Holiness and Jealousie of God that he will not be affronted in the matter of his service and worship it calls for Fear and reverence it is a strong Argument used by the Apostle to press us to serve God with Reverence and with Godly Fear Heb. 12.29 For our God says he is a consuming fire and that which Moses said to Aaron when his two Sons were slain burnt up with fire which went out from the Lord for offering strange fire before him This is the thing which the Lord spake saying I will be sanctified in them that come near me and before all the people I will be glorified I will either be honoured by them or I will be honoured upon them that draw near me and take my Name in vain Well then have ye any thing of this Fear of God will ye kythe it by your serving him Mal. 1.6 A son honoureth his father and a servant his master if he be a Father where is his honour and if a Master where is his fear stand ye in awe of God that do misken him all your time do ye fear him that never take a spare hour to pay homage to him that will not bow a knee to him But I shall add the service that ye pay to God I pray you look how it is ballast with fear that it turn not in presumption and if ye have need of an intimation of Mercy to correct your fear that it degener not in despondency Ye come to God's House to Worship him but how few of you when ye come here have said How dreadful is this place would ye have your Character take it from Jude verse 12. These are spots in your feasts of charity when they feast with you feeding themselves without fear ye come before God ye join in the publick Exercises of Gods Worship but without any impression of the fear of God more than if all we did while we are together had no relation to him O be ashamed that the fear and awe of God doth so little ballast and season your service and worship But in the 2. place we come to take a look of this purpose with an eye to the Scope There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared says the Psalmist then the fear of God more tender walking being more frequent and serious in duty to God more reverence of his service it is the kindly product of a heart that hath on right terms closed with Christ in pardoning mercy a fear to offend God a reverential fear in his Worship and service And hence I shall lay these few particulars before you and close 1. Which is the main thing in the Scope come and try by this if ye have been closing a-right with pardoning mercy see what is the consequence of it and that will tell you Are ye closing with pardoning Mercy to make your boast of it that ye may sin on and sleep more securely That is all the Dream that some have in their head of God's goodness and mercy in pardoning sin to take in a new Swack but thou that does so turns the Grace of God unto lasciviousness and offers a contempt to pardoning Mercy which the Gracious God will not brook But O! here is the blessed Fruit of pardoning Mercy to be more tender in thy walk more afraid of sin more diligent in Duty the further God is pleased to put thee in his bosom the greater distance thou keeps with what may provock him the more freely he forgive thee the more thou delights to be active in his service find many Scriptures that gives an account of the overcoming goodness of God towards ingenuous Souls not only that Psal 85.8 He will speak peace to his people and to his saints but let them noâ—â—urn again to folly but that of Hos 3.5 The goodness of God the Object of their Faith makes them fear him and his goodness and that of David 2 Sam. 7.27 Who when he gets a promise of building him a House the kindness of God sets him on fire as it were and puts wings to his Prayer Thou O Lord of hosts God of Israel hast revealed to thy servant saying I will build thee an house therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee and Hezekiah Isai 38 15. When the Lord had spoken of his delivery he will not wax wanton but he will walk softly all the fifteen years added unto his dayes in the bitterness of his soul and when the Lord falls in upon Ephraim with sweet converting Grace and turns him Jer. 31.19 after he is turned he repents after he is instructed he smites on his thigh he is ashamed yea even confounded because he hath born the reproach of his youth see to it ye that grip to pardoning Mercy and lay claim to it I am so far from envying you that I say the Lord say so too But O! let it be seen in your tenderness in your reverential fear and awe of God in the constraining power that the love of Christ hath on you if ye believe that he died for you will not his love constrain you to lâ—ve to him 2 Cor. 5.14 And ye that are tender will ye not be afraid that that kindness of God ye lay claim to is either a lie in your right hand that produces not somewhat like this or that ye are in a plagued condition that the goodness and kindness of God works not upon you 2. If pardoning Mercy be let out that God may be feared it puts me in capacity to answer the Cavillations of the profane they live in the contempt of holiness they have a prejudice at it they see no form nor beauty in it wherefore they should desire it What shall they get if they turn fearers of God They see no advantage by it but loss But shall I say to thee if thou looked rightly on it thou would be ashamed to owne any such Cavillation Piety has no enemy but an ignorant there is none that ever knew Piety that would give it the Character thou gives it if pardoning Mercy work up a love to holiness in men and make them to fear him thou that has a prejudice at holiness evidences that thou art not a partaker of it and why would thou tell all the World that thou knows not what this pardoning Mercy means thy contempt of holiness proclaims that all thy iniquities are bound upon thy back If ever thou had layen at Gods Foot stool and been lift up with pardoning Mercy saying to thee Son or daughter be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee it would put an edge upon thee to pursue after holiness and therefore let me intreat you who are profane and entertain a prejudice at holiness not to publish your own shame and by your contempt of the fear of God and his service to declare ye are yet without the pardoning Mercy of God But from this ye shall take a 3. word If closing with
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
Lords mercies that they are not consumed because his compassions fails not And David sings Psal 23.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life It is an everlasting and eternal mercy There is a 5th property I intended to have spoken to and that is the fulness and riches of this mercy but because I am to speak a little more to that I shall leave it and the Use of the whole Doctrine to the afternoon God bless his word unto you SERMON XL. Psalm 130. Verse 7. For with the Lord there is mercy c. WHen some time is spent in speaking of the Mercy of God we are very far from sowing pillows to the Armholes or from making Kercheffs to the heads of the secure although I confess many do break their necks upon this blessed refuge of God's mercy and it will be their double condemnation that the mercy and goodness of God that should have led them to repentance was an occasion of their hardning in mischief Consider but the Scriptures design in speaking of that mercy that is with God that it is partly to leave Rebels and Wanderers without excuse when mercy is in their offer and they will have none of it And partly and especially to be the great cordial of the miserable man who when he is under all pressures that are ready to sink him hath this for his refuge that with God there is mercy as in Psal 13. who when he is troubled with soul-perplexities and desertion with apprehensions of being cut off and that his enemies should insult over him hath this for his cordial vers 5. But I have trusted in thy mercy and the sweet result of that is added My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation and vers 6. I will sing unto the Lord because he hath dealt bountifully with me that will be the sweet issue of the misterful mans trusting in Gods mercy Now ye have heard somewhat of the nature of this mercy in general somewhat of the peculiar objects of it and under what names and notions mercy is holden out and ensured to the godly man I have also spoken somewhat of the properties of this mercy that it is a real mercy that wherein God delights and that it is free and eternal and before I come to the use I am to speak a little to the fifth A 5th property then of mercy with God is that it is a rich full and infinite mercy a mercy to reach all the miseries and needs of his people as to the riches and fulness of his mercy the Scripture very plenteously speaks of it it is said of God that he is rich in mercy Eph. 2.4 He is said to be plentiful in mercy and full of compassion Psal 86.5 His mercies are manifold mercies Neh. 9.19 So they are called great mercies Neh. 9.31 Psal 119.156 Isa 54 7. And Dan. 9.18 It 's great mercy that Ushers in a supplication we do not present our supplications before thee for our own righteousness but for thy great mercies It is said further that he hath not only tender mercies that are very compassionat and condescending but he hath a multitude of tender mercies Psal 51.1 Psal 69.16 He is said to have abundant mercies in that 1 Pet. 1.3 He hath mercies in such abundance that they are infinitly above the mercies of man when David had it in his choice whether he would have three years famine or three moneths fleeing before the enemy or three days pestilence 2 Sam. 24.14 Let us now fall saih he into the hand of the Lord for his mercies are great and let us not fall into the hand of man And to add no more it is said of Gods mercies Psal 103.4 That he crowns us with his tender mercies c. That is partly he surrounds his people with proofs of love on every hand as a Crown compasseth the head that they cannot turn them about but mercy compasseth them about as with a shield as it is Psal 5.12 And partly his mercies put respect and honour on his people as if they set a Crown on every Saints head and made them Kings and Priests unto God as David says Psal 18.35 Thy gentleness hath made me great Thus I have let you see how copiously the Scripture speaks of the fulness and richness of this mercy and that I may let you see it in some particular evidences and instances consider 1. That the mercy of God toward his people is a mercy to pity them when no eye pities them when they are the object of contempt and abhorrency as Ezek. 16 when they are cast out into the open field lying polluted in their blood having no eye to pity them then it is a time of love and he saith to them Live and he spreads his skirt over them that is rich mercy to take the refuse of the earth and make them the objects of his special mercy 2. His mercy is full and rich in giving a vent to it self even when he is letting out severity his mercy manifests it self even when he lifts up his hand and is striking in inviting them whom he strikes to turn that they die not as Job 10. when he is destroying him as he apprehended after he hath enumerat some common providences about him he says vers 13. These things thou hast hid in thy heart I know that this is with thee I know there is some other thing in thy heart than what I can read in thy dealing 3. The riches and fulness of this mercy appears in pitying and passing by the peevishness and waywardness of his people especially when they take with it and be moan it in that they have been as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke Isai 57.17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on in the way of his heart and what follows I have seen his way and will heal him and will restore comfort unto him and to his mourners I am God and not man I am a merciful God I 'le misken my petted people and heal them I 'le not prosecute this quarrel 4. The riches and fulness of his mercy appears in his fetching an Argument from his stroaks to pity his people a stroak extorted out of his hand to pity his people a stroak inflicted in justice mercy will make it an Argument to pity the afflicted Jer. 31.20 Is Ephraim my dear son Is he a pleasant child For since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still my chiding and contending with him hath wakened my bowels towards him I will surely have mercy on him 5. The fulness and riches of this mercy appears in this that he considers tenderly the consequences of his pleading if he quarrel with them mercy tells him he may soon get the victory but that will lose him his people therefore he will forbear Isai 57.16 I will not contend for ever nor will I be always
hopelesness in thy condition runs away from God take heed what thou dost thou looks on thy case as incurable and what will thou do with it If thou run away where will thou go next Thy case must either break thee or thou will grow stupid under it and besides if thou run away thou reproaches the mercy of God so far as thou can while thou runs from him with any condition how desperat and irrecoverable so ever and will thou bring up an ill report on his mercy as if there were no cure in it for thy case When thou should rather sing as David Psal 13.5 In opposition to every hopeless like case But I have trusted in thy mercy my heart shall rejoyce in thy salvation O then take heed that thou reproach not nor bring not up an ill report on this rich full mercy in God by running from it whatever thy condition be 3. Come here all ye that are making mercy your refuge under all your pressures miseries troubles temptations desertion or whatever ail you that know no other door to knock at but mercy in God ye have no song but that one which David had Psal 13. before cited and that I can never often enough repeat though God seem to forget him for ever and hide his face for ever from him though when he takes counsel in his soul he hath sorrow in his heart daily though his enemies had exalted themselves and said they had prevailed over him and reâ—oyced and the sleep of death seems to approach he hath nothing to all that But I have trusted in thy mercy Take a look how richly thou art made up that trusts in this mercy Remember the song that follows in that Psalm â—nd thou will not find it an heartless shift My heart says â—e shall rejoice in thy salvation I will sing to the Lord because â—e hath dealt bountifully with me And the Psalmist sings Psal 31.7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy Why For thou hast considered my trouble thou hast known my soul in adversity I got acquaintance with thee in adversity which otherwise I had not been capable of therefore I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy and consider that sweet song Psal 136.23 Who remembred us in our low estate Why for his mercy endureth for ever or as Hezekiah hath it Isai 38.27 He loved my soul from the pit of corruption That is the word in the Original His love and mercy have an Adamantine vertue to draw a soul out of the pit of corruption when he remembers us in our low estate consider thou that hast made mercy thy refuge how sweetly it can kep a deep distress Psal 69.15 Let not the water flood overflow me hear me O Lord for thy loving kindness is good turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies And Psal 86.14 O God the proud are risen up against me and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul but thou O Lord art a God full of compassion gracious long suffering and plenteous in mercy and truth O turn unto me and have mercy on me Consider what a good account of very hopeless tryals mercy will give Jam. 5.11 Ye have heard of Jobs patience and have seen the end of the Lord and what was the end of the Lord even this That the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy O but they are sad difficulties which tender mercy and pity in God will not afford relief unto and therefore think not your self in a poor plight who have mercy for your refuge who have no song to sing But I have trusted c. 4. When ye have closed with and are made up by this mercy look how ye improve it and do not abuse it I confess the want of the faith of mercy in a strait is an estranging thing Zech. 11.8 My soul loathed them and their soul also abhorred me but when thou grips to mercy see what influence it hath on thy heart for warming it for putting it in a sweet and tender frame on thy part may I say it I defie folk to abuse mercy taken by the right handle O the alluring melting constraining perswading power that is in mercy rightly closed with and O that folk could win to this gate of making use of mercy Rom. 11.1 The Apostle in pressing holiness saith I beseech you brethren by the mercy of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice c. And I may allude to that Phil. 2.1 If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowels of mercy fulfil ye my joy If folk knew what overcoming mercy means they would let it be seen in a tender walk Thou talks of mercy yet thou art not overcome with it thou art not melted nor made more tender by it what a cheater of thy self and abuser of mercy art thou Remember the abuse of outward mercies will make a sad dittay Ezra 9. If after all these we break his commands But ah what shall be said when folk pretend to special mercy and abuse it But 5. Among other Uses that ought to be made of believed and closed with mercy this is one That we learn to be merciful Luke 6.36 We must be merciful as is our heavenly Father even in loving enemies c. Ye heard in the morning from Mat. 5.7 That it is the merciful that obtain mercy And that Parable of the man that had much forgiven him and would not forgive his fellow servant but cast him in prison Mat. 18.23 It was a sad evidence that he was not pardoned himself In a word thou who art much in mercies common it will make thee of a merciful meek temper which is that pressed Tit. 3.2 That we should speak evil of no man be no brawlers c. but gentle shewing meekness to all men seeing we our selves were sometime disobedient deceived serving divers lusts But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost A boisterous malitious unmerciful temper in any is but a poor Evidence that such live under the drop of the multitude of the tender mercies that are with God But the time being ended I leave this great Point and you to the rich blessing of this merciful God To whom be glory SERMON XLI Psalm 130. Verse 7 For with the Lord there is mercy THe Songs of the people of God while they are within time are made up of very mixed Notes yet in this they are sweet that their over-word or last word is still the best of it Poor and needy are they and may they be yet they are thought upon by God Troubled they may be but not distrest perplext but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken cast down but
is forgivenness with God and this is it in the Text for verse 3. he sayeth If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquity Who can stand But verse 4. Forgivenness is with thee That is it ye have Mat. 9.2 Son be of good chear thy sins be forgiven thee Now for this Pardon the nature of it and the terms upon which it is attained it will come in in the own proper place to be spoken to Here I am upon consideration of the thing remitted and that that I shall pitch upon is That there is a remission of sin attainable by sinners in the due order It 's a blessed Article of our Creed the remission of sins When I spoke of the remission of sin I spoke of the remission of all sins great and small in their nature and number There is forgivenness with God for iniquities I confess there is an exception made Math. 12.31 32. All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven Heb. 10.26 They that sin afer they have received the knowledge ef the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin And 1 John 5.1 There is a sin unto death But the sin against the holy Ghost needs not trouble the sensible sinner that would fain have pardon It is true it should warn all to beware of malicious sinning against light and having sinned to beware of running away from God but the sensible sinner that is seeking peace and pardon needs not to be afraid of it That sin is therefore irremissible because the sinner comes not to seek pardon but if thou hast the sense of sin and if it be thy desire and endeavour to repent and to have pardon it is an evidence that thy sin is not that unpardonable sin But that I may make something of this I shall deduce it in two or three Branches The first whereof shal be 1. That small sins need Pardon 2. That gross sins are Pardonable 3. A word to the consideration of the persons whose sins are pardonable 1. The smallest of sins needs a pardon we are not as Papists would charge us Stoicks who affect a parity and equality of all sins we grant there are different degrees of sins and different degrees of punishment A beating with many stripes and a beating with few stripes Luke 12.47 48. But yet when we assert this difference we dare not with them assert venial sins that deserves not everlasting Wrath without repentance and fleeing to Christ for refuge sure the Apostle tells us Rom 6.23 The wages of sin is death What death look to the opposition and it will clear it but the gift of God is eternal life if the Gift of God be eternal life the wages of sin must be eternal death that he sayes it of sin indefinitly it 's equivalent to an universal the wages of sin is death so that they must take away the nature of sin from these sins they call Venial or grant the wages thereof is death and likewise Mat. 12.36 Christ tells that Every idle word that men speak they shall give account thereof in the day of Judgment And an idle word might seem a small sin well then if the smallest sin needs a pardon look that we do not practically make a distinction of mortal and venial sins even gross men if they fall into gross out-breakings it will affect them somewhat when they do not heed their ordinary escapes Godly persons also are culpable here a scandalous sin will affect them and so it should but how little are they affected with wanderings of mind in holy duties idle words and thoughts habitual distance from God and is not that a practical distinguishing of sin It is true none can in repentance distinctly overtake all their failings for Psal 19.12 Who can understand his errors Yet we ought to do what we can to overtake them and if we cannot overtake them be at Gods Foot-stool with them mourning over them in the bulk But 2. as the smallest of sins needs a pardon so the â—rossest of sins are pardonable in the due order There is forgivenness with him for iniquities as in the Text and Isai 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will aboundantly pardon He will pardon greatest sins in their nature and kind and hence David saith Psal 25.11 Pardon mine iniquity for it is great And Isai 1.18 The Lord sayes Come now and let us reason together though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow though they be red as crimson they shall be as wool And these great sins are pardonable in the due order whether they be done in ignorance as Paul's persecution was 1 Tim. 1.13 I was a blasphemer a persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief Or whether they be committed through the power of temptation even against light as Peter's threefold denyal of his Master was yet not being malicious it 's pardoned Again as great sins for nature and kind are pardonable so great sins for the multitude and number of them when they are like a cloud and a thick cloud he will blot them out Isai 44.22 I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and sins And that word Isai 55.7 He will aboundantly pardon In the original it is he will multiply to pardon one and moe a multitude of them and Psal 40.11 12. David pleads for mercy for innumerable evils for iniquities that are moe than the hairs of his head And as God pardons great sins for kind and many for number so frequent relapsing in these sins which I may speak to afterward Jer. 3.1 She that hath played the harlot with many lovers is allowed to return And he that bade Peter Mat. 18.22 Forgive his brother not only seven but seventy times will much more do so to his penitent People renewing their repentance But when I say he will pardon great sins I would have it well applyed It is not to embolden any body to sin thou that so improves this Doctrine does turn the grace of God into wantonness and thou that ventures on sin because God is merciful to pardon great and many sins and thinks thou may take a whelps fill of sin and then go and repent and get mercy the woful shift that many follow O! remember that Repentance is not in thine own hand nay I will say more thou bears a sad evidence of one that will never get the grace to Repent but that abuse of this doctrine being laid aside ye shall while I am upon the explication of this great Article of Faith take a word or two of Inference in the by And 1. It may be great encouragement to sensible sinners thou who art sensible of thy sins thy Dyvour-bill of great and many sins if thou come
pardoning mercy sets hearts on work to fear God and to tenderness in the study of holiness then ye may see how many of the Children of God do cut the throat of all their endeavours after holiness and to walk tenderly through their not closing with pardoning Mercy I suppose some have the Conscience a sad Monitor unto them a sad Wan-rest within doors for want of tenderness and some would fain be at serving and worshipping of God and yet they cannot win at it but look if thou leaves not thy encouragement behind thy hand in not closing with pardoning Mercy and by so doing not only cuts thy self short of the Joy of the Lord which is thy strength but provocks God to blast thy study of holiness that thou would put in his room or in the room of his pardoning Mercy But thou that would be keeped fresh and green in thy pursuit of holiness here is thy method that thou must follow first wrap thy self in the bosom of pardoning Mercy and then try thy work and thou shalt find it more delightsome and go better with thee than when thou leaves this encouragement behind thee lay thy self in his bosom for pardon and O! but that will make thee fear him much and love him much that woman Luke 7 that bad much forgiven her loved much and had abundance of tears to wash Christ's feet her closing with pardon did so melt her heart and so would it thine closing with pardoning Mercy would heal palsie hands and feet and make thee work walk and run it would kindle that love that is strong as death and that jealousie that is cruel as the grave the coals whereof are coals of fire that have a vehement flame and bring it to that that many waters cannot quench or the floods drown or contemn all that would compet with it I dare not offer to insist the day being shortened but as on the one hand they who fall asleep on pardoning Mercy as the bride of Christ may some times take a nap but wakens and sets to her feet again would know they make not a right use of pardoning Mercy but sin grievously and if they sleep on they evidence that they cheat themselves in that matter and these that love not holiness proclaim they were never partakers of it so upon the other hand thou that loves holiness but cannot win at it close better with pardoning Mercy as that which will strenthen and encourage thee and by waiting on the Lord in this way thou shalt renew thy strength mount up with wings as eagles run and not be weary walk and not be faint Now to our God be praise and glory through Jesus Christ SERMON XIX Psalm 130. Verse 5. I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope 6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning I say more than they that watch for the morning YE heard when I entred upon this Psalm that the first six Verses contain the wrestling and the exercise the Psalmist was under as the last two Verses contain his victory and issue and his improvement of it For his wrestling and exercise it consists as ye heard of three branches ye have him wrestling with the difficulties and plunging perplexities in his case these he expresses under the Metaphor of depths and his wrestling with them is by fervent wrestling and crying to God in Prayer verses 1 2. 2. Ye have him wrestling with the Conscience and sense of guilt that obstructed his audience put back his Prayers and offered to crush his hopes and with that he wrestles in the 3 and 4. Verses by taking with the dreadful desert of sin by laying hold on God's pardoning Mercy and carrying alongst with him God's end in letting out pardoning Mercy to sinners even that he may be feared and of this subject I have been speaking at great length and I must exhort and intreat that though a close be put to Preaching on it that yet ye may not give over the minding of that Doctrine it is that which will be your great Pasport pardoning Mercy if ye obtain it when ye come to grapple with the King of Terrors and go through the dark valley of the shadow of death Now in the two Verses read ye have the Psalmist in the third place wrestling with delays of answers to his Prayers or the delays of the out-gate prayed for and these he wrestles with by confident patient affection at waiting on God I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope c. And this purpose also we have cause to look unto because it gives an account of a Christians constant exercise in time he that would be a Christian indeed it is not enough that he pray in difficulties that he take with the desert of sin and look to pardoning Mercy when Conscience challenges him but when he hath done all that he must persevere in so doing and wrestle with the delays of answers to his Prayer he must give a proof of the patience as well as of the Faith of the Saints he must be a follower of these who through Faith and Patience inherit the Promises There is a general Remark which will make way to the purpose contained in the words which I shall insist on a little that is That perseverance and constant waiting on God in his way is the great task of Saints and the Touchstone of their sincerity in all other exercises and duties This tryes how well breathed the Saints are and what is their integrity in other exercises that they are at sometimes even that they be constant bide by it wait on God and persevere in waiting on him in his way notwithstanding they meet with delays And that I may unfold this General to you ye shall with me take a threefold look of this perseverance 1. Look upon it in general as it is opposed to Apostacy backsliding giving up with the ways of Religion 2. Which will deduce this General more fully and particularly ye shall take a look of this perseverance as it imports a constant Tenor and course in waiting on God and seeking of God in opposition to folks phrases fairds and hot fits at some times wherein they are but fleeting And 3. Which will lead me to the particular in the Text look on it as it is opposed to wearying sitting up or falling by from employing God and waiting on him if they be delayed especially in sad dispensations and exigences they meet with For the first of these Perseverance in general as it is opposed to apostasie back-sliding and giving up with the ways of God and godliness I shall not dwell much on that Doctrine The necessity of it appears in the Promises made unto it Mat. 24.13 It is he that endures unto the end shall be saved and Rev. 2. and 3. Chapters it is always to the overcomer that the Promise is made though I
on and not be hasty under delays I shall offer four considerations to perswade you to it And the 1. which relates to what I spoke before of Faith is that ye would remember that delayed success is not denyed success so long as the Word speaks good news That the needy shall not always be forgotten that the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever Psal 9.18 There is no cause why our hearts should envy sinners but that our hearts should be in the fear of the Lord all the day long For surely there is an end and our expectation shall not be cut off Prov. 23.17 So long as the Word speaks thus we are to bless our selves in it that delayed success is not denyed success and that therefore all that God hath promised were it never so long betwixt the promise and the performance will certainly come to pass as is marked in the Book of Joshua 23.14 That of all the good things which the Lord had promised to that people and many a time there seemed to be an utter impossibility of the performance of it not one thing had failed but all did come to pass A man that hath good things laid up for him in the Scripture though he be put to wait for them he needs not make a cheap Market of them they will be found forth-coming to him And Isai 60 22. The Lord will hasten it in his time which is alway the best time the Lord will afford mercy and grace to help not when we will but in the time of need Heb 4. ult He will make out his mercies in the time when they will be found double mercies for their seasonableness Psal 94.18 When I said My foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up And as he will thus in due time make out all that he hath promised so in the mean time he will not deny support to them that wait on him it may be he let temptations such as are common to men ly on But 1 Cor. 10.13 He is faithful and will not suffer them to be tempted above what they are able to bear but will with the temptation make a way to escape that they may be able to bear it It may be when they are crying for a good account of a messenger of Satan sent to buffet them that he remove it not but he will make out that My grace is sufficient for you my strength is made perfect in weakness 2 Cor. 12.9 That then is one Consideration to perswade you to waâ—t on That delayed success is not denyed success 2. This may press and perswade to on-waiting that if we be doing our duty we may very safely trust the love and wisdom of God with the time of doing us good There are three things which I have had occasion sometimes to hint at to you that I shall now resume in reference to this We may and ought to wait 1. Because God never comes out of time look things never so desperat-like to make up all that was looked for men may come out of season but God never comes out of season although it were come to that that there were nothing but dry bones in a Valley he can make these dry bones to live Ezek 37. Although there were no Witnesses left And O but it 's sad to see a decay of a faithful Ministry and few laying it to heart many going off the Stage and few coming in their room though they were killed after three days and an half they shall rise again and ascend up to Heaven in a Cloud and their enemies shall behold them Rev. 11.11 When thou hast said thy strength and thy hope is perished from the Lord it is as easie for him to make all things well as when thou hast all probabilities that things shall be well 2. We may safely remit the proofs of Gods love to himself if we consider he never delays so long but we may be getting good of delays It 's true thou may be ready to tyre fag and weary and look on thy continued trial as a lot thou wilt get no good of and thereupon turn idle or ly down and die but the longest trial if improven shall yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby Heb. 12.11 If we were thrifty we might be getting good of every moments delay 3. We may and ought to wait and submit to the wisdom and love of God and trust him for good under our delays on this account that he never delays so long but he is able to give a satisfactory account of his delays Thou wilt say Why doth he delay so long from comâ—ng to comfort or give an out-gate But he can convince thee with satisfying reasons that his delays were needful When as it is Hab. 2.3 sense says The vision tarries he can make thy faith say Tarry for it because it will surely come and not tarry he can make thy self say he doth not tarry even when thy sense says he doth tarry This for the second Consideration for perswading you to wait on God under delays and not to be hasty 3. A third Consideration to perswade to waiting in opposition to making haste is That they that are sweet to wait would look if they be busie at work and at the work they are called to This is a needful diversion which I would offer to such folk were they busie in making use of long and feeding storms they would make less dinn in waiting for an issue of them but they would be ready to say rather Alas let him tarry never so long he will come ere I be ready for him ere I have reaped the blessed fruit of the dispensations of his providence that I am under And therefore a wearier and a hasty person under delays doth proclaim that he is an idle person not about his work for not only as ye know work is a mean to take away langour but in particular the thrifty improvement of a hard lot would make folk wonder that God should come to them at all 4. To perswade you to wait and that ye would not be hasty if none of the former Considerations will press you to it remember the Soveraignty of God and that ye are his Creatures when thou wearies to wait consider what thou art a bit of nothing a dependent bit of beeing to be made or not made formed or marred at his pleasure if he hath given thee a back why may he not lay on a burden and continue it on so long as pleases him Wherefore serves thy beeing in the world but to be at his disposing and to be what seems good to him This Argument prevailed with Job that was put otherways to it than any of us he was stripped in an instant of all that he had and sitting down on the dust he says Chap. 1.21 Naked came I out of the womb and naked shall I return God gave and God hath taken blessed be the Name
is not to trapane you in a course wherein your expectations will be defeat but all that is said of it are the true and faithful sayings of God I shall only offer to illustrat this in three words and I have done with the Point 1. What is the language of all the common goodness of God to your selves to you who are profane to you who are rebels to you who are mockers at all Religion that think it an evidence of a silly Spirit to fall in love with holiness What means all this common goodness of God to you I say that he makes not the Earth open and swallow you up quick into the pit as he did Core Dathan and Abiram that he puts not forth his hand to sweep you off the Earth or makes you not monuments of his Justice and Judgment upon it Know ye I say again What all this means I shall give it you in that word Rom. 2.4 The riches of his goodness and forbearance leads or should lead you to repentance that so ye may come in to know what his special and singular goodness to Israel means he is laying invitations at thy door who art traversing thy wayes whom the wind has bound up in its wings and who art as light as the wind in following thy follies inviting thee to come in and be an Israelite indeed that thou may share in his peculiar goodness and put him to it as he bids you Hag. 2. See if he will prove a wilderness or a land of drought to you He gives you a bill of defyance if ye will turn in to him and be his Israel indeed that ye shall turn your back upon him and say he disappointed you 2. The Scripture intimats the reality of his goodness to all his Creatures his kindness is palpable to all creatures beside man Job 36.41 He provideth for the ravens their food when their young ones cry unto him the young lyons roar after their prey and seek their meat from God Psal 104.21 He feeds the fouls of the air he cloaths the lillies and the grasse in the field which to day is and to morrow is cast into the oven Mat. 6.20 And from all this our blessed Lord gathers verse 30. If God provide for fowls and so clothe the grass will he not much more clothe you O ye of little faith If God be good to all his creatures and will he not be good to his own children And a 3. word to illustrat it Christ gives you Mat. 7.9 from Parents goodness to their Children who if they ask bread will not give them a stone or if they ask a fish will not give them a serpent and then infers if ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your father which is in heaven give good gifts to them that ask him So God's common goodness to your selves his common goodness to all the creatures and the natural affection of parents to their children all of these concur to demonstrat that the goodness of God towards his people is real and no complement and therefore to shut up this purpose with this word of Exhortation that ye would seek to be Israelites indeed and to leave it at every ones door that do not study to be Israelites indeed that they forsake their own mercy in slighting this peculiar goodness of God and such as do so let them stand to their own hazard so I have done with the Exhortation Let Israel hope in the Lord. I proceed now to consider the encouragements arguments or grounds on which the Psalmist presses that Israel should hope in God For with the Lord is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption and he shall redeem Israel from all his troubles and iniquities ye see the Arguments are taken partly from what is with God or in God and his power for the good of his people mercy and Redemption and that in great plenty that is authority and power to give a proof of his mercy to Israel and to rid them from all servitude and bondage and partly the Arguments are taken from that which God will let out for the good of Israel if mercy and plenteous redemption be with him then he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities I shall not here fall in upon a general Remark That folks hopes would be well and distinctly grounded for the Psalmist doth not satisfie himself to exhort Israel to hope in God but he layes down grounds of hope on which they are to go in the exercise of that Grace This Point if I were to stand upon it would give a check both to the blind guesses of the wicked who have hope enough alway and all that men can say cannot drive them from their carnal confidence when they cannot tell what their confident hope is or wherein it is grounded only they have a blind guess which they take for hope and partly it would give a check to the children of God for their â—ndistinctness in their hope and the grounds of it while they are hanging on God I do not deny but when they are opprest they must look unto God to undertake for them and when they are blind and cannot see through the cloud in the dark day they must grip unto him who must hold them by the right hand and when they are in a mist of confusion they must grip after God But confusion and undistinctness in ordinary makes much uncomfortable work whereas if folk studied to be distinct and clear in the grounds of their hope they would not lean so little weight on hope as tentation often perswades them to do But to leave this what I would say from these Arguments I shall draw it to these two general Heads I Ye see there is somewhat supponed here anent them that are put to hope and who are warranted to hope in God they are in such a condition that they are put to need mercy and plenteous redemption and that from many iniquities 2. There is somewhat proposed anent such persons that there is hope of mercy and plenteous redemption for them with and in God and there is Gods power and willingness to redeem them from all iniquities and this they are to look to and hope for For the first That which is supposed I shall take it up in three Notes 1. That the man called to hope in God is miserable in himself and put out of himself to see what is in God that makes for him 2. That he is not only simply miserable but under a bondage that needs redemption and plenteous redemption 3. That he is a man that above all pressures he is lying under finds the pressure of sin and guilt to be the greatest for he must have a peculiar Redemption for all his iniquities 1. The man put to hope and warranted to hope in God is a man miserable in himself and put to look for mercy he is not a man that is conceity
reference to his misery The next Letter is Gracious to intimate that God having lookt on miserable man as the objeâ—â— of his compassion because it might be objected God hath great compassion but what deserves miserable man He hath nothing to commend him yea he hath much to discommend him It is answered God is not only merciful to compassionat miserable man but he is gracious to notice him and compassionat him freely without merit and contrary to demerit Then he is Long suffering c. Now in reference to this mercy of God there are three things I intend to touch on before I come to the use 1. To open up the nature of this mercy 2. To speak a little of the object of it And 3. to the properties of it In speaking to the first I shall wave all School speculations anent it as whether mercy and punitive justice be essential to God and on what account they can be called essential Attributes seing mercy presupposes man miserable which is one of the Socinian foundations to overthrow the satisfaction of Christ but that might be easily cleared by adding a word to what hath been already said That mercy in God is nothing but the goodness of God with relation to the object to which it is communicat and punitive justice is nothing else but that essential Attribute of his holiness vindicating and avenging himself on a sinner the object of his justice and if we consider the mercy and justice of God thus we will find it no difficulty to rank them among the essential Attributes of God yea that it is blasphemy to deny them to be such I thought to have cleared to you how that mercy is no passion nor perturbation in God as it is in man though it be for our encouragment to hope in him exprest in most pathetick terms as also to have cleared That the Earth â—s full of his Mercy and Goodness Psal 33.5 All creatures share in it yet there are vessels of mercy afore pre-prepared to glory Rom. 9.23 That are objects of his especial mercy and to have spoken to its properties how it is real and not complementing How he delights in mercy Mic. 7.18 How it is free eternal sure and rich for all necessities But for want of time I forbear and recommend you and what ye have heard to His blessing whose word it is SERMON XXXIX Psalm 130. Verse 7 For with the Lord there is mercy THough when a look is taken of God's Israel none are more low and empty in themselves none that claim greater acquaintance with the dust than they are enabled to do yet none have such ample ground of encouragement as they if they be Israel thogh they be in misery and under bondage and particularly oppressed with and under the bondage of sin yet Israel is still allowed and commanded to hope in God and that because Israel's wealth and happiness and the ground of his encouragement is without himself Though he be poor and needy yet the Lord thinks on him though he have nothing in God he possesseth all things Though his house be not so with God yet his salvation and desire lies in this That God hath made with him an everlasting covenant well ordered in all things and sure And in a word have what he will or be what he will in himself yet he may hope in God considering what is with God Let Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord c. I have spoken from this argument pressing hope in God to what is imported in it as to the hopers condition that he is indigent and miserable in himself needing to look for mercy in God that he is in bondage needing to look for plenteous redemption with God and particularly that he is under the bondage of iniquity which puts him to look for a particular redemption from that from him that redeems Israel from all his iniquities And the last day I came to break in on what is proposed in the words for Israel's encouragement to hope in God The first Observation of four which I could scarce break in on was That it is the great encouragement of God's people to hope in him in all exigents and cases that there is mercy with God that they have to do with a God with whom there is mercy This mercy as I then cleared is nothing else but the goodness of God and consequently an essential attribute relating to the misery of the object to which it is communicat even as his punitive Justice is an essential Attribute being nothing else but his Holiness manifesting it self against sin for as the goodness of God undergoes various notions on divers accounts as was said so it hath the name of mercy with relation to the misery of man In prosecuting of this I proponed to speak 1. more generally to the nature of this mercy 2. To the Object To the Properties And 4. Of the use of the whole For the first the nature of this Mercy 1. It must be fixed that this mercy is free of all passion or perturbation in God When we consider God as merciful we must not conceive of him as of one subject to the passions of grief or sorrow for the misery of others as mercy in man is to be considered and therefore mercy in men used to be condemned by the Stoicks as being in their opinion a debasing of the spirit of man below the hight and greatness that it ought to have and it is reported of Agesilaus King of Sparta that he said it was difficult for a man both to be merciful and wise at once because if he were merciful it would be ready to transport him to that which was not suitable to a wise man but we have nothing to do with that debate here Mercy in God is free of passion or perturbation of sorrow or grief for others misery as it is in creatures it is only the goodness of God willing to remove allay or sweeten the misery of others only though God in his mercy be free of passion or perturbation yet he sweetens allays or removes the misery of man as tenderly and carefully as if he were affected with it Therefore for our capacity and better uptaking of it the mercy of God is spoken of as very passionat affecting and transporting in him as Isai 63.9 He is spoken of as being afflicted in all the afflictions of his people Zech. 2.8 as being touched on the apple of his eye when they are touched Jud. 10.16 as having his soul grieved or shortned in his resolution to punish when he looked on his peoples misery And Hos 11.8 As being put to a very great perplexity about them How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim my heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together All which terms are borrowed to shew that however God in shewing mercy be free of
passion or perturbation yet is he no less tender and careful in shewing mercy than if these passions abounded in him 2. It is to be considered that it is to be wondered that he should be merciful when none of these things are in him that prompts men to be merciful all his mercy we owe to his goodness allanerly Men are prompted to be merciful to others because they are of the same nature with them Beside that weakness and softness of spirit that is in some may make them compassionat others in misery The experience others have had of such pressures may excite compassion to others in the like case mens relations may warm and affect their hearts with compassion to their relations in misery when yet they will be less concerned how it fares with others not so related to them and men considering not so much the simple trouble as the age dignity of the persons troubled when they see such in trouble it may waken compassion But all these are far removed from the Majesty of God he is infinitly above and infinitly distinct from man's nature neither is his nature subject to Misery yet he is no less merciful but infinitly more merciful than if all these things that serve to excite mercy in men were in him Only 3. Take one word more concerning this mercy that is with God in general because it is not so easy as many think to take up this mercy in an infinit and glorious Spirit He hath been pleased to bring this mercy in him a little nearer to us and to take up his dwelling in our nature in giving the Son of his Love to be incarnat and our kinsman a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief experiencing the misery of man that his mercy may run through this channel that his infinit mercy may be communicate to us through the tender bowels of a merciful and faithful high Priest who was in all things made like to his brethren Heb. 2.17 And who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and was in all things tempted as we are yet without sin Heb. 4.15 To assure us that he can be touched with our miseries But I proceed in the 2d place to speak to the Object of this mercy in God and here in general all the creatures of God do in some measure partake of this mercy of God Psal 145.9 His tender mercies are over all his works or upon all his works as the word will read or to be seen in all his works Psal 33.5 The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord Psal 119.64 The earth is full of his mercy his mercy is extended to the very ravenous birds and beasts whose needy crys are lookt on as directed to a merciful God Job 38.41 He provideth for the raven his food when his young ones cry unto him Psal 104.21 The young lions roar after their prey and seek their meat from God Psal 147.9 He giveth to the beast his food and to the young ravens which cry Joel 1.20 In time of drought the beasts of the field cry unto him And Jonah 4. God respects not only the infants that were in Niniveh who knew not the right hand by the left but the very cattel and if beasts partake of the mercy of God then wicked men are not deprived of it Luk. 6.35 He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil ver 35. and the commentary put on this verse 36. Be ye therefore merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful The visible Church they yet more peculiarly are the object of Gods mercy as witness all the promises made to Israel of old for the elects sake that were among them But the most peculiar objects of his mercy are his own elect who as ye heard Rom. 9.23 are vessels of mercy which he hath afore prepared to glory His mercies towards them cannot be enumerated The mercy of their Election Exod. 33.19 and Rom. 9.15 He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy compassion on him on whom he will have compassion It is not of him that wills nor of him that runs but of him that sheweth mercy No but election may be called and is an act of Dominion and Soveraignity yet its scope is mercy Then there is the mercy of their Regeneration Tit. 3.5 According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration c. And being regenerat what a heap of mercy and goodness follows them all their days Psal 23.6 The mercy of pardoning their iniquity Exod. 34.6 The mercy of hearing their prayers as he sayes in another case Exod. 22.27 When he shall cry unto me I will hear for I am gracious The mercy of moderation in the midst of wrath Hab. 3.2 And not to enumerat all the mercies conferred on the saints the consummation of their mercies lies in their everlasting happiness Jude verse 20 Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life Then they will get that Prayer answered put up in the behalf of Onesiphorus 2 Tim. 1.18 The Lord grant that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day Thus the Elect from Election to eternal Glorification are the objects of Gods peculiar mercy I shall only in speaking to the object of this mercy in God desire you further to take notice under what notions the godly are described when he promises to express his mercy to them and to ensure it to them he is merciful to them because they are his own elect yet ye may notice these names and notions under which mercy is holden out and ensured to them and I shall name four or five 1. They are described as penitents bemoaning their sin and turning from their evil way Jer. 31.18 When Ephraim is bemoaning himself crying Turn thou me and I shall be turned and repenting then it follows I will surely have mercy on him An impenitent posture may obstruct mercy in its effects from coming to a godly man 2. The Objects of this Mercy are described to be lovers of him keepers of his commands as in the second command Shewing mercy to thousands of them that love me c. It is not simply to keepers of the commands but to such as keep them from a principle of love neglected obedience or obedience not from a principle of love may obstruct the manifestations of mercy 3. The objects of this special mercy are described to be fearers of God Psal 103.17 The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and Luke 1.50 His mercy is upon them that fear him from generation to generation A heart standing in awe of God a man that hath all his performances and even his love seasoned with fear is the man that is under the drop of Mercy 4. The Objects of this peculiar Mercy are described to be merciful folk Mat. 5.7 Blest are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy They that have obtained mercy themselves cannot but have
merciful bowels to deal about them according to their ability and as there is cause and a cruel unmerciful disposition is a shrewd token that such an one has not obtained mercy But more of this afterward 5. And Lastly The Objects of this Mercy are described to be tender walkers according to the Rule and Pattern set before them Gal. 6.16 As many as walk according to this rule peace be on them and mercy Their tender walk puts them not without Mercies mister The more tender they are in their walk they see the more need of mercy and this keeps them under the drop of mercy So much for the Object of this Mercy that is with God and for the characters of them to whom it is exprest which would be looked to by all of you who would be partakers of it I proceed now in the 3d place to speak to the properties of this Mercy which will help to unfold the nature of it a little more distinctly and among all the Properties that might be assigned to it a little briefly to these five 1. This would be fixed that the mercy of God is a real mercy Ye will get fair weather and complemental mercy enough in the World mercy professed where it is not and where it kythes not in any effect ye will get mercy enough like that Jam. 2.15 When a brother or sister is naked or destitute of daily food men that will say to them depart in peace be ye warmed and filled but they give them nothing needful for the body The whole world as one says are like Histrionicks counterfeit masked persons and in nothing more than in their pretences and professions of mercy but the mercy of God is a real mercy a mercy that folk may lippen to if ye enquire for it in the inward affection what can be required but it is adduced to express it Isai 23.15 It is exprest by sounding of the bowels Jer. 31.20 By bowels being troubled or moved Hos 11.8 By the turning of the heart within and repentings kindled together All these expressions are to point out how cordial and real the Lord is as to the inward affection of mercy and for the Effects of it men want rather eyes to discern them than the mercies themselves Even his own people are straitned in their own bowels how to keep the proofs of mercy when his heart is enlarged to bestow them and yet they never want a proof of his mercy while they have a room in the Hospital of his Heart and Faith to believe that they are in the Hospital of his Compassion that is an evident proof how real his mercy is 2. As his mercy is real so the Scripture tells it is that wherein he delights Mic. 7.18 He retains not his anger for ever Why Because he delights in mercy No but he delights in himself and in all his Attributes and in the manifestation of them in the World but in a peculiar manner in his mercy upon divers accounts He may be said to delight in it partly on the account of the frequency of his merciful dispensations and manifestations in acts of mercy For works of Judgment towards his people are his Work his strange Work and his Act his strange Act. Isai 28.21 But the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord Psal 35.5 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to such as keep his covenant c. Psal 25.10 Again he delights in mercy because there is nothing flows from him but that which may invite not hinder sinners from coming to him being objects of his mercy It is true he willeth the death of sinners for sin to glorifie his Justice Yet Ezek. 18.23 He hath no pleasure at all in the death of him that dieth but rather that he should return from his ways and live Nothing flows from him to seclude any from his mercy that will not seclude themselves even when he strikes it is to drive to his mercy when he afflicts the language is Turn you and live why will ye die O house of Israel Again he delights in mercy because all the good he doth to his people he doth it not grudgingly Many a good turn among men is as ye speak spilt in the doing But the good that he does to his people he does it with his whole heart and soul Jer. 32.41 He acts mercy toward his people to speak so as one in his own Element and as going about a work that is kindly to him if I may so word it And lastly he delights in mercy because to speak after the manner of men he hath no pleasure that his people should ever raise any cloud betwixt his mercy and them the people of God cannot do themselves a greater wrong nor him a greater unkindness if ye understand it aright than by their provocations to incapacitat him to manifest his mercy towards them But mistake not this for he hath a Soveraignty in his grace even when they in a manner necessitat him to keep up the acts of his mercy and to afflict them hence when they go onfrowardly in the way of their own heart his tender mercy will make a stepping-stone of impediments that are put in its way Isai 57.17 Because he delights in mercy he will come over all these impediments to do them a good turn freely And that is a 3d property of this mercy it is a free mercy it is a mercy bestowed without money and without price But this as I told you the last day is comprehended under the notion of Grace that is imported in the Goodness of God in that it is freely given And therefore Exod. 33.19 cited Rom. 9.15 He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy compassion c. And it 's not in him that wills nor in him that runs but in God that shews mercy There is no place for disputing here Why he will have mercy on such and such and not on others it is an act of his royal prerogative in grace that none can hinder for who can hinder him to do with his own what he will A 4th Property of this mercy with God is That it is an eternal mercy I do not mean that any creature that gets not an Interest in the mercy of God in this life may look to be partaker of it after this life that was the Opinion of Origen that Devils and damned men and women should at length share in the mercy of God Either thou must grip mercy here or thou hast done with it eternally But to them that close with mercy here it is an everlasting mercy Hence is that over-word of the 136. Psalm His mercy endureth for ever and Psal 103.17 His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him from election to their eternal glorification so David finds that his tender mercies and loving kindnesses have been for ever of old And the Church Lam. 3.23 finds It is of the
wroth Why The spirit should fail before me and the souls that I have made I could soon destroy them but that I may not do and therefore will not contend for ever c. And 6. The riches and fulness of his mercy may be read in this that when he lets out bowels of mercy there will be no mercy which the Creature needs will be withheld from them When Ishmael hath slain Gedaliah whom the King of Babylon had made the Jews Governour and they are afraid of the Chaldeans Be not afraid of the King of Babylon saith he for I am with you to save and deliver you and I will shew mercy to you that he may have mercy on you Jer. 42.11 12. Fear not if ye partake of my mercy I will make the Chaldeans compassionat you So Psal 106 44. He regarded their affliction when he heard their cry and he remembred his Covenant and repented according to the multitude of his mercies What follows he made them also to be pitied of all that carried them captives He needs no other instruments of compassion to his people nor bitter enemies when he will have compassion on them So Solomon prays Give them compassion before them that carry them captive 1 King 8.50 And Hezekiah when he is to keep the Passover tells the people If they turn again to the Lord their brethren and children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive 2 Chron. 30.9 Gods compassion can soon bring the compassion of men in so far as he sees it needful Thus ye see in a few hints how rich and full the mercy of God is In a word it 's a mercy for all the needs and pressures of his people a Plaister broad enough to cover and effectual enough to cure all their griefs and sores For the use of this great truth That with the Lord there is mercy I shall briefly touch on five inferences from it and leave it And 1. If this mercy of God be relative to mans misery if it be good news manifested to the Creature on the account of its misery then those who are partakers of this mercy would have much sense of their misery mercy will not relish to any but to the man sensible of his misery a pardon will signify nothing but to a Rebel that is sensible of his Rebellion And here all that I have spoken of the riches freeness fulness c. of this mercy if ye read it right will be the first Lesson ye will learn from it all this is not proclaimed for a complement but because it 's needed by the miserable And consequently thou must infer If I have a right to you mercy it must not be ordinary thoughts of my misery that I must have there must be deeps of misery in me to call for deeps of mercy in God If we thus fence the point we need not fear that it be a sleeping Pillow to the secure look what misery is in thee to close with every thing in mercy If mercy be free look what ill-deserving is in thee if pardoning-mercy be in God look what sense of unpardoned guilt is in thee if multitudes of mercies be in God what sense of multitude of miseries is in thee They that have a right to mercy must tryst it in the dust in the very pit of misery 2. From this that there is mercy with God there is ground of assurance offered and afforded to the miserable that their irrecoverable case by the Covenant of Works is not now desperat O! the blessed intimation of that Attribute to fallen man that with God there is mercy How good news was it and should it be What had been the case of Adam and all his posterity after the Covenant of Works was broken had it not been for this blest Attribute that interposed But now because there is mercy with God irrecoverable distresses are not desperate Somewhat ye heard of this from vers 2 and 4. What a deplorable case had all been in if there had been no more to be lookt for but that vers 3. If thou Lord mark iniquities O Lord who should stand But a gracious answer is added vers 4. But there is forgivenness or mercy with thee and how this is prest upon the account of Gods mercy ye have an account given Jer. 55.67 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call on him while he is near let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous his thoughts and let him return to the Lord Why For he will have mercy on him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon That there is mercy in God abundantly to pardon is an intimation to the man that is in an irrecoverable condition to look again to God And in that 2d of Joel after that the Lord hath uttered a sore and terrible Judgment and hath told verse â—1 That he will utter his voice before his Army for his Camp is very great and strong is he that executes his word and in the by if the Lord hath a Nation to punish he needs not raise and bring in an uncouth Nation to punish them he can cause Grashoppers or Locusts do his turn after all that Verse 12 13. He bids them turn to him with all their heart with fasting weeping and mourning for he is gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and repenteth him of the evil When the Lord is setting forth and inflicting an apparent and remediless stroak this yet invites to repentance That he is gracious and merciful and therefore as on the one hand thou that slights this offered mercy and makes it a pillow to security who when thou hears tell there is mercy with God makes no use of it but rather abuses it to go on in sin O the Justice of God in the day of thy accompts will be a sad sight in comparison of mercy or justice execute on slighters of mercy will be dreadful Justice then it will be Hills and mountains fall on us and bide us from the face of the Lamb What There is little terror in a Lambs Face yea but the fight of the Lambs face in the day of compt and reckoning that he that offered mercy was a Lamb that mercy was with him will be most dreadful think on it slighters of the Gospel sit-fasts never-do-wells abusers of mercy or ye that would take mercy in the accomplishment but never give mercy employment who follow your abominations if not openly yet secretly better for you that ye had sitten all your time at the foot of Sinai than at the foot of mercy in Zion This is often told you but little laid to heart and the ofter it be told many the less it is laid to heart but the day will come when many will get Hell affrighting memories wherein ye will remember that which drops at your feet and is not noticed or is stept over and not regarded So on the other hand thou who on the account of
on stroaks from which folks will not easily come to be delivered O how oft may we write that over ill improved pressures which ye have Psal 81.13 O that my people had hearkened to me and Israel had walked in my ways I would soon have subdued their enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries And Isai 48.18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandment then had thy peace been as a river c. It must be otherwayes with pressed saints than it is with others It is a sin and a shame that so many ruines are under saints hands not improved but a double sin shame that they should increase under their hand and an evidence they have not been improved But a 3d word most directly from what I have spoken on this branch is this That if every delivery be a redemption and enlargement Then it calls the people of God to be comforted and enlarged under every mercy and proof of love how mean soever it be The Lord who calls men in the day of adversity to consider calls them in the day of prosperity to be comforted and joyful in any measure of redemption that they meet with Eccl. 7.14 And it 's marked by Nehemiah and others when God had brought Israel into the land of Canaan and gave them abundance of good things they delighted themselves in his great goodness Neh. 9.25 a practice very rare among God's people proofs of love particular redemption trists them which calls them to rejoyce in God and his goodness and yet they are where they were when they got them their mercies are little seen upon them by any enlargements given them and what wonder therefore that mercies be withholden from them who cannot be worse with the want of them than when they have them they droop when they have and they droop when they want the having of them is no enlargement to them and this they mourn not for as a sin they are better at picking quarrels at them than at being thankful for them which speaks a proud unsubdued selfie disposition I shall not stand to discuss the shifts and pretexts that folks make use of in their byasses in setting no value on Redemptions bestowed on them many a time their own spirit is a spirit of bondage when God allows on them a spirit of liberty It is not the want of allowances from God but the want of enlargement of heart a slavish servil disposition that makes a spirit of bondage when it is not Gods allowance Sometime they pretend the smalness of the mercy to undervalue it when they rather proclaim the want of humility in themselves The humbled Church Lam. 3.22 Under many pressures sees That it is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed if our mercies be compared with our lustings or deservings they will be great and admirable mercies And sometimes the cloud of continued pressures hides the sight of partial Redemptions but certainly every evidence of mercy remembred in wrath is a redemption and should be delighted in and our heart should be enlarged in receiving it as such in a word it is an evidence of a blest disposition when whatever be folks lots they love not to cast out with God they love not to fish faults with his Providence to miscal a mean mercy how insignificant soever it be to their sense and when they are content to pick up their mercies amongst the crouds of their crosses that these shall not tempt them not to be comforted in the meanest mercy and who knows but such a frame if it were studied might prove a door of hope to the increase and growth of favours they that delight to commend mercies shall find them grow Now I have done with the accounts on which deliveries are called Redemptions In the third place it remains that I should speak a little to the plentifulness of these redemptions With him there is plenteous redemption Ye heard the last day when I was speaking of the mercy of God That God is full of compassion and plenteous in mercy Psal 86.5 15. That he has manifold mercies Neh. 9.19 and that he is abundant in goodness Exod. 34.6 Here He is plenteous in redemption and this hath relation to these two 1. To the variety of the pressures the saints may be assaulted with for plenteous redemption speaks plentiful pressures 2. To the recurring of these pressures that when folk are brought out of them they fall in them again through their own folly There is plenteous redemption with God in relation to both For the first The variety of pressures wherewith saints may be assaulted There is somewhat 1. Supposed here That not only the Israel of God may have pressures but a variety a great many of them Hence Eliphaz Job 5.19 Supposing Job a penitent says God should deliver him in six troubles and in seven a number of perfection 2 Cor. 4.8 The Apostle says we are troubled on every side and Ch. 6.7 He tells There is need of the armour of righteousness both on the right and left hand there is no hand we can turn us to would he say but there is need of armour Chap. 7.5 Troubled on every side without are fightings and within were fears and in a word the Church tells us Lam. 2.22 That God had called as in a solemn day her terrors round about her in the day of Gods anger no pressure was wanting and there was a convention of them 1. Hence from this that variety of pressures are the lot of the people of God it doth on the one hand point out that they are ill to tame ill to hold like a wild ass snuffing up the wind it is not easie sisting them except they be hedged in on all hands hard wedges tells there are hard stone or timber to be divided and they who have many pressures may sit down and lament over their dispositions that less would not do their turn many might steal more quietly in to heaven were it not for their dispositions that are so wild and ill to be tamed Though yet I shall add the more pressures thou hast if thou could improve them well thou has the more doors open for mercy and occasions to get meat out of the eater 2. From it I would have many folks learning to silence their murmuring and complaining many have learned a gad of crying ere they be toucht there be many who though there be pressures be such as many of the people of God would count an outgate yet there is no biding of their complaining O! what would many of you do if ye were put in Job's case who in one day was stript of all that he had and the next day of his health and quietness of mind and yet he was born through it is a great evidence of mortification to be enabled to bear pressures well to make little din of grievances much din and crying under them tells there are many boyls to be let out and many
the second main Point to encourage Irsael to hope in God that with him is plenteous redemption I proceed now to the 3d Observation that at the entry to these words I proposed to be spoken to That what God is or what is in God is put forth by God for the behove of his people according as they need it I gather this from the connexion of the two Verses with God there is merey and with him there is plenteous redemption and what follows And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquity If he have mercy to compassionat them in their misery and if he have authority and power to vindicate them from bondage it shall be seen in their actual deliverance The point is plain and obvious Gods all-sufficiency his furniture for the need of his people shall not be wanting but put forth actually as he sees good for the behove of his people If he have plenteous redemption he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities Hence it is that in Scripture we have not only an account of furniture in God if I may so word it for his people That with him is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption and of promises wherein God engages himself to put forth that furniture for their behove but the Scripture gives an account of his actual putting forth that mercy and power for them Jer. 31.10 There are news to be sent and publish'd in the Isles afar off and what is that He that scattered Israel will gather them and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock and what more For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he It 's spoken of as a thing done and on this account David in his Prayer promises himself a good day Psal 35.9 My soul shall be joyful in the Lord it shall rejoice in his salvation all my bones shall say alluding to that Psal 51.8 Make me to hear joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice who is like unto thee that delivers the poor from him that is too strong for him yea the poor and the needy from him that spoils him I am would he say looking for a Song when not so much as a broken bone shall be dumb but all shall get a voice to sing praise for actual redemption I shall not need to stand to prove this from the all-sufficiency of God from his love and affection to his people and from his fidelity that cannot lie Nor will I break in on the particular inferences of this point now Only in general be not vexed take it not ill though ye be put to and kept at a task to keep a good report in your hearts of God when temptation says as Psal 77.7 8 9. The Lord hath cast off for ever and will be favourable no more his mercy is clean gone c. When temptation says what means this and that in my case If all this mercy and redemption be with God and thou may then have a hard steek of work to keep up a good report of him when so many Hell Fire-brands are going thick and three-fold Be encouraged and comforted in this that a day comes when actual redemption shall take all these off thy hand and thou shalt not have it to say only That with God is redemption in opposition to thy troubles but he hath redeemed Jacob and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he Be comforted in this ye that are engaged in a task to keep up a good report of God against prejudices The time is coming when he will leave you little to say to his commendation when he shall come and relieve you and make actual redemption give the lie to all mistakes and prejudices whatsoever SERMON XLIV Psalm 130. Vers 8. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities I Am now ye see towards the close of this Psalm which hath detained me so long upon the account of the riches and universal usefulness of the matter therein contained Ye may remember that after that Exhortation to Israel to hope in the Lord I came to the motives encouraging them so to do wherein somewhat was spoken to what is supponed concerning the Israel of God called to hope and allowed to hope in God that they are under the sense of misery needing mercy and under the sense of bondage needing plenteous redemption and in particular under the sense of the bondage of sin putting them in need to be redeemed from all their iniquities and in speaking to what is proposed for the encouragment of such to hope in God I hinted somewhat concerning these two great truths That with God there is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption You may remember that I told you there be two words further to be gathered from this 8. v. One is that what is in or with God it shall be put forth for the behove of his people as they have need he shall redeem Israel and another is That it 's in particular Israels great mercy that God shall be a Redeemer to him from all his iniquities For the first of these I brake in on it on the close of the mornings Exercise that what is in or with God shall be put forth for the behove of his people as they need it and they shall find it made forth-coming to them as they need it for if there be with him plenteous redemption he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities I left at a general word of Use from this That we should not take it ill to be kept at a task of bringing up a good report on God against all prejudices and whatsoever temptation suggests of him for the time is coming which the Lord will hasten in his time that he will leave us little to say to his commendation his own performances will say so much and declare him to be exalted above all blessing and praise The time is coming that they shall not think shame of it that if we may so word it have spoken good of him behind his back and would not take a report of him but from his Bible But to follow out this a little for the comfort of them that are looking for the accomplishment of what is in or with God for the behove of his people I shall lead you to a fourfold direction in order to this and endeavour to put a close to this Scripture The first direction is this That ye would study to be well acquaint with the Word to be well acquaint with what God hath declared is in him for his people The Bible should be a well-finger'd Book in gloomy times David knew well what he was doing when he made the Statutes his song in the house of his pilgrimage and the reason why I press this acquaintance with the Word is to help you to prevent a double hazard there is on the one hand the hazard of ignorance
Now what shall be said of guilts meeting with wicked men I shall say two words to this and leave the Note One is let a wicked man live never so long without minding his guilt let him have Ordinances and keep up a form of Worship This is to be adverted to that the wicked man never comes into God's presence to worship or pray to him but his iniquity is marked as if he had made a Proclamation of his sin Ponder that Process Isa 1.15 and the foregoing Verses Bring no more vain oblations saith the Lord incense is an abomination to me the new Moons and Sabbaths and calling of assemblies I cannot away with it is iniquity even the solemn meeting your new Moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth and when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when ye make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of blood Thou that dare come before God without the sense of thy guilt God may look upon thee as proclaiming thy guilt And another word to the wicked shall be this that when ever a day of distress and trouble meets them though all of them will not be honoured with repentance and pardoning mercy they shall find that they have made a very sad bargain Take it in that word Jer. 2.19 Thy own wickedness shall correct thee and thy back-slidings shall reprove thee know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God and that my fear is not in thee But I leave this Note and come to the third Observation that is that when Guilt and Conscience meets sin will be otherways looked upon than men ordinarily do or if ye will have it more distinctly take it thus That the right sense of sin will lead the sensible man to see that in sin that none even the most Godly can stand before God if God deal with them in strict Justice according to the Covenant of Works That is the very marrow of this Verse If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity O Lord who should stand No man no not a godly man nor any other can stand And although I may if the Lord will have this purpose to resume when I come to speak of pardon and the application of pardon from the next Verse following yet this being an important truth a verity of great weight ye will bear with me though I dip a little more in it than is my ordinary What I would say on it I shall from the Text deduce to you in six particulars which I hope shall give a hint of what at the first view is more material in the words And 1. Take notice of something supposed here that is God's marking of iniquity If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity where he makes a supposition of God's marking iniquity not that any Question or doubt is to be made of Gods Omniscience that he sees and knows all things and particularly mens sins he hath an exact knowledge of them all as when one marks things most narrowly Neither is there any supposition or question to be made of Gods seeing of sin in the godly so as to be displeased at it Antinomians would be at this they would have no sin seen in them but the scope of this Psalm evinces the contrary God notices the godly mans sin as well as others till he flee to pardoning mercy through a Mediator And David though a godly man acknowledges this Psal 51.4 Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight But the meaning of this the Lord 's marking of iniquity may be taken from the parallel place Psal 143.2 where it is thus expressed Enter not into Judgment with thy servant That 's the marking of iniquity spoken of or supponed in the Text and in short the importance of the Phrase is Gods marking of sin according to the Covenant of Works and in the rules of strict Justice and without looking on the sinner as in a Surety In this respect Gods marking of iniquity being accompanied with absolute holiness perfect purity and justice he cannot away with it nor with the sinner because of it as Psal 5.4 5. Thou art not a God that hast pleasure in wickedness neither shall evil dwell with thee The foolish shall not stand in thy sight thou hatest all workers of iniquity And Hab. 1.13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity God thus marking iniquity according to the rules of strict Justice and without looking on the sinner as in a Cautioner cannot away with it and consequently will punish it Job 11.11 He seeth wickedness also will he not consider it In order to punishment for so that Phrase is Expounded Psal 10.14 Thou hast seen it for thou beholdest mischief and spite to requite it with thine hand And it is Jehu's remark of Ahab 2 King 9.26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons saith the Lord and I will requite thee in this plat saith the Lord. The marking of iniquity this way is to men dreadful and ye will find in Scripture that it is a dreadful sight of trouble that some gets when it represents God thus as marking sin to pursue and punish it as in that poor widow 1 King 17.18 O thou man of God saith she to the Prophet art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my Son That was a sad sight of trouble and of sin in trouble and Moses in that tragical business in the Wilderness when calamities are falling thick upon that people it is a sad sight of them that he gets when they speak Gods marking of sin Psal 90 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee our secret sins in the light of thy countenance Thy inflicting of calamity tells us that thou art marking iniquity So much for the first thing supposed here God's marking iniquity 2. Consider here somewhat proposed That if God mark iniquity as a severe Judge according to the strict rules of Justice to punish it and accordingly do punish it the guilty man cannot stand before him This Phrase is equivalent to that Phrase in the parallel place Psal 143.2 If God enter into judgment with men no man living can be justified in his sight And a sinners inability to stand before God is a Phrase frequently made use of to point out the dreadful desert of sin as Psal 5.5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight Ezra 9.15 We are before thee in our trespasses for we cannot stand before thee because of this Psal 1.5 The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous And Psal 76.7 Thou even thou art to be feared and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry Rev. 6.16 17. The great day of the Lambs wrath is come and who is able to stand And to this also
destroyes us not how often might he say as he said to Moses of Israel Exod. 32.10 Let me alone that my wrath may wax bot against them and that I may consume them that I may sweep them away from off the earth and yet he doth it not how often might he do with us in this World as he did with Sodom and the old World and yet he bears with us How often might he make the visible Church a terror to it self and all the World and how often might he make the Saints a burden to themselves and yet great is his goodness that he spares a sinful VVorld and sinners in it And upon another account it commends God and that is that he lets not the sinfulness of his People make void their interest in him but notwithstanding their sinfulness allows them to call him Father That though they be dayly by their repeated provocations iniquities and transgressions drawing Rods forth from his hand yet that doth not make void the Covenant Psal 89.32 33. That he will visit their transgressions with the rod and their iniquities with stripes nevertheless his loving kindness will he not utterly take from them nor suffer his faithfulness to fail O! but the study of our sinfulness would make dayly a new wonder to us it would not be common news but a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation That Christ came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 And as we grow in the study of our sinfulness the sweeter should these Truths that holds out the remedy of sin grow and continue SERMON VIII Psalm 130. Verse 4. But there is forgivenness with thee that thou mayest be feared AFter that I had spoken to this godly man his humbling sense and fight of the desert of Sin in the third verse I have begun to speak to this remedy of pardoning mercy with God upon which he layeth hold and I took up the words in that General Note That there is pardoning mercy in God for Sin and that is the only refuge for sinners sensible of the burden of sin and of the desert of sin and told you that I have a purpose if the Lord will to prosecute this Point in the resolution of several Questions which yet may be reduced to a few General Heads Which were hinted at That which now I am upon is the consideration of that that is pardoned Sin Iniquity or Transgression where I spoke to one particular that all Mankind have sinned and done that which will need a pardon They have iniquities even the most godly which makes them when they are sensible of them to look upon it as good news to hear of pardon That which I further proposed to be spoken to was 1. That as all have sinned so sin is a crime a debt a burden that men stand in need to rid their hands of 2. That sin is a debt that man cannot satisfie but must have it done away by Remission it must consequently follow That the unpardoned Man is in a woful plight And 3. That if this be a Debt that can only be done away by Pardon then to a sensible man this will be the chiefest of good news That there is forgivenness with God As to the First of these and the Second in Order proposed to be spoken to on this Branch when it is granted that all have sinned the stupid and carless will look lightly upon it wherefore it is to be considered in the next place what sin is to the right discerner it 's a crime which since he cannot expiat hath need of pardon It 's a debt which since he cannot satisfie hath need of forgivenness This imports that to be lying under the burden of sin is no light matter to a man that knows his case through sin I shall take notice of the Notion under which sin is expressed Luk. 11.4 with Matth. 6.12 Where sin is called our Debt I shal no insist here to clear that every mans sin is his own Debt contracted by himself in his own Person or in the common Root Adam and that he hath not others to blame for it Though as Adam did lay over his sin on the Woman which God gave him so is every one ready to do yet when God and the Sinner reckons he will find that he must reckon for his Sin by himself or by a Surety but waving that that sin is called a Debt it is not to be understood that Man is oblidged to sin for Obedience is that which is required and which we are oblidged to pay to God but what is imported in this metaphor I shall lay open before you in these four 1. A man that is adebted and not fulfilling his Bond is lyable to the Law so the Law of God is an hand-writting against sinful man oblidging him either to do his Duty or to satisfie Justice for his Fault or if he cannot do that and there be no other remedy to undergo everlasting punishment in hell 2. The Debt is heightned by this that all the means offered to Man of directions threatnings promises opportunities power and abilitie to do good in the time and station he lives in Gifts and qualifications for that end and Talents for the not improvement of which he becomes Debtor to God and his sin is hightned thereby 3. As sin resembleth a Debt so it is a Debt above all other debts a man under the debt of Sin is in a more dreadful plight than any under other debt he may be able to pay it and though he be broken he may come up again But a man under the debt of sin can never pay again a man under debt if he cannot pay he can shift his Creditor But for a man under the debt of sin there is no shifting of God his Creditor Psal 139. Whither shall he go from his spirit Or whither shall he flee â—rom his presence Again though a man be under debt and not able to shift his Creditor yet his Creditor is not always in a readiness to attach him though he be in his view because he is not in a legal capacity to reach him But we are in God's reverence every moment Again other Debt reaches the Body only this Debt of Sin reaches the Soul also And to add no more other Debt may reach a man with inconveniences in his Life but when he is dead his Debt is payed But the punishment of this Debt reaches a man chiefly after this Life all these clear that Sin is a Debt above all other Debts And I shall add 4. That Sin may well be compared to a Debt on this account that Sinners while they fall upon a right method of seeking pardon they much resemble an ill Debtor an ill debtor desires not to hear of his accounts far less to sit down and cast them up so it is with these ill Debtors they put the ill day far away They cannot hear of a day of compt and reckoning nor to sit
an hundred times and his days be prolonged yet surely I knovv that it shall be well with them that fear God How will ye prove that because he fears before him but it shall not be vvell with the wicked neither shall he prolong his days which are as a shaddow because he feareth not before God No approbation lyes in the bosom of forbearance Another Scripture that gives a dreadful refutation to them that take forbearance for pardon is that Psal 50.21 These things thou hast done and I kept silence thou thought that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Now consider this all ye that forget God lest I tear you in peices and there be none to deliver There is a refutation of all the wicked mans dreams anent God and his forbearance And if ye would have a third Scripture take the forecited place Rom. 2.4 5. Thou despisest the riches of his goodness forbearance and long suffering not knowing that it leadeth thee to Repentance but after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up to thy self wrath against the day of wrath Thou may treasure up other things as thou will for thy advantage but thou shalt find thou treasurest up wrath to thy ruine thou may think because thou prospers in Sin God approves of thee as the saying is prosperum faelix scelus virtus vocatur Wickedness is called a virtue because it thrives yet remember that forbearance is no Pardon 4. In taking up the nature of pardon negatively Consider That God's pardoning of particular Sinners whereby he restores them in favour is not to be confounded with National Pardons which God gives to Nations This pardon is many times spoken of in Scripture though by analogy we may draw them to a particular pardon So the scope of that place Num. 14.19 runs another way than to particular Persons and respects a National Pardon Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people sayes Moses according to the greatness of thy mercy as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even untill now I have pardoned according to thy word sayes the Lord but truly as I live all the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. I have pardoned but yet I will punish and vindicat mine honour So that passage Psal 78.38 But he being full of compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not when they deserved That was a pardon of the Nation or a National Pardon Now a National Pardon amounts only to this when the Lord forbears to root out a Nation as the Lord threaten â—o Moses that he would root out Israel in that forecited place Num. 14.12 That he would Dis-inherit them and make of him a greater Nation and a Mightier than they when he keeps them in their own Land as he did Israel and does not root them out or when he continues with them the priviledge of a Church though he plague them and weed out a godless generation from among them as he did out of Israel that in the space of 38 years time there was not a man of them left that were 20 years old and upwards when they came out of Egypt save Caleh and Joshua So the Lord may pardon a Nation and yet punish them he may by his Judgments weed out the generality of a Generation and send them to the Pit which may consist with a National pardon when he doth not cut off the Nation or suffers them to enjoy the priviledges of a Church But the pardon of a particular Sinner is when he sits down at God's Footstool and Judges himself and closes with Christ for righteousness and that 's another thing And 5. In taking up the nature of pardon Negatively We must beware of confounding the pardon of Sin with the removal of Sin the prosecution whereof would lead me to speak Positively wherein pardon of Sin consists to the guilt and pollution of Sin and the different acts of God about both but because that will give the rise to other Questions I shall remit it to another occasion only here ye shall distinguish these three The filth of Sin the power of Sin and the guilt of Sin The filth of Sin is the foul stain that Sin leaves behind it The guilt of Sin is the Offence done to God and the Obligation to punishment resulting thereupon the power of Sin is the Tyrrany that Sin exercises over the Sinner Now when I say we are not to confound the pardon of Sin with the removal of Sin ye would understand it aright I grant that God strikes at the guilt of Sin and the power of Sin both at once which is this in plain languege that a pardoned sin must not be a reigning sin where the vertue of the blood is applyed for pardon the power of the blood will also be applyed for the subjugating of sin and putting it from the Throne and therefore in the by ye may take it as a noble evidence of pardon when sin is subdued or if it be not subdued yet ye are engadged against your own sinful disposition that it prevails not with your consent but for the filthiness of sin though it be stricken at as soon as any of the former Regeneration layes the Ax to the Root of that Tree yet it remains in the Saints till death make the separation Paul Rom. 7. Hath a Law in his members rebelling against the Law in his his mind till Death but the pardon of sin is attainable before death and given in Justification and afterward upon the justified persons Repentance for particular faults and therefore consequently it is not to be confounded with the removal of sin sin may be pardoned and pardon of sin is consistent with the sight of the filthiness of sin for which the soul is abased before God dayly after Regeneration though sin doth not reign and that 's it wherein the pardon of sin consists even in the taking away of the guilt of sin and the souls obligation to wrath though the filth of sin remain SERMON XI Psalm 130. Verse 4. But there is forgivenness with thee I Am now insisting upon the refuge to which the man abased with the conscience of sin betaketh himself who when he hath reflected upon Gods proceedings in strict Justice according to the tenor of the Covenant of Works with sinners and who when he hath found that if God should thus mark iniquity none even the most godly should be able to stand he subjoyns this as a blest aftergain in mans deplorable case But forgivenness is with thee In prosecution of this great truth that there is pardoning-mercy with God to be a relief for Self-condemned sinners I have spoken to two of the five heads that I proposed to be spoken to upon it 1. I have spoken to the Consideration of that which is pardoned that is Iniquity Sin or Transgression or call it by what name ye will 2. I
pardon that it hides God's Face from it as David prays Psal 51.9 Hide thy face from my sins and it is a notable word Mic. 7.18 That God passes by or over-pardons transgressions Who is a God like unto thee that pardons iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage though he be an Omniscient God to see sin yet when sin is pardoned he will as we use to say see and not see he will see and misken as he that passes by that which might irritat him he will not set his Face in that art so deals the Lord with pardoned sins in his people But 4ly Whereas ye have a cursed distinction of forgiving but not forgetting of injuries and temptations may be ready to use and say that though in the sense that I have been speaking of pardoned sins be blotted out covered put out of sight passed by or over that the Lord will not take notice of pardoned iniquities to punish them yet he may remember them by way of grudge against the pardoned person the Scripture secures us against the fear of that and tells us that pardoned iniquities are not remembred Isai 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for miâ—e own sake and will not remember thy sins and Jer. 31.34 with the paralel place Heb. 8. in the New Covenant it is said I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sins no more I will remember it judicially no more to call them to an account for the sin I have pardoned So that sins being pardoned they shall be as if they had not been committed as if they were everlastingly forgotten no more to be remembred so much for these expressions shewing how pardoned sin is looked upon in reference to God to which many mo might be added and O what a full and satisfactory ground do they afford that pardon of sin is no complement but a real security and firm ground of confidence when God hath said all this who are they who looking on the pollution or desert of sin will take pardon of sin for a complement and not look on it as a solid security And this will be further clear if in the second place we consider how it stands with the pardoned man for ye may say to me much hath been said for God and of the fulness of his pardon and that it is a real Security to the pardoned man but I find it not so with my case Therefore I shall in a few words hint how it stands with thee Thou who art a pardoned sinner may find much sin and pressures of guilt at thy door and lying near thy Conscience but the Scripture tells us that it is otherways with thee than thou apprehends Psal 103.12 So far as the east is from the west so far hath he removed our transgressions from us That which thy fears and doubts apprehends lying at thy door and to be as an heavy burden upon thy back sinking thee a pardon removes from thee as far as the East is from the West as far as one thing can be removed from another as the proverbial Speech imports Thou thinks thy self to be in a woful and wretched condition but the Scripture determines thee to be blâ—st Psal 31.1 2. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven c. Thou may be crying out O wretched man who shall deliver me But the Scripture tells thee thou art happy and ought to thank God through Christ Rora 7.24 25. Thou mayest be drooping notwithstanding thou art fled unto Christ for pardon but the Scripture-language of pardon is another thing Mat. 5.2 Son be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee The power and pollution of sin may make thee droop but the pardon of sin may make thee drink and forget thy misery and remember thy poverty no more Thy other sores and difficulties may stick to thee and press thee down but if thou read the pardon of sin rightly thou may say as Isai 33.24 The inhabitant shall not say I am sick why the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity since I am pardoned what can all me what can dare at me or trouble me since I am forgiven of my sin In a word the Scripture declares That have what thou will or want what thou will though thou should complain loving kindnesses are wanting thou hast not these proofs of love thou wont to receive yet thou wants not an admirable proof of love that hast pardon hence is that Exclamation Mic. 7.18 Who is a God like unto that pardoneth iniquity Others may say who is a God like thee in working wonders when thou brought thy people out of Egypt But as for me I will say Who is a God like thee in pardoning sin Thus if we take the Scripture-verdict of pardon of sin as well in reference to the pardoned man as in respect of God we will find that pardon is a sure foundation of confidence and it is so excellent a Character that if we could heed it believe it and improve it to the quickning of us to run and secure pardon in the right method whereof we may hear we should find that we have here a Treasure hid in this Field Christ a pardoner of iniquity lying in the bosom of this mercy Lord bless what ye have heard SERMON XII Psalm 130. Verse 4. But there is forgivenness with thee I Am now entred upon the 3d and great Head of this necessary Doctrine to clear wherein it is That the forgiveness of sin doth stand and after a general Resolution thereof That the pardon of sin takes away not the filthiness and pollution but the guilt of sin I proceed to name four Questions to be cleared on this Subject And the first to which I spoke was how the guilt of sin could be removed while the filthiness and pollution of sin remained guilt being inseparable from sin and the Resolution was that however guilt in it self or as the Learned call it The potential guilt the guilt of sin in it self be not taken away by pardon yet guilt as it results on the person or the actual ordination of the person guilty to condemnation is suspended everlastingly and taken away and for confirmation thereof I led you through several Scriptures to let you see what a sure character pardon is whether we consider pardon as it is to be looked on in respect of God or how it stands with the pardoned man And now without further repetition I shall go on with the rest of the Cases tending to clear the nature of the remission of sin A 2d Question in order is since pardon frees the pardoned man from obligation to punishment Whether is this to be held that no justified or pardoned person can fall under any punishment or chastisement for sin And here the Adversaries of Truth Papists on the one hand and Antinomians on the other run on two extreames for Papists say That in pardon of
the pardoned sinner upon the account of sin partly to prevent sin partly to rouse him up to repentance when he hath sinned partly to set sinners to their feet that they may be rightly affected with sin when it is pardoned and that they may be excited to make a right use of pardon There remains yet other two Questions or Cases to be cleared anenâ— the nature of remission of sin to which I shall now briefly speak as the Lord will give The 3d Case or Question in order to this whether the truth of pardon depends upon the intimation thereof to our hearts yea or no so that when a sensible sinner fallen down at Gods foot-stool in the confession of sin and crying for pardon through Christ yet he finds nothing like a pardon intimate to his Conscience In this case the Question is whether hath he ground to doubt that neither hath he repented of sin nor gotten a pardon from God for it The general Answer to this is that pardon and Gods intimation of pardon to the Conscience are not to be confounded The Apostle 1 Cor. 2.12 gives a general rule concerning all supernatural gifts that when we have received these things freely of God we must receive the spirit which is of God that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God It 's one thing to get these supernatural gifts gifted to us another thing to get the spirit which is of God to know they are given us and this hath place particularly in the matter of pardon of sin for the pardon of sin is a sentence already past in the Word of God in favours of all believers and penitents in Christ so that no sooner doth the penitent sinner flee unto him and look unto him as to the brazen serpent for pardon and cure but as soon that pardon becomes his before he can subsume and say I am fled unto Christ for pardon and am pardoned his direct act of faith draws out pardon before he can reflect and pass a judgment on that his pardon And hence when Nathan hath pronounced that David's sin is pardoned him 2 Sam. 12.13 Yet in the 51. Psalm he crys instantly for mercy for pardon and blotting out of his transgression Why Though he was pardoned in the Court of Heaven yet he was not pardoned in the Court of his own Conscience The intimation of pardon was suspended and kept up And hence is that which I named before Mat. 9.2 Son be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee It 's one benefit to him to have his sins forgiven him and another benefit to be of good chear on that account Therefore as Christ tells him that his sins are forgiven him so he must bid him be of good chear Thus ye see the truth of a penitents pardon depends not on the intimation thereof to his conscience But this wakens up another Case or Question the following forth whereof will deduce this more distinctly and that is how it comes and for what ends it is that a child of God cannot get it discerned and closed with that he is pardoned For clearing of this Case we should look first to our selves and then to a wise hand of God suspending the intimation of pardon If we look to our selves when we are pardoned we cannot discern it because of our weakness that cannot discern our happiness we are blind and discern not our happiness discern not our health we confound the reality of pardon with the sense and feeling of pardon and we will not believe pardon except we feel the effects of pardon and it is also because we are ignorant of getting pardon through the satisfaction of another when we are brought to be sensible for sin and to look to Christ for pardon and God hath spoken pardon we are like the Sea which being raised by a storm doth tumble a while after the storm is over and there is a calm These are some hints on our part why the pardoned sinner gets it not discerned that he is pardoned But if we look up to God he may have a holy hand in keeping up the intimation of pardon upon several accounts As 1. The Lord would have us looking more to his Word wherein pardon in the Gospel is holden out to us on Gospel-terms and less to sense he would breed us to grip the promise while sense come and to grip the promise that sense may come and they that will suspend all assurance of pardon while it be sensibly intimat the Lord in his holy providence keeps up the intimation of pardon from them to teach them to pay more due respect to his Word and to seek and feed upon the consolation that depends upon pardon promised and pronounced therein that by following his method by faith they may come to sensible intimation of pardon 2. The Lord may keep up the sensible intimation of pardon from the penitent and pardoned man that he may learn him to look upon pardon not as a necessary result and effect of his repentance but as a free gift of God which though the Lord will not bestow without repentance yet he doth not bestow it for repentance therefore doth he suspend the intimation of pardon from the penitent man that he may learn to look less to his Repentance and more to the free Grace of God in obtaining of Pardon 3. The Lord sees it fit to keep pardoned sinners in suspence as to the sense of Pardon or the intimation of it that he may let them see that when he is provocked by their sinning it is not so easie to recover themselves and get into his favour Therefore though he have pardoned them yet he will keep them at the back of the door as to the intimation of it partly that they may be put to resent how bitter a thing it is to depart from God and to raise a Cloud betwixt him and them and partly that they may be affrighted to dally with sin again he will have them to know that though he give them mercy it is not so easie to bring a Delinquent in Court and Favour again And 4. The Lord keeps up the intimation of pardon from the penitent and pardoned sinner for this among other ends that he may be fit for sympathy with others that may come in the like case with himself he may cause his reconciled people feel the bitterness of departing from him and may suffer them to ly in the sense and under fears of their un-reconciled condition as to the intimation of pardon that they may bear burden with others that come to be in their case 5. The Lord keeps up the intimation of pardon from them that he may set them on work to repent more that they may search out sin more and repent more for their sin and for the sinfulness that is in their sin that possibly as yet they have not laid well to heart These reasons of suspending the intimation of pardon even
of these and shew that in order to the obtaining of pardon men should be careful not to run headlong and voluntarly on in sin for that will make the coming at pardon more difficult that they should be frequent in self examination to find out sin That they should be serious in laying to heart the desert of sin as the Psalmist is verse 3. And serious in Repentance for sin I told you also that these things being premitted it was the duty of the penitent sinner by Faith to close with pardoning Mercy which I closed with a check both to the wicked who because they see not the advantage which is on the back of Conviction of Sin never look their sin in the face and with a check to the godly who notwithstanding their being humbled in the sense of sin stand aback from closing with pardoning Mercy And I came in the third place to speak to what was consequentially required to pardon as the Psalmist here having said There is forgiveness with thee he adds as a consequence of it that thou mayest be feared And upon this Head I named two or three things as native Consequences of pardoning Mercy as that there must be love to the Pardoner as that woman Luke 7. did evince much was forgiven her because she loved much That there must be a Heart-melting when we reflect upon the pardoning of iniquity and a Compassionâ—â— looking on them that are still lying in that pit that through mercy we have escaped I told you there are other two consequential evidences of pardon that I intended to insist a little more on As 1st The forgiving of others that have injured us And 2ly The fearing and serving of God the one of these I find it necessary to insist upon because it is put in by Christ in that pattern of Prayer Mat. 6.12 And the other because it is recorded in the Text to be a consequent of pardon For the 1st of these concerning the forgiving of others I shall briefly speak to these three anent it as it is spoken of in that Pattern of Prayer 1. That the people of God are getting wrongs in the World 2. That it is the will of God that we should forgive those that wrong us 3. That folks forgiving of others that wrong them is an evidence of their being pardoned themselves 1st The people of God these that are allowed in the Pattern of Prayer to call God Father they are getting wrongs in the World they are getting debts in the World they have their debters in it thereby is not meant so much men that are under civil obligations to pay the debt they owe to them though that may have its own place as we may hear as chiefly and mainly wrongs injuries unrighteous dealing violating the Law of Love in their carriage and deportment This is the condition the woful condition that all the Children of men are in since the fall Tit. 3.3 They are foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another and Hab. 1.13 14. Tells that men are like the fishes of the sea and the creeping things that have no ruler over them where the greater are ready to devour the smaller and the children of God are large sharers in this matter And Paul confesses 1 Tim. 1.13 That before Conversion he was a blasphemer injurious and a persecuter and Mat. 5.44 Christ supposes the godly will have enemies cursers of them haters of them such as will despitefully use them and persecute them and experience in all ages makes it out how much work fearers of God have for this sweet disposition called for in them to be forgivers of others All that I shall say from this shall be in the first place to invite you to consider the state of all mankind since the fall as the Proverb is Homo homini lupus one man is a wolf to another that men are now more ready to wrong and injure one another than the brute beasts are in their own kind this is a sad document how far man is fallen from God by sin 2. From this I would have the Lords people to take warning what they are to expect in the world they will have wrongs to bear injuries to suffer and endure debts to forgive Cement as we will these two seeds the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent will never be one one Family and Ark one Womb will never make them one But as it is Gal. 4.29 As he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit even so is it now Therefore ye are not to wonder when ye meet with trouble and persecution in the world but rather wonder at the moderation ye meet with 3. Let it be a warning to them that wrong others that thereby they constitute themselves debitors injurers breakers of the Law of love if not of justice and righteousness also They run themselves under debt which they must repent of Luk. 17.4 and make restitution of with Zacheus Luk. 19.8 They must not stand upon their credit so to do neither must they be as many who if they do an injury resolve to crush them utterly to whom they have done it that they may not be able to repay it and beside that they may remember that God is the principal Creditor who will crave and exact that debt if it be not repented and pardoned The second thing proposed to be spoken to is That it is the will of God that these debts men contract in reference to the people of God his people should forgive them Christ will have them to say Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors Mat. 6.12 It is commanded Eph. 4.32 Forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Col. 3.13 Forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you so also do ye And our Lord Jesus Mat. 5. when v. 44. he hath bidden his followers love their enemies bless them that curse them do good to them that hate them and pray for them that despitefully use and persecute them he adds v. 45. That thereby they should evidence their good condition they should evidence themselves to be children of their Father which is in Heaven that maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sends his rain on the just and unjust That which I would say anent this forgiving of injuries shall be briefly in answer to a few Questions As 1. If it be inquired what it is that men should forgive 1. I answer for Civil Debts what-ever the Law of Charity requires in some cases as to that yet it is as we hinted before mainly wrongs injuries defraudations persecutions oppressions and the like 2. If it be asked How can we forgive these they being sins against God Ye may remember when I spake before of the Author of pardon
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
waiters on God or if ye be backslidden and sitten up I confess there may be a temptation as to this haunting a tender soul some may think because they make not such din and noise of their Religion as sometime they did that they are backslidden but thou may have more life now than thou had in thy former fraziness and forwardness thou was before like green wood that has much din will crack much but hath less heat and light but now thou art like the dry wood that has better light and more heat and there may be also a mistake on this account that because God is leading thee through the abominations of thine heart and humbleth thee with the naughtiness of thy disposition which he discovers to thee thou may think thy self worse than sometime thou was when thou art not worse but sees better than thou did before therefore where there is tenderness we would guard against such mistakes upon that hand where tenderness lies But alas we have greater cause to guard against a blind upon the other hand that is that because folk keep up the tale of Duty and are as frequently about Relâ—gious Performances as they wont to be they think they are not back-slidden nor sitten up in the way of God and yet they are far from that love to and delight in God that once appeared in their Service and Worship And to instruct this a little to you I would have these that would try if they be backslidden from that they had or might have had or that others have attained looking to these four or five things 1. If they be growing according to that 2 Pet. 3.17 Beware lest being led away with the error of the wicked ye fall from your own stedfastness but grow in grace in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ There is no standing still in a Christian course the person that is not growing in the fruit or to the root that is not making progress in Sanctification nor is not growing in Mortification and Humiliation for his shortcoming he is certainly a backsliding person 2. I would have folks looking to this whether Religion in many be not come from their hearts to their heads so that these who wont to be full of sap are now sapless these who had a lively impression on their Souls of the life and power of Religion are now come to that that all they have is bare tastless notions speculations not only do folks that are sitten up forget to look to the frame of the heart and few cabinet counsels are betwixt God them but O how tasteless sapless lifeless is Religion Religious Duties to them they have a notion of Misery and Mercy of Sin and a Saviour but it is like a dream a thing they can look on with very little or no affecting of heart 3. I would have folk that would try their frame looking to this what Conscience is made of sin when the saints are in a right frame they walk tenderly in a continual jealousie of themselves they have many a reflex look back check and heart-sinking for this and that they find amiss and this is not at a start but it will be their trade and exexcise But O when it comes to this that thou art a stranger to a tender walk with God to inward checks and challenges and thy Throat grows wide and thou gets over guilt without reluctancy thou miscarries and thy light tells thee of it but thy heart is not affected with it that tells thou art sitten up for a growing frame is tender in the matter of sin and guilt 4. I would have folk that would try their frame looking well to their diligence It is the hand of the diligent that makes rich Prov. 10.4 The soul of the diligent shall be made fat Prov. 13.4 And therefore folks that are at little pains in the Duties of Religion for the honour of God and their own souls advantage but spend much of their time in laziness and carnalness when they cast up their accompts they will find they are sitten up withered and under a decay 5. And to add no more They that would try their frame would consider that though they be free of these things hinted at yet if they be under a spirit of discouragement they cannot be making progress Look then to your frame who are more tender what discouragement ye find in it The day was when the Duties of Religion and closs following of Christ was thy delight but now thy Conscience is turned a Tormenter unto thee thou drives heavily in any task thou art called to thou art like Thomas Joh. â—1 16 who followed Christ but discouragedly Let us go also says he that we may die with him though thou keep up the tale of Duty thy discouragement evidences thou art fallen from thy first love from that love which once thou had or might have had Well then try your selves by these things what your growth is what your heart-work is what conscience is made of sin what diligence in Duty what discouragement in stead of delight and when ye have tryed reflect on that I said before of your hazard and prejudice what retardment in good what loss is in what ye had gained what indignity hath been offered to God what reflecting on him what stumbling-blocks have been laid before others what sorrows ye have been brewing to your selves And I shall only add this Consideration I wish that all back slidden and up-sitten Professors would ponder that place Rev. 2â—4 5. Where there is a Church that is very zealous cannot bear with them which are evil hath tried them which said they were Apostles and found them liars had born and had patience and for the Name of Christ had laboured and not fainted and yet Christ quarrels her for that she had lost her first love and what follows Remember from whence thou art fallen Repent and do the first works or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his place A Church leaving her first Love her gradual decay may provock God to un-Church her except she consider from whence she is fallen repent and do her first works But a 2. word of Vse shall be to hint to you a direction what folk should do with an up-sitten condition when they find it and cannot win out of it I confess it is not so difficult to find out the Disease as the Remedy and here to say nothing to them that are so fast a-sleep that they will not waken to consider of their up-sitten condition I find on the one hand some that are sensible of their backsliding ready to sigh and go backward they look upon their case as deplorable and on themselves as in an evil plight and yet they loiter on and win not to their feet And I find on the other hand others who if a conviction of this kind be called home upon them they think they
make us say with that wicked King 2 King 6.33 This evil is of the Lord why should I wait on the Lord any longer And readily the man that will not wait on God hath that which he had with it v. 31. God do so to me and more also if the head of Eâ—â—sha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day The godly man resolves to be like the infirm man at the Pool Joh. 5.57 There will he lyâ— were it never so long till the water be troubled and some put him in or till Christ by his immediat hand cure him This was the Psalmists way here after he is put to cry out of the deeps and to wrestle with guilt meeting him in the teeth and to cry for pardoning mercie and no relief appears he resolves during the delay to wait on God I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope My soul waits for the Lord more c. And Psal 62. after he hath said Truly my soul waiteth on God from him comes my salvation v. 1. he presseth it over again v. 5. O my soul wait thou only upon God for my expectation is from him he will wait and better wait and continue in waiting Now the prosecution of this would lead me to the particulars in the Text wherein these four or five things are clear 1. The Psalmists exercise I wait 2. The object of his exercise of waiting I wait for the Lord. 3. His affection in waiting My soul doth wait 4. His support in his waiting My soul doth wait and in his word do I hope 5. The great measure of his affection in waiting My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning I say more c. These are the particulars in the Text in the prosecution whereof we may have sundry things for laying open this exercise of waiting on God I shall now speak a few words and close I shall not touch on this that duty is ours and event is Gods a man having done his duty may if he could win up to the use of his allowance sleep very sound under cross events but it is our unhappy temper that we would still be at the Throne and have the guiding of things we are like the ill Scholar that 's busier at his neighbours Lesson than his own But to pass this consider four short words and I have done 1. Waiâ—ing on God is a blest mean appointed of God in order to an out-gate out of all difficulties Isai 30.18 Blest are all they that wait on him A man by waiting on God and brooking delays with faith patience affection and submission may find an out gate without a delivery 2. Waiting on God in the case of delays and persevering in waiting is commendable on this account that we can do no where else so well as to ly still at his door a man that wearies to wait on God would look what he will do next ere he give it over When Christ ask'd Peter Will ye also leave me He answers To whom shall we go We had need to seek a better Master ere we quite thee and that we cannot find thou hast the words of eternal life What will a man do next if he wait not on God David is fasht with waiting and dependence and he will go down to the Land of the Philistines and the History tells what befell him there he is forced to lie he is likely to be brought in a snare by fighting against the people of God and his interest and in Ziglag in hazard of being destroyed by the Amalekites a man may well get an ill Conscience by apostacy and declining he is never a step nearer delivery so that go the world as it will waiting on God is the best of it And 3. When we weary of waiting on God because of outward dispensations we bewray too much affection to the things of time thou art in a difficulty thou wearies because of the calamity that lies on and thou gets not an out-gate but it were better for thee to mourn over thy inordinat affection to the things of time that makes thee weary and that would make way for thy out-gate and lighten thy burden 4. Remember that even a delivery from any difficulty out of Gods way without waiting on God is a plague When a man comes not under a signal plague till he come under this that as the word is Mal. 3.15 he tempts God and is delivered And therefore rather abhor such an issue that is a plague than lust after it SERMON XXI Psalm 130. Verse 5. I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and c. IN these words as ye heard the last day is contained the 3d Branch of the Psalmists exercise after that he hath wrestled with difficulties by crying to God out of the depths and wrestled with the conscience of guilt by taking with it and fleeing to pardoning mercy on right terms he is put now to wrestle with delays of comfort and an out-gate and this he wrestles with by confident affectionat meek and patient waiting on God I spoke to the general Doctrine of this Verse The task of perseverance and constancy in the way of God and followed it out a little in opposition to apostacy and back-sliding and more particularly to these brashy hot fits that folk have at some times which are followed with as great cools and in opposition to delays or wearying and sitting up from employing God when folks meet with delays which is in the Text which ye may remember I divided in these five 1. The Psalmists exercise I wait 2. The object of his exercise of waiting I wait for the Lord. 3. His affection in waiting My soul doth wait 4. His support in his waiting My soul doth wait and in his word do I hope 5. The great measure of his affection in waiting My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning I say more than they that watch for the morning For the first of these that he is waiting this if I should follow forth in all that might be said of it I should take in that Confidence and affection the Psalmist hath in waiting which will occur in their proper places to be spoken to when I proceed in the words of the Text here I shall pass not only a general of the Psalmists reflecting on what he hath been doing and his giving an account of it which I purpose to take in afterward but I shall handle waiting on God here only in these two 1. Somewhat Supposed That he is put to wait 2. Somewhat proposed That when he is put to wait he doth wait For the first somewhat supposed that he is put to wait which affords us this Observation that the Saints even in their serious and sincere seeking of God in difficulties may be exercised with delays of comfort and an out-gate when a godly man is here crying
of the Lord. And Chap. 2.10 he says to his Wife Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil O! there is a stooping to Soveraignty in the greatest straits and shakes that ever befell any except our Lord Jesus and that Argument is made use of by him to his Disciples in the matter of timing mercies Acts 1. Lord say they wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel He answers It is not for you to know the times and seasons which the Father hath put in his own power Proud dust miskens it self when it dare offer to prescribe to God and were Soveraignty more studied and practically improven in the lots that befall us and in their continuance we would often find matter of a song where we make a quarrel Now as these Considerations might press waiting in opposition to hastiness so there are some other Considerations that serve to press meekness and calmness of spirit in opposition to bitterness and fretfulness and among many I shall only name three 1. Meekness and sweetness is commendable on this account that it takes the poison and sting out of all our lots The Apostle Rom. 12.21 when he hath been speaking against passion and fretfulness at our neighbours that angers us he hath a very speaking word that he closes with Be not overcome of evil as if he said ye think your self victorious when ye have gotten your crop and spleen wracked on crowing over them that have wronged you but ye are far mistaken the soil is yours ye are overcome of evil ye are slaves to your own corruption in venting your passion and bitterness So is it here it 's fretfulness and bitterness that poisons any sad lot we are under Lam. 3.19 When a man remembers the affliction and the misery and the wormwood and the gall and hath them still in remembrance his soul sinketh in him but when he gets victory over these he says It 's of the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not He that had said before that his soul was removed far from peace and he forgot prosperity he finds prosperity among his despised and undervalued lots It 's not your continued crosses and long delays that is your affliction it 's your bitterness that is the poison and sting of them all and makes them so afflicting It 's with you as with that man Solomon speaks of Prov. 19.3 The foolishness of man perverteth his way and his heart fretteth against the Lord When he hath perverted his way he would blame God for his own unthrift There is no outgate of a Cross comparable to this the coming off with a meek mind as that word Psal 55.18 holds out He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battel that was against me O! look to the peace of your mind under continued difficulties let not that break Ye know not what affliction means till ye get an imbittered mind which will make a Mole-hill a Mountain nay will create a Cross to it self yea is a Cross in it self and can contrive a Cross where there is none even when a man is convinced his lot is good Set him in a Paradise of pleasure his imbittered mind will make it a torment to him therefore look on an imbittered mind as the greatest sting and poisoner of all that can befall you and guard against it 2. It may perswade folks to study meekness and calmness of spirit when they consider what an imbittered fretful disposition portends what doth it import and portend to a man I shall tell you it portends mo and sharper rods to tame that wild and imbittered heart to humble that fretful disposition a man who though he hing on yet is fretful cankard bitter all that he meets with in his lot is the wormood and the gall to him he is like a feverish man that hath something in his stomach that must be purged his taste is marred which makes that which is sweet bitter and though thou belong to God yet as it is said of wicked men if thou walk contrary unto him he will walk contrary unto thee Levit. 26. And thou may expect seven times more yoke upon yoke cross upon cross till thou be tame and subject thy self to him In a word so long as a man is in a bitter frame he evidences that the medicine God hath given him hath never won to the root of his disease and he may look for a harder potion 3. It may perswade to the study of meekness and to set against bitterness to consider that bitterness is unreasonable Isai 45.9 Wo to him that strives with his Maker let the pot sheards strive with the pot sheards of the earth shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it what makest thou He is the Lord to whom who can say What dost thou Ponder that word which I have often occasion to mind you of Job 18.4 He teareth himself in his anger a lively and pathetick description of a fretful disposition he would eat himself in his anger but shall the earth be forsaken for thee and shall the rock be removed out of his place Is there no more ado but turn all the wheels of providence up-side down when ye take the pett When such a goodly thing as thou art not pleased with it says Bildad to Job O fretful body wilt thou sit down and ask who should guide the world Who should have the Throne Whether God or thou Whether should he guide thee or thou guide thy self Whether wilt thou yield to God or have him yield to thee Shall not God brusk his Throne and Government but thou like a Child of Belial envyeth it Nay further let me plead for God bitter body what ails thee what would do thy turn Thou can name many things thou wants and would have but thou knows not where thy disease lyes it is within thee that ails thee let God cut thee short of favours or restore them to thee put thee in trouble or deliver thee it will not cure thee thou wilt never want a cross so long as that base lust of bitterness abides in thee unsubdued that which was a lust in the enjoyment of favours will turn a lust in the deprivation of them change thy case every day it will not ease thee thou art like a sick man that crys for drink but it doth not slocken him the cooling of his blood and purging of his distemper must do that therefore look on bitterness and fretfulness in your frame as a most absurd irrational thing Now as these Consideratious should perswade you to look on the excellency and advantage of waiting on God in opposition to making haste and to fretfulness severally So I shall shut up both with a general Word pressing waiting from the advantages that generally results from it and I can give you no better thing to command it than that of our Lord Isai 30.18 Blest are all they that
wait on him It is beyond all peradventure that a waiting people on God in difficult times are a blest people Their lot may seem accursed but their waiting on God proves that the curse is taken out of it Blest is the man and woman that wearies not that frets not under difficult lots Why because they are at their duty Thrice blest are they as I may if the Lord will handle in the progress that love their duty for it self with an eye to Divine approbation whatever may be the issue of it But I shall add three Evidences of Blessedness that attends waiting on God 1. A waiter on God is blest because by waiting he keeps more than trouble can take from him ye have a very Emphatick word for this Luke 21.19 In your patience possess ye your souls Sharp Tryals long continued may dispossess you of all other things liberty wealth reputation or whatever is dear to you but says he if ye continue patient ye shall have this blessing ye shall possess your selves an impatient man is a sort of mad-man he is not at himself he possesses not himself because that Time or Instruments in Time have done him a prejudice he will do himself a worse because they have taken this or that away from him he will cast a sweet frame and mind away after it and that is to do himself a worse turn than the world can do to him in so doing he casts more away than the World can take from him So on that account the waiter on God is blessed even on that because of the sweet frame he is keeped in Cast the waiter on God where you will still he will fall on his feet and on that account Blest are all they that wait on God But again 2. Blessed is the waiter on God upon the account that the through-bearing that attends waiting on God will attend him till he get a good issue O! to see the desperat shifts that impatient fretful thoughts will put folk to in difficulties they go like mad-men as the Word is Isai 51.20 They are like wild bulls in a net full of the fury of the Lord O! how do they dash themselves on snares and run themselves on Rocks to their ruine The foul slips of fretful bodies are many though they be dear to God that temper will bring them halting home But would ye see the Blessedness of the waiter on God read at your leisure Isai 40.29 He gives power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth strength He desires none of your furniture to serve him with in a waiting posture and in the by if ye think ye have much furniture he will empty you and ye must be in a fainting posture ere he give power and be having no might ere he increase strength and then even the youths Bahurim selected ones shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fail but they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not be faint one would think yoke youths with the faint and them that have no might it were easie to determine who would carry the Prize But here the faint the feckless waiting on God carry it when the youths are laid by How many a great Spirit hath Tryals broken When thou art a weak feeble body and yet has keeped up thine heart and held on the way How many a gallant have got a dash when thou a crasy crauling creature are kept to the fore and made to renew thy strength through waiting on God And 3. Reverencing Providence that I have been detained on this Subject They are necessarly blessed who are waiters on God on the account of the out-gate The waiter on God shall have an out-gate from all his difficulties Jam. 5.11 Ye have heard of the Patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender Mercy I dare assure you that Song abides waiters on God which ye have Isai 25.9 It shall be said in that day Lo this is our God and we have waited for him and he will save us This is the Lord we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation It is not a God wrapped up in a Promise it is not a God covered with a cloud of whom the World said Where is their God Mic. 7.10 But lo there he is whom we waited for and the additional word is We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation It shall be seen and said then Blest are they that wait for the Lord Canst thou not then wait and watch for one hour when thou knowest not but in the hour that thou gives over he may come Therefore wait on the account of the blessed out-gate Psal 40.1 I waited patiently on the Lord and he inclined his ear unto me and heard my cry he brought me also out of a horrible pit and miry clay and set my foot on a rock and establisht my goings and he hath put a new song in my mouth even praise unto our God A new Song is the result of waiting on God Believers and the Church may hing their harps on the Willows and they may weep when they remember Zion and say How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange Land Psal 137. But a new Song in Gods good time shall be put in the mouths of all that are waiters on God And if I might insist to add a word further I would lead you to uncipher that Text I cited before Isai 8.9 Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you I shall not determine the scope of the place but the time comes when his waiting shall be seen to be gracious that waiters on him shall be convinced he took the fittest opportunity to manifest himself gracious and if such had come sooner there should no such Grace have been seen in it Flesh under difficulties thinks that he waits to be cruel but look again and thou will find he waits to be gracious and not only so but he will be exalted that he may have mercy on his on-waiters he will make it out that if he be an exalted God he will be a merciful God and so as his people that wait on him shall acknowledge him to be an exalted God in that and shall sing Who is a God like unto thee glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders And whereas thou may think there is little regard to be had to thy fighting pingling life in waiting on him he will make it out that he is a God of Judgment pondering their condition he hath to do with as Physitians consider the condition of their Patients and weigh their Doses conform and will not add a grain more than what is needful so will he deal with them that wait on him he will be seen to
there were no promising evidence of it but rather the contrary 2. Another is saints when stript and emptied of all things do not give over waiting on God because he is not only able if he will to do their turn when all refuge fails them but his owning his people in difficulties is a special part of his glory which he will not give to any other little do we understand the intricacies of Divine Providence little know we wherefore he blasts probabilities and defeats all the expectations of his people but whatever else be in it it is for this chiefly that Himself may be seen to be their Deliverer and none other Therefore he does with them as he did with Gideon's army when he brought them to three hundred and with these three hundred with Trumpets and lamps in pitchers defeat the Midianites Judges 7. That their Delivery might be seen of him And if this were well seen it would give the people of God a comfortable look of God's laying by all second Causes stripping them naked of all helps making Dispensations threaten ruine they would say our Masters feet are behind these this is but a dark hour before the dawning So doth David reason in that forecited Psalm 142.4 5. When he looked on the right and left hand and there was no man that would know him refuge failed him no man cared for his soul What follows I cryed unto thee O Lord I said thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living And Psal 94.18 When I said my foot slips thy mercy O Lord held me up When there was nothing betwixt him and ruine but Gods Mercy he found that a present help But 3. The Children of God when stripped of all things but God have ground to wait on God and do wait on him not only because he is able to deliver them and delights to lay by other things that he may be seen in their delivery but whereas guilt is a great impediment and stares the waiter on God in the face that he knows not how to expect good from God till that be removed and taken out of the way yet he waits on God on this account that there is hope in Israel concerning that thing that his guilt shall be no impediment to his delivery or any good thing he wants and is needful for him if he do with it as the Psalmist doth here verse 3 4. If he take with it be humbled for it lay claim to pardoning Mercy in the right method he may notwithstanding say I wait for the Lord There are two notable grounds of encouragement which as they would not be abused so being rightly improven are very useful to waiters on God One is that right taking with guilt and repentance for it after much incorrigibleness is attainable when we have called our selves for any thing we can see in our selves or expect from means reprobat silver yet the Lord can humble and tame that uncircumcised heart Jer. 32.19 He can turn Ephraim who has resisted many means and hath been as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke Another is that which I am upon guilt taken with and acknowledged needs not hinder a man to wait on God These places that I cited the last day proves it as Isai 8.17 I will wait upon the Lord that hides his face from the house of Jacob and I will look for him Though he be a God that is provocked to withdraw and hide his face yet I will wait on him look for him And Micah 6.7 8. When the Church is low yet she will look to the Lord and will wait for him and wait for the God of his salvation believing her God will hear her and on that ground bids the enemy boast at leisure She answers that Objection concerning guilt that she will bear the indignation of the Lord because she hath sinned she will take with guilt and stoop to his correcting hand till he plead her cause and execute Judgment for her she looks over the mountain of her guilt when she hath taken with it and waits for the Lord. So ye see what is first imported in this waiting for God that the eyes of the waiting man must be taken off all things and set on God only and that these who would wait on God would lay their account to be more and more stript of all things till they be left on God and being so they have good ground to wait on God and the waiter on God taking with guilt and pleading for mercy may in that humble posture wait still for God I proceed to the second thing imported in this waiting on God and that is The waiting man left on God and seeing an all-sufficiency in God to do his turn in the faith of that he so waits for God That is to wait for the Lord when the confidence of Gods help encourages the waiting man in waiting on God to stick closs by the way of God that he will not have a comfort but in his way he will not have a delivery but that which comes with Divine approbation He will not purchase a Delivery of Out-gate with the price of the least sin Why he waits for God in his way Troubles and delays are a great temptation to shake off tenderness the pressure and continuance of the least of troubles are ill counsellors in a waiting posture they will bid run to the leest row to the best shore take any course for an out-gate But he who is a waiter on God indeed his tenderness grows as his trouble grows and as his delays are protracted he studies to be the more tender I shall not insist on this but 1. It is certain a waiter for God should be and in so far as he waits rightly on God he is and will be a tender man as the Word is Psal 37.34 Wait on the Lord and keep his way a waiter on God hath his Ears nailed to the Posts of Divine Direction so that neither to the right nor left hand dare he move but as he hath a warrand from God So Heb. 11.35 There were folks that were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection mark it they were not tortured because deliverance was not granted but because deliverance could not be accepted on sinful Terms when offered The greatness of their trouble did not diminish their tenderness whatever it did augment it if at any time they found tenderness necessary they found it especially when their trouble was great 2. Ye shall mark that as true waiting requires tenderness so tenderness is attainable that is through Grace it is attainable That a Saint waiting on God in his way in a tender frame may attain to go through difficulties without sinning against God It is true temptations to sin will go thick and threefold when a Saint is put to wait for God in continued troubles and meets with temptations delays difficulties and pressures which as I said
seasonable mixtures sweet reserves and exceptions in the lots of saints And as there are mixtures in their lots so in their frames wherein we will find confidence seasoned with deep humility as in Abraham Gen. 18.27 I have taken upon me to speak to the Lord who am but dust and ashes Gloriation seasoned with the sense of being nothing 2 Cor. 12.11 In nothing am I behind the very chiefest Apostles though I be nothing Nearness to God seasoned with a sight of their own pollution Isai 6.5 Wo is me I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips c. For mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts Job 42.5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee wherefore I abhore my self in dust and ashes Thus ye see what a sweet mixture the frame and way of the saints is made up of when right and this in the Text is to be adverted That patience in our waiting be seasoned with affection lest our waiting turn to indifferency There are many pretend to be waiters but what wait they for Their heart is not affected with it Affection must still be keeped on foot and meek and patient must our waiting for God be Therefore look to it Let not folk deceive themselves in thinking that they have this patience and waiting that I have been speaking of when they have nothing but a coldrife indifferency stupidity loitering and lying by in that waiting What Mercies do folk want but they pretend to wait for them from God and yet their Conscience will bear them witness their heart was never affected with the want of them nor drawn forth after the enjoying of them they cannot say Their soul doth wait As upon the one hand true patience must temper the edge of right affection that it over-reach not or run it self out of breath So on the other hand it would be adverted that while patience is tempering affection affection be not feeding on the breasts of security carelesness indifferency stupidity that with these Virgines Mat. 25. While they are waiting for the coming of the Lord they do not fall asleep or slumbering that 's an abuse of patience in waiting when it is suffered to degenerat in stupidity and indifferency In a word that ye may know what is meant by the Saints soul-waiting for God I shall give it to you in what is represented in the people of God in the Captivity upon the one hand we find a Command is sent unto them Jer. 29.5 To build houses in Babylon and dwell in them to plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them take wives and beget sons and daughters that they might be increased and not diminished and to seek the good of the place whither they were carried captives and pray for the peace thereof that is that they should be as careful as they might without sin to make their captivity tollerable that was to wait for God when their cankered haste and fretfulness was done away And yet on the other hand compare that with Psal 137.1 By the rivers of Babel we sat down yea we wept when we remembred Sion we hanged our harps on the willows in the midst thereof when they required of us mirth we said how shall we sing the Lords song in a strange land if I forget thee O Jerusalem c. A soul-waiting affection is aloft in them although they made their distresses as tolerable as they might without sin and were warranded so to do yet they would not suffer their patience to degener in indifferency they would not suffer their affection to fall asleep and forget that which their Captivity had deprived them of and therefore the people of God in difficulties waiting for God they would still have somthing of that frame Lam. 1.7 Jerusalem remembred in the day of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old before the people fell into the hand of the enemy Wait for God there is good reason for it Be patient and meek Why not But O! in your waiting let it be seen that affection is aloft when thou art ready bitterly to resent God's depriving thee of mercies or detaining them from thee guard against that let bitterness be banisht but guard also against stupidity and senselesness that they come not in the room of it but let thy soul be waiting But I proceed to a 2d Observation from this Head and that is a general which I deferred to speak to when the last day I spoke to this waiting and it now comes in seasonably The Psalmist not only gives an account what he is doing but how he is doing Though he be delayed and mercies be keeped back yet he dare avow he is waiting for the Lord yea that his waiting for God is of the right stamp that his soul is waiting that in his waiting he keeps off both the extreams of passion and haste and of careless stupidity and indifferency The Observation then is that it is not only a commendable thing in Saints to be able to give an account of what they are doing especially in sad times but it is comfortable to themselves when they are able to give an account of what they are doing and that they are in the way of their duty it is so to the Psalmist here that he can say he waits and his soul waits for God This Point I shall speak to in these four because it is and will be your work if ye be serious 1. That work is our great business 2. That work acceptable to God in a low condition is attainable 3. That as it is attainable so a man may know he hath attained it 4. That it is comfortable to him when he knoweth it and dare avow that he is acceptably employed A little to these four as time will permit And first I say work and duty is our main business when our lots are saddest One would think it had been a more seasonable and a more near concerning Question for the Psalmist to be now looking what God is doing when he had been crying out of the deeps taking â—ith guilt pleading for pardon but he looks to what he himself is doing we would alway as I hinted before fain be at the Throne and have the guiding of the world or have God taking our advice what he should do in it and how much of folks time and spirit who are serious is taken up in scanning of providence but O! fix this that duty is ours event is Gods duty is our task and we should leave it to God to make of us and duty what pleases him yea more it is one of the great ends why sad times and lots passes over us that we may give a proof what we think of duty when it wants present success whether we will take duty for a reward to it self whether a man will bless God go the world as it will that he is
And Job 23.10 when he cannot get a sight of God on the right or left hand yet saith he He knows the way that I take when he trys me I shall come forth like gold c. What I would say from this is to leave a check at their door whom the dispensations of providence dings from all their confidence if God delay the Psalmist he will avow that he waits but so silly are we that there is nothing the storm blows against but we are ready to question it whereas if we see it be fair before the wind we question it not at all so silly spirits are we and so full of byasses O! lament this and know that duty is knowable and avowable in the saddest of dispensations for the Psalmist can say I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait And 4. As duty is attainable and knowable so it is very comfortable to a man to know it It 's good news to this tost Psalmist that he dare say I wait my soul doth wait it 's good news for the present Read often believe and improve that word Eccles 8.12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times and his days be prolonged yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God because he feareth before God The very present reward the Eccho of a good Conscience is sweet and comfortable that the people of God can say Our hearts are not turned back nor our steps declined from thy way though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons and covered us with the shadow of death Psal 44.18 O! How sweet an Eccho hath that in a mans bosome and a man that in a sad condition will not be made up in the testimony of a good Conscience it is righteousness with God to smite him with a rod dipped in his own guilt Look to it and make it your study to have this ground of comfort when others fail It 's good when a man can say I am sore broken yet my heart is not turned back I am in the deeps yet my soul waits I cannot win at him yet my feet have held his steps his way have I kept and not declined and as this is sweet and comfortable for the present so will it be found for the time to come when the waiter on God in duty shall be made to say and sing as it is Isa 25.9 Lo this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation I shall say no more but when all costs are reckoned it shall be found that a doer of duty waiting for God shall be no loser but a great gainer and it shall never be grief of heart to him that he made it his work to wait on him in his way when others declined As I closed the last day with that word Blessed are all they that wait for him so do I this day whatever he do to them whatever delays or difficulties they meet with they shall find that it will be found a rich mercy to be found waiting for God and upon God in their duty keeping his way and not declining therefrom I say no more but the Lord bless his Word that ye have been hearing for Christs sake SERMON XXV Psalm 130. Verse 5. And in his Word do I hope I Told you that as the two former Verses speak to one of the excellent Priviledges of the godly man to wit the remission of sins So the 5 and 6. speak to a most necessary though a most difficult task of the godly man to wait for God that godly men give a proof of their subjection to him and faith in him by their waiting for him notwithstanding they meet with so many delays and disappointments Somewhat hath been spoken to three principal Heads of Doctrine in these Verses 1. The Psalmists exercise he is a waiting man he is put to wait and he doth wait where ye heard that if God delay the Saints and put them to wait it is their duty to wait not only not to be hasty but if they hing on they would look their waiting be not poisoned with freâ—fulness passion and bitterness but seasoned and adorned with meekness and patience I spoke 2. to the object of his exercise I wait for the Lord where ye heard that the eyes of the waiâ—ing man must be taken off all things and set on God not only when all second causes forsake him but when these things that seemed to promise relief seem to be against him he must notwithstanding wait on God and keep his way and have all his expectation in God or God himself must be his expectation and he will be no loser by this if God himself be his great expectation he will easily make up the want of all other things In the third place I spoke to his affection in waiting my soul doth wait where beside that general that we should be able to give an account what we are doing in difficulties when we are exercised with delays Ye heard that true waiting lyes in the midst betwixt bitterness passion haste fretfulness on the one hand and stupidity and indifferency on the other hand The right waiter for God as he is not fretful and passionat so neither is he sleeping and careless he so waits as his soul doth wait his affections are aloft prizing and looking out for these things he is waiting for Now in the 4. place I proceed to consider his support in waiting What made him thus wait affectionatly confidently and patiently He Answers and in his word do I hope He hoped in the word of God and therefore he waits for God It 's not to great purpose to trouble you here with an exact distinction betwixt Faith and Hope Faith looks to the promise and gives a present subsistence to the thing promised as the word is Heb. 11.1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Hope looks to the performance of the good things promised Faith closes with the promise as true and is comforted in that which is contained in it Hope looks out till God come and make out what Faith sees and closes with in the word of promise In this place Faith and Hope may be taken promiscuously or indifferently in his word do I hope that is I wait till God make out to me that he hath promised in his Word or take it a little more distinctly in his word do I hope It will import that having closed by Faith with the good things in the word of promise he looks out for the accomplishment of them so that he hath not only Faith bene believing and closing with the Word but he hath hope looking out till God make his Word good to him I might here take notice of this that waiting on God though a man had no other evidence is ground of hope when a man is in a difficulty and sore put at and
thou hast little to say to the commendation of God of hoping in him will thou believe that there shall be a good account of all thy exercise in waiting believe that thou shall not for ever return ashamed that there will be an end of the Lord and a good end that thy expectation shall not perish for ever that though thou be laid in the grave with crushing thy dead men shall live there shall be an end and thy expectation shall not be cut off take the exhortation that word to Mary Luke 1.45 Blessed is she that believes for there shall be a performance of these things which were told her from the Lord. Thou that art running to God and waiting on him for an issue of thy pressures and sees no appearance of the day breaking but rather that the night groweth darker do not think that it will be ay so Do not follow out thy work and task as a hopeless undertaking follow not Christ as Thomas did to die with him but sow in hope expect that he that hath opened thy mouth wide will fill it and not with an empy spoon only do not mistake while thou art holden at work needful exercise is still requisit which will come in afterward when I speak to the exercise of Faith and Hope and therefore here I shall leave it and proceed to the next thing which I marked as implyed 2. When the Psalmist hath got a breathing and good account of his hope he is very communicative of it he poures it out in Israels bosom That which I mark from it is That the exercises and out-gates of the Saints when they are blessed of God to them they make them very publick minded when the Lord drops out any good thing to them they would fain deal about them for the good of Gods people and make many sharers in it Ye know there is a Communion of Saints it is an Article of our Creed it is a communion and entercourse such as is betwixt the members of the body that when one member suffers all the members suffer with it and when one rejoyceth all rejoyce with it What one hath is at least should be communicat for the good of the rest and of the whole body and I might add it is a sad thing when the duties of the communion of Saints must be looked on as a crime and transgression But that which I am now upon is That this communion of Saints will be improved by all who are lively and who are blessed of God in their exercises and out-gates as we may see the Psalmist here what good he hath gotten by waiting on God he communicats it to Israel I may confirm this two ways 1. We find in Scripture when the people of God are in trouble themselves they are never so throng about their own case or so taken up with themselves but they have spare time for the case of the Church or others who are in the same or like exercise If our blessed Lord suffered being tempted that he might succour them who are tempted Heb. 2.18 Then the saints when they are under tentation pressures and hard exercise will find that to be a call to them to have a large and tender heart towards others under the same exercise yea to bring in the pressures of all that are about them as ye may see in that holy man Psal 102. what a hard exercise he is under from the beginning of the Psalm to verse 12 13 and 14. Ye will find the blessed improvement of this I am upon thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Sion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come for thy servants take pleasure in her stones and favour the dust c. All that he hath to do within doors though his days be consumed like smoke his bons brunt as an hearth his heart smitten and withered as grass his bones cleaving to his Skin though he be like a Pâ—lican in the wilderness and an owl in the desart as in that 102 Psalm yet all that hinders him not to cry That God would arise and have mercy upon Sion but rather excites him And a 2d Confirmation of the Point I take from Scripture Precepts and examples that press us to communicat what good we get of God to others for their good Luke 22.32 When Christ hath told Peter of his fall and recovery he subjoyns to that When thou art converted strenthen thy brethren And whoso will read Psal 32.6 and the Verses following Psal 66.16 They will find that the Psalmist when ever he hath gotten a proof of Gods goodness to himself he is very careful to communicat it to others in direction instruction encouragement or comfort according as God hath communicat it to him I shall say no more from this but let it condemn the selfish Disposition of many who being in trouble the whole bensil of their Spirit is little enough for themselves and they have no inlet for the griefs and pressures of others and if it be well with them if they be delivered they are far from remembring Joseph in Prison They do not endeavour this publick-mindedness to communicat their experience for others good such selfish frames provock God to give folk humbling exercises to learn them to be publick minded Now I have done with the first general Head of the Doctrine implyed in the Exhortation Let Israel hope c. I proceed in the 2d place to the matter of the Exhortation or the Duty recommended that is to hope in the Lord to exercise Faith and hope in God of this ye may remember I have been speaking at some length upon the 5. verse before which may save me a labour of insisting much on it now But this of Faith and Hope being a work and task of the people of God while they are in time there can never be too much said to it Therefore I shall offer to you two grounds of Observation which I shall take from the Psalmists recommending of it to the people of God here over again 1. His Exhortation implys the constant need that the Saints will have of Faith and Hope in time 2. That the Saints have a constant warrand of Hoping and Believing in God 1. Consider though the Psalmist as would appear hath gotten a good account of his hope yea for all the issues he hath gotten before and that the saints and people of God in that generation and before had gotten of Faith and Hope they had trusted in God and He had delivered them from all their fears and they were not ashamed yet still he presses Faith and Hope as that which the Saints will still have need of and wherein their life consists The Observation then is plain That Faith and Hope are Graces whereof the Saints will constantly stand in need what-ever deliveries or issues they get in time As here it is supposed the Psalmist hath gotten an issue yet he will not have Faith and Hope out
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
goodness of God is better known by experience than it can be talked of even by them that have tasted of it for it is a ravishing and overcoming goodness Zech. 9.17 For how great is his goodness and how great is his beauty And yet 3. I was minting to lay it before you from some hints the Scripture gives of it and in the first place was telling that if the common goodness of God to all be so rich how rich must his peculiar goodness to his people be And in Explication of this I was hinting at the various names and notions oâ— this goodness of God held out in the Word how it keeps all temptations that they hurt not the true Israelites but makes them work for their good how it is love and tenderness how it is grace and free grace to the unworthy mercy to them in misery patience and long-suffering to the way-ward clemency and moderation to them that wring stroaks out of his hand I shall now add a word or two further that will help to give an account what this goodness of God is to Israel and that is in the 3d place to take a look of it in reference to the various cases of the Saints though the considerations we had of it in the morning do look here-away yet I shall now deduce this consideration of it more distinctly And 1. That God is good to Israel it may encourage Israel under weakness for why It 's one of the Lord's designations that he is called the strength of Israel 1 Sam. 15.29 Also the strength of Israel will not lie The word strength as it is in the Margin signifies not only strength but eternity and victory and all may very well go together here in this goodness of God to them he is strength to Israel out of weakness to make them strong when they faint to give them power 2 Cor. 12.10 Heb. 11.34 When they have no might to increase strength to them Isai 40.29 He hath strength to make the weak say I am strong Joel 3.10 And he hath strengâ—h to Israel not for a fit but to eternity Israel cannot be continued so long weak that everlasting arms will not give him strength for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength and he is strâ—ngth to Israel not simply to bear them through difficuâ—ties and to keep them from total sinking but he is so the strength of Israel as he is the victory of Israel in due time to make them Conquerours and more than Conquerours through him that hath loved them 2. That God is good to Israel it may encourage them as I was hinting in the morning against unworthiness in themselves For as ye will hear in the progress with the Lord there is mercy for Israel saith the Text Seek all Christs Court there is not a worthy person of all he hath but himself and if there be any addition any competition amongst Christ's train and followers it lies in this who shall be the greatest dyvors and debters to free Grace who shall be the most unworthy less than the least of his mercies who shall be the Mephibosheth these whom David will allow to sit at his Table but worthlesness is a noble claim in Israel a dyvor bill is a noble pasportâ—s dittay is a claim For with the Lord there is mercy 3. That God is good to Israel it may encourage all true Israelites under the multitude of their frequent recurring necessities accompanied with the sense of the ill improvement of what good things he hath done for them and to them I suppose amongst the many humbling considerations that the Israelites have of their case this is not the least that they are daily needing daily getting and dayly misguiding proofs of love they are like that man Prov. 19.19 That when he is delivered must be delivered again How often do they think with themselves What should they do looking again to God for relief they have so often needed so often gotten and as often proven dyvors misguiding all they got selling themselves without money and without price which makes them blush to look to God again for new supply and new delivery but the goodness of God may encourage them to look again For with the Lord saith the Text is plenteous redemption that is not only delivery but delivery in great plenty so oft as they need 4. That God is good to Israel it may encourage Israel under the Conscience of guilt in particular for so the Psalmist saith here in particular He will redeem Israel from all his iniquiâ—ies these things I but name now because if the Lord will I will have occasion in the progress to speak more amply 5. The goodness of God to Israel may encourage them against the contempt they meet with and the mean and low condition wherein they are put in the world many a time our hearts think it a wonder that the Blood-Royal of Heaven the excellent Ones in the Earth should be no more esteemed of in the World while we little mind that word 1 Joh. 3.1 Therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not Otherwayes we would think it a wonder that the Israel of God are not made the filth and off-scourings of all things yea but the goodness of God is a cordial to Israel in this case let the world count them the filth and off-scourings of all things yet the Lord hath chosen Jacob for himself and Israel for his peculiar treasure Psal 135.4 Let their nearest relations cast them off he will not cast off any of his Israel Hence David could sing Psal 27.10 when my father and my mother forsake me then the Lord will take me up and Isai 44.21 O Israel thou shalt not be forgotten of me saith the Lord that is Israel's priviledge and verse 23. The Lord hath redeemed Jacob and glorified himself in Israel The world may leave the Israel of God to send for themselves but in that case Israel may sing as Psal 121.4 He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep the Lord is his keeper the Lord is a shade upon his right hand the Sun shall not smite them by day nor the Moon by night the Lord shall preserve them from evil he shall preserve their soul he shall preserve their going out and their coming in from this time forth and even for evermore So that in all cases Israel hath ground of encouragement in the goodness of God and who would look upon these things and believe them and not think themselves engaged to make it sure that they are of the Israel of God that share in these mercies and priviledges And this leads me to the 4th word that I proposed to be spoken to for pressing you to study to be Israelites in Spirit and that is that this goodness of God to Israel that I have been minting to lay before you though I have been but spilling it in the speaking to it it is not cunningly devised fables it
we should silence all clamors about trouble with being throng about guilt that we should look on troubles and afflictions as things that we may get home with whether we be rid of them or not but we should look on redemption from sin as a thing absolutly necessar For without holiness none shall see God and that we should not take every trouble of mind for kindly exercise of Conscience for sin we should not let Conscience be sleeping in the bosom of a Delilah while there is a clamour made about trouble and that because it will not be suffered to sleep there without interruption Now to follow out this a little more particularly I shall offer you four or five words from the Text about their right exercise whose trouble is about sin or some Characters of them who have ground of hope that God will redeem them from all iniquity And 1. which is more general they that would approve themselves to God in their exercise about sin must learn to look on sin as a burden whereof they would be rid as a bondage from which they need redemption In the right Israel of God that is rightly exercised about sin no grievance goes so near the heart as that of sin The want of a delivery from trouble if they could be delivered from sinning under it or from having their corruption irritat to sin more by it it would be to them an outgate and they would drink and forget their misery if they could get sin shaken off if they could get that weight laid aside and be made light to run the race that is set before them What will ye say to this ye to whom wickedness is sweet and who hide it under your tongue who spare sin and forsake it not who count it not a bondage but a liberty surely to a true Israelite sin is the most unsupportable burden 2. They that look aright on sin as on a burden whereof they would be rid they must look on it as an iniquity abominable and hateful He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities and as the phrase is Psal 32.5 Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Some sins may be troublesom or vexatious and folk would not care to be quit of them on that or some other carnal account but there is none rightly exercised with sin that do not weary of it as hateful abominable and ugly in God's Eyes Thou may desire to be quit of one sin because it crusheth another sin but that is no evidence of a right groaning under the pressure of iniquity till it be groaned under as loathsom to God 3. As they that are rightly exercised about sin look on it as a burden and as iniquity so all of it is hateful and abominable as such I might here if I would follow it out point out to you that there is an all of sin in every one of mankind that there is an all of sin even in Israel who are allowed to hope in God a notion that David notices Psal 140.12 Mine iniquities have taken hold on me so that I cannot look up they are more than the hairs of mine head And O but they that are well acquaint with their own heart that are often upon a self-examination and search and do not live strangers to themselves they will find greater and greater abominations there Whither do they turn them but they will find pollutions in their omissions and commissions in reference both to Law and Gospel in reference to mercies received and corrections inflicted c. But that which I am upon is That Israel looks upon all sin as iniquity A partial opposition of sin is a self-deceiving undertaking a sacrificing of many sinful delights to one predominant a burning of many Cities to save one Zoar will not be taken off saints hands as a right opposition of sin As far as iniquity extends so far must their groaning under and opposition to it extend 4. They that are rightly exercised about sin will find it a pressure that needs a redemption that is a pressure that they 'l not get shaken off till God interpose There is some other thing in delivery from iniquity than for a man to think he will go forth as Sampson and shake him as at other times No a man will be put to look to God to attain it I confess painfulness in the use of means is our duty and it will never be taken off our hands for us to say that iniquity is our burden and hurtful to us so long as we are not using means to be rid of it No there must be endeavours on our part to cast out these Devils by Fasting and Prayer and though it were to beat down the body and bring it in subjection as the Apostle does 1 Cor. 9.27 in the exercise of Mortification that must not be wanting but it fears me there is little of the painful work of Mortification to be found among Christians in those days profession is the broadest thing in Religion among all and next to that some positive duties but for the serious study of Mortification to get Satan trode under foot to be above corruption O! how few Christians can have a sober testimony on that account And yet shall I say it that next to thy closing with Christ and making him thy City of Refuge thy painfulness in Mortification will be thy great Test But that which I am now on is to lay before you that on the one hand slipt in Mortification I had almost said sleeped in Mortification of sin is much to be suspected when some iniquities that had power over you seem to be subdued but ye never did any thing to subdue them ye would remember that parable Mat. 12.43 of the unclean spirit that goes out of a man many Devils go out that are not casten out that is he withdraws to take the man from off his watch and to surprize him to put himself in a capacity to return again to his house whence he came out with seven other spirits more wicked than himself But further as slipt in Mortification will not hold water so on the other hand when we have used all pains to mortifie and subdue sin our endeavours will not prove effectual though Prayer and Fasting be our duty and the use of other means till God come and give redemption from it It is God only that hath power over iniquity yea it may be that he hath a judicial hand in it and hath past a sentence making it thy plague as well as thy sin that till thou know the plague of thine own heart and look up to him for delivery from it as a plague thou shalt not be rid of it And therefore as on the one hand thou must be at pains to get the burden and bondage of sin shaken off that Naphthali may be a Hind let loose so on the other hand thou must not mistake though thy pains be not effectual as to that thing but
remember though when thou hast done all thou can thou cannot rid thy self of iniquity and it will be with thee he in whom thou art called and allowed to hope can deliver thee But 5. Iniquity being a burden and bondage and abominable and hateful to the true Israelite and the wrestler to be free of it finding that he cannot get himself rid of it God interposing to redeem from it is a peculiar mercy That 's a proof that with him is plenteous redemption if he redeem him from iniquity This is the main point and a point that I cannot enough batter on you Redemption from iniquity to a right discerner will make up all redemptions Let a man be a servant a slave a bond-man a worm and not a man he is the Lords freeman if he be redeemed from iniquity Isai 33.2 Then the inhabitant shall not say I am sick the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity It 's a noble Physick for sickness to be a pardoned man it 's a noble antidot to all pressures to be redeemed from iniquity it compenses and makes more than up all other pressures to be redeemed from this pressure And as this redemption makes up all other redemptions so other redemptions without this will signifie little to a right discerner this to him is the choice of mercies let God cast him in trouble and bring him out of trouble if he bring him not from the bondage of iniquity it 's no delivery to him if when he is cast into the furnace his skum depart not from him but he brings it out with him he can see a plague in other redemptions when the bondage of sin continues In a word to the right discerner of the bondage of sin God is a matchless God to him on this very account that he pardons iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage a place which with others I had occasion to make use of in speaking on the 4. verse And whoever are complaining of pressures and seeking to be rid of them yet they continue if ye would read the language of that dispensation aright here it is God is making that pressure to ly on till redemption from sin be lookt on as the crownning mercy which if we enjoy we cannot be miserable and if we want it have what we will we cannot be happy Mind this mercy more redemption from iniquity to humble uncircumcised hearts to be groaning under the bondage of sin longing for delivery from that woful Trade of walking contrary to God and provocking him to walk contrary to you and to punish you seven times more and seven times more till ye be humbled and take with the chastisement of your iniquity Remember I have left it with you in the Name of the Lord that there be more conscience making of sin and of being exercised mainly about it and putting God to redeem you from it let this be your great task and exercise whatever be your exercise otherwise Now I have done with that which is supposed in the motives backing the Exhortation to hope in God I come then to that which is proposed to encourage to hope in God And I suppose the rest of the Doctrines in these two Verses may be distinctly enough reduced to these four 1. That relative to Israels misery There is mercy in God or with him 2. That relative to Israels bondage There is plenteous redemption with God 3. That what is with God shall be put forth as the Israel of God needeth it Redemption is with him and he shall redeem c. 4. We shall speak a little to this redemption from iniquity how God works it For the first it may thus be taken up that it is a great encouragement to Israel to hope in God in all cases and exigents that there is mercy with God This mercy of God is in effect the goodness of God that Attribute of God which ye have in your Catechism It 's the goodness of God I say exprest under a notion relative to the misery of man and so ye have it Psal 136.1 O give thanks to the Lord for he is good How is that evidenced for his mercy endureth for ever He who is good in himself and doth good to others as David hath it Psal 119.68 He is good and manifests his goodness by doing good to otheâ—s by his mercy that endures for ever Not to insist on the various notions and expressions of this goodness of God if we look to it in the fountain his goodness as it is communicate to his creatures is called his love and his goodness in the fountain is called his love because it 's an eminent proof of his goodness that he loves with an everlasting love Jer. 31.3 That he hath a love to his people wherein he will rest Zeph. 3.17 That he hath such a love to them as nothing shall separate from and partly because he doth not bestow this his goodness grudgingly or complementingly but in love Love stretcheth out the hand of bounty Jer. 32.41 He rejoyceth over them to do them good with his whole heart and with his whole soul Again is the goodness of God in its root and fountain is called the love of God to his people so in respect of its freedom and their ill-deserving to partake of it It 's called the grace of God a term that we find frequently occurring in Scripture and it 's nothing else but the goodness of God or the effects of his goodness freely communicat freely bestowed without money or price where there is no merit or deserving yea where there is much undeserving or deserving of the contrary Again this goodness of God as it is manifested in opposition to the waywardness and peevishness of his people it is called patience and long-suffering for his patience in waiting on them and his long-suffering in bearing with their manners in the Wilderness what is it but the goodness of God overcoming the waywardness and peevish disposition in his people Again the goodness of God as it is still continued even when Justice and Severity takes place it 's called Clemency and Moderation that in measure when it shutteth forth he debateth with it and stayth his rough wind in the day of his east wind Isai 27.8 And that in wrath he remembers mercy Hab. 3.2 There the goodness of God moderating deserved stroaks droping in proofs of love in the midst of deserved wrath all these are the goodness of God represented to us under various notions and here in the Text the goodness of God in reference to his peoples misery is called mercy And Exod. 34.6 When the Lord proclaims his Name in Moses hearing ye will find there are various notions of the goodness of God that I have been speaking of and in the same method The first Letter of his Name is Merciful to nominat that the first look that God takes of poor man is pity and compassion in
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
godliness is profitable unto all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come Many never mind this that godliness and making sure an interest in Christ is the only thriving gate as for such as find prosperity in another method I shall speak to them just now But for you that are godly or pretend to godliness to be taken up in seeking things in time ye forget your main work when ye are too eager and keen in your pursuit of these things wherein if God love you he will not let you thrive I wot not what of this is among you but if there be a nearness a nippedness and eagerness after the things of the world in that you may read your poverty if ye be seeking God and making an Idol of the world or any things in it he loves you better than to let you prosper in that pursuit and if ye would thrive indeed put godliness in the first place begin at it as the work of all your thrift But 2. Because many may laugh at this Exhortation founded on this that other mercies come as the result of Redemption through Christ and therefore that folk ought in the first place to sicker an interest in him and think that they speed best in things of time that neglect Piety I might bid them laugh at leasure Many profane folks that have had more prosperity than heart could wish and have thought they should never be in adversity and that they had no need of God to hold to their head they have win through it all and have been put to imbrace dunghills and in their straitned condition have been contemptible when the godly have shined in their greatest poverty But that which I press here is that every lot that folk have they would see how they hold it by what Title and Right thou that gets the mercy of prosperity or a delivery out of trouble if thou be not interested in Christ and a Student of holiness it 's but as a Bone cast at a Dog for thy portion as it is Psal 17.4 And I shall tell you the Testament of such men from that parable Luk. 16.25 Son saith Abraham to the rich glutton remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things and likewise Lazarus evil things but now he is comforted and thou art tormented Thou hast prosperity while thou neglects piety but it may be thou art getting what thou gets in wrath and while thou art running to Satan and perdition thou gets outward mercies as a Post-horse to further thee in that deplorable Journey yea thou who art a child of God may be getting outward mercies when God is not pleased with thee There is a sad word 1 Cor. 10.5 after the Apostle has spoken of great mercies conferred on Gods people he subjoyns But with many of them God was not well pleased for they were overthrown in the wilderness And therefore thou that would put a right value on mercies read them at that rate Isai 42.16 where when he hath spoken of bringing the blind by the way they knew not making darkness light before them and crooked things straight he subjoyns These things will I do unto them and not forsake them look if thou has God with what thou hast Have a man what he will till he have interest in him and stand in his favour he has little cause to insult or boast If thy mercies be not the result of redemption through Christ they will turn a snare But a 3d word of Inference from this is that it is an invitation to the fearers of God who have an interest in his love and are studying to walk tenderly to look sweetly on their portion and lot in time what-ever it be it may be thy share in the things in time is little thy troubles many thy breathing times betwixt troubles short thy comfort mixt with what is bitter and sad but that which will make all relish is that the same love that has given Christ for thee and to thee and will give thee everlasting happiness hath afforded these mercies as the result and appendices of that great redemption and that same love will sanctify all thy crosses and make them work for thy good And O! How sweet might sorry accommodations mean food and raiment be to have this written over them That love that hath given Christ for me and to me and will give me a Crown one day hath given me these This might be rich and sweet Sauce to a sober Diet excellent Furniture to a poor House to learn to look on these as the result of the great Bargain Seek to have your interest in Christ your Union and Communion with him more near and warm and to be more tender That thus ye may look on your mercies and be comforted the Lord bless what ye have heard SERMON XLII Psalm 130. Vers 7. And with him is plenteous redemption MAny are the exceptions and grounds of fears which the people of God entertain for fostering their discouragement and no fewer are the Cordials that are allowed in God to make out that to them that when they are afraid they are called to trust in God when Israel is invited to hope in God if misery and ill-deserving retard their obedience to that command they are told here that with the Lord there is mercy If they look on themselves as lawful Captives and none have a right to offer to rescue or ransome them they are told here that with the Lord there is redemption a Soveraign Authority Right and Power to step in when he will and vindicate them into freedom If they look upon it as hard and impossible ever to get out of the bonds they are under with him is plenteous redemption as the Psalmist sings Psal 146.7 To loose the Prisoners and open the prison doors and set them at liberty This is that I was speaking to in the morning That with God there is redemption I cleared that this Redemption imported Authority and Right to redeem and power to reedeem and vindicate And I came in the second place to clear in what respects this Redemption is so called or in what respects his delivery of his people is called a Redemption of them And the first to which I have spoken it 's because all their deliverances are founded upon and are the result of their eternal Redemption through Christ the Uses whereof I mentioned and shall not repeat I proceed now in the 2d place to clear that their Redemption is so called or their delivery is called Redemption in relation to their trouble and the instruments of their trouble from whom God will redeem them not by paying a price for them for that is already payed to Justice for doing away the controversie that God the principal Creditor had with them who therefore put them in Bonds and under Arrest but by the strong hand he redeems them from the instruments of their trouble to their