Goodwin - BX9315 G6 v1

ZEPH. II.I,2,j. but where are thegods that thou haft made thee? let them arz{e, zf they can fave threw tht timt of thy tro11~le, v. 28. lfhertfore pluzd ; ·ou Wtthme? whom y ott h,.ve tranjgrrffed t~gaillfl all;·our daits, V .2g. Secondly,Tru!i perfectly in him;That you !hall find in all the places quoted the c.onfequent of makmg him ther portion.Wait for mercy from him,ca!i thy felf on him for relief; live by F'aith,trult perfellly on tile Promifes made,and t he Expe– riments of his former dealings with his People at fuch times as thefe,'ris the only way to quiet your minds. See the Counfd given the Church,and what theChurch did in fuch times as thefe,Jjai.l6+ Trtt{l m the Lord for ever, for iiJ tht Lord Jehovtzh is ewrlajlmgjlre!lgth; not firength only for the prefcnr,but v.~hich ne– ver decays; other thing~ may firenghthen the hea!t ~ whzle, but he for ever; he is a roci<,and a rock of Ages. And v.j. tlus monve IS added, Thou w zlt kup i11perfi·cf ptace the miiJd fl.rytd o11 thee. So as a Soul ·that r.efis it felf in Jtho– v ah, and nath c•!i Anchor there, !hall be at peace, and at perfeCl: peace, when all the World is at war about thy ea"· .Accordmg to thyfatlh bt it to thee; if thou woulde!i have perfell peace, then trufl perfrelly, as Peter faies; for if thou beelt !\rongly fett!ecl upon him as thy ba(is, they mufi lhake him ere they can !hake thee. Ill-tidings that make the hearts of Hypocrites appall'd, as l{at.ll-'4· yet !hall never move him; hejballttot be afraid of evtl tidn1gr, Pjai.J12.7. for why his heart is fixed; (it is pitcht upon all good it looks for, harh got a !ianding,) trujli.flg i11 tht Lord. Now in the fame 2.6thof Ijitiah, at the 8thverfe, what cloth the Church an– fwer to this, why, !11 the way of thy Jt~dgmellts have we Wflited for thee. Though God be never fo angry , and come out as a Judge, yet one that trufis in God dares ltands in the way of Judgments, looks for mercy from him then. In J(a.64 1. when God did terrible things, v. ~· and was wrath, v. 5· yet then he that rejoyceth in him, and works Righteoufnefs, meets him, and remembers him, and fo trufis in him in his ways; !or all his waits are mtrcy to thtm that kap his Covena11t, P{at. 25. zo. He is never out of the road of Mercy unto them. So as the Church faies, lfai.8.17, Ifay, and his Difciples, v. 16. fay, .I will wait Npon the Lord, that hidts -hi& face from the houfe of .7aco6, and I will look for him ; that is, when he looks in wrath upon all elfe, yet then I will look he ihould be merciful unto me, as he promifeth v. 14. that he would be a Sanctuary to them, when a fnare to all clfe. Therefore truft him, and trult him perfeCl:ly. Go, !iudy all the Promifes, thi• in the Text among t he re!i; diflil the juyce and q>mfort of them all, drink them clown; ·all that ever he promifed to his People, or hath done for them, were written for our comfort. There is not a Promife, but it is a rryed Truth; and ftill in all Ages, upon all occaftom God's People have found the faithfulnefs, and purity, and foundnefs of them, that ther~ is no flaw or drofs in them. Which i' 'David'smeamng, when he fays as often m the Pfalms, The words of tht Lord a~ pure, mzd trud, fiill he fpeal<s fo of the Promifes of deliverance from dan– ger. As in P{al.11.6. which was penned in !hewing the oppr-ellion of godly men in S,ml's tirru:, -who perfecuted the godly, killed the Priefls, and exalted the vilefi men, v. 8. Now will I arije, Jays the Lo•·d, I wilt jft hnn i11J:,je– fy, v.5. and what is 'D,tvid's glofs on this Promife, v . 6. you may trufl him, fays he, for tht wordr of the Lord are pure words, M Sliver tried i11 a Jur1Wct of Earth purified {evmtimes; that is, !iil! in all .fireights and d,Jficulties even in the fire God hath made good his word. They have been tried again and ~gain. .Abraham tried them, hz the mormt the Lord wit/be fem. Jaco6, he tried them, when he was in a fire ight, Gm. 32·9· and he found them true. So 'David fell often, fevcn times; yea, fevenry times feven times, there are fo many Probatttm efls, to them; that thou mayefl build upon every one of them. A friend, fays Solomon, loves at at! times, ProV.17.17. a;td a brother is hom for advtrjity. Now God harh been a friend to thee from ever!afiing; and all thofe f<twla have not worn ir our, and is nearer than a Brother, as tender as a Mother, I(ai.49·-' 5· and thou art gravm 011 the palms of his har!ds, and tby -welfare zs conti1Jtt<IIly brfore lmn, v, 16. and remem6red with everl 1 lfli11g kindr:eJ!,

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