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SERM. XXXII. Baines how the cafe ftood with his foul, he anfwered; fupports I have, tho' fuavities I want. Our father, in this, deals with us, as we ourtelves fometimes do with a child that is stubborn and rebellious. We turn him out of doors, and bid him be gone out of our fight; and there he fighs and weeps; but, however, for the humbling of him, we will not prefently take him into house and favour: yet we order, at least, permit the fervants to carry him meat and drink. Here his fatherly care, and fupport, though no former fimiles, or manifefted delights.

Secondly, Though God deferted Chrift, yet he deferted not God: his father forfook him, but he could not forfake his father, but followed him with this cry, "My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me?"

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And is it not even fo with you? God goes off from your fouls, but you cannot go off from him. No, your hearts are mourning after the Lord, feeking him carefully with tears: complaining of his abfence, as the greateft evil in this world. This is Chrift-like fo it was with the fpoufe, Cant. iii. 1, 2. Her beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone; but was the content to part with him fo? No fuch thing. "By night, on my bed, I fought him whom my foul loveth; I fought him, but "I found him not: Iwill arise now, and go about the city," &c. Thirdly, Though God forfook Chrift, yet he returned to him again. It was but for a time, not for ever. In this alfo doth his defertion parallel yours. God may, for feveral wife and holy reafons, hide his face from you, but not fo as it is bid from the damned, who fhall never fee it again. This cloud will pafs away; this night fhall have a bright morning: "For (faith thy God) will not contend for ever, neither will I be always "wroth; for the fpirit fhall fail before me, and the fouls which "I have made." As if he should fay, I may contend with him for a time, to humble him, but not for ever, left, instead of a fad child, I fhould have a dead child. Oh the tenderness even of a difpleafed father!

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Fourthly, Though God forfook Chrift, yet, at that time, he could juftify God. So you read, Pfal. xxii. 2, 3. "O my God

(faith he) I cry in the day-time, but thou heareft not; and in "the night-feafon, and am not filent: but thou art boly." Is not thy fpirit, according to the measure, framed like Chrift's in this; canft thou not fay, even when he writes bitter things against thee, he is a holy, faithful, and good God for all this? I am deferted but not wronged. There is not one drop of injuftice in all the fea of my forrows. Though he condemn me, I muft, and will juftify him; this alfo is Chrift-like.

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Fifthly, Though God took from Chrift all visible and fenfible comforts, inward as well as outward; yet Christ subsisted, by faith, in the abfence of them all his defertion put him upon the acting of his faith. My God, my God, are words of faith; the words of one that wholly depends upon his God: and is it not fo with you too? Senfe of love is gone, fweet fights of God fhut up in a dark cloud; well, what then? must thy hands presently hang down, and thy foul give up all its hopes? what is there no faith to relieve in this cafe? Yes, yes, and bleffed be God for faith. Who is among you that feareth "the Lord, and obeyeth the voice of his fervants, that walk"eth in darknefs, and hath no light; let him' truff in the name "of the Lord, and ftay himfelf upon his God," Ifa. I. 10. To conclude,

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Sixthly, Chrift was deferted, a little before the glorious morning of light and joy dawned upon him. It was a little, a very little while, after this fad cry, before he triumphed glorioufly; and fo it may be with you: heavinets may endure for a night, but joy and gladness will come in the morning. You know how Mr. Glover was tranfported with joy, and cried out, as a man in a rapture, O Austin! he is come, he is come, he is come, meaning the comforter, who for fome time had been abfent from his foul.

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But, I fear I am abfolutely and finally forfaken.

Why fo? Do you find the characters of fuch a defertion upyour foul? Be righteous judges, and tell me, whether you find an heart willing to forfake God? Is it indifferent to you whether God ever return again or no? Are there no mournings, meltings, or thirstings after the Lord? Indeed, if you forfake him, he will caft you off for ever; but can you do fo? Oh, no, let him do what he will, I am refolved to wait for him, cleave to him, mourn after him, though I have no prefent comfort from him, no affurance of my intereft in him; yet will [ not exchange my poor weak hopes for all the good in this world.

Again, you fay God hath forfaken you, but hath he let loofe the bridle before you? To allude to job xxx. 11. Hath he taken away from your fouls all confcientious tenderness of fin, fo that now you can fin freely, and without any regret? If so, it is a fad token indeed: tell me foul, if thou, indeed, judgest God will never return in loving-kindness to thee any more; why doft thou not then give thyfelf over to the pleasures of fin, and fetch thy comforts that way, from the creature, fince thou canst have no comfort from thy God? Oh, no, I cannot do fo; if I die VOL. I. LIF

in darkness and forrow, I will never do fo: my foul is as full of fear and hatred of fin as ever, though empty of joy and comfort. Surely, thefe are no tokens of a foul finally abandoned by its God.

Inference 4. Did God forfake his own Son upon the cross? Then the dearest of God's people may, for a time, be forfaken of their God. Think it not ftrange, when you, that are the children of light, meet with darknefs, yea, and walk in it; neither charge God foolishly; nor fay he deals hardly with you. You fee what befel Jefus Chrift, whom his foul delighted in: It is doubtless your concernment to expect and prepare for days of darkness. You have heard the doleful cry of Chrift, "My God, 66 my God, why haft thou foríaken me ?" You know how it was with Job, David, Heman, Afaph, and many others, the dear fervants of God, what heart-melting lamentations they have made upon this account; and are you better than they? Oh, prepare for fpiritual troubles; I am fure you do enough every day to involve you in darkness. Now, if at any time this trial befal you, mind these two seasonable admonitions, and lay them up for fuch a time.

Admonition 1. First, Exercife the faith of adherence, when you have lost the faith of evidence. When God takes away that, he leaves this: that is neceffary to the comfort, this to the life of his people. It is fweet to live in views of your intereft, but if they be gone, believe and rely on God for an intereft. Stay yourselves on your God when you have no light, Ifa. 1. 10. Drop this anchor in the dark, and do not reckon all gone when evidence is gone: never reckon yourselves undone whilft you can adhere to your God. Direct acts are noble acts of faith, as well as reflexive ones; yea, and in fome respects to be preferred to them. For,

Firft, As your comfort depends on the evidencing acts of faith, so your falvation upon the adhering act of faith. Evidence comforts, affiance faves you; and, fure, falvation is more than comfort.

Secondly, Your faith of evidence hath more fenfible sweetnefs, but your faith of adherence is of more conftancy and continuance the former is as a flower in its month, the latter sticks by you all the year.

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Thirdly, Faith of evidence brings more joy to you, but faith of adherence brings more glory to God: for, thereby you truft him when you cannot fee him; yea, you believe not only without, but againft fenfe and feeling; and, doubtless, that which brings glory to God, is better than that which brings comfort to you. O then exercise this, when you have loft that.

Admonition 2. Secondly, Take the right method to recover the fweet light which you have finned away from your fouls. Do not go about from one to another complaining; nor yet fit down defponding under your burden. But,

Firft, Search diligently after the caufe of God's withdrawment: urge him hard, by prayer, to tell thee wherefore he contends with thee, Job. x. 2. Say, Lord, what have I done that fo offends thy fpirit? What evil is it which thou fo rebukest? I beseech thee fhew me the caule of thine anger: have I grieved thy fpirit in this thing, or in that? Was it my neglect of duty, or my formality in duties? Was I not thankful for the fenfe of thy love, when it was fhed abroad in my heart? O Lord, why is it thus with me?

Secondly, Humble your fouls before the Lord for every evil you shall be convinced of: tell him, it pierces your hearts that you have fo difpleafed him, and that it fhall be a caution to you, whilft you live, never to return again to folly invite him again to your fouls, and mourn after the Lord till you have found him : If you feek him, he will be found of you, 2 Cor. xv. 2. It may be you shall have a thousand comforters come about your fad fouls, in fuch a time, to comfort them: this will be to you inftead of God, and that will repair your lofs of Christ: defpife them all, and fay, I am refolved to fit as a widow till Chrift return; he, or none, shall have my love.

Thirdly, Wait on the use of means till Chrift return. O be not difcouraged; though he tarry, wait you for him; for, blessed are all they that wait for him.

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Opens the fifth excellent Saying of CHRIST upon the Crofs.

JOHN xix. 28. After this, Jefus knowing all things were now accomplished, that the fcripture might be fulfilled, faith, Ithirst.

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T is as truly, as commonly faid, death is dry: Christ found it fo, when he died. When his fpirit laboured in the agonies of death, then he said, I thirst.

This is the fifth word of Chrift upon the crofs, fpoken a little before he bowed the head and yielded up the ghoft. It is only

recorded by this evangelift; and, there are four things remarkable in this complaint of Chrift, viz. The perfon complaining: the complaint he made. The time when, and the reafon why he fo complained.

Firft, The perfon complaining. Fefus faid I thirft. This is a clear evidence, that it was no con mon fuffering: great and refolute fpirits will not complain for mall matters. The fpirit of a common man will endure much, before it utters any complaint. Let us therefore fee,

Secondly, The affliction, or fuffering, he complains of; and that is thirst. There are two forts of thirst, one natural and proper, another fpiritual and figurative: Chrift felt both at this time. His foul thirfted, in vehement defires and longings, to accomplish and finish that great and difficult work he was now about; and his body thirfted, by reafon of those unparalleled agonies it laboured under, for the accomplishing thereof: but it was the proper natural thirft he here intends, when he faid, I thirft. Now, "this natural thirft," of which he complains,

is the raging of the appetite for moift nourishment, ariling "from fcorching up of the parts of the body for want of moi"fture *." And, amongst all the pains and afflictions of the body, there can scarcely be named a greater, and more intolerable one, than extreme thirft. The moft mighty and valiant have Пtooped under it. Mighty Samfon, after all his conquests and victories complains thus, Judges xv. 18. "And he was fore a"thirft, and called on the Lord, and faid, thou hast given this 86 great deliverance into the hand of thy fervant, and now shall "I die for thirft, and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?" Great Darius drank filthy water, defiled with the bodies of the flain, to relieve his thirst, "and protested, never any drink was

more pleasant to him t." Hence, Ifa. xli. 17. thirst is put to express the most afflicted ftate. "When the poor and needy "feek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for "thirst, I the Lord will hear them;" (i. e.) when my people are in extreme neceffities, under any extraordinary preffures and diftreffes, I will be with them, to fupply and relieve them. Thirst causes a most painful compreffion of the heart, when the body, like a fpunge, fucks and draws for moisture, and there is none. And this may be occafioned, either by long abftinence

Sitis eft cupiditas nutrimenti, potiffimum bumidi orta ex arefactione partium corporis animalis, qua irrigatione egent. Kerkerm Phyf. p. 404.

Gujufmodi voluptatis hactenus inexpertus fui? Plut.

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