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ment: Their perplexities principally arife from their mifapprehenfions of what God is in himfelf, and of what he will be unto them; and whither fhould they repair to be undeceived, but unto that faithful reprefentation that he hath made of himfelf and his will in the word of his grace. For no man hath feen God at any time, the only begotten Son, who is in the bofom of the Father, he hath revealed him, John i. 17. Now the gofpel is nothing but the word of promife explained in all the fprings, caufes and effects of it; thither must we repair to be inftructed in this matter. The imaginati ons and reafenings of mens hearts will but deceive them. in thefe things. The informations or inftructions of other men may do fo; nor have they any truth in them, further than they may be refolved into the word of promife. Here alone they may find reft and refreshment. The foul of whom we fpeak, is under troubles, perplexities and diftreffes as to its outward condition; preffed with many ftraits it may be on every hand; and as to its fpiritual eftate, under various apprehenfions of the mind and will of God towards it, as hath before at large been explained: In this condition it is brought in fome measure unto an holy fubmiffion unto God, and a patient waiting for the iffue of its trials. In this e-ftate it hath many temptations to, and much working of unbelief. The whole of its oppofition amounts to this, that it is neglected of God, that its way is hid, and his judgment is paffed over from him, that it fhall not be at prefent delivered, nor hereafter faved. What course can any one advife fuch a one unto for his relief, and to preferve his foul from fainting, or deferting the duty of waiting on God, wherein he is engaged, but only this, to fearch and enquire what revelation God hath made of himfelf and his will concerning him in his word: And this the promife declares. Here he shall find hope, patience. faith, expectation. to be all increafed, comforted, encouraged. Herein lies the duty and fafety of any in this condition. Men may bear the firft impreffion of any trouble with the ftrength, courage

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and resolution of their natural fpirits; under fome continuance of them, they may fupport themselves with former experiences, and other ufual fprings and means of confolation: But if their wounds prove difficult to be cured, if they defpife ordinary remedies, if their diseases are of long continuance, this is that which they must betake themfelves unto: They muft fearch into the word of promife, and learn to meafure things not according to the present ftate and apprehenfions of their mind, but according unto what God hath declared concerning them. And there are fundry excellencies in the promifes when hoped in, or trufted in, that tend unto the establishment of the foul in this great duty of waiting. As,

(1.) That grace in them, that is, the good will of God in Chrift, for help, relief, fatisfaction, pardon, and falvation, is fuited unto all particular conditions and wants of the foul. As light arifeth from the fun, and is diffused in the beams thereof to the efpecial use of all creatures, enabled by a vifive faculty to make use of it; fo cometh grace forth from the eternal good will of God in Chrift, and is diffused by the promifes, with a bleffed contemperation unto the conditions and wants of all believers. There can nothing fall out between God and any foul, but there is grace fuited unto it in one promise or another, as clearly and evidently, as if it were given unto him particularly and immediately. And this they find by experience who at any time are enabled to mix effectually a promife with faith.

(2.) The word of promife hath a wonderful, myfterious, efpecial impreffion of God upon it. He doth by it fecretly and ineffably communicate himfelf unto be lievers. When God appeared in a dream unto Jacob, he awaked and faid, God is in this place, and I knew it not. He knew God was every where, but an intimation of his efpecial prefence furprized him: So is a foul furprized, when God opens himfelf and his grace in a promife unto him. It cries out, God is here, and I

knew

knew it not. Such a near approach of God in his grace it finds, as is accompanied with a refreshing furprifal.

(3.) There is an efpecial engagement of the veracity and truth of God in every promife. Grace and truth are the two ingredients of an evangelical promife; the matter and form whereof they do confift. I cannot now ftay to fhew wherein this especial engagement of truth in the promise doth confift. Besides, it is a thing known and confeffed; but it hath an especial influence to fupport the foul when hoped in, in its duty of waiting: For that hope can never make afhamed, or leave the foul unto difappointments, which stays itself on divine veracity under a special engagement.

And this is that duty which the Pfalmift engageth himself in, and unto the performance of, as the only way to obtain a comfortable interest in that forgiveness which is with God, and all the gracious effects thereof. And in the handling hereof, as we have declared its nature and neceffity; fo we have the Pfalmift's directions for its practice unto perfons in the like condition. with him, for the attaining of the end by him aimed at, fo that it needs no further application. That which remains of the Pfalm is the addrefs which he makes unto others, with the encouragement which he gives them to fteer the fame courfe with himself; and this he doth in the two last verses, which, to compleat the expofition of the whole Pfalm, I fhall briefly explain and pafs through, as having already difpatched what I principally aimed at.

VERSES VII, VIII.

VER. 7. Let Ifrael hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. VER. 8. And he shall redeem Ifrael from all his iniqui

ties.

SHALL proceed in the opening of these words, according unto the method already infifted on. I.

The

The meaning of the principal words fhall be declared; II. Then the fenfe and importance of the whole. III. The relation that they have unto the condition of the foul expreffed in the Pfalm must be manifefted; From all which, obfervations will arise for our inftruction and directions in the like cafes, wherein we are or may be concerned.

Let Ifrael hope in the Lord; (in the Heb.) Hope f rael in JEHOVAH. Truft, or expect; the fame word with that, ver. 5. In his word do I hope; properly to expect, to look for, which includes hope, and adds fome further degree of the foul's acting towards God; it is an earnest looking after the thing hoped for; expecta ad dominum; hope in him, and look up to him; For with the Lord, quia or quoniam, because, feeing that with the Lord (in the Heb) mercy; the verb fubftantive, as ufual, is omitted, which we fupply, there is mercy, grace, bounty, goodness, good-will. This word is often joined with another, difcovering its importance, and that is, (Heb.) truth, (in the Heb.) goodnefs, or mercy and truth. Thefe are, as it were, conftituent parts of God's promifes. It is of goodnefs, grace, bounty, to promise any undue mercy. And it is of truth or faithfulness to make good what is fo promifed. The LXX, commonly render this word by is, that is, pardoning mercy, as it is every where ufed in the New Teftament.

And with him is plenteous redemption; (Heb) with him; as before fpeaking unto God, verfe 4. (Heb.) with thee there is; the meaning of which expreffion hath been opened at large. Redemption (in the Heb.) it fignifies, to redeem; the fame with airpwes, xorúrpwais, redemption: This word is often used for a proper redemption, fuch as is made by the intervention of a price, and not a mere affertion unto liberty by power, which is fometimes alfo called redemption. Thus it is faid of the money that the firft-born of the children of Ifrael, which were above the number of Levites, were redeemed with; that Mofes took (in the Heb.) the redempti

on

ift, Because there is none of them but have their trials and intanglements about fin, more or lefs. As there is none that liveth and finneth not; fo there is none that finneth, and is not intangled and troubled. Per. haps then they are not all of them in the fame condition with him, in the depths that he was plunged into. Yet more or lefs, all and every one of them is fo far concerned in fin, as to need his direction. All the faints of God either have been, or are, or may be in these depths. It is a good faying of Austin on this place, Valde funt in profundo qui non clamant de profundo. None fo in the deep as they who do not cry and call out of the deep. They are in a deep of fecurity, who are never fenfible of a deep of fin.

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2dly, There is none of them, whatever their prefent condition be, but they may fall into the like depths with thofe of the Pfalmift. There is nothing abfolutely in the covenant, nor in any promife, to fecure them from it. And what befalleth any one believer, may befal them all. If any one believer may fall totally away all may do fo, and not leave one in the world, and fo an end be put to the kingdom of Chrift, which is no small evidence that they cannot fo fall. But they may fall into depths of fin; that fome of them have done fo, we have teftimonies and inftances beyond exception. It is good then, that all of them should be prepared for that duty which they may all fiand in need of, and a right difcharge of it. Befides, the duty mentioned is not abfolutely restrained to the condition before defcribed; But it it proper and accomodate unto other feafous alfo. Therefore are all the Ifrael of God exhorted unto it.

(2.) The duty itself, is hoping in Jehovah, with fuch an hope or truft, as hath an expectation of relief joined with it And there are two things included in this duty:

1. The renunciation of any hopes, in expectation of deliverance either from fin or trouble, any other way; hope in Jehovah; this is frequently expreffed, where the performance of this duty is mentioned: fee Hofea

xiv. 3.

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