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alarm, and awakens the rage both of devils and men against him. Hence Paul and Barnabas acquainted those new converts, Acts xiv. 22. "That through much tribulation they must enter in"to the kingdom of God." And we find the ftate of the church, in this world, fet out (Ifa. liv. 11.) by the fimilitude of a diftreffed fhip at fea: "O thou afflicted [and toffed] with "tempefts, and not comforted." [Toffed] as Jonah's fhip was; for the fame word is their ufed, Jonah i. 11, 13. as a veffel at fea, formed, and violently driven without rudder, mast, fail, or tacklings. Nor are we to expect freedom from thofe troubles, until harboured in heaven; fee 2 Theff. i. 7. O what large catalogues of experiences do the faints carry to heaven with them, for their various exercises, dangers, trials, and marvellous preservations and deliverances out of all! and yet all these troubles without, are nothing to those within them; from temptations, corruptions, defeṛtions, by paffion and compaffion: Befides their own, there comes daily, upon them the troubles of others; many rivulets fall into this channel and brim, yea, often overflow the banks. Pfalm xxxiv. 19. " Many are the "afflictions of the righteous."

REFLECTION. Hence fhould the graceless heart thus reflect upon itfelf, O my foul! into what a fea of troubles art thou lanched-forth! and what a fad cafe art thou in full of trouble, and full of fin; and thefe do mutually produce each other. And that which is the most dreadful consideration of all, is, that I cannot fee the end of them. As for the faints, they fuffer in the world, as well as I; but it is but for a while, 1 Pet. v. 10. and then they fuffer no more, 2 Theff. i. 7. "But all tears "fhall be wiped away from their eyes," Rev. vii. 17. But my troubles look with a long vifage, ah! they are but the begining of forrows, but a parboiling before I be roafted in the flames of God's eternal wrath. IfI continue as I am, I fhall but deceive myself, if I conclude I fhall be happy in the other world, because I have met with fo much forrow in this: For I read, Jude, ver. 7. that the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, though consumed to ashes, with all their estates and relations, (a forer temporal judgment than ever yet befel me) do, notwithstanding that, continue ftill in "everlafting chains, "under darkness, in which they are referved unto the judgment "of the great day.", Thefe troubles of the faints are fanctified to them, but mine are fruits of the curfe. They have fpiritual confolations to balance them, which flow into their fouls in

the fame height, and degree, as troubles do upon their bodies, 2 Cor. i. 5. But I am a ftranger to their comforts, and "inter"meddle not with their joys," Prov. xiv. 10. If their hearts be furcharged with trouble, they have a God to go to; and when they have opened their caufe before him, they are eased, return with comfort, and their "countenance is no more «fad," 1 Sam. i. 18. When their belly is as bottles, full of new wine, they can give it vent by pouring out of their fouls into their Father's bolom : but I have no interest in, nor acquaintance with this God, nor can I pray unto him in the Spirit. My griefs are fhut up like fire in my bofon., which preys upon my fpirit. This is my forrow, and I alone must bear it. Q my foul, look round about thee! what a miserable cafe art thou in? Reft no longer fatisfied in it, but look out for a Christ alfo. What though I am a vile, unworthy wretch? yet he promifeth to love freely, Hof. xiv. 4. and invites fuch as are heavy laden to him, Mat. xi. 28.

Hence alfo fhould the gracious foul reflect fweetly upon itfelf after this manner: And is the world fo full of trouble? O my foul! what caufe haft thou to ftand admiring at the indulgence and goodness of God to thee? Thou haft hitherto had a fmooth paffage, comparatively to what others have had. How hath divine wifdom ordered my condition, and caft my lot? Have I been chastised with whips? others with fcorpions. Have I had no peace without? fome have neither had peace without nor within, but terrors round about. Or have I felt trouble in my flesh and spirit at once? yet have they not been extreme, either for time or meafure. And hath the world been a Sodom, an Egypt to thee? Why then doft thou thus linger in it, and hanker after it? Why do I not long to be gone, and figh more heartily for deliverance? Why are the thoughts of my Lord's coming no fweeter to me, and the day of my full deliverance no more panted for? And why am I no more careful to maintain peace within, fince there is so much trouble without? Is not this it that puts weight into all outward troubles, and makes them finking, that they fall upon me when my fpirit is dark, or wounded?

The P O E M.

My foul, art thou befieged

With troubles round about?

If thou be wife, take this advice,

To keep these troubles out.

Wife men will keep their confcience as their eyes;
For in their confcience their beft treasure lies.

See you be tender of your inward peace,

That fhipwreck'd, then your mirth and joy must ceafe :
If God from you your outward comforts rend,

You'll find what need you have of fuch a friend,
If this be not by fin destroy'd and loft,

You need not fear, your peace will quit your coft.
If you'd know how to fweeten any grief,
Tho' ne'er fo great, or to procure relief
Against th' afflictions, which, like deadly darts,
Moft fatal are to men of carnal hearts;
Reject not that which confcience bids you chufe;
And chufe not you what confcience faith, refuse.
If fin you must, or mifery under lie,
Refolve to bear, and chufe the mifery.

CHA P. II.

In the vast ocean spiritual eyes defcry
God's boundless mercy, and eternity.

OBSERVATION.

HE ocean is of a vaft extent and depth, though supposed

・TH ly meafurable, yet not to be founded by man.

*

It compafieth about the whole earth, which, in the. account of Geographers, is twenty-one thousand and fix hundred miles in compafs; yet the ocean environs it on every fide, Pfalm civ. 35. and Job xi. 9. Suitable to which is that of the poet. "He fpread the feas, which then he did command, "To fwell with winds, and compass round the land." And for its depth, who can discover it? The fea in Scripture is called the deep, Job xxxviii. 30. the great deep, Gen. vii. 11. the gathering together of the waters into one place, Gen. 9. If the vafteft mountain were caft into it, it would appear no more than the head of a pin in a tun of water.

i.

APPLICATIO N.

This, in a lively manner, fhadows forth the infinite and incomprehenfible mercy of our God, whofe mercy is faid to be over all his works, Pfal. cxlv. 9. In how many sweet notions is the mercy of God represented to us in the Scripture? He is faid to be plenteous, Pfalm ciii. 8. abundant, 1 Pet. i. 3. rich in mercy, Ephef. ii. 4. then, that his mercies are unfearchable, Ephef. iii. 8. High as the heavens above the earth,"

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Tum freta diffudit rapidifque tumefcere ventis
Juffit, & ambitae circumdure littora terrae.

Ovid.

Pfalm. x. 4. which are so high and vaft, that the whole earth is but a small point to them; yea, they are not only compar ed to the heavens, but, to come home to the metaphor, to the depths of the fea, Mic. vii. 19. which can fwallow up mountains, as well as mole-hills; and in this sea God hath drowned fins of a dreadful height and aggravation, even, scarlet, crimson, (i. e.) deep-dyed with many intenfive aggravations, Ifa. i. 18. In this fea was the fin of Manaffeh drowned, and of what magnitude that was, may be feen, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 3. yea, in this ocean of mercy, did the Lord drown and cover the fins of Paul, though a blafphemer, a perfecutor, injurious, 1 Tim. i. 13. "None (faith Augustine) more fierce than Paul among "the perfecutors, and therefore none greater among finners:" To which himfelf willingly fubfcribes, 1 Tim. i. 15. yet par doned. How hath mercy rode in triumph, and been glorified upon the vileft of men! How hath it ftopped the flanderous mouths of men and devils! It hath yearned upon "Fornicators, "idolaters, adulterers, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, " éxtortioners;" to fuch have the fceptre of mercy been stretched forth, upon their unfeigned repentance and fubmission, I Cor. vi. 9. What doth the Spirit of God aim at, in fuch a large accumulation of names of mercy? but to convince poor finners of the abundant fulness and riches of it, if they will but fubmit to the terms on which it is tendered to them.

In the vastness of the ocean, we have also a lively emblem of eternity. Who can comprehend or measure the ocean, but God? And who can comprehend eternity, but he that is faid to inhabit it? Ifa. lvii. 15. Though fhallow rivers may be drained and dried up, yet the ocean cannot. And tho' these tranfitory days, months, and years will at laft expire and determine; yet eternity fhall not. O it is a long word! and -amazing matter! what is eternity, but a conftant permanency of perfons and things, in one and the fame ftate and condition for ever; putting them beyond all poffibility of change? The heathens were wont to fhadow it by a circle, or a fuake twisted round. It will be to all of us, either a perpetual day or night, which will not be measured by watches, hours, minutes. And as it cannot be measured, so neither can it ever be diminished. When thousands of years are gone, there is not a minute less to.come. Gerhard and Drexelius do both illuftrate it by this krew militude: Suppose a bird were to come once in a thousand years to fome vaft mountain of fand, and carry away in her bill one fand in a thousand years; O what a vast tine would it be, e'er that immortal bird, after that rate, fhould carry

off the mountain! and yet in time, this might be done. For there would be ftill fome diminution; but in eternity there can be none. There be three things in time, which are not competent to eternity: In time there is a fucceffion, one generation, year, and day paffeth, and another comes; but eternity is a fixed [now.] In time there is a diminution and wafting, the more is past, the less is to come. But it is not fo in eternity.

In time there is an alteration of condition and ftates: A man may be poor to-day, and rich to-morrow; fickly and difeafed this week, and well the next; now in contempt, and anon in honour: But no changes pafs upon us in eternity. As the tree falls at death and judgment, fo it lies for ever. If in heaven, there thou art a pillar, and shalt go forth no more, Rev.` iii. 12. If in hell, no redemption thence, but the fmoak of their torments afcendeth for ever and ever, Rev. xix. 3.

REFLECTION.

And is the mercy of God like the great deeps, an ocean that none can fathom? What unfpeakable comfort is this to me? may the pardoned foul fay. Did Ifrael fing a fong, when the Lord had overwhelmed their corporeal enemies in the seas ? And fhall not I break forth into his praises, who hath drowned all my fins in the depth of mercy? O my foul, blefs thou the Lord, and let his high praises ever be in thy mouth. Mayeft thou not say, that he hath gone to as high an extent and degree of mercy in pardoning thee, as ever he did in any? O my God, who is like unto thee! that pardoneth iniquity, tranfgreffion and fin. What mercy, but the mercy of a God, could, cover fuch abominations as mine?

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But O! what terrible reflections will confcience make from hence, upon all defpifers of mercy, when the finner's eyes coine to be opened too late for mercy, to do them good! We have heard indeed, that the king of heaven was a merciful king, but we would make no addrefs to him, whilft that fceptre was ftretched out. We heard of balm in Gilead, and a phyfician there, that was able and willing to cure all our wounds, but we would not commit ourselves to him. We read, that the arms of Chrift were open to embrace and receive us, but we would not. Cunparalleled folly! O foul-destroying madnefs! Now the womb of mercy is fhut up, and thall bring. forth no more mercies to me for ever. Now the gates of grace are fhut, and no cries can open them.

Mercy acted its part, and is gone off the ftage; and now justice enters the scene, and will be glorified for ever upon me. How often did I hear the bowels of compaffion founding in

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