Glorious Day of the Saints Appe
kinsman, and that is my father, and the other is my brother, and that the one is too great and the other is too mean for justice," this is inglorious. The basest and unworthiest spirits on earth cannot do more basely; there is nothing of the power of the Spirit or heavenly gallantry in such. It is said, Psalm 106:30-31, "Then stood Phinehas, and executed judgment: so the plague was stayed. And that was accounted to him for righteousness to all generations forever." Oh this executing of justice impartially, how it makes the names of people to live from generation to generation! If so be that the powers of this world would have their names immortal, so engraved that they should never be wiped out, let them do justice. This is that Phinehas was admired for; it was "accounted to him for righteousness, to all generations for evermore."
8. And then, lastly, Men do gloriously when they believe the promise and rest on the promise, notwithstanding that providence seems to cross the promise. It is nothing--it is not to do gloriously-- for a man to believe, and to love, and the like, when the promise is made good, when God is a-smiling and in a-giving way—but to do gloriously is to believe the promise, to stay upon the promise, when providence in our apprehension crosses the promise.
In this respect, Abraham did very gloriously; he believed the promise though providence seemed to cross the promise. "I will give you a son," says God. Abraham was old, and Sarah was stricken in years; and yet Abraham believed, and this was such a glorious piety as God has put it upon record. This faith of Abraham so takes God, that he swears with joy, Gen. 13:16-17, "That in blessing I will bless you."
So it was with Moses: Num. 10:29, "And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it to you: come with us, and we will do you good; for the Lord has spoken good concerning Israel." Mark, what could he promise in the wilderness, where the Lord exercised those poor wretches with judgment upon judgment, with misery upon misery, and one calamity upon the neck of another? Moses was confident in the promise of God, that God would do Israel good, and he adventured to engage Hobab on that consideration; "Come along with us; the Lord has spoken good, and we will do you good." I am confident, though providence crosses the promise, and God seems to be angry, and to chide, and frown, and strike, and destroy—yet he will make good his promise, and "we will do you good." Oh, this is to do gloriously, to believe the promise when providence crosses it.
Do you see heaven frown, and things to work contrary to those promises which respect the joy, glory, liberty, and the exaltation of the saints? Does providence work contrary to the promise? Now do gloriously, believe the promise, rest in the promise; let heaven and earth meet, devils and men combine; let men play the apostates, and prove treacherous--I will rest on the promise, suck sweetness from