Thus is God's mercy in not forsaking his people resolved into its original principle, — namely, his own good pleasure in choosing of them, carried on by the goodness and unchangeableness of his own nature to the appointed issue.
This, then, is the sum of this argument: What work or design the Lord entereth upon merely from his own good pleasure, or solely in answer to the purpose which he purposeth in himself and engageth to continue in mercy for his name's sake, thereby taking upon him to remove or prevent whatever might hinder the accomplishment of that purpose, work, or design of his, that he will abide in unchange- able to the end ; but this is the state of the Lord's undertaking, to abide with his people, as hath been manifested at large.
Let us add in the next place that of the psalmist: Ps. xxiii. 4, 6, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for thou art with me ; thy rod and th}^ staff they comfort
I
VI.] PARTICULAR PROMISES ILLUSTRATED. 259
me. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I Avill dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." The psalmist expresseth an exceeding confidence in the midst of most inexpressible troubles and pressures. He supposes himself " walking through the valley of the shadow of death." As " death " is the worst of evils, and comprehensive of them all,so the "shadow" of death is the most dismal and dark representation of those evils to the soul, and the " valley " of that shadow the most dreadful bottom and depth of that representation. This, then, the prophet supposed that he may be brought into. A condition wherein he may be overwhelmed with sad apprehensions of the coming of a confluence of all manner of evils upon him, — and that not for a short season, but he may be ne- cessitated to walk in them, which denotes a state of some continu- ance, a conflicting with most dismal evils, and in their own nature tending to death, — is in the supposal. What, then, would he do if he should be brought into this estate ? Saith he, " Even in that con- dition, in such distress, wherein I am, to my own and the eyes of others, hopeless, helpless, gone, and lost, ' I will fear no evil." " A noble resolution, if there be a sufficient bottom and foundation for it, that it may not be accounted rashness and groundless confidence, but true spiritual courage and holy resolution. Saith he, " It is be- cause the Lord is with me." But, alas ! what if the Lord should now forsake thee in this condition, and give thee up to the power of thine enemies, and suffer thee, by the strength of thy temptations, wherewith thou art beset, to fall utterly from him? Surely then thou wouldst be swallowed up for ever; the waters would go over thy soul, and thou must for ever lie down in the shades of death. " Yea," saith he, " but I have an assurance of the contrary ; ' goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.' "
" But this," say some, " is a very desperate persuasion. If thou art sure that goodness and mercy shall follow thee all the days of thy life, then live as thou pleasest, as loosely as flesh can desire, as wick- edly as Satan can prompt thee to. Certainly this persuasion is fit only to ingenerate in thee a high contempt of humble and close walking with God. What other conclusion canst thou possibly make of that presumption but only this, ' I may, then, do what I please, what I will; let the flesh take its swing in all abominations, it matters not, goodness and mercy shall follow me.'" "Alas!" saith the psalmist, " these thoughts never come into my heart. I find this pei'suasion, through the grace of Him in whom it is effectual, to in- generate contrary resolutions. This is that which I am, upon the account hereof, determined on, ' I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.' Seeing ' goodness and mercy shall follow me,' I will dwell in his house ; and seeing they shall follow me ' all the days of my life,' I will dwell in his house for ever."
260 DOCTEINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE. [CHAP
There are, then, these two things in this last verse pregnant to the purpose in hand : —
1. The psalmist's assurance of the presence of God with him " for ever," and that in kindness and pardoning mercy, upon the account of his promise unto him. " Goodness or benignity," saith he, " shall follow me into every condition, to assist me and extricate my soul, even out of the valley of the shadow of death." A conclusion like that of Paul, 2 Tim. iv. 18, "The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom." Having, verse 17, given testimony of the presence of God with him in his gi'eat trial, when he was brought before that devouring monster Nero, giving him deliverance, he manifesteth in verse 18 that the presence of God with him was not only effectual for one or another deliverance, but that it will keep him " from every evil work," not only from the rashness, cruelty, and oppression of others, but also from any such way or work of his own which should lay a bar against his enjoyment of and complete preservation unto that hea- venly kingdom whereunto he was appointed.