions expose them to while under trouble they meet with delays But 4. If ye would read delays rightly this is to be read in them that well improved delays are full of rich advantages Thou art keeped under continued difficulties and delayed as to comfort or satisfaction external in thy personal and privat concerns and as to what relates to the publick and it may be thou wins not to inward sensible comfort but if thou were thrifty thou mayest find many things granted in the delay or denyal of that which thou would be at as much humility mortification to Time and the things of it communion and fellowship with God and though some particulars be delayed if these were pursued after and in any measure attained times of delay would not be looked on as
And Job 23.10 when he cannot get a sight of God on the right or left hand yet saith he He knows the way that I take when he trys me I shall come forth like gold c. What I would say from this is to leave a check at their door whom the dispensations of providence dings from all their confidence if God delay the Psalmist he will avow that he waits but so silly are we that there is nothing the storm blows against but we are ready to question it whereas if we see it be fair before the wind we question it not at all so silly spirits are we and so full of byasses O! lament this and know that duty is knowable and avowable in the saddest of dispensations for the Psalmist can say I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait And 4. As duty is attainable and knowable so it is very comfortable to a man to know it It 's good news to this tost Psalmist that he dare say I wait my soul doth wait it 's good news for the present Read often believe and improve that word Eccles 8.12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times and his days be prolonged yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God because he feareth before God The very present reward the Eccho of a good Conscience is sweet and comfortable that the people of God can say Our hearts are not turned back nor our steps declined from thy way though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons and covered us with the shadow of death Psal 44.18 O! How sweet an Eccho hath that in a mans bosome and a man that in a sad condition will not be made up in the testimony of a good Conscience it is righteousness with God to smite him with a rod dipped in his own guilt Look to it and make it your study to have this ground of comfort when others fail It 's good when a man can say I am sore broken yet my heart is not turned back I am in the deeps yet my soul waits I cannot win at him yet my feet have held his steps his way have I kept and not declined and as this is sweet and comfortable for the present so will it be found for the time to come when the waiter on God in duty shall be made to say and sing as it is Isa 25.9 Lo this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation I shall say no more but when all costs are reckoned it shall be found that a doer of duty waiting for God shall be no loser but a great gainer and it shall never be grief of heart to him that he made it his work to wait on him in his way when others declined As I closed the last day with that word Blessed are all they that wait for him so do I this day whatever he do to them whatever delays or difficulties they meet with they shall find that it will be found a rich mercy to be found waiting for God and upon God in their duty keeping his way and not declining therefrom I say no more but the Lord bless his Word that ye have been hearing for Christs sake SERMON XXV Psalm 130. Verse 5. And in his Word do I hope I Told you that as the two former Verses speak to one of the excellent Priviledges of the godly man to wit the remission of sins So the 5 and 6. speak to a most necessary though a most difficult task of the godly man to wait for God that godly men give a proof of their subjection to him and faith in him by their waiting for him notwithstanding they meet with so many delays and disappointments Somewhat hath been spoken to three principal Heads of Doctrine in these Verses 1. The Psalmists exercise he is a waiting man he is put to wait and he doth wait where ye heard that if God delay the Saints and put them to wait it is their duty to wait not only not to be hasty but if they hing on they would look their waiting be not poisoned with freâ—fulness passion and bitterness but seasoned and adorned with meekness and patience I spoke 2. to the object of his exercise I wait for the Lord where ye heard that the eyes of the waiâ—ing man must be taken off all things and set on God not only when all second causes forsake him but when these things that seemed to promise relief seem to be against him he must notwithstanding wait on God and keep his way and have all his expectation in God or God himself must be his expectation and he will be no loser by this if God himself be his great expectation he will easily make up the want of all other things In the third place I spoke to his affection in waiting my soul doth wait where beside that general that we should be able to give an account what we are doing in difficulties when we are exercised with delays Ye heard that true waiting lyes in the midst betwixt bitterness passion haste fretfulness on the one hand and stupidity and indifferency on the other hand The right waiter for God as he is not fretful and passionat so neither is he sleeping and careless he so waits as his soul doth wait his affections are aloft prizing and looking out for these things he is waiting for Now in the 4. place I proceed to consider his support in waiting What made him thus wait affectionatly confidently and patiently He Answers and in his word do I hope He hoped in the word of God and therefore he waits for God It 's not to great purpose to trouble you here with an exact distinction betwixt Faith and Hope Faith looks to the promise and gives a present subsistence to the thing promised as the word is Heb. 11.1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Hope looks to the performance of the good things promised Faith closes with the promise as true and is comforted in that which is contained in it Hope looks out till God come and make out what Faith sees and closes with in the word of promise In this place Faith and Hope may be taken promiscuously or indifferently in his word do I hope that is I wait till God make out to me that he hath promised in his Word or take it a little more distinctly in his word do I hope It will import that having closed by Faith with the good things in the word of promise he looks out for the accomplishment of them so that he hath not only Faith bene believing and closing with the Word but he hath hope looking out till God make his Word good to him I might here take notice of this that waiting on God though a man had no other evidence is ground of hope when a man is in a difficulty and sore put at and
presumptuous dreaming on the account of any good he finds in himself but he is a man put out of himself to consider what is in God That with God there is mercy If I should offer to prove this by adducing Scripture testimony I should triffle by your time needlesly it is so clear through the tenor of the Scripture that the rejoicer in Jesus Christ presupposes no confidence in the flesh that it is in God and God alone that an Israelite finds ground of hope and therefore I rather choose to deduce the Point into a twofold inference And 1. From this be directed to try upon the one hand your confidence and hope by your humility as on the other hand your humility by your hope these two are inseparably connected that the one cannot be found without the other Upon the one hand any encouragement that is gotten by Faith and hope must not highten our estimation of our selves a puffed up hope is a very great Solecism for though thou be helped by hope to glory in God yet discovered infirmity in thy self will keep thee low though thou be lifted up by him thou will be keeped in the dust in thy self not to see more in thy self but to see more in him to make up thy beggars wants and therefore thou must beware that thy confidence and hope lessen thy humility And on the other hand thou would try thy humility if it be of the right stamp and not a lazy proud carnal discouragement thy humility if it be of the right stamp will not tempt thee to cast away thy confidence and hope though thou be still kept low when thou art discovered to be a dyvour and a rebel thou will not refuse a pardon a thing wherein gracious souls are much defective that if they be not kept up in the wind of their attainment they are broken in their hopes but a humble man must be a hoping man and must reckon that all that he sees and finds in himself must not put him from his hopes but if he wanted these things he finds in himself he should have no work for his hope and blessed are they that find humility and hope encouragement and abasement to worke to one anothers hands when the byass of one of these graces lyes towards the furtherance of the other it is an evidence of a blest frame otherwise a proud hope or a hopeless humility will be found to be of little worth A 2d Inference from the Point is if Israel be called to hope on the account of what is in God and with God if he be called to hope upon the account of mercy in relation to his misery then Israel cannot be undone so long as there is enough in God to do his turn but is still to hope O! may Israel say what have I to hope in Hope saith the Psalmist for there is infinite fulness in God For with God there is mercy Israel ye need not cast away your hope confidence so long as there is any thing in God to bottom it And might I break in here on it O! what a blest communion and stocking together to speak so is there betwixt God and his people ye know that God the Father Son and holy Ghost did always share with his people in all their lots Isai 63.9 In all their afflictions he was afflicted Zech. 2.8 He that touches them touches the apple of his eye Jer. 32.41 He rejoyceth over them to do them good with his whole heart and soul Ye know our blest Cautioner took on our nature to share with us in all our sinless miseries He was tempted in all things like as we are but without sin Heb. 4.15 Now he that shared once with us in suffering and always in sympathy makes a common good of all the fulness that is in him for his people that what he hath is forthcoming for them and O! the rich Promises that we have of this Hath the Father appointed him a Kingdom it will do him no good if they share not in it Luke 22.29 I appoint unto you a Kingdom as my father hath appointed to me Joh. 14.19 Because I live ye shall live also because I live I will not leave you dead Joh. 17.24 Father I will that these whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me Rev. 3.21 To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me on my throne even as I overcame and am set â—own with my Father on his Throne see what delight he hath to communicat in loâ—s with his people and so it is in exigencies that befal them if they sit in darkness he will be lâ—ght to them if they be foolish he will be their wisdom if weak he will be their strength if in captivity and bondage he will be their Redeemer In a word if he have they shall not want and if it be in God and promised it shall not fail if it be in the house among them it shall be forthcoming to Believers and hopers in God I pray you learn to reckon this gate ye cannot tell what may be your work and exercise ere ye go from off the stage and I have no commission to recommend carnal confidence to you but the Israel of God may speak bigg in him and boast their enemies that seing their Head is above the water though they be doucked they cannot drown that all the attempts of enemies come now too late to frustrat Christ's designs unless they can bring him back again and set him before their bar He has answered all challenges and charge against his people and therefore none can be heard to plead against them they may say Shall tribulation distress persecution famine nâ—â—edness peâ—â—l or sword shall any of these separat us from the love of Christ Nay in all these we are more than conquerors They come too late to harm the Saints for he has spilt their sport and game who was dead and is alive for evermore and hath the keys of hell and death he hath duâ—g the teeth out of their heads he hath drunk the poyson out of all cups can be propined to them And for duties and undergoing difficulties I shall give you that blessed directory of the Apostle's who 2 Cor 3.5 sayes We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves and yet Phil. 4.13 sayes I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me I cannot think a good thought of my self and yet through Christ strengthning me I can do all things and this condescendence of the Apostle to his insufficiency to think a good thought gives a sad check to many that never put Christ in their undertakings but at a dead lift and therefore in such exigents provock him to desert them in ordinary miskenning him but were we left on him in ordinary and employing him in all things whether duties or difficulties it were a door of hope
remember though when thou hast done all thou can thou cannot rid thy self of iniquity and it will be with thee he in whom thou art called and allowed to hope can deliver thee But 5. Iniquity being a burden and bondage and abominable and hateful to the true Israelite and the wrestler to be free of it finding that he cannot get himself rid of it God interposing to redeem from it is a peculiar mercy That 's a proof that with him is plenteous redemption if he redeem him from iniquity This is the main point and a point that I cannot enough batter on you Redemption from iniquity to a right discerner will make up all redemptions Let a man be a servant a slave a bond-man a worm and not a man he is the Lords freeman if he be redeemed from iniquity Isai 33.2 Then the inhabitant shall not say I am sick the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity It 's a noble Physick for sickness to be a pardoned man it 's a noble antidot to all pressures to be redeemed from iniquity it compenses and makes more than up all other pressures to be redeemed from this pressure And as this redemption makes up all other redemptions so other redemptions without this will signifie little to a right discerner this to him is the choice of mercies let God cast him in trouble and bring him out of trouble if he bring him not from the bondage of iniquity it 's no delivery to him if when he is cast into the furnace his skum depart not from him but he brings it out with him he can see a plague in other redemptions when the bondage of sin continues In a word to the right discerner of the bondage of sin God is a matchless God to him on this very account that he pardons iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage a place which with others I had occasion to make use of in speaking on the 4. verse And whoever are complaining of pressures and seeking to be rid of them yet they continue if ye would read the language of that dispensation aright here it is God is making that pressure to ly on till redemption from sin be lookt on as the crownning mercy which if we enjoy we cannot be miserable and if we want it have what we will we cannot be happy Mind this mercy more redemption from iniquity to humble uncircumcised hearts to be groaning under the bondage of sin longing for delivery from that woful Trade of walking contrary to God and provocking him to walk contrary to you and to punish you seven times more and seven times more till ye be humbled and take with the chastisement of your iniquity Remember I have left it with you in the Name of the Lord that there be more conscience making of sin and of being exercised mainly about it and putting God to redeem you from it let this be your great task and exercise whatever be your exercise otherwise Now I have done with that which is supposed in the motives backing the Exhortation to hope in God I come then to that which is proposed to encourage to hope in God And I suppose the rest of the Doctrines in these two Verses may be distinctly enough reduced to these four 1. That relative to Israels misery There is mercy in God or with him 2. That relative to Israels bondage There is plenteous redemption with God 3. That what is with God shall be put forth as the Israel of God needeth it Redemption is with him and he shall redeem c. 4. We shall speak a little to this redemption from iniquity how God works it For the first it may thus be taken up that it is a great encouragement to Israel to hope in God in all cases and exigents that there is mercy with God This mercy of God is in effect the goodness of God that Attribute of God which ye have in your Catechism It 's the goodness of God I say exprest under a notion relative to the misery of man and so ye have it Psal 136.1 O give thanks to the Lord for he is good How is that evidenced for his mercy endureth for ever He who is good in himself and doth good to others as David hath it Psal 119.68 He is good and manifests his goodness by doing good to otheâ—s by his mercy that endures for ever Not to insist on the various notions and expressions of this goodness of God if we look to it in the fountain his goodness as it is communicate to his creatures is called his love and his goodness in the fountain is called his love because it 's an eminent proof of his goodness that he loves with an everlasting love Jer. 31.3 That he hath a love to his people wherein he will rest Zeph. 3.17 That he hath such a love to them as nothing shall separate from and partly because he doth not bestow this his goodness grudgingly or complementingly but in love Love stretcheth out the hand of bounty Jer. 32.41 He rejoyceth over them to do them good with his whole heart and with his whole soul Again is the goodness of God in its root and fountain is called the love of God to his people so in respect of its freedom and their ill-deserving to partake of it It 's called the grace of God a term that we find frequently occurring in Scripture and it 's nothing else but the goodness of God or the effects of his goodness freely communicat freely bestowed without money or price where there is no merit or deserving yea where there is much undeserving or deserving of the contrary Again this goodness of God as it is manifested in opposition to the waywardness and peevishness of his people it is called patience and long-suffering for his patience in waiting on them and his long-suffering in bearing with their manners in the Wilderness what is it but the goodness of God overcoming the waywardness and peevish disposition in his people Again the goodness of God as it is still continued even when Justice and Severity takes place it 's called Clemency and Moderation that in measure when it shutteth forth he debateth with it and stayth his rough wind in the day of his east wind Isai 27.8 And that in wrath he remembers mercy Hab. 3.2 There the goodness of God moderating deserved stroaks droping in proofs of love in the midst of deserved wrath all these are the goodness of God represented to us under various notions and here in the Text the goodness of God in reference to his peoples misery is called mercy And Exod. 34.6 When the Lord proclaims his Name in Moses hearing ye will find there are various notions of the goodness of God that I have been speaking of and in the same method The first Letter of his Name is Merciful to nominat that the first look that God takes of poor man is pity and compassion in
or the lawful captive be delivered We hear tell would they say of the redemption of Israel from the Babylonish captivity but we plead that they are not only lawful captives taken in war but we are mighty to detain them yea but says the Lord even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered were ye never so mighty and terrible when I interpose I will redeem and recover the prey I shall not need to insist further in the confirmation of this But 1. Any of you who are afflicted and sensible of your straits and of the sins that have drawn them on will ye believe this that there is not only mercy with God but power to manifest that mercy and it may content you to ly in the Hospital of his heart till he see it fit to manifest his power for your redemption If there be with him not only mercy but redemption it must certainly say some other thing than ordinarly we apprehend that he wants neither power nor good will to redeem his people for with their God there is mercy and with him c. and therefore were their hazard as peremptor as that of the three children Dan. 3. Who were to be cast in the fiery furnace this is support enough Our God whom we serve say they is able to deliver us c. and therefore when we are in straits and reckon that we want proofs of his power we would reckon also that it is not for want of good will for with him is mercy and it should content and quiet our hearts to take lodging in his compassion till he let the world see that with him also is plenteous redemption in the effects of it 2. From this I would recommend to you to study to believe this power much it is not for nothing that it is said of Abraham Rom. 4.20 21. That he staggered not at the promise through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God Why He was fully perswaded that what he promised he was also able to perform and the three children did not speak ordinary news when they tell Nebuchadnezzar The God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace It is true generally people think they doubt not of the power of God all their doubting is about his goodwill as that man Mat. 8.2 Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean but they that know themselves best will see atheism at the bottom of their diffidence and a doubting of his power as well as of his goodwill therefore this is an evidence that folks win easily to Faith in smaller and petty Tryals wherein there is not much need of power then their Faith will soar aloft but in great Tryals they succumb and sink and find their Faith a seeking and whence flows this but from unbelief That with God there is power to redeem and therefore I beseech the people of God to study to believe and be fixed in the faith of the Attributes of God especially in the faith of his power in difficulties But 3. From this I say I would have the people of God not to stumble though in their straits they be left on the Power and Omnipotency of God alone to relieve them Let Israel hope Why Not because they can extricat themselves out of difficulties not because ordinary help will do their turn but because with God is redemption and plenteous redemption because God is Omnipotent to vindicat them out of their bondage it is kindly to have saints brought frequently to be in Gods mister that nothing but God can do their turn so that they think they have done with it if God interpose not when they are brought to such perplexing questions as that Ezek. 37. Can these dry bones live That only Omnipotent Power in God can answer then they would not stumble when they are brought that low that their Faith is left upon the Omnipotency of God alone that power of God if as Abraham did thou take it up rightly If thou believe on him who quickens the dead and calls on things that are not as if they were because he makes them to be It is enough to answer all thy difficult questions Therefore whatever thy difficulties be guard against stumbling from this That with God is redemption and plenteous redemption So much from what is imported in this redemption I proceed in the 2d place to give you some account why this is called redemption and if we restrict redemption here to Israel and it is these who are bidden hope on the account of this Redemption and it is Israel that verse 8. He will redeem from all their iniquities The deliveries of the Lords people are fitly and frequently exprest under the name of Redemption not only their deliverance from sin as verse 8. but deliverance from trouble as Psal 25. Redeem Israel O God out of all his troubles Now I say That most fitly and frequently the deliveries of Gods people are called a Redemption on a threefold account which I shall first propone and then speak to 1. As they have a relation to their spiritual Redemption by Christ 2. As they have a relation to the troublers of Israel his people from whose power they are redeemed 3. As they have relation to the issue of their troubles That it is a redemption and setting them at freedom from servitude and bonds 1. I say The deliverances of the people of God are called a Redemption all of them because they are founded on and are the result of their eternal and spiritual Redemption through Christ all their deliverances are the appendices and as ye call it the bounty super added to that great Redemption which they have by the satisfaction of Christ and upon this account it is that deliverances to the people of God are noticed as evidences of his love to them in Christ Psal 18.19 He delivered me saith David because he delighted in me It was a proof of reconciled love to him in Christ That God delivered him from his troubles and hence all that the Lords people get and their deliveries among the rest are gifts bestowed on them with Christ Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Unto the Israel of God Christ is first freely given and then with him in him and through him all other things and their deliveries among the rest are afforded them on that account This I mark on a threefold account 1. To press upon folk the exercise of piety and the making sure of an interest in Christ and his Redemption for that 's your ground and claim to all other mercies When Christ is diverting his Disciples from careful anxiety Mat. 6.33 He bids them seek the Kingdom of God first and all other things shall be added to them And 1 Tim. 4.8 Bodily exercise profiteth little but
own cost as Isai 52.3 The Lord tells his people that they had sold themselves for nought they had made a poor Bargain or they had provocked God to sell them into their enemies hands for nought but they should be redeemed as cheap without money Isai 43.14 The Lord proves himself to be the Redeemer of his people by this that for their sakes he had sent to Babylon to get them redeemed hence and had brought down all their Nobles and the Caldeans whose cry is in the Ships or to the Ships to seek Vessels to run away when Cyrus came and turned in the River on the City And Isai 49.24 25 26. when they accounted the people of God their prey and lawful captives the Lord not only tells them that the captives of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered but he will pay a ransome to the Caldeans for them and what is that I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine That shall be the ransome that he will give the Caldeans when he delivereth his people I shall not dwell on this in general it holds out this that they are in a sad and ill taking who are left by themselves to take Gods people to task they are as these who would go betwixt a Man and his Wife who when the friendship is made up will get little thanks and therefore they are rather to be pitied than envyed It bods little good to men when God makes use of them to be instruments of the afflictions of his people and any that ye would wish good unto pray that they may be preserved from that Pit and any ye see ingaged in it ye cannot do them a better turn than to stand in the Gapp for them and pray they may be delivered out of it for it is fatal and prodigious to be instruments of the people of Gods trouble and to be found standing in his way when he is to redeem them But in the 3d place I told you that their Delivery is called Redemption in relation to the issue of their delivery from their troubles as the Captive or Prisoner when he is redeemed or the ransom payed is set free enlarged and set at liberty to go where he will So God's delivering of a people brings freedom and enlargement a breaking of Bonds an opening of Prison doors a vindicating of them from bondage and slavery Hence the delivery of the saints is metaphorically expressed by setting of them at large or in a large place Psal 18.19 The Psalmist was hampered before when he was in trouble but he got enlargement and skiproom by God's delivering of him So Psal 31.8 David sayes Thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the Enemy thou hast set my feet in a large place or room had I been amongst my enemies they had hemm'd me in but God in delivering me gives me elbow-room and Psal 118.5 I called on the Lord in distress the Lord answered me and set me in a large place or answered me in a large place for these words and set me are a supplement in the Text that is with enlargement by enlargement and freedom he delivered me So Job 36.16 Where Elihu is giving Job an account what he might have expected had he improved God's corrections aright Even so saith he would he have removed thee out of the strait into a broad place where there is no straitness Thou art would he say as verse 8. bound in fetters and holden in cords of affliction but had thou hearkned to the instructions communicat to thee by the Rod God should have brought thee out of that strait into a broad place where there is no straitness so that in respect of the issue delivery is enlargement a giving of skuproom to them that were in bonds and pressures before And from this I would have you reflecting on two or three words 1. It imports that when the people of God are in trouble unredeemed they should be in straits and as under pressures sensible of their affliction their bonds should press them Therefore in that fore-cited place Job 36.8 Affliction is called bonds or fetters and cords and Job when he is viewing God's dealing with him says Chap. 13.27 Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks not only did he put him in prison for a man in prison has room to walk up and down but in prison he put his feet in the stocks importing that folks should find a pressure when God afflicts them they should be straitned when they are in the stocks stupidity is ill company when God is using means means to waken out of security and to make folk sensible and to be taking too much elbow room when folks are under an arrest of Providence it is no good evidence that he will give enlargement Job 35.15 Hypocrites in heart heap up wrath they cry not when he binds them when folks are straitned they would feel it and especially they should find their straitning that they may cry to God when he binds them Psal 107.12 He brought down their hearts with labour he brake their spirits with toil he hammered their undaunted hearts with sit-fast and sore pressures and further he dealt so with them till they fell down and there was none to help and then they cryed to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them c. That is the great design of pressures when folks are so hampered that they cannot stir their feet when they are so straitned that they wot not what hand to turn them to it is That they may cry to God and he may save them Hence 2. Many sad lamentations may the visible Church and even saints write over their own frames under pressures that they are so little affected and particularly that be they pressed never so much there is little prayer under their pressures as in that forecited place Job 36.13 When Elihu is telling what should be folks carriage when they are bound with fetters and holden in cords of affliction he tells the Hypocrites in heart heap up wrath they cry not when God binds them few folks pressures are seen in their prayers either in doubling their diligence in their duty or in their manner of going about it they have few prayers that look like distrest folks prayers O let fruitless improvers of pressures ponder at large Job 36.8 to 18. Where when Elihu has told the benefit of well improved pressures and the hazard of ill improved pressures he tells Job verse 16. Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait into a broad place But verse 17. Thou has fulfilled the judgement of the wicked justice and judgement take hold on thee Therefore because there is wrath beware lest he take thee away with his stroak then a great ransom cannot deliver thee evil improved pressures will occasion sad reflections and may bring
the second main Point to encourage Irsael to hope in God that with him is plenteous redemption I proceed now to the 3d Observation that at the entry to these words I proposed to be spoken to That what God is or what is in God is put forth by God for the behove of his people according as they need it I gather this from the connexion of the two Verses with God there is merey and with him there is plenteous redemption and what follows And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquity If he have mercy to compassionat them in their misery and if he have authority and power to vindicate them from bondage it shall be seen in their actual deliverance The point is plain and obvious Gods all-sufficiency his furniture for the need of his people shall not be wanting but put forth actually as he sees good for the behove of his people If he have plenteous redemption he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities Hence it is that in Scripture we have not only an account of furniture in God if I may so word it for his people That with him is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption and of promises wherein God engages himself to put forth that furniture for their behove but the Scripture gives an account of his actual putting forth that mercy and power for them Jer. 31.10 There are news to be sent and publish'd in the Isles afar off and what is that He that scattered Israel will gather them and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock and what more For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he It 's spoken of as a thing done and on this account David in his Prayer promises himself a good day Psal 35.9 My soul shall be joyful in the Lord it shall rejoice in his salvation all my bones shall say alluding to that Psal 51.8 Make me to hear joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice who is like unto thee that delivers the poor from him that is too strong for him yea the poor and the needy from him that spoils him I am would he say looking for a Song when not so much as a broken bone shall be dumb but all shall get a voice to sing praise for actual redemption I shall not need to stand to prove this from the all-sufficiency of God from his love and affection to his people and from his fidelity that cannot lie Nor will I break in on the particular inferences of this point now Only in general be not vexed take it not ill though ye be put to and kept at a task to keep a good report in your hearts of God when temptation says as Psal 77.7 8 9. The Lord hath cast off for ever and will be favourable no more his mercy is clean gone c. When temptation says what means this and that in my case If all this mercy and redemption be with God and thou may then have a hard steek of work to keep up a good report of him when so many Hell Fire-brands are going thick and three-fold Be encouraged and comforted in this that a day comes when actual redemption shall take all these off thy hand and thou shalt not have it to say only That with God is redemption in opposition to thy troubles but he hath redeemed Jacob and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he Be comforted in this ye that are engaged in a task to keep up a good report of God against prejudices The time is coming when he will leave you little to say to his commendation when he shall come and relieve you and make actual redemption give the lie to all mistakes and prejudices whatsoever SERMON XLIV Psalm 130. Vers 8. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities I Am now ye see towards the close of this Psalm which hath detained me so long upon the account of the riches and universal usefulness of the matter therein contained Ye may remember that after that Exhortation to Israel to hope in the Lord I came to the motives encouraging them so to do wherein somewhat was spoken to what is supponed concerning the Israel of God called to hope and allowed to hope in God that they are under the sense of misery needing mercy and under the sense of bondage needing plenteous redemption and in particular under the sense of the bondage of sin putting them in need to be redeemed from all their iniquities and in speaking to what is proposed for the encouragment of such to hope in God I hinted somewhat concerning these two great truths That with God there is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption You may remember that I told you there be two words further to be gathered from this 8. v. One is that what is in or with God it shall be put forth for the behove of his people as they have need he shall redeem Israel and another is That it 's in particular Israels great mercy that God shall be a Redeemer to him from all his iniquities For the first of these I brake in on it on the close of the mornings Exercise that what is in or with God shall be put forth for the behove of his people as they need it and they shall find it made forth-coming to them as they need it for if there be with him plenteous redemption he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities I left at a general word of Use from this That we should not take it ill to be kept at a task of bringing up a good report on God against all prejudices and whatsoever temptation suggests of him for the time is coming which the Lord will hasten in his time that he will leave us little to say to his commendation his own performances will say so much and declare him to be exalted above all blessing and praise The time is coming that they shall not think shame of it that if we may so word it have spoken good of him behind his back and would not take a report of him but from his Bible But to follow out this a little for the comfort of them that are looking for the accomplishment of what is in or with God for the behove of his people I shall lead you to a fourfold direction in order to this and endeavour to put a close to this Scripture The first direction is this That ye would study to be well acquaint with the Word to be well acquaint with what God hath declared is in him for his people The Bible should be a well-finger'd Book in gloomy times David knew well what he was doing when he made the Statutes his song in the house of his pilgrimage and the reason why I press this acquaintance with the Word is to help you to prevent a double hazard there is on the one hand the hazard of ignorance