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Show 'il1w God fp'eal{et6 to hit Sponfe. 1101 Mclfenger of God to declare the mind of God to them; but ·~ all he fpake comfortably to them by Mofot and Aaron and by ~h~~llowing Providences. All the while they travelled ln Egypt, • d gh God fp•ke to them by Mo[e1 and A .ron yet as to his Pro· ~~ r ~ce he f~ake te.rribly; all that time they wa~ted any fixt place :a ommumon With God, they had not Citcumeilion, nor the ifeover, &c. But God fpake cbmfortably again to them by [ofhuah wheu they came into Canaan: All the time of the Judges e feemed almoll lilent to them, his Providence fpake fometimes tefrtbly, fornetimes comfortably. In !hort run on the whole /lory 0 . \he ]'""'• you will find it true in all th~ traer of Gods dealings wt_t • them : ·He th~t hath made Day and Night , Summer and ~mter to follow one another by a never-failing t:overiailt•and rd~r, hath alfo fo done b'y bis people. I might fay the like concerning particular Souls: Look upon 7acob,D•vid, 7ob; In lhort, . all the Se~vants of God, wljofc !lory is any thing largely recited In Holywm. 2. And as this hath been Gods method of dealing with his people, fo it !hall be his dealing, he hath fecured it by his Promife. All thofe places of Scripture, which mention the AflliCl:ions of ~ods people but moment~ny and. !hort,. make good this Propofi· twn, Be ..,,y not al't¥1a)f chulr, nezthtr wtll be keep bit anwrr 'Or ever •pfQJ H. d b J' , J' m 103. 9•. If ang~r t11 ureth but for a mamtnt,---weeping may endure (or a ntght, but ;oy cometh in tbe morning. Pfalm 30· s . .L•m. ;~. 3'· 'The Lord ,,y 11ot caf1 of for ever. He retainttb not bif tinger for tver, beea11[e he deltghtetb m mercy, He rr>ill tt<rn ag•in, he ..,;Q have cump•Jiion upon ut, &c. Ez. I 6. 42, 43• Jer. 3, r 2, and fo in many other Texts. · The reafon of this l'ropolition lies in that tmder Love .. bi•h God hath to bil people: and therefore in all the fore-mentioned Texts (a!moll) you !hall fiAd the Lords grJce and mtrcy and compallion gtven as a reafon of his gracious difpenfations. Gods kindnefs to his people is fuch, that all his ways to them mull be mercy and truth, his very Afllicrions to th~m are in mrrcy and love that they might not be condem>ted witf? the n>srld,that their lniquity mtght be purged, that they m1ght [etk,. hit face &c. Aod his mercy ~onflraineth him to remove their AllliCl:io~, and again to fpeak kt9dly unto them, !til: they lhould putjmh their hand (wea· ne~ thw~gh long tel?ptations,) and do iniquity, or left that thm fPmtt {ho11/d f!zl btfore him, But I will not dwell longer ·upon Ho'/P God fpell{eth to hit Sponfo. upon tbe proof of fo plain and obvious a point as this !s. The proper Ufe of this pointis of Exhortation ; 'To aUtbatftar Vfo 2 , the Lord, to beli•ve and to rr>ait: Shall the-Spoufe (though her Be-loved be !ileot at prefent) hear him fpeak ? though he fpeaks terribly at prcfent, yet !hall !he hear him fpeak comfortably agai~ l Shall !he bear him fay, Tht'W'inter if P"ft, the raiuy rr>tatber if o-ver and gone ; Arije my Love, my fair one, and come away? Let every Soul then that claims this Relation learn tbcfe two things. J, To believt. By believing I underlland two things: r. The Soult firm and fixed afJ,m to thirot a Prot ofrtion of'Irmh. This is the great duty of Chrifiians, and fuch as every one flatters himfelfwith the performance of it: but indeed ,did but Chri· llians believe thef~ and fuch ·like Propofitions, their aifent unto them, if true, and full, and certain, would have another manner of influence than we fee in mens converfations, and there is nothing more evidenceth the faHbood of our hearts in our profeffious to believe, i.e. aifent to Divine Propolitions, than that they have no efficacy upon our lives. Did Chril\ians believe that they !hall hen the voice of their Beloved again, would they be fo ftlll of dejections, and of dead defpondencies of Spirit ? would they prefently give up all their mercies and comforts for gone, and when we go about to comfort them under their defertions and temptations and in their dark hours with the promife of God, &c; would this be our anfwer? Oh, but many good people, many Churches of God have been a long time forfaken, &c .• Thefe and fuch-like voices of defpondency either fpeak no Faith, or at leal\: but a weak Faith in the very Propofition of Truth. Is not this the reafon of the unfixed, unel\abli!hed hearts of Chriflians, that in an bour of darknefs they are fo unrefolved what to do) Oh that we did but all believe thus far, what quiet, what lettlement and eflabli!hment would it create in our Spirits ? what refollltions not to run away from God, nor to be li!ent unto him, nor to fpeak unadvifedly with our lips, 2 Chro11. 20. 20. ( they are the words of 7rhofirphat,) Belitve in the Lord y.z<r God, fo Jhall yor< bt eftablifhed: You have the contrary in Efiry 7. 9· If you rr>ill not belzeve, you fhall not beeftablifhed. It is our unbeliefin the Word and Promife of God, that in troublous and unfetled times keeps us with unfixed and un[etled hearts. . . ·2. Secondly, By believing I underlland a fidt<cial adhm>tce '"'' a trufting and depending upon the Lord; this indeed would foi- L! ~w |
