Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David Beloved Gods truth is the richest Jewel of his Crown and he hath laid this Jewel to pawn in the Covenant he hath promised he hath sworn it he will be our God eternally Though it is true we forseit the mercy of the Covenant yet God will not break the truth of the Covenant Psal 89. 28. My Covenant shall stand fast The earth does not alwayes stand fast that is shaken and removed as in some Earth-quakes Oh but faith God My Covenant shall stand fast Mat. 2. 16. The God of Israel faith that he hates putting away God that would not have other men put away their Wives do you think he will divorce his own Spouse the Lord hates putting away Here is seeds of comfort in dissertion Secondly In dissertion in a Spiritual Agony why now grace is a seed of comfort the tree may be without blossom and without fruit but still it is alive there is sap in the root of the tree there may be vital sap and grace in the heart though fruit of joy and assurance be not seen But a disserted soul will ask me this question when grace appears now in an hour of dissertion to be a seed of Joy and a seed of comfort I answer First The Soul mourns for Gods absence that shews grace It is a sign love is in thy heart else thou wouldest not Mourn for Gods absence When the Sun is gone the dew falls when God withdraws from the Soul why then the dew of tears that drops from the eye David felt this mourning lamenting Gods absence that is a sign of grace in the heart Secondly When the Lord hath left thee in dissertion a Christian hath quite loft his taste to all worldly comforts like one in a Fever every thing tastes bitter he takes content in nothing so long as he cannot enjoy God As Job speaks I may elude to it I went mourning without the Sun so a poor disserted Christian I go mourning up and down without the Sun God gives me some Star-light some worldly comfort what is all this still in a night of dissertion I went mourning without the Sun I cannot see Christs face the Son of Righteousness doth not sbine Is not this a seed of grace the Soul hath lost its taste to all worldly comfort he cannot taste the sweetness in Friends and estate as he could do 2 Sam. 14. 32. Saith Absolon Let me see the Kings face Oh nothing will satisfie a poor disserted Soul but to see the King of Heavens face to see Gods smiling countenance why this shewes that the Soul is deeply in love with God and ready to faint away for him this grace is a seed of comfort in an hour of dissertion thus you see light is sown for the Righteous Both outward troubles persecutions inward agonies dissertions thus you see light is sown for the Righteous seeds of comfort is still left in that Soul Let me now come to make some Application and the Lord give a blessing to it Three several inferences I shall draw from this Doctrine 1. See then from hence my Brethren the super-abundant goodness of the Lord to his people in the midst of all their sorrow and sufferings still he preserves a seed of comfort for them light is sown for the Righteous God does chequer his work with troubles he does intermix comfort like a Limner who mingles bright colours with dark shadows I may elude to that Scripture Zac. 14. 7. I do but elude to it It shall not be day nor night Neither day nor night the people of God they have some afflictions so that it is not day yet they have some seed of comfort in their Souls so that it is not night light is sown for them The condition of believers in this world is never so bad but they may spie mercy in it they may see some light they may behold a Rainbow in the black cloud Psal 148. 7. Though I walk in the borders of trouble thou wilt revive me Joseph was in prison there he was in affliction but the Lord was with Joseph there was a seed of comfort Paul had a thorn in the flesh there was his trouble but God said to him My grace shall be sufficient for thee there was a seed of comfort In the Ark there was laid up the Rod and Manna together truly in this life Gods people Gods suffering people with the Rod taste some Manna Oh the goodness of God that never brings his people so low but still reserves seeds of comfort for them that they may not murm ure but rather praise him in their worst condition that is the first inference Secondly If it be Gods work and his great design to sow seeds of comforts for the Righteous than what will we think of those who are sowing seeds of sorrow for the Righeous Surely these act directly against God there is a woe belongs to them that make the heart of the Righteous sad whom God will not have made sad Ezek. 13. 22. God is sowing light for his people and these men are laying snares for them God is powering in Wine and Oyl into his peoples wounds and they powre in Vinegar these act directly contrary to God who still would preserve seeds of comfort for the Saints We read in Scripture of Gods Bottle of his Bag of Gods Bottle Psal 56. 8. and of his Bag Job 14. 17. The Lord will put the tears of his Saints in his bottle and he will seal up the sins of the wicked in his bag such as afflict the righteous they strike at Christ through his Members sides let them take heed God is making his Bow and Arrows ready to shoot Psal 7. 13. The Lord ordains his Arrows against the Persecutors Never did any persecutor thrive on that trade but were broken at last Domanter and others ran mad and poysoned themseves If there be either Justice in Heaven or Fire in Hell Persecutors shall never go unpunished That is the second Thirdly See here the difference between the wicked and the godly Oh here is a great difference the godly in all their sorrows have seeds of comfort sown for them The wicked in all their comfort have seeds of sorrow sown for them What are those seeds of forrow that are sown for the wicked they are the threatnings of God Here be seeds of sorrow so long as the wicked and those seeds will come up Psal 68. 21. God shall wound the head of his enemies and the hairy scalp of such an one that goeth on in trespasses Why this threatning is a seed of sorrow sown for the wicked Oh it is a dreadful thing to be in the number of the wicked to be of the Devils black-guard the sinner he lives every day in fear of arresting there remains for him saith the Apoftle a fearful looking for a Judgment and fiery indignation Heb. 10. 27. A wicked man when he dies he drops into the grave
is this The mercies of God in Christ that is a seed of comfort The mercy of God in Christ What cannot mercy do for a poor Nation Mercy can throw forth a plank to us when we are drowning The Sun is not so full of light as God is full of love Mercy it is that which pleaseth God Mica 7. 18. Mercy pleaseth thee Why may we not hope that the Lord will do that which is so pleasing to him that which is his recreation to shew mercy Malice pleaseth the Wicked but Mercy pleaseth God Justice is called Gods strange work Isa 28. 21. A strange work As if the Lord were not used to it We shall observe in the Scripture when the Lord is going to shave off the pride of a people he is said to hire the very Razor Isa 7. 20. As if he had none of his own he was fain to hire one When God executeth justice upon a people he is said to come forth from his place to punish Isa 26. 21. The Bee doth naturally give honey it stings only when it is provoked God doth naturally shew mercy Mercy my brethren it is Gods darling attribute that he delights most of all to magnifie Why methinks this is a seed of comfort for England Why may not mercy give the casting voice to save this Nation Isa 63. 9. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them In his love and pity Mercy does more overflow in God than sin can in us or we could never be pardoned Oh but you will say we are not a people that are fit for mercy what should we do with mercy that have so abused and so provoked it why to this I say mercy hath healing in its wings It can as well give a Nation repentance as deliverance It can as well prepare us for mercy as bestow mercy Mercy hath healing in its wings why that is a seed of comfort The third seed of comfort for the Land is this That Spirit of Prayer that is yet kept up among Gods people Prayer ushers in deliverance It is the Midwife that helps to deliver the Church when she is in pangs Joel 2. 32. whosoever shill call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved The sparkling walls were their spear walls and the Bulwark of a Land is Prayer Prayer it is a seed that is sown in the ears of God Nay in the heart of God Prayer commands God Isa 45. 11. Concerning the work of my hands command ye me That is by Prayer Jacob's Prayer held God it held him fast Gen. 32. 26. I will not let thee go except thou bless me I but pray observe observe Moses Prayer seems to have more force and power in it than Jacobs Prayer had Exod. 32. 10. Saith God to Moses Let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them And Moses sought the Lord and the Lord repented of the evil Pray observe Jacobs Prayer prevailed with God when God had a mind to shew mercy But Moses Prayer prevailed with God when God was angry so that to speak with reverence whether God be angry or whether God be pleased Prayer why that prevails with him this is a seed of comfort for this poor Nation There are many that every day besiege Heaven with Prayer sends up whole volleys of sighs and groans to Heaven Psal 106. 23. Therefore he said he would destroy them Had not Moses his servant stood in the breach to turn away his wrath from them Prayer hath influence upon the Almighty Prayer finds God free but leaves him bound especially Christ praying our prayers over again and sprinkling them with his bloud makes them go up as sweet incense to Heaven so that these are seeds of comforts for this poor dying Nation Light is sown for England Bat here I must insert a caution and I beseech you to observe Though there be some light sown for them yet take this caution Expect an hour of darkness It is usually dark before morning Things are like to be worse with us before they are better you know the seed dies in the ground before it springs up Things seem to be in a dying condition the seed is dying in the ground e're light comes expect some darkness It is Gods usual method he ushers in deliverance by great afflictions he prepares for deliverance by afflictions he brings his people into the Wilderness and then he speaks comfortably unto them Hos 2. 14. Shall I give you some Scripture instances There will be some darkness before light do spring up some Scripture instances to clear it up God gave David a promise of a Kingdom David shall wear the Crown I but before that David must fly for his life he must be hunted as a Partridge upon the Mountains and afterwards then he shall wear his Crown Abraham he had the promise of a numerous Progeny as the Stars of Heaven but before that his Wives womb must be barren Moses he was to work deliverance for Israel he was to be their temporal Saviour before his hand wrought any Miracles his hand must be Leprous Christ he was to come into the World there was the great Light of the World I but before that Light came it was an hour of darkness to the Church of God Isa 9. 2. Those that dwell in the shadow of death to them hath the Light shined Before Gospel-deliverance you must expect some sore pangs and the reason of it is this here is the reason Because God hath a great deal of work yet to do there is much rubbish to be removed before Gods spiritual Temple will be built sins must be brought lower Superstition must be purg'd away the Devil must be cast out and will not this think you cause great commotion in the Church and Convulsion fits before light springs up Therefore look for an hour of darkness But you will say to me if it be so then what shall we do in this hour of darkness how shall we behave our selves till this Light doth spring up to the Church Let us do these three or four things when it is an hour of darkness 1. Let us get into our Chambers there our great work it lies between God and our own souls go into your Chambers Isa 26. 20. Come my people enter thou into thy Chamber hide thy self What Chamber you will say must we go into First Let us go into the Chamber of our own hearts by meditation and by Self-examination Let us see how the case stands between God and our own Souls let us prove our selves whether we are in the Faith let us be clearing our evidences every day let us bring our graces to the touch-stone let us never leave till we have found out we have a Covenant-interest with God When things are dark without it is good that all should be clear within that is one Chamber we should go to our own hearts Secondly Let us go into the Chamber of Divine promises and as it were lock up
our selves with God in these Chambers Oh the sweet promises that we should now go unto and fly unto as a refuge God hath promised He will never leave us nor forsake us If you do not leave God he will not leave you God hath promised He will be our Sun and our shield Psal 84. 11. In troublesome times he will be our shield to defend us he will be our Sun to enlighten us and comfort us Let us hide ourselves by Faith in these Chambers by the Promises That is the first work If an hour of Darkness be go unto your Chambers Thirdly Having done this Let us commit our selves to God and trust our selves upon his Providence Psalm 45. 5. Commit thy way unto the Lord. Commit thy way to the Lord. In the Hebrew it is Root thy way upon the Lord. Christians let us not be too sollicitous about issues and events of things cast your burthen upon the Lord. So far as care is a duty take it upon your selves but so far as care is a burthen cast it upon God Again having done this got into our Chambers and rooted our wayes upon the Lord trusting the issues of things with him why then in this hour of darkness oh wait with patience till Light springs up to the Church that is the great work that now God calls to his people for wait with patience do not murmur but wait do not wait through unbelief do not fret through impatience but wait till Light springs up It shall spring up in Gods due season All the enemies of the Church shall not hinder Light springing up Deliverance is coming when Gods time is come We read that when Christ was to rise out of the Grave though there were a stone upon the door of the Sepulchre the Angel rowled away that stone and Christ did arise gloriously This seems methinks to be the time of the Churches Burial and there seems to be a stone rowling over the Grave but when the time of her Resurrection is come God himself will rowl away the stone from the Sepulchre Cant. 2. 8. It is spoken of Christ Behold he comes leaping upon the Mountains skipping upon the Hills My brethren either Jesus Christ will remove the Mountains or he will come leaping over them he will deliver his people and till then let us wait And that we may get into a waiting posture consider these two or three things and so I have done First Our betters have waited the Patriarchs of old they waited till mercy and light did spring up Why you know Moses he waited and Abraham he waited and Jacob he waited Gen. 49. 18. Saith Jacob I have waited for thy Salvation O Lord. The people of Israel they waited four hundred years for deliverance and if they waited four hundred years cannot we wait a few hours Secondly Wait till Light springs up for the Church consider we have a full God to wait upon a Beggar is content to wait at a rich mans door there is something still coming God hath treasures of mercy lying by he hath more blessings to give than one we have a full God to wait upon and shall not we wait he Lord is not a sealed sountain but he is a flowing fountain Thirdly The mercies we are in expectation of they are worthy waiting for the mercies we have prayed for and are in expectation of they are worthy waiting for to see the golden Fleet of Prayer coming home with rich return is not that worth waiting for To see the Lilly and the Rose united I mean Truth and Peace To see wickedness discountenanced and all its forces disbanded To see the beauty of Holiness shining in our Christal To see Jesus Christ riding in Triumph in the Chariots of his Gospel Administration To see Righteousuess exalted and like the Wings of a Dove covered with Silver Fourthly Wait till Light springs up to the Church consider this the glorious Promises that are made to waiters Isa 30. 18. Blessed are all they that wait for him A waiting condition is a blessed condition Isa 49. 23. They shall not be ashamed that wait for him We account a mans Bond a very good Security Those promises they are Gods bonds and they have a double Seal set to them the oath of God and the bloud of God therefore let us wait patiently let us wait chearfully till Light doth spring up and flourish unto a Harvest Deliverance FINIS