and given up to besides that natural Darkness which is in all unregenerat Persons yea and regenerate likewise by Natural There is a Super natural and Judicial which some especially in the just Judgement of God have inflicted upon them Thus Rom. 1.28 It is said of the wicked Gentiles That as they did not like to retain God in their Knowledg God gave them up to a reprobate Sense or mind void of Judgment to do those things which are not Convenient Thus in all these respects are wicked men in Darkness Darkness it is the privation of light And so it is in such kind of Persons now we must know what Light this is Namely the Light of the Spirit As for the common Light of Nature the Light dime Light of Reason that even Natural men may have and in some Competent measure as the Heathen Philosophers had many of them in great Abundance But this Light of Grace and of the Spirit it is such as they are not acquainted with nor know not what it is This accordingly gives us an account of so many Stumblings and Miscarriages as there are in the World Here 's an account of the Diversity of Errours and false Opinions in matters of Judgment And here 's an account also of the Diversity of Outrages and Wickedness in matters of Practise whence there are so many Abomintions as do continually raigne amongst us it is from hence that men are in Darkness There is a mist of Spiritual Blindness which hath Surprised them and Over-spread them and therefore it is that they fall into such Miscarriages as these are And this for the Darkness of the way that Darkness which wicked men are incompast with here in this present life The Second is the Darkness of the End That Darkness which they are subject unto in another World This is of two sorts either the Darkness of Death or Judgment First Of Death that is common to all both good and bad And it is represented in Scripture to us under the notion of Darkness Thus in Job 10.21.22 Before I go whence I shall not return Even to the Land of Darkness and the shadow of Death A Land of Darkness as Darkness it self and of the shadow of Death without any order and Where the Light is as Darkness Thus it is spoken of the Grave and the condition of Bodies lying there So Job 17.13 If I wait the Grave is mine House I have made my Bed in the Darkness And so likewise in Eccles 11.8 The days of Darkness they shall be many It is spoken still of abode in the Grave this is common to all viz. The Darkness of Death The Second Is the Darkness of Judgment and Hell it self which is call'd in Scripture Vtter Darkness This is that which is especially proper to the Wicked Bind him hand and foot and cast him into utter Darkness sayes Christ Matth. 22.13 And Psal 9.17 The Wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the Nations that forget God This is that which is made to be their Portion And so much for the First particular viz. The state of Darkness which the Wicked and Vngodly of the World are Exposed unto The Second is the state of Silence in order to this Darkness They shall be silent in Darkness Thus it may admit of a various Emphasis which is involv'd in it we may reduce it to these following Particulars First That Grief and Horrour and perplexity of mind which shall seize upon them in this Condition Silence it is an attendant upon Grief and Astonishment in the Extremities of it Curae leves loquunter ingentes stupent so that where Grief is any thing moderate there it expresses it self in speech where 't is Excessive there 't is stupifying and Obstructive Vox faessi hucibus A mans words there stick in his Teeth and therefore great Grief is exprest to us in Scripture by Silence in sundry places thus Esay 15.1 The burden of Moab Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste and brought to silence because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste and brought to silence Brought to silence that is Cut off and destroyed as the word Nidhmah also signifies Destruction it is signified by Silence So Jer. 8.14 Why do ye sit still Assemble your selves and let us enter into the defenced Cities and be silent there for the Lord our God hath put us to silence and given us waters of Gall to drink because we have sinned against the Lord. Hath put us to silence that is hath brought us into a distracted Condition so that we know not what to do or say So Jer. 47.5 Baldness is come upon Gaza Ashkelon is silent and Cut off Where Baldness and Silence are put for Sadness and Grief in the Philistians Again Lament 2.10 The elders of the Daughters of Sion set upon the Ground and kept silence Namely so far overcome with Grief as unable by speech to abate it And Job's Friends in simpathy with him in his great Grief thus sat down and spake not a word unto him in seaven days c. This shall be the Condition of Wicked men former or later they shall be full of Horrour and Grief unexpressible They that now are full of Jocunness and Joviality and Clamour and make a noise in the World there is a time a coming when they shall be filled with Anguish and perplexity of Spirit which they shall not know how to help in themselves Secondly Silence it is a note of Conviction They shall be silent that is they shall have nothing to say for themselves Wicked men as they shall be full of Grief so likewise of Confusion When God shall charge them with such and such Sins and Abominations whereof they are guilty they shall have nothing here to answer him Either by way of Apology for themselves or Censure of his proceedings against them That every mouth may be stopped and all the World become guilty before God as it is in Rom. 3.19 Thus it was with him in the Gospel Which came to the Marriage-Supper not having on him his Wedding-Garment when the King aâ—kt him how he came thither it is said he was speechless Matth. 22.12 That is he knew not what to say for himself God will one day non-plus and Convince and Confound all impenitent Sinners They shall be in Darkness that is in Extremity of Misery and silent in it that is Convinced and perswaded of Gods design in his proceedings Thirdly It is a note of Abode and of Continuance in this miserable Condition They shall be kept and bound up in it As the Egyptian Darkness it was such as wherewith they were fastened and contained in their places as not knowing how to stir out of them They saw not one another neither rose any from his place for three Days And Wisd 17. vers 17. There is an Expression sutable where t is said They were all bound with one Chain of Darkness Sutable whereunto is that of Jude 1.6
in Out Cryes in Robberies in Fires and the like in what ever Calamities we can think off as tending upon the Night How Comfortable I say is this to a Beleiving Soul in such cases as these are to be with God still when he awakes This is the priviledg which belongs to such Persons as we have it further declared unto us in Psal 91.5 Where speaking to a man that maintaines Communion with God and that dwels in the secret of the most High he has this Expression about him Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by Night nor for the Arrow that flieth by day Nor for the Pestilence that walketh in Darkness Nor for the Destruction that wasteth at noon day A thousand shall sall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand But it shall not come nigh thee Hence he says again of himself Psal 23.4 Though I should walk in the Valley of the shadaw of Death I will fear no Evil for thou art with me Thy Rod and thy Staff they Comfort me In the Valley of the shadow of Death that is as we may explain it in the Night For as Sleep is the shadow of Death so is the Night the Valley of that Shadow When thou liest down thou shalt not be afraid yea thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shall be sweet Be not afraid of sudden fear neither of the Desolation of the Wicked when it cometh For the Lord shall be thy Confidence and shall keep thy foot from being taken Secondly It quickens to Duty This waking with God in the Morning it keeps the heart in an holy frame and temper all the day after It makes us so much the fitter for those holy Exercises which are to be performed by us Yea indeed for any thing The Duties of our or ordinary Callings and Common and Domestick affairs they come off much the roundlier from us as we make Introductions to them by Communion first with God Thirdly It prevents from sin and Temptation at the least the prevalencies of it when a man shall neglect God at any time in the opening and Begining of the Day God many gives him over to the Power and malice of Satan and the Corruption of his own heart in the following part of it But now when he shall close with him betimes He will be watchful over him to preserve him And the Peace of God which passeth understanding shall keep his heart and mind through Christ Jesus Phil. 4.7 And thus we see the several Priviledges and Benefits that do attend upon this Practise The Vse of all comes to this even to excite us and provoke us and perswade us hereunto all that may be as that which is not onely our Duty but also our Advantage and confirmed to us by the Practise and Experience of all the Saints we should be much in this heavenly course of retiring to God upon all occasions and specially when we first awake to be still with Him in all the sences which I have now given of it We should wake our selves and also wake him as the Scripture sometimes advises us and gives us an Example in the Person of the Church Awake Lord why sleepest thou Arise cast us not off for ever as it is in Psal 44.23 I have set watchmen upon thy walls O Jerusalem which shall not hold their peace day nor night Ye which are the Lords Remembrancers keep not silence and give him no rest till he establish and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the Earth Isa 62.6 7. Whatever we be mindfull else of in any of our Addresses to God we should be still mindfull of the Good of the Church and put himself in mind of it not give sleep to our eyes nor slumber to our eye-lids till he have in some sort prevailed with him for it There 's a special Emphasis in the words if ye observe them and take notice of them in that it is sayd I am still with thee which denotes Continuance and Perseverance It is not enough to have sudden flashes and stirrings of good thoughts in us when we awake in the Night or in the Morning or at any other time of Contemplation No but we must abide and fasten upon them I am still with thee that is as the word properly signifies I am yet with thee Gnoâ—hi gnimal Yet and yet and yet Like Friends that are like to depart and leave one another I am so with thee as that I know not how to get from thee we should please and delight our selves in such a blessed course as this is And that I say especially in the Morning and upon our first Awakening as indeed all the day long we should be still sucking and drawing from Him In set and limited times of Duty there may be sometimes if we look not better to it much of Custom and Formality and the doing of things as a tush c. But the keeping of the heart in a continued frame of Piety and inclinations towards God is most satisfactory and acceptable and hath a better Evidence with it Though the other likewise in its place is not to be neglected And as on all other dayes whatsoever so on the Lords day more especially we should be carefull to wake with God Then we should still with him and with him indeed As our Blessed Lord himself rose in the Morning of it whereby he did in some manner sanctifie it and set it apart for us so should we then be careful especially to rise in our thoughts and affections and meditations As he then awaked from Death so should we at such times especially awake both from sleep and sin and be watchfull in all the Duties of Religion Awake my Glory awake psaltery and harp I my self will awake right early Psal 57.8 Read Psal 92. to this purpose which is a Psalm penn'd for this occasion It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto his Name O most High To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night Vpon an instrument of ten strings and upon the psaltery upon the harp with solemn sound For thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work I will triumph in the works of thy hands O Lord how great are thy works and thy thoughts are very deep A brutish man knoweth not neither doth a fool understand this c. Now if ye shall ask how we may attain to this blessed Condition whereof we now speak when we awake to be thus still with God I answer briefly in the Observation of these following Directions as pertinent hereunto First Walk with God in the day The Duties of Religion are link'd and chain'd together and come off more easily in the Conjunctive performance of each other Thus Reading and Hearing and Meditation and Communion of Saints Conscionably and Religiously perform'd do so much the better dispose to more immediate Communion with God And the Actions of the Day have
endless darkness Lastly By way of extent or explication to shew unto us the full nature of this business wherein it does consist There are two Branches of the sentence of condemnation and which the judgment of the great day does extend unto The one is positive to the punishment of sense and the enduring of exquisite torments and so in that consideration it is called darkness The other is privative in the punishment of loss and expulsion from God's glorious presence and the comfort of his countenance and so in that consideration it is said to be no light And thus we have seen this passage in each expression of it both Affirmative and Negative darkness and not light And so much may be also spoken of it as consider'd simply and absolutely in its general Proposition We may further Secondly look upon it relatively and in its particular scope as directed more especially to the persons above mentioned who desired this day of the Lord. To these the Prophet Amos here declares that this day it is darkness and not light And here again in this reference it carries a threefold force or emphasis with it First an emphasis of Information to those which were ignorant and did not know that this day was Secondly an emphasis of Conviction to those which were obstinate and would not know what this day was Thirdly an emphasis of Astonishment to those which were desperate which knew it but laid aside the thoughts and considerations of it and would put it to the venture First I say This expression The day of the Lord is darkness and not light it has an emphasis of information to those who were ignorant and which did not know it as if he had said thus unto them You seem to desire the coming of the day of the Lord as if thereby you should get some great good to your selves but alas as the case stands with you you have no cause at all to do so for there will be no advantage from it to you The proper object of desire it is good and not evil it is light and not darkness But this day of the Lord as it is circumstanced it is that which is quite contrary it is evil and not good it is darkness and not light that ye may rightly understand it The world has other notions commonly of death and judgment than those which they should have but the Scripture and word of God is the best instructer of them in this particular and that gives them a true account and estimate of such things as these are if they will hearken unto it Secondly An emphasis of Conviction to those which were obstinate and would not know it Profane persons as I shewed before they laugh'd at those things thought there was no such thing indeed as the day of the Lord and therefore scoffingly and in scorn call'd for it Well let it come We would fain see this day that you speak of and threaten us withal Well says the Prophet to these ye have no great cause to be so full of this confidence and security if ye consider all for I can tell you there is somewhat more in this day than you are aware of there 's no playing or jesting with it This day of the Lord it is darkness and not light what ever you may think of it it is so and so you will find it The word of God is powerful sharper than a two-edged Sword and the threatenings of the word having the spirit of God going along with them and setting them home upon the conscience have an ability in them to conquer and confound the most impartial mockers Thirdly An emphasis of Astonishment to those which were desperate and though they knew and in some sort believed such a day as this was yet did not fear it but were hardened in their hearts against it To such as these the Prophet here declares the horridness and unsupportableness of it That though they may think they could grapple with it and hold out against the extremities of it yet in conclusion and when it comes to the trial they will find it to be too heavy for them and above their strength whether the day of common and publick calamity or the day of trial and general judgment Who may abide the day of his coming or who shall stand when he shall appear as it is Mal. 3.2 And again Rev. 6.16 17. They shall call to the mountains to hide them from the face of him that sitteth upon the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand Take this day in reference to the Jews for their particular and it was full of astonishment in each acception whether we take it for the day of their Captivity or for the day of their Messias The day of their Captivity it was a doleful day unto them insomuch as the Prophet Jeremy made it the sole matter of his Book of Lamentations And the day of the Messias that was an heavy day like wise that it proved their final rejection for since that time they are mark'd out to the world for a persidious people and hardly known for a people The Vse of all to our selves and so to draw to a conclusion comes to this We have heard how the day of the Lord is darkness and not light that is terrible and full of horror in the whole latitude and extent of it whether we take it for the day of death and general judgment or whether we take it for the day of captivity and National visitation Now what remains but that accordingly we should be sensible and apprehensive of it in this representation and from thence to prevent the terribleness of it to our selves For this is the nature of such things as these are that the terribleness of them encreases with the security about them and the less grievous they are thought to be afore-hand the more heavy are they when they happen and come to pass And on the other side preparations for them do take off from the dreadfulness of them We should therefore labour to get a stock of Grace against such times as these are and in this day of the Lord's mercy and respite and intermission prepare for the day of his wrath and judgment and visitation We should labour and endeavour to make our peace with God in Christ who alone can take off the terribleness of that day from us and make it of a day of darkness to be a day of light We should cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light in the abandoning of all wicked and sinful courses and in the practice of all spiritual and heavenly Graces We should walk honestly as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness not in chambering and wantonness not in strife and envying but putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and making no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof as
the Apostle advises us in Rom. 13.13 14. Take heed of having too easy and favourable thoughts and apprehensions of such things as these are of death and judgment and calamity as if they had no great matter in them for it will not appear to be so when they shall come in good earnest Wo unto you that in this sense desire that is diminish and despise and disregard the day of the Lord which is a kind of desire interpretatively as being next to it for you have no ground or cause for it The day of the Lord being dark and not light yea very dark and no brightness in it as it is here exprest And further here consider the great difference which is betwixt man and man in this particular for whiles this day of the Lord is said to be thus and thus it is still to be taken in a variety of Emphasis according to the variety of Persons which are concern'd in it The same day being occasionally and respectively either one or t'other unusquisque sibi est aut tenebrae aut lumen says St. Austin Every one is to himself either darkness or light Si pius lumen si impius tenebrae Those which are gracious and truly religious to such the day of the Lord whether in death or judgment it is a day of light and joy and of comfort in death as it translates them to Glory and in Judgment as it finishes Glory to them On the other side to those which are wicked and ungodly and profane and atheistical to them it is a day of darkness and horror As the cloud which we read of in Exod. 14.20 It was light to the Israelites whiles it was darkness at the same time to the Egyptians A direction to one and an obstruction to the t'other Where by the way take notice of the unhappiness of all wicked and ungodly persons in the perverting of those things which in themselves have the greatest excellency by making a contrary use and improvement of them There 's nothing which wicked men partake of but it 's either the worse for them or they for it The Word of the Lord and the Table of the Lord and the Temple of the Lord and the Day of the Lord. The Word of the Lord they make it reproachful and instead of the savour of life to them to be the savour of death The Table of the Lord they make it to be vain and contemptible and instead of discerning the Lord's body eat and drink to themselves their own damnation The Temple of the Lord they make it execrable and instead of the house of Prayer a den of thieves The Day of the Lord they make it terrible and instead of a day of light a day of darkness As they profane the day of the Lord as it is taken for a day of devotion so they contemn the day of the Lord as it is taken for a day of judgment and visitation So much for that and so much also of the whole Text. SEVERAL SELECT SERMONS Upon Various Texts out of the NEW TESTAMENT Sermon I. MATTHEW 5.20 That except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven It was that which was laid to the charge of our Blessed Saviour whilst he converst here upon Earth as is also since to some of his servants in conformity to him that whiles he preacht the Doctrine of the Gospel he did nullifie the vigour of the Law and the Precepts of it That which the Pharisees were more especially guilty of themselves which was to make the Commandment of God of none effect by their Traditions they most falsly and injuriously and unhappily object to Christ as if he came into the world for this purpose to destroy the Law and the Prophets Now therefore did it very much concern him to clear himself of this accusation which we find him to do in this present Scripture by shewing that he was so far from nullifying or destroying the Law as that he did so much the rather strengthen it and confirm it and further inforce it by the sense which he put upon it as leading men to a stricter and exacter observation of it than as yet they had been acquainted withall and this is the scope in particular of this Text which we have now in hand Our Saviour had for the general profest it in the 17th verse of this Chapter Think not saith he I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets I am not come to destroy but to fulfil Now in this verse before us he proves and demonstrates what he there profest For I say unto you That except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness c. IN the Text it self there are two general Parts First The Preface or Introduction Secondly The Doctrine or principal matter which is delivered in it The Introductory Preface that 's exprest in these words For I say unto you The Truth and Doctrine which is delivered in these words Except your Righteousness c. We shall a little invert the Order of these words in the handling and begin first of all with the second Branch of them as that which is principally intended and that is the Doctrine or Truth it self which is here propounded and delivered to us Except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees c. Wherein we have a disparagement of the Righteousness of such and such persons in order to Eternal Salvation so as that these who do partake of no more but only that shall never partake of this The word Scribes is the name of an Office amongst the Jews who were noted especially for their Learning and Knowledge in the Law The word Pharisees that is the name of a Sect who were noted especially for their life and conversation Now the Righteousness of either or both together is here declared to be very defective And the point which arises from hence is briefly this That Pharisaical Righteousness is unsufficient to bring a man to Heaven If a man have no more Righteousness in him than of the Scribes and Pharisees he shall never enter into the Kingdom of God For the better opening of the present point unto us there are two things to be done by us First To shew what this Pharisaical Righteousness is and wherein it consists Secondly To shew the Defectiveness and Insufficiency of this Righteousness in reference to Eternal Salvation and what it is which makes it so to be as is here by our Blessed Saviour declared concerning it First What this Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees was or is which is thus insufficient Now this may be reduced to these two heads either first the matter and substance of their Righteousness or secondly the manner and circumstances Their Righteousness it was observable and remarkable in either of these particulars but yet defective in each First For the matter and substance of their Righteousness it
them must needs be granted to be a very great Mercy to those who are partakers of it Oh it is a great Mercy to be kept from sinful allurements especially considering what propensities and inclinations are in our selves to the closing with them we have a Nature in us which is like dry Tinder to these Sparks that presently takes And therefore to be prevented from the occasion is so much the greater Advantage What may we think by the way of those that run to them to meet them which put themselves voluntarily upon wicked and ungodly Company and so fetch as it were Egypt into Canaan as I may so express it surely such as these as they are not sensible of the Evil of Temptation so neither are they apprehensive of the Mercy in deliverance from it Secondly As there 's Pollution in these things in regard of Nature so there is offensiveness in regard of Grace Evil Examples and Temptations if they do not pollute and defile us yet they cannot but offend and grieve us so far as we are in part already naught so they corrupt us and expose us more to Sin and so far as we are on the otherside good so they trouble us and expose us more to Grief prove wearisome and tedious to us Thus it was with Lot in Sodom His righteous Soul was vext from day to day while he dwelt amongst them in seeing and hearing their unlawful deeds And so the people in their Babylonish Captivity they were cut to the Heart with the wickedness of the Enemy insomuch as they could not dispose them to special Services in the praysing of God now to be set at liberty from such a Bond age as this is and to have such a pressure taken off from our Spirits is a very great Happiness Thirdly there is also danger in them to in regard of the Consequents Danger both to Body and Soul To be Educated and brought up in Idolatry and superstitious practises in Ignorance and Unacquaintance with God this is a Misery which leads to a further Misery for time to come and we cannot fathom the Dephs of it Therefore let us pitty those that sit in Darkness and the shadow of Death as the Prophet speaks They are wretched and miserable places whatsoever they are else for other matters being under the Kingdom and Septre of Satan who like Pharaoh tyrannizes over them They are Miry-places and Marshes which shall not be healed but given to Salt Ezek. 47.11 And for our selves let us bless God that he has thus graciously dealt with us to cast us upon the opportunities of Knowledge and to bring us twice out of Egypt with in Paganish Idolatry and Popish as we shall have occasion to speak more anon So much of the first Explication as to the Terms of their Deliverance in General And that is out of the land of Egypt The Second is as it is laid down in particular and that is the Iron-furnace This is that which we find mentioned in some other places of Scripture besides As 1 Kings 8.51 For they be thy People and thine Inheritance which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt from the midst of the Furnace of Iron So Jer. 11.4 Which I commanded your Fathers when I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt from the Iron-furnace In each place one and the same phrase There 's a double Metaphor in it which is observable of us First A Metaphor upon Affliction in General which is compared to a Furnace Secondly A Metaphor upon this Affliction of the Israelites in particular and that is a Furnace of Iron First Here 's Affliction in General compared to a Furnace Thus Esay 48.10 I have chosen thee in the Furnace of Affliction Thus it is call'd not onely for the Scorching of it but likewise for the End and Vse of it What 's the use of a Furnace why it is to make the Mettle which is cast into it so much the brighter and better it is to purge the dross from the Gold and to make it pure And so are Afflictions to the people of God They are the Fyery-tryal to try them as it is 1 Pet. 4.12 And they are a Furnace to purge away the Dross That is the Metaphor under Affliction Then Secondly For this Affliction in particular which now happened to Israel it is called the Iron-Furnace Both in the Letter and in the Moral In the Letter First Because those Furnaces which they wrought in they were such as in which Iron was melted And so from the work they were imployd in Furnaces of Iron But then Secondly Of Iron in the Moral First An hard and laborious imployment Iron it is an Emblem of Severity Agrievous yoak a yak of Iron Dent. 24.48 Adestructive Rod a Rod of Iron Psal 2.9 Devouring-teeth Teeth of Iron Dan. 7.19 So here a sharp and sore Affliction and Persecution A Furnace of Iron Then Secondly As from the sharpness of it so from the Continuance of it likewise as Fire when it gets into Iron it is there lasting and abiding so was it here with the Captivity of these People it was long and lasting upon them They sat in Darkness and the shadow of death being bound in Affliction and Iron as it is Psal 107.20 That which we may observe from hence is the state and Condition of the Church of God here in this World and those which are the Members of it and that is a state of Affliction and Persecution God casts them into the Furnace And God lays them in the Iron the Iron enters into their Souls as some Translations have it Psal 105. vers 18. It was thus with the Church of the Jewes and it is thus also with the Church of the Christians to this present day even Christ Himself was in Egypt and His infancy was in the Furnace of Iron I have call'd my son says he out of Egypt Matth. 2.15 And the members are made conformable to the Head The use which we are to make of this Observation to our selves is therefore first not to wonder at it or to think much of it but to look for it and expect it as the Apostle Peter gives advice in the place before alledged in 1 Pet. 4.12 Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery Tryal which is to try you as if some strange thing happen'd unto you For it seems it is no such matter We see here how the very beginnings of the Church were laid in Affliction that accordingly we might think what would be the following condition of it And the Lord in his wisdom sees it fitting and necessary to be so that so we may not blame His Providence in this respect or think hardly of him For He does but as an Artificer with his work The Refiner puts the Gold into the Furnace and the potter puts the clay into the fire and both of them to very good purpose and so doth God And he is pleased in Scripture to take both these expressions
Where speaking of the Devils The Angels that kept not their first Estate it is said that they are reserved in Everlasting Chains under Darkness unto the Judgment of the great Day So then they shall be silent in Darkness is as much as they shall be Continued in Darkness and does denote the Immoveableness and Irrecoverableness of their miserable Condition being such as from which they shall never be freed or delivered which Exposition is sutable to that of Moses in his song speaking of the Enemies of the Church to wit the Egyptians Exod. 15.16 Fear and Dread shall fall upon them by the greatness of thine Arme they shall be still as a Stone In the Hebrew it is ijdhmou that is they shall be silent Tacuerint tanquam lapis fuerint the Chalde Paraphrast Thus we see how as the Wicked are in Darkness So in what sense also they are said to be silent in it Now to joyn them both together they are such as doe very fitly agree to such kind of persons Both Darkness and also silence in it are very sutable to wicked men First the Darkness of Condition answerable to the darkness of sin Wicked men they abhorre the light because their deeds are evil They delight in works of darkness and now that light is come into the world yet they love darkness rather then light as it is in the Gospel Joh. 3.19 And therefore it is very sitting that Darkness should be inflicted upon them That their punishment may be answerable to their disposition Seing they delight in darkness there 's good reason that they should have enough of it and so they have sit in darkness and in the shadow of death Secondly Silence in evil answerable to silence from good Wicked men they care not to speak any thing which may be to the Honour of God They are silent as to prayers and praises and good speeches which should come from them They have a driness and barreness and dumbness and speechlesness here and accordingly they are made silent as to affliction and the sad effects and consequences which that does cause and occasion to them They are silent in Darkness There 's one thing more which we have not yet mention'd which yet may be very proper and pertinent to the scope of the place and that is the wicked's uncertainty and want of due advice and resolution what to doe in those conditions of perplexity in which they are They shall be silent as to the giving of Counsel either to others or else to themselves as being non-plust and at a stand from that dubiousness and ambiguity of affairs which are upon them This is a sense which will very wellhold and it is a case which does oftentimes fall out that whereas the Saints and servants of God He keeps their feet for them And gives light to them that sit in Darkness and the shaddow of Death yea and also guides their feet in the way of peace as it is in Luk. 1.79 The wicked on the otherside they shall reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and be at their wits end as the Scripture sometimes expresses it they shall not see their way before them nor yet know what course is best to be taken by them That 's the second Branch here considerable to wit the state of the wicked in opposition and contradistinction to the Godly and so the first General part of the Text which is the condition of two ranks of persons good and bad He shall keep the feet of the Saints But the wicked shall be silent in Darkness The second General is the Reason or Account which is given of both That we have in the last words For by strength shall no man prevail This refers to both precedent clauses of the former General in the conditions both of good and bad therefore doe's God keep the feet of His Saints because there 's no strength prevailing without Him And therefore again shall the wicked also be silent in darkness because there 's no strength prevailing against him so it holds strong as a very good reason in either reference We begin with the first viz. As it refers to the first clause He shall keep the feet of His Saints That is by taking it exclusively He and He alone There 's no man prevails without God by any strength which is in Himself And therefore our old Translation expresses it so By his own strength shall no man prevail This is true according to the Notion and Acceptation of strength in the full latitude and extent of it whatever strength there 's of a man 's own it is such as whereby He shall be never able to prevail unless he have another and better strength joyn'd together with it Wee 'l reduce it briefly to three Heads First The strength of Body and Humane power with the appurtenances thereof Secondly The strength of Parts and the improvements of wit and understanding The strength of Grace in the meer purpose of it First I say not by the strength of Body and Humane Power with the Appurtenances thereof there 's no man shall prevail by this not by strength of outward force and arms and such helps as these These have a strength in them and such an one as one would think to be very prevalent but it is not this simply consider'd which carries the business And the Scripture does accordingly so set it and represent it unto us Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts Zech. 4.6 It is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel So Eccles 9.11 The race is not to the swift nor the battel to the strong And Psal 44.3 They got not the land in possession by their own sword neither did their own arm save them but thy right hand and thine arms and the light of thy countenance because thou hadst a favour to them There 's the resolution of all not into man's strength so much as into God's There are divers instances and examples of those which have had little or no strength of their own and yet have much prevailed again their are instances of those which have not prevailed where they have had strength in great abundance And the Lord delights to have it so that so His own strength and power and glory may the more appear and that all Nations and People and Persons may acknowledge him in the Government of the world who is the Blessed and onely Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lord's as the Apostle Paul declares him in 1 Tim. 6.15 Therefore As the Prophet Jeremy makes Application of it to our hand Let not the strong man glory in his strength Jer. 9.23 We see hence what little cause we have to put our confidence in man or to make flesh our arm as the same Prophet likewise intimates and pronounces a curse upon such persons as are guilty of so doing Jer. 17.5 Ther 's not the Greatest Humane strength which of it self
are two Phrases and Expressions which are used both together in the Text A Wilderness and a Land of Darkness and the Lord does deny himself to be guilty of either of these to his people He has neither been one nor t'other to them Not a Wilderness which is an expression of unprofitableness Not a Land of Darkness which is an expression of uncomfortableness In a word he does here plainly profess that he hath been no way wanting in any supply which might be requisite or necessary for them neither have they served him for nought or to no purpose in all their attendances upon him This is the Point here before us That God's people they do not serve him in vain and for no profit neither are they any loosers at all by their servings of him He is not one that is defective in the rewarding or recompensing of them for whatsoever they do upon his account Thus we have it in Mal. 1.10 Who is there among you that would shut the doors for nought neither do ye kindle a fire upon mine Altar for nought He speaks it to his own people and it is that which is evident and manifest from daily experience and observation so to be And it is founded upon God's Nobleness and Royalty and Magnificence Generous and magnanimous persons they do not love to be in any mans debt that they should do them service and not to pay them for it no but will recompence and requite them to the full They think their own honour is much ingaged and concerned in it and therefore they will not here be defective or wanting to themselves And so it is here with God Therefore accordingly it concerns us to be right opinionated of God and to be well perswaded of him to this purpose It is that which a great many are not as even the Scripture it self informs us which say What is the Almighty that we should serve him And what profit should we have if we prayed unto him Job 21.15 And so again Ye have said It is in vain to serve God and what profit is it that we have kept his Ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts Mal. 3.14 Such people as these they make as if God were a Wilderness and a Land of Darkness to his servants but indeed it is no such matter and they are convinced of the contrary from God's own Declaration and Protestation here in this Text which we have now before us That which makes them to be so perswaded is First Because God is pleased sometimes to suspend and delay the expressions of his goodness to them Because he does not reward them presently therefore they think he will not reward them at all Because they do not see the fruit of their labours out of hand therefore they imagine as if God would be altogether barren to them But this is a very great Errour and mistake in them For the Lord he does every thing in the best and fittest season and the longer that he stayes before he rewards them the more does he reward them at last so that they shall have no cause in conclusion to complain of him Secondly Because God does not alwaies reward them in that way and kind as they desire and expect from him It may be he may heap upon them Spiritual blessings but he does not so follow them with Temporals or it may be with Temporals in such a kind but not with Temporals in another And this through their perverseness they judge to be as good as nothing at all But those who are Experienced Christians they should learn to be of another mind as it is here propounded to them And from hence to take heed of being disheartened and discouraged in God's service which Satan their Spiritual Enemy does endeavour all he can to do with them being as the Accuser of the Brethren to God so the Accuser also of God to the Brethren we should not be in this case ignorant of his devices nor unwary of his suggestions but rather arm and strengthen ourselves against them all we can and beg of God himself to strengthen us There is no unprofitableness in the service of God but there is unprofitableness in the service of Satan and in the service of Sin This will be sure to be a Wilderness to us yielding us nothing but bryers and thorns And this will be a Land of Darkness to us Will the Son of Jesse give them Vineyards c carrying us even into utter Darkness if we take not heed of it What fruit had ye saies the Apostle in those things whereof ye are now ashamed for the end of those things is death that 's the wages and reward of sin Rom. 6.21 23. But being made free from sin and become servants to God ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life c. And that 's the first Emphasis which is considerable of us in this expression namely as it hath the force of a self-acquittance or Justification wherein God does clear himself of all suspicion of unfruitfulness or unkindness towards his people Have I been a Wilderness or a Land of Darkness to Israel That is indeed I have not been I disclaim it The Second is as it hath the force of a Remembrance or seasonable Intimation Have I been a Wilderness c Nay rather indeed I have been the quite contrary I have in reality been a Paradise It is a kind of an Ironical Speech wherein the contrary is intended to whatâ—s exprest and that for the greater conviction of the persons to whom it is spoken It serves to declare unto us the great goodness and overflowing bounty of God towards his people who is so far from being wanting to them in any thing which is necessary as that he does oftentimes abound to them in all things which can be desired of them There are some of his servants more especially amongst the rest who have large experiences of his provision for them in all particulars in blessings of Heaven above and in blessings of the Earth beneath whom he does daily load with his Benefits as the Psalmist expresseth it Psal 68.29 And they are to him as a watred Garden This it proceeds in him from his own free love and grace Bounty and liberality it needs no other motive than it self for the expressing and manifesting of it He has mercy upon whom he will have mercy and he has bounty for whom he will have bounty and he takes delight in making some persons more than others to be the ubjects and objects of it And to make known the riches of his Bounty upon the vessels of mercy Rom. 9.23 As we see it is sometimes in the world with great and wealthy persons they now and then take some content in it to make others partakers of their Beneficence Even so does this great and mighty God in his
's a calling of them to an account for their desire What end have you for it Secondly it is a discovering to them the fruitlesness of their desire What good have you by it The former in the notion of an Expostulation The latter of a Conviction First To look upon it in the former notion and that is by way of Expostulation What end have you for it or in it namely in this desire of yours for the coming of the day of the Lord. The Prophet Amos here calls them to an account for this desire which was in them From whence there 's this general truth to be observed by us That our desires should be still such as are rational and well-grounded in us Those that desire any thing they should know for what end they desire it or else it should not be desired by them To what end is it for you says the Lord here to this people namely when he speaks here of something which was desired by them The reason of it is this Because we are rational our selves at least in our principles we are so as men but we 〈◊〉 â—o more especially as Christians and therefore should every thing be rational that comes from us Loose and unreasonable desires do not become reasonable creatures Those who have light in their understandings by nature and this also elevated and enlarged by Grace for the guiding and directing of them they should be very much ordered and regulated in this particular Therefore let us by the way learn from hence a good rule for our practice to this purpose We may not think that we may desire what we please indefinitely or without any restraint that quicquid libet licet that whatever we have a mind to it may be pursued by us no but we must rather first see what ground and reason we have in us for such desires and restrain and bound our selves by such arguments and considerations as these In all inordinacy of appetite or desires which rises up in us put to our selves this question which the Prophet Amos puts to this people To what end is it for you to desire it And this will be an happy means for the ordering and regulating of it Our desires and affections and inclinations they are such things as for which we are accountable both to God and our selves So much for that as this passage carries in it the force of an Expostulation To what end is it for you i.e. To what end is this desire for you The Second is as it has the force of a Conviction To what end is it for you that is To what end is this day for you which you seem to desire There 's no good or advantage at all which can come to such as you by it by laying an emphasis especially upon the persons And so there 's this in it That the day of the Lord however it may prove to others yet it is no way desirable of wicked and ungodly people and such persons as live in their sins For you says the Prophet that walk in ways of sinfulness and opposition and rebellion against God for you to desire that day wherein he will call all men to account for that which hath been done by them here The day of Judgment and the second coming of Christ it is very sad and ridiculous in you This will the better appear unto us by considering what those things are which do especially make this day desirable of those who do rationally desire it the Saints and Servants of God We may reduce them to three Heads First as it is a day of Absolution Secondly as it is a day of Redemption And Thirdly as it is a day of Salvation for each of these it is to all good Christians and Believers First It is a day of Absolution wherein they shall be quitted and discharged of any thing which shall be laid against them Christ who is their Judge shall be also their Advocate and plead their cause for them and pass a sentence of discharge upon them Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect in that day This now makes it ery desirable to those who have an interest in it But wicked people have not this interest it belongs not to them They have no share in pardon or absolution and consequently have no ground to wish for that day when absolution shall be granted which themselves have no share or interest in No more than Malefactors have cause to wish for the day of Assizes and the coming of the Judge to sit upon them which being duly considered makes nothing at all indeed for them Secondly As it is a day of Redemption it is to God's children desirable so and they are call'd upon in that respect to desire it Luke 21.28 Lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh The day of the Lord is such a day as this is wherein those who are true Believers shall be redeemed from all those evils which here they were encompast withal And especially from the greatest evil of all which is the evil of sin which did here so much trouble and disturb them and makes them to cry out with the Apostle Oh wretched men that we are who shall deliver us from this body of death This day it is desirable of God's children in reference to this as a blessed day indeed unto them when as the fetters and shackles of sin shall be knocked off from them But now as for carnal and profane persons To what end is it for them to desire it What should they desire the day of the Lord that do not care for the fear of the Lord What should they desire that day which is a day of redemption from sin whose desire all their life-time is rather to continue in sin and to have all advantages and opportunities afforded them for the committing and following of sin Thirdly As it is a day of Salvation and the accomplishment of universal happiness it is upon this account also desirable of the Servants of God The day wherein God himself shall be glorified in his Saints because indeed the day wherein his Saints shall be glorified by him But what 's this now to those which walk in ways of sinfulness and impenitency What have they to do to desire to be glorified by God that do not care for glorifying of God Or what have they to do to partake of the life of Glory that are strangers to the life of Grace or to what purpose should they desire the end that despise the means and the ways that tend to that end So much for that And so I have done also with the Second General Part of the Text which is the convincing Expostulation laid down in these words To what end is it for you The Third and last is the express conclusion or determination in these The day of the Lord is darkness and not light which is to be understood by us of the day of death and
judgment This passage may be looked upon by us as it lies here in the Text two manner of ways First in the general proposition of it as it stands in it self Secondly in the particular scope of it in reference to that which went before and the persons to whom it is directed First Take it simply and absolutely as it lies in it self and in the general proposition which is here exprest in a twofold representation First in the Affirmative what it is and that is that it is darkness Secondly in the Negative what it is not and that is that it is not light First To speak of the former and that is the Affirmative The day of the Lord is darkness Thus we find it to be called in some other places besides as Joel 2.1 2. The day of the Lord cometh and is nigh at hand A day of darkness and of gloominess a day of clouds and of thick darkness And so also in Zeph. 1.15 A day of wasteness and desolation a day of darkness and gloominess c. This is true of the day of the Lord in the full extent of it whether we take it of personal desolation the day of death or of national desolation the day of captivity or of general resurrection the day of judgment But still with this restriction as it referr'd to ungodly persons and to impenitent sinners with respect had to such as these are is this day that which it is said here to be But especially as I said does it refer to the day of death and final judgment which is here intended This is called a day of darkness that is to say a day of extreme misery and perplexity Darkness and light they do in the usual acception of Scripture where they are used metaphorically denote sorrow and gladness as it were easy to give instance of it and so here in this place amongst the rest Forasmuch as darkness does contain in it all kinds of sadness in which is fear and horror and solitariness and all kind of misery Such is this day of the Lord to the fore-mentioned persons not only dark in the conerete but also darkness even in the very abstract it self Take the unprofitable Servant and cast him into outer darkness Matth. 25.30 The ground hereof is this Because wicked men they are darkness themselves therefore is this day of the Lord darkness They are in the darkness of sin and ignorance whiles they live here in the world delight in works of darkness and which are opposite to the light of Grace and therefore go into a place of darkness and which is opposite to the light of Glory Their understandings are darkened and therefore their conditions are darkness also Being led and carried from one kind of darkness to another It is a day of darkness that is a day of fearfulness and terribleness and horror and consternation of mind There 's every thing terrible in it and adding to the astonishment of it The sound of the Trumpet the appearance of the Judge the opening of the Books the passing of the Sentence the dissolution of the whole frame of Heaven and earth the Sea and the waves roaring the Heavens passing away with a great noise the Elements melting with servent heat the Earth and all the works that are therein burâ—â— up the Sun darken'd the Moon withdrawing her light the Stars falling from Heaven and the powers of Heaven shaken What a terrible day must this be to such as are not provided for it that has all these concurrences in it That 's the first expression here considerable viz. the Affirmative The day of the Lord is darkness The Second is the additional Negative and that is that it is not light which is added for the greater emphasis of it Therefore we find it to be reiterated in the verse following darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it And it is agreeable in the like form of speech in reference to other matters which we meet withal in Scripture Thus Deut. 32.4 speaking of God A God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he And Joh. 8.44 speaking of Satan He is a liar and there is no truth in him c. In 1 Joh. 1.8 If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us In all which places and the like the Negative is joyned with the Affirmative to make it more emphatical and so here To take a more particular account of it It is said here darkness and not light as we may conceive for these reasons First by way of opposition darkness and not light that is it is not light but darkness as expressing the simple nature and condition of that day Take the word day and it does in the ordinary and common acception of it denote light Whensoever it begins to be light it begins to be day and whensoever it ceases to be light it ceases to be day as that which does give the proper notion and denomination unto it and which distinguishes the one from the other God called the light day and the darkness he called night Gen. 1.5 Yea but here now in the Text it is day and yet not light day and no light in it This by way of opposition Secondly By way of intension and to shew the greatness of this darkness It is dark and dark entirely without the mixture of any thing to qualify it or to take off from the severity of it without ease without comfort without direction or any good counsel which are such things as are sometimes exprest to us by the name of light This is the misery of Hell and of the judgment which passes upon wicked men that it is absolute and compleat and entire The wrath of God without mixture as the Scripture calls it that is without any mixture of favour or refreshment in it Take any day whatsoever here in the world whether in the proper sense or in the metaphorical and it is not so over-darkned with darkness but has some kind of glimmerings of light in it The day which is fullest of clouds the rainiest and most tempestuous day yet it partakes of some light And the day which is fullest of troubles the saddest and most disconsolate day it has some mixtures of refreshment in it likewise which do serve to allay it Yea but this day of the Lord here spoken of it has none of this it is darkness and no light it is sadness and no comfort Thirdly By way of perpetuity and continuation Darkness and no light that is darkness and always dark There are some days which though they may be dark for a while yet they do not abide and continue to be so but do at last overcome that The Sun it breaks through the clouds and the day recovers its light at last though perhaps it be long first ere it does it Yea but here it does not do so Dark and no light this is a continual and
have the Point in the several Explications of it wherein it holds good unto us That he that transgresseth that is rejects the Doctrine of Christ he hath not God The Vse and Improvement of this Point by way of Application First It comes home to sundry sorts of persons who are hence concluded in a very sad condition as Pagans Infidels and Jews and such as these to whom either this Doctrine of Christ is as yetnot come and so have not attained unto it or else to whom it is come but rejected and refused by them and so transgress against it these are all involv'd in this censure which we have here before us That they have not God and that in the full sense and latitude and extent of it as we have hitherto declared it unto you This is so much the more grievous as it is the less thought of and expected for these persons which we have now mentioned they make a full account they have God whatever they have else For they all make mention of God and they profess him and seem to worship him as for the having of Christ they know they have not him nor do not care whether they have him or no but to tell them that they have not God that 's very strange and perhaps unpleasing to them why but therefore says the Apostle here of them They have not God and he speaks it in a kind of frustration and disappointment of them for so we must here take it as the scope of the Text God whom they think to have and God whom they seem to have and God whom they wish to have and whom willingly if left to themselves they would not be without even this God him indeed theyhave not whiles they have not Christ whom they would not have they have not God himself whom they would At least they have him not in that way and to that purpose for which they would have him They have God to judg them and they have God to punish them and they have God to damn them but they have not God to save them and to preserve them from the wrath to come thus they have him not nor so remaining never will Therefore in the place before cited Ephes 2.12 a those two expressions are joined together without Christ and without God as we noted before so likewise are those expressions joined too Without God and without Hope without hope that is without hope of Salvation without hope of Eternal life as it is in Tit. 1.2 without hope in the ground of it whatever hope there may be in their minds and vain conceits And this is that which pinches most of all not only them but many others besides There are a great many people in the world which could as well be content to be without God as they are without Christ if being without God did import no more than a meer want or deprivation of Holiness yea but there is this further in it that it is also a want and deprivation of Happiness They are without God not only as the Author of Grace but as the Author of Salvation Those that will not have Christ to rule them and reign over them God himself will never own them to save them but will give that charge about them which we meet withal in the Gospel Bring them hither and stay them before me Bind them hand and foot and cast them into outer darkness where shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth It is Jesus and he alone and that imbraced and received by faith who must deliver us from the wrath to come 1 Thes 1.10 Therefore we see what cause we have to pity and to bewail such persons as these are who sit in darkness and the shadow of death in this particular and both to pray for and otherwise to endeavour the conversion and recovery of them out of this miserable condition The less sensible they are of their own misery themselves the more sensible should we be for them and do all that we can for the rescue and redemption and delivery of them We are apt sometimes to have pity and compassion upon the captivity of the outward man if there be any who are sometimes taken in Turkish slavery and in thraldom in regard of their Bodies here our Bowels are ready to rise in us and we are sometimes active for the redemption of them How should the redemption of Souls be more precious with us and not cease for ever Let us therefore do all we can here to restore men and to recover them to God from whom they are fallen by denying of Christ in whom alone God will be owned and acknowledged by us How far are those from this who do rather indeed harden them and confirm them in this their wretched condition by asserting and teaching That they are well enough so as they are and that it is possible for them without Christ or the Doctrine of Christ to come to God or that an implicit knowledg of him is sufficient without an express and actual belief and entertainment of him Such as these they do drive them off farther who in the sense and language of the Holy Ghost are afar off already Scondly Not only Pagans and Jews come under this condemnation but even many others who also profess themselves Christians as Papists and such as those who transgress the Doctrine of Christ very grosly in the corrupting of it they do not only trespass upon this Doctrine who deny there is such a person as Christ or that such an one is this person but who moreover whiles they acknowledg the person yet do either deny such perfections to him or fasten such imperfections upon him as are unsuitable and unagreeable to him which fancy and set up such a Christ as God himself never made nor the Scripture yet ever revealed Thirdly Here is likewise the misery of all natural and unregenerate persons these come under this censure likewise who though they should hold this Doctrine in judgment yet deny it in affection and practise forasmuch as they do not submit to the power and efficacy of it such persons as do not close with Christ upon the terms and conditions of the Gospel howsoever they may hold such an opinion as that there is a Christ yea moreover that this is he Jesus of Nazareth the son of Mary yet refusing to yield obedience to him and to comply with him they do in effect set themselves against him and so have not God It is not only the lot of Pagans and Infidels and Jews which do directly and professedly disown him but even of professing and nominal Christians which live within the pale of the Church and would be esteemed members of Christ these are in the same condition likewise Which therefore may serve to awaken them and to cause them to reflect upon themselves they are such as transgress the Doctrine of Christ and are deprived of God himself They are such as have