Nor let Christians who are under the hidings of God's face despond. Let not any of you ask, like David, " Will the Lord cast off for ever ? and will he be favourable no more ? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? Doth his promise fail for ever- more ? Hath God forgotten to be gracious ? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies ? This were only to betray your own infirmity e," and to shew your utter ignorance of Godf
You will say then, What shall we do ? I answer, Lay hold on God's covenant, and look to him to fulfil every part of it. Approach your God with penitential sorrow, as the Church of old did ; " We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers : for we have sinned against thee. Yet do not abhor vis, for thy name's sake ; do not disgrace the throne of thy glory; remember, break not thy covenant with uss." See how David pleaded under similar circumstances11: and resolve, as the Prophet Isaiah teaches you, " I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him1."]
2. Let none, however confident of their state be- fore God, be guilty of presumption —
[Of the book of God's decrees we know nothing, but as it is made visible by facts. Respecting any man's election to
x Mai. iii. 0. y Lam. hi. 22. z Jam. i. 17.
a Isai. xlv. 15. b Ps. xxx. 5. c Isai. lxiii. 15, 10.
(i Jer. iii. 12 — 14. e Ps. lxxvii. 7 — 10.
f Isai. xl. 28 — 31. and xlix. 14 — 10. B Jer. xiv. 20, 21.
h Ps. xxvii. 9. ' Isai. viii. 17.