But how, or in what sense, is it to be un- derstood, that this God of peace will be with us? — I answer in three particulars:
1. The heart of God will be with you. Joseph's blessing, — " the good will of him that dwelt in the bush," — will be thy por- tion, Deut. xxxiii. 16. What was that bush ? the church or Israel of God. What case was the bush in ? 'twas all on a light fire ; 'twas all in a flame. Who was it that dwelt in the bush? God Avas in the bush ; and that kept it from consuming, though not from burning. Tlie good will of this God shall be with thee, — his love, his fa- vour, his care. '• I love them that love me," Prov. viii. 17. " The Lord loveth the righteous," Ps. cxlvi. 8. The love of God is the womb of all good. Hence sprang ' the morning-star ;' from the love of God came the Son of God ; hence came that ' womb of the morning,' the blessed gospel, which is so big with glorious grace, with light, life, pardon, peace, glory, immortali- ty ; from the love of God came the glorious gospel of God. ' The upper springs,' all spiritual and heavenly blessings, — ' the nether springs,' all earthly and outward blessings, — do all rise, and bubble up out of this fountain, the love of God. The pre- cious things of heaven, — the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, — the precious fruits put forth by the moon, — the chief things of the ancient mountains, — the pre- cious things of the lasting hills, — the pre- cious things of the earth, and the fulness thereof, — all these flow in with " the good will of him that dwelt in the bush." Love is all. The apostle tells us, our love to God is " the fulfilling of the law," that is, it will
FAREWELL DISCOURSE ON HIS EJECTION.
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brinof fortli all tliat to God, all that duty and obedience, which the law requires. I may tell you, that God's love to us is tlie fulfillinfr of the gospel, that is, it will pour down all that upon us, it will do all that for us, which the gospel promises. Look over the whole gospel, — read and study every precious leaf and line of that blessed booh, — and if there be enough in all that to make thee blessed, and to encourage thee on in thy holy course, all this is thine. Thou hast that love of God with thee, which will fulfil the gospel; there shall not one jot or tittle fail thee of all that the gospel promises. " The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this," Isa. ix. 7.
2. The help of God will be with you, the Lord will be your helper in the day of your distress. Heb. xiii. 5, 6., " He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." So that we may boldly say, " The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me." He hath said, " I will not leave thee ;" and therefore we may say, " I will not fear." He hath said, " I will be," and therefore we may boldly say, " The Lord is my helper." He hath said, He will not forsake, he will help ; and who is he that shall say. There is no help for thee in thy God. There's no man, whose case may not be so desperate as to be above all human help. If he should cry out, as the woman to the king of Israel, " Help, O king !" the king must answer, " If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?" If he should cry out, Help, O man of God ! the man of God must answer, " If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee ?" If he cry out, Help, O my friends ! my wit, my policy, my purse, — all those must an- swer,— " If the Lord do not help thee, whence sliall we help thee ?" But what case is there, wherein an " Help^ Lord!" will not do ? Foolish men count their case des- perate, when they come to their " (iod help;" that's an usual expression to set forth the extremity and helplessness of any man's case. When we see men even lost in any misery, and their case even utterly hope- less,— then to signify our sense of such men's lost condition, we cry out, " God help that man ! God help that woman, they are lost creatures !" Ay, but if men did
understand and consider wliat the help of the Lord is, they would see there could be no case so desperate, but an " Help, Lord !" might recover all, 1 Sam. xxx. 0., When David was greatly distressed, and all was gone, " he encouraged himself in the Lord his God." Consider here two things :
(1.) What his cafee then was. He was in great distress ; he had lost all that ever he had ; his spoils that he had taken were all gone, his corn, and his cattle, his wives and his city were all lost, — he had not an habi- tation in all the world, — he had nothing left him but a poor army, and these were worse than lost, — they were even ready to fall upon him. " The people spake of stoning him, but he encouraged himself in the Lord his God."