we have done all we can we must needs say we are unprofitable servants we have done no more then was our Duty to doe nor so much as that Esay 64.6 All our righteousnesse but as a menstruous cloth and as filthy ragges Secondly There 's much also of Provocation and contrary behaviour as no merit 2. Much demerit so a great deale of demerit We are so far from deserving from God that we are obnoxious to him and give him dayly occasion if he would take occasion against us utterly to consume and destroy us Thus it was with this people of Jsrael It is noted of them that they provoked him to anger from day to day by their continuall abominations and yet notwithstanding he followed them with his mercies He suffered them with a great deale of Patience and bore with their manners in their mildernesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a Nurse beareth or feedeth her children Acts 13.41 Doing acts of courtesy for them even whiles they were full of frowardnesse and rebellion against him This is Gods way and manner of dispensation From whence we may therefore learne occasionally how to deale with him Direction and to addresse our selves to him for any thing which we stand in need of Alas when we look upon our selves and our own deservings there is nothing at all which may incourage us 1. How to deal-with God nay there is much rather which may dishearten us and keep us off yea but here 's now an argument which will take and prevaile with him from his mercy and free grace and accordingly we should use it to him Lord if thou wilt not doe it for our sakes yet do it at least for thine own There 's nothing in us to move thee but there 's a great deale in thy self Our deserts are none our provocations are many but thy grace is above them all And therefore according to the multitude of thy tender mercies be gracious to us seeing God will do for it himself let us not loose such an argument as this is for prevailing with him Thus we shall find the church to doe Jer. 14.7 O Lord though our iniquities testifie against us doe thou it for thy Names sake for our bachslidings are many wee have stnned against thee And so David in his own particular For thine Names sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great As knowing that this would work upon him where nothing else would And here as we have an argument to prevaile with God 2. How with Satan so an answer to returne upon Satan when he labours to discourage us from the suggestion of our own unworthinesse 2 Tim. 2.13 we may here tell him that it is not upon such termes that we deale with God but upon the account of his own mercy and grace Let us be what we will be yet he still abides the same and cannot deny himself Againe For his mercies sake that is for his bowells and out of regard to his own compassions which never faile God will save his people as being himself interested in their sufferings and afflicted in all their afflictions From whence he is ready to say with Esther Esay 63.9 How can I indure to see the destruction of my people Esther 8.6 And that 's the first explication For mine own sake i. e. for my mercies sake For the honour of my Free Grace Secondly For mine owne sake that is 2 For my Glory for my Gloryes sake For the honour of my great Name The preservation of Gods people is for the glory of God himselfe which therefore carryes him to it And that in two respects First For his Glory which would be otherwise neglected He would have else none to serve him Secondly For his Glory which would be otherwise polluted He would have else many to blaspheme him First God preserves his people for his glory 1. Lest it be neglected which would be otherwise neglected He would have else none to serve him Take away the Church of God and ye take away the Service of God destroy his People and ye consequently destroy his Worship and his Name which is advanced by them and by them alone As for the rest of the World which are altogether strangers to him they care not what becomes of him nor of any honour which is done unto him It is the Church which is called by his Name by whom his Name is called upon Now therefore as they are tender of him even so is he also of them upon the same consideration As Samuell tells the Israelites 2 Sam. 12.22 The Lord will not for sake his people for his great Names sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people And so Psal 132.13 The Lord hath chosen Zion he hath desired it for his habitation This is my rest for ever here will I dwell c. It is spoken in reference to the Arke and to the Temple in the dedication of it The Arke of God it hath a Blessing of preservation with it which belongs unto it 2. Sam. 6.12 The Lord hath blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that pertaine unto him because of the Arke of God The same Priviledge also hath the Gospell and Evangellicall Administrations in the right use and improvement of them to wit a preserving Efficacy to the Contryes and Cityes wherein they are so farr forth as God is zealous for his Glory and the continuance of his worship in the world so far forth will he defend his people where his true worship and fear is maintain'd in the power and purity of it Secondly 2. Lest it be polluted For his Glory as who would else have many to blaspheme him If God should not defend his people his enemies would be ready to reproach him This is that which they have been ready still to doe upon the least advantage we need to goe no further for an instance then the occasion of the Text it selfe in Senacherib and Rabshakeh Isa 36.15 Let not Hezekiah make you to trust in the LORD saying The Lord will surely deliver us This City shall not be delivered c. Where are they amongst all the Gods that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand here now were provokeing speeches Improvement even to the dishonour of God himself and therefore it concern'd him to bestir himselfe and to deliver his people for his Names sake Thus have the servants of God sometimes made it an argument to him As Moses interceding for the Israelites 3. By the Church Numb 14 15. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man then the NATIONS which have heard the fame of thee will speake saying Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the Land which he sweare unto them therefore hath he slain them c. And so Exod. 32.12 Wherefore should the Aegyptians say for mischiefe did he bring them
here moreover take notice of the Nature and quality of the mercy it self and that is not of delivering mercy but of preventing mercy It is not said I will rescue this City but I will defend it nor it is not said I will recover this City but I will preserve it It is not said I 'le let the Assyrian come in and when he hath been in for a while and done his pleasure in it I 'le them expell him and drive him out of it againe no but I will not suffer him so much as to enter into it in the two verses before the Text. He shall not come into this City nor shoot an arrow there nor come before it with shields nor cust a banke against it By the way that he came by the same shall he returne and shall not enter into the City saith the Lord See here He shall not come into it He shall not come into it it 's twice repeated to make it more remarkable and that also with the Circumstances of it not shoot at it not besiege it not encamp about it such is the tendernesse of God towards his people as to keep off calamities from them This is to be observed by them 1. Preventing where it is and to be acknowledged with greater Thankfulnesse Preventing mercies are the greatest mercies of all though such is our weaknesse and corruption that we are not alwayes so senssible of them nor doe so much lay them to heart we are commonly more apprehensive of Deliverances then we are of Preservations of health recover'd then we are of health continued and of safety or plenty restored rather then of either of them maintain'd still unto us But that is rather I say from our Infirmity then from the Nature of the things themselves If we take the thing simply in it self so continuance is more then restauration because it hath the sweetnesse of the Good in it without experiences of the contrary Evill Indeed in some cases and accidentally the latter may be much better then the former and the restoring of a comfort may be a greater mercy then the Constant injoyment when as namely occasionally from the temporary want of that Comfort a mans Heart is made so much the better As when from some intermission of Health a man has his Spirit hereby the more mortified 2 Cor. 4.16 and crucified and estranged from the world and he growes stronger in the inward man which is hence renewed day by day here the recovery may be more happy then the Continuance But yet absiractly and in the nature of the thing especially alike sanctified to us so it is otherwise and to be apprehended by us we should have our hearts much drawn out in Thankfulnesse for Gods with-holding of Evills from us as it was here with this City before us He did not rescue them so much as defend them It was not restoring mercy but preserving Not delivering mercy but preventing Againe further Take one more 2. Indefinite It was not determined mercy but indefinite I will defend this City to save it To save it from what It may be you will say from the fury and rage of the King of Assyria from the oppressions of a forraine Enemy It is true indeed that was the occasion and the maine and principall thing that was here intended but yet that was not all To defend and save it is an expression of large Extent and comprehends many things in it Those who are kept from the Evills of warr are kept from more then warr it self as having many other Evills with it and consequent to it Now this was the State and condition of this people and Gods carriage towards them His mercy it was full and compleat He did not only defend them but save them Not restore them only but preserve them Not preserve them from one Evill but from many more together with it from the Sword of their Enemies with all the mischief attending upon it Thus as in matter of Judgment where God begins he will make an End so also in matter of mercy where he undertakes he will fully accomplish and bring to perfection And so I have done with the first Generall part of the Text which is the mercy signified both in the Specification and the Extent I will defend this City to save it The Second is the Ground The second Generall or Motive for the conferring of it and that is double The one taken from God himself For mine own sake and the other taken from his servant For my servant Davids sake We begin with the First viz. The argument taken from God himself For mine own sake where three things more by way of explication First For my mercies sake 1. Argument from God himselfe for the Honour of my free Grace Secondly for my Glories sake For the honour of my Great Name Thirdly For my Truths sake For the honour of my Ancient promise First For my mercies sake for the honour of my free Grace 1. For my mercy The best account of Gods actions is that which is resolv'd into himself but it holds good of none more then of his actions of Goodnesse and Favour These take the chiefest rise from himself as the Ground of them 1 Thes 5.10 Even so O Father because it seemed good in thy sight Mat. 11.26 It is true of spirituall and eternall salvation more especially of Gods defending and saving from Hell and from wrath to come God does this for his own sake indeed but it is true also of salvation which is Temporall and so of this in the Text when the Lord would shew a reason of his Favour and kindnesse to this people in preserving them from the Violence of their Enemies He sayes I will defend this City to save it for mine own sake When it is said here For mine own sake we are to take this expression with restriction signanter exclusive Exclusive It shutts out this people themselves as any motives or arguments hereunto For mine own sake that is not for theirs Thus Ezek. 36.22 I doe not this for your sake O House of Israel but for mine holy Names sake And againe v. 32. Not for your sakes do I this saith the Lord God be it known unto you And here two things more First Nothing in you to deserve so much from me Secondly Much in you to deserve the contrary from me nothing on your part of meritt why it should be much on your part of provocation why it should not be First Nothing in you of merit to deserve it It is the Conceit of most kind of men 1. No merit in them when they have any thing more then ordinary from the hands of God that it is from some speciall worth in themselves And so it is likely God saw that it was ready to be with this people Luke 17.10 for which cause he puts in this Caveat to prevent such a mistake in them When
the fat of Rams 1 King 8.28 Alas Beloved what will it availe us Esay 9.18 to be freed from the plague of the Body and to be infected with the plague of the Heart or to be freed from the firing of our Houses and to be inflamed with the fire of lust of wrath of contention of revenge of wickednesse which burnes as a fier Scornfull Persons as all ungodly men are both actively Pro. 29.8 and passively they set a City on fire as Solomon tells us But wise men that is those which are Gratious and Faithfull they turne away wrath This let us be carefull to doe That so as God hath delivered us formerly so he may please to deliver us still and may say to us in the words of the Text in the future expression I will defend this City to save it That is I will continually defend it from fire and sword and pestilence and such evills as those are Yea let us answer this goodnesse of God to us in a sutable and proportionable Improvement Here are now two great mercies together which we now celebrate The one that our Houses are not burnt downe And the other that our Houses are not shut up Now each of these calls for answerable carriage and conversation on our behalfe How should this now ingage us to make our Houses and Familyes to be the receptacles and habitations of Holinesse and to devote them to his worship and service that as they stand so they may stand for Him and his Spirit to dwell and reside in And so for our preservation from Pestilence and such like distempers what an ingagement is this to us to fruitfulnesse of society and communion one with another To the frequenting of the publique Assemblyes and congregations of the people of God We need not now to be affraid of the breath one of another or of coming into one anothers company which people in such times and cases and conditions are wont to be But yet withall whiles we are thankfull for deliverances it concerns us to tremble at judgements The experiences of Italy and of Rome especially which is mysticall Babylon the mother of Harlots and Abominations of the earth partake not in her sinnes that so we may not partake in her plagues The sinnes of Italy in England Revel 17.5 Revel 18.4 are worse then in their proper place by how much our profession is better and our Religion purer and our Ingagements more Therefore let us renew our Covenants with God this day and labour to be every way answerable to his providences towards us seeing He hath defended us let us also defend him in his Truth and worship and Servants And seeing it is God alone that can defend us that is defend us to save us let us hide our selves all we can under his shelter and wings c. We are now in the turn revolution of another year which we know not what it may bring forth Oh but if we can get but a share and portion in God we shall be provided against all occurrences whatsoever they may be He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty He shall say unto the Lord he is my Refuge my God in him will I trust Psal 91.1 2. There are two things which lyes upon us in this particular to be pursued by us The one is Interest in God And the other is Communion with him The former as a foundation to the latter And the latter as a Perfection of the former First Accquaintance and Interest in God through Jesus Christ Accquaint now thy selfe with him and be at peace Job 22.21 There is nothing more miserable in times of publique danger or calamity then for a man to be a stranger to God and un-acquainted with him It is sad and ill at any time but it is then so more especially that so we may by all meanes take heed of being guilty of it Remember that it is for Davids sake take this City is defended and saved therefore those who have no portion in this David they can expect none of this defence Christ will owne none but his Members in the day of his wrath and them He will be sure to owne one way or other Then happy are all they that put their Trust in him Lord I am thine save me that 's the best plea of all Psal 119.94 Secondly as Interest in God so likewise actuall Communion with him let us preserve that also As there should not be in us a strangnesse of condition so neither a strangnesse of Spirit or conversation in such times as these are but we should still be carefull to keep up our hearts in a blessed and constant frame of recourse unto him that so what ever may befall us it may be sure to goe well with us which is the difference betwixt the children of God and other men As for other People Carnall and worldly persons they are well in times of Freedome and security when there 's no plague or judgement stirring abroad then they can make a shift to doe as wel as any men else and as they think better too yea but how is it with them in times of Trouble and sadnesse indeed Here they are all amort and know not which way to turn themselves as those which swagger most in a Calme in a Storme are at their wits end so is it with such kind of men Eut I know it shall be well with them that fear the Lord that fear before him as the Preacher tells us Eccles 8.12 This is the Excellency of a Christian especially living in the Power of Christianity that he can in some manner hold up even in bad times and in bad conditions He can be safe in the midst of evills and calamities themselves safe not only from them but in them yea and under them too as it may be with him The servants of God have this priviledge that those things which are evill in themselvs yet they are not evill to them as having all Estates sanctified to them through Christ That which is a Plague in the nature of the Disease and the Physicall consideration of it yet it is not a plague to them in regard to Gods ordering it to them as having the Spirituall venome and malignity taken out of it for them and so for any thing else besides A Christian ha's learnt to commend all he ha's or is to the wise and holy providence of a gracious God His Times are in Gods hands and so he is not in thraldome to sicknesse and his Estates in Gods hands and so he is not under the power of Fire or wind or water or malice or any other casualty whatsoever There 's nothing can absolutely hurt him because he is Good and right himselfe But I cannot presse these things at this time To return to that which we spake of before The Conclusion and which this performance call's us to and so to conclude Let us be much in the thoughts and meditation of Gods goodnesse to us whether in our own particular persons in the mercies which we have received there or in the Generall state of the City in the mercies which we have received in common and together with that Both of them are to be consider'd by us and both very sutable to this work of our Publick Thanksgiving Look as in a day of publick Humiliation we are to be humbled not only for Nationall but for Personall sins So also in a day of Publick Thanksgiving we are to remember not only our Nationall but Personall mercies especially as our particular Persons have any thing more shâ—red in those mercies as we have some of us done In the recovery and continuance of our Healthe In the increase and preservation of our Estates In the freedome and deliverance from Enemies or whatever else we can name or think of Look how far any doe more partake in mercy so should they more partake in Thanksgiving The Observation of Publick mercies should occasion in us private Reflexions And the reflecting upon private mercies should more quicken us in publick acknowledgements But this is our great misery that we are for the most part but defective in either We are so busy commonly in the injoyment of mercies that we have no leasure to be thankefull for them Though the Lord doth exceedingly abound in the manifestation of his Goodnesse to us in all respects in our health in our plenty in our safety and miraculous preservation And above all in the continuance of his Gospel and Ordinances and soule opportunities amongst us yet truly for the Generall we are very little sensible of them or affected with them or thankfull under them even those who if they should loose them would soonest misse them What doe I speak of Thankefullnesse when we have much adoe to keep our selves from murmuring and repining at Gods dealings with us The Lord had never an heavier hand in his Contestations with backsliding Israel then he hath with many amongst our selves Well Let us here be seasonably awakened from this present Occasion before us to lay these things more to Heart then ever yet we have done Oh it should make us to love and serve this God so much the more who ha's done so much for us that so he may still take pleasure in us and delight to dwell amongst us for Good To blesse us in our Persons in our imployments in our estates in our Families and in all our Relations And may defend this City to save it for his own sake and for his servant Davids sake that is for his sonne Jesus Christs sake to all following and succeeding Generations even to the end of the world Amen Amen! FINIS