Part 2

Perhaps the pious Prophet here personating the church, spoke this in allusion to the city or inhabitants of Babylon, who had long been enemies to Israel’s God, and to the people of Jerusalem. These triumphed to see them forsaken, desolate, afflicted, and led into a state of captivity; to see them bowed down and punished because of their sins. The spirit of holy confidence and prophecy inspired the church, and she utters the voice of the text, and adds a very solemn declaration:—_Thus she that is mine enemy_, _shall see it_; _shame shall cover her_; _she shall be trodden down as mire in the streets_. When God had set his people free; when all the grand ends of his chastisement were answered; then he poured out his vengeance on those who afflicted them. Hence he calls his enemies his rod, his staff, his sword, which when he is done with them, he will lay them aside, or devote them to destruction. For what God intends, and they intend, is very different. God intends their spiritual growth, their holiness, and final felicity: they intend their destruction. And as they act from a base principle, after God’s purposes are accomplished, he punishes their enemies. _He that leadeth into captivity_, _shall go into captivity_: _he that killeth with the sword_, _shall die by the sword_. I refer my afflicted friends to the 30th chap. of _Jeremiah_; and I intreat any cruel foe to read the 16th verse, and remember it is the voice of a God that _cannot_ lie. I must just observe that I do not speak this in reference to the administrators of justice, for they bear not the sword in vain, they are the ordinance of God, and should be feared, and revered, and woe unto those who resist this ordinance. But I speak the above truths in reference to all cruel, unjust persecutors; to liars, false swearers, perjurers, and peace murders; verily they have their full reward, therefore they have very little cause to rejoice. This leads me to notice the falls of the believer; and these alas! are daily! Solomon says, they fall seven times, but rise again, because of the work of the Lord upon them, and because the love and mercy of the Lord endureth for ever. They can never fall out of his heart, nor out of his arm, nor out of his covenant, nor out of his thoughts, for they that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, as the covenant of grace, which can never be moved. But though this is a most glorious Scripture truth, yet in themselves considered, and situated as they are, in an enemy’s land, surrounded by snares and traps, trials and temptations, from without and within, Satan and a corrupt heart, the prevalency of error, and the aboundings of impiety, the poor believer is in constant danger of falling, in constant need or divine keeping, and in constant need of that humble petition, _Hold thou me up and I shall be safe_. The Lord permits his children often to fall, but never to turn enemies to the truth, to mount the scorner’s chair, or really to apostatize—backslide in heart and conduct they do, _but_ apostatize they never shall, they never can; they may fall into _sin_, as the most eminent saints have, which has caused them many a heart-break; they may fall into spiritual distress, even after they have been sweetly led along, as David, Job, and Hezekiah did—they may fall into some _temptations_, from which scarcely any of the children of God are exempt; they may fall from their _first_ love, which the Saviour complains of one of the Churches, they may fall into gross errors for a time, as Peter and others have, through an accommodating spirit to the manners of the times. They may fall into _persecution_ as Daniel predicted. Many among them shall fall by the sword, by fire, by spoil, and by captivity many days: but they shall be holpen with a little help. But they may fall into _trouble_, as was the case with the Church, to which the text refers. These may be sent by the hand of God in a sovereign way. These may befal a Believer, from the world and from false brethren—they may be brought very low, into deep poverty, sore affliction, and great embarrasments; to these things, the brightest saints upon earth are liable, and the Lord may bring upon them sore and great troubles when they need it; and I believe the Lord never does it without a reason—for he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. There is, doubtless, a need for every cross and for every enemy; but the fall the Church alludes to in the text, is not a fall into sin, but a fall into trouble; and while we lament their miseries, may we not exclaim, _Is there not a cause_? And perhaps, if we were deeply to investigate the trouble of God’s children, we might be able to trace a cause. The Church of Jerusalem was in deep tribulation, but was not their Sins the sad cause? Had they not been negligent of the daily sacrifices, of the Sabbath day, and of many other duties, which pointed out the only possible method of Salvation, by the doing and dying of Jesus?—therefore, while these were forsaken, Christ was despised; and how has the great Apostle applied this subject—_How shall we escape if we neglect so great a Salvation_? And am I not speaking to some this morning who are highly culpable of sad neglect of the dear Saviour? All backsliding begins here—secret neglect of Jesus! then all the sad consequences follow—love of the world, an inordinate love of the creature, levity of manners, indulgence of secret sin, with a sad train of evils beside; for these things sake the rod is sent, trials fall heavy; the hand of God is seen in his disapprobation of a sinful conduct, but woe, woe unto that people where this is the case and the hand of God does not fall on them; better be under his chastening hand, learning wisdom and receiving instruction from all we meet with, than be left to receive the dreadful sentence, _He is joined to idols_, _let him alone_!

The troubles of the Church are called in the text, _a fall_, and so it is: and they are likewise described as _sitting in darkness_. _Sitting_—no doubt this is intended to shew that their trials were to be of a long duration. The captivity lasted seventy years; but the Lord assured them he would not leave them in that state, and at the close of the allotted time, he would appear for their deliverance. These things were written for our instruction and comfort. The Lord has promised to deliver us, and he will be our helper until that time comes, then he will appear in his own way, and cause us to subscribe with the hand _God is faithful_. How long our trials may last on the present occasion, we know not; but of this we are certain, that the God of all grace who hath called us to his kingdom and glory—after we have suffered a while will make us perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us—only we want patience to have her perfect work, that after we have done the will of God by suffering, we may receive the promises of deliverance. All is dark at present, evidences of interest are very low; a gloomy cloud sits on the Tabernacle—providences are very dark, and we may be much in the dark about God’s designs, and this darkness may continue a long time. Here some Believers are said to walk in darkness, without light; though the darkness of ignorance is past, yet much still remains, and we are the subjects of much darkness within as well as without; yet we are encouraged to trust in Jesus, and stay our minds upon a God in Christ, until sensible comforts and conspicuous deliverances arise—and they will come, the morning will dawn, Jesus will appear, though it may not be until the fourth watch of the night, then he may shew himself, treading on the proud waves of our trouble, and enemies, and until then the Lord has promised to be our strength and our comfort. Faith being enabled to give credit to the word of Jesus confidently asserts, _When I fall I shall arise_—when I fall into trouble, the Lord will take that opportunity to alarm my fears, and stir me up to prayer. This will lead faith to act upon its proper object; for prayer and faith are inseparable companions—faith without prayer is presumption, and prayer without faith is ignorance. Fervency in prayer, strengthens faith, and confidence is the assurance of faith; this is begot in the mind by the Spirit, and encouraged by many sweet tokens of covenant love; and the church having been so highly favoured, was enabled to believe the Lord would be with her, according to his word; and though it was her misery to fall into trouble, yet it was her mercy that the Lord had engaged to be with her in trouble, and she was enabled to triumph: when I fall, that fall will terminate for my good, for all things work together for good to them that love God, as well as all things work together for evil against them that hate God. This confidence, founded on the person of Christ, his work, his promises, and his faithfulness, is not to be cast away in time of trouble, but it is to be exercised as in Paul’s case, (27th _Acts_) when on board a Ship, he said, _but I believe it shall be as God has told me_—and no matter what Satan, carnal reason, unbelief, ill-natured professors, nor mistaken possessors would say about the matter, What saith the scripture? “Fear not to go down into Egypt; I am with thee; I will help thee;”—and “because he hath set his love upon me, I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him.” And this is as true as God is God; and so you will all find it some time or other. _The Lord will be a light unto me_: This was the Psalmist’s comfort, _The Lord is my light and my salvation_, _whom shall I fear_? Christ is the light of life, and all the light we have in a way of covenant grace, we have from him; he is the glorious luminary which creates the present, and he will be the future, day of his church; their sun then shall no more go down. This term, _light_, is perhaps one of the most comprehensive—it includes all that a gracious God and father is to his chosen people. God is love—God is light; he is the light of grace in the covenant, the light of truth in the scriptures, the light of life in the heart, and the light of love in the church. In his light we see light; by his own beams we see his glory, we see his person, we feel his love, and by the light of his countenance we know we are pardoned and justified, adopted, and chosen; and this honour have all the saints, more or less: Hence that most invaluable promise, _Unto you that fear my name_, _shall the sun of righteousness arise_, (the sun of _justification_, the learned say) _with healing in his beams_. For every ray of light, every influence of his love, every manifestation of his favour, is a ray or beam from him who is our justification before God, and whose dear, gracious, glorious, and precious name is _Jehovah our righteousness_. What God is to us in all his covenant characters, what Jesus is in all his excellencies, and what the holy and eternal Spirit is in all his blessed offices; this is our light, our joy, our strength, and our all in all. And very frequently the Lord takes the opportunity of manifesting himself the clearer, when the church is in her darkest state—man’s extremity was ever God’s opportunity. May he be our light in the present darkness, and may the light of his countenance shine upon your souls when I am separated from you. Farewell, my dear friends! forbid even the whisper of complaint—

_Tho’ painful at present_, _’twill cease before long_, _And then_, _O how pleasant the conqueror’s song_.

Permit me here to drop a few words more. Suffer the word of exhortation. As a church, many among you have professed to receive the word with power in this place, and among this people, by my feeble instrumentality. Let me beg of you to keep near to the Saviour by secret, humble, and fervent prayer, that your minds may be more divinely opened, to receive Jesus as set forth in the gospel—that God will condescend to raise up a more able, more faithful, and more useful preacher—that you may be fed with the sincere milk of the word, and with _strong meat_, as the apostle describes the great things of God. Let me intreat you to walk in love and humility together. Let me beg of you all to avoid sin, secret and public; I mean, as to the commission of it; and by looking to Jesus, to get rid of the guilt, power, and love of it. Let your conversation be as becometh the gospel of Christ; and it will be the joy of my heart when I am gone from you, to hear that you are walking in the truth, that many are added to you, whose experience, views, and conduct, are consistent with the Gospel. _Walk in love_, _and the God of love and peace be with you all_. Amen.

I conclude this humble farewell address, in that devout Prayer of the Litany of the Church of England.

“_O God_, _merciful Father_, _that despiseth not the sighing of a contrite heart_, _nor the desires of such as be sorrowful_; _mercifully assist our prayers that we make before thee in all our troubles and adversities_, _whensoever they oppress us_; _and graciously hear us_, _that those evils_, _which the craft and subtilty of the Devil or man worketh against us_, _be brought to nought_; _and by the providence of thy goodness_, _they may be dispersed_; _that we thy servants being hurt by no persecutions_, _may evermore give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church_, _through Jesus Christ our Lord_.” _Amen_.

* * * * *

Finis.

* * * * *

Printed by R. THOMAS, Red Lion Street, BOROUGH.