The Sure Mercies of David, Treatise · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
VI. THE ſixth Uſe is of Inſtruction and Direction, to ſinners and Saints, wherein I ſhall (as paper-room permits) …ay before you four ſorts of Directions.
1. What is a poor ſoul to do that he may obtain intereſt in theſe mercies?
2. How a doubting ſoul may be aſſured of theſe Covenant-mercies?
3. In what caſes may a Chriſtian improve Covenant-mercies?
4. How a good ſoul that hath intereſt in theſe mercies is to behave himſelf?
For the firſt, which concerns graceleſs …uls; poor unregenerate Creatures, if any …ch enquire what they muſt do that they may have a part and portion in theſe ſure …ercies of David, I ſhall briefly propound …eſe ſeven Directions;
1. Make a ſtrict enquiry into your ſtate; …ligently examine what title you have to …e Mercies of the Covenant, practiſe this …eat and much neglected duty of ſelf-tryal, whether you have cloſed with the Covenant, whether Chriſt be in you, 2 Cor. 13.5.or you be … Chriſt; whether faith be in you, or you … in the faith; ſelf-knowledge is a good …gree towards ſaving grace. Authology is …e firſt ſtep to Theology; a man cannot, will not look after mercy till he know his own miſery; they that conceit themſelves to be ſomething, deceive themſelves; therefore let every man prove his own work, Gal. 6.3, 4. Oh how many thouſands with a… vain hope do deſcend into everlaſting burnings? how many preſume they have as good a title to mercy as any, and fall ſhort of it miſtakes in this point are dangerous and damning, therefore ſoul, try thy title, be … a point concerning thy ſtate; ſome a… Children of wrath, and have not obtained mercy; yea, all are ſuch by nature: that Grace that changeth our title, changeth our ſpirits, therefore deal faithfully with your own hearts; ask them whether they b… renewed, changed, ſoundly converted? ask your ſelves whether you be new Creatures be not put off with ſilence or a ſlight anſwer; remember life and death depends on the reſolution of this important queſtion you muſt be tryed another day, you canno… evade Gods impartial ſearch, only conſider there's no returning back to mend the matter, as you are found then at the gret day, ſo muſt you abide for ever; but here, … you find a flaw in your title, you may have it well repaired; and this is the firſt ſtep to mending what's amiſs, therefore g… a diſtinct knowledge of your ſtate.
2. Work on your hearts the miſery of ſouls being deſtitute of theſe ſure mercies yea, if upon ſerious examination you … that your ſouls have no intereſt therein, o… conſider what a dreadful, doleful ſtate your ſouls are in; you are indeed Lo-ruhamahs, bond-ſlaves of Satan, enemies to God, deſtitute of Chriſt, and have nothing to do with the good things of the Goſpel; take your ſtate from the bleſſed Apoſtle, or rather from the infallible dictates of the Holy Ghoſt, Epheſ. …2.12. without Chriſt, (whatever confident claim you may lay to him, however you may boaſt of him) Aliens from the Common-wealth of Iſrael, (i. e. no members of the true Church, though you may preſumptuouſly call and account your ſelves the only Sons of the Church; you have nothing to do with the ſpiritual priviledges, and ſweet Communion of Saints) you are ſtrangers from the Covenants of Promiſe, (i. e. you are not in this new Covenant, but under that of works, and have not right to any one promiſe, and ſo to no Goſpel-mercy) and therefore without hope, yea, without God in the World; 'tis inexpreſſible, yea inconceivable miſery that a graceleſs ſoul is in, it is ready every moment to drop into Hell, muſt be ſhut out of Heaven; God is angry with him every moment, Satan hath him in a ſtring, leads him whither he liſt; and if he dye this moment he is gone for ever. Oh work on your hearts ſuch ſad thoughts as theſe, awake Conſcience, rouze up affections, then cry out with the Publican, ſtriking on your breaſt, God be merciful to me a ſinner; Wo is me, Luk. 18.13.wretched Creature that I am, what ſhall I do, I am undone, the guilt of ſin is upon me, mercy is far from me; I have deſpiſed free-grace, and now I may fear mercy is turned into ſury; long forbearance will end in juſt vengeance. Oh is there any hope for a forlorn wretch? have not I worn out my day of grace? is there any hope for me? ſurely, a little mercy will not ſerve my turn; I am a great ſinner, yea, the chiefeſt of ſinners, there muſt be a larger dole of mercy to me than others: Oh what ſhall I do, men and brethren, what muſt I do to be ſaved? thus, ſirs, bemoan your ſtate, it's not a ſaying all are ſinners, and God is merciful, that will ſerve the turn, but you muſt be ſin-ſick, then you'l deſire a Phyſitian, elſe you'l ſlight and ſcorn both Chriſt and Covenant, Mat. 9.12, 13.and all the mercies thereof.
3. Be thankful for, but be not content with common mercies; they are good in their kind, and for their uſe and ends, but theſe are not ſuitable to, or ſufficient for the ſoul; a Chriſtian ſhould be content with any thing in the World, yet content with nothing in the World; the worſt of the World doth pleaſe a Child of God with God, the beſt of it cannot, ſhould not pleaſe him without God; you muſt look on theſe things as good in the way for a ſtaff or bait, but not good as a Center or end, to terminate your thoughts upon; Remember, the worſt of men may have the beſt of theſe bleſſings, yet have them with a curſe, and may periſh with them; therefore ſay as David, Pſal. 119.132. look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou uſeſt to do unto thoſe that love thy name; Pſal. 106.4.and elſewhere he deſires to be remembred with the favour of Gods people; as if David ſhould ſay. Lord there are common mercies which fill the belly, cloath the back, ſupply outward wants, but theſe thou giveſt to the bad as well as good; and though theſe are more than I deſerve, yet more than theſe I deſire; theſe will only ſerve me the day and date of my temporal life, and will take their leave of me at death; but Lord, thou haſt better mercies to beſtow than theſe; even ſuch as will ſtick by me in life and death; mercies that concern the ſoul, ſuch as thou beſtoweſt on Children, and on heirs of promiſe: Oh let me come in for my Childs part of thoſe, and put me not off with any elſe; none beſides will fit or fill my precious ſoul, or ſerve my turn: Joſh. 17.14.I muſt ſay as once the Children of Joſeph ſaid to Joſhua, why haſt thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, ſeeing I am a great people; ſo muſt I ſay, if I were a bruit Creature, one lot of provender for this Carcaſs would ſerve my turn; but ſeeing … am bleſſed with a noble, never-dying ſoul, that hath large capacious faculties, … muſt have a double portion, a ſingle ſhare …s not enough; ſomething that will live …hen this body is laid in the grave, and …ing is ſo fit for this immortal ſoul, as … ſure mercies of David. Oh that I had my ſhare thereof; more than theſe I cannot reaſonably deſire, expect, enjoy, and leſs than theſe my ſoul is not content withal.
4. Caſt out and Caſhier all ſin, break of… thy ſinful league with filthy luſts, theſe ſure mercies will not lodge in a foul breaſt: where Chriſt takes up his habitation, ſin hath not Dominion; God and ſin go contrary ways; mercies mount the ſoul upwards, corruption pulls the ſoul downwards; you muſt be ſeparate, and touch no unclean thing, if you would be received, embraced as Children, and have God for your Father, 2 Cor. 6.17, 18. be you ſure the Throne of iniquity hath no fellowſhip with God, Pſal. 94.20.and God will challenge ſuch as hate inſtruction, and wilfully run into ſin, and ſay, Pſal. 50.16, 17, 18.what haſt thou to do — to take my Covenant in thy mouth; do not think to yoke Chriſt and Belial; God will not be merciful to any wicked Tranſgreſſour: do not think to divide mercies and faithfulneſs, make account to enjoy mercies only in the way of truth, that you may be able to ſay as David, Pſal. 119 41. let thy mercies come alſo unto me, O Lord, even thy ſalvation according to thy word, q. d. O Lord thou haſt mercies to beſtow, and thou haſt told me, how and to whom thou wilt diſtribute theſe mercies, it is to ſuch as fear, and love, and obey thee, and devote themſelves to thee; why here I am, I have ſerved ſin and Satan too long, now I abhorr the ways in which my ſoul hath walked, I abandon works of darkneſs, I cut off a right-hand ſin, and pluck out a right-eye luſt, and now I am in the road of mercy, not as though this merited thy favour, but as a condition abſolutely neceſſary in the ſouls of ſuch as obtain mercy, Iſa. 1.16, 18. Iſa. 55.7.according to the precepts and promiſes of the Word; and now though I cannot challenge mercy, yet I humbly plead thy promiſe for mercy, even Covenant-mercies; I have forſaken my ſinful ways and wicked thoughts; Pſal. 119.58.oh be merciful to me according to thy word; oh entertain me, and then … ſhall not loſe but change my pleaſures, …he ſenſual pleaſures of the fleſh, for ſo…id, ſacred, and ſoul-ſatisfying delights in Chriſt and Grace: thus renounce ſin, and you ſhall have what's infinitely better, but that's not all.
5. Renounce your own Righteouſneſs, and look after theſe ſure mercies only for mercy ſake; the wiſe merchant ſold all, Mat. 13.46.not only his worldly enjoyments, but ſelf-conceited thoughts of his own Righteouſneſs, for this pearl of price; deny your ſelves, then enjoy God, mercy is flighted when you dream of merit; the poor Jews that ſought to eſtabliſh their own righteouſneſs, would not ſubmit to the Righteouſneſs of God, Rom. 10.3. they had ſomething of their own to lean to, they …corned Gods way of ſaving ſinners; they would not be beholding to Gods mercy, and ſo went without: the poor Publican was juſtified, but the proud Phariſee condemned: come as craving Beggars, not as rich Purchaſers: ſay as David, ſave me for thy mercies ſake, Pſal. 6.4. q. d. Lord, I am a weak, worthleſs, wicked Creature, if thou mark iniquity who can ſtand? I am not worthy of one crumb of kindneſs, moſt worthy of thy fierceſt diſpleaſure; if thou condemn me thou art righteous, if thou ſave me thou art infinitely gracious; Lord, when thy wrath is ready to wax hot, and juſtice lifts up thy hand to ſtrike the fatal blow, then reflect upon thy working bowels of tender mercy, and ſtop thy hand from a righteous executing of thy juſtly deſerved ſentence of condemnation, Remember thy tender mercies and thy loving-kindneſſes, for they have been ever of old—Remember not the ſins of my youth, nor my tranſgreſſions, according to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy goodneſs ſake, O Lord: thus that good man pleads with God, Pſal. 25.6, 7. and thus do thou, come empty handed, buy wine and milk without money and without price; mercy were not mercy if it were bought at valuable rates; but as that's not poſſible, ſo that ſoul that comes to purchaſe ſhall be dealt without, for all the good things of the Goſpel are of free and undeſerved gift.
6. Cloſe with Jeſus Chriſt the root and ſpring of theſe Covenant-mercies; I told you in the doctrinal part, theſe mercies are made ſure in and by Chriſt to all the heirs of promiſe: would you then enjoy the benefit of theſe mercies, accept of Jeſus Chriſt by a ſound and lively faith: you can expect no mercy but through a Mediator, grace and truth comes by Jeſus Chriſt: Joh. 1.16.all mercy is laid up in Chriſt, as the great Store-houſe, and is to be fetcht out by faith, thoſe ſouls are under a dangerous and ſouldamning miſtake that imagine God to be any other ways merciful than in Chriſt: it's even horrible, ſaith Luther, to think of God out of Chriſt, this is the only Goſpel-way of obtaining mercy; Eph. 13.6.God bleſſeth us with theſe ſpiritual bleſſings in Chriſt, and we are accepted in the beloved. Well then, how have poor ſouls intereſt in Chriſt? this is only by faith, which is the ſouls accepting of him upon his own terms: Joh. 1.12.here I muſt not digreſs into the large field of that uſeful ſubject of ſaving faith, but muſt refer you to the large diſcourſes upon this radical, fundamental grace, and I beſeech you be not miſtaken in this; here lyes the hinge and vitals of Religion, even in an entire, affectionate, voluntary, and univerſal accepting of Jeſus Chriſt, as our King, Prieſt, Prophet, to be ruled, guided, ſaved by him in his own way. Oh ſirs, if you do not this you do nothing; if you believe you ſhall be ſaved, Mark 16.16.but if you believe not you ſhall be damned, that's plain Engliſh; and truly, my friends, all men have not faith, this faith of Gods Elect, this precious faith. Oh therefore look after it, long for it, come with a broken heart to a bleeding Chriſt, come weary and heavy laden, and lay your load on the Son of God; come with a troubled, humbled heart, wounded with a ſenſe of ſin, and look up to this brazen Serpent for help and healing; reach out thy trembling hand and get hold of the skirt of his garment, or rather with old Simeon embrace Jeſus Chriſt in the arms of thy faith, and then thou haſt theſe mercies of the Covenant.
7. Enter into a ſolemn Covenant with the Lord; no way to be intereſted in the mercies of the Covenant, but by entring into the Covenant; this, this is the work I would perſwade your ſouls unto, this indeed is the life of Religion, which is ſo called [a relegando] from binding, becauſe it binds, (as it were) God and man together, and joyns their intereſts in this bleſſed bond of the Covenant: 2 Cor. 8.5. Iſa. 44 5. 2 Chron. 30.8.O therefore ſet your ſelves to enter a ſolemn engagement; give up your ſelves to the Lord, openly profeſs that you are the Lords, or elſe ſubſcribe with your hand, and yield up your ſelves to the Lord, to whom of right you do belong, and take God as your God, Joſh. 24.24, 25.ſay, the Lord our God will we ſerve, and his voice will we obey, as the people of Iſrael once; and thus do you make a Covenant this day, lift up your hand to the moſt high God, as once Jacob did, who made a vow, ſaying, if God will be with me and keep me in this way that I go—then ſhall the Lord be my God, Gen. 28.20, 21. now conſider, friends, hath not God done as much or more for you as Jacob here deſires? and why ſhould you not take God for your God? ſay thus, I have heard of the Lords goodneſs, nay, I have felt and drunk a large ſhare of Gods kindneſs and compaſſion; he hath done that for me, that none elſe could, and hath undertaken to do yet much more, and therefore God forbid, that I ſhould cleave to any other God all my days; as I will be wholly the Lords, ſo I will have only the Lord, and as he is the God, ſo he ſhall be my God; this is that which the Scripture calls avouching the Lord to be our God, and if we avouch him to be our God, he will avouch us to be his people, Deut. 26.17, 18. which imports the mutual conditions of this bleſſed Covenant, even a reciprocal embracing and accepting each other, the Saints take God to be theirs by the ſaving Grace of faith, and God entertains them by a gracious act of favour, love and condeſcention; only be ſure you remember that the Articles of Agreement are of Gods own framing, and the ſoul muſt come up wholly unto his terms, elſe no bargain; God will not abate any thing of his appointed conditions, it muſt be ſincere faith, though it be but weak, which empties the ſoul of ſin, and ſelf, and turns wholly to God, and doth reſign up it ſelf univerſally, voluntarily, and perpetually to be the Lords; and in the ſame manner takes God to be his: and looks upon this as his mercy, as well as his duty; his higheſt preferment, as well as his greateſt employment, and ſweeteſt enjoyment; Oh, thinks a good ſoul, that I could be more the Lords than I am; I am too much mine own, Hoſ. 3.3.but I will enter into the ſtricteſt Matrimonial bond to be only for God and not for another, then he would be for me; and oh that I could take the Lord wholly for mine, and only as mine, and joyn no other Lovers with him, I need none but him, he is all ſufficient, and my exceeding ſweet and great reward: and upon this condition God takes you, and you ſhall have advantage by him, and the Goſpel-Covenant, and all the mercies of it; and if you be not willing to forſake all for him, Mat. 10.37. Luk. 14.28, 29.you are not worthy of him: but I ſhall ſpend no more time about this, becauſe ſo many have writ of a ſouls Covenanting with God: See Mr. Baxter's Saints Reſt, par. 1. p. 176. to 182 — & alibi paſſim. Mr. Guthrie, Mr. Allen, Mr. Vincent have preſcribed directions, and a form of words for a ſolemn Covenanting with God. See alſo Reflect. 8. in the cloſe of this Treatiſe. p.—
Thus much for the firſt Claſſe or rank of Directions.