pardoning mercy sets hearts on work to fear God and to tenderness in the study of holiness then ye may see how many of the Children of God do cut the throat of all their endeavours after holiness and to walk tenderly through their not closing with pardoning Mercy I suppose some have the Conscience a sad Monitor unto them a sad Wan-rest within doors for want of tenderness and some would fain be at serving and worshipping of God and yet they cannot win at it but look if thou leaves not thy encouragement behind thy hand in not closing with pardoning Mercy and by so doing not only cuts thy self short of the Joy of the Lord which is thy strength but provocks God to blast thy study of holiness that thou would put in his room or in the room of his pardoning Mercy But thou that would be keeped fresh and green in thy pursuit of holiness here is thy method that thou must follow first wrap thy self in the bosom of pardoning Mercy and then try thy work and thou shalt find it more delightsome and go better with thee than when thou leaves this encouragement behind thee lay thy self in his bosom for pardon and O! but that will make thee fear him much and love him much that woman Luke 7 that bad much forgiven her loved much and had abundance of tears to wash Christ's feet her closing with pardon did so melt her heart and so would it thine closing with pardoning Mercy would heal palsie hands and feet and make thee work walk and run it would kindle that love that is strong as death and that jealousie that is cruel as the grave the coals whereof are coals of fire that have a vehement flame and bring it to that that many waters cannot quench or the floods drown or contemn all that would compet with it I dare not offer to insist the day being shortened but as on the one hand they who fall asleep on pardoning Mercy as the bride of Christ may some times take a nap but wakens and sets to her feet again would know they make not a right use of pardoning Mercy but sin grievously and if they sleep on they evidence that they cheat themselves in that matter and these that love not holiness proclaim they were never partakers of it so upon the other hand thou that loves holiness but cannot win at it close better with pardoning Mercy as that which will strenthen and encourage thee and by waiting on the Lord in this way thou shalt renew thy strength mount up with wings as eagles run and not be weary walk and not be faint Now to our God be praise and glory through Jesus Christ SERMON XIX Psalm 130. Verse 5. I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope 6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning I say more than they that watch for the morning YE heard when I entred upon this Psalm that the first six Verses contain the wrestling and the exercise the Psalmist was under as the last two Verses contain his victory and issue and his improvement of it For his wrestling and exercise it consists as ye heard of three branches ye have him wrestling with the difficulties and plunging perplexities in his case these he expresses under the Metaphor of depths and his wrestling with them is by fervent wrestling and crying to God in Prayer verses 1 2. 2. Ye have him wrestling with the Conscience and sense of guilt that obstructed his audience put back his Prayers and offered to crush his hopes and with that he wrestles in the 3 and 4. Verses by taking with the dreadful desert of sin by laying hold on God's pardoning Mercy and carrying alongst with him God's end in letting out pardoning Mercy to sinners even that he may be feared and of this subject I have been speaking at great length and I must exhort and intreat that though a close be put to Preaching on it that yet ye may not give over the minding of that Doctrine it is that which will be your great Pasport pardoning Mercy if ye obtain it when ye come to grapple with the King of Terrors and go through the dark valley of the shadow of death Now in the two Verses read ye have the Psalmist in the third place wrestling with delays of answers to his Prayers or the delays of the out-gate prayed for and these he wrestles with by confident patient affection at waiting on God I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope c. And this purpose also we have cause to look unto because it gives an account of a Christians constant exercise in time he that would be a Christian indeed it is not enough that he pray in difficulties that he take with the desert of sin and look to pardoning Mercy when Conscience challenges him but when he hath done all that he must persevere in so doing and wrestle with the delays of answers to his Prayer he must give a proof of the patience as well as of the Faith of the Saints he must be a follower of these who through Faith and Patience inherit the Promises There is a general Remark which will make way to the purpose contained in the words which I shall insist on a little that is That perseverance and constant waiting on God in his way is the great task of Saints and the Touchstone of their sincerity in all other exercises and duties This tryes how well breathed the Saints are and what is their integrity in other exercises that they are at sometimes even that they be constant bide by it wait on God and persevere in waiting on him in his way notwithstanding they meet with delays And that I may unfold this General to you ye shall with me take a threefold look of this perseverance 1. Look upon it in general as it is opposed to Apostacy backsliding giving up with the ways of Religion 2. Which will deduce this General more fully and particularly ye shall take a look of this perseverance as it imports a constant Tenor and course in waiting on God and seeking of God in opposition to folks phrases fairds and hot fits at some times wherein they are but fleeting And 3. Which will lead me to the particular in the Text look on it as it is opposed to wearying sitting up or falling by from employing God and waiting on him if they be delayed especially in sad dispensations and exigences they meet with For the first of these Perseverance in general as it is opposed to apostasie back-sliding and giving up with the ways of God and godliness I shall not dwell much on that Doctrine The necessity of it appears in the Promises made unto it Mat. 24.13 It is he that endures unto the end shall be saved and Rev. 2. and 3. Chapters it is always to the overcomer that the Promise is made though I
of Promise In the next place I shall speak somewhat to hoping in his word The term in the Text is In his word do I hope as Faith gives subsistence to things promised and doth not suspend all benefit and use of the Promises until they be performed So hope looks out for the actual accomplishment and performance of the Promises A Saint believing the Word and feeding on that which Faith gives a subsistence to in the word he looks out by hope for the accomplishment of that which it finds to subsist in the word I shall deduce this as briefly as I can and leave this Note and the Verse in these two 1. Remember that true Believers wealth lyes in hope or things before their hand They have no existence but in the word of promise The first or at least a very conspicuous mark of an adopted Child of God is that he is put to his Hopes to his Too-looks and to live that way he that 1 Joh. 3.2 can say I am a son of God and it doth not appear what I shall be but when he appears I shall be like him for I shall see him as he is Must add in the 3. verse He that hath this hope in him must purifie himself c. He that according to Gods abundant mercy is begotten again is begotten unto a lively hope His Regeneration breaths out Hope because his happiness is before his hand 1 Pet. 1.3 And beside his too-looks to issues here that he holds by hope his great too-look is his Hope which is laid up for him in Heaven Col. 1.5 and in that forecited place 1 Pet. 1.3 He that is begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Christ from the dead it is to the hope of an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away reserved for him in Heaven his great hope is the hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began Tit. 1.2 His hope is a hope set before him Heb. 6.18 Now a Believers wealth lies in things before his hand or the Saints portion lies in their hopes and too-looks because God is reserving their happiness for the fittest place and season he will have them brought where their happiness is before he give them the wealth he hath promised because neither could they be capable of it nor guide it here and while he suspends their Hope he does them good by holding them waiting looking out and pursuing for these things promised a pursuers life being the best life 2. As the great portion of the Saints is before their hand so their great work lyes in the exercise of Hope It is not enough for a saint to be begotten again to a lively hope of an inheritance incorruptible undefiled and that fades not away reserved for him in heaven but he must be putting out his Hope to feed upon it to look and long for it If ye consider Negatively what a saint is without hope in reference to temporal issues David will tell you in that Psal 27.13 I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living if my hope had failed me I had been undone and in reference to Eternity Paul tells us 1 Cor. 15.19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men the most miserable which may be understood both of things hoped for of the Grace of Hope looking for them and hence Heb. 6.19 Hope is called the anchor of the soul sure and stedfast entring into that within the vail to assure us that if hope be not exercised storms will drive a tossed soul and make it run the hazard of shipwrack but hope the souls anchor cast upon good ground drives not and preserves the soul from ruine Hence also Eph. 6.17 Hope is called the helmet of salvation because it is that which keeps off many a deadly stroke off a saint The head being the seat of the senses especially of the judgment and memory If a man keep his head and a bit about his heart well there is the less hazard of wounds in other places of his body that they prove deadly Now Hope is an Helmet to keep the head And as considering Negatively what a saint is without hope we will find great need of the exercise of hope So look on it positively hope exercised and kept at work brings in many noble advantages to the soul as I said of the man that is a Believer so may I say of him that is a hoper indeed O what a made up man is he he may say I will wait because I hope in his word he is a great gainer by Tribulation and may glory in it when tribulation works patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope makes not ashamed Rom. 5.3 Ye have it recommended Rom. 12.12 To rejoyce in hope and that will produce patience in tribulation and continuing instant in Prayer hope exercised makes patience and prayer to thrive well and a man to go on in his way not heartlesly but rejoycing And Heb. 3.6 We are bidden hold fast our confidence and the rejoycing of hope firm unto the end what shall I say of them Heb. 10.34 who not only sympathised with others in affliction but took joyfully the spoiling of their goods Why knowing in themselves that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance they had the hope of a better Treasure From all that hath been said on this let me exhort you who have been put and may yet more be put to it To wait for God to study to be better acquaint with your Bibles to believe the divine Authority of the Scriptures and on that account to put forth your Faith and Hope to exercise upon the Scriptures that ye may feed on the Promises by Faith and rejoyce in hope of the accomplishment of them that will make you patient in tribulation and to continue instant in prayer And for a close of all that hath been said to you on this matter would ye know what ye are doing in this exercise of Hope in your waiting for God or the good things be hath promised or what Characters ye have of it I shall only desire you to look to these three 1. Look to Hopes langour if ye be waiting for God and if your waiting be an affectionat waiting if your soul be waiting and looking out in hope to that great and ultimat hope of Believers try what languor is in thy affection for the marriage day What languor thou hast to see how the Crown and the Robe will set thee to see God as he is to see God incarnat in thy own nature to see the Lamb and to follow him wherever he goes and to be made like him Try what there is of warmness of affection longing without fretfulness haste or passion upon the one hand and careless indifferency and stupidity upon the other that is a good
do all this and not consider that he is doing evil he is quite out and knows not of it and ye have an Idea of that Man that is not in Reflection on his Case and Carriage under it in Trouble Jer. 8.9 I hearkned and heard but they spake not aright no man repented him of his wickedness saying what have I done every one turneth to his course as the horse rusheth into battel He goes Hand over Head like a wild Horse in his Course why he Reflects not upon his Carriage under Trouble Not to dip on this let me in short from it recommend Self-Examination to you especially in Trouble if ye would haunt it in ordinary it would be more easy to you in a Distress if ye be in ordinar reflecting upon your Weaknesses and examining your Wants upon your Predominants your Temptations what are your Suits that are most binding on you and your Success ye will the more readily as we use to speak hit the Nail upon the Head when ye come to Pray And these your Prayers that come from Self-Examination though they be less busked they will be to better purpose than when a Man with all the Oratory he can reach vents his Gift in in Prayer and particularly look what ye are doing as to this Duty when ye come in any Distress I gave you before some Scriptures that speaks to them that neglect Prayer in Trouble Now let me mind you of some words whereby to try your Self Examination in Trouble one is Lev. 26.41 if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity that were a blessed reflection that did produce this effect but on the contrary look that your reflection be not like that Jer. 44.10 They are not humbled even unto this day And like that Dan 9.9 All this evil is come upon us yet made we not our prayer unto the Lord our God that we might turn from our iniquities understand thy truth and Ezek. 24.13 Because I would have purged thee and thou was not purged thou shalt not not be purged from thy filthiness any more until I have caused my fury to rest upon thee Ye would make use of these and the like Scriptures in your Reflection upon your way and what ye are doing when ye are in the Depths And further when ye are Reflecting upon your Carriage under Trouble ye had need of tenderness of Conscience Passion will give you a blind guess of your selves or of your Case or Carriage under it when the Lord says to Jonah 4.5 Does thou well to be angry Jonah the passionate Man says I do well to be angry even unto death they that would Reflect on their Case and Carriage under Trouble would seek a composed frame of Spirit and tender Conscience from God But to come a little nearer unto this Reflection taking the words in the by past time Lord I have cryed unto thee They will import that God had keeped him long at that Trade and to this purpose we have a word Ps 69.3 After that he hath complained in the two first Verses that the waters are come in into his soul that he sinks in deep myre where there is no standing that he was come into deep waters where the floods did overflow him he adds v. 3. I am weary of my crying my throat is dried mine eyes fail while I wait for my God and Ps 119.82 mine eyes fail for thy word when wilt thou comfort me but this I may pass because it will occurr v. 2.5 and 6. and because the Hebrews exprest things present in the by past time because their Verbs have not a present time That which I shall speak to from the words considered as a Reflecting on his bygone wrestling I reduce to these two 1. That he owns it as a thing that hath been and is his Practise to be crying to God out of the Depths 2. Because Folks may be ready to say what is he the better of that he hath not got an answer of his Prayers I shall add this that his Supplication out of the Depths affords him a Testimony For the first ye may take up the Note thus that no distress no dispensation of providence warrands the Saints to cast all that they have been doing as unsound though he be put to the deeps he owns it that he is a cryer out of the deeps unto God Out of the deeps have I cryed unto thee O Lord. Thus the Church owns her integrity Psal 44.17 All this is come upon us yet have we not forgotten thee neither have we dealt falsly in thy Covenant Our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined from thy way though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons c. Smite us as thou will we avow it that we are in thy way And Job 13.5 Though he should slay me yet will I trust in him I will maintain mine own ways before him that is my integrity And Chap. 27 5. I will not remove mine integrity from me And so Heman Psal 88 15. Vnto thee have I cryed O Lord and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee do what thou will with me I avow it that I have been at Prayer and I will continue in it It is true men would be humble in this matter of avowing their integrity they would mainly be studying their wants and short-comings and the iniquity of their holy things and it is true also that when they are in the deeps of distress and these trysts them with Gods seeming not to notice them but rather his anger smoaks against their Prayers Psal 80.4 It should humble them yet more and make them search their imperfections in their best things and it 's also true that the people of God in reflecting on their Diligence and Prayers should be far from that quarrelsome humour in hypocrites Isai 58.3 Wherefore have we fasted say they and thou seest not c. As readâ—y the greatest Hypocrites are the greatest quarreders when they want success yet all this notwithstanding it is our duty to stick by what is right in our way while we are in the deeps Men must not be baffled out of their integrity because they are under the Cross and have the wind in their teeth they must not cast their Prayers because God holds them in the deeps it 's no small part of the Saints service to stick by and to avow their integrity that white Robes are allowed them though their Prayers be not answered Rev. 6.10 11. And therefore they have silly spirits who when they meet with a torrent of Crosse providences are baffled from avowing their integrity and ly by and dare not face the storm upon that account But I proceed to the 2d Observation It may be said what the matter of folks owning their integrity and crying out of the deeps when they are not heard but ly in the deeps for all that I Answer in
of trouble without the sense of sin is ill company and will breed many distempers which the sense of sin joyned with the sense of trouble will bear down and prevent And 4. If even the most godly man be thus lyable to punishment for who can stand if God mark iniquity and even for his ordinary failings consider what is the godly mans case when he falleth in grosser out-breakings If when thou looks upon thy dayly escapes through ignorance rashness precipitancy short-coming in duty thou art made to lament and say Lord I cannot stand before thee if thou Lord mark iniquity how may the lamentation be hightned when thou falls in grosse sins and spots and by them causes the enemy to blasphem and the truth is were folk more frequent in laying to heart their ordinary escapes and infirmities it would be a mean to caution them against out-breakings in grosser debordings but when these are not laid to heart and mourned for it provokes God to write it with some vile blemish and I shal add if the Lord mark iniquity and a godly man cannot stand what shall become of a wicked man who hath no interest in Christ if a David suppose he hath been the penman of this Psalm be trembling and sinking under the Burden of iniquities what a posture should monsters for prophanity who declare their sin as Sodom be in I confess they are not troubled with sin because they forget that they have immortal Souls but their trouble is coming They see godly men plunged and perplexed under apprehensions of wrath when they are free of grosse out-breakings and they are not affected with all their impieties but O! what a witnes is that against them who walk as monsters among men and are never troubled ponder that word 1 Pet. 4.17.18 The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God and if it begin at us what shall become of them that obey not the Gospel of God and if the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the sinner and ungodly appear If godly men dare not think of standing before God marking iniquity how can these monsters for prophanity and ungodliness think to look God in the face marking their iniquities But now I proceed to the second General in the Text and that is the refuge to which the Psalmist betakes himself when he is thus humbled and abased under the sense of the dreadful deserts of sin But there is forgivness with thee That is thou hast declared thy self to be a pardoner of sin on gospel-terms and this forgivenness is with thee that is it 's thy peculiar right in opposition to all pretenders None have a right to pardon but thou and it 's thy right when the Law and our own Consciences do condemn us to stepin and forgive and therefore though upon account of the Covenant of Works I cannot think of standing before thee I betake my self to the refuge that forgiveness is with thee There is a General Word that I might here mark that is That there is a remedy in God for all difficulties under which the Saints are humbled and abased as insuperable for when in the 3. verse he hath said If thou Lord should mark iniquities who can stand There is a But a reserve an exception added Forgivenness is with thee There is indeed a hopeless case but here is a remedy for it in God so that there is no case how hopeless soever it be that is desperat if folks go to God with it But this I leave and pitch upon the main point in the Text That there is pardoning mercy in God for sin and this is the only refuge to a sensible sinner oppressed with sin and guilt It 's here the Psalmist's only refuge and ease when he cannot think of standing before God marking iniquity It 's Job's only refuge Chap. 7.20 21. I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men Thou may set me as a mark against thee and make me a burden to my self but all that will not make thee reparation Why dost thou not pardon my transgression and take away mine iniquity and it 's the happiness of fallen Man not that he is sinless or able to satisfie Justice for his sin but that he is a pardoned man Psal 32.1.2 c. Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is pardoned blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity This we would not need to insist on to prove it if souls were in the Psalmists posture here if souls knew what it were to be under the burden of the debt of Sin there would be no happiness to that to have sin pardoned God would be to them a matchless God upon this account Mic. 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage he would be a matchless God upon the account of his pardoning iniquity whatever other proof of Love he should give or withhold Now because this is a most important and weighty Gospel point of Truth The pardoning of Sin and I know not when I may fall upon it in a Catechetical way I purpose to quite my ordinary way and to insist upon this head The pardon of â—in which would give me occasion to speak to several things for information of judgment and to set you to your duty I shall reduce what I intend to say on it to these Heads 1. What is Pardoned 2. Who they are that are Pardoned 3. What the nature of this Pardon is 4. When Pardon passes in favours of the Sinner whether it be irrevocable 5. What is the right method of the Application of Pardoning Mercy which will lead me to the last thing in the Text That forgiveness is with God that He may be feared These and the like through the determination of the Scriptures may be of special use to you 1. What is it that God doth pardon it is sin or iniquity so the former verse and this collated holds forth It 's the iniquities under which he is groaning in the former verse for which there is forgiveness with God in this verse so in that forcited place Mic. 7 18. He pardons iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage and Psal 52.1 2. It 's sin iniquity transgression that is pardoned covered not imputed to intimat that sin under whatever name it be expressed is that which God pardons Now to prosecute this I shall not fall upon many descriptions of sin and its nature it shall suffice us to know that sin is the transgression of the Law and that of the Law of God neither the crossing of folks humors will make a man a sinner James 4.11 12. There are a number of rigid Censurers that would make their Will a Law to all or have all to walk by their rash Judgment whereas there is but one Law-giver who is able to save and destroy
any thing be hinted at of their faults will claim to pardon and yet they will not give up themselves to be Children they would live Rebels and yet be pardoned But ye would come to be made Children who in Faith would pray Forgive us our sins A 2d Word which I would say from this is That as Children are dayly falling in sin so their dayly sins are pardonable There were many dangerous and damnable errors in the ancient Church concerning the sins of Church-members that come here to be reproved Some who looked upon the sins of Church-members as the old Gnosticks the Progenitors of the Libertines did they held that sins in godly persons consisted only in opinion that regenerat men do what they would if they should commit the most vile and abominable Acts they were not sins in them This is nothing but corrupt principled monstruous prophaniâ—y or monstruous prophanity rooted in a corrupt principle and those that would hold themselves out of that fearful gulf they would beware of the Antinomian principles as that God sees no sin in Believers that his Law is not to be the Rule of their walk that they need not repent c. For Libertinisme is but a new Edition of Antinomianism in Folio Others again acknowledged sin to be in the godly but they slighted repentance and therefore when scandals fell out in the church they did not require any acknowledgment of their Offence who had fallen in these scandals but while they were reiking in these abominations they entertained Church-communion and fellowship with them This was a turning of the Grace of God into lasciviousness and it is the result in part of that Antinomian principle of the remission of sins from all Eternity so that according to their opinion Repentance was not required inorder to pardon of sin but for intimation of pardon And there were a 3d. sort such as the Novatians who looked so on gross sins after Baptism as though they would seclude them from pardon on repentance nor would they seclude such sinners from making profession of their Repentance yet they would not absolve them nor admit them to Church Communion and fellowship particularly in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper but left them to God to make of them what he pleased Now in opposition to all these is the truth I am upon we confess sins after the receipt of Great mercies are very hainous Ezra 9.14 Should we again break thy commands and joyn in affinity with the people of these abominations wouldest thou not be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us Judges 10.13 Ye have forsaken me and served other gods therefore I will deliver you no more And sin in particular after regeneration is so much the more hainous that God hath been gracious therefore the Apostle having spoken of the abounding grace of God where sin had abounded Rom. 5. At the close he begins the next Chapter with these words What shall we say then shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein He abominats that after regeneration there should be a relapsing in sin yet the Text here intimats thereis forgivenness with God for the iniquities of Godly men and the Pattern of Prayer Mat. 6. Tells the Children that they may go to God and seek the forgivenness of sins which sayes they would be dayly sinning and God would allow dayly pardon on them in the due order and consequently it was horrid cruelty in the Novatians to seclude such as fall in sins after Baptism from Absolution and Church-fellowship and they would not pardon where God did pardon which made Constantine at the Council of Nice to say to Aclesus their Bishop I see no other of it but ye would make a Ladder to go to Heaven your alone and would have one with you I confess the godly are not to be hugged under their failings but their failings are rather to be aggredged yet upright Walkers as they are most tender in their Conversation so are they most charitable in passing Judgment upon others though they have their failings But there is a 3d. word I would say from this and that is to clear whether all sorts of sins in the godly are pardonable This is a case that hath troubled the Learned and may trouble tender Consciences whether when a man hath repented a sin and found the bitterness of it and hath found God's favour and pardon intimat upon his repentance he may again fall into that sin and get it pardoned over again A case I say that some who are tender may be troubled with when they have fallen in sin and thereafter have found it bitter and have been at God confessed it and believed pardon and yet they have been over-hailed in the same sin over again This I confess before I say any thing to it is a sad case it 's sad to see folks after regeneration and tasting of the Grace of God falling in the same Sins again and it 's yet sadder to see a person after he hath been smarting for it running back to that very folly particularly if it be an out-breaking Sin and the Learned could hardly find an instance in Scripture of that relapsing in Sin in the Godly it 's true Peter did thrice deny his Master and Lot was twice drunken and twice fell in Incest but none of these were after Repentance and intimation of Pardon for Peter was keeped in the hurry of the Temptation till his Sin was thrice out with him and so it was with Loâ— yet I shall give two words for clearing the case 1. That 〈◊〉 regeneration makes not the Saints perfect so neither do I see a ground that a Saint his repenting for a particular fault should keep him from a relapsing in that fault and needing of pardon It is true Psal 85.8 God's speaking of peace to his people is with a caution That they turn not ogaîn to folly But to say if Repentance be true a man will not fall in that folly he hath repented it is not Scriptural Regeneration is our initial Repentance and if that do not prevent falling in Sin it is no wonder that a particular Act of renewed Repentance do it not all the Repentance grief or sorrow that a person hath attained to for Sin is but a creature that except God concurr cannot keep him from falling in sin and God hath not made an absolute promise so to concur with a penitent that he shall not again fall in the same Sin How often doth a penitent when he hath repented to day of his passion pride wandering of mind in duty c. fall in the same Sins to morrow and if he may notwithstanding of Repentance fall into lesser faults why may he not after Repentance fall in grosser we find also godly men after their repenting for their failings falling in grosser out-breakings David after he had repented his falling in trouble and his
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
when he hath committed a crime and consequently God pardons no sins till they be committed to justified persons A 2d Argument that inclines me to think that all sins are not pardoned in Justification is this that there is no pardon of sin but upon confession of sin 1 Joh. 1.9 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness There is no pardon of sin promised but upon repentance Act. 5.31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give first repentance to Israel and then remission of sins Where God gives remission he gives first repentance Now confession of sin and repentance for a sin hath no place where sin hath not a beeing confession of sin and repentance for sin presupposes the beeing of sin and the sinners reflecting on it and repenting of it And a 3d Consideration or Argument is when sins are actually pardoned a man may rejoyce exult and boast in God upon the account of pardon O how may the pardoned sinner exceedingly rejoyce in God But who dare say that a justified person while recking in his sin to speak so before he hath confessed it and repented for it can or dare rejoice in God Shall he while he is wallowing in his abominations rejoyce in God That were abominable Doctrine and yet he might in that case rejoyce if these Abominations were pardoned before they were committed nay more it would confound all distinction to be put betwixt unrepented and repented guilt if a mans sins were pardoned before they were committed his pardon would be as sure as if he had repented by their Doctrine Therefore I conclude that sin cannot be actually pardoned before it be committed repented and Christ fled unto for pardon And this hath a practical Use which I but touch upon because the great Practical Use of all is but coming That justified folk that are at peace with God as to the state of their persons would not think light of their dayly slips into faults thou art lying under thy daily failings as a debt till thou go to the open Fountain and wash It is true as I said before no sin thou falls in shall eventually condemn thee but thou art a guilty person so long as thou lies under unrepented guilt Therefore look to it and let your Faith of Pardon be seen in your tenderness under new guilt O that the Gospel would take you off the Laws hand and press you to this tenderness that love to Christ and the love of Christ might incite you in your actings and when ye fall in sin to run to the Remedy in the exercise of Faith and Repentance And to encourage you to this another word results on this That ye may help your selves to repent for particular failings ye would hold a fast grip of your reconciled state remember what I said in the morning that new guilt makes not void former pardon so I say now that new guilt makes not void your reconciled state ye may go to God not as an Enemy to his Prince but as a faulty Child to his Father for pardon access ye have to the open Fountain ye coming humbled for sin and making use of Christ for renewed pardon and if ye do not improve this Priviledge it will be a terrible ingredient in your Dittay when God comes to deal with your Conscience The 3d. Question is How can any pardon be said to be past within time seing Act. 3.19 20. It is said our sins are to be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord There will then be a blotting out and Discharge of sins once for all a Discharge openly declared accompanied with all the consequences of the Discharge Sins pardoned here will then be openly declared to be pardoned I find not only among the Schoolmen but our reformed Divines a Question agitat Whether our sins will be ripped up in the Day of Judgment A question needlesly stated but what will not curiosity meddle with but whether sins will be then ripped up to let it be seen what sort of persons he glorifies or covered certainly their sins shall not then put them to shame who are pardoned though they should everlastingly remember them They shall also sing in the remembrance of pardon and though they should be ripped up yet not to their shame and confusion The consolation of pardoning Mercy and all the effects of it and the love of Christ will make them look upon their miseries as upon the occasion of their being made everlastingly happy with him but the time being ended I shall go no further God bless his Word to you for Christs sake SERMON XV. Psalm 130. Verse 4. But there is forgivenness with thee I Am now drawing towards a close of this great Point concerning the Remission of Sins having now spoken at some length to that which is more Doctrinal in it this day I purpose the Lord assisting to fall upon that which is more particular I have spoken to you 1. Of the thing pardoned Sin and iniquity 2. Of the Author of pardon God with whom forgiveness is 3. Of the nature of pardon and what is imported in this forgiveness in the Text and the last day in the afternoon I came in the fourth place to speak of the time when pardon of sin is conferred where ye heard that neither are the sins of the Elect actually pardoned from eternity nor when Christ paid satisfaction to Justice for them on the Cross as Antinomians assert neither are the Elect Justified and pardoned of all their sins past present and to come at Justification as some Orthodox Divines incline to think but their future sins or sins to come after Justification are not actually pardoned till they be committed and repented of and Christ fled into and as the Fountain to wash away their sins made use of I was cut short by time from speaking to another question That is How pardon of sin is conferred in Time since the Apostle Acts 3.19 20 Tells of a blotting out of sins to penitents when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord when Christ shall come again to Judgment I shall but touch a little on this and shall go on It is certain that the blotting out of the sins of the justified at the Day of Judgment does not contradict their being pardoned now nay more There is no sin blotted out at that great Day or openly declared to be blotted out and pardoned and the Elect assoiled from it but these which are pardoned in this life Only there are four things to be noticed in the blotting out of sin then that heightens the advantage of the blotting out of sin here 1. If we insist on the words of the Text there is there at that Great Day a blotting out of sin not only in the guilt of it but in the filth and
battel but such as we are driven in by the power of Temptation Likewise that there must be an exact and distinct account taken daily of our failings and of these evils the pardon whereof we expect and seek And 3. When upon Examination we have found out our Debt there must be a deep sense of the sinfulness and desert of these provocations such as the Psalmist had here when he crys out pathetically If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquity O Lord who shall stand I left at a fourth Direction and that was That we should study Repentance for these sins the pardon whereof we expect and seek and as the former Direction tells that the sense that these in the way of pardon have of sin must not ly floating in the brain so this will press further That the sense of sin we have must not be a crushing and killing sense but a sense that resolves in a kindly Repentance for sin a sense and hatred of sin and a grief and sorrow for it in which posture they that expect pardon must resolve to come to God This is so clear in the Scriptures that I adduced in the morning and it is so clear an Evidence of the poured out-Spirit Zech. 12.10 Which is a mourning spirit in them that partake of it that I shall not insist further to prove it neither shall I digress to make a common place of Repentance here I shall only desire you to take notice of these three concerning Repentance and I have done 1. That there is a legal Repentance and an evangelical Repentance A legal Repentance is that which flows meerly from the sense of the terrors of the Law and the curse and wrath due to men for sin And evangelical Repentance is that which hath something of Faith and somewhat of the Gospel in its bosom And I may again desire you to consider that evangelical Repentance is either the result of a general apprehension that there is pardoning mercy in God when a sinner confounded with the sense of guilt looks in general to this Truth That there is forgiveness with God or more particularly when the sinner closes with that pardoning mercy for his own behove and makes application of it to himself and so is a pardoned man Now for the Repentance that is antecedent to pardon there must be somewhat both of legal and evangelical Repentance some Too-look to that great Truth and Encouragement Verse 4. There is forgivenness with thee for the legal Repentance it may crush but evangelical Repentance makes the sinner to bow legal Repentance is like a hammer that breaks the Rock evangelical Repentance is like the fire that melts the mettal only that Repentance that results upon the Application of Pardon to a sinners self is not antecedent to but consequential of pardon 2. Ye would consider the room that Repentance hath in this bargain of the Pardon of sin it comes not in certainly by way of merit for all the Salvation we get first and last is through the merit of Christ but Repentance has place in the obtaining of Pardon partly as it is an inseparable companion of saving Faith that apprehends and lays hold on Christ for Pardon a man cannot say he has Faith if it be not a penitent Faith partly it comes in as a condition required in order to God's Pardoning for God as I said before though he hath promised to pardon no man for his Repentance yet he hath declared he will pardon none without Repentance and partly it comes in as a qualification of the person pardoned who is thereby fitted to ly low at Gods Footstool for pardon Repentance makes folk find sin as bitter as ever they found it sweet Repentance is that which excites them to condemn themselves and to justifie God without Repentance it were inconsistent with the Justice of God to pardon a sinner lying impenitent in his filth nor would it commend the Grace of God if it were cast a way to the despisers of Grace as well as to the penitent who highly esteem of Grace And a 3d. Word I would have you to consider is concerning the degree and measure of repentance I dare not digress on that much There is a Word that might give folk ground of sad thoughts Acts 2.37 compared with verse 38. where ye will find a people pricked in heart and put to a peremptor they have compunction and cry out What shall we do Verse 37. and Peters answer Verse 38. is Repent They that are pricked in heart and put to a peremptor may have their Repentance to begin not only they that have legal Repentance may have evangelical to begin but even those who have made some progress in evangelical Repentance their hard and impenitent heart may be so habituated with obduration that when they have a gail of the Spirit of Repentance they may need to employ God to help them to repent to purpose I shall say no more on this but beseech you to look to your Repentance it fears me that few be come the length of legal Repentance or to examine whether they have sinned or not But suppone that ye had examined and found out sin had some sense of it I intreat you make Conscience of Repentance Thou that has confidence to believe and seek pardon give this evidence that thou art in earnest about it by making Conscience of Repentance daily O! how long is it since many of you sat down and communed with your own heart and smote upon your thigh saying What have I done How long is it since ye was in Ephraim's posture Jer. 31.19 Ashamed yea confounded because ye have born the reproach of your youth O think on it in earnest neglected Repentance daily will make an ill revel'd Hesp daily to you if ever ye and your Conscience meet and as I said before let never folk talk of their Faith that is not dipped in tenderness and repentance daily Only take what hath been said with this Caution if ye be convinced of your need of repentance and yet ye want it ye know where to get it That exalted Prince for giving pardon is also exalted to give repentance Acts 5.31 So much for these things required antecedent by way of preparation for pardon In the 2d place I proposed to speak somewhat to that whereby a soul so qualified prepared closes with Christ for pardon and that is Faith whereby a sinner having his sin discovered the sense of it wakened up within him and having made conscience of Repentance for it grips unto Jesus Christ by Faith for the pardon of it and that is the thing which the 2d word in the Text holds out after he has said verse 3. If thou Lord should mark iniquity who can stand he adds verse 4. But there is forgivenness with thee there is his Faith closing with pardoning mercy to get a good account of that iniquity and sinfulness whereof he is convinced So we find David when making his Testament
closing therewith ye would look upon pride of Heart as having a main hand in it Rom. 10.3 The reason why the Jews did not submit unto the righteousness of God they went about to establish their own A doubting Soul in its exercise may seem to be very humble and crucified it may be but it is not humbled but while it stands a-loof from pardoning Mercy proclaims its Pride for it proclaims it would have a price to bring in its hand to God and God is angry at that pride he will have thee coming to him as a Dyvour when thou hast tryed all thou can do to the yondmost And 6. and lastly in this aversion read another mistake folk think it presumption when they are convinced of their vileness to close with pardoning Mercy but it is so far from being presumption that it is the greatest evidence of humility to take mercy freely when thou comes to the Mercat of Free-grace with no price in thy hand and not only so but it is a high honouring of God The man that being sensible of his sinfulness closeth with pardoning Mercy doth with Abraham Rom. 4.20 Give glory to God and by his receiving his testimony put to his seal that God is true Joh. 3.33 and therefore any that are sensible of sin and have any thing of the conviction of the dreadful desert of sin and are in any measure in the exercise of repentance for sin they would take notice of these things that I have named as stumbling blocks in their way of closing with pardoning Mercy and labour to take them out of it that they may come up to close with it and say But there is forgiveness with thee 3. But now because folk may readily say all that I spoke to in the Morning for preparation to closing with pardoning Mercy is good and when they hear it holden out as the will of God that a sensible sinner should lay hold on Christ for pardon who are they that will not say they have sense of sin and may take a pardon therefore to prevent the stumbling of such I shall in the 3d. place as I proposed in the entry speak to some things required consequentially as a fruit of pardon whereby a man comes to know and evidence that he is pardoned and to improve his pardon answerable to that subjoyned to forgiveness in the Text and here in speaking to the evidences of pardon a posteriori as we use to speak or which are consequential to pardon I might touch upon many things but in general as those that would see the rising of the Sun in the East they would look to the West where they will see by the shade of his Beams when he rises so these that would make their pardon sure would mind well the consequences of pardon as the surest evidences of their pardon and that they are not deluded in that matter And the 1st that I would recommend to youâ— is Love to the Pardoner There is none hath gotten pardon but it will kyth in this and for proof of it take notice of that Luk. 7.47 Where Christ speaking of the woman that washt his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head he says her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much The meaning is not that her great love to Christ did merit a pardon for if ye read the Parable before from verse 40. It will clear that that is not the meaning Christ says to Simon Which of the Debitors will love the Creditor most Simon answers I suppose be to whom he forgave most There Love is the result of pardon and the consequent of pardon not the cause and it is in that case that Christ applys it to the woman such love to me is an infallible evidence that much is forgiven her I would have imbittered folk and such as are reflecters upon and carps at Providential Dispensations noticing this That it is no good evidence of pardon and thou that has love to him whatever be his Dispensations towards thee it speaks good news of pardon though thou cannot discern it 2. I recommend much Heart-melting and Evangelical Repentance whereof I spoke before as it is required antecedently to pardon now I press that which is consequential to pardon when a sinner hath closed with pardoning Mercy and by a reflex act looks back upon what hath been forgiven him O what melting of heart hath it as in that woman Luke 7.47 Much is forgiven her therefore she loveth much and that melted her heart and made her weep much she is a tender melting woman and certainly if thou be a Child the too look to pardon and much more the application of pardon will melt the heart and work more than many Rods. And 3. I recommend to you as a Consequence of Pardon a deep sense of the hainousness of the sin pardoned and much compassion toward them who are yet lying in the same pollution and guilt a pardoned sinner looking on his sin through the Glass of pardoning Mercy it grows much more hainous than it was and a pardoned man cannot but with compassion look on others lying in the puddle of Nature Titus 3 2 7 Speak evil of no man says he but be gentle shewing all meekness to all men for we our selves were sometime foolish disobedient c. till the loving kindness of God was manifested O what compassion will the pardoned man have towards others wallowing in that pollution from which he is delivered There are other two Evidences consequential to pardon one is Our forgiving of others Mat. 6.12 which is no meritorious antecedent cause of pardon for it is the sense of Christ pardoning Mercy to us that should and doth loose our hearts to pardon others we are bidden say Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors Another Evidence in the Text is holy filial fear but because the one of these is a Point in the Text and the other concerns the pardoning of one another as an evidence we are pardoned which will require more time to deduce than now we have I shall fist here for this time The Lord bless his Word to you SERMON XVII Psalm 130. Verse 4. But there is forgivenness with thee YE may remember that I have insisted long upon this excellent Priviledge The remission or the forgiveness of sins I have spoken to the Object of pardon or what it is that is pardoned Iniquity I have also spoken to the Author of pardon GOD To the Nature of Pardon and when it is that Pardon is pronounced and I entered the last day upon the Applicatory part of this Doctrine to lead you in a right way of closing with pardoning Mercy following the scope of the Context I proposed to speak of somewhat required antecedently to pardon to somewhat required in closing with pardon and of something consequential to pardon whereby we Evidence that we are pardoned and do improve our pardon I spoke to the first
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
will up and to their feet and recover themselves but their fools haste makes no speed while they look not to the causes of their declining and seek not to get them heal'd and herefore when the burnt of the Conviction is over they are where they were and do not amend a Physitian that would cure a Disease seeks first to know and remove the causes thereof and that is the method I would recommend to you to follow to consider what it is that makes the people of God back-slide sit up or decline in the course of Religion and Godliness there are some Causes without which I do not insist on when there is a dreadful shower of Spiritual Plagues rain'd upon a visible Church it is no wonder that some drops of it fall upon the godly to allude to that Mat. 24.12 Because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold Though I know the meaning of the place looks like another way that because of the abounding of iniquity folks shall not know with whom to walk or intimatly converse nor shall I need to put you in mind of that new-fangle humor that is in many That when Religion is new to them make a faird at it and thereafter sit up like Children that are taken up with Toyes and presently lose conceit of them and cast them from them so it is with many in the matters of God and godliness but there are several causes of upsitting within that ye would look unto The first I begin at is Conceit which not only many time evidences a man to be nothing If a man thinketh himself something while he is nothing he deceives himself Gal. 6.3 and Rev. 3.17 Thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched poor blind miserable and naked But be a man what he will if he conceit of it his conceit of it sets his height upon his head he cannot make proficiency yea Conceit is the next door to Apostasie compare for this these two paralel places Hab. 2.4 his soul that is lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live hy faith but if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him says the Apostle Heb. 10.38 A lifted up Soul and a drawing back Soul go together therefore who would recover from their backslidden condition and find out the causes of it they would look first to conceit as a main cause O! how many a fair profession hath Conceit blasted how many a hypocrite hath conceit discovered to be but empty casks without substance yea more how many really godly hath conceit lost in the mire of apostasie till they considered and laid it to heart better than they did 2. Which hath affinity with the former of conceit Take notice of carnal confidence as another great cause when ever a Child of God wears out of a posture of poor and needy dependence when all beside Christ is not flesh to him a slide abides him When Job 29.18 said he should die in his nest and multiply his days as the sand he was near a shake When David Psal 30.6 said in his prosperity he should not be moved God hid his face and he was troubled his carnal confidence was backed with desertion from God Therefore beware of pride and carnal confidence as ye would not decline and backslide And ye that would seek out the causes of your decayed condition and endeavour a cure look well to these two as bringing you in the sad posture wherein ye are lying The Lord bless his word to you SERMON XX. Psalm 130. Verse 5. I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait c. THat I may prepare the way for a more distinct handling of this great and important Duty of waiting on God and for God I proposed in the morning to speak somewhat upon perseverance and constancy in Religion and that partly in general in opposition to Apostasie and Backsliding and partly in particular in opposition to that fleiting frazing humour that may be in folk at some timâ— but soon passes over and is gone and in opposition 〈…〉 â—earying to wait on if they be delayed especialâ—◠〈…〉 d dispensations For the general I spoke somewhat to it and hinted in the first place at some Means of Tryal whereby folks may know more distinctly their sitten-up frame and I was cut off by the time from searching into the causes of up-sitting or declining that would be heeded by them that would prevent or recover themselves out of that temper several things occur which though divers of them may be one upon the matter yet I name them distinctly that under one notion or another of the same thing ye may take up your distemper I spoke in the first place to Conceit And 2. To carnal Confidence as main Causes of Apostasie Now I go on and in the third place ye shall take notice with me of this as a great cause of declining to wit idleness want of seriousness and sensible errands to Christ dayly when folks though they go about the Duties of Religion in privat and publick yet the most they have for them is to fill the field to observe a custom or to quiet the clamours of Conscience in this case folk are idle they have not sensible errands to Christ they have not their finger on their sore and as this evidences a declined Frame so it is a cause of declining in many to allude to that Prov. 19 15. Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep and an idle soul shall suffer hunger And Eccles 10.18 By much slothfulness the building decayeth and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through So negligence in performance of Service to God will soon bring a soul to a very poor posture and condition Further in the fourth place ye shall take notice of this that the not observing of gradual Decays is the great cause of the heightning that Decay and coming to a height in backsliding when folks slide down the braâ— piece and piece when they steal at leasure from their first Love and it is not observed by them it brings on a sinful frame ere they be awaâ—â—â—â—any through want of observation are like Sampson 〈…〉 hath his Locks cut and knows it not till the◠〈…〉 upon him Or like the blessed Virgin who supposing Christ to be in the croud miss'd him not but afterward had him to seek with sorrow Or as Pharaoh's Servants said to him Knows thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed like Ephraim gray hairs are here and there upon him yet he knoweth iâ— not As ye say of Hecticks they are worst to be discerned but easily cured in the beginning but when continued in they are easily discerned and worse to be cured so fares it with them that observe not their gradual decays And to this I shall add in the 5 place that folks would look well to Idols when they are harboured it 's
make us say with that wicked King 2 King 6.33 This evil is of the Lord why should I wait on the Lord any longer And readily the man that will not wait on God hath that which he had with it v. 31. God do so to me and more also if the head of Eâ—â—sha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day The godly man resolves to be like the infirm man at the Pool Joh. 5.57 There will he lyâ— were it never so long till the water be troubled and some put him in or till Christ by his immediat hand cure him This was the Psalmists way here after he is put to cry out of the deeps and to wrestle with guilt meeting him in the teeth and to cry for pardoning mercie and no relief appears he resolves during the delay to wait on God I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope My soul waits for the Lord more c. And Psal 62. after he hath said Truly my soul waiteth on God from him comes my salvation v. 1. he presseth it over again v. 5. O my soul wait thou only upon God for my expectation is from him he will wait and better wait and continue in waiting Now the prosecution of this would lead me to the particulars in the Text wherein these four or five things are clear 1. The Psalmists exercise I wait 2. The object of his exercise of waiting I wait for the Lord. 3. His affection in waiting My soul doth wait 4. His support in his waiting My soul doth wait and in his word do I hope 5. The great measure of his affection in waiting My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning I say more c. These are the particulars in the Text in the prosecution whereof we may have sundry things for laying open this exercise of waiting on God I shall now speak a few words and close I shall not touch on this that duty is ours and event is Gods a man having done his duty may if he could win up to the use of his allowance sleep very sound under cross events but it is our unhappy temper that we would still be at the Throne and have the guiding of things we are like the ill Scholar that 's busier at his neighbours Lesson than his own But to pass this consider four short words and I have done 1. Waiâ—ing on God is a blest mean appointed of God in order to an out-gate out of all difficulties Isai 30.18 Blest are all they that wait on him A man by waiting on God and brooking delays with faith patience affection and submission may find an out gate without a delivery 2. Waiting on God in the case of delays and persevering in waiting is commendable on this account that we can do no where else so well as to ly still at his door a man that wearies to wait on God would look what he will do next ere he give it over When Christ ask'd Peter Will ye also leave me He answers To whom shall we go We had need to seek a better Master ere we quite thee and that we cannot find thou hast the words of eternal life What will a man do next if he wait not on God David is fasht with waiting and dependence and he will go down to the Land of the Philistines and the History tells what befell him there he is forced to lie he is likely to be brought in a snare by fighting against the people of God and his interest and in Ziglag in hazard of being destroyed by the Amalekites a man may well get an ill Conscience by apostacy and declining he is never a step nearer delivery so that go the world as it will waiting on God is the best of it And 3. When we weary of waiting on God because of outward dispensations we bewray too much affection to the things of time thou art in a difficulty thou wearies because of the calamity that lies on and thou gets not an out-gate but it were better for thee to mourn over thy inordinat affection to the things of time that makes thee weary and that would make way for thy out-gate and lighten thy burden 4. Remember that even a delivery from any difficulty out of Gods way without waiting on God is a plague When a man comes not under a signal plague till he come under this that as the word is Mal. 3.15 he tempts God and is delivered And therefore rather abhor such an issue that is a plague than lust after it SERMON XXI Psalm 130. Verse 5. I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and c. IN these words as ye heard the last day is contained the 3d Branch of the Psalmists exercise after that he hath wrestled with difficulties by crying to God out of the depths and wrestled with the conscience of guilt by taking with it and fleeing to pardoning mercy on right terms he is put now to wrestle with delays of comfort and an out-gate and this he wrestles with by confident affectionat meek and patient waiting on God I spoke to the general Doctrine of this Verse The task of perseverance and constancy in the way of God and followed it out a little in opposition to apostacy and back-sliding and more particularly to these brashy hot fits that folk have at some times which are followed with as great cools and in opposition to delays or wearying and sitting up from employing God when folks meet with delays which is in the Text which ye may remember I divided in these five 1. The Psalmists exercise I wait 2. The object of his exercise of waiting I wait for the Lord. 3. His affection in waiting My soul doth wait 4. His support in his waiting My soul doth wait and in his word do I hope 5. The great measure of his affection in waiting My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning I say more than they that watch for the morning For the first of these that he is waiting this if I should follow forth in all that might be said of it I should take in that Confidence and affection the Psalmist hath in waiting which will occur in their proper places to be spoken to when I proceed in the words of the Text here I shall pass not only a general of the Psalmists reflecting on what he hath been doing and his giving an account of it which I purpose to take in afterward but I shall handle waiting on God here only in these two 1. Somewhat Supposed That he is put to wait 2. Somewhat proposed That when he is put to wait he doth wait For the first somewhat supposed that he is put to wait which affords us this Observation that the Saints even in their serious and sincere seeking of God in difficulties may be exercised with delays of comfort and an out-gate when a godly man is here crying
be a God of Judgment and therefore blessed are they that wait on him and blest shall ye be if ye believe these things and if ye make it your exercise to let your patience be seen in your meek waiting for him for there shall be a performance of these things which are told you from the Lord. I shall insist no further The Lord bless his word to you for Christ's sake SERMON XXIII Psalm 130. Verse 5. I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and c. I Am now broken in a little upon this third part of the Psalmist's wrestling and exercise how that after his imploying of God by Prayer under trouble and taking a right method for purging away of the guilt of Conscience he is exercised with delays and protracting to his sense of delivery and comfort which he wrestles with by confident affectionat and patient waiting on God Having spoken somewhat to the general Doctrine of Perseverance and Constancy and broken in the last day upon and spoken to the first Head of these Words the Psalmist's exercise he was waiting I spoke to these two first Heads of Doctrine 1. That which was supponed here That the Psalmist was put to wait and shew that God may and often doth exercise his people when they are walking tenderly with delays And 2. I spoke to that which is proponed that when he is put to wait he doth wait under these delays waiting for other things from God according to his word than the present Dispensation did promise he waited he proved he did believe without making haste and he waited without bitterness fretfulness passion c. These two I took some time the last day to press on you as needful Lessons that when God exercises you with delays and suspends the performance of Promises ye should wait for God believing his Word not making haste with meekness and calmness of Spirit I proposed a second thing to be spoken to in the Words to which I proceed and that is the Object of his exercise I wait for what for the Lord says he that was the Object of his waiting whether he was waiting for Comfort against desertion or for delivery out of trouble or for both he is waiting for the Lord and this if we shall batter out a little will give some mo things to be taken notice of in a man that is truly a waiter for God and what I would say on it I shall briefly reduce to these three which I conceive imported in it 1. A waiter on God hath his Eyes taken off all other things and set on God only for what he wants and would have That is one thing imported in it not only is a waiter on God taken off sinful shifts that will disappoint all that use them as it is said when the Lord should smite Egypt and Ethiopia the people of that Isle or Countrey should be ashamed of Ethiopia their Expectation and Egypt their Glory and they shall say in that day Behold such is our expectation whither shall we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria and how shall we escape Isa 20.5 Now there our expectation is blown up And Jer. 3.23 Truly in vain is salvation looked for from the hills and from the multitude of mountains That is all the poor shifts they had betaken themselves to they shall be frustrat as to their expectation of help from them But I say not only are waiters on God taken off sinful shifts but have what they will to eye this is the Character of a waiting man that his eyes are taken off all things and set on God Psal 62.5 My soul wait thou only on God for my expectation is from him And ye have the posture of them whom God will notice Zeph. 3.12 I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord They are a people emptied of all expectation from any other art but trusting in God they are left on him and betake themselves to him alone Now the Saints that are waiters on God indeed are put to this shift of waiting on God on divers accounts 1. Because all other shifts may and often do misgive upon their hand not only sinful shifts but all other disappointment on disappointment from one thing to another may be the lot of them that are put to this exercise of waiting on God it was not enough for David that Saul persecute him that the Ziphits were ready to betray him and that near relations Father and Mother should forsake him as he hints Psal 27.10 but he must be put to that Psal 142.4 I looked on my right hand and beheld but there was no man that would owne me refuge failed me There was no man that cared for my soul when he is shut up in the Cave all his men that were about him slight him think him an unhappy man and themselves unhappy in following him And Psal 124.1 If the Lord had not been on our side when men rose up against us They had swallowed us up quick c. There the people of God are left on him alone And Psal 94.17 Vnless the Lord had been my help my soul had almost or as it is on the margine quickly dwelt in silence There was nothing betwixt me and utter off-cutting but God's stepping in to be my help From this in the by ye may take this with you that the waiting people of God are never tryed enough till all things fail them but God till they be stripped naked of all things they expected help from and they left on God alone and whatever be God's condescendency to their weakness in giving them means of help at any time they would lay their account to be brought that low as to have none to look to for help but God only 2. The saints have their eyes only on God in their waiting because when they are stript of all other things that promised help They see there is ground enough to wait on God for all that They look not on the blasting of all their expectations as a nolumus on the back of their Bill or as inviting them to say there is no help They will wait on God when nothing invites them to it and why I shall offer to you a threefold account on which saints afflicted emptied and stripped of all things without God do not give over waiting on God 1. This is one they see God all-sufficient to do their turn not only without the help of second Means but when seemingly they combine to oppose what they would be at they wait for Jehovah and see their delivery or comfort not to be further off that there be nothing visible promising it yea when all visible means and causes threaten the contrary why Their King is Jehovah who can command deliverance Psal 44 4. Thou art my King O God command deliverance for Jacob A word from him can bring deliverance though
people of God that they do not forget prosperity and learn to have their desires spiritual and to make up the want of all things in God if they were spiritual in their desires whatever their difficulties were it would be all a matter to them if they got more of God if all their difficulties and wants did run in this channel to pursue for more of God to have him not to be their terror but their hope in an evil day Though they should want the Ordinances he should be a sanctuary to them Though men should curse What then It is all a matter if he bless Though they should be counted the off-scourings of all things contemned reproached no matter if their names be written in Heaven O spiritual desires would not only further an issue but be a present issue in all difficulties but hardly are the children of men out of one of three snares either they are mad on their Idols while they have them or they are mad for the loss of them when they want them or when they are restored to them they surfeit on them as Israel did on flesh in the Wilderness Therefore while their desires are not spiritual carried forth on God and heavenly things to make up the want of things earthly It 's no wonder their delivery be foreslowed of these things and will be forslovved till they cleanse their desires of vvhat they are so much vvedded to and cause lamenting over their buried Idols knovving it vvill be a plague to them to have them restored SERMON XXIV Psalm 130. Verse 5. I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope AS in handling the former tvvo Verses I had a great Gospel Truth and Priviledge among my hands so in the fifth sixth Verses there is a lively description of a great and concerning Gospel-duty patient affectionat and confident waiting for God The Duty that is a great Characteristick of a godly man vvho hath a Well vvithin him that neither Summers heat nor Winters frost can dry up but as it is Zech. 14.8 In summer and winter shall it be there and vvho must prove this by his being well breathed to vvait on God vvhen his Promises and Dispensations seem to clash one vvith another vvhen his Word gives one report of him and his dispensations a quit contrair When His Word calls him The hearer of Prayer and His Dispensations say That prayer is shut out and his anger smoaks against the prayers of his people When his vvord says he that hath promised to come will come and will not tarry and his dispensations say not only that he tarrieth but that he vvill never come Here is the vvell breathed Grace of Patience affectionat and confident expectation to believe to vvait on and not to make haste and to be keeped meek in vvaiting on I have spoken to tvvo Heads here from the Psalmist's exercise he is waiting and the Object of his vvaiting he is waiting for the Lord his eyes are taken off all other things and set on God for vvhat he vvould be at and in the faith of that he vvaits on God and keeps his vvay and vvhen any thing of that kind is not accomplished to the satisfaction of sense he waits for the Lord that more enjoyment of him may make up the vvant of these things Sad Dispensations spiritualize his desires It is not any good that vvill satisfie him but it is one thing to behold the beauty of the Lord to have the communion of God and to have the light of his Countenance Novv I proceed to the third thing in the Words That is his affection in vvaiting vvaiting is his exercise the Object of it is the Lord The manner of his vvaiting is affectionat my soul doth wait I do vvait affectionatly and what the measure of his affection in vvaiting is he resumes verse 6. My soul writs for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning I shall here speak to tvvo Observations and for the ground of the first Mark That the Psalmist vvhile he professes to vvait he declares that he sets himself against all haste passion and fretfulness about vvhat he vvaited in opposition to these he waits for God But now he finds it necessary to guard against another extream it might be said ye wait and are not fretted with delays and why ye are indifferent for what ye wait for it is indifferent for you whether ye get or want it and therefore ye may wait inconcernedly without wearying No says he though I do wait my affection is not asleep in waiting my soul doth wait I have affection to that which I want yet I labour to have it I have a waiting affection to it with a submissive affection in waiting for it Hence observe 1. That as patient waiting for God is opposit to passion fretfulness bitterness and carnalness on the one hand so on the other it is opposite to dulness stupidity and carelesness about what we want Here the Psalmist professeth himself both a waiter that is not wearied nor cankered and yet he is a soul-waiter with his affection aloft for what he waits for This particular may lead me to take notice of a General to be observed in the way of God's people That is that a mixed condition is their best condition for here ye have a frame made up of Patience and Affection affection running out for that it would be at and patience clogging its wings that it run not out of breath We are full of Byasses and always ready to run on extreams without this mixture if a man have affection it is ready to pick quarrels at delays if he have somewhat of patience that patience is ready to fall asleep but these two make up a sweet frame I might here take notice of these advantages or advantageous mixtures both in the frame of the Saints and in their lots in their lots take them successively we will find odd mixtures in them a rapture to Heaven and a Messenger of Satan sent to buffet them on the back of it It was needful that that eminent servant of God in his exaltation should be keeped with arms of such a messenger and beside these successive mixtures we will find few lots of the saints but a mixture may be observed in them Psal 40.17 I am poor and needy yet thought upon by God 1 Cor. 12.10 When weak yet strong Isai 40.31 When faint yet made to run and not be weary and to walk and not be faint when laid-by men yet made-up men their foot slipping yet Gods mercy holding them up Psal 94.18 Troubled on every side yet not distressed perplexed but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed 1 Cor. 4.8 9. As unknown yet well known as dying yet living as chastned and not killed as sorrowful yet always rejoycing as poor yet making many rich as having nothing yet possessing all things 1 Cor. 6.9 These are
And Job 23.10 when he cannot get a sight of God on the right or left hand yet saith he He knows the way that I take when he trys me I shall come forth like gold c. What I would say from this is to leave a check at their door whom the dispensations of providence dings from all their confidence if God delay the Psalmist he will avow that he waits but so silly are we that there is nothing the storm blows against but we are ready to question it whereas if we see it be fair before the wind we question it not at all so silly spirits are we and so full of byasses O! lament this and know that duty is knowable and avowable in the saddest of dispensations for the Psalmist can say I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait And 4. As duty is attainable and knowable so it is very comfortable to a man to know it It 's good news to this tost Psalmist that he dare say I wait my soul doth wait it 's good news for the present Read often believe and improve that word Eccles 8.12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times and his days be prolonged yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God because he feareth before God The very present reward the Eccho of a good Conscience is sweet and comfortable that the people of God can say Our hearts are not turned back nor our steps declined from thy way though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons and covered us with the shadow of death Psal 44.18 O! How sweet an Eccho hath that in a mans bosome and a man that in a sad condition will not be made up in the testimony of a good Conscience it is righteousness with God to smite him with a rod dipped in his own guilt Look to it and make it your study to have this ground of comfort when others fail It 's good when a man can say I am sore broken yet my heart is not turned back I am in the deeps yet my soul waits I cannot win at him yet my feet have held his steps his way have I kept and not declined and as this is sweet and comfortable for the present so will it be found for the time to come when the waiter on God in duty shall be made to say and sing as it is Isa 25.9 Lo this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation I shall say no more but when all costs are reckoned it shall be found that a doer of duty waiting for God shall be no loser but a great gainer and it shall never be grief of heart to him that he made it his work to wait on him in his way when others declined As I closed the last day with that word Blessed are all they that wait for him so do I this day whatever he do to them whatever delays or difficulties they meet with they shall find that it will be found a rich mercy to be found waiting for God and upon God in their duty keeping his way and not declining therefrom I say no more but the Lord bless his Word that ye have been hearing for Christs sake SERMON XXV Psalm 130. Verse 5. And in his Word do I hope I Told you that as the two former Verses speak to one of the excellent Priviledges of the godly man to wit the remission of sins So the 5 and 6. speak to a most necessary though a most difficult task of the godly man to wait for God that godly men give a proof of their subjection to him and faith in him by their waiting for him notwithstanding they meet with so many delays and disappointments Somewhat hath been spoken to three principal Heads of Doctrine in these Verses 1. The Psalmists exercise he is a waiting man he is put to wait and he doth wait where ye heard that if God delay the Saints and put them to wait it is their duty to wait not only not to be hasty but if they hing on they would look their waiting be not poisoned with freâ—fulness passion and bitterness but seasoned and adorned with meekness and patience I spoke 2. to the object of his exercise I wait for the Lord where ye heard that the eyes of the waiâ—ing man must be taken off all things and set on God not only when all second causes forsake him but when these things that seemed to promise relief seem to be against him he must notwithstanding wait on God and keep his way and have all his expectation in God or God himself must be his expectation and he will be no loser by this if God himself be his great expectation he will easily make up the want of all other things In the third place I spoke to his affection in waiting my soul doth wait where beside that general that we should be able to give an account what we are doing in difficulties when we are exercised with delays Ye heard that true waiting lyes in the midst betwixt bitterness passion haste fretfulness on the one hand and stupidity and indifferency on the other hand The right waiter for God as he is not fretful and passionat so neither is he sleeping and careless he so waits as his soul doth wait his affections are aloft prizing and looking out for these things he is waiting for Now in the 4. place I proceed to consider his support in waiting What made him thus wait affectionatly confidently and patiently He Answers and in his word do I hope He hoped in the word of God and therefore he waits for God It 's not to great purpose to trouble you here with an exact distinction betwixt Faith and Hope Faith looks to the promise and gives a present subsistence to the thing promised as the word is Heb. 11.1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Hope looks to the performance of the good things promised Faith closes with the promise as true and is comforted in that which is contained in it Hope looks out till God come and make out what Faith sees and closes with in the word of promise In this place Faith and Hope may be taken promiscuously or indifferently in his word do I hope that is I wait till God make out to me that he hath promised in his Word or take it a little more distinctly in his word do I hope It will import that having closed by Faith with the good things in the word of promise he looks out for the accomplishment of them so that he hath not only Faith bene believing and closing with the Word but he hath hope looking out till God make his Word good to him I might here take notice of this that waiting on God though a man had no other evidence is ground of hope when a man is in a difficulty and sore put at and
2. As the ground that Faith goes on does still continue the same so obedience to the Command of Believing is never dispensed with There is never a time wherein God says I will dispense with you to Believe he says not believe when the waters are at the ancles and I will dispense with you when they overflow the banks but go things as they will Faith is still a commanded and indispensible duty ye have this clear Luke 8.50 and the parallel places when that Ruler came to Christ about the curing of his sick daughter he is encouraged to believe while she is sick and not dead but when she is dead one comes from his house and says to him Thy daughter is dead trouble not the Master thou and we might have believed the more before she was dead but now the case is desperat therefore it is needless to thee to employ him any more But doth Christ homologat such a principle no but when he heard it he says to the man Fear not believe only for she shall be made whole when she is sick and when she is dead he is bidden believe only And 3. Consider That not only does the ground of Faith continue the same and the command of Believing indispensible but Trials eminent sharp and of long continuance are opportunities of eminent work for Faith He is not counted a man of courage that in a Muster will vapor and play the gallant but who in the Chock of the Battle kythes his stoutness and resolution as a famous Spartan said when it was told him the Persians arrows were so thick that they would cover the Sun all the better of that said he for us we shall fight the better in the cool so it is with Faith Eminent Trials and difficulties of long continuance gives to it opportunities of eminent service and work What is it to believe while thou art sailing alongst the shore but when thou lanchest out into the deeps and meets with a storm and neither Sun Moon nor Stars for many days appear when the tryal is hightned and lengthned and some falls off on that hand the day and others fall off on this hand the morrow and thou art like to be left alone that is an opportunity of eminent service and work for Faith And thou would remember that there is a favour conferred on thee when thy Faith is put to it at such a time what will thou do If thou will cast thy self and all thou hast over upon God put all in his reverence and wait upon him for an issue From these things that I have but superficially touched be exhorted to study the life of Faith better that ye may be fixt and strong in the Faith ye must not content your selves with putting out some acts of Faith but ye must learn to live by it to make it your food and subsistence which if well studied many a tentation and snare in snary times would be broken and God would be waited upon patiently It is true when ye are surcharged with bitterness ye will get enough of things to father it on your difficulties are many and great your delays are protracted but ye light not on the root of your distemper the weakness of your Faith O thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt where is thy faith for Isai 28.16 He that believes shall not make haste and consequently he that makes haste does not believe or is at a low pace as to the exercise of faith when impatience and bitterness prevails and therefore guard against your cankering fretfulness weariness fainting Do not tempt God to give you a relief by a change of your condition and being seen on the mount but rouze up your faith to exercise say how is it that I am so fearful how is it I have no Faith seek the issue of all your pressures by rouzing up your Faith it will discover to you Hagars well at hand when ye are casting down your Ishmaels to die for thirst it will bring noon day at night and of weakness it will make you strong when ye are faint and have no might it will bring in power to you and renew your strength when ye see no appearance of an issue it will bid you look again as Elijah said 1 King 18.43 Till ye see the cloud that will rain When that holy man Ezra is laid by in confessing and mourning over the sins of the people Chap. 9. There is a good man who Chap. 10 2. bids him look again arise from his heaviness and fall about a work of Reformation For there was hope in Israel concerning that thing So Jonah when he said I am cast out of thy sight rouzing up his Faith saith Yet will I look again towards thy holy temple and that man Psal 77.7 When he begins to question Whether the Lord will cast off for ever and will be favourable no more if his mercy be clean gone if his mercy doth fail for ever if he hath forgoâ—ten to be gracious and in his anger he hath shut up tender mercies and is laid by with that work he rouzes up his Faith and looks again And Verse 10. saith This is my infirmity I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high So would thou do when thou looks on the sadness of thy condition and many pressures and art tempted to give over rouze up thy confidence and that will give thee a satisfactory account of that which thou counted desperat and hopeless The Lord bless his Word SERMON XXVI Psalm 130. Verse 5. And in his word do I hope WAiting on God being a most excellent and necessary Subject and Duty in regard that only they that endure to the end shall be saved and that it is these whose Patience has had its perfect work that shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord we had need to study all these things which may either set Patience on work or keep it at work And here I am upon the great support of the Waiting Man He waits for the Lord because he hope in his word In the Forenoon I spoke to the first general Observation in these words That Patience and Waiting cannot be well cherished without Faith and Hope Which I branched out in two That the Tryals of the Saints may be such and so ordered for greatness and continuance that Faith only will be able to discern an issue of them and that faith chearfully employed will discern this issue Now the Lesson I am to fall upon in the 2d general Observation is That Faith enabling to endure hard lots and to endure without succumbing must take the Word of God for its ground and Faith having the Word for its ground so long as God alters not his Sentence in his Word Faith must believe and hope expect the accomplishment of that word I hope in his word saith the Psalmist hence it is to allude to that of the Apostle Rom. 10 6. That the man
a testimony of their reading of it what a monstruous neglect is it 2. Consider that it is a mean of God's Converse with us There is a double mean of intercourse and converse betwixt God and us on our part we converse with him by Prayer by sending up our beggar supplications to Him we traffick with Heaven by our necessities vented in Prayer to God upon the one hand and upon the other hand it is by these Scriptures that God corresponds visibly with us and sends messages to us Hence I infer and look to it That neglecters to converse with the Scripture not only obstruct God's intercourse and provocks him to give up correspondence with them in his Word nay his dwelling in them for Joh. 15.7 Speaking of his abiding in us and we in him he says If ye abide in me and my words in you he in stead of putting in his abiding puts in his words abiding in us because it is by his word he abides in us But I say it is to be feared that neglecters of converse with the Scripture not only obstruct God's correspondence with and dwelling in them but that they also cut short the converse on their side with Heaven by needy Prayer Let them never say that they are serious in Prayer that neglect to read the Scriptures though a man may read much that prays not for these are not reciprocal yet he can never be serious in prayer that reads none he must be a delighter in the Scripture that converses with God by prayer if then ye neglect reading ye not only obstruct Gods intercourse with you but yours with him And I shall add in the 3d. place there is not a more infallible mark of Grace and Regeneration nor to be much acquaint and conversant with the Scripture delighting therein and feeding thereon I shall not urge that natural Axiom iisdem nutrimur ex quibus constamus we are nourished of the same things we are made of but I shall give it you in Scripture terms Compare these two 1 Pet. 1.23 and 2.2 â—n the one passage it is said Ye are born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever In the other passage as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby If a man be begotten and born by the word he will desire the sincere milk of the Word that he may grow and be nourished by it and in this I may allude to that of David Psal 119.93 I will never forget thy precepts for with them thou hast quickened me A man that hath found the Word powerful pulling him from Nature to Grace from the power of Sathan to God will not forget it but must be conversant with it And I shall add in the fourth place as the frequent use of the Scripture is a blessed proof of Regeneration so it is an evidence of a tender man The untender man takes advice from any thing that may bring him pleasure advantage or preferment and accordingly steers his course but the tender man must have directions from the Word else he will not stir in any thing he far transcends these Grecians who being at their Sacrifice would not stir from it though the enemy approached and killed some and wounded others till they got some good signs and then they got up and went to it So the tender man in all his cases and difficulties will take his directions from the Bible and then he goes to it for his encouragements and hence Psal 1.2 The blest man is he who delights in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth meditat day and night He must not want his Bible what ever he want and that is a tender man who like David in a distress must encourage himself in the Lord his God 1 Sam. 30.6 or else he will not be encouraged There is a 5th thing that presses this duty of conversing with the Scripture and it is the thing in hand the godly man hath so many needs that he must not want the Bible to make up and supply them he is put to fend by Faith and Hope and Faith and Hope must not want the Scriptures the ground of both there is no pasture for Faith and Hope but the Scripture Therefore the godly man must be conversant with it he must have his all in God and must study to know the mind of God that he may please him in all things The godly man is called to live by Faith and must know what Faith hath to feed on and this puts him to converse with Scripture As I said before The Bible is the Charter of his Inheritance the Rule that he must walk by his Elder Brother's Testament the Compass he must steer his course by in storms his Magazine for weapons and furniture his Touch-stone that he must try all Duties and Comforts by in all these and many mo he hath need of the Bible and therefore if his grace be in exercise he must be much conversant with it I shall not fall on any of the other Heads but exhort you while ye have the light to walk in the light and while ye walk in the light make use of the Bible let this Word not be sown in the wind but let it be as a good and a nail fastened by the Masters of Assemblies Acquaint your selves with the Bible through and through read it and depend on God for the blessing delight in it meditatâ—on it hereby ye shall evidence your esteem of it as most excellent above all other Books Hereby ye shall evidence your esteem of and converse with God your Regeneration and walk with God that ye dwell in God and have your all in him and that ye rest on what he has spoken in the Scriptures for making up all your wants God bless his Word to you for Christs sake SERMON XXVII Psalm 130. Verse 5. And in his Word do I hope WAiting for God being as ye have heard it the excellent yet difficult and trying task of the Saints surely they stand in great need to be well beam-fiâ—led and stocked that would engage in such an undertaking lest they weary of waiting on God and row to some other shore and this is it that the Psalmist here is from his own experience and practice directing us in after that he hath in the first place asserted his waiting and next his waiting for the Lord. And 3. That his waiting is not degenerat in a careless indifferency and stupidity but however he did cast out bitterness haste and fretfulness out of his waiting yet it did not cool his affection was not blunted for his soul did wait after that I say he proceeds to give an account of his support in waiting my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope he tells that it was Faith and hope that enabled and supported him to wait for God Ye may remember that the first
not perform it And Psal 56.4 In God I will praise his word And Psal 60.6 7. God hath spoken in his holiness I will rejoyce c. In a word It 's to little purpose to the children of God in a waiting posture to offer to be acquaint with the Word and make use of it except they lean their weight on it and be determined by it otherwise a man may sâ—arve beside his allowance he may see enough in the Bible to make him up and yet not be the better of it because he will not captivat his sense reason and carnal imaginations to credit and lay weight on it But to press and follow this forth I proceed to the 3d thing I proposed to be spoken to in this Head of Doctrine and it is the main thing to the end we may lean weight upon the Word and it may put an end to all controversies that may arise in our bosoms we would fix this principle that the Word of God is of Divine Authority and of infallible verity and certainty That 's a Principle a man that would live by Faith must fix that as it is Tit. 1.2 The Scriptures are the word of him that cannot lie Here it is that Faith resolving to wait on God must begin his exercise to fix this well that the Scriptures and the Doctrine contained therein are the Word of the faithful God that they are of infallible verity and Divine Authority and therefore when the Apostle 2 Pet. 1.19 is pressing upon believers to take heed to the Scriptures as a more sure word of prophecy than the voice that came from heaven He intimats in the two following Verses that that will be to no purpose except they know first that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation The meaning whereof is not that privat spirits must not Expone or give the sense of Scripture for the Passage speaks not of the interpretation or giving of the sense but of the authority of the Scripture In which sense Prophets were inspired to reveal the Word of God and his will betwixt him and men as Aaron was betwixt Moses and Pharaoh when Moses was unto him as a God as the Heathen Sybills werâ— called Deorum Interpretes and so the meaning is that the Scriptures are not of any private inspiration by men but from God as is contained in the reason which he gives in the next Verse For the Prophesie came not of old time by the will of men but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost These sure words of Prophecy â—ould he say to which I invite you to take heed are of Divine Authority spoken by holy men as they were inspired by the Spirit and his ye must know and believe ere ye can receive light and comfort from them Hence Paul dealing with Agrippa Act. 26.27 presses him to look to the Scriptures Divine Authority as being a solid ground of Faith King Agrippa believest thou the Prophets I know that thou believest he threaps upon him that he believed This Principle being necessary to be fixt our work in fixing it might soon be at an end if we were quit of the wicked and perverse clamours of Papists who expecting little kindness of the Scriptures as I asserted the last day are in tops with it at every bout they will have none to read the Scriptures without their licence and when they are read they will not have them a perfect rule for Faith and Manners without their traditions not will they grant that they can be understood without their interpretations And in the point I am upon they will not have the Scriptures to be of Divine Authority in respect of us what ever Authority they have of themselves more than the Fables of Aesop without the testimony of their Church so blasphemously speak they against that Scripture from which they expect so little friendship For us we acknowledge it is a mercy that there is a Church to hand down the Scriptures to us and that we have the testimony of the Church by her Ministry 〈◊〉 sure that testimony is not from the Romish Church only The Ancients when they speak of Testimonies concerning the Doctrine of the Scriptures adduce the Testimony of the Romish Church being then Orthodox only among other Churches and there are many other Churches beside the Protestants who acknowledge the authority of the Scripture and yet do not acknowledge the authority of the Church of Rome such as the Grecian Ethiopian Armenian Churches and others whatever the Church do in asserting the Authority of the Scriptures she is in that like the woman of Samaria Joh. 4. Who testified to the Samaritans concerning Christ saying Come see a man that told me all that ever I did is not this the Christ but when they came to him on her information they said Now we believe not because of thy information and saying for we have seen and heard him our selves and know that this is indeed the Christ the Saviour of the world They founded not their faith on her Testimony though that was inductive to their meeting with Christ but ascended to their own perswasion which was founded on their hearing of him themselves But to batter out this a little which ye may have to do with ere long to let you see that the Scripture must not subject its authority to the Roman Church I shall speak a little to these four 1. I enquire whether they have given this Testimony or not Further Whether it be arbitrary for them to give it or not if it be arbitrary and the Word have no Authority but at their pleasure they put a cheat upon the World by asserting the authority of that which hath no antecedent authority in it self But if it be not arbitrary but they are bound to give it and have given their Testimony already as Pope Innocent long ago pronounced his authority in his Decretal concerning the Scripture Then they can no more be heard pleading against the Authority of the Scriptures determining in these Controversies that are betwixt them and us 2. Who gives this Testimony The Pope or his Counsel or both Again How came they to give this Testimony They are perswaded or not perswaded are they not perswaded and yet give it then are they the grandest cheats in the world If they are perswaded how came they to that perswasion If they go up to the Church preceeding how was that Church perswaded and let them ascend as far as they can ascend they must still fist at some who were perswaded of the truth of the Authority of the Scriptures without any antecedent Testimony of the Church as for Revelations witnessing the Divine Authority of the Scriptures they will not pretend to them they call us Enthusiasts though falsely on that account and if they had that perswasion from the Scriptures themselves why may not others having the Spirit of God discern that Divine Authority of
the Scriptures without the Testimony of the Church as well as they But I shall add 3dly If any should ask who gave them that warrand to determine concerning the Authority of the Scriptures If they should say to a Pagan that is the Word of God I say it and I have authority to declare it If the Pagan should say where is your evidence that ye have that authority if they cannot adduce any may not he justly alledge that they bear Witness of themselves All the evidence they afford to any is that the Church of Rome is infallible and when they are put to that they adduce these passages Mat. 16.18 Thou art Peter c. Luke 22.32 Joh. 21.15 well say I have these Testimonies Divine Authority to perswade men concerning the infallibility of the Church of Rome and must men believe that antecedently to their receiving their testimony concerning the Scriptures If so then not only themselves who testify but others who are to receive their testimony must be perswaded of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures antecedently to that testimony In a word when they would prove their Authority they run to the Scriptures and in proving the Authority of the Scriptures they recurr to their own testimony and so run in a circle I might add a 4th thing to discuss their Authority from their own principles for the clearing of which I shall hint at three words I hope they will grant that they who testify concerning the Divine Authority of the Scriptures must be Christians not Pagans Church-Officers not Laicks Now by their principles how can they satisfie the Christian world that their Pope is not an un-baptized Pagan or a meer privat person I shall not found my doubt upon Pope Leo the Tenth his Creed that said The Fable concerning Christ had been a gainful Fable but upon their making the real administration of the Sacraments to depend upon the real intention of the Priest that administrats them And so I reason it is impossible morally to know that the present Pope is a baptized Christian or a Church officer in regard we cannot know what were the intentions of him that baptized or ordained â—im and what a blind is it to cause the authority of the Scriptures depend upon such an uncertainty 2. Consider again their sin of Simony we find their Histories full especially in these dark times some while bâ—fore the Reformation of their Symoniacal Popes who by budds and bribes and one by faigning a Voice from Heaven to out his Predecessor did advance themselves into the Chaiâ— Now by their own Cannon Law Symony makes void the Election and nullifies all the Acts following thereon Now suppose a Pope get into the Châ—ir by Symoâ—y and â—â—eats Cardinals who elect his successor their Act his Election are null and it is impossible they can be capable of any Ecclesiastical Act particularly for testifying concerning the authority of the Scriptures 3. I would know how the Christian world should know the Popes declaring concerning the authority of the Scriptures since very few have access to him except we take the Testimony of humane Writings or some wandring Priest with his Papal Bulls and Lead affixt to them Shall we give credit to these Bulls carried by his Priests because they have the ordinar Characters of Papal Bulls and shall â—e not for all the Divine Characters that are found in the Scriptures creâ—â—t them to be the Word of God From all which ye would learn to look upon the Romish Religion as a Religion wherein ye have no ground of certainâ—y to go on and so that there is no Faith in the Romish Religion but that which is ultimatly a humane Faith for if they give us Scripture how know 〈◊〉 that it is Scripture They tell us their Church says so 〈◊〉 know we the certainty of the Churches Testimony 〈◊〉 Pope says so and for that we have but the testimony of his humane Writings and of his Priests Bulls and suppose we should go to Rome we should not get easie access to him and though we should get access to him we know not what he is whether a baptized Christian or an unbaptized Pagan and the Priest that baptized him had not the due intention so that ultimatly all the Faith in the Romish Religion result into an humane report but if the Lord will I shall in the afternoon let you see other evidences of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures that we shall not need to go to Rome for their Testimony Take the Bible seek that Spirit that dictated the Bible look on the Scripture as a true History look oâ— it with that credit ye look on Titus Livius Quintus Curtius Buchannan or any other humane writing and they will prove their own Divinity This I say if the Lord will I shall follow forth more distinctly in the afternoon and therefore I leave it and speak a word to profane Cavillers at the Scriptures authority There is a word Christ hath in assorting the Divine Authority of Hâ— Doctrine which ye would notice Job 7.10 My doctrine is not mine but his that sent me if any man will do his will be shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self The meaning whereof is not that folks must first obey ere they know the Divinity of his Doctrine nor is it that the Word needs the charity of well disposed persons but this is it that he must be in a good frame that would take up the Divine Authority of the Word I mark it for this end because there are so many Atheists Anti-scripturists mockers of Scripture denyers of the Being of Spirits immortality of the Soul and of Rewards and Punishments after this Life and it is to little or no purpose to discourse to them of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures It is with them as with that man who said non persuadebis etiamsi persuaseris although thou convince me thou shalt not perswade me they have done with their part of happiness if the Scriptures be of Divine Authority and therefore they will not be perswaded that it is so for these I shall leave them to these two words one is Psal 9.16 The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth They that will not see God in his Bible shall see and find him in the execution of his Judgments upon them The other word is Zech. 1. when verse 4. he has spoken of their Fathers who when they were bidden turn would not hear nor hearken he says verse 6. But my words and my statutes did they not take hold of your fathers and they returned and said as the Lord of Hosts thought to do unto us according to our ways and according to our doings so hath he dealt with us I leave these malitious and desperat men who are hardned in their impiety to have the Scripture verified on them but a man that does the will of God that walks humbly
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
God that works effectually in them that believe I proceed now to a 4 thing which I have yet to add and that is to put the two Points together Faith and Hope and hoping in his word That since we have the Scriptures and since the Scriptures are of Divine Authority we would put forth Faith and Hope to feed upon that which is contained there Faith to believe and Hope to look for all that we find in so divine and sure a word and that I may make something out of this and so have done with this Verse I shall hint at some things distinctly required both to Faith and Hope And 1. For Faith the Apostle tells Heb. 11.1 That faith is the substance of things hoped for The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifies that it is the subsistence of things hoped for Things hoped for being held forth in the Word Faith gives them a subsistence before they exist in themselves which is not to be understood absolutely for it is in the Promises of God revealing the purposes he hath concerning these things and the Power of God effectuating them that gives them an absolute subsistence before they be Faith gives them a subsistence instrumentally and relatively while it leads the believer to close with the Promises wherein those things subsists and while it gives them a subsistence in the heart of the believing man Now this subsistence Faith gives to things promised two ways 1. More absolutely while Faith enables the believing man to look on whatever God hath promised as no less certain than if it were in his hand like these that reckon their riches not so much by their present stock or that which they have in their hands as by what they have owing them by Bonds of responsal Debitors So the Believer reckons God's Promises as so many Bonds making the things promised as sure as if they were in his hands and this had need to be looked to by us for I know not if every man that hath the Promises among his hands puts forth his Faith vigorously to believe them a man may have the Promises and not contradict them nor doubt of them while he lets them ly by him and does not rouze up his Faith to actual exercise in closing with them and resting upon them and when folks are not actually doubting Christ finds it necessary to rouse up and quicken them actually to believe as Mark 11.22 Have faith in God saith he to the Disciples look that your Faith be on foot and in exercise that ye take not the Promises lying by you without contradicting them for Faith but rouze it up to improve them and Joh. 11.25 When Christ is holding out precious Promise◠to Martha That he is the resurrection and the life That he that believeth on him though he were dead he shall live he shall never die He finds it necessary to put her to it with this question Believest thou this I suppose thou wilt not doubt of it Martha but is thy Faith quickned and put forth to exercise on what I have said to thee actually to close with it and rest upon it as the true and faithful sayings of God But 2. Faith gives things a subsistence not only by way of contemplation in bringing the Believer to believe they are true but by way of application to himself that is it so gives a Subsistence to them as the believing man gets the substance of them as the word is Translated in that forecited place Heb. 11.1 for his present use comfort and encouragement till the performance come It gives them a subsistence when the substance of the things promised is made out to the believer as if they were performed ye use to account them dyvors and spend christs that forenail their rent continually but Faiths vertue stands in forenailing yet without diminishing the things promised the believer suspends not all the things in the Promises till he get them in his hand the beeing of the Promise is a foundation to him and Faith brings in the substance of the thing promised 1 Pet. 1.8 Though he see not Christ yet believing he rejoyceth with joy unspeakable and full of glory and it is a notable word which ye have Joh. 3.36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life He is not a man only that shall have everlasting life but he hath it already in several respects in right and tittle and in the first fruits his very believing puts him in a begun possession of everlasting life this is the unknown Art of the Life of Faith that it fetches its food from far to him that hath it it brings the first fruits of the promised Land to the wanderer in the wilderness a cluster of Grapes from the brook Escol to the barren desart it mounts up with wings as Eagles to bring down life and quickning to our creeping and wrestling motions here below Thus ye have a very brief hint of Faith of that Faith whereby ye are to live and feed on what is in the Word of Promise though it be not accomplished I shall only give you one instance of it which may discover to many how little they know of this Act of living by Faith closing with the Promise and feeding on it ere the performance come The instance is that of the Patriarchs who lived before Christs Exhibition in the flesh look upon it in Abraham of whom it is said Joh. 8.56 He rejoyced or as the word will bear he skipped for joy to see Christ's day and he saw it and was glad whether he saw it in the Promises only or generally in the Sacrifices also or particularly in that Providence of the Ram put in his hand to offer up in stead of his Son Isaak Gen. 22.13 It is all a matter he got such a sight of Christ in those and so closed with the thing Promised that he skipped for joy And the like instances we have given of all the Patriarchs in that word Heb. 11.13 which may make many blush when they read it These all says the Apostle died in faith They were not content meerly to have a life of Faith but they died in faith not having received the promises or though they received not the things promised But what did they Having seen them a far off to wit in the Promises and in the Types illustrating them What more They were perswaded of them the first thing I said before of Faiths giving a subsistence to things hoped for and what more They embraced them they hugged them and what more They confest they were pilgrims or strangers on the earth They saw as much by Faith in the Promises which were not to be accomplisht in all their lifetime as made them up and made them to confess that they were pilgrims here Try your selves by these measures and see what ye have won to like this Faith believing and putting forth Faith to exercise feeding on and fending by Faith in the word
sign of a lively hope when thy affection is keeped warm in waiting for the things promised Art thou saved by hope then with the whole Creation thou wilt be groaning waiting for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of thy body Rom. 8.23 Thou wilt be looking for and hastning unto the coming of the day of the Lord 2 Pet. 3 13. And 2 Thou that would look to thy Hope and have it of the right stamp see what purging vertue is in it look if thy languor resolves in thy study of the increase of Sanctification that thou mayest be ripened and fitted for the issue that thou art looking out for 1 Joh. 3.3 He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure And 2 Pet. 3.11 â—eing all these things shall he dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness looking for and basting unto c. Tit. 2.13 The grace of God that brings salvation teacheth us that denying ungodliness and wordly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour And Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in heaven from whence also we look for a Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile body c. There is a Character of a lively hope a Touchstone of true languor when thy hope bids thee haste to ripen fast for that thou hopest for that thou may be like Enoch walking with God and who was not for God took him Gen. 5.24 That thy grace may be increased till grace take needfire in glory And 3. Thou that would look to thy hope see what mortification is in thy hope what thou can submit to want and be weaned from upon the account of thy hope that hath been the practice of Saints in reference to out-gates hereaway To study mortification see it in David while enemies sought his life and laid snares for him spoke mischievous things and imagined devices all the day long he was as a deaf man that heard not and as a dumb man that opened not his mouth to all the injuries done or devised against him Why In the Lord did he hope and believed that he would hear him Psal 38.12 And in reference to a mans everlasting happiness this also would be his study 1 Pet. 1. compare the 3 4 and 5. Verses with the 6. Ye are begotten again unto a lively hope to an inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fades not away reserved in the heaven for you who are keeped through the power of God to salvation through faith ready to be revealed in the last time wherein ye greatly rejoyce though now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold tentations In a word ye that are hopers in God look well to these three what warmness of affection and languor is in your hope for the things promised look what endeavours are to be prepared and fitted for them and what mortification to the things in time upon the account of the great happiness ye expect when time is gone and your hopes shall be fulfilled and made out to you SERMON XXX Psalm 130.6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning I say more than they that watch for the morning I Have now as ye have heard gone through several Heads upon this Branch of the Psalmists wrestling and grapling with delays of comfort or an out-gate even when he is crying to God under trouble and making a right use of discovered sin and its ill deserving wherein somewhat hath been spoken to these four 1. His exercise He is waiting 2. The Object of this his exercise He waits for the Lord. 3. His affection in this exercise his soul is waiting 4. His support in this exercise he waits for the Lord his soul doth wait because he hopes in his word I shall not repeat what hath been spoken to these I come now to the 5. and last Head of this wrestling contained in the sixth Verse wherein he gives an account of the measure of his affection in waiting He hath said in the preceeding Verse my soul waits for the Lord and now it does not suffice him to repeat that but will tell what measure of affection he had in that waiting and he sets it out in comparison of them that watch for the morning and says that his soul waited more instantly and affectionatly for God than they did for the morning light Who these are that watch for the morning it is not very necessar to determine It was the lot of Shepherds see Luke 2.8 They watched all night over their flocks and Jacob Gen. 31.40 Tells us That in keeping Labans flocks the drought consumed him by day and the frost by night and his sleep departed from his eyes and these shepherds especially when they had cold and stormy nights would think long for the break of day the light whereof would be comfortable to them and refresh them again there were Travellers in those desarts that bordered on the Land of Canaan who wanted the accommodations of Inns by the way who were forced to lodge abroad in the fields and these considering the uncomfortableness of the dark night especially if stormy and the hazard they were in by Arabian Thieves and Robbers they would long for the day light And besides these in Wars they had their Centinels and Perdeus for watching and those of them especially whom they set nearest the Enemy lying nearest the hazard in the dark night and being there alone especially if the Season was stormy How instantly and eagerly would they long for the morning light that they might be relieved whether the allusion be to one or all of these or to somewhat else we shall not determine The Psalmist fears not to assert his Soul in waiting for God is more earnest and ardent than any of these my soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning And lest any should think he had over-reached in so saying he will repeat it I say more c. The substance of this Verse having occurred before on these words in the preceeding Verse My soul doth wait where ye heard of the Psalmists affection in waiting for God and how necessary and comfortable it is when the Saints are right to be able to reflect and to give an account of what they are doing in trouble therefore I shal pass it with a few short Notes partly from what is alluded to here partly from the Psalmists assertion of himself 1. As to what is alluded to here of these that wanted the nights rest or being in hazard were put to look greedily out and long for the morning light I shall give you what I would gather from it in these three 1. Ye may here read the hard and bitter toil with which many of the sons of men are exercised in time so that in the
would be at or expect And I shall add that as waiting for God would be with much affection with affection suitable to his excellency so it would be suitable to thy need of him and these things thou waits for from him Thou sayest God is thy excellency Jerusalem is thy chief joy the joy of the Lord is thy strength but is thy affections suitable to thy need of him and his consolations when if thy comfort be suspended if thou can win at comfort in any other thing thou waits not for him and his consolation 3ly I shall add that when affection is indeed aloft for God there is no hazard no want of accommodation that would pinch men so sore as the want of God will pinch a man that is set to enjoy God The Psalmist whose affection is aloft he waits more for God than they that watch for the morning I shall not dip upon this it is a mercy not to get leave to sleep till folk be out of an ill condition when folks get no rest to the soles of their feet out of God And I wish them who want him more disquietness nor many loiterers have till they get to their feet and seek for their Husband and find him and I wish them no ill while I pray for this to them And I shall add raised affection for God Who knows what a prognostick it might be of a sweet and comfortable out-gate and that such a souls song should be with the Psalmist here Let Israel hope c. Affectionat waiting for God getting to the feet to run after him O! What a cloud might that be like an hand-breadth at first that will cover the Sky and at length bring abundance of rain But want of affection leaves folk in a woful condition to rot to dead And I shall add if affection should be put out thus for God and if want of God to an affectionat waiter be a distress that pinsheth him above any hazard they are in who are put to wait for the morning Then certainly the enjoyment of God according to the measure that a man doth enjoy him should make him drink and forget his misery and remember his poverty no more And the man that enjoys God Though the fig-tree do not blossom and though there be no fruit in the vine and the labour of the olive fail no meat in the fields no flock in the folds no herd in the stall Hab. 3.17 Though the earth be removed and the mountains carried into the midst of the sea c. Psal 46.2 He will be as far above the men of the world in their enjoyments as his affection while he wanted God was above their resentments I shall go no further God bless his word unto you SERMON XXXI Psalm 130. Verse 7. Let Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy and with him there is plenteous redemption Verse 8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities YE may remember in the first six verses of this Psalm we have the Psalmists wrestling which as we shewed you before hath three Branches He hath been wrestling with difficulties and plunging perplexities in his case which are represented under the notion of depths in the first and second Verse he hath been wrestling with the Conscience and sense of Guilt putting back his Prayers and offering to crush his hopes and so interposing to obstruct his success and access verse 3 4. and in the 5 and 6. he hath been wrestling with delays either of comfort or an out-gate or both and notwithstanding of all his hard exercise in crying to God by Prayer in his trouble and perplexity in taking with the dreadful desert of guilt and claiming to pardoning mercy and forgiveness he doth therewith wrestle by patience and hope He waited on God and that affectionatly and his patience in waiting was supported by hope in God grounded on the Word of God Now in these two verses read ye have the second part of the Psalm containing the Psalmists delivery or victory His delivery or victory is not expresly asserted but it is very sweetly implyed in his improvement of the exercise he hath been under and holding forth the good he hath gotten when it is well with him the issue he hath gotten he doth not conceal it nor only speak it out but he improves and layes it out for the good of God's Israel when he hath got a sweet sight of the good of waiting and hoping in God he conveens them all as it were to come and write after his Copy and encourages them to hope in God upon the account of mercy and pardon and plenteous redemption and redeeming Israel from all his iniquities So the words contain first an Exhortation to Israel in the beginning of the 7. verse Let Israel hope c. 2. They contain motives and encouragements pressing the exhortation by way of arguments that this counsel should be hearkned unto and these motives or encouragements are taken partly in the first place from what is in God In the end of the 7. verse Let Israel hope c. for with the Lord there is mercy c. There is mercy and power and authority in God to bring redemption to his people from all their sins and miseries And the 2. Argument is taken from this that God will let out that mercy and redemption that is in him for the good of his people Not only is there mercy and power with God if he please to let it out to redeem but it is expresly asserted that he will redeem his people verse 8. He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities a promise which howsoever it be made out to Israel in all ages yet it is signally to be erified to the Jews in their Conversion in the latter days for the Apostle Rom. 11.26 adduces this promise out of Isai 59.20 As it is written there shall come out of Zion the Deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob That is that shall redeem Israel as was hinted from all his iniquities To return to the Exhortation Let Israel hope in the Lord I have been would he say assaying to hope in the Lord and have found the good of it for when I was waiting for God I was supported by hope in his Word and now I have gotten so good an account of my hope that I dare recommend it from mine own experience to all and I have such a kindness to Israel that any experience I have gotten by waiting for God and hoping in his Word I will not hoord it up I will be no hookster of it but recommend it to them as a common-good Therefore let Israel hope in the Lord. That I may get somewhat digged out of the Treasure here I shall reduce the grounds of Observations to be gathered from this Exhortation to four general Heads 1. I shall touch upon what is implyed and held out in the general scope of these words 2. I shall speak to the
a promise that Israel shall be delivered and relieved of the famine he will go in sackcloth in hopes of performance but let it come to that that one harlot contends with another about the eating of her son have at Elisha's head he will not wait for the Lord any longer but Israel in his hope must stoop low his anchor of hope must have a long cable If I may so word it to reach the bottomless Sea of hopelesness Israel must not lose hope when it comes to that Ezek. 37. That she is like dry bones in a valley and the question is Let these bones liâ—e yet they did live And Psal 141.7 Our bones are scattered at the graves mouth as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the Earth we are like the Spales of Trees about the Hewer hand then Israel is low yet verse 8. Mine eyes are unto thee says he O God the Lord in thee is my trust Nay Israels hope must not be quite when natural hope is gonâ— Abraham Rom. 4.18 Against hope believed in hope he had hope when his hope is contradicted by another hope And Jon 2.4 I said I am cast out of thy sight yet will I look again towards thy holy temple And I shall add but this one word Israel must not quite hope for growing trouble Mic. 4.10 When the Daughter of Zion is in pain like a woman in travail and thinks she is low enough already within the City she must go forth of the City and dwell in the field yea the Lord will not have her to quite hope though she go even to Babylon for there shall she be delivered there the Lord shall redeem her from the hand of her enemies Thus ye see how ye are called what ever your condition be to cherish hope and to let your hope be seen in all the Gospel fruits of hope in repentance for sin in taking encouragement for duty though ye should have the storm in your teeth for so doing God bless his word to you SERMON XXXIV Psalm 130. Verse 7. Let Israel hope in the Lord for c. WE are here upon a very useful Counsel a counsel dictated by the Holy Spirit of God and communicat by a man that had tryed the good and ill both of having and wanting it ye have heard how the Psalmist being delivered is communicative of his experience to others ye have heard also as ye will have constant need of Hope so there is a constant warrand for it And ye have heard further that whatever be the opinion of others yet whosoever have most tryed Faith and Hope they will commend them most and be most free in recommending them to those that have most use for them I entered in the morning to consider the persons to whom hope in God is recommended Let Israel hope in the Lord. Whether that Nation while it stood a Church or the Israel of God The Gospel Church or the true members thereof I closed with this That go things as they will Israel is a society that still may hope many may think that there is no hope for them in God That they are fallen down and shall no more rise up but Israel are never a hopeless society I proceed now to the 2d thing I mentioned in this Head to wit That Hope in God is the common allowance of all the people of God not only taking Israel collectively but distributively one by one they are allowed to hope in God yea which will further clear the ground of the Doctrine although many that were true Israelits did indeed come short of the Psalmist and therefore though he might hope it might be thought they should stand aâ— back yet he is free to encourage any how mean and low soever they be provided they be of Israel to hope in God I confess this Point is to be understood with much caution and warriness There are general Promises made to the Church that every particular Believer may not apply but with many restrictions There are also Promises made to some saints on particular accounts to which every one may not claim but if we consider the great bullâ— of the Promises which are the ground of hope and the main scope of all the Promises the Scripture takes in one and other as to sexes the Promise is deduced 2 Cor. 6.18 I will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters c. where the weaker and stronger and sexes are equally taken in also as to the Degrees of grace if it be true it takes in all Psal 115.13 He will bless them that fear the Lord both small and great the small as well as the great are taken in to the share of Blessings The precious Oyntment poured upon Aarons head stays not about his shoulders or the principal parts of his Body but goes down to the skirts of his Garments to the meanest and lowest Members Psal 133.2 And hence it is that a Promise made to a great Joshua 1.5 in order to a great employment to possess the people in the Land of Canaan I will not fail thee nor forsake thee though one would have thought that that was a peculiar allowance to a Joshua that might grip to that in so great an undertaking yet Heb. 13.5 None of the persecuted Hebrews are secluded from it Let your conversations be without coveâ—tousness and be content with such things as ye have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee he that said that to the great Captain of his People Joshua said it to the meanest believing Hebrew I might deduce this more distinctly and shew that the weak Lambs are so far from being excluded that there is a Promise that they shall be carried in his bosom when the stronger shall get leave to walk on foot and because the heavy with young will be put hardly to it he will gently lead them Isai 40.11 These that are sensible of their eminent worthlesness that are but dead things in their own eyes and that think the crumbs that fall from the Childrens Table too much for them they may think to find in God a magnifying of mercy for eminent worthlesness in stooping to them and being gracious and merciful to them yea these that have little or nothing of their own if they be sensible of it and lying at the Fountain for supply they may look for the more of him the less they had of their own the weaker they be his strength shall be the more perfected in weakness the more ignorant they be and as beasts before him they may look to have the wonderful Counseller taking the conduct and guiding of them and as it is 1 Cor. 12.13 These Members of the Body which we think to be less honourable upon them we bestow more abundant honour and our uncomly parts have more abundant comliness so the meanest member providing that it be a member may look for more of him than if they had much in
Particularly I have laid Jacob the first Israelites prayer before you that ye may learn to write after his copy that ye may feed on it and bring the first fruits from Heaven by intercourse with God in Prayer rightly regulated and ordered God bless his Word to you for this end SERMON XXXV Psalm 130. Verse 7. Let Israel hope in the Lord for c. THE Psalmist as ye have heard when he sees through his own wrestling he cannot will not be but publick-minded to the Lord 's Israel and if he hath gotten any good in wrestling with God under difficulties guilt and delays of comfort or issue the very good he hath gotten enlargeth his heart and makes him publick-minded towards others and what ever be the hight of his own enlargement he doth not forget that Faith and Hope will be still necessary neither doth he forget that there is a constant warrand for Faith and Hope in God and that they are of so universal and constant use and what-ever others may think of that exercise or whatever it might be he himself thought of it when he was in the midst of the trial yet he now in his practice makes it out that these who try Faith and Hope most will esteem them most and will be most confident in recommending them to all others of the Lords people That which now I am upon is the consideration of the persons to whom hope in God is recommended it is to Israel whether we take them Collectively or Distributively one by one ye have heard that hope in God is the common allowance of all the people of God Not only is Israel a society that may still hope however matters go or what-ever their case be but hope in God according to the nature and tenor of the promises is the common allowance of all and every one of them and in pursuance of this I broke in upon that great point and our duty that seing however hope be the coÌ„mon allowance of all every one of Israel yet it is their allowance only who are Israelites indeed Therefore these that would claim to that allowance of hope in God they would make it sure that they are Israelites indeed that though they be not all Israel that are of Israel yet that they are Israelites in the spirit though not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God And forbearing to speak abstractly of the marks of regeneration I offered two things to be spoken to for clearing up who they are who are Israelites indeed and may claim to this allowance One is the occasion of Jacob's getting this name of Israel when he was with God in Prayer to which I have spoken and led you through some Characters of Israelites indeed who have ground of hope in God which I gathered from his Prayers Now I am to touch a little upon that other thing I proposed to be spoken unto to find out these Israelites to whom hope in God belongs and that is the Character given to them by way of Explication who they are Psal 73.1 Truly God is good to Israel and who are there Even such as are of a clean heart I shall not offer to make any common place of this but in reference to my scope in following forth this point as ye heard the last day that the Israelite indeed is a praying man so ye would take a look here of an Israelite indeed First as a self-purifying man one that purifies his heart An Israelite indeed his great work is about his heart he is one that desires to look as God doth 1 Sam. 16.7 Man looketh on the outward appearance but God looketh on the heart and so doth the Israelite indeed he desires to have that Character Rom. 2.28 Not to be a Jew outwardly or to have that circumcision or baptism which is outward in the flesh but to be a Jew or Christian inwardly and to have that circumcision and baptism of the heart to be one in the spirit and not in the letter to be one whose praise is not of men but of God An Israelite indeed is one whose great study is to keep the heart with all diligence as Solomon enjoyns Prov. 4.33 for out of it are the issues of life 2. A true Israelite in looking after his heart is a man that finds very much pollution there and that needs to be cleansed and purged He is a man that the further he goes in searching after himself he finds still the greater and the greater abominations He is a man that though he bless God as he hath reason that he is kept from outward out-breakings yet when he looks within himself he never wants that which makes him humble and to carry a low Sail so long as he finds his heart a Cage of unclean Birds He is a man in whose ears doth sound aloud that word which ye have Jer. 4.14 O Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee He is one that abomâ—nats and is sensible of the manifold pollutions of his heart not only upon the account of the many and gross evils that he finds there of the suspitions of hypocrisie and formality in the performance of duties that he is afraid he please himself with or on this account that his heart should be Gods Throne and kept at the Brides Chamber for the Beloved and he finds it no such thing but further upon this account and consideration that he finds his heart can act more wickedness in a short time than many bodies could commit for a long time 3. The sense that the Israelite indeed hath of his heart-pollutions appears in his endeavours to be cleansed from them that he may have his heart washed from wickedness He is a man that will not pay God with a sighing and going backward he is not satisfied that his pollutions he knows them and his uncleannesses are with him No no he must be further benn nothing but bosomewashing heart-cleansing will satisfy and he must be set seriously on work to that and whereas other folk take their Faith their Hope and Confidence to play them with all the stock that he hath of Faith Hope and Confidence or that he can win to he puts it out to help to purge his heart according to that word Act. 19.5 Purifying their hearts by faith It not only imports that the Israelite indeed finds that there is no way of purging he heart but by Faith in Christ But further if he get any Faith he sets it on work to purifie his heart And 1 Joh. 3.3 He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure If he get any hope of being made like Christ his sense of the pollution of his heart is such that it sets him on work to purify the heart 4. This endeavour of a true Israelite will not be altogether in vain and without success but he may win
earth is full of his goodness yet notwithstanding all that goodness to all his creatures it is said in an appropriat and peculiar sense Truly God is good to Israel It 's a goodness indeed a goodness by it self whence I infer that if the common goodness of God to all which being compared with his peculiar goodness to Israel doth scarce deserve that name be so rich and full how rich and full must that his appropriat and peculiar goodness to his chosen people be If the crumbs cast to the dogs and cast to them in wrath be so plentiful what must the covered Table of his goodness to his children be If the common out-Pasture be so rank and fat what must the Inclosure be If his common communications be such a goodness what a goodness is that and what are these special communications that are reserved for the Chambers O! When thou sees the men of this world glutting themselves with Gods common goodness and blessing themselves in it as being so rich and satisfying to them wilt thou then consider how much more rich and satisfying must his peculiar and Chamber-goodness be that kindness must be a far other thing A 2d thing that may offer some account of this goodness I take from the various names it gets in Scriptu e that one Attribute of the goodness of God which ye have in your Catechism comprehends several under it or it may undergo several notions of this goodness of God in reference to the several cases of the children of men consider it 's called goodness it 's all good and therefore all that thou an Israelite meets with in thy way homeward thou may write upon it This shall work together for my good Rom. 8.28 We know c. Thou mayest say as Psal 23.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life Thou may say as Psal 119.68 Thou art good and dost good and therefore he will do good to thee Thou may say It is good for me that I was afflicted That is one blest hint of the goodness of God to Israel that what ever an Israelite meets with it is goodness or it hath goodness written upon it Again this goodness is called his love Jer 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee It is called love to make sure the former that he will do nothing to his people but that which is good for them because his love cannot endure to hurt them Who can expect any thing from love but that which is good And love because he will rest in his love Zeph. 3.17 Love that when any thing would interpose to interrupt it to Israel will not hear tell of it he will rest in his love he hath loved them and will love them still Again because an Israelite hath no price to purchase goodness when he needs it therefore goodness is called grace upon the account of his freedom that all the goodness he communicats to his Israel it shall be without money and without price That if an Israelite has no price and consequently has nothing to give for it he hath to do with one that can take no price but communicats his goodness freely And further if thou be one that art not only worthless and hast no price but thou art such an one as art lying low in misery hast none to have pity on thee or bemoan thee or to turn aside to ask how thou dost His goodness is mercy with a relation to thy misery to consider thy trouble to know thy soul in adversities Psal 31.7 To remember thee in thy low estate Psal 136.23 To sit down beside thee and to stoop to the very dust unto thee that 's his goodness And I shall add further for finding out of this goodness that if thou who art an Israelite be vexed with thy own waywardness untractablness what will then the goodness of God do unto thee in that case The goodness of God to thee in that case is patience long-suffering to wait long upon a peevish Israelite to suffer his manners in the Wilderness not to chide with thee continually nor to retain anger for ever but to see thy ways and heal thee Isai 57.17 in Further if thou be one that is not only wayward but hath provocked him to strike thee with the rod what will goodness do to thee then I shall not resume what I said before that Psal 119.71 It is good for thee that thou art afflicted but in that case the goodness of God shall be clemency and moderation to thee to punish thee less than thy iniquities deserve Ezra 9.13 When thy luxuriant branches of corruption shoot forth to debate with thee in measure to stay his rough wind in the day of his east-wind Isai 27.8 He shall exercise such clemency and moderation towards thee that shall be admired and wondred at by thee when thou gets a right look of it Thus as the common goodness of God to all is one step to lift thee up to the consideration of his appropriat and peculiar goodness to his people so the many notes put upon his peculiar goodness or the many shapes if I may so term it wherein it turns it self unto thee of goodness love grace mercy patience long-suffering clemency and moderation how do these set forth how good God is to Israel and to thee who art one of them There is yet a 3d hint of this goodness which may be taken up more particularly in reference to Israels various cases And there 's a 4th general word to be said of it that it is no complement but a real goodness both which I leave till the Afternoon God bless what ye have heard for Christs sake SERMON XXXVI Psalm 130. Vers 7 8. Let Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption And c. HOpe in God being of constant use and a duty for which there is a constant ground and warrand it is not ill employed time that is spent in enquiring who they be that go the world as it will hope in God They are indeed the Israel of God to whom the warrand of hope is appropriated and though these may be discerned by all the marks of regeneration yet none do give a more clear encouragement to hope in God than their wrestling with God as a Prince in Prayer and their endeavour to purge their hearts of sinful pollutions that God may have a Throne and Dominion there and to exercise you to study to be Israelites indeed for though ye be of Israel that is Christians by profession yet they are not all Israel who are of Israel I was laying before you some considerations of the goodness of God to Israel ye remember it was told you in general that the goodness of God was such to his people as might rationally perswade folk to seek to share in it with his Israel 2. That this
in more than ordinary exigence we might say through Christ strengthning us we can do all things Lord bless his word unto you SERMON XXXVII Psalm 130. Verse 7 8. Let Israel hope in the Lord for c. YOU heard that these two Verses do contain the second part of the Psalm wherein after that the Psalmist in the first 6 Verses hath been wrestling partly with plunging perplexities represented under the notion of Depths vers 1.2 Partly with the Conscience of guilt verses 3.4 And partly with the delays of comfort and an outgate verses 5.6 After that I say the Psalmist comes to get some issue and outgate whereof he giveth not a direct and express account but any good he hath gotten he presently makes it appear in good news to Israel he hath an exhortation to them to hope in the Lord and hath Motives and Arguments pressing his Exhortation which are taken partly from what is in God to the behove of his Israel For with the Lord there is mercy c. And partly from what he will let forth of this for their good and behove not only is mercy and plenteous redemption with him but he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities For the Exhortation I spoke to it at length And at the last occasion I brake in upon the Motives The Instructions to be gathered from which I reduced to two general Heads 1. Something supposed concerning them that are put to hope and allowed to hope in God And 2. Something proposed concerning such as are called and allowed to hope and as a ground to their hope For the first That which is supposed in the Words it may again be reduced to these two Heads of Doctrine 1. That the man called and allowed to hope in God is one that is acquainted with misery in himself and is put to look out to what is in God or with him to do his turn For with the Lord there is mercy That there is mercy with God implys That the man that is called and allowed to hope in God is in himself miserable and put to look out to God for mercy and so it is one of the blessed and sure characters of a person that is called and allowed to hope in God that he is kept humble not conceity nor dreaming of any good in himself and the nearer he be to the dust he hath the more warrand to hope for the man that spears the right gate to hope is he that Lam. 3.29 Puts his mouth in the dust if so be there may be hope he creeps low in the dust to seek encouragement to hope and the man that is called to live by Faith is opposed to the man whose soul is lifted up in him and consequently to the man whose heart is not upright in him Hab. 2.4 And further the man that is called to hope and allowed to hope in the humbling sense of his misery he is put to look without himself to what is in God or with God for him he is called to hope on the account of mercy in relation to his misery It intimats that the humble sensible man the Israel of God can never be undone so long as God is to the fore and there is enough in him to do his turn though he be miserable and wants that he stands in need of yet if it be in God he shall not want If mercy be in and with God he is made up in the midst of his misery To this I have spoken already and shall not repeat I proceed to the second Observation implyed in that which is supposed concerning the man that is put to hope and warranted to hope in God That not only is he simply miserable and needing mercy but he is under such a bondage of sin and misery as he cannot extricat himself out of it except God interpose He needs not only mercy in God but redemption and plenteous redemption in God to rid him out of these bonds wherein he is fettered and bound and out of which he is not able to deliver himself Although the consideration of sin will come in to be spoken to on the next Observation by it self yet I shall on this touch a little in general both on the bondage of sin and misery under which the Israel of God are supponed to be lying As for sin all men by nature are bound slaves to it they are hurried away with every impetuous blast of temptation that blows upon their corruption but it is the Israel of God that are called and allowed to hope in God that feel this bondage Hence the Apostle Rom. 7.19 saith The good that I would I do not but the evil that I would not that I do And he finds a law in his members warring against the law of his mind leading him captive to the law of sin on which account he crys out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death There is a captivity indeed under sin and he tells the Galatians Chap. 5.17 That the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these two are contrary one to another so that they cannot do the things they would So the Israel of God are under a bondage of sin when they would do good as the same Apostle hath it ill is present with them And for the bondage of their misery the Scripture is so full anent it and the experience of the Saints so amply confirms it that it is needless to stand on particular proofs and instances of it How often are they put to that Psal 107.11 Because they rebelled therefore he brought down their heart with sorrow and labour they fell and there was none to help In the Application of this I shall speak a word first to the wicked and ungodly and then to Gods Israel who are called and allowed to hope in him notwithstanding this bondage they are under For the first to wit the wicked They would from this look on it as a sad character to know little and be as little sensible of their bondage through sin and misery They look on a licentious way of living in sin when they have eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin as it is 2 Pet. 2.14 When sin reigns in their mortal bodies and they obey it in the lusts thereof and they yield their members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin Rom. 6.12 When they give themselves up to work all uncleanness with greediness Ephes 4.19 They look upon that as their liberty and they are never out of bonds except when they are glutting themselves with sin they slâ—ep not except they do ill O! that such knew what a madnes and distraction they are under while they glory in their chains as if a mad-man should glory in his fetters look to it assure thy self thou shalt find sin to be a bondage and need of looking to God for Redemption from it ere thou have a warrand to
reference to his misery The next Letter is Gracious to intimate that God having lookt on miserable man as the objeâ—â— of his compassion because it might be objected God hath great compassion but what deserves miserable man He hath nothing to commend him yea he hath much to discommend him It is answered God is not only merciful to compassionat miserable man but he is gracious to notice him and compassionat him freely without merit and contrary to demerit Then he is Long suffering c. Now in reference to this mercy of God there are three things I intend to touch on before I come to the use 1. To open up the nature of this mercy 2. To speak a little of the object of it And 3. to the properties of it In speaking to the first I shall wave all School speculations anent it as whether mercy and punitive justice be essential to God and on what account they can be called essential Attributes seing mercy presupposes man miserable which is one of the Socinian foundations to overthrow the satisfaction of Christ but that might be easily cleared by adding a word to what hath been already said That mercy in God is nothing but the goodness of God with relation to the object to which it is communicat and punitive justice is nothing else but that essential Attribute of his holiness vindicating and avenging himself on a sinner the object of his justice and if we consider the mercy and justice of God thus we will find it no difficulty to rank them among the essential Attributes of God yea that it is blasphemy to deny them to be such I thought to have cleared to you how that mercy is no passion nor perturbation in God as it is in man though it be for our encouragment to hope in him exprest in most pathetick terms as also to have cleared That the Earth â—s full of his Mercy and Goodness Psal 33.5 All creatures share in it yet there are vessels of mercy afore pre-prepared to glory Rom. 9.23 That are objects of his especial mercy and to have spoken to its properties how it is real and not complementing How he delights in mercy Mic. 7.18 How it is free eternal sure and rich for all necessities But for want of time I forbear and recommend you and what ye have heard to His blessing whose word it is SERMON XXXIX Psalm 130. Verse 7 For with the Lord there is mercy THough when a look is taken of God's Israel none are more low and empty in themselves none that claim greater acquaintance with the dust than they are enabled to do yet none have such ample ground of encouragement as they if they be Israel thogh they be in misery and under bondage and particularly oppressed with and under the bondage of sin yet Israel is still allowed and commanded to hope in God and that because Israel's wealth and happiness and the ground of his encouragement is without himself Though he be poor and needy yet the Lord thinks on him though he have nothing in God he possesseth all things Though his house be not so with God yet his salvation and desire lies in this That God hath made with him an everlasting covenant well ordered in all things and sure And in a word have what he will or be what he will in himself yet he may hope in God considering what is with God Let Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord c. I have spoken from this argument pressing hope in God to what is imported in it as to the hopers condition that he is indigent and miserable in himself needing to look for mercy in God that he is in bondage needing to look for plenteous redemption with God and particularly that he is under the bondage of iniquity which puts him to look for a particular redemption from that from him that redeems Israel from all his iniquities And the last day I came to break in on what is proposed in the words for Israel's encouragement to hope in God The first Observation of four which I could scarce break in on was That it is the great encouragement of God's people to hope in him in all exigents and cases that there is mercy with God that they have to do with a God with whom there is mercy This mercy as I then cleared is nothing else but the goodness of God and consequently an essential attribute relating to the misery of the object to which it is communicat even as his punitive Justice is an essential Attribute being nothing else but his Holiness manifesting it self against sin for as the goodness of God undergoes various notions on divers accounts as was said so it hath the name of mercy with relation to the misery of man In prosecuting of this I proponed to speak 1. more generally to the nature of this mercy 2. To the Object To the Properties And 4. Of the use of the whole For the first the nature of this Mercy 1. It must be fixed that this mercy is free of all passion or perturbation in God When we consider God as merciful we must not conceive of him as of one subject to the passions of grief or sorrow for the misery of others as mercy in man is to be considered and therefore mercy in men used to be condemned by the Stoicks as being in their opinion a debasing of the spirit of man below the hight and greatness that it ought to have and it is reported of Agesilaus King of Sparta that he said it was difficult for a man both to be merciful and wise at once because if he were merciful it would be ready to transport him to that which was not suitable to a wise man but we have nothing to do with that debate here Mercy in God is free of passion or perturbation of sorrow or grief for others misery as it is in creatures it is only the goodness of God willing to remove allay or sweeten the misery of others only though God in his mercy be free of passion or perturbation yet he sweetens allays or removes the misery of man as tenderly and carefully as if he were affected with it Therefore for our capacity and better uptaking of it the mercy of God is spoken of as very passionat affecting and transporting in him as Isai 63.9 He is spoken of as being afflicted in all the afflictions of his people Zech. 2.8 as being touched on the apple of his eye when they are touched Jud. 10.16 as having his soul grieved or shortned in his resolution to punish when he looked on his peoples misery And Hos 11.8 As being put to a very great perplexity about them How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim my heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together All which terms are borrowed to shew that however God in shewing mercy be free of
Lords mercies that they are not consumed because his compassions fails not And David sings Psal 23.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life It is an everlasting and eternal mercy There is a 5th property I intended to have spoken to and that is the fulness and riches of this mercy but because I am to speak a little more to that I shall leave it and the Use of the whole Doctrine to the afternoon God bless his word unto you SERMON XL. Psalm 130. Verse 7. For with the Lord there is mercy c. WHen some time is spent in speaking of the Mercy of God we are very far from sowing pillows to the Armholes or from making Kercheffs to the heads of the secure although I confess many do break their necks upon this blessed refuge of God's mercy and it will be their double condemnation that the mercy and goodness of God that should have led them to repentance was an occasion of their hardning in mischief Consider but the Scriptures design in speaking of that mercy that is with God that it is partly to leave Rebels and Wanderers without excuse when mercy is in their offer and they will have none of it And partly and especially to be the great cordial of the miserable man who when he is under all pressures that are ready to sink him hath this for his refuge that with God there is mercy as in Psal 13. who when he is troubled with soul-perplexities and desertion with apprehensions of being cut off and that his enemies should insult over him hath this for his cordial vers 5. But I have trusted in thy mercy and the sweet result of that is added My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation and vers 6. I will sing unto the Lord because he hath dealt bountifully with me that will be the sweet issue of the misterful mans trusting in Gods mercy Now ye have heard somewhat of the nature of this mercy in general somewhat of the peculiar objects of it and under what names and notions mercy is holden out and ensured to the godly man I have also spoken somewhat of the properties of this mercy that it is a real mercy that wherein God delights and that it is free and eternal and before I come to the use I am to speak a little to the fifth A 5th property then of mercy with God is that it is a rich full and infinite mercy a mercy to reach all the miseries and needs of his people as to the riches and fulness of his mercy the Scripture very plenteously speaks of it it is said of God that he is rich in mercy Eph. 2.4 He is said to be plentiful in mercy and full of compassion Psal 86.5 His mercies are manifold mercies Neh. 9.19 So they are called great mercies Neh. 9.31 Psal 119.156 Isa 54 7. And Dan. 9.18 It 's great mercy that Ushers in a supplication we do not present our supplications before thee for our own righteousness but for thy great mercies It is said further that he hath not only tender mercies that are very compassionat and condescending but he hath a multitude of tender mercies Psal 51.1 Psal 69.16 He is said to have abundant mercies in that 1 Pet. 1.3 He hath mercies in such abundance that they are infinitly above the mercies of man when David had it in his choice whether he would have three years famine or three moneths fleeing before the enemy or three days pestilence 2 Sam. 24.14 Let us now fall saih he into the hand of the Lord for his mercies are great and let us not fall into the hand of man And to add no more it is said of Gods mercies Psal 103.4 That he crowns us with his tender mercies c. That is partly he surrounds his people with proofs of love on every hand as a Crown compasseth the head that they cannot turn them about but mercy compasseth them about as with a shield as it is Psal 5.12 And partly his mercies put respect and honour on his people as if they set a Crown on every Saints head and made them Kings and Priests unto God as David says Psal 18.35 Thy gentleness hath made me great Thus I have let you see how copiously the Scripture speaks of the fulness and richness of this mercy and that I may let you see it in some particular evidences and instances consider 1. That the mercy of God toward his people is a mercy to pity them when no eye pities them when they are the object of contempt and abhorrency as Ezek. 16 when they are cast out into the open field lying polluted in their blood having no eye to pity them then it is a time of love and he saith to them Live and he spreads his skirt over them that is rich mercy to take the refuse of the earth and make them the objects of his special mercy 2. His mercy is full and rich in giving a vent to it self even when he is letting out severity his mercy manifests it self even when he lifts up his hand and is striking in inviting them whom he strikes to turn that they die not as Job 10. when he is destroying him as he apprehended after he hath enumerat some common providences about him he says vers 13. These things thou hast hid in thy heart I know that this is with thee I know there is some other thing in thy heart than what I can read in thy dealing 3. The riches and fulness of this mercy appears in pitying and passing by the peevishness and waywardness of his people especially when they take with it and be moan it in that they have been as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke Isai 57.17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on in the way of his heart and what follows I have seen his way and will heal him and will restore comfort unto him and to his mourners I am God and not man I am a merciful God I 'le misken my petted people and heal them I 'le not prosecute this quarrel 4. The riches and fulness of his mercy appears in his fetching an Argument from his stroaks to pity his people a stroak extorted out of his hand to pity his people a stroak inflicted in justice mercy will make it an Argument to pity the afflicted Jer. 31.20 Is Ephraim my dear son Is he a pleasant child For since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still my chiding and contending with him hath wakened my bowels towards him I will surely have mercy on him 5. The fulness and riches of this mercy appears in this that he considers tenderly the consequences of his pleading if he quarrel with them mercy tells him he may soon get the victory but that will lose him his people therefore he will forbear Isai 57.16 I will not contend for ever nor will I be always
wroth Why The spirit should fail before me and the souls that I have made I could soon destroy them but that I may not do and therefore will not contend for ever c. And 6. The riches and fulness of his mercy may be read in this that when he lets out bowels of mercy there will be no mercy which the Creature needs will be withheld from them When Ishmael hath slain Gedaliah whom the King of Babylon had made the Jews Governour and they are afraid of the Chaldeans Be not afraid of the King of Babylon saith he for I am with you to save and deliver you and I will shew mercy to you that he may have mercy on you Jer. 42.11 12. Fear not if ye partake of my mercy I will make the Chaldeans compassionat you So Psal 106 44. He regarded their affliction when he heard their cry and he remembred his Covenant and repented according to the multitude of his mercies What follows he made them also to be pitied of all that carried them captives He needs no other instruments of compassion to his people nor bitter enemies when he will have compassion on them So Solomon prays Give them compassion before them that carry them captive 1 King 8.50 And Hezekiah when he is to keep the Passover tells the people If they turn again to the Lord their brethren and children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive 2 Chron. 30.9 Gods compassion can soon bring the compassion of men in so far as he sees it needful Thus ye see in a few hints how rich and full the mercy of God is In a word it 's a mercy for all the needs and pressures of his people a Plaister broad enough to cover and effectual enough to cure all their griefs and sores For the use of this great truth That with the Lord there is mercy I shall briefly touch on five inferences from it and leave it And 1. If this mercy of God be relative to mans misery if it be good news manifested to the Creature on the account of its misery then those who are partakers of this mercy would have much sense of their misery mercy will not relish to any but to the man sensible of his misery a pardon will signify nothing but to a Rebel that is sensible of his Rebellion And here all that I have spoken of the riches freeness fulness c. of this mercy if ye read it right will be the first Lesson ye will learn from it all this is not proclaimed for a complement but because it 's needed by the miserable And consequently thou must infer If I have a right to you mercy it must not be ordinary thoughts of my misery that I must have there must be deeps of misery in me to call for deeps of mercy in God If we thus fence the point we need not fear that it be a sleeping Pillow to the secure look what misery is in thee to close with every thing in mercy If mercy be free look what ill-deserving is in thee if pardoning-mercy be in God look what sense of unpardoned guilt is in thee if multitudes of mercies be in God what sense of multitude of miseries is in thee They that have a right to mercy must tryst it in the dust in the very pit of misery 2. From this that there is mercy with God there is ground of assurance offered and afforded to the miserable that their irrecoverable case by the Covenant of Works is not now desperat O! the blessed intimation of that Attribute to fallen man that with God there is mercy How good news was it and should it be What had been the case of Adam and all his posterity after the Covenant of Works was broken had it not been for this blest Attribute that interposed But now because there is mercy with God irrecoverable distresses are not desperate Somewhat ye heard of this from vers 2 and 4. What a deplorable case had all been in if there had been no more to be lookt for but that vers 3. If thou Lord mark iniquities O Lord who should stand But a gracious answer is added vers 4. But there is forgivenness or mercy with thee and how this is prest upon the account of Gods mercy ye have an account given Jer. 55.67 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call on him while he is near let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous his thoughts and let him return to the Lord Why For he will have mercy on him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon That there is mercy in God abundantly to pardon is an intimation to the man that is in an irrecoverable condition to look again to God And in that 2d of Joel after that the Lord hath uttered a sore and terrible Judgment and hath told verse â—1 That he will utter his voice before his Army for his Camp is very great and strong is he that executes his word and in the by if the Lord hath a Nation to punish he needs not raise and bring in an uncouth Nation to punish them he can cause Grashoppers or Locusts do his turn after all that Verse 12 13. He bids them turn to him with all their heart with fasting weeping and mourning for he is gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and repenteth him of the evil When the Lord is setting forth and inflicting an apparent and remediless stroak this yet invites to repentance That he is gracious and merciful and therefore as on the one hand thou that slights this offered mercy and makes it a pillow to security who when thou hears tell there is mercy with God makes no use of it but rather abuses it to go on in sin O the Justice of God in the day of thy accompts will be a sad sight in comparison of mercy or justice execute on slighters of mercy will be dreadful Justice then it will be Hills and mountains fall on us and bide us from the face of the Lamb What There is little terror in a Lambs Face yea but the fight of the Lambs face in the day of compt and reckoning that he that offered mercy was a Lamb that mercy was with him will be most dreadful think on it slighters of the Gospel sit-fasts never-do-wells abusers of mercy or ye that would take mercy in the accomplishment but never give mercy employment who follow your abominations if not openly yet secretly better for you that ye had sitten all your time at the foot of Sinai than at the foot of mercy in Zion This is often told you but little laid to heart and the ofter it be told many the less it is laid to heart but the day will come when many will get Hell affrighting memories wherein ye will remember that which drops at your feet and is not noticed or is stept over and not regarded So on the other hand thou who on the account of
complaints call on God to lay more on folk to tame them better O! be sober and if ye be put in a Babel see if ye can build houses there and make your pressures as supportable as lawfully ye may without sin make them not intolerable for that is to break your back but see how tolerable ye can make them without sinning against God that ye may dwell beside your cross with silence and submission who wots but ere many days go over ye may meet with an out-gate But 2. As variety of pressures are supposed here so it expresses plenty of Redemption in God for all that variety time will not permit me to break in on that other thing that this plenteous Redemption relates to the recurring of pressures how frequently the people of God may fall under repeated pressures and may be ofter than once pressed but here for variety of pressures there is plenteous redemption He will deliver in six troubles and in seven Job 5.19 If they be assaulted on the right and left hand there is armour of righteousness for both 2 Cor. 6.7 If they be troubled on every side he can keep them from being distressed if perplexed they shall not despair c 1 Cor. 4.8 If they be troubled on every side have fightings without and fears within God that comforts those that are cast down can comfort them 2 Cor. 7.8 When thou sits down and cannot tell all thy pressures and are like a weak patient who when his wounds are opened up swerfs thy heart grows sick and thou faints He is all sufficient to afford Cordials for thy support thou cannot have so many wants but he can supply them And as the old man said to the Levit Judges 19.20 All thy wants shall be upon him Thou cannot be straitned in God though through the narrowness of thy confidence thou may be straitned in thy own bowels for with him is plenteous redemption Think upon this ye that have to do with it ye that in your pressures are left on God alone bring up a good report on him cry not up your wants above his furniture cry not up your griefs above his consolations which cannot be exhausted this would make folks life not so comfortless as oft times they make it to themselves while they cry out What will they do with this and with that it 〈◊〉 come in their way If indeed such a thing be before thee we may say as it was said to Jeremy Jer. 12 5. If thou hast run with the footmen and they have wearied thee then how can thou contend with horses If thy few pressures have laid thee by What wilt thou do with more and greater If in the land of peace wherein thou trusted they have wearied thee I shall not say thou wilt have that atheistical word What caâ— God do But what wilt thou do if it come to the swellings of Jordan But if thou keep thy eye and heart on that word With God is plenteous redemption and then ask what shall I do with my troubles I say even bear them go to God and get much from him to bear them many proofs of his power and love his all sufficiency is infinite to bear thee thorow and bod well of him and have well look down on the greatest number of pressures as tolerable in his strength I love not carnal confidence but God loves not drooping or that folk should go discouraged to their work though humble they should be They that go drooping to their work will come halting from it but though a solemn assembly of terrors should surround you hold your eye oâ— plenteous redemption in God and it shall be well with you God bless his word to you for Christ's sake SERMON XLIII Psalm 130. Verse 7. And with him is plenteous redemption And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities AS there is no searching out of the Almighty to perfection as to what he is in himself for he is higher than the Heavens as it is said of his Wisdom and deeper than the Earth So that what can we do or know Job 11.7 8. So we are as little able to comprehend or fathom all that is in him for the good of his people and what wonder when over and above all particular Promises he hath given himself away to be their God hath made infinitness their portion Here we have a taste of what riches are in him for the behove of his people That for misery in Israel with the Lord there is mercy that for bondage and slavery in Israel with him is plenteous redemption And for the particular bondage and pressure of sin He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities I have already said somewhat to that attribute of mercy in God and the last day I came to a close of this That with him is plenteous redemption ye heard that this redemption imports partly authority to interpoâ—â— and partly power to back authority to vindicat his people Ye heard also that it was called redemption on a threefold account 1. On the account of its rise and fountain that every redemption and delivery the people of God get is founded on and is the result of their great Redemption by Christ 2. It is so called with an eye to the trouble and troublers from which he redeems his Israel but without money 3. That it is so called upon the account of the issue when the Lord delivers his people he sets them at freedom and liberty he sets their feet in a large place as it is Psal 18.19 I came also to speak of the plenteousness of this Redemption The Text says that not only there is redemption but plenteous redemption with him and as I shewed it is called plenteous redemption on a double account 1. In relation to the great plenty and variety of pressures wherewith the people of God may be assaulted on the right and on the left hand with fightings without and fears within and as the Church hath it Lam. 2.22 They may have their terrors called as in a solemn day round about them but in reference to all these he hath plenteous redemption to deliver from six troubles and from seven to put on the armour of righteousness when they are assaulted on the right hand and on the left when they are troubled on every side to keep them from being distressed When perplexed to keep them from despair c. 2 Cor. 4.8 Of this I have spoken and shall not repeat It remains in the 2d place That I speak to this plenteous Redemption as it relates to the frequent relapses of the people of God into bondage through their folly after the Lord hath brought them out of former pressures they betray themselves and bring themselves under new pressures they fall in new provocations that bring them in new difficulties which puts them again and again to look up to redemption in God I shall follow out this a little in three heads 1. It is
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
this I would on the one hand commend to you that Passage to be pondered concerning that blasphemous lord 2 King 7.2 who when Elisha Prophesied of incredible plenty in Samaria said If the Lord would make windows in heaven might this thing be It shall be saith the Prophet and thou shalt see it with thine eyes but shalt not eat thereof and it was so he was a Grandee on whose hand the King leaned and thought if there were any fores to be had he should have a share the King giving him the charge of the Gate the people trode upon him and he died And on the other hand ponder that comfortable Song that believers sing Isai 25.9 Lo this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us this is our God we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation O that Saints would think that such a turn of providence may come their way that will make them say and sing I trusted in him in a strait when not only he was invisible as he is always in himself but wrapt up in a cloud of mysterious dispensations O! that ye would think that such a song is possible and sweet but if that be a sweet song what bitter youling will it put them to or may they have who when God appears must say Lo there he is but we waited not for him so soon as he went out of our sight we tint all hope we knew not what it was to wait for him who hid his face from the house of Jacob we knew not what it was to bear his indignation till he should arise and plead our cause and execute judgment for us and believe that he should bring us out to the light to behold his righteousness Thus ye see what an important matter it is that we put forth Faith keep it in exercise for the accomplishment of what is in with God for his people which is the third Direction A 4th Direction which I give and leave this Note and that is That ye would wisely consider what the Lord means when he puts his people to the exercise of their Faith so much about that which he will do He will redeem Israel from all their iniquities and yet he putteth Israel to believe it What means the Lord I say in holding them at that task of believing here without offering to encroach upon the depth of the wisdom knowledge of God in his Providence the people of God have somewhat to look to without about them somewhat to look to within them if they look to somewhat without or about them God has more ado in the world than a particular saint or even a particular Church to satisfie O! the deep contexture of Providence how unsearchable are his counsels and his ways past finding out That what is very unsatisfactory to one or one Society God may have holy ends for it in the world But to come nearer What have Believers to look to in the world without them Take it in that word which the Lord has to Abraham when he is making the Covenant with him Gen. 15.16 When he has told him that though his seed should go down to Egypt yet in the fourth generation they should come hither again If Abraham should ask Why should they stay there so long He answers The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full God holds his people at the task of believing while the enemies cup is a filling might I insist upon this I might tell you That the enemies cup is often very long in filling but longer without the Church than within the Church four hundred years to the Amorites was long yet they being a people without the Church they took all that time to fill their cup but elsewhere their enemies ripe faster their cup is sooner filled and I might add a cup that is long a filling is ordinarly a very bitter cup when it is holden to the head of enemies when the cup of the Amorites is full utter extermination rooting out and offcutting comes upon them Lord save them whom folks wish well unto from a long fristed plague a long brewing storm is more dread sulthan hand payment And therefore it would not stumble folk to see wicked men for born but if it were rightly looked on every days forbearance would be an argument of pity for a cup that is long a filling is most bitter when it is held to the head But that which I am upon is that the people of God when they are at the trade of believing have something to look to without them and particularly to the cup of enemies that is a filling But again when they are holden at the task of believing they would also look to something within them and among them What means it that God hath given many rich and precious Promises to Believers and yet they get no more in hand but Faith to believe them if they can win to that where are his former loving kindnesses which he hath sworn to David For looking within you and among you ponder that word which ye have Isai 10.12 When the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and Jerusalem he will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria and the glory of his high looks and compare it with the Verses preceeding there ye will find the Assyrians desperatly blaspheming he says Are not my princes altogether Kings as my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria Shall I not as I have done unto Samaria and her idols so do to Jerusalem and her idols What nation hath been delivered out of my hand that the God of Israel should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand One would think now were he a God in Heaven he would sit no more vvith a blasphemous atheist he vvill suffer him no more to blaspheme and reproach vvith an high contempt of him and his authority he vvill novv be knovvn by the judgment which he shall execute but at leisure he will make himself knovvn but not till he have done his vvhole vvork on Mount Sion and on Jerusalem for all the haste his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem is the greatest haste he will let the Assyrian blaspheme on and trode down all before him till that be done his great work is to do good by the Assyrians within his Church and among his people and when his work is done there he will reckon with him and be known by the judgment which he executes upon him And if ye ask what this may be within the Church and among the people of God that he will have them minding when he puts them to send by Faith on the Promises I dare not offer to give you an exact account of it but only to cast some ground for work to your hand if ye mind practically to improve such
a Doctrine I shal briefly hint at some Scriptures which will give you some light in what it is The first is that Deut. 8.15 16. Wherein the Lord tells he led his people through a great and terrible wilderness wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions and drought and brought water to them out of the flint and fed them with Manna which their fathers knew not Wherefore That he might humble and prove them to do them good at their latter end These Dispensations were humbling and proving humbling not crushing for ye will get crushing without Prayer and discouragement without pains but humbling must be the product of Prayer and pains they are not humbled says the Lord even to this day Jer. 44.10 Every broken body is not an humbled body though from pride of heart they may be irritat cankered crusht and to help to this proving must be added which brings discoveries and folk would try what discoveries their being put to send by Faith brings forth and lays before them proving will often bring butt that which ye thought was not ther benn as ye use to speak passion pride fretting haste a legion of foul evils and it would bod well if when folks are put to fend by Faith amongst the Promises if they met with such discoveries and saw ugly bossoms and were bearing about their abominations and humbled under them Another Scripture that will hint a word of Direction to you what your work should be while put to fend by Faith is that Jer. 2.19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee and thy backslidings shall reprove thee know then and see that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord c. This is it I was on in the morning Repentance Repentance O! how abasing is it when our wickedness and backsliding are sent to reprove and convert us not only in keeping up the performance of Promises but in the execution of threatnings when God makes all the world vvise of a peoples vvickedness vvhen he goes as it vvere to the street vvith their faults vvhen he spits in their face and shoots them vvith Miriam without the camp and it vvere a blest vvork if this led to Repentance And a 3d piece of vvork I vvould recommend to you is to see if ye can believe indeed Try if ye have Faith and a vvell breathed Faith a biding Faith that will sett its face to a storm remember that word that Christ hath to his disciples Mark 4.40 Why are ye so fearful O! ye of little faith Hovv is it that ye have no Faith vvhen they in a storm like to drovvn and cryed Master cares thou not that we perish vvhen he has rebuked the vvind and sea he gives them this check There are many vvho for all the times and exercises have past over them have had some dreilling and skirmishes for Faith vvhich are presently discust but God may see it meet to give them exercise for a fight of Faith to see if their Faith be a fresh-weather-Faith or a Faith that vvill venture on the Deep at his vvord and look that Christ have not that to say Why are ye so fearful how is it that ye have no faith He is learning his people to believe vvhen he puts them to live and fend among the Promises by Faith And a 4th word I give you vvhich I vvill not say should be vvritten upon gold Letters but upon your hearts vvho vvould fend by Faith amongst the Promises till the performance come and it is that Rev. 3.10 Here is the patience and faith of the saints Having spoken before of sore troubles vvhy is Patience put first and then Faith because many a time Faith may not have a turn to put its hand to but to vvait for God and see if ye can vvin to that Faith vvhich vvhen it has not a turn to do but patiently wait on God is about that And a fifth vvord I recommend to you is that spoken of David Acts 13.36 It is said After he had served his own generation by the will of God he fell on sleep Whatever may be the particular meaning of the place it may safely be taken up thus That David took his generation work as God put it in his hand he was not a carver or prescriber but a submitter to God if it was a generation vvork a work commanded by God and necessary for him to be studied vvhen the people of God are put to fend by Faith amongst the Promises till performance come O! what thoughts of heart will they have were they thus and thus employed how refreshful vvould it be to them but many have no more but that they are cast idle and necessitat to sit idle at Christ's feet and look up to him and their idleness is very unpleasant to flesh But thou vvho art in that posture vvould learn to believe thou can never be put out of Work A godly man can never be an idle man change his vvork he may but idle he cannot be were it but to bear and submit to want of work it is work And O! how sweet is that let the saint be tost as a ball in a large place they are always at work acceptable to God And then ye would learn to see beauty in a generation work be what it will that is the knack of it to speak so the main thing to be noticed If thou be serving thy generation by the will of God however it be in a work that is unpleasant to thee even thy idleset thy humbling work thou should learn to see a beauty in it that thou may lay it on his altar as an acceptable service to him as if thou were at work more refreshing to thee These are some few thoughts why the Lord on several accounts holds his people at the trade of Faith and sends them to fend by Faith among the Promises till the performance come I shall go no further The Lord bless his word to you SERMON XLV Psalm 130. Verse 8. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities I Am now drawing towards a close of this Psalm upon which I have insisted so long upon the account of the constant and universal usefulness of the subject matter therein contianed From the Arguments encouraging Israel to hope in God which is the Exhortation in the 7 verse from these Arguments I say to press and invite to hope in God I have been marking somewhat that is supposed that is the case of God's Israel who are invited to hope and allowed to hope in God that they are under misery and bondage and particularly under the bondage of sin And I have spoken also to what is proposed for their encouragement as 1. That there is mercy with God 2. That with him there is plenteous redemption And 3. From the connexion betwixt the seventh and eighth Verses That what is in God and with God for the behove of his people will undoubtedly be put forth and
manifested to them as they stand in need of it for if he have mercy he shall compassionat them in their misery if plenteous redemption be with him He shall redeem Israel from all their iniquities If he have authority and power to redeem it shall undoubtedly be evinced in actual redeeming of them Now there remains a 4th Observation to be spoken to That it is the great and peculiar ground of hope and encouragement to God's Israel that he will redeem them from all their iniquities which is the very words of the Text He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities Therefore let Israel hope in the Lord This Point though it be rich and full in it self yet I may be the more brief in the handling of it That on the 4th Verse I spoke at great length to that Doctrine concerning forgiveness of sins I shall therefore here first Explain the Point a little as it is held out in the Text and then speak to some Inferences and Uses from it What we say in Explication of the Point may be reduced to 4 Heads 1. More generally ye would consider That it is a great encouragement to God's people that guilt sin and iniquity needs not mar their hope in God for though Israel have sinned and though their sins here be called iniquities and though there be an all of these iniquities notwithstanding all that the Spirit of God makes it here evident Israel may hope in God for He shall redeem them from all their iniquities By the Covenant of Works iniquity getting once place all hope is forefault that bargain being once broken it is everlastingly and irrecoverably broken But here is the Gospels glad news and great encouragement That iniquities if folks be seeking redemption from them needs not hinder hope in God That when as it is Rom. 3.20 By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight For by the law is the knowledge of sin That Verse 21. There is a righteousness of God without the Law manifested being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets that affords ground of hope that when Israel hath trespassed against God Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing Ezra 10.2 In a word these are no small part of the glad news of the Gospel That there is any trysting betwixt God and sinful man That every step in guilt is not a step into utter despair That man upon every failing has not done everlastingly with any ground of hope to the sight of God's face in favour That 's the first and chief part of the glad news of the Gospel 2. Consider what it is that God does in reference to iniquity which gives ground of hope to Israel He redeems from iniquity Now as ye heard from Verse 4. There is in iniquity these two The guilt or offence done to God and the obligation to punishment resulting thereon And there is the dominion power and tyranny of sin which it exexcises over the sinner where it once gets access Now redemption from both these is the work of God by Christ He redeems from the guilt of sin by the price and merit of his death by that infinite compleat and sufficient ransom which he hath payed to Justice to appease the wrath of God and to restore the guilty sinner to favour with him and he redeems from the dominion power and tyranny of sin by the power and vertue of his death and to this may be applyed that of Tit. 2.14 He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works He gave himself for us not only by his death to expiat the guilt of sin but that he might break the bonds of iniquity and make us a purified and peculiar people to himself zealous of good works I shall not need here to obviat the Socinians cavillations who from this phrase of redeeming from iniquity would obscure the truth of the satisfaction of Christ as if the term Redemption did not import a satisfaction or paying of a price for say they We are redeemed from the iniquity and power of Satan to whom no satisfaction is payed But that is but a mistake of the import of the phrase for as it is spoken of in reference to God it imports constantly a ransom as Job 33.24 Deliver him from going down to the pit I have found a ransom and 1 Joh. 2.2 He is the propitiation for our sins but when it is spoken in reference to sin or Sathan it is improperly taken and is a redemption by force as if a person arrested for debt in prison when the principal Creditor were satisfied his Cautioner should break the fetters that is redemption from sin and as if he should deliver him from the Jaylor by giving him a broken Head that 's redemption from Sathan 3. Ye would consider the universality of this Redemption and this is also in the Text He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities holding forth the universal extent of their Redemption which for your better understanding ye shall shortly take up under these three 1. He redeems his people from the guilt of all their sins for as on the one hand there is no sin so little that God will pass over without a satisfaction There is no venial sin that needs not a satisfaction to Justice and that merits not condemnation for Rom. 6.23 The wages of sin is death even eternal death which is opposed there to eternal life the gift of God So on the other hand no sins of his people are so hainous though they be iniquities as in the Text though they be scarlet and crimson coloured sins as Isai 1.18 But if God in Christ be made use of they shall be redeemed from them He will blot out as a thick cloud their transgressions and as a cloud their sins when they return to him for he hath redeemed them Isai 44.22 So he will redeem them from the guilt of all their iniquities 2. This universal all may be understood in relation to the power of iniquity that where he falls in on the sinner he redeems from the bondage and slavery of all sin and when that work is rightly undertaken in his strength the sinner is a slave to no iniquity he balks none he spares no Zoar no Delila no darling sin when he comes to redeem and subdue the iniquities of his people all that is iniquity he puts them to take it to task to have a respect to all his commands Psal 119.6 And to esteem all his precepts concerning all things to be right and to hate every false way verse 128. A study of universal Mortification is that which he puts them on to when he will redeem from iniquity And 3. The universal all may be extended yet further even to all the degrees of iniquity that not only doth he redeem his people from the guilt and from the power and dominion of all
sin but he sets them on work to purge out all sin and in due time he will redeem them from the reliques and remainders of sin every thing that hath the relique or remainder of iniquity in it he will redeem them from it in due time And 4. Ye would consider the object of this mercy who they are that he will redeem from all iniquity they are his people Israel the object of God's power and mercy in redeeming in his being a propitiation for sin in redeeming from the power and guilt of sin are Israel and they only That as Adam when he fell drew all his seed along into perdition with himself So Christ the second Adam will redeem all his seed which is the true import of that comparison institute betwixt the first Adam and the second Rom. 5. and not to prove an universal redemption for then as all fell in Adam so all should be actually redeemed and liberat by Christ but the meaning is That as in Adam all his seed fell with him so by Christ all his seed are redeemed and as in Adam all fell not Christ was excepted so by Christ all are not redeemed his seed only are recovered This is a Point I need not enter to debate It is too evident many are not redeemed by Christ for many have not the outward means that make offer of redemption by Christ many never heard tell of Christ and if Christ had payed a price for all it were not agreeable to Justice that so many should be put to suffer punishment in hell It is clear also from that that Christ would not pray for the world Joh. 17.9 And he did not die for them for whom he would not pray and he doth not sanctifie himself for all therefore he redeems not all and yet this needs be no impediment to them to look to him for Redemption who find their need of him their fleeing to him for refuge and gripping to him for satisfaction opens up the council of God that they are among the given ones to be redeemed by Christ only remember that as none of God's Israel are secluded from this redemption how worthless soever they be Though they may be secluded from these gifts and measures of graces afforded to others yet not from this redemption from all iniquity That is the common-good of all that 's the nail fastned in the sure place on which all the vessels of greater and smaller quantity are hung so on the other hand it is to Israel alone and to none other that this redemption is ensured Having thus explained the Point it remains That we should draw some Uses from it and put a close to the Psalm and there are four or five words of inference that I would give you from what hath been said 1. See here what is the great concerning business the chief Interest and exercise of the true Israel of God It is the matter of iniquity what to do with it how to be rid of it and delivered from it therefore after all the former encouragements to hope in God That with him is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption this comes in as the reserve that he shall redeem Israel from all his Iniquities To tell that the great exercise of a true Israelite will be about iniquity the conscience of sin and guilt what to do with that how to get the conscience pacified in reference to it this exercise is a great stranger in the visible Church there may be much trouble of mind where the conscience is dormient and sleeping There may be much vexation and fashâ—ie about trouble and cross dispensations of providence when guilt is little minded but ye would look to it I shall not say they are not Israelites that fall into this error but surely it looks not like a true Israelite where sin is not made the main exercise where daily searching out of sin and endeavours to have the conscience purified and purged from guilt is not folks great task And I shall add that exercise about sin and guilt would give a more comfortable account about trouble If we were studying to have this Text made out to us He shall redeem Israel out of all his iniquities we should find that of Psal 25. Redeem Israel O God out of all his troubles also made out to us redemption from iniquity would bod well were a good prognostick of redemption from trouble for as ye heard from Isai 10.12 Trouble hath a work on Mount Zion and if ye would know what that is see 27.9 By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin when he maketh all the stones of the Altar as chalk stones c. Were trouble getting its work it should have the less ado when it had gotten its errand and therefore ye that are fasht and vexed folks with the Cross tost with many troubles shall I say to you that ye run long on little ground and to little purpose if ye had more ado about sin ye should have less ado about trouble or your exercise about it should soon be discust Therefore look on it as a mark of a true Israelite that whatever exercise he have sin is the greatest exercise 2. Whereas folk may seem to have some exercise about sin but all that it amounts to is to take with sin and grip to pardoning mercy and this is very common in the visible Church to name sin and to name pardon and upon the naming of sin to make a present Plaister of pardon and there is an end To obviat this mistake take this word That the pardon of sin and purging out of sin must go together hand in hand But in this mistake me not I would hurt none nor have I commission to hurt any Ye may remember that when I was on the 4th Verse I told you that the filthiness of sin remains after the pardon of sin but remember also that I then told you God strikes at the guilt and power of sin both at once that where Christ comes with the merit of his death he comes also with the power of his death he lays the Axe to the root of the Tree but I would not be mistaken in this either the pardoned sinner gets not the power of sin presently subdued yea when he is pardoned the power of sin may fash him more than before and when sin is in the dead-throws it may vex him most with strugling Many a sad bout may pardoned sinners have alongst their life with their predominants but where-ever God pardons sin he sets folks to be in necks with sin and to have the dominion and power of sin subdued that sin reign not in their mortal bodies they and sin will not dwell in peace in one house they will not be taken alive captive without a scart they oppose it and protest against the prevailing of it they sin not with full consent And O! but this