Of EleElion. 1. His Adultery, and then Murrher of Vnab , as bad, as bad could be: ~' But God not only ordered t!1e means to brmg him out of it, fent Nathmt the Chap. 1 . Prophet to him, bt!t his repentance alfo upon his Miniflry: The accomp!ifu.·~ ment whereof you have In Pfal. ) J. I fay, God not only forelaid thefe that his Salvation might not be prejudiced, bur brought him offwith an Ov~rplus advantage: for what were the eminent Mercies of David's Life? His Son Solamo11; ( for that any other of hiS Cluldrcn had Grace, we read not) how ever he was. Jedtdiab, the eminently beloved of God, -and to whom the Prom1fc of Ius Houfe was made: Now behold, and !land a!lonifla! If Vri,th had not been kill'd, he had not married Butjbeba; and by her, in lawful! marriage, it was he had Solom011: Yea, and his R.cpenrance was fo accepted by God , that ( fiand a!loniih't at it) he had Solomo11 fat>a reward ; (fee Pjal. n7. the m le, compared wtthVerf, 3. ) to be fure not of his Sins, but of his Repentance that was fore-Ndcred to lollew his ~in. 2. A fecond Sin was his Numbering the People, and provoked thereunto by Satan : And how many more we know not. This was ordered , and his Repentance; and the i!fue of it as glorious as the other. One of the mofi fa– mous things, or promifes fpoken of, was God's choice of a place , whither they ihould bring their Sacrifices, where the Temple was to !land, and where God was to meet his people worihipping of him; the highefi T ype of Chrifl: And where that place ihould be, was rcfcrvcd as a great fecret for four hun– dred years: Loe , and behold how God ordered it ; V avid comes to profefs a publique Repentance, with the Elders ; the Angel directs him by Godto go , and fee up an Altar in the Threfl1ing-iloor of Araw11ah, r Chrou. 21. 18. ancl '])at;idSacrificed there, Ver{: z8. though the Ark was at Gi6eou Vnf 29. But what was the iffue of this l read Chap. 22. r. Tbm David (;zid, thu ;, the Houfeof the LordGod; a11d thu i; the Altar of the Bumt·offoring for Ifrael. And it was fo revealed to him; and from that time it was he began to prepare materials for the Temple; Ver[. 2. &c. A11d David commanded togather to– gether the jlra11gers that wtre in the Land of Ifrael; rmd be jet Ma(ims to hew wrought Stonts to 6uildtht Houfe of God; atJd DJvid prepartd Iron ;, ab11~tdallce, f!!c. And compare with thefe 2 Chro11. ~- r. Then Solomon beg.m to build the Houj"e of the Lord at Jerufalem in mou111 Moriah, where the Lord 8 pptared unto David hu Fath.r, ill the place th<Jt David h,Jd prtp,tredin the Tbre{hin~-flooro{Ornan tbe 'Jtbz;fite, Were not thefc ordered Mercies? Sure Mercies 1 and yet the iiTues of his greatefi fins; by which you may judge ofall the refi of the PaiTages of his Life. Well; you heard what about the Covenant of Grace it felf hc had declared at his Death, which was his Foundation, and hath been of our difcourfe: Let us now fee in another place how at his death, having the view of his whole life, both of his di!lrefl'es, and deliverances, both in refpect of dangers, and fins, (which are our greatefl dangers) he fums up the experience of all, r Kings r. Ver. 29. And the kmg (ware, and faid, .u the Lord livetb tbat h,,thredeemedmy Soulotttof al!dif/refl: 'Davidwasnow to dye, and this was bis Iall act, and one of his lafi Speeches , whilfi he wrote the Pfalms in his life-time: He had again, and again faid, mm')' are the troubles of thrrighte· otu ; hut the Lord del;"vereth tkem out of AIJ: But he feal s it by experience at his death, And It 11 as 1f fatd, lf you ask me what a God he hath been to me l He hath been a God hath redeemed me out ofall di!lrefs: He hatli left • me in the arrear of none; not one. At their deaths Saints have ufed to entide God by what they have eminently found him to be; and under the Title and Notion thereof, have recommended that God to their Frjends ro ferve: And V :•""idhere entitkth God by this; and .1acobat his death had done the like , s? Dr.Pnff•• Gm. 43_. 16. Yea, and as Or. Preflon had wont to fay, That he often tryed ~:d~~ ro~" •f God , but now he would trufi him; 'Davidhere goes funher, he fweors for ,_, '"" '· God; He takes bisOath upon it for him: And the Ki11g /ware, and faid, M the Lord !ivetb that redttmed me; ~c. You have had confirmation enough of this Head; both, from the Covenant to 'David, and from 'David's Example, and from his own Teftimony, both of Faith, and Experience ar his death , given in byone of the mo!t tryed Saints in the World; Even this, th at God
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