of his people, and your own experience. The experience of God's people, from the beginning of the world, who have always found God to be as good as his word, and the fame God, that he manifefted himfelf to be at their Bethel-meeting with him. They have ftill found him to be the God of Bethel, whatever jealoufies they en-. tertained of his love; yet, upon their return, after their. dark days was over, they found that his word endureth for ever, and that he never came fhort of his promife; but notwithstanding all their temptations, they were continually with him, holding them by his right hand, Pfalm lxxiii. 23. They ftill found him welcoming the returning prodigal, faying, "This my fon was dead, and is alive; was loft, and is found." Now, is it confiftent with their experience? And will he take a fingular way with you? Yea, thou darest not deny, believer, but thou haft found God to be ftill the God of Bethel,, even though many times you were fearing that God would never fmile upon you again; yet, upon your looking back to his holy temple,, you have been made to fay, O he is the fame, and his love is not altered nor, changed; and that he hath not forgotten his promife. Hence, how many times have believers reafon to fet to their feal to David's exercife and experience, Pfalm XXX. 9, 10, 11. when he is crying, "What profit is there in my blood, if I fhall go down to the pit:" They fell a praying, “Hear, Lord, and have mercy upon me; Lord, be thou my helper:" and then have been made to say, "Thou haft turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou haft put off my fackcloth, and girded me with gladnefs." May not then experience affure you, that he will not leave you, till he hath done that which he hath fpoken. 6. The everlafting nature of the covenant of promife may affure you of this; " of this; "Though my houfe be not fo with God, yet he hath made with me an everlafting covenant, well ordered in all things, and fure,” 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. The bargain was not left to your making a covenant with him, but God himfelf made it with you; and therefore you fhall be kept by his power, through faith to falvation. Tho' thou fhouldft change a hundred times, God God will not change one word of the fweet bargain he' made with you: because, 7. It is his bargain made with Christ; "I have made a covenant with my Chofen: and my covenant fhall ftand faft with him," Pfalm lxxxiv. 3. And hence, And hence," If his children break my law, I will vifit their iniquity with rods neverthelefs my loving-kindnefs will I not take from him," ver. 30. 33. And because I will not take it from him, I will not take it from them. Your affurance then of his not leaving you, till he hath done what he hath spoken, may ftand upon the everlafling love that he hath to Chrift, and the ftanding bargain between Chrift and him. He cannot fail you, because he cannot fail his Son Chrift, who hath fealed the covenant with his blood, and in whom, therefore, "All the promises are Yea and Amen, to the glory of God:" and fo the glory of God in Christ, the glory of his mercy and truth in Chrift, obliges him to do as he hath spoken. 8. There is one ground of affurance more that I offer, as it lies in the bofom of the text, namely, the divine will and pleasure; I WILL not leave thee, until I bave done that which I have spoken. I WILL NOT; it is my will and pleasure not to leave you till all be done. You have a word, 2 Sam. xii. 22. “The Lord will not forfake his people for his great name's fake:" Why? Because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people." Thus it is faid, Deut. vii. 7, 8. "The Lord fet his love upon Ifrael:" Why? Because he loved them:" he will, becaufe he will. "And who hath refifted his will?" His will is uncontroulable; and hath he manifefted his will in this, that he will not leave you, till he hath done what he hath faid? Then you may be affured of it, for he will do all his pleafure: and well may you fay, "Thy will be done." The covenant of grace is made up of I wills, Ezek. xxxvi. 25. and downwards; " I WILL give thee a new heart; a new fpirit wILL I put within you: I wiLL take away the heart of one, I WILL give you a heart of flefh: I WILL put my Spirit within you," &c. ten or twelve I wills. And this part of the covenant, delivered by Jacob in the text, is like a crowning promise put upon upon the head of all: I will not leave thee, until I bave done that which I bave Spoken to thee of. And what better affurance would you have than this, that God fays, I will? What he will do, must be. V. The Fifth General Head propofed, was, To make Application of the whole in fome Inferences. If it be fo as I have been faying, hence fee, 1. Whence it is that fome may feem to be, of all men, the moft miferable, who are yet of all men the moft happy; I mean believers in Chrift, that are acquainted with Bethel-meetings with God, and to whom God hath fpoken favourably and graciously.-They may feem to be moft miferable, in refpect of the dark and difmal nights that may follow upon their sweet intercourfe with God; and yet are the most happy perfons in the world, in respect of their having God, binding and obliging himfelf never to leave them, till he hath performed all the gracious promifes of the covenant to them: "This is the honour of all the faints :" God will not leave them, though they feem to be left. by all the world. And God will do what he hath spoken to them of, though clouds and darkness, and mountains of difficulty stand in the way. 2. See whence it is that fome may feem to be the moft happy perfons in the world, who are yet the most miferable; I mean, unbelievers, whether they be profane or profeffors, that have no acquaintance with God in Chrift. They may feem to be moft happy people for a while, in respect they know not what it is to have a dark day, a day of trouble and adversity; they have peace and profperity in the world: "They are not troubled as other men, neither are they plagued like other men," Pfalm lxxiii. 5. They have no fear either from church or ftate. They have eafy confciences that can comply with every thing, right or wrong, that is impofed upon them, whether by civil or ecclefiaftical authority. They can fell truth, to buy peace, and fo they live at eafe; and yet they are the most miferable, becaufe they are left and forfaken of God, and are not the children of the promife, to whom God hath fpoken VOL. VI. peace; peace; but the heirs of the threatening, against whom God hath denounced judgment, to whom he hath spoken wrath; yea, and fworn in wrath, that they fhall not enter into his reft; for, "There is no peace, faith my God, to the wicked." And whatever temptations the people of God may be under to fret or grieve at their profperity; yet, whenever the believer goes to the fanctu ary, he will fee their end, and how they are fet but in flippery places, and fuddenly caft down into deftruction.. 3. Hence fee, that the ground of faith ftands immutable amidst all changes. The most dark and difmal days cannot hinder the accomplishment of the divine promife; neither need any dark providence, or heavy dif fpenfation, hinder the exercife of faith, and the life of faith in the divine promife. Nay, thefe crofs providences may rather further the life of faith, than hinder it: for, faith is never properly exercised; but upon the fuppofition of dark providences, creffing and feeming to oppofe the accomplishment of the promise : becaufe, in fuch a cafe, the foul hath nothing to do but to believe; nothing to lock to but the promife; nothing to confide in but a promifing God, and this is downright and honeft believing; like that which our Lord Jefus called the ruler of the fynagogue unto, when news came that his child was dead, Fear not, only believe," Mark v. 36.; for then it is time for God to fhew himself. Faith hath a But that can stand out against all the arrows of crofs providence that are fhot against it; "Thou, O God, fhalt bring them down into the pit of deftruction: bloody and deceitful men fhall not live half their days: But I will truft in thee," Pfal. Iv. 23. He had been fpeaking of many hard things in the way, fuch as his being pained, becaufe of the voice of the enemy, and the oppreffion of the wicked, ver. 3. "How they caft iniquity upon him, and in wrath hated him ; yea, But I will truft in thee." As God will accomplish his promife notwithstanding all the Buts that are in the way; fo there is ground for faith to truft confidently, becaufe God hath fpcken; therefore no matter, though men and devils really, and dark promifes feemingly, fpeak to the contrary. 4. Hence 4. Hence fee who are the greatest bleffings to a church or nation. Surely these to whom God hath faid, that he will not leave them. God hath not altogether left the church or the land where any fuch are in it: but if they were gone, then God is gone alfo; and "Wo to them when I depart from them, faith the Lord." Some are fond to have God's people perfecuted, and his faints banished out of their coaft: they cannot bear their faithfulness and honefty, they are a torment to them; but yet what fhould become of a church or land if God's faithful remnant were gone: his prefence would go with them, and none would remain behind to whom God hath faid, I will not leave them. Then would that church be left of God, and wo would be to them. May we not fay with the prophet, Ifaiah i. 9. "Except the Lord had left us a very fmall remnant, we had been as Sodom, we had been like unto Gomorrah?" Surely when a church begins to caft out the faithful from among them, then they begin to deftroy themselves, and to bring down wo upon their own heads. 5. Hence fee, where lies the safety of God's children, when they are caft out by their friends and brethren, as Jacob was in a manner caft out at all hands; he was the object of his friend Laban's envy, and his brother Efau's fpite and rage, which occafioned his being caft out of his father's family, and the country of his kindred for twenty years. Well, but where was his fafety? Why, when all other comforts left him, God faid, I will not leave thee till I have done what I bave promifed. God's promife was his inheritance, and God's prefence was his guard, amidst all frowning providences: and fo it is, and will be, with all the true fpiritual feed of Jacob. Whoever leaves them, God will not leave them; whatever men speak reproachfully against them, yet God fpeaks comfortably to them; yea, and whatever men do against them, God will do for them, and do all that he hath fpoken to them of. 6. Hence fee the different ftate of the church visible from the church invifible upon earth; or the differ |