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the truth of the gospel be confirmed by their sufferings, and a testimony be borne against the world. It may be also, that God hath so ordained things, that the straits and persecutions of the church shall tend more to the furtherance of the gospel and the interest of Christ, than its peace and tranquillity would do; and in such a season God hath furnished his people with other promises which they ought to mix with faith; and which shall undoubtedly be accomplished. $9. And we may learn hence,

1. In any condition wherein we judge ourselves to be called to plead any promises of God, and to have an expectation of their accomplishment, not to make haste. We see how many occasions there may be of retarding the actual accomplishment of promises; our wisdom and duty therefore is, to leave that to his sovereign pleasure, and to live upon his truth, goodness, and faithfulness in them. They shall all be hastened in their appointed time.

2. Again: when the accomplishment of promises seemeth to be deferred, we are not to faint in our duty. The benefit we have by the accomplishment of promises, is not the sole end why they are given us. God intends to exercisé all our graces; our faith, patience, obedience, and submission. Something of this nature befell the "father of the faithful" himself; he had received the great promise that "in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed;" many years after this he was childless, until his own body (as well as Sarah's womb) was in a manner dead; his remaining hope was above hope, or all rational apparent grounds of it. This once put him so to it, that he cried, "Lord, what wilt thou do for me, seeing I go childless?" All this while God was bringing him "to his foot," training him up to obedience, submission,

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and dependence upon himself. When therefore we consider any promises of God, and do not find ourselves actually possessed of the things promised; our duty is to apply ourselves to what in our present station is required of us, and not to faint, or charge the Lord as unjust, all whose ways are mercy and truth, and whose promises are firm and steadfast.

VERSE 7.

Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, to-day, after so long a time; as it is said, to-day, If ye will hear his voice, har. den not your hearts.

$1, 2. (I.) The words explained. $3. (II.) Observations. 1. In reading and hearing the scripture, we ought to consider that God speaks to us. §4. 2. The holy scripture is an inexhaustible repository of spiritual truths. $5. 3. Many important truths lie deep and secret in the scripture, and therefore require à very dingent search. $6. Use of reproof and direction.

§1. (I.) "AGAIN, he limiteth a certain day." (Пaw) Again; it may denote either the repetition of an old act, or the introduction of a new testimony; but it rather expresses here the repetition of the thing spoken, and is to be joined in construction with "he limiteth," or "he limiteth again."-(Opígɛı) “He limiteth;" that is, absolutely, God doth so, whose authority alone in these things is the rule of our faith and obedience, particularly the Holy Ghost; this limitation being made in the scriptures which were given by his immediate and peculiar inspiration, 2 Pet. i, 21. "Limiteth;" that is, either describes, or defineth it in a prophetical prediction, or determineth and appoints it by an authoritative institution. He describes it in itself, and appoints it unto us. The word may comprise both; and we have no ground to exclude either.

(Tiva nuɛpav) A certain day; that is, another determinate day, in answer to the days before-mentioned, and

whose season was now elapsed. It is certain that the apostle doth principally intend to evince, the new rest of God under the gospel, and to persuade the Hebrews to secure their entrance into it, and possession of it. But he here changeth his terms, and calls it not a rest, but proposeth it from the psalmist under the notion of a day, and this he doth because he had before proved and illustrated the rest of God, from the day that was set apart as a pledge and means of it, as also because he designs to manifest that there is another day determined, as a pledge and representation of this new rest, or as an especial season for the enjoyment of its privileges.

§2. (Znμεрov) To-day; the day he intends is that which in the psalmist is called (n) to-day, the former day he called (εẞdov) the 'seventh' day, but this new spiritual rest in Christ by the gospel, is to have another day to express it. Thus is 'to-day' in the psalmist left at liberty to be any day in the prophecy, but limited to the first by the resurrection of Christ. 'Speaking in David,' who was the person by whom this matter was revealed to the church, in a psalm that he composed, by divine inspiration, for that purpose: for the scripture is the voice of God, and he always speaks to us thereby; and itself is said to speak, because of God's speaking in it. After so long a time;' the date of this time is to be taken either from the coming of the Israelites out of Egypt, or from the second year after, when the spies were sent to search the land; a space of about five hundred years; so that our apostle might well call it, 'after so long a time;' or so great a space of time.

§3. (II.) The remaining words of this verse have been opened before; we shall therefore proceed to some improving observations:

Obs. 1. In reading and hearing the scripture, we ought to consider that God speaks to us in and by it.

'He saith;' that is, God saith; or, more especially, the Holy Ghost. He both spake in David, in the inspiration of that psalm; and by David, or, in the psalm, he spake to us. This alone will give us that reverence and subjection of soul and conscience to the word of God, which are required of us, and which are necessary, that we have benefit thereby. In that kind of careless deportment, whereby men hear the word and immediately lose it; this is not the least evil, that they do not sufficiently consider whose word it is, and who speaks it immediately to them; and to prevent this, God doth not only preface what he speaks with, "Thus saith the Lord,' but oftentimes adjoins such of his attributes and excellencies, as are suited to beget an awe and reverence in our hearts, both of him that speaketh, and what is spoken.

§4. Obs. 2. The holy scripture is an inexhaustible repository of spiritual mysteries and sacred truths. We had never known what is in the Old Testament, had it not been for the New, Luke xxiv, 45, and we should never know fully what is in the New Testament, were it not for heaven and glory, where we shall know as we are known, 1 Cor. xiii, 12. It may be some will say, they can see none of these stores, can find little or nothing of these riches. It may be so; for this treasure is such, as men can see little of it. if they have not a guide and a light. Let a treasury that is made deep, or closely immured, be filled never so full with gold and precious things, yet if you turn a man to it in the dark, he can see nothing that is desirable; but rather feel an horror and a fear come upon him. It is by the Spirit of Christ, and the light of the gospel, that this vail of darkness and blindness is taken away. But what are these excellencies and riches? We reply; here is the mystery of his love,

grace, wisdom, righteousness, and holiness, in Christ Jesus. There is in it the whole counsel of God, concerning his own worship, and the whole of that obedience which he requires of us, that we may come to be accepted with him here, and to the eternal enjoyment of him in glory. There is in it a glorious discovery of the eternal Being, or nature of God, with its glorious essential excellencies, so far as we are capable of an encouraging contemplation of them in this world. Again, the souls of believers are carried, by the aids of these revealed mysteries, out of this world, and have future eternal glories presented to them. Now, how large, how extensive, and unsearchable must that repository of mysterious truths be, wherein all these things, with all the particulars whereinto they branch themselves, all the whole intercourse between God and man in all ages are stored! O heavenly! Q blessed depositum of Divine grace and goodness!

$5. Obs. 3. Many important truths lie deep and secret in the scripture, requiring a very diligent search in their investigation, and for their discovery. And the reason why in this place I insist on these things, is not so much to explain the sense of it, as to vindicate the way of our apostle's arguing, and of citing testimonies out of scripture, with his exposition and application of them. That which we are therefore to inquire into for our own advantage, is the ways and means whereby a due search may be made into the scriptures, and what is necessarily required thereto, so that we may not fail of light and instruction; and they are, amongst others, these that follow:

(1.) A humble, teachable frame of spirit; this is the great preparation for the soul's admittance into the TREASURY of sacred truths. Go to the reading, hearing, or studying of the scripture with hearts sensible of

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