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
a tale that is told 10 The dayes of our yeares are three-score yeares and ten and if by reason of strength they be foure-scere yeares yet is their strength labour and sorrow for it is soone cut off and we flee away 11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger even according to thy feare so is thy wrath 12 So teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisedome 13 Returne O Lord how long And let it repent thee concerning thy Servants 14 O Satisfie us early with thy mercy that we may rejoyce and be glad all our dayes 15 Make us glad according to the dayes wherein thou hast afflicted us and the yeares wherein we have seene evill 16 Let thy worke appeare unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children 17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish thou the worke of our hands upon us yea the worke of our hands establish thou it MOSES His PRAYER Or An Exposition of the Nintieth PSALM A Prayer of Moses the man of God A Word spoken in due time saith Solomon is like unto Apples of Gold Prov. 25.11 and pictures of Silver And hence it is that the Doctrine of Humiliation doth best sute with the times of Humiliation and the Doctrine of Mans Mortality those times wherein that of the Apostle of the Church of Corinth is true to us That many are sick and many are weak 1 Cor. 11.30 and many are taken away by death God having shaken the rod of his Anger and displeasure of late over this Land and Nation with unwonted diseases and suddain deaths of many that the learned Physitian cannot find out the Cause much lesse is able to prescribe a remedy The Consideration whereof hath set me upon this portion of Scripture at this time The Psalm you hear is a Prayer The Author and inditer of it is the Holy Ghost The Pen-man or Instrument that wrote it was Moses the man of God The Sum of it is nothing else but a pitifull complaint of Moses and the people of Israel The Argument of the Psalm of their wofull estate and condition in the which they now were in the wilderness by the heavie hand of God upon them for their sins whereby they were miserably wasted consumed And withall a humble sute petition that they make unto God that he would in mercy be intreated to spare them and be gratious unto them The Psalm hath in it 2. general parts 1. A Preface 2. The Psalm it self In the Preface we have 1. The person Moses 2. His praise The man of God 3. His practice he prayeth 4. The time when when the Church was in great affliction and distresse In the Psalm it selfe wee have three particulars 1. An acknowledgement of Gods goodnesse and mercy to their Forefathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob and to their posterity in protecting them from their Enemies and that in many dangers Even for his own names sake and his mercifull Covenant sake unto them v. 1 2. 2. From the third ver to the 12 there is a Narration in the which is set down the common frailty and mortality of mankind And this he doth 1. Generally from ver 3. to the 7. wherein Moses compares mans life to a watch in the Night to a Flood to Sleep to Grasse c. 2. In particular that their estate was far worse then the Common estate of the rest of mankind for whereas the life of man ordinarily is 70. years or 80. yeares their life was far shorter by reason of Gods Judgements upon them for their sins they were suddainly wasted and consumed 3. An humble Supplication of Moses and the people unto the Lord that he would in mercy turn away his Judgement and return again unto them in mercy and grant them gracious deliverance and his former favour Concerning the occasion of this Psalm The occasion of the Psalm It is like that it was penned by Moses when as the spyes returned from searching the Land of Canaan Numb 14. In the thirtieth of Numbers wee may see how the Lord commanded Moses to send twelve men of the heads of the tribes of Israel to search the Land of Canaan They return after forty daies and bring of the first fruits of the Land Now all of them Josuah and Caleb excepted discourage the people telling them that their Cities were strong and their walls high and that there were the Sons of Anak of the generation of Gyants and that these would devour them Onely Joshua and Caleb incourage the people to set upon that Land The people hearing this they murmured against Moses and Aaron exceedingly wishing that they had dyed in Aegypt Now the Lord hearing of the murmuring of the people was angry and told Moses that of all them that had seen his Miracles in Aegypt upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians and at the red Sea there should not one of them come into the Land of Canaan But that great multitude even six hundred thousand that came out of Aegypt that were above the age of twenty years Ioshua and Caleb excepted should perish in the Wildernesse as Numb 14.37 This being the occasion of this Psalm Wee may first note Doct. 1 what a grievous thing it is in the sight of God for those that have had experience of Gods mercy in former times to call his power into question and to despair of his mercy for future times This people had many times experience of Gods power his goodnesse and mercy in many great deliverances As in their deliverance from Pharaoh and the Aegyptians at the red Sea How did the Lord there fight for this people when Pharach and his Host pursued them when the Sea was before them the Egyptians behind the Mountains on each hand of them that they could see no means left them to escape Yet how did the Salvation of the Lord appear in their deliverance Besides hee had given them much experience of his mercy and goodnesse in the Wildernesse giving them Manna from Heaven and water out of a Rock c. And now after all this to doubt of his providence and to call his Covenant in question and to make God a lyer in that they would not believe that he would or was able to bring them into the promised land was such a sin as the Lord did punish most severely as we may read Numb 14. and 1 Cor. 10. Now this calling of Gods power and goodnesse into question by such as have had experience thereof must needs be a hainous sin Because God is so highly provoked by this sin See Psalm 78. Reas 1 Psal 78 the whole Psalm there the holy Ghost reckons up a large Catalogue of those mercies and deliverances he had bestowed upon this people Marvelous things did he in the fight of their Fathers in the Land of Egypt in the field of Zoan He divided the Sea and caused them to passe through He led them in
will not perish This honour the Spirit of God giveth to Moses here Josu 1.2 Moses the man of God and else where The servant of the Lord. Heb. 3.2 Moses my servant And he is called A faithfull servant in Gods house Heb. 11.24 Yea Moses himselfe preferrs this service before the pleasures in Pharaohs Court This was it that David so much gloried in Behold Lord I am thy servant Jude 1. This was it that Paul gloried in Paul a servant of Jesus Christ and Jude a servant of Jesus Christ And of those Primitive Fathers it is said Through faith they all received a good report Heb. 11. Thus Noahs commendation rests upon record That he was a Preacher of Righteousnesse and Lot is called a just man And thus good King Asa hath left a name behind him That his heart was upright with the Lord all his dayes 1 Reg. 15.14 Num. 25.8 And thus Phineas zeale in executing judgement upon Zimri and Cosbi remaines as a pretious oyntment to his name Yea this is in a speciall manner to be marked and observed That in what vertue or grace soever his servants have most of all honoured and glorified God withall in life for the same God vouchsafeth unto them titles of honour after death As we may see in those godly Kings of Judah and Israel that were zealous for the glory of God in plucking downe the high places and suppressing Idolaty and advanced Gods pure worship these have left behind them an honorable memory a name that shall not be forgotten or blotted out Whereas others that matched with the daughters of a strange God which drew them to Idolatry and were remisse and negligent in advancing of Religion and seâ— up and countenanced Idolatry the Lord hath left a brand upon their names that shall not bee wiped out As Jeroboam which mingled his owne devises with the worship of God he hath this brand set upon him to the perpetuall infamy of his name 〈◊〉 10. Jereboam the Son of Nebat that made Israel to sin So true is that of Solomon The memory of the Righteous is blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot And the reasons â—e That herein and hereby Reas 1 the world may see what an honorable esteeme God hath of his Servants Now what esteeme God hath of them may appeare by those honorable titles God vouchsafeth into them They are called sonnes 〈◊〉 hold what love the Father hath â—â—stowed upon us 1 Ioh. 3.1 that wee should be â—â—lled the sonnes of God They are called Friends Mat. 12.50 you I have called friends Brethren and Sisters c. Heires of God Rom. 8.17 Temples of the Holy Ghost Gods peculiar people Vessells of mercies Children of the marriage chamber c. And thus the Lord dignifies his servants with honorable titles to shew the high esteeme that hee hath of such though in the eyes of the world they are esteemed but the of scouring of the earth who only see the vessell but not the treasure in it Yet God honoreth them according to the graces given and his owne Image restored in them Secondly because grace and glory Reas 2 are inseparable companions 1 Sam. 2.30 I will honour them that honour me saith the Lord then those that dishonour him he will dishonour As the sinnes of wicked men testifie to their faces what they are so their names to posterity shal publish their shame Pro. 10.7 The memory of the righteous shall be blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot What got the foolish Virgins by their Hypocrisie holding forth the Lamps of an outward profession when they wanted the oyle of grace in their hearts and wanted truth in their inward parts Mat. 23 but a blot that shall never bee wiped out foolish virgins Whereas the godly wise that laboured for grace and to be in truth that they made profession of their names stand upon record to posterity for wise virgins Let us apply this This sheweth the vanity of the men Use 1 of the world that seeke to perpetuate unto themselves a name but begin not at this Gods service such do but build a Babel unto themselves Esay 65.15 ye shall leave your name a curse unto my chosen And if we had no example in the booke of God experience proves it that if this testimony of Moses follow them not when they are dead gone The man of God and the servant of the Lord they doe and will leave their names a curse to their houses and families We have seen the sumptuous funeralls of many great men in their Haralds and Hearses decked and adorned with the Scutchions Armes and other Ensignes of honour much good may they doe them we envie them not I doubt not but that it may stand with Religion that such as have beene truly honorable in life should have all due honour done to them in death But if they have not this testimony pinn'd upon their Hearse The man of God or the servant of the Lord their Armes and Scutchions and other Ensignes of honour shall moulder to dust when this shall remaine as an indeleble testimony to their names houses and posterities that shall not perish with time Moses the man of God Secondly Use 2 seeing it is such a comfort in life and such a high honour in death to be a man of God wee are taught hence how to get a good name a name that shall not rot namely that we lay the foundation of it in Religion and in the service of God Godlinesse saith the Apostle hath the promise of this life and the life to come 1 Sam. 2.30 And he that honoreth me I will honour How preposterous then are the waies and courses of the greatest part of the men of the world Every man for the most part desires a good name and divers men have propounded divers waies to themselves to get themselves a name Some run to Court some to the Campe some to Schoole Absaelom will have his pillar and some have not stuck to lay the foundation of their names and houses in blood Alas what of all these when men begin not at this in their waies and services of God what is become of Nabuchadnezers Babell Achitophells wisedome and deepe policy Herods applause Jezabels craft to make Ahabs house great Hamans high favour with his Prince and Senacheribs vaine gloryings hath not God left their names a curse to his chosen for ever Whereas Phineas his zeale Maries box of oyntment and the widdowes mites are kept in record never to bee forgotten A holy life a sincere conversation raiseth a good name and a good report upon such a sure foundation that cannot be shaken And this serveth for the just reproofe of the greatest sort of men at this day Vse 3 who ordinarily esteeme of men not as they goe before others in Religion in grace and godlinesse but as they goe before others in Riches
this was Eliah called the Chariot and Horseman of Israel because his prayers were so powerfull with God Secondly Use 2 this lets people know what a high esteem they ought to have of faithfull Ministers Let men so account of us saith Paul as the Ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God They are the Josephs that God hath sent into the land to open the Lords granaries to preserve the souls of Gods people from spirituall famine Had it not been that God had had these Moses Aaron Phineas Jeremie and Daniel amongst us and such faithfull ones that had stood in the gap Englands sin had brought Englands ruine before this day How forcible were the prayers of Abraham to spare the Sodomites What had God done at his request if there had been but ten righteous found in those Cities How did Moses bind the hands of God by his prayers when his wrathfull displeasure was ready to break out against the people Surely our daies of Humiliation Exod. 32.10 and our seeking of God have not returned in vain But God hath heard us And for the sake of some few in this Land God hath deferred his wrath that England hath not been a Boachim a Land of mourning and desolation And what may England now expect when these that have been the Chariots and Horsemen of our Israel and have hitherto stood in the gap and for whose sake the Lord hath spared the Land When these I say shall be judged the troublers of Israel as they that are the greatest Enemies of Englands peace Surely this high contempt of the Ministry of England this day is that which prognosticates no good to England this day This may serve to mind us of the Ministry of a necessary duty that belongs unto our calling Use 3 viz. that wee be frequent and oft in this duty of prayer not onely at Sermon time to begin and end the same with prayer which the most do But even in private to bee earnest Solicitors to the Throne of grace in the behalfe of our people What blessing can wee look for from God upon that Sermon that God is not sought unto by prayer I am sure it is not the least comfort that many a Faithfull Minister of Christ reapes to himself his conscionable discharge of this duty of private prayer for his Flock When he receives but little comfort in his publick Ministry And that Minister that minds onely preaching and neglects this duty of prayer may well question his owne heart that hee aims more at his own glory then Gods And last of all this may serve for Exhortation Use 4 That seing prayer is such an essentiall Duty of a faithfull Ministry and such as are teachers of the people should pray for the people And that by this meanes many mercies have beene obtained and many judgments have been removed this should move us all that are the Ministers of the word to be much in prayer Es 62.2 to give the Lord no rest untill he have mercy upon Sion Let us that be the Lords Remembrancers and the Watchmen of the Lords Flock never give the Lord rest nor let him bee still till we see that hee shall in mercy remove his Judgments which lie heavy upon us for our sins Let us that are the Watch-men of Israel take heed that the Lord put not up against us that wofull complaint Eze. 22.30 I sought for a man that should have made up the hedge and stood in the gap before me for the Land that I might not destroy them But I found none therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them and consumed them with the fire of my wrath What shall then become of those that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap to stay the wrath of God That shall be hedge-breakers and open a gap by their sinns their negligence and carelesnesse their scandalous lives How fearfull will Gods anger be against such one day as wee may see in that Chapter A Prayer of Moses the man of God THE last particular in the title is the time when Moses composed this prayer The time when Moses made this prayer viz. when the Church and people of God were in great affliction and distress now in the Wilderness being almost wasted and consumed with the plague and pestilence and other Judgements of God upon them for their sins Now in asmuch as they make this their onely refuge to fly unto God by prayer Doct. 4 The time of affliction is the time of prayer The Doctrine is That the time of affliction is the the time of prayer This Moses and the people of God at this time make their onely Refuge to fly unto God to humble themselves before him and intreat the pardon of their sinns and that the Lord would turn away his wrath and return again in favour and mercy towards them and indeed this is the Argument of this Psalm And this is such a remedy as the Lord himself prescribes Ps 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear thee and deliver thee Where the Lord prescribes this as the chiefest remedy and refuge in times of calamity and distress To seek unto God by prayer This doth Moses and the people of God at this time of great affliction and distresse when they were almost wasted and consumed with the Plague and Pestilence they fly unto God as their onely Refuge in this time of distresse And this hath been the practice of Gods Church and people in all ages The Jewes in Hesters time when Haman had laid his plot utterly to destroy them Hest 4. they make God their Refuge Thus when Senacherib sent a mighty Host against Hezechiah and his people 2 Reg. 19.17 2 Cron. 20. He spreads his blasphemous letters before the Lord and makes an earnest prayer unto God Thus was it with good King Jehosophat when the Ammonits Moabits came up against them that hee and his people were at that straight that they knew not what to do or which way to turne themselves yet flying unto God by prayer were delivered And this the Lord himselfe doth witnesse unto when he saith Hos 5.14 I will be unto Ephraim as a Lyon and as a young Lyon to the house of Judah c. till they acknowledge their offences and seek my face for in their affliction they will seek me early And so indeed they did for immediately they call on one another and provoke one another Come let us return unto the Lord Hos 6.1 for he hath wounded us and he will heale us And if wee look into particular Examples wee shall find that Gods servants in their greatest straights have still had recourse to God Jonas in the Whales belly Ion 2.1 2. Out of the belly of Hell cryed I and thou heardst my voice Manasses albeit in the time of his prosperity he forgat God 2 Chron. 33. yet in his
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
like time of the Churches misery and distresse or may we pray by a book Answ Answ There is no doubt but the Church of God and the particular members of it may use set forms of prayer Christ himselfe the great Doctor of his Church prescribes to his Disciples a form of prayer not only to be a pattern and sampler as some would have it Mat. 6.9 After this manner pray ye but also that they might pray in those very words Lnke 11.2 as When ye pray say Our Father c. The purest Churches have had their Lythurgies and set forms of prayer And for Heads of families where the spirit of prayer is wanting and such other qualifications as are necessary in prayer a set form may and ought to be used For every child of God though he have an honest heart yet hath he not ever a flowing tongue but is weak in invention frail in memory bashfull and fearfull Such may use the help of others in a forme prescribed before them with this condition That they take heed that they rest not in those beginnings It is requisite that the Nurse take the child by the hand at first to teach it to goe But she will not alwaies give it the hand The Lord lookes for a proficiency at our hands as in all gracee so in the gift of prayer Besides the daily occurrences that come in upon us in this life sometimes fresh temptations from Sathan troubles from the world and the workings of corruptions daily within us call for a powring out of our hearts to God and the inlargings of our requests which many times are not in our stinted prayers Besides God hath promised To him that hath shall be given By the conscionable use of thy small gift thou hast in thee thou shalt increase it and perform it daily with more comfort And that this prayer of Moses may be used in times of common Calamities It is the Churches constant practice to make use of severall Psalmes upon severall occasions to be sung in our Churches as Ps 92. Ps 22. Ps 39. Ps 102. c. Hitherto of the title of the Psalm Ver. 1. Lord thou hast been our dweling place in all generations MOses and the people of God begin this prayer of theirs with a Complaint of their great sufferings and grievous afflictions that they indâ—red not onely in Aegypt under Pharaoh and the Egyptians but now in the Wildernesse since the Lord delivered them and brought them out with his Almighty hand and stretched out arm And the first part of their prayer is a Complaint unto God that their estate was far worse then the estate and condition of their Forefathers And this is called A Prayer of Moses though indeed it bee but a Complaint Hence we learn That in times of misery and affliction Doct. 1 The very complaints of the godly are effectuall prayers with God the very Complaints and Sobs and Sighs of Gods people bee forcible prayers in the sight of God and loud cries in his eares This is a speciall point to be observed of us that our very complaints to God our sighs and groanes in times of misery and distresse are with God as powerfull and effectuall prayers Moses complaining and mourning now in their misery calls it a prayer A man may pray effectually when in his own feeling and apprehension his heart is utterly indisposed to prayer When a child of God is overwhelmed with grief and his thoughts perplexed and sore troubled that he is not able to conceive a prayer either for matter or method yet even then may this troubled and perplexed soul make an effectuall prayer unto God by his Complaints sighs and groanes unto God This was Moses case at another time when the people of Israel were in great distresse by Pharaoh and the Aegyptians who pursued after them with their Chariots and Horsemen and they were in that straight that they knew not how to escape Moses Exo. 14.15 wherefore cryest thou Saith God yet wee do not read that Moses spake a word But it is like that he groaned in spirit and yet this was a loud and effectuall prayer with the Lord. And such was the behaviour of Hannah in the Temple no voice of her at all was heard and yet then it is said 1 Sam. 1.13 that She poured out her soul before the Lord. Thus did Hezechiah Esay 38.14 Mourned like a Dove and Chatter like a Crane being much oppressed with grief And this was looked upon as an effectuall prayer with God Ps 77.3.4 How oft was David in such straights in his spirit That his spirit was overwhelmed within him and hee not able to make a distinct prayer unto God nor speak a word yet even then did David pray effectually to God This honour have all the Saints that their complaints their very sighs and groanes are accepted of him Ps 88. See the title of the 88. Ps A prayer containing a grievous complaint Whereas it is true of all wicked and ungodly men though they make many prayers Es 1.15 God will not hear them Albeit ye make many prayers I will not hear you for your hands are full of blood And again Will you steal Murther and commit Adultery and stand before me in my house Behold I see it saith the Lord And therefore cast you out of my sight O the misery of every wicked and ungodly man that whereas in times of affliction and distresse his onely refuge is to fly unto God by earnest and hearty prayer This man cannot pray if he pray he speaks in a language that God understands not Prov. 15.8 Psal 66.18 his prayers are abomination unto the Lord. If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not hear me Quest But what may bee the Reasons why the complaints and groanes of the godly are thus looked upon as powerfull and effectual prayers with God First Reas 1 Because the prayer that prevails most with God is not so much the labour of the lips as the labour of the heart And let a prayer be never so well composed for matter or Method and bee dressed with never so much Eloquence and variety of expressions Yet if the heart be not affected if the sighs and groans of the heart be wanting and faith within that makes the same effectuall they are not regarded at all with God Secondly Reas 2 because the godly in their greatest miseries and distresses that they can be brought into when they are not able to pray Yet they have the spirit within them that makes requests for them Rom. 8.26 with sighs and groans that cannot be expressed But he that searcheth the heart knoweth what the mind of the Spirit is And a complaint sigh and groan proceeding from the Spirit must needs bee heard and answered of God This may minister matter of singular comfort and consolation to maâ—y a poor distressed soul and wounded conscience Use 1 when as the
And welfare those afflictions that send us home to God By this dealing of the Lord with a Nation and with a people Reas 3 by sharp and sore afflictions the Lord is pleased to humble them and thereby to fit them for mercy and deliverance And this is no other thing then what the Lord himself hath promised If a Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their wickednesse Ier. 18.5 I will repent of the plague that I thought to have brought upon them Thus Niniveh prevented her Judgement And this is the right way to stop the breach of Gods wrath and to call in his Judgements when they are gone out against us This serves to shew the monstrous impiety and prophanesse of this age Use 1 and time wherein we live that do not thus mark and observe the dealing of God with us We have seen the hand of God in a grievous manner upon the Land in generall The Lord hath rode Circuit amongst us and what Country nay what Family hath not suffered in these times the sword hath been in the bowells of this Nation and hath drunk much blood The Lord hath likewise sent forth other messengers of his anger against us as unseasonable years at one time making the fruits of the earth dung for the earth at another time making the Heavens as Brasse and the Earth as Iron that the Creature hath mourned to teach us to mourn and now again by an universall sicknesse and disease the like whereof no age can remember when so many are sick and weak and taken away by death Yet who makes this use of it as Moses and the people of God here who is humbled under Gods hand who mournes for sin the cause of all No no we can be content to passe over the Lords dealing thus with the Land as if these Judgements concerned us not we lay them not to heart Surely it is to be feared that the Lord wil come nearer unto us yet in the end Take we heed that it be not found true of us which the Lord speaketh I called for sackcloath and fasting Esa 22.13 14. but behold mirth eating and drinking c. when was there ever the like excesse of drinking then at this day but what saith the Lord This inquity shall not be purged untill ye die Secondly Use 2 this Doctrine serves to direct us what we ought to do and how wee ought to carry our selves in times of Common Calamitie Not to be gazers and lookers on of Gods Judgements But to search and try our waies to discover the sins of the Land and the evills of the times which should thus provoke the Lord to punish us in a different manner then our Forefathers in former ages as Moses here Surely it is a dangerous fin heedlesly to passe by Gods dealing with us at this time from former times How can we be humbled aright for our present miseries if we do not consider hiâ— former mercies This were to deprive God of his glory and our selves of confidence and comfort Lord thou hast been our dwelling place WE are farther to observe in this prayer of Moses Text. how they begin their prayer viz. with putting the Lord in mind of his former mercies shewed unto their Forefathers in times past and in former generations Thou hast been a Covert unto our Forefathers and good unto them guiding directing and protecting them Note hence That it is a speciall motive and reason to plead in prayer Doct. 3 To plead Gods former mercies a good Motive for futute to move the Lord to pitty and compassion to put him in mind of his former mercies and deliverances bestowed either upon us or our Forefathers The Prophet out of experience of former mercies prayeth for the continuance thereof Lord thou hast been favourable to the Land Ps 85.2 3 4. thou hast brought back the captivitie of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people thou hast covered all their sinne Thou hast taken away all thy wrath thou hast turned thy self from the fiercenesse of thine anger c. And hence he grounds his request to God Turn us O God of our salvation Ver. 4 and cause thine anger towards us to cease And thus do Nehemiah and Daniel begin their prayers for the Church Nehc. 1. Dan. 9. they mind the Lord of his Covenant and mercifull promise to his people And thus David persecuted by Saul hee pleads his cause with God thus Ps 4.1 Hear me O God of my righteousnesse thou hast set me at liberty c. Hee minds God of his former mercies and deliverances and thereby is confimed in his faith and confidence that God would not now leave him at this time of distresse And so when he was to go out against Goliah 1 Sam. 17.34 hee calls to minde the Lords mercifull deliverance from the Lyon and the Bear and grounds his hope of successe at this time also upon it And this hath been the care of Gods people to keep a Catalogue of Gods mercies and deliverances to strengthen Ps 22.21 their prayers in the like time of danger yea so carefull have the people of God been to keep in memory former mercies and deliverances that they have raised up monuments and given name to prisons times and places for perpetuall records of mercies and deliverances as Jehosophat called the place wherein the Lord had given him the victory 2 Chron. 20.26 to be called the valley of Beracha and the Jewes it is thought have their Purim to this day This is to give the Lord the honour and glory of his works Reas 1 when they are kept in remembrance 1 Sam. 12.24 Consider how great things God hath done for you saith Samuel to the people that his glorious works might be kept in remembrance amongst them Yea this is such a duty that we are often to presse upon our hearts Ps 103.2 as David did Blesse the Lord O my soul and for get not his benefits We cannot honour God more then to mind him of his former mercies and deliverances This makes a believer bold with God as we are with a trusty friend that we have had experience of It serves to strengthen our faith to quel our doubts and fears and causeth us with much confidence to rely on him Besides Reas 2 it is one of the greatest comforts in times of extreamities and dangers the experience we have had of Gods goodnesse and mercy Experience saith the Apostle worketh hope God being the same ever to his people In him is no variablenesse Jam. 1.17 nor shadow of change And hence it is that the godly in times of adversity can hold up their heads with comfort when wicked men are at their witts end and many times overwhelmed with sorrow This serves for our Direction Use 1 how to begin our prayers unto God the better to move him to pitty and to have compassion upon us viz. to remember the former mercies of
God unto us and to our fore-fathers to put the Lord in minde how he hath heretofore been our God that he hath been seen upon the Mount when our fears were great and our dangers many and that therefore he would now in mercy be good unto us Thus O Lord thou hast been our God our refuge and our Dwelling place thou hast kept us a long time by thy power thou hast many and many a time commanded salvation to thy Church and people in times of their greatest dangers Therefore Lord defend us still leave us not nor forsake us O God of our salvation We should thus wrestle and strive with God Psal 85. as David did and as Moses and the people of God here did and say In time of famine thou hast fed us in times of persecution and dangers thou hast kept us when the bloudy sword was shaken against us thou didst preserve us in these times of ficknesse our habitations have been safe Ah Lord do not forsake us now leave us not at this time of trouble and danger but turn our hearts unto thee by unfained repentance and turn away thy heavy displeasure from us Secondly Vse 2 this serves to inform us how to get affiance and sure confidence in God in prayer viz. by recounting the antient mercies of God and experiments we have had of his love from time to time we ought to keep a catalogue of them and to repeat them oft to our own souls to that end we may grow up in experience of his power and providence and goodnesse towards us A Christians memory should be a Chronicle of antiquity And besides our own experience we have had of Gods mercifull dealing towards us we should remember what our fathers have told us and we should shew the same to our children Ps 102.18 that the children yet unborn may praise the Lord. This observation of Gods goodnesse to us will be a speciall prop to hold up our hearts and hands in prayer Ps 27.10 Put not thy servant away in anger thou hast been my help There is nothing can strengthen us more under our present sufferings then a fresh memory of Gods former mercies Lord thou hast been our dwelling place Text. THat is Lord thou hast been to our fore-fathers what a dwelling house is to men viz. a covert and a safe defence and a Castle to defend them and protect them from all hurts and dangers that though they had no dwelling place but travelled from Country to Country yet they had a sure defence for thou didst protect them and wast unto them their Dwelling place Doct. 4 The note is That Gods Church people have ever had a Dwelling place Gods people have ever had a dwelling place Deut. 33 27-29 Lord thou hast bin our dwelling place from generation to generation The Lord himself under his wings protects and defends his people and they are safe whom he keepeth The eternall God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting armes Happie art thou O Israel who is like unto thee O people saved of the Lord. Ps 127.1 2. Ps 91.1 If the Lord keep the City it is in safety The godly are said to dwell in the secret of the most High and to say unto God thou art my rock my refuge and my strong tower He shall hide me saith David in the secret of his Tabernacle Ps 27.5 The godly must not look to be freed from dangers it is enough that they are preserved in dangers How was the woman pursued in the Wildernesse by the red Dragon Rev. 12.14 yet God provided for her a habitation there for her selfe and her child which she brought forth So when the Church shall be persecuted by Tyrants she must not think that any earthly hold can keep her safe only here is her priviledge she hath the shadow of the Almighty Ps 91.1 Ps 18.2 1 Sam. 22.1 5. and the secret of the most High to fly unto How oft was David pursued by Saul sometimes by Absalom his own son yet still God provided for him a hiding place Object But hath not the Church Object and the particular members of it suffered Martyrdome slaughters c. Ans It is true Answ God suffers many times his children to fall by the cruelty of the enemies of the Church yet even therein they are more then Conquerors The primitive Martyrs in all their sufferings the Text saith They would not be delivered Heb. 11. because they looked for a better resurrection And God is pleased thus many times to suffer the wicked to prevail against their bodies for these Reasons 1. That herein and hereby the wicked might fill up the measure of their sins and so hasten their own destruction 2. Hereby God will have his truth witnessed yea sometimes with the very blood of the Saints 3. God will have it so for the utility and profit of his Church for the blood of Martyrs is the seed of the Church Yet still the promise is most sure God will be a hiding place unto his and the worst that Tyrants can do is but to kill the body and so hasten their happinesse and glory they can never prevail against the inward man nor overthrow their faith nor disappoint them of salvation But hereby our faith is exercised our patience tried and the bitternesse that we have tasted in our sufferings makes our deliverance but so much the more sweet and comfortable unto us And the Reason is Reason that neer relation that is between God and his people shewes that God must be their habitation they are his Sons they are his Spouse members of his body his friends his servants and shall not God be a house and habitation unto them Nay more they are so neer and dear unto God that he that toucheth them toucheth the apple of his eye Zach. 2.8 Such cannot want protection Seeing there is no protection and safeguard unlesse our God become our habitation and dwelling place Vse 1 This discovers unto us the folly of such who foolishly run from protection some one way and some another and never seek for Gods protection Some put their trust in strong holds in great and fortified Castles some in their wit some in their riches c. But unlesse the Lord be thy dwelling place and unlesse the Lord be thy protection thou canst have no safety though thou dwellest in an house of Ivory and in the strongest Castle made of stone yet unlesse the Lord keep thee every Sergeant of Gods judgment and every messenger of Gods vengeance will seize upon thee Seeing they only be in safety whom Use 2 the Lord covers and whom he protects with his armes and with his power we see then it is our wisdome to seek unto God for safetie and to creep under his wings for if he keep us all shall be well with us A prudent man foreseeth the evill Prov. 22.3 and hideth himselfe that is he flies to
promise concerning Elizabeth his wife that she should bear him a son that the Lord struck him dumb till the day that the promise was fulfilled So that the point is clear and plain that our corrupt nature is such that we often call Gods power into question in times of straights that we fall into Because it was the first sin of our Father Adam Reas 1 by the which Sathan entered into mans heart Gen. 3.4 and so drew him from God to question Gods love and the same is derived to all his posterity And this is the root and mother of all other sins by it we depart from God when we call Gods power truth promises Heb. 3.12 and mercy into question what is this but to make God a lyar 1. Joh. 5.10 and so dishonour God in a high degree As we cannot honour God more than by sanctifying his name Numb 20.12 and acknowledging his power in times of affliction and distresse So is God highly dishonoured when we doubt of his power and goodnesse and call the same into question Secondly Reas 2 as it is the work of Faith to see God to be of power All-sufficient to help and succour us in times of straights And herein appeared the truth and power of Abraham's faith that he doubted not of the promise through unbeliefe Rom. 4.20 for he was perswaded that what he had promised he was able to perform Whereas the unbelieving heart blocks up the gate of mercy against it selfe and makes a man uncapable of mercy If we examine our selves by this Doctrine Use 1 we shall finde that we are guilty in some measure of this sin when our estate goes not so well with us as we desire how ready are we to thrust off the cause of it from our selves and to lay it upon others When we are in health peace and prosperity and set free from trouble O then we can acknowledge and say that God is all-sufficient mercifull and gracious But if the Lord send affliction sicknesse tryalls times of adversity then we are ready to call all into question and think that Gods power is shortned we dare not follow God in the dark we can hardly confesse God to be almighty powerfull just mercifull at such times Iudg. 6.13 but are ready to say with Gideon If God be with us why is this befallen us We shorten Gods arme and call his power into question as this people did Can God furnish a Table in the Wildernesse Psal 78. He gave us drink indeed out of a Rock but can he give bread also This is that sin which this cursed nature of ours is most prone unto and therefore are the more carefully to watch ouer our own hearts against it Seeing it is the sinne of our nature thus to question Gods power Use 2 his mercy and goodnesse towards us especially in times of trouble and adverfity and to lay the blame on him Let us learn to know that God is alwaies one the same most mighty most just true faithful in his Covenant towards his people Though our condition change yet God changeth not he is one and the same from all eternity and cannot change But if our condition be otherwise with us than we desire Lam 3.39 Es 59.2 let us ascribe all to our selves Man suffereth for his sin Your iniquities have separated betwixt you and your God Your iniquities have turned away these things and your sins have withholden good things from you Let us condemn our selves and accuse our selves that we are thus afflicted and know that God is just and the arme of his power is not shortned towards his people Quest Quest But how comes it to passe that the Lord seemes thus to leave his people so long a time in such fore affliction and distresse as his people here Answ Answ The Lord doth this in much wisdome and love to his people First to bring them to a clearer sight of their sins and to work in them a greater measure of humiliation for the same then yet they have attained unto We are apt to think that a little sorrow for sin is enough and every light and slight confession will serve the turn But the Lord sees it meet that the foundation of our repentance and conversion should be laid deeper Secondly herein and hereby the Lord will exercise our graces which in times of Gods delaies are exercised in us How was the faith of Abraham exercised whilst he took Isaac in his hand three daies together when he went up to the Mount to sacrifice him How was the faith of Paul tried when he received this answer from God My grace is sufficient for thee though the temptation was not removed The Lord will have it so to quicken the prayers of his people seeking him The Canaanitish woman had divers denyalls in her suit to Christ in the behalfe of her daughter yet at last had a gracious answer returned unto her And this is ordinarily the fruit of sore afflictions they produce fervency in prayer and have at last a welcome deliverance Before the Mountains Text. c. even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God MOSES being now to have recourse unto God by prayer for his people flies unto the Covenant of grace made unto the Church in Christ pleads that minds the Lord of that and that gives him boldnesse in prayer Before the Mountains c. thou art our God Hence we learn That the knowledge of Gods Covenant of grace in Christ Doct. 2 gives boldnesse in prayer The knowledge of Gods Covenant gives boldnesse in prayer It is the knowledge of our interest in the Covenant of grace that God is our God kindles prayer as a Sacrifice kindled with fire from heaven and is much accepted of God Upon this ground we are to pray Gods Covâ—nant made with his Church and faithfulnesse in all generations in keeping promise with his people is the staffe and strength of prayer And this Covenant of grace the godly have been ever carefull to lay hold upon in prayer Heb. 10.23 Rev. 19.11 He is faithfull that hath promised And he that fits upon the white Horse is called faithfull and true Thus the Lord minds Jacob with his Covenant made with Abraham and Isaac his father Gen. 28. ver 15. and then confirmes the same unto Jacob Behold I am with thee and will keep thee which way thou goest Rom. 10.14 This made Paul to ask that strange question How shall they call on him on whom they have not believed implying thus much That where there is not faith in Gods Covenant there is no calling upon God Iam. 1.5 If any man lack wisdome saith Saint James let him ask it of God But how Let him ask in faith nothing wavering And again Let us draw neer with a true hears in assurance of faith sprinkled in our hearts from an evill conscience So that the point is clear and plain Ephes
spell for God teacheth us two waies 1. By his Philosophy Lecture in the creature Rom. 1.20 The invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen 2. By his Divinity Lecture in the Word Ps 19.1 Now if the knowledge we have of God in the creature shall leave men without excuse how much more inexcusable are those that have the Word to instruct them Seeing this is so Use 2 that the Mountains Earth and World sometimes were not and that they were created by God so certainly they shall have an ending time they shall not last to eternity but the heavens and the earth shall at last vanish like a scroule and as the Apostle shewes shall perish by fire 2 Pet. 3.10 The day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night in the which the Heavens shall passe away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up All our goodly houses and stately buildings the whole Earth and all the Creatures therein shall at last become but fewel to the fire And therefore why should we set our hearts upon the Creature seeing hee that made all can destroy all and bring the wealthiest of us all to nothing at his pleasure And this also meets with a vaine conceipt Use 3 that is this day in the world in the hearts of many that when they hear and are taught the wofull and miserable estate wherein they are by nature and are threatned with Eternall death Hell and Damnation if they die in such an estate presently say they hope not so for hee that made them will save them and not suffer them to perish They are his Creatures and the workmanship of his hands c. So art thou no nearer Heaven then thy Oxe or thy beast thou ridest upon for are not they the Creatures of God as well as thou If thou be not in Christ and so a new Creature thou art in a worse estate then they for when they die they vanish away and come to nothing But thou hast in thee an immortal soul that shall live to all eternity even whilst God himself liveth Creation is but a Common benefit extended to brute beasts as well as to man they have God to betheir Creator is wel as we we are never then to rest til we have Christ to be our Redeemer and the Holy Ghost to bee our sanctifier to partake of a new Creation or Regeneration As Christ saith to Nicodemus Ioh. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Herein lies the happinesse of man above other Creatures in our title to Christ as our Redeemer otherwise of all creatures man is most miserable Hitherto of the first that God is the Creator of all things Secondly Doct. 4 that this God was from all Eternity long before God was from all eternity Before the Mountains were brought forth or ever thou hadst formed the Earth or the World even from Everlasting to everlasting thou art God Herein Moses proceeds to a farther proof of the Godhead and that is taken from his Antiquity and Eternity Before the Earth or the World waâ— made thou art God From whence we learn that in respect of time God was before all time even from Eternity and so is eternall Some things there are that have a beginning in time and have their periods and ending in time as brute beasts c. Some things have a beginning in time but have no time to end in as Angels and men Onely there is God that neither had a beginning in time nor shall end in time but is eternal Now that God is Eternal is cleare in this from ever lasting to everlasting thou art God Pro. 8.23 I was set up from everlasting from the beginning or ever the Earth was It is spoken of God and of Christ Mich. 5.2 But thou Bethlem Ephrata though thou art little among the thousands of Judah yet out of thee shall come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel whose goings forth have been of old from everlasting As God had no being in time but is without the measure of time so Eternity is his essentiall property which shewes that God cannot end in time but as he was from Eternity so shall be ever one and the same God without shadow of change Ps 102.25.26 27. Of old thou hast laid the soundations of the Earth and the Heavens are the works of thy hands They shall all perish but thou shalt endure they shall all wax old as doth a garment and as a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed But thou art the same and thy years shall not fail The Consideration of this Eternity of God should serve to humble us in our own eyes Use 1 and cause us to think meanly of our selves when wee come before him that is of this eternall being This made Abraham when he was to come unto God to confesse that he was but dust and ashes when he was to deal with him And the Saints of God have ever laid themselves low before him when they have come into his presence Secondly Use 2 the consideration of this eternity of God should help to wean us from the world and take off our hearts from these earthly things that are here below that as they had their being and beginning in time so in time shall have their period and ending They shall all perish Ps 102.27 and wax-old like a garment and they are reserved to the fire of the day of judgment 1 Pet. 3.10 when the earth and the works thereof shall be burnt up Thirdly seeing God is eternall Vse 3 the consideration hereof should minde us more of this eternity that we think more of eternity and provide more for eternity There is an eternity behinde us and that is our eternall Election For such he knew before Eph. 1.4 And there is an eternity before us and that is our eternall Glorification Now betwixt these two Eternities there is a short interjected time cast in which is our short life and being here in this world and our weal or woe for ever doth depend upon this short inch of time alotted unto us here Some are so spiritually wise to improve this time to make their Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 and to work out their salvation with fear and trembling These passe from Eternity past their eternall Election to Eternity to come their eternall Glorification Othersome there are and that the greatest part of the world that spend their time in eating and drinking Note in chambering and wantonnesse that as they came into the world in a state of nature so they live and so they die And these passe from Eternity past which is Reprobation to Eternity to come and that is eternall Condemnation So that our happinesse for ever doth
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
This was that comfort that Christ gave to his Disciples Mat. 20.19 when he spake of his owne death The Son of man shall be delivered to the chiefe Priests and Scribes and they shall condemne him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles to be Crucified but the third day he shall rise againe Now that which was Christs comfort may be ours also Thirdly there is comfort in it in regard of our friends that die in the Lord that though death may separate us asunder for a time yet we shall meet again If a man take a long journey his wife friends do not weep lament as if they should never see him again So a man that dies in Christ though he take a long journey yet we should not mourn as those which have no hope we shall meet again And lastly this may also comfort us in regard of the present infirmities of our bodies blindnesse lamenesse crookednesse and other deformities that we are subject unto here In the Resurrection we shall leave all these behinde us in the grave and our bodies shall rise again glorious bodies and incorruptible bodies As those two godly Martyrs going to the stake the one blinde the other lame comforted each other Be of good cheer Brother my Lord of London will this day cure thee of blindnesse and me of my lamenesse Thus will death do and in the Resurrection these imperfections shall be done away So that the comforts are great which flow from this Doctrine of the Resurrection But as this Doctrine serves for matter of comfort and consolation to the godly Use 3 so it serves for matter of terrour fear and astonishment unto all wicked and unregenerate men that are out of Christ that as they live so die in a naturall estate 'T is true these also shall partake of this Resurrection and shall rise again at last but in a sarre different manner from the godly The bodies of believers shall arise by vertue of that union they have with Jesus Christ as members of that mysticall body of his whereof Christ is the head so shall he at last draw his members to himselfe But now all wicked and ungodly men they shall arise by the power of Christ at the voice of the Arch-Angel at the sound of the Trump for as the Apostle saith the Trump shall sound 1 Cor. 15 And these shall arise out of their graves as out of a Prison and that to go to the place of execution These shall no sooner put their heads out of their graves and behold the Lord Jesus comming in his glory That Christ whom they have crucified by their sins that Christ whom they have persecuted in his members that Christ whose blood they have trampled under their feet but they could wish that they had never seen his face O thinks a wicked man that I were in my grave again O that this filthy and polluted carcase of mine had never been made alive again but as it tasted of corruption it might for ever have perished there And it is not impossible but they that at the last shall cry to the mountains to fall upon them Rev. 6. and the hills to cover them but they may seek to hide themselves in their graves from the presence of Christ As the bodies of believers shall arise glorified bodies the bodies of the wicked shall arise most black ugly and deformed bodies black faces gastly countenances more like Devills than Men and Women ugly as Toads hatefull to themselves and others Thus shall they arise at last they shall arise out of their graves quaking and trembling wishing that they had never been born or born Toads or Serpents rather than Men and Women O the horrour and terrour that shall seize upon the wicked at that day no heart is able to conceive or tongue able to expresse When the Lord delivered the Law to the people upon Mount Sinai when the Trumpet sounded how did the people quake and tremble Exod. 19 How terrible then will his appearance be at the last day when he shall come to exact vengeance upon the transgressors of this Law O consider this ye that now forget God you that will not now be wrought upon by the sound of the Word to be raised from the death of sin to the life of righteousnesse How will you endure at this day the voice of the Arch-Angell and the sound of this Trumpet Arise ye dead and come unto judgment And last of all Use 4 seeing these bodies of ours that now go to their graves shall return again and rise again how carefull should we be to keep our bodies clean and pure and undefiled and every member of the same The Apostle Saint Paul exhorts us unto this 2 Thess 4.4 To possesse our Vessells in holinesse and honour If death leave thee a drunkard an unclean person a swearer a worldling a vile and prophane wretch in a naturall condition in the same condition shalt thou be haled to judgment when that wretched body and that wofull soul of thine that have been a Simeon and Levi brethren together in sin shall now for ever share alike in punishment and torment When a man hath done some foul and shamefull fact we use to say of such a man he will never be able to shew his face again How then will many a vile and desperate sinner shew his face before God at that day How carefull then ought we to be to keep our Vessells in holinesse and honour This is that very Use the Apostle Peter makes of this Doctrine of our Resurrection Seeing all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought we to be Paul professing the hope of the Resurrection I exercise my selfe saith he to have a clear conscience before God and all men Acts 24. voide of offence And of Jerome it is said that whatsoever he did he thought he heard this voice Arise ye dead and come to judgment Return again ye sons of Adam Text. MOSES as he hath shewed be fore that our lives are in Gods hand and at his disposing and that at his will and pleasure he can turn man to destruction to dust and rottennesse He adds also another cause of mans frailty and mortality and that is the nature composition and frame of mans body which is of it selfe very frail and brittle subject to mortality For the first word Man thou turnest Man to destruction signifies a man full of misery full of sicknesses and infirmities a miserable man Enosh And the other word here used in the end of the verse signifies a man made of Clay or of the very slime of the earth From hence we learn what is the nature of all men Doct. 4 Man a piece of living clay of all the sons of Adam viz. A piece of living Clay a little piece of red Earth And besides that man is subject to breaking and crushing every way a miserable man so is he of a brittle
meet with unexpected accidents in their way our life being like a lighted candle which wasts with the winde and is often blowen out before it be burned How many griefs and how many cares and feares are we daily pestered withall that help to waste the spirits of mer we are like unto him that stept upon the stage and presently went downe againe as if he came thither of purpose to shew himselfe and no more so many steps upon the stage of this worlde and act litle but downe againe And though men should be so happie as to be freed from outward Miseries which fewe are Yet we continually carry death in our Bosoms for look how many infirmities this frail Natures of ours are subiect unto so many secret Enemies we harbour within us to provide for Death yea every crum of bread that goes awrie is ready to make a breach for Death to enter in at In a word be we at sea or on land be we in Citty or Country at home or abroad waking or sleeping we are still in danger that Death like a violent Flood may break in upon us we are here never at one stay but in the midst of life we be in Death So oft then as this Corrupt nature of ours shall stir us up to pride because of Beauty Riches strength c. O let these thoughts humble us these flowers every day wither apace The root is dead already The body is dead because of Sin There is a worme at the roote as there was at the roote of Jonahs Gourd all our earthly felicities are feeding a pace we know not how soone Death like a violent Flood will breake in upon us and put an end to them all Thus for the first that Death is inevitable there is no resisting of it it breakes in upon us as a violent Flood Thou Carriest them away as with a Flood MOses in these wordes will likewise intimate unto us that as Death comes violently and unresistably as a Flood Doct. 2 So Death comes Suddainly unexpectedly as a Flood Death comes suddenly Many times when men are not aware nor thinke not of it then Death coms and takes them tardy And no doubt this was Christs intent and meaning when he saith Mat. 25.6 At midnight there was a cry made to shew unto the world that his coming by Death and judgment will be in an Houre when men will not think of it that so we might expect him every day and every hour You know not the day nor the hour Maâ— 24.42 when the Son of man cometh It is sufficient for us to know that come he will and that his coming shall be at such a time when men least of all expect it Mat. 24.26 and as he saith In the houre that ye think not will the Son of man come And upon this very ground the uncertaintie of the time when Christ shall call us is that watch-word given what J say unto you I say unto al watch Mat. 13. And Behold I come as a theefe in the Night Rev. 16.15 Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments I confesse these places of Scripture are principally meant of Christs second comming to judgment yet are they true also in this sence of his comming by death When a Thiefe hath a purpose to do mischiefe he makes choice of the night when men are asleep and so comes unawares when men are not prepared for resistance Such will the time of Death and the last judgment be And upon this ground Christ grounds that exhortation of his to have our loynes girded and our light burning that we may be alwaies ready And certainly when men are most secure then is death nearest at hand as it was with that rich man that promised to himselfe many years Luke 12. had that night his soul taken from him And when men shall say peace peace then shall suddain destruction shall come upon them And besides these clear examples and testimonies in the Word that shew the comming of death to be suddain and unexpected our own experience and observation daily before our eyes doth declare this truth How many have gone well to bed at night that have been dead ere the morning some at bed and some at board some at home and some abroad death hath met them and suddainly surprised them and when he comes he will have no nay The point then is clear and plain that as death comes as a Flood and there is no resistance so as a Flood death comes suddainly when men think least of it But why will the Lord have the time of death thus uncertain to us Quest Many may be the Reasons wherefore God will not have this day and time known unto us Ans That not knowing the set day and houre Reas 1 we might be prepared for every day and every houre Watch saith Christ for you know not what houre the Master of the house commeth whether at midnight c. Secondly Reas 2 that herein and hereby the Lord might exercise the faith patience hope and other graces in the hearts of his servants all which are now exercised and set on work whilst we know not the time when the Lord will call us hence And this serves for the just reproofe of the great security Use 1 wherein so many are so fast asleep that notwithstanding they hear clearly from the Word and see daily by experience before their eyes the sudden comming of death as a flood rushing in upon them yet put the thoughts of death far from them O the security and dead heartednesse that is in many that having so many caveats watchwords and warnings from God besides their own daily experience yet never minde their own latter end nor deaths sudden comming This was the sin of the old world in the daies of Noah that were so drowned in their own pleasures that they would not believe a drowning by a flood till the flood came and swept them clean away And this is the great sin of this world and times wherein we live upon whom the ends of the world are come The deadnesse of heart and carnall security the little laying of Gods judgments to heart the overflowings of sin in all sorts and conditions of men are certain precursors and forerunners that the Lord is at hand either with some sorer vengeance to awake us or by putting a speedy end to all things But the main use that we are to make of this Point Use 2 that death comes many times so suddainly rushing in upon us as a violent Flood It should teach us this wisdome at all times to be in a readinesse and prepared when death comes Upon this ground Christ admonisheth his Disciples and us all to watchfulnesse because the day and hour knoweth no man But I hope I shall have time to prepare for death Object 1 I am yet young and strong c. Herein men blesse themselves and flatter themselves that howsoever they
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
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
life hath been vile and prophane a blasphemer a contemner of grace and godlinesse an unclean person a drunkard c. and see some strange judgment of God upon upon him to die some cursed and miserable death we may say of them thus Surely this is the just judgment of God upon him for his sin as Moses sometimes spake of Corah Dathan and Abiram Num. 16. If these men die the common death of all men then hath the Lord not spoken So as when they saw them swallowed up of the earth for their rebellion against Moses and Aaron they surely might say Heâ—e is a spectacle of Gods judgments for their sins And it is good for us to observe Gods dealing amongst our selves that we might learn to fear him lest we be made spectacles of his wrath as others have been By thy anger by thy hot anger Text. BUt what Quest is the Lord subject to these passions to be angry and wroth Surely nothing lesse Ans neither are we to think that there is any such passion in God or that he is subject to these alterations and changes for then he should not be God But the Scriptures thus speak that God is angry and wrathfull full of displeasure c. for our understanding as when the Lord doth that which men do when they are angry then God seems to be angry As when men be angry they throw about them lay on load smite hard c. So when the Lord smites men laies blow after blow plague after plague stroke after stroke then he seems to be angry when he seemes not to spare but one judgment overtakes another Now by Gods anger in the Scripture Gods anger what we are to understand three things First his just will and purpose to punish sin either by temporall judgments here or by eternall hereafter and so that place is to be understood He that believeth not in the Son Iohn 3.36 the anger of God abideth on him that is Gods inward displeasure against the sin of unbeliefe with his purpose to punish it Secondly by the anger of God is understood those menaces and threatnings of punishment against sin either immediately by Himselfe or mediately by his Prophets and Ministers as Hos 11.9 Psal 6.1 Es 63.6 I will execute upon Ephraim the fiercenesse of my wrath That is that anger and wrath that I have threatned Thirdly by the anger of God is signified the effects of his anger which appears in sundry punishments and judgments and so that place is to be understood Eph. 5.6 For such sins comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience that is sundry judgments and punishments seize upon men for such sins And in this third sence and signification is the anger of God and his wrath to be taken here When Moses complains that they were consumed in his anger he means by those fearfull effects of his anger as the Plague Pestilence and the other judgments of God upon them for their sins Hence we may observe Doct. 4 the wonderfull blockishnesse and stupiditie that is in all men by nature Mans ignorance of God great who are no whit moved with such speeches as are agreeable to Gods nature as to say the Lord is just or the Lord will punish or the like But he must take upon him such passions as be in our nature as to say He is angry wrathfull full of displeasure and indignation and all too little to move hard-hearted sinners to fear before him This shewes our grosse ignorance and stupidity in the things of God that he is fain to descend so low as to speak thus to our capacities and understandings as that he is angry wrathfull and full of indignation otherwise we should understand little of God This proceeds from that bitter root of Adam's sin Reas 1 who having in his Creation a clear knowledge of God so far as the Creature was capable of and not contenting himselfe with that excellent knowledge Gen. 3.6 given him in his Creation but aspiring to be like unto God lost his knowledge of his Maker and brought this ignorance upon himselfe in his own understanding and upon all his posterity so that now we are without God in the world Eph. 2.12 strangers from the life of God through that ignorance that is in us Secondly Reas 2 this depravitie in our understanding is holp on by Sathan who hath blinded our mindes that we know not God nor his waies till we come to recover our selves out of the snares of the Devill 2 Tim. 2.26 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient as of our selves to think any thing as of our selves Which may serve to teach us hence Use 1 to wonder at that great ignorance that is in many Congregations Families and Persons at this day that are so ignorant of God and those glorious attributes of his but conceive of God as a man and call God a good man have very low and mean thoughts of God consider him not as Omnipotent Omniscient Omnipresent the searcher of the heart a consuming fire c. O did we but truly know God it would make us lay our selves low before him when we come into his presence as Abraham did Behold Lord I that am but dust and ashes and to cry out with the Prophet I am undone I am a man of polluted lips Secondly this blindnesse and ignorance of God that is in us by nature Use 2 should minde us of the necessity of an able Ministry in every Congregation whereby we may be taught to know God and have this blindnesse and blockishnesse of our nature cured in us Such set themselves against God and open their mouths against Heaven that oppose the Ministry of the Word and cry it down as many do at this day that think of all callings amongst us the Ministry may best be spared And indeed never was there greater affronts or more disgrace offered to their Calling then there hath been of late daies Whereas there is no Calling the Magistracy excepted whereby a Church or State receiveth more benefit then by a faithfull learned and painfull Ministry they are the strength of a Nation the Chariots and Horsmen of Israel they manifest Gods presence to a Land and Nation and when they are discountenanced silenced and forced to depart God usually is not far off with some fearfull judgment We are consumed in thy anger THe Lord being provoked against this people by their sins His anger could not be appeased but by their destruction Note hence That when Gods anger is once kindled against sin Doct. 5 Gods anger once kindled consumes to destruction it consumeth to destruction We are consumed in thy anger It is true the Lords patience towards sinners is great and he suffereth long the Vessells of wrath He is a a God of mercy and is not easily provoked to strike Psal 2. But as the Psalmist saith If his wrath be kindled but a little it
it may be said of every grosse and presumptuous sin in the godly it provokes God to anger But yet there is a great difference betwixt Gods anger towards his children Difference betwixt Gods anger towards his children and the wicked and that wrath of his that commeth upon the children of disobedience First his anger towards his Children endures but for a moment In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment Es 54.8 but with everlasting kindnesse wil I have compassion on thee And of the godly it is said Ps 103.9 He will not alwaies chide neither keepeth he his anger for ever But as for the wicked it is not so with them but those tokens of his anger and wrath are but the beginnings of their sorrowes and a fire kindled that shall devoure to destruction It differs betwixt the godly and the wicked in measure God ever proportioneth the sufferings of his Children according to their strength He will not suffer them to be tempted above that they are able 1 Cor. 10.13 But now the Lord never takes notice what strength a wicked man hath to bear his punishments but oftentimes they sink under the burthen of them as Cain Saul Judas c. They bring forth the quiet fruits of righteousnesse in the one they make the wicked more desperate in sinning they tend to the instruction of the one they tend to the destruction of the other Thirdly Gods judgments are medicines to cure his children of the maladies of sin and to fit them for mercy and deliverance But as for the wicked that are vessells of wrath they tend to fit them for destruction so as the Prophet saith Es 21.24 Hath he smitten him meaning indeed his own Children as he smot them that smot him meaning indeed the wicked The Lord is not angry with them both alike nor smites them both alike And lastly Use 3 seeing the anger of God is so terrible and insupportable even a consuming fire and lies so heavy many times upon his own Children the malignity whereof is taken off by Christ It is our duty that as we sin daily Use 4 and provoke him daily by our sins so to be earnest solicitors to the Throne of grace daily that the Lord would not rebuke us in his anger Ps 38.1 2. neither chastise us in his wrath That the Lord would not deal with us according to our sins nor reward us according to our iniquities for if the Lord should we were never able to answer him for one of a thousand our provocations are so many and great that we may say with the Church Lam. 3.22 It is the Lords mercy that we are not consumed There is no way to escape Gods anger but as we sin daily to repent daily since we forfeit his mercies daily by our sins And in thy wrath are we troubled Text. MOSES and the people of God here confesse that they were exceedingly amazed and troubled by Gods anger and wrath gone out against them for their sin Whence we may observe Doct. 6 what it is that doth most affect the godly Sin most of all affects the godly wounds their souls and makes their hearts to bleed viz. The sense and feeling of Gods anger and frowning countenance against them for their sins that by their sins they have so far provoked God thus to frown upon them and to be displeased with them For as the loving kindnesse of God is better than life it selfe Ps 63.3 so the sense and feeling of his wrath and displeasure is that which wounds their souls to the quick so as there can be no comfort no joy no rest nor peace but sorrow griefe vexation and trouble of heart No doubt there were many things that troubled the heart of David in the matter of his sins of Adultery and Murther as the murther of his faithfull servant and subject Uriah the drawing of Bathsheba to the sin of Adultery and his drawing of Joab and others into the guilt of his sin besides the seandall that he had given to Religion But this was it that wounded him to the heart his sin against God and therefore he cries out Against thee against thee have I sinned nothing went so neer his heart as his offence against God and the sense of his displeasure Many times the wicked mourn for sin with worldly sorrow 2 Cor. 7. when by their sins they bring shame punishment or some detriment to their estate and the like Thus Pharaoh was troubled and took on Exod. 9.27 because of the Thunder and Hail and when that was over his trouble was over Gen. 27.38 Thus Esau wept when he had parted with his Birth-right for his own losse not for his offence against God And thus was Saul troubled when Samuel told him 1 Sam. 15.14 1 Reg. 11.21 that God had rent his Kingdome from him and Ahab when the judgment was denounced against his house Whereas in the godly the apprehension of Gods displeasure and the sin against him works the greatest sorrow though their sins were never so secret and should never come to light A gracious soul lookes more upon God offended then upon what he hath deserved This the Apostle calls a sorow according to God 2 Cor. 7 10. when it proceeds not from selfe love but because of God And this is that Zach. 12.12 which the Lord in some measure works in the hearts of all his And the Reasons are The first is taken from the nature of sin Reas 1 which is a Transgression of the Law By sin the most holy and righteous Law of God is violate and broken and hereby God is provoked A small offence against a Prince is made Treason so are sins committed against him being an infinite God Is given by the Apostle Reas 2 Ye have not received the Spirit of bondage to fear again but ye have received the Spirit of adoption Now such as have received this Spirit the Spirit of Adoption to be made the Sons of God these cannot but love God are affraid to offend God and much grieved if at any time by their sins they provoke God Is for tryall Use 1 whether our griefe and sorrow for sin be a godly sorrow and a fruit of true repentance yea or no. The vildest wretch its possible may some times have compunction and sorrow of heart for sin and they may wish that they had never committed such evills Ahab mourns and Judas repents himselfe and yet all was but worldly sorrow that brought death A wicked man and a very Hypocrite may go wonderfull far this way but upon tryall it will be found that their sorrow is conversant about the evill of punishment and not for the evill of sin It is the losse of credit detriment in estate shame punishment or the like that affects them selfe love works it in them and were it not for shame punishment hell or torment for sin they would
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
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
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
as one of his enemies The like we may see in David that was a man after Gods own heart yet exercised with sore afflictions in his estate body minde and conscience as that he hath often very sad complaints Psal 6.3 My soul is sore troubled but Lord how long wilt thou delay Thy indignation â—ieth upon me and thoâ— hast vexed me with all thy waves Will he Lord absent himself for ever 〈◊〉 88.7 and will he shew no more favour Ps 77.8 Hath God forgotâ—en to be gracious and hath he shuteâ— his loving kindnesse in displeasure Nay our Saviour Christ himself when he lived here what was his life but a life of sorrows and afflictions even All his dayes even from the Manger to the Crosse his whole life indeed was a continuall passion So that the point is clear that the afflictions of Gods Church and People many times doe and may last long But how can this stand with those places of Scripture that say Quest that our afflictions in this life are short and momentany 2 Cor. 4.17 Es 54.7 Our light afflictions which are but for a moment and again for a small moment have I forsaken thee The afflictions of Gods Church and People are short Answ 1 not simply of themselves for so many times they last long but in comparison of the glory that is hereafter to be revealed they are short They are not short to sense for so many times are they long but to faith they are so which apprehends Gods favour presence and grace in the sharpest trials and expects the accomplishment of Gods promise in giving a happy issue unto them so are they short If we look unto this life so are afflictions long But if we look to eternity and that glory that hereafter is to be revealed so are they short and last but for a moment But what might be the Reasons why Gods hand should lye so heavy Quest and that so long a time upon his children The first may be that of the Apostle Ans Reas 1 We are chastened of the Lord that we might not be condemned with the world 1 Cor. 11.32 Should not the Lord many times put this bridle upon us by sharp affliction to keep us in and make us know ourselves the Prodigal would never think of returning home nor Manasses know that God is the Lord. Were it not for the rod many of Gods children would run riot as the Prodigal did and kick against God as Manasses did But afflictions keep them in And David can say Ps 119.75 I know that thou of very faithfulnesse hast caused me to be afflicted It is an argument of Gods anger and heavy displeasure against the wicked to suffer them to go on in sin without check or controlement to fill up the measure of their iniquities Hos 4.14 I will not visit your daughters for their whoredomes that was a heavy judgement of God upon them Thus doth God many times plague most when he seems to spare most Whereas of his own people the Lord speaketh thus Amos 3.2 You onely have I known of all the families of the earth therefore will I punish you for all your iniquities Gods glory is another main end of all Gods chastisements and afflictions he layes upon his people Reas 2 He is the Author and Giver of all graces and when these shall break out shine and appear the glory of their excellency shall most redound to God that gave them O how did the patience of Job and his holy dependency still upon God even in his sharpest brunts and trials which Satan by Gods permission brought upon him shine and appear to the glory of Gods grace that he could blesse God Iob 1.12 and say Though the â—ord kill me yet will I trust in him And when we can be content for Gods sake Ps 44.22 To be killed all the day long and with those blessed Apostles Rejoyce that we are accounted worthy to suffer for Christ Hereby Gods people are driven to God the onely Refuge in times of misery Reas 3 as the malefactor to the horns of the Altar It was the depths of Davids misery that caused him to send forth deep sighs and groans to the Throne of Grace And lastly Reas 4 hereby the Promises taste the more sweet It was the famine that made the Prodigall to see the priviledge of Servants in his Fathers house And to procure unto us the sounder comfort the deeper the incision is made into the wound the more perfect will the cure be The Prophet cries out My belly trembled my lips â—â—rok rottennesse entred into my bones but the end and issue was Heb. 3.16 that I might rest in the day of trouble And herein the Lord provideth for his own glory in bringing light out of darknesse and by the humiliation of his children brings their greatest exaltation When Jacob must be blessed he must first wrestle for it and when Joseph shal be exalted he must first to the Prison Thus God many times deals with us Seeing afflictions thus many times lye long upon Gods people Use 1 This may serve for the just reproof of those that judge of Gods favour and love towards themselves and others by their outward estate and hence conclude those most happy upon whom God bestows most and those most miserable that enjoy least and lye under affliction Thus Jobs friends though otherwise good men yet when they saw the hand of God upon Job in that strange manner most uncharitably judged him for an hypocrite Eccl. 9.1 2. This is a false rule to go by and this is to condemn the generation of the righteous Pro. 3.12 No man saith Solomon can judge of love or hatred by all that is before him God many times plagues the wicked in sparing them and God loves his children when most severely he corrects them So that outward prosperity is no infallible signe of Gods love neither are afflictions crosses and calamities infallible signes of Gods displeasure Use 2 Secondly this may admonish us that if the Lord shall at any time thus deal with us as with his people here and send us long and tedious afflictions in our bodies mindes or estates by trouble of minde sicknesse poverty losses crosses or the like we are not therefore to despair or presently to think that God loves us not but hath cast us off Shall we not drink of the cup that Christ himself drank off We pray Thy will be done Now if it be his will that we shall thus spend our daies in affliction and misery our very passive obedience in suffering Gods Will be to done upon us brings not lesse glory to God then when we actually doe his will We are not to murmure repine and complain but possesse our souls by patience Acts 14.22 for if we will be his Disciples we must through many tribulations enter into the Kingdome of Heaven But is it possible Quest that the
hearted to preach liberty to the captive c. Here you see to whom Christ is sent and here is a soul qualified for mercy not all and every one that lives under the Gospell that hath been Baptized and goes under the name of a Christian but such only as are sensible at their spirituall misery and thraldome by reason of sin I came saith Christ to seek and to save that was lost Miserable creature thou Luk. 19.10 if thou be not one that Christ came to seek and to save But if thou be not a lost creature a poor wretched damned creature in thy own apprehension thou wilt never have Christ to save thee Secondly till we thus see sin Reas 2 and are sensible of Gods wrath and displeasure for sin we shall never prize Christ neither are fit to receive any comfort from Christ When a poor soul comes truly to see fin and the wrath of God due for sin and that sin is a burthen too heavy for that soul to bear Christ will never be pretious to the soul The full soul loatheth the hony comb But take a poor wounded soul whose heart is truly humbled it is like a smitten Hart O to the soyle it flyeth Ps 42.1 As the Hart brayeth after the Rivers of water so longeth my soul after thee O God Let such a soul have all the treasure in the world presented unto him on the one hand and the least drop of the blood of Christ on the other hand O it is Christs blood that he priseth above all As Rachel said to Jacob Give me Children or else I die so saith a poor soul Give me Christ for the pardon of my sins or else I die and shall perish for ever This serves to discover unto us what is Gods manner of dealing in the work of mans Conversion and Salvation Use 1 the Lord works by contraries God brings men to joy by sorrow to blessednesse by the sense of our cursednesse as at the first Creation God brought light out of darknesse so doth God now bring life out of death and out of our deep apprehension of Gods anger and displeasure God founds and grounds our greatest comfort Well then would you know how it fares between God and your souls call to minde your sins past the sins of your youth the sins of your middle age and the sins of your riper years and see how your hearts stand affected towards them Can you think of them without griefe of heart have you as yet never felt the terrours of the Almighty for sin You never felt such a weight and burthen of sin that you were ready to sink under it O deceive not your own souls the foundation of grace and salvation is not yet laid But now if upon examination you finde the terrours of the Lord your hearts wounded that the remembrance of your sins is grievous unto you and that the burthen of them is intollerable here is a good mark that God intends much good to such a soul Seeing this is Gods manner of dealing in the work of Repentance and conversion to God Use 2 to work in the soul an apprehension of Gods anger and displeasure for sin Here is matter of mourning and lamentation in regard of the great security of this age wherein we live there is little fear or dread of Gods anger and wrath for sin amongst men a clear argument that men are far from this grace of true repentance The Lord be mercifull to a world of men that live amongst us even in the bosome of the Church if we had a fountain of tears with Jeremy we might weep them out to see the misery of the greatest part of the world that though they live in the bosome of the Church and partake daily of the Word yet are not wrought upon How many have we that are so far from grieving for their sins that it is their grief they cannot sin more freely Men cannot endure to meet with any check or controlment in their sinfull courses You that know the world and you that know the state of this place cannot but know how many we have that sit upon their Ale-bench and there despite the Spirit of grace glorying in their sin O that such would but consider that dreadfull place of the Apostle 2 Thess 2.13 That all might be damned that took pleusure in unrighteousnesse yet fear not damnation But the damnation of such doth not sleep And last of all Use 3 here is matter of admirable comfort and consolation to such upon whose hearts God hath been at work that have been under the Spirit of bondage and have layne under the threats of the Law have seen sin and have apprehended Gods displeasure in their souls for sin I may say to such a one as it was said to blind Bartimaeus Behold Christ calleth thee who for this spirit of heavinesse will give thee the spirit of gladnesse sorrow may endure for a night but joy commeth in the morning and Mat. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall rejoyce O Object but if I were sure that my sorrow were right I might have comfort but I fear my trouble is not so much for offending God by my sins as for fear of Hell and of wrath which sorrow even a wicked man may have and yet perish at last Even this fear of Gods wrath Ans of hell and damnation may be at the first in us and as a needle make way for the threed of godly sorrow thus much is intimated by that of Paul Ye have not received the Spirit of bondage to fear again Ro. 8.15 which word implyeth thus much that even the very godly themselves had at first in them the spirit of bondage to fear God for his wrath hell and damnation A degree of grace if I may so call it that for ought I know all Gods children at first in some measure or other passe under But how shall I know Quest that it is not my case at this present True sight of sin and humiliation of the soul that shall finde comfort Answ hath principally these three properties First when the heart is carried against sin with such an indignation as that there is a heart-rising against a mans most secret corruptions 2 Cor. 7.11 What indignation saith Paul hath it wrought in you A heart-rising against our most secret corruptions stirring in us is a good signe our sorrow for sin is sound It may again be known by that full purpose of heart that is in us not to sin again as those godly Converts mentioned in the Scripture Paul Zacheus Mary Magdalen Peter c. fell not into their sins again Thirdly it may be known by the blessed victory that the soul gets daily against sin when corruption weakens daily and grace growes more vigorous in the soul these may comfort the heart that such a soul is qualified for mercy Ver. 10. The daies of our years are threescore years and ten and
have here no grace in perfection Reas 2 in regard this world is not the place of our perfect happinesse God hath appoynted Heaven for our home where all tears shall be wiped away from our eyes and sin from our soule here wee sigh desiring to be cloathed upon 2 Cor. 5.2 Rom. 8.24 we are saved now by hope our happinesse is not in present possession but in reversion This serves both discover unto us the misery of such Vse 1 and how far they are from the work of grace in their souls that are so far from discovering any such wants and imperfections in themselves and in their graces as that pharisaically they brag and boast of their strong faith and that they should be sorry to live to doubt of their Salvation when they heare of the moanes and complaints of the Godly complayning of their want of faith the hardnesse of their hearts and their backwardness indisposition to any good Duty c. they wonder at them they would not be in their case for all the world they never felt such doubts and feares in themselves Surely these are the most miserable men in the world they shew that the strong man hath taken possession of their souls that thus holds them in this damnable Security there is but a step betwixt such a one and hell thy case is fearefull it is a signe that thou ar thardned in thy sin and art far from the worke of grace in thy soule Mat. 5. wo unto such as now laugh for they shall wayle and weepe and Blessed are they that mourne for they shall be comforted Such as have had the greatest measure of Grace have found many wants and imperfections in their graces as Moses here and not to be sensible of our wants and imperfections is an argument of the want of the truth of grace in such asoule Secondly Vse 2 this may serve for matter of comfort and consolation unto such as do unfaynedly love and feare God and are troubled much with doubtings and feares and discover more more in themselves their wants and imperfections in all their graces and in all their duties know O know that thy case is not singular neither art thou alone in these complaints many of Gods deare children are full of them My faith is weake my hope feeble my love is cold and I find so much backwardnesse and coldnesse in duties O what shall I doe I feare my estate is not good I confesse here is just cause of trouble and complaint in the Godly when they find this to be their case that grace is no more vigorous and active in them and when they want the Sensible assurance of Gods favour and love But such must stay themselves upon this that a man may be in the state of grace and yet want the assurance of it in himselfe A man may have faith in him and yet conclude against it What a case was David in when he complayneth thus Psal 13.1 2. How long-wilt thou forget me O Lord how long wilt thou hide thy face from me How long shall I take counsell in my soule and have sorrow in my heart His heart must needs be ful of sorrow when God hides his face from him But yet God turned againe and spake peace to his servant and fild him at last with the joy of his salvation and thus will the mourning and sadnesse of Gods Children bring a joyfull harvest at last when these doubts and feares shall vanish away their hearts shall be filled with comfort Vers 12. Teach us O Lord to Number our dayes that mee may apply our herts to wisdome Hitherto we have spoken of the two first generall parts of this psalme viz. The complaint of Moses and the people that they put up unto God now in the wildernesse in great affliction and distresse vers 1 2. Secondly the Narration of the frailty and misery of man from the third verse to the 11. Now in the 12. ver and so to the end of this Psalme He comes to the third and last generall of this Psalme and that is the prayer of Moses and the rest of the people of God put up to God for grace and mercy And this prayer of theirs hath in it two parts 1. They beg for reconciliation againe with God ver 13. Return O Lord how long c. 2. They pray for the happy fruits and effects of Gods favour and reconciliation from verse 17. to the end of the Psalme Teach us O Lord to number our daies c. In this v. we have their first petition wherein Moses this man of God prayeth that the Lord would make them to consider of the shortnesse and uncertainty of their time that so they might be wise to provide for their latter end God seeing our life is so short so fraile and so momentary But as yesterday that is past as a watch in the night And that death comes as a flood unresistable and suddainly that our life is but as grasse and all our excellencies but as the flower of the field and our dayes but as a tale that is told And that we are so suddainly cut downe and we flye away that we may throughly consider of this brevitie shortnesse of our life and being here to the end that laying aside the excessive cares for the things of this life we may apply your hearts to wisedome that is to repent of our sins past to cast up our accounts and to provide for a better life where we have 1. the petition it self which Moses made for himselfe and in the behalfe of the people teach us O Lord to number our dayes 2 the end of this petition on the use of this request viz that we may apply our hearts to wisdome Note we first of all How Moses prayeth to God to teach him and the rest of the people of God to Number their dayes that is to be perswaded of the shortnesse of their time in this world and what shall become of their soule in Death hence we learne that Though God in his word hath plentifully taught us and experience daly before our eyes Doct. 1 We can not number our dayes unlesse God teach us doth confirme the same that our life is short fraile and momentary yet unlesse God become our Schoolemaster we shall herdly take out this lesson our foolish hearts are so ignorant of this knowledge as Christ said to Peter when he had made that confession of Christ Mat. 16.17 flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee but my father which is in heaven So no man by nature can attaine this knowledge to judge aright of the frailty and shorinesse of his life but must have God to be his teacher from whom every good gift Iam. 1.17 and perfect gift proceedeth How earnest is David with God to teach him this lesson Lord make me know my end and the measure of my dayes what it is Psa 39.4 that
I may know how fraile I am And indeed we have manifold examples in the word that let us see that naturally we do the cleane contrary viz. forget our latter end and put the thoughts of death far from us and what shall become of our soules at last that Rich man that was so wise for the world yet was a starke foole in this knowledge he could number his Riches his Gold and his silver His Sheepe and his herds of cattle but had no Skill at all to Number his dayes But reckoned them up by the grosse summ even many yeares to come And yet alas poore man he lived not one day But even that night had his soule taken from him and was sent to hell So that ungratious servant Luk. 12 that thought his Master would not come yet but fell to eating drinking and beating his fellowes was suddainly taken tardy Mat. 24.49 50. and what shall I say of those foolish virgins who never thought of providing of oyle but slumbred and slept and at midnight the Bridegrome came and then it was too late to cry and call Lord Lord Mat. 25. open unto us so that you see that naturally we are ready to forget the Numbring of our dayes and are not easily brought to consider the shortnesse and uncertainty of our life Besides experience makes this cleare for what man is there amongst us though he have lived threescore or fourescore years which doth not flatter himselfe to thinke that hee may rub out yet another yeare and so another to that so that you see it is naturally given to us to be ignorant of this knowledge that Moses prayes for unlesse we are taught of God neither nature learning nor dayly experience can teach us this lesson that our life is short It is God onely that must teach us this wisedome Reas 1 in regard it is not the pregnancy of naturall wit not the ripenesse of years neither is it common to gray haires to be perswaded of the shortnesse of life and to prepare for Death Iob. 32. But as Job sayth It is the inspiration of the Almighty that giveth understanding till we come to be weaned from the world and have our eyes set upon more glorious things thou are here below our hearts will bâ— bound up from this wisedome Because none can teach the heart Reas 2 but he that made the heart A man may search the register and know his age and by Arithmetique number his dayes and howers that he hath lived and yet be ignorant of this wisedome to esteeme of every day as his last day and so to live as if every day were his dying day God alone must teach this wisedom well then seeing Moses and the people of of God acknowledge their ignorance and forgetfulnesse in this poynt and withall pray to God that he would give them wisedome to number their dayes then let us lay this Doctrine to heart let us try and examin our selves whether we be not as forgetful of this poynt do promise long life to our selves If this be our case let us likewise intreate the Lord to give us this wisedome and to teach us and perswade us of the exceeding shortnesse of our life that we might apply our hearts to this wisedome of learning to dye for till the Lord od open our eyes become our Schoole-master we shall never come truely to know it nor to make that right use of it as we ought to doe Secondly Use 2 this shewes the extreame folly of the greatest part of the world who think it so easie a matter to number their dayes Moses was a wise man yet as not sufficiently instructed in this poynt he humbly intreats the Lord to teach him this knowledge that he might number his dayes aright this is that David doth so earnestly beg for at Gods hand Psal 39.4 Lord make me to know my end and the measure of my dayes that I may know how fraile I am And therefore seeing it is so hard a lesson to be learned and of so great use being attayned let us intreat the Lord to teach it us To number our dayes But may not this seeme strange that Moses should so beg for this Quest Did not Moses know how to number his dayes He could number Adams dayes and set downe how long he lived Hee could number Enoch his dayes and set downe how long he lived Methusala Abraham Izack Jaacob and all the. patriarks dayes and how long they lived and could not Moses number his own dayes this may seeme strnage we see a child of ten or twelve years old can by arithmetike quickly tell you how many days he hath lived yea how many howres and minuts I answer that neither Moses Ans nor the wisest man living though he may be never so expert in all kind of Arithmeticke and humane learning so as he knowes the nature of the Stars their distances motions longitudes latitudes altitudes c. can skill of this numbring unlesse the spirit of God be his Schoole-master unlesse God give him wisedome and grace from above to perswade us of the shortnesse of our time and of the suddain and speedy coming of Death can truly learne this lesson to number his dayes aright but it must be the Lord that must teach it us Hence we learne Doct. 2 that it should be our chiefest care and study Wee ought to esteem of every day as our last day Deut. 32.29 to practise that which they so earnestly prayed for viz that upon the same grounds that they were moved withall that we learne to number our dayes aright and make account of every day as our last day O that men were wise sayth Moses that they would consider their latter end True wisedome consists in this in the continuall meditation of the shortnesse of our life when we arise in the morning to thinke that we may be dead ere night and every night to thinke this may be my last Many men thinke to what end is this who knoweth not that our life is short uncertaine who knoweth not this But it is not for naught that the spirit of God in the scripture beats so much upon this poynt and puts us so often in remembrance of it would men be so carefull for the world and so carelesse for heaven and eternitie did we truly know and were perswaded of the frailty and uncertainty of our being here Surely if we could but reckon our life and dayes as Moses doth all along in this Psalme that it is but as vesterday nay not so long but rather as a watch in the night the space of three howers that death comes as a flood that our life is but as a sleepe or a Dream suddainly vanishing away that it is but as grasse And all the excellencies of man as Beauty Honour riches strength pleasures c. but as the flower of grasse and that our dayes are but as a taâ—e that is told were these
lives Is there any so vile or so wretched that if they were perswaded that they should dye this night before to morrow would they deck and trim paint and pounce and pamper those bodyes of theirs that so suddenly must feed the worms no no if men made this accompt of their life as at an howers warning they would provide better for that life that shall last for ever This was the reason why that evill servant fell to eating and drinking and beating his fellow servant Mat. 24.48 he thought his master would be long a coming A contrary example we have in Moses this man of God that albeit he might have inioyed the pleasures of Pharaohs Court with honour wealth and what not yet refused them all upon this accompt that they were but for a season All the pleasures comforts contentments and outward felicities that the world can afford us are but for a season short and momentany and must have an end And the end of a wicked mans pleasures ends in paine Son remember that thou in thy lif time Luk. 16. c. when one howers torment in hell will make the wicked forget all their pleasures on earth And therefore this should serve in the last place for Exhortation That we alwayes have death before our eyes and to think upon it to accompt of the present time and day as our last and so to live as if every day we should dye that we may be in a continuall readinesse for our dissolution and change when we shall goe hence and be no more There can be no worse deceipt then when a man deceives himselfe in this reckoning Vse 2 Luk. 12.37 He was worthily called a foole that said Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years eat drink and be merry And since it is the Lord that must teach us this wisdome we must pray unto him to teach us this lesson to number our dayes aright for till God teach us this wisdom we shall never repent forsake the world and seek for a better life And therfore I earnestly commend this duty to you and it is my desire to presse it upon my self that we all reckon this with our selves as though this day should be our last day and this nigh our last night that when the Lord shal call us hence he might find us so doing hitherto of the petition Lord teach us to c. That we may apply our hearts to wisdom HEre we have the second part at first propounded Part. 2 And that is the end of this petition or the use of this request viz. that we may apply our hearts c. These words may be taken in a double sence That we may apply our hearts to wisdom That is that seeing our life is so short here and so uncertaine we may no longer live in sin as we have done but may truly repent Doct. 3 live more wisely and circumspectly feare thy anger Men are never truly wise till they accompt of every day as their last day and be afraid to provoke thee by our sins as we have done this Moses accompts true wisdom And the words being taken in this sence the doctrine is That men are never truly wise till they accompt of every day as their last day Herein lyes true wisdom O that men were wise Deut. 32 29. then would they remember their latter end As if men were never truly wise till then There is nothing more naturall unto us then to perswade our selves of long life And that we shall still continue in a happie and flourishing estate It was Davids case to be thus lifted up in times of prosperitie I said saith he I shall neve be removed Psal 30.6 thou Lord of thy goodnesse hast made my hill so strong When God had setled David in his Kingdom had made him to prosper and given him the upper hand of his enemies He was ready to fall asleep and to make his reckoning that he should ever continue thus happie That his good dayes should last for ever and his prosperitie should never faile And this was the case of Iob that holy man In the time of his prosperitie he had such thoughts as these I said I shall dye in my nest Iob 19.18 and I shall multiply my dayes as the sand And againe my glory shal be renewed ver 28 and my bowe shall be strengthned in my hand What is this but to reckon without our host when we shall thus flatter our selves that we shall continue in our state whereas our very lives and being here with whatsoever we have and enjoy is only at his pleasure we have nothing soe intayl'd upon us here that we injoy in life and death but the Lord when it pleaseth him can either take us from it or it from us It is wisdom then to provide for our change before the evill day come upon us this is Solomons advice Eccle. 12.1 Remember thy creator in the dayes of thy youth while the evill dayes come not nor the yeares of affliction wherein thou shalt say I have noe pleasure in them q. d. certainly the time of sicknes and death will come when all these earthly comforts will fly away A man never comes to be truly wise till he thus comes to esteeme of his life and to provide for his change And indeed what man will have his evidence then to seek when his cause comes to be tryed In the matters of this world men are so wise in summer to provide for winter in health to provide forsickness We will count but such a one a foole that will then goe to sowe when other men goe to reape O where are our hearts that we are noe more spiritually wise for our souls Pro. 10.14 Wise men sayth Solomon lay up knowledg before hand And such prove themselves fooles at last With those foolish virgins that have not the oyle of grace in readiness when death comes Seeing that herein lyes true wisdom Vse 1 to be in a continuall readiness for our change this shewes that the wisdom of the world is but foolishness to God 1 Cor. 1. for whom doe men commonly judge to be wise men but such as have reaching heades to buy and to sell that can tell how to purchase lands and livings and grow rich in the world and grow great and mighty here All this wisdom comes from nature and may have nothing in it but nature If this be not guided by the word you shall see what reckoning and accompt the Lord makes of it When he saith they have rejected the word of the Lord Ier. 8.9 and what wisdom is in them what greater folly can there be in the world then for these vaine and foolish trifles the pleasures of sin that are but for a season to lose for ever a mans most pretions soul to passe away for earthly things with Esau the birth-right of our inheritance which such do that are not wise
Hee that must shortly part with his house and home must away into another Country will be so wise as to turne his lumber into Silver and Gold that he may have somthing to live upon when he is gone Mat. 6.19 Lay not up for your selves treasures on earth saith Christ where moth and rust doth corrupt and where theeves breake thorough and steal But lay up for your selves treasures in heaven c. Christ commends Maries choice that she had chosen the better part Luk. 10. she sat at Christs feete she heard his heavenly doctrine Whilest Martha was busie for the body Mary provided for hâ—r soule what if Martha had let the pott seeth over for that time it had been a very tollerable neglect but now Mary carries the praise the lord knowes we have many Marthas few Maries for almost all be for the world looke after their bodies few for heaven that take care for their pretious Soule Vers 13. Returne O Lord How long let it repent thee concerning thy Servants MOses this man of God having in the former v. prayed unto God that he would teach them by his spirit to make the right use of the shortness and uncertaintie of their life Now he proceeds to make prayer unto God for himselfe and the rest of Gods people for favor and mercy And all the petitions of his prayer are either for Reconciliation to God or else For the fruits of their reconciliation to God In this 13. v. they pray for reconciliation that he would in mercy Returne againe unto them and be pacified againe toward them In the verses following they pray for the fruiâ—s of this reconciliation as 1. For the comfortable feeling of Gods love and favour againe towards them which they had broken off by their sinnes v. 14. 2. They pray for comfort against their miseries and long afflictions vers 15. 3. For defence and protection and the blessing of God upon their labours and endeavours especially in their journey towards the land of Canaan that God would defend them from their enemies and bring them at last into that promised land Returne O Lord. In this first petition and request wee are to note two things 1. What they pray for viz. Reconciliation with God Returne O Lord let it repent thee 2. And for this purpose they use 2. Arguments or Reasons to move the Lord to take pitty on them and to be favorable unto them 1. Taken from the continnance of their afflictions which were both long and tedious and very sharp and grievous How long shall we lie boyling in the furnace of affliction and how long wilt thou be angry with us 2. From their estate and condition we are thy Servants O then bee gratious unto thy Servants be not for ever angry with thy owne Servants but receive us into thy favour be reconciled againe unto us And turne away thy wrath and displeasure from us Returne O Lord q d. Although for our sins thou hast justly turned thy face from us and been angry with us yet be thou in mercy reconciled to us againe shew us thy favour and remove thy heavie hand For as the Lord is said to turne his back and to hide his face when he takes away the tokens of his gracious love and presence from a people even so when he doth manifest the signes of his love and gratious presence unto a people then is he said to returne againe Whence we may observe first of all when Moses and the people of God doe seeke unto God for mercy and reconcilation viz. when they have been well whipped in the school of affliction and humbled and tamed by the Lords corrections upon them for their fins We observe Doct. 1 Men never seek to God forreconciliation till they feel his displeasure That men wil never seek unto God for reconciliation untill such time as the Lord hath truly and thoroughly humbled them and caused them to feel his anger displeasure for sin staborn rebellious and hard hearted sinners will never truly seek unto God till such time as the Lord hath broken their hearts with the apprehension of their miserable estate by reason of sin and that they come to feele Gods terrible anger and displeasure against them for the same The Lord knowes that these hearts of ours are many times so hard that our greatest sins have little effect upon our souls to work that godly sorrow and humiliation as our sins have deserved But when the Lord shal be pleased to bring a sinner to the rack and there lay weight upon weight upon him and to the weight of his sins add the weight of his anger and sore afflictions this dealing of the lord with a poore sinner many times causes such a stream of teares which bathe the soul in the water of true repentance and bring the sinner to a heartie confession of his sins how were Iacobs sons wrought upon by their troubles in Egypt that their sin against their innocent brother selling him for a bondslave should lye hid for many yeares together should now come to conscience Gen. 42.21 We have sinned against our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besoughâ— us and we would not heare him therefore is this trouble come vpon us And thus David when the hand of God lay heavy upon him day and night then and not till then he flyes to God and by humble confession of his sins begs pardon at Gods hand Ps 32.4 5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee neither hid I mine iniquitie for I thought I will confesse against my self my wickednesse Es 26.16 and then thou forgavest the punishment of my sin The scriptures are cleare in this Lord in trouble have they visited thee they poured forth their prayers wheâ— thy chastisments were upon them and againe they being bound in affliction Ps 107.10 13 14. and Iron cried unto the Lord in their affliction and distresse Yea this is that which the Lord himselfe speaketh of stubborn and hard hearted siners Hof 5.14 15. I will be unto Ephraim as a lyon and as a young lion to the house of Iudah c. till they acknowledg their offence for in their affliction they will seeke me early So that miserable rebellious and hard hearted sinners will never seeke unto God till such time as he hath exercised them with the sense and apprehension of his terrible anger against sin besides the examples the scriptures afford us are many as Manasses 2 Chron. 33.10 11. the prodigall the jaylor and those cruell Jews Reas 1 Such only are capable of mercy from God when in the sense of their owne misery and apprehension of Gods displeasure they become fit objects of mercy full vessells can hold no liquor and proud and haughtie hearts are not fit for mercy Es 57.15 He will revive the spirit of the humble and revive the heart of the contriâ—e ones When our hearts are subdued
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
and to make them hereafter to walk more humbly and more holily with God God makes his people to hear first the terrible thunder upon Mount Sinai and then the joyfull voice and shouting upon Mount Sion Seeing that so long as God is displeased with us we can have no peace Use 1 joy or comfort till he return again and be reconciled towards us How should this move us to seek reconciliation at his hand that we never give our soul any rest till we be at peace with him And because we can never be reconciled to God as long as we live in sin and delight in sin with a purpose to continue therein Let us take heed we deceive not our own souls to think that we can ever be reconciled to God and take pleasure in sin It had been to no purpose for Moses to intreat the Lord to return to them if they had still lived in their sins and rebellions against God And therefore if we desire the Lord to return again unto us and to be a reconciled God unto us then we are to return again to the Lord by true repentance else there is no hope that ever the Lord wil return unto us Zach. 1.3 Turn unto me and I will turn unto you saith the Lord. And this favour and loving countenance of God David accompts more dear unto him then the life it self Ps 63.3 Thy loving countenance is better then life it self It was a great favour to Absalom considering his offence that heemight have his life for a prey and be permitted to live in Jerusalem 2 Sam. 14.32 But all this was nothing unlesse hee might see the Kings face Alas what are all the comforts the world can afford us unlesse we can enjoy Gods countenance and favour and that he look cheerfully upon us in the face of Christ this gives more joy of heart Psal 4.6 then worldlings have in their corn and wine and oile Cant. Let him kisse me saith the Church with the kisses of his mouth for his love is better thē wine Seeing there can be no joy nor comfort without Reconciliation to God Use 2 here we see what to esteem of the joy of wicked men it is but a carnall joy meer madnesse as if a poor condemned wretch should go laughing to the gallowes such are in continuall danger of Hell and damnation yet are not sensible of their danger I said saith Solemon of laughter thou art mad There is no madnesse like unto this to live under Gods high displeasure and yet to be secure Belshazzar drinks and quaffes when the hand-writing was upon the wall Dan. 5. the end of such mirth will be bitternesse at last O then let us never give any rest unto our souls till we are reconciled to God till we have truly repented of our sins and be in with God again Hitherto of the petition and request they put up unto God and pray for viz. Reconciliation again with God Now followes the reasons that they use to move the Lord to take pitty on them Part. 2 and to be favourable unto them 1. Taken from the continuance of their misery and length of their sufferings How long 2. Taken from their estate and condition we are thy servants The first reason or motive they use is taken from the long continuance of their miseries and afflictions How long q. d. O Lord thou hast justly bin displeased with us this many years for our sins and rebellions against thee so as we have lived foure hundred years in great bondage in Egypt and now again we are grievously afflicted in the Wildernesse where we have been almost utterly wasted and consumed O Lord how long wilt thou be angry with us O Lord make an end of this our great tedious and long affliction and shew us thy favour and loving countenance again and be thou a gracious God unto us as unto our forefathers of old The words are an abrupt interrogation how long When through the great perturbation of their spirits their speech is short cut off as it were in the midst as if they were not clearly able to utter their minde through the greatnesse of their griefe From this example of Moses and the people of God here we learn Doct. 4 To minde the Lord of the continuance of our affliction a good motive to move him to pitty That it is an excellent argument to move the Lord to pitty and compassion to put him in minde of the long continuance of his hand upon us in affliction For here we have Moses and the people of God as it were fainting and longing after Gods mercy and crying out How long Lord how long wilt thou be angry with thy people and defer to helpus Thus David in long and tedious afflictions even with tears cries out to God How long wilt thou forget me O Lord for ever how long wilt thou hide thy face from me how long shall I take counfell in my soul and have sorrow in my heart He maketh the continuance of his misery an argument to move the Lord to pitty And again Ps 79.5 How long wilt thou be angry for ever shall thy jealousie burn like fire Ps 89.46 And How long wilt thou hide thy face for ever shall thy wrath burn like fire How long Lord wilt thou not have mercy upon Jerusalem Zach. 1.12 and on the Cities of Judah against whom thou hast had indignation these three score yeers and ten Thus Job complaines to God Iob 7.19 Thou wilt not let me alone till I swallow my spittle Luk. 13.8 Luke 8.43 It was a Daughter of Abraham that was bowed by Sathan eighteen years and another that was troubled with a bloody issue twelve years and for eight and thirty years together did that lame man lye at the pool of Bethesda Ioh. 5.5 expecting help Thus God hath exercised his children with long and lasting sorrowes all which his people have pleaded to God to move him to hear and to take pitty upon them Which serves to inform us Use 1 what use we are to make of our sufferings that if the Lord do at any time humble us by long and tedious afflictions either inward in minde or outward in body as by sicknesse griefe misery c. we may even cry unto God as Moses here and say Lord how long wilt thou defer to hear and help us But let us take heed of this evill whereunto our hearts are most prone in times of affliction that we do not murmur repine and grudge against the Lords dealing for this Moses nor this people do not they do not complain of any hard dealing of God towards them But being pressed with the sense of Gods anger and displeasure against them for their sins do move the Lord to take pitty upon them in regard of their long and tedious afflictions they had so long a time groaned under And thus in the like case we may in our
prayers and complaints to God lay open our miseries and plead our long continuance in them Secondly Use 2 seeing Moses and the people of God here do labour to move the Lord to pitty and compassion from the consideration of their long continuance in their miseries We may take notice how prone we are when God hides himself from us for a short time which he may justly do when wee sin against him albeit it be but for a short time yet it seems unto us long A gracious heart cannot be long without Communion with God Ps 143.6 My Soul thirsteth after thee saith David as the thirsty Land None know the worth of God but the gratious Soul What were all the World without the Sun and what were a believing Soul without God Such as have tasted and seen how sweet the Lord is hunger and thirst more and more to be filled with his presence As Moses the more familiar he grew with God the more he desired to see of God when the Lord is provoked to withdraw himself at any time from his people which somtimes the Lord doth being justly provoked by the sins of his people This brings horror and terrour to to the Soul Thou didst turn away thy thy face saith David and I was sore troubled And again Hide not thy face from me Ps 43.7 else I shal be like to themthat go down into the pit Ps 63.3 Thy loving kindness saith David is better then life it self He accompts himself a dead man if God be not reconciled to him in Christ What life what comfort what joy in a mans Soul unlesse God vouchsafe his gratious and comfortable presence there Return O Lord how long VVE are farther to observe That in respect of Gods comfortable presence Doct. 5 God may turn aside from his people for a time Io. 13.1 God may turn aside for a time from his own people It is true God doth never totally leave or forsake his For whom he loves to the end he loves them His gifts are without repentance in some gracious operation or other his spirit is alwaies present yet in respect of his comfortable presence he may seem to turn away from his people for a time It was Davids case when he had fallen into those dangerous sins of Adultery and Murther for the present he lost the comfort of Gods gracious presence that he had formerly felt and therefore prayes Ps 51.8 Restore me to the joy of thy Salvation and make me to hear the voice of joy and gladnesse that the bones that thou hast broken may rejoyce Ver. 11. And Cast me not away from thy presence And thus he complains at another time Ps 22.1 Why hast thou for saken me why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring Doubtlesse at that time David wanted the assistance of Gods gratious presence in as much as his Soul is thus perplexed And thus again he cries out in much anguish and perplexity of Spirit Ps 88.14 VVhy hast thou cast off my Soul why hidest thou thy face from me It seems Davids comfort and assurance was much eclipsed at these times This was the case of Job Iob 30.20 I cryed unto thee and thou dost not hear me I stand up and thou regardest not And this was the sad complaint of the Church Lam. 3.8 VVhen I cry and shout he shutteth out my prayer O this hath been that that hath wounded the Souls and troubled the Spirits of the godly that the Lord hath seemed to shut out the prayers and not to come in to their succour in times of distresse The woman of Canaan Mat. 5.26 what might she think but that Christ had cast her off seeing he would not answer her and when he did speak called her Dog an answer able to have broke her tender heart yet at last comes in and grants her request The Lord deales many times with his Children as Joseph with his Brethren deals roughly with them Gen. 42.9 You are spies and to prison they must go yet at last fill their Sacks Saith he Thus doth the Lord seem to take day with his people and puts them off to a fitter time when mercy will be more seasonable and deliverance will be more welcome Neither let this seem strange unto us for the Lord may do this That hereby he might take triall of the graces of his Reas 1 in the hearts of his servants as their faith hope patience c. All which are now set on work whilst the Lord is pleased to suspend deliverance for else what would become of the patience of the Saints if there were no more but ask and have Secondly Reas 2 that whilst the Lord is thus pleased to withdraw himself and defer deliverance we might take occasion to search more deeply into our own hearts thereby to discover the greatnesse and hainousness of our sins which have plunged us into such a gulf of misery and labour to find out those secret sins unrepented of that caused the Lord thus to frown upon us and to hide his favourable countenance from us whereas if our miseries were light and quickly removed we should harâ—ly think our sins so great as indeed they are And that when upon our Repentance we have obtained peace and reconciliation again with God Reas 3 wee may prize it ever after at a higher rate and be the more careful that we do nothing that may interrupt our peace again with God or turn away his loving countenance again from us Every good thing that is hardly come by is more carefully kept and more hardly lost Gods favour and love being got with long seeking and often praying is highly prized and not easily parted withall And last of all God many times deferts to help his Church and people in misery and distresse Reas 4 because that seasonable time of their deliverance is not yet come After three daies he will raise us up Hos 6.3 and we shall live in his sight The Lord hath made every thing saith Solomon beautifull in his time Eccl. 3.11 And there is a time for all things under the Sun No doubt but Zachary and Elizabeth prayed for a child whilst they were young Luke 1. and no doubt but God heard them only they must leave the time to him in whose hands are times and seasons Daniel mourned three weeks of daies and receives no answer Yet see the place Dan. 10.12 13. From the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand c. thy words were heard God ever suspends deliverance for a fit time when it is most seasonable for his own glory and his peoples comfort Seeing the Lord deals thus with his own people thus to withdraw himself Use 1 and to withhold his comfortable presence from them for a time Wee are taught not to despair when we find that this is his dealing with us What though the Lord
should bring us low and deny his comfortable presence to us that we meet not with him in that comfortable way of his providence and mercy in the return of our prayers and seeking of him as heretofore we have done But that he seems to write bitter things against us and to call our sins to accompt and seems to withdraw the comfortable aspects of his favour and love from us for a time yet in an acceptable time deliverance will come Every vision is for an appoinâ—ed time Every vision that is every promise or every word of prophecy God makes good in his appointed time Es 28.10 Hab. 2 4. and the just shall live by Faith What though things stand at a stay in Church and State what though Parliament upon Parliament are rendred unfruitful what though Sects and Heresies increase and get head threatning all confusion And all this while God seâ—ms to stand a far off as one that will not be spoke withall Yet let us rest assured that God is the God of the abject his promise is that such as mourn in Sion shall be delivered and they shall have beauty for ashes Es 61.3 and the spirit of joy for the spirit of heavinesse Secondly Use 2 this may serve for matter of comfort and consolation unto all the faithfull that though by their sins they may rob themselves of the comfortable feeling of Gods favour and love for the present yet Jer. 31.3 Rom. 11.29 Joh. 10.28 with everlasting love he loveth them His gifâ—s are without repentance And no man shall pluck them out of his hand Sin may take away the feeling of his grace but not the possession thereof Though we often meet with repulses at Gods hand yet a believer hath no denyall but at one time or other in one kinde or other God answereth the prayers of his people It is our dutie then with Moses and the people of God here to ply the Lord with prayers and complaints and herein to presse the Lord with arguments as they do to move the Lord to take pitty upon us But Quest what arguments have we to use to God to strengthen our faith and to support our prayers These and the like arguments may we use in prayer Reas 1. As Moses here that we are his people even the sheep of his pasture a people upon whom his Name is called And will God forsake his people 2. Plead the Lords Nature that he is ready to hear that it is one of his glorious Attributes to be the God that heareth prayers Ps 65.2 3. Plead his promise that he will be with his in six troubles and in seven Iob 5.19 and that he will never leave them nor forsake them 4. Plead we the experience we have had of his mercy and goodnesse in former times Thou hast set me at liberty saith David when I was in trouble And let the consideration thereof strengthen our prayer and support our faith 5. Plead that we come in Christs Name and he hath said that whatâ—ever we ask in his Sons Name he â—ill hear us 6. And last of all we may plead the praises that wait for him in Sion that if the Lord will be so graciously pleased to hear and answer us we will ever give him thanks and praise These and the like arguments will be excellent props to stay our faith and to strengthen our hands in prayer What means our Saviour in propounding the example of the unrighteous Judge Luke 18. but to encourage us in our suites to God and to shew the blessed fruits and effects of importunate prayers Hitherto of the first argument that they use to move the Lord to take pitty on them viz. that they had been so long time in misery How long Lord The second argument that they use to move the Lord to pitty and compassion Arg. 2 is taken from their present estate and condition Let it repent thee concerning thy servants And is taken from the Covenant of grace made unto them in Christ viz. that I will be thy God and thou shalt be my people So then the force of their reason is this q. d. O Lord we confesse that we have grievously sinned and provoked thy anger and thou mightest justly have cast us off But Lord remember thy old Covenant towards us that we are thy Servants and thou art our Lord we are thy people and thou art our God we are thy children and thou art our Father O then be pacified and reconciled unto us thy poor and unworthy Servants for thou hast not plagued the very heathen that know thee not but even us thy Servants and thy own people And therefore we humbly intreat thee to be reconciled to us And as Moses useth this as a reason to move the Lord to take pitty upon them Doct. 6 To plead Gods covenant an excellent motive to move the Lord to pittie Neh. 1.10 11. because they were his Servants a people in Covenant with him We learn That it is a very forcible reason and good motive to move the Lord to pitty when we can prove that we are his Servants and so minde the Lord of his Covenant that he hath made with us in Christ Thus Nehemiah when he came to intreat the Lord in the behalf of the people pleads this as an argument to move the Lord to pitty and compassion Now these are thy servants and thy people whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power and thy strong hand O Lord I beseech thee let now thy ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name And thus doth the lamenting Church plead their case with God Lam. 2.20 Behold Lord and consider to whom thou hast done this q. d. O Lord thou hast not done this to the heathen people that have not known thee nor call not upon thy Name but to thy own people that know and fear thy Name Upon this very ground Ps 119.94 David grounds his request to God I am thine O save me And thus Jacob when he desired to be delivered from his Brother Esau pleads this Covenant that God had made with him Lord thou hast said I will do thee good And often doth David put the Lord in minde of his promise Quicken me O Lord according to thy word And Ps 119. Let thy mercifull kindnesse be my comfort according to thy word Whereas such as are not his servants neither are in Covenant with God cannot look to speed in prayer But of them the Lord speaketh thus What hast thou to do Ps 50.21 since thou hast cast my Covenant behinde thy back and hatest to be reformed There is no hope that ever such should obtain any thing at Gods hand that are not in Covenant with God Let a wicked wretch come to God in prayer to ask for any mercy or blessing at Gods hand either for himselfe or for the Church he doth but
his loving countenance again towards them Hence we learn that only God favour and loving countenance gives satisfaction to a distressed Soul or a poor soul will count it self most happy in the enjoyment of Gods favour And thus did Aaron and his sonns usually blesse the people Num. 6.6 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and grant you his peace Deu. 28. Thus Moses makes the favour and loving countenance of God the foundation of all happinesse having this they should be blessed with all the blessings of Heaven and of the Earth in Soul and Body Herein David placeth true Blessednesse Ps 32.12 Blessed is the man whose iniquitie is forgiven anâ— whose sin is covered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin Pardon of sin and reconciliation to God causeth a man to be truly blessed The favour and comfortable presence of God to a poor distressed Soul is as the Sun to the Creature in Summer it quickens all Creatures Man and Beast Trees Plants Herbes and Flower All Creatures are revived and quickned by the Suns presence which in winter time seem to mourn for its absence So whilst we enjoy Gods favour the Soul is filled with joy and comfort whereas if God hide his face and frown upon us the Soul is then cast down Thou turnest thy face from me and I was sore troubled And it must needs be so that the poor Soul will count it most happy in the enjoyment of Gods favour For all the time the Conscience apprehends his displeasure Reas 1 and looks upon God as angry and displeased the Conscience will never cease to vex accuse Esay 57. and torment a man There is no peace to the wicked saith my God and as Job hath it Iob. 15. A dreadfull sound is in his ears Such a Soul sees as it were the Heavens on fire over him and Helâ— mouth ready open to receive him Men Angells and Devills Enemies unto him whilst God remains his Enemie Secondly Reas 2 when the wrath of God is once appeased and God reveals himself a reconciled God to the soul then come wee to have bold and free accesse unto him and the Throne of grace then we come boldly to the Throne of grace then we come boldly into his presence and ask any thing at his hands with much assurance to be heard Which whilst we lie in our sins and in an impenitent estate God looks on us his enemies neither can we look to obtain any thing at his hands Seeing that Gods favour Use 1 and loving countenance brings such refreshments unto a distressed soul What condition then are all gracelesse sinners in that abide under his wrath and displeasure for sin 2 Reg. 9.2 As Jehu sometimes said to Jehoram What hast thou to do with peace so what peace what joy what comfort can such have to whom God is not a reconciled God but an angry Judge who is a consuming fire and all wicked and ungodly men are but as stubbble before him Surely all the peace all the joy and rejoycing of such is but as the crackling of Thorns under a pot soon in and soon out they want that which is the ground and cause of true joy and that is Gods countenance Ps 63.3 which is better then life it self the spirit of bondage and fear must needs torment them And howsoever soever they may outface conscience for a time yet God at last will open the Mouth of conscience and when conscience shall speak out Horror and Dread will be ready to overwhelm that soul If a poor condemned Creature were now going to execution what were the thing now to be desired that would yield him comfort and render him happy not gold or silver land or livings would not now to be looked upon but the Princes pardon would be the most welcomest thing in the World This the gracelesse World shall find true one day That howsoever Satan the God of this World hath blinded their eies and their consciences are fast asleep that they neither see their misery nor what it is to lie under Gods displeasure yet the time will come when this poor wretched Creature would give all the world for one smile from this angry God And this lets us see the happy priviledge of the faithful above all the men in the world Use 2 let their outward estatâ— be what it will let them endure hunger thirst cold nakednesse imprisonment banishment such cannot be miserable that are at peace with God have their sins pardoned and they reconciled unto him Enemies Tyrants Death Devils cannot make such miserable what though thou wantest health peace libertie and those comforts that others enjoy if thou hast that which thousands in the World do want the favourable countenance of God in Christ is that which wil make amends for all That wee may be glad and rejoice all our daies HItherto we have spoke to the first part of this verse and that is their Petition Now follows the second part of the verse and that is their Reason taken from the end Doct. 5 for the which they crave the feeling of Gods love Gods mercies should provoke to cheerfulnesse in his service and favour again towards them viz. That we may be glad and rejoice all our daies Hence we may observe what is the true use that is to bee made of Gods mercy of his favour and love viz. to make us more joyfull and cheerfull in his service to honour God and to set forth his praise If the Lord would bee so gratious unto them as to Return again and to fill them with his mercy they will not hide such a mercy as that unfaithfull servant that hid his Masters Talent in a Napkin but they will put it out to the most advantage of their Master It should make them more cheerfull in his service and to serve the Lord with gladnesse all their daies As a covetous man puts out his money for his own advantage So will every godly Christian put forth the Lords gifts for his advantage And indeed this is that that God promiseth unto his people as the wages of their service and as a fruit of their seeking of him Esay 65.13 My servants shall rejoice and yee shall be ashamed My servants shall sing for joy of heart and yee shall howl for vexation of spirit as if the Lord had only intailed this joy to his chosen ones it is limited unto them Ps 40.16 Pro. 29.6 Let them that seek the Lord rejoice The righteous shall sing and rejoice And of the Churches returning out of Captivity it is said Ps 126.6 They went weeping and bearing good seed but they return with joy and bring their sheaves with them And this did the Lord make good to his Church and people here in the Wildernesse How soever he chastised them for their sins their infidelity and murmuring against Moses and Aaron for the which his wrath brake out against them and
sware in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest Yet he made good his promise to their seed and gave them that good Land to possesse it Which serves for the just reproofe of those Vse 1 who having matter of joy and rejoycing to rejoice in the Lord and to set forth the praise of his grace turn it into carnall joy and rejoycing into eating and drinking sports and pastimes As at this time we have indeed cause of joy and rejoycing for the great work of our Redemption by Iesus Christ But alas wee turn it into carnall mirth to feasting and reveling to carding and dicing and unto all prophanesse more liker Heathens then Christians But let such know that thus turn the grace of God into wantonnesse they will cause the Lord one day to turn their mirth into mourning and their carnal rejoycing into weeping and lamentation This was the case of this people though in Aegypt they were somwhat moderate yet when they came out of bondage whereas they should have rejoyced in the Lord Exod. 32.6 and set forth his mercy in their deliverance They set them down to eat and drink and rose up to play Use 2 Secondly seeing Moses and the people of God here will make this the end of Gods mercy to them in their deliverance and in being reconciled again unto them to rejoice in the Lord with joy and gladnesse Then Religion exceeds not mirth and joy neither is matter of dumpishnesse and sadnesse as many vertuous speak of it but it is matter of joy and gladnesse nay there can be no sound mirth joy or rejoycing without this when a man doth truly repent him of his fins is reconciled to God in Christ and feels his love shed into his heart this alone will yield matter of sound joy and solid comfort O say the cursed Ismaels of our times these professors are alwaies sad and heavy full of sighes and groanes and complaining there is no pleasure at all in their waies and courses c. Such are altogether ignorant of the life of a Christian as Christ said I have meat to eat that ye wot not of So hath a Christian joy that the world wots not of when a poor Prisoner that hath offended the Law shall have the King to come to his house and speak kindly and lovingly unto him How will this cheer up his heart then what greater comfort to a poor soul then when God shall put his spirit into the heart of a man and assures him of his love in Christ and where the spirit of the Lord is there must needs be comfort and joy for he is the spirit of comfort It is true in regard of our sins and corruptions we have in us matter of mourning and sorrow yet in regard of Gods love in Christ we may lift up our hearts and rejoyce O then all we desire to have matter of sound and solid joy in our souls let us labour to feel the love of God in Christ shed into our hearts this will make us joyful in sicknesse as in health in the Prison and at the stake as those blessed Martyrs were Ver. 15. Make us glad according to the daies wherein thon hast afflicted us And the years wherein we have seen evill IN this verse Moses and the people of God make their third Request and petition unto God and that is for comfort that the Lord would gladden their souls after their sorrows and afflictions Make us glad according to the daies c. And herein we have 1. What they pray for Comfort 2. That in their comfort that the Lord would keep some proportion that as he had a long time afflicted them for their sins so he would in mercy give them answerable matter of comfort and rejoycing For this is the Lords manner of dealing with his people the lower he humbleth any poor soul for their sins and the deeper sence they have of their misery the greater measure of joy and of comfort he usually bestowes upon them Observe we first of all from the coherence of this petition with the former 1. They pray for reconciliation verse 13. 2. For the feeling of his mercy verse 14. 3. Now for comfort in their misery verse 15. From which order in their requests we learn That the fountain of all true comfort to a distressed soul Doct. 1 Reconciliation the fountain of true comfort is our blessed reconciliation to God in Christ and the comfortable feeling of that love of his to our souls For till a man have truly repented of his sins and comes to be reconciled to God in Christ what dram of comfort can such a one have When the day begins to break then we know the Sun will soon arise In the dark night of affliction what comfort to a distressed soul but when the Sun of righteousnesse shall arise Mal. 1. with healing under his wings and Christ which is our life shall appear Here comes true comfort and the soul is here refreshed as the Sun-rising doth the world It fares many times with a poor soul Mat. 14.24 as it did with the Disciples in the ship they tugged all night but in vain but in the fourth watch of the night Christ came and relieved them when their hope was almost past Jacob wrestled all night with the Angell but about the break of the day he obtained the blessing When we have tugged long and striven hard with God by repentance and prayer at last he will come and in an acceptable time he will command salvation to his people Ps 9.18 The poor shall not alwaies be for gotten the hope of the afflicted shall not perish for ever Whereas wicked men that are in their sins and not reconciled to God they can have no peace they can have no comfort Es 57. There is no peace to the wicked saith my God 1 Sam. 16.23 We may see this in King Sanl what comfort had he in his Kingdome Wife Children Harp Musick or what else so long as God was angry with him and was without the feeling of his love all the world could not yield him one dram of comfort the evill spirit did still torment him A poor condemned Traytor what comfort can he have in wife children gold silver c. nothing will cheer up his spirit but the Kings pardon So a poor distressed soul feeling the anger and wrath of God pressing his soul unlesse God shew his loving countenance in the pardon of sin can have small comfort 'T is true wicked men may tast of worldly comforts and they may seem to have much peace in their consciences as any of the godly themselves for so saith Job Job 2â— Their houses are peaceable and without fear And they aâ—â— not in trouble as other men are Thus Saul when David played upon his Harp had some kinde of ease that the evill spirit for that time did not torment him and thus many wicked men can run to
the consideration of this point That howsoever the Church as the Disciples boat may bee tossed and tumbled up and down with the waves and billows of furious spirits for a time let us not despair for the day of her Deliverance wil come when the Sun of righteousness shall arise and healing shall be under his wings and that at such a time when deliverance will prove most seasonable and comfortable Hitherto of what they pray for Comfort According to the daies wherein thou hast afflicted us AS they crave this at Gods hands that the Lord would comfort them in their misery So they intreat the Lord to keep some proportion and according to the time of their great affliction to give them comfort that as the Lord had a long time kept them under the rod so hee would now upon their true repentance be reconciled unto them and vouchsafe a plentiful measure of comfort and joy unto them Hence wee learn that the Lord doth never cast his people so low by affliction Doct. 3 The godly as they are cast down God will raise them up but he will in time raise them up as high with comfort They that sow in tears shall reap in joy It is spoken of the Churches return out of Captivity they went out weeping and carrying prâ—tous seed but they shall return with joy and bring their sheaves with them And this doth the Lord make clear by his Prophet Ps 126.5 6. when he saith For a little time have I for sâ—ken thee but with great compassion will I gather thee Our light afflictions saith Paul which last but for a moment Esay 54.7 8. bring unto us a far more excellent even an eternall weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 If the Lord should alwaies dandle us as an indulgent Father his child it were the way to make us wantons And if he should alwaies be beating us as our sins deserve wee could not serve him so cheerfully But now he mixeth his frowns favours together that he might shew his hatred to our sins yet so as to love our persons Thus the Lord in his wise dispensation is pleased to carry us through the wildernesse of this world as this people through the wildernesse they travailed through yet at last they came to Elim where they had fountains of water to refresh them And if we looke for Examples of Gods dealing in this kind we may see it in Job who was brought low even to the Dunghil Iob 42. yet the Lord did restore him that the latter end of Job was better then the beginning Thus Davâ—d Daniel yea Christ himselfe were thus humbled and layd full low and then raised up againe with Comfort According to that of David Psal 34.19 Many are the troubles of the Righteous but the Lord delivereth them out of all The Lord is thus pleased to cast his people many times full low Reas 1 and so againe to raise them up on high Because he is privy to our sins and to our wickednesse as that he will not wink at our sins but will visit our iniquities with the rod and our sins with scourges So he hath alwaies compassion upon the weaknesse of his servants for he knoweth whereof we are made he considereth that we are but dust What Father will suffer his Childs Rebellion and disobedience but will correct him and yet in his misery will not pittie him 1 Cor. 10.13 the Lord is much more good to his children who will not suffer us to bee tempted aboue that we are are able In all the miseries of Gods children Reas 2 Gods ears are alwayes open to their cryes and is he even a spectator of their sorrows I have seen I have seen sayth the Lord the troubles of my people I also have heard their cry and I will deliver them So long then as the children of God have a tongue to call upon God and a heart to sigh and groane unto him why should they doubt of deliverance Seeing the Lord deals thus with his people Vse 1 and keepes some proportion in their afflictions and comforts that their comforts shall be answerable to their sorrowes yea much greater this may teach us this profitable lesson to possess our souls with patience in bearing afflictions and corrections and not to grâ—dg and repine at the Lords dealings though he seem to load us with great and long calamities as this people here not to pine and murmur at his hand but patiently to bear them because here is comfort unto us that if the Lord lay long piercing sorrows afflictions upon us yea for many years together yet he will make us amends at last by giving us such a measure of comfort as shall be proportionable and answerable unto them if not in this world which the Lord often doth yet most certainly in the world to come As Christ sayth Mar. 16.28 If any man forsake all for me I will give him in this world a hundred fold and in the world to come life everlasting That is comfort for ever Seeing that God doth thus often cast downe his people low Vse 2 and then raises them up on high As this may be a ground of patienceunto us in all our trials and miseries So we are hence instructed not to judge of our condition according to our present comforts But to have an eye to the end Marke the upright man and behold the just the latter end of that man is blessed The end we say proves all things Should the painfull and laborious Husbandman hope onely upon his seed-time which is so full of labour and toyle wet and cold and not to looke withall upon the Harvest it were able to make him heartlesse to undergo his labour But when he considers of that beautifull increase that he may reape this makes him indure all weathers The godly in all their greatest miseries and sufferings want not the grounds of joy and when the Lord hath sufficiently humbled them and fitted them for comfort and deliverance the Lord will not faile to come in to their succour According to the days where in thou hast afflictedius WHen once the days of sorrowes and times of afflictions are over gone and past Doct. 4 Afflictions past seeme but a few dayes 2 Cor. 4 19. Ps 30.6 they seeme but a few dayes According to the dayes c. The Apostle calls our afflictions light and momentary And God indureth but a while in Anger Heavinesse may indure for a night but joy commeth in the morning And the reasons why they esteemed their affliction short and but for a few dayes are Was because they had deserved great and more tedious Calamities Reas 1 in regard of the greatnesse of their sins and the Hainousnesse of their rebellions Though afflictions seem to be long whilest we are under them Reas 2 it is the nature of present comfort to swallow up the thoughts of them as Jacob when he served Laban sâ—aven years
when he injoyed his Rachel they seemed unto him but a few dayes Which should serve for our instruction Vse that if the Lord lay many and great afflictions upon us and that a long time together to consider that the Lord might have laid a thousand times more for our sins and the joyes of their life to come will quickly swallow up the remembrance of them all so as we are with one eye to looke unto Gods mercy that our afflictions are no sorer and that our comforts at last will surmount them all as with the other eye to looke upon our present sufferings how bitter soever And the yeares wherein we have seene evill No doubt herein Moses had respect to the time of their affliction in Egypt Exod. 1. wherein passed many yeares even foure hundred and thirtie and now againe for the space of fourty yeares in the wildernesse q.d. O Lord we have been a long time in misery and sore affliction we beseech thee now at last let us receive comfort proportionable and answerable thereto Doct. 5 Whence we may further observe We may pray for mercy answerable to our misery that we may and ought to pray that God would bestow mercy answerable to our misery As we see a man that hath a great wound in his body the plaster must be made as large as the wound or rather broader so must we crave at Gods hand that our comforts may be not onely as great as our miseries but if the will of God be more plentifull A man that hath beene many yeares in misery and affliction had need of a great measure of comfort as a man that hath beene made weake by long sicknesse so as his strength is much decayed he must have a time answerable to recover his strength againe So here a child of God that hath beene long humbled and afflicted by Gods hand such stand in need of a great measure of comfort to recover the health of their Souls againe ver 16. Let thy worke appeare unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children IN this verse we have the fourth petition which Moses and the people of God do make unto God And the thing they here beg and crave at Gods hand is protection which they acknowledge to be the proper work of God And this protection of his they crave not onely for themselves but also for their posterity after them Let thy work HEre by the work of God we are to understand some speciall and singular work of God towards them in their protection safety and deliverance And for this they use a double Reason 1. Drawne from the end of their protection viz. the glory of God because this glory of God would appeare in protecting them from their enemies the cursed Canaanites whose country they were now going to inhabite 2. That so it might fare well with the Church of God after them And that the promise of God made unto their forefathers Abraham Izaac and Jacob might not be frustrate but the Lord would give them and their posterity after them the land of Canaan to inherit Let thy work appeare SEing Moses and the people of God crave protection at Gods hand and this they acknowledge to be a work of God We learne Doct. 1 from whom to seeke for protection in times of danger God the protector of his people and in times of distresse viz of the Lord. Because all our help comfort and protection comes from him He is the Lord high Protector of his Church and people Thou art the God of my salvation saith David Ps 15.5 on thee do I wait all the day He lookes not to men or Angels but unto God alone to be his Saviour and Protector Salvation saith he belongeth unto the Lord. Psal 3.8 Whatsoever the Instrument be that God useth in the deliverance of his Church and people it is not in their Horses and Chariots but God onely that saves Thus Jehosaphat and the men of Judah 2 Chron. 20. when they were at that great straight that they knew not what to do Our eyes say they are toward thee And hence is it that David was so confident and held himselfe so safe in danger that he rested upon Gods protection Psa 23.4 Though I walke throughout the valley of the shadow of Death I wil feaâ—e no evill for thou art with me And againe The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I feare The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid what became of Pharaohs plots from time to time against the Church did not God disappoint them and still delivered his people what became of Hamans plot Achitophels counsell And those that vowed they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul Acts 23.10 Was not the Lord their Protector And hence is it that he is calld the God of patience the God of Consolation and the God of comfort By whose power assisting us and Spirit inabling us we who can neither do nor suffer any thing as of our selves 2 Cor. 1.4 Rom. 15.5 are able to do al things thorough Christ Now the Reasons why we must only seek for protection comfort and deliverance in times of distresse only from God are Reas 1 It is his commandment that in the time of misery and distresse we should still have recourse unto him Ps 50.15 Jam. 5.13 Call upon me in the time of trouble c. Is any be aflicted let him pray And thus when the Lord hath foretold the great afflictions that should betide the Church the Lord directs them to this way of their deliverance take unto you words Hos 14.23 and turne unto the Lord. Yea hee prescribes unto them the very forme of words how they are to seeke him Take away our iniquities and receive vs gratiously Secondly this is our maine end Reas 2 wherefore the Lord many times doth humble his people and bring them low that we might fly unto him for help and succour this honour God gaineth by our afflictions to drive us home to him as it is said in their afflictions they will seeke me diligently Esa 26.16 Thirdly God only is to be sought unto for protection in times of danger because the power of all creatures is but finite and they are but servants to his hand of providence but it is he that is the great Lord Protector of heaven and earth And without him neither Satan nor his instruments have power so much as over one haire of our heads and therefore the Apostle exhorts us To goe boldly to the throne of grace Heb. 4.16 that we may receive mercy and finde grace to help in time of need Seeing all protection and safegard is from God Vse 1 it is his worke How may this condemne the preposterous course of many in these dayes that in times of misery and distresse seeke any where even every where rather then unto God for help and
a loving Husband his Wife So if thou be a true servant of God thou maist assure thy selfe that God will let his worke appear to protect and defend thee And this lets us see the happy priviledge of the faithfull above all wicked and ungodly men Vse 2 whereas the wicked lye open to all miseries and dangers have no rock of defence to fly unto for shelter the faithfull have a sure rock of defence to flye unto in time of need Hath God made this known to thy Soul that thou art one that God hath taken into covenant with himselfe O happy and blessed for ever is thy condition Psal 144 15. Happy be the people that be in such a case Blessed be those folke that have the Lord for their God others may bee more rich in regard of these outward things but none more happy The prophet concludes the happiness of such when he sayth Ps 84.11 The Lord is a Sun and a shield the Lord will give grace and glory and no good thing will he with-hold from them that are upright 1. He will be a Sun to them that is as the Sun gives light and comfort so will God be all in all unto them 2. He will be a shield unto them nothing shall hurt them that are in covenant with him 3. He will give grace more to them then to all the world besides which is more worth then kingdomes 4. Glory I am thine sayth David O save me When Christ which is our life shall appeare then shall we appeare with him in glory 5. And lastly No good thing will he with-hold if he give the greater he will not deny the lesser If riches be good they shall have it If credit be good they shall have it if health peace prosperity c. if the Lord see them good for them they shall not want them But if afflictions povertie sicknesse c. be best they shall have them too See there what a portion they shall have that have the Lord for their God that are his servants and are in covenant with him All those gratious promises that God hath made in his word belong to thee And I tell thee that one promise is more worth then all thou hast in the world besides and will last longer and do thee more good yea more thou hast now to leave to thy posterity a promise that God will be thy God and the God of thy seed after thee which is more worth then all the portion thou canst leave them Let thy works be seene q. d. O Lord let all the world see and know that thou art a mercifull deliverer of thy people that thou art their mighty Protector so that it seemes they speake of some singular work and protection of God of his Church and people Hence we learne That of all the workes of God Doct. 3 there is none more excellent then this No work more excellent then Gods protecting his Church viz. the protection of his church people for this in a way of excellency is called the peculiar worke of God It is true indeed when the Lord doth punish the stubbornnesse and rebellion of his people their infidelity murmurings and unthank fullnesse c. then appears the power of God the truth Justice of God But in nothing more doth the Lord shew his power then in protecting of his Church and people against the face of their cruell and bloody enemies And this Moses here shews when he calls this in a way of excellency The worke of God Let thy worke in protecting and delivering us thy Church and people Appeare wherein Moses doth prefer this worke of God in taking care of his Church in protecting defending and delivering of it to all other the works of God whereby he makes his power knowne then by any other token of his besides As we may see in Pharaoh when did the Lord ever get himselfe a greater name then in delivering his people out of Egypt and over his armies at the red Sea Exod. 1. Come let us work wisely saith Pharaoh but the Lord let him see that there is neither wisdome nor counsell against him but the more he sought to suppresse the Church the more it multiplyed and increased Hamans plot against the Church was very dangerous and damnable Hest 3.7.9 but the plot that he contrived the Lord disappointed and himselfe fell into that pit that he had digged for others Zac. 12.3 The Church of God is such a heavy stone that never any lifted at it but was crushed in peeces So that of the Church the Lord speaketh thus Esa 59.16 I wondred that there was no intercessor therefore his arme brought Salvation unto him and his righteousnesse it sustained him What though the Church of God be but as a garden in comparison of the rest of the world yet it is a well fenced garden and though the godly in themselves are but few weake simple and so more shiftlesse then others yet they are strangely kept 2 Reg. 6.10 and strongly preserved and have more with them then those that are against them Not that the Church and people of God are free from perils and dangers It is enough that they are preserved in them and at last shal be delivered from them as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4.8 We are afflicted on every side yet are we not in distresse in poverty but not overcome persecuted but not forsaken c. Now that of all the workes of God there is none more excellent then the protection of his Church these Reasons further shew First Reas 1 because this shewes that God is still present with his Church and is ready to succour them in time of danger Gather together on heapes ye people and ye shall be broken in peeces Zeph. 3.14 The reason is there given for God is with us and againe rejoyce O Daughter of Sion be joyfull O Israel for the Lord thy God is in the middest of thee The Lord indeed is present every where but in a speciall manner he is present in his Church He walketh in the middest of the seaven golden Candlesticks that is the Churches Secondly Reas 2 in regard his Church and people are most deare unto him He loveth the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Jacob. Ps 87.2 Es 43.4 And Since thou wast precious in my sight thou hast been honorable aod I have loved thee And hence is it that the Church is called Esay 49 22. The beautie of the whole earth The fairest amongst women c. Cant. 14.13 All shewing the high esteeme that God hath of his Church and people Thirdly Rea. 3 the Lord is pleased thus to work for his Churches safety protection and deliverance for his owne glory that his power might and stretched out arme might appeare As the Lord said to Gideon Iudg. 7.2 the people that are with thee are too many for me to give the
Midianits into thy hand lest Israel say my hand hath saved me Thus David when he was to encounter with Goliah The Lord saith he Saveth not with sword nor speare 1 Sam. 17.4.7 but the battle is the Lords That no flesh should rejoice in his presence 1 Cor. 1.19.31 But that he that rejoyceth should rejoyce in the Lord. And lastly Reas 4 because all power and might is with him to save and deliver the Churches cause is ever the Lords cause and the people are the Lords And to bring downe the wicked God can arme frogs and lice catterpillers and the smalest of his creatures and these being sent of him shall prevaile As Moses incourageth the people Exo. 14.14 the Lord shall fight for you therefore hold your peace Seeing that herein viz Vse 1 in the proction of Gods Church and people the work of God his power wisdome justice and providence doth appeare How may this stir up all Gods people to beg and intreat the Lord that his work may appeare to us at this time wherein so many are dayly plotting to undermine Religion the Gospell and ministery and all That God would now take care of his Church and people that we may at last see Sion in her beautie and that at last we may see the Church thoroughly purged all things which make for the beautie of the Church established Let all the Lords remembrancers give him no rest till he thus shew his work upon us and make Jerusalem the praise of the whole earth O that England might now see this worke of God when so many are wrastling against this worke Esa 62.6 7. Now Lord let thy worke appear and let thy power thy providence and mercy be seene in the defence and protection of thy Gospell and Church that all the world may see that thou art mind full of thy Church And let shame fall on them that be enmies to the work of the Lord amongst us That the Lord would regard the prayers of the destitute that it may be written for the generations to come Psal 102.18 that the people that shall be created may praise the Lord. Secondly Vse 2 this lets us see the happie priviledges of Gods Church and people above all the wicked in the world that have such a watchman and keeper that never slumbreth nor sleepeth Deut. 32.11 12. It is he that keeps them as the Apple of his eye that spreadeth abroad his wings and beareth them up as the Eagle her young ones And the ground of all is his people are his portion and Jacob is the lot of his inheritance O who would not bea member of his Church to whom these excellent priviledges belong and appertaine why should we not thus trust in him in the worst of times and in the sorest danger Nothing can stave off his mercy but sin let us be humbled for sin and meete him by unfeigned repentance let us awake him by our prayers as the Disciples did Christ and say Master save us lest we perish And last of all Vse 3 when the Lord shall declare his work and shall be pleased to send deliverance to his Church and people Zac. 3.2 that they are as a brand taken out of the fire It becometh the just to be thankfull and to looke up to the hils from whence our deliverance comes and to say with Mary He that is mighty hath done great things for me Lu. 1.49 and holy is his Name Many of us partake of many mercies and deliverances from God with those Nine Lepers but few returne thankes to God but hereby we may know whether any mercy or deliverance we receive from God bebest owed upon us in mercy or judgment by considering how our hearts stand affected in thankfulnesse to God after the same And thy glory unto their children HItherto we have heard their petition and that was for protection Now for their reasons to inforce their petition and they are two 1. If the Lord would be thus pleased graciously to heare them and protect them in their journey towards Canaan it would redound much to his glory For then should those Canaanites see and all the wicked of the world that there is a God that takes care of his Church and people and might be afraid to offend him 2. If the Lord would be thus pleased to prosper them and protect them then it should fare well with the Church and people of God for Ages to come His mercifull dealing towards them would be made knowne to their Children And thy glory to their Children The Lord had promised to give the land of Canaan to this people the seed and posteritie of Abraham The Lord had now begun to bring them onward of their journey thither and if the Lord should now have cast them off in the wildernesse then the glory of the Lord should have beene obscured and the ungodly Heathen would have blasphemed God and said that it was because he was not able to do it And therefore that the glory of God might not be thus obscured or dimmed or evill spoken of by their enemies they intreat the Lord to go before them to direct and protect them so as their enemies might have no cause to insult or they once to doubt of Gods promise From hence we learne Doct. 4 To plead Gods glory a good argument to move the Lord to pitty his Church That there is no greater argument to move the Lord to protect his Church and people in times of misery and distresse then this that it shall turne much to his owne glory Our Saviour teacheth us in this prayer left unto his Church as a pattern and platforme of all our prayers First to pray that his name may be hallowed and to conclude our pravers with for thine is the Kingdome power and glory To shew that we can use no better argument to move the Lord to grant us any thing we stand in need of Then when it shall tend to his owne honour and glory for of all things the glory of God is most dear to him so as he is most tender of it and will part with it to no other Esa 42.8 I am the Lord that is my name and my glory will I not give another It was our Saviours prayer and practise to seek his Fathers glory Jo. 12.28 Father glorifie thy name Joh. 8.49 50. and againe I seek not my owne glory but his that sent me Thus Moses was so set upon Gods glory Exod. 32.32 as that he preferr'd it before his own part in the book of life And thus those Seraphims cry one to another Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts Esa 6.3 the whole earth is full of his glory And those foure and twenty Elders say Rev. 4.11 thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and Honour and power c. And when this glory of God is set before our eyes and pleaded in our
some to merit some to be seene of men pharisaical like c. And do not thefe things for Gods sake to honour God with their substance can have no comfort at all in it And thy glory unto their Children Here we have the second end of their petition and request made unto God for protection viz that it might not only fare well with them but also with their posteritie and the Church of God that should live after them From whence we learne Doct. 5 that it is the duty of all Godly Christians We ought to take care of the Church after our dayes to have a speciall care of the Church of God after their departure that when we are dead and gone yet our seed and posterity after us may likewise flourish and be in a good estate How earnest is David for the Church that it might prosper and flourish O be favorable to Sion Psa 51.18 build thou the wals of Jerusalem Where David prayes for all heavenly blessings and graces for the Church That God would repaire the decayed estate of it and fence it about with the wals of his protection against the Churches enemies And this hath been the speciall care of Gods people in all their prayers to pray for the good of Gods Church and people Even after their dayes that it might prosper and flourish As for such as are the enemies of the Church he prophecyeth vengeance against them They that hate Sion shal be ashamed Psal 12.9 By all which he sheweth his exceeding care he had of the Church And such was that tender affection that good Nehemiah bare towards the Church of God That when he heard by those poore Jewes Nehem. 1 that came to the Pallace at Shusan for reliefe by whom he understood the miseries of the Church that was at Jerusalem He sat downe and wept and mourned and fasted and besought God for his Church We are all members of one and the same mysticall body the Church Reas 1 and if a man be a true member of this body he cannot but desire the welfare of the whole Secondly the welfare of a State and Kingdome is lapped up in the happie and florishing estate of the Church Reas 2 It cannot be well with the right side when there is a plurifie in the left miserable is the estate of those Princes and common weales that labour not for the prosperitie of the Church and Gospell Religion hath beene a friend to Princes when Princes have not beene friends to Religion in the Churches peace they have peace When there is no order but confusion in the Church Princes can never looke to be truly setled on their thrones This condemnes them as no true members of the Church of God Vse 1 that respect not the walls of Jerusalem but their owne walls that so they may build up their owne houses leave the house of God desolate that mind themselves in their prayers but seldom mind the Church that it may flourish when they are gone Moses Josuah and David Deut. 33. los 24. their greatest care was for the Churches welfare after their dayes that the generations to come might serve the Lord. And surely there is no religion where the coutinuance of religion for our posteritie is not thought upon The Lord knows this duty is little thought upon at this day now that Religion is ready to take her wings and fly away though we see the enemies busie to sow tares and sects and Heresies increase upon us all threatning ruine as if the Lord had a purpose to lay his vineyard waste Yet how few lay the Churches miseries to heart Doubtlesse the great securitie that is amongst all even amongst professors themselves this day ' are sad Omens and presages that God is not far off with some further judgment then yet we have tasted of It shall be our wisdome then to make more conscience of this duty Vse 2 to beg hard at the throne of grace that the Lord would not remove his candlestick from amongst us but continue his Gospell still amongst us and to our posterities after us even to the comming of Christ that we may never see nor our posteritie after us Popery or Heresie set up and countenanced but that God would still dwell amongst us owne us for his Church and people that his glorious Gospell Englands glory may not depart from us And thy glory to their children THere is one thing more observable in these words that they which in the former part of this Psalme lay as it were in the gulfe of despaire as not worthy to open their lips to God for themselves Yet now are bold not only to pray for themselves but for the Church of God and their children and posteritie afer them Hence we are taught that poore sinners Doct. 9 Sinners cannot pray for themselves noâ— others Pro. 28.9 whilst they live in their sins and are not reconciled to God can neither pray for themselves nor for others But upon their Repentance and reconciliation to God can pray for themselves and others The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination to the Lord but the prayers of the righteous are his delight Iob. 9.31 God heareth not sinners And ye as living stones Heb. 13.16 are made a spirituall house c. To offer up spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God thorough Jesus Christ Till we become living stones in Gods Temple there is no accepting of our sacrifices we offer up to God The Lord had first respect unto Abel and then to his Sacrifices where the person is not accepted the sacrifice is rejected And the reasons are First every unregenerate man is called a stranger and an enemy to God Reas 1 Ye that were strangers and enemies to God c. Eph. 2.19 Now things done by strangers are not much looked upon but by Enemies are no whit regarded Secondly whilest a man lies in an impenitent estate and in his sin Reas 2 not being reconciled to God such can ask nothing at Gods hand by vertue of any promise for God hath not made any promise to the wicked unlesse it be of Hell and of wrath but all the promises are made over to the faithfull in Christ In whom all the promises are Yea and amen But now when a wicked man shall turne from his wickednesse and by repentance come to be reconciled to God he may goe boldly to the Throne of grace and beg mercy not only for himselfe but for others There is no way to be heard of God in prayer but first to be at peace with God and reconciled unto him How may this stir up every Soul speedily to returne unto God Vse 1 by repentance and to seeke reconciliation againe with him that so they may come boldly to the Throne of grace to beg mercy in time of need for our selves and the Church for without this we cannot looke to obtaine any thing at Gods had For wanting faith whereby we lay
so much as a star in comparison of the Sun in respect of him And in those spirituall indowments of the soul and sanctified graces of his spirit humility meekness faith patience love feare of God c. If thou wantest this inward and spirituall beauty though thou wert as faire as Absalom or the fairest woman in the world alas thou art but a deformed and filthy creature in the sight of God It is the white rayment of Jesus Christ that thou must be cloathed withall that thy filthy nakednesse do not appeare Revel 3.18 That must make thee truly beautifull in his sight Seeing the Church is thus deformed Vse 3 till the Lord set his owne beauty The beauty of the Lord upon it Then when the beauty of the Church is observed as at this day by sects and heresies and for want of order and discipline which is the greatest blemish to a Church Then it is time high time and more then time to beg hard at the Throne of grace that the beauty of the Lord may be upon his Church that the Lord would take from us that shame and reproach that at this day we lie under Eze. 36.26 amongst other reformed Churches That the Lord would be pleased to adorne Sion and deck his Church with her perfect beauty That the Lord would take away his Churches mourning-weed and put upon her her beautifull attire fit for the Spouse of Christ that all Heresies at last may be abandoned the Gospâ—ll truly preached the Sacraments duly administred and Discipline executed herein stands the beauty of a Church which beauty of the Lord Lord let it be upon us Stablish thou the work of our hands upon us HEre we have the second thing they crave at Gods hand That as before they desired his glory in the first place so now they pray that the Lord would so order direct guide and prosper them in their worke and enterperize that they had in hand that all might be for his glory Hence we learne that nothing that men take in hand can prosper Doct. 2 Nothing can prosper without Gods blessing Ps 127. and come to good effect unlesse the Lord give a blessing to it and prosper the same Except the Lord build the House they labour but in vaine that build it Except the Lord keepe the Citty the watchman waketh but in vaine It is vaine to rise up early to sit up late to eate the Bread of sorrowes for so he giveth his beloved sleepe wherein the Prophet sheweth that whatsoever is attempted or taken in hand either in family or Citty either for the good of one or another cannot be succeâ—sfull without the blessing of God When Nehemiah and the Jewes were about to reedifie the wals of Jerusalem how were the people disheartned discouraged by Sanbâ—â—â—â—d and Tâ—bâ—ah Neh. 6.16 yet because the worke was of God the Text saith Pro. 10.22 That the enemies of Gods people were afraid and their courage failed them for they knew that the work was wrought by God The blessing of the Lord saith Solomon maketh us rich And where this blessing of God is wanting men put their money in a broken bag as the Prophet hath it Ye have sowen much and bring in little ye eate and have not enough ye drink and are not filled you cloath you and are not warme and he that earneth wages putteth it into a broken bag Meaning indeed that there can be no successe in any of our labours or indevours that we take in hand without Gods blessing And hence it is that the servants of God in all their enterprises that they have taken in hand especially such as have been of weight and importance have ever first had recourse to God for a blessing Abrahams servants being sent to provide a wife for his Masters Son Gen. 24.12 begins first with prayer to God O Lord God say he of my Master Abraham I pray thee send me good speed this day and shew kindnesse unto my Master Abraham Thus good Nehemiah when he heard of the desolation of Jerusalem and intending to beg help of the king his master Neh. 1.11 he betakes himself to prayer and desires the Lord to prosper him therein and to give him favour in his sight Thus Paul before he went to Sea and undertooke his voyage he kneeles down upon the shore and calls upon God so that if we desire to have the worke of our hands to prosper and to see a blessing upon our labours trades and occupations O then begin with prayer to God without whose blessing we cannot prosper See the reasons First in regard of that propriety that God hath in all his creatures Reas 1 The Gold is mine c. sayth God Hag. 1.9 Psal 50. And the Beasts upon a thousand Hills are mine He is the soveraigne Lord of all things and it is he that gives them to the children of men to some more to some less And to him they must one day be accomptable for their receipts and expences He onely is wise Reas 2 with him is wisedome and strength Iob 12.13 Counsell and understanding He knowes best when where and how to bestow his help and blessing and therefore our dependency must be upon him And lastly Reas 3 because without his blessing even that which we have and enjoy can doe us no good Psal 78. 2 Reg. 7. VVhilest the meate was in their mouthes the wrath of God fell upon them And the prince of Samaria saw the plenty that was prophecied of but did not taste of it For men to eate and drink and rejoyce in their labours sayth Solomon I find that this is the gife of God So that in the getting and inioying of all earthly comforts God is to be sought unto for his blessing without whom no creature can doe us good This shewes the wickednesse madnesse and folly Vse 1 of many wicked and ungodly men that seeke so earnestly to increase their Substance by unlawfull meanes as by lying Stealing oppression usury by deceite false measure c. Here is their misery they cannot seek to God by prayer for a blessing upon such gettings but may rather looke for a curse upon their substance and many times God doth visit the sins of the Father upon their children that such goods doth seldome prosper but carry the curse of God along with them Bâ—sides here is the misery of such wicked men they cannot thank God for their riches What thank God for thy substance thou hast gotten wickedly and deceifully what is this but to make God a partner in thy sin Now God is not the author of sin nor partner with any in sin but his curse rather shall pursue such to destruction Seeing that nothing we take in hand can prosper Vse 2 without Gods blessing this may mind us of our duty continually to seeke unto him for his blessing that he would direct us and blesse our labours and indevours or else be our
prayers as the principall end of our requests It is the greatest argument and motive to move the Lord to hear and grant our requests Because Gods glory is the chiefest good mans life yea Reas 1 mans salvation is not to be preferred before it which made Moses to wish rather to have his name blotted out of the booke of life then that God should be dishonoured by the Egyptians which would be ready to say that God brought them out of Egypt into the wildernesse but was not able to bring them into the land of Canaan Secondly Reas 2 such as our esteeme is of God himselfe such is our respect unto his glory If we esteeme of God as wee ought as our chiefest good his glory will be our chiefest end in all our actions Whatsoever yee do 1 Cor. 10.30 doe all to the glory of God It is true this glory is eternall with God and admits of no addition or diminution As the Sunne would still retaine his brightnesse though no creature had an eye to see it But hereby wee set forth our high esteeme of it not that God reaps any good by it but the fruit redounds to us God loves his glory as he loves himselfe And as we love him so we love his glory It is the end that God purposeth to himselfe in all his workes Reas 3 his own glory God made all things for his own glory Psal 19. the Heavens declare the glory of God It is the end of our Redemption Yee are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.20 therefore glorifie God c. It is the end of our Adoption to the praise of his glory Eph. 1.6 And therefore this being the end of all his workes to set forth his glory we are not to prefer any thing before it And such as prefer any thing before his glory as too many do in these dayes the Lord at last will powre contempt upon them Let us apply this Vse 1 This may serve for a prop and stay unto the godly in the land at this time wherein God hath shewed so many tokens of anger and displeasure against our land and Nation by those wofull Changes our eyes have seen and our dayly feares of farther miseries that the gospell it selfe is departing from us by the daily increase of Sects Heresyes with all manner of sin and profanesse which increasing in a nation and kingdome where the Gospell hath been sincerely professed and maintayned have ever proved a fore-runner of desolation if not the departure of the gospell from such a people Surely now is the time if ever that the Spirit of the faithfull should be kindled in prayer And in prayer that we set before our eyes Moses example here that the Lord will take the cause of his Church into his owne hand and root out these Sects and Heresies that are crept in amongst us and every plant that is not of his own planting And this must be the Reason and motive that we must presse the Lord withall His owne glory that doth now suffer And this will be a powerfull motive to move the Lord to heare and help Because he is most most jealous of his own glory And if the Lord would be pleased to save this Land and Nation deliver his people purge his Church this will redound to his own glory Say O Lord what will become of thy glory should the enemies of thy truth Gospell still prevaile shall thy vineyard be trodden down shall this Land and Nation in the which thou hast taken delight to dwell and where thy Gospell hath been preached and thy name called upon for so many yeares now at last become an Habitation of Ohims and Zijmes that the Lord would be pleased rather to humble us if it be his good pleasure by any other judgement then this spirituall Judgment of the Gospels departure from us If Master Herbert some yeares before our troubles began could say that Religion doth on Tiptoe Stand Ready to passe into America Land What would he have said if he had lived at this day to behold those abominable Sects that now have gotten head amongst us O pray pray that the Lord would take his own cause and his Churches cause into his own hand and plead his glory that doth now suffer Secondly Vse 2 by this we may try the soundnesse of our hearts and the sincerity of our prayers we put up unto God viz By our seeking of Gods glory above all our carnall Interests many men in time of sicknesse misery and distresse can pray to God for help and succour but their prayers are but the fruits of selfe-love whilest they mind their own Benefit and comfort more then Gods glory they can be content that God should serve their turns and supply their wants if poor to releeve them if sick to recover them or in any misery to help them But all this while they have no eye at all to his glory neither do they plead that at all in their prayers Whereas a gracious heart and a prayer formed according to Gods will that shall prevaile with God hath ever Gods glory the principal end of it and Argument in it to move God David in extreame sicknesse flyes to God to be his Physitian Psal 6.5 And what Argument doth he use to move the Lord to pitty him In death there is no remembrance of thee and who will give thee thanks in the pit q. d. Thou maist let me live if thou wilt which if thou wilt I shall praise thee and glorifie thy name If I die Who will give thee thanks in the pit Thus he Challengeth his life at Gods hand from this very ground the glory and praise that God should receive by his recovery The like we have else where What profit is there in my blood Ps 30.9 when I goe down to the pit Shall the dust praise thee shall it declare thy truth Shall the Dead arise and praise thee Ps 88.10 Selah It is a signe our hearts are sound and our prayers sincere when Gods glory doth principally affect us The Idolatry of the people whereby God was Dishonoured did most of all afflict Moses And the reproach done against God Dan. 32.19 by the blasphemous letter of Senacherib did more trouble the heart of good Hezekiah then all his threats against him and his people Esa 39.3.4 O well fare a gratious heart that can thus render Gods glory above all And lastly Vse 3 this serves for the just reproofe of many amongst us that albeit doe good things such as in themselves are lawfull commendable yet because they propound not Gods glory as the principall end of their actions can have no comfort in them If a minister of the word shall teach never so well and doe not propound the glory of God to himselfe therein but preach for gaine preferment vain glory c. Alas what comfort can he have in it So to give much to the poore as