(2.) " In the thing that is gone out of my lips," or the gi\ace and love I have spoken of in the promise. Herein also will I be faithful, and that shall not be altered. All my promises are yea and anieu in Christ Jesus, 2 Cor. i. 20. And, —
(3.) Lastly, All this I have confirmed by an oath, " I have sworn by my holiness," and " I will not lie."
So that in all these immutable things, wherein it is " impossible for God to lie," he hath treasured up strong consolation for them that do believe.^ Though, then, the seed of Christ, which he is to see upon the account of his suffering for them (Isa, liii. 10), do sin and transgress, yet God hath put all these gracious obligations upon himself to reduce them by correction and affliction, but never to pro- ceed to final sentence of utter rejection.
To this purpose, I say, are the words in the place of Samuel now mentioned : —
1. The matter of the promise, or what he promiseth the people, is, " he will not torsake them." God's not-forsaking them is not a bare not casting them off, but an active continuance with them in J Isa. xliii. 22_2G. » Ilcb. vi. 18.
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love and mercy. He exercises not a pure negative act of Lis will towards any thing or person. Whom he hates not, he loves. So Heb. xiii. 5, these words, " I will not forsake thee," hold out a continual supply of all those wants whereunto in ourselves we are exposed, and what from his presence we do receive. "I will not forsake them" is, "I will continue my presence with them, a God in covenant." So he expresseth his presence with them, Isa. xxvii. 3, " I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." He abideth with his vineyard, so as to keep it and to preserve it from being destroyed. But may it not at one time or other be surprised into desolation? No; saith he, "I will keep it night and day." But what if this vineyard prove barren? what will he then do? Nay, but he will so deal with it that it shall never be so barren as to cause him to cast it up. He is not with it for nought; his presence is attended with grace and kindness. " I will water it," saith he; and that not now and then, but "every moment." He pours out fresh supplies of his Spirit upon it to make it fruitful. Thence it becomes " a vineyard of red wine," verse 2 ; the best wine, the most delicious, the most precious, to cheer the heart of God him- self, as Zeph. iii. 17, " The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." He causes them thereby that come out of Jacob to take root ; he makes Israel blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit. This is that which inlod promiseth his people : He will not forsake them, he will always give them his presence, in the kindness and supplies of a God in covenant, to protect them from others, to make them fruitful to him- self. This is his not-forsaking them. He will preserve them from others; who shall take them out of his hand? He will make them fruitful to himself; " he will work, and who shall let him?"
2. The reason why the Lord will not forsake his people, why he will continue doing them good, is expressed in these words, "For his great name's sake." And in this assertion two things are consider- able : —
(1.) A tacit exclusion of any thing in themselves for which, or upon consideration whereof, God will constantly abide with them. It is not for their sakes, for any thing in them, or for what they have done, may, or can do, — it is not upon the account of any condition or quali- fication whatever that may or may not be found in them, — but merely for his name's sake ; which in the like case he expresseth fully, Ezek. xxxvi. 32, " Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GoD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel." The truth is, they may prove such as, on all ac- counts whatever, shall deserve to be rejected, — that nothing in appear- ance, or in their own sense, as well as others', though the root of the
256 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE. [CIIAP.
matter be in them, may be found upon them, — when God takes de- light in them; like those you have described at large, Isa. xliii. 22-25, " But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob ; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel. Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt- offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast weaned me with thine iniquities. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgres- sions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." Weary of God they are, neglecting his worship, making his patience and for- bearance to serve with their iniquities. It seems to be impossible almost for any creature to apprehend that God will not give them up to everlasting confusion. Yea, perhaps they may be froward in their follies, and contend with God when he goes to heal them: Isa. Ivii. 17, "For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart." Iniquity is upon them, a vile iniquity, "the iniquity of covetousness." God is wroth with them, and smites, and hides him, and they go on frowardly. And yet for all this he " forsaketh not for ever," he abides to be their God ; and that because his so doing is not bottomed on any consideration of what they are, have been, or will be, but he doth it for his name's sake, and with regard unto that which thereupon he will do for them. And upon this account th; promise of God's abiding and continuing with his, let grace be never so weak, corru]:)tion never so strong, temptations never so violent, may be pleaded; and the Lord rejoices to be put in remembrance of it by the weakest, frailest, sinfulest saint or believer in the world.