This promife then, I will never leave thee, it fays, that fomething of God is ever with them, and in them. They have in them a well of water, fpringing up tó everlafting life, John iv. 14. God loves to ftay where once he comes, I will not leave thee.-It fays alfo, that he will not ftay away: though he hides himself out of fight, he will not be long away. It fays, that in whatever respect he may be faid to leave them for a while, yet he will return to their joy;、" Now you have forrow; but I will fee you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you," John xvi. 22.-It fays, there are fome things God will never deprive them of, never take away from them. He will never take away his love and favour; for he hath loved them with an everlafting love. He will never take away his covenant of peace and of promife from them;

The mountains fhall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness fhall not depart from thee, neither fhall the covenant of my peace be removed, Ifa. liv. 10. I will never leave thee, nor forfake thee," Heb. xiii. 5.

5ibly, The next queftion is, In what fenfe it is faid of Jacob, and of all the fpiritual feed of Jacob, that God will not leave them, until he hath done that which he hath spoken to them of? To explain this a little further, I fhall fhew, 1. In what fense we are to underftand this interim-promise, I will not leave thee. 2. In what fenfe we are to understand this partiele, until, which feems to point at a period of this promife.

[1.] In what fenfe are we to understand this interimpromife, I will not leave thee? Why, whatever way he may be faid to leave his people, yet,

(1.) He will never leave them Godlefs, but will ftill be their God: for, his covenant with them is, I will be their God: they can never be fo far left, but that God is ftill their God, and they may ftill go to him as their God.

2. He will never leave them Christless: he hath given Chrift, the unfpeakable gift of God, to them; and he will never recal that gift; "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance" they fhall ftill have Chrift in them the hope of glory. Hence,

3. He will never leave them Spiritlefs: he hath given his Spirit to you who are believers; and this anointing which you have received of him, abides in you; "I will pray the Father, and he fhall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever," John xiv. 16. The Spirit may be hid in the believer, but never abfent.

4. Hence he will never leave them comfortless: John xiv. 18. "I will not leave you comfortlefs; I will come to you." However the ftreams of their comforts. may be abated, yet the fpring of comfort ftill remains; and hence the well of confolation now and then fprings

up.

5. He will never leave them helplefs, but fill be to them a prefent help in time of trouble: even when they have deftroyed themfelves, yet in him is their help. He helps their infirmities when they cannot pray. He helps them up, when they are down. He helps them forward when behind.

6. He will not leave them hopeless, even when they are faying, "My hope is perifhed from the Lord;" yet he opens to them a door of hope in the valley of Achor. They are never again without God, and without hope in the world. Their hope lives. Yea,

7. He will not leave them faithlefs: For he hath prayed for them, that their faith fail not. Their faith may indeed languifh, and be like to give up the gholt, as that of the difciples, when they faid, "We trufted that it had been he which fhould have redeemed Ifrael;" but now we doubt of this fundamental article of our creed. But when their faith was juft at the failing, the Lord Jefus reftored and revived it.

8. He will not leave them friendless and fatherlefs: he is a friend that fticks clofer than a brother; and as a father pities his children, fo the Lord pities them: as a father chaftifes his children, fo the Lord chaflifeth them; as a father provideth for his children, fo the Lord provideth for them, that they may not be in total want, between the promife and the time of the performance. Thus he will not leave them, until he hath done that which he hath spoken to them of. He will not

leave dealing with them; he will not leave bleffing of them; he will not leave guiding of them and guarding of them; he will not leave making all things work together for good to them, and work for the accomplishment of his promife.

[2.] In what fenfe are we to understand this particle, until, which feems to point at a period of this interim-promife. Surely the meaning is not, that when he hath done that which he hath fpoken to them of, then he will leave them: but rather that then they will no more need fuch an encouraging word as this, I will never leave thee; for then they will be free of all fear of his leaving them. But the word imports,

1. That there may be a confiderable time between the promife and the accomplishment; between the time of God's fpeaking to them, and the time of his doing what he hath spoken. There was twenty years distance between these two in Jacob's cafe.

2. It imports, that in this interval God is carrying on his work: I will not leave thee, until I have done it. Saying and doing is all one to God, he fpeaks the word, and it is done; and when he hath spoken the word, it is always a-doing, till he hath done it completely.

3. It imports, that though he be ftill carrying on his work, yet it may be hid from our eyes, what way he is doing it; and though we may fufpect, on this account, that God hath left us, and left his work, when we do not fee him with us, nor fee what he is doing; yet he is not away, when he is delaying the accomplishing of his word, to our fenfe and feeling, but only taking his own time and his own way, whofe ways are infinitely higher than our ways, and his thoughts than our thoughts.

4. It imports, that this interval of time, wherein God is carrying on his work, though in a way hid from our eyes, is the time of faith, wherein we are called to wait upon a promifing God, believing that not only he will be a performing God in due time, to our fenfible feeling and experience; but that he is a performing God at prefent, making all interveening

pro

providences fo many fteps towards the accomplishment of his word, though to carnal fenfe and reafon, they may seem to be fo many letts and impediments to hinder the accomplishment thereof. Jofeph had it revealed to him once and again, that he would be lord over his brethren, and that all the family fhould yield obeifance to him. How was this accomplished? Why, he is thrown into a pit; he is fold into Egypt for a flave; and afterwards he is caft into a prifon: thefe feemed all fo many letts and obftructions, in the way of fuch advancement.-How could faith keep its ground here? unless it fhould fhut its eye upon providences, and open its eye upon promifes, and upon a promifing God, and then it would fee all these seeming letts to be fo many fteps towards the accomplishment of the promife, I will not leave thee, till I have done what I bave Spoken. Therefore, let faith fee and believe, that I am still carrying on my work, and doing what I promised, whatever fecret hidden ways I take to bring about my counfel; I am ftill doing, and will not leave thee, till I have done what I have spoken to thee of.

IV. The Fourth General Head propofed, was, To offer fome grounds of the doctrine, upon which the believer may be affured, that God will not leave him, till he hath done that which he hath fpoken to him of; and that he will be all that he hath promised to him at Bethel.

1. Believers may be affured of it, upon the ground of the unchangeablenefs of God. There may be many viciffitudes and changes in thy cafe: it is only the communion-day above that fhall have no more night. Thou wilt certainly change, and change ere it be long: but dareft thou fay, God will change as oft as thou doft? Thinkeft thou that he will change in his love, when thou changeft in thy frame? No; he will reft in his love; whom he loves, he loves to the end.Thy fecurity flands upon God's immutability; "I am the Lord, I change not; therefore the fons of Jacob are not confumed," Mal. iii. 6.

2. Believers may be affured, that God will not leave them, till he hath done what he hath spoken; and affured upon the ground of God's foreknowledge. What makes men many times alter their fentiments, is, because there are many things fall out contrary to what they projected; but God forefaw what would be; he forefaw that even after a Bethel heart-burning interview with God, thou wouldst grow lukewarm and indifferent; yet notwithstanding of this, he met with you in Bethel, and fpake with you there; and therefore he will do what he hath spoken to thee. He forefaw what a prodigal, what a backflider you would be, yet he gave his word to you; and therefore he will not go back.

3. You may be affured he will not leave you, believer, till he hath done what he hath spoken: because he is faithful: Heb. x. 23. 1 Theff. v. 23. "Faithful is he that hath promifed, who alfo will do it." Though, when his children break his law, and keep not his com mandments, then will he vifit their tranfgreffions with the rod, and their iniquities with ftripes; neverthelefs his loving-kindness will he not utterly take from him, nor fuffer his faithfulness to fail. Once hath he fworn by his holiness, that he will not lye unto David, Pfal. lxxxix. 30,-35God is faithful, who hath called you to the fellowship of his Son."

4. Believers may be affured of this upon the ground of the divine power; or, because God is Almighty, and able to do what he hath spoken. The apostle fays, Rom. xi. 23. "The Jews fhall be grafted in:" Why? "For God is able to graft them in again;" having once promised it, and faid that he will do it. It is enough to fupport our faith, that he is able to do what he hath faid. Abraham's faith leaned upon the power of God, Rom. iv. 21. "He was fully perfuaded, that he that had promised was able to perform." You may then be affured, believer, that he will never leave you, till he hath done what he hath fpoken; unless you can fuppofe, that he hath out-promifed his own power, and faid more than he is able to do.

5. It is evident he will not leave you, till he hath done what he hath spoken, if you confider the experience

of