Part 14
to ſpeak inthe case of total and abſolutedeſertions ; yet ofthe latter (whichdoubtleſs is thy caſe) much may be ſaid byway ofſupport, beit of which ofthe three forts it will, or inwhat
degree it will, For, 1. This hath been the cafe ofmanyprecious fouls, Pfal. xxii. 1, 2. Pfal. Ixxvii. 2. Pfal. lxxxviii. 9. Job xiii. 24, 25, 26, This was poor Mr. Glover's cafe, as you will find in his ſtory, and it continuedtillhe came within fight
ofthe ſtake; therefore no newor ſtrange thing hath happened to you.
2. TheLord by this will advantage thee for perfeverance, - not orly as they are cautional againſt ſin, but as they make
thee holdChriſt the faster, and prize his pre-
fence at an higher rate, when he ſhall pleaſe Cant. iii. 4. gracioufly to manifeſt himself to thee again.
3. This ſhall not abide for ever: it is but alittle cloud, and will blow over. It isbut for a moment, and that moment's darkneſs uſhers in everlasting light, Iſa. liv. 7.
Yea, laſtly, the light of God's countenance ſhall not only be restored certainly, but it ſhallbe restoredſeaſonably ; when the darkness is greatest, thy troubles at the highest, and thy hopes lowest. He is a God of judgment, andknows how to timehis own mercies, Pfal. cxxxviii. 3 .
Obj. 3.But I am aweak woman, or ayoung perſon, how ſhall I be able to confeſs Chriſt before rulers, and look great ones in the face ?
Sol. Chrift delights to make his powerknown inſuch, 2Cor. xii . 9. for he affects not ſocial glory.
2. " Thou shaltbe holden up, forGod is able to make thee " ſtand," Rom. xiv. 4. Thou that art ſenſible of thineown infirmity, mayeſt run to that promiſe.
3. Such poor weak creatures ſhall endure when ſtronger(if ſelf-confident) fall, Ifa. xl. 30, 31. " Even the youths ſhall " faint, and be weary, and the young men utterly fall. But "theythatwait upon the Lord, ſhall renewtheir ſtrength : "they ſhall mount up with wings as eagles, run and not be
"weary, walk andnot faint."
Youths, and young men, are bold, daring, and confident perſons, that trust to their own strength ; to whom ſuch as waitupon the Lord ſtand here oppoſed; they ſhall faint, but
theſe ſhall renew their ftrength.
Art thou one that waiteſt and dependeſt upon an all-fuffici-
392 Preparationsfor Sufferings, &c. entGod, inthe ſenſeof thine own weakness ? This promife then is for thee.
4. Youmay furnish yourſelves atpleaſure,withexamples of themightypower ofGodreftingupon fuch asyou are, out of
our ownmartyrology.
Thomas Drowry, the poorblindboy, Fox, vol. 3. p. 703. Whata prefence ofſpiritwaswithhim,whenexaminedbythe
Chancellor !
Eulalia, a virgin ofabout 12 years ofage, ſeehow shewas actedabovethoſe years, yea,abovethe powerofnature. Fox, vol. 1. p. 120. Tender women,yea, children, act above them.
ſelves, when aſſiſtedbya strongGod.
Andthusyou have ſome help offered you by aweakhand, inyourpreſent and most important work.
The Lord carry home allwithpowerupon your hearts, that ifGod callyou to fuffer for him,you mayſay as Paul did, "I "amnow readyto be offeredup,and the time ofmydeparture " is at hand. I have fought a good fight, Ihave finiſhedmy " courſe, I have keptthefaith:henceforth there islaid up for
" me a crownofrighteouſneſs,whichGodthe righteousJudge " ſhall give me at that day; andnottome only,but tothem " alſo which lovehis appearing," 2 Tim. iv. 6, 7,8. Andas youexpect ſo to finiſhyour courſewithjoy; bediligent inthe ufeofallmeans, to prepare andmakeyourſelves readyto follow the call ofGod, whether itbeto bonds, or todeath, for the name ofthe Lord Jeſus.
[ 393 ]
THE BALM OF THE COVENANT
Applied to the BLEEDING WOUNDS
OF AFFLICTED SAINTS.
Towhich is added,aSermonpreachedfor the Funeral of
thatexcellent and religiousGentleman JOHN UPTON
ofLUPTON, Eſq;
To the Virtuous and Much HonouredMadam, URSULA
UPTON of LUPTON in DEVON.
MADAM,
F I find it an hard taſk to write on fuch adoleful ſubject,
itcannotbe imagined but your part must be abundantly harder, who feel over and over what is here written. Could I tellhow to adminiſter counſels, and comforts to you, without exaſperatingyour forrows, I would certainly take that way ; butſeeingthe one (in this cafe) cannot be done without the
other, it is our duty toſubmit tothe method Providence hath preſcribedtous.
Thedeſignofthe enſuing diſcourſe, is toevince the truth of whatſeems averygreatparadoxto moſt men, namely,that the
afflictions ofthe faints cando themno hurt, andthat the wifdom ofmen and angels cannot lay one circumſtance of their condition(how uneaſy ſoever it ſeems tobe) better, or more totheir advantage than God hath laid it. Iattempt not bya flourish of rhetoric to perfuade you against the demon-
ſtrations you can fetch from ſenſe and feeling to the con trary,but to overthrow the falſe reaſonings of flesh and ſenſe, by the allowed rules ofScripture, and ſure principles of religion.
Andmethinksyou, and every Chriſtian, ſhouldgladlyenter.
394 The Balm of the Covenant tainthat comfortable concluſion,whenyou shallfindthe foun
dation of it asstrong, as the influences thereof aresweet and comfortable.
Certainly, Madam,the intent ofthe Redeemer's undertakingwas not to purchaſe for his people riches, eaſe, andpleafures on earth; but to mortify their lufts, heal their natures, and ſpiritualize their affections ; and thereby to fitthem for the eternal fruition ofGod. Upon this ſuppoſition the truth of this concluſion (how ſtrange foever it ſeems) is firmly built.
Itwas notwithoutDivine direction, that the ſubject ofthe enfuingdiſcourſe was as pertinently, as feaſonably, recommended tome byyour dearhusband, inthe day ofyour for-
rows for your only fon. He took, I hope, his portion of comfort outofitbeforehe died, and it is now left as a ſpring ofcomfort toyou,who then mourned with him, andnow for him.
Heavy preſſures callfor ſtrongſupport,and fainting ſeaſons forrich cordials. Your burden is indeedheavy: yet Imuft ſay it is muchour own fault ourburdens are ſo heavy aswe feel them to be; for according tothe meaſure of our delight in, and expectation from the creature, is our forrow and dif appointmentwhen we partfrom it. The highest tides are al ways followedwiththe lowest ebbs. We findtemperance and patienceknit together inthe fameprecept, and intemperance and impatience as inſeparably connected in ourown experience. Itmaybe we did not ſuſpect ourſelves ofany finful exceſs in the time oftheir enjoyment; but it now appears the creaturewas gottendeeperinto our hearts than we imagined by the pain we feel at parting : Did we not lean too hard uponit, there wouldnotbefuch fhakings as we feel when itis
flipt from us.
But, Madam, itis high time to recal your thoughts, and boundyour forrows, which the following confiderations would greatlyaſſiſtyou in.
1. What is the very ground and reaſon of our exceffive forrows for the loss ofearthly comforts? Is it not this, That they areperishing and transitory ? That is, thatyou find them
to be asGodmadethem. Andcanwe expect thatGod ſhould alter the laws ofnature to pleaſe andhumour us ? It isas na tural to our relations todie, as itis forflowers to wither, or the mion to wane.
2. That there is no ſuch neceſſary connexion betwixt theſe things and ourcomfort, thatwheneverGod removes the one,
The Epistle Dedicatory. 395
Hemustneeds remove the other with it. Chrift andcomfort are indeedſo united,but nothingbeſide him is or canbe ſo. I hope you will shortly experience the truth ofthis conclufion,by the comfort Godwillgive you inthe abſence ofthoſe comforts you have loft. Canyou notnow have as free acceſs to God as before ? Yea, do not theſe very afflictions ſendyou oftenerintohis preſence?AndifGodmeetyou inthoſeduties, (as indays ofdiſtreſs he uses tomeethis people),then it will
be evident to you that yourjoy and comfort lives,though your husbandandchildren be laid in their graves.
3. That the removing of your earthly comforts hinders notbut thatyou may ſtillpursue the great end and bufinefs ofyour life, andcarry on all yout deſigns for heavenas futcefsfully as ever. Indeed, Madam, hadwe been fent into thisworld to raiſe eſtates, contract relations, and then ſit
down in the midst of them as ourportion, then our deſign
had been utterly daſhed and disappointed ; but you know this is not your main end, or great buſineſs upon earth, but to honourGod by an holy fruitful lifehere,andmake ready for the fullenjoyment of him hereafter. And what hinders butyou may as profperouſly manage and carry on this your deſignas ever? You do not thinkthe traveller is diſabled for hisjourney, becauſe he hath fewer clogs andhindrances than before. Ithink few Chriftians findmuch furtheranceheavenward by their multiplicity of engagements or enjoyments
inthis world. Your cares and fears about theſethings, will now lie in anarrower compaſs than they didbefore,andtherebyyou may have your thoughts more aboutyou, to attendthe greatconcernsofGod'sglory, andyourown falvation.
4. But above all, you will certainly find your relief and confolationto lie intheeverlasting covenantofGod. Thence itwas, that David fetched his ſupport under a muchheavier burden and ſmarter rodthan yours : For your relationswere
ſuch as gave you comfort in their lives,and leftyou many grounds of hope intheirdeaths: but his were taken away in
their fins. Butthough the groundsofhis forrow (bleffedbe God) are not yours, yet Ihope thegroundsofhis comfort in
thetext arefullyyours.
Iconfeſs,I have prepared theſe things intoomuchhaſte and diſtraction ofthoughts, which inthisjuncture wasunavoidable ; nor have I bestowed much of art or languageupon them: And if I had, they would have been never the more effectual to your relief for that. But ſuch as they are, I VOL. VII. Ddd
394 The Balm of the Covenant humbly preſent them to you, with my hearty prayers, that God would make them afovereign balm, by the bleffing of
his Spirit onthem,toyour wounded ſpirit,andtoall othergodly families groaning under the like ſtrokes ofGodwith you, and remain, MADAM,
Your most faithful,
Sympathizingfriend andfervant,
JOHN FLAVEL .
2SAM. xxiii. 5. Although my house benotſo with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in
all things andfure : for this is all my falvation, and allmy defire, although he make it not togrow. THHESE are part ofDavid's laſt words. The laſt words
of dyingfaints, but eſpecially of dying prophets, are ponderous, memorable, and extraordinarily remarkable ; and fuch are theſe acknowledged to be, by all expoſitors : It is a golden ſentence, a divine oracle, fit to be the laſt words of everydying faint, as well as of David.
: They are called his last words, not ſimply, and abſolutely, as though he breathed them forth with his last breath ; (for he
ſpakemany things afterwards) but either they are the laſt he ſpake as a prophet, by Divine inſpiration, or becauſe he had them often inhis mouth, to his laſt and dying day. They were his epicedium, his ſweetswan-like ſong, in which his foul found fingular refreshment, and ſtrong ſupport, amidſt the manifold afflictions ofhis life,and against the fears ofhis approaching death .
"The whole chapter is deſigned for a coronis or honourable cloſeofthe lifeofDavid, and gives us an accountboth of the worthy expreffions that droppedfromhim, and ofthe renown-
ed worthies that were employed by him: But all the heroic atchievements recorded to the honour oftheir memories, in the following part of the chapter, are trivial and inglorious things, comparedwith this one divine ſentencerecordedinmy
text; inwhich we have two things to confider, viz.
1. The preface, which is exceeding folemn . 2. The ſpeech itſelf, which is exceeding weighty. 1. In the preface, we have both the inftrumental andprim-
applied to afflicted Saints. 395 cipal efficient cauſe ofthis divine ſentence diſtinctly ſetdown, ver. 1. and the efficient, or author of it, ver. 2.
The instrument or organ of its conveyance to us, was David; defcribed by his deſcent or lineage, the Son of Feffe; byhiseminent ſtation, themanthatwas raisedup on high, even
to the top and culminatingpoint ofciviland ſpiritualdignity and honour, both as a king, and as a prophet ; by his divine unction, the anointed of the God of Jacob ; and laſtly, by the flowing ſweetneſs of his ſpirit and ſtile, in the divine pſalms that were penned by him, whence he here gets the ti
tle of the sweet pfalmist of Ifrael, the pleasant one, in the - psalms of Ifrael, as ſome read it. The principal efficient cause ofthis excellent paſſage, is here - likewise noted, and all to commend it the more to ourſpecial - obſervation and acceptance : " The Spirit ofGodfpake by me, - " and his word was inmytongue." This ſtamps my text expreſsly with divine authority. The Spirit ofGod ſpake by David,hewas nottheAuthor, but only the Scribe ofit. Thus
the enſuingdiscourſe isprefaced. Letus next ſee,
2. The matter or ſpeech itſelf, wherein we shall find the maxims,and general rules ofgovernment preſcribed, and the felicity ofſuch agovernment elegantly deſcribed : "He that
" ruleth over men muſt be just, ruling in the fear ofGod." Princes being in God's place, muſt exalt the righteouſneſs of God,in the government ofmen; and when they do ſo, they
ſhall be as the light ofthemorning whenthe funriſeth, evena morningwithout clouds, &c. Whathalcyondays ſhallthathappy people fee, whoſe lot is caſt into ſuch times and places ! All
this is typically ſpoken ofDavid, and thoſe pious princes who - ſucceeded him; but mysticallyand eminentlypoints at Chriſt, who was toriſe outofDavid'sfeed, Rom, i. 3. and to fitupon...
his throne,Acts ii. 30. So that in this he was raiſed onhigh, to an eminency ofglory and dignity indeed: he was ſo inhis ordinary natural feed ; aroyal race,deriving itſelf from him, and fittinguponhis throne in a lineal fucceffion, tilltheBaby- -loniſh captivity,which wasaboutfourhundred andthirtyyears, Andafter that, the Jews had governors ofhis line, at leaſt
rightfulheirsto that crown, tillthe promised Meffiah came. But that which was the top ofDavid's honour, the moſt ſpark- - lingjewel inhis crown, was this, thatthe Lord Jeſus was to
defcendfromhim, according tothe flesh, inwhom all theglo-
rious characters before given, ſhould notonly be exactly anIwered,but abundantlyexceeded. Andthus you findthena Ddd 2 :
398 The Balm of the Covenant tural lineof the Meſſiah is drawn down by Matthew, from David to the virgin Mary, Matth. i. And his legal line by
Luke, from David to Joſeph, his ſuppoſedfather, Luke ii. 23. Now, though the illustrious marks and characters of ſuch a righteous,ſerene,andhappy government, did not fully agree tohisday, nor would do ſo in the reigns of his ordinary natural ſucceſſors, his daywas notwithout manycloudsboth of
fin andtrouble ; yet ſuch a bleſſeddayhe foreſaw andrejoiced in, when Chriſt, the extraordinary feed ofDavid, ſhoulda rife, and fet up his kingdom in the world, andwith the ex pectationhereof, he greatly cheers and encourages himſelf: " Although my houſe be not fowith God, yet hath hemade " with me aneverlastingcovenant," be. Inwhich words four thingsare eminentlyremarkable. 1. Here is a fad conceſſion of domestic evils . 2. Afingular relief, from God's covenant with him. 3. The glorious propertiesofthis covenant diſplayed. 4. Thehigh efteem and dearregard his houſehaduntoft. 1. Here is David's fad and mournful conceffion ofthe evils ofhishouſe, both maral andpenal. "Altho' my houſe be not " ſowithGod," i. e. neither ſo holy, nor ſohappy, as this de-
fcription ofa righteous and flourishing government imports; alas! itanſwers not to it : For thoughhe was eminent forgodlineſshimself, and had folemnlydedicated his houſe toGod, Pfal. xxx. as foonas it was built, yea,though he piouflyre-
folved towalk in the midst ofit with a perfect heart, and not to fufferanimmoralperſonwithin hiswalls ; yetgreatmifcarriages were found even inDavid's houſe andperfon, which Godchaſtiſedhim for, by athick ſucceſſion ofſharp and fore
afflictions, Pfalm ci. 2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7. Tamar was defiledby herbrother Amnon, 2Sam. xiii. 13. Amnonwas barbarouf. lymurdered thereupon, by the advice of Abſalom, 2 Sam. xiii. 28. Abfalomunnaturallyrebels against his fatherDavid, anddriveshim outoftheroyal city,andperiſhes inthatrebel.
lion, 2 Sam. xv. 1. then Adonijah, another darling-fon, graſpsatthecrown ſettledbyDaviduponSolomon,and perish
esforthat his ufurpation, 1Kings ii. 25. O what aheap of
miſchiefs andcalamitesdidthisgoodman live tofeewithin his own walls, befides themanyforeigntroubles that came from otherhands ! How manyflourishing branchesdidGod lop off
from him, andthat intheir fins too ? So that hisdaywasaday ofclouds, even fromthemorninguntothe eveningofit; Pfal. cxxxii. 1. " Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions." Well might he say, " his houſe was not fo with God."
•applied to afflicted Saints. 399 Butwhat then, doth he faint anddeſpond undertheſe mani-
foldcalamities ? Doth he refuse tobe comforted,becauſe his children aregone; and allthings involvedintrouble ? No,but -you find,
2. He relieveshimſelfbythe covenant Godhad madewith - him: " Yet hath he made with me a covenant." He looks to Chrift, "There is moreinthe covenant thanthis my houſebe- " foreGod," as the Chaldee turns it. This little word yet, wraps up a greatandfovereigncordial init. ThoughAmnon, Abſalom, andAdonijah be gone, and gone with many fmart-
ing aggravations too; "yet hath he made with me a cove- " nant," yet I have this ſheet-anchor left to ſecure me. God's
covenantwith me, in relationto Chriſt, this under-props and
ſhores up my heart.
This covenantwas, without controversy,a goſpel-covenant. It was David's goſpel: For allhis falvation and all his defire were in it; which could never be, except Chrift had been in
it,whois the ſalvation of all the ends ofthe earth, andthede-
fireofall nations .
It is true, itwas amore obſcure and imperfect edition of the covenant offaith, yet clearer than thoſe that weremade before it; itcame not up to the fulneſs and clearness ofthedif-
coveries madeby Jeremy andEzekiel : Butyet in this cove-
nant with David,God revealed more ofChriſt, thanhad been ever revealed before; for the light ofChriſt, likethat of the
morning, increaſed ſtill more and more, till itcame to a perfectday. It isworthy our obſervation,howGod made a gradual
diſcovery of Chriſt from Adam, downalong to the New-Teſtamenttimes. Itwas revealed toAdam, thathe ſhouldbe the feedofthewoman butnot ofwhat nation,tillAbraham's time ;
nor ofwhat tribe, till Jacob ; nor of whatsex andfamily, till David; nor thathe ſhouldbeborn ofa virgin, till Ifaiah ; nor
inwhat town, till Micah. The firſt revelation ofthis covenant. with David, was byNathan the prophet ; 2 Sam. vii. 12, 13,
14. afterwards enlarged and confirmed, Pfalm lxxxix. By it heknewmuch ofChriſt, and wrotemuchof him. He ſpake ofhis perfon, Pfalm xlv. 6, 11. Pfalm viii. 4, 5, 6. of his offices,bothprophetical, Pfalm xl. 8, 9, 10. priestly,Pfalm cx. 4. andkingly, Pfalm ii.6. ofhis incarnation, Pfal. viii. 5. of his deathon the croſs, Pfalm xxii. 16, 17. of his burial, Pfalın
xvi. 8,9, 10. refurrection, Pfalm ii. 7. andtriumphant afcen-
fion, Pfalm lxviii. 18. there was the ſumofthe goſpel diſcover-
* Plus eft quamhæc domus mea ante Deum, Jon,
398 The Balm of the Covenant ed,though indark and typical terms andforms of expreffion; but ifout ofthis covenant, as obſcure as its revelationwas,Da vidfetchedfuch ſtrong ſupport and confolation, amidſt ſuchan heap of troubles, then the argument is good afortiori : What ſupport and comfort maywe not draw thence, who live undet the moſt full and perfectdiſplay of it, inall its riches andglo-
ry; enough hath been ſaid to prove it agoſpel-covenant ; but ifanydoubt ſhould remain ofthat, it willbe fully removed, byconfidering,
3. Theeximious properties and characters of the covenant, aswe findthem placedin the text ; and they are three, viz.
(1.) Everlasting. (2.) Ordered in all things, and
(3.) Sure. (1.) It is an everlasting covenant, ora perpetual covenant, a covenant of eternity, * not in the moſt ſtrict, proper, and abſolute ſenſe: For that is the incommunicable property of Godhimſelf, who neither hath beginning, nor end; butthe
meaning is, that the benefits and mercies of the covenant are durable and endleſs tothe people ofGod: For Chriſt beingthe
principal matter and ſubſtance of the covenant, there mustbe in it aneverlasting righteouſneſs, as it is called, Dan. ix. 24. everlasting kindneſs, Iſa. liv. 8. everlasting forgiveneſs, Jer. xxxi. 34. and in conſequence to all theſe, everlasting confolation, Ifa. li. 11. in allwhich the riches andbounty of free grace ſhine forth in their greatest glory and ſplendor. (2.) It is a covenant ordered in allthings, or orderlyprepar ed,diſpoſed, and ſet, as the word imports †. Every thing be ing here diſpoſed and placed in the moſtcomely order, both perſons and things herekeep theirproper place : GodtheFatherkeeps the place ofthe moſtwiſe contriver and bountiful donor ofthe invaluable mercies of the covenant ; and Chrift keeps the proper place both ofthe purchaſer andſurety ofthe covenant ; and allthe mercies in it; and believers keeptheir place, as the unworthy receivers of all the gratuitous mercies andrich benefits thereof, andthe moſtobliged creatures in all theworld to freegrace, ſaying, although my houſe, yea, al though my heart and my life be not fo withGod, yet hathhe made with me an everlasting covenant. And as perfons, lo things, allthings inthis covenant ſtand inthe moſt exquifite order, and exact correfpondence to each other. O it is a ra
διαθηκη αιώνέος, i. e. A covenant ofage. + A ordinavit, difpofuit, aptauit.
םלוצ םירב
applied to afflicted Saints. 390 viſhing fight tobehold the habitudeand reſpectofthe mercies
inthe covenant, to the fins and wants of all that are in it ! Here are found full and ſuitable ſupplies to the wants ofall
God's people. Hereyou may feepardon in the covenant, for guilt in the foul ;joy in the covenant, for forrow in the heart ; ftrengthin the covenant, for alldefects and weakneſſes in the
creature ;ftability in the covenant, for the mutability inthe creature. Never did the wisdom of God ſhine forth more in anycontrivance in the world, (except that ofChriſt, the ſurety andprincipal matter ofthe covenant) than itdoth in the order-
lydiſpoſe ofallthings in theirbeautiful order,andcomely proportions in this covenant ofgrace.
(3.)It is afure covenant, or a covenant ſafely laidup and kept, as the word imports * ; and upon this account the mercies of it are called, " The ſure mercies of David," Ifa. lv. 3 . Andſo Pfalm lxxxix. 28. ſpeaking ofthis very covenant,God
faith, " My covenant ſhall ſtand fast with him ;" there ſhall be no vacillancy, no ſhaking in this covenant: and ver. 34.
" My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is " gone out of mylips." Everything is as its foundation is. Now, God's covenant being foundedin his unchangeable coun-
fel and purpoſe, wherein there can be no lubricity, and Chriſt being the ſurety of it, it must needs be, as the text calls it,
a ſure covenant, wherein the faithfulness of God is as illuſtriouſly diſplayed, as his bounty and wisdom are inthe two former properties ofit. And ſuch a covenant as this, ſo everlafting, aptlydiſpoſed,and ſure,muſt needs deſervethatprecious reſpect andhigh eſteem from everybelieving ſoul, which Davidheredoth pay it, in
4.The fingular and high valuation he had of it, when he faith, " This is all myfalvation, and all mydefire," or as fome
tranſlate + " all my delight, or pleaſure ;" (i. e.) here I find all repaired with an infinite overplus, that I have lost in the crea ture : Here is life in death, fulneſs in wants, ſecurity in dangers, peace in troubles. It is all my falvation ; for it leaves nothing in hazard that is eſſential to myhappiness ; and all
my defire, for it repairs whatever I have loft, or can loſe : It is fo full and complete a covenant, that it leaves nothing to be defired out of it. O it is a full fountain! Here I repoſe my wearyfoul with full fatisfaction, and feedmy hungry defires
with ſweeteft delights ; ſothat myvery foul is at reſt and eaſe,
intheboſom ofthis bleſſfed covenant. Thus you have the
צפה לכז+
* custodivit, fervavit.
402 The Balm of the Covenant parts and ſenſe of the text. The notes from it are three. Obſervation 1. That God's covenant peoplemay be exercifed withmany fharp afflictions in their perfons andfamilies, Eccl.
ix. 9. EvenDavid's houſewasthehouſe ofmourning;"Although "myhouſe be not fo withGod, though he make itnot to " grow." All forts ofoutward afflictions are incident to all fortsofmen. "Allthings (faith Solomon)comealiketo all: " There is one event tothe righteous, andtothewicked; to " the clean, andunclean; tohim that facrificeth, and tohim "that facrificeth not." The providences ſeem one and the fame, though the ſubject onwhom they fallbe vaſtlydifferent. Eſtates andchildren,healthand liberty,will stillbe like themſelves, vanishing comforts, whoeverbe the owners of them. No man's ſpiritual eftatecanbe knownbytheview ofhis tem poral eftate. Agodly family cannotbe a miferable,but itmay be a mournful family. Religion fecures usfrom the wrath, butitdoes not fecure us from the rod ofGod. The Lord hathchoſen anotherwayof expreſſing his love tohis people, thanby temporal and external things: Therefore "all things "comealike to all." The covenant excludes the curfe, but includes the cross. " Ifhis childrenforſakemylaw, &c. then " will I vifit their iniquity with the rod, andtheir finwith " ſtripes : nevertheleſs my loving-kindness willI notutterly " take away." Nor indeedwould itbethe privilege of God's covenanted people, to be exempt from the rod; amark ofbastardy canbe no man's felicity, Heh. xii. 8. to go without the chaſtiſing difcipline of the rod, were togowithoutthe needful inſtruc tions andbleſſed fruits that accompanyand reſultfrom the rod, Pfalm xciv. 12. Let us not therefore fay,as thoſe irreligious perſonsdidin Mal. iii. 14. "It is invainto ſerveGod,andwhat profit is it "thatwe have kept his ordinances, and walked mournfully " before him ?" Surelynone fervehim in vain, but thoſe that ſerve him vainly. Godliness cannot fecureyou from afflicti on, but it canand will ſecureyou from hell, and fanctifyyour afflictions tohelpyouto heaven. ButIſtay not here. Obſervation 2. Adecliningfamily is afarestroke from the hand ofGod, and ſo to be acknowledged, wherever it falls. Itwas a growing forrow to David, that his houſedid not grow; and he eyed the hand ofGodin it, "Hemade itnotto " grow," as he ſpeaks in the text. He felt as many deaths as
hehad dead children. It isGodthat builds and deftroys fami
applied to afflicted Saints. 401 lies; he enlargeth and ſtraiteneth them again. Afamilymay decline two ways, viz. either,
1. By thedeath : or, 2. Bythe degeneracyofitsoffspring. 1. Bytheirdeath, whenGodlops offthehopeful ſpringing branches thereof, eſpeciallythe laſtand onlyprop of it, in whomnot onlyall the care and love, but allthehope and ex-
pectation ofthe parents is contracted and bound up. For, The hearts of tender parents are usually bound upinthe life ofan only fon *. As a man's wife is but himselfdivided, ſo
his children are buthimſelf multiplied ; andwhen all love and delight, hope and expectation, isreduced to one, the affecti
on is ſtrong, and that makes the affliction fotoo. Ifitwere not an unparalleled griefamong all earthly griefs and forrows, the Spirit ofGodwould neverhave choſen and ſingled it out from among all other forrows, to illuſtrate forrow for finby it, yea, forrows for that ſpecial fin ofpiercing Chriſt, ashe doth, Zech. xii. 10. " They ſhall lookuponhimwhom they "havepierced, and ſhallmourn forhim, as onethat mourn-
" eth for an only fon." How naked arethoſe walls, and how unfurnished is that houſe, wherethechildren (its beſt ornaments) are taken down and removed by death ? It is natural to allmen, to defire the continuanceoftheirnames andfami-
lies inthe earth; andthereforewhenGod cuts offtheir expectations in thatkind, theylook uponthemſelves asdry trees, or
as the withering ſtalks in the fields, whenthe flowers are fallen off, and blown awayfrom them.
2. Or, which is yet much worſe, afamily maydeclineby thedegeneracy of its off-ſpring. When the piety, probity,
and virtues of ancestors deſcend not with their lands to their pofterity, herethe true line ofhonour is cutoff, and the glory ofa familydies, though its children live; the family is ruined, though there be a numerous offspring. Surely it werebettermournfortendead children,thanfor onefuch living child. Howmany fuchwretched families can England ſhew this day!HowhathAtheism anddebauchery ruined andfubverted many great and once famous families ! O it were better the arms ofthoſe families had been reverſed, and their lands alienated, yea, better had it been a fucceffion had failed, and thattheirnameshad been blotted out, than that Satan ſhould
ruleby profaneneſs. in the placeswhereGodwas once fo feriouflyand ſweetly worshipped.
* Omnis in afcanioftat chari curaparentis. Virgil. VOL. VII. Ecc
402 The Balm of the Covenant
a Whenſoever thereforeGod shalleitheroftheſeways fubvert
family, it becomes them that are concerned in the ſtroke, notonlytoown and acknowledge the hand ofGod in it, but
to fearch their hearts and houſes, to find out the fins which have ſo provoked him ; yet not ſo as to fall intoan unbecomingdeſpondency of ſpirit, but withal to relieve themſelves, as Davidhere doth, from the covenant of God ; " Yet hath he
" made with me an everlasting covenant." Which brings us tothe third and principal point I ſhall inſiſt on.
Obſerv. 3. That the everlasting, well-ordered, and fure covenant of grace, affords everlasting, well-ordered, andfure re-
liefto all that are within the bond ofit, how many or howgreat foever theirperfonal or domestic trials and afflictions are.
This point willbe cleared to your understandings, andpre pared for youruſe, by clearing andopening threepropofitions, which orderly take up the ſum andſubſtance of it, viz .
Propofition 1. That theminds ofmen, yea, the bestmen, are weak and feeble things under the heavy preſſures of affliction, andwill reelandfink under them, except they bestrongly relieved and under-propped. Abowing wall doth not more need a ſtrong ſhore or buttress, than the mind ofaman needs a ſtrong ſupport and ſtay
from heaven, when the weight of affliction makes it incline and lean all one way. "Unleſs thy law hadbeen my delights, " I ſhould then have periſhed in my affliction," Pfal. cxix.92.
q. d. What ſhift other men make to ſtand the ſhock of their
afflictions, I know not ; but this I know, that ifGod had not
ſeaſonably fent me the relief of a promife, I had certainly gone away in a faint fit of deſpondency. O how ſeaſonablydid God adminifter the cordials ofhis word to my drooping fink-
ing foul
Thisweakness in themind, to fupportthe burdens ofaffliction, proceeds from a double cauſe, viz .
1. From the ſinking weight ofthe affliction . 2. Fromthe irregularandinordinate workingsofthe thoughts ofit.
1. From the ſinking weightthat is in affliction, eſpecially in ſome forts of afflictions : they are heavy preſſures, ponder. ousburdens in themselves. So Job ſpeaks, "O that my grief " werethoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in theba- " lances together ! For now itwould be heavier than the fand " of the fea, therefore my words are ſwallowed up," Job vi.
2, 3, 4. q. d. If all the fand that lies upon all the ſhores inthe world, were ſhovelled up into one heap, and caft into one
applied to afflicted Saints. 403 ſcale, and my forrows into the other, my grief would weigh itallup. How heavy are the hearts of the afflicted ! what in-
fupportable forrows do they feel, and groan under, eſpecially when God ſmites them in the dearest and nearest concerns
theyhave in the world.
2. But eſpeciallythe reelings and ſtaggerings of the mind, are occafioned by the inordinate and irregular workings of its own thoughts. Were it but poffible to keepthe mind ina ferene, ſedate, and ordinate frame, ourburdens wouldbe comparatively light to whatwe now feel them to be; butthe fal-
ling of thethoughts into confufions, and great diſtractions, ſpoils all. Upon this account it is, that afflictions are compared to a ſtupifying doſe, which cafts the foul into amazement. Pfal. lx. 3. " Thou hast ſhewed thy peoplehard things, " thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment." Af-
flictions are called the wine ofastonishment, from their effects upon the mind : for under agreatand ſudden ſtroke ofGod,
it is like a watch wound up above its due height, ſo that for a time it ſtands ſtill, neither grace nor reaſon move at all: and when itbeginsto move again, O how confused and irregular
are its motions ! it is full of murmurs, diſputes, and quar-
rels : theſe aggravate both our fin and mifery. It is our own thoughts which take the arrow ofGod fhot at us, (which did but ſtickbefore in our clothes, and was never intended tohurt us, but only to warn us), andthrust it into our very hearts .
For thoughts, as well as poniards, can pierce and wound the hearts ofmen, Luke ii. 35. " A fword ſhall pierce thro " thine own foul ;" (i. e.). Thy thoughts ſhall pierce thee. They can shake the whole fabric of the body, and loose the best compacted and strongly jointed parts ofthe body : Dan.
v. 6. " His thoughts troubled him, andthe joints ofhis loins " were looſed." And thus a man's own mind becomes a rack - oftorment tohim ; a miſery which no creatures, exceptmen and devils, are ſubjected to. O how many bodies have been destroyedby the paffions ofthefoul 1 they cut through it, asa keen knife through a narrow ſheath. "Worldly forrow works " death," 2 Cor. vii. ro .
Propofition 2. The merciful God, in condeſcenſion to the weakness of hispeople, hath provided the best fupports and re-
liefs for their feeble and afflicted spirits .
" In themultitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts. "delight my foul," Pfal. xciv. 17. Carnal men feek their reliefunder trouble, from carnal things ; when one creature Eee 2
404 The Balm of the Covenant forſakes them, they retreat to another which isyet left thems till they are beaten out of all, and then their hearts fail, hav-
ingnoacquaintancewithGod, or ſpecial intereſt inhim : for thecreatures will quickly ſpend all that allowance of comfort theyhave toſpend uponus. Some trywhatreliefthe rules of philofophy can yieldthem, ſuppoſing aneatſentence ofSeneca
maybe as good a remedy as a text ofDavid or Paul ;but, alas ! it willnotdo : fubmiffion from fatal neceſſity, will never eaſe the afflicted mind, as Chriſtian reſignation will do. It is not the eradicating, but regulating of the affections, that compoſes aburdened and diſtractedfoul. One word ofGodwill fignifymore to our peace, than allthe famedand admired precepts ofmen.
To neglectGod, and ſeek relief from the creature, is to forſake the fountain ofliving waters, and go to thebroken ciſterns which can hold nowater, Jer. ii. 13. The beſt creature is but a ciſtern, not a fountain ; and our dependance on it makes it abroken ciſtern, ſtrikes a hole through the bottom of it, ſo that it can hold no water. " I, even I (faith,
" God) am he thatcomforteth you," Ifa. lvii. 12. The fame hand that wounds you, muſt heal you, or you can never be
healed. Our compaſſionate Saviour, to affuage our forrows, hath promiſed he will not leave us comfortless, John xiv. 18. OurGod will not contend for ever, left the ſpirit fail before
him, Ifa. lvii. 16. He knew how ineffectual all otherconforts and comforters would be, even phyſicians of no value, and therefore hath gracioufly prepared comforts for his diſtreſſed ones, that will reach their end.
Propoſition 3. Godhathgatheredallthe materialsand principals ofour relief into the covenant ofgrace, and expects that we betake ourselves unto it, intimes of distress, as to ourfure, Jufficient, andonly remedy.
As all the rivers run intothe ſea, and there is the congre gation ofallthe waters ; ſo all the promiſes and comforts of the goſpel, are gathered into the covenant ofgrace, and there isthe congregation ofallthe ſweet ſtreams ofrefreshment that arediſperſed throughout the ſcriptures. The covenant isthe ſtore-houſe of promiſes, the ſhop of cordials and rare elixirs, to revive us in all our faintings ; though, alas ! moſt men knowno more what are their virtues, or where to findthem, thananilliterate ruſtic put into an apothecary'ssoap.
Whatwas the cordialGod prepared to revive the hearts of his poor captives groaning underhard and grievous bondage, bothinEgyptandinBabylon? Was it nothis covenantwith
applied to afflicted Saints. 405 Abraham ? Andwhydidhe give itthefolemn confirmation by an oath, but that it might yield tohim, and all his believing
feed,ftrong confolation, Heb. vi. 17, 18. the very ſpirit ofjoy amidſtall their forrows.
Andwhat was the reliefGod gave to the believing eunuchs thatkept his Sabbaths, took hold of his covenant, and choſe thethings inwhichhe delighted ? " To them(faithhe)will L " givein myhouſe, andwithinmywalls, aplace, and a name, " betterthan thatoffons orofdaughters," Ifa. lvi. 4,5. Tho they were deprived ofthoſe comforts other men have in their
poſterity, yethe wouldnothavethemlookuponthemſelves as dry trees ; a covenant-intereſt would answer all, and recompenſe abundantly the wantof children, or any other earthly comfort.
Certainly, therefore,Davidwas atthe rightdoorofreliefand comfort, when he repairs to the covenant, as here in thetext, "Yethath he made with mean everlasting covenant." There, or no-where elſe, the reliefof God's afflicted is tobe found.
Now, to make anything become a complete and perfect relief to an afflicted ſpirit, theſe three properties muſt concur andmeetin it, elſe it cannever effectually relieve anyman.
I. Itmust be able to remove all the cauſes and grounds of troubles.
II. It must beable to do ſo at all times. III. It must be capable of agood perſonal ſecurityto us. For if it onlydivert our troubles, (as creature-comforts ufe todo), and do notremove the ground and cauſe ofour trouble, it is but an anodyne, not a cure or remedy. And if it can remove the very ground,and cauſe of our trouble, for a time, but notfor ever, thenitis but atemporary relief: our
troubles may return again, and we left in as bad cafe as wewerebefore. And ifitbe initſelf, able to remove all the
cauſes and grounds ofour trouble, and that at all times, but
not capableof a perſonal ſecurityto us, orour well eſtabliſhed intereſt in it, allfignifies nothingtoour relief.
But open your eyes and behold, O ye afflicted ſaints, all theſeproperties of acomplete relief meeting together in the
covenant, as it isdiſplayed in the text. Here is a covenant ableto removeall the grounds and cauſes ofyour trouble ; for it isORDERED in all things ; or aptly diſpoſedby the wisdom andcontrivance ofGod, to anſwer every cauſeand ground of trouble and forrow in our hearts. It is able to do this at all. times; as well in our day, as in David's or Abraham's day:
for itis an everlasting covenant; its virtue and efficacy isnot
406 The Balm of the Covenant decayedbytime. And, laſtly, it is capable ofagoodperſonal
ſecurity or affurance to allGod's afflicted people ; for it is a fure covenant. The concurrence oftheſe three properties in the covenant makes it a complete relief, and perfect remedy,
to which nothingiswanting inthe kindandnature ofa remedy. Theſe three glorious properties of the covenant aremy proper province to open and confirm, for your ſupport and
comfortin this day of trouble.
I. That the covenant of grace is able to remove all thecauses and grounds of a believer's trouble, be they never so great or many. This I doubtnotwillbe convincinglyevidencedandde-
monftrated bythefollowing arguments, or undeniable reaſons.
Argument I. Whatſoever diſarms afflictions of the only ſting whereby theywoundus, muft needs be acomplete relief and remedy to the afflicted foul.
But ſodoth the covenant ofgrace, itdiſarms afflictions of theonly fting by which they wound us.
Therefore the covenant ofgrace muſt needs be a complete reliefand remedy to the afflicted foul.
The ſting ofall afflictions is the guilt of fin; when God fmites, confcienceuſuallyſmites too: and this is it that caufes allthatpainand anguish in the afflicted. It is plainly ſo in the
example ofthe widow of Zarephath, I Kings xvii. 18. when herfon, heronly fon, and probably her only child, died, how did that ſtrokeofGod revive guilt in herconfcience, and made
the affliction piercing and intolerable ! as appears by her paffionate expoftulation with Elijah, who then fojourned in her houſe : "Whathave I todo with thee,Oman ofGod ? art thou " come unto me to call my fin to remembrance, and to ſlaymy
" fon ?" q. d. What injuryhave Idone thee? Didſtthou come hither to obſerve my fins, and praydown thisjudgment upon mychild forthem ? The death ofher fon revived her guilt, and ſo itgenerallydoth, even in themost holy men.
When Job looked upon his wasted bodyunder afflictions, every wrinkle he faw upon it, ſeemedto him like a witneſs rifing up to teſtify against him. "Thou hast filled me with "wrinkles, which is a witneſs against me; and my leanneſs " riſingup inme, beareth witneſs tomyface," Job xvi. 8.
Affliction is like a hue and cry after fin inthe ears of conſcience, and this is the envenomed poisonous ſting of affliction: pluck out this, andthe afflicted man is preſently eaſed, though the matter of the affliction ſtill abidewithhim, and lie uponhim. He is afflicted ſtill, but not caftdown by afflicti,
on; theanguish andburdenisgone,thoughthe matter oftrou**
ble remain.
applied to afflicted Saints. 407 This is plain both in fcripture, and inexperience. Suitable hereunto is that ſtrange, but ſweet expreffion, " The inha- " bitants ſhall not ſay I am fick, the people that dwell therein " fhallbeforgiven their iniquities," Ifa. xxxiii. 24. It is not to be imagined theſe people hadfound ſuch a fortunate island, or happy climate, where no diſeaſe could touch or invade their
bodies; no, fickneſs will find outthe bodies of the beſt men, whereverthey live; wherever ſin hathbeen, fickness and death
willfollow it. Heaven is the onlyprivileged place from theſe miſeries : but the meaning is, though they be ſick, they ſhall notfeel the pains and burdens of ſickness, " they ſhall not " ſaythey are fick:" And why ſo? becauſe their iniquities
are forgiven ; plainly confirming what was before aſſerted, thatthe anguiſhof an affliction isgone as foon as ever the ſting of guilt is pluckt out. And hence, pardoningof the foul, andhealing of thebody, areputtogether as conjugatemercies : " Bleſs the Lord, Omy soul, who forgiveth allthine iniqui- " ties, and healeth all thy diſeaſes," Pfal. ciii. 1, 3. When the foul is at eaſe, the pains ofthe body are next to nothing : Sickneſs can cloud all naturaljoys, butnot the joyof a pardon.
Nay, which is yet more ; pluck out but the ſting of fin, and there is no horror in death, the king of terrors, and worſt
ofall outward evils. Seehow the pardoned believer triumphs over it : " O death, where is thy ſting ? O grave, where is " thy victory ? The ſting of death is ſin," 1 Cor. xv. 55. They are words of defiance, as men uſe to deride and ſcorn aboaſting inſulting enemy, when they feehim caſt uponhis back, and his ſword broken over his head *.
Where are your boasts and menaces now ? O death, thou haft loſt thy ſting and terror together. Thus the pardoned
believer, with an holy gallantry of ſpirit, derides and contemus. his difarmed enemy death. So then it is manifeft, thatwhatever plucks out the poisonous ſting of affliction, muſt needs be
an effectualremedy and cure to the afflicted perſon.
But this the covenant ofgrace doth ; it reveals and applies goſpel-remiſſion to themthat are within the bleffed bond of it. "This shall be the covenant that I will make with the houſe of " Ifrael ; I will forgivetheir iniquity, andI will remembertheir " finno more," Jer. xxxi. 33, 34. †Behold here agracious, full,
* Where is now thy threats ? See there thy fury laid. Ovid. +
חלמ
ιλεώς εσομαι, It reſpectsthe propitiatory expiationof fin by
408 The Balm of the Covenant
and irrevocable pardon! I willforgive, or be propitioully bel merciful, asthatword imports; pointing plainly toChrift our fru propitiation, our fins are forgiven us for hisname's fake. And
apardon asfullas it is free ; iniquity and ſin, fmaller and greater, are here forgiven; for God, in the remiffion ofhis people's fins,having reſpect tothe propitiating blood ofChrift, hepardons all, as well as fome; thatblooddeferving and pur-
chafing the moſt full and complete pardons for his people, 1 John i. 7. "The blood ofChrift cleanſeth us from all fin." And this covenant-pardon is asfirm, as it isfree and full. So run the expreffions inthe grant, Iwill remember theirfin
nomore : Or inthe apoſtle's words,Heb. viii. 12. 8 μη μνησθω έτι, I will not remember them again: That is, not fo remem ber,as to impute them,or condemn my pardoned ones for them: For the pardoned perſons come no more into condemnation, Jobv. 24. Their fins are caſt into the depths ofthe fea, Mic. vii. 19. Sooner fhalltheEast andtheWest, the two oppoſite points ofheaven,meet, than thepardoned foul and
its fins meet again incondemnation, Pfal. ciii. 12.
Now, the caſe ſtanding thus with all God's covenantpeople, all their fins being graciouſly, fully, and irrevocably
forgiventhem, how convincingly and ſweetly doth this concluſionfollow, thatthecovenant isacomplete remedy to all
afflicted believers ? As nothing can befal us before Chrift and pardonbe ours, which is fufficient to raiſeus, ſo nothing can befalus afterwards, whichſhoulddeject and fink us. Thisis thefirſt benefit afflicted believers receive from the covenant, and this alone isenough toheal all ourforrows.
Arg. II.As the covenant ofgracediſarms all the afflictionsof believersof the only ftingby which they wound them ; ſo it alters the very natureand property of their afflictions, and
turns them froma curſe into a blessingto them: Andin ſo doing, itbecomes more than a remedy, even a choice benefit and advantage to them.
All afflictions, intheirown nature, are apartofthe curse; theyare the conſequence and punishments of fin; they work
naturally againſt our good: Butwhen once they are taken intothecovenant, their nature andpropertyis altered. Aswaters intheirfubterranean paſſages, meeting fome virtuous mineral intheir courſe, are thereby impregnated, and endowed witha rare healing propertyto thebody; ſo afflictions paffing
through the covenant, receive from it anhealing virtue to our byChriſt, who istherefore called ιλασμος,and ελατηριων. 1Johnii, 21
and Rom. iii. 25.
applied to afflicted Saints. 409 fouls. They are, inthemselves, four and harsh, as wildhedge. fruits ; but being ingrafted into this ſtock, they yield the pleafant fruits of righteouſneſs. " If his children break my ſta- " tutes, and keep not my commandments, then will I viſit " their iniquity with the rod, and their fins with ſtripes : Ne- " verthelets my loving-kindness will I not utterly take away, " nor ſuffer my faithfulneſs tofail," Pfal. Ixxxix.30, 31. Here you may fee all the rods of affliction put into the covenant, as Aaron's rod was into the ark. Andhence twothings neceffarilyfollow.
(1.) That fuch afflictions can do the children ofGod no hurt. They may affright, but cannot hurt them: We may meet them with fear, but ſhall part from them with joy: An unſanctified rod never did anymangood, anda fanctified rod neverdid any man hurt: He may afflict our bodies with fickneſs, deny, or cut off our comfort inchildren, impoverish our eſtates, let looſe perfecutors uponus; but in all this he really doth us nohurt. as he ſpeaks in Jer. xxv. 6. No more hurt
than a skilful furgeondoth in ſaving his patient's life, by cuttingoff a mortified gangrened member : No more hurt than froſt and ſnowdothe earth in killing the rank weeds that exhauſted the fap and trength of it, and preparing andmellow-
ing it toproduce a fruitful crop of corn. By theſe he recals ourminds from vanity, weans our fond and enſuaring affections
from the world, diſcovers and mortifies thoſe luſts which gentler methods andeſſays could notdo : And is this for our hurt ?
IconfeſsGod's thoughts and ours often differ upon thiscafe. Wemeaſure thegood and evil of providences, by their reſpect
to the eaſe and pleaſure of our flesh, butGod fees this is the way tocaſt our ſpirits into adead formality, and in removing
them, hedoth butdeprive us of the occafionsand inſtruments of ſpiritual miſchiefs and miſeries, in which certainlyhe doth us no hurt.
(2.) But that is not all. Afflictions once put into the covenant, muſt promote the good of the faints; they are bene-
ficial, as well as harmleſs things. " We know (faith the apo- " fſtle) that all things work together for good to them that love " God." This promiſe is the compaſs which fets the courſe, and directs the motion of all the afflictions of the people of God; and no ſhip at fea obeys the rudder ſo exactly, as the
troubles of the righteous do the direction of this promife. Pof-
fiblywe cannotdifcern this atpreſent, but rather prejudge the works ofGod, and ſay alltheſe things are againſt us; buthere-
VOL.VII. Fff
410 The Balm of the Covenant after we ſhall fee, and with joy acknowledge themtobe thehappy inſtruments of our ſalvation. How often hath affliction ſent the people ofGod to their knees, with ſuch language as this, ' O myGod, howvain and • ſenſual hath this heart of mine been under proſperity ! How • did the love of the creature, like a ſluice cut in the bank of a river, draw away the ſtream of my affections from thee ! I • had gotten a ſoft pillow of creature-comforts under my head, • and I easily fell asleep, anddreamed of nothing but reſt and • pleaſure, in a ſtate of abſence fromthee; but now thy rod hath awakened me, and reduced me to a right ſenſe of my • condition. I was negligent or dead-hearted in the course of ' myduty, but now I canpray more fervently, feelingly, and
• frequently, than before. O it was good for me, that I have • been afflicted. O, faith God, how well was this rod beſtowed, which hath done my poor child ſo much good ; now I have more of his heart, and more of his timeand company ' than ever ; now I hear the voice, and ſee the gracious work- • ings of the ſpirit of my child after me again, as in thedays of •his firſt love. The fum of allthisyou mayfee in the inge puous meltings of Ephraim under a fanctified rod, Jer. xxxi. 19, 20. and the founding of the bowels of mercy over him. Ephraim mourns at God's feet, andGod falls upon Ephraim's ' neck. I have been as a beast, faith Ephraim : Thou art a dear fon, a pleasant child, faithGod. My bowels are trou • bledand pained for fin, faith Ephraim : And my bowels are ⚫troubled for thee, and my compaſſions rolled together, faith •God. O bleſſed fruits of fanctified rods ! fuch precious ef fects as theſe richly repay you for all the pain and anguish you feel. And thus, as thewound of a ſcorpion is healed by applying its own oil, ſo the evil of affliction is cured by the fanctified fruits that it produceth, whenit is once put into the co
venant.
Arg. III. Thecovenant doth not only alter the nature and property of theſaints afflictions, but it alſo orderlydisposes, and aptly places theminthe frame of providence, among the other means and inftruments of our ſalvation ; ſo that a council of angels could never place them, or the leaft circumftance be longing to them, more aptly and advantageously than it hath done. The knowledge of this muſt needs quiet and fully re-
lieve the afflicted foul : And who candoubt it, that believes it tobe acovenant ordered in all things, as the text ſpeaks ? Here all things, yea, the moſt minute circumstances that befal you, arereduced to their proper claſs, and place of ſervice ; fo ex
applied to afflicted Saints. 411 actly ordered, that allthe wisdom ofmen and angels knows not how tomendor alter any thing toyour advantage.
If a ſmall pin be taken out of the frame of a watch, and placed anywhere elſe, the motion is either preſently ſtopped, or made irregular. And as Galen obſerves of the curious fa-
bric of an human body, that if the greatest naturaliſts ſhould
ſtudy an hundred years to find out a more commodious ſituation, or configuration of any part thereof, itcould neverbedone. It
is ſo here : No man can come afterGod, and ſay, this or that had been better placed ortimed than it is, if this affliction had been ſpared, and ſuch an enjoyment ſtood in the room of it, it hadbeenbetter. AllGod's providences are the reſult and iſſues
of his infinite wiſdom : For " he works all things according to " the counſel of his own will," Eph . i. 11. The wheels, i. e. the motions and revolutions of providence are full of eyes, Ezek . i. 18. They are well adviſed, and judicious motions,Non caeco impetu volvuntur rotae ; they run not at random. The moſt regular and excellent working must needs follow the moſt
deep and perfect counſel, Iſa. xxviii. 29. "He isdeep incoun- " fel, and excellent in working."
Now, every afflictionthat befalsGod's covenantedpeople,being placedby the moſt wiſe and infinite counſel ofGod in that very order, time, and manner, in which they befal them, this Tvery affliction, and not that, at this verytime, and not at ano-
ther, (it beingalways atime of need, 1Pet.i. 6.), and uſhered inbyſuch forerunning occafions and circumſtances ; it must fol- #low, that they all take the proper places, and come exactly at
the fitteſt ſeaſons; and if one of them were wanting, ſome- ( thing would be defective in the frame of your happiness. As they now ſtand, theywork together for your good, which difplaced, they would not do.
" It is faid, Jer. xviii. 11. " Behold, I frame evil, and I deviſe
adevice." It isfpoken of the contrivanceand frame of afflictions, as the proper works ofGod. The project of it is laid for his glory, and the eternalgood of his people. It turns to their ſalvation, Phil. i. 19. ButO how fain wouldwe have this or that affliction ſcrewed out of the frameof providence, conceiving it would be far better outthan in! O if God had ſpared my child, or my health, ithad been better for me than now it is. But this is no other than a preſumptuous correcting and controuling of the wisdom ofGod, and fo he inter-
prets it, Job xl. 2. " He that reproveth God, let him anſwer " it." God hath put every affliction uponyour perfons, eftates, Fff2
412 The Balm of the Covenant
relations, juſt whereyou find and feel it; and that whole frame hehath put into the covenant, in the virtue whereof it works
foryour ſalvation : and therefore letalldiſputings and reatonings, all murmurs anddiſcontents cease; nothing can be better for you, than as God hath laid it; and this, one would think, ſhould heal and quiet all. You yourſelves would mar all, by prefuming to mend any thing. " Who hath directed the Spi " rit of the Lord, or being his counsellor, hath taught him? " With whom took he counſel, andwho inſtructed him , and " taughthim in the path ofjudgment, and taught him know- " ledge, and ſhewed tohim the way of understanding ?" Ifa.
xl. 13, 14. Well then, be ſatisfied it is beſt as it is ; and nothing can be ſo advantageous to you, asGod's projects and contrivance, which you are ſo uneasy under, and diſſatisfied about.
Arg. IV. As the covenant forts and ranks allyour troubles into their proper claſſes and places of ſervice, ſo it ſecures the ſpecial gracious prefence of God with you, in the deepest plun gesof diſtreſs that can befal you ; which preſence is a full re
lief to all your troubles, or elſe nothing in the world is, orcan be ſo.
The very heathens thought themselves well ſecured against all evils and dangers, if they had their petty houshold-gods withthem intheir journies: butthe greatGodof heaven and earth hath engagedto be with his people, in all their afflictions
and diſtreſſes. As a tender father fits up himself with his
fick child, and will not leave him to the careof a ſervant only; foGod thinks it not enough to leavehis childrento the tutelage and charge of angels, but will be with them himself, and that
in a ſpecial and peculiarway: forun the expreſs words of the covenant, Jer. xxxii . 40. " I will not turn away from them " todo them good, but I will put my fearinto their hearts; " and they ſhall not depart from me." Here he undertakes forboth parts, himself and them. I will not, and theyshall not.
Hereis the faints ſecurity for the gracious prefence ofGod with them, a prefence which diſpels all the clouds of affliction
and forrow, as the fun ſcatters the morning mists. The God of all confolation is with you, O poor dejected believers, and will not fuch apreſence turn the darkness into light round a-
bout you ? There is a threefold preſence ofGod with his creatures.
1. Effential, which is common and neceffary to all. 2. Gracious, which ispeculiar to ſome onearth,
applied to afflicted Saints. 413 3. Glorious, which is the telicity of heaven. The firſt is not the privilege here ſecured; for it is neceſſary to all, good and bad: In him we all live, and move, andhave our being. The vileſt men on earth, yea, the beasts of the field, and the very devils inhell, are always in this preſence of God, but it is their torment, rather than their privilege. The laſt is proper to the glorified ſaints and angels. Such aprefence embodied ſaints cannot now bear ; but it is his ſpecial gracious pretence which is made over and ſecured tothem in the covenant of grace; and this presence ofGod is manifeſted tothem two ways :
1. Internally, by the Spirit. 2. Externally, by Providence. 1. Internally, by the Spirit of gracedwelling and acting in them, this is achoice privilege tothem in theday of affliction : for hereby they are inſtructed and taught the meaning of the rod, Pfal. xciv. 12. " Bleſſed is themanwhom thou chaſteneſt, " and teacheſt himout of thy law. " O it is a blefſed thing to betaught ſo many leſſons by the rod, as the Spirit teacheth
them ! Surely they reckon it an abundant recompenſe of all thatthey fuffer. " It is good for me that I have been afflicted, " that I might learn thy ſtatutes," Pfalm cxix. 71. Yea, he re-
freſhes as well as teaches, and no cordials revive like his. " In " the multitude of the thoughts I had within me, thy com- " forts delight mysoul," Plal. xciv. 19.
Yea, by the prefence and bleſſing of his Spirit, our afflic tions are ſanctified to ſubdue and purge out our corruptions. " By this ſhall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all " the fruit to take away fin," Ita. xxvii. 9. Now, ifa man be
inſtructed in the ends and deſigns of the rod, refreſhed and comfortedunder every ſtripe of the rod, and have his fins morfied and purgedby the ſanctification of the Spirit upon his afflictions ; thenboth the burdensomeness and bitterness of his afflictions are removed, and healed by the internal prefence of the Spirit of God with his afflicted ones. But, 2. Beſides this, God is providentially preſent with his people, in all their troubles, in amore external way ; orderingall thecircumstances of their troubles to their advantage. He or-
ders the degree and extent of our afflictions, Gill leaving us
ſomemercies and comforts to ſupport and refreſh us, when o-
thers are cut off. Inmeaſuredothhe debatewithhis covenanted people, ſtaying the rough wind in the day of the east-wind, Ifa. xxvii. 8. He might juſtly ſmite all our outward comforts atonce, ſo that affliction ſhould not riſe up the ſecond time:
414 The Balm of the Covenant forwhat comfort foever hath been abused by fin, is thereby forfeited into the hand ofjudgment. But the Lord knows our inability to ſuſtain ſuch ſtrokes, and therefore proportions themtoour ſtrength. We have ſome living relations to mini-
Ger comfort tous when mourning over ourdead: He makes not a full end of all at once. Yea, and his providence ſupports our frail bodies, enabling themtoendure the ſhocks and storms of ſomany afflictions, without ruin. Surely there is asmuch of the care of Providence manifeſted in this, asthere is inpre-
ſerving poorcrazy leaking barks, and weather-beaten veſſels at ſea, when thewaves notonlycover them, butbreak into them, and they are readyto founder in the midst of them. Owhata fingularmercy is the gracious preſenceofGodwith men! eventhe ſpecial preſence of that God, " who is above " all, and through all, and in you all," as the apoſtle ſpeaks, Eph. iv. 6. Above all, in majesty and dominion ; through all, inhis moſt efficacious providence ; and in you all, by his grace and Spirit. Ashe is above all, ſo he is able tocommandany mercyyou want, with a word of his mouth; ashe is through all, ſohe must be intimately acquainted with all your wants,
ſtraits, and fears ; and as he is inyou all, ſo he is engaged for your ſupport and ſupply, as you are the dear members of
Chriſt's mystical body.
Objection. But methinks IhearGideon's objectionrolled into the wayof this ſovereign conſolation : " If God be with us,
why is all this evil befallen us ?" 66
Solution. All what ? If ithad been all this rebellion andrage againstGod, all this apoſtacy and revolting more and more, all this contumacy and hardness of heart under the rod; then it hadbeen aweighty and ſtumbling objection indeed : but to ſay, IfGodbewith us, why are allthese chaſtening corrections and remporal croſſes befallen us ? why doth he ſmite our bodies, children, or eſtates ? is anobjection noway fit to be urgedby any that are acquainted with the ſcriptures, or the nature and tenorof the covenantof grace. Is afflicting and forſaking alt onewithyou ? muſtGod needs hate, becauſehe ſcourgeth you? Iquestion whether Satan himself hath impudence enough tofet
ſuch anote or comment upon Heb. xii. 6. " Forwhom the " Lord loveth, he chaſteneth, and ſcourgeth every fon whom " he receiveth."
No, no, Chriſtian, it is nota chaſtening rod, but thedenying of fuch a favour, and fuffering mento fin with impunity, andgo on profperoufly in the wayof their own hearts, that
fpeaks a rejected man, as thenext words, ver. 7. informyou.
applied to afflicted Saints. 485
Ashe never loved you the better for your profperity, fo you maybe confident he loves you never the leſs for your adverſity :
andwill not this cloſe and heal the wounds made by affliction ? What, not ſuch a promiſe as this, Iwillbe with him in trouble, Pfal. xci, 15. Will not fuch a prefence revivethee ? What then can do it ? Moſes reckoned that a wilderness with God, was better than a Canaan without him. " If thy prefence go not " with me, (faith he), then carryus nothence," Exod. xxxiii.
15. And if there bethe ſpirit of a Chriſtian in thee, andGod ſhouldgive theethine own choice,thou wouldſt rather chuſe to be in the midst of all theſe afflictions with thyGod, than back again inall thy proſperity, and among thy children and former comforts, without him.
Arg. V. As this covenant aſſures you ofGod's gracious and ſpecial prefence, ſo it fully ſecures all the eſſentials and ſubſtantials of your happineſs, against all hazards and contingencies ; inwhich ſecurity lies your full relief and complete remedy againſt allyour troubles for the loss of other things.
There be two forts ofthings belonging to all God's people, viz.
1. Effentials. 2. Accidentals . 1. Theyhave ſome things which are effential to their happineſs ; ſuch are the loving-kindness of God, the pardon of fin, union with Chriſt, and eternal ſalvation. And they have other thingswhich are accidentals, that come and go, live and die, without affecting or altering their happiness ; ſuch are health,
eſtates, children, and all forts of relations and earthly comforts. Theſeare to our happineſs, as leaves are to the tree, whichfade
and fall away without endangering the tree; but the other as the vital ſap, without which it withers and dies at the very root. Now, if itcan be made out that the covenant fully ſecures the
former; then it will ſtronglyfollow, that it therein abundantly relieves us under all our forrows for the latter : And that it doth ſo, will evidently appearbyreviewing the covenant, where-
in you ſhall find all theſe ſubſtantial and eſſential mercies of believers, fully ſecured against all hazards and contingencies whatsoever.
There the loving-kindness of God is ſecured to their fouls, whatever afflictions he lays upon their bodies. " Nevertheless
" my loving-kindness will I not take away," Pfal. Ixxxix. 33. Andtheir pardon is as ſafe as the favour of God is ; it is fafely
lockedup inthat promiſe, " I will remember their fins no " more," Jer. xxxi. 34. Yea, heaven, together with our per
416 The Balm of the Covenant ſeverance in theway to it, are both put out of hazard by that invaluable promiſe, " They ſhall never periſh neither ſhall any
man pluck them out of my hand," John x. 28. "
Thus are all the eſſentials of abeliever's happineſs ſecured in the covenant ; and theſe being ſafe, the loss of other enjoyments ſhould not much affect or wound them, becauſe if he
enjoy them, they add nothing tohis happiness; and ifhe loſe them, he is ſtill happy inGod withoutthem. And this unriddles that enigmatical expreſſion of the apostle, 2 Cor. vi. 10. " As having nothing, yet poſſeſſing all things :" (i. e.) the ſubſtraction of all external things cannot make us miferable, who have Chrift for our portion, and all our happineſs entire inhim.
Ifa mantravellingonthe road,fall intothehands of thieves, who rob him of afew Chillings, why this doth not much affect
him ; for thoughhe havelofthis ſpendingmoney, yet his ſtock is ſafe at home, and his eſtate ſecure, which will yield him more. Or if a man has been at court, and there obtained a pardon for his life, or a grant of athousand pounds per annum,
and returning home ſhould chance to loſe his gloves, or his handkerchief, ſure if the man be in his wits, he will not take on or mourn for the loss of theſe trifles, whilst the pardon or grant is ſafe. Surely theſe things are not worth the men tioning.
It is true, the lossof outward and earthlythings are to abeliever real trials, yet theyare but ſeeming loſſes: and therefore theyare expreſſed inthe apostle'sphrase, with atanquam, ficut! " As chaſtened, and not killed; as ſorrowful, yet always re " joicing," 2 Cor. vi. 9. And if your loffesbe but as itwere loffes, your forrows fhould bebutas itwere forrows : much like a phyfic-fickness, which wedo not call a proper ſickneſs, butas itwerea fickneſs, becauſeitconduceth to the health, and not tothehurt of the perfon ; as allGod's medicinal afflictions
onhispeople alfo do.
Indeed, if the ſtroke of God were at our fouls, to cut them off from Chrift and heaven, to raze our names out of the covenant, or revoke the pardon of fin; thenwe had cauſe enough
to juſtify the extremity of forrow; cauſe enough to weep out oureyes, and break our hearts for fuch a diſmal blow as that would be. Butbleſſed beGod you ſtand out of the way of fuch ſtrokes as theſe; let God ſtrike round about you, or lay hishand upon anyother comfortsyou poſſeſs he willnever fmite you in theſe effential things, which iscertainlyenough to allay
and relieve all your other forrows.
applied to afflicted Saints. 417 Myname isblotted out of the earth, but ftill it iswritten in heaven. God hath taken my onlyfon from me, but he hath givenhis onlySon for me, and to me. He hath broken off my
hopes and expectations as to this world, but my hopes of heaven are fixed, fure, and immoveable for ever. My houſe and heart are both in confufion and great diſorder, but I
have ſtill an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and fure. Icannot ſaymy ſon liveth, but I can ſtill say, " I know "
that my Redeemer liveth. The graſs withereth, and the " flower fadeth; but the word of the Lord abideth for ever,' Ifa. xl. 8.
Arg. VI. AsGod ſtrikes none of the ſubſtantial mercies of hiscovenantpeople, ſo when he doth ſmite their external acci
dental comforts, the covenant of grace affures them, that even
thoſe ſtrokes are the ſtrokes of love, and not wrath ; the wounds of afriend, and not of an enemy ; which is another fingular
relief to the afflicted foul.
The moſt frightfulthing in any affliction, is themarkorcharacter of God's wrath which it feems tobear : take away that, andthe affliction isnothing "O Lord, rebuke me not in thine ४८anger, neither chaſten me in thy hot diſpleaſure," Pfal. vi. 1 Hedoth notdeprecate the rebukes, but the anger ofGod ; not his chaftening, but his hot difpleaſure. God's anger is much more terrible than his rebuking, and his hot diſpleaſure
than his chaſtening. Therefore he intreats, that whatever God did to him in theway of affliction, hewoulddo nothing
in the way of wrath ; andthen he could bear any thing from him. A mark of divine anger engraven upon any affliction, makes that affliction dreadful to agracious foul.
But ifamanbe wellfatisfied, thatwhatever anguish there be, yetthere is noanger, but that the rod isin thehand of love ; Ohow it eaſes the foul, and lightens the burden ! Now this
deſireable point is abundantly cleared in the covenant ; where wefindaclearconſiſtence, yea, a néceſſary connection betwixt the love and the rod ofGod, Pfal. Ixxxix. 31. and Heb. xii.
6. Nay, ſo rare are the afflictions of the faints from being marks of his wrath, that they are the fruits and evidences of his fatherly love. Twomenwalking through the ſtreets, ſee acompanyofboys fighting, one of them ſteps forth, and ſingles out one of thoſe boys, and carries him home to correct him ; which of the two, thinkyou, is that child's father ? The cafe ſtandingthus with VOL. VII. Ggg
418 The Balm of the Covenant
allGod's people, ſurely there is no reaſon for their deſponden.
cies whatever their afflictions be.
Arg. VII. Lastly, The covenant doth not only diſcover the confiſtence and connection betwixt the love and the rodofGod, but it alſo gives full fatisfaction to the faints, that whatsoever contemporary mercy they are deprived of, which was within thebond of the covenant whentheyenjoyed it, is not loſt, but
ſhall certainly be restored to them again with a rich improve ment, and that they ſhall enjoy it again to all eternity.
What a rare model or platform of confolatory arguments hath the apoſtle laiddown to antidote our immoderate forrows, for thedeath of our dear relatives which died interested in Chrift and the covenant ! 1.Theff. iv. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. " 1 " would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them " which are aſleep," they are notdead, but aſleep. Sleep is but a parentheſis tothe labours and travels of this life ; andit
is but a partial privation, notof the habit, but acts of reaſon, towhich, upon awaking, the foul returns again. Juſt ſuche thing is that which in believers is commonly calleddeath. And wedonot uſe to bewail our friends, because they are fallen a-
leep: and therefore itnoway becomes us to forrow as thoſe thathave no hope, nor to look upon them as loft ; for as he ſtrongly argueth and concludeth (ver. 14.) their restoration to their bodies, yea, andto our enjoyment again, is fully fecured both to themand us by the refurrection of Jeſus from thedead. The influence of his refurrection isby the prophet Ifaiah com-
pared to the morning-dew, lſa. xxvi. 19. to ſhew that what virtue there is in the morning-dew, to cauſe the languiſhing plants of the earth to revive and flourish, that, and much more, there is in the refurrection of Chriſt, to revive and quicken the dead bodies of theſe ſaints ; their bodies ſhall be reſtored by
virtue of the warm animating dew or influence of his refur rection.
Objection. But the marvellous change which the refurrection makes upon glorified bodies, and the long feparation of many
ages betwixt us and them, ſeems to make it impoſſible for us to know them, as thoſe that were once related to us uponearth; and, if fo, then that comfort which reſultedfrom them, as in
relation to us, is periſhedwith them at death.
Solution. Whatever change the reſurrection ſhall make on their bodies, and the length of timebetwixt our parting with them on earth, and meeting them again in heaven ſhall be; neither theone or other ſeem fufficient to destroy the grounds
of ourhope, that we shall knowthem to be thevery perfons
applied to afflicted Saints. 419
that were once ſodear to us upon earth. There may remain fome lineament or property of inviduation, whereby the acute glorified eye may poſſibly discover who they were ; or if not,