1st. The intendment of all gospel revelation is, not to unvail God's essential glory, that we should see him as he is, but merely to de- clare so much of him as he knows sufficient to be a bottom of our faith, love, obedience, and coming to him, — that is, of the faith which here he expects from us ; such services as beseem poor creatures in the midst of temptations. But when he calls us to eternal admira- tion and contemplation, vathout interruption, he will make a new manner of discovery of himself, and the whole shape of things, as it now lies before us, will depart as a shadow.
2dly. We are dull and slow of heart to receive the things that are in the word revealed ; God, by our infirmity and weakness, keeping us in continual dependence on him for teachings and revelations of himself out of his word, never in this world bringing any soul to the utmost of what is from the word to be made out and discovered : so that although the way of revelation in the gospel be clear and evident, yet we know little of the things themselves that are revealed.
70 MORTIFICATION OF SIN IN BELIEVERS.
Let us, then, revive the use and intendment of this considemtion : Will not a due apprehension of this inconceivable greatness of God, and that infinite distance wherein we stand from him, fill the soul with a holy and awful fear of him, so as to keep it in a frame un- suited to the thriving or flourishing of any lust whatever? Let the soul be continually wonted to reverential thoughts of God's great- ness and omnipresence, and it Avill be much upon its watch as to any undue deportments. Consider him with whom you have to do, — even "our God is a consuming fire;" and in your greatest abash- ments at his presence and eye, know that your veiy nature is too narrow to bear apprehensions suitable to his essential glory.
CHAPTER XIIL
The NINTH direction : When the heart is disquieted by sin, speak no peace to it until God speak it — Peace, without detestation of sin, unsound ; so is peace measured out unto ourselves — How we may know when we measure our peace unto ourselves — Directions as to that inquiry — The vanity of speaking peace slightly ; also of doing it on one singular account, not universally.
Ninthly, In case God disquiet the heart about the guilt of its distempers, either in respect of its root and indwelling, or in respect of any eruptions of it, take heed thou speakest not peace to thyself he/o7'e God speaks it; hut hearken what he says to thy soul. This is our next duection, without the observation whereof the heart will be exceedingly exposed to the deceitfulness of sin.
This is a business of great importance. It is a sad thing for a man to deceive his own soul herein. All the warnings God gives us, in tenderness to our souls, to try and examine ourselves, do tend to the preventing of this great evil of speaking peace groundlessly to our- selves ; which is upon the issue to bless ourselves, in an opposition to God. It is not my business to insist upon the danger of it, but to help believers to prevent it, and to let them know when they do so.
To manage this direction aiight observe, —
1. That as it is the great prerogative and sovereignty of God to give grace to whom he pleases (" He hath mercy on Avhom he will/' Rom. ix. 18; and among all the sons of men, he calls whom he will, and sanctifies whom he will), so among those so called and justified, and whom he will save, he yet reserves this privilege to himself, to speak peace to whom he pleaseth, and in what degree he plcaseth, even amongst tliem on whom he hath bestowed grace. He is the
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FALSE PEACE. 7l
" God of all consolation," in an especial manner in his dealing with believers; that is, of the good things that he keeps locked up in his family, and gives out of it to all his children at his pleasure. This the Lord insists on, Isa. Ivii. 16—18. It is the case under considera- tion that is there insisted on. When God says he will heal their breaches and disconsolations, he assumes this privilege to himself in an especial manner : " I create it," verse 19 ; — "Even in resjoect of these poor wounded creatures I create it, and according to my sovereignty ma,ke it out as I please."
Hence, as it is with the collation of grace in reference to them that are in the state of nature, — God doth it in great curiosity, and his proceedings therein in taking and leaving, as to outward appear- ances, quite besides and contrary ofttimes to all probable expecta- tions; so is it m his communications of peace and joy in reference unto them that are in the state of grace, — he gives them out ofttimes quite besides our expectation, as to any appearing grounds of his dis- pensations.
2. As God creates it for whom he pleas3th, so it is the prerogative of Christ to speak it home to the conscience. Speaking to the church of Laodicea, who had healed her v/ounds falsely, and spoke peace to herself when 'she ought not, he takes to himself that title, " I am the Amen, the faithful Witness," Rev. iii. 14. He beai's testimony concerning our condition as it is indeed. We may possibly mistake, and trouble ourselves in vain, or flatter ourselves upon false grounds, but he is the " Amen, the faithful Witness;" and what he speaks of our state and condition, that it is indeed. Isa. xi. 3, He is said not to " judge after the sight of his eyes," — not according to any outward appearance, or any thing that may be subject to a mistake, as we are apt to do; but he shall judge and determine every cause as it is indeed.