Forty-Five Sermons Upon Psalm 130, Sermon 42
SERMON XLII.
Pſalm 130. Verſ. 7. — And with him is plenteous redemption.
MAny are the exceptions and grounds of fears which the people of God entertain, for foſtering their diſcouragement, and no fewer are the Cordials that are allowed in God to make out that to them, that when they are afraid, they are called to truſt in God; when Iſrael is invited to hope in God, if miſery and ill-deſerving retard their obedience to that command, they are told here, that with the Lord there is mercy. If they look on themſelves as lawful Captives, and none have a right to offer to reſcue or ranſome them, they are told here, that with the Lord there is redemption, a Soveraign Authority, Right and Power, to ſtep in when he will, and vindicate them into freedom: If they look upon it as hard and impoſſible ever to get out of the bonds they are under, with him is plenteous redemption, as the Pſalmiſt ſings, Pſal. 146.7. To looſe the Priſoners, and open the priſon doors, and ſet them at liberty. This is that I was ſpeaking to in the morning, That with God there is redemption. I cleared, that this Redemption imported Authority and Right to redeem, and power to reedeem and vindicate: And I came in the ſecond place to clear in what reſpects this Redemption is ſo called, or in what reſpects his delivery of his people is called, a Redemption of them. And the firſt to which I have ſpoken, it's becauſe all their deliverances are founded upon, and are the reſult of their eternal Redemption through Chriſt; the Uſes whereof I mentioned, and ſhall not repeat.
I proceed now in the 2d place, to clear that their Redemption is ſo called, or their delivery is called Redemption, in relation to their trouble, and the inſtruments of their trouble, from whom God will redeem them; not by paying a price for them, for that is already payed to Juſtice, for doing away the controverſie that God the principal Creditor had with them, who therefore put them in Bonds, and under Arreſt; but by the ſtrong hand he redeems them from the inſtruments of their trouble, to their own coſt, as Iſai. 52.3. The Lord tells his people, that they had ſold themſelves for nought, they had made a poor Bargain, or they had provocked God to ſell them into their enemies hands for nought, but they ſhould be redeemed as cheap, without money, Iſai. 43.14. The Lord proves himſelf to be the Redeemer of his people by this, that for their ſakes he had ſent to Babylon, to get them redeemed hence, and had brought down all their Nobles, and the Caldeans, whoſe cry is in the Ships, or to the Ships, to ſeek Veſſels to run away, when Cyrus came and turned in the River on the City. And Iſai. 49.24, 25, 26. when they accounted the people of God their prey, and lawful captives, the Lord not only tells them, that the captives of the mighty ſhall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible ſhall be delivered, but he will pay a ranſome to the Caldeans for them, and what is that? I will feed them that oppreſs thee with their own fleſh, and they ſhall be drunk with their own blood, as with ſweet wine: That ſhall be the ranſome that he will give the Caldeans, when he delivereth his people. I ſhall not dwell on this; in general it holds out this, that they are in a ſad and ill taking, who are left by themſelves to take Gods people to taſk; they are as theſe who would go betwixt a Man and his Wife, who when the friendſhip is made up, will get little thanks, and therefore they are rather to be pitied than envyed. It bods little good to men, when God makes uſe of them to be inſtruments of the afflictions of his people; and any that ye would wiſh good unto, pray that they may be preſerved from that Pit, and any ye ſee ingaged in it, ye cannot do them a better turn, than to ſtand in the Gapp for them, and pray they may be delivered out of it, for it is fatal and prodigious to be inſtruments of the people of Gods trouble, and to be found ſtanding in his way when he is to redeem them.
But in the 3d place, I told you, that their Delivery is called Redemption, in relation to the iſſue of their delivery from their troubles, as the Captive or Priſoner, when he is redeemed, or the ranſom payed, is ſet free, enlarged, and ſet at liberty to go where he will: So God's delivering of a people, brings freedom and enlargement, a breaking of Bonds, an opening of Priſon doors, a vindicating of them from bondage and ſlavery. Hence the delivery of the ſaints is metaphorically expreſſed, by ſetting of them at large, or in a large place, Pſal. 18.19. The Pſalmiſt was hampered before, when he was in trouble, but he got enlargement and ſkiproom by God's delivering of him; So Pſal. 31.8. David ſayes, Thou haſt not ſhut me up into the hand of the Enemy, thou haſt ſet my feet in a large place, or room; had I been amongſt my enemies, they had hemm'd me in; but God in delivering me, gives me elbow-room; and, Pſal. 118.5. I called on the Lord in diſtreſs, the Lord anſwered me, and ſet me in a large place; or anſwered me in a large place: (for theſe words, and ſet me, are a ſupplement in the Text, that is, with enlargement; by enlargement and freedom he delivered me; So Job 36.16. Where Elihu is giving Job an account what he might have expected, had he improved God's corrections aright. Even ſo (ſaith he) would he have removed thee out of the ſtrait into a broad place, where there is no ſtraitneſs; Thou art (would he ſay, as verſe 8.) bound in fetters, and holden in cords of affliction; but had thou hearkned to the inſtructions communicat to thee by the Rod, God ſhould have brought thee out of that ſtrait into a broad place, where there is no ſtraitneſs; ſo that in reſpect of the iſſue, delivery is enlargement, a giving of ſkuproom to them that were in bonds and preſſures before.
And from this I would have you reflecting on two or three words, 1. It imports, that when the people of God are in trouble, unredeemed, they ſhould be in ſtraits, and as under preſſures, ſenſible of their affliction, their bonds ſhould preſs them; Therefore in that fore-cited place, Job 36.8. Affliction is called bonds, or fetters and cords, and Job, when he is viewing God's dealing with him, ſays, Chap. 13.27. Thou putteſt my feet alſo in the ſtocks; not only did he put him in priſon, for a man in priſon, has room to walk up and down, but in priſon he put his feet in the ſtocks; importing that folks ſhould find a preſſure when God afflicts them, they ſhould be ſtraitned when they are in the ſtocks; ſtupidity is ill company, when God is uſing means means to waken out of ſecurity, and to make folk ſenſible, and to be taking too much elbow room, when folks are under an arreſt of Providence, it is no good evidence, that he will give enlargement, Job 35.15. Hypocrites in heart heap up wrath, they cry not when he binds them; when folks are ſtraitned, they would feel it, and eſpecially they ſhould find their ſtraitning, that they may cry to God when he binds them, Pſal. 107.12. He brought down their hearts with labour; he brake their ſpirits with toil, he hammered their undaunted hearts with ſit-faſt and ſore preſſures, and further he dealt ſo with them till they fell down, and there was none to help, and then they cryed to the Lord in their trouble, and he ſaved them, &c. That is the great deſign of preſſures, when folks are ſo hampered, that they cannot ſtir their feet, when they are ſo ſtraitned that they wot not what hand to turn them to, it is, That they may cry to God, and he may ſave them.
Hence, 2. Many ſad lamentations may the viſible Church, and even ſaints write over their own frames under preſſures, that they are ſo little affected; and particularly, that be they preſſed never ſo much, there is little prayer under their preſſures, as in that forecited place, Job 36.13. When Elihu is telling what ſhould be folks carriage, when they are bound with fetters, and holden in cords of affliction, he tells the Hypocrites in heart, heap up wrath, they cry not when God binds them; few folks preſſures are ſeen in their prayers, either in doubling their diligence in their duty, or in their manner of going about it, they have few prayers, that look like diſtreſt folks prayers; O let fruitleſs improvers of preſſures, ponder at large Job 36.8. to 18. Where when Elihu has told the benefit of well improved preſſures, and the hazard of ill improved preſſures, he tells Job verſe 16. Even ſo would he have removed thee out of the ſtrait into a broad place; But verſe 17. Thou has fulfilled the judgement of the wicked, juſtice and judgement take hold on thee; Therefore becauſe there is wrath, beware leſt he take thee away with his ſtroak, then a great ranſom cannot deliver thee; evil improved preſſures, will occaſion ſad reflections, and may bring on ſtroaks, from which folks will not eaſily come to be delivered; O how oft may we write that over ill improved preſſures, which ye have, Pſal. 81.13. O that my people had hearkened to me, and Iſrael had walked in my ways, I would ſoon have ſubdued their enemies, and turned my hand againſt their adverſaries. And Iſai. 48.18. O that thou hadſt hearkened to my commandment, then had thy peace been as a river, &c. It muſt be otherwayes with preſſed ſaints, than it is with others. It is a ſin and a ſhame that ſo many ruines are under ſaints hands, not improved, but a double ſin & ſhame, that they ſhould increaſe under their hand, and an evidence they have not been improved.
But a 3d word moſt directly from what I have ſpoken on this branch, is this, That if every delivery be a redemption and enlargement, Then it calls the people of God to be comforted and enlarged, under every mercy and proof of love, how mean ſoever it be. The Lord who calls men in the day of adverſity to conſider, calls them in the day of proſperity to be comforted, and joyful in any meaſure of redemption that they meet with, Eccl. 7.14. And it's marked by Nehemiah and others, when God had brought Iſrael into the land of Canaan, and gave them abundance of good things, they delighted themſelves in his great goodneſs, Neh. 9.25. a practice very rare among God's people, proofs of love, particular redemption triſts them, which calls them to rejoyce in God and his goodneſs, and yet they are where they were when they got them, their mercies are little ſeen upon them, by any enlargements given them; and what wonder therefore that mercies be withholden from them, who cannot be worſe with the want of them, than when they have them, they droop when they have, and they droop when they want: the having of them is no enlargement to them, and this they mourn not for as a ſin, they are better at picking quarrels at them, than at being thankful for them, which ſpeaks a proud unſubdued ſelfie diſpoſition.
I ſhall not ſtand to diſcuſs the ſhifts and pretexts, that folks make uſe of in their byaſſes, in ſetting no value on Redemptions beſtowed on them, many a time their own ſpirit is a ſpirit of bondage, when God allows on them a ſpirit of liberty. It is not the want of allowances from God, but the want of enlargement of heart, a ſlaviſh ſervil diſpoſition, that makes a ſpirit of bondage, when it is not Gods allowance. Sometime they pretend the ſmalneſs of the mercy, to undervalue it, when they rather proclaim the want of humility in themſelves. The humbled Church, Lam. 3.22. Under many preſſures ſees, That it is of the Lords mercies that we are not conſumed; if our mercies be compared with our luſtings, or deſervings, they will be great and admirable mercies. And ſometimes the cloud of continued preſſures hides the ſight of partial Redemptions; but certainly, every evidence of mercy remembred in wrath, is a redemption, and ſhould be delighted in, and our heart ſhould be enlarged in receiving it as ſuch, in a word, it is an evidence of a bleſt diſpoſition, when whatever be folks lots, they love not to caſt out with God, they love not to fiſh faults with his Providence, to miſcal a mean mercy, how inſignificant ſoever it be to their ſenſe; and when they are content to pick up their mercies amongſt the crouds of their croſſes, that theſe ſhall not tempt them, not to be comforted in the meaneſt mercy; and who knows but ſuch a frame, if it were ſtudied, might prove a door of hope to the increaſe and growth of favours; they that delight to commend mercies, ſhall find them grow. Now I have done with the accounts on which deliveries are called Redemptions.
In the third place it remains, that I ſhould ſpeak a little to the plentifulneſs of theſe redemptions; With him there is plenteous redemption. Ye heard the laſt day when I was ſpeaking of the mercy of God, That God is full of compaſſion, and plenteous in mercy, Pſal. 86.5, 15. That he has manifold mercies. Neh. 9.19. and that he is abundant in goodneſs, Exod. 34.6. Here He is plenteous in redemption, and this hath relation to theſe two.
1. To the variety of the preſſures, the ſaints may be aſſaulted with, for plenteous redemption ſpeaks plentiful preſſures.
2. To the recurring of theſe preſſures, that when folk are brought out of them, they fall in them again through their own folly; There is plenteous redemption with God in relation to both.
For the firſt, The variety of preſſures wherewith ſaints may be aſſaulted, There is ſomewhat, 1. Suppoſed here, That not only the Iſrael of God may have preſſures, but a variety, a great many of them; Hence Eliphaz, Job 5.19. Suppoſing Job a penitent, ſays, God ſhould deliver him in ſix troubles and in ſeven, a number of perfection, 2 Cor. 4.8. The Apoſtle ſays, we are troubled on every ſide, and Ch. 6.7. He tells, There is need of the armour of righteouſneſs, both on the right and left hand; there is no hand we can turn us to, would he ſay, but there is need of armour, Chap. 7.5. Troubled on every ſide, without are fightings, and within were fears; and in a word, the Church tells us, Lam. 2.22. That God had called, as in a ſolemn day, her terrors round about her, in the day of Gods anger no preſſure was wanting, and there was a convention of them.
1. Hence from this, that variety of preſſures are the lot of the people of God, it doth on the one hand point out, that they are ill to tame, ill to hold, like a wild aſs, ſnuffing up the wind; it is not eaſie ſiſting them, except they be hedged in on all hands; hard wedges tells there are hard ſtone or timber to be divided; and they who have many preſſures, may ſit down and lament over their diſpoſitions, that leſs would not do their turn; many might ſteal more quietly in to heaven, were it not for their diſpoſitions, that are ſo wild and ill to be tamed; Though yet I ſhall add, the more preſſures thou haſt, if thou could improve them well, thou has the more doors open for mercy, and occaſions to get meat out of the eater.
2. From it I would have many folks learning to ſilence their murmuring and complaining, many have learned a gad of crying ere they be toucht; there be many, who though there be preſſures be ſuch, as many of the people of God would count an outgate, yet there is no biding of their complaining: O! what would many of you do if ye were put in Job's caſe, who in one day was ſtript of all that he had, and the next day of his health and quietneſs of mind, and yet he was born through; it is a great evidence of mortification, to be enabled to bear preſſures well, to make little din of grievances; much din and crying under them, tells there are many boyls to be let out, and many complaints call on God to lay more on folk to tame them better. O! be ſober, and if ye be put in a Babel, ſee if ye can build houſes there, and make your preſſures as ſupportable, as lawfully ye may without ſin, make them not intolerable, for that is to break your back, but ſee how tolerable ye can make them, without ſinning againſt God, that ye may dwell beſide your croſs, with ſilence and ſubmiſſion, who wots, but ere many days go over, ye may meet with an out-gate.
But 2. As variety of preſſures are ſuppoſed here; ſo it expreſſes plenty of Redemption in God for all that variety; time will not permit me to break in on that other thing, that this plenteous Redemption relates to, the recurring of preſſures, how frequently the people of God may fall under repeated preſſures, and may be ofter than once preſſed, but here for variety of preſſures, there is plenteous redemption, He will deliver in ſix troubles, and in ſeven, Job 5.19. If they be aſſaulted on the right and left hand, there is armour of righteouſneſs for both, 2 Cor. 6.7. If they be troubled on every ſide, he can keep them from being diſtreſſed if perplexed, they ſhall not deſpair, &c 1 Cor. 4.8. If they be troubled on every ſide, have fightings without, and fears within, God that comforts thoſe that are caſt down, can comfort them, 2 Cor. 7.8. When thou ſits down, and cannot tell all thy preſſures, and are like a weak patient, who when his wounds are opened up, ſwerfs, thy heart grows ſick and thou faints. He is all ſufficient to afford Cordials for thy ſupport; thou cannot have ſo many wants, but he can ſupply them: And as the old man ſaid to the Levit, Judges 19.20 All thy wants ſhall be upon him; Thou cannot be ſtraitned in God, though through the narrowneſs of thy confidence, thou may be ſtraitned in thy own bowels, for with him is plenteous redemption; Think upon this, ye that have to do with it, ye that in your preſſures are left on God alone, bring up a good report on him, cry not up your wants above his furniture; cry not up your griefs above his conſolations, which cannot be exhauſted; this would make folks life not ſo comfortleſs as oft times they make it to themſelves, while they cry out, What will they do with this, and with that, it … come in their way? If indeed ſuch a thing be before thee we may ſay, as it was ſaid to Jeremy. Jer. 12 5. If thou haſt run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how can thou contend with horſes? If thy few preſſures have laid thee by, What wilt thou do with more and greater? If in the land of peace, wherein thou truſted, they have wearied thee, (I ſhall not ſay thou wilt have that atheiſtical word, What ca… God do?) But what wilt thou do, if it come to the ſwellings of Jordan? But if thou keep thy eye and heart on that word, With God is plenteous redemption; and then ask, what ſhall I do with my troubles? I ſay, even bear them, go to God and get much from him to bear them; many proofs of his power and love, his all ſufficiency is infinite to bear thee thorow; and bod well of him, and have well: look down on the greateſt number of preſſures as tolerable in his ſtrength. I love not carnal confidence, but God loves not drooping, or that folk ſhould go diſcouraged to their work, though humble they ſhould be. They that go drooping to their work, will come halting from it: but though a ſolemn aſſembly of terrors ſhould ſurround you, hold your eye o… plenteous redemption in God, and it ſhall be well with you. God bleſs his word to you for Chriſt's ſake.