Forty-Five Sermons Upon Psalm 130, Sermon 44
SERMON XLIV.
Pſalm 130. Verſ. 8. And he ſhall redeem Iſrael from all his iniquities.
I Am now, ye ſee, towards the cloſe of this Pſalm, which hath detained me ſo long, upon the account of the riches and univerſal uſefulneſs of the matter therein contained: Ye may remember, that after that Exhortation to Iſrael, to hope in the Lord, I came to the motives encouraging them ſo to do; wherein ſomewhat was ſpoken to what is ſupponed concerning the Iſrael of God, called to hope, and allowed to hope in God, that they are under the ſenſe of miſery, needing mercy, and under the ſenſe of bondage, needing plenteous redemption, and in particular, under the ſenſe of the bondage of ſin, putting them in need to be redeemed from all their iniquities; and in ſpeaking to what is propoſed for the encouragment of ſuch to hope in God: I hinted ſomewhat concerning theſe two great truths, That with God there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
You may remember, that I told you, there be two words further to be gathered from this 8. v. One is, that what is in or with God, it ſhall be put forth for the behove of his people, as they have need, he ſhall redeem Iſrael; and another is, That it's in particular Iſraels great mercy, that God ſhall be a Redeemer to him from all his iniquities,
For the firſt of theſe, I brake in on it on the cloſe of the mornings Exerciſe, that what is in, or with God, ſhall be put forth for the behove of his people as they need it, and they ſhall find it made forth-coming to them as they need it; for if there be with him plenteous redemption, he ſhall redeem Iſrael from all his iniquities.
I left at a general word of Uſe from this, That we ſhould not take it ill, to be kept at a taſk of bringing up a good report on God againſt all prejudices, and whatſoever temptation ſuggeſts of him; for the time is coming (which the Lord will haſten in his time) that he will leave us little to ſay to his commendation, his own performances will ſay ſo much, and declare him to be exalted above all bleſſing and praiſe: The time is coming, that they ſhall not think ſhame of it, that (if we may ſo word it) have ſpoken good of him behind his back, and would not take a report of him, but from his Bible.
But to follow out this a little, for the comfort of them that are looking for the accompliſhment of what is in, or with God, for the behove of his people. I ſhall lead you to a fourfold direction, in order to this, and endeavour to put a cloſe to this Scripture.
The firſt direction is this, That ye would ſtudy to be well acquaint with the Word, to be well acquaint with what God hath declared is in him for his people. The Bible ſhould be a well-finger'd Book in gloomy times. David knew well what he was doing, when he made the Statutes his ſong in the houſe of his pilgrimage: and the reaſon why I preſs this acquaintance with the Word, is, to help you to prevent a double hazard; there is on the one hand the hazard of ignorance of the Word, when folk know not their wealth contained in their Charter. When folk are like Hagar, beſide the Well, and yet like to caſt their Iſhmael from them, like to die for thirſt, becauſe their eyes are not open to diſcern it. Ignorance undoes many folk, becauſe they know not their allowance: And another hazard upon the other hand, that by preſſing you to be acquaint with the Scripture, I would have avoided, and that is the hazard of miſtaking and over-reaching, when folks luſts and carnal expectations would make a light and ground of expectation to themſelves, when they look for what God hath not promiſed, or hath not abſolutely promiſed, or not always, theſe are dangerous, we had need to have our expectations well bottomed, leſt a diſappointment founded on a miſtake, make us to miſbelieve that which is really promiſed; a cruſh in a carnal expectation may make us look on the Bible as a poor Cordial in difficulties, we would therefore guard againſt both ignorance, and miſtaking, or over-reaching.
A 2d Direction is, That when ye have found any thing in the Bible that is uſeful for you, your firſt work would be, to prize the certainty of what is contained there. I ſpoke to this at great length on theſe words, v. 5. In his Word do I hope. That the Scriptures are the Word of God, of Divine Authority, but I can never enough preſs it; folks that have their Treaſure and Store-houſe in the Bible, prize the Bible, look on it as the word of him that cannot lie, as a tryed word, as ſilver tryed in a furnace of earth, purified ſeven times, Pſal. 12.6. That many have ventured their all upon, and never found crack nor ſlaw in, (to ſpeak ſo) and Miniſters had done with their taſk, if the certainty of this truth, that the Scriptures are the Word of God, were believed, and if thou cannot get the Promiſes believed, will thou look out on the threatnings, that thou diſcerns to be accompliſh'd, and thou needs not doubt of a promiſe, ſo long as thou haſt a threatning, which thou ſeeſt verified: Ponder that word, Zech. 8.14, 15. Thus ſaith the Lord, as I thought to puniſh you when your fathers provocked me to wrath, and I repented not; So again have I thought in thoſe days to do well unto Jeruſalem, and to the houſe of Judah: fear not. If ye doubt of my promiſes, that are not yet accompliſh'd, take a confirmation of them from my threatnings, which ye found verified.
A 3d Direction I would give them that are looking for the accompliſhment of what is in, or with God, and he hath promiſed, is, that having found out what is contained in the Scripture, and prized it as of infallible verity and certainty, then put to your Faith to it, that he ſhall redeem Iſrael from all his iniquity, for he hath ſaid it. I cannot give you this Direction more ſuccinctly, than the Lord gives it to Habakkuk, who when he had prayed againſt the Caldeans, Chap. 1. he is bidden, Chap. 2.2, to write the viſion, and make it plain upon tables, ſpeak it out, conceal it not, that he that runs may read it. For v. 3. the viſion is yet for an appointed time, it will not come preſently, but at the end it ſhall ſpeak and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it, there is Faith's work now, becauſe it will ſurely come, it will not tarry. Ye may remember I ſpoke alſo to this, when I was upon theſe words, And in his word do I hope. But in following it out now, I ſhall only touch on three or four words concerning Faith's looking out to what God ſhall do, and make out to Iſrael: And 1. I would have you looking on Faith as the moſt eminent and honourable of employments, though not the moſt ſenſible and ſatisfactory. There is much work my a fall in Saints hand, which may be ſweeter, and may go better with them, but no work is ſo eminent and accceptable to God: So it is ſaid of Abraham, Rom. 4.20. He ſtaggered not at the promiſe of God through unbelief, but was ſtrong in faith, giving glory to God. And Joh. 20.28. When Thomas, after he had evidenced, he was a man that would not believe, without ſeeing the print of the nails, and thruſting his hand into Chriſts ſide, he makes a great phraſe, and ſays, My Lord, and my God. Well (ſays Chriſt) Thomas, becauſe thou hast ſeen me, thou haſt believed, but bleſsed are they that have not ſeen, and yet have believed. Thomas, ye might have been more acceptably imployed in giving me credite, although ye had not gotten ſenſible ſatisfaction. 2. Another word is, that diſtruſt is the in-let to all folks miſcarriages in a ſtormy time; a man is even as tint as if he were in the Sea bottom, as to any acceptable acquitting of himſelf to God in his work, before his promiſe be accompliſh'd. When ever he is over-power'd with unbelief, then he is ready to ſay, There is no hope, we will walk every one in the imagination of his own heart. Ponder that word. Heb. 3.18, 19. To whom ſware he that they ſhould not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So they could not enter in, becauſe of unbelief. There the thing that held the people out of the promiſed Land, and made them periſh in the Wilderneſs, unbelief: And compare it with 1 Cor. 10.6. to 11. Where ye find them luſters, idolaters, fornicators, tempters of Christ, murmurers. To tell that, make once folk unbelievers, and ye may make them any of theſe, or all of them upon a ſuitable temptation. There is no ill turn that occurs, but an unbeliever capacitats himſelf for it, if mercy in God prevent it not. And a 3d word concerning this exerciſe of Faith (and I ſhall add no more) is, that it ſays not a little to the granting or denying of a delivery, to the haſtning, or for-ſlowing of an iſſue, this duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page exerciſe of faith. If unbelief keep out of the promiſed Land, and make Iſrael fall and wander in the Wilderneſs fourty years, as in that Heb 3.18. Then bleſſed believing haſtens the performance of the promiſe, Luk. 1.45. Bleſſed is ſhe that believed, for there ſhall be a performance of theſe things which was told her from the Lord. Little knows folk, how God may be provocked to make their unbelief the rule of their allowance, that, when they bod little, they ſhall ſee as little: No, but God may, and often doth ſhame the unbelief of his people, and make their falſe eyes ſee that they were in the wrong to him; but certainly unbelief of its own nature is obſtructive of the performance of promiſes; and if many die in the Wilderneſs, they have as their carnal confidence on the one hand, ſo their unbelief and deſpondency on the other, to blame for it. And I ſhall add more, if unbelief withhold not the accompliſhment of the promiſe, it may have a black iſſue, when the accompliſhment of the promiſe, comes to the man that entertains it. And as to this, I would on the one hand commend to you that Paſſage, to be pondered, concerning that blaſphemous lord, 2 King. 7.2. who when Eliſha Propheſied of incredible plenty in Samaria, ſaid, If the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? It ſhall be, ſaith the Prophet, and thou ſhalt ſee it with thine eyes, but ſhalt not eat thereof, and it was ſo; he was a Grandee, on whoſe hand the King leaned, and thought, if there were any fores to be had, he ſhould have a ſhare; & the King giving him the charge of the Gate, the people trode upon him, and he died. And on the other hand, ponder that comfortable Song that believers ſing, Iſai. 25.9. Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will ſave us: this is our God, we have waited for him, we will be glad, and rejoyce in his ſalvation. O, that Saints, would think, that ſuch a turn of providence may come their way, that will make them ſay and ſing, I truſted in him in a ſtrait, when not only he was inviſible (as he is always in himſelf,) but wrapt up in a cloud of myſterious diſpenſations; O! that ye would think that ſuch a ſong is poſſible and ſweet; but if that be a ſweet ſong, what bitter youling will it put them to, or may they have, who when God appears, muſt ſay, Lo, there he is, but we waited not for him; ſo ſoon as he went out of our ſight, we tint all hope, we knew not what it was to wait for him, who hid his face from the houſe of Jacob; we knew not what it was to bear his indignation, till he ſhould ariſe and plead our cauſe, and execute judgment for us, and believe that he ſhould bring us out to the light, to behold his righteouſneſs; Thus ye ſee what an important matter it is, that we put forth Faith & keep it in exerciſe, for the accompliſhment of what is in & with God, for his people, which is the third Direction.
A 4th Direction which I give, and leave this Note, and that is, That ye would wiſely conſider what the Lord means, when he puts his people to the exerciſe of their Faith ſo much, about that which he will do. He will redeem Iſrael from all their iniquities; and yet he putteth Iſrael to believe it: What means the Lord, I ſay, in holding them at that task of believing: & here, without offering to encroach upon the depth of the wiſdom & knowledge of God, in his Providence, the people of God have ſomewhat to look to without & about them, & ſomewhat to look to within them, if they look to ſomewhat without or about them; God has more ado in the world, than a particular ſaint, or even a particular Church to ſatisfie; O! the deep contexture of Providence, how unſearchable are his counſels? and his ways paſt finding out; That what is very unſatisfactory to one or one Society, God may have holy ends for it in the world: But to come nearer, What have Believers to look to in the world without them? Take it in that word, which the Lord has to Abraham, when he is making the Covenant with him, Gen. 15.16. When he has told him, that though his ſeed ſhould go down to Egypt, yet in the fourth generation they ſhould come hither again; If Abraham ſhould ask, Why ſhould they ſtay there ſo long? He anſwers, The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full; God holds his people at the task of believing; while the enemies cup is a filling, might I inſiſt upon this, I might tell you, That the enemies cup is often very long in filling, but longer without the Church, than within the Church; four hundred years to the Amorites was long, yet they being a people without the Church, they took all that time to fill their cup; but elſewhere their enemies ripe faſter, their cup is ſooner filled; and I might add, a cup that is long a filling, is ordinarly a very bitter cup, when it is holden to the head of enemies; when the cup of the Amorites is full, utter extermination, rooting out, and offcutting comes upon them; Lord ſave them whom folks wiſh well unto, from a long friſted plague; a long brewing ſtorm is more dread ſulthan hand payment: And therefore it would not ſtumble folk to ſee wicked men for born, but if it were rightly looked on, every days forbearance would be an argument of pity; for a cup that is long a filling, is moſt bitter, when it is held to the head. But that which I am upon is, that the people of God, when they are at the trade of believing, have ſomething to look to without them, and particularly to the cup of enemies that is a filling: But again, when they are holden at the task of believing, they would alſo look to ſomething within them, and among them; What means it, that God hath given many rich and precious Promiſes to Believers, and yet they get no more in hand, but Faith to believe them, if they can win to that, where are his former loving kindneſſes which he hath ſworn to David? For looking within you, and among you, ponder that word, which ye have, Iſai. 10.12. When the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and Jeruſalem, he will puniſh the fruit of the ſtout heart of the King of Aſſyria, and the glory of his high looks; and compare it with the Verſes preceeding, there ye will find the Aſsyrians deſperatly blaſpheming, he ſays, Are not my princes altogether Kings, as my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whoſe graven images did excel them of Jeruſalem, and of Samaria: Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, ſo do to Jeruſalem and her idols? What nation hath been delivered out of my hand, that the God of Iſrael ſhould deliver Jeruſalem out of my hand. One would think now, were he a God in Heaven, he would ſit no more vvith a blaſphemous atheiſt, he vvill ſuffer him no more to blaſpheme and reproach vvith an high contempt of him and his authority, he vvill novv be knovvn by the judgment which he ſhall execute: but at leiſure, he will make himſelf knovvn, but not till he have done his vvhole vvork on Mount Sion and on Jeruſalem, for all the haſte, his work on Mount Zion and on Jeruſalem, is the greateſt haſte, he will let the Aſſyrian blaſpheme on, and trode down all before him, till that be done; his great work is to do good by the Aſsyrians within his Church, and among his people, and when his work is done there, he will reckon with him, and be known by the judgment which he executes upon him: And if ye ask, what this may be within the Church, and among the people of God, that he will have them minding, when he puts them to ſend by Faith on the Promiſes; I dare not offer to give you an exact account of it, but only to caſt ſome ground for work to your hand; if ye mind practically to improve ſuch a Doctrine, I ſhal briefly hint at ſome Scriptures, which will give you ſome light in what it is; The firſt is that, Deut. 8.15, 16. Wherein the Lord tells, he led his people through a great and terrible wilderneſs, wherein were fiery ſerpents, and ſcorpions and drought, and brought water to them out of the flint, and fed them with Manna, which their fathers knew not; Wherefore? That he might humble and prove them, to do them good, at their latter end: Theſe Diſpenſations were humbling and proving, humbling, not cruſhing, for ye will get cruſhing without Prayer, and diſcouragement without pains, but humbling muſt be the product of Prayer and pains; they are not humbled, ſays the Lord, even to this day, Jer. 44.10. Every broken body is not an humbled body; though from pride of heart, they may be irritat, cankered, cruſht, and to help to this, proving muſt be added, which brings diſcoveries; and folk would try what diſcoveries, their being put to ſend by Faith, brings forth, and lays before them; proving will often bring butt, that which ye thought was not ther benn (as ye uſe to ſpeak) paſſion, pride, fretting, haſte, a legion of foul evils; and it would bod well, if when folks are put to fend by Faith, amongſt the Promiſes, if they met with ſuch diſcoveries, and ſaw ugly boſſoms, and were bearing about their abominations, and humbled under them: Another Scripture that will hint a word of Direction to you, what your work ſhould be, while put to fend by Faith, is that, Jer. 2.19. Thine own wickedneſs ſhall correct thee, and thy backſlidings ſhall reprove thee; know then and ſee, that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou haſt forſaken the Lord, &c. This is it I was on in the morning, Repentance, Repentance, O! how abaſing is it, when our wickedneſs and backſliding are ſent to reprove and convert us, not only in keeping up the performance of Promiſes, but in the execution of threatnings, when God makes all the world vviſe of a peoples vvickedneſs, vvhen he goes, as it vvere, to the ſtreet vvith their faults, vvhen he ſpits in their face, and ſhoots them vvith Miriam, without the camp; and it vvere a bleſt vvork, if this led to Repentance. And a 3d piece of vvork I vvould recommend to you, is, to ſee if ye can believe indeed, Try if ye have Faith, and a vvell breathed Faith, a biding Faith that will ſett its face to a ſtorm; remember that word that Chriſt hath to his diſciples, Mark 4.40. Why are ye ſo fearful, O! ye of little faith? Hovv is it that ye have no Faith? vvhen they in a ſtorm, like to drovvn, and cryed, Maſter, cares thou not that we periſh, vvhen he has rebuked the vvind and ſea, he gives them this check; There are many, vvho for all the times and exerciſes have paſt over them, have had ſome dreilling and skirmiſhes for Faith, vvhichwhich are preſently diſcuſt; but God may ſee it meet to give them exerciſe for a fight of Faith, to ſee if their Faith be a freſh-weather-Faith, or a Faith that vvill venture on the Deep at his vvord; and look that Chriſt have not that to ſay, Why are ye ſo fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? He is learning his people to believe, vvhen he puts them to live and fend among the Promiſes by Faith. And a 4th word I give you, vvhichwhich I vvill not ſay ſhould be vvritten upon gold Letters, but upon your hearts, vvho vvould fend by Faith amongſt the Promiſes, till the performance come, and it is that, Rev. 3.10. Here is the patience and faith of the ſaints; Having ſpoken before of ſore troubles, vvhy is Patience put firſt, and then Faith, becauſe many a time Faith may not have a turn to put its hand to, but to vvait for God, and ſee if ye can vvin to that Faith, vvhichwhich vvhen it has not a turn to do, but patiently wait on God, is about that. And a fifth vvord I recommend to you, is that ſpoken of David, Acts 13.36. It is ſaid, After he had ſerved his own generation by the will of God, he fell on ſleep; Whatever may be the particular meaning of the place, it may ſafely be taken up thus, That David took his generation work, as God put it in his hand, he was not a carver or preſcriber, but a ſubmitter to God; if it was a generation vvork, a work commanded by God, and neceſſary for him to be ſtudied; vvhen the people of God are put to fend by Faith amongſt the Promiſes, till performance come, O! what thoughts of heart will they have, were they thus and thus employed, how refreſhful vvould it be to them? but many have no more, but that they are caſt idle, and neceſſitat to ſit idle at Chriſt's feet, and look up to him, and their idleneſs is very unpleaſant to fleſh; But thou vvho art in that poſture, vvould learn to believe, thou can never be put out of Work. A godly man can never be an idle man, change his vvork he may, but idle he cannot be, were it but to bear and ſubmit to want of work, it is work; And O! how ſweet is that, let the ſaint be toſt as a ball in a large place, they are always at work acceptable to God: And then ye would learn to ſee beauty in a generation work, be what it will, that is the knack of it (to ſpeak ſo) the main thing to be noticed. If thou be ſerving thy generation by the will of God, however it be in a work that is unpleaſant to thee, even thy idleſet, thy humbling work, thou ſhould learn to ſee a beauty in it, that thou may lay it on his altar as an acceptable ſervice to him, as if thou were at work more refreſhing to thee. Theſe are ſome few thoughts why the Lord on ſeveral accounts, holds his people at the trade of Faith, and ſends them to fend by Faith among the Promiſes till the performance come. I ſhall go no further. The Lord bleſs his word to you.