Holiness and Jealousie of God that he will not be affronted in the matter of his service and worship it calls for Fear and reverence it is a strong Argument used by the Apostle to press us to serve God with Reverence and with Godly Fear Heb. 12.29 For our God says he is a consuming fire and that which Moses said to Aaron when his two Sons were slain burnt up with fire which went out from the Lord for offering strange fire before him This is the thing which the Lord spake saying I will be sanctified in them that come near me and before all the people I will be glorified I will either be honoured by them or I will be honoured upon them that draw near me and take my Name in vain Well then have ye any thing of this Fear of God will ye kythe it by your serving him Mal. 1.6 A son honoureth his father and a servant his master if he be a Father where is his honour and if a Master where is his fear stand ye in awe of God that do misken him all your time do ye fear him that never take a spare hour to pay homage to him that will not bow a knee to him But I shall add the service that ye pay to God I pray you look how it is ballast with fear that it turn not in presumption and if ye have need of an intimation of Mercy to correct your fear that it degener not in despondency Ye come to God's House to Worship him but how few of you when ye come here have said How dreadful is this place would ye have your Character take it from Jude verse 12. These are spots in your feasts of charity when they feast with you feeding themselves without fear ye come before God ye join in the publick Exercises of Gods Worship but without any impression of the fear of God more than if all we did while we are together had no relation to him O be ashamed that the fear and awe of God doth so little ballast and season your service and worship But in the 2. place we come to take a look of this purpose with an eye to the Scope There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared says the Psalmist then the fear of God more tender walking being more frequent and serious in duty to God more reverence of his service it is the kindly product of a heart that hath on right terms closed with Christ in pardoning mercy a fear to offend God a reverential fear in his Worship and service And hence I shall lay these few particulars before you and close 1. Which is the main thing in the Scope come and try by this if ye have been closing a-right with pardoning mercy see what is the consequence of it and that will tell you Are ye closing with pardoning Mercy to make your boast of it that ye may sin on and sleep more securely That is all the Dream that some have in their head of God's goodness and mercy in pardoning sin to take in a new Swack but thou that does so turns the Grace of God unto lasciviousness and offers a contempt to pardoning Mercy which the Gracious God will not brook But O! here is the blessed Fruit of pardoning Mercy to be more tender in thy walk more afraid of sin more diligent in Duty the further God is pleased to put thee in his bosom the greater distance thou keeps with what may provock him the more freely he forgive thee the more thou delights to be active in his service find many Scriptures that gives an account of the overcoming goodness of God towards ingenuous Souls not only that Psal 85.8 He will speak peace to his people and to his saints but let them noâ—â—urn again to folly but that of Hos 3.5 The goodness of God the Object of their Faith makes them fear him and his goodness and that of David 2 Sam. 7.27 Who when he gets a promise of building him a House the kindness of God sets him on fire as it were and puts wings to his Prayer Thou O Lord of hosts God of Israel hast revealed to thy servant saying I will build thee an house therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee and Hezekiah Isai 38 15. When the Lord had spoken of his delivery he will not wax wanton but he will walk softly all the fifteen years added unto his dayes in the bitterness of his soul and when the Lord falls in upon Ephraim with sweet converting Grace and turns him Jer. 31.19 after he is turned he repents after he is instructed he smites on his thigh he is ashamed yea even confounded because he hath born the reproach of his youth see to it ye that grip to pardoning Mercy and lay claim to it I am so far from envying you that I say the Lord say so too But O! let it be seen in your tenderness in your reverential fear and awe of God in the constraining power that the love of Christ hath on you if ye believe that he died for you will not his love constrain you to lâ—ve to him 2 Cor. 5.14 And ye that are tender will ye not be afraid that that kindness of God ye lay claim to is either a lie in your right hand that produces not somewhat like this or that ye are in a plagued condition that the goodness and kindness of God works not upon you 2. If pardoning Mercy be let out that God may be feared it puts me in capacity to answer the Cavillations of the profane they live in the contempt of holiness they have a prejudice at it they see no form nor beauty in it wherefore they should desire it What shall they get if they turn fearers of God They see no advantage by it but loss But shall I say to thee if thou looked rightly on it thou would be ashamed to owne any such Cavillation Piety has no enemy but an ignorant there is none that ever knew Piety that would give it the Character thou gives it if pardoning Mercy work up a love to holiness in men and make them to fear him thou that has a prejudice at holiness evidences that thou art not a partaker of it and why would thou tell all the World that thou knows not what this pardoning Mercy means thy contempt of holiness proclaims that all thy iniquities are bound upon thy back If ever thou had layen at Gods Foot stool and been lift up with pardoning Mercy saying to thee Son or daughter be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee it would put an edge upon thee to pursue after holiness and therefore let me intreat you who are profane and entertain a prejudice at holiness not to publish your own shame and by your contempt of the fear of God and his service to declare ye are yet without the pardoning Mercy of God But from this ye shall take a 3. word If closing with
estimation of it see their distance come with some measure of Confidence but an edge is put on their Affection and they are fervent and raised in Prayer for it I do not mean that Prayer with the loudest Voice is ay the most fervent Prayer when I think upon these Tones and Voices used by some in Prayer I often mind that word Eccles 9.17 the words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools It 's not the Tone though we ow the Voice to God that makes fervent Prayer to him Moses Exod. 14.15 prayed fervently he cried to God when he spoke not a Word and Lam. 2.18 Their heart cried unto the Lord O wall of the daughter of Zion But my meaning is that frequencie fervency and instancy in Prayer from the Heart is required in them that talk and cry out of the Depths ye talk of your saying of your Prayers and among the Prayers in the world many of them are but said Prayers but when it comes to crying out of the Depths your said Prayers will not do the turn our blessed Lord was never superficial in Prayer yet Luk. 22.44 it 's said being in an agony he prayed more earnestly there is a patern of Prayer out of the Depths and I wish I saw a practical Commentar of that among you which ye find Ps 107.12 13. He brought down their heart with labour they fell down and there was none to help that 's a posture that would put many to Pray and how far ye are from it if ye were awake ye would discern then they they cried unto the Lord in their trouble and he saved them out of their distresses So ye have heard the import of this crying out of the depths unto God As for the use of this whereof it affords divers though all along the point is practical and applys it self I know not if I dare break in farther upon it I suppose to ordinar hearers all is poyson that is spoken after the Glass but ye shall take a few words from it if this be the kindly result of blessed trouble to be put to crying to God out of the depths then ye may see what a dreadful plague it is that when people are cast in the Depths and the Spirit of Prayer is away and there is no crying out of them to God Shall I hold up to you a Glass to let you see your own foul Face in this matter Read Ezek. 24.23 And I pray you forget Judah and Israel and call this Scotland and your selves Professors in Scotland that are spoken to Ye shall not mourn nor weep but ye shall pine away for your iniquities O that is the Cop-stone of a peoples calamity when it is said to them Ye shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn and roar one towards another And will ye not get many such up and down the Land folks that are like wild beasts in a net strugling with their Calamity tatlers and talkers of their troubles he blaming him and he him roaring for the sad case themselves and the Land are in but where is their crying out of the depths to God Who have added to the weight and measure of their Prayers for all that is come over them Where will ye get a Daniel in all Scotland that for three full weeks gave himself to Fasting and Prayer Will ye have another Glass to see your foul spots in Read Dan. 9.13 As it is written in the Law of Moses all this evill is come upon us yet made we not our prayer to the Lord our God that we should turn from our iniquities and understand thy truth We feel well-enough all the evil that is on us and that it is come as it is written in the Law yet there is no Prayer to purpose Will ye yet take another Glass Then read Amos 4.6 c. Where the Lord tells what stroaks he had inflicted upon his people every one of them heavier than another I have done this and this to you saith the Lord and still the over-word is yet ye have not returned unto me Many folks are blyth when things rise to an height and then they think God will be seen on the Mount but they forget that continuing them in the Depths is to set them to Prayer it is the sin of the Generation that they look more to their Priviledges than their Provocations or so to their Priviledges as they forget their Provocations and lean so much weight on the righteousness of their cause as they forget that for which God hath put them in difficulties I may say on this account that fearers of God are self-destroyers O tell it not in Gath publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon that God hath taken such pains to put us to pray and repent and yet we will do any thing but Pray and Repent we will not I see no issue in this but to put off our Ornaments and see what the Lord will do with us And will ye yet take another word that may give folk a sight of their foul Face Even that Charge unjustly laid by Eliphaz against Job chap 15. vers 4. Which I doubt if we can lay so well from our door as he might Thou castest off fear saith he and restrainest prayer before God There is a threefold restraint of Prayer before God in Difficulties And I wish that one or all of them take not in the generality of the Generation we live in 1. When folk that wont to Pray give it over And what thousands are there of this stamp in Scotland and not a few in the West Countrey How many are there among us that sometimes have worshipped God in secret and now do not bow a knee to God How many have worshipped God in their Families who now have left it off And among you there are not a few such as we find by your shifting answers when you are asked thereaâ—ent a thing that rather might be expected in the barbarous parts of the Land than among you and is not Religion and Religious Duties much clipped where it had much place A Prognostick of little good when so few Families will be found having their posts sprinkled with the blood of sprinkling Now what shall I say of them that never Prayed when so many have quit Prayer that once used it O! I say it again publish it not in Gath c. That Apostasie hath so far prevailed that it hath driven many from the very form of Godliness A 2d Restraint of Prayer is in them who have keeped up a Form but alas they put me in mind of that word spoken of Pharaoh's Chariot Wheels They drive heavily There was a time when Religion was in request and then folks got borrowed Wings that they Flew with or Stilts in Religious Duties but when a man comes in the Depths he must have Divine Approbation or these will not do his turn or if he hold him by his
at duty I shall say no more of it but thrice happy they who esteem of duty abstract from all comfortable events yea more it were a good prognostick that good events would not be long withholden if folk were diligent at duty but who are still poring on events I may without breach of charity say that these are the idlest folk and foreslow their own mercy But 2. As duty is the great business so duty acceptable to God is attainable in the worst of times in the lowest of conditions I need not stand on the general how it's Gods mercy to his people that they may well be deprived of comforts or comfortable issues but they are not put out of service they can never want acceptable work to put their hand unto and if they be turned idle from the work of their Calling and Station their idleness is a work with submission to God But that which I am upon is that the difficulties of the Lords servants and people are never so great but duty acceptable to God is attainable My soul waits saith the Psalmist he wan at it I confess times and dispensations may soon fall forth to be such that hypocrites will think duty to be impossible Isa 33.14 The sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulness hath surprized the hypocrites they are afraid out of their wits Who shall dwell with devouring fire c. Who can hold their feet Who can stick by duty in such critical dispensations of providence I confess also things may come to that that Balaam hath speaking of the calamities to come on the world Numb 24.23 Alas who shall live when God doth this Such a time may come that it may be a wonder to consider how folk can stand how they can fend when storms are so boisterous and thick and temptations and snares so many And I shall add further that which our Lord hath Mat. 24.22 Vnless these days should be shortned no flesh should be saved he means both that none should be saved from cutting off by judgment and none but they should be in peril to be eternally lost by seduction but for the elects sake these days shall be shortned outward trouble and seducing snares may be so many and impetuous that if God put not some Bridle upon them no flesh should be saved But yet when I have said all this I must resume the point that in the worst of times duty acceptable to God is attainable through his strength A sincere man depending on God may win to say I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait This I mark to give a check partly to the discouragements of Gods own people who in sad times lose heart and hand I confess I may say to the discouragement of this generation that which Jeremiah hath Chap. 12.5 If thou hast run with footmen and they have wearied thee how then canst thou contend with horses and if in the land of peace wherein thou trustedst they wearied thee how then wilt thou do in the swellings of Jordan If any ordinary difficulties scarr this generation from duty what would they have done if they had met with the difficulties that many before the Throne met with But be as it will it 's thy great sin as discouraged to ly down and die as if there were no work for thee The Psalmist here in his practice hath witnessed that in the saddest of difficulties duty acceptable to God is attainable if duty be set about in Gods strength though humbling it may prove it shall not be impossible if thou believe all things shall be possible partly to leave a sad check at their door who upon difficulties and the impetuousness of snares and temptations take a dispensation to themselves to go wrong to leave Gods way and joyn in evil courses How many are there that in difficult and snaring times for all that the Bible hath said against such and such sins and sinful courses yet take them by the end and say there is no hope and it 's for no purpose for men to essay to keep their integrity or think to hold off and not imbrace such a course The storm blows so hard but you that take a dispensation to your selves so to do in difficulties know that there will be witnesses found to testify against you that in the worst of times duty acceptable to God is attainable But the 3d thing I proposed to be spoken to is That as duty is attainable so a man may know he hath attained it he may win not only to wait for the Lord and with his soul to wait but to know and avow it that with his soul he doth wait This if I might insist on it would again branch it self out in two or three things 1. In order to this knowledge it is necessary that folk be at self examination asking what they are doing Ye may take many woful counsels with your selves having sorrow in your heart daily it may be and yet not come speed but were ye enquiring What work am I at and examining it that were a ground of a right walk to be serious in that It 's the Lords complaint Jer. 8.6 No man repented him of his wickedness saying What have I done Every one turneth unto his course as the horse rusheth into the battel And 2. When we set about this Examination we should know that we have need of the spirit of God to go along with us and assist us in it we have need of that spirit which is of God that we may know the things that are freely given us of God 1 Cor. 2.12 We have so much presumption and security on the one hand when we are at ease ready to cheat us and on the other hand when we are in trouble so much discouragement to amaze and break us that in both conditions self-examination would desire a manuduction a leading by the hand by the Spirit of God that they get not a back-set in either And 3. Tender walkers examining and assisted by the Spirit of God may come to know they are in duty acceptable to God and their integrity in it to say their soul waiteth I am at my duty and am acceptable to God in it It may be sad that trouble should discover so much guilt and so many imperfections in our best things yet still no dispensation of providence or delay should take away the testimony of our integrity and that we are waiting upon him in his way what-ever providence be an enemy to it is never an enemy to integrity There is a weakness hinted at in that word Psal 69.4 though few be obnoxious to it Then I restored that which I took not away Some may be ready to father that on themselves whereof they are not guilty but the people of God Psal 44.17 hold fast and avow their integrity in a sad time All this is come upon us say they yet have we not forgotten thee neither have we dealt falsly in thy Covenant c.
this I would on the one hand commend to you that Passage to be pondered concerning that blasphemous lord 2 King 7.2 who when Elisha Prophesied of incredible plenty in Samaria said If the Lord would make windows in heaven might this thing be It shall be saith the Prophet and thou shalt see it with thine eyes but shalt not eat thereof and it was so he was a Grandee on whose hand the King leaned and thought if there were any fores to be had he should have a share the King giving him the charge of the Gate the people trode upon him and he died And on the other hand ponder that comfortable Song that believers sing Isai 25.9 Lo this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us this is our God we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation O that Saints would think that such a turn of providence may come their way that will make them say and sing I trusted in him in a strait when not only he was invisible as he is always in himself but wrapt up in a cloud of mysterious dispensations O! that ye would think that such a song is possible and sweet but if that be a sweet song what bitter youling will it put them to or may they have who when God appears must say Lo there he is but we waited not for him so soon as he went out of our sight we tint all hope we knew not what it was to wait for him who hid his face from the house of Jacob we knew not what it was to bear his indignation till he should arise and plead our cause and execute judgment for us and believe that he should bring us out to the light to behold his righteousness Thus ye see what an important matter it is that we put forth Faith keep it in exercise for the accomplishment of what is in with God for his people which is the third Direction A 4th Direction which I give and leave this Note and that is That ye would wisely consider what the Lord means when he puts his people to the exercise of their Faith so much about that which he will do He will redeem Israel from all their iniquities and yet he putteth Israel to believe it What means the Lord I say in holding them at that task of believing here without offering to encroach upon the depth of the wisdom knowledge of God in his Providence the people of God have somewhat to look to without about them somewhat to look to within them if they look to somewhat without or about them God has more ado in the world than a particular saint or even a particular Church to satisfie O! the deep contexture of Providence how unsearchable are his counsels and his ways past finding out That what is very unsatisfactory to one or one Society God may have holy ends for it in the world But to come nearer What have Believers to look to in the world without them Take it in that word which the Lord has to Abraham when he is making the Covenant with him Gen. 15.16 When he has told him that though his seed should go down to Egypt yet in the fourth generation they should come hither again If Abraham should ask Why should they stay there so long He answers The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full God holds his people at the task of believing while the enemies cup is a filling might I insist upon this I might tell you That the enemies cup is often very long in filling but longer without the Church than within the Church four hundred years to the Amorites was long yet they being a people without the Church they took all that time to fill their cup but elsewhere their enemies ripe faster their cup is sooner filled and I might add a cup that is long a filling is ordinarly a very bitter cup when it is holden to the head of enemies when the cup of the Amorites is full utter extermination rooting out and offcutting comes upon them Lord save them whom folks wish well unto from a long fristed plague a long brewing storm is more dread sulthan hand payment And therefore it would not stumble folk to see wicked men for born but if it were rightly looked on every days forbearance would be an argument of pity for a cup that is long a filling is most bitter when it is held to the head But that which I am upon is that the people of God when they are at the trade of believing have something to look to without them and particularly to the cup of enemies that is a filling But again when they are holden at the task of believing they would also look to something within them and among them What means it that God hath given many rich and precious Promises to Believers and yet they get no more in hand but Faith to believe them if they can win to that where are his former loving kindnesses which he hath sworn to David For looking within you and among you ponder that word which ye have Isai 10.12 When the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and Jerusalem he will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria and the glory of his high looks and compare it with the Verses preceeding there ye will find the Assyrians desperatly blaspheming he says Are not my princes altogether Kings as my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria Shall I not as I have done unto Samaria and her idols so do to Jerusalem and her idols What nation hath been delivered out of my hand that the God of Israel should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand One would think now were he a God in Heaven he would sit no more vvith a blasphemous atheist he vvill suffer him no more to blaspheme and reproach vvith an high contempt of him and his authority he vvill novv be knovvn by the judgment which he shall execute but at leisure he will make himself knovvn but not till he have done his vvhole vvork on Mount Sion and on Jerusalem for all the haste his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem is the greatest haste he will let the Assyrian blaspheme on and trode down all before him till that be done his great work is to do good by the Assyrians within his Church and among his people and when his work is done there he will reckon with him and be known by the judgment which he executes upon him And if ye ask what this may be within the Church and among the people of God that he will have them minding when he puts them to send by Faith on the Promises I dare not offer to give you an exact account of it but only to cast some ground for work to your hand if ye mind practically to improve such