g5Ó SERMONS upon Serm.al. it is to be left to uncertainty, when Troubles come like Waves one upon the neck of another ; let us fee when thefe Truths will be fweet and feafonable. r. In great Troubles, when God feemeth to hide his Face,Oh 1 how fweet is it to heat God fay, Gen. 28.15. Behold I am with thee, and will keep thee in all placer, whither thon goefi, and will bring thee again into this Land; for I will not leave thee until I have done . that which I have fpoken to thee of: All this (hall better thy Heart, or haften thy Glory. We are apt to think that God will caft us off, and will never look after us any more tho formerly we have had real Experience of his Grace. What a foolifh Creature is Man, to weaken his Affurance when he fhould come to ufe it, to unravel all his Hopes and Experiences ! Times of Trouble are a fit Seafon to make ufe of this Comfort. a. In the Hour of Temptation, and hard Confliûs with Doubts and Corruptions, When you find their Power growing upon you, you are ready to fay, as David did after all his Experiences, l Jhall one day pe)ifh by the Hand of Saul, t Sa11427.1. and many times out of Diftruft ye give over the Combate : Then fay, Who(hall fparateus from the Love of God ? One came to a pious Woman, when (be had been exercifed with a long and tedious Conflict, and read to her the latter part of the ath of the Romans: the broke forth in Triumph, Nay, in all thefe things we are more than Conquerors through him that loved us. Sin or Death cannot divide you from Chrift, Chri(t will tread Sa- tan under your Feet, and weaken the malignant Influence of the World. 3. In times of great Danger and Defe&ion, through Terror and Perfecution; as Sanders trembled to think of the Fire; efpecially when others fall fearfully, that were before us in Privileges and Profeffton of Zeal and Piety, when the firft become fait, when eminent Luminaries are eclifped, and leave their Orb and Station; as the Martyrs were troubled to hear of the Revolt of fome great Scholars that had appeared for the Gofpel. When Hymeneus and Philetus, two eminent Profeffors, fell, it was a great ( haking ; a Tim. 2. 18, tg. Who concerning the Truth have erred, Paying, That the Refur- reflion ispall already, and overthrow the Faith of fosse. Nevertbelefs the Foundation of the Lord flandethfure, having this Seal, The Lord lknoweth them that are his. 4. In times of difheartning, becaufe of the Difficulties of Religion, and the ufe. of means groweth troublefome : To quicken us in our Chriftian Court , think of the Unchangeablenefs of God's Love; all Grace rifeth according to the Proportion and Meafure of Faith : bofe Hopes weaken Endeavours; t Cor. 9.26. I therefore fo run, not as uncertainly ; fo fight I, not as one that beateih the Air : As thofe that run at all, give over when one path over - reached them, they are difcouraged ; when Hope is broken, the Edg of Endeavours is blunted. Go on with Confidence, ye are affured of the Iffue, by thefe Endeavours God will blefi you and keep you, there is a fuse Recompence. 5. In the Hour of Death, when all things fail you, God will not fail you, this is the fait Branch ; Do but wait, I will not forfake you; notwithftanding all that I have done, all that I have promifed, there is more behind than ever you have enjoyed 5 Death fhall not feparate. Olevian comforted himfelf with that, Ifa. 54. to. For the Mountains Pall depart, and the Hills be removed ; but my Kindnefi Jhall not depart fron. thee, neither ¡ball the Covenant of my Peace be removed, faith the Lord, that bath Mercy on thee. In the Pains of Death, Sight is gone, Speech and Hearing is departing, Feel- ing almoft gone; but the Loving - Kindnefr of God will never depart. Oh i the Lord give us fuch a Confidence in that Day, thatwe may fix this Comfort in our Thoughts. Dolt. 2. That we are kept in the fide of Grace by God's Name, by his Tower, for his Glory. Ood's Attributes are called his Name, becaufe by them he is known, as a Marrby his Name. I (hall enquire, tfl, What of the Name of God is engaged in the Prefervation of the Saints. t. His Truth, in oppofition to our Ficklenefs and Falfenefs. t Cor. io. 13. God is faithful, who will not fuffèr you to be tempted above what ye are able to bear, but will with every Temptation make a way fir you to efcape, that ye may be able to bear it. God cannot deny himfelf, his Faithfulnefs is laid at Pledg with the Creatures : When Difficulties and Troubles are too hard for you, call him by his Name, Lord, thou art faithful. When Judah was about to pats an hard Sentence upon Tamar, fire (hewed him his Token,
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