The Remains of John Corbet, Verse 4
V. 4 Then I ſaid, I am caſt out of thy ſight: yet will I look again towards thy holy Temple.
He further expreſſeth his exerciſe in his tryal, wherein is his conflict betwixt Faith and Unbelief, Hope and Deſpair, and the prevalence of his Faith and Hope.
His Confl ct in theſe words, Then I ſaid, I am caſt out of thy ſight. Hence we learn, That the children of God are put to confl ct, not only with outward afflictions, but with inward temptations, even temptations to unbelief and deſpair. They are apt to draw ſad concluſions from their outward troubles, even to conclude their being rejected of God.
One great reaſon hereof, is the terror of their own guilt. Conſcience flies in their face. And if Conſcience condemn them, they think the holy God is much more againſt them. 1 Joh. 3.20. If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. And ſo they are amazed.
Another reaſon is, their proneneſs to judg of Gods reſpect to them, and their intereſt in him, by ſence and outward appearance.
Under afflictions we are to prepare for aſſaults of ſad temptations, which are indeed a greater burden and danger to us than the outward affliction.
Our wiſdom is to prevent ſuch temptations under affliction, as may ariſe from the terror of our own guilt, and horror of conſcience: to prevent them, I ſay, by keeping peace with God, and carefully avoiding breaches with him.
If upon breaches with him, ſuch terror do ariſe; our buſineſs is upon our unfeigned humiliation and repentance, to look by faith to the boundleſs mercy of God in Chriſt, and to ſtay our ſelves thereon, that we may not ſink in deſpair.
Likewiſe under inward temptations we are to raiſe our Faith above ſenſe, that we may judg of Gods reſpect to us, not according to appearance, but according to truth. That how ſad ſoever the caſe be, we may be able to ſay there is hope concerning this thing.
Now follows the prevalence of his Faith and Hope in theſe words, Yet will I look again t wards thy holy Temple.
Gods children may for a ſeaſon be born down by temptations, yet they recover themſelves after a while.
They recollect themſelves, and judg of things more calmly and conſiderately; and thereupon ſee ground of hope. As the Church, Lament. 3.1. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
Herewithall they ſet themſelves to reſiſt the temptation, and ſtrive againſt unbelief▪ as diſhonourable to God, and hurtful to their own ſouls, and unreaſonable in it ſelf. And they reſolve to truſt in the Name of the Lord, and to ſtay themſelves on their God, Iſa. 50.10. They rebuke themſelves for their unbelief, and charge themſelves to hope in God; Pſal. 42. Why art thou caſt down, O my ſoul? hope thou in God.
And God is with them, and doth uphold them by the help of his grace. He doth alſo ſo regulate and moderate the temptation, that they may be able to bear it. And he doth open a way for them to eſcape, according to the promiſe.
Let us not lye under temptations to deſpair, or deſpondence, or confuſion of mind, which diſables us to any good, and tends to drive us from God, and utterly ruine us. Let us not give way to them; for they ariſe from the darkneſs of our mind, and the evil root of unbelief, and from the malice of the Devil. They are enforced upon us by our adverſary for our deſtruction. Therefore it behoves us not to give place to him.
Let us not quit all, nor thus abandon our ſelves, but look again towards God as a harbour to the diſtreſſed. Let us help our ſelves, and make uſe of our Reaſon, which is an auxiliary to Faith But above all, let us implore the help of God, his ſufficient grace; and let us conceive of him as the infinite goodneſs willing to help.
In ſo doing we honour God, and are pleaſing to him, and ſet our ſelves in a ſure way of deliverance.
I will look again towards thy holy temple.
The Temple was a ſymbol of the gracious preſence of God among his people, according to his Covenant. The Divine preſence was on the Mercy-ſeat in the Temple at Jeruſalem, which did repreſent God as propitious through Chriſt.
The Faithful recover out of temptations by looking to God ſitting on his Mercy-ſeat in his holy Temple in the higheſt Heavens; that is, as propitious in Chriſt, according to his Covenant of Grace to all penitent believers.
This Mercy-ſeat erected in Chriſt, is the hope that is ſet before us in all our diſtreſs and trouble. And to thoſe that are fled for refuge to it, there is ſtrong conſolation, Heb. 6.18. God is propitious in Chriſt the great Propitiation. There is a ſure Covenant, and an everlaſting Covenant of peace, whoſoever takes hold of it, ſhall be ſaved.
This Covenant in Chriſt holds forth forgiveneſs of ſins, and plenteous redemption to all that take hold of it. This is the Rock of Ages; and whoſoever do reſt their Faith on it, their Souls ſhall be at reſt.
When we are caſt into the depth of the Sea, when we lye as it were in the belly of Hell, let us look unto God in his holy Temple; and that both in caſe of our particular diſtreſs, and in caſe of the common diſtreſs of Gods Church. Pſal. 11.3, 4. If the foundations be deſtroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lords throne is in Heaven. How diſtreſſed ſoever our ſtate is, even to the deſtroying of the foundations, and how provoking ſoever our ſins have been, yet God is in his Holy Temple, he is propitious in Chriſt. God is in Chriſt reconciling ſinners to himſelf, not imputing ſin to penitent ſinners.
In all our diſtreſſes let us plead before him theſe things, 1. The mercifulneſs of his nature. 2. Chriſt the great Propitiatory Sacrifice for ſin. 3. The ſtedfaſtneſs of his Covenant made in Chriſt. 4. The erecting of his Mercy-ſeat, and the placing of himſelf upon a Throne of Grace. And ſo let us hear what he will anſwer us, and ſee what he will do for us.