fcale, and my forrows into the other, my grief would weigh it all up. How heavy are the hearts of the afflicted! what infupportable forrows do they feel, and groan under, especially when God fmites them in the deareft and nearest concerns. they have in the world." 2. But efpecially the reelings and ftaggerings of the mind, are occafioned by the inordinate and irregular workings of its own thoughts. Were it but poffible to keep the mind in a ferene, fedate, and ordinate frame, our burdens would be comparatively light to what we now feel them to be; but the falling of the thoughts into confufions, and great distractions, fpoils all. Upon this account it is, that afflictions are compared to a stupifying dofe, which cafts the foul into amazement. Pfal. Ix. 3. "Thou haft fhewed thy people hard things, « thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment." Afflictions are called the wine of aftonishment, from their effects upon the mind: for under a great and sudden stroke of God, it is like a watch wound up above its due height, so that for a time it stands ftill, neither grace nor reafon move at all: and when it begins to move again, O how confused and irregular, aré its motions! it is full of murmurs, difputes, and quarrels : thefe aggravate both our fin and mifery. It is our own thoughts which take the arrow of God fhot at us, (which did but stick before in our clothes, and was never intended to hurt us, but only to warn us), and thruft it into our very hearts. For thoughts, as well as poniards, can pierce and wound the hearts of men, Luke ii. 35. "A fword fhall pierce thro "thine own foul;" (i. e.). Thy thoughts fhall pierce thee. They can fhake the whole fabric of the body, and loofe the beft compacted and ftrongly jointed parts of the body: Dan. v. 6. "His thoughts troubled him, and the joints of his loins "were loofed." And thus a man's own mind becomes a rack of torment to him; a mifery which no creatures, except men and devils, are fubjected to.. O how many bodies have been deftroyed by the paffions of the foul! they cut through it, as a keen knife through a narrow fheath. "Worldly forrow works "death," 2 Cor. vii, ro. Propofition 2. The merciful God, in condefcenfion to the weakness of his people, hath provided the best fupports and reliefs for their feeble and afflicted fpirits. "In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts. "delight my foul," Pfal. xciv. 17. Carnal men feek their relief under trouble, from carnal things; when one creature forfakes them, they retreat to another which is yet left thems till they are beaten out of all, and then their hearts fail, having no acquaintance with God, or fpecial interest in him: for the creatures will quickly fpend all that allowance of comfort they have to spend upon us. Some try what relief the rules of philofophy can yield them, supposing a neat fentence of Seneca may be as good a remedy as a text of David or Paul ; but, alas! it will not do: fubmiffion from fatal neceffity, will never ease the afflicted mind, as Chriftian refignation will do. It is not the eradicating, but regulating of the affections, that composes a burdened and diftracted foul. One word of God will fignify more to our peace, than all the famed and admired precepts of men. To neglect God, and feek relief from the creature, is to forfake the fountain of living waters, and go to the broken cifterns which can hold no water, Jer. ii. 13. The best creature is but a cistern, not a fountain; and our dependance on it makes it a broken ciftern, strikes a hole through the bottom of it, fo that it can hold no water. "I, even I (faith, "God) am he that comforteth you," Ifa. lvii. 12. The fame hand that wounds you, muft heal you, or you can never be healed. Our compaffionate Saviour, to affuage our forrows, hath promised he will not leave us comfortless, John xiv. 18: Our God will not contend for ever, left the fpirit fail before him, Ifa. lvii. 16. He knew how ineffectual all other conforts and comforters would be, even physicians of no value, and therefore hath graciously prepared comforts for his diftreffed ones, that will reach their end. Propofition 3. God hath gathered all the materials and principals of our relief into the covenant of grace, and expects that we betake ourselves unto it, in times of distress, as to our fure, fufficient, and only remedy. As all the rivers run into the fea, and there is the congregation of all the waters; fo all the promises and comforts of the gofpel, are gathered into the covenant of grace, and there is the congregation of all the fweet streams of refreshment that are difperfed throughout the fcriptures. The covenant is the ftore-house of promises, the fhop of cordials and rare elixirs, to revive us in all our faintings; though, alas! most men know no more what are their virtues, or where to find them, than an illiterate ruftic put into an apothecary's fhop. What was the cordial God prepared to revive the hearts of his poor captives groaning under hard and grievous bondage, both in Egypt and in Babylon? Was it not his covenant with Abraham? And why did he give it the folemn confirmation by an oath, but that it might yield to him, and all his believing feed, frong confolation, Heb. vi. 17, 18. the very spirit of joy amidst all their forrows. And what was the relief God gave to the believing eunuchs that kept his Sabbaths, took hold of his covenant, and chose the things in which he delighted? "To them (faith he) will L "give in my houfe, and within my walls, a place, and a name "better than that of fons or of daughters," Ifa. lvi. 45. Tho' they were deprived of thofe comforts other men have in their pofterity, yet he would not have them look upon themfelves as dry trees; a covenant-interest would answer all, and recompenfe abundantly the want of children, or any other earthly comfort. Certainly, therefore, David was at the right door of relief and comfort, when he repairs to the covenant, as here in the text, "Yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant." There, or no-where else, the relief of God's afflicted is to be found. Now, to make any thing become a complete and perfect relief to an afflicted fpirit, these three properties must concur and meet in it, elfe it can never effectually relieve any man. I. It must be able to remove all the caufes and grounds of troubles. II. It must be able to do fo at all times. III. It must be capable of a good perfonal fecurity to us. For if it only divert our troubles, (as creature-comforts ufe to do), and do not remove the ground and cause of our trou ble, it is but an anodyne, not a cure or remedy. And if it can remove the very ground, and caufe of our trouble, for a time, but not for ever, then it is but a temporary relief: our troubles may return again, and we left in as bad cafe as we were before. And if it be in itself, able to remove all the caufes and grounds of our trouble, and that at all times, but not capable of a perfonal fecurity to us, or our well established interest in it, all fignifies nothing to our relief. But open your eyes and behold, O ye afflicted faints, all these properties of a complete relief meeting together in the covenant, as it is difplayed in the text. Here is a covenant able to remove all the grounds and caufes of your trouble; for it is ORDERED in all things; or aptly difpofed by the wisdom and contrivance of God, to answer every cause and 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 it is an everlasting covenant; its virtue and efficacy is not decayed by time. And, laftly, it is capable of a good perfonal fecurity or affurance to all God's afflicted people; for it is a fure covenant. The concurrence of these three properties in the covenant makes it a complete relief, and perfect remedy, to which nothing is wanting in the kind and nature of a remedy. These three glorious properties of the covenant are my proper province to open and confirm, for your support and comfort in this day of trouble. I. That the covenant of grace is able to remove all the causes and grounds of a believer's trouble, be they never fo great or many. This I doubt not will be convincingly evidenced and demonftrated by the following arguments, or undeniable reasons. Argument I. Whatfoever difarms afflictions of the only fting whereby they wound us, muft needs be a complete relief and remedy to the afflicted foul. But fo doth the covenant of grace, it difarms afflictions of the only fting by which they wound us. Therefore the covenant of grace muft needs be a complete relief and remedy to the afflicted foul. The fting of all afflictions is the guilt of fin; when God fmites, confcience ufually fmites too: and this is it that caufes all that pain and anguish in the afflicted. It is plainly fo in the example of the widow of Zarephath, 1 Kings xvii. 18. when her fon, her only son, and probably her only child, died, how did that ftroke of God revive guilt in her confcience, and made the affliction piercing and intolerable! as appears by her paffionate expoftulation with Elijah, who then fojourned in her houfe: What have I to do with thee, O man of God? art thou "come unto me to call my fin to remembrance, and to flay my "fon ?" 9. d. What injury have I done thee? Didft thou come hither to obferve my fins, and pray down this judgment upon my child for them? The death of her fon revived her guilt, and fo it generally doth, even in the most holy men. When Job looked upon his wafted body under afflictions, every wrinkle he faw upon it, feemed to him like a witness rifing up to teftify against him. "Thou haft filled me with "wrinkles, which is a witness against me; and my leanness "rifing up in me, beareth witnefs to my face," Job xvi. 8. Affliction is like a hue and cry after fin in the ears of conscience, and this is the envenomed poisonous fting of affliction pluck out this, and the afflicted man is presently eased, though the matter of the affliction ftill abide with him, and lie upon him. He is afflicted ftill, but not caft down by afflicti, on; the anguifh and burden is gone, though the matter of trou ble remain. ་་ This is plain both in fcripture, and in experience. Suitable hereunto is that strange, but fweet expreffion, "The inha"bitants shall not fay I am fick, the people that dwell therein "fhall be forgiven their iniquities," Ifa. xxxiii. 24. It is not to be imagined these people had found fuch a fortunate island, or happy climate, where no disease could touch or invade their bodies; no, fickness will find out the bodies of the best men, wherever they live; wherever fin hath been, fickness and death will follow it. Heaven is the only privileged place from these miferies: but the meaning is, though they be fick, they shall not feel the pains and burdens of fickness," they shall not fay they are fick :" And why fo? because their iniquities. are forgiven; plainly confirming what was before afferted, that the anguish of an affliction is gone as foon as ever the sting of guilt is pluckt out. And hence, pardoning of the foul, and healing of the body, are put together as conjugate mercies: "Blefs the Lord, O my foul, who forgiveth all thine iniqui"ties, and healeth all thy difeafes," Pfal. ciii. 1, 3. When the foul is at eafe, the pains of the body are next to nothing: Sickness can cloud all natural joys, but not the joy of a pardon. Nay, which is yet more; pluck out but the fting of fin, and there is no horror in death, the king of terrors, and worst of all outward evils. See how the pardoned believer triumphs over it: "O death, where is thy fting? O grave, where is "thy victory? The fting of death is fin," 1 Cor. xv. 55. They are words of defiance, as men ufe to deride and scorn a boafting infulting enemy, when they see him caft upon his back, and his fword broken over his head *. Where are your boasts and menaces now? O death, thou haft loft thy fting 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, that whatever plucks out the poisonous fting of affliction, must needs be an effectual remedy and cure to the afflicted person. But this the covenant of grace doth; it reveals and applies gofpel-remiffion to them that are within the bleffed bond of it. "This fhall be the covenant that I will make with the house of “Ifrael; I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their fin no more," Jer. xxxi. 33, 34. † Behold here a gracious, full, *Where is now thy threats? See there thy fury laid. Ovid. by |