Gospel reconciliation, or, Christ's trumpet of peace to the world

Ans. Now for the answering of that.

1. We are to know that we must of necessity grant, that there may be some interruptions for the present in Gods mercies to his people, but there is a difference between interruption and cutting off, it may seem for the present to be interrupted, but it runs under ground still, and hath it's course, as they say there is a river that runs fifty miles under the ground, and there cometh up again, so it may be with Gods mercies towards his people, though they see them not. His Children have their portions in his Judgments, many times God cometh in a Judgment, and then he lets the wicked prosper, I but his Justice hath it's course under ground, and runs out of sight, and comes up again, that is very observable and may concern our present occasion, for our instruction in Gods dealing with his people, in bringing of them out off captivity, and repairing the wall and the Temple, God had made many glorious promises to his people, what he would do for them, in returning them from captivity, and building of their city again, well, after the seventy years came, God did begin to work wonderfully gloriously for them, but if you observe a little and read the story you may find that between their beginning to return from the captivity and the finishing of ⟨p. 384⟩Gods mercy in building the Temple and the wall, they were as long a time as they were in their captivity, That was seventy years, they were seventy years in captivity, and from the beginning of the work of their restoring to the end of it, they were seventy years more, but still the goodness of God ran along, there was an eye of mercy and goodness upon them, though it seemed to cease for the present, yet it carried it through at the last. It may much concern us now we are ready to be discontented and troubled, when God is in a way of reformation, because we have not all presently, all is not come now just when we would have it we are ready to complain, O! How long hath the parliament bin set and little hath bin done, why? it was Gods way with his own people, though they had such particular promises of that glorious deliverance, yet it was seventy years before it was fully accomplished, and if God be but in a way of mercy towards us, but a going on, you have but a little now now and a little another time, yet we are not to repine at this, for still mercy is going on, though there may be interruption for the present. But further.