you come off losers by me. I will make you to confess, when you see the issue and upshot of all my providences, that I was a God worthy to be trusted, worthy to be believed, worthy to be rested in and relied upon. If you walk not in my judgments, you must look for my threats and frowns; yea, and blows too; and you shall see that I am not in jest with you, nor will indulge you in your sins. Nevertheless, if you repent, and again turn unto me, I will receive you; my loving kindness will I never take from you nor suffer my faithfulness to fail, whilst you continue in my word. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. 5. His mercies, as our store. My mercies shall be your store.d I am the Father of mercies; and such a Father I will be to you.e I am the Fountain of mercies; and this Fountain shall be ever open to you. My mercies are very many, and they shall be multiplied towards you;g very great, and they shall be magnified a Isa. liv 9, 10. Mark x. 29, 30. b Psalm xxxiv.. 4, 5, 6, 8 lxxxiv, 12. cxlvi. 5. Jer. xvii. 7, 8. Psalm xxii. 4, 5. c Psalm lxxxix. 30, 31, 32, &c. Amos iii. 2. 1 Sam. xii. 15. 1 Pet. iv. 17. d Isa. xlvii. 7. lxiii. 7. Psalm cxix. 41. e2 Cor. i. 3. f Psalm xxxvi. 9. Rev. xxi. 6. g Neh. ix. 17. Isa, Iv. 7. upon you;a very sure, and they shall be for ever sure to you;b very tender, and they shall be infinitely tender of you.e Though the fig-tree do not blossom, nor the vine bear, nor the flock bring forth; fear not, for my compassions fail not.d Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your lives. Even to your old age I am he, and even to hoary hairs will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry and deliver you. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, that I will not turn away from you to do you good. I swear that I will shew you the kindness of God.h I can as soon forget to be God, as forget to be gracious.i While my name is JEHOVAH, merciful, gracious, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth," I will never forget to shew mercy to you. All my ways towards you shall be mercy and truth.k I have sworn that I would not be wroth with you, nor rebuke you; for the mountains shall depart, and the hills be moved; but my kindness shall not depart from you; neither shall the a1 Chron. xxi. 13, Gen. xix. 23. c Psalm cxix. 156. ciii. 4. Lam. iii. 22. e Psalm xxiii. 6. f Isa 19. b Isa. xxii. d Hab. iii. 17. xlvi. 4. 8 Jer. xxxii. 40. b 1 Sam. xx 14, 15, 17. XXV. 9, 10. i Psalm 1xvii. 9. j Psalm ciii. 17. xxxiv. 6, 7. k Ps. xxy. 10. Covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on you. 6. His omnisciency, as our overseer. Mine omnisciency shall be your overseer. Mine eyes shall be ever open, observing your wants, to relieve them, and your wrongs, to avenge them. Mine ears shall be ever open, to hear the prayers of my poor, the cries of mine oppressed, the elamours, the calumnies, and reproaches of your enemies. Surely I have seen your affliction, and known your sorrows: and shall not God avenge his own elect? I will avenge them speedily. I see the secret plots and designs of your enemies against you, and will disannul their counsels;e I see your secret integrity, and the uprightness of your heart towards me, while the carnal and censorious world condemns you as hypocrites. Your secret prayers, fasts, and tears, which the world knoweth not of, I observe them, and 1 record them. Your secret care to please me, your secret pains with your own hearts, your secret selfsearching and self-denial,-I see them all; a 1 Pet. iii. 12. Exod. iii. 7. b Psalm xxxiv. 15. Exed. ii. 24, 25. Zeph. ii. 8, 9, 10. Luke xviii. 2, 7, 8. d Psalm xxxvii. 12. lxxxiii. 3, 4. xxxiii. 10. Jer. xi. 19. e Isa. viii. 10. xxix. 14, 15. liv. 17. f Job i. 8, 9, 10, 11. 2 Chron. xv. 17. 8 Mat. iv. 6, 18. Acts 1. 4. and your Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward them open y 7. His Wisdom, as our counsellor. My wisdom shall be your counsellor. If any want wisdom, let him ask of me, and it shall be given him. I will be your deliver er. When you are in darkness, I will be a light to you; I will make your way plain before you. You are but short-sighted, but I will be eyes to you. I will watch over you, to bring upon you all the good I have promised, and to keep off all the evil you fear; or to turn it into good. You shall have your food in its season, and your physic in its season; mercies, afflictions, all suitable and in their season.h I will outwit your enemies, and make their oracles to speak but folly. The old serpent shall not deceive you, I will acquaint you with his devices. The deceitful hearts you fear, shall not undo you; I will discover their wiles. I know how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished. Trust a Mat. xxv. 34, 35, 36. 2 Chron. xxxiv. 27. b James i. 5. c Micah vii. 8. d Isa. xlii. 16. lvii. 14. e Isa. xlii. 6, 7. xlix. 6. fJer. xxxi. 28. xxxii. 41, 42. g Psalm xci. 10, 14. Jer. xxiv. 5. h Psalm xxiii. 2, 3. 1 Pet. i. 6. Isa. xxvi. 7, 8, 9. ilsa.. xix. 3 to 15. j2 Cor. ii. 11. 2 Pet. ii. 9. in me with all your hearts, and lean not to your own understanding;a I am God that performeth all things for you. I will forfeit the reputation of my wisdom, if I make you not to acknowledge, when you see the end of the Lord,e (though at present you wonder, and reach not the meaning of my proceedings,d) that all my works are in weight, and in number, and in time, and in order; if I force you not to cry out, "Manifold are thy works; in wisdom hast thou made them all." 8. His justice, as our avenger and rewarder. My justice shall be your avenger and rewarder. Fear not to approach; fury is not in me. My justice is not only appeased towards you, but engaged for you. I am so fully satisfied in the sacrifice of my Beloved, that justice itself, that was as a flaming sword drawn against you, doth now greatly befriend you; and that which was an amazing, confounding terror, shall now become your relief and consolation. Under all your oppressions, here shall your refuge be. Let me know your grievances, a Pro. iii. 5. b Psalm lvii. 2. James v. 11. d Jer. xii. 1. Eccl. iii. 1, 14. fPsalm xxxiii. 4. 24. 2 Thes. i. 6. 2 Tim. iv. 8. xii. 1 j Eccl. iii. 17. v. 8. xcvii. 1. xcix. 1. k Psalm cxlv. 10. civ. |
