3. The effect of God's pleading, which is the clearing of God's people, and the convincing of their adversaries ; which God doth partly by the eminency and notableness of the providences whereby he delivereth his people, and the marks of his favour put upon them : Neh. vi. 16, ' And it came to pass that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes ; for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.' Their own judgments were convinced of their folly in opposing the Jews ; the extraordinary success showed the hand of God was in it : by such incredible and remarkable occur- rences doth God bring about their deliverance. So Micah vii. 10, when God shall plead her cause, ' Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God ? mine eyes shall behold her ; now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.' Those who mocked her faith should be confounded at the sight of her deliverance. Thus God delights to make the happiness of his people conspicuous. So Bev. iii. 9, ' Behold I will make them which are of the synagogue of Satan (which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie), behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.' He will make their enemies to know that he hath loved them, and ask them forgiveness for the wrongs and outrages done to them. Partly by the convictions of his Spirit, undeceiving the world, and reproving them for the hatred and malice against his people : John xvi. 8, ' The Comforter, when he is come, shall reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.' The word is i\ey%eir not comfort, but convince or reprove ; put them to silence, so as they shall
140 SERMONS UPON PSAiM CXIX. [SeR. OLXXII.
not in reason gainsay. The object, the world, the unconverted, if not the reprobate. The things whereof convinced, of sin and righteous- ness and judgment, of the truth of Christ's person and doctrine. This was spoken for the comfort of the disciples, who were to go abroad and beat the devil out of his territories, by the doctrine of the cross, that were weak men destitute of all worldly sufficiencies and props and aids. Their master suffered as a seducer, their doctrine cross to men's carnal interests, for them in this manner to venture upon the raging world was a heavy discouraging thing. Now the Spirit should come and convince the opposing world, so far that some, terrified before, brought to evangelical repentance : Acts ii. 37, ' Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart;' soon desire to share in their great privilege : Acts viii. 18, 19, ' And when Simon saw that through laying on the apostles' hands, the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost ; ' but he was yet in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity. Some almost persuaded: Acts xxvi. 28, 'Then Agrippa saicl unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.' Some forced to magnify them, who did not join with them : Acts v. 13, ' And of the rest, durst no man join himself to them, but the people magnified them.' Some would have worshipped them, being yet pagans : Acts xiv. 11-13, ' And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lift ur> their voices, saying, in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. Then the priests of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.' Others bridled that were afraid to meddle with them : Acts v. 34, 35, ' Then stood there up one in the council, a pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles ibrth a little space, and said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves, what ye intend to do as touching these men.' That Christ, that Messiah, that righteous person, one able to vanquish the devil, thus without any visible force, and with mere spiritual weapons, by this conviction of the Spirit, did the Lord subdue the world to the owning and receiving Christ's kingdom ; at least, not go on in a high hand to oppose it. God cleared Christ as righteous, and Lord.
Secondly, The necessity of this pleading.
1. Because the people of God are often in such a condition that none will plead their cause unless the Lord plead it ; and therefore we are driven to him as our judge and patron. God's design is not to gain the world by pomp and force, but by spiritual evidence and power ; and therefore, as to externals, it is often worse with his people than with others; for the world is upon their trial, and therefore though God will give sufficient means of conviction, yet not always such evident marks of his favour to the best cause in temporal things as that mere sense shall lead them to embrace it. No ; he will only set a good cause a-foot, and then suffer it to be exposed to the hatred of the world, and sometimes to be overborne as to any temporal interest it can get, that the mere evidence and love of truth may gain