Now, I say, this obviating of all objections,by unexpected appearances of love, mercy, and compassion in the promises, is a strong inducement unto steadfastness in believing. When a soul shall find, that God takes for granted that all is true, which it can charge itself withal, that its sin, folly, unbelief, heartlessness, is so, as he apprehends it, and unconceivably worse than he can think ; that he takes for granted all the aggravations of his sins that lie so dismally in his eye; his backsliding, frowardness, greatness of sin,impotency, cold- ness at the present, not answering in affection to the convic- tions that are upon him; and notwithstanding all this, yet come, let us agree, accept of peace ; close with Christ, re- ceive him from my love ; surely it cannot but in some mea- sure engage it into a rest and acquiescence in the word of promise.
(2.) The second part of this motive, is taken from the suitableness of the promises to every real distress and cause
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of staggering whatever. My meaning is, that whereas we are exercised with great variety of doubts and fears, of pres- sures and perplexities, God hath tempered his love and mercy in Christ, as prepared in the promises, unto every one of these wants and straits whatever. Had God only de- clared himself to us, as God almighty, God all-sufficient, he might justly require and expect that we should act faith on him in every condition. But moreover, he hath as it were drawn out his own all-sufficiency in Christ into numberless streams, flowing in upon all our particular wants, distresses, and temptations whatever. When God gave manna in the wilderness, it was to be gathered and ground in mills, or beat in mortars, and fried in pans, before it could be eaten; Numb. xi. 8. But the bread which came from heaven, the manna in the promises, is already ground, beaten, baked, ready for every one's hunger. It is useful, if you have a well about your house, whither you may repair to draw wa- ter; but when you have several pipes from a fountain that convey water to every room, for every particular business, you are greatly to blame, if your occasions are not supplied. We have not only a well of salvation to draw water from, but also innumerable streams flowing from that well into every empty vessel.
I shall give one or two instances of this kind.
Isa. xxxii. 2. Here are four pressures and troubles men- tioned, whereunto we may be exposed: [1.] The wind; [2.] A tempest; [3.] Dearth; [4.] Weariness. And unto all these is the man in the promise, the Lord Jesus Christ, the king that 'reigns in righteousness,' ver. 1. suited as a supply in them, or against them.
[1.] The first proposed evil is ' the wind ;' and in respect hereof Christ is a 'hiding-place.' He that was ready to be cast from the top of a rock with a strong wind, would desire nothing more than a hiding-place, until the strong blast were over. When fierce winds have driven a vessel at sea from all its anchors, so that it hath nothing to keep it from splitting on the next rock whereunto it is driven ; a safe harbour, a hiding-place, is the great desire and expectation of the poor creatures that are in it. Our Saviour tells us what this wind is. Matt. vii. 25. The wind that blows upon and casts down false professors to the ground, is the wind
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of strong and urging temptations. Is this the condition of the soul ? strong temptations beat upon it, which are ready to hurry it down into sin and folly, that it hath no rest from them, one blast immediately succeeding another, that the soul begins to faint, to be weary, give over, and say, I shall perish, I cannot hold out to tiie end? Is this thy condition? See the Lord Christ suited unto it, and the relief that is in him, in this promise he is 'a hiding-place.' Saith he, These temptations seek thy life, but 'with me thou shalt be safe. Fly to his bosom, retreat into his arms ; expect relief by faith from him, and thou shalt be safe.
[2.] There is ' a tempest,' in reference whereunto Christ is here said to be 'a covert.' A tempest in the Scripture re- presents the wrath of God for sin. ' He breaks me,' saith Job, ' with a tempest;' chap. ix. 17. when he lay under a sense of the displeasure and indignation of God. He threatens to 'rain upon the wicked a horrible tempest;' Psal. xi. 6. A tempest is a violent mixture of wind, rain, hail, thunder, darkness, and the like. Those who have been at sea, will tell you what a tempest means. Such was that in Egypt, Exod. ix. 23. There was ' thunder, and hail, and fire running upon the ground : fire or dreadful lightning mingled with hail ;' ver. 24. What did men now do upon the apprehension of this tempest? They 'made their servants and cattle flee into the houses ;' ver. 20. got them into safe covert, that they might not be destroyed, and they were safe accord- ingly.
Suppose a pooi; creature to be under this tempest, full of sad and dreadful thoughts and apprehensions of the wrath of God ; behind, before, round about he can see nothing but hailstones and coals of fire, heaven is dark and dismal over him, he hath not seen sun, moon, or stars in many days, not one glimpse of light from above, or hopes of an end. I shall perish, the earth shakes under me, the pit is opening for me. Is their no hopes ? Why, see how Christ is suited in this distress also. He is 'a covert' from this tempest; get into him, and thou shalt be safe. He hath borne all this storm, as far as thou art concerned ; abide with him, and not one hurtful drop shall fall upon thee, not one hair of thy head shall be singed with this fire. Hast thou fears? hast thou a sense of the wrath of God for sin ? dost thou