The Sure Mercies of David, Treatise · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV.
IV. THE fourth and laſt head of Directions, that I promiſed to propound is an anſwer to this Queſtion, How a gracious ſoul that is intereſted in theſe mercies is to behave himſelf? though this be a neceſſary point, yet I muſt cut ſhort in it, having inſiſted too long on the former Heads.
1. Believe and receive theſe mercies, this is a faithful ſaying and worthy of all acceptation, De iis quae cognovit, futuris, & quae adhuc ſub viſum non cadunt, tam certum habet perſuaſionem cognitione praedictus, ut ea mag is adeſſe putat, quam quae ſunt praeſentia—Clem. Alex. Strom. lib. 7.that Jeſus Chriſt came into the world to ſave ſinners, 1 Tim. 1.15. is it the propoſition only that is to be credited, embraced? is it not Chriſt and the reſt of the Covenant-mercies held forth in this precious maxim, which is the ſweeteſt flower in the Garden of Scripture, the choiceſt Pearl in the Word, and moſt glorious Star in the whole Conſtellation of Goſpel-promiſes? who dare doubt what God hath ſpoken? and who dare refuſe what God doth offer? he is ſo wiſe that he cannot be deceived, and he is ſo good that he will not deceive you; you may better believe God than your own ſenſe; give glory to God by embracing theſe mercies, deny or diſpute no longer: be not ingrateful to that Grace of God, that hath condeſcended ſo low to give you evidences, on purpoſe that you might believe.
2. Improve theſe ſure mercies, make uſe of them in all your particular needs, if a man have a good ſpring he will order it for convenient ſupplies of many houſhold wants, and draw it through ſeveral chanels for ſeveral uſes: ſo a Chriſtian muſt branch out the ſeveral mercies of the Covenant to his various caſes and uſes, as enlightning mercy to his darkneſs, enlivening mercy to his dulneſs, pardoning mercy in caſe of guiltineſs, purging mercy in caſe of ſtrong corruptions, 2 Cor. 12 7.— becauſe Gods grace is ſufficient for us in all exigencies; in all ſtorms there is Sea-room enough in Gods infinite mercy for faiths full ſail, Phil. 4.19.our God ſupplies all wants; Religion is a ſpiritual bond to tye God and a ſoul together, and a Chriſtian in the exerciſe of his Religion ſingles out that in God which is needful to him on all occaſions: the life of faith is a retailing of Divine commodities, as the Covenant of grace gives a ſoul a title thereto (as it were) by whole-ſale. Oh let the heirs of promiſe improve theſe mercies.
3. Be content with theſe mercies, theſe are ſufficient to make you happy, ſeek not further to eke out your contentment in the Creature, as though you had not enough in having theſe; what a ſtrange paſſage is that of good Abraham, Gen. 1….2. Lord God, ſaith he, what wilt thou give me ſeeing I go childleſs? give him! why had not God given him himſelf, and was not that an exceeding great reward? ver. 1. and could Abraham deſire more? O yes, all this is nothing unleſs God give him a Child, he takes no notice of this in compariſon of a Son; this is juſt our caſe, let God give us himſelf and Covenant-mercies, we can overlook all theſe in our diſtempered fits, and look upon them as of no worth if he deny us ſome outward comfort that our hearts are ſet upon: but this is our ſin and ſhame, cannot God himſelf content us? can we go from Covenant-mercies to mend us with common-mercies? nay do we not thereby weaken our intereſt, diſhonour our portion, and diſ-ingage God to help us? is not God a jealous God, and can he endure to have any corrival with him in your affections.
4. Walk worthy of theſe ſure mercies; Cum id praeſtiterit gratia ut moremur pe… cata, quid aliud facicmus ſtvivemus in eo, niſi ut gratiae ſimus ingrati. Aug. de Sp. et lib. c. 60. Rom. 12.1.oh do not diſparage them by your unſuitable carriage; live after the rate of heirs of Promiſe, walk exactly, ſpiritually, ſelf-denyingly and ſoul-reſignedly, God hath given himſelf and theſe beſt bleſſings to you in mercy: oh give your ſelves and beſt ſervices to God in a way of duty; if you give your ſelves to God as a whole burnt-offering, 'tis but a reaſonable ſervice, for he hath given you more than you can give back to him: walk holily, ſteadily, cheerfully as becomes theſe mercies, do much for God that hath done ſo much for you, let nothing diſcourage or diſquiet your ſpirits, ſince yo… have mercies, ſure mercies to lodge in your boſomes; why ſhould that ſoul be ſad that enjoyeth an intereſt in the father of conſolations, the purchaſer of ſalvation, and comforting ſpirit? ſure mercies with propriety beget ſolid comfort and aſſurance for ever. Col. 1.10. Eph. 4.1.1 Theſ. 2.12.Oh Chriſtians, learn the leſſons much inculcated to walk worthy of God, of your vocation, relation, and this Kingdom.
5. Be active and paſſive for theſe mercies, they coſt Chriſt dear to purchaſe them; do not you think any thing too dear to do or endure for promoting or preſerving of them: kindneſs is very endearing to a grateful heart; your pains cannot be ſpent to better purpoſe than in the cauſe of God, we muſt always be paying our debt, though we can never fully pay it, we muſt be behind-hand with God, but let a ſoul under the ſenſe of mercies ſweat blood for God, if he call to it: you ſow not in a barren ſoul, as ſhowrs of mercy ingage you to fruitfulneſs; ſo an abundant crop of mercy will be your ſure reward: and in your ſaddeſt Winter you ſhall have the ſweeteſt harveſt of mercy; if Chriſtians knew what grapes of Coeleſtial Canaan they ſhould taſte in their Wilderneſs-ſufferings for Chriſt, they would not be ſo afraid of them as they are; theſe mercies run moſt freely and ſweetly when other ſtreams are ſtopt: fear not ſufferings, mercies will meet and ſupport you.
6. Plead theſe mercies for your poſterity, though you ſhould leave your Children thouſands a year, yet theſe Covenant-mercies will be the beſt portion; you cannot aſſure your eſtates to your heirs, but theſe are ſure mercies, ſo that if you take hold of Gods Covenant, plead it, live up to it, you ſhall have the benefit of theſe your ſelves, and ſome (at leaſt) of your Children and Succeſſours ſhall enjoy the ſame mercies, for God will remember theſe unto a thouſand generations, though he be not bound to every individual ſoul of your natural offſpring, however the Scripture fully ſhews that this is the ſureſt way to obtain a portion for your Children; tell God, they are more his than yours, you are but Nurſes for his Children; tell the Lord, that thou muſt dye and leave them, but he lives for ever, intreat him to be their loving everlaſting Father; tell him that though thou leave them ſomething in the world, yet that is neither ſuitable nor durable, but theſe ſure mercies will not fail them, and comfort your hearts for your houſe and family with the laſt words of dying David, 2 Sam. 23.5. oh labour to tranſmit your title unto God to future generations, as the two Tribes and an half did to future Ages by their Altar Ed. Joh. 24.24, 28. ſee 1 Chron. 28.9.
7. Breathe after a full poſſeſſion of theſe ſure mercies, they are from everlaſting to everlaſting, follow them to the ſpring in admiration and thankfulneſs, and follow this ſtream of Covenant-mercies to the Ocean of Eternity; indeed the ſtreams are in time to the Sons and Daughters of men, but the original is without a beginning, in God eternal thoughts of love, and the end is without end in thoſe everlaſting embraces in Heaven; oh long to ſee the end, if theſe mercies be ſo ſweet here, what will they be in Heaven, in their proper Element, as it were? oh that bleſſed ſtate, that Paradice of pleaſure, that joy of our Lord, Abraham's boſome, an houſe not made with hands, a City with foundations, a Crown, a Kingdom! art thou the happy product of theſe ſure mercies of David? do theſe mercies bring forth ſuch felicity? oh happy day that my ſoul hath an intereſt in theſe ſure mercies, but how long ſhall my ſoul be kept from the full poſſeſſion of theſe mercies? when ſhall I come and appear before God? how long ſhall I ſojourn in Meſech, and be detained from my Fathers plenteous Table above? ſhall not a Captive long for his deliverance, and a young heir for his full inheritance? and ſhall not my ſoul long to be with Chriſt above? ſhall my body be ſo weary, and hath not my ſoul more cauſe to be weary of its burden and abſence from home? Rom. 8.19-23.ſhall creatures groan, and ſhall not I much more to be delivered into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God? ſhall the Spirit and the Bride ſay come, and ſhall not my ſoul that hears theſe things, eccho, come? ſhall he ſay himſelf, Rev. 22.17, 20.I come quickly, and ſhall not I anſwer Amen, even ſo come Lord Jeſus, Come Lord, I long to ſee the and of theſe wonders of grace, I much deſire to enjoy thoſe mercies which eye hath not ſeen, ear heard, or heart conceived, after another manner than here I am capable; come, my God, I beſeech thee ſhew me thy face; and becauſe none can ſee thy face and live, let me dye that I may ſee thy face, and be ſwallowed up in the Ocean of mercy, whence theſe Covenant-mercies flow. Dear Lord, either come down to me, or take me up to thee: Make haſte my beloved, Song 8.14.and be thou like a Roe, or to a young Hart upon the Mountains of Spices.
Thus I have at laſt diſpatcht this ſixth Uſe of Inſtruction and Direction to ſinners and Saints.