depend upon this short inch of time that is allotted us here Ver. 3. Thou turnest man to destraction and sayest Return again ye children of men FRom the beginning of this Verse to the eleventh we have the second generall part of this Psalm and that is his Naration in the which he sets down the common frailty and mortality of mankind from Verse 3. to the 11. and this he doth 1 In generall 1. By the efficient cause of mans frailty and mortality verse 3. Thou turnest man c. 2. By the instrumentall cause viz. The manifold miseries sicknesses and diseases these frail bodies of ours are subject unto As also from the composition of mans body which is made but of the dust of the earth and therefore must return to dust again 2. In particular by comparing it 1. To a Watch in the night that is the space of three houres ver 4. 2. To a Sleep or a Dream that is a vanishing thing and of no continuance verse 5. 3. To a Flower or Grasse that groweth up in the morning but cut down and withered ere night ver 6. Thus of the estate of mankind in generall Then verse 7 8 9. he applies this to themselves in particular now in great affliction and distresse in the Wildernesse and shewes that though the life of man be frail and short yet their estate at this time was far worse and more miserable and the Reason was 1. Because of Gods anger and terrible displeasure whereby they were pittifully wasted and con-consumed verse 7. 2. He sets down the speciall procuring cause why their estate was thus miserable viz. Their sins and rebellions which the Lord did now charge them with verse 8. Thou turnest man to destruction Text. THat is at thy will and pleasure and appointment is the life of man when it pleaseth thee thou turnest man to destruction that is to breaking and crushing even to dust and ashes Hence we learn Doct. 1 that the gretest stay and comfort of the godly under affliction is the consideration Greatest comfort to the godly in times of affliction that they come from God Hos 6.1 Am. 3.6 that their miseries and afflictions come from God He hath spoyled he hath wounded saith the Church They do not look so much upon the Assyrians that afflicted them but they look up higher and see Gods hand upon them and say The Lord hath spoyled and He hath wounded us Is there any evill in the City and the Lord hath not done it That is any judgment sicknesse afflictions or calamities but they come from the Lord it is he that sends them and laies them upon his people Thus when the Lord was minded to bring his Church from Idolatry he saith thus Behold I will stop thy waies with thorns and make a hedge that she shall not know her paths Thus the Lord threatned Senacherib 2 Reg. 19.6 Behold I will sond a blast upon him This is more clear by that of Moses Levâ—t 26.16 17. If ye will not obey me and do these commandments I will appoint over you fearfulnesse a Consumption and a burning Feaver the Sword Famine and Pestilence to destroy you And this truth is acknowledged by Job in his sharpest tryalls Iob 1.21 The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away even as it pleaseth the Lord so commeth things to passe 1 Cor. 11.32 And When we are judged we are chastned of the Lord. The Reasons will make the point yet more clear and plain unto us First in regard of his providence Reas 1 which ordereth and disposeth of all things in Heaven and Earth according to the purpose of his own will so that there is no room left for Fortune or Chance but as it pleaseth the Lord so commeth things to passe This doth our Saviour teach most clearly when he saith Are not two sparrowes sold for a farthing and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father Yea the hairs of your head are numbred Now if the providence of God be in such small things as in the fall of a Sparrow and the numbring of the hairs of our head how much more in the tryalls and afflictions of his children Secondly Reas 2 the miseries and afflictions of Gods Church and children must needs come from God because he ordereth and disposeth of the tryalls and sufferings of his people in the nature and kinds of their sufferings what they shall be how long they shall continue and the happy issue and effect of them as the Apostle hath it No man should be moved with these afflictions 1 Thes 3.3 for your selves know that we are appointed thereto God will have the rod lie upon the back of his servants sometimes a long time as upon the Church in Aegypt 430 years together where the Lord exercised them with cruell bondage under Pharath Sometimes shorter as those seventy yeeres they were in captivity in Babylon somtimes shorter Rev. 2.10 Ye shall have tribulation for ten daies Sometimes but for a night Sorrow may endure for a night c. Yea sometimes not so long but for an hower there is an hower of temptation and the time that God hath purposed and decreed being expired they shall see the salvation of the Lord. Seeing that the only stay and comfort of the godly in times of affliction and distresse Use 1 is the consideration that their miseries and afflictions of what kinde soever they come from God This should teach us at all times of distresse still to have recourse unto him by earnest and hearty prayer either to remove the rod if it be his good pleasure or else to sanctifie the same unto us and to give us patience under it This duty the Lord requires and looks for at our hands especially in times of affliction and distresse and for this we have both precepts and examples Ps 50.15 Call upon me in the day of thy trouble and I will hear thee and deliver thee Yea to that end he hath prescribed unto us a form of seeking him at such times Hos 14.2 3. Take unto you words and turn to the Lord and say unto him Take away all our iniquity and receive us graciously Secondly he hath made a gracious promise of hearing our prayers especially at such times Ps 50.15 Mat. 7.7 1 Ioh. 5.14 and that whatsoever we ask the Father in his Sons Name he will give it us Thirdly there is none else can help us Lord whither shall we go saith Peter thou hast the words of eternall life He is known for a sure refuge Ps 48.3 he is the God that heareth prayers Besides we have the examples of Gods servants who in all times of extreamity have ever fled unto God Psal 18.3 4. 2 Chr. 20 2 Chr. 33 by earnest and hearty prayer as David Jehosophat Hezechiah Manasses c. who ever had recourse unto God in times of misery and God was intreated of them Secondly the consideration
but only see it and die in the Land of Moah surely Moses his sin shut him out And of all that great number that came out of the Land of Aegypt even six hundred thousand that all above twenty years should perish in the Wildernesse was an undoubted argument they were guilty of some great sin that caused the Lord to be thus angry with them Object If this be so that extraordinary judgments are arguments of Gods anger how was it said of the blind man that lay under such an extraordinary judgment as to be born blind that neither this man sinned nor his Parents The meaning is not Answ that neither He nor his Parents were without sin no not such sins as might have justly brought that punishment upon them But neither the Mans sins nor his Parents were the cause why the Lord smote him with blindnesse John 9. but that the work of God might be made manifest in him Job though he were a a godly man indeed yet Job's sins might justly deserve all his miseries but God did not so much look upon his sins but that he might be a pattern and example of Faith Patience and of other Graces to his Church for ever Besides there be many grounds and causes wherefore the Lord is pleased many times to lay his hand and that heavy too upon his own Children and such as are both neer and dear unto him 1. As the exercise of their graces of Faith Patience Hope c. 2. To wean them them from the world whereunto our hearts are too much addicted 3. To quicken Prayer 4. To chasten us for our sins past and to make us more watchfull for the time to come c. But since the Lord in his Word hath denounced these judgments against us for our sins and doth not reveal unto us when he is pleased thus to try us his secret will and pleasure therein We are not to pry into his hidden counsells but into his will revealed which is that Man suffereth for his sin And howsoever we may erre in respect of Gods secret purpose in sending afflictions yet we shall profit thereby to humble our selves to justifie God as righteous to renew our repentance and hereby become fit for mercy and deliverance Whereas in times of affliction and distresse to look upon any other cause then sin may hinder our repentance and cause us to continue in our wickednesse Now that great and extraordinary ludgments and afflictions do argue Gods high displeasure these Reasons shew Reas 1 Because he is most just and righteous in his judgments as Abraham said to God Gen. 18.25 It is far from the Judge of all the World to deal unrighteously The Lord is ever most clear in himselfe from the least stain or mixture of iniustice in any of his judgments inflicted upon men Ps 119.137 Righteous art thou O Lord and true are thy judgments Reas 2 The second may be taken from that neer union and inseparable affinity that is betwixt Gods anger and sin Man suffereth for his sin Lam. 3.39 Miseries and afflictions yea all kind of iudgments spirituall and temporall are but the sinners harvest that he must look to reap by sowing the seeds of sin Pro 22.8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap affliction and the rod of his anger shall fail Let us apply this to our selves Use 1 Did Moses well to gather and conclude the exceeding anger displeasure of God against them by the greatnesse and grievousnesse of their punishment that they were thus hastily and fearfully wasted and consumed Alas then what may we think of our selves how hath the hand of God laine heavie upon us in this Nation In these later daies the sword hath been in the Bowels of the land and hath drunk much blood in every corner of it we have had the pestilence amongst us what Country hath been free we have had cleannesse of teeth when many have perished in the open fields and by the way side for want of bread The Lord hath made the Heavens as Brasse and the Earth as Iron that the like yeares have not been known Besides this strange sicknesse that hath been amongst us whereof fewe Families have escaped but some have been either sick or weake or suddainly taken away by Death that fewe that are living have knowne the like time of sicknesse and mortalitie Now what can we think by all these messengers of his Anger and wrath but that God is exceedingly angry and displeasedwith us Certainely the sins of this Nation the innocent blood that hath been shed the high contempt of the Gospel and Miâ—listers therof the great securitie unfruitfullnesse and unthankfullnesse of all sorts may mind us of some farther judgments yet at hand And yet alas who laies the Lords dealings to heart to take notice of Gods Anger and make but light account of judgments None consider in heart that the greatnesse of Gods judgments is an argument of the greatnesse of our sins It shall be our wisdom to lay Gods judgments to heart and to meet the Lord by unfained Repentance lest worser judgments overtake us at last Use 2 Secondly this serves to admonish us that according to the greatnesse of Gods judgments to increase our sorrow and Repentance for great anger argues great sins and great sins must have great Sorrow and great Repentance Quest 1 But is it an Argument that God is Angry when he takes men away by Death No it is not alwayes so Ans that the Lord is Angry when he takes men away by Death But when he takes them away by such a manner of Death as this people here with some strange kinde of Death horrible and fearefull for some sin as these people for their infidelitie murmuring Rebellion and despising of his mercy this is a token of Gods Anger 1 Cor. 10.10 Neither murmur ye as some of them murmured and were destroyed with the Destroyer Quest 2 But is it a token of Gods Anger for men to dy suddainly or by some strange kind of Death of the plague pestilence c No. Ans It is not alwaies a token of Gods Anger for men to dy suddainly or by some strange kinde of Death Pilate to make the Jewes odious and their religion hatefull mingled the blood of certaine Galileans with their Sacrifices here was an unwonted kind of Death And so those eighteene upon whom the tower of Silo fell these dyed not an ordinary kind of Death And yet Christ saith that they were not greater sinners then other men And many of Gods dear children and faithfull servants have dyed strange kinds of death and none more then the Son of God himselfe And therefore we may not judge a man out of Gods favour by the suddennesse or strangenesse of his death if his life hath been good his death cannot be bad Eccles 9.11 for as Solomon saith All things happen alike to all But now when we shall see a Man or Woman whose
live and die in their sins Cain cries but why My punishment is greater then I can bear Pharaoh is troubled for what O take away this Plague of Thunder and Hail 1 Sam. 15.24 Saul mourns for what The losse of his Kingdome Ahab puts on sack-cloth for what For the evill threatned against his house O the deceitfulnesse of mans heart Here is the sorrow in wicked men let but the judgment be removed and Pharaoh hardens his heart again It is not sin as it is a breach of Gods Law neither is it the apprehension of Gods displeasure they so much care for or look after as the punishment of sin that thus affects them But now come to a child of God a gratious heart indeed that hath in it the work of grace his sorrow is principally for the evill of sin that God hath been offended and his righteous Law violate and if there were no danger at all in sin either of shame punishment here or hereafter yet this wounds their souls and grieves their hearts that they have dishonoured God and brought upon them Gods displeasure Beloved when we come once to see sin in this glasse in the glasse of the Law and in the wounds of Christ as it offends God and provokes his wrath then shall we mourn kindly for our sins and this sorrow will cause that repentance that is not to be repented of Secondly Use 2 seeing the anger of God is so terrible as no creature is able to bear it In thy wrath are we troubled this should stir us up to labour for reconciliation with God David that knew what it was to lie under the burthen of Gods displeasure exhorts us to kisse the Son lest he be angry Ps 2.12 If his wrath be kindled yea but a little saith he they only are blessed that trust in him And as this should make us affraid to provoke him to anger so when we perceive that he is offended as at this day the Lord hath shewed many tokens of his displeasure against the Land to look about us and to labour for reconciliation to come in unto him by Repentance and Humiliation for he is a strong God yea a consuming fire to all rebellious sinners When Jacob heard that Esau was angry with him he presently sends a present and speaks very mildly to his Brother Tell my Lord Esau c. And when Nabal had provoked David we see how Abâ—gal she came with her present to intreat for her life So when any great man is offended O what riding and running and labouring to win his favour again O where are our hearts that we labour no more for reconciliation with our God whose anger is provoked against the land this day But alas we are little moved with these signes of his wrath and tokens of his displeasure Verse 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee and our secret sins in the light of thy countenance IN these words Moses sets down the more nearer and more proper cause of all those grievous judgments of God upon them viz. their sins Wherein they confesse that the Lord had not only called to a reckoning and account their great sins of infidelity and murmuring against Moses and Aaron but even their most secret sins which they committed closly and whereof none else could accuse them In the practice of this people here Doct. 1 we may note this speciall point in generall namely Sight of sin ground of humiliation for sin That it is impossible for any truly to be humbled and to seek unto God unlesse they come first to see their sins the greatnesse and hainousnesse of them For so long as this people lived in sin and rebelled against God so long they stood out and were no whit humbled to seek unto God But now that the Lord by these heavy afflictions and grievous judgments upon them having tamed them and brought them under now they begin to enter into their own hearts and to call their waies to accompt Thus the Prophet directing the Church to this necessary duty of repentance when Gods judgments lay so heavy upon them exhorts them thus Lam. 3.40 Let us search and try our waies and turn unto the Lord implying thereby that there could be no true humiliation for sin nor turning to God by unfained repentance till they had first found out their sins It was a sad complaint that the Lord takes up of his people Ier. 8.6 No man repented him of his wickednesse saying What have I done And no marvell there was no repentance for sin because they never questioned their own waies to discover their sins And hence it is that the Lord commands his Prophet Ezek. 16.2 To cause Jerusalem to know her abhominations And to shew Israel her transgressions Es 58.1 and the house of Jacob her sins Conviction of sin is the Lords method that he useth to bring his people to repentance for sin Thus was David convinced of his sins by Nathan 2 Sam. 12.7 Acts. 2.23 Lam. 3.19 the Jewes by Peter And this is acknowledged by the lamenting Church Remember my affliction the wormwood and the gall my soul hath them in remembrance and is humbled In remembring I remembred an Hebraism that is by reason of thy afflicting hand upon me I came to search out the cause thereof which was my sins the happy fruit whereof was their repentance and their seeking of God So that the point is clear and plain that till we come to see sin with the odiousnesse thereof we cannot be humbled nor seek unto God Because none can repent him of that whereof he is ignorant Reas till the Lord be first pleased to open our eyes and let us see wherein we have offended and provoked his wrath against us we can never humble our souls as we ought before him It was David's sence of the heavy burthen of his sins that made him flie to God for pardon Make me to hear the voice of joy and of gladnesse Psal 32. that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Secondly Reas 2 the sight of sin is necessary to true humiliation for sin in regard it qualifies the soul for Christ for we shall never seek to Christ nor rest upon Christ till we feel the heavy burthen of sin The whole need not the Physician Lu. 5.31 but those that are sick And Christ calls such as travell and are heavy laden to come unto him Mat. 11.28 Neither will God ever bestow his saving benefits upon such that neither see their wants of them nor will not esteem them This serves first of all to direct the Ministers of the Word Use 1 that as they desire to see the fruits of their Ministry what foundation they ought to lay to do good to the souls of their people they are to take that course and to use those means that God hath chalked out unto them in his Word viz. To convince their hearers of their sins that so
former destruction of so many thousands of the people that were so suddenly cut off and swept away Who knoweth the power of c. q. d. what man living is able sufficiently to confider of the greatnesse of thy wrath and fearfull Anger against sin And who doth fear thee according to thy exceeding and unspeakable Anger to tremble at it as thine indignation and displeasure ought to be feared As if he should say surely few or none For Interrogations in the Scripture are often strong Negations And those that doe fear thee yet fall short of the measure of their fear that thy anger and wrath doth require Who knoweth THat is doth well consider it and acknowledgeth the unsupportable waight and burthen of it The first Instruction observable is That albeit we tast of Gods anger Doct. 1 yet few take notice of it Few take notice of Gods anger And that is ordinarily the case of desperate sinners that contemn the rod of Gods chastisements and profit not by them Jer. 8.6 as the Prophet hath it No man said What have I done And again Ezek. 16.43 I have brought thy waies upon thy own head yet hast thoâ— not had consideration of thy abominations Thus did the Lord call to weeping and mourning Es 22.12 13 14. to baldnesse and sackcloath and behold joy and gladnesse eating of flesh and drinking of wine But what followed this damnable security Surely this iniquitie saith the Lord shall not be purged till ye die Gen. 6. This was that damnable securitie of the old World in the daies of Noah though Gods judgments were threatned and even at the doore Yet they gave themselves to eating and drinking marrying c. till the Flood came and swept them all away And hence it is that we are commanded to hear the rod and who hath appointed it Mic. 6.9 Every affliction and every judgment from God utters a voice which we are to give ear unto and labour to finde out the Lords minde in wherefore the Lord sends forth such tokens of his anger and displeasure and not to do this when Gods hand is upon us argueth much security It is a dangerous thing when Gods wrath is gone out against a Land and Nation or any particular person to harden our necks against the stroak of the Almightie It was a sad complaint that of the Prophet Strangers have devoured his strength Hos 7.9 and he knoweth not O when the Lord shall inflict upon his people and plead against them with the pestilence and with blood Ezck. 38.22 and men shall not take notice of it but remain sencelesse under Gods hand this is the way to double Gods strokes and to kindle a fire that shall devoure to destruction He hath poured upon him the fury of his anger and yet he knew it not Es 42.25 and it burned him and he laid it not to heart Such look not up to God that striketh them nor to their sins Reas 1 that justly drawes down Gods judgments upon them but they rather look upon secondary causes or instruments and over-look God How usuall a thing it is for men to ascribe all their miseries and calamities that men suffer to destiny fortune or chance and sometimes to their own want of providence as if they might have prevented them and thus men through the wretchednesse of their own evill hearts they over-look God looking after the stone but not the hand that cast it Secondly Reas 2 it is the only fruit of Faith to behold God chastising us as a loving father for our good Now when men either want Faith or Faith is not exercised under the crosse no marvell though men over-look God and make not the right use of their sufferings whereas David in his greatest trials could comfortably conclude I know that thy judgments are just Ps 119 75. and that thou of very faithfulnesse hast caused me to be troubled This serves to admonish us Vse 1 that when the hand of God is gone out against us either against the Land in generall or against us in particular in any kind whatsoever in our bodies names estates c. that we take heed that this be not our case that we are insensible under Gods correcting hand but take notice of his anger and displeasure gone out against us In all extraordinary and strange judgments of God upon us we should look home Deut. 31.17 and say Righteous art thou O Lord and true are thy judgments And all these things are come upon us for we have sinned against thee This was Jobs care under his sore afflictions he puts not off the matter lookes not upon the Caldeans and the Sabeans that had plundered him of his substance but he lookes up higher even unto God and desires to finde out the cause of all his misery Iob 10.2 Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me Thus doth the Church in great afflictions first they acknowledge that their sins had deserved all their miseries and they desire to finde them out and to turn unto the Lord Man suffereth for his sin Lam. 3.39 Let us search and try our waies and turn unto the Lord. This is one main end of all those tokens of his anger and displeasure to humble the proud heart of man to make him look home and then is God glorified when he attains the end of his corrections laid upon us The Lord knowes this Land and Nation of ours is too too faulty in this that notwithstanding his wrath hath gone out against us by many tokens of his displeasure by the sword by the pestilence and by our late visitation of common sicknesse and unwonted diseases whereby many in all parts and corners of the Land have been suddenly swept away as it was the case of this Church and People here Yet how few lay these judgments of God to heart to be humbled for sin the cause of all We have had our daies of Humiliation but where is that Reformation the Lord lookes for at our hands We still complain of our miseries we groan under but we complain not of our sins the cause of all How can we look that Gods hand should be removed and his wrath appeased whilest Englands sins cry for fresh judgments upon us I am no Prophet nor the Son of a Prophet yet I am given much to fear that Englands's miseries are not yet at an end but that God hath yet a farther controversy with us When Moses intreated the Lord for his sister Miriam Num 12.14 God returned him this answer If her Father had spit in her face should she not have been ashamed seven daies q. d. How much more ought she to be humbled and ashamed since I have shewed my displeasure against her God hath many waies shewed his anger and displeasure against this Land and yet wee have not laid his Iudgements to heart why then do we not fear that he will yet plead against us with
hereof Vse 2 that God hath a speciall hand in all our sufferings and still ordereth and disposeth of the same Ro. 8.28 that they shall work for the best to them that love and fear him what a ground of patience may this be unto us under the crosse whensoever the Lord shall be pleased to humble us by any affliction whatsoever that with patience and meeknesse we submit thereunto I was dumb Ps 39.9 and opened not my mouth because it was thy doing saith David And Eli 1 Sam. 3.18 â— Sam. 15.26 It is the Lord let him do what seemeth good to him And Here I am let him do to me as seemeth good to him And this may serve for the just reproofe of those Vse 3 who in times of misery and distresse never look to the hand of God they look upon secondary causes and instruments but over-look God Such do seldome seek to God for delivery Job was of another mind he looks not so much upon the Caldeans and Sabeans that plundered him of his goods and cattle but he looks up unto God and acknowledgeth his hand in all So David when Shimei cursed him It may be the Lord bad him to curse me Vse 4 And last of all this lets us see that when the Lord hath been pleased to come in with any Nationall or personall deliverance where to returne thanks even to him that first smoâ—e us and who it is that hath healed us Thus the Church in all ages when the Lord was pleased to come in with any singular deliverance Exod. 15. 2 Chron. 20. Jud. 5. kept their solemn daies of praise and thanksgiving unto God Thou turnest man to destruction THat is at thy pleasure are our lives and being here we live at thy allowance and appointment when thou wilt thou turnest them to breaking and crushing even to dust Hence observe Doct. 2 That our life and being here is uncertain Our lives are in Gods hand it is in Gods hand and power we live at his appointment at his pleasure he can and doth turn man to destruction to breaking and crushing Thou hast bruised my bones Esay 38. saith Hezechiah Thou hast set me as a mark to shoot at saith Job Thy arrowes stick fast in me saith David If the Lord do but say Return ye sons of Adam we shall return again to the dust and away we must The voice of the Lord is a powerfull voice he did create all things by his voice and by his word and at the same voice and word of his he can turn all things to powder No man though never so great or mighty wise or politique can resist or withstand the commanding and powerfull voice of God but when death is sent and God gives his call they must return again to dust Death knocks with authority at the dore of the rich man and Palace of Princes as at the poor and all must obey and return to the dust from whence they came Moses this Man of God that was a man so familiar with his Maker a man so holy so meek so mercifull who was indeed a compound of vertues who had fed many thousands when they were ready to die with hunger who had refreshed many thousands when they were ready to perish with thirst yet must himselfe at last yeeld to the stroke of death and say to corruption thou art my Father and to the worm thou art my Mother Psal 89.48 What man is there living that shall not see death and shall deliver his soul from the pit One dyeth in his full strength saith Job whose breasts are full of milk Iob 21.23 and bones are full of marrow Another dyeth in the bitternesse of his soul they shall lie down alike in the dust and the wormes shall cover them We stand not at a stay but in the midst of life we are in death the very meat we put into our bellies and the cloaths we put upon our backs all declare unto us that dye we must and return again to the dust And the Reasons are First Reas 1 if we do but consider the matter whereof these bodies of ours are composed which is of the dust of the earth this shewes a necessity of their returning again to dust they are made of a frail brittle and corruptible matter and long they cannot stand Dust thou art Gen. 3.19 and into dust shalt thou return again And as the Prophet saith All flesh is grasse and the glory of man as the flower of grasse As the point of the Marriners needle doth never stand till it attain the North Pole Such an instinct there is in these bodies of ours they still bend themselves downward towards the earth from whence they came And as the nearer the Center the swifter the motion so is man towards his end every day winds off something of the threed of our life and return we must There is a necessity of our returning again to dust Reas 2 if we do but consider the nature of sin the wages whereof is death and indeed there can be no divorce sued out betwixt sin and death Gen. 20. As the Lord said to Abimelech Thou art but a dead man because of his sin And this was Gods own decree at first Gen. 2.17 The day thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye the death Now Alam eating of the forbidden fruit brought in death to all his posterity for so saith the Apostle By one man sin entred into the world Ro. 5.12 and death by sin And inasmuch as all have sinned all must die the death Besides Reas 3 there is a necessity that all should die because by death we must enter into life death is the gate of life ordinarily none entred into life but by death death is a guide to bring us into Heaven though a churlish guide yet a sure guide to bring us into blisse Seeing the Lord at his pleasure turns man to destruction Use 1 to breaking and crushing sends long and tedious sicknesse and griefe of body whereby men are much deformed and weakned in their bodies and turned to dust This should teach us patience in times of misery and distresse when the Lord shall seem thus to crush us and break us to powder we should with patience bear his correcting hand be it never so sharp and grievous even to crush us to pieces and to grinde us to powder in regard it is the Lord that doth it Thus David I was dumb and opened not my lips Ps 39.5 because it was thy doing There is no sicknesse or disease lamenesse or blindnesse or any other affliction whereby we come to have our bones crushed and we brought to destruction but all is of the Lord He turneth man to breakings and destruction and it is the want of the knowledge of this that is the cause that men do sometimes murmur against Gods dealings and are not humbled for their sins as they ought to be we consider
for all this they sinned still and believed not his wondrous works But what followed verse 33. Therefore their daies did he consume in vanity and their years in trouble To this agreeth that of the Prophet Behold Es 59.1 the Lords hand is not shortned that he cannot save nor his ears heavy c. But your sins have separated between you and your God Eph 5.6 and your sins have hid his face from you But what are those sins Quest that in a speciall manner provoke God to anger against a Land and People All sin Ans even the least sin moves the Lord to anger Speciall sins that provoke Gods anger yet there are I confesse some speciall sins which do inflame the anger of God and these be capitall and hainous sins and such are First Idolatry Idolatry to worship a salfe God instead of thetrue God or the true God in a false manner this the Lord can no more endure then a Husband can endure the wanton behaviour of his Wife but is exceedingly provoked by it This appears by that golden Calfe that the Israeâ—ites made to worship for this sin three thousand were slain Exod. 32.4 28. There fell of the people that day about three thousand men O it is a dangerous provoking sin in a Land and Nation that have enjoyed the glorious liberty of the Gospell to Apostatize and fall from their first love either to Babylonish Idolatry or to Sects and Heresies this is a provoking sin and causeth God to remove the Candlestick from such a people The Lord lay not this sin to our charge The second provoking sin Infidelity that stirres up the Lord to anger against a People is Infidelity or a distrusting of Gods power or calling into question his promises in times of tryall that either the Lord cannot or will not help This was the great sin of this people for the which the Lord was so wrathfully displeased with them Ps 78.33 and for the which their daies did he consume in vanity and their years in trouble The third provoking sin Blasphemy is the blaspheming of the Name of God Because of Oaths the land shall mourn The shedding of innocent Blood is a provoking sin Blood as a loving Father cannot endure to see his Child slain before his face and the blood of his Child to be shed no more can the Lord endure the wicked to shed the blood of his Children Again the sin of Adultery Uncleannesse Fornication and uncleannesse these are provoking sins as appears in the firing of Sodome and Gomorrah It is true every sin provokes the Lord to anger but these sins especially encrease his anger against a Nation or People Hos 4.2 by swearing and lying and killing and whoring they break out therefore the Land shall mourn The point then is clear and plain that the principall cause of Gods anger and displeasure against a Land and people is their sins Gods justice calls for vengeance upon the sinner Reas Now God is most righteous and just and he will not fail to punish sin in whomsoever the same is committed The Angels saith Saint Jude that kept not their first estate he hath reserved in chaines c. The sinfull World drowned Sodom and Gomorrah burned Pharach and the Aegyptians plagued yea the Nation and the People of the Jewes fearfully consumed all clearing this truth that sin is the principal cause of Gods anger and is that which drawes down his judgments upon a people Seeing then it is sin that stirs up God to anger Use 1 and draws down his judgements upon a people by the effect we may judge of the cause Hath not the Lords hand of late years gone out against us the people of this Nation what by the Sword the Plague and Pestilence these late yeares of Drought and our present visitation by an unwonted Disease and sicknesse generally over the land whereof so many have been taken away by death What do all these but declare that God thah a Controversie with us this day Do not those forementioned sins that pull down Gods Judgements upon a land and people abound amongst us and make head at this day Idolatry and Popery in open and secret manner seems to take root again Sects and Heresies in former ages cried down and for many years dead and buried we have seen their resurrection again from that Bottomlesse Pit What age did ever produce the like outrages and abominations that this day are rife amongst us Swearing and Blasphemy Drunkennesse and Uncleannesse Contempt of Christ and his Gospel Thefts Murthers and all other abominations the like never age produced And unlesse the Lord put it into the hearts of those in present Authority to root out these sins it is not to be expected that England shall long escape more heavy Judgements then yet we have tasted of And yet alas how few are the number of those that lay these things to heart We hear and talk of our miseries but we are not affected with the cause of them which are our sins no man layes Gods judgements to heart as to say Alas what have I done Secondly Use 2 seeing sin is the cause of all Gods judgements upon a Nation or People this may inform us who are the great enemies of our state this day Surely the greatest sinners These are they that obstruct all our hoped for deliverance from our Parliaments and from our Councels We have a long time looked for peace for freedome for settlement in Church and State But when will it once be or indeed what hope can we have it will be so long as Tobias and Sanballats are amongst us so long as our Chams continue their scoffing our Esaus their profaning our Nabals their coveting our Achans their thieving our Jezabeâ—s their whoring and all of us our sinnings and rebellions against God Our Parliaments and Councels will be rendred weak they will not they cannot help us How can England look to prosper when the most high God is against us and doth forsake us What hath been the ruine and overthrow of Nations and Kingdomes but sin What hath tumbled down Cities ruined stately Houses and overthrown so many Noble Families but sin And when we shall see Religion countenanced a faithful Ministery set up and maintained Discipline in the Church established Justice duly administred and wholesom Laws duly executed Piety incouraged Sin duly punished and the Kingdome of the Lord Jesus set up in the hearts and Consciences of men Then there will be hope of better times that God will delight to dwell amongst us Seeing sin is the principal cause of all Gods Judgements upon a land and people Use 3 How then doth it concern all Superiours that are in the place of Magistracy to look well to their places and Callings since the weal or woe of the Church and State depends upon them How many foul and enormous sins were committed in Israel and the
and afflictions awaken Conscience and bring those sins to remembrance that were long ago forgotten Secondly Reas 2 miseries and afflictions bring a man to a more clear and experimental knowledge of God and of himself then otherwise he could attain unto As of Manasses it is said Then Manasses knew that God was the Lord he that in his prosperity forgat God And as they bring a man to know God so likewise to know himself as the Prodigall of whom it is said Luke 15. He came to himself when he was thoroughly pinched with poverty and his companions had cast him off now home home welfare home I will home again I will go to my father And as Job hath it Iob 36.8 9. If they be bound in fetters and holden with the cords of afsliction then he sheweth them their works and their transgressions that they have exceeded And thus at one time or other by one affliction or another we shall be brought to know God and our selves if we belong to him Seeing that Gods judgements bring Use 1 thus sin to light that in times of peace and prosperity lay undiscovered This may serve for matter of tryal whether we have made the right use of our sufferings yea or no which may be known by this If we have discovered those corruptions in us that before were undiscovered Many are at that pass to bear off crosses and afflictions with head and shoulders as they say Many have been sick say they and have been well again Many have this Ague amongst them and done well enough and so I hope shall I. Thus men flatter themselves as they did Ier. 10.19 It is my sorrow and I will bear it Why the best have their afflictions and whom God loves them he chasteneth and with these and the like conceits men put off Gods strokes and dealings with them But alas where is that searching into our own hearts and wayes to finde out our sins that have not yet been discovered the cause of Gods anger and displeasure few make this use of Gods judgements to say What have I done what are those sins I am guilty of that have provoked the Lord to be thus angry with me But it may be truly said of many of us in our afflictions and miseries Es 42.25 He hath poured upon him the fury of his anger and he knew it not and it burned him yet he laid it not to heart And this is the reason the Lord many times brings long and lasting sorrows and afflictions upon us till we be brought to know our selves and finde out those sins for the which the Lord is so displeased with us O that men were wise in this particular to finde out the cause of Gods anger and displeasure and to desire the Lord to help them in this search as holy Job did Shew me sayes he wherefore thou contendest with me and again Iob 10.2 13.23 Shew me my rebellion and my sin Till we do this we do nothing neither can we have any comfort in our sufferings that the Lord intends our good therein or that the same are sanctified unto us Secondly Use 2 seeing the Lord by his judgements many times brings sin to light which in times of peace and prosperity lies hid undiscovered This may teach us to admire the wonderful wisdome power and goodnesse of God who hath so many wayes to do us good to humble sinners and to bring them home unto himself Indeed the preaching of the Word is the ordinary means whereby God doth break the stony heart of man this is Gods Hammer Ier. 23. appointed by him to that end It will make the hardest heart to quake and tremble as Felix did and the most desperate sinners to be humbled as those wicked Jews that had imbrued their hands in the blood of the Lord Jesus Act. 2.37 It is a two-edged sword cutting both wayes But when that will not serve the Lord can clap such irons upon the soul and conscience as can make the stoutest heart to buckle As the Lord dealt with Manasses laid him in cold irons and then he knew that God was the Lord. Thus dealt he with the Prodigall Acts 16. the Jaylor and with this people here by sharp and sore afflictions he makes way many times for repentance So that we may cry out with Paul Rom. 11.33 O the deepness of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out Surely the greatnesse of his wisdome and power is wonderful that by so many means can work good to his people And last of all this may serve for matter of terror unto such that have been in the furnace of affliction Use 3 and have had the hand of God lien heavy upon them yet have not been bettered by them to finde out their sins and to be humbled for them there is few families amongst us but have felt Gods hand in our late visitation To have affliction is no certain signe of Gods favour but to profit by affliction as to finde out our sins to be humbled for them and bettered by them thus are the afflictions of the godly sanctified unto them But alas the Lords hand hath been upon many of us upon some in one kinde and upon others in another and yet they are not bettered It was a sad complaint that the Lord takes up of his people I have corrected them but they have not been humbled there cannot be a greater signe of Gods anger then to set light by afflictions In that day did the Lord call for weeping Es 22.12.13 14 and mourning c. and behold joy and gladnesse c. But what saith the Lord This iniquity shall not be purged till ye die Am. 6.9 Shall a Trumpet be blown in a City and the people not be afraid Shall Gods judgements be upon a land and Nation or upon any particular person and they not lay them to heart There can be no more certain sign of a hard heart and desperate sinner then not to profit by the rod. I have brought thy way upon thy own head Eze. 16.43 yet hast thou no consideration of thy abominations And as it is said Reprobate silver shall men call them Ier. 6.30 because the Lord hath rejected them And our secret sins in the light of thy countenance Text. NOte we farther how Moses confesseth here that the Lord did punish them for their secret sins as for their open iniquities And these God did set before his eyes to take vengeance and to punish them for as for their open rebellions teaching us That it is the nature of godly sorrow and true repentance Doct. 4 A true pentient will be humbled for his most secret sins to be humbled and repent for lesser sins as for great offences yea for our most secret sins such as the world could never take notice of yet a true penitent
thing that crosseth it But Gods anger and wrath is ever at sin which is so contrary to that holy and pure nature of his that he will not fail to correct even in his own children O how happy were we if we could bring our hearts to this to be angry Eph 4.26 and sin not to make sin the object of our anger and wrath in our selves and others As Moses though he were the meekest man living yet when the people had made the golden Calfe he caused the same to be grownd to powder and made the people in a holy anger and indignation to lick up the dust thereof Thus was the zeal of Phineas kindled against Zimri and Cosbi and executing judgment upon them Gods wrath was appeased Secondly Use 2 seeing the effects of Gods wrath for sin are so terrible what then is sin the cause of Gods displeasure In all diseases we say the cause is worse then the effect Now all the plagues and judgments that God executeth in the World are but the effects of sin We have seen in our times the great alterations that have been in Church and State the Crown it selfe is withered many Noble Families and Houses brought down and laid in the dust Inheritances translated to others the Sword hath begot a new tenure confusion in the Church Sects and Heresies abound in every corner the Ordinances of God contemned and despised the Ministry slighted and disesteemed as if it were uselesse and might be spared never more open prophanenesse nor aparent signes of Gods anger and wrath against a people then God hath manifested against us with his unwonted judgmeÌ„ts and strange visitations by unwonted sicknesses and diseases Surely in the midst of them all we are to justifie God since England's sin hath caused all our plagues upon us this day and we are to confesse with the lamenting Church that it is the Lords mercy we are not quite laid wast That it might be said of England that we were a people that kept not Covenant with God And when we shall see Religion advanced discipline and order in our Church Sects and Heresies discountenanced Piety encouraged and Prophanenesse suppressed then and not till then may we hope that God will remove his wrath and turn away his anger from us And last of all Vse 3 this may serve for Exhortation to admonish all to take heed of sin we shall never escape Gods anger nor displeasure whilst we are guilty of sin sin laies us naked and open to all judgments But especially this concerns Magistrates that as they desire to keep off Gods judgments from a Land and Nation that they see that sin be duly punished When Phineas executed judgment the Plague ceased And this care ought Parents and Heads of Families to have that as they desire protection from God and to see his blessing upon their Families that they suffer not an Achan under their roof Ps 101. Zach. 5.4 Pr. 3.33 but purge their house as David did his For certain it is the curse of God is up-the habitation of the wicked whereas the habitation of the righteous shall prosper There is one thing more to be observed that as the effects of Gods anger and wrath are terrible So it is the sight of sin Doct. 4 Sight of sin and sense of Gods displeasure for sin ground of repentance and â—â—â—ious consideration of Gods anger and displeasure against sin that is the ground-work and foundation of true repentance There are many excellent fruits of godly sorrow and true repentance manifested by this people from verse 12. to the end yet if we observe well these two verses 8 9. we shall see it was the sight of their sins and the apprehension of Gods anger and displeasure for sin that set them upon their repentance The fight of sin and the apprehension of Gods anger and displeasure for sin ever goes before true repentance This Church and people acknowledge that God had set their their iniquities before him c. And withall had a deep sense of Gods anger and displeasure before they addresse themselves for pardon And surely this is Gods order of working in the great work of Repentance and Salvation first to cast down through the sight of sin and apprehension of Gods displeasure for sin and then to raise up in the apprehension of mercy in Christ Never did any truly repent but first apprehended the curse and Gods indignation against sin before Let this be duly thought upon as a most certain ground of truth that those whom the Lord intends to save he will first discover unto them their sin and Gods wrath due unto them even the curse of the Law which is eternal death of Soul and Body for ever before he ever give them the sweet apprehension of his favour and love in Christ The Scriptures are clear and plain in this point Come let us return unto the Lord Hos 6.1 for he hath wounded us Where we see the Lords order first to wound and then to binde up Thus dealt he with those Jewes Act. 2.37 who had imbrued their hands in the blood of the Lord Jesus they were first brought to see their sins by the Ministry of Peter and apprehend Gods wrath due for the same and then they cry out to the Apostles Men and Brethren what shall we do to be saved The Lord deals with a pure soul whom he intends to save as he said to Moses Deut. 28.66 Thy life shall hang in doubt before thee and thou shalt fear day and night Now it is with a soul in this plight as it was with Balshazar in his cups Dan. 5. when he saw the hand writing the joynts of his knees smote together thus doth the Lord strike the soul with amazement and fear whilest he shall see before him nothing but death hell and condemnation thus the Lord ordinarily breaks the heart and humbles the â—oul before he fills it with mercy Baloved let us not flatter our selves to think that repentance and reconciliation with God were a matter so easily got No no the Lord will have us into the furnace first and the Lord will make us to see our sins and to feel the waight and burthen of them Mat. 9.13 Es 55.1 Joh. 7.37 with the sence of his anger and wrath against sin before we can look for mercy The Scriptures are full in this particular And the Reasons are God hath so appointed it Reas 1 that all the Elect should thus be brought home to him Ioh. 16.8 I will send you the Comforter saith Christ and he shall rebuke the world of sin and of righteousnesse First of sin unto condemnation and then of righteousnesse viz. the righteousnesse of Christ unto salvation And thus the Prophet brings in Christ speaking thus Es 61.1 The spirit of the Lord is on me and the Lord hath annointed me and sent me to preach good tidings to the poor to binde up the broken
our time hath cut down so many some with one disease some with another confus'dly quickly and hastily this sin hath not been the least provoking sin of this land this day Our distrusting of Gods power and providence and murmuring against the Lord as though we should never see peaceable daies again or Religion established and the Gospell to flourish and that we shall never see those golden daies we have so long defired Even this sin of murmuring and distrusting of Gods power and providence is no small let and hindrance to our desired peace This this was the sin of this Church and people though they had had much experience of Gods power and goodnesse towards them in delivering them from their cruell bondage in Aegypt and that the Lord had now brought them to the sight of Canaan yet for their sin of unbeliefe and murmuring against Moses and Aanon the Lord would not suffer them to possesse that good Land but cut them off and swept them away by hundreds and thousands that they dyed in the Wildernesse And how severely God hath punished this sin in his own servants Numb 20 8.12 Luke 1.20 For the Reasons and Uses see the first Doctrine And we fly away MOSES speaks not here of the people alone that they were wasted and consumed But joynes himself with them The Lord hath cut us off and we fly away He joynes himselfe in the sin and also in the punishment They all had sinned even Moses himself and for his sin the Lord would not suffer him to come into the land of Canaan Num. 20.8.12 His sin he here confesseth with the sins of the people and Gods righteous Judgement upon them for the same Hence wee may observe Doct. 5 That the usuall manner of the servants of God Gods servants confesse their own sins as the sins of others in their prayers hath been to confesse themselves sinners And by their sins to have drawn down Gods Judgements as well as the sinns of others This doth Moses here links himselfe with the rest of the people of Israel in the case of Gods Anger Thus Daniel in that solemn prayer of his for the Church Dan. 9.5 that the Lord would make good his promise to deliver them from their Captivity and Bondage confesseth his own sins and the sins of the people We have sinned saith he and committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled even by departing from thy precepts and from thy Judgements And again Ver. 7. O Lord righteousnesse belongs to thâ—e but unto us confusion of face as at this day Thus godly Nehemiah when hee makes his prayer in the behalf of the Church Neh. 1.6 We have sinned against thee both I and my Fathers house have sinned If any man sin saith Saint John we have an Advocate c. He joynes himself with others that stood in need of Jesus Christ for their Advocate And who could have said more against Paul then he against himselfe when he confesseth that he was the Chiefest of sinners Luk. 16.13 Luk. 15.18 And thus doth the poor Publican the Prodigall c. And it must be so For First Reas 1 the godly have learned to give glory to God when his Judgements are gone out into the World which they do when they acknowledge God to be just and themselves to have sinned This Reason doth Joshua presse upon Achan Jos 7.19 My Son I pray thee give â—lory to God and confesse thy fault Hereby we clear his Justice when wee take shame to our selves And this was Davids Reason Ps 51.4 why he was so long and ample in the Confession of his sins That thou mightest be justified c. Secondly Reas 2 a child of God and true believer cannot but know that hee lies under the guilt of many sins which must be taken off by true Repentance and godly sorrow And hence it is that in hearty prayer when they confesse the sins of the Church they cannot they dare not exclude themselves Thirdly in a true and hearty Confession of our sins Reas 3 is grounded our hope and confidence that God will hear and answer our prayers And hence it is that we shall find Gods people when in the most solemn manner they have sought the pardon of their fins they have grounded their hopes of Mercy from their hearty confession of their sins Thus David Ps 51.3 Wash me throughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin for saith he I acknowledge mine iniquity Ps 32.5 And again David presseth the Lord with this I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid And in times of publick Humiliation much of the work hath been spent in Confession of sins This serves for the just reproof of those Use 1 who seeing others plagued and afflicted condemn them as justly punished and yet they themselves as great sinners no whit affected As we see it common in the World O say some no marvel though the Lord plague them they are such and such a people Did Moses say thus of this people did he so unmercifully single out himselfe and say that it is but just that these Rebells be plagued they murmured against me and would not belive me No no Moses joynes himself with them and saith We are Cut off and we fly away What Spirit then are those led by that condemn others without pitty and compassion and justifie themselves as if they were Righteous This may serve also for our instruction Use 2 That we learn by Moses his Example who though he was an excellent man of God highly in Gods favour yet he humbly joynes himselfe with the Church in the Confession of his sins as well as theirs Acknowledging that his sins were the cause of Gods Judgements as the sins of the people though hee escaped and they were punished Thus should we do now that so many places and Families and persons are visited with sicknesse whilst we escape let us not think onr condition better then theirs or that they were greater sinners then our selves But let us know that our sins have been the cause to pull down Gods Judgements upon others as well as their own As Moses here acknowledgeth himself in the number of them that had sinned and had compassion on them and prayed for them Even so though others die and thou escape others are in misery when thou art free O know that thou maist have a hand in their plagues Thy sins may be deep in the cause of Gods Judgements on the Land And therefore to have compassion on others miseries to pitty them and to pray for them and to acknowledge that it is not thy goodnesse above others but the Lords goodnesse towards thee that thou escapest and art not wrapt up in the same misery Ver. 11. Who knoweth the power of thy Anger even according to thy fear So is thy wrath IN this verse Moses seems to apply and to make use of the
tribulation hee knew God to be the Lord and humbled himselfe greatly before him Thus David in all times of his distresse had still recourse to God Ps 18.3 4. The Lord is my strength in whom I trust my shield my salvation and my refuge Thus Paul buffited by Sathan 1 Cor. 12 prayes three times So that the point is clear and plain that the only refuge of Gods Church and people in time of affliction and distresse hath ever been Gods bosome as a sure refuge And great Reason Because it is the Lord that hath the principal hand in all the tryalls afflictions of his people Reas 1 Now who can cure the wound better than he that gave it Deut. 32.39 Hos 6.1 It is he that killeth and maketh alive He woundeth and he healeth When we are judged we are chastned of the Lord. 1 Cor. 11.32 And he is said to be the God that heareth prayers and therefore to him shall all flesh come Secondly Reas 2 affliction bringeth men to a more clear certain and experimentall knowledge of God and of our selves 1. 2 Chron. 33.13 Of God as Manasses by his affliction knew that God was the Lord. 2. Of our selves for now the Lord awakens conscience and brings our former sins to remembrance that we had forgotten as Job hath it If they be bound with fetters Job 36.8 9. and holden with the cords of affliction then he sheweth them their works and their transgressions that they have exceeded When sicknesse comes and affliction seize upon us that we know not which way to turn our selves then if ever we begin to look up to God the thoughts of death and the thoughts of eternity will make the most desperate and hard-hearted sinner to look about him Object But do we not see Object that many that have been under Gods hand have had piercing sorrowes and sore afflictions and yet have not been humbled nor brought nearer to God but are as Ahaz that in time of his distresse 2 Chron. 28.22 he sinned yet more against the Lord. Answ 'T is true Answ this is not true of all neither doth affliction in its own nature drive us to God But this comes only from God who sanctifies affliction for the good of his chosen To wicked men they are the beginning of sorrowes and tend to their further ruine as they were to Pharaoh but they tend to the great benefit to such as love and fear God Rom. 8.28 to whom all things work for their best Is the time of affliction the time that God is to be sought unto by prayer Use 1 then let this minde us of our duty whether our afflictions be Nationall or personall to flye unto God as our only refuge There is a strange expression of the Prophet Hear the rod and who hath appointed it Mic. 6.9 Hear the rod What is that Why all Gods rods are speaking rods all Gods rods utter a voice or a cry and therefore must be hearkned unto Lam. 3.39 Man suffereth for his sin Our sufferings then do tell us of our sins and the Lord saith I will plead against them by the pestilence and by blood Afflictions are Gods messengers and alwaies come with a message from God that is that we finde out in our selves the cause of Gods displeasure and that we speedily meet the Lord by repentance And when Gods hand is upon us in what kind soever every soule should make this application to himself Jer. 2 1â— as to say Hast thou not procured this unto thy selfe in asmuch as thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God Surely it was a sad complaint that the Lord takes up I have corrected them but they have not been humbled The Lord help us to finde out the plague of our own hearts wherefore the hand of God is gone out this day against the Land so many waies And yet O the cursed Atheisme of our hearts that lay no more Gods judgments to heart the Pestilence hath spoken aloud to us the sword hath spoken aloud and this strange sicknesse and visitation that hath swept away so many hath spoken aloud all calling upon this Land and Nation for speedy repentance But we have not laid Gods judgments to heart we have not been humbled to this day Secondly Use 2 seeing the bosome of the Lord is the best refuge to flye unto in times of distresse we may see the happy estate and condition of Gods children above all the wicked in the world in their greatest miseries they are never left without comfort whereas wicked and ungodly ones God hears them not in the time of distresse 'T is true in time of misery wicked men wil cry call but God hears them not nor regards their cries They cried not to me when they howled upon their beds Hos 7.14 O when the Lord shall make no more account of our prayers then the very howlings of a Dogg who is able to put to silence the voice of desperation But now for the godly the Lord doth not only give them free liberty to come to the Throne of grace in times of misery but doth give them a comfortable assurance that they shall be heard Mat. 7. Ask and ye shall have And if earthly Fathers can give unto their children good things much more will our heavenly Father give not only what we ask but more abundantly Ephes 3.20 Above all that we are able to ask or think Enemies Tyrants Death Devills cannot make a true believer miserable that hath such a God to flye unto Thirdly Use 3 seeing the Lord hath recorded in his Word the prayers of his servants we may take notice of the great mercy of God towards us in this age of the world for whereas we are ignorant and know not how to pray the Lord hath provided for our weaknesse and ignorance and hath left us patterns of prayers that were made by the holy servants of God that so we might use them in the like case as Psalm 92. A Psalm for the Sabbath as most proper for that day So here A Prayer of Moses when the Church was in great affliction and distresse Dan. 9. So the Prayer of Daniel Nehemiah David c. which we may use in the like case as they did So that there is none in the Church that can plead ignorance but they may learn out of Gods Book how to pray The Lord deals with his people as a Father with his child bids him say after him Thus doth the Lord with his people Take unto you words Hos 14.3 and say thus Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously and so will we render the calves of our lips And the Lord foretells by his Prophet that he will powre upon every member of his Church this Spirit of supplication and of prayer Zach. 12.10 But may set forms of prayer be used Quest or may this Psalm of Moses be used in the
are convinced that repentance is necessary and grace must be had to make them die happily and their purpose is to leave sin and to cry God mercy yet they conceit they have time enough before them they may do this when they are old or when they lie upon their fick-beds then they will set to this work as time enough O that such men would consider this Doctrine 1. That many times death comes suddainly like a Flood when men think least of all on death Alas do we not see that on the Stage of this world some therebe that indeed do act a longer part and many there be that act a shorter some die in their youth passing as it were from one grave to another from their Mothers womb to another womb the earth How few live to the age of fiftie How many do we hear of daily that go well to bed at night and are found dead in the morning And why may not this be thy case Secondly consider that this is but one of the old Serpents wiles to put off our repentance and preparation for death to the last for Sathan knowes that if he can but prevail in that it is all one as if men resolved never to repent at all for we see by experience that not one of a thousand which take this course ever attain unto it for they adjourn from year to year and time to time so long that they come at last to be hardened in their sins that there is little hope of recovery In youth we appoint the time of age in age we appoint the time of sicknesse and when sicknesse comes the Lord knowes we are then most unfit for this great work Then comes the cares of disposing of our estates then comes pain and grief loath we are to die and in hope we are to live these things take off our thoughts of another life and so death feizeth upon us and away we must Thirdly do but consider that albeit thou livest to be old and hast thy understanding about thee and thy godly friends and acquaintance about thee that can exhort thee and pray for thee Alas how knowest thou whether God will hear thee at this time of thy death that wouldst not hear him in the time of thy life Nay is it not distributive justice now in God to refuse to hear thee then that refusest to hear him now It is not usuall with God to give grace in death who have despised grace in life See that place and tremble at it Prov. 1.24 25. c. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and ye have not regarded I will laugh at your destruction c. Besides thou dost but offer up unto God the Halt Mal. 1.8 the Blind and the Lame which is abhomination to him It is a most base and unworthy thing to offer that to God which a man would disdain and scorn to accept of But I hope God is mercifull Ob. 2 and though I am sinfull he is mercifull and I will rest upon that It is true Ans God is mercifull and thou maist say it for it is his mercy that thou hast not been long ago consumed that God hath not cut thee off and cast thee into Hell many years agoe 't is true it is his mercy But alas what is this to thee that hast so long and so often abused his mercy Is God mercifull the more unthankfull wretch thou to sin against so mercifull a God Ro. 2.4 Despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth to repentance Shall God be contemned for his mercy Ps 145.9 that ought the more to be loved and respected There is mercy with thee that thou maist be feared If God be so mercifull the greater the sin to sin against it And let such men know that presume thus of Gods mercy that as he is mercifull so is he just as he hath his Armes of mercy spread open to receive poor penitents so is Hells mouth wide open to receive the impenitent And how knowest thou that hast despised grace and mercy so often and so long a time but thou maist at last die in a Spira's case who in the time of his sicknesse being exhorted to say the Lords Prayer answered O I dare not call God Father And this hath been an observation I have made these forty years that such as have lived under a godly zealous and faithfull Ministry and have not been wrought upon it is often found true of such as was said of Nabal their hearts die like stones within them What little cause then have any to harden their hearts and continue in their sins in hope of mercy But did not the Thiefe upon the Crosse at last confessing his sin Ob. 3 and desiring Christ to remember him when he came into his Kingdome finde mercy at the last houre and so was saved Though men have much ingorance in them of the Scripture Ans yet this example they can remember and often alledge and all to this end to sooth up themselves in sin and to flatter themselves that they may repent at last Whereas this example as one saith is to keep us from desperation and is no cloak to sin Why should not the desperate condition of his fellow Thiefe that dyed with him asmuch affright us and terrifie us as his example comfort us And for this example of this penitent Thief we are to know that it was an immediate act of the divine power of Christ and it was not ordinary neither doth it prove that God will deal thus with thee It was not ordinary because he was saved without means but what was that to thee that enjoyest the means Besides one particular act of Gods power goodnesse and mercy can be no rule to go by The Sun once stood still at noon-day in Joshuah's time we must not look to see it so again Balaam's Asse once spake we must not look for the like any more Besides for ought we know this was the time that he was first called Now what is that to thee that hast been often called God hath often knocked at the dore of thy heart and to this day thou hast not opened unto him Besides this penitent Thiefe at this time shewed many excellent fruits of his repentance 1 Rebuking his fellow railing at Christ 2. Confessing his sin 3. And by making an excellent Prayer to Christ Now who can promise these things to himselfe when he comes to die O then to conclude seeing this is so that death comes as a flood suddenly and unexpectedly when men are not aware let it be our wisdome to be in a continuall readinesse that death finde us not unprepared There is nothing more certain then death nor more uncertain then where when and how we shall die They are as a sleep Text. IN these words lest Moses should seem to undermine and weaken the
render the cause of this their wofull misery and distresse 1. The more remote cause and that was the anger of God which they had justly procured by their sins verse 7. 2. Secondly by the more neer and speciall cause viz. their sins and rebellions whereby they had drawn down the anger and wrath of God upon them verse 8. For we are consumed in thy anger Text. c. WHence we may first of all observe how they compare their present estate now in the Wildernesse with the estate of other Nations and people and shew that their estate was far worse then theirs for others dyed now one and then one and so they were diminished but for them they were hastily consumed and suddenly swept away by the Plague and Pestilence now amongst them Hence we may observe first of all That it is a ground of humiliation to Gods people Doct. 1 Gods people should be humbled when it fares worse with them then with the wicked when their estate is worse then Gods enemies Moses gathers this as an argument to humble them and to move them to repentance and to seek unto God viz. That because of their sins they were in a far worse case and condition then the very enemies of God were For though their lives were short yet they confesse that theirs was far worse then the very Heathen themfelves for they were suddenly consumed by his anger When God is worse to his own Church and people then he is to his enemies when the Lord shall send Warrs in a Nation called by his Name and peace in other Kingdomes that are Antichristian sends famine in his Church and plenty to the wicked sends the Plague and Pestilence in his Church and health and prosperity to the wicked O here is matter of mourning and humiliation and it is that which hath touched Gods people to the quick and wounded them to the heart to see the enemies of the Church in better condition than the Church it selfe What a griefe was it for Godly Jacob to gravail into Aegypt Gen. to buy corn of the Egyptians that were the enemies of the Church What a griefe was it to the Church and people of God Lam. 5.6 when they say We have given the hand to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians to be satisfied with bread They that are our greatest enemies we have sought unto them for reliefe This was it that was such a trouble to David Psal 73. to see the wicked prosper and himself to suffer in distresse David had almost lost himselfe to behold and to take notice of this This must needs be a ground of humiliation to the godly Reas 1 when their estate is worse then the wicked Because this is a token of Gods displeasure against his people for their sins as it appears when the Lord threatneth them thus Deut. 28.43 The stranger that is within thee shall get above thee and thou shalt come down very low And again He shall lend to thee and thou shalt not lend to him ver 44. he shall be the Head and thou shalt be the Tail This will sin do make Gods people servants to their very enemies and the Lord will set his own people below them It is that which makes the enemies of the Church to insult Reas 2 and pride themselves yea and to censure the godly when they shall see themselves thus to prosper and the Godly cast down This lets us see how great Gods anger and indignation is against sin Use 1 that God should punish it so severely in his own people Israel was Gods Church Israel was Gods chosen one yet by reason of their sins their murmurings their infidelity that would not believe in his word that God would subdue those cursed Canaanites and give them their land to inherit but feared their strength their sons of Anack and their walled Cities therefore was the hand of God thus gone out against them and they perished thus miserably in the Wildernesse And how severely the Lord hath thus punished sin in his own people we may likewise see in Moses himselfe that because he honoured not God at the waters of strife the Lord would not suffer him to come into the land of Canaan And the like in David Yea the Lord Jesus Christ himselfe that had in himselfe no sin yet taking our sins upon him Gods hand lay most sore upon him And this should humble us at this time to consider how the Lord hath dealt with this Land and Nation and sent into every corner of the Land in every City and Country yea almost every Family the tokens of his anger and displeasure this strange and unwented kinde of disease amongst us that hath swept so many away Besides how heavy hath the hand of God layen upon the Land by the Sword Pestilence unseasonable times when other Nations and Countries have been free and yet Gods hand is not removed but his wrath is stretched out still Secondly Use 2 seeing the estate and condition of Gods Church and People is many times worse then their very enemies this may teach us not to measure the favour and displeasure of God towards us or others by the outward blessings or adversities of this life seeing the wicked do often flourish and prosper when the godly themselves do suffer great adversity David speaking of the wicked Ps 73.5 saith They are not in trouble like other men neither are they plagued like other folks Many times God punisheth most when he spareth most It is spoken as an argument of Gods wrath and indignation against desperate sinners Es 1.5 Wherefore should ye be smitten any more And again Hos 4.14 I will not visit your Daughters when they play the Harlots nor your Spouses when they play the Whores Was not this a token of Gods wrath and heavy displeasure that God should thus suffer them to go on in sin So on the contrary great afflictions are not alwaies arguments of a people cast off of God How heavy did the hand of God lie upon Job Hezekiah David c. yet dear and precious in Gods fight so true is that of Solomon that no man can judge of Love or haired Eccl. 9.1 by all that is before them For we are consumed in thy anger THere is one thing more yet to be observed hence Doct. 2 Though mans life be short yet sin shortens it viz. That though the life of man be short of it selfe yet it is made farre shorter than in Nature it is like to be by mans sin procuring some suddain and heavy judgment of God upon themselves This is that which Moses and the Church confesse here that the life of man is short of it selfe but yet by reason of their sins their life became more short for here they confesse that they were consumed by Gods anger Num. 14.26 28. and so it appears insomuch as of all that great number that came out of Aegypt being six
hundred thousand besides Children they dyed all in the Wildernesse all save Joshuah and Caleb above the age of twenty years some by the Pestilence some by sudden and fearfull fire from Heaven some swallowed up of the earth as Corah Dathan some killed by fiery Serpents and Scorpions and the greatest part by the Plague and Pestilence so that in the space of forty years they were almost all of them consumed This example of it selfe were sufficient to clear this truth that whereas the life of man is short of it selfe yet our sins many times makes it shorter as we may see in the old World drowned in the Flood Corah Dathan and Abiram smallowed up of the earth Herod eaten up of wormes Saul Judas the Children that mocked the Prophet Besides the experience we have in our daies of Drunkards Whormasters Theeves and Traitors who by their sins draw down Gods judgments upon their heads and shorten their daies As we see the Grasse though it be left to grow yet in time will wither of it selfe but if suddainly cut down with a Sith it sooner decayes A Leafe though it hang long on the Tree yet in the end it will fall of it selfe but by a storm is suddenly shaken down Thus it is with men 'T is true the sinner in committing of sin doth neither see nor perceive this being blinder then Balaam that saw not the sword drawn before him But Sathan that malitious enemy of mans Soul like deceitfull Laban that gave Jacob Leab instead of Rachel So doth Sathan deal with the sinner instead of profit and pleasure payes the sinner at last with some shamefull death the just wages and stipend of sin Because Reas 1 that all our sufferings are for the most part the fruit and stipend of sin Lam. 3.39 Man suffereth for his sin As the Lord said to Abimelech Thou art but a dead man because of this sin Gen. 20.3 the taking of Abraham's wife The wages of sin is death both Temporall and Eternall God hath joyned them both together The soul that sinneth shall die the death Ro. 6.23 Secondly long life is promised as the wages of obedience If ye be willing and obedient Es 1.19 ye shall eat the good things of the Land And on the contrary God often cuts off the wicked for their disobedience As a wise Parent will not correct his child where there is no fault so will he not spare when he is provoked Loathsome sicknesses foul diseases and sudden death are often Gods revengfull rods upon vile and wretched sinners Seeing the life of man Use 1 that is so short of it selfe yet is made far shorter by reason of sin this serves to justifie the Lords hand and righteous judgment upon the Land this day in his generall visitation by this unwonted sicknesse and suddain death of so many amongst us Is not England become the sinke of all those Sects and Heresies that ever crept into the Church And as if these were not enough to pull down Gods wrath the Land is guilty of Blood of Swearing of Lying of Whoring Sabbath-breaking contempt of the Word and Ordinances of Christ with these and the like abominations the Land is defiled and the Land shall mourn Hos 4.3 What hope have we to avoide our present judgments this day and yet live in those sins that cause them And how can we think to escape any Plague so long as we are guilty of the Plague of sin Secondly Use 2 since by our sins our daies are often shortned and cut off it shall then be our wisdome to discern betwixt the pleasures of sin and the miseries that accompany the sinner Sathan promised our first Parents that they should be like unto God but it was to make them miserable as himselfe How many a wretched man by his Drunkennesse Uncleannesse and other distempers shortens his own daies as the Prophet saith The wicked shall not live out halfe his daies which otherwise in the course of Nature they might attain unto But all those miseries whereunto we are subject by reason of sin in this life are no way to be compared to those fearfull punishments whereunto the wicked are reserved after this life for it is sin that shall shut them for ever out of heaven Rev. 22.15 Without shall be Dogs c. And They that commit such things shall never inherit the Kingdome of Heaven 1 Pet. 2.12 Which made the Apostle so earnestly exhort us I beseech you as Strangers and Pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which sight against the soul But we are consumed in thy anger IN these words Moses sets down the cause why they were thus hastily wasted and consumed in the Wildernesse which he confesseth here to be double 1. The more remote and improper cause and that was Gods anger in this verse 2. The neerer and more proper cause and that was their sins verse 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee c. First cause was Gods Anger Cause Gods anger which is described by the degrees of it 1. Anger 2. Hot anger 3. Sore displeasure But how do Moses and the people gather that God was so exceedingly angry with them But by that manner of death that they were so suddenly wasted and consumed with the Pestilence Hence we may observe Doct. 3 That great and extraordinary judgments and calamities Extraordinary judgments are arguments of Gods anger do argue the greatnesse of Gods Anger For Moses here inferrs and concludes the greatnesse of Gods anger and displeasure by the greatnesse of their punishment that seeing they were so miserably consumed and so fearfully plagued it must needs shew the Lord exceedingly provoked by their sins And this is that very use the Apostle makes of this their sudden destruction that came upon this people an argument to prove that God was displeased with them 1 Cor. 10.5 With many of them God was not well pleased In all extraordinary and strange judgments which the Lord brings upon us it is safe to say to our hearts as the people of God said Deut. 31.47 Are not all these troubles come upon us because God is not with us Ruth 1.13 This use could Naomi make of the death of her two Sons That the hand of God was gone out against her And this the very Barbarians could conclude of Paul Act. 28.4 when the Viper hung on his hand No doubt this man is a murtherer They conclude that it must needs be some great sin that Paul was guilty of that did cause that so sore a judgment It was a strange hand of God upon old Eli 1 Sam. 4.18 that he should fall and break his neck And no doubt his indulgency towards his children in their prophanenesse was the cause of it It was no ordinary death that of the young Prophet 1 Reg. 13.24 certainly his sin was the cause of it That Moses himselfe must not come into the Land of Canaan
consumeth to destruction Many were the provocations of this people that notwithstanding God had given them much experience of his power and goodnesse towards them Psal 78. giving them Manna from Heaven and Water out of the hard Rock Quailes to satisfie their lust and their provocations were many and great yet verse 38. He being full of compassion he for gave their iniquitie and destroyed them not Yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath But such were their sins and so great were their provocations verse 50. that He made way for his anger and he spared not their souls from death but gave over their lives to the Pestilence Yea verse 59. Gods wrath was so kindled that he abhorred Israel And who can look upon sin but as a fearfull thing and the greatest evill and the wrath of God intolerable when he shall but seriously consider how terribly his wrath hath broke out against sin It was for sin that God threw the Angells down from heaven to hell It was for sin that he drowned the old World Gen. 6. when their wickednesse was so great that it repented the Lord that he had made man and brought that Deluge over all the earth It was for sin that Sodome and Gomorrah was consumed with fire and brimstone from Heaven Gen. 19. That Pharach and the Aegyptians were overwhelmed in the red Sea That the earth swallowed up Corah and his complices Num. 16. That Herod was consumed with worms Acts 12. And how is the wrath of God come upon the Jewes at this day to the utmost sometimes Gods peculiar people now become a curse and reproach to all Nations a scattered and dispersed people upon the face of the earth this day This will sin do and this will Gods wrath and displeasure do when sin hath so far provoked God that it breaks out upon us And what shall we say to all those miseries that this land and Nation hath of late years groaned under as the Sword Famine Pestilence Sicknesses and Diseases Sects Heresies a Kingdome divided a Church rent and torn in pieces by unnaturall Brethren our Israel given to the spoile and Jacob unto robbers O who can say but that England's sin hath brought England's misery and that Gods anger that hath gone out against us hath been wondrous great Yea if we look upon the Saints and Servants of God themselves when by their sins they have provoked Gods anger and kindled his wrath against them how terrible and how fearfull hath he shewed his anger and displeasure against them As we may see in Moses this servant of the Lord that because he did not honour God at the waters of strife was shut out of the Land of Canaan And David who in the pride of heart numbred the people the Lord let him blood in the same veine there dyed of the people for his sin Three-score and ten thou sand men And this wrath of God shall at last most clearly break out and appear when he shall come in a flame of fire 2 Thess 2.9 rendring vengeance to the wicked And if the beams of Gods anger and wrath sends forth such terrible lestruction upon us here what will that wrath of his be when it shall be fully powred out upon his poor creatures in hell for ever Our God is a consuming fire Heb. 12. ult Now this anger and wrath of God must needs consume to destruction Because anger in God is as himselfe is Reas 1 Infinite what then can stand before it the whole world and all creatures therein are but as stubble and chaffe before the fire the very Mountains melt at his presence and in comparison of his greatnesse the whole earth is but as the dust in the ballance a flat nothing in respect of his intinitenesse this made Moses to say Who knowes the power of thy wrath Verse 11. the meaning is that none knowes it or can sufficiently take notice of it to fear as he ought before him Because there is such an antipathy betwixt God and sin Reas 2 that he must needs set himselfe against it and punish it It is so contrary to that pure Nature of God as darknesse to light there is nothing wherein there is the like contrarietie in Nature as there is betwixt God and fin The sinner is no better then a proud Rebell to God seeking to advance Sathan and to set him in Gods Throne wishing in his heart there were no God or that he were such a God as either saw not his fins or were not able to punish him for sin And can any wonder then that his wrath should break out to the destruction of the sinner Let us apply this Seeing the anger of God Use 1 thus once kindled consumeth to destruction O how doth this concern every one of us to dread sin which thus provokes him to wrath against us O the misery of that wretched soul that lies under Gods wrath If all the infirmities that human Nature is subject unto if all the sicknesses and diseases in the world should seize upon one man if all the tortures and torments that all the Tyrants in the world could devise to inflict upon a man to make him miserable and all the creatures in heaven and earth should all of them conspire together to make one poor creature miserable all these were nothing in comparison of the wrath of God who is a consuming fire How terrible hath the terrours of an accusing conscience been to many a poor creature we may see in Judas that was not able to bear them but preferred death before them and others daily that have made away their lives rather then live in those horrours of conscience they have felt in themselves What then is Gods anger and wrath when it shall be poured out to the full upon the soul of a sinner Why then do we not dread sin more which is the only cause of his wrath and who is never angry but at sin Art thou a Drunkard a Swearer a prophane person that livest in the continuall practise of sin Be not deceived saith the Apostle for these things sake commeth the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience An impenitent sinner is like unto a man that goes continually upon a mine of Gun-powder he may fear every step he takes that he shall be blowen up Seeing Gods anger once kindled against sin consumeth to destruction Use 2 we may hence observe the difference betwixt Gods anger towards his own Children and wicked men 'T is true God is many times angry with his own people and of them only it is said Ps 30.5 His anger endureth but a moment which implies that God will be angry with them Thus God was angry with Jehosophat for making affinity with wicked Ahab God was angry with old Eli for his indulgency towards his sons and God was angry with David for numbring the people and so
they may be brought to humiliation for the same this is the sure way to finde comfort in our Ministry Christ tells his Disciples that he would send unto them the Comforter Joh. 16.7 8. and he should rebuke the world of sin and of righteousnesse First of sin unto Condemnation and of righteousness that is the righteousnesse of Christ unto Salvation There is no comfort to be ministred from the Word till men are first convinced of their sins 2 Cor. 7.7 Paul tells the Corinthians that he repented not that he had made them sorrowfull verse 10. and he gives the reason because godly sorrow causeth repentance And the Lord knowes that this is the reason why many a mans Ministry thrives no more in many a Congregation Ministers lay not a good foundation by bringing their people to the sight of their sins and convince not their Consciences of the danger of an unregenerate and impenitent estate The sweet promises of the Gospell are unseasonable when this goes not before What is this but to offer salves to them that know not whether they have sores or no to offer Physick to the whole that see no need of it Note That Ministry that doth not convince the soul of sinâ— doth seldome humble the soul nor break the heart and so seldome drawes a soul to Christ Seeing it is not possible for any to be truly humbled Use 2 and to seek unto God unlesse they first come to see their sins 1 Ioh. 5. this serves to discover unto us the reason why the greatest part of the world this day lye in wickednesse and go on securely in a course of sin the reason is they were never as yet throughly convinced of their sins I have heard it reported of a certain traveller that travelling in the night being dark forced his horse over a Bridge over a deep River that was lately fallen down and a planck laid over for foot passengers which when he saw in the morning his spirits were so far surprised with the danger that he had escaped that he fell down and dyed O if men did but consider the danger they are in they travell in danger every houre not of water but of fire Hell fire yet they see it not nor fear it not only such whose eyes the Lord hath opened to see the danger they have escaped in comming out of their naturall and sinfull estate these can tell of those great things that God hath done for their souls But since the sight of sin is so necessary to the attaining of godly sorrow and humiliation for sin Quest how may we come truly to see our sins First Ans we must look into the glasse of the Law I had not known sin saith Paul but by the Law And again Ro. 7.7 Ro 3.20 By the Law commeth the knowledge ost sin The Law serves to discover sin and the punishment of sin there we shall see the good omitted and the evill committed the least transgression whereof deserves death Secondly we must look into the glasse of the Gospell and thence take notice of the grace and mercy offered and that high contempt of the same This as our Saviour saith is the condemnation that light is come into the world and that men should love darknesse rather than light O the sins against the Gospell these are the soul-condemning sins for the which we shall have nothing to say for our selves at last Thirdly that we consider the most holy and pure nature of God against whom our sins have bin committed so holy a God that the very heavens themselves are not clear in his sight Iob 4.18 Es 64.6 and the very Angells themselves do cover their faces how much more is man abominable and filthy before him In his sight our best righteousnesse is as amenstruous and polluted cloth the consideration whereof made Job to abhor himselfe and to repent in dust and ashes and Abraham when he was to come into his presence to confesse himselfe to be but dust and ashes And last of all to help to convince us of our misery by reason of sin consider 1. The multitude of the sins of one day then what of a year what of our whole life 2. That all the world is the worse for our sins 3. That many thousands are now in hell for the same sins 4. That Gods wrath burns against sin compared 1. To a Bear robbed of her whelps 2. To an evening Wolf woe to that Lamb he first meets withall 3. To a consuming fire Heb. 12. â—â— Our God is a consuming fire The consideration of these particulars may help us to finde out the evills of our own hearts and to humiliation for the same for till we come to the sight of our sins we shall never truly repent us of them nor see the danger of sin how it provokes God to anger and wrath against us Thou hast set our iniquities before thee c. THe Church and people of God having in the former verse confessed that they were consumed by Gods anger and by his wrath they were sore troubled come now to acknowledge the proper cause of all those grievous judgments of God upon them and that was their sins they clear Gods justice and acknow ledge that he was most righteous and that it was their sins that had drawne down his wrath and heavy displeasure against them Hence we may note Doct. 2 what is the principall procuring cause of Gods anger Sin the cause of all judgments upon a people and what it is that drawes down Gods judgments upon a Land and people and so likewise upon particular persons viz. Sin Our open sins and our secret sins against God and against men these provoke the Lord to anger and draw down his judgments upon a Land and People Thus Danie confesseth their misery and captivity was justly inflicted upon them for their sins Dan. 9.5 We have sinned and committed iniquity and have done wickedly by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments verse 8. And again O Lord to us belongeth confusion of face to our Kings to our Princes and to our Fathers because we have sinned against thee they confesse the hand of God was justly upon them for their sins And this is that which the Lord threatneth by Moses Deut. 28.15 verse 21. that if the people would not hearken and obey He would make the Pestilence to cleave unto them untill they were utterly wasted and consumed which the Lord made good unto this people at this time in the Wildernesse This is acknowledged by the lamenting Church when they say Lam. 5.16 The Crown is fallen from our head wo unto us we have sinned Thus the Psalmist reckons up the great things that God had done for this people in the land of Aegypt Ps 78.12 in the field of Zoan gave them Manna from Heaven gave them water out of a Rock verse 32 Quailes to satisfie their lust yet
soul will be humbled for It is not enough for men to sorrow and repent for open notorious and scandalous sins such as are Murther Whoredome Drunkennesse c. But our repentance must reach to lesser sins that is such sins as we have committed in secret that never came to the view of the world To clear this Take we notice first of all of Davids Example and Practice herein When Nathan by his parable had convinced him of his sins of Adultery and Murther and that his heart smote him for the same these sins he acknowledgeth 2 Sam. 12.13 I have sinned saith he against the Lord. And how heavy the guilt of those sins lay upon his soul Ps 51. we may see in that penitential Psalme of his by his manner of begging pardon Wash me cleanse me blot out restore me to the joy of my salvation c. Yet as though all this were not enough he accuseth himself of that which Nathan did not by acknowledging the very root and spawn of all those evils ver 5. saying Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me David will no longer flatter himself in his sinful courses and secret sins but confesseth all and begs pardon of all Ps 19.12 Cleanse thou me from my secret faults O how ready are these wretched hearts of ours to deceive us in this particular If our hearts smite us and our consciences accuse us for some grosse sin or other that we have committed and the world cries shame of and we confesse the same to God and beg pardon for it we think all is well In the mean time there is a world of wickednesse that lies hid in the soul we see not Gen. 6. the very thoughts and imaginations of our hearts being evil continually and all our righteousness even our best duties themselves are as a menstruous cloth and When we have done all that we can we are unprofitable servants and have cause to pray with good Nehemiah Neh. 13.21 O my God pardon me according to the greatness of thy mercy And without this sense of the universal depravity of our Natures and of those secret sins that cleave to us in our best duties our pronenesse to all evil our indisposition to any thing that is good the blindnesse of our Understanding the rebellion of our Wills the disorder of our Affections and that indeed we carry about us a very Body of sin and can be humbled for these and repent of these as well as for our grosse sins we are strangers to godly sorrow and true repentance And the first Reason may be taken from the nature of true Grace Reas 1 and godly sorrow for sin If this be true sincere and unfained it will set it self against every sin and will work an universal change in the whole man at least in an unfained desire and endevour in the heart though by and by it cannot subdue and bring under every sin yet it will set it self against it and will be humbled for it The nature of true Grace is to make the inside cleane as the outside it worketh faith in the soul and it is the nature of faith to purifie the heart Acts 15.9 and the heart being clean and pure the thoughts the words and actions of the life will in some good measure be sutable May be taken from the nature of God Reas 2 who is Omniscient and is privy to all our sins even to the most secret windings and turnings in the heart of man as it is in this Text Thou hast set our secret sins in the light c. There is nothing that ever we did but the Lord is privy to it Ps 119.168 Ps 139.4 All my wayes saith David are before thee there is not a word in my tongue but thou O Lord knowest it altogether and Job acknowledgeth Iob 42.4 There is no thought hid from thee And as the Lord sees and observes our wayes so he will not fail to judge every man according to his works 2 Cor. 5.10 Eccl. 12.14 And will bring every work to judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or evil So then whether we consider the nature of true Grace that albeit it cannot subdue every corruption by and by yet will it set it self against all and is humbled for all or that God sees and beholds our most secret sins and will not fail to punish them This shews the Doctrine to be clear That godly sorrow and true repentance doth reach to the most secret sins This serves to discover unto us in what a miserable estate and condition many in the world are in at this day Use 1 and how far they are from true repentance that flatter themselves that so long as they are not notorious sinners Drunkards Swearers openly prophane c. and are not guilty of such sins as all the world cries shame of they thinke they shall doe well enough O how far are such from the grace of true Repentance whose property is to set it self against our most secret corruptions since our most secret sins are such as the Lord will most severely reckon for Moses sin for the which the Lord would not suffer him to come into the land of Canaan was a secret sin in his heart yet how severely did the Lord punish this sin in his servant And Peter with Simon Magus to pray Acts 8. If perhaps the thought of his heart might be forgiven him So that there is no true repentance when men are not humbled for their most secret sins And Gods children that have the truth of grace in their hearts are as much humbled for their secret sins for their privy and close sins their sinful thoughts and lusts of their hearts hypocrisie neglect of duties coldnesse in prayer c. they be oft brought upon their knees for these And this shews the folly and madnesse of those likewise that if they can but commit their sins in the night when none can see them as to steale commit Adultery c. think all is well whereas though thou mayest hide thy sins from men yet even thy most close and secret sins are open and naked in the sight of God his All-seeing eyes were then upon thee he took thee in the manner Rev. 1.17 His eyes are like a flame of fire and his feet like fine brasse He sees in the darkest night and into the most secret corner and he will not fail to punish the sinner Seeing it is so sure a note of godly sorrow and true Repentance Use 2 to be humbled for lesser sins as greater for secret sins as those that are openly committed This may serve to justifie the wayes and courses of the godly against all those scoffs and taunts of wicked and gracelesse ones daily cast upon them for piety sake that they are so strict and so precise in every thing even in matters of the smallest moment that they love
singularity and deprive themselves of that liberty and pleasure that others enjoy they will not swear nor drink for company nor run with others into the same excesse of riot It is true indeed this they do not neither dare they do it and this is indeed the main cause why the world hates them But it is better that men should hate us for good then that God should plague us for evil Little doth the graceless world know what the terrors of the Lord are and how sensible a tender conscience is of sin especiall such as have been in the furnace of Soul-affliction Davids heart smote him for the very renting off of Sauls garment when his life it self was in his hand It is neither folly nor precisenesse in any to avoid the least sin that is so hated of God and will be so severely punished of him Let such remember that it was the sin of cursed Cain to hate his brother for good 1 Ioh. 3.12 And last of all Use 3 this serves to discover the wofull estate of those that covet nothing more then to shut their eyes yea and stiflle the checks of their own Consciences that when by the Ministery of the Word they are convinced of their sins and of the miserable estate wherein they stand by reason of sin labour by all means to keep this sorrow of heart from them like a poor condemned creature that stops his ears that he may not hear the Sentence of Condemnation passe against him whereas his onely way were to be humbled for his offence and to beg pardon there cannot be a more certain signe of an obdurate and hard heart then thus to stifle Conscience to hate reproofs that they might go on in a sinfull course without controlement Ps 141.5 Whereas a godly heart can say with David Let the righteous smite me for that is a precious oyle And by their judging of themselves they shall escape the judgement of the Lord 1 Cor. 11.32 That sin that is judged here shall not be judged hereafter Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance THere is one thing more observable in this Text viz. That the Lord having now by those sharp afflictions humbled this people they are brought at last to know and acknowledge that God had not onely set their iniquities before him but even their most secret sins in the light of his countenance Whence we learn Doct. 5 That our most secret sins that are committed are done God looking on The most secret sins are done God looking on Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance It is true Job 22.13 carnal hearts are ready to reason as Eliphaz with Job How doth God know can he judge through the dark Thick clouds are a covering to him that he seeth not These and the like are the carnal thoughts of carnal men Doth God know or is there any knowledge in the Most High Many a wicked and graceless wretch thinks the dark night will cover his sin and hide his abominations where as there is nothing that ever we did but the Lord is privy to it Ps 119.168 Ps 139.4 All my wayes saith David are before thee and There is not a word in my tongue but thou O Lord knowest it altogether And as Job hath it Iob 42.4 There is no thought hid from thee So that all our wayes words and thoughts are knowne to him Many are those glorious titles that are given to God in the Scriptures And amongst the rest this that He is the Searcher of the heart a property no way communicable to any creature for of him onely it is said Heb. 4.13 All things are open and naked before his eyes This is fully cleared by the Prophet David Ps 139.2 Thou knowest my down-sitting and my up-rising thou understandest my thoughts afar off verse 4. There is not a word in my tongue but loe thou knowest it a together And again verse 12. The darknesse hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darknesse and the light are to thee both alike Am I a God at hand saith the Lord Ier. 23.23 24. and not a God afar off Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him Do not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord There is no point of Doctrine in all the Scriptures more clear and plain then this That it is God that searcheth the heart sees all things and beholds our most secret thoughts and wayes The Reasons will make it more clear First Reas 1 his Omniscience is a special property of God an attribute of his His Knowledge is infinite hath no bounds nor limits he knows the Nature Reason and Causes of all things Heb. 4.13 All things are naked and open to his eyes or as the word is anatomized before him He is that God that fills heaven and earth with his presence and therefore must needs know and observe all our actions and take notice of our most secret sins Reas 2 Is given by the Prophet Ps 94.9 It is he that made the eye shall he not see It is he that made the ear shall he not hear He teacheth man knowledge shall he not know These were all absurd to think or imagine in God that hath in him perfection of all things Can the work be unknown to the workman or the creature to the Creator Since it is in him that we live and move and have our being Acts 17.27 The Lord at the last day will then lighten things that are hid in darknesse Reas 3 1 Cor. 4.5 Eccl. 12.14 and will make the counsels of the heart manifest and bring every secret thing to Judgement Therefore out of question he knows every secret thing yea he is privy to all those secret thoughts motions windings and turnings in the heart of man and every man at last shall receive judgement accordingly We shall now apply this Use 1 Seeing that our most secret sins are done and committed in the light of his countenance How may this strike terrour in the hearts of all wicked and ungodly men that live in the daily practise of many known sins Can therebe a greater terror to a malefactor then to know that the Judge himself is an eye-witnesse of his villany So what greater terror can there be to the wicked then this to have the Lord himself to behold their doings Many a wicked wretch thinks with himself that the sins he daily commits that no eye sees him nor beholds him could they be perswaded that but the eye of some godly man yea but a childe of five years old did see and beheld them what a terror would this have been unto them O where are our thoughts of the Lords All-seeing Presence whose eye is ever upon us Yea the more cunning and slight men have used in covering and concealing their sins the more doth the Lord abhor them and the greater
pestilence and with blood and bring worser daies then England hath yet seen VVho knoweth the power of thy Anger c. THat is none doth sufficiently consider of thy Anger and wrath for sin and doth fear thee accordingly to tremble at it Surely they are very few and those that do fear thee and the power of thy wrath yet come far short of that measure of it that thy Iudgements deserve Hence we learn Doct. 2 that Gods wrath is a terrible wrath none knows it Gods wrath is more terrible Psal 2.5 nor is able sufficiently to conceive of it It is called a fierce wrath sore Displeasure when his wrath and anger is kindled it devours to destruction Our God is a consuming fire First it is the wrath of God The Lord revengeth the Lord revengeth Nahum 1.23 where the repetition of the words shows not only the certainty of his wrath but the severity of it Secondly it is a consuming wrath it devours to destruction when this fire is once kindled it will burn to the lowest Hell Deut. 32.22 For a fire is kindled in my Anger and shall consume to the lowest Hell c. Thirdly there is an increase of his wrath Rom. 2.5 Thou according to the hardnesse of thy heart treasurest up wrath As rich men add to their Treasures so God adds to the Treasures of his wrath as men adde to their sins so God adds to his wrath and when the measure of sin is full God then powres out his full wrath It is a powerfull wrath Who knows the power of thy wrath It is not like the wrath of man which howsoever hot and great yet many times wants power to accomplish it but it is a wrath that hath much power in it so that look how much more God is stronger then man Rom. 9.22 so is his wrath It is a suddain wrath and so much the more fearfull Their Damnation doth not sleep it travails as fast as mens sins and will be sure to meet them at their journies end It surpriseth them suddainly it comes as an Earthquake and as a Theef in the night And if we look but upon those examples whom God hath made spectacles of his wrath who can but acknowledge that Gods wrath is terrible The Angells were cast out of Heaven in his wrath the old world destroyed in his wrath Sodom and her Sisters consumed in his wrath Corah and his Complices swallowed up of the Earth in wrath Pharaoh and the Aegyptians drowned in his wrath The Iews once Gods Church and peculiar people now rejected in his wrath Besides experience daily before our eyes of Nations and Kingdomes flourishing Kingdoms brought low almost to destruction all the wofull fruits and effects of Gods anger and wrath For the Reasons and Uses see ver 7. Doct. 5. Who knoweth the power of thy Anger according to thy fear q. d. WHat man living is able sufficiently to consider the waight of thy Anger for sin ahd who doth fear thee accordingly surely very few And those that do fear thee yet come far short in the measure and degree of the fear that they ought to have Hence we may observe Doct. 3 what is the cause why men do either altogether shake off the fear of God Men fear God no more because they know not the power of his wrath or have little or no sence of his Anger and wrath for sin or else fear the Lord but little and lesse then they ought to do The Reason is plain because that few do truly and indeed acknowledge the Power of Gods wrath what a wofull thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God would you know why men feare Gods Anger no more and make so light accompt of his wrath and displeasure surely it is because they never yet knew the wonderfull and unsupportable waight and burden of Gods displeasure See how the Scriptures speak of this Anger and wrath of God Nahum 1.5 6. The Mountains quake at him and the Hills melt and the Earth is burnt at his presence yea the world and all that dwell therein VVho can stand before his indignation v. 6. and who can abide the fiercenesse of his anger his fury is poured out as fire and the Rocks are thrown down by him Yea the best of Gods Servants that have ever lived have been astonished and cast down with the beholding of Gods anger What a sad complaint was that of holy Job Iob 6.2 Iob 16.12 13. Esay 38.15 O that my griefe were weighed and my calamity laid in a ballance together it would be heavier then the sand of the Sea c. And again He hath broken me with one breaking after another and runneth upon me as a Giant Which shews that Jobs very inward and most noble parts were most afflicted with the sense of Gods anger and displeasure And thus likewise doth Hezechiah complain that God had bruised his bones like a Lion And David affirms the combating with Gods displeasure His Soul was sore vexed and the very pangs of Hel gat hald upon him And Jonas Ps 116.3 out of the belly of Hell cryed I. His wrath sets all on fire sets the conscience on fire as it did the conscience of Jadas and burnes that Sets the estate of a man on fire and consumes that fals upon a mans house and habitation sweepes away Sons and daughters his Anger sets all on fire If his wrath be but once kindled Hos 2.5 perishing and destruction is the issue of it Now whilest men cast off this feare of Gods wrath no marvell though men live in sin and cease not to provoke him day by day by their evill wayes the feare of God is wanting The Reasons are First Reas 1 it is onely the feare of God that is the chiefest Armour to keepe off Sathans temptations to sin How can I doe this great Wickednesse sayth Joseph and sin against God Gen. 39. It was the feare of God that kept him from consenting to his Adulterous mistrisse It was the feare of God that kept Job that he durst not give liberty unto himselfe so much as in a wanton looke And he professeth that he durst not oppresse nor wrong any and that for this very Reason Iob. 31.23 for Destruction from God was a terror to me He was not able to beare Gods wrath And from this ground Saint Paul exhorts men to obedience knowing saith he the terrours of the Lord 1 Cor. 5.11 we perswade men See that the consideration of Gode anger wrath against sin is an excellent preservative against sin But before we come to the Vses Quest this Question is to be resolved Whether a child of God may abstaine from sin for fear of wrath I answer Answ God children are principally to avoyd sin because of the evill of sin as that which most displeaseth God yea though there were no Hell at all or punishment to be inflicted yet in regard it
Reas 2 the Lords anger and displeasure against us is subdued When God sent his prophet to Niniveth to cry Ion. 3. Yet forty dayes and Niniveh shal be destroyed the Ninivits humbling their souls in sackcloath fasting and praying God turned away from his wrath he intended against that City 1 Reg. 21 yea when wicked Ahab himselfe shall but humble himselfe the Lord suspended the judgment against him and his house And this is no other thing then what the Lord himselfe hath promised Ier. 18.8 If a nation against whom I have pronounced turne from their wickednesse I will repent of the plague that I thought to bring upon them so that this is the only way to stop the breach of Gods anger and displeafure and to call back his judgments when they are gone out against us Seeing this is our wretched nature Use 1 never to seek unto God for reconc liation till the Lord do even by strong hand humble us and breake our hard and stony hearts and cause them to tast of his anger and sore displeasure against us this bewrayes the monstrous securitie and sinfullness of our hearts that will never seeke to God till wee see our selves left and forsaken of him and till he break our hearts by the hammer of his judgments that will not seeke for heaven till he first send us to hell O the cursed securitie that is in these hearts of ours that can by no other meanes be humbled and brought home but by the rod and frownes of so gratious a God Surely it were our wisdom not to be so stubborn and rebellious to stand it out till the Lord do thus bruise us and breake us by his judgments and so compell us to seeke unto him Secondly seeing we shall never seeke unto God for reconciliation Use 2 till such time as the Lord hath truly and thoroughly humbled us and caused us to feel his anger and displeasure O what a terrour may this strike in the hearts of those upon whom the Lords hand hath beene often and yet have not been humbled to turn unto him when the Lord shall not only give us his Word the ordinary means of conversion and bringing us home but shall also send his rod even sharp and sore afflictions and yet men shall stand out against all will not be convinced of their misery nor seek unto God for mercy Here is a signe of an obdurate heart indeed Surely the case of such seems desperate such have cause to fear that they are in a hopelesse condition Ezek. 22.18 19 20. Let such consider that place and tremble at it Because you are become drosse behold I will gather you in the midst of Jerusalem as they gather silver and brasse and iron and lead and tin into the midst of the furnace to melt it So will I gather you in my anger and in my fury and I will leave you there and melt you yea I will blow upon you in the fury of my wrath And what account the Lord makes of such we may see Jer. 6.29 30. The bellowes are burnt the lead is consumed of the fire the Founder melteth in vain for the wicked are not plucked away Reprobate silver shall men call them because the Lord hath rejected them O it is a fearfull signe of Gods wrath upon that soul that when the Lord hath travelled upon us to do us good by the Word and by the Rod and nothing will work upon us but still we persist in our sinfull courses Reprobate silver shall men call such and such may fear they are cast off of God And last of all Use 3 seeing that untill we feel our sins and Gods heavie displeasure against us for sin we shall never seek for reconciliation This may serve likewise to be a stay unto us in the middest of our sharpest afflictions and sorest trialls that may betide us here whether inward or outward to consider the end whereunto God hath appointed them viz. to humble us Mic. 6.9 to discover our sins and to make us look home this is the erand they come with from God There is no visitation sicknesse misery or affliction but comes with a message from God What have we then to do but to search and finde out our sins the cause wherefore the Lord is thus displeased with us and to be humbled for them that so his wrath may be appeased Surely this is the Lords aim and end in his sharpest afflictions laid upon his children to make us look home and to say to our own hearts Hast thou not procured this to thy selfe Ier. 2.17 inasmuch as thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God And with the Church Deut. 31.17 Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not amongst us Not to do this in times of affliction and distresse argues a high contempt of God and his works It ought to be the care of every one of us Ezek. 16.41 to know the plague of his own heart and to finde out that speciall sin that hath made the difference betwixt God and him Return O Lord. THe next thing that we may observe is the person they pray unto viz. the Lord himselfe They run to no Saint nor Angell for help and succour in this time of their great distresse but they flie to God because that he alone was offended and of him they seek for reconciliation Return O Lord. Doct. 2 Hence we Iearn that in times of misery and distresse God alone is to be sought unto In times of misery God is to be sought unto Ps 50.15 And for this we have both precept and example Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear thee and deliver thee And Ask Mat. 7.7 and ye shall have seek and ye shall finde c. O what gratious and mercifull promises hath God made unto his Church and people and all to make them flie unto him and rest upon him in time of trouble yea such is the Lords inclination to pitie and compassion towards his people in times of misery and distresse that he hath said Es 65.24 Before they call I will answer and whilst they speak I will hear And as for Example the Scriptures afford us divers in this kinde of the faithfull that in times of misery and distresse have made the Lord their only refuge to flie unto and have found comfort and deliverance as that of Jehosophat and the men of Judah when the Amorits 2 Chr. 20 the Moabits and they of Mount Seir came up against them that both Prince and people were at a great straight and knew not what to do only say they Our eyes are upon thee They seeking help from God were delivered Thus David in all his troubles Ps 109.4 Ps 4.12 Ps 86 5 6. Ps 86 7 Ps 65.2 had still recourse to God for my love they are become my Adversaries But I give my self to prayer Yea God is pleased to
Eagle they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint They shall be like the tree planted by the Rivers of waters whose leaves shall not fall And this may yield matter of singular Comfort and consolation unto all the faithfull Hath the Lord begun in any of us the good worke of grace and put it into our hearts to walke in the right way of his commandements and to travaile towards the celestiall Canaan let us blesse God for this mercy And withall all intreat the Lord that he would still direct and guide us and never leâ—ve us but even bring us to the end of our Journey And never forsake us till he hath put us into the possession of that glorious inheritance prepared for us in that heavenly Canaan for if he direct us not by his grace and by his spirit it cannot be that we shall hold out but must needs turne aside in the broad way to destruction A Table of the principall Doctrines contained in this Book In the Title Doct. 1. TO doubt of Gods providence and to question his power a great sin page 5 Doct. 2. The greatest Honour is truly to be called a Servant of God page 14 Doct. 3. Teachers of the people should pray for the people Doct. 4. Times of affliction are times of prayer page 31 VERSE I. Doct. 1. The very complaints of the godly are effectuall prayers page 42 Doct. 2. When a Nation or people decay in beauty and glory it is high time to be humbled page 51 Doct. 3. To plead Gods former mercies a speciall motive to move him to pitty page 56 Doct. 4. Gods Church and people have ever had a Dwelling place page 62 Doct. 5. The Church of God is ever one and the same page 72 VERSE II. Doct. 1. In times of distresse we are ready to question Gods power page 77 Doct. 2. The knowledge of Gods covenant gives boldnesse in prayer page 84 Doct. 3. There was a time when there was no earth or world page 89 Doct. 4. God was from all eternitie page 95 VERSE III. Doct. 1. The greatest comfort to the godly in suffering times is to consider that their afflictions come from God page 101 Doct. 2. Our life and being here uncertaine page 107 Doct. 3. All men at last shall rise againe page 118 Doct. 4. Man a peece of living Clay page 131 VERSE IV. Doct. 1. Our life short being compared to eternitie page 138 Doct. 2. Man hardly convinc'd that his life is short page 142 VERSES V VI. Doct. 1. Death is unresistable page 147 Doct. 2. Death many times comes suddenly as a flood page 153 Doct. 3. Death is as a sleepe page 165 Doct. 4. Life of a man so fraile as no example can expresse page 173 VERSE VII Doct. 1. Gods people should be humbled when it fares worse with them then with the wicked page 185 Doct. 2. Though mans life be short yet sin makes it shorter page 190 Doct. 3. Extraordinary Iudgments signes of extraordinary sins page 196 Doct. 4. Mans ignorance of God great page 207 Doct. 5. Gods Anger once kindled Consumes to destruction page 110 Doct. 6. Sin most of all affects the heart of the godly page 120 VERSE VIII Doct. 1. Sight of sin Ground of Humiliation for sin page 227 Doct. 2. Sin the cause of all judgment upon a people 136 Doct. 3. Times of affliction discover Corruption page 247 Doct. 4. A true penitent will be Humbled for his most secret sins page 257 Doct. 5. Our most secret sins are done God looking on page 265 VERSE IX Doct. 1. The sufferings of the godly sometimes exceed the wicked page 274 Doct. 2. Gods hand somtimes long upon his own people Ibid. Doct. 3. The effect of Gods anger terrible page 285 Doct. 4. It is the sight of sin and the sence of Gods displeasure for sin that is the ground of true Repentance page 293 VERSE X. Doct. 1. Mans life but short page 305 Doct. 2. Misery of man since the fall wondrous great page 313 Doct. 3. There is no age of mans life but is full of labour and sorrow page 316 Doct. 4. Sin many times causeth suddain death page 323 Doct. 5. Godly confesse their own sins as the sins of others page 325 VERSE XI Doct. 1. Few take notice of Gods Anger as they ought to doe page 331 Doct. 2. Gods anger most terrible page 337 Doct. 3. Men feare God no more because they know not the power of his wrath page 340 Doct. 4. The best faile in the measure of the feare of God page 346 VERSE XII Doct. 1. No man can number his dayes aright unlesse God teach him page 355 Doct. 2. We ought to esteeme of every day as our last day page 361 Doct. 3. Men are never truly wise till then page 371 Doct. 4. True wisedome consists in true obedience page 377 VERSE XIII Doct. 1. Men never seeke to God for Reconciliation till they feele his displeasure page 385 Doct. 2. In times of misery and distresse God only is to be sought unto page 393 Doct. 3. Whilest God seems to be angry there is no peace page 405 Doct. 4. To mind the Lord of the Continuance of our affection a good motive to move him to pitty page 411 Doct. 5. In regard of Gods gratious presence God may turne aside from his people for a time page 415 Doct. 6. To plead Gods covenant an excellent motive to move him to pitty page 424 VERSE XIV Doct. 1. There can be no comfort to a distressed Soul ' till it be reconciled to God page 436 Doct. 2. Before we can be filled with mercy we must seeke our misery page 442 Doct. 3. We must labour for a plentifull sence of mercy page 446 Doct. 4. Onely Gods favour refresheth a distressed Soul page 452 Doct. 5. Gods mercyes should provoke to cheerfulnesse in his service page 457 Doct. 1. Reconciliation to God the fountaine of all true comfort page 463 Doct. 2. Our condition here wonderous Changable page 470 Doct. 3. God will never cast down his people so low bur he will raise them up at last page 480 Doct. 4. Afflictions past though long seeme short page 485 Doct. 5. We may pray for mercy answerable to our misery page 486 VERSE XVI Doct. 1. God is the protector of his people page 489 Doct. 2. Gods servants may looke for protection from him page 495 Doct. 3. No worke more excellent then Gods protecting his Church page 501 Doct. 4. To plead Gods glory a good motive to move the Lord to helpe page 509 Doct. 5. We ought to take care of the Church after our dayes page 518 Doct. 6. Wicked cannot pray for themselves or others but repenting of their sins can both page 527 VERSE XVII Doct. 1. We are deformed till the beauty of Christs Rigteousnesse be put upon us page 427 Doct. 2. Nothing we doe can prosper without Gods blessing page 532 Doct. 3. Before War is to be taken in hand God is to be Sought unto page 539 Doct. 4 Perseverance in any good Gods gift page 543 FINIS