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pediments on the finner's part that the text fpeaks ́ of; therefore I confine myfelf to thefe. He faved Ifrael here, notwithstanding dreadful fins. Read verfes 6, 7. 13, 14. 16. 19, 20, 21. 24, 25. 28, 29. 32. 34. 39. 43. Yet nevertheless be faved them, for bis name's fake. Did he notwithflanding all this, fave them, for his name's fake? Then, what will not he do for his name? And what may not finners expect upon this ground? What bar cannot God break, for his name's fake? What mountain cannot he come over, for his name's fake? What provocation can he not overlook, for his name's fake? Let all the finners that hear this doctrine, beware of provoking God any more by their fins. When thus the faving mercy of God is proclaimed, in your ears; for, provoked mercy will turn to fearful vengeance: Damnation to eternity will be your doom, if this offered falvation be not received: and in order to allure you to the reception and welcoming of it, I am now telling you the freedom of it, and how God can fave you with an everlasting falvation, notwithstanding of the moft grievous provocations that hitherto you have been guilty of, and notwithstanding of the greateft impediments that you have laid in the way. More particularly,

1. He can fave for his name's fake, notwithflanding grievous guilt and heinous tranfgreffions. Hence his name is declared to be a God pardoning iniquity, tranfgreffion and fin. "Come now, and let us reafon together," fays God, Ifa. i. 18. “ Though your fins be as fcarlet, they fhall be white as fnow; tho' they be red like crimfon, they fhall be as wool." Make not this objection against yourselves, in coming to a God in Chrift for falvation; for here you fee mercy courting you, notwithstanding this very objection.

2. He can fave for his name's fake, notwithstanding long continuance in fin; though you have been a tranf greffor from the womb to this day, be it never fo long that you have been following that fearful trade of fin, yet mercy is now following you with a bow long; bow long. Many a bow long is he purfuing you with; one is, Numb. xiv. 11. How LONG will this people provoke

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ne? And How LONG will it be ere they believe me?" Another bow long is, Pfalm iv. 2. “ HOW LONG will ye turn my glory into fhame? How LONG will ye love vanity?"Another bow long is, Prov. i. 22. "How LONG ye fimple ones, will ye love fimplicity ?"-Another is, Prov. vi. 9. "How LONG wilt thou fleep, O fluggard ? When wilt thou arife out of thy fleep?"-A fixth bow tong is, Jer. iv. 14. "How LONG fhall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?"

3. He can fave for his name's fake, notwithstanding manifold apoftafies and backflidings, Jer. iv. 14. "O Jerufalem, wafh thine heart from wickednefs, that thou mayet be faved: how long fhall vain thoughts lodge within you? Turn, O backfliding children, faith the Lord, for I am married unto you," Jer. iii. 14. And ver. 1. "Tho' thou haft played the harlot with many lovers, yet return again unto me. Let the wicked forfake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Ifa. lv. 5. I will heal your backflidings."

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4. He can fave for his name's fake, notwithstanding of your prodigious neglect and contempt of God hitherto. See Ifa. xliii. 22,-25. "But thou haft not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou haft been weary of me, O Ifrael; I, even I am he that blotteth out thy tranfgreffions, for my name's fake, and will not remember thy fins." O wonder of wonders! that fuch may be faved, for his name's fake.

5. He can fave for his name's fake, notwithstanding grievous, rebellious incorrigibleness and frowardness. See Ifa. lvii. 17, 18. "For the iniquity of his covetoufnefs was I wroth, and fmote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. I have feen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him alfo, and restore comforts unto him, and to his mourners."

5. He can fave for his name's fake, notwithstanding outward afflictions and poor. circumftances in the world, Zeph. iii. 12. And I will alfo leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they fhall truft in the name of the Lord. If.xxvi.8. Yea, in the way of thy judgments,

O Lord, have we waited for thee; the defire of our foul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.' Though you be an out-cast, that no body cares for you, he may fave you for his name's fake; for, "He gathers the out-cafts of Ifrael," Ifa. lvi. 8.

7. He can fave for his name's fake, notwithstanding bafenefs, unworthinefs, and pollution, for there is a foun tain opened; Zech. xiii. 1. "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the houfe of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerufalem, for fin, and for uncleannefs."

8. He can fave for his name's fake, notwithstanding grofs darkness and fearful ignorance: "It is written in the prophets, They fhall all be taught of God," Isaiah liv. 13. John vi. 45.

9. He can fave for his name's fake, notwithstanding long refufals, and refifting of many calls, and flighting many opportunities; Rom. x. 21. "All day long I have ftretched forth my hands unto a difobedient and gainfaying people." Importing, that after all these refufals, he is yet ftanding with open arms to receive all comers, faying, Whoever will, let bim come.

10. He can fave for his name's fake, notwithstanding of none-fuch, and unparallelled wickedness; what, if there be no finner like you, nevertheless, he can save for his name's fake; becaufe there is no Saviour like him: if thy unbelieving heart fuggefts defperate thoughts, as if there were no falvation for thee, faying, Who is a finner like unto me? Let Micah vii. 18. be an anfwer, Who is a God like unto thee, pardoning iniquity?

In a word, he can fave for his name's fake, notwithstanding the greatest and highest mountains either of fin or mifery, that seem to be in the way; Zech. iv. 7. "Who art thou, O great mountain? before our Zerub. babel thou shalt become a plain." He can fave for his name's fake, notwithstanding dreadful hardness of heart, and innumerable plagues of heart, atheifm, unbelief, deadness, and fecurity; the God that works for his name's fake, can take away the heart of ftone, and give the heart of flesh; and out of ftones raise up children to Abraham. He can fave, for his name's fake, notwithstanding of name. lefs maladies, nameless objections, that no minister in the

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world can mention, far lefs remove: may be the ob ftacles, in the way of your falvation, are out of the fight of man, out of the fight of minifters; but they are in God's fight, and the omnifcient God, that knows it, is the omnipotent God, that can remove it, and fave for his name's fake. Oh! but Oh! but may fome poor foul think, no doubt, he can fave for his name's fake; but my objection is, I doubt of his will.. Why, man? wherefore is God now telling you what he can do; but to remove your ill thoughts of him, and to manifeft his good-will towards you; behold, he is more willing to fave, than you are willing to be faved: if it be falvation from fin, as well as falvation from hell, that you mean, then you are either unwilling to be thus faved, and fo your ruin is, that you will not come to him for falvation; or, if you be willing, you are more than welcome to him for ail the falvation he can work for you. It is his will to fave you, notwithstanding of thoufands and millions of objections in the way.

V. The Fifth thing propofed, in the general method, was, To offer fome reafons why he thus faves for his name's fake. Why?

1. He faves for his name's fake, because if he did not fo, he would fave none of Adam's race: the best faints on earth cannot deferve mercy; the falvation of the most righteous is an act of grace; therefore, the righteous run to his name; and even the just must live by faith, faying, "Tho' our iniquities teftify against us, yet do thou it for thy name's fake," Jer. xiv. 7. And, Help us, for the glory of thy name," Pfalm lxxix. 9. He can fave none, if he did not fave them for his name's fake.

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2. He faves for his name's fake, that finners may hope in his name; that they may return to him, and call upon him for mercy; "There is mercy and forgiveness with him, that he may be feared," Pfal. cxxx. 4. Why, fay you, could not God be more feared, if he had no mercy and forgivenefs with him? It is true; man, in that cafe, could fear as devils do, defpairingly; but not with any penitential fear; "The goodnefs of God leads to

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repentance," Rom. ii. 4. Thus God interprets his merciful providences, as a drawing with the cords of love. None could truft in his name, if he did not fave for his name's fake.

3. He faves for his name's fake, that finners may adore his name; that they may admire his mercy. God remembers his own glory; and therefore faves for his name's fake, that men may glorify his name. O wonder-working God, that can thew mercy, when nothing is deferved but mifery; this effect it had upon David, Pfal. viii. 1. 9. “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Pfalm xlviii. 10. According to thy name, O God, fo is thy praife unto the ends of the earth."

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4. He faves, for his name's fake, that finners, who will not flee to his name as a firong tower, and afterwards glorify his name, by living to his praife, may be left inexcufable in their fins. The glory of God's juflice .will be confpicuous in thofe that have flighted his mercy; Behold, you defpifers, and wonder, and perifh!” They that defpife fuch mercy, treafure up to themfelves wrath against the day of wrath, Rom. ii. 5.

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5. He faves for his name's fake, becaufe it is the only fit way for us to be faved in: if God fhould offer to fave us for our own fakes, for our righteoufnefs' fake, for our duties' fake; Oh! how unfit would that be! might think God were mocking us, becaufe we have nothing but fin and hell about us; and our beft righteoufnefs deferves damnation: but when he offers falvation for his own name's fake, then it appears to be a fit offer; we cannot think God is mocking us: would he thus affront himfelf, when his own name is the ground, of faith laid before us?

6. He faves for his name's fake, because it is the only fit way for him to fave us in: it is the only way of falvation fuitable to his infinite excellency, who cannot but confult the glory of his perfections in all his works. Now, God's glory requires that no falvation fhould be found but in his name. Why hath he told us of mercy running in the chaunel of the new covenant? Why hath he told us that juftice itfelf is drawn in to be upon the finner's fide, in as much as he can be juftified in

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