SER. CI. be burnt, he then faid, "I have lived a moft melan แ choly and dejected life till this day; but now I be "lieve there is not a merrier heart in the world than "mine." What the Lord did, by ordering his former dejection he knew not, till now that it appeared the Lord's defign by his grievous and heavy life, was to be a lane and avenue to that glorious and joyful death. Some have gone thro' the dark trance between time and eternity, with more light and knowledge of the Lord's mind and works, than ever they had. Jacob never had a brighter view of his old Bethel-vifit than when he was upon his death-bed, and had all his children about him, and fume of his children's children: he now faw more clearly what God had done, and what he was further to bring out of the Bethel-promife, with reference to his numerous iffue, and their future poffeffion of the land of Canaan; and therefore he begins his dying words with what palt between God and him at Bethel, Gen. xlviii. 3, 4. "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz, in the land of Canaan, and bleffed me; and faid, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee; and I will make of thee a multitude of people, and will give this land to thy feed after thee, for an everlafting poffeflion." Then might he fay, I had neither wife nor children; but now I fee my children, and my children's children; and I fee what God is about to do with them and fo he prophefies of their future increase and various circumftances and appearances they were to make in after-ages. Thus his Bethel-blefling was extended, and explained more clearly to him in his dying moments. What you met with, believer, in fuch a place, and what you have met with in Dunfermline, what he hath been doing at former occafions, or at this occafion, may be, you do not fee through at prefent, perhaps the further explication of it is reserved for a death-bed feaft unto you, when he fhines upon his former words and works, and makes you fing of his falvation, and fay, "O! I remember what he faid "to me in fuch a place, and what he did to me at a"nother. What he defigned by it was dark and un "known "known to me, but now I fee more of his mind; I fee " he hath been as good as his word, and that he hath done all things well." What I do, thou knoweft not now; but thou shalt know hereafter, perhaps fooner or later, even before you go into eternity. V. The fifth and laft thing propofed was, To deduce fome inferences for the application of the whole. Is it fo, That the works of God, the doings of Chrift Jefus, towards his people may be fo dark and myfterious, hid and unknown, till afterwards he make them known? Hence, See that we have great caufe to be humble and fober: whatever the Lord hath been doing among us at this occafion, let us not think that we know all that he hath done, fince he is faying, What I do, thou knoweft not now. Let that great queftion humble us under a fenfe of our own ignorance, Job xi. 7. "Canst thou by fearching find out God? Canft thou find out the Almighty to perfection? It is higher than heaven, what canft thou do? Deeper than hell, what canft thou know ?” Think not you have learned your leflon perfectly; the greatest believers on earth are but fcholars, as long as they are in the body. Divine light fhines gradually more and more to the perfect day of glory; therefore, whatever they fee, they need to fee more clearly; whatever they are taught, they need to be taught over again more perfectly-What a finall portion of God do we know! 2. Hence fee, what reafon believers have to long for heaven, fince clouds and darkness will never be altogether difpelled till the beatifical vifion of God and of the Lamb. That city hath no need of the fun, nor the moon to fhine in it; for the glory of God doth enlighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. "I faw no temple there; for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple of it," Rev. xxi. 22, 23. It may be faid of all the great works of God that at prefent he doth, What I do, thou knoweft not now; but thou shalt know hereafter, when time fhall difcover it, even the Lord's time, the fit time; and even when that time hath made the difco very of what he was doing formerly, it may be alfo faid of that discovery, What I do, thou knoweft not now; but thou shalt know bereafter; when eternity fhall discover it, and heaven make it manifeft in another and more glorious manner; then all his dealings with his people will be confpicuous; and all his defigns appear, that before were dark and myfterious.' 3. Hence fee, that the church and children of God, while in this world, muft not think of being exempted from clouds and darkness, even when they have the Lord near to them; for, "Clouds and darkness are round about him, Pfalm xcvii, 2. And he makes the cloudshis chariots wherein he rides towards his people. It is true, the clouds that furround him have fometimes a dark fide, and fometimes a bright fide; yet even at the brighteft, it is but a cloud, wherein he appears, and they know not how far he is to ride upon it, how foon it will difappear, and what weather it prognosticates. The Lord defigns to give his people, while here, a proof of his promised care, Ifa. xlii. 16. In leading the blind in a way they know not, in paths they have not known: making darkness light before them, and crooked things ftraight. And hence they are moftly kept in the dark; fometimes about providences befalling the church, while heavy clouds hang over it: fometimes in the dark about duty relating to the caufe of God, in the day wherein they live, and the word of his patience; fometimes in the dark about their flate, and their affured intereft in Chrift; fometimes in the dark, as to comfort, when deftitute of that neceffary confolation their heavy cafe may require; fometimes in darknefs about the word of God, when a vail is drawn over it; fometimes about the work of God, and what he is doing, when they cannot fee his fteps, nor hear his voice, nor read his mercy and loving-kindness by reafon of darkness. 4. Hence fee, that the Lord's time of doing is not always his time of fhewing what he doth. He takes his own time of working, and his own time of fhewing his work. He may wafh his difciples feet, and not let them understand what he is doing, till a more proper time, where wherein he will fhew the glory of his work, which was hid. Hence prays the church, Pfalm xc. 16. " Let thy work appear unto thy fervants, and thy glory unto their children." And his time of fhewing himself and his work is ordinarily very furprifing and unexpected; may be, it is when their night is at the darkest, and their darknefs at the blackeft, then, according to his promife," To the upright there arises light in darkness," Pfalm cxii. 4. He makes darknefs light before them; 'When I fit in darkness, the Lord will be a light unto me.' Sometimes indeed he manifefts his work to them, when they are longing and hoping: "For he fatisfies the longing foul, and fills the hungry with good things," Pfal. cvii. 9. And yet fometimes he doth it, when they have loft hope, as it were, and are leaft looking for it; "For the needy fhall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor fhall not perifh for ever," Pfalm ix. 18. Intimating, that they may be forgotten for a long time, but they shall not always be forgotten; their hope and expectation may feem to perifh for a long time, but they fhall not be forgotten for ever: when it is juft at the perishing, he pities poor perishing hope.--Sometimes to fhew his regard to holinefs and ftri&tnefs of walk, he makes his glory appear to them, when they are exercised in practical piety towards God and man. Hence, "To the upright there arifes light in darkness," Pfalm cxii. 4. And, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me, fhall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and manifeft myself unto him," John xiv. 21, 22. And it is in this way we are to expect his coming to manifeft himself and his work. Yet fometimes, to fhew the fovereignty of his grace, he manifefts himself and his gracious work, when their religion is at a low ebb; their praying frame is gone; yea, and their backflidings multiplied, and their rebellion increased, Ifaiah xliii. 22. "Thou haft not called on me, O Jacob; thou haft been weary of me, O Ifrael;" yet upon the back of the challenge, that he may melt their hearts with his furprifing grace, he fays, verse 25. I, even I am he that blotteth out thy tranfgreffions for my name's fake, and will not remember thy fins." Ifa. Ivii. 17, 18. "For the iniquity of his covetoufne fs was I wroth, and fimote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. I have feen his ways, and will heal him: And I will lead him alfo, and reftore comforts unto him, and to his mourners." Some think even this is the feafon the text hath a relation to, "What I am doing, by washing thy feet, thou knowelt not now; but thou fhalt know hereafter." When after thou haft denied me thrice, I will give thee a look, and thou fhalt go out, and weep bitterly. When, upon the crowing of the cock, thou shalt run away to a corner, and reflect upon thy grievous fins, and my gracious look, then fhalt thou, with a melting heart, fee more into the mystery of this washing, What I do, thou knoweft not now, but thou shalt know bereafter. Again, 5. Hence fee ground of enquiry, what the Lord hath been doing, and what you know thereof, and if it be hid and unknown to you or not. [1] Enquire what hath the Lord been doing, or what is he doing towards you at this occafion; hath he been stooping down to wash your feet? Queft. When may Christ be faid, in a spiritual sense, to stoop down and wash his disciples feet? Anfw. (1.) Then he may be faid to wash their feet, when he fhews them their foul feet. O Sirs, hath the Lord been fhewing you, by his convincing grace, what foul feet, what filthy affections you have, what a filthy heart, and what a filthy walk and converfation you have had? Hath he made the iniquity of your heels to compafs you about? as it is, Pfalm xlix. 5. Hath he been making you fay, with fhame and forrow, " Iniquities prevail against me? O wretched man that I am !" How have I grieved his Spirit, and defiled my feet, by running into the mire? O was there ever fuch foul feet as mine, that carried any to a communion table. (2.) Then he may be faid to wash their feet, when he makes them dip their foul feet into the fountain of his blood, opened for fin and for uncleannefs. Hath he been fhewing you the fountain of fin and wickedness that |