The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 6 · Application 4 – Application 7
4. Uſe.
Is God able to do wonders for his people?4. Uſe. To teach then if wee have been a people, whom God hath wrought wonders for: ſuch things as none but God alone could work: as indeed hee hath: let us hereby bee taught three leſſons.
1. Of Thankfulneſs.
2. Of Obedience.
3. Of Dependence.
1. Here is a leſſon of thankfulneſs to bee learned. Wee,1. Thankfulneſs. even wee ſtand before God this day, the ſubjects of abundance of mercies. Many mercies God hath beſtowed on us, and long continued to us: Many evils hee hath kept from us, and many evils hee hath freed us from. Wee ſtand before God this day, the brands of many glorious deliverances, which God hath wrought for us. Wee have received more mercy, and have had experience of more goodneſſe, preventing, delivering mercy, within theſe three years, than others have had in three Generations.
God hath diſcovered the wonders of his wiſdome, the wonders of his power, the wonders of his mercy and love, in many a glorious deliverance, which hee hath wrought for us. And how ought wee to bee carryed out with praiſes under the injoyments of ſo many mercies? how ſhould our ſouls, being warmed with the ſenſe and conſideration of theſe mercies, burſt forth into a flame of praiſes to God?
But alas! It is with us, as with the Children of Iſrael. Wee are very ſolicitous wanters, but wee are forgetful injoyers. And that which ſhould bee a means of drawing us nearer to God, is a means of further diſtance from him.
I muſt tell you, that your unthankfulneſs under all theſe receits of mercy, is a great and a provoking ſin, and might juſtly make a ſtop of mercy now.
1. It is an inhumane ſin, againſt the very principles of Humanity. A beaſtly ſin; nay, worſe; for the Oxe knows his owner, and the Aſſe his Masters crib. Its a deviliſh ſin.
2. It is a ſinning ſin: a productive ſin; a womb of ſin: it brings forth many more ſins.
3. It is the abuſe of a good God. Who can leaſt of all indure to bee abuſed in his mercies.
4. It is the grave of Mercy. Where all Gods mercies are buryed and loſt; a very land of forgetfulneſſe.
5. It is the deſtruction of mercy, Hoſ. 2.8, 9. — Shee knew that I gave her Corne, and Wine, and Oil, and that I multiplyed her ſilver and gold, &c. Therefore will I return, and take away my Corn in the ſeaſon thereof, and my Wine in its ſeaſon, and I will recover my Wool, and my Flax.
That which gives birth to mercy, is Prayer; and tha which gives breath to mercy is, Thankfulneſſe. Mercy is but ſhort breathed, ſhort lived, when men are unthankful: Unthankfulneſſe cuts the throat of Mercies. Unthankful perſons are never long injoyers of mercies.
2. A leſſon of Obedience.2. Learn a Leſſon of Obedience. Let the Mercy of God quicken you to duty. Look upon every mercy as a further ingagement to you to walk more holily and more exactly with God.
As all the ſpiritual mercies of God, Election, Redemption, Juſtification, Sanctification, promiſes of Glorification, were all beſtowed as ingagements to Obedience: So all the temporal mercies alſo, 1 Sam. 12.24. Therefore fear the Lord, and ſerve him in truth, with all your hearts, and conſider what great things hee hath done for you.
When mercies are ſpurs to duties, when mercies make the leaſt addition to graces, God is well pleaſed with the beſtowing of mercy; and where God ſees ſuch ground, hee delights to ſow the ſeed of mercy.
3. A leſſon of Dependence.3. Learn a leſſon of Dependence upon God. It is a ſhame that wee ſhould bee afreſh to ſeek in every new difficulty. It was that which God blamed the Children of …ſrael for: That notwithſtanding the great and wonderful works, hee had done in their ſight and eyes; yet they did diſtruſt him, all was not enough to work up their hearts to beleeve God, and truſt in him. And David blames them for the ſame, Pſal. 78.19, 20. — They ſpake againſt God; can God furniſh a Table in the wilderneſs? Indeed hee ſmote the Rock, that the waters guſhed out, and the ſtreams overflowed: But — can hee give bread alſo? Can hee provide fleſh for his people? One would think this a ſenſeleſſe reaſoning. But Unbeleef is a ſenſeleſſe ſin. One would think that they did ſufficiently anſwer themſelves. That what went before, had been anſwer ſufficient to what followed after. The ſame power was required for the doing of the one, that was for the other; and when they had ſeen the power of God to work the greater, 'twas ſtrange they ſhould doubt of the leſſe, but here is the baſeneſſe of our ſpirit; Though God have given us never ſo many experiences: yet wee are ſtill to ſeek in every new act of dependence on him. And without further grace wee cannot do it.
Wee think, when wee are in ſtraits and difficulties, if God would but help us through this ſtrait, if hee would but relieve us in this difficulty; wee ſhould never diſtruſt God, whilſt vvee lived; wee ſhould depend on him in the ſaddeſt conditions, whiles wee have a being.
But theſe are but our preſent thoughts, and without future aſſiſtances and ſupplies, wee are as far to ſeek in another, as wee were in the firſt.
Well, My Brethren: God hath wrought many great things for us: every one of them ſhould bee a Life-mercy, a ſtanding-mercy, a mercy to bee ſet up to incourage us to depend on him for ever: Mercies, that wee ſhould live on in ſtraits, and feed upon in difficulties; mercies that ſhould bee for ſtore to feed upon for a long time.
You have an expreſſion, Pſal. 74.14. — Thou brakest the head of the Leviathan in peeces, and gaveſt him to bee meat to thy people in the Wilderneſs. — By Leviathan is meant Pharaoh: and God gave him to bee meat to his people in the wilderneſſe. That is, Hee wrought that deliverance for them, before they entred into the wilderneſſe, that this might bee meat for them to feed upon, and ſtrengthen their Faith in dependence upon God in the wilderneſſe, where they were put to it, by ſo many difficulties. This mercy was to bee a ſtanding-diſh, not for a meal only, but for ſtore: meat laid in to feed on, to ſtrengthen their dependence.
Faith is called Feeding, John 6. And the experience of Gods goodneſſe is Pabulum Fidei: the meat of Faith. That mercy is never well digeſted, that is not fed upon. Hee that doth not feed upon a mercy, gets no nouriſhment by a mercy, no good. You take the Name of God in vain (that is, his works, his experiences, which are part of his Name) you take them in vain: All this is but food caſt away upon you, if thereby you are not ſtrengthned for the Fuller dependence upon God.
And now my brethren, wee have had many Glorious experiences of Gods goodneſs to us: and all theſe are meat to feed upon. You are now in new ſtraits and difficulties: bring out your ſtanding-diſhes, the former mercyes and experiences to feed upon; to refreſh your Faith, to inable you to depend upon God afreſh.
Hee that is not a good Treaſurer, a good Storer of mercys, hee is never out of ſtraits; hee is ſtill to ſeek in every difficulty, and gone in every new ſtrait: whereas hee who laies up Experiences, and can make uſe of them, feed upon them; hee ſhall be inabled thereby to depend upon God in any ſtrait and difficulty whatſoever.
Thus you ſee David — God delivered me out of the Paw of the Lyon, and out of the paw of the Bear: and hee will deliver mee out of the hand of this Philiſtim. David feeds on the Lyon — And, — becauſe he hath been my helper, therefore under the ſhadow of his wings will I rejoyce.
Now, in the paſſing of this duty of dependence upon you, I find two things to bee great enemies to it, which be you aware of.
1. Beware of Obliterating the Notions of God.
2. Beware of burying the remembrance of his works.
1. Beware of Obliterating the Notions of God. Had Moſes ſeen God, and had the ſame Notions and apprehenſions of God at the Rock, that he had at the Red ſea, which was a far greater difficulty, then to fetch water out of the rock: he could have truſted in God for that, as well as for the former. But thoſe thoughts and conceptions of God, were, for the preſent darkened, and over-ſhadowed with Paſſion; and therefore hee could not truſt God then.
So, if David had had the ſame apprehenſions of God, when he counterfeited himſelf Mad, for fear of Abimelech, the King of Gath; or when he was purſued by Saul, and burſt forth into theſe words:— I ſhall one day periſh by the hand of Saul; which he had at other times, as when he ſaith, Pſ. 27.1, 2, 3. — The Lord is my light, and my ſalvation, whom ſhall I fear? the Lord is the ſtrength of my life: of whom ſhall I be afraid? when the wicked mine enemies, and my foes came upon me, to eat up my fleſh, they ſtumbled and fell. Though an hoſt pitched againſt mee, my heart ſhould not bee afraid: though war bee raiſed againſt mee, In this will I be confident. Or when hee ſaith, to Saul concerning Goliah. God, that delivered mee out of the Paw of the Lyon, &c. hee will deliver mee from this uncircumciſed Philiſtim. Or when hee ſaith, — God is our hope and ſtrength, a help in trouble ready to bee found: therefore will not wee fear, though the Earth bee moved, though the mountains bee hurled into the depth of the Sea: Hee would not have ſo fainted in theſe like, or leſſe exigences.
So, had Abraham had the ſame apprehenſions of God, when hee feigned his wife to bee his Siſter, which hee had, when God made him the Promiſe of a Sonne; or when hee went to ſacrifice his Son: hee could have truſted and depended on God in this c…ſe as well as in the former: this difficulty being far ſhort of the other.
So, did Gods people ſee God at all times, as they do at ſome times, they would then be able to depend on God, and truſt in him, in any caſes though never ſo difficult: but if they loſe the apprehenſions and conceptions of God; and ſuffer Paſſion and fear, to raiſe up a cloud to overſhadow and darken their underſtandings; they ſhall never bee able to beleeve and depend upon God in any difficulty: and therefore firſt hold up the Notions of God, of his power, wiſdom, mercy, and the like.
2 Beware of burying the remembrance of his former works, Pſal. 78.6, 7. They were commanded to tell the wondrous works of God to their children, that the generations to come might ſet their hope in God, and not forget the works of God. Intimating that the beſt way to keep up their hope and dependance on God, was to hold up the remembrance of what hee had done. Hee, that forgets the one, will not be able to do the other.
And therefore you ſee it ſet down as a reaſon of the Diſciples diſtruſt. — Their hearts were hardned. They forgat the miracles of the Loaves. Mark. 6.52. Intimating, that it they had remembred that, they had not now been to ſeek in this preſent difficulty.
And indeed the want of the remembrance of former mercies doth cauſe us to diſtruſt, and hinders us in our dependence on God for preſent and future ſtraits: whereas on the contrary; holding up the remembrance of former, will inable us to hold out in preſent and future diſtreſſes.
You cannot think his arm is ſhortned: you cannot think God cannot: nor can you think God will not: that he hath helped before, and will help no more: for mercy is tyed to the Church by covenant.
Wicked men may injoy a mercy to day: but they can have no aſſurance to have another to morrow: becauſe mercy is not tied to them by Promiſe, or by Covenant. But now mercy is tyed to the Church by Covenant, by Promiſe. Hee hath tyed his mercy to us by his Truth. Pſal. 25. — All his ways are mercy and truth, not only mercy, but truth.
All God doth is but Performance of Promiſes; wee hold his mercy by Tenor of truth, and may challenge mercy by vertue of his truth. And therefore David could ſay, Pſal. 23.6.— ſurely mercy and goodneſs ſhall follow mee all the days of my life.
Wicked men cannot, but the Saints may ſay, Mercy ſhall follow mee all the days of my life. Not in this, or that particular, but in every paſſage of Providence, as the water followed the children of Iſrael, the rock followed them, 1 Cor. 10.4. from one ſtation to another, as long as they wandred in that dry and thirſty wilderneſs.
5. Uſe.
Doth God do wonders for his Church? Then it is good being on the Churches ſide. They have a God with them, that can do wonders for them; what though our enemys have skill, power, ſtrength, and multitude; yet we have a God, who is ſtronger, than the ſtrongeſt, wiſer then the wiſeſt; who can over-power, and overplot our enemys; who alone can do wonders for us.
As Plutarch ſaid of the Scythians, that though they had no muſick, nor vines: yet they had Gods among them. So whatever is wanting to a people, if they have God with them, there is a plentifull ſupply of all. You may ſet God againſt all, and hee can weigh down all advantages.
When Charls the Fift, Emperor of Germany, ſent his Herald with challenge again Francis the Firſt, King of France; Hee commanded the Herald to proclaim him with all his Titles. Styling him. — Emperor of Germany, King of Caſtile, King of Aragon, of Naples, and of Scicile.
Francis commanded his Herald to proclaim as often King of France; as the other had titles of honor by all his Countries. Implying, that France alone was more worth, than all the Countrys, the other had.
So, when our adverſaries do glory in their ſtrength, in their skill, in their power, and multitudes: let us oppoſe God againſt them, whom they oppoſe; and there is enough to weigh down what ever advantage the arm of fleſh can have againſt us; we have a God with us, whiles wee are with him, with his cauſe, with his truth: And hee can do wonders for us.
6. Uſe.
Doth God do wonders for his Church? Then let us fall down and adore this God, who can do wonders for us. — Who would not fear thee O King of Nations! ſaith the Prophet, Jer. 10.7.
It was the ſpeech of an Heathen King, when hee had ſeen the Wonders that God had done: — Let all men fear and tremble before the God of Daniel, Dan. 6.26.
When Chriſt had done that great wonder in calming the rage of the ſea; the Text tels us, — They all fell down at the feet of Jeſus, and worſhipped him. Gods wonders for us, call out for our Worſhip of him.
Fall down then, at the feet of this God, and Worſhip him.
Fall down at the feet of his Power, and dread it.
Fall down at the feet of his Mercy, and adore it.
Fall down at the feet of his Wiſdome, and admire it.
Admiration is ſutable to Wonders.
It is ſaid — Hee ſhall bee admired in his Saints. When wicked men tremble, do you fall down and admire, and bleſſe that God, adore that God, who alone doth wonders.
7. Uſe.
Doth God do wonders for his Church?7 Uſe. and are wee now in a ſad condition? A people that ſhall bee made a wonder, unleſſe God do a wonder for us? Oh! then let us carry our ſelves in ſuch a deportment and demeanour, as is ſutable to ſuch, who are expectants that God ſhould do wonders for us. Oh! that wee could put our ſelves in a poſture fit for mercy and deliverance! — Seeing you look for a new Heaven, and a new Earth, wherein dwelleth Righteouſneſs (ſaith the Apoſtle) what manner of perſons ought you to bee? So, ſeeing you look, you expect that God ſhould do wonders for you: Oh! What manner of perſons ought you to bee in Holineſs of Life! how holy, how humble, how ſpiritual ought you to bee in all manner of converſation! Oh! take heed of ſinning in the face of mercy, in the face of deliverance. Lye not, ſwear not, &c. It was a ſad aggravation of Iſraels ſin: They provoked God at the Red-Sea, even at the Red-Sea; it is doubled, to put a greater Emphaſis on it, Pſal. 106.7.
It is nothing but our ſins, which hinders the current and ſtream of Mercy: if theſe were removed, mercy would come amain▪ Whereas on the contrary, ſin will not only make our▪ but even the good purpoſes of God to become abortive to us.
You ſee it in Jer. 18.9, 10. At what time I ſhall ſpeak concerning a Nation, or a Kingdome, to build and to plant it: If it do evil in my ſight, that it obey not my voice: Then I will repent of the good wherewith I ſaid, I would benefit them.
Many buds, and many bloſſoms of future deliverance have appeared. Oh! it were a ſad thing if our ſins ſhould blaſt all theſe, and rob us of the fruit of our hopes, of our prayers and tears. Our ſins put obſtructions to all Gods proceedings of Mercy.
And therefore you ſee, when the Temple was to bee built, and great things were to bee done for them: The Prophet, by way of neceſſary preparation, exhorts the people to repentance, to caſt away their ſins, Hag. 1.6. knowing this, that though God had begun, yet if they continued their ſins, they would quickly make a ſtop of Gods mercy; God would ſoon repent of his mercy to them.
God had brought Iſrael out of Egypt, and brought them near Canaan; yet their ſins comming betwixt them and Canaan, turned them back again into the Wilderneſſe, and there they walk in a Round forty years, before they could finde admiſſion into Canaan.
God is gone out before us, triumphing in the greatneſſe of his ſtrength; preparing a way, hewing down difficulties, levelling mountains, turning all our oppoſitions into good. But if you do not leave your ſins, you will make God quickly to leave you, ſo to work your own confuſion.
Well then. You are all expectants of Mercy; let every one of you labour to put himſelf into a poſture fit to receive mercy: Let every one walk and demean himſelf, as ſuch as looks for great things from God: And then that God that hath begun, will aſſuredly make an end: Hee that hath laid the foundation, and is laying ſtone after ſtone upon it every day, will not deſiſt till the building bee perfected.