Forty-Five Sermons Upon Psalm 130, Sermon 31
SERMON XXXI.
Pſalm 130. Verſe 7. Let Iſrael hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him there is plenteous redemption.
Verſe 8 And he ſhall redeem Iſrael from all his iniquities.
YE may remember in the firſt ſix verſes of this Pſalm, we have the Pſalmiſts wreſtling, which (as we ſhewed you before) hath three Branches; He hath been wreſtling with difficulties, and plunging perplexities in his caſe, which are repreſented under the notion of depths, in the firſt and ſecond Verſe, he hath been wreſtling with the Conſcience, and ſenſe of Guilt, putting back his Prayers, and offering to cruſh his hopes, and ſo interpoſing to obſtruct his ſucceſs and acceſs, verſe 3, 4. and in the 5, and 6. he hath been wreſtling with delays, either of comfort, or an out-gate, or both, and (notwithſtanding of all his hard exerciſe, in crying to God by Prayer in his trouble and perplexity, in taking with the dreadful deſert of guilt, and claiming to pardoning mercy and forgiveneſs) he doth therewith wreſtle by patience and hope. He waited on God, and that affectionatly; and his patience in waiting was ſupported by hope in God, grounded on the Word of God.
Now in theſe two verſes read, ye have the ſecond part of the Pſalm, containing the Pſalmiſts delivery, or victory; His delivery or victory is not expreſly aſſerted, but it is very ſweetly implyed in his improvement of the exerciſe he hath been under, and holding forth the good he hath gotten; when it is well with him, the iſſue he hath gotten, he doth not conceal it, nor only ſpeak it out, but he improves and layes it out for the good of God's Iſrael; when he hath got a ſweet ſight of the good of waiting and hoping in God, he conveens them all, as it were, to come and write after his Copy, and encourages them to hope in God, upon the account of mercy and pardon, and plenteous redemption; and redeeming Iſrael from all his iniquities.
So the words contain firſt, an Exhortation to Iſrael, in the beginning of the 7. verſe, Let Iſrael hope &c.
2. They contain motives and encouragements, preſſing the exhortation, by way of arguments, that this counſel ſhould be hearkned unto; and theſe motives or encouragements, are taken partly in the firſt place, from what is in God: In the end of the 7. verſe, Let Iſrael hope, &c. for with the Lord there is mercy, &c. There is mercy and power, and authority in God, to bring redemption to his people from all their ſins and miſeries. And the 2. Argument is taken from this, that God will let out that mercy and redemption that is in him, for the good of his people: Not only is there mercy and power with God, if he pleaſe to let it out to redeem; but it is expreſly aſſerted, that he will redeem his people, verſe 8. He ſhall redeem Iſrael from all his iniquities; a promiſe which howſoever it be made out to Iſrael in all ages, yet it is ſignally to be erified to the Jews in their Converſion in the latter days; for the Apoſtle, Rom. 11.26. adduces this promiſe out of Iſai. 59.20. As it is written, there ſhall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and ſhall turn away ungodlineſs from Jacob; That is, that ſhall redeem Iſrael (as was hinted) from all his iniquities.
To return to the Exhortation, Let Iſrael hope in the Lord; I have been (would he ſay) aſſaying to hope in the Lord, and have found the good of it, for when I was waiting for God, I was ſupported by hope in his Word, and now I have gotten ſo good an account of my hope, that I dare recommend it from mine own experience to all, and I have ſuch a kindneſs to Iſrael, that any experience I have gotten by waiting for God, and hoping in his Word; I will not hoord it up, I will be no hookſter of it, but recommend it to them as a common-good; Therefore let Iſrael hope in the Lord.
That I may get ſomewhat digged out of the Treaſure here, I ſhall reduce the grounds of Obſervations to be gathered from this Exhortation, to four general Heads.
1. I ſhall touch upon what is implyed, and held out in the general ſcope of theſe words.
2. I ſhall ſpeak to the Duty recommended, and that is, Hope in the Lord.
3. I ſhall remark ſomewhat on the Recommender of this duty; it is the Pſalmist who had been trying Hope, and had found the good of it.
4. I ſhall add ſomewhat by way of reflection, on theſe to whom this Duty is recommended, Let Iſrael hope; it is the Iſrael of God, among whom (as the word is, Ezra 10.2.) there is hope concerning caſes and lots, otherwayes hopeleſs and deſperat.
1. For what is implyed, and is the general ſcope of this Exhortation; I ſhall (the Lord willing) deduce theſe two from it: 1. That the Pſalmiſt is here delivered, and is a victor, or hath goten ſome good account of his former wreſtling, waiting for God, and hoping in his word.
2. That the good account he hath gotten, he communicats his experience of it to the People of God.
1. I ſay, it is clear here, that if the Pſalmiſt has not been actually delivered from all his preſſures; yet he hath gotten ſo comfortable an account of his hoping in God, that he dare from his experience recommend it to others to hope in him; he bears witneſs of the great good to be reaped by hoping in God. The Obſervation then is, That there will be a bleſt account of all the exerciſes of the Saints, and particularly of their waiting for God, and hoping in his Word. The Pſalmiſt eſſayed it here, and is able to give a good account of it. This Point imports in the firſt place, That real needy Saints have many errands to God, they are never out of his miſter, and holden going to him, which is a very enriching Trade, though it be not always pleaſing and ſatisfying to their fleſh.
2. It ſuppoſes this, that as they have much ado with God, ſo they are very earneſt, till they get a good account of what ever it be they are waiting for from him, they are not ſuch as can cry out of the depths, and be indifferent, whether they get a hearing, fall aſleep, or turn ſtupid, but their preſſures ly ſo ſore upon them, that they cannot be laid by and worn out with time, but they muſt have acceſs, and a good account of their ſuits.
And 3. As the point ſuppoſes theſe two; ſo it propoſeth that there will be a good account gotten of all their exerciſes, and particularly of their waiting for God, and hoping in his Word, their exerciſes are not loſt labour; The Lord bids them open their mouth wide, and he will fill it, Pſal. 81.10. When he bids his people ſeek him, he can appeal to malice it ſelf, to inſtruct, if ever he bade them ſeek him in vain, Iſai. 45.19. If he put poor Job to exerciſe patience, he will make the world ſee the end of the Lord, that he is very pitiful, and of tender mercy, Jam. 5.11. He hath made it out in the manifold experience of all his Saints, that that ſong, Pſal. 5.8. ult. Was and is ſtill abiding them, verily there is a reward for the righteous, a God that judges in the earth. I might prove it further from the whole Book of Pſalms, wherein what ever ſad exerciſe the Pſalmiſt has been put unto, in the beginning or progreſs of theſe Pſalms, for the moſt part they all cloſe comfortably with ſome ſweet word, intimating an iſſue and victory. And whereas ye find Heman Pſal. 88. Cloſing ſadly, yet ye will find him. 1 Kings 4.30, Put in among theſe great wits, and underſtanding perſons in his time.
But leaving all theſe, I ſhall give you theſe three words of Confirmation of this Obſervation.
And 1. I ſay, they are all living that died in waiting on God, and hoping in his word; I dare not ſay, that they were not affrighted, or that they were not humbled, but they are living that died in that way of waiting on him. Gather all Believers together, that have been from the beginning of the world, ye will not find among them all, a Saint that has periſhed in this attempt, in waiting for God by Faith and Hope.
2. Though the ſaints have been affrighted, and humbled, yet many a bleſt diſappointment have exerciſed ſaints met with, and will meet with of their fears and perplexing thoughts. It is no ſtrange thing to hear the waiting man ſay, I am cut off; and yet meeting with a bleſt beguile, Pſ. 31.22. I ſaid, I am cut off from before thine eyes, nevertheleſs thou heardeſt the voice of my ſupplication, &c. The anſwer of my prayers, gave ſenſe and ſuggeſtion the lie. Nay, it is no wonder that fleſh tempted, tempt the waiting man, to ſay, all men are liars. So ſays the Pſalmiſt, Pſal. 116.11. But ſee and hear him, verſe 12. What ſhal I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me. Behold a man caſting the Bible, and all the Promiſes at the one bout, and at the next, nonpluſs'd with a burden of benefits and mercies.
3. I ſhall ſay this, that though exerciſed ſaints, and waiters on God have eſſayed, and may eſſay many means in vain, as to any preſent ſucceſs, yet that proves not their caſe to be hopeleſs. The Bride, Cant. 3.1, 2, 3. Seeks her beloved on the bed, in the ſtreets, and broad-ways, and at the watch-men, in all the means, and finds him not; yet when ſhe went a little further, ſhe found him. Though the waiter for God hath aſſayed all the means, without ſenſible ſucceſs, he is not to tine hope for all that, but to eſſay them again, we may find that in the ſecond eſſay, which we found not in the firſt.
For Uſe, If it be ſo then, that there will be a bleſt account of all the exerciſes of Saints, and particularly of their waiting for God; I would enquire, who they are among you. 1. Who have any thing of this account to bring forth to God's commendation? There may be a woful generation taking up that deſperat Note, that ye have Mal. 3.14, 15. Who ſay, it is in vain to ſerve God, and what profit is it, that we have kept his ordinances, and that we have walked mournfully, &c. And like theſe, Iſai. 58.3. Who ſay, Wherefore have we faſted, and thou ſeeſt not? and wherefore have we afflicted our ſoul? &c. But haſt thou any thing to ſay for God, to refute that? Can thou ſay, It is good for me to draw near to God, to wait upon him, I have not ſought him in vain; let the ſong fall on whoſe ſide it will, it ſhall not fall on my ſide, I will keep it up to his commendation, I will ſing, and ſay, that his Name endures for ever; I was brought low, and he helped me, I ſought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears, Pſal. 34.4, 6. Bleſſed are they who have ſo good a report to bring upon God; who can bear witneſs for him, to ſhew that the Lord is upright, He is their Rock, and there is no unrighteouſneſs in him, Pſal. 92.15. But 2. Thou that haſt not found this, thou art waiting on God in the uſe of the means; but thou haſt little to ſay to the commendation of God, of hoping in him; will thou believe that there ſhall be a good account of all thy exerciſe in waiting, believe that thou ſhall not for ever return aſhamed, that there will be an end of the Lord, and a good end, that thy expectation ſhall not periſh for ever, that though thou be laid in the grave with cruſhing, thy dead men ſhall live, there ſhall be an end, and thy expectation ſhall not be cut off; take the exhortation, that word to Mary, Luke 1.45. Bleſsed is ſhe that believes, for there ſhall be a performance of theſe things, which were told her from the Lord. Thou that art running to God, and waiting on him, for an iſſue of thy preſſures, and ſees no appearance of the day breaking, but rather that the night groweth darker, do not think that it will be ay ſo. Do not follow out thy work and task, as a hopeleſs undertaking; follow not Chriſt as Thomas did, to die with him, but ſow in hope; expect that he that hath opened thy mouth wide will fill it, and not with an empy ſpoon, only do not miſtake while thou art holden at work; needful exerciſe is ſtill requiſit, which will come in afterward, when I ſpeak to the exerciſe of Faith and Hope; and therefore here I ſhall leave it, and proceed to the next thing which I marked, as implyed.
2. When the Pſalmiſt hath got a breathing, and good account of his hope, he is very communicative of it, he poures it out in Iſraels boſom: That which I mark from it is, That the exerciſes and out-gates of the Saints, when they are bleſſed of God to them, they make them very publick minded; when the Lord drops out any good thing to them, they would fain deal about them, for the good of Gods people, and make many ſharers in it. Ye know there is a Communion of Saints, it is an Article of our Creed, it is a communion and entercourſe, ſuch as is betwixt the members of the body, that when one member ſuffers, all the members ſuffer with it, and when one rejoyceth, all rejoyce with it; What one hath, is (at leaſt ſhould be) communicat for the good of the reſt, and of the whole body; and I might add, it is a ſad thing when the duties of the communion of Saints muſt be looked on as a crime, and tranſgreſſion: But that which I am now upon is, That this communion of Saints will be improved by all, who are lively, and who are bleſſed of God, in their exerciſes and out-gates, as we may ſee the Pſalmist here, what good he hath gotten by waiting on God, he communicats it to Iſrael. I may confirm this two ways, 1. We find in Scripture, when the people of God are in trouble themſelves, they are never ſo throng about their own caſe, or ſo taken up with themſelves, but they have ſpare time for the caſe of the Church, or others who are in the ſame or like exerciſe; If our bleſſed Lord ſuffered being tempted, that he might ſuccour them who are tempted, Heb. 2.18. Then the ſaints when they are under tentation, preſſures and hard exerciſe, will find that to be a call to them, to have a large and tender heart towards others, under the ſame exerciſe; yea to bring in the preſſures of all that are about them, as ye may ſee in that holy man, Pſal. 102. what a hard exerciſe he is under, from the beginning of the Pſalm to verſe 12, 13, and 14. — Ye will find the bleſſed improvement of this I am upon, thou ſhalt ariſe and have mercy upon Sion, for the time to favour her, yea, the ſet time is come, for thy ſervants take pleaſure in her ſtones, and favour the duſt, &c. All that he hath to do within doors, though his days be conſumed like ſmoke, his bons brunt as an hearth, his heart ſmitten and withered as graſs, his bones cleaving to his Skin; though he be like a P…lican in the wilderneſs, and an owl in the deſart (as in that 102 Pſalm) yet all that hinders him not to cry, That God would ariſe and have mercy upon Sion, but rather excites him.
And a 2d Confirmation of the Point, I take from Scripture Precepts and examples, that preſs us to communicat what good we get of God, to others for their good, Luke 22.32. When Chriſt hath told Peter of his fall and recovery, he ſubjoyns to that: When thou art converted, ſtrenthen thy brethren: And whoſo will read, Pſal. 32.6. and the Verſes following. Pſal. 66.16. — They will find, that the Pſalmiſt, when ever he hath gotten a proof of Gods goodneſs to himſelf, he is very careful to communicat it to others, in direction, inſtruction, encouragement, or comfort, according as God hath communicat it to him; I ſhall ſay no more from this, but let it condemn the ſelfiſh Diſpoſition of many, who being in trouble, the whole benſil of their Spirit is little enough for themſelves, and they have no inlet for the griefs and preſſures of others, and if it be well with them, if they be delivered, they are far from remembring Joſeph in Priſon: They do not endeavour this publick-mindedneſs, to communicat their experience for others good; ſuch ſelfiſh frames provock God to give folk humbling exerciſes, to learn them to be publick minded. Now I have done with the firſt general Head of the Doctrine, implyed in the Exhortation, Let Iſrael hope, &c.
I proceed in the 2d place, to the matter of the Exhortation, or the Duty recommended, that is, to hope in the Lord, to exerciſe Faith and hope in God; of this, ye may remember, I have been ſpeaking at ſome length upon the 5. verſe before, which may ſave me a labour of inſiſting much on it now. But this of Faith and Hope being a work and task of the people of God, while they are in time, there can never be too much ſaid to it. Therefore I ſhall offer to you two grounds of Obſervation, which I ſhall take from the Pſalmiſts recommending of it to the people of God here over again.
1. His Exhortation implys the conſtant need, that the Saints will have of Faith and Hope in time.
2. That the Saints have a conſtant warrand of Hoping, and Believing in God.
1. Conſider, though the Pſalmiſt (as would appear) hath gotten a good account of his hope, yea, for all the iſſues he hath gotten before; and that the ſaints and people of God, in that generation, and before, had gotten of Faith and Hope, they had truſted in God, and He had delivered them from all their fears, and they were not aſhamed, yet ſtill he preſſes Faith and Hope, as that which the Saints will ſtill have need of, and wherein their life conſiſts. The Obſervation then is plain, That Faith and Hope are Graces whereof the Saints will conſtantly ſtand in need, what-ever deliveries or iſſues they get in time. As here it is ſuppoſed the Pſalmiſt hath gotten an iſſue, yet he will not have Faith and Hope out of requeſt, with him, ſelf and others of the Lords people. Ye know it is ſaid. 2 Cor. 5.7. That here we walk by faith, not by ſight; we muſt always have to do with the graces of Faith and Hope, as long as we live. In all the times of our life they will never be uſeleſs, nor out of faſhion, and conſequently theſe graces ſhould never be out of eſteem with us.
To deduce the conſtant need that we have of Faith and Hope, and ſo the conſtant obligation that lyes upon us to eſteem of them, I ſhall branch the point in five particulars.
1. Conſider, that whenever the people of God get any good account of their Faith and Hope in God, when they attain to any proofs of his help by Faith and Hope; then without all peradventure they are engaged to praiſe God, and will have an high eſteem of theſe graces. It's no ſmall part of God's praiſe, when he hath done his people a good turn, to ſpeak it out to the commendation of God, as the Pſalmiſt doth, Pſal. 28.7. The Lord is my ſtrength and my ſhield, my heart truſted in him, and I am helped: And Pſal. 2. Bleſſed are all they that put their truſt in him: And with that Meſſenger to Mary, Bleſſed is ſhe that believed. If all the proofs of kindneſs that folks get by the exerciſe of Faith and Hope, were well improved, it would be no ſmall part of their improvement, to cry up to Gods praiſe, theſe noble graces of Faith and Hope in him.
2. Conſider, that even when the Saints are put to exerciſe their Faith and Hope in him in trouble; more Faith and Hope, to believe more, and hope more, is, and will be found an out-gate and delivery in its own kind: To love the way of believing and hoping in God better, is no ſmall part of an out-gate. Thou it may be miſtakes the ſucceſs of thy endeavours, thou cryes to God from under thy preſſures, and thou hopes in God, yet thou ſees no out-gate; but art thou helped to believe and hope on? There thou haſt an out-gate till more come. If thou do not weary to believe, if thy Anchor of Hope be not come home, but keeps ground. And I ſhall add, were thou falling more in love with Faith and Hope, thou were more delivered. When a man goes to God under his preſſures, and puts Faith and Hope in exerciſe, and comes away content to believe and hope on till delivery come, he gets a double anſwer of his Prayer, and when he goes to God again, and comes away with a greater love to Faith and Hope, he is yet more delivered, though he get not an out-gate. It's like Elijah's Meal, in the ſtrength whereof he walked 40 days, 1 King. 19.8. And that was an out-gate, when Chriſt ſaid to the poor woman, Luk 8.50. Fear not, only believe, and ſhe ſhall be made whole. So when David can ſay, Pſ. 56.3. What time I am afraid, I will truſt in thee. He is a ſaved man, for all the fears and perplexities that aſſaulted him, that's all a matter, he hath an out-gate. So long as he can truſt in God, he will not fear what fleſh can do unto him. So ye ſee there will be a conſtant need of Faith and Hope to the Saints, and a conſtant obligation lyes on them to eſteem of them as a Plank to carry them to the Shore, and as an out-gate in themſelves. Several other things would be touched, for the clearing of this, which I remit to the Afternoon.