240 THE STEADFASTNESS OF THE PROMISES,
"wliicli lies heavy on him. The Hke may be said of all promised mercies and deliverances whatsoever. That this is a provocation, the Lord hath abundantly testified, inasmuch as for it he hath oftentimes snatched sweet morsels from the mouths of men, and turned aside the stream of mercies when it was ready to flow in upon them. " If," saith he, "ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established," Isa. vii. 9. The very mercy but now promised concerning your de- liverance shall be withheld. Oh, stojo not success from Ireland by unbelief!
(3.) It dislionows God. In the close of this verse it is said, Abra- ham was " strong in faith" (or staggered not), "giving glory to God." To be established in believing, is to give God the greatest glory -^o^- sible. Every staggering thought that ariseth from this root of un- belief robs God of his glory.
[1.] It robs him of the glory of his truth : " He that believeth not, hath made him a liar; because he believeth not his record," 1 John V. 10. Let men pretend what they please (as most [pretend?] an end, we give in specious pretences for our unbelief), the bottom of all is, the questioning of the truth of God in our false hearts.
[2.] It robs him of the glory of his fidelity or faithfulness in the discharge of his promises : " If we confess our sins, he is faithfid to forgive us our sins," 1 John i. 9. He hath engaged his faithfulness in this business of the forgiveness of iniquities, — he whose light it is; calling that in question, calls the faithfulness of God in question.
[o.] It robs him of the glory of his grace. In a Avord, if a man should choose to set himself in a universal opposition unto God, he can think of no more compendious way than this. This, then, is the fniit, this the advantage, of all our staggering, — we rob God of gloiy, and our own souls of mercy.
Use 5. Be ashamed of, and humbled for, all yom' staggerings at the promises of God, Avith all your fleshly reasonings and carnal contrivances issuing therefrom. For the most part, we live upon successes, not promises: — unless we see and feel the print of victories, we wdl not believe ; the engagement of God is almost quite forgot- ten in our affairs. We travel on without Cin-ist, like his mother, and suppose him only to be in the crov/d; but we must return to seek him where we left him, or our journeying on will be to no purpose. When Job, after all his conq)]aining, had seen the end of the Lord, he cries out, " Now I abhor myself in dust and ashes." You have seen the end of the Lord in many of his promises, — oh, that it might prevail to make you abhor yourselves in dust and ashes, for all your carnal fears and corrupt reasonings u})on your staggerings ! When David enjoyed his promised mercy, he es})ecially shames himself for every thought of unbelief that he had whilst he
AND SINFULNESS OF STAGGERING. 241
waited for it. " I said/' saitli lie, " iu my haste, that all men were liars : " and now he is humbled for it. Is this to be thankful, to for- get our provoking thoughts of unbelief when the mercy is enjoyed? The Lord set it home upon your spirits, and give it to receive its due manifestation !
(1.) If there be any counsels, designs, contrivances, on foot amongst us, that are bottomed on our staggering at the promise under which we are, oh, let them be instantly cast down to the ground. Let not any be so foolish as to suppose that unbelief wdll be a foundation for quiet habitations. You are careful to avoid all ways that might dis- honour you as the rulers of so gTeat a nation; oh, be much more careful about such things as mil dishonour you as believers ! That is your greatest title, — that is your chiefest privilege. Search your own thoughts; and if any contrivance, any compliance, be found spiinging up, whose seed was sown by staggering at the promise, root them up and cast them out before it be too late.
(2.) Engage your hearts against all such ways for the future. Say unto God, How faithful art thou in all thy ways ! how able to per- form all thy promises ! how hast thou established thy word in heaven and earth ! Who would not put then trust in thee ? We desire to be ashamed that ever we should admit in our hearts the least staggering at the stability of thy word.
(3.) Act as men bottomed upon unshaken things, that are not at all moved by the greatest appearing oppositions. " He that believeth will not make haste:" be not hasty in your resolves in any distress; wait for the accomplishment of the vision, for it will come. So long as you are in the way of God, and do the work of God, let not so much as your desires be too hasty after appearing strengthenings and assistance. Whence is it that there is amongst us such bleating after the compliance of this or that party of the sons of men, — perhaps priding themselves in our actings upon unbelief, as though we pro- claimed, that, without such and such, we cannot be protected in the things of God? Let us, I beseech you, live above those things that are unworthy of the great name that is called upon us.