* THE
S P III I T V A L L
FAVOPJTE
AT THE THRONE
OF GRACE.
By the late learned, and reve- rend Divine Richard S I R B s Doctor in Divinity.
Published by the Authors owne
appointment, subscribed with his hand ;
to prevent unperfect Copies.
Proverbs 29. 26. Many seeke the Rulers favour, but e- vcry man^s judgement commethfrom t/ie Lord.
LONDON,
Printed by Thomas Paine, for Ralph Mabb. 1040.
THE SPIRITUAL FAVOTJEITE AT THE THRONE OF GRACE.
0 Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy ser- vant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name ; and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in, the sight of this man. — Neh. I. 11.
In the ninth verse the holy man minds God of his promise made to his people, that if they should * turn unto him, and keep his commandments, and do them, though they were cast out to the^ utmost parts of heaven, yet he would gather them thence,' &c., ver. 9. I will touch a little on them, i"on the] two verses, and then come to that I mean to dwell on, from the words read.
' If you turn unto me, and keep my commandments.' There is no pro- mise of mercy but to those that turn. The Scripture is peremptory in denial of mercy to such as go on in their sins. Heaven could not brook* the angels themselves, having sinned ; and neither such, nor such ' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.' Yet how many are there that bless themselves that it shall go well vnth. them, though they cast off all God's yokes and divine bonds, that might bow them to better courses, as if words were but wind ; when we see here God made his word good against his own dear people, ' If ye sin, I will scatter you to the farthest parts of the world,' ver. 8. We see in the former verse, ver. 7, a proud, presumptuous sinful disposition may slight God, and the messengers of the word and all, now when we come to threaten ; but when God comes to execute, will he shake it off then ? Will swearers and blasphemers and filthy persons shake off the execution as they can the threatenings ? God saith, none that are such shall enter into heaven, ' but his wrath shall -smoke against them, and shall be as a fire that shall bum to hell,' against such persons as ' bless themselves' in wicked courses, Deut. xxix. 20 ; and when God comes to the execution, they desire ' the mountains to fall upon them,' Kev. vi. 16. There are none more presumptuous against the threatenings, and none more base and fearful when it comes to execution. As we see in presump- tuous and profane Belshazzar, that was quafling in ' the bowls of the tem- ple,' and scorning reHgion and God, when there comes a handwriting on the wall, ' his knees knock together and his joints tremble,' Dan. v. 6. So * That is, = ' suffer, endure.'— G.
94 THE SPIRITUAL FAVOURITE
let there bo any cvidcnco of execution, and we sec all the tyrants in the book of God, and that have been in the world, that have trifled at religion, of all men they are most disconsolate and fearful, as wo see in Belshazzar and others.
I beseech you therefoi-e take heed. God will seal all his thrcatenings with executions in due time, as he did to his own people. "What is the rea- son we should promise ourselves more immunity than they had ?
' If ye turn and keep my commandments, and do them.' Here arc throe conditions. ' Though you were cast to the utmost parts of the world, I will gather you thence,'
* If you turn.' The holy man Nehemiah puts God in mind of his pro- mise, and his argument is from the like, and indeed from the less to the greater. Because God would rather of both, perform his promises than his thrcatenings, because mercy is his own proper work. Now, as he had been just in punishing his people, so he would bo merciful in restoring of them again ; therefore he saith, ' Return and keep my commandments and do them, and though ye were scattered to the utmost parts of the earth, yet I will gather you thence.' And ho did gather them thence upon their repentance ; he did perform his promise at length.
Beloved, the full accomplishment of this yet remains ; for this people to this day, since the death of Christ, since they di'ow the guilt of that sacred blood on them, they are scattered about the earth to every nation, and have not a foot of land of their own, but are the scorn and hissing of nations. Notwithstanding, this promise will be performed. Upon their repentance, God will bring them again. As St Paul calls it a kind of a resur- rection, the conversion of the Jews, so it is true of us all. Though we were scattered as dust, as wo shall be in the grave ere long turned to dust, God will gather the ashes ; he will gather all those parts of ours. Even as his power gathcreth his people together, so his power at length will gather us all. We have his promise for the one as well as the other.