the Depths he Prayed but out of the Depths he cryed to God in Prayer with that earnestness and fervour that a drowning man presently going to sink cryes for relief if any relief may be had The general Observation which I take from this is That the kindly result of sinking and surchanging exercise in the Saints is when it puts them to Prayer and to fervency in Prayer when being in the Depths Out of the depths they cry unto God This is the general Doctrine of trouble Psal 50. Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee c. And that I may so far as is necessary lay the Point in broad-band before you before I come to a word of Vse I shall deduce the Importance of it in a few particulars And 1. The Psalmist's practice who is content to be at exercise doth import That sleeping and idleness is a very unsuitable posture when the people of God are in the Depths to be at any time without exercise is very dangerous for as the Animal Life is still in motion so the Spiritual Life of a Christian must still be in exercise so in particular to be without exercise in a distress and particularly to be without Prayer is yet more dreadful an idle man in a difficult lot I can compare him to nothing but to that drunken man Prov. 23.34 That is as one that lyeth down in the midst of the sea or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast he is a desperat man drunk with some Distemper that is not at exercise in the Depths May I add the idle man in the Depths is readily the Guilty man that draws on the Storm and the Tempest Hence we have a sad Narration Jonah 1.5 where Jonah a Godly man fleeing from the presence of the Lord in the Storm is down in the sides of the Ship sleeping and one might think in the case he was in he might have an unsound Sleep there but the Text tells he was fast asleep and shall I add that 's a sad Posture vers 6. when a Pagan Ship-master reproves a Prophet Jonah what meanest thou O sleeper saith he arise and call upon thy God That then is the first thing imported that it is a dangerous thing to be sleeping and idle in the Depths 2. That the Psalmist when he is in the Depths cryes out unto God it imports That kindly Saints whenever they come in any Distress have no refuge but God It 's with God and his Saints as it 's with a Parent and a Child in a Croud as long as nothing ails the Child he will go beside any body but when he comes in a difficulty he will leave the rest single out his Parent to protect him so I say it 's with the Saints when any thing ails them they have no refuge no shift no gate to go but God Would ye know the Character of a Child of God in Distress ye have it in that fore-cited place 2 Chron. 20.12 we have no might against this great company that cometh against us neither know we what to do but our eyes are upon thee This is the Scope of the most part of all the Psalms A Saint is no sooner put to it but he puts at God a Cross is no sooner laid at his door but he tells it 's the wrong Door and he goes and layes it at God's Door the reason of this is double partly the difficulties of the Children of God may be so great that they are left allenarly upon God It is with them as it was with that hypocritical king when he said to the Harlot if the Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee out of the Barn-floor or out of the Wine-press What will become of the Saints in many difficulties and hard cases if God step not in David looked to all Airts and could find no relief Psal 142.4 5. I looked on my right hand and beheld but there was no man that would know me refuge failed me no man cared for my soul what follows I cried unto thee O Lord I said thou art my refuge Kindly Saints must therefore look unto God in every Distress partly because whatever right means they have to make use of they must either begin at God or they will find they have followed a wrong method Saul pretended to this 1 Sam. 13.12 The Philistines will come down upon me and I have not made supplication unto the Lord I must begin at God saith he and as Saul pretended to it David really practised it 1 Sam. 30.7 whatever mind he had to pursue the Amalekites that had burnt Zâ—klag and taken his Wives captive he will do nothing till he consult with God That then is the second thing imported that as the Saints are not asleep are not idle in the Depths of trouble so they have no refuge but God A third thing imported in this that the Psalmist out of the Depths cryed unto God is this that there is no case of the Saints so desperate wherein Prayer is useless ye know what was that wicked Kings Determination 2 Kings 6.33 This evil is of the Lord what should I wait for the Lord any longer and how many in Heart and Practice in difficult Cases say so it is to little purpose to wait on God to look to God The Psalmist here was of another temper out of the Depths have I cried unto thee Lord saith he he finds it to good purpose to cry unto God So Jonah 2.4 I said I am cast out of thy sight and he had as much to say for his being so as any other the Waters compassed him about and went into his Soul The Weeds were wrapped about his Head he went down to the bottoms of the Mountains The Earth with her Bars were about him yet even then he sees not Prayer to be an useless Trade wherefore he adds yet will I look again to thy holy Temple Prayer is to good purpose for all that and no wonder for there is no condition of the Saints so low no Pit so deep wherein they can be caught but an humble Supplicant will from thence reach the Throne A David buried quick in a Cave a Daniel in the Lyons Den find that Prayer can win up to God and find audience for the high and lofty One who hath the Heaven for his Throne and the Earth for his Footstool hath an Eye also to them who are of a poor and of a Contrite Spirit and trembleth at his Word Isa 66.1 2. and he who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in Heaven and in the Earth he raiseth the poor out of the Dust and the needy out of the Dung-hill and therefore no desperate case of the people of God renders Prayer useless But 4ly That the Psalmist out of the Depths cryes unto God it imports That as there is no case so desperate as it renders Prayer useless so it imports that it is the property
feeling of their condition they will know of what worth an intercourse with Heaven is and what it is to have a door open to them from thence when all doors are shut upon them from earth and therefore they cannot rest on Prayer but will press for audience Another is That as it will be hard with sensible Saints to be denyed audience so they need and prize the thing they seek It 's not for a fashion or for a complement or for a trifle that they cry out of the deeps but their life if I may so word it is lying in pledge of what they would be at there is nothing betwixt them and ruine but the answer of their Prayers and therefore they cannot rest without it For Vse It leaves a sad conviction on them who if they come the length to worship God and pray to him their task is done they have prayed and that 's enough I confess by Prayer and Supplications folks may cast many events over upon God but yet they would bide at Prayer till they get an account of that which they are seeking Psal 5.3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning O Lord saith David in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up It 's an evidence that folks have little pressed upon their hearts the necessity of that they are seeking when they look not up for an answer And hence also they have evidence that as it is 2 Tim. 2.19 Though they name the name of Christ it is not their care to depart from their iniquity that they may not bring a reproach upon Prayer nor obstruct the success of their Prayer with God this is the great fault of formal Professors they will keep up a form or fashion of Prayer but they little know or labour to know what it is to Trafficque with Heaven by their Prayer But a second word shall be this that Supplicants in distress may be exercised with delaying of the answers of their Prayers I have cryed out of the deeps unto thee O Lord but he dare not say that God hath heard him Therefore he is put to pray over again Lord hear my voice The sense of non-acceptation may haunt a Supplicant and he may find the thing that he is seeking is not granted yea Supplicants may not only be exercised with delays and seeming denyals as Job was Chap. 30.20 I cry unto thee and thou dost not hear me I stand up and thou regardest me not And Lam. 3.44 The Church complains Thou hast covered thy self with a cloud that our prayers should not pass thorow Not only I say may Supplicants be exercised with delays and seeming denyals but with very sad dispensations on the back of their Prayers Psal 80.4 O Lord God of Hosts how long wilt thou be angry or wilt thou smoak against the Prayers of thy people They may have smoaking wrath meeting their prayers and that for a long time in stead of a comfortable answer which is sad at all times but especially in trouble For clearing what folk should make of this I shall only name some things that I spoke more largely to at another occasion 1. Though the Psalmist hath a testimony that he is crying indeed to God when yet he is not heard we should look when we are not heard that there be nothing wrong in the supplication Mat. 20.22 Christ saith to some Ye know not what ye ask And Mat. 17. when Peter roved upon the Mount it was so with him There may be a defect in the matter manner or end of the supplication James 4.3 says Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss to consume it upon your lusts 2. When our supplications are not answered we would look that there be not something wrong in the Supplicant folks may be praying when there is standing unrepented of guilt that meets them in a strait as I may hint on the following Verse there may be some controversie that God hath with the person which till it be done away he will not hear needy and pressing suits and though the controversie may be done away as to standing guilt there may be an habitual ill frame which the Lord would rectifie by keeping the Supplicant at his Bar. They may in ordinary be formal and carnal and have an edge in trouble and he will not let them stick there and therefore will keep them at the back of the door till they learn to walk with God in ordinary And 3ly when the Supplication is right and Supplicants in a right frame there would be the exercise of Faith that God will not deny every suit that he doth not answer or delays to answer The exercise of Faith that he is but trying us if we will go to another door when he delays to answer yea this is the exercise of Faith to believe that many suits are not unanswered which we think are not answered God answers the suits of Supplicants when he accepts and approves of them Psal 10.17 Though he grant not the thing they seek he answers when He strengthens the Supplicant with strength in his soul Psal 138.3 And there are answers of Faith which should be read from the Word and made use of I have the more briefly passed from this that this purpose occurred before on another Text and from it take two brief words and I shall leave it One is That Supplicants crying to God in distress and not coming speed they would be invited to the reflection that I spoke to in the forenoon to see how all is that there be nothing wrong in the Supplication nor in the Supplicant that there be no action of guilt no controversie that must be removed before a comfortable answer come that should be a searching Lot when the Bill of the needy Supplicant is lying at the Footstool without an answer And another is if even Supplicants may be humbled and exercised with delays ere they get an answer to their Prayers what will become of them that pray none at all If this be done in the green tree what will become of the dry as Christ says speaking of his sufferings compared with the calamity that was to come upon the Jews But I proceed to a third word and that is to clear what it is that God requires of needy and honest Supplicants when they are put to cry and cry again in Prayer for an answer and it is not given Beside what I spoke before of reflection I shall shortly from the Text point at three things to be done or that God calls for And 1. In this case the Lord is calling folk to pray on I have called to thee O Lord there is Prayer Lord hear my voice there is a new Prayer Let thine ears be attentive to my supplications there is a third suit Although thy belly should cleave to the earth while thou lyes in the dust thou must continue in supplication although thine eyes should fail in waiting for God and
two of which I have spoken to in the Forenoon to wit that which is supponed here that God is a marker of iniquity and what it imports And secondly that which is proposed on this supposition That if God should mark iniquity as was explained men even the most godly men could not stand where somewhat was said to the importance of that Phrase Now I proceed in Explication of the Point from the Text for to that I confine my self in other four particulars The first and third in order shall be this That this assertion that men cannot stand before God marking iniquity is of infallible verity a most certain and infallible truth it is not a Bug-Bear to afright Children but the infallible truth of God This is hinted at in the Text partly in the Psalmist his proposing the matter to God If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity O Lord who shall stand He proposes it to God who knows this matter better than any other and who is Supream Judge in the matter without whose determination a Decreet in our own favours will signifie nothing at all it imports O Lord let men dream what they will of their standing thou knowest that none can stand if thou shalt mark iniquity to punish it and particularly the infallible verity of this assertion may be gathered from the way of proposing it and that is by way of Question Who shall stand Which Question is a very peremptory denyal of the thing questioned for so the like Question is resolved Job 14.4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Not one Yea the proposing of it by way of Question Who shall stand Doth import a defyance to any to attempt it or to succeed in their attempt and indignation at the presumption of any that should dream of standing before God marking iniquity But in the fourth place as this assertion is of infallible verity so it is of universal verity This is held out in the Question for the Question is Who shall stand That is as the parallel Question is answered Job 14.4 None at all good or bad If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity none should stand for the Psalmist here a godly man is taking in himself with others as a man that could not stand himself without pardon And so the Phrase is Psal 143.2 Enter not into judgment with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified The best of men that are come of Adam by ordinary generation shall not be justified if thou mark iniquity Hence in Scripture it is clear that Saintship consists not in sinlessness but in sincerity for for Original guilt in that Job 14.4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Not one and for a mans endeavours after he is brought in to God and is wrestling with corruptions to have these purged out says Solomon Prov. 20.9 Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin Eccles 7.20 There is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not but as it is Jam. 3.2 In many things we offend all Thus ye see that Saintship doth not consist in sinlessness but in sincerity neither doth Saintship consist in the Saints their sins not deserving condemnation or in their being able to stand though they have sinned but in their sins being pardoned hence ye will find them sadly exercised in wrestling under the burden of guilt upon their gross out-breakings as David Psal 51. ye have them praying for the pardon of great iniquity Psal 25.11 For thy Names sake pardon mine iniquity for it is great Ye have them pleading for mercy upon the account of innumerable evils compassing them and their iniquities take hold of them and being more than the hairs of their head Psal 40.11 12. And when they are delivered from gross out-breakings ye have them with Paul Rom. 7. groaning under a body of sin and death till they attain to a song of thanksgiving thorow Jesus so that not only doth the Text hold out the infallible verity of this truth but the universal verity of it that if God mark iniquity none can stand The 5th thing I gather from the Text is that the infallible and universal verity of this assertion that if God mark iniquity none can stand might be gathered and closed with if men were eying God much this I gather from the Text where the Psalmist repeats the Name of God twice If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity And then again O Lord who c. Wherefore is this twice repeated in this assertion Certainly not by way of idle repetition condemned Mat. 7.21 in many that say Lord Lord nor meerly because the Psalmist is affected with that which he is speaking of for so the expression of affections or mens being affected with a thing is expressed by a doubled Exclamation which may come in in the own place when I speak of the pardon of sin but here it is to make this truth out that serious and frequent repeated thoughts of God is a mean to give folk a right sense of the desert of sin And to make out this consider partly that when we seriously think of God we know that he is Omniscient to find out that which is hid from the world Omniscient to find them guilty that are innocent to others Omniscient to know more of us than we know of our selves A consideration that John would have us marking 1 Joh. 3.20 If our heart condemn us God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things If we know so much naughtiness of our selves by our selves what must God know who knoweth all things And Paul makes use of this consideration 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my self to wit in the administration of his Office yet I am not hereby justified but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Partly if we will consider what is imported in the Names of God here made use of by the Psalmist We will find it further clear the first Name JAH is a diminutive from JEHOVAH that imports a Supream Independent Beeing The second name ADONAI signifies his Dominion and Lordship Ponder these well and what a dreadful sight will it afford of the unspeakable desert of sin A sinner in sinning rebels against a Supream Beeing from whom he hath his beeing This is made a great aggravation of sin to Belteshazzar the greatest Monarch on earth Dan. 5.23 Thou hast lifted up thy self against the Lord of heaven the God in whose hands thy breath is thou hast renounced thy dependence on him from whom thou hast thy beeing Sin is also the casting off of the Yoke of his Dominion and Lordship it says upon the matter that which ye have asserted of wicked men Psal 12.4 They say with our tongues we will prevail our lips are our own who is Lord over us That 's the Language of every sinner in sinning and not only doth the sinner by sinning cast off the yoke of God's Dominion but he
Particularly I have laid Jacob the first Israelites prayer before you that ye may learn to write after his copy that ye may feed on it and bring the first fruits from Heaven by intercourse with God in Prayer rightly regulated and ordered God bless his Word to you for this end SERMON XXXV Psalm 130. Verse 7. Let Israel hope in the Lord for c. THE Psalmist as ye have heard when he sees through his own wrestling he cannot will not be but publick-minded to the Lord 's Israel and if he hath gotten any good in wrestling with God under difficulties guilt and delays of comfort or issue the very good he hath gotten enlargeth his heart and makes him publick-minded towards others and what ever be the hight of his own enlargement he doth not forget that Faith and Hope will be still necessary neither doth he forget that there is a constant warrand for Faith and Hope in God and that they are of so universal and constant use and what-ever others may think of that exercise or whatever it might be he himself thought of it when he was in the midst of the trial yet he now in his practice makes it out that these who try Faith and Hope most will esteem them most and will be most confident in recommending them to all others of the Lords people That which now I am upon is the consideration of the persons to whom hope in God is recommended it is to Israel whether we take them Collectively or Distributively one by one ye have heard that hope in God is the common allowance of all the people of God Not only is Israel a society that may still hope however matters go or what-ever their case be but hope in God according to the nature and tenor of the promises is the common allowance of all and every one of them and in pursuance of this I broke in upon that great point and our duty that seing however hope be the coÌ„mon allowance of all every one of Israel yet it is their allowance only who are Israelites indeed Therefore these that would claim to that allowance of hope in God they would make it sure that they are Israelites indeed that though they be not all Israel that are of Israel yet that they are Israelites in the spirit though not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God And forbearing to speak abstractly of the marks of regeneration I offered two things to be spoken to for clearing up who they are who are Israelites indeed and may claim to this allowance One is the occasion of Jacob's getting this name of Israel when he was with God in Prayer to which I have spoken and led you through some Characters of Israelites indeed who have ground of hope in God which I gathered from his Prayers Now I am to touch a little upon that other thing I proposed to be spoken unto to find out these Israelites to whom hope in God belongs and that is the Character given to them by way of Explication who they are Psal 73.1 Truly God is good to Israel and who are there Even such as are of a clean heart I shall not offer to make any common place of this but in reference to my scope in following forth this point as ye heard the last day that the Israelite indeed is a praying man so ye would take a look here of an Israelite indeed First as a self-purifying man one that purifies his heart An Israelite indeed his great work is about his heart he is one that desires to look as God doth 1 Sam. 16.7 Man looketh on the outward appearance but God looketh on the heart and so doth the Israelite indeed he desires to have that Character Rom. 2.28 Not to be a Jew outwardly or to have that circumcision or baptism which is outward in the flesh but to be a Jew or Christian inwardly and to have that circumcision and baptism of the heart to be one in the spirit and not in the letter to be one whose praise is not of men but of God An Israelite indeed is one whose great study is to keep the heart with all diligence as Solomon enjoyns Prov. 4.33 for out of it are the issues of life 2. A true Israelite in looking after his heart is a man that finds very much pollution there and that needs to be cleansed and purged He is a man that the further he goes in searching after himself he finds still the greater and the greater abominations He is a man that though he bless God as he hath reason that he is kept from outward out-breakings yet when he looks within himself he never wants that which makes him humble and to carry a low Sail so long as he finds his heart a Cage of unclean Birds He is a man in whose ears doth sound aloud that word which ye have Jer. 4.14 O Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee He is one that abomâ—nats and is sensible of the manifold pollutions of his heart not only upon the account of the many and gross evils that he finds there of the suspitions of hypocrisie and formality in the performance of duties that he is afraid he please himself with or on this account that his heart should be Gods Throne and kept at the Brides Chamber for the Beloved and he finds it no such thing but further upon this account and consideration that he finds his heart can act more wickedness in a short time than many bodies could commit for a long time 3. The sense that the Israelite indeed hath of his heart-pollutions appears in his endeavours to be cleansed from them that he may have his heart washed from wickedness He is a man that will not pay God with a sighing and going backward he is not satisfied that his pollutions he knows them and his uncleannesses are with him No no he must be further benn nothing but bosomewashing heart-cleansing will satisfy and he must be set seriously on work to that and whereas other folk take their Faith their Hope and Confidence to play them with all the stock that he hath of Faith Hope and Confidence or that he can win to he puts it out to help to purge his heart according to that word Act. 19.5 Purifying their hearts by faith It not only imports that the Israelite indeed finds that there is no way of purging he heart but by Faith in Christ But further if he get any Faith he sets it on work to purifie his heart And 1 Joh. 3.3 He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure If he get any hope of being made like Christ his sense of the pollution of his heart is such that it sets him on work to purify the heart 4. This endeavour of a true Israelite will not be altogether in vain and without success but he may win
using sinful shifts to be out of it fell in these gross and scandalous sins of Adultery and Murther and he that fell in these sins after repentance for other escapes why might he not after repentance have fallen in these same sins over again if the grace of God had not prevented it for though Repentance for particular faults leave behind it an impression of the bitterness of these sins and make them to be loathed which will make it more improbable they will be relapsed in yet it is not impossible otherwise true Repentance being for all sin it should prevent relapsing in any Sin A 2d word which I shall say for clearing the case shall be this that as true repentance is not to be measured by relapsing in sin so it is contrary to Scripture to determine that relapsing in sin after Repentance is unpardonable It 's not the sin against the holy Ghost and therefore pardonable Isai 55.7 Our God will multiply to pardon Even as often as the sinner repents and comes agaâ—n to him to seek pardon were it till seventy times seven times as he bids us forgive others when they sin against us Matth. 18 22. and Hos 14.4 He hath promised to heal backslidings Now these are after Repentance when his people fall back in the same sins out of which they have been recovered by Repentance and for instances of this ye shall only ponder these two One is 2 Chron 18. Jehosaphat his joyning in affinity with Achab for which he is reproved by a Prophet Ch. 19.2 And his Repentance is apparent in the reformation he fell about And yet Chap. 20.35 He falls in the same Sin in joyning with Achaziah to make Ships to go to Tarshish in Eziongeber which were broken for which he was also reproved repented and was pardoned Another instance is that of Jonah A man that fled from the presence of the Lord when sent to Niniveh and is brought to Repentance for that sin in the belly of the Fish Chap. 2 Yet he falls in the same sin Ch. 4.2 Not in fleeing away from God but in repining at his mercy and in his opinion declaring it was needless to go to Niniveh and justifying his former fleeing away These are two clear instances of relapsing in sin after Repentance and Pardon for it This I would not have abused I may have occasion hereafter to speak to what prejudice relapsing in sin brings with it as that it will bring former pardon in question and under debate and though a penitent may be pardoned yet it 's dangerous to bourd with sin after God hath spoken peace to return to folly and to proclaim that all the bitterness folk have found in sin is nothing only I cannot conceal the truth of God from any that may be under a Temptation that having repented such and such sins they have relapsed in them and therefore as they question their Repentance so they think they are to expect no more pardon ye have it cleared from Scripture that these are but Temptations That God would multiply to pardon upon repentance Isai 55.7 And though folks have played the harlot with many lovers and among hands have rewed their wandrings they may return again unto the Lord Jer. 3.1 Now I have done with the first general head of this Doctrine concerning the remission of sin To wit the consideration of that which is pardoned I proceed to the second general Question and that is anent the Author of pardon or who it is that pardons iniquity even God There is forgivenness with thee says the Text That is as I exponed in the entry it 's thy property in opposition to all pretenders it 's thy Property and Prerogative when both the Law and the Conscience have condemned to pardon and forgive Sin This is a truth that was held fast in the Jewish Church when it was most corrupt Therefore Mark 2.7 When Christ pardoned the man sick of the Palsie The Scribes say Why doth this man speak blasphemies Who can forgive sins but God only And it 's one of God's Titles Exod. 34.6 7. That he forgives iniquity transgression and sin and he taketh it to himself as his Prerogative Isai 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions and Matth 9.2 c. Christ in curing the Palsie man paralels the pardoning of his sins with the healing of his disease as proofs of his Deity shewing that both were alike difficult and proved him to be God I must here clear a seeming difficulty that is That pardon of sin is attribut to others both Ministers and private persons It 's attribute to Ministers as John 20. 23. As the Father hath sent me even so send I you receive ye the holy Ghost whosoever sins ye retain they are retained and whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them But certainly it 's God only can loose a man from everlasting wrath due to him for sin and it 's the Word of God only can declare whom God will pardon Only as Ambrose sayes well Ministers are Judges in the matter of pardon but without any absolute Authority in that matter And for clearing of this ye would distinguish betwixt the external Court in the Church and the internal Court in the Conscience In the external Court in the Church Ministers have a power from Christ to remit scandals to scandalous persons upon their serious profession of Repentance to take in a man that hath fallen in a scandalous sin upon the profession of Repentance and to remit the scandal In the â—nternal Court of the Conscience Ministers have a Ministerial power upon scandalous sinners their repentance Ministerially to declare they are pardoned upon their Repentance they walking according to their Commission Whose sins they bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever they shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Mat. 16.19 and 18.18 But Ministers ex pleniâ—udine potestatis as the Pope speaks have not an absolute and illimited power to pardon whom and when and as they will They are but Delegats and must walk according to their Commission in pardoning of sin or rather pronouncing pardon of sin neither have they power of pardong sin upon conditions of their own devising such as Pennances Pilgrimages visiting of Rome in the year of Jubile c. where to mark it in the by the Papists method in this is preposterous They first pardon and then enjoyn pennance and such things as Christ hath not prescribed Neither must they take Money and dispence with Repentance a fruit of Faith upon which pardon is promised This is but a cheat to hold their Kiâ—chen reeking Caesar Borgia the Son of Alexander the sixth when he had lost an hundred thousand Crowns at the Dice he passed it in a sport saying Those are the sins of the Germans that is they had been purchased for the remission of their sins Again it is attributed to privat persons and for privat Persons their pardoning
I spoke of that a man that is wronged can only forgive what concerns his own interest but the person that wrongs God is still lyable to God for his interest thy forgivenness of the wrong done to thee is not a total absolution but for what concerns God the injurious person is still comptable to God 3. If it be inquired on what terms should men forgive I Answer as to the matter of envy malice desire of revenge rancour hatred a man is bound to forgive whatever the temper of him be that does the wrong Mark 11.24 When ye stand praying forgive says Christ if ye have ought against any that your Father which is in Heaven may forgive you intimating that if a man hath done thee an ill turn thou must not because of that do thy self a worse by keeping up a grudge thou must not let rancour obstruct thy access to God in Prayer yea whether he repent or not thou art bound to heap coals of fire upon his head to melt him Rom. 12.20 And therefore Exod. 23.4 5. When our neighbours Ox or Ass is going astray or the Ass of him that hates us is lying under a burden we must bring the one to him and help up the other And Rom. 12.20 If thine enemy hunger thou must feed him if he thirst thou must give him drink and so witness that thou art willing to pardon him all this thou art bound to what-ever be the carriage of him that injures thee but for familiar or intimat converse there is repentance in the injurer required Luk. 17.4 If thy brother trespass against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn again unto thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him 4. If it be inquired How shall this forgivenness be gone about and expressed I answer that here we must beware of Satans wiles there are many that will forgive but not forget ye will find many in forgiving their carriage is like Absaloms to his Brother Amnon 2 Sam. 13.22 He spake not to his brother good nor bad but when he got an opportunity he killed him This is not Christian-forgivenness it 's the practice of many to cover their hatred with lying lips Prov. 10.18 There are many that speak fair unto their neighbour when seven abominations are in theâ—r hearts Pro. 26.25 Many whose carriage is like Joaâ—s to Amasa who came and said Art thou in health my brother And took him by the beard to kiss him but smote him under the fifth rib and slew him 2 Sam. 20.9 10. That 's not Scripture-forgivenness the Scripture presseth forgivenness from the heart Mat. 18.35 So shall my heavenly Father do unto you if ye from your hearts forgive every one his brother And Mat. 5.44 We should love our enemies bless them that curse us do good to them that hate us pray for them that despitefully use and persecute us that 's forgivenness acceptable to God 5. If ye inquire how often and frequently are folk bound to forgive the debts of injuries done to them I can give you no more fuccinct answer than Christ gives Mat. 18.21 Peter saith How often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times Christ answers I say not to thee till seven times but till seventy times seven that is though injuries were never so often repeated that as ye use to speak it would provoke patience it self yet it is the will of our blessed Lord that there be forgivenness 6. If ye ask Shall men then so forgive that there shall no pursuit be of injuries done to them Shall they ly down and take as many wrongs as folks like to do unto them and make no more of it but forgive them I answer no doubt reparations are allowed and required and the Law and Civil Magistrat may be made use of for that end or â—n case the matter be betwixt Magistrats by a Civil War But in so far as concerns us in our privat stations I shall give you a few words for clearing the case And first when a man forgives an injury he is not always obliged to pass the damnage he may forgive the wicked disposition of any oppressor or cheater when he is not bound to forgo the loss he hath sustained partly because by the eighth Command he is bound to look to his own subsistence and so to recover his own for that end partly because the damnage belongs to the Civil Magistrat to see to and right or punish and therefore privat persons cannot forgive these Yet 2. in some cases we are not only bound to forgive the injury but the damnage also That is when a man may subsist without that which the injurer hath taken from him and the injurious person cannot without his own ruine make satisfaction or restitution in that case the Law of Charity though not strict Justice will plead for forgivenness in the matter of damnage And 3. Even when a man is to forgive the injury but not the damnage he is not to make reparation at his own hand he is not to walk out of Gods way to get the damnage repaired when he hath got a wrong he is not to do himself a wrong and God another wrong to right it And 4. In seeking reparation in the matter of damnage we would take heed that we be not scandalous The Apostle taxeth a fault in the Corinthians 1 Cor. 6.1 That they vexed their brethren in going to Law with them especially under Infidels and Heathen Judges There are many cases which may prove scandalous among Professors and this is one when in petty injuries which they should bury they vex one another in Law And 5. When a man goes to Law to seek reparation of a damnage it should not only be the last refuge as a Physitian when he cuts off a leg or an arm for the preservation of the life of the Patient but his seeking reparation must be so managed that it may bear witness to all that he seeks the good of hiâ— Party as well as his own 7 If it be asked How stands all this that hath been spoken of forgivenness with that of the Apostle 2 Tim. 4.14 Alexander the Copper-smith did me much evil the Lord reward him according to his works This if I might insist upon would lead me to speak to these imprecations in Scripture used against men that are not only injurious to others in private wrongs but are enemies and injurious to the work of the Gospel and imprecations vented by godly men led by an extraordinary spirit against them are not a pattern to be imitat by us only ye would know that a mans forgiving of wrongs doth not import that he is to call ill good a knave an honest man or that he is to assoil him at Gods Tribunal what-ever pardon he give the injurer is to answer to God for his interest 8 If ye ask How shall folk win to this sweet condescending humour to forgive injuries
them There is a fear of God as a plague and punishment and that 's the fear of Devils James 2.9 Thou believest there is one God thou dost well the devils also believe and tremble There is a servile and slavish fear which however it may be in a Child of God especially at his first Conversion while under the spirit of bondage yet it is much of the nature of that fear that is of God as a punishment of sin that tormenting fear the Apostle speaks of 1 Joh. 4.18 That perfect love casts out that fear that is not afraid of offending God but of punishments only is that which is in Devils and that fear that apprehends punishments not as they are separat from God the chief Good but as painful and grievous to a mans self is slavish and servile but right fear is when apprehensions of the Majesty Greatness and Goodness of God fills the heart with holy awe and reverence towards him and the Faith of his Greatness seasoned with the Faith of his Condescendency makes the soul afraid to offend him or lose his favour on any terms All that I shall say from this shall be to exhort and perswade you to get some stamp of this reverential fear on your heart that ye be not of them of whom it is said Psal 36.1 O dreadful Character The transgression of the wicked says within my heart there is no fear of God before his eyes consider and think upon this the fear of God is the only Antidote the only preservative against an evil course the fear of God will make a man that when it is in the power of his hands to do evil he dare not do it Gen. 42.18 Joseph when his brethren in ward are afraid of him says to them This do and live for I fear God I might soon cut you off and who would challenge me for so doing but I fear God Nâ—hem 5.15 He would not be burdensom to the people as the former Governours had been they were chargeable to the people but so did not I says he because of the fear of God among Heathens there may be many Motives to keep men from this and that ill but all will be like Samsons cords if the fear of God be wanting ponder Gen. 20.11 when Abimelech says to Abraham What sawest thou that thou hast done this thing Abrâ—ham answers because I thought surely the fear of God is not in this place and they will slay me for my wifes sake There is no protection for me here for I see no fear of God among this people what will men not be if a suitable Temptation come in their way if they want the fear of God and how calm will the fear of God make men that have it It will make a Lion a Lamb a Boar a Calf O how tractable will it make the wild humours of men to have a stamp of the fear of God and therefore I say it again seek for it that it may not be said of you such a mans or such a womans walk says within my heart There is no fear of God before their eyes A 2. Word from the words abstractly considered is That as fear is due to God so this fear is eminently to be exprest in the service and worship of God For that thou mayest be feared is not to be understood as that folk should make a Bogâ—e of God but that their fear of him should bring them to worship and serve him and that their worship and service should be seasoned with an holy awe and dread of God I might touch here on several things on the one hand among other Characters of base and servile fear this is one when it drives from God and his worship and service which was the result of Adam's fear after his fall Gen. 3.8 When he heard God's voice in the garden he was afraid and hid himself This was the Sinai fear at the giving of the Law Exod. 20.18 When the people saw the thundring and lightning and heard the noise of the Trumpet they removed and stood a-far off they went further away from God that is never right fear that makes a Scar-crow of God that is only right fear that chases in to him But on the other hand how should service and worship to God be loaded and ballanced with fear of God when Jacob had some intercourse with God in a vision Gen. 28.17 He was afraid and said how dreadful is this place this is none other but the House of God and this is the gate of Heaven If we speak of the service of God in general and would serve him acceptably it must be with reverential and godly fear Heb. 12.28 Not with presumption yea the greatest on Earth as they are commanded to kiss the Son lest he be angry and they perish from the way so they are bidden serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling Ps 2.11 and that King Dan. 6.26 could see that much though he came not a full length when he made a decree That in every dominion of his kingdom men should tremble and fear before the God of Daniel and for fear in duties of immediat worship such as ye are now about how is it pressed Psal 89.7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of his Saints and to be had in reverence of all that are about him and Psal 5.7 we will find those to be the two stilts so to speak that David walked on going to the publick Ordinances As for me I will go into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple The faith of Gods Mercy ballanced with Fear that it turn not in presumption and fear again under proped with Mercy that it degenerat not into despondency and there are many Considerations to press the seasoning and ballasting of the service and worship of God with fear whether partly we consider the Majesty of God compared with our baseness There are few folk that converse with God at Abraham's rate Gen. 18.27 Behold now says he I have taken upon me to speak to the Lord who am but dust and ashes and Solomon's rule Eccles 5.1 is keep thy foot when thou goes into the house of God and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools be not rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God for God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth therefore let thy words be few When there is a ladder betwixt Heaven and Earth such as Jacob had how dreadful a place should such a Sanctuary be Or whether partly we consider the Holiness and Purity of God compared with our Impurity This made Isaiah Isai 6.5 to say Wo is me I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and dwell among a people of polluted lips for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts And further the Consideration of the
a testimony of their reading of it what a monstruous neglect is it 2. Consider that it is a mean of God's Converse with us There is a double mean of intercourse and converse betwixt God and us on our part we converse with him by Prayer by sending up our beggar supplications to Him we traffick with Heaven by our necessities vented in Prayer to God upon the one hand and upon the other hand it is by these Scriptures that God corresponds visibly with us and sends messages to us Hence I infer and look to it That neglecters to converse with the Scripture not only obstruct God's intercourse and provocks him to give up correspondence with them in his Word nay his dwelling in them for Joh. 15.7 Speaking of his abiding in us and we in him he says If ye abide in me and my words in you he in stead of putting in his abiding puts in his words abiding in us because it is by his word he abides in us But I say it is to be feared that neglecters of converse with the Scripture not only obstruct God's correspondence with and dwelling in them but that they also cut short the converse on their side with Heaven by needy Prayer Let them never say that they are serious in Prayer that neglect to read the Scriptures though a man may read much that prays not for these are not reciprocal yet he can never be serious in prayer that reads none he must be a delighter in the Scripture that converses with God by prayer if then ye neglect reading ye not only obstruct Gods intercourse with you but yours with him And I shall add in the 3d. place there is not a more infallible mark of Grace and Regeneration nor to be much acquaint and conversant with the Scripture delighting therein and feeding thereon I shall not urge that natural Axiom iisdem nutrimur ex quibus constamus we are nourished of the same things we are made of but I shall give it you in Scripture terms Compare these two 1 Pet. 1.23 and 2.2 â—n the one passage it is said Ye are born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever In the other passage as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby If a man be begotten and born by the word he will desire the sincere milk of the Word that he may grow and be nourished by it and in this I may allude to that of David Psal 119.93 I will never forget thy precepts for with them thou hast quickened me A man that hath found the Word powerful pulling him from Nature to Grace from the power of Sathan to God will not forget it but must be conversant with it And I shall add in the fourth place as the frequent use of the Scripture is a blessed proof of Regeneration so it is an evidence of a tender man The untender man takes advice from any thing that may bring him pleasure advantage or preferment and accordingly steers his course but the tender man must have directions from the Word else he will not stir in any thing he far transcends these Grecians who being at their Sacrifice would not stir from it though the enemy approached and killed some and wounded others till they got some good signs and then they got up and went to it So the tender man in all his cases and difficulties will take his directions from the Bible and then he goes to it for his encouragements and hence Psal 1.2 The blest man is he who delights in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth meditat day and night He must not want his Bible what ever he want and that is a tender man who like David in a distress must encourage himself in the Lord his God 1 Sam. 30.6 or else he will not be encouraged There is a 5th thing that presses this duty of conversing with the Scripture and it is the thing in hand the godly man hath so many needs that he must not want the Bible to make up and supply them he is put to fend by Faith and Hope and Faith and Hope must not want the Scriptures the ground of both there is no pasture for Faith and Hope but the Scripture Therefore the godly man must be conversant with it he must have his all in God and must study to know the mind of God that he may please him in all things The godly man is called to live by Faith and must know what Faith hath to feed on and this puts him to converse with Scripture As I said before The Bible is the Charter of his Inheritance the Rule that he must walk by his Elder Brother's Testament the Compass he must steer his course by in storms his Magazine for weapons and furniture his Touch-stone that he must try all Duties and Comforts by in all these and many mo he hath need of the Bible and therefore if his grace be in exercise he must be much conversant with it I shall not fall on any of the other Heads but exhort you while ye have the light to walk in the light and while ye walk in the light make use of the Bible let this Word not be sown in the wind but let it be as a good and a nail fastened by the Masters of Assemblies Acquaint your selves with the Bible through and through read it and depend on God for the blessing delight in it meditatâ—on it hereby ye shall evidence your esteem of it as most excellent above all other Books Hereby ye shall evidence your esteem of and converse with God your Regeneration and walk with God that ye dwell in God and have your all in him and that ye rest on what he has spoken in the Scriptures for making up all your wants God bless his Word to you for Christs sake SERMON XXVII Psalm 130. Verse 5. And in his Word do I hope WAiting for God being as ye have heard it the excellent yet difficult and trying task of the Saints surely they stand in great need to be well beam-fiâ—led and stocked that would engage in such an undertaking lest they weary of waiting on God and row to some other shore and this is it that the Psalmist here is from his own experience and practice directing us in after that he hath in the first place asserted his waiting and next his waiting for the Lord. And 3. That his waiting is not degenerat in a careless indifferency and stupidity but however he did cast out bitterness haste and fretfulness out of his waiting yet it did not cool his affection was not blunted for his soul did wait after that I say he proceeds to give an account of his support in waiting my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope he tells that it was Faith and hope that enabled and supported him to wait for God Ye may remember that the first
ordinary addresses to God yet when they have peculiar occasions of prayer put in their hands do not double their diligence in that duty O! but difficulties growing and diligence in Prayer not out-growing them when eminent difficulties put not folk to double their diligence in prayer what wonder they get a sad account of them and that their neglect of prayer obscure the evidences of their being Israelites indeed But 3. Consider that this prayer of Jacob's when he gets the Name of Israel as it was an occasional Prayer so it was a secret prayer it is when verse 23. he has sent all that he had over the brook verse 24. he is left alone and there are none with him that he wrestles with the Angel till the dawning of the day that is like an Israelite indeed and like an Israelite that hath very clear ground of hope when whatever be betwixt God and them in publick or in the view of others they have ay somewhat to lisp to God in secret some counsel is betwixt God and them they have somewhat to say to him and seek of him to which they would not willingly have others witness that is an Israelite indeed whose inside is best whose secret diligence is that wherein he meets with most of God who loves to retire himself out of the croud of publick worshippers to mutter somewhat in his Fathers bosom look to it what conscience ye make of secret prayer some have no occasion of prayer but that which is secret other some beside secret have the burden of publick prayer and ye know how it lies in the mire totally neglected in the Family and when ye put God out of the family what wonder ye get worse company But ye who are about Family Prayer consider how it goes with you in secret Prayer think with your selves here it is that I am put to the Test here I must give an account if I be an Israelite indeed when I want the wind of applause when I have no observer but God and am without fear of censure now I am to look to what is under my tongue diligence in secret prayer is the character of an Israelite indeed who hath ground to hope in God But 4. If ye consider these prayers of Jacob's ye will find that it is a very humble prayer O! but he is very humble when he begins and when he comes away from prayer The Preface verse 10. is Lord I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies The Original as it is in the Margin emphatically reads it I am less than the least of all thy mercies and all the truth which thou hast shewed to thy Servant O! but there was an humble man the least of all the mercies that had been droped on him so bulks with him that he is less than the least of them Was not that a fit man if I may speak of the fitness of sinful dust to speak to God yea as he began humble so he comes off humble though he wrestled fervently and would not let the Angel of the Covenant go till he blest them yet he came off halting he gets an humbling halt in his wrestling that made him lame all his days and why even to teach us that the most eminent and near access that true Israelites gets to God puts them and keeps them in the dust look to it puffed up persons that do not that cannot be at a low sail I shall not determine on your Grace but sure it is not like an Israelite indeed and consequently it is not like them that have eminent ground of hope the humble Supplicant is the Israelite indeed And I shall add 5th when Jacob got the Name of Israel he is not only praying but he is very fervent in prayer he is wrestling in prayer it is so called Gen. 32.24 And he so wrestled with the Angel that he would not let him go till he blessed him verse 26. And that 's another blâ—st Character of a blest Supplicant that is an Israelite indeed when his Supplication is fervent ye have a remarkable word to this purpose Jam. 5.16 where encouraging folk to pray one for another he says The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man avails much an Israelite and lukewarm prayer an Israelite and coldrife prayer agree ill an Israelite put to his prayers for the blessing for his hopes that hath all lying on his prayers as ye talk of them that have their fortune lying on their sword so hath the Israelite indeed all lying on his prayers he hath nothing but from the hand to the mouth till he get it by Prayer he is like Israel in the wilderness whose Manna must come down from Heaven else he will starve for such an one not to be fervent in prayer O what a Solecism iâ— it But 6. These prayers of Jacob's on the account whereof he got the Name of Israel were not only fervent but penitential he is said as a prince to have power with God verse 28. And Hos 3.4 He had power with God and he had power with the Angel and prevailed and how He weeped and made supplication to him he grat upon the Angâ—l ill he came speed and he wept not only fervently but penitentially ye know how Jâ—shua ch 7. wrestled and came no speed because Israel had sinned and had not repented of it till the accursed thing was taken from among them Ye know how Judg 10. Israel cry for help God will not hear them till they repent and put away the strange gods from among them Levit. 26 40. It 's when they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers and that they have walked contrary unto him and when their uncircumcised hearts were humbled and they accept of the punishment of their iniquity that God remembers his Covenant There are many Prayers seem fervent like which considering the pressures folks are under are but tint Prayers not Israelites Prayers because they are not penitent we lay our Thumb upon our guilt in Prayer and till guilt be taken with and repented of God will not hear But 7. This Prayer of Jacob's wherein he got the name of Israel was a fiducial Prayer he began to pray vers 9. by reflecting on the command God gave him to return to his Countrey and to his kindred and he would deal well with him and therefore he was sure God would protect him And Hos 12.4 He deals with the Angel of the Covenant And though all the Characters named before were in a person if this one be wanting it will not make up the Israelite indeed who hath ground of hope to come speed with God Time hath exceedingly preâ—ented me but I hope not to ill purpose I shall reverence providence in it Ye have heard much how ye will be put to it to hope in God and how it 's the allowance of Israel and I have letten you see how ye may be Israelites to hope in God