yet he is born up in waiting on God for an out-gate he cannot quite nor give over he cannot go to another door for relief that 's a good evidence that there is ground of hope in such a mans lot For certainly Psal 9.18 the needy shall not always be forgotten the expectation of the poor shall not perish for â—ver And he that never said to the seed of Jacob seek ye me in vain Isai 45.29 he never engages a heart to wait on him in vain Their very waiting on and not giving over is if they could but discern it a sufficient refutation of their temptation to diffidence and despondency But I shall leave this and look on the words another way and these two principal Doctrines are obvious from them to any capacity 1. That waiting on God needs the support of Faith and Hope 2. That Faith or Hope must have the Word of God for its ground The first of these is clear in that he says I wait because I hope The other is clear from that he says in his word do I hope For the first of these That waiting on God needs the support of Faith or Hope Patience and On-waiting will never be gotten well cherisht without Hope or Faith a man that would keep waiting on God would keep Faith and Hope on foot So doth the Psalmist here while he tells that he waits because he hopes And hence it is that in Scripture we find a frequent conjunction of Faith and Patience as Heb. 6.12 The followers of them who through faith and patience have inherited the promises Rev. 13.10 Here is the faith and the patience of the Saints they must go together Rom. 8.25 If we hope for that we see not then do we with patience wait for it It 's hoping for that which is not seen that draws along a patient waiting for it 1 Thess 1.3 True patience is called the patience of hope that patience which is the product of hope And to add no more ye have them conjoyned Heb. 10.35 36. Where in the first place the Apostle says to them Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath a great recompence of reward and then he adds to good purpose Ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye may receive the promise Intimating it is to no purpose to speak of patience if folk cast away their confidence thus ye see how these two Faith and Patitience or Patience and Hope are linked together in Scripture to tell that patient waiting on God hath need of the support of Faith and Hope And if we should follow out this a little more distinctly we will find that the brangling of Faith and Hope cuts Patience short when a mans Faith or Hope fails he gives over waiting on God his Patience is gone as in that wicked King 2 King 6.33 Who when God by the Prophet had promised delivery would not believe it but says This evil is of the Lord what should I wait for the Lord any longer Fraâ— once he cast off confidence he gave over waiting on God And to clear this further see Jer. 2.25 and 18 12. In the one place when the Lord is perswading his people to keep his way they say There is no hope and what follows on that They say We have loved strangers and after them will we go And in the other place when they say There is no hope they add But we will walk after our own devices and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart Thus ye see how on the one hand the brangling of Faith and Hope cuts the throat of patient waiting for God and on the other hand Faith and Hope entertained keeps life in patience to wait still on God Ye know what is said of Hezekiah 2 King 18.5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel so that after him was none like him among all the Kings of Judah nor any that was before him Trust in God made him singular and in nothing doth the singularity of a Christian appear more than in this the drawing forth of his Faith in patient waiting on God in difficulties 1 Sam. 27.1 When David gives over confidence he gives over patience and waiting and goes down to the Land of the Philistines but look upon him again as a Believer holding fast coâ—fidence what says he Psal 27.13 I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living Nothing but Faith kept me from giving over But now as Psal 116.10 I believed therefore have I spoken attaining to believing he dare subjoyn as v. 14. Wait on the Lord and be of good courage and he shall strengthen thy heart wait I say on the Lord. Thus ye have the point generally cleared that patient waiting on God needs the support of Faith and Hope To break it a little smaller and bring it nearer you I shall branch it out in these two 1. That the trials of the people of God may be such as only Faith can see an out-gate And 2. When they are so Faith will see an out-gate and enable a man to wait on God for the out-gate For the first I say The trials of the people of God may be such and so ordered for their greatness sharpness darkness and continuance that an out-gate will be the object of Faith only and not of Sense nor Reason A mans trials may be such that if he will betake him to Sense and carnal Reason to see if there will be an end of the Lord he will give it over if Faith step not in and take him off the hand of both A waiter for God here under difficulties must be a hoper else he will not wait on we are generally called in the whole course of our life to walk by Faith 2 Cor. 5.7 We walk by faith and not by sight but especially in great and eminent trialls and difficulties when they are of a long continuance to prove that we are among the just that live by faith Hab. 2.4 with Heb. 10.38 I might instance this both in the greatness and in the long continuance of trials In the greatness of trials which may be such as Faith only can see an issue 3 Cor. 1.8 In the trouble that came to us in Asia we were pressed out of measure above strength in so much that we dâ—spaired even of life and had the sentence of death in our selves And why That we should not trust in our selves but in God that raiseth the dead We were put to it to imploy Faith in our deadly difficulties else we had been gone So Jonah 2.4 is put to say I am cast out of sight till Faith holding a grip of God bids him look again towards his holy Temple Sâ— Abram Rom. 4.19 hath all probabilities his own dead body and the deadness of Sarahs womb against the thing promised and what gave the issue only this he was not weak in the
faith he staggered not at the promise through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God And Paul Rom. 8.24 when he had told that we are saved by faith adds but hope that is seen is not hope for what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for Hope and Faith are only for things invisible to any other sense or faculty And for the continuance of trials it is clear that it's Faith must see the issue as Hab 2.2 with Heb. 10.37 Write the vision and make it plain on tables that he may run that readeth it speak out my promise why For the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lie though it tarry to sense wait for it c. And how shall this be done The just shall live by faith If it be enquired how it comes to pass that the Lord puts the mercies of his people so far out of sight by the greatness and long continuance of trouble That it is only Faith that can discern the issue I shall briefly clear this to you in four words 1. He doth it that he may acquaint his people with the solid truth of his promises that he may let them see and bring them to know experimentally that his promise is not a blaâ—lume but though all things in the world were against us it 's a true word it 's a tryed word like silver purified seven times in the furnace Psal 12.6 and shall have an accomplishment The longer folk rest on the Bible and the more they try it they will esteem of it the more It 's of Divine Authority to which I shall speak a word afterwards when I come to that of the Psalmist where he calls it his Word 2. For this end the Lord gives this work to the faith of his people that he may acquaint them more and more with himself in whom they believe that when they are put to the Bible to live by faith in his Word they may study his Divine Attributes his Veracity that cannot lie his Omnipotency that in greatest difficulties can commad deliverance to his people his infinite Wisdom that can by contraries bring out his Wisdom about their delivery and by this means they have a great advantage when they are brought to know God the Author of the Promises better Hence Psal 9.10 â—t's said They that know thy Name will put their trust in thee They that know him will put their confidence in him And Paul 2 Tim. 1.12 said For the which cause I suffer these things nevertheless I am not ashamed How is that For I know whom I have believed and am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him to keep against that day therefore I am not ashamed therefore my confidence succumbs not 3. The Lord by giving Faith this work brings his people experimentally to know the worth of Faith and that 's a necessary Lesson we will not â—y get Sailing near the Shore within sight of Land but must Lanch forth into the deep that Faith may be put to it and in this case what advantage is it to know the worth of Faith Psal 27.13 I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living What had become of me if I had not believed And that gave him to know the worth of Faith which had an excellent advantage And Psal 28.7 My heart trusted in him and I was helped I never tryed Faith but it brought me some ease and relief though not a compleat out-gate And 4. The Lord give faith this work that he may get much glory of his people by their dependance hoping and believing Thus Rom. 4.20 Abraham was strong in the faith giving glory to God Thou thinks it would honour God much if thy mouth were filled with songs for deliveries sweet comforts love-blinks c. I grant these are sweet and speaks his praise but God is more honoured by believing when thou wants these and hath only his naked word to lean to thou then glorifies God more eminently though not so satisfactorily to thy self when thou sticks by believing in continued difficulties when thou art tempted to cast away confidence All I say from this Branch and come to the 2d shall be to tell you that were these things believed we would not be so ready to stumble whatever our difficulties were when sense and carnal reason were laid by and non-pluss'd with want of all appearances and probabilities of an issue But who are they who when they are left on a word of God do not find themselves at a loss and as ye use to speak at the next best whereas if we considered that this were God way to exercise his people with such great and continued Trials that their Issues and Out-gates from them may be the Object of Faith and not of Sense or carnal Reason and particularly were this studied our being holden long at work hinging on would not tempt folk to weary and give over waiting on God a thing which many of us have cause to mourn for and many fear that if God refine us with silver we will discover more than we thought had been in us O consider it that ye stumble not weary not fret not quite not your confidence in great continued troubles it is an evil not so much to be dung from your confidence as to take the pet to cast it away and give way to discouragement and lie down and die But to press this I come to the second Branch in the Point That as the Tryals of Gods people may be such as only Faith can see an out-gate so when they are so Faith if it be chearfuly employed will apprehend a promised delivery in greatest difficulties it will make a man wait on God in the saddest exercises without succumbing and to say this with the Psalmist I wait c. for I hope in his word If a man be living by Faith and so a just man Though the Vision tarry to sense it will make him wait for it and expect it because at the appointed time it will speak and not lie And for the grounds on which this truth is founded amongst others take these three 1. That let Tryals be never so great and long continued they alter not the ground of Faith the ground that Faith goes on still continues the same Whatever befal the people of God they get not a new Bible or a new God all the gloomy days that past over them has not blotted out one Promise or Attribute of God and these things they see in God and his Promises in a fair day they may see them to be the same in a foul day now if the ground be the same if the Promises be the same if God be the same if our Rock have not sold us Faith closing with that ground must wait for a delivery were the Tryal never so great and long continued
use to speak ye will find him in another tune Psal 116 10. I believed therefore have I spoken Not only esteeming of faith for his own use but a man that dare commend it to others as Psal 27.14 Wait on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart wait I say on the Lord. All that I shall draw from this Head shal be first to recommend to the people of God who have hard pulls in time to assay this Trade of trusting in God and hoping in him it hath not an enemy but an ignorant one that 's a stranger to it that knows not the worth that is in it the rich advantages that follow it were it more tryed it would have more to commend it therefore let it be more your study and thou that would set about the Trade of believing and hoping in God must not take the report concerning faith and hope from every fit of a temptation thou must lay thy account to meet with many a fiery dart and with many a reproach cast upon thy confidence and to have thy self counted a fool for cleaving to that way but hold at it and the more thou do so thou shalt like it the better not only wilt thou not need any to commend it unto thee but thou wilt commend it to all that will take thy advice and counsel And 2. They that have been essaying faith and hope and have gotten good of it they would be afraid in any after-assault they may be put to to bring up an ill report upon the way of faith and hope thou may let these that never got good of it suspect it but thou that hast been helped to believe and wait on God and hast seen an end of the Lord and found the good of believing that can with the Psalmist Psal 28.7 say My heart trusted in him and I am helped How guilty must thou be if thy faith and hope be to seek in a new strait If after thou hast found the good of believing thou be put out concerning it in a new trial when that Song is cast up Psal 107.1 O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever who-ever let that Note ly by the second Verse tells thee Let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy Who ever have a slender opinion of faith and hope it ill becomes thee to have it who has tryed it and has found the good of it or to be to seek in esteeming of it in a new trial But now I proceed to the 4th thing I proposed to be spoken to from this Exhortation that is the consideration of the persons who they are to whom this hope in God is recommended Let Israel hope in the Lord saith he Hope in God is not an Anchor that will be budded on every one It 's true none are secluded from coming to seek a right to hope in the right method and due order but there is an hope of the hypocrite that will perish that will be like the giving up of the Ghost and that hope is only for fair weather and for little to do but this hope of the Saints is the peculiar allowance of the Saints at all times Now for what is mean'd by Israel here I shall not deny but in the first place we are to understand that Nation of Israel a peculiar people to God who in various Ages while they continued a Church and Nation were meeting with work for their hope and with many rich advantages and proofs of the good of hoping in God and in the latter days when as it is Rom. 11.26 All Israel shall be saved they shall find this made out to them that they may hope in God But it is not to be restricted to them only since their off casting there is an Israel come in their place as the Apostle tells us Rom. 9.6 That they are not all Israel which are of Israel all that Nation were not true Israelits in Gods account So Phil. 3.3 There is a circumcision even among the Gentiles who do worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Jesus Christ and have no confidence in the flesh And Gal. 6.16 he tells There is an Israel of God Gods peculiar people of whatsoever Nation upon whom walking according to the Rule of the new Creature given them there shall be peace and mercy Again we may consider Israel either Collectively or Distributively Consider Israel Collectively for the Church of God correspondent to the ancient Nation of Israel Then by Israel we are to understand the invisible Church the society of Gods converted Elect through the World yet not excluding particular visible Churches who partake of the priviledges of the true Israel of God according to their purity and the number of true Israelites that are among them Again Israel taken Distributively takes in every Child of God who in his own place according to the tenor of the promises made to Israel hath no less ground to hope in God than Israel taken Collectively hath In the prosecution of this Head three things occurr to be spoken to 1. That Israel is a Society that is allowed to hope in God 2. That this hope is the common allowance of all and every one that is indeed an Israelite as well as of the Body of Israel in general And 3. That it concerns every one that would claim to hope in God in all exigencies to make it sure that they are true Israelites indeed and may put their names in those passages and promises wherein Israels priviledges are contained For the first Israel are a people that however matters go have ground to hope in God however things fare in the world or whatever may be said of the desperat case of others Israel is a Society that may still hope in God Hence when Ezra Chap. 9 is laid by with mourning for that generation that had mingled with the abominable Heathen a godly man Chap. 10.2 comes and tells him It 's true we are guilty yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing Had such a thing fallen forth among others it had been a presage of dreadful news but in Israel there is hope of pardon hope of redress hope of making up this breach in Israel things otherwise desperate are not hopeless Jer. 31.15 17. Though in Israel there be a Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because they are not She looks upon it as needless to offer to comfort her when her Children are gone yet even when they are not and she thinks that rationally she refused to be comforted Verse 17. There is hope in thy end saith the Lord that thy children shall come again to their own border It 's Israels priviledge that she can say that none else can say It 's Israels Song Psal 129. Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up may Israel now say She might
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
of sin the Scriptures speaks clearly to it as in that patern of prayer Mat. 6.12 Forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors so Eph. 4.32 Forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you and Col. 3.13 Forgive one another if any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you so also do ye But private persons forgiving of sins is the forgiving the injuries done by mens sinning to them rules anent which I may meet with ere I have done with this Theme But though a privat person is bound to forgive injuries done against them It is still with a reservation of God's interest and the sinner must count to God notwithstanding from all which to resume it 's clear whatsoever hand man hath in forgiving sin God is the principal Creditor whose Law is violat whose Majesty is offended whose Justice must be satisfied and therefore it 's his property and prerogative to forgive sins and louse from the obligation to wrath that sin deserves In making use of this I shall not digress to deal with Papists who in receiving pardons from their Priests use not a judgment of discretion whether the persons pardoning them be acting according to their Instructions and according to their own principles for if they did they might be easily nonplus'd They put the power to give indulgences intirely in their Pope and assert that their Priests are Commission at by him to dispense them but they can only have a humane Faith concerning that Commission For beside that the Popes Power to do so is upon many accounts questionable They ask how we know the Scripture to be the word of God we might ask them how they know the Pope who must give these Indulgences to be the Pope That he is a Christian and hath gotten Baptism For according to their own principles the Pope is no Pope except he be Baptized Now they cannot certainly know their Pope is baptized that being one of their grounds that Baptism is not administred except the intention of the Priest go along Now they cannot be certain that the Priest who baptized the present Pope hath had an intention to baptize him while he went about that Action therefore they cannot be certain of any pardon this present Pope shall give them nor can they have any thing but a humane Faith as to the pardon of their sins But the Judgment of God is visible upon them for not receiving the truth inlove God hath been provocked to give them up to strong delusions to believe lies and shall I add further It 's a plague and a snare to prophane men that walk in the imagination of their own heart adding drunkenness to thirst that they have this woful shift get them a a Priest and let them have an Absolution and then they are as ready to take in a new swack of sin as ever they were this is the woful cheat that follows theit way if folk walked like a principle of Conscience they were to be pitied but when profligat men run that way they drive their carnal interest or have a sleeping God to their Conscience under all their abominations But passing this and leaving particular Inferences till the afternoon I shall give you these three words 1. If God be the only pardoner of sin they make a very blind block that pardon themselves for all their faults that is who can commit all sorts of iniquities and cast them over their thumb when they have done Thou that does so shall know that God only is the pardoner of sin ere long and that thy pardon will not stand 2. It leaves a sad check on all them that satisfie themselves with the plaudites of the world Why they are good folk cryed up and commended of their neighbours if they have done wrong they will confess it make reparation or restitution but what is all that if God pardon thee not though thou should get never so many to hugg thee or assoil thee so long as God the only pardoner of iniquity doth not assoil thee And 3. It leaves a sad check also on them that care not to displease God to please Men and O! what snares to men are these that give themselves to be pleasures of men with displeasing of God They make no bonds of any sins if they can please them they are obliged to But thou that dost so will find thou hast made an ill bargain when the reckoning comes for they cannot forgive thy sin when thou stands before God neither will thou get men for thy Intercessors God only is the pardoner of iniquity and therefore they make a very foolish bargain who to please any stand not to displease God SERMON X. Psalm 130. Verse 4. But there is forgivenness with thee IN handling of this great Point the Remission of sins which is in effect the great Article of the New Covenant Jer. 31.34 I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more After that I had spoken in the first place to that which is pardoned or pardonable sin I entered in the morning to speak to the Author of pardon that forgivenness is with God whatever hand Ministers or privat persons may have in pardoning the one in carrying the word of Reconciliation and pardon the other in forgiving sins so far as they are injuries done to themselves yet God is still the principal Creditor and pardon from him is still to be looked after from which as I told you not only Papists who ly down and sleep on the pillow of mens pardon without considering whether they act according to their Commission come to be reproved but these Self-absolvers and these who rest on the applause of others and these who to please men stand not to displease God are found to be culpable Now before I leave this Head I would draw somewhat from it for incouragement of these who are in earnest about the pardon of sin and here that there is forgivenness with God it should and will affect sensible sinners as a wonder he will not only be a matchless God to them but upon the account that he passes by iniquity and pardons transgression Mic. 7.18 But it will be a wonder to them that there should be a pardon for iniquity that pardoning mercy should be with him whose holy justice is so great who is of purer eyes than that he can behold iniquity who hath no pleasure in wickedness and who hateth all the workers of iniquity that such a holy and just God should pardon sin that his Holiness and Justice should combine so sweetly with mercy to the sinner is a wonder of wonders yea further this may heighten the wonder that pardoning mercy gives access to them who are secluded by the Covenant of works that when as it is verse 3. If he should mark iniquity none could stand yet as verse 4. there should be forgivenness with him That as it is deduced Rom. 3.20 22. When
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
How shall they get their crap submitting to it How shall they get their bitter disposition under their feet that they may heartily remit wrongs done unto them I confess this is a duty that requires more than an ordinary measure of grace and grace in exercise and few attain it Alas How few are who when they have gotten a wrong have that testimony that they mourn more over their own disposition than resent the wrong and pray for the person that hath wronged them but in short there are four words I would recommend to you in order to that meâ—k and mortified temper 1. It were a special mean to bring you this pardoning-humour to be daily sensible of the wrongs that ye have done and are doing to God and who wots but a wrong done by thee to God is laid in thy dish by a third hand to make thee sensible of it The man that is daily sensible of the wrongs he doth to God is the only man to be a good neighbour when he comes out loadned with the sense of his own provocations he will be ready to forgive others He that finds he hath ten thousand talents to be forgiven will easily be brought to forgive an hundred pence It 's our distance with God and the want of the sense of the wrongs done to him that makes us keep up a revengful humour 2. They that would have this pardoning-disposition would be sensible of how much need they have to be forgiven themselves Eccles 7.21 22. Take not heed unto all words that are spoken lest thou hear thy servant curse thee do not sash thy self with noticing every injury were it from as mean a person as thy servant for oft-times also thine own heart knoweth that thou thy self hast cursed others There is no living in the world if as we use to speak we do not live and let live if we forgive not as we would be forgiven If thou seest a more in thy brothers eye pull the beam out of thine own and then thou wilt see more clearly to pull the more out of thy brother's eye This will make thee of a meek and condescending frame 3. I recommend to thee that would forgive to labour to get a sight of the hand of God in the wrong done to thee When thou gets a wrong it may be of a person far below thee and one that thou can easily reach O! How doth poor dust swell with thoughts of revenge But were the hand of God seen in that wrong it would tame thee when David is fleeing from his son Absalom and Shimei comes out and curses him Abâ—shai says Should a dead dog curse the King let me go over and take off his head O let him alone saith David God hath said unto him Curse David Who then shall say Wherefore hast thou done so 2 Sam. 16.9 10. If the providence of God extend to the hairs of our head that they are all numbered Mat. 10.30 Unquestionably it is not unconcerned in the affronts and injuries done to us by men and whatever thou hast to say to the person that hath injured thee yet if thou look up to the hand of God in it thou wilt be silent and calm And 4. Remember when thou does not pardon but offers to revenge at thine own hand thou usurps Gods place Rom. 12.19 Dearly beloved revenge not your selves but rather give place unto wrath for it is written Vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord and consequently when thou offers to revenge thou takes his place and provocks him to leave thee and let thee stand to thy self and not concern himself in any wrong done to thee But the third thing I proposed to speak a word to is That this forgivenness of others is absolutely necessary to them that would evidence that they are pardoned of God themselves Mat. 6.12 We are bidden pray Forgive us our debts as we forgive others I shall briefly explain this and close And 1. As I have often hinted before our forgiving others doth nor merit pardon for forgiving of others is not an antecedent to pardon but a consequence of it it 's the evidence of a pardoned man and consequently cannot be antecedent to pardon far less a meritorious cause of pardon 2. While Christ bids us pray Forgive us as we forgive there is no proportion to be understood there is a vast difference betwixt Gods forgiving and our forgiving his forgivenness extends to ten thousand talents ours only to an hundred pence Mat. 18.24 28. His forgiving requires a satisfaction to justice before he give out the sentence of pardon not so ours his forgivenness brings no profit to him as ours doth to us we having thereby access to pardoning mercy only in this the parallel holds that we forgive frankly and freely as God forgives us 3. Consider the connexion a little more nearly partly it is an encouragement to the sensible sinner to believe he is pardoned when he finds a disposition in himself to forgive others a poor sensible sinner lying at Gods foot-stool suing for pardon though he be pardoned yet he hath a hink whether he be so or not but this encourages him to believe it that he finds in himself a loosing of heart to forgive another that hath wronged him often he may reason have I gotten many wrongs and yet I can find in my heart to forgive and put them in my bosome that have wronged me upon their repentance and shall I doubt but God who is a God infinite in mercy hath pardoned me So that thy warmness and loosing of heart to forgive others looses and opens a door to thee to believe that the infinite God in mercy hath pardoned thee and partly ye would remember that it is a condition of pardon not antecedent but subsequent whereby a man may reflect and gather whether he be pardoned or not read Mat. 6.14 15. he contents not himself to say Forgive if we would be forgiven but he adds if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses Ye can have no evidence that ye your selves are pardoned except ye have a tender disposition and frame of heart to forgive others and therefore that servant who Mat. 18.27 had ten thousand talents forgiven him and yet when he got his fellow-servant would not forgive him an hundred pence he proclaimed that though he seemed to be forgiven he was not forgiven but behoved to go to prison Now I have been detained in providence upon this Doctrine for this time a Doctrine that is not unseasonable to you if ye be in earnest in seeking the pardon of your sin it serves to point out to you the terms on which it is attainable and by which ye evidence that ye are pardoned that ye may not in this matter cheat your selves in taking a lie in your right hand in stead of pardon and it is not
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
praise when the waters overflowed their enemies but they soon forgot his works or made haste to forget them they waited not for his counsel but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted God in the desart Now in opposition to this it 's the great mercy of Saints when not only they hold out as it may be to the end and get their souls for a prey but they endeavour to be solid fixed constant equal to draw out as ye speak an even threed of a godly walk not but that they have their ups and downs of comfort and abasement but they guard against their brashy fairds and fits and against their being at a hight now and sinking again as low And the grounds why ye would guard against this fleeting unstable disposition are 1. A fleeting temper is not to be trusted to that which light unsolid hearts are at in a faird they are not wise that lean to it God at the first view tells Israel their goodness was as a morning cloud or as the early dew Hos 6.4 promising fair but passing away And when they make their great ranâ— Deut. 5.27 Who but they for obedience O saith the Lord v. 29. that there were such a heart in them I know them better than themselves do I know they want that heart they profess to be solid and constant in their obedience to me 2. This fleeting disposition would be guarded against because these hot fits that folk sometimes have in the way of godliness will be a dreadful witness against them when they turn their back upon it What a sad check is that Christ gives to the Jews Joh. 5.35 John was a burning and a shining light and ye rejoyced to walk in his light for a season Who but John for a time to you but ye soon tyred And see how the Apostle beats home a reproof for this Gal. 4.14 My temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not nor rejected but received me as an Angel of God even as Christ Jesus Where is then the blessedness ye spake of c. Where is that heat and edge now 3. This fleeting disposition would be look'd to because these unsolid fits have no present access and acceptation as they are not lasty so they are little noticed for the time Hos 6.4 O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee for your goodness is as a morning cloud c. What shall I do with that What service can I have of it What is in it to be noticed For thou aâ—t unstable as the morning cloud is soon dispelled and the early dew soon evanishes 4. This fleeting humour would be guarded against because besides it 's not acceptance with God it keeps folk that they know not the good of godliness It 's not faiâ—ds and brashes that will bring home the real advantage of piety Hos 6.3 Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord his going forth is prepared as the morning and he shall come unto us as the rain as the former and latter rain upon the earth And Joh. 8 31 32. When there were many that professed to believe on Christ he saith to them If ye continue in my word then are ye my disciples indeed and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free if ye hold at that which ye profess ye shall find the good of Religion and be Disciples to me From all that I have been speaking on this folks would learn not to be cheated with brashes and fairds of this kind it may be folks please themselves in an ill course because now and then their minds have been under dwams and they have had their fits and motions and they should beware of slighting these lest folks be given over to their own hearts lusts to walk in their own counsels but such folk should look to it ye that are brashie either hot and frazie or key cold There is much of this in a natural temper that in some skips from hot to cold from liveliness to deadness and holds at nothing But that ye may learn to be still the same in so far as is attainable in this state of misery I would recommend to you partly that ye would labour to fix your selves on rational principles know what ye are doing and the grounds whereon ye go when ye close with Religion be as Peter Joh. 6.68 When many went back Lord saith he to whom shall we go for thou hast the words of eternal life And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ the Son of the living God Stuff thine heart solidly with rational and solid grounds to go upon in Religion and these put in the hand of God will be a constant spring to feed thy diligence 2. To these rational grounds add solid resolutions that as Barnabas perswaded the Christians Acts 11.23 Thou may with full purpose of heart cleave unto the Lord it must not be a surprisal like one in a passion that sets thee on to seek God but a solid fix'd purpose of heart And when thou hast laid down rational grounds and backed them with solid resolutions thou must in the 3d place wait on God it 's he that must unite thy heart to fear his Name Psal 86.11 It 's he that can gather the fleeting heart and fix it on the nail that 's fastened in a sure place It 's he in whose hand thou must put all thy resolutions and purposes as David who when he hath resolved well Psal 17.3 Thou hast tried me and shalt find nothing I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress Concerning the works of men I have by the words of thy lips kept me from the paths of the destroyer He adds v. 6. Hold up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not These are resolutions that are settled and backed with needy dependence on God else though thou were never so well fixt in thy resolutions they may prove like Sampsons Cords when thou art assaulted with a new temptation These few directions through the blessing of God may fix you in the way of godliness prevent fleeting unconstancy debording and deviating from it But now in the 3d place to give you a look of perseverance as it is opposed to wearying lying by sitting up and it may be the taking of many sinful shifts on delayes and when difficulties are met with that is when a needy person goes about the means frequents the Ordinances and gets nothing his Word is a sealed Book the Preaching of the Gospel is under a Cloud when they go to God in Prayer they come no speed they are not heard and it may be wrath meets them in the teeth such may be strongly tempted to give over and weary and it 's in opposition to this the Psalmist will wait on God and in opposition to such temptations we are to fix this truth that no delay we meet with in Gods way ought to cut our perseverance short No delay should
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
that would live by Faith he must not say in his heart Who shall ascend into heaven to bring down Christ or an issue from above or who shall descend into the deep to bring up a Christ or an issue from the dead But the word is near thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart The Word of Faith the Word in the Gospel which we preach This Point because there are several things in it of special concernment for us I shall deduce and branch out to you in four Heads 1. That really needy Saints who are put to live by Faith ought to be and will be much conversant with the Word that they may know what is for them and suitable to their case there 2. That as really needy Saints will be much conversant with the Word so they will judge of things according to the Verdict of the Word 3. That to fix them in that Resolution to judge of things according to the Word they must fix this Principle That the Word is of Divine Authority 4. That having fixt this That the Word is of Divine Authority the Believer must send out his Faith to believe and his hope to look for all that he finds in so Divine and sure a Word For the first of these I say That really needy Saints who are put to live by Faith ought to be and will be much conversant in the Word that they may know what is for them there and suitable to their case This is clearly imported in the Text while he saith I hope in thy Word He must know what is in the Word to lean his Faith and Hope upon for except he know he cannot lean his Faith and Confidence on it Hence David a great liver by Faith was much conversant with the Scriptures they were his meditation his meat his delight the men of his counsels his guides as ye may read at length what his esteem of the Scriptures was in that 119 Psalm And this being so it will infer not only that really needy saints should attend upon the Word preached but more especially that they should and will be much at the privat serious reading of meditation on and perusal of the Scriptures a duty that in the first place I would prove to be a duty And 2dly press it on you 1. I say it is needful to prove that it is a duty that the Scriptures be read by all in opposition to that cursed Popish principle that will not allow any laick or privat person without a peculiar licence to read the Scriptures whereby they turn that in a priviledge and confer on some only which God hath imposed as a duty on all yea further so Tyrannical are they in this that though they permit some to read the vulgar Latin or Translations according to it as they have turned it in English where Protestants are lest if they shuld hinder them in the use of that they should read other Translations without their liberty yet in other places as Spain and Italy they are sparing of these Licenses This is a damnable error not only contrair to the way of the ancient Church wherein they glory so much wherin privat persons were so well acquaint with the Word that they would make it the subject of their discourse while they were about their ordinary callings but is clearly repugnant to Scripture and principles deduced therefrom both in the Old and New Testament I shall not insist on controversial things but lay down first some instances from Scripture to which I shall add some Scripture arguments for clearing that Truth For Scripture instances look to the Old Testament it is marked Acts 15.21 That in old time Moses had in every City them that preached him being read in the synagogues every sabbath day and not the Books of Moses only but the Prophets And therefore our Lord in his solemn Sermon Luke 4.17 Read out of the Prophecy of Isaiah that Book being delivered to him Beside publick reading of the Scriptures we find privat reading enjoyned Deut. 17.18 The King was to have a Copy of the Law in a Book out of that which was before the Priests and Levits to be with him and he was to read therein all the days of his life Josh 1.8 The Commander of the people was not to let the book of the Law depart out of his mouth but to meditat therein day and night It was also to be read by mean persons for Deut. 6.6 These words commanded to the Jews they were to teach them diligently to their children to talk of them when they sat in their houses when they did walk by the way when they did ly down and when they rose up and this they could not do in all the ages of their Church unless they read the Books of Moses when Moses was gone We find that Eunuch in returning from Jerusalem in his journey reading the Scripture Act. 8.30 We find Timothy from a child instructed in the Scriptures 2 Tim. 3.15 drinking it in with his milk and in a word Psal 1.2 We find the blest man in those days and in all ages of the Church to be that man who hath his delight in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth meditate day and night If again we turn to the New Testament we find that Christ commands the Jews to search the Scriptures Joh. 5.39 We find the Bereans commended for comparing Christ Apostles Sermons with the Scripture searching the Scriptures whether these things were so Act. 17.11 We find it required That the word of Christ a well in us richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another Col. 3.16 which necessarily requires frequent reading of the Scriptures we find the Apostle supposing the Corinthians read them 2 Cor. 1.13 We wrote none other things to you than that you read and acknowledge and Eph. 3.4 Whereby when ye read ye may understand my knowledge We find him commanding it Col. 4.16 When this Epistle is read amongst you cause also that it be read in the Church of the Laodiceans and that ye likewise read the Epistle from Laodicea 1 Thes 4.27 He charges them by the Lord that that epistle be read unto all the holy brethren and if the Apostle John Rev. 1.3 pronounces them blest who reads the words of that prophesie which is a dark obstruse Book It is not the purpose of the Spirit of God that other plain Scriptures should be shut up from people But 2. Unto these Scripture instances we shall add a few Scripture Arguments as 1. For what end were the Scriptures plainly and legibly written and at first in a known language if not to be made use of and read when the Vision is written and made plain upon Tables Habakkuk tells the end of that is That he may run that readeth it 2. If the Prophets Christ and his Apostles did not spare to preach their Doctrine in the audience of all it cannot be rationally thought but that we may
note I took up here was That waiting on God will not be gotten cherisht without faith and hope I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait because I hope The Tryals of the people of God for greatness sharpness and continuance may be so ordered as an out-gate from them can only be discerned by faith and looked after by hope yet when it is so that things are most dark faith chearfully imployed will apprehend a promised delivery in the greatest difficulties Faith will see an issue worth the waiting for I wait and I hope says he The second general Observation that I proposed from these Words was that the faith and hope that sends a believer and carries him through in waiting for God that enables him to endure hard lots without succumbing must take the Word for its ground I wait because I hope and I hope because I have the Word of God for the ground of my hope Ye know that I proceeded to speak to four Heads in the prosecuting of this Note That really needy souls who are put to live by Faith ought and will be much conversant with the Word of God to know what is for them and their through-bearing there 2. That as they will be conversant with the Word so they will judge of things according to the verdict of the Word that it may ground their Faith and beget Hope 3. That to fix the Saints in this resolution and to the end they may lean weight on the Word they would be fixt in this Principle that the Word of God is of Divine Authority and infallibly certain In his Word do I hope 4. That the waiter having fixt this Principle that the Word is of Divine Authority he must send out his Faith to believe and his Hope to look for all he finds in so divine and sure a Word that he may be sure under foot as the Word of God makes him It 's his duty to put forth Faith and Hope to fend For the first of these that needy Saints who are put to live by Faith and Hope ought to be and will be much conversant with the Word I spoke to it the last day I both proved it that it was lawful and incumbent on all to read and be acquaint with the Scriptures against the tyranny of the man of sin that will have no Laickâ— â—s they call them to read the Scripture without his licence and I insisted to press the duty on you by several arguments which I shall nor resume Only I shall desire that it may be a Preaching daily practised as ye would prove your selves to be among these blessed folk who have their delight in the Law of God and meditate therein day and night who have the Word dwelling richly in you that ye may be acquaint with the Charter of your inheritance with your Card and your Compass your elder Brothers Testament the Magazine and Store-house of your Furniture and Touch-stone whereby ye try all things Let me I say exhort you that that Preaching may be conspicuously seen in your practice daily A 2d thing in the point is that as really needy Saints will be conversant with the Word so they must learn to judge of things according to the rule of the Word they must learn to be determined by what the Word says to have the Scriptures ending all controversies and debates to have the Scriptures grounding their Faith and Hope in all things The Psalmist doth so here he contents not himself to take a look of the word but he is so acquaint with and so improves it as he lives by Faith and Hope in it This Point will lead me to the 3d and therefore I shall pass it briefly by recommending to all that would be acquaint with the Scripture and judge things according to it that they would avoid two extreams one is the practice of wicked men who will not be determined by the Word but live and feed upon their own presumptuous dreams Let the Word of God say what it will against the generality of men and the way wherein they walk they will not take the Word for Gods final answer but still look out for some other thing from God I can compare the generality of Church-members to none better than these Luk. 20. where Christ tells of the ill usage of the Servants sent to seek the fruit of the Vineyard and of their killing of the Heir and said he will come and destroy these Husband-men they perceiving that he meant by them as the other Evangelist hath it v. 16. say God forbid They would not take that for Gods final answer and so it is with the generality of men speak of the Scriptures in general to them they will acknowledge them but shew unto them how the Scripture condemns their way and what judgments it hath denounced against sins that they are living in they will not take that for Gods final answer they will still look out for some other thing from God I shall not stand on this though it be the general disease of the visible Church but in opposition to that extream of wicked men I shall desire you to mark that word Joh. 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him at the last day Thou wilt not take that word for Gods final sentence yet it is that which shall judge thee in the last day and all self-deceiving and self deluding souls shall find God is and will be no other thing than what he hath declared himself in his Word to be If this were believed and laid to heart folk would more labour to live so as they may have the Word more their friend But on the other hand as men in making use of the Word would guard against the presumptuous dreams of wicked men so they would guard against the faithless fears of the godly who see enough in the Word to make them and needy sinners happy but their fears and want of probabilities lays them by from improving what they find in the Word for their comfort and encouragement in duty and lean as little weight on the Word upon the one hand as wicked men do on the other I shall not resume what I said at another occasion what use ye should make of reason in the matters of Religion Sure ye should make use of it for taking up things revealed in Scripture in gathering what is exprest therein or may be drawn from it by native consequence But ye would remember that Reason must stoop to Divine Revelation your Reason must stoop and strike Sail to what God hath revealed in his Word though ye have no probability of the thing yea though ye have probability of the contrary remembring that Numb 23.19 God is not as man that he should lie nor as the son of man that he should repent Hath he said and shall he not do it Hath he spoken and shall he
stream of thy own inclination is more acceptable to God than if in thy believing thou were sailing before the wind ye will say ye press a command constantly to believe but what should I believe I have no work for Faith but I have work enough for Diffidence and distrust I cannot stay now to deduce the Answer to this in particular instances relating to several cases and times but as I marked before on this subject there are general foundations that cannot be moved Catholick Cordials for every condition and labour to believe these when thou cannot dip on particulars As 1. Believe at all times and in all conditions that thou art in God's hand Remember that word Mat. 14.27 It is I be not afraid believe that all the world cannot pull thee out of his hand thou mayest think thou art in frem'd handling A messenger of Satan is sent to buffet thee a wicked man is sent to oppress thee but believe thou art still in Gods hand 2. Believe that as thou art in God's hand so he in whose hand thou art doth all things well that is his Motto in all his dealing Mark 7.37 And he will not begin at thee to give beguile to Trusters in him 3. Believe that his thoughts are not as your thoughts neither are his ways as your ways Isai 55.8 And therefore although thou can see no outgate yet he sees it and the way how to bring it about and let him take his own way and do not limit him to thy model 4 Believe that he hath wisdom power love that thou may venture thy all upon and that it cannot be so well as when thou ventures it upon these 5. Believe that he is God and not man thou would have out-wearied the patience of men and angels having had to do with them but he is God and not man with whom thou hast to do 6. Believe that all that he saith or doth to his people or thee â—ver says go a way The scope of all the sound of all he does or says is come and go not away desertions tryals scourges or whatever else he sends says come 7. Believe that many a disappointment will he give to thy false and deceitful heart when thou hast said Wilt thou cast off for ever will he be favourable no more is his mercy clean gone for ever doth his promise fail for evermore hath he forgotten to be gracious hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies He will give these thoughts the lie and make thee re-cant and eat in that language with shame and repentance and believe this and say I am treasuring up matter of repentance and mourning for my self when God comes and calls me to an account for such thoughts of him 8. Believe that God is concerned in thee and his people and interest more than thou art his stake is greater than thine art thou come unto him Thou art given to him and he will count for thee and every one of his people He that touches them touches the apple of his eye And remember that argument Joshua hath Josh 7.9 What wilt thou do unto thy great Name Believe that and it will put thy mind to rest these are foundations and Catholick Cordials that thou mayest trust to at all times and make use of in all cases when thou knows not how to put forth Faith as to particulars And O! what sweet Cordials will flow out of them for Faith and Hope to feed upon in the darkest of dispensations But 3. If time would permit a word would be spoken to them that are troubled because they cannot get this Command of believing and hoping in God constantly obeyed Thou art convinced it is a commanded Duty but thou cannot win at it Unbelief makes a slave of thee when thou would comfort thy self against sorrow thy heart is faint within thee thou would look through the Cloud but thine Eyes are dim that thou cannot see through it thou that art so overpowered with Unbelief look that it be thy weakness and not thy wilfulness How shall I evidence that will thou say Here is a proof of it mourn over that which thou cannot overcome thou art overpowered with Unbelief and cannot help it come and sit down before God and cry violence is done thee Tentation and Unbelief prevails with thee and thou cannot master them but they overcome thee lament that to God if thou debate with Unbelief it will turn like a Snow Ball that grows the more the more it be rolled but mourning over it to God is the best way to get it overcome I thought to have deduced this at more length and shewed you it is an evidence of a blessed frame to be mourning for Gospel sins as well as for sins against the Law but the day being short I shall detain you no longer God bless what ye have heard SERMON XXXIII Psalm 130. Vers 7. Let Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy c. I Am now entered as ye heard upon the second part of the Psalm wherein the Psalmist who just before was wrestling with very humbling things in his case is now triumphant and victorious and though it be not exprest that he has gotten an outgate yet he implyes it very legibly in the improvement of it in his communicating the good that he had gotten to Israel the people of an hour of temptation may be lookt on as a very great folly and a poor shift for a man to betake himself unto and a man may then be tempted to cast them away but when men have tryed them well they will see cause to revock all the misconstructions that they had of Faith and Hope and to commend them from the rich advantage they have found in them if ye will consider David an eminent example and pattern of believing and hoping in God ye will find these three in him one is that he was as much put to it as any to live the life of faith ye will find that sometimes there is nothing betwixt him and fainting and over-giving but believing as Psal 27.13 I had fainted unless I had believed c. Ye will find that he had nothing for a casten-down soul and disquieted within but hoping in God Psal 42.43 Another is that as ye find him often put to it to live by faith and hope So ye will find him now and then under a temptation that he was at the next best under this shift and tempted to quite it How often is he put to that of the Church Lam. 3.18 I said my hope and my strength is perished from the Lord. So 1 Sam. 27.1 I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul And Psal 116.11 I said in my haste all men are liars Behold what a sad conjunction is in this case and what a low opinion he hath of faith and hope in an hour of temptation But in the third place take him again at the turn of the Tide as ye
or the lawful captive be delivered We hear tell would they say of the redemption of Israel from the Babylonish captivity but we plead that they are not only lawful captives taken in war but we are mighty to detain them yea but says the Lord even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered were ye never so mighty and terrible when I interpose I will redeem and recover the prey I shall not need to insist further in the confirmation of this But 1. Any of you who are afflicted and sensible of your straits and of the sins that have drawn them on will ye believe this that there is not only mercy with God but power to manifest that mercy and it may content you to ly in the Hospital of his heart till he see it fit to manifest his power for your redemption If there be with him not only mercy but redemption it must certainly say some other thing than ordinarly we apprehend that he wants neither power nor good will to redeem his people for with their God there is mercy and with him c. and therefore were their hazard as peremptor as that of the three children Dan. 3. Who were to be cast in the fiery furnace this is support enough Our God whom we serve say they is able to deliver us c. and therefore when we are in straits and reckon that we want proofs of his power we would reckon also that it is not for want of good will for with him is mercy and it should content and quiet our hearts to take lodging in his compassion till he let the world see that with him also is plenteous redemption in the effects of it 2. From this I would recommend to you to study to believe this power much it is not for nothing that it is said of Abraham Rom. 4.20 21. That he staggered not at the promise through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God Why He was fully perswaded that what he promised he was also able to perform and the three children did not speak ordinary news when they tell Nebuchadnezzar The God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace It is true generally people think they doubt not of the power of God all their doubting is about his goodwill as that man Mat. 8.2 Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean but they that know themselves best will see atheism at the bottom of their diffidence and a doubting of his power as well as of his goodwill therefore this is an evidence that folks win easily to Faith in smaller and petty Tryals wherein there is not much need of power then their Faith will soar aloft but in great Tryals they succumb and sink and find their Faith a seeking and whence flows this but from unbelief That with God there is power to redeem and therefore I beseech the people of God to study to believe and be fixed in the faith of the Attributes of God especially in the faith of his power in difficulties But 3. From this I say I would have the people of God not to stumble though in their straits they be left on the Power and Omnipotency of God alone to relieve them Let Israel hope Why Not because they can extricat themselves out of difficulties not because ordinary help will do their turn but because with God is redemption and plenteous redemption because God is Omnipotent to vindicat them out of their bondage it is kindly to have saints brought frequently to be in Gods mister that nothing but God can do their turn so that they think they have done with it if God interpose not when they are brought to such perplexing questions as that Ezek. 37. Can these dry bones live That only Omnipotent Power in God can answer then they would not stumble when they are brought that low that their Faith is left upon the Omnipotency of God alone that power of God if as Abraham did thou take it up rightly If thou believe on him who quickens the dead and calls on things that are not as if they were because he makes them to be It is enough to answer all thy difficult questions Therefore whatever thy difficulties be guard against stumbling from this That with God is redemption and plenteous redemption So much from what is imported in this redemption I proceed in the 2d place to give you some account why this is called redemption and if we restrict redemption here to Israel and it is these who are bidden hope on the account of this Redemption and it is Israel that verse 8. He will redeem from all their iniquities The deliveries of the Lords people are fitly and frequently exprest under the name of Redemption not only their deliverance from sin as verse 8. but deliverance from trouble as Psal 25. Redeem Israel O God out of all his troubles Now I say That most fitly and frequently the deliveries of Gods people are called a Redemption on a threefold account which I shall first propone and then speak to 1. As they have a relation to their spiritual Redemption by Christ 2. As they have a relation to the troublers of Israel his people from whose power they are redeemed 3. As they have relation to the issue of their troubles That it is a redemption and setting them at freedom from servitude and bonds 1. I say The deliverances of the people of God are called a Redemption all of them because they are founded on and are the result of their eternal and spiritual Redemption through Christ all their deliverances are the appendices and as ye call it the bounty super added to that great Redemption which they have by the satisfaction of Christ and upon this account it is that deliverances to the people of God are noticed as evidences of his love to them in Christ Psal 18.19 He delivered me saith David because he delighted in me It was a proof of reconciled love to him in Christ That God delivered him from his troubles and hence all that the Lords people get and their deliveries among the rest are gifts bestowed on them with Christ Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Unto the Israel of God Christ is first freely given and then with him in him and through him all other things and their deliveries among the rest are afforded them on that account This I mark on a threefold account 1. To press upon folk the exercise of piety and the making sure of an interest in Christ and his Redemption for that 's your ground and claim to all other mercies When Christ is diverting his Disciples from careful anxiety Mat. 6.33 He bids them seek the Kingdom of God first and all other things shall be added to them And 1 Tim. 4.8 Bodily exercise profiteth little but