Imatges de pàgina
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God, in the most raised exercises of love, delight and joy, and thus to begin the work of heaven, Return unto thy reft, O my foul, to thy rest in God and his fervice.

3. In and under any trouble he may meet with in the present world, it is a time for a faint to befpeak his foul to return to God as its reft. The Pfalmift fpeaks of such a time as this, as what he had experienced to be a proper one for it, ver. 3. The forrows of death compaffed me, and the pains of bell gat hold on me: I found trouble and forrow.

Trouble without, and forrow within. In this cafe he called upon the name of the Lord, and how low foever brought, the Lord helped him: and hereupon, how proper a feafon was it to utter himself in the text, Return unto thy reft, O my foul, to thy reft in God?

Trouble

Let no trouble drive me from God. is not fent to that end, but to engage me more humbly and earneftly to call upon him, with more favour and frequency to come to him, and to be more taken up with him than ever. Whatever troubles I meet with, there is enough in God for my relief: he has been with me in fix troubles, and in feven: when I was brought low, he helped me, and can do fo still. Wherefore return unto thy reft, O my foul: give not way defponding doubts and fears, murmurs and complaints bleffed be God there is a rest before me, O my foul, return unto it.

4. Laftly, It becomes a faint thus to speak as departing from this world at death. When the earthly house of this tabernacle is diffolving, with what words more proper can a faint breathe forth

his fpirit than these, with an eye to God and heaven, Return unto thy reft, O my foul? Thou haft found, here was not thy reft. The crea

tures confefs it is not in them, what reft thou haft had whilft here, has been in God; and what an addition will be made to it, when thou art returned to abide and dwell with him? This is that which I have waited, prayed and longed for, what I have diligently fought, and been moft follicitous about. Whilft others have defired a rest upon earth, I have begged of God, and covenanted with him, that I might have mine in himself, in heaven; and he hath graciously heard my requeft, and promised me I fhould: which promife I have lived in the faith of; and now would calmly lay down my head and die. Now therefore, Return unto thy reft, O my foul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. Which brings me to the

V. Head, viz. To fhew how the confideration of God's bountiful dealing with his people, and in what inftances, fhould engage them thus to bespeak their fouls to return unto him upon all occafions while they live, but efpecially when they come to die.

Many inftances of God's goodness may be mentioned as motives to this.

1. His bountiful dealing with them in giving them his Son, and giving him to die for them, to purchase grace to fupport them under all the troubles of life; and after all to take away from them the fting of death, and enable them to go out of this world with the lively hope of glory.

O how

O how bountifully hath God dealt with me in giving me fuch help in life, and hope at the end of it, and what after this, will he deny or hold back? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall be not with him alfo freely give us all things? Rom. viii. 32. The reft I expect by dying to pafs into, I was affured, Chrift was to purchase, and as the forerunner, is gone to prepare. Had not Chrift died, I must have started back from the thoughts of dying, full of doubts and fears about what would befal me. But how unworthy foever I am of the leaft favour, God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him, fhould not perish, but have everlasting life. Wherefore return unto thy reft, O my foul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

2. God's goodness in hearing and answering prayer, may well endear him to his people, and encourage their fouls to return to him as their rest. This the Pfalmift mentions, that he called upon the name of the Lord, and this led him to conclude, Gracious is the Lord, and righteous: yea our God is merciful, i. e. This I have experienced, and he is the fame that ever he was: he has heard and helped me, when none else could; and I trust he will not now reject and cast me off, but continue to fupport me whilst I live, and afterwards anfwer my dying request, to receive my departing fpirit: Wherefore return unto thy reft, O my foul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

3. The goodness of God in the care of his providence from firft to laft in our younger, and

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in our riper years, may farther encourage to this. How precious in this refpect have been God's thoughts towards me? How great is the fum of them? They are more in number than I can reckon up. His undeserved mercy gave me being, and caft my lot in a land and place of light: his providence hath protected and watched over me in one place, and another, in all the various cafes and conditions I have been in. As going through this wilderness to the promised land, he hath given his angels charge concerning me, and been a cloud to shelter me in the day, and a pillar of fire to guide and comfort me by night. When storms hath rifen he hath provided for me chambers of reft, and brought me into them, and in the midst of dangers hid me as in his pavilion. From how many evils hath he delivered me? and with how many bleffings filled up my days? How often hath he ftrengthened me, when flesh and heart have been ready to fail, and been better to me than even either my hopes or defires? Never did God break his promise with me, never did he fail me, nor forfake me, &c. And when fo much mercy hath encompaffed me thro' my pilgrimage thus far, how unreasonable would it be to diftruft him at laft, or entertain any other than the most amiable thoughts of him? Surely there is none like the God of Irael, who rideth upon the heavens for his people's help, and in his excellency upon the sky. The eternal God hath been my refuge and underneath everlasting arms, Deut xxxiii. 26, 27. Return therefore unto thy reft, O my foul, for the Lord bath dealt bountifully with thee.

Laftly,

Laftly, A child of God may thus fpeak from experience of the grace difplayed in the faving change made upon him; and abiding upon him. The love and grace of God pitied me in my blood, fetched me from the gates of hell, and made me fenfible of my need of a Saviour, and then kindly perfwaded and enabled me to receive him, and fo brought me into his family, and put me among his children, and hath in the moft compaffionate manner treated me as fuch. How often hath he found me weeping, and then kindly wiped away my tears, and calmed and quieted my troubled foul? How often hath he refolved my doubts, and expelled my fears? And when I have provoked him to withdraw for a time, how feasonably hath he returned, and said to my troubled foul, be still. With how ravishing a voice hath he called me, child, and given me leave, and by his Spirit enabled me to cry, Abba, Father?

He hath fhewn to my faith the glory of the New Jerufalem, and the bleffed company of thofe holy fpirits that ftand about his throne, and given me good hope that I fhall be at last with them; and in the mean time refreshed me with the first-fruits of the promised land, as the earneft of the full poffeffion.

How many comfortable hours have I had in communion with him, in publick affemblies, and in my private retirements, under the influence of his fpirit, and the manifestations of his prefence? He hath drawn forth my defires, and then met them with comfortable tokens of his favour and love. And when I go from hence,

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