gives them a serious Answer Hence Doct. What-ever end a people have in enquiring it is the duty of Gods Ministers faithfully to answer them according to the minde and counsel of God See Jer. 42. 19 20. the people they dissembled but Jeremiah tells them the truth Reas 1. From the nature of their Office which is to be Watchmen which depends not upon the acceptance or not acceptance of their Message but is an absolute duty whose neglect cannot be dispensed withall whether they will hear or no Ezekiel must discharge his Office Chap. 2. 7. yea it lyes so upon him as the neglect of it brings him under the dreadfull menaces of Gods wrath Chap. 2. 18. he breaks his charge if he neglect it yea and hazards the undoing of those for whom he is set up to be a Watchman Reas 2. Because God will have a rebellious people left inexcuseable Ezek. 2. 5. though the prime end and natural tendency of the Ministry be for the Conversion and good of the people to whom they are sent yet God in just judgement will sometimes have it to be to increase their Condemnation and to make their misery more dreadful Line upon line c. is sometimes given to make a people stumble and fall Isa 28. 13. all this is for Gods glory the shine of the glory of his Justice when he shall come to recover the honour of his despised Counsels and Warnings and plead with a people for their wretched and inexcusable violation of both Covenants Vse I. See here a reason why Gods faithful Ministers use so little humane policy in the execution of their Place and Office should they connive at our sins â—ew pillows under our elbows fawn upon us or at the least speak in the dark and aloof off they were most likely in an eye of humane Reason to live more quietly and less hated he is ready to be accounted our enemy who tells us the truth How easily might they accommodate themselves to humane affections but they dare not do it but speak plain not because they are ignorant of the probability of what entertainment they are like to meet withall but because they dare not to be false to the charge and trust which God hath laid upon them I confess concerning some things there may be an indiscreet zeal in these there is a time to hold one's peace but in the discovery of the Counsels of God and laying open crying sins c. it 's not the fear or favour of man but the awful command of God which must be and is the Rule of the serious Minister who being sent from God must deliver his Embassie Vse II. Learn hence how faithful God is to us how unfaithful soever we be to him and to our own souls might we have our own desires we would hear nothing else but soothing and pleasant words he that preacheth sin and wrath is a Legallist a Micaiah he never speaks good to us thus would we go sleeping and secure to Hell run our selves jocundly into all misery such enemies are we to our own souls but how faithful is God who seeing us falling into the seas of wrath sends to awaken us out of our sleep to tell us of our evil wayes and to reclaim and bring us back That God hath ordained and set up the Office of the Ministry under that solemn and dreadful charge As they will answer it in the great day If they will not bring the guilt of the blood of souls upon their own heads to tell sinners of their wayes and give them seasonable and constant warning herein is the Faithfulness of God and his great Goodness wondrously exalted Vse III. Learn hence to account a plain-dealing Ministry to be of God however they cross our corruptions if any in the world are indeed sent of God to us then surely those who laying aside all self-ends and worldly interests lay themselves open to the hatred and persecution of the world hazard to lose our love and good will to be evil spoken of to suffer want and hard usage among us rath then be silent in an evil day rather then hold their peace and let us alone in our sins or palliate and dissemble with us in the Cause of God and our own souls Pray to God that you may alwayes have and enjoy such Ministers and that he would put this Spirit into his Ambassadors The morning cometh and also the night Here the Prophet answers them according to their particular enquiry about the success In which observe 1. A Concession The morning cometh It is true indeed you do for the present enjoy a season of prosperity though evil have been denounced against you and it cometh still i. e. you have still a short season behinde of day 2. A Warning and also the night i. e. as you have your morning so assure your selves you shall have your night think not nor deceive your selves into such a foolish hope as to promise your selves you shall never see adversity because you now live at ease and prosper 3. The words carry in them the face of an Argument he compares their condition to a Natural day in which there are two constituting parts viz. Day and Night light and darkness which naturally follow one upon another the day of the people of God usually as the Natural day begins with darkness and ends in light the wickeds day begins with morning but shall end with night Hence if they look for night to follow the clearest day why do they dream as if sorrow could not come in the room of their present pleasure and delight Hence Doct. 1. God may afford a sinning people a people designed for wrath a long morning of prosperity Edoms Morning cometh endureth a great while God thus spared the Amâ—rites an hundred and fourty years bare with the old World an hundred and twenty Reas 1. Because this is the day of Gods forbearance God is perfectly just and he shall be known to be so in the day of vengeance when the great Assizes shall be set and he shall render unto every one according to their works but mean while he hath a day of mercy wherein without any infringement to his Justice and Holiness he moderates the Sentence past upon sinners and delayes the fuâ—l execution of it mean-while conferring much of his goodness upon them Now the season of the shine of this Attribute of Mercy appearing in his Clemency and Benignity is properly here in this world God will have the glory of all his Attributes shine out and appear in his Efficiency now there is no room for nor knowledge of his Patience Long-sufferance and Goodness in Hell where the Cup of Wrath is without mixture God therefore now makes it appear in the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction Rom. 9. 22. Reas 2. Because God hath in his Decrees not onely laid men out for punishment but for their measure and degrees of punishment which they come to by the height
covenant with God be found rebellious he will spare them no more then any other people nay he will begin with them Am. 3. 2. judgement shall begin at his house Shilohs ruines are a memorial of this and declare how vain it is to take sanctuary in the Tabernacle and shreud our selves from judgment under pretence of Gods covenant Ierusalem smarted dearly for this sin if Ioab be a man of death it avails him not to take hold of the horns of the Altar Learn we therefore from hence to beware to our selves how we make bold to sin and think the Covenant shall save us if God find us rebellious bold sinners though we should hide our selves in the Temple and take refuge under the pretended shadow of Gods promises of favour and love to us God will yet find us out and will not spare us whatever they plead for themselves Mat. 7. 21 22. yet Christs answer still is I know you not I tell thee when God shall come forth to execute his judgements upon sinners thy church membership thy priviledges shall not save thee God will no more regard thee for all this then if thou wert an Indian except it be to punish thee the more because thy sins have therein been greater and more hainous if such pleas could have prevailed who could have pleaded more then Shiloh and Ierusalem 3. General Apostacy makes way for general calamity learn this in Shiloh the Priests violated Gods Ordinances and the people they provoked him with their Idols and then see the effects 1 Sam. 4. 10 11. Israel is smitten 30000 slain the Ark lost the Priests slain read this also in Ierusalem 2 Chron. 36. 15 16 c. hence therefore what greater request can we leave with God this day than this that he would prevent our general decay in grace and to that end that he would restore the fallen prevent the backsliding and settle hiâ— own that mercy may be settled among us pray for rulers in Church and Common-wealth that they may do right and give good examples and for all the body of people that sin do not grow and encrease among them if once we see a spirit of prevailing corruption spreading it self among us we may read leading symptomes of destruction misery therefore may be roused up to ply the throne of grace that such sad causes may be removed and so our eyes may not see the natural direfull effects that flow from them 4. Lenetie in Rulers brings ruine upon a people whether in Common wealth or in Churches Rulers may be good men in themselves so was Eli but if they give way to sinfull forbearance in the executing of Justice according to the will of God they are not occasions onely but leading causes to the undoing of a people because such a spirit animates wicked spirits and makes them bold to do perversely upon presumption of a pardon or to be past by with some gentle reproof God chargeth Shiloh's destruction upon Eli who was Judg in Israel and when his Sons the Priests did wickedly he connives so far as only to rebuke them who being gotten beyond remorse or sense of reproof abused their Fathers patience to add to their Rebellion therefore must Shiloh be laid wast Hence therefore let this teach us to pray unto God to put a Spirit into our Rulers Zealous against Sin especially in these times of prevailing iniquity and let us in our place incourage them in so doing by rejoycing in acts of Justice and severity against such evils as grow and thrive among us Pray that they may not respect persons nor encourage some in sin by sparing others especially remembring that as long as such a spirit is in Rulers what ever sins there be in a people there are still some to stand in the Gap 5. The greatest Mercys abused by sin give God the highest provocation God recounts what he had done for them and what they had done against him Israel sinned greivously after such and such favours and when God heard this when this was the report brought him of the improvement that they had made of all his mercyes this brings them into abhorrence and good reason there is for it for every mercy is an obligation laid upon the creature to obedience hence the greater the mercy is the stronger tye lyes upon the creature to sin therefore against mercy grace and speciall mercyes is to break Gods strong cord of Love then which what greater provocation can there be Consider David Hanuâ— 2 Sam. 10. Ingratitude in return for friendship is the most hard to bear of any thing Aske we then our own hearts what use we have made of all those great mercies which our God hath bestowed upon us great favours we have had equal with those he had shewed to his people at Shiloh yea if all things be considered we may well say Superiour unto them in as much as the dayes of the Gospel afford far greater light then the dayes of the Law did and have we remembred what God hath done for us so as to make our returns unto him hath he had his tribute of thankefull Obedience have we lived up to our enjoyments have we been singular in holiness as we have been singular in the means of holiness or have we not rather grown vain and loose and prophane despising of the meanes and hardening our hearts against the Counsels of God if it be so with us Go to Shiloh and tremble 6 A People forsaken of God are in the road way to all misery we read God forsakes his Tent which was in Shiloh and what follows but ruine and waste and an universal deluge of destruction all woes follow when he is gone Hos 9. 12. and reason there is for it for his favour is the life of a people his protection is their only defence well may it therefore be said of a people deserted by God their rock hath sold them into the hands of misery fear we therefore to provoak God to leave us Consider 1. All our blessings are in his hand he holds us at his dispose if any people in the World then to be sure we are at Gods provision who have no store but what his yearly blessing brings in unto us 2. Sin will provoke him to leave us for he is a God of purer eyes then to behold iniquity i. e. with love liking or approbation his holiness engageth him to manifest signal discoveries of the contrariety which he hath against sin 3. If when he repoves our sins we harden our selves in them it is a sure signe that he is forsakeing of us Jer. 7. 28. Have we therefore given to God any provocation to unsettle himselfe an think of a removall away from us Oh let our repentance fetch him back and settle him Lastly It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the Living God The Charracters of Gods wrath impressions of his Judgements remaining upon Shiloh teach us this Lesson If
others yet are we under sin we lye open and liable to the Judgements of God and may as soon as others be made monuments of it It is no cloak to say I am not as â—ad as such and such Art thou out from the promise of Gods special grace thou art every day open to Judgement 5. That there is no safety but in making our peace with God if â—â—od sway the Sâ—epter and act his own pleasure upon sinners we are in a dangerous state as long as we are not agreed with him but have him for our adversary And hence the conclusion is to teach men righteousness to forsake those sins that are provoking to God and lay hold upon him in a way of true Repentance in time for his mercy lest we also be made monuments of his wrath this is the voice of all the Judgements of God which they speak to the world II. How far they are Doctrinal This is considerable either in respect of 1. The Judgements themselves All Judgements serve to teach they have a voice in them but some cry louder then others There is a voice in common calamities and disappointments but a louder voice in extraordinary Judgements Natural causes bring awful Judgements but more awâ—ul when they are Preternatural every sickness and disease every cross and loss speaks but when God goes out of the ordinary path here is a more awakening Call In a word the more stupendious and admirable the Providence is the louder is the voice of God and more clear to be heard for then the Lion roars Amos 38. 2. Of the Places wherein they are 1. Judgements remote have a voice to us let them be never so far off if we have any cognizance of them for the Text limits it to no narrower bounds then the World 2. But Judgements near are more loud when a fire is in our neighbours house it then bids us to look about us to secure our own 3. But Judgements at hâ—me are most loud of all in our Town oâ— in our Families for then God eries among us yea the stroke of his Rod is upon us and therefore its high time for â—very one to see to himself 3. In respect of Senses 1. Judgements heard of are awful for this is a great sense of discipline But 2. Judgements seen and felt are more dreadful and awakening and the Reason is Because these Sâ—nses are more intelligent and less fallacious we may question the truth of reports but what we see and feel we have less cause to suspect If any Sense can inform without â—allacy it is these as also these are the most affecting Senses The eye affects the heart much more then when the hand of God lyes heavy upon a person Seventhly It is the will and command of God that his Judgements should 〈◊〉 men righteousness Reas 1. Because he singles out some to shew his judgements upon and takes not all sinners as he might do this shews that God would have men improve this day of his patience to Repentance God hath Pleas enough against others and might have executed his wrath on them but when he does not he shews that he would have others to get good by it Reas 2. Because God in his Word calls men to consider and observe his Judgements he declares it to be his will that when he visits any in severity for their sins All Israel should hear and fear and do no more so When God would reclaim Judah from their vain confidence and awaken them to repentance he sends them to Shiloh to see what wastes and desolations he had there made Jer. 7. 12. Reas 3. Because none of Gods Providences are in vain God doth nothing in the woâ—ld to no purpose Reas 4. Because God does by hsi awakening Judgements teach them he intends good to David professeth Thy judgements make me afraid i. e. afraid to sin aâ—raid to be licentious and remiss in my life and wayes Reas 5. Because God doth charge the neglect of this duty upon Judah as a great grievous and provoking sin when he had executed his judgements upon her sister Aholah Israel the Ten Tribes that Aholiâ—ah Judah held on her own old courses of sin and was no whit affected therewithall nor did by it learn to amend Ezek. 23. Vse I. Of Information of our judgements in divers things 1. That Afflictions and Calamities are not by casualty they are Gods Judgementâ— ordered and fore-determined by him not a Sparrow falls to the ground without him and therefore let it teach us not to slight them or look upon them in a negligent manner as things that come promiscuously and imprudently to pass but by the wise disposal of God See God in all that falls out in the world and adore him 2. That it is our duty to look beyond Instruments in every Judgement that befalls us It is true Instruments are some of them raâ—ional some are irrational and hence some Instruments may be â—lame-worthy may justly be accused and if God give opportunity may in a way of Equity be proceedeâ— against but we must not rest in the malice of Instruments but look â—urther and see the hand of God its a foolish dog that runs after the stone and mindes not the hand that threw it If we look upon the most rational Instruments as they be in the â—ands of God and consider them as under his Soveraign disposal they are no more then as an Ax or Kâ—ife or any other instrument in the hands of a man The Assyrian â—y rod Isa 10. 5. Hence God is nevertheless to be seen for the malice or spight of the creature because he improves even the wrath of man to his praise and the remainder of wrath he restrains Learn we hence in all the Judgements that befall us not so much to say what means the instrument but what provokes God though Syrian before and Philistim behinde yet let Israel return to God that sâ—ites him 3. That times wherein God brings his Judgements among a people are solemntimes and ought to be entertained with solemnity they are times of serious consideration Hag. â— 5. and humiliation God when he visits a people in Judgement bids blow the trumpet call a solemn assembly return to the Lord with weeping wailing and lamentation Joel 2. 1 2 13. We are not therefore before God this day in this solemn duty uncalled for 4. That no person that sees or hears of Gods Judgements is unconcerned if he be an inhabitant of this world there is a voice to him Learn we therefore to have a care of disinteresting our selves or saying What relation hath this or that to me 5. That the more of Gods Judgements have been among a people the more God will have against them if they repent not God will have despised Judgements to lay to their charge it will be an heavy aggravation of such a peoples sin that they have not onely had and enjoyed Gods Ordinances among them but those backed with his