Forty-Five Sermons Upon Psalm 130, Sermon 34
SERMON XXXIV.
Pſalm 130. Verſe 7. Let Iſrael hope in the Lord, for, &c.
WE are here upon a very uſeful Counſel, a counſel dictated by the Holy Spirit of God, and communicat by a man that had tryed the good and ill, both of having and wanting it; ye have heard how the Pſalmiſt being delivered, is communicative of his experience to others; ye have heard alſo, as ye will have conſtant need of Hope, ſo there is a conſtant warrand for it: And ye have heard further, that whatever be the opinion of others, yet whoſoever have moſt tryed Faith and Hope, they will commend them moſt, and be moſt free in recommending them, to thoſe that have moſt uſe for them. I entered in the morning to conſider the perſons, to whom hope in God is recommended, Let Iſrael hope in the Lord. Whether that Nation while it ſtood a Church, or the Iſrael of God; The Goſpel Church, or the true members thereof; I cloſed with this, That go things as they will, Iſrael is a ſociety that ſtill may hope; many may think that there is no hope for them in God, That they are fallen down, and ſhall no more riſe up; but Iſrael are never a hopeleſs ſociety.
I proceed now to the 2d thing I mentioned in this Head, to wit, That Hope in God is the common allowance of all the people of God, not only taking Iſrael collectively, but diſtributively, one by one, they are allowed to hope in God; yea, (which will further clear the ground of the Doctrine) although many that were true Iſraelits, did indeed come ſhort of the Pſalmiſt; and therefore though he might hope, it might be thought they ſhould ſtand a… back, yet he is free to encourage any, how mean and low ſoever they be, provided they be of Iſrael, to hope in God. I confeſs, this Point is to be underſtood, with much caution and warrineſs: There are general Promiſes made to the Church, that every particular Believer may not apply, but with many reſtrictions. There are alſo Promiſes made to ſome ſaints on particular accounts, to which every one may not claim; but if we conſider the great bull… of the Promiſes, which are the ground of hope, and the main ſcope of all the Promiſes; the Scripture takes in one and other, as to ſexes; the Promiſe is deduced. 2 Cor. 6.18. I will be a father unto you, and ye ſhall be my ſons and daughters, &c. where the weaker and ſtronger, and ſexes are equally taken in, alſo as to the Degrees of grace, if it be true, it takes in all, Pſal. 115.13. He will bleſs them that fear the Lord, both ſmall and great, the ſmall as well as the great are taken in to the ſhare of Bleſſings; The precious Oyntment poured upon Aarons head, ſtays not about his ſhoulders, or the principal parts of his Body, but goes down to the ſkirts of his Garments, to the meaneſt and loweſt Members; Pſal. 133.2. And hence it is, that a Promiſe made to a great Joſhua, (1.5.) in order to a great employment to poſſeſs the people in the Land of Canaan; I will not fail thee, nor forſake thee; though one would have thought that that was a peculiar allowance to a Joſhua, that might grip to that in ſo great an undertaking; yet Heb. 13.5. None of the perſecuted Hebrews are ſecluded from it, Let your converſations be without cove… touſneſs, and be content with ſuch things as ye have, for he hath ſaid, I will never leave thee, nor forſake thee: he that ſaid that to the great Captain of his People Joſhua, ſaid it to the meaneſt believing Hebrew; I might deduce this more diſtinctly, and ſhew that the weak Lambs are ſo far from being excluded, that there is a Promiſe, that they ſhall be carried in his boſom, when the ſtronger ſhall get leave to walk on foot; and becauſe the heavy with young, will be put hardly to it, he will gently lead them, Iſai. 40.11. Theſe that are ſenſible of their eminent worthleſneſs, that are but dead things in their own eyes, and that think the crumbs that fall from the Childrens Table too much for them, they may think to find in God a magnifying of mercy, for eminent worthleſneſs, in ſtooping to them, and being gracious and merciful to them; yea, theſe that have little or nothing of their own, if they be ſenſible of it, and lying at the Fountain for ſupply, they may look for the more of him, the leſs they had of their own; the weaker they be, his ſtrength ſhall be the more perfected in weakneſs; the more ignorant they be, and as beaſts before him, they may look to have the wonderful Counſeller taking the conduct and guiding of them; and as it is, 1 Cor. 12.13. Theſe Members of the Body, which we think to be leſs honourable, upon them we beſtow more abundant honour, and our uncomly parts have more abundant comlineſs; ſo, the meaneſt member, providing that it be a member, may look for more of him, than if they had much in their own hand, ſo far are they from being neglected.
… ſhall not inſiſt any more on this, there being ſomething before my hand, which I would ſpeak at more length ununto, I know not if there be any among you that are loath to look out to thoſe riches in the Promiſes; but ye would know, that hope in God is the allowance of all the Iſrael of God, that on the nail faſtned in a ſure place, and who is given as a glorious Throne to his Father's Houſe, not only will be hung the Veſſels of Flagons, but the off-ſpring and the iſſue, and all Veſſels of ſmall quantity, Iſai. 22.24. That in noticing his followers, he will loſe none, he will deſpiſe none; the duſt ſhall be as near to his Footſtool, as the moſt eminent, and things ſhall go well, thou ſhalt not want, ſo long as the ſupply is betwixt him and thee, if he have, thou needs not fear want; theſe may much encourage them, who look upon themſelves as the out-wails and draiglers of the Flock, and have not the confidence to look to the priviledges of the Children. Thou ma… hope in God, and lay claim to the Promiſes made to Iſrael, as well as the moſt eminent Believer, if thou be ſtudying to be an Iſraelite indeed.
And this leads me to the 3d thing that I propoſed, to be ſpoken to upon this Head, That is, That however hope in God be the common allowance of all Iſrael great and ſmall, yet it is the allowance only of them, who are Iſraelites indeed; and therefore all that I have ſpoken hitherto, concerning an allowance, to hope in God will be of little purpoſe to thee and me, except that we can make it out, that we are of the Iſrael of God, who are allowed to hope in him; it is dangerous for dogs to take the childrens bread: No but when folk endeavour to be children, they may have hope; but when they cheat themſelves with hoping they are children, and take a blind gueſs to lean to, in ſtead of hope, it is dangerous. Remember what I marked in the morning, from Rom. 9 6. That they are not all Iſrael, which are of Iſrael, there is a Jew outwardly, and a Jew inwardly, and there is a circumciſion and baptiſm, which is outward in the fleſh, and there is a circumciſion and baptiſm which is inward of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter, a circumciſion whoſe praiſe is of men, and another whoſe praiſe i… not of men, but of God, Rom. 2.28, 29. And therefore hope being the great cordial that is allowed to the Iſrael of God, I would have all excited in order to the making of it ſure, to make ſure work in this buſineſs, to prove and try whether they be Iſraelites indeed, upon whom this cordial is allowed, and here, if I ſhould follow out this purpoſe at large, it would lead me to give all the marks of Regeneration, the marks of an Iſraelite indeed; or if I ſhould inſiſt on theſe Characters of the true Circumciſion, that worſhip God in the Spirit & rejoyce in Jeſus Chriſt, that have no confidence in the fleſh, Philip. 3.3. A man cannot get true Religion in ſhorter bounds nor in theſe words, whether ye read them backward or foreward, or both backward and foreward, as bairns do the A, B, C. A true Iſraelite muſt have no confidence in the fleſh, all muſt be fleſh to him that's not Chriſt, and he muſt deny all confidence in it, whether they be fleſhly priviledges, or any thing but Chriſt; and his renouncing confidence in the fleſh, ſhould lead him to believe in Chriſt alone for Salvation, and rejoyce in him; and the truth of his rejoycing in Chriſt, ſhould appear in worſhipping God in Chriſt, with inward and ſpiritual affections. And go backward, his worſhipping of God in Spirit, leads him back to rejoyce in Chriſt Jeſus for his ſalvation; and his rejoycing in Chriſt leads him back to renounce all confidence in the fleſh, and to look upon believing in Chriſt, as no hopeleſs bargain: But I ſay, if I ſhould inſiſt upon theſe, I ſhould digreſs too much on this Head: Therefore in deciphering who are true Iſraelits, that have ground of hope in God, I ſhall confine my ſelf to theſe two;
1. The time and occaſion of Jacob's getting the Name of Iſrael, when he wreſtles with God in prayer.
2. The Epithet of a clean heart that is given to Iſrael, Pſal. 73.1. A little to theſe two, as time will permit.
For the firſt, if ye will read the 32 of Geneſis, the firſt time Jacob got this name of Iſrael was when he is at Prayer with God; and compare it with Hoſ. 12.4. Ye will find ſome notable Characters of an Iſraelite indeed, and eſpecially of an Iſraelite or regenerat man, when he ſhould be at the exerciſe of Hope, in particular difficulties and exigencies.
And firſt in general, Jacob got that Name when he was at his Prayers, that was the poſture wherein he was, when inſtead of Jacob, he got the Name of Iſrael, a prince and prevailer with God; the Lord tells it him, verſe 28. He was a man, who when he had any thing to do in the world, he ſeyed God firſt with it, he laboured to diſcuſs all his difficulties at the Throne of Grace. A Prayerleſs frame, although it be not alwayes an evidence of a graceleſs man, yet it is an evidence of a graceleſs frame, wherein the ground of Hope is much under the water, in a cloud, and in the dark; a Praying Supplicant is an Iſraelite indeed, in neareſt capacity to put forth Hope on God; thou that can go through thy difficulties, and not begin at God to diſcuſs them, to ſeek an account of thy preſſures and griefs, remember Sauls pretence, 1 Sam. 13.12. For his ſacrificing, he would force himſelf, and offer a burnt offering without Samuel, before he made not ſupplication and intreated the Face of God for favour and peace; now this of Prayer being the general, the other particulars that follow will deduce it more diſtinctly.
2. When he is called Iſrael, he is at occaſional Prayer; Jacob as he was a godly man, he had his ordinar addreſſes to God; Iſaac his Father had his times of going out to the fields to pray, Gen. 24.62. and David at evening, at morning, and at noon will cry aloud, Pſal. 55.…7. But Jacob's ordinar diligence in prayer, will not ſerve him, when a particular emergent of Providence preſſes him, but he then doubles his diligence, we find him twice at it, once verſe 9. when he hears that Eſau was coming againſt him, he runs firſt to God by prayer; and another application we find verſe 24. — when he had ſent over his Goods, and his Wives and Servants over the foord, he falls a wreſtling with the Angel of the Covenant, until the break of day; what ſhall I ſay to many Iſraelites in profeſſion, who have not an habite of ordinary converſing with God in prayer? But what ſhall I ſay further to them, who though they have ordinary addreſſes to God; yet when they have peculiar occaſions of prayer put in their hands, do not double their diligence in that duty. O! but difficulties growing, and diligence in Prayer not out-growing them; when eminent difficulties put not folk to double their diligence in prayer, what wonder they get a ſad account of them, and that their neglect of prayer obſcure the evidences of their being Iſraelites indeed.
But 3. Conſider that this prayer of Jacob's, when he gets the Name of Iſrael, as it was an occaſional Prayer, ſo it was a ſecret prayer, it is when verſe 23. he has ſent all that he had over the brook, verſe 24. he is left alone, and there are none with him, that he wreſtles with the Angel till the dawning of the day, that is like an Iſraelite indeed, and like an Iſraelite that hath very clear ground of hope, when whatever be betwixt God and them in publick, or in the view of others, they have ay ſomewhat to liſp to God in ſecret, ſome counſel is betwixt God and them, they have ſomewhat to ſay to him, and ſeek of him, to which they would not willingly have others witneſs, that is an Iſraelite indeed, whoſe inſide is beſt, whoſe ſecret diligence is that wherein he meets with moſt of God, who loves to retire himſelf out of the croud of publick worſhippers, to mutter ſomewhat in his Fathers boſom; look to it, what conſcience ye make of ſecret prayer; ſome have no occaſion of prayer, but that which is ſecret, other ſome, beſide ſecret, have the burden of publick prayer, and ye know how it lies in the mire, totally neglected in the Family, and when ye put God out of the family, what wonder ye get worſe company? But ye who are about Family Prayer, conſider how it goes with you in ſecret Prayer, think with your ſelves, here it is that I am put to the Teſt, here I muſt give an account, if I be an Iſraelite indeed, when I want the wind of applauſe, when I have no obſerver but God, and am without fear of cenſure, now I am to look to what is under my tongue; diligence in ſecret prayer, is the character of an Iſraelite indeed, who hath ground to hope in God.
But 4. If ye conſider theſe prayers of Jacob's, ye will find, that it is a very humble prayer, O! but he is very humble when he begins, and when he comes away from prayer. The Preface verſe 10. is, Lord, I am not worthy of the leaſt of all thy mercies; The Original (as it is in the Margin) emphatically reads it, I am leſs than the leaſt of all thy mercies, and all the truth which thou haſt ſhewed to thy Servant; O! but there was an humble man, the leaſt of all the mercies that had been droped on him, ſo bulks with him, that he is leſs than the leaſt of them. Was not that a fit man (if I may ſpeak of the fitneſs of ſinful duſt) to ſpeak to God? yea, as he began humble, ſo he comes off humble; though he wreſtled fervently, and would not let the Angel of the Covenant go, till he bleſt them, yet he came off halting, he gets an humbling halt in his wreſtling, that made him lame all his days, and why? even to teach us that the moſt eminent, and near acceſs, that true Iſraelites gets to God, puts them, and keeps them in the duſt; look to it, puffed up perſons, that do not, that cannot be at a low ſail. I ſhall not determine on your Grace, but ſure it is not like an Iſraelite indeed, and conſequently it is not like them, that have eminent ground of hope; the humble Supplicant is the Iſraelite indeed.
And I ſhall add 5th. when Jacob got the Name of Iſrael, he is not only praying, but he is very fervent in prayer, he is wreſtling in prayer; it is ſo called, Gen. 32.24. And he ſo wreſtled with the Angel, that he would not let him go till he bleſſed him, verſe 26. And that's another bl…ſt Character of a bleſt Supplicant, that is an Iſraelite indeed, when his Supplication is fervent; ye have a remarkable word to this purpoſe, Jam. 5.16. where encouraging folk to pray one for another, he ſays, The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man avails much; an Iſraelite, and lukewarm prayer, an Iſraelite, and coldrife prayer agree ill, an Iſraelite put to his prayers for the bleſſing, & for his hopes, that hath all lying on his prayers, as ye talk of them, that have their fortune lying on their ſword, ſo hath the Iſraelite indeed, all lying on his prayers; he hath nothing but from the hand to the mouth, till he get it by Prayer; he is like Iſrael in the wilderneſs, whoſe Manna muſt come down from Heaven, elſe he will ſtarve: for ſuch an one not to be fervent in prayer, O, what a Soleciſm i… it?
But 6. Theſe prayers of Jacob's, on the account whereof he got the Name of Iſrael, were not only fervent, but penitential, he is ſaid, as a prince, to have power with God. verſe 28. And Hoſ. 3.4. He had power with God, and he had power with the Angel, and prevailed: and how? He weeped and made ſupplication to him, he grat upon the Ang…l ill he came ſpeed; and he wept not only fervently, but penitentially; ye know how J…ſhua (ch. 7.) wreſtled and came no ſpeed, becauſe Iſrael had ſinned, and had not repented of it, till the accurſed thing was taken from among them. Ye know how Judg 10. Iſrael cry for help, God will not hear them, till they repent, and put away the ſtrange gods from among them. Levit. 26, 40.— It's when they confeſs their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, and that they have walked contrary unto him, and when their uncircumciſed hearts were humbled, and they accept of the puniſhment of their iniquity, that God remembers his Covenant. There are many Prayers ſeem fervent like, which conſidering the preſſures folks are under, are but tint Prayers, not Iſraelites Prayers, becauſe they are not penitent; we lay our Thumb upon our guilt in Prayer, and till guilt be taken with, and repented of, God will not hear.
But 7. This Prayer of Jacob's, wherein he got the name of Iſrael, was a fiducial Prayer; he began to pray, verſ. 9. by reflecting on the command God gave him, to return to his Countrey, and to his kindred, and he would deal well with him, and therefore he was ſure God would protect him. And Hoſ. 12.4. He deals with the Angel of the Covenant: And though all the Characters named before were in a perſon, if this one be wanting, it will not make up the Iſraelite indeed, who hath ground of hope to come ſpeed with God. Time hath exceedingly pre…ented me, but I hope not to ill purpoſe; I ſhall reverence providence in it. Ye have heard much, how ye will be put to it to hope in God, and how it's the allowance of Iſrael; and I have letten you ſee how ye may be Iſraelites to hope in God. Particularly, I have laid Jacob the firſt Iſraelites prayer before you, that ye may learn to write after his copy, that ye may feed on it, and bring the firſt fruits from Heaven, by intercourſe with God in Prayer, rightly regulated and ordered. God bleſs his Word to you for this end.