wind in the day of the east-wind. The deftroying axe being threatened, mercy has prevailed to hold with the pruning-knife; and God has lightly afflicted, when juftly he might have made his ftrokes heavy to a pitch.

Lastly, By putting a ftop even to the courfe of leffer ftrokes, when he might have carried them on to the making of a full end, Jer. v. 10. Go ye up up-. on her walls, and deftroy, but make not a full end: take away her battlements, for they are not the Lord's. He returns and does them good, after he has done them evil. Having pinched them a while, in mercy he relieves them, looses their bands, and lays meat again before them.

III. I fhall give the reasons why mercy thus interpofeth for the relief of such a people on the brink of ruin.

1. Because of a mourning and serious remnant that may be among them, endeavouring to keep their garments clean, as God would have fpared Sodom, if there had been but ten righteous perfons found in it, Gen. xviii. 32. In public calamities they readily bear their fhare, and the Lord himself has a fympathy with them in their afflictions, as he had with Ifrael, If. lxiii. 9. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his prefence faved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them, and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. And therefore he extends mercy to the community where in they are. And he has a regard to their prayers and fupplications in that cafe; Exod. xxxii. 10. Now therefore let me alone, fays the Lord to Mofes, that my wrath may wax hot against them.

2. Because of the infolence wherewith their enemies would carry themselves, both towards God and them, if God fhould give up with them. Many a time the church is more obliged for prefervation to the infolent temper of her enemies, than to the

good difpofition of many of her members; Deut. xxxii. 26. 27. I faid, I would fcatter them into corners, faid the Lord of Ifrael of old, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, left their adverfaries fhould behave themselves firangely, and left they should fay, Our hand is high, and the Lord hath not done all this. The blafphemies of a Popish and malignant party have been a plea for mercy to keep us hitherto out of their hands.

Lastly, Because God has a peculiar delight in mercy, it is his darling attribute, Micah vii. 18. As the bee naturally gives honey, but does not fting, except when it is irritated and provoked; fo God readily goes into the fide of mercy, and does not punifh but when provoked to anger, Lam. iii. 33. For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. It is his strange act, If. xxviii. 21. For the Lord fhall rise up as in mount Perazim, he ball be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his ftrange work; and bring to pass his acts his firange act.

I fhall conclude with a very fhort improvement. This day this fcripture is fulfilled in our eyes, as it has been many a day. Had the fummer been of a piece with the threatening unnatural-like fpring, it was hard as it was; but it would have been far more fo. Had this harvest misgiven as it fome time threatened, what a heavy condition would the country have been in for want of bread! Therefore,

1. Let us be thankful to God, whofe mercy interpofed feasonably for our relief, when we were on the brink of ruin. To that we must attribute the relief, not to our own behaviour. For the fins of the generation, the Atheism, blafphemy, profaneness, unfruitfulness under the gofpel, added to the fins of former times, with the killing aggravations thereof, demanded ruining strokes.

2. Let us own God to be a gracious God, flow to wrath; faying with David, Pfal. cxix. 68. Thou art good, and'doft good. And Pfal. cxlv. 8. 9. The Lord is gracious, and full of compaffion; flow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his

tender mercies are over all his other works. Let his goodness lead and excite us to repentance, and to a more confcientious ufe of plenty; and learn to fear the Lord, and his goodness, Hof. iii. 5. walking humbly before him in a fenfe of undeferved favours. Jacob's example is worthy of our imitation in this matter, Gen. xxxii. 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, (fays he), and of all the truth, which thou haft fhewed unto thy fervant.

3. Let us know that this kind dealing will render us inexcufable, if we repent not, and turn from all our fins unto God through Christ. The favourable interpofitions of his providence towards us, time after time, not having their defigned effect upon us, in melting us, our guilt will thereby be fearfully heightened. See in what light the Lord confiders fuch conduct, and how he represents it, lf. i. 1. 2. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath Spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Ifrael doth not know, my people doth not confider.

Laftly, Ruining ftrokes coming on after fuch workings of mercy, will go to the quick, and bring double ruin on the generation. The more mercy

has prevailed to ward off judgements, the heavier will judgements be when they come. Knowing therefore the terrors of the Lord, let us be induced to return unto him in the exercise of faith, gofpel-repentance, and reformation according to his word.

The duty of owning God in our civil Affairs recommended and urged.

A

SERMON

Preached at ETTRICK, March 22. 1719.

JOSHUA ix. 14.

And the men took of their victuals, and afked not coun fel at the mouth of the Lord.

A1

MONG the evidences of the decay of religion at this day, it is none of the leaft, that God and his law are fo little owned and looked to, in managing of civil affairs. Many in these affairs, though of great weight, have little or no use at all for their religion. Men can difpofe of themselves and families, and enter into bargains and contracts, without ever looking further than their worldly interest or fancy. This is the time of year wherein the throng of that kind comes in. And I would caution you against forgetting God in thefe matters.

In the text we have the error of the princes of Ifrael in their managing of their bargain with the Gibeonites, which was difpleafing and dishonourable to God, uncomfortable to themselves when they faw afterwards how they had been outwitted, but could not mend themselves, and offenfive to the congregation. Their error lay in these two things.

1. Their leaning to their own understanding in the whole management of the bufinefs: The men, the princes of Ifrael, took of their victuals, their mouldy provifion. They did not this out of any

want

want of victuals of their own, nor fondnefs they had for theirs, nor as feafting with them upon them, for they would have made but a very unpleafant meal. But they did it to examine the truth of their representation; and by their handling and tafting of them they found they were old and dry, and upon this infufficient proof were fatisfied, that all was as was reprefented, and fo proceeded to cove-nant with them.

No

2. Not owning of God in the bufinefs. They might and ought to have afked the Lord's mind in this matter, and to have walked by his direction. But as if they had been independent of God in such matters, and had been wife enough to fee to themfelves, they never owned God in the matter. doubt they thought they needed not, that it was a plain cafe: but therein they find their rashness mires them afterward. Had they firft afked counsel of God, and then taken of their victuals, they had discovered the cheat, and kept their confciences clean. But they left God, and God left them, in the business.

DocT. As it is the duty of all to own and acknow ledge God in their civil affairs, and business with men in the world; fo God takes notice of, and is much difpleafed with mens not owning of him in thefe.

In difcourfing from this point, I fhall,

I. Give the reafons of the doctrine.

II. Shew whence it is that men do not own God in their affairs.

III. Apply

I. I am to give the reafons of the doctrine. Confi der,

1. God's command binds us peremptorily to own him in all our ways without exception, Prov. iii. 6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. We must take our religion along with us,