and soberly shall find that there are as many Characters shining in the Scripture it self as may refresh and satisfie him and all those who have their all in God God bless his Word to you for Christ's sake SERMON XXVIII Psalm 130. Verse 5. And in his word do I hope A Person without skill will readily mistake the best contrivances whoso without skill should look slightly upon a man building an House and digging very deep to seek a sure foundation for it whereby a great part of his expenses and pains is hid under ground would they not be ready to go and count that great cost but when the foundation is well laid the superstructure will stand the better So may it be with many in reference to the purpose I am now upon needy bodies would fain have something presently to fill their mouth they are not for frist but little do they consider that the Doctrine of this Text lays the foundations that cannot be destroyed The foundation of all their other food that they get from the Scripture and because this foundation is not well laid other things relating to their cases in the superstructure proves slipâ—y I am now upon the great Task of the Psalmist here waiting for God I have shewed the necessity of Faith and Hope for that undertaking the fastning of Faith and Hope in waiting on its sure ground the Word of God And I have laid before you the necessity of being acquaint with the Scriptures that it is your duty to be determined by the Scripture and to judge of all things according to the verdict of the Word and in prosecution of that I am led upon this great Truth That the Scriptures are of Divine Authority they are the Word of God I laid by the pretence of the Romish Church to assert the Authority of the Scriptures whose principles lead men in the matters of Religion to a labyrinth of unextricable uncertainties Now it would remain that I should hint at some things to clear the Divinity and Divine Authority of the Scriptures and the Doctrine therein contained not to Atheists to Whom I spake a word in the close of the mornings Exercise but to sober minded folk who would fain have their Faith helped in that concern and as the last day I recommended your Bibles to you to be made more use of that ye might have the word dwelling richly in you So this day I would recommend to all to take another and a better look of their Bibles that they may see them and the Doctrine held out therein clearly and distinctly to be Divine One word I premit which would lead me to that I would speak to here and ye will find it Psal 119.152 You read it in your Translation Concerning thy testimonie I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever but the Original reads it word for word thus From thy testimonies I have learned of old that thou hast founded them for ever wherein ye may take notice of these three 1. What he learned concerning the Scriptures that God had founded them for ever that is That they were and are an unalterable and everlasting foundation of Faith having a Divine Authority stamped upon them 2. When he learned this of old not only from experience but he learned it as the first principle he had drunken in That was would he say the A B C. of my Religion a Peter hath the word in that forecited place 2 Pet. 1.20 Know this first c. 3. Whence he learned this From thy testimonies I learned it saith he I needed not another evidence thy Testimonies when my eyes were open discovered to me their divine authority and infallible verity Hence ye may gather that which I closed with in the morning That if ye suppose the Historical verity of the Scriptures they will prove their Divinity to any who have the Spirit of God or to any who receive the Scriptures as a true History the Scriptures themselves will prove themselves to be Divine Writings So here ye have 1. The Historical verity of the Scriptures supposed 2. Their Divine Authority proposed and 3. The necessity of the Spirit to discern that 1. I suppose that men receive the Scriptures as a true History that is that men will give that credit to the Word that they give to any common History handed down to their days to wit that there was such a Nation as Israel that there was such a man as Moses that gave them Laws that was instrumental in working miracles in bringing them out of Egypt and in the Wilderness that there was such an one as Jesus Christ that preached in Palestine was crucified at Jerusalem that he had twelve Apostles that followed him c. This is to be supposed in this inquiry concerning the Authority of the Scriptures neither is it irrational to suppose it Though there be no vestige of that antient City of Troy now yet who doubts but such a City was And that Homer wrote not a meer Romance whatever Poetical enlargements he has when he wrote of it Who doubts of Alexander the Great though his Empire be now gone and that Q Curtius wrote of him Who doubts of the Roman Wars and that Titus Livius wrote of them when men get these Books in their hands they look not on them as fables and if so how rationally do we plead that the like Credit be given to the Scriptures that they may have the like acceptance if any account this irrational he must grant that he will not believe any thing done before his own time nay that he will not believe any thing done in his own time if he see it not done with his eyes and thus a man questioning the Historical verity of things should nonpluss himself with absurdities and declare that he were fitter for a Bedlam than to be Disputed with But 2. This being supposed there is their Divine Authority proposed to be spoken to the Scripture it self will prove it self a true Divine word they often do solemnly declare they are of God that God spoke them to Moses the Prophets and assert that what they spoke are the truths of God and that they do not cheat in this assertion whoso will go through the Characters of the words Divinity they will be convinced of it But a man falling on that subject must say as Psal 106.2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord Who can shew forth all his praise I might here speak of the form and stile of Scripture of the scope and end of it leading to God and Everlasting happiness but I shall limit my self to the antiquity of the Scripture the instruments employed in transmitting it to us the matter of the Scripture the efficacy and success of them and the adjuncts of the Scripture 1. For the antiquity of the Scripture that is most true which is most antient and so is the Scripture for however error may plead antiquity yet truth had
come away he waits to receive you but lay a solid foundation acquaint your selves more with the sinfulness of sin with the desert of sin and with the impossibility of standing before God marking sin in strict Justice that ye may close with Christ in earnest God bless what ye have heard for Christ's sake SERMON VII Psal 130. Vers 3. If thou LORD shouldest mark iniquities O LORD who shall stand 4. But there is forgivenness with thee that thou mayest be feared YE have heard how the Psalmist in the 1st and 2d Verses being wrestling with plunging perplexities expressed here under the name of deeps gets guilt stopping his audience and success to wrestle with in the 3d and 4th Verses wherein as ye have heard we have 1. A sensible confession concerning the desert of sin Verse 3. Next we have his refuge when he is humbled with the sense of that and it is pardoning mercy forgivenness with God to which he claims in the beginning of the 4th Verse And lastly ye have the end for which God lets out and bestows pardoning mercy on sinners that he may be feared For the first of these in the 3d Verse I am near a close of what I purpose to say upon it for beside the conjunction ye have heard ought to be betwixt the sense of sin and the sense of trouble without which the sense of trouble is but bruitish and beside that ye have heard that guilt will readily meet the people of God in straits when they are made to cry out of the deeps unto God Beside these I say I insisted the last day on that great Point that iniquity marked by God according to the Covenant of Works and the Rules of strict Justice is that which no man is able to stand under and ye may remember how at great length I both Explained and continued this truth by several Deductions from the Text which I shall not now repeat I shut up the Point with a general word of Exhortation that sinners that look for everlasting happiness would learn to say over this Text with application to themselves If thou Lord should mark iniquity I cannot stand and to do it sensibly for the fixing of which and bearing of it home ye may remember what Considerations were laid before you as Considerations concerning God your Party Considerations concerning the number of your sins and guilt It 's called iniquities in the Plural Number Considerations concerning the nature and aggravations of your guilt upon which account also it 's called Iniquities Considerations also of the just threatnings of God and of the infallible execution of them upon the sinner or his Surety Considerations concerning the sufferings of Jesus Christ a Glass wherein the desert of sin must be seen Now before I come to the next Verse I shall mark three or four particular inferences And 1. Ye have here a clear discovery that there is no Justification by Works that a man by his Works cannot think of standing before God Justification by Works is that only which we know by the Light of Nature and that first Covenant made with mankind in Adam and therefore every man hath a natural propension to do his own turn that way The Jews being ignorant of the righteousness of God and going about to establish their own righteousness did not submit unto the righteousness of God Rom. 10.3 Ignorant persons think to please God with their Repentance and the mending of their faults and doing better Papists plead with an open mouth for Justification by Works some Mungrel Protestants would mumble out somewhat that way but ye are to consider that the Covenant requires that which is now impossible even perfect holiness and that Covenant being once broken is everlastingly broken and for any Evangelical Paction the Text leads us to there is no Medium betwixt God's marking iniqiuity and forgiving iniquity a man must either stand to his hazard of God's sitting down on his Tribunal and marking his iniquities to punish them or he must lay aside all thoughts of complementing with God in this matter or of patching up a business of Grace and good Works in his Justification before him they that study the first part of the Text well that if God mark iniquity none can stand they will easily be put from that conceit of Justification by Works and plead forgivenness And therefore 2 I would have sinners considering that there is no standing under guilt except Christ be fled unto for refuge if ye have not taken Sanctuary in Atheism that ye look upon all that is said in this Preached Gospel as cunningly devised Fables will you but look to it and think with your selves what will you do in the day of Visitation and in the day of Wrath when the just threatnings of God shall be execute against sin and all sinners that are out of Christ when many will be ready to cry out for Hills and Mountains to fall upon them and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. O! consider it if ye can be perswaded to be in earnest about your souls what ye think to do in the day of Gods wrath for sin In that day wherein the sensless sinners that made a sport of sin will be made to sing that doleful Note Lam. 5.16 The Crown is fallen from our head wo unto us for we have sinned Then ye will find it desperate folly and madness that ye went on in sin and fled not in time from the wrath to come Ponder that Parable Luk. 16.24 which is not to be stretched beyond the principal scope as if there were charity for others in Hell and ye will find what a dreadful Bargain sin is when a drop of cold Water to cool the Tongue would be an ease to the Drunkard in torment and he cannot have it when his warning of others is a witness against himself that he was a desperat man that run such a hazard that is now past remedy Think I say on these things if ye look not on this Word as Fables But 3. If none can stand before God's marking iniquity then the sense of guilt should make us justifie God in all the troubles that come upon his People when we consider that the Lord may for sin not only as in a solemn day call our terrors round about as the word is Lament 2.22 But may everlastingly condemn us in hell how dare a sinner murmur under lesser calamities or troubles The language of a man sensible of the desert of sin is that which ye have Ezra 9 13. Thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve and that Lam. 3.22 It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not A man that is sensible of sin and of the desert of it ye will not find him a murmurer against any cross inflicted but a wonderer at the moderation that shines in the sharpest tryals Therefore as I said upon the first head the sense
neither will the Commands of men oblidging them in Law conclude men to be sinners unless there be a superiour Command of God oblidging them to give obedience to these Commands of men but waving that to the end I may resume and follow forth something to your Edification I shall briefly speak to these four 1. That all men have sin to be pardoned 2. That sin is a Crime and a Debt that needs a pardon a burden that a man will not willingly ly under if he look right on it nor be at rest till he get it off 3. That Sin being a Debt that needs pardon and a burden too heavy for any the unpardoned man looks upon himself if in his right wits in a doleful plight till he be pardoned And 4. That it is the chiefest of good news to a Man sensible of the Debt of Sin that God is a pardoner of Sin For the first of these all have sinned or done that which needs a pardon I shal not need to repeat what I spoke the last day upon this when I cleared the universality of that assertion That if God mark iniquity none can stand before him v. 3. I shall only add two Scripturall Confirmations this day One is that 1 John 1.8 Where the Apostle writing to the godly says as to Original Sin if we say we have not sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us and another Confirmation when as to actual sin he says v. 10. If we say that we have not sinned we make God a liar and his word is not in us And another Confirmation ye shall take from the Patern of Prayer Mat. 6.12 Where these who are allowed to call God Father even the godly are required to pray dayly forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors or as Luk. 11.4 hath it Forgive us our sins I shall say no more of this but briefly mind you of these four 1. It serves to refute the perfectists that pretend to sinlesness It was the damnable error of the Pelagians that they affirmed that as we have no guilt by Adam's sin so Men might live without sin not only sine crimine without any gross scandalous out-breakings as we confess some sins or some way of committing sin are not incident to the People of God 1 John 3.9 But they assert that men may live sine peccato without any sin at all And when they are urged with that Petition enjoyned in the Lords Prayer where we are bidden pray for the daily forgivenness of sin They Answer That men should say that Petition humiliter but not veraciter humbly but not truly and in sincerity which is both an imputation on the Majesty of God and a refutation of their error An imputation on the Majesty of God as if he did require that men should lye under pretence of humility and a refutation of their own error for if they should lye and pray hypocritically and not sincerely they prove themselves to be sinners and not perfect as they pretend 2. We might here put Papists to mind what they say when they plead for the sinlesness of the blessed Virgin Mary though in this they do not agree among themselves The Franciscans and Jesuits they assert that she was conceived Immaculat others as the Dominicans assert that she was conceived in sin but she was immediatly cleansed from it but both of them agree that she lived without actual sin VVe are for to declare her blessed above all VVomen and highly favoured of the Lord but we dare not contradict Scripture which concludes all under sin Rom. 3.23 Nor her own confession Luke 1.47 Where she owns God as her Saviour which imports her acknowledging that she was a sinner nor yet contradict our blessed Lord his taxing of her as Culpable John 2.4 When she would enjoyn him by her Motherly Authority to work a miracle Woman saith he what have I to do with thee mine hour is not yet come he owns her as a Woman not as his Mother in the Acts of his Mediatory Office and reflects upon her as one culpable that would require of him to work a miracle But 3. I would from this recommend to all of you to grow in acquaintance with your pollutions sinfulness infirmities and manifold dayly failings And for this alas we need not light Candles there is not need of any secret search as the Word is Jer. 2 34. The skirts of our Garments tell what we are to us may be applyed that Word Isaiah 3.9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them and they declare their sin as Sodom they hide it not wo unto their souls for they have rewarded evil unto themselves But were we as spotless as Paul it is our duty to be exercised with the root of sin with the Body of Sin and Death with that Law which is in our Members rebelling against the Law of the mind with that will that is present with us when we delight to do good after the Inner-man Rom. 7. Ye would drive this trade and mourn for your secret sins lest God be provoked to give you up to scandalous out-breakings which the world will read when ye are not exercised with secret sins ye provoked God to give you other work a do litle to your advantage Learn to be at that work which the people are at Isaiah 59.12 Our transgressions say they are multiplyed before thee and our sins testifie against us for our transgressions are with us and as for our iniquities we know them And at that trade David was at Psal 40.12 While he saith Innumerable evils have compassed me about mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up They are mo than the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me Estrangement from our sinfulness is an impediment to our humility all the crosses in the world will not humble or bring a man so low as acquaintance with his own pollutions and sinfulness of his nature Estrangement from sinfulness is a great obstruction to repentance he cannot be a penitent that is not a dayly student of his own failings and infirmities and estrangement of our sinfulness is an impediment to pardon for sin must be taken with and confessed before we can expect pardon and that cannot be while we live estranged from it Thus you see the losses that follows the neglect of acquainting our selves with the sinfulness of sin our dayly pollutions and infirmities But the 4. and last Word I shall give you from this and I shall go no further for the time shall be this that the consideration of the universal sinfulness of all mankind should excite folk much to commend God it commends God as upon many accounts so particularly upon these two one is that he spares the World dayly though there be so much sin both of Saints and others abounding in it who would fit with so many wrongs as God gets every day and yet he
sin God remits culpam but not paenam That is he remits the fault or guilt so as not only he may chasten which we grant but as he reserves a punishment by way of satisfaction for sin to be undergone by the pardoned sinner They distinguish in this betwixt mortal and venial Sins for mortal sins they grant that the free Grace of God turns eternal punishment into a temporal which the sinner must undergo for venial sins which they say deserves not eternal punishment but temporal all that temporal punishment they will have the pardoned man to sustain it Hence is their Doctrine of Pennances in this life and of Purgatory after death when Pennances are not undergone here where they will have pardoned sinners to make satisfaction of sin for this Doctrine it would be but troublesome to you to hear all that might be said against it though we should but touch on it and therefore passing that groundless distinction of mortal and venial sins ye shall notice these five anent that their Doctrine 1. That as the bulk of Popish Religion is nothing but a well contrived Policy or Interest of State so this Doctrine of Pennance and Purgatory is nothing else but a Politick Device to make gain for maintaining their Kitchin Pomp Pride and Luxury which as I told you the last day Caesar Borgia the Son of Alexander the sixth makes to appear who while he had lost 100000 at the Dice past it in a sport saying These are the sins of the Germans meaning that thereby they had purchased remission of Sins for here the policy lies Once perswade folk that they must do Pennances to satisfie for sin or to go to Purgatory what will they not do while they are alive or their Friends for them when they are dead to mitigat that satisfaction that is their Market and then pay well and come to Heaven without either Pennance or Purgatory so that their Doctrine in this is a perfect cheat 2. In this their Doctrine they corrupt the Doctrine of the antient Church which was not so very sound for 〈◊〉 they have a trick of retaining antient Names of things under which they bring in new Errors so in this particular of Pennances and Indulgences used by the antient Church who while they were a distinct Society were very strict and severe in requiring publick Pennance and Satisfaction for Scandals some they held many years in making their Repentance some they held all their life but afterward when the World came in to the Church and the Emperors imbraced Christianity and they with other great Ones were too thin-skin'd and would not submit to Discipline the Church did degenerat from their strictness and shortned their Indulgences but the antient Church their Pennances were not to satisfie God for sin but the Church they were not for privat and secret sins but for publick and scandalous offences And the Church willing to gratifie great persons did mitigat these severities to many But the Papists retaining the Name they will have these Pennances a satisfaction to God for sin and their Indulgences to assoil folk in the Court of Heaven A 3d thing to be considered in that their Doctrine which is very unhansom for them to maintain these Pennances which they call satisfaction what are they They are their Fastings their Ave Marias and Pater-nosters their Pilgrimages and Peregrinations their Charity to the poor or for a Religious use their Self-scourgings and Whippings now I enquire what are these They are either Commanded Duties or not If they be not Commanded Duties how can they be satisfaction for sin for will God be satisfied with that which he doth not require Who required these things at your hand If they be Commanded Duties how can they make a punishment of them that is a dreadful Solecism in their Religion that Commanded Duties that should be the joy and rejoicing of folks hearts should be turned to Punishments and except they be punishments they cannot be satisfaction so that they have a bad impression of these things which they look upon as Duties while they make Commanded Duties punishments for sin And a 4th Word I say to that their Doctrine is this That to admit of satisfaction for sin either as to temporal or eternal punishment for it is a blasphemous imputation on Christ's Satisfaction as if any thing needed to be added to the Ocean of his Merit who hath satisfied the Justice of God both as to the Temporal and Eternal Curse due to his own Elect for their sins And a 5th I shall say to their Doctrine is That it is contradictory to it self for what is the guilt of sin as contra-distinct to the stain of sin that is removed It is not the potential guilt the desert of sin for that is inseparable from sin it is only the actual ordination to punishment Now to say God remits the guilt and retains the punishment of sin it is to say that he remits and retains that he pardons and doth not pardon that he takes away actual ordination to punishment that he craves the debt which he hath forgiven This is sufficient to refute the Papists on the one hand in what they hold anent the pardon of sin Upon the other hand the Antinomians run on another extream and say that pardoned justified persons fall not so much as under chastisement let be a proper punishment for sin And they will have all Afflictions that come upon the Godly to be meer tryals of their Faith and no more and think that it is a legal Spirit that teacheth folk while they are under the Rod to search out sin and to be humbled for it all that a man is called to do in that case say they is to maintain his Faith in adhering to the Love of God in Christ for whatever Affliction come it is not for sin and it is no wonder they maintain the Saints cannot fall under affliction for sin or chastisement for sin seing they maintain God sees no sin in them To clear the mind of God in this particular There are some things that must be granted as truths and there are some other things to be cautioned against as error The truths that are to be granted may be reduced to these four words 1. That justified persons never meet with condemnation what temporal lots soever they meet with and though they be not secured against the cross yet they are secured from condemnation 2. That a pardoned and justified child of God doth never come under the wrath of God though justified persons may come under Gods Fatherly displeasure yet they are never more objects of divine wrath as others though they may often meet with Fatherly and Divine displeasure as children they come not under wrath as enemies 3. That pardoned and justified sinners never fall under proper punishments for sin or afflictions to satisfie for their faults though for other ends they may as to invite them to repentance and to be humbled for
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
confess the Word there being in the present time To him that overcometh or is overcoming it is to assure them that are in earnest in the battel and in pursuit of the Victory that they may grip the promise for their encouragement yet it is to the overcomer to him that endures to the end to the compleat Victory that the Promise relates Neither 2. shall I speak to the possibility and impossibility of this apostasie and back-sliding I confess if I speak of the Saints that are truely regenerat it is impossible that they can totally and finally fall away There is a seed that still remains in them 1 Joh. 3.9 Not that that seed being but a Creature can preserve it self of it self but its remaining and stability depends on the eternal decree of God concerning the Elect For whom he forknows and predestinats to be conform to the image of his Son them be also glorifies Rom. 9.30 upon the paction past betwixt the Father and the Son about the Elect that the Father shall bring them to Christ and that Christ shall lose none of them Joh. 6.39 Upon the Promises of the Covenant of Grace that he will put his fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from him Jer. 32.40 And upon the intercession of Christ that hath prayed for them that their faith fail not Luke 22.32 Yet though it be certain that none of the truly Regenerat can totally and finally fall away it is as certain that Temporaries that blossom fair for a time may totally and finally fall away and it is no less certain that Saints may make Apostasie and fall away from many degrees of that life and vigour which once they had They may with David give over waiting on God and run away to the Land of the Philistines 1 Sam. â—7 They may with that Church of Ephesus forsake their first Love Rev. 2.4 Nor 3. shall I insist to lay before you the evil of Apostasie that is the prejudice this back-sliding hath with it according to the degree and measure of it as that there is first this woful ill in it in being hindred in that which is good Gal. 5.7 Ye run well who hindred you that ye should not obey the truth And 2. That there is in it a losing of that which folks have gained Gal. 3.4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain Have ye lost all these sufferings ye endured in the world for Christianity and 2 Joh. verse 8. Look to your selves that we lose not these things that have been wrought The progress that hath been made the victory that hath been obtained over corruption a man by Apostasy back-sliding or sitting up in the way of God runs the hazard of losing all that There it also 3. a great hazard in Back-sliding upon the account of the indignity thereby offered to the Majesty of God it is a reflection on him as if there were some iniquity in him Jer. 2.5 What iniquity have your fathers found in me that they are gone far from me and have walked after vanity and are become vain And verse 31. Have I been a wilderness to Israel a land of darkness Werefore say my people we are lords we will come no more to thee and Micah 6.3 O my people wherein have I wearied thee What have I done unto thee testifie against me From all which it is clear that it is a dreadful iniquity offered to the Majesty of God when his people back-slide from him And 4. This course of Apostasie is full of hazard upon the account of the stumbling-blocks thereby laid in the way of others the back-slider does all that he can to deter any to assay that course and way of Religion and Godliness that he hath forsaken and turned his back on when after he hath been for a time in Christ's company he makes desertion and leaves him he proclaims to all the World that there is not that satisfaction to be had in him and in his service that he expected and if all should take his verdict never one should ingage in that course that he hath relinquished And 5. Apostasie and back-sliding is full of hazard on the account of the dreadful consequences that follow on it I shall not need to insist upon that Prov. 14.14 The back-slider in heart shall be filled with his own ways but many and dreadful are the plagues that abide such a temper that waits on back-sliders God will make out upon temporary back-sliders that which ye have 1 Pet. 2.21 It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them and for the Saints when they backslide they lay a foundation of many sorrows to themselves when God wakens them up to lay to heart their backslidings and to return to their first Husband when he hedges up their way with Thorns and makes a wall that they shall not find their paths when they follow after their lovers and cannot overtake them seek them and cannot find them till they find that iniquity of their backsliding to be hateful Running through these words shortly I come to draw some words of use from what hath been said And 1. Folk would look what guilt may be among them or upon them of this kind if I should speak to many in this time there needs not a secret search to find out their guilt to prove their Apostasie and back-sliding How many are there that in their younger days it may be had their buds blossoms and promises fair enough and appearances of good which when they are grown up are rotten and withered blasted and gone How many seem to have come far on in Religion and all the length they came in seeking God they have given it over How many made a mint of seeking God in secret and in their Families and now they no more assay it than if they were Pagans What shall I say of Negatives many have not only turned off all Religion in their Practice but they are turned openly profane and not only profane but mockers if ever they had any touch of Conscience in themselves they are ready to call it Melancholy silliness sordid baseness in spirit and to bless themselves that they have got their foot on it and not only are they ready to mock at this work in themselves but to hate all others that will not run with them to the same excess of riot look to it it is a fearful and ominous thing to see the defection that is in this generation among the generality of the Professors of the Gospel and without all peradventure if Repentance prevent not it portends hard things Backsliding is a sin that Christ will not sit with unrevenged and shall I in this tryal come nearer to you ye who have keeped your feet and are not to be ranked among these that we have been speaking of come and try if ye may inlist your selves among the
faith he staggered not at the promise through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God And Paul Rom. 8.24 when he had told that we are saved by faith adds but hope that is seen is not hope for what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for Hope and Faith are only for things invisible to any other sense or faculty And for the continuance of trials it is clear that it's Faith must see the issue as Hab 2.2 with Heb. 10.37 Write the vision and make it plain on tables that he may run that readeth it speak out my promise why For the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lie though it tarry to sense wait for it c. And how shall this be done The just shall live by faith If it be enquired how it comes to pass that the Lord puts the mercies of his people so far out of sight by the greatness and long continuance of trouble That it is only Faith that can discern the issue I shall briefly clear this to you in four words 1. He doth it that he may acquaint his people with the solid truth of his promises that he may let them see and bring them to know experimentally that his promise is not a blaâ—lume but though all things in the world were against us it 's a true word it 's a tryed word like silver purified seven times in the furnace Psal 12.6 and shall have an accomplishment The longer folk rest on the Bible and the more they try it they will esteem of it the more It 's of Divine Authority to which I shall speak a word afterwards when I come to that of the Psalmist where he calls it his Word 2. For this end the Lord gives this work to the faith of his people that he may acquaint them more and more with himself in whom they believe that when they are put to the Bible to live by faith in his Word they may study his Divine Attributes his Veracity that cannot lie his Omnipotency that in greatest difficulties can commad deliverance to his people his infinite Wisdom that can by contraries bring out his Wisdom about their delivery and by this means they have a great advantage when they are brought to know God the Author of the Promises better Hence Psal 9.10 â—t's said They that know thy Name will put their trust in thee They that know him will put their confidence in him And Paul 2 Tim. 1.12 said For the which cause I suffer these things nevertheless I am not ashamed How is that For I know whom I have believed and am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him to keep against that day therefore I am not ashamed therefore my confidence succumbs not 3. The Lord by giving Faith this work brings his people experimentally to know the worth of Faith and that 's a necessary Lesson we will not â—y get Sailing near the Shore within sight of Land but must Lanch forth into the deep that Faith may be put to it and in this case what advantage is it to know the worth of Faith Psal 27.13 I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living What had become of me if I had not believed And that gave him to know the worth of Faith which had an excellent advantage And Psal 28.7 My heart trusted in him and I was helped I never tryed Faith but it brought me some ease and relief though not a compleat out-gate And 4. The Lord give faith this work that he may get much glory of his people by their dependance hoping and believing Thus Rom. 4.20 Abraham was strong in the faith giving glory to God Thou thinks it would honour God much if thy mouth were filled with songs for deliveries sweet comforts love-blinks c. I grant these are sweet and speaks his praise but God is more honoured by believing when thou wants these and hath only his naked word to lean to thou then glorifies God more eminently though not so satisfactorily to thy self when thou sticks by believing in continued difficulties when thou art tempted to cast away confidence All I say from this Branch and come to the 2d shall be to tell you that were these things believed we would not be so ready to stumble whatever our difficulties were when sense and carnal reason were laid by and non-pluss'd with want of all appearances and probabilities of an issue But who are they who when they are left on a word of God do not find themselves at a loss and as ye use to speak at the next best whereas if we considered that this were God way to exercise his people with such great and continued Trials that their Issues and Out-gates from them may be the Object of Faith and not of Sense or carnal Reason and particularly were this studied our being holden long at work hinging on would not tempt folk to weary and give over waiting on God a thing which many of us have cause to mourn for and many fear that if God refine us with silver we will discover more than we thought had been in us O consider it that ye stumble not weary not fret not quite not your confidence in great continued troubles it is an evil not so much to be dung from your confidence as to take the pet to cast it away and give way to discouragement and lie down and die But to press this I come to the second Branch in the Point That as the Tryals of Gods people may be such as only Faith can see an out-gate so when they are so Faith if it be chearfuly employed will apprehend a promised delivery in greatest difficulties it will make a man wait on God in the saddest exercises without succumbing and to say this with the Psalmist I wait c. for I hope in his word If a man be living by Faith and so a just man Though the Vision tarry to sense it will make him wait for it and expect it because at the appointed time it will speak and not lie And for the grounds on which this truth is founded amongst others take these three 1. That let Tryals be never so great and long continued they alter not the ground of Faith the ground that Faith goes on still continues the same Whatever befal the people of God they get not a new Bible or a new God all the gloomy days that past over them has not blotted out one Promise or Attribute of God and these things they see in God and his Promises in a fair day they may see them to be the same in a foul day now if the ground be the same if the Promises be the same if God be the same if our Rock have not sold us Faith closing with that ground must wait for a delivery were the Tryal never so great and long continued
still the fore-start of it from the beginning it was not so says Christ Mat. 19.8 What Book so antient as the Book of Moses out of which the rest are to be proven The Hebrew was the most antient Language Moses who wrote in the Hebrew Language was dead long before the Theban War and Siege of Troy the first thing written by the Heathen and for the antiquity of the matter it is the most antient the matter first whereof it treats concerning the Creation of the Heaven and the Earth the Creation of Man and his fall the effects whereof the Heathen have felt though they could not ascend to the cause The History of the Worlds Creation being first Man that was made the sixth day could not have known unless God had revealed it unto him Nay Tit. 1.2 It speaks of Promises made by God that cannot lie before the World began and that these are not Impostures of men their accomplishment in every age makes out 2. For the Instruments imployed in transmitting the Doctrine of the Scriptures to us some of them were learned as Moses Daniel Paul though all their Learning could not reach that Doctrine but generally they were simple illiterat men and to convince us further their Doctrine was of God they could not be deceived they would not deceive and though they would they could not deceive 1. They could not be deceived Why Either they had their Doctrine from God and a good Spirit or from Sathan and an evil Spirit if they had it from God and a good Spirit as indeed they did have it they could not be deceived and from Sathan and an ill Spirit they could not have it for he would not inspire Doctrine in men so destructive to his Kingdom and interest 2. As they could not be deceived so neither would they deceive when impostures comes out to cheat others any with half an eye cannot but see some design in their cheat but what design could the instruments employed to carry this Doctrine have They walked not in craftiness they handled not the Word of God deceitfully they affected not humane Wisdom but by manifestation of the Truth commended themselves to every mans Conscience as in the sight of God 2 Cor. 4.2 The world saw they reaped no advantage by their Doctrine but a sore skin they relinquisht all their own interest and worldly advantages in their faithful discharge of their trust And 3. As they could not be deceived and would not deceive so though they would they could not deceive and that because these things they preached and wrote of were not done in a corner but before all they came not out as the Papists to tell of miracles in corners which none saw but themselves but of things done in the open view of the world so that if they had vented any untruth there were myriads of men to witness against them and give them the lie Apian confesses many things concerning the Jews The Pharisees confesse of the Apostles Acts 4. That a notable miracle was wrought by them which was manifest to all that dwelt at Jerusalem and none could deny it The Philosophers and Heathens confessed that many things were true of the Christians But 3. Let us consider the matter of the Scriptures and O! what beams of Divinity will we find shining there look on it in the bulk no such systeme of Doctrine concerning God and his Attributes the Creation of Man and Providence the Fall of Man and his Redemption concerning mans Duty the immortality of the Soul the resurrection of the Body Eternal Life and happiness c. as this Book holds out Consult all the Philosophers all the Druids and Brachmans all the Magicians that ever spoke or wrot of Divine things and put all their Doctrines together in one they cannot parralel this Book and the matter contained in it it is such a compleat Transcript and System of Doctrine and this proves it to be of God Why Could the mind of man what way soever have found out what is in this Book no certainly these wonders of Nature parts abilities would never have left it to some poor illiterat Fisher Men to discover that they should bring forth such transcendent sublime Truths demonstrats the Scriptures to be the word of God Look upon it in the parts the Histories contained in it though written by so many several men living in so far distant ages places of the world yet have a wonderful harmony holding out a true Chronology and supputation of time which proves their divine authority and infallible verity Here ye have a true History of what the Heathen involved in Fables for if it were fit to insist on it I could clear their first Saturn was Adam and the next Noah whose three Sons Shem Ham and Japheth were Transformed by them Ham into Jupiter Japheth into Neptune and Shem because they hated the blessed race into Pluto and that all their other Fables are but obscure and dark intimations of the Histories which in the Bible are clear and plain here we have Histories not so much concerning great Kings and Princes as of poor Believers not so much concerning things that occurred as the Providence of God in bringing them about And as Scripture Histories are exact true and distinct So Scripture dogmata and Doctrines are so clear many of them and so consonant with Natures light that in some measure they may be known by it as that there is one God the first cause of all That it is reasonable he should be served c. That reasonable Creatures have immortal souls and die not as beasts which made the Heathen to cry out as Deut 4.8 What nation is there so great that hath statutes and judgments so righteous and others of them though they be not known by natural reason yet they are not contrary to principles that are naturally known concerning the Power Wisdom and Goodness of God and being revealed will be acknowledged to be very rational Thus though man know not the way of Redemption but by Divine Revelation yet he may find himself an object of pity which alone can be expected from God and of justice if he find not out some remedy Again though some mysteries transcend the Light of Natural Reason as the Trinity of Persons the Incarnation of Christ c. Yet that will not bring the Doctrine in question partly because no Doctrine even of the Heathens but it hath its own secrets and partly because there are many things in nature which we see are and yet we cannot tell why what and whence they are But further consider the Scriptures and as we will find them clear as to the Histories and Doctrines therein set down so as to the Prophesies therein contained we will find an exact answerableness of so many future events to their predictions in the Word The Heathens hold their amâ—â—guous Oracles so adapted to the events that they might put their own Commentars upon them
used by the Papists against us concerning the Spirits testimony it is not by way of Enthusiasme or any new Revelation but by way of gift from God opening our eyes to discern the wonders of his Law and so it is not required to prove the Scriptures to be Divine but to assure us they are Divine because there be some to whom the Gospel is hid not that a saving work of the Spirit is requisite to take up these evidences of the Divinity of the Scriptures for a temporary may taste of the good Word of God and yet fall away Heb. 6. But a common illumination of the Spirit is necessary to take up these evidences the Scripture gives of its Divinity Now I have been long upon this Head which is Doctrinal and though it be so it shall not be in vain if it be a mean to fix your Faith and Hope in this Principle that the Scriptures are the Word of God and of Divine Authority The Scriptures are the Word of Truth by which we are begotten Jam. 1.18 His Law is the truth Psal 119.142 The Scriptures are a more sure word of prophesie whereunto ye do well to take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place 2 Pet. 1.19 When David is comforting himself against the rising of enemies like the mighty Waters and Waves of the Sea he says Thy testimonies are very sure Psal 93.5 And then they are a tryed word Psal 12.6 The words of the Lord are pure words as silver tried in a furnace of earth purified seven times Ye would reduce these things to your practice and seek to have the Word of God to be found that which it is called in your experience But that which I intended to have insisted upon is to leave a sad check upon the generality of you that see so little of God in your Bible Something hath been said to hold forth the Divine Authority of the Scriptures but I confess it 's but a spilt commendation that hath been given this word yea it fears me more hath been said than even ye that have Bibles discern O will ye consider how men of old have experienced the Divinity of this word and have found it to be of God and have fallen down and confessed worshipping God saying God is in you of a truth 1 Cor. 14.25 All the fores that Christianity now hath do not contribute to make the Word so successful as it hath been in times of persecution wherefore it is so soon passed from by many in times of trial because the Divine Authority thereof is not stamped on hearts and God is not made use of and imployed to write it upon the heart Let this be looked upon partly as the practical use of what ye have heard partly to excite you to bless God ye have this Word Ye are not behind so long as ye have your Bibles though ye were straitned in many other things and partly to humble you that ye may blush and be ashamed that the Divine vertue and efficacy that wont to accompany the Scriptures is so little found in this generation and upon your hearts SERMON XXIX Psalm 130. Verse 5. And in his Word do I hope WAiting for God being the great and trying task of of the godly man as ye have heard who afterhend his wrestling with the deeps of difficulties and with insupportable pressures of guilt must learn also by patient waiting for God to wrestle with delays to the answers of Prayer or the longed for outgate prayed for whether as to issue or comfort These that are put to this trying task and seriously engaged in it had need to be well supported that they may bide it out till they meet with the end of the Lord. This is it which I am now upon in these words wherein the Psalmist after that he hath profesâ— he is waiting waiting for the Lord that his soul doth wait he adds in the next place an account of his support in waiting that therefore he waited because he hoped in the Word of God I wait c. I have spoken already to the first general Doctrine in these words that patient waiting on God cannot be gotten cherisht without the exercise of Faith and Hope no man can say I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait but he that can say he hopes and trusts in God I wait saith he because I hope I have also near put a close to what I would say from the second general Obervation to wit that this Faith and Hope that supports the patient waiter for God that sends the believer and carries him thorow in waiting for God till the outgate come must take the Word for its ground and measure I wait because I hope and hope because I have the Word of God for the ground of my hope Ye may remember that from this I have spoken to these three which I wish may not evanish with the Preaching 1. That really needy Saints put to wait for God and in waiting for him put to live by Faith and Hope will be much conversant with the Word of God they must learn to be acquaint with the Scriptures to know what is there for their direction or encouragement or both 2. That these who would wait for God in the way of believing and hoping must learn to judge of things according to the Word and be determined by the Word that it may be the ground of Faith and beget Hope otherwise it will be to little purpose for a man to be acquaint with the Scriptures from end to end if he improve it not but starve beside his allowance And 3. For this end such as are put to wait for God and to have their encouragement from the Word that they may lean weight upon it they would be fixed in this Principle that the Word of God is of Divine Authority and infallible certainty they would believe and hope in in it as Gods Word In his Word do I hope And as the day before I pressed upon you thâ— use of your Bibles that ye might be better acquainted with them and with the grounds of your Faith and Hope therein contained so the last day I insisted long to give you a right impression of the Bible that it is the Word of God and of Divine Authority the Historical verity whereof being granted which cannot rationally be denyed the Scriptures will prove themselves to be of Divine Authority and I would now intreat you to study these two Sermons well that ye may have the Divine Authority of the Scriptures fixt upon your hearts that ye may lay weight on them feed on them and converse with them with more delight And then what shall I say for the need of proofs for the Divine Authority of the Scriptures when the efficacy of it upon your hearts shall be a proof thereof as the effects and success of it of old is a standing Witness that it is not the word of man but the Word of
hopelesness in thy condition runs away from God take heed what thou dost thou looks on thy case as incurable and what will thou do with it If thou run away where will thou go next Thy case must either break thee or thou will grow stupid under it and besides if thou run away thou reproaches the mercy of God so far as thou can while thou runs from him with any condition how desperat and irrecoverable so ever and will thou bring up an ill report on his mercy as if there were no cure in it for thy case When thou should rather sing as David Psal 13.5 In opposition to every hopeless like case But I have trusted in thy mercy my heart shall rejoyce in thy salvation O then take heed that thou reproach not nor bring not up an ill report on this rich full mercy in God by running from it whatever thy condition be 3. Come here all ye that are making mercy your refuge under all your pressures miseries troubles temptations desertion or whatever ail you that know no other door to knock at but mercy in God ye have no song but that one which David had Psal 13. before cited and that I can never often enough repeat though God seem to forget him for ever and hide his face for ever from him though when he takes counsel in his soul he hath sorrow in his heart daily though his enemies had exalted themselves and said they had prevailed over him and reâ—oyced and the sleep of death seems to approach he hath nothing to all that But I have trusted in thy mercy Take a look how richly thou art made up that trusts in this mercy Remember the song that follows in that Psalm â—nd thou will not find it an heartless shift My heart says â—e shall rejoice in thy salvation I will sing to the Lord because â—e hath dealt bountifully with me And the Psalmist sings Psal 31.7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy Why For thou hast considered my trouble thou hast known my soul in adversity I got acquaintance with thee in adversity which otherwise I had not been capable of therefore I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy and consider that sweet song Psal 136.23 Who remembred us in our low estate Why for his mercy endureth for ever or as Hezekiah hath it Isai 38.27 He loved my soul from the pit of corruption That is the word in the Original His love and mercy have an Adamantine vertue to draw a soul out of the pit of corruption when he remembers us in our low estate consider thou that hast made mercy thy refuge how sweetly it can kep a deep distress Psal 69.15 Let not the water flood overflow me hear me O Lord for thy loving kindness is good turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies And Psal 86.14 O God the proud are risen up against me and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul but thou O Lord art a God full of compassion gracious long suffering and plenteous in mercy and truth O turn unto me and have mercy on me Consider what a good account of very hopeless tryals mercy will give Jam. 5.11 Ye have heard of Jobs patience and have seen the end of the Lord and what was the end of the Lord even this That the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy O but they are sad difficulties which tender mercy and pity in God will not afford relief unto and therefore think not your self in a poor plight who have mercy for your refuge who have no song to sing But I have trusted c. 4. When ye have closed with and are made up by this mercy look how ye improve it and do not abuse it I confess the want of the faith of mercy in a strait is an estranging thing Zech. 11.8 My soul loathed them and their soul also abhorred me but when thou grips to mercy see what influence it hath on thy heart for warming it for putting it in a sweet and tender frame on thy part may I say it I defie folk to abuse mercy taken by the right handle O the alluring melting constraining perswading power that is in mercy rightly closed with and O that folk could win to this gate of making use of mercy Rom. 11.1 The Apostle in pressing holiness saith I beseech you brethren by the mercy of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice c. And I may allude to that Phil. 2.1 If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowels of mercy fulfil ye my joy If folk knew what overcoming mercy means they would let it be seen in a tender walk Thou talks of mercy yet thou art not overcome with it thou art not melted nor made more tender by it what a cheater of thy self and abuser of mercy art thou Remember the abuse of outward mercies will make a sad dittay Ezra 9. If after all these we break his commands But ah what shall be said when folk pretend to special mercy and abuse it But 5. Among other Uses that ought to be made of believed and closed with mercy this is one That we learn to be merciful Luke 6.36 We must be merciful as is our heavenly Father even in loving enemies c. Ye heard in the morning from Mat. 5.7 That it is the merciful that obtain mercy And that Parable of the man that had much forgiven him and would not forgive his fellow servant but cast him in prison Mat. 18.23 It was a sad evidence that he was not pardoned himself In a word thou who art much in mercies common it will make thee of a merciful meek temper which is that pressed Tit. 3.2 That we should speak evil of no man be no brawlers c. but gentle shewing meekness to all men seeing we our selves were sometime disobedient deceived serving divers lusts But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost A boisterous malitious unmerciful temper in any is but a poor Evidence that such live under the drop of the multitude of the tender mercies that are with God But the time being ended I leave this great Point and you to the rich blessing of this merciful God To whom be glory SERMON XLI Psalm 130. Verse 7 For with the Lord there is mercy THe Songs of the people of God while they are within time are made up of very mixed Notes yet in this they are sweet that their over-word or last word is still the best of it Poor and needy are they and may they be yet they are thought upon by God Troubled they may be but not distrest perplext but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken cast down but
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
of the Word when folk know not their wealth contained in their Charter When folk are like Hagar beside the Well and yet like to cast their Ishmael from them like to die for thirst because their eyes are not open to discern it Ignorance undoes many folk because they know not their allowance And another hazard upon the other hand that by pressing you to be acquaint with the Scripture I would have avoided and that is the hazard of mistaking and over-reaching when folks lusts and carnal expectations would make a light and ground of expectation to themselves when they look for what God hath not promised or hath not absolutely promised or not always these are dangerous we had need to have our expectations well bottomed lest a disappointment founded on a mistake make us to misbelieve that which is really promised a crush in a carnal expectation may make us look on the Bible as a poor Cordial in difficulties we would therefore guard against both ignorance and mistaking or over-reaching A 2d Direction is That when ye have found any thing in the Bible that is useful for you your first work would be to prize the certainty of what is contained there I spoke to this at great length on these words v. 5. In his Word do I hope That the Scriptures are the Word of God of Divine Authority but I can never enough press it folks that have their Treasure and Store-house in the Bible prize the Bible look on it as the word of him that cannot lie as a tryed word as silver tryed in a furnace of earth purified seven times Psal 12.6 That many have ventured their all upon and never found crack nor slaw in to speak so and Ministers had done with their task if the certainty of this truth that the Scriptures are the Word of God were believed and if thou cannot get the Promises believed will thou look out on the threatnings that thou discerns to be accomplish'd and thou needs not doubt of a promise so long as thou hast a threatning which thou seest verified Ponder that word Zech. 8.14 15. Thus saith the Lord as I thought to punish you when your fathers provocked me to wrath and I repented not So again have I thought in those days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah fear not If ye doubt of my promises that are not yet accomplish'd take a confirmation of them from my threatnings which ye found verified A 3d Direction I would give them that are looking for the accomplishment of what is in or with God and he hath promised is that having found out what is contained in the Scripture and prized it as of infallible verity and certainty then put to your Faith to it that he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquity for he hath said it I cannot give you this Direction more succinctly than the Lord gives it to Habakkuk who when he had prayed against the Caldeans Chap. 1. he is bidden Chap. 2.2 to write the vision and make it plain upon tables speak it out conceal it not that he that runs may read it For v. 3. the vision is yet for an appointed time it will not come presently but at the end it shall speak and not lie though it tarry wait for it there is Faith's work now because it will surely come it will not tarry Ye may remember I spoke also to this when I was upon these words And in his word do I hope But in following it out now I shall only touch on three or four words concerning Faith's looking out to what God shall do and make out to Israel And 1. I would have you looking on Faith as the most eminent and honourable of employments though not the most sensible and satisfactory There is much work my a fall in Saints hand which may be sweeter and may go better with them but no work is so eminent and accceptable to God So it is said of Abraham Rom. 4.20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God And Joh. 20.28 When Thomas after he had evidenced he was a man that would not believe without seeing the print of the nails and thrusting his hand into Christs side he makes a great phrase and says My Lord and my God Well says Christ Thomas because thou hast seen me thou hast believed but blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed Thomas ye might have been more acceptably imployed in giving me credite although ye had not gotten sensible satisfaction 2. Another word is that distrust is the in-let to all folks miscarriages in a stormy time a man is even as tint as if he were in the Sea bottom as to any acceptable acquitting of himself to God in his work before his promise be accomplish'd When ever he is over-power'd with unbelief then he is ready to say There is no hope we will walk every one in the imagination of his own heart Ponder that word Heb. 3.18 19. To whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest but to them that believed not So they could not enter in because of unbelief There the thing that held the people out of the promised Land and made them perish in the Wilderness unbelief And compare it with 1 Cor. 10.6 to 11. Where ye find them lusters idolaters fornicators tempters of Christ murmurers To tell that make once folk unbelievers and ye may make them any of these or all of them upon a suitable temptation There is no ill turn that occurs but an unbeliever capacitats himself for it if mercy in God prevent it not And a 3d word concerning this exercise of Faith and I shall add no more is that it says not a little to the granting or denying of a delivery to the hastning or for-slowing of an issue this exercise of faith If unbelief keep out of the promised Land and make Israel fall and wander in the Wilderness fourty years as in that Heb 3.18 Then blessed believing hastens the performance of the promise Luk. 1.45 Blessed is she that believed for there shall be a performance of these things which was told her from the Lord. Little knows folk how God may be provocked to make their unbelief the rule of their allowance that when they bod little they shall see as little No but God may and often doth shame the unbelief of his people and make their false eyes see that they were in the wrong to him but certainly unbelief of its own nature is obstructive of the performance of promises and if many die in the Wilderness they have as their carnal confidence on the one hand so their unbelief and despondency on the other to blame for it And I shall add more if unbelief withhold not the accomplishment of the promise it may have a black issue when the accomplishment of the promise comes to the man that entertains it And as to