his own Word Not because they of themselves are better then others but because he loves them more then others Were Gods Assistances suited to our walkings they would be very uneven but his good-will is constant so are our deliverances Be exhorted to Thankfulnesse Not b Verball but Reall not the exultation of carnall affections but the savoury obedience of a sound mind There are many ingredients in thanks giving suitable and seasonable obedience to Answer the Will of God in his mercies is doubtlesse the crown of all Looke then under the enjoyment of blessings in generall to close walking with God in the duties of the Covenant and in particular to the especiall work of this your generation and you are in the way to be thankfull Be sedulously carefull to prevent that which God hath mightily decryed by our late mercies viz. mutuall Animosities strife Contention and Violence against one another c I meane of those that feare his Name God hath interposed in our quarrells from Heaven The language of our late deliverance is be quiet lest a worse thing happen unto you Our poor Brethren of Scotland would not see the hatefulnesse of their animosities towards their friends untill God suffered that very thing to be the means to deliver them up to the power of their enemies The weapons they had formed were used against themselves Let us learne betimes to agree about our pasture lest the Wolves of the Wildernesse devour us Persecution and Idolatry have ruined all the states of the Christian World Of the Assertion we have spoken hitherto Come we now to the particular confirmation of it by instance Thou diddest cleave the earth with Rivers Cleave the earth or make channels in the Earth for waters to flow in Another most eminent work of Almighty power is here set forth Eminent in it self and eminent in its typicall signification And the same thing being twise done hath a plurall expression Rivers The bringing of streames of waters from the Rock for the thirsty people in the Wildernesse is that which is here celebrated Now this the Lord did twise 1 Exod. 17 6. when the people were in Rephidem in the first year after their comming from Aegypt they fainted in their journies for want of water and according to the wonted custome of that Rebellious people complained with murmuring So they extorted all their mercies and therefore they were attended with such sore judgements Whil'st the meat was in their mouths the Plague was on their bones Mercies extorted by murmurings unseasoned with loving kindnesse though they may be Quailes in the mouth will be plagues in the belly Let us take heed lest we râ—pine the Almighty into a full Harvest and leane soules Get and keepe mercies in Gods way or there is death in the Pot. Forty years after this when the first whole evill generation was consumed the children who were risen up in their fathers stead fall a murmuring for water in the wildernesse of Zin and with a proffligacy of Rebellion wish they had bin consumed with others in the former Plagues Num. 20. 4. Here also the Lord gives them water and that in abundance v. 11. Now of this observe 1. The places from whence this water marvellously issued they were Rocks that in all probability never had spring from the Creation of the World Further they are observed to be Rocks of flint Psal. 114. 8. which turned the Rock into a standing water the flint into a fountaine of waters So Deut. 8. 15. A Rock into a poole and a flint into a stream is much beyond Samsons Riddle of sweetnes from the eater 2. The abundance of waters that gushed out waters to satisfy that whole Congregation with all their cattell consisting of some millions Yea and not only they but all the beasts of that wildernesse were refreshed thereby also Isa. 43. 20. The beast of the field shall honour me the Dragon and the Owle because I give water in the wildernesse Rivers in the Desert to give drink to my people my chosen The very worst of the sons of men Dragons and Owles fare the better for Gods protecting providence towards his own And all this in such abundance that it was as plentifull as a Sea He clave the Rock in the Wildernesse and gave them drink as out of the great Deepe he brought streames also out of the Rocks and caused waters to run down like Rivers Psal. 78. 15 16. so also it is celebrated Isa. 41. 18. Chap. 48. 21. Hos. 13. 5 and in many other places Great deliverances call for frequent Remembrances Thus were Rivers brought out of the Rocks and with or for these Rivers God did cleave the earth that is either he provided channels for those streames to run in that they might not be wasted on the surface of that sandy wildernesse but Preserved for the use of his people or else the streames were so great and strong that they pierced the earth and parted channells for themselves Great Rivers of water brought out of flinty Rocks running into prepared channells to refresh a sinfull thirsty people in a barren wildernesse I think is a remarkeable mercy 2. As it was eminent in it selfe so likewise is it exalted in its typicall concernment Is there nothing but flints in this Rock nothing but water in these streames nothing but the Rod of Moses in the blowes given to it Did the people receive no other refreshment but only in respect of their bodily thirst yes saith the Apostle They drank of that spirituall Rock which followed them and that Rock was Christ 1 Cor. 10. 4. Was not this Rock a signe of that Rock of Ages on which the Church is built Mat. 16. 18. Did not Moses smiting hold out his being smitten with the Rod of God Isa. 53. 4 5 was not the powring out of these plentifull streames as the powring out of his pretious Blood in a Sea of mercy abundantly sufficient to refresh the whole fainting Church in the wildernesse latet Christus in petra here is Christ in this Rock Had Rome had wisdom to build on this Rock though she had not had an infallibility as she vainly now pretends she might have had an infaillability if I may so speak yea she had never quite failed Give me leave to take a few observations from hence as 1. Sinners must be brought to great extremities to make them desire the Bloud of Jesus Weary and thirsty before rock-water come Thirst is a continually galling pressure When a soule gaspeth like a parched Land and is as far from self-refreshement as a man from drawing waters out of a flint then shall the side of Christ be opened to him You that are full of your lusts drunk with the world here is not a drop for you If you never come into the wildernesse you shall never have Rock-water 2. Mercy to a convinced sinner seems of times as remote as Rivers from a Rock of flint The truth is he
businesse who delivers his errand but returnes not an Answer He that brings Gods Message of threats unto his people must returne his peoples message of intreaties unto him Some thinke they have fairly discharged their duty when they have revealed the Will of God to man without labouring to reveale the condition and desires of men unto God He that is more frequent in the Pulpit to his people then he is in his closet for his people is but a sorry watchman Moses did not so Exod. 32. 31. neither did Samuel so 1 Sam. 12. 23. neither was it the guize of Jeremiah in his days Cap. 14 17. If the beginning of the prophecie be as it is The burden of Habakkuk the close will be as it is The Prayer of Habakkuk Where there is a burden upon the People there must be Prayer for the people Wo to them who have denounced desolations and not powred out supplications such men delight in the evill which the Prophet puts far from him Jerem. 17. 16. I have not desired the wofull day O Lord thou knowest Now this Prayer is upon Sigionoth that is 1. it is tuned to a Song 2. such a Song For the first that it is a Song penned in meeter and how done so 1 to take the deeper impression 2 to be the better reteined in memory 3 to worke the more upon Affections 4 to receive the ingredients of poeticall loftinesse for adorning the Majesty of God with 5 the use of Songs in the old Church 6 and for the present 7 their times and seasons as among the people of God so all Nations of old of all or any of these being besides my present purpose I shall not treat Of the second that it is upon Sigionoth a little may be spoken The Word is once in another place and no more used in the title of a Song and that is Psalme 7 Siggaion of David and it is variously rendred It seemes to be taken from the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} erravit to erre or wander variously Prov. 5. 20. the word is used for delight to stray with delight In her love {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} thou shalt erre with delight we have translated it be ravished noting Affections out of order The word then holds out a delightfull wandring and variety and this litterally because those two Songs Psal. 7. and Hab. 3. are not tyed to any one certain kind of meeter but have various verses for the more delight which though it be not proper to them alone yet in them the Holy Ghost would have it especially noted But now surely the kernell of this shell is sweeter then so Is not this written also for their instruction who have no skill in Hebrew Songs The true reason of their meeter is lost to the most learned Are not then Gods variable dispensations towards his held out under these variable Tunes not all fitted to one string not all alike pleasant and easy Are not the severall tunes of mercy and judgement in these songs is not here Affliction and deliverance desertion and recovery darkenesse and light in this variously doubtlesse it is so God often cals his people unto Songs upon Sigionoth c keepes them under various dispensations that so drawing out all their affections their hearts may make the sweeter melody unto him They shall not have all hony nor all gall all judgement lest they be broken nor all mercy lest they be proud Thou answeredst them O Lord our God thou wast a God that forgavest them though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions Psal. 99 8. Here is a Song upon Sigionoth They are heard in their prayers and forgiven there is the sweetest of mercies vengeance is taken of their inventions there 's a Tune of judgement By terrible things in righteousnesse wilt thou answer us O God of our salvation Psal. 65. 5. is a Song of the same Tune To be answered in righteousnesse what sweeter mercy in the World nothing more refreshes the panting soule then an Answer of its desires but to have this answer by terrible things that string strikes a humbling a mournfull note Israel heares of deliverance by Moses d and at the same time have their bondage doubled by Pharaoh There 's a Song upon Sigionoth Is it not so in our days pretious mercies and dreadfull judgements joyntly powred out upon the Land We are cloathed by our Father like Ioseph by his in a party coloured coate here a piece of unexpected deliverance and there a piece of deserved correction at the same houre we may rejoyce at the conquest of our enemies and mourne at the losse of our harvest Victories for his own names sake and showres for our sins sake both from the same hand at the same time The cry of every soule is like the cry of the multitude of old and young at the laying the foundation of the second Temple Many shouted aloud for joy and many wept with a loud voyce so that it was a mixt noyse and the severall noyses could not be distinguished Ezra 3. 12 13. A mixed cry is in our spirits and we know not which is loudest in the day of our visitation I could instance in sundry particulars but that every ones observation will save me that easy labour And this the Lord doth 1. To fill e all our sayles towards himselfe at once to exercise all our Affections I have heard that a full winde behind the Ship drives her not so fast forward as aside wind that seemes almost as much against her as with her and the reason they say is because a full wind fills but some of her sayles which keepe it from the rest that they are empty when a side wind fills all her sayles and sets herspeedily forward Which way ever we go in this World our Affections are our sayles and according as they are spread and filled so we passe on swifter or slower whither we are steering Now if the Lord should give us a full wind and continuall gale of mercies it would fill but some of our sayles some of our Affections Joy Delight and the like but when he comes with a side wind a dispensation that seemes almost as much against us as for us then he fils all our sayles takes up all our Affections making his works wide and broad enough to entertaine them every one then are we carried freely and fully towards the haven where we would be A Song upon Sigionoth leaves not one string of our Affections unturned It is a Song that reacheth every line of our hearts to be framed by the grace and spirit of God Therein hope feare reverence with humility and repentance have a share as well as Joy Delight and Love with Thankfulnesse Enterchangeable dispensations take up all our Affections with all our graces for they are gracious Affections exercised and seasoned with grace of which we speak The stirring of naturall
knowest not which shall prosper this or that or whether they shall be both alike good Eccles. 11. 6. But proceed we with the Prophets prayer From verse the 3. to the 17. He layeth down severall Arguments taken from the Majesty power providence and former works of God for the supporting of his faith to the obtaining of those good things and works of mercy which he was now praying for We shall look on them as they ly in our way God came from Teman the holy one from mount â—aran Selah his glory covered the heavens the earth was full of his praise Teman was a City of the Edomites whose land the people of Israel compassed in the wildernesse when they were stung with fiery Serpents and healed by looking on a brazen Serpent set up to be a type of Christ Teman is put for the whole land of Edom and the Prophet makes mention of it for the great deliverance mercy granted there to the people when they were almost consumed That 's Gods coming from Teman See Num. 21. v. 5 6 7 8 9. When they were destroyed by fiery Serpents he heals them by a type of Christ giving them corporeall and raising them to a faith of spirituall salvation Paran the next place mentioned was a mountain in the Land of Ismael near which Moses repeated the Law and from thence God carried the people immediately to Canaan another eminent act of mercy Unto these he addeth the word Selah as it is a song a note of Elevation in singing as it respects the matter not the form a note of Admiration and speciall Observation Selah consider them well for they were great works indeed Speciall mercies must have speciall Observation Now by reason of these Actions the Prophet affirms that the glory of God covered the heavens and the earth was full of his praise Lofty expressions of the advancement of Gods glory and the fullnesse of his praise amongst his people of the earth which attended that mercifull deliverance and gracious assistance Nothing is higher or greater then that which covers heaven and fills earth Gods l glory is exceedingly exalted and his praise increased every where by Acts of favour and kindnesse to his people That which I shall chuse from amongst many others that present themselves a little to insist upon is that Former mercies with their times and places are to be had in thankfull remembrance unto them who wait for future blessings Faith is to this end separated by them Awake awake put on strength O arm of the Lord awake as in the ancient dayes as in the generations of old art not thou it that hath cut Rahab and wounded the Dragon Art not thou it that dried the sea the waters of the great deep that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to passe over Isa. 51. 9 10 The breaking of Rahab that is Egypt so called here and Psal. 87. 4. Psal. 89. 11. for her great strength which the word signifies and the wounding of the dragon that great and crooked Afflictour Pharaoh is remembred and urged for a motive to a new needed deliverance so Psal. 74. 13 14. Thou brakest the heads of Leviathan in pieces and gavest him to be meat to the people in the wildernesse Leviathan the same Dragon oppressing persecuting Pharaoh thou brakest his Heads his Counsells Armies Power and gavest him for meat that the people for forty yeares together might be fed sustained and nourished with that wonderfull mercy Out of the eater came forth meat out of the strong came forth sweetnesse In this Reciprocation God walketh with his people Of free grace he bestoweth mercies and blessings on them by grace works the returns of Remembrance and Thankfullnesse unto himself for them then showres that down again in new Mercies The Countries which send up no vapours receive down no showers Remembrance with thankfullnesse of former mercies is the matter as it were which by Gods goodnesse is condensed into following blessings For Mercies have their proper end when thankfully remembred What more powerfull motive to the obteining of new then to hold out that the old were not abused We are incouraged to cast seed again into that ground whose last crop witnesseth that it was not altogether barren that sad spot of good Hezekiah that He rendred not again according to the benefit done unto him is set down as the opening a doore of wrath against himself Judah and Jerusalem 2. Chron. 32. 25. On the other side suitable returns are a doore of hope for further mercies The remembrance of them strengthens faith and keeps our hands from hanging down in the time of waiting for blessings When faith is supported the promise is engaged and a mercy at any time more then half obteined faith is the substance of things hoped for Heb. 11. 1. God saith the Apostle hath delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver now what conclusion makes he of this experience in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us 2 Cor. 1. 10. It was a particular mercy with it's circumstances as you may see ver. 9. which he made the bottome of his dependance In the favours of men we cannot do so they may be weary of helping or be drawne dry and grow helpelesse Pond's may be exhausted but the Ocean never The infinite fountaines of the Deity cannot be sunk one haires bredth by everlastingly-flowing blessings Now circumstances of Actions Time Place and the like oft-times take deepe impressions Mercies should be remembred with them So doth the Apostle againe 2 Tim. 4. 17 18. He did deliver me from the mouth of the Lyon Nero that Lion-like tyrant and what then he will deliver mee from every evill worke David esteemed it very good Logick to argue from the victory God gave him over the Lyon and the Beare to a confidence of victory over Goliah 1 Sam. 17. 37. The use of this we are lead unto Isaiah 43. 16 17 18. Thus saith the Lord which maketh a way in the Sea and a Path in the mighty waters which bringeth forth the chariot and the horse the army and the power they shall lie downe together they shall not rise they are extinct they are quenched as tow Remember yee not the former things nor consider the things of old Let former mercies be an Anchor of hope in time of present distresses Where is the God of Marstone-Moore and the God of Naseby is an acceptable expostulation in a gloomy day O what a catalogue of mercies hath this Nation to plead by in a time of trouble God came from Naseby and the holy one from the West Selah his glory covered the Heavens and the earth was full of his prayse He went forth in the North and in the East he did not withhold his hand I hope the poore Towne wherein n I live is more inriched with a store mercy of a few moneths then with a full trade of