Left on the world’s bleak waste, forlorn,
In sin conceiv’d, to sorrow born;
No guide the devious maze to tread,
Above no friendly shelter spread.
But,
When parents, deaf to nature’s voice,
Their helpless charge forsook;
Then, nature’s God, who heard my cries,
Compassion on me took.
Thus I can testify to the truth of the Prophet, In thee the fatherless findeth mercy; for when my father and my mother forsook me, then the Lord took me up, and gave me the name he had appointed me from eternity.—This is our mercy—adopted into his family as his Sons and his Daughters, he has given a name, Ye shall be called the children of God—and to be favored with the witness of our adoption in the soul, is an unspeakable blessing indeed; every sweet view of this privilege is calculated to warm the heart, animate the mind, fill it with holy fervour, inflame the affection, and fill it with burning zeal. This is included in the 12th Name,
Ham, which signifies Warmth or Heat. This, in one sense, distinguishes the mere nominal professor and the real professor; one may have some light, be in the judgment clear, and like a frosty night, clear, but very cold; but God has promised to his children these two should go together—a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning. When we are favored with peculiar seasons of holy familiarity with God our covenant Father, when divine love is shed abroad, and flows out to Jesus, in sweet return—when we meet with a brother in Christ, and he gives a sweet account of the Lord’s gracious dealings with him—when we are particularly blest under the word, or impressed with grand and precious ideas of Jesus, these things kindle a holy flame in the spirit. Or when we fall in company with the enemies to Jesus, to the Father or the Spirit, or to any of the leading Doctrines of the Gospel, we may be silent a little, while musing on their errors, boldness, and effrontery; but while we are silent his word is as a fire shut up in our bones; we are weary with forbearing, and at last, speak we must; the fire of holy zeal is kindled in the heart, and though we can say but little, yet we must plead for our master’s honour, his perfection, and his saints. This zeal is discovered, at times, by the enemies of truth, and by them called Bigotry, or a bad spirit. But holy zeal is tempered with love to God and truth, and springing from a real spiritual knowledge, can never be a bad spirit.—The many storms a child of God meets with from Satan, the world, a body of sin and death, persecution, and infirmities, these wean him from the world, while the love of God sweetly operating upon his mind, he longs to be dissolved and be with Christ, which is far better for him. His soul feels at times like a bird in a cage; it beats its pinions, and longs for enlargements. This leads me to the last name,
Japheth—this signifies Enlargement. Hence the Promise and Prophecy, God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem. This is a sweet hint dropped of the salvation of the Gentiles, and a gracious promise of a Saviour—he, (that is) God, shall dwell in the tents of Shem.—This was verified when the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and when the Gentiles were fellow heirs with the believing Jews, in a Gospel Church State. This name was figurative of that enlargement the souls of God’s dear people experience in life, and in the article of death, when the spirit is freed from its cumberance. Perhaps the greatest part of a believer’s life is in a state of bondage; this comes from various quarters, and on many accounts; this makes him sigh, for in this we groan being burdened; and feeling this we exclaim, Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name. While the Gospel is a proclamation of liberty to the captive, the holy Spirit brings that enlargement to the mind; and every child of God is sensible when he is in liberty and when in bondage—when shut up and when at large. Perhaps the frequent enlargements with which we are favored, are the earnests of our entire discharge from earth to heaven. ’Tis blessed to notice these enlargements in our own experience, and compare them with what the saints of old have experienced; the Apostle Paul knew these things, and at one time speaks of being straitened—at another he says, Our mouth is opened unto you, our heart is enlarged. I must confess I am glad these were the feelings of an Apostle, as I have felt them so frequently—in many sermons, alas, how I have been shut up—often in prayer—in the company of God’s people, and in the presence of his adversaries. At other times I have felt sweet liberty in speaking of the glory of God’s kingdom, and talking of his power. So, also, in the defence of truth, God has given me a mouth and wisdom, that no adversary could gainsay or resist. The first enlargement I found was when God led my mind to Jesus, as my Surety, Advocate, Ransom, Righteousness, and Remedy. When he shed abroad his love, I lost that kind of fear that tormented me, and I could say, O thou whom my soul loveth—and in sweet confidence—he loved me; my mouth was enlarged to pray, to praise, and bless my God—his ways were pleasantness, and his paths peace, and I could run the way of his commandments, while his love enlarged my heart—though many things have too often occurred to bring me into bondage again, which has raised the cry in my soul, Restore unto me the joys of thy salvation—and the piteous moan of one of old, He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths; while I sensibly, at times, felt a backwardness to all that was good—no pleasure in the Bible—reluctantly going to a throne of grace—fit for no company—ordinances very dry to me—my love cold, hope low, faith weak, and every thing God did, my heart fretted against him for it, so that I was ready to cry out to all the people of God I was acquainted with—
Ye that love the Lord, indeed,
Tell me—is it so with you?
Thus I generally remained till the application of a promise—one sweet word under a sermon—or a part of an hymn—or opening the mind to plead the promises at a throne of grace—or a sweet ray of light let in upon the mind, that led me to review the way I was led—this brought enlargement again—the above I have experienced many times. ’Tis this makes our life a warfare; while our inbred sins gaining the ascendancy, brings the mind into sad bondage—this even works for our good, leads us to hate self, see the malice of Satan, the need of divine keeping, and constrains us from necessity to pray, Hold thou me up and I shall be safe. This warfare must be accomplished, this combat must have an end, the sooner the better; our happy release must come, we must soon be put in possession of that glory which we are favored with the earnest of, even eternal light, life, and love. Feeling, knowing, and enjoying these things, we shall have the glorious fruition of them by and by; the way to it is painful, and much dreaded by the best of men, but God has always been better to them than their fears, they have been made willing to go; nature has shuddered, but faith has gained the victory; their fears and unbelief has often suggested, Who shall roll away the stone from the door?—but lo, the angel of the Lord descends in time, to roll it away; hence the Redeemer says, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am ye may be also. Thou shalt come to thy grave in full age, like a shock of corn, fully ripe, that cometh in his season—the wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the other comes to his grave, or like a lily full blown; for, My beloved (says the Church) has gone down to his garden to gather lillies—and as sure as we are gathered from the world, gathered into his Church by effectual calling, so surely shall we be gathered into his garner. O what an enlargement!—now safe arrives the heavenly mariner; the battering storm, the hurricane of life, all dies away in one eternal calm.
With joy divine, and transport in his breast,
He gains the port of everlasting rest.
This will be an enlargement, or freedom from sin, from all temptations to it, from its dominion, from the commission of it, from the very inbeing of it. Now shall that promise have its accomplishment, There shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord—from Satan and his temptations, from evil men, they that offend will be gathered out of this kingdom, from bodily afflictions; the Inhabitants shall no more say I am sick—here we shall be at liberty, enjoy Father, Son, and Spirit; hold fellowship with him without interruption, be favored with clear apprehensions of his perfections and glory, as they shine in Christ. Then we shall see, love, admire, and adore the Lamb in the midst of the throne—see the glory of his person, with the eyes of the soul, and his body with our bodily eyes—the glory of his human nature: see him in that nature that bore our sins, wearing the very marks and scars he received for us; that dear head that was once crowned with thorns! that dear face that was once marred more than any! those dear hands, feet, and side, that were wounded! We shall then see him in all his glory—This is the joy set before us, for which we endure the cross; we shall see him as he is, and be like him for ever—This is the glory to be revealed in the saints, beyond all comparison; this will be a joy unspeakable, and full of glory. How sweet the promise, The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away! This shall be the high priviledge of every vessel of mercy.