〈◊〉 will multiply to pardon He hath forgiveness with him to outdo all the multiplied sins of any that turn unto him and seek for it But this is very hard very difficult for us to apprehend This is not the way and manner of men We deal not thus with profligate Offenders against us True saith God But your wayes are not my wayes I do not act in this matter like unto you nor as you are accustomed to do How then shall we apprehend it how shall we conceive of it You can never do it by your Reason or Imaginations For as the Heavens is above the Earth so are my thoughts in this matter above your thoughts This is an expression to set out the largest and most unconceivable distance that may be The creation will afford no more significant expression or representation of it The Heavens are inconceivably distant from the Earth and inconceivably glorious above it So are the Thoughts of God they are not only distant from ours but have a Glory in them also that we cannot rise up unto For the most part when we come to deal with God about forgiveness we hang in every bryar of disputing quarelsom unbelief This or that Circumstance or Aggravation this or that unparalleld particular bereaves us of our Confidence Want of a due Consideration of him with whom we have to do measuring him by that line of our own imaginations bringing him down unto our Thoughts and our Wayes is the cause of all our disquietments Because we find it hard to forgive our pence we think he cannot forgive Talents But he hath provided to obviate such thoughts in us Hos. 11. 9. I will not execute the fierceness of my wrath I will not return to destroy Ephraim for I AM GOD AND NOT MAN Our satisfaction in this matter is to be taken from his Nature where he a man or as the Sons of men it were impossible that upon such and so many provocations he should turn away from the fierceness of his Anger But he is God This gives an Infiniteness and an inconceivable boundlesness to the forgiveness that is with him and exalts it above all our thoughts and wayes This is to be lamented Presumption which turns God into an Idol ascribes unto that Idol a greater largeness in forgiveness than faith is able to rise up unto when it deals with him as a God of infinite Excellencies and Perfections The reasons of it I confess are obvious But this is certain no presumption can falsly imagine that forgiveness to it self from the Idol of its heart as faith may in the way of God find in him and obtain from him For Secondly God engageth his infinite Excellencies to demonstrate the Greatness and Boundlesness of his forgiveness He proposeth them unto our Considerations to convince us that we shall find pardon with him suitable and answerable unto them See Isa. 40. 27 28 29 30 31. Why sayest thou O Jacob and speakest O Israel my way is hid from the Lord and my judgement is passed over from my God Hast thou not known hast thou not heard that the Everlasting God the Lord the Creator of the ends of the Earth fainteth not neither is weary there is no searching of his understanding He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he encreaseth strength even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fail but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not be faint The matter in question is whether Acceptance with God which is only by forgiveness is to be obtained or no This sinful Jacob either despairs of or at least desponds about But saith God My thoughts are not as your thoughts in this matter And what course doth he take to convince them of their mistake therein What Argument doth he make use of to free them from their unbelief and to rebuke their fears Plainly he calls them to the consideration of himself both Who and What he is with whom they had to do That they might expect acceptance and forgiveness such as did become him Minding them of his power his Immensity his Infinite Wisdom his Unchangableness all the Excellencies and Properties of his nature he demands of them whether they have not just ground to expect Forgiveness and Grace above all their thoughts and apprehensions because answering the infinite largeness of his heart from whence it doth proceed And Moses manageth this plea for the forgiveness of that people under an high provocation and a most severe threatning of their destruction thereon Numb 14. 17 18. He pleads for pardon in such a way and manner as may answer the great and glorious Properties of the Nature of God and which would manifest an infiniteness of Power and Al-sufficiency to be in him This I say is an encouragement in general unto Believers We have as I hope upon unquestionable grounds evinced that there is forgiveness with God which is the hinge on which turneth the issue of our eternal condition Now this is like himself such as becomes him that answers the infinite perfections of his nature that is exercised and given forth by him as God We are apt to narrow and streighten it by our unbelief and to render it unbecoming of him He less dishonours God or as little who being wholly under the power of the Law believes that there is no forgiveness with him none to be obtained from him or doth not believe it that so it is or is so to be obtained for which he hath the voice and sentence of the Law to countenance him then those who being convinced of the principles and grounds of it before mentioned and of the Truth of the Testimony given unto it do yet by streigthning and narrowing of it render it unworthy of him whose Excellencies are all infinite and whose wayes on that account are incomprehensible If then we resolve to rreat with God about this matter which is the business now in hand let us do it as it becomes his Greatness that is indeed as the wants of our souls do require Let us not entangle our own Spirits by limiting his Grace The Father of the Child possessed with a Devil being in a great Agony when he came to our Saviour cryes out If thou canst do any thing have compassion on us and help us Mark 9. 22. He would fain be delivered but the matter was so great that he questioned whether the Lord Christ had either Compassion or Power enough for his relief And what did he obtain hereby nothing but the retarding of the Cure of his Child for a season For our Saviour holds him off untill he had instructed him in this matter saith he v. 23. If thou canst believe all things are possible unto him that believeth Mistake not if thy Child be not cured it is not for
temporal dispensations that flow from them Now of this sort is the forgiveness that we are enquiring after It is not a property of the Nature of God but an Act of his Will and a Work of his Grace Although it hath its rise and spring in the infinite Goodness of his Nature yet it proceeds from him and is not exercised but by an absolute free and Soveraign Act of his Will Now there is nothing of God or with him of this sort that can be any wayes known but only by especial Revelation For 1. There is no inbred notion of the Acts of Gods Will in the heart of man which is the first way whereby we come to the knowledge of any thing of God Forgiveness is not revealed by the light of nature Flesh and blood which nature is declares it not By that means No man hath seen God at any time John 1. 8. that is as a God of mercy and pardon as the Son reveales him Adam had an intimate acquaintance according to the limited capacity of a creature with the properties and excellencies of the nature of God It was implanted in his heart as indispensibly necessary unto that natural worship which by the Law of his creation he was to perform But when he had sinned it is evident that he had not the least apprehension that there was forgiveness with God Such a thought would have laid a foundation of some further treaty with God about his condition But he had no other design but of flying and hiding himself Gen. 3. 10. so declaring that he was utterly ignorant of any such thing as pardoning mercy Such and no other are all the first or purely natural conceptions of sinners namely that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Judgement of God Rom. 1. 32. that sin is to be punished with death It is true these conceptions in many are stifled by Rumors Reports Traditions that it may be otherwise but all these are far enough from that Revelation of forgiveness which we are enquiring after 2. The consideration of the Works of Gods creation will not help a man to this knowledge that there is forgiveness with God The Apostle tells us Rom. 1. 20. what it is of God that his works reveal even his eternal power and Godhead or the Essential Properties of his nature but no more Not any of the purposes of his Grace not any of the free Acts of his Will not pardon and forgiveness Besides God made all things in such an estate and condition namely of Rectitude Integrity and Uprightness Eccles. 7. 29. that it was impossible they should have any respect unto sin which is the Corruption of all or to the Pardon of it which is their Restituion whereof they stood in no need There being no such thing in the world as sin nor any such thing supposed to be when all things were made of nothing how could any thing declare or reveal the forgiveness of it 3. No works of Gods Providence can make this discovery God hath indeed born Testimony to himself and his Goodness in all Ages from the foundation of the world in the works of his Providence So Acts 14. 15 16 17. We preach unto you that you should turn from these vanities unto the living God which made Heaven and Earth and the Sea and all things that are therein who in times past suffered all Nations to walk in their own wayes nevertheless he left not himself without witness in that he did good and gave us rain from Heaven and fruitful seasons filling our hearts with food and gladness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He left not himself without witness that is by the works of his Providence there recounted he thus far bare Testimony to himself that he is and is good and doth good and ruleth the world so that they were utterly inexcusable who taking no notice of these works of his nor the fruits of his goodness which they lived upon turned away after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vain things as the Apostle there calls the Idols of the Gentiles But yet these things did not discover pardon and forgiveness For still God suffered them to go on in their own wayes and winked at their Ignorance So again Acts 17. 23 24 25 26 27. Whom you ignorantly worship him declare I unto you God that made the world and all things therein seeing that he is the Lord of Heaven and Earth dwelleth not in Temples made with hands neither is worshipped with mens hands as though he needeth any thing seeing he giveth unto all life and breath and all things and hath made of one blood all Nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the Earth where by the way there is an allusion to that of Gen. 11. 8. the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of the Earth and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation that they should seek the Lord if happily they might seek after him and find him though he be not far from every one of us By Arguments taken from the works of God both of Creation and Providence the Apostle proves the Being and properties of God Yea he lets them know with whom he had to do that God designed by his works so far to reveal himself unto them as the true and living God the Maker and Governour of all things as that they ought to have enquired more diligently after him and not to look on him alone as the Unknown God who alone might be known all their Idols being vain and nothing But of the discovery of Pardon and forgiveness in God by these wayes and means he speaks not yea he plainly shews that this was not done thereby For the Great Call to saving Repentance is by the Revelation of forgiveness But now by these works of his Providence God called not the Gentiles to saving Repentance No saith he he suffered them to walk still in their own wayes Chap. 14. 16. and winked at the times of their ignorance but now that is by the Word of the Gospel commandeth them to Repent Chap. 17. 30. II. Whereas there had been one signal Act of Gods Providence about sin when man first fell into the snares of it It was so far from the revealing forgiveness in God that it rather severely intimated the contrary This was Gods dealing with sinning Angels The Angels were the first sinners and God dealt first with them about sin And what was his dealing with them the Holy Ghost tells us 2 Pet. 2. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he spared not the sinning Angels he spared them not It is the same word which he useth where he speaks of laying all our iniquities on Christ he undergoing the punishment due unto them Rom. 8. 32. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he spared him not that is he laid on him the full punishment that by the Curse and sanction of the Law was due unto sin So he dealt with the Angels
be encouraged by it to use it unto the end and purpose for which it is exercised towards us You that are yet in doubt of your condition consider that the patience of God was extended unto you this day this very day that you might use it for the obtaining of the remission of your sins Lose not this day not one day more as you love your souls For wosul will be their condition who shall perish for despising or abusing of the patience of God VI. The faith and experience of the Saints in this world give in testimony unto this truth and we know that their Record in this matter is true Let us then ask of them what they believe what they have found what they have Experience of as to the forgiveness of sin This God himself directs and leads us unto by appealing unto our own experience whence he shews us that we may take relief and supportment in our distresses Isa. 40. 28. Hast thou not heard hast not thou known Hast not thou thy self who now cryest out that thou art lost and undone because God hath forsaken thee sound and known by experience the contrary from his former dealings with thee And if our own Experiences may confirm us against the workings of our unbelief so may those of others also And this is that which Eliphas directs Job unto Chap. 6. 1. Call now if there be any that will answer thee and to which of the Saints wilt thou look It is not a supplication to them for help that is intended but an enquiry after the Experience in the case in hand wherein he wrongfully thought they could not justifie Job 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to which of the Saints on the right hand or left wilt thou have regard in this matter Some would foolishly hence seek to confirm the Invocation of the Saints departed when indeed if they were intended it is rather forbidden and discountenanced than directed unto But the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here are the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal. 16. 2. The Saints that are in the Earth whose experiences Job is directed to enquire into and after David makes it a great encouragement unto waiting upon God as a God hearing prayers that others had done so and found success Psal. 34. 6. This poor man cryed unto the Lord and the Lord heard him and saved him out of his troubles If he did so and had that blessed Issue why should not we do so also The experiences of one are often proposed for the confirmation and establishment of others so the same David Come saith he and hear all ye that fear God and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. He contents not himself to mind them of the Word Promises and Providence of God which he doth most frequently but he will give them the encouragement and supportment also of his own Experience So Paul tells us that he was comforted of God in all his tribulation that he might be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith he himself was comforted of God 2 Cor. 1. 4. That is that he might be able to communicate unto them his own experience of Gods dealing with him and the satisfaction and Assurance that he found therein So also he proposeth the example of Gods dealing with him in the pardon of his sins as a great motive unto others to believe 1 Tim. 1. 13 14 15 16. And this mutual communication of satisfying experiences in the things of God or of our spiritual sense and evidence of the Power Efficacy and Reality of Gospel Truths being rightly managed is of singular use to all sorts of Believers So the same Great Apostle acquaints us in his own Example Rom. 1. 11 12. I long to see you that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end you may be established that is that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me He longed not only to be instructing of them in the pursuit of the work of the Ministry committed unto him but to confer also with them about their mutual faith and what Experiences of the peace of God in Believing they had attained We have in our case called in the Testimony of the Saints in Heaven with whom these on earth do make up one family even that one family in Heaven and Earth which is called after the name of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Eph. 3. 14 15. And they all agree in their Testimonie as becomes the Family and Children of God But these below we may deal personally with whereas we gather the Witness of the other only from what is left upon record concerning them And for the clearing of this Evidence sundry things are to be observed As 1. Men living under the profession of Religion and not experiencing the power vertue and efficacy of it in their hearts are whatever they profess very near to Atheism or at least exposed to great temptations thereunto If they profess they know God but in works deny him they are abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate Tit. 1. 16. Let such men lay aside Tradition and Custome let them give up themselves to a free and a rational consideration of things and they will quickly find that all their profession is but a miserable self-deceiving and that indeed they believe not one word of the Religion which they profess For of what their Religion affirms to be in themselves they find not any thing true or real And what Reason have they then to believe that the things which it speaks of that are without them are one jot better If they have no Experience of what it affirms to be within them what confidence can they have of the Reality of what it reveals to be without them John tells us that he who saith he loves God whom he hath not seen and doth not love his Brother whom he hath seen is a lyar Men who do not things of an equal concernment unto them wherein they may be tryed are not to be believed in what they profess about greater things whereof no tryal can be had So he that believes not who experienceth not the power of that which the Religion he professeth affirms to be in him if he sayes that he doth believe other things which he can have no Experience of he is a lyar For instance he that professeth the Gospel avows that the death of Christ doth crucifie sin that faith purifieth the heart that the Holy Ghost quickens and enables the soul unto duty that God is good and gracious unto all that come unto him that there is precious Communion to be obtained with him by Christ that there is great Joy in believing These things are plainly openly frequently insisted on in the Gospel Hence the Apostle presseth men unto Obedience on the account of them and as it were leaves them at liberty from it if
be at Gods disposal and therein he found present rest and a speedy healing of his condition It is the high and losty one that inhabiteth Eternity whose name is holy Isa. 57. 15. with whom we have now to do He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth and the inhabitants of it are as Grashoppers before him yea the Nations are as the drop of the bucket and are counted as the small dust of the ballance he takes up the Isles as a very little thing all Nations before him are as nothing they are counted unto him less than nothing and vanity Isa. 40. 15 17 22. To what end doth the Lord set forth and declare his glorious Greatness and Power It is that all might be brought to trust in him and to wait for him as at large is declared in the close of the chapter For shall Grashoppers a drop of the bucket dust of the ballance things less than nothing repine against or wax weary of the Will of the immense glorious and lofty One He that taketh up all Isles as a very little thing may surely if he please destroy cast and forsake one Isle one City in an Isle one Person in a City and we are before him but single persons Serious thoughts of this Infinite All-Glorious Being will either quiet our souls or overwhelm them All our weariness of his dispensations towards us arises from secret imaginations that he is such a one as our selves one that is to do nothing but what seems good in our eyes But if we cannot comprehend his Being we cannot make Rules to judge of his waies and proceedings And how small a portion is it that we know of God The nearest approaches of our reasons and imaginations leave us still at an infinite distance from him And indeed what we speak of his Greatness we know not well what it signifies we only declare our respect unto that which we believe admire and adore but are not able to comprehend All our thoughts come as short of his Excellent Greatness as our natures do of his that is infinitely Behold the Universe the glorious Fabrick of Heaven and Earth how little is it that we know of its beauty order and disposal yet was it all the product of the Word of his mouth and with the same facility can he when he pleaseth reduce it to its primitive nothing And what are we poor worms of the Earth an inconsiderable unknown part of the lower series and order of the works of his hands few in number fading in condition unregarded unto the residue of our fellow-creatures that we should subduct our selves from under any kind of his dealings with us or be weary of waiting for his pleasure This he presseth on us Psal. 46. 10. Be still and know that I am God Let there be no more repinings no more disputings continue waiting in silence and patience consider who I am Be still and know that I am God Further to help us in this Consideration let us a little also fix our minds towards some of the Glorious Essential Incommunicable properties of his Nature distinctly As 1. His Eternity This Moses proposeth to bring the souls of Believers to submission trust and waiting Psal. 90. 1. From Everlasting to Everlasting thou art God One that hath his Being and subsistence not in a duration of time but in Eternity it self So doth Habakkuk also chap. 1. 12. My Lord my God my Holy One art thou not from Everlasting And hence he draws his conclusion against making hast in any condition and for tarrying and waiting for God The like Consideration is managed by David also Psal. 102. 27. How unconceivable is this glorious divine Property unto the thoughts and minds of men How weak are the waies and terms whereby they go about to express it One sayes it is a nunc stans another that it is a perpetual Duration He that sayes most only signifies what he knows of what it is not We are of Yesterday change every moment and are leaving our station to morrow God is still the same was so before the world was from Eternity And now I cannot think what I have said but only have intimated what I adore The whole Duration of the world from the beginning unto the end takes up no space in this Eternity of God Fow how long soever it hath continued or may yet continue it will all amount but to so many thousand years so long a time and time hath no place in Eternity And for us who have in this matter to do with God what is our continuance unto that of the world a moment as it were in comparison of the whole When mens lives were of old prolonged beyond the date continuance of Empires or Kingdoms now yet this was the winding up of all such a one lived so many years and then he dyed Gen. 5. And what are we poor worms whose lives are measured by inches in comparison of their span what are we before the Eternal God God alwaies immutably subsisting in his own Infinite Being A real Consideration hereof will subdue the soul into a condition of dependence on him and of waiting for him 2. The Immensity of his Essence and his Omnipresence is of the same consideration Do not I fill Heaven and Earth saith the Lord Jer. 23. 24. The Heavens even the Heavens of Heavens the supreme and most comprehensive created Being cannot contain him saith Solomon In his infinitely Glorious Being he is present with and indistant from all places things times all the works of his hands and is no less gloriously subsisting where they are not God is where Heaven and Earth are not no less than where they are and where they are not is himself where there is no place no space real or imaginary God is for place and imagination have nothing to do with Immensity and he is present every where in the Creation where I am writing where you are reading he is present with you indistant from you The thoughts of mens hearts for the most part are that God as to his Essence is in Heaven only and it is well if some think he is there seeing they live and act as if there were neither God nor Devil but themselves But on these apprehensions such thoughts are ready secretly to arise and effectually to prevail as are expressed Joh 22. 13 14. How doth God know Can he judge through the dark thick clouds are as a covering unto him that he seeth not and he walketh in the circuit of the Heavens Apprehensions of Gods distance from men harden them in their waies But it is utterly otherwise God is every where and a man may on all occasions say with Jacob God is in this place and I knew it not Let the soul then who is thus called to wait on God exercise it self with thoughts about this Immensity of his Nature and Being Comprehend it fully understand it we can never But the consideration of it will give
that awe of his Greatness upon our hearts as that we shall learn to tremble before him and to be willing to wait for him in all things 3. Thoughts of the Holiness of God or infinite self-purity of this Eternal Immense Being are singularly usefull to the same purpose This is that which Eliphaz affirms that he received by vision to reply to the complaint and impatience of Job chap. 14. 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19. After he hath declared his vision with the manner of it this he affirms to be the Revelation that by voice was made unto him Shall mortal man be more just than God shall a man be more pure than his Maker Behold be puts no trust in his Servants and his Angels he chargeth with folly How much less on them that dwell in houses of Clay whose foundation is in the dust who are crushed before the moth If the Saints and Angels in Heaven do not answer this infinite Holiness of God in their most perfect condition is it meet for Worms of the Earth to suppose that any thing which proceeds from him is not absolutely Holy and perfect and so best for them This is the fiery property of the nature of God whence he is called a Consuming fire and Everlasting burnings And the Law whereon he had impressed some representation of it is called a fiery Law as that which will consume and burn up whatever is perverse and evil Hence the Prophet who had a representation of the Glory of God in a vision and heard the Seraphims proclaiming his Holiness cryed out Woe is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips Isa. 6. 5. He thought it impossible that he should bear that near approach of the Holiness of God And with the remembrance hereof doth Joshuah still the people with the terrour of the Lord chap. 14. 19. Let such souls then as are under troubles and perplexities on any account endeavour to exercise their thoughts about this infinite Purity and fiery Holiness of God They will quickly find it their wisdom to become as weaned children before him and content themselves with what he shall guide unto them which is to wait for him This fiery Holiness streams from his Throne Dan. 7. 10. and would quickly consume the whole Creation as now under the curse and sin were it not for the interposing of Jesus Christ. 4. His Glorious Majesty as the Ruler of all the world Majesty relates unto Government and it calls us to such an awe of him as doth render our waiting for him comely and necessary Gods Throne is said to be in Heaven and there principally do the glorious beams of his terrible Majesty shine forth But he hath also made some Representation of it on the Earth that we might learn to fear before him Such was the appearance that he gave of his glory in the giving of the Law whereby he will judge the world and condemn the transgressors of it who obtain not an acquitment in the blood of Jesus Christ. See the description of it in Exod. 19. 16 18. So terrible was the sight hereof that Moses himself said I exceedingly fear and quake Heb. 12. 21. And what effect it had upon all the people is declared Exod. 20. 18 19. They were not able to bear it although they had good assurance that it was for their benefit and advantage that he so drew nigh and manifested his Glory unto them Are we not satisfied with our condition cannot we wait under his present dispensations let us think how we may approach unto his presence or stand before his Glorious Majesty Will not the dread of his Excellency fall upon us will not his terrour make us afraid shall we not think his way best and his time best and that our duty is to be silent before him And the like manifestation hath he made of his Glory as the great Judge of all upon the Throne unto sundry of the Prophets as unto Isaiah chap. 6. 1 2 3 4. to Ezekiel chap. 1. to Daniel chap. 7. 9 10. to John Rev. 1. Read the places attentively and learn to tremble before him These are not things that are forraign unto us This God is our God The same Throne of his Greatness and Majesty is still established in the Heaven Let us then in all our Hastes and heats that our spirits in any condition are prone unto present our selves before this Throne of God and then consider what will be best for us to say or do what frame of heart and spirit will become us and he safest for us All this Glory doth encompass us every moment although we perceive it not And it will be but a few daies before all the vails and shades that are about us shall be taken away and depart And then shall all this glory appear unto us unto endless bliss or everlasting woe Let us therefore know that nothing in our dealings with him doth better become us than silently for to wait for him and what he will speak unto us in our depths and streights 5. It is good to consider the instances that God hath given of this his Infinite Greatness Power Majesty and Glory Such was his mighty work of creating all things out of nothing We dwell on little Mole-hills in the Earth and yet we know the least part of the excellency of that spot of ground which is given us for our habitation here below But what is it unto the whole habitable world and the fulness thereof And what an amazing thing is its Greatness with the wide and large Sea with all sorts of creatures therein The least of these hath a beauty a glory an excellency that the utmost of our enquiries end in admiration of And all this is but the Earth the lower depressed part of the world What shall we say concerning the Heavens over us and all these creatures of Light that have their habitations in them who can conceive the beauty order use and course of them The consideration hereof caused the Psalmist to cry out Lord our Lord how excellent and glorious art thou Psal. 8. 1. And what is the rise spring and cause of these things Are they not all the effect of the Word of the Power of this glorious God And doth he not in them and by them speak us into a Reverence of his Greatness the like also may be said concerning his mighty and strange works of Providence in the Rule of the World Is not this he who brought the Flood of old upon the world of ungodly men Is it not he who consumed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire from Heaven setting them forth as Examples unto them that should afterwards live ungodly suffering the vengeance of eternal fire Is it not he who destroyed Aegypt with his Plagues and drowned Pharaoh with his Host in the red Sea Is it not he one of whose servants flew an hundred and fourscore and five thousand in Senacheribs Army in one night