this, before he thrust his sword into thee, that he first sheathed it in the heart of his Son: plead that thou art never able to satisfy him, though he should cast thee down to hell; and what profit therefore, will there be in thy blood? And, therefore, if satisfaction to his justice be his end, he might better accept that which his Son made him, and so he shall be sure to be no loser by thee; and thereby he will not only receive the glory of his justice, but show forth the riches of his grace and mercy also, and so double the revenue of his glory in thee. Or is it that he aim at more obedience from thee than heretofore he has had? Plead that this is the way at present to disable thee from service, for that while thou sufferest his terrors, thou art as one among the dead, distracted with terrors, Psalm lxxxviii. 15. So that the powers of thy soul are scattered and dissolved and cannot attend upon their duty; and besides this distraction in thy spirit, it consumes thy strength also, dries up thy bones and moisture. Ask him, as David did, "Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thy hand. Oh! therefore, spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more seen," Psalm xxxix. 10-13. And withal, put him in mind that if he should go on thus to deal with thee, it will cut short thy days: "Remember how short my time is!" says David. And further, tell him, that for that little time here allotted thee in the world, the more joy thou hast, the more service thou shalt be able to do. him. "For the joy of the Lord is your strength," Neh. viii. 10. And therefore entreat him to restore to thee the joy of his salvation. And if light and mercy yet come not, but still God seems, as it were, to cast thee off; then call to mind if ever thou hast had any true communion with him; and then begin to challenge him, (as the church does, Isaiah lxiii. 16; when his mercies were restrained to her, she says, "yet doubtless thou art my Father," how strange soever thou makest thyself to me). And if thou shouldest discern no grace in thyself, yet desire him to look into thy heart, and be bold to inquire of him, if he can see nothing there, which he himself hath written, never to be blotted out. And for thy comfort know, that when thou canst not read it, (thy graces being much blotted) yet he can read his own hand, and will not deny it. Thou mayest yet be bolder. Yea, desire him to look into his own heart, and therein to view those secret ancient thoughts he bore towards thee from all eternity. And if at first he seems yet silent still, then desire him to look upon thee, and ask him if he hath not known thee, and taken thee for his own from everlasting? Tell him, thou darest refer thyself wholly to what passed between him and his Son concerning thee. Appeal to Christ as thy surety, and a witness thereof for thee, who was privy to all his counsel, whether thou art not one of those, he gave unto him with a charge to redeem and save? And if that Christ did not bear thy name written upon his heart (as the high priest the names of all the tribes on his breast-plate), when he hung upon the cross, and when he ascended up on high? And yet, if after continual praying thus, thou find still no comfort, no answer from him, but he seems rather even to shut thy very prayers out, as Psalm xxii. 2; then expostulate with him, as David did, "Why shuttest thou out our prayers, and will not hear us pray?" Psalm lxxx. 4. For alas! (thought he) we have nothing else to help us in the time of need, but prayer. And if, through all these discouragements, thy condition only prove worse and worse, so that thou canst not pray, “ but art struck dumb when thou comest into his presence, as in Psalm lxxvii. 4, "I am so troubled that I cannot speak;" then groan, sigh, sob, as Hezekiah did, bemoan thyself for thine own unworthiness, and desire Christ to speak thy requests for thee, and God to hear thee for his sake; for Christ is an advocate with the Father, 1 John ii. 1, nor was ever cast in any suit he pleaded. And, if still after many years he own thee not, but it still grows darker and darker, even till thy death approacheth, or to such extremities, that he seems to thee to cast thee off for ever. Then in the midst of such depths, down on thy knees once more, and bless him for all those glorious excellencies of holiness, kindness, grace, and wisdom that are in him, the beauty of which first took thy heart, though thou shouldest never be the better for them. Bless him for all the mercies he shows to others, by which they have occasion to magnify him, although thou shouldest be found unworthy of the least of his mercies. Bless him for those who shall ever live with him, who stand about his throne, and see his face, and enjoy his presence. What sins thou thinkest thou shalt be condemned for by him, condemn thyself for first, and still ask forgiveness for them. What mercies thou hast tasted of from him, confess thyself unworthy of, and thank him though thou shouldest never partake of any more (such dispositions as these in such extremities do often appear in the hearts of God's children), and desire him that he would preserve good thoughts of himself in thee, that thou mayest not blaspheme his holy name. And when thou art sinking into hell in thine own apprehension, see if he calls thee not back again. Look what he himself saith, Jer. xxxi. 18-20, "Ephraim is my son, my dear son," and yet he began to speak against him, as sharp and bitter words as ever he hath spoken against thee; and looked sternly on him, upon which Ephraim bemoans himself, as I have taught thee to do; and being yoked, (as thou art), to tame him, he acknowledges it was justly done, having been "a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke." And Ephraim began to be ashamed, confounded, not able to look up, for sinning against God, and seeks repentance, and that from him, without whose help he was not able to turn to him, "Turn thou me, and I shall be turned," and to challenge him and his eternal love, "Thou art the Lord my God." Well, says God, though it be long since, "I spake against him," and I have suffered him long to lie thus plunged in misery, yet "I remember him still, and my bowels are troubled for him." "I will surely have mercy on him." XXX. Happiness, thou lovely name, Where's thy seat, O tell me were? Can inform me where it lies, Not the grandeur of the great Object of my first desire, Jesus crucifi'd for me! All to happiness aspire, Only to be found in thee : Thee to praise, and thee to know, Constitute our bliss below; Thee to see, and thee to love, Constitute our bliss above. Lord, it is not life to live, If thy presence thou deny ; Lord, if thou thy presence give, 'Tis no longer death to die : Source and Giver of repose, Whilst I feel thy love to me, Ev'ry object teems with joy; Here, O may I walk with thee, Let me but thyself possess, Real bliss I then shall prove ; Heav'n below, and heav'n above. XXXI. We are all by nature alienated from the life of God; we are without God in the world; we have no fear of God before our eyes; God is not in all our thoughts, although God infinitely deserves our constant remembrance; and God himself is perpetually exciting us to remember him. He says to us by his word, and by all his works, "Behold me, behold me!" Conscience often addresses us in his name; and often addresses us in vain. God pours a profusion of beauties around us, in order that we may be perpetually reminded of him. "The ox knoweth his master's crib; but we do not know, we do not consider." We consider not that he gives us our corn, and wine, and oil. What does he then? He employs other methods, which he would not employ, if we did not force them upon him. And what are these? "I will go and return unto my place, till they acknowledge their offences, and seek my face. In their affliction, they will seek me! God determines that, what we have disregarded, we shall doubly feel. He removes intervening objects, that HE may be seen ; and E |