a debt, and despair shutteth out hopes of mercy. A proud Pharisee pleads his works (Luke xviii. 11). Cain saith, "My punishment is greater than I can bear" (Gen. iv. 13). The middle between both is the penitent publican : "He, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto Heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke xviii. 13). Go to him; that which with men is the first plea, with God is the best. SERMON XLVIII. VERSE 42.-So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me; for I trust in thy word. In the former verse we saw the man of God begging for deliverance, or temporal salvation from the mercies of God according to his word. Salvation belongeth to the Lord, and his mercy can pardon great sins, and fetch us off from great extremities, and that according to the word of God: he had boasted of this; there is his request, here is his argument, from the use and fruit of his deliverance, he should have something to reply to the scoffs and mocks of wicked men, who insulted over him in his distress and calamity; he had spoken of great things or the promise, and now desireth the promise to be made good, that he might have an answer ready against their reproaches: "So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me." But hath a child of God nothing to answer to a wicked man before salvation cometh? Yes; a child of God could answer them of the principles of faith. But they must have instances of sense; he could say, "That his God is in Heaven, and doth whatsoever pleaseth, that he is the shield of his help, and sword of his excellency" (Deut. xxxiii. 29) Weapons offensive and defensive enough yet left, but the business is not what is an answer in itself, but what answer will satisfy them? for they that have no faith must be taught by sense. When we urge principles of faith, unless their senses hear, feel, see, they will not regard them, then their mouths are stopped when God doth own his people from Heaven. They count faith a foolish persuasion, hope a vain expectation, and inward supports and comforts phantastical impressions, as if men did feed themselves with the wind, but God's salvation would answer for him, and some sensible providences be a real confutation. Observe three things, 1. The ground of David's comfort, "I trust in thy word." 2. The enemies' insultation thereupon intimated in these words: "Him that reproached me." They scoffed at his trust in God, as if he would not bear him out in his strictness. 3. The request of the Psalmist, that God would confute and stop their mouths by making good his promises to him: "So shall I have wherewith to answer him." Points :- I. It is our duty to trust God upon his word. II. Those that do so must look to be reproached for it. III. God, making good his promises, confuteth their reproaches and insultations. IV. God will therefore make them good, and his people may expect and beg deliverance to that end. DOCTRINE I. It is our duty to trust God upon his word. The act of trust is spoken of with respect to a twofold object,-the word, and God,— the one more properly noteth the warrant of faith, the other the object; both are mentioned together: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word" (John xvii. 20). In other places sometimes one is mentioned, sometimes the other: trusting in God and trusting in the word of God; but whenever the one is mentioned, the other is included: to trust in God without his word is a foolish and groundless presumption, and the word without God is but a dead letter, it is not the conveyances merely that a man liveth upon, but the lands conveyed by them. 1st, What is this trusting in God? An exercise of faith, whereby looking upon God in Christ through the promises, we depend upon him for whatsoever we stand in need of, and so are encouraged to go on cheerfully in the ways wherein he hath appointed us to walk. It is a fruit of faith, and supposeth it planted in the heart, for an act cannot be without a habit: I suppose a man to have this grace before I require the exercise of it. And it looketh upon God in Christ as the fountain of blessings, for otherwise God to the fallen creature is not an object of trust but horror; as," the devils believe and tremble" (James ii. 19), and that may be the reason why the sons of men are said to put their trust under the shadow of his wings: "How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God, therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings" (Psalm xxxvi. 7). And, "My soul trusteth in thee, yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast" (Psalm lvii. I). In which there is supposed to be an allusion not only to the feathers of a hen spread over her chickens, but the outstretched wings of the cherubim over the mercy seat, which was a type of Christ, who is therefore called iλaorhρtov, a propitiation, as also the mercy seat: "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood" (Rom. iii. 25, with Heb. v. 8). The mercy seat, or God offering himself to be reconciled in Christ, is an open sanctuary for distressed souls to fly unto; this doth draw our hearts to him through the promises. These are the holdfast which we have upon God, the sacred bands which he has taken upon himself, the rule and warrant of faith which show how far God is to be trusted. Our necessities lead us to the promises, and the promises to Christ, and Christ to God, as the fountain of grace, and therefore we put these bonds in suit, we turn them into prayers, and then we have free leave to challenge him upon his word: "Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope" (Psalm cxix. 49). Therefore, to bear up our hearts, God hath not only promised us in the general that he will never fail us nor försake us (Heb. xiii. 5); and, all things shall work together for good (Rom. viii. 28); that he will be with us in fire and water (Isa. xliii. 2); and that he will be a sun and a shield, and give us grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold (Psalm lxxxiv. 11); but also in particular hath multiplied and suited his promises to all our necessities, that when we come to the throne of grace we may have a promise ready. A general intimation is not so clear a ground of hope as a particular and express promise; the more of these we have, the more explicit are our thoughts about God's protection, and the more are our hearts fortified and borne up in praving to him, and waiting VOL. I. 2 E upon him. Chirographia tua injiciebat tibi Domine, whose are these, lay up his words in thy heart (Job xxii. 22). The more of these the more arguments in prayer. We depend upon him for all that we stand in need of. Herein is the nature of trust seen in dependence and reliance upon God, that he will supply our wants in a way most conducible to his glory and our good. Now, this depending on God must be done at all times, especially in a time of straits and difficulties, at all times: "Trust in the Lord at all times" (Psalm lxii. 8); it is an act never out of season, but especially in a time of fears, misery, and distress: "At what time I am afraid I will put my trust in thee" (Psalm lvi. 3). In prosperity and adversity we are to depend upon God, and to make use of him in all conditions: "Because thou hast made the Lord which is my refuge, even the most high, thy habitation" (Psalm xci. 9); a refuge is a place of retreat and safety in time of war, and an habitation, the place of our abode in a time of peace, whatever our condition be, our dependence must be on God. When all things are prosperous, God must be owned as the fountain of our blessings, all our comforts taken out of his hand, and that we hold all by his mercy and bountiful providence, because of our forfeiture by sin, and the uncertainty of these outward comforts, and the continual necessity of his providential influence and support, the heart must still be exercised in the acknowledgment of God, and his gracious hand over us, and so the heart is not enticed by our outward comforts, but raised by them. Indeed, in some cases, it is harder to trust God with means than without: when there are visible means of supply, the heart is prone to carnal confidence. Good Paul was in danger: "We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raiseth the dead" (2 Cor. i. 9). But then in adversity when kept bare and low, then is a time to show trust, how hard soever our condition be, grounds of confidence are not lost: "I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord" (Zeph. iii. 12). Every man thinketh trusting in God easy when things go well with him, but indeed he trusteth in other things, he eateth his own meat, and weareth his own apparel, only God carrieth the name of it, but now, when we are without all comfort and encouragement from the creatures, as David when he was left alone: "Refuge failed me, no man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, O Lord, I said, thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living" (Psalm cxlii. 4, 5). When men fail, God never faileth, when riches take wing, and worldly friends forsake us, then is a time for trust and dependence upon God. It is the end of providence that we should have the less comfort in the creature, that we may have all in God. Now we are to depend on God for whatsoever we stand in need of, as at all times, so for all things, temporal and spiritual mercies, for God will withhold no good thing from us, he hath undertaken not only to give us Heaven and happiness in the next world, but to carry us thither with comfort, "that we may serve him without fear all the days of our lives" (Luke i. 75). His providence concerneth the outward and inward man, and so does his promises, a whole believer is in covenant with God, body and soul, and he will take care of both. But all the difficulty is how we ought to depend on him for temporal supplies. (1.) It is certain that we ought not to set God a task to provide meat for our lusts: "And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lusts" (Psalm lxxviii. 18). Carnal affections and hopes do but make trouble for ourselves, though it be the ordinary practice of God's free grace and fatherly cares to provide things comfortable and necessary for his children, whilst he hath work for them to do, yet he never undertook to maintain us at such a rate, to give us so much by the year, such portions for our children, and supplies for our families. We must leave to the great shepherd of the sheep, to choose our pastures, bare or large, and he that will depend upon God must be sure to empty his heart of covetous desires, and be contented with our lot, if we would cast ourselves upon his providence: "Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Heb. xiii. 5). We do but ensnare and perplex our own thoughts, while we would reconcile the promises with our lusts, and crave more than ever God meaneth to give. (2.) It is as certain that we ought not to be faithless and full of cares about these outward supplies: "Take no thought what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink or wherewithal ye shall be clothed" (Matt. vi. 25); because if we had no promises there is a common bounty and goodness of God which is over all his works, and reacheth to the preservation of the smallest worm, decketh the lilies, feedeth the ravens, and the fowls of the air, (and certainly more noble creatures such as men are, may expect their shares in this common bounty,) how much more when there is a covenant wherein God hath promised to be a Father to us, and temporal blessings are adopted and taken into the covenant, as well as other blessings. not he give that to children which he gives to enemies, to beasts and fowls of the air? You would count him a barbarous and unnatural father that feedeth his dogs, and hawks, and lets his children die of hunger, and can we, without blasphemy, think so of God? Will (3.) As we ought not on the one hand to think God will supply our lusts, nor on the other hand distrust his care of necessaries, so we cannot be absolutely confident of particular success in temporal things: for they are not absolutely promised, but with exception of the cross, and as God shall see them good for us. God reserved in the covenant a liberty both of showing his justice, and his wisdom; his justice in scourging his sinning people: "Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes" (Psalm lxxxix. 32). The world shall know God doth not allow sins in his own children. Sin is as odious to God in them as others; yea more, and therefore they feel the smart of it. The liberty of his wisdom: "The Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Psalm lxxxiv. 11). "O fear the Lord ye his saints, for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that fear the Lord shall not want any good thing" (Psalm xxxiv. 9, 10). They may want many comforts, but no good thing. Good is not determined by our fancies, but God's wisdom. Well then, we cannot expect a certain tenure of temporal happiness, there is great danger in fixing a deceitful hope, much of the subtlety of Satan is to be seen in it, who maketh an advantage of our disappointments, and abuseth our rash confidence into a snare and temptation to atheism, and the misbelief of other truths. (4.) The dependence we exercise about these things, lieth in committing ourselves to God's power, and referring ourselves to God's will. He is so able that he can secure us in his work, so good that we should not trouble ourselves about his will, but refer it to him without hesitancy; which, if we could bring our hearts to, it would ease us of many burdensome thoughts, and troublesome cares: "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (1 Peter iv. 19). "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established" (Prov. xvi. 3). Put yourselves into God's hands, so trusting him with the issue of our affairs, though we know not how it will fall: "Let the Lord do that which is good in his sight" (1 Chron. xix. 13). "Therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe" (1 Tim. iv. 10); and so are encouraged to go on cheerfully with their duty. Trust in God is not idle expectation, or a devout sloth, but such a dependence as giveth life to our service, that we may go on cheerfully without disquiet in our work, and in ways wherein he hath appointed us to walk. The law gives protection to those that travel on the road, not in by-ways: "he shall keep thee in all thy ways," in viis non in præcipitiis, otherwise you seek to draw God into a fellowship of your guilt, and do make him serve with your iniquities (Isa. xliii. 24), he was doubly censured among the Heathens, that took a lamp from the altar to steal by, to make God's providence subservient to the Devil's interest: "Commit your souls to God in welldoing" (1 Peter iv. 19). God never undertook to protect us in the Devil's service. 2ndly, Reasons why it is our duty. 1. Trust, as it implieth recource to God in our necessaries, is necessarily required in the fundamental article of the covenant, in the choice of God for your God. Nature teacheth men in their distress to run to their gods: "The mariners cried, every man to his god" (Jonah i. 5), it immediately results from the owing of a god; that we should trust him with our safety, much more when taught thus to do, and how to do so in the word. 2. Else there can be no converse with God. Truth is the ground of commerce between man and man; so our dependence, which is built upon God's fidelity, is the ground of commerce between God and us. Man fell from God by distrust, by having a jealousy of him, and still the evil heart of unbelief doth lead us off from God: "Take heed brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God" (Heb. iii. 12). But the more we believe him, the more we keep with him. God doth not give present payment, not govern the world by sense, therefore faith is necessary: "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. v. 7). Sight is for Heaven, faith for the present dispensation. We are now under sense and that will mislead us: reason is either refined by faith, or depressed by sense. 3. Consider whose word it is; God's word is the signification of his will, who is merciful, able, true. (1.) There is benignity and goodness by which he is willing to help poor creatures, though we can be of no use and profit to him; the hen receiveth no benefit by the chickens, only her trouble of providing for them is increased, but they are her own brood, therefore she leadeth them up and down that they may find a sustenance : so doth God to the creatures. We are the work of his hands, therefore he pitieth us, and willeth to save us; and not only so, but carried us in the womb of his decree from all eternity. (2.) His truth and fidelity is laid at pawn with the creature in the promises "Thou hast magnified : |