200 Chap, 3o. An Expofttion upon the $poke of Jos. Verf,z; and truth ; So they are in the ifue andevent, they are fo in the purpole and intendment of God , he will worke them to it at sate : but they are not alway+es fo in appearance, and unto the prefent fenfe of thole that feare him, and that keepe his Cove- nant ; they often finde his wayes towards them like the wagesof a crud) one. We reade chose words, For hie mercy ( that ia, the mercy ofGod) exdureth for ever, repeated as many times as there are verfes in the hundred thirty fix Pfalnse. That Pfalme begins, O give tbank.c unto the Lord, for he ie goad, for his mere, endureth for ever, Ogive thank! to the God ofgods, for his mercy endurethfor ever : and it concludes as it began, O give thanks to sit beet'" "°' the Godof heaven,for his mercyenduretb for ever ; That is, God m! faciees doth never cease to be merciful(, not not when he adeth with Herapar town Apia aau" greaten severity : and though in that Pfalme no fad as ofGod fcmper mewl towards his Ifrael be. inftanc'd.in ; yet the truth is univerfal, That ed 6' arnica' the fa.ddeft adings ofGod in the sufferings of his Ifrael, put no wientar. interruption to his mercy; His mercy endures for ever. The Lord heareth a tenderneffe of affedion to them in their fmarteft af flidions ; even then he is tender beyond the tendernes of a mo- ther to her fucking child ; (¡fa. 49. t g ) Can a mother forget her fucking Child, that Thee shouldnot have campaf on on the fon cf her wombe ? yea they mayforget, yet will Inet forget thee. flume graven thee upon the palmes of mine band, thywalls are continually before mee. As if he had laid, I can no mare forget thee thena man can forget that which is alwayes in his eye, or the memori. all whereof he dayly carrieth in his hand. And ifwe look a verfe or two before the text al!edged, we (hall find a fhini:. gevidence of the truth I am now upon ; At the 13thverfe the Lotd invites all to re oyce; Sing O heavens, and bejtyful10 earth, andbreake forth intofnging O mountaines, for God bath comforted hit people, sndwill have mercy upon bù a f ifled, Thiswas good Hewes, but it was not believed when told,at leaf not expelled before it was told ; For in the next words the Prophet affures us, what darke misgiving thoughts Zion had of God, andwhat hard conclufc ons_fhee had made agaoft her felfe, (v. 14.) But Zion fayd, The Lordbath forfaken me, andmy Lordbathforgottenmee, Thus fayd Zion ;but(faith the Lord) Zion,thou art miftaken ; For,Can awoman forget her fucking child ? &c. Nomore, not fo much, nor at all can I forget thee, that is , not have a favourable re- mein
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