is with his word in the dispensation of it and what workings of the word there are upon and in the hearts of hearers What impression the Word of the Gospel laboured in takes Whether it tends to hardning or softning whether it be a seed sown upon good ground or as seed thrown by the way side or hath only some lighter impressions Particularly 1. What subduing of hearts and wills is wrought by it What strong holds pulled down what vain refuges discovered what sinful pleas taken off thereby Do we see those that are Enemies to Christ falling down before him when he rides forth conquering and to conquer by his word Psal 110.2 The Lord shall send the Rod of thy stringth out of Zion The preaching of the Gospel accompanyed with the mighty working of the Spirit of Christ is the Rod of strength or the strong Scepter whereby Christ doth mightily subdue and govern his people Jacks in loc And where there is a presence of the Spirit accompanying the dispensation of the Word it will subdue hearts 2. What heart-breakings and Soul-meltings there are under the Word of God How does the hammer of Gods word wielded by the Spirit break the rock in pieces Jer. 23.29 Is not my word like a hammer that breakth the rock in pieces Does the word divide betwixt the joynts the marrow pierce to the discerning of the inward thoughts and intents of the heart Do men and women sit trembling under the hearing of Gods word Are their Souls plainly and wholly laid open to be wounded and bealed by the word of God Does the word move and work kindly and sweetly upon the heart to perswade to draw to instruct to correct to awe to unite the heart to God Does it fully unravel our own woven webs kindly humble us and make us fall all to pieces as in our selves that we have no kind of thing to take to and does it sweetly allure and work up our hearts to an earnest hearty and thankful devolving the whole weight and concernment of our restless helpless Souls upon the everlasting Arms of a tender and gracious Father in Christ Jesus Does it bring us to clasp about a strong gracious and faithful Redeemer and Saviour as who will hold there and not let him go because else we shall perish Or is it so that the heat of Gods word dispensed will not thaw or melt our frozen hearts how oft soever they are held to this fire Is not my word like as a fire saith the Lord 3. What affection there is to the word of God What love to longing for and desire after it Is it the delight joy and rejoycing of persons to be hearing reading and practising according to the holy word of God Is it as it was with David Psal 119.97 Oh how love I thy Law Psal 42.1 2. As the hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God My Soul thir steth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before God Psal 84.2 My Soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord Psal 122.1 I was glad when they said unto me Let us go into the house of the Lord. Or are we little affected to and our hearts little drawn out after the word of God 3. Consider What tenderness of heart and heart-smiting for sin there is among us Where there is much of the grace of the Spirit the heart will be tender and such a mans heart will smite him upon every offence against God and upon every appearance of his anger As Josiah's heart was tender and he humbled himself before the Lord upon the hearing of what God speake against Judah 2 King 22.19 And Davids heart smote him upon his inconsiderate rash actions 1 Sam. 24.5 and 2 Sam. 24.10 Now what of this heart tenderness and grief and mourning for sin and Gods anger is there among us Does the least transgression or miscarriage wound and grieve the Soul Is a vain thought a trouble Is an hypocritical frame or inclination a grief Any appearance of evil disquieting that the least corruption cannot be born without crying to God for deliverance Or can persons bear away with lighter and lesser evils and it may be grosser miscarriages also Let sin go without lamenting or bewailing it or being much concerned about it be loose in their lives and ungirt in their Religion and yet full peace 4. Consider What lively vehement outgoings of Soul to God in prayer there are among us What of humble and holy access freedome and familiarity with God in seeking him Doe persons even Christians freely easily and as it were naturally pour out their Souls to God Can they by Faith take hold of God and wrestle it out with him and not let him go till he bless them The spirit of grace is a spirit of supplications also Zech. 12.10 Or is it so that many neglect calling upon God wholly others do it in hypocrisie many in meer formality and even Christians themselves find it exceeding difficult to get up their hearts at any time to any earnestness or suitableness in this duty 5. Consider what concernment of Soul there is for the glory and work of God among us Are we deeply engaged in heartily taken up about and diligently labouring in the promoting of Gods work and procuring of his glory Is it our chief care and principal endeavour that the work of Christ may be upheld continued and transmitted to posterity Is every one in his place and capacity thoughtful and careful about this in good earnest that it may be done Or are we no whit or little concerned about the glory and work of God among us Are not our own concernments minded more If we can look to our selves let Christ look to himself and his work as the Apostle complains Phil. 2.21 All seek their own not the things which are Jesus Christs Are there few upon whose hearts doth rest the care and sollicitude what will become of the Lords work It is the property of such as inherit any good measure of a true Gospel spirit to seek the glory of God These are some of the motions and operations of the Spirit which we are to observe in our selves and others and by which we may be directed to discern the times what God is doing or about to do and what is like to become of us When these things shall be we may look for good times If there be much of these things there is good hope if little little hope if none no hope Only we may here as alwayes elsewhere reserve to God his absolute Soveraignty in working Be we never so bad he may of his Soveraign grace save or at least spare us Or be we never so good he may of his Soveraign power and dominion and in perfect Justice also hold us under affliction in this life But according to ordinary dispensation we may expect that he will be with us as we be with him As
THE NECESSITY OF The pouring out of the Spirit from on High UPON A Sinning Apostatizing People set under Judgment in order to their merciful Deliverance and Salvation As it was Delivered in part upon 21. 9. 1678. being a general FAST throughout the united Colonies of N. E. By WILLIAM ADAMS Pastor of the Church of Christ in Dedham Luk. 19.41 42. And when he was come near he beheld the City and wept over it saying If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes Luk. 13.35 Behold your house is left unto you desolate And verily I say unto you Ye shall not see me until the time come when ye shall say Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. Psal 14.7 O that the Salvation of Israel were come out of Sion I when the Lord bringeth back the Captivity of his People Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad BOSTON Printed by John Foster for William Avery near the sign of the blew Anchor 1679. To the Reader THat these Churches once flourished with much spiritual prosperity under a glorious dispensation of the Spirit and grace of God by the saving administrations of his word and worship and that with full demonstration of his special grace and favour we ought to commemorate unto his praise and glory and our own present shame and confusion That now we are a people in extream danger of perishing in our own sins and under Gods Judgements unless God shall please in an extraordinary way of Soveraign mercy to save us is the most humbling consideration of our present sad condition That all ordinary means in that extraordinary way of improvement which God hath of late set us under have been altogether ineffectual unto a general and saving work of reformation makes it at least a fearful question whether our degeneracy and apostacy may not prove Judicial and so perpetual a question which will not admit of a comfortable resolution until God shall pour out his Spirit from on high upon us That Soveraign promise of the donation and effusion of the Spirit and so of the dispensation of saving grace as it hath been unto the Churches in all Ages under their deepest defection So it is unto us the main stay of our faith confidence and comfort and that which gives some present reviving unto our languishing hope of the resurrection of Religion in these Churches That God doth at present so far suspend the accomplishment of this promise and so far with-hold his Spirit and grace it is the just yet most dreadful punishment of that most sinful abuse of it and general unprofitableness under the means of grace and of that resisting his Spirit and rejecting his Son by unbelief and disobedience unto the Gospel which is found amongst us and is sadly signal of the gradual cessation of the work of Conversion and of the further execution of Gods wrath both by external and spiritual plagues and Judgements How much that blessed work doth already fail the decaying and dying state of Religion and of these Churches doth evidence by woful instance and experience there being little more left then a name to live and those things which remain so ready to dye That so many sinners do seem to be given up Judicially unto the still growing and prevailing sins of the times which both in their nature and working are so utterly inconsistent with the progress of the work of Conversion doth make the considgration of our present case much the more lamentable especially-considering that such sinners do remain under a secret soveraign influence of Gods vindictive Justice whence the word in the Ministry is become a savour of death unto death in them that perish What remains then but that we do most enixly endeavour in whatsoever we may or can possibly to approve our selves a people more hopeful as to Conversion Reformation and Salvation labouring practically and savingly to understand even we at least in this our day the great things of our temporal spiritual and eternal peace and welfare least they should be hidden from our eyes because we know not this time of our visitation How is it then the most important concernment of all unconverted sinners to take heed unto themselves that they do not as heretofore hinder their own Conversion by abusing and loosing their special day and seasons of grace or by yielding up their Souls unto the power of sin and Satan in those wayes of sinning wherein their hearts will be hardned against the power and working of the word and Spirit of God unto positive unbelief and disobedience unto the Gospel against light and so by giving up themselves unto deep security in their unregeneracy and unto spiritual Apostacy from that common grace which they may have received and that past ordinary hope of recovery Heb. 6.4 to 8. But that sinners do redeem this present time unto a constant attendance upon the Ministry of the word and a most diligent improvement of all means of grace and operations of the Spirit crying earnestly unto God and waiting instantly upon him for the application of Christ and salvation in a saving work of grace and that under a sense of their extream necessity thereof crying out as they when prickt in their heart Act 2.31 what shall we do and as he Act. 16.30 what must I do to be saved How severely also then are all such persons to be reproved and warned as the most dangerous destructive Enemyes unto both the temporal and spiritual welfare and prosperity of this people and of these Churches feeking the utter ruine and destruction both of the present and succeeding generations who make it their business to hinder obstruct yea utterly to destroy the work of Conversion by upholding the sins of the times opposing the dutyes of the times corrupting the Souls of others with error heresy libertinisme and licentiousness weakning the hearts and hands of those who labour in the work of Christ for the salvation of Souls by all means crossing and counter-working the whole work of Reformation such do declare themselves to be full of all mischief Children of the Devil and Enemies of all righteousness Act. 13.10 incurre that woe pronounced by our Saviour Math. 23.19 Therefore all those who would approve themselves to be true friends to the work of Christ in the promotion of his Kingdome the propagation of Religion and the Salvation of Souls ought to labour most intensly in their several places by all means with all their might to promote converting work especially amongst the Rising Generations Godly parents Masters heads of Families by the constant exercise of the worship of God in the life and power of it by dayly instructions admonitions and all kind of religious education by the right and full improvement of Family government training up Children and Servants in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and this with
sincere desire and fervent prayer for their Conversion Churches by upholding a powerful dispensation of the word and all Ordinances and a full supply of all provision in the house of God especially a full and compleat Ministry according to Christs appointment that all means may be used and all duty performed toward the Children of the Covenant and the rising Generations which is necessary unto their Conversion that they may not perish in their unregeneracy through the neglect of that duty and want of help to discharge it fully which is and is yet more likely to be the sad case of these Churches O let us pray the Lord of the harvest to thrust forth Labourers into this great harvest The Ministry by travailing in birth with Souls till Christ be formed in them and by the full and saithful discharge of duty as Labourers together with God in that work wherein therefore they are to labour in a way of dependance upon Christ for assistance and success and that both publickly and privately in all wayes and by all means to gain and bring home Souls to him as that which is the great end of their ministrations wherein notwithstanding they are under great discouragement at present from the diminution of that grace and blessing which might make their labours more effectual unto the work of conversion The godly and religious Magistracy by the improvement of civil Authority in a way of full and direct subverciency unto the work of Christ the progress of which is the highest and most saving good and end of government unto a Religious people who are in the most happy and prosperous estate when the Mountains bring peace and the little hills Righteousness Truly then it is high time for all orders degrees societies of men in New-England by faith in prayer to seek the Lord until he come and rain righteousness upon us until he open Rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of Valleys and make the wilderness a Pool of water and the dry Land Springs of water until he pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground 'till he pour out his Spirit upon our Seed and his blessing upon our Offspring until he send us the great promise of his Spirit in the accomplishment of it by pouring out of his Spirit in a general plentiful dispensation of converting grace upon us our Children Familyes Churches this whole people both the standing and the rising Generations Which would be a blessed Refurrection and as life from the dead unto us It is much for our encouragement that in this our perishing condition God hath by his Spirit in the Ministry of many of his Servants proposed this great promise expressing his own gratious disposition to open and apply it in the saving grace and blessing of it and withal pressed us from the consideration of inevitable destruction without a full and perfect salvation by the application of it and furnished us with all Arguments of faith to labour and prevail with him in prayer for the obtainment of it which also is the more solemnly observable in that God hath providentially ordered the labours of divers of his Servants in this same great and most necessary subject to be published at this time as a Testimony unto this Generation what their main work and duty is whereby he hath shewed us what is good and what it is that the Lord doth require at our hands God grant that it may not be rejected and so be left upon Record as a Testimony against this Generation to condemn it the more deeply under the aggravated guilt of total final Apostacy The Reverend and worthy Author of these Sermons having been through the abundant grace of God sanctified and seperated from his youth unto the Ministry he hath had a more early call into that work wherein he hath been more happy then most of his fellow Servants and being himself coaetaneous with and amongst the choicest of the first ripe fruits of this young Generation his Soul hath laboured and doth labour with the more fervency of holy and sincere love to and zeal for the salvation of their Souls modesty and humility being inherent in him as gifts both of nature and grace it would be too much an injury to him to give his work deserved commendation It shall therefore suffice to say that the powerful and we hope saving impression which it had in the ministration of it upon the hearts of the hearers is a Testimony of divine approbation and commendation the suitableness and seasonableness of the Subject unto this time and the necessity of this people the copiousness and yet withal conciseness of the method it being expressive of so much of the general message which God is sending unto his people and of that which the Spirit is now speaking unto these Churches in so few Sermons doth render it the more fit and useful for the publick The motion of the Spirit of God upon the hearts of those pious and judicious hearers who have we believe been thereby moved with a godly zeal for the saving good of the Generation to desire request and undertake for the publication of it doth promise it Patronage from Heaven The special promised presence of our Lord Jesus with this his Servant for his assistance in the Ministry of his word as also in the whole course of his ministration is a singular token and pledge of his special grace and favour unto that pretious Church in and unto which he is called to minister The Lord make them more and more thankful profitable and fruitful and prosper his work with them granting unto them more clear and full discoveries of his mind and will concerning their duty in order thereunto that they may stand more perfect and compleat in all the will of God and be more fully replenished with his spiritual and gracious presence inriched with all the gifts and graces of his Spirit setled together with all our Churches under the saving dispensation of the Covenant of grace strengthned unto stedfast perseverance in the faith obedience and order of the Gospel unto the end Which is the prayer of Your Servants for Christ our Saviours sake Samuel Torrey Josiah Flint REader The old Plea The Authors absence from the Press being stil of force occasions this further desire of thee viz. that before thou readest thou wilt with thy pen mend these following faults Pag. 4. l. 8. for as in read and. l. 34. r. Isai 29. p. 5. l. 12. blot out once p. 8. l. 4. r. enumeration l. 5. r. when p. 10. l. 27. for sit r. set p. 11. l. 16. r. fiercer p. 15. l. 32. r. Scale p. 16. l. 33. r. the things l. 37. r. an abundant p. 17. l. 16. for to have r. and have p. 18. l. 13. r. affect p. 20. l. 18. r. sight p. 23. l. 3. after Estates r. or l. 5. after serious r. as p. 24. l. 2. r. set p. 25.
Mather his Sermon on Isai 44.8 p. 6. I shall not make it my work to enquire or determine It may suffice to the present purpose that there is a general truth in the words and that this Scripture may be and is in its proportion and measure fulfilled at other times besides that to which it hath a more particular and principal respect and that there is such a dependance of our freedome from evills and obtaining of mercyes upon the Spirits being poured out upon us as is exprest in the Text. It is written for our learning and so we may improve it and to this I shall apply my self In treating of these words I shall not endeavour to draw out all the single observations from them that might be but only to take up the general scope of them in this one Doctrine viz. Doct. When God hath once set a People under a dispensation of Judgment their miseryes will be like to proceed till there be the pouring out of the Spirit from on high upon them to their sound Conversion and then there will be a restoration and multiplication of sure mercyes and blessings upon them This is the summe of the words and as brief as I can well give it This Doctrine may be further opened in these Propofitions Prop. I. God doth sometimes set a People under a dispensation of Judgement As this People here The Lord in the way of his Providence exposes them to Judgement sets them in the way of misery sorrow and calamity lighting upon them follows them with evil The general course of his dispensations toward them is afflictive He does as it were set them as a mark to shoot the Arrows of his anger and displeasure at Lam. 3.12 He hath bent his bow and set me as a mark for the Arrow He marks them our for Judgement they are a people of his anger a generation of his wrath Jer. 7.29 he sets himself against them he sets his face against them Lev. 26.17 And I will set my face against you He is sore displeased with them and sets himself as it were with an angry countenance to punish their sin He engages his Power and wrath against them Ezek. 23.25 And I will set my Jealousie against thee and they shall deal furiously with thee He watches over them for evil Jer. 44.11 27. Behold I will set my face against you for evil Behold I will watch over them for evil The Lord does as it were set himself to watch his opportunity to bring evil upon them is against them on every side and sets himself to afflict them Thus God sometimes sets a People under a dispensation of Judgment And that because they have set themselves in a way that is not good They set themselves out of the way of holiness and in the way of sin and hence God sets himself in a way of Judgement Lev. 26.23 24. If ye will not be reformed by these things but will walk contrary to me then will I also walk contrary unto you and will punish you Gods setting himself against a People is because they have set themselves against God And 1. They have set themselves against his Command They have rebelled against him and broken his Laws and cast his words behind their backs Hence God in setting himself against a People sets their sins in the light of his Countenance Psal 90.7 8. We are consumed by thine anger and by thy wrath are we troubled Thou hast set our iniquityes before thee our secret sins in the light of thy Countenance It is because of them their sins that God carryes it in a way of displeasure towards any Ezek. 14.7 8. Thus the Lord gives an account of his doing thus and thus with his People because they had sinned so and so against him Hos 7.2 compared with 12.13 In the second Verse They consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness now their own doings have beset them about they are before my face Then follows a particular numeration of their sins to ver 12. And in the 12 Verse it follows Where they shall go I will spread my Net upon them I will bring them down as the Fowls of Heaven I will chastize them as their Congregation hath heard Woe unto them for they have fled from me destruction unto them because they have transgressed against me So Ezra 8.23 His power and wrath is against all that forsake him 2. They have set themselves against his Reproofs Upon a Peoples falling into sin and backsliding from him the Lord is wont to reprove them for their sin give them warning of their danger and call them to return But when they will not hearken to entertain his reproofs or embrace his Counsels then are they set under Judgement Hos 11.6 7. And the Sword shall abide on his Cityes and shall consume his Branches and devour them because of their own Counsels And my People are bent to back sliding from me though they called them to the most High none at all would exalt him Though God may punish for a single breach of his Command yet he is not wont to cause his Judgements to abide unless there have been a refusal of divine reproofs Prov. 1.24 31. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded But ye have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamity c. God gives this expresly as a Reason of his giving up his people to Judicial dispensations Psal 81.11 12. But my people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me So I gave them up 3. They have set themselves against his mercy and compassion whereby he would have saved them God exercises a great deal of lenity towards a sinning people and shows much compassion towards them waiting and using means with much long suffering that they would return and be saved as being loth to give them up Hos 11.8 How shall I give thee up Ephraim Psal 78 42. But he being full of compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath But when Gods love grace pitty and compassion is abused then his wrath arises and is set against a People then he gives them up to Judgement 2 Chron. 36.15 16. And the Lord God of their Fathers sent to them by his messengers rising up betimes and sending because he had compassion on his People and on his dwelling place But they mocked the Messengers of God despised his words misused his Prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy Hos 7 1 13 15. When I would have healed Israel then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered and the wickedness of Samaria Though I have redeemed them yet they have spoken lyes against me Though I have bound and strengthned their Arms yet
do they imagine mischief against me Thus for these Reasons doth God set a People under a dispensation of Judgement Prop. II. The misery of a People once so set under a dispensation of Judgement will be like to proceed and be growing Their affliction will rise higher and higher Their sorrows abound more and more Their sorrows and miseryes will be like to encrease and grow 1. Extensive extensively They will be like to be of great extent to be universal or at least general To extend to all kinds of misery and to all persons 1. To all kinds of misery Psal 16.4 Their sorrows shall be multiplyed that hasten after another God As they may be said to do who cast off the true God his fear service All kind of misery will be like to fall upon them The Lord reckons up various kinds of miseryes which he threatens to bring upon his disobedient sinning people Lev. 26.14 to 39 And they are exprest as such as should be rising and growing from one degree to a seven times greater if the first did not reclaim them ver 18. I will punish you yet seven times more for your sins Which rise of punishment is four times exprest within the compass of these verses And in Jer. 15.3 I will appoint over them four kinds saith the Lord. And in Am. 4. Many kinds of affliction are mentioned which God had brought upon his obstinate and impenitent People 2. To all persons All shall feel something thereof more or less Text ver 13. Vpon all the houses The hand of God will fall heavy every where Judgement come upon all quarters there will be no corner or place for escape Exek 21.15 I have set the point of the Sword against all their gates c. The Clouds of Gods Judgements which at first were small and little will be like to spread and grow thick upon such a people till even the Heavens be dark over them Isai 5.30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the Sea and if one look unto the Land behold darkness and sorrow and the light is darkned in the Heavens thereof Which way soever they look upwards or downwards on this side or that there shall be trouble and distress encompassing all of them as men in a Fog There shall be universally trouble on Earth and anger from Heaven and no appearance of case or relief to such a People Jer. 45.5 Behold I will bring evil upon all flesh saith the Lord. and 12.12 The Sword of the Lord shall devour from the one end of the Land even to the other end of the Land no flesh shall have peace 2. Intensivè Intensively Their miseryes and sorrows will be like to grow more intense and sharp pinching and distressing to have more and more of divine anger in them and so be more hard to be borne and fill those under them with anguish and vexation Isai 8.21 And they shall pass through it hardly bestead and hungry and it shall come to pass that when they shall be hungry they shall fret themselves Their necessities and distresses shall be such as shall make them grow extreamly impatient and exceedingly disquieted ver 22. behold trouble and darkness dimness of anguish and they shall be driven to darkness Many words of the same notion are heaped up to express the great extremity of their distresses Eng. Annot. The Lord will make more and more wrath appear in his Judgments upon such a People make his Arrows in their hearts sharp cutting and piercing Psal 45.5 Thine Arrows are sharp in the heart of the Kings enemies He will put bitterness in their cup fill their Souls with bitterness make their affliction and so their condition bitter 2 King 14 26. The Lord saw the affliction of Israel that it was very bitter Lam. 3.15 He hath filled me with bitterness he hath made me drunken with wormwood Expressions denoting the sharpness and extremity of their affliction When God is sit in a way of Judgement against a people he will make the end and issue of that dispensation a bitter day Am. 8.10 And I will make it as the mourning of an only Son and the end thereof as a bitter day Thus the sorrow and misery of a people set under Judgement will be like to grow more general and more and more bitter and pinching And that 1. Because God is set against them as an Enemy Ezek. 15.7 And I will set my face against them they shall go out from one fire and another fire shall devour them and ye shall know that I am the Lord when I set my face against them It is impossible but that they should sink more and more whom God in his anger hath set himself against Ezek. 22.14 Can thine heart endure or can thine hands be strong in the dayes that I shall deal with thee I the Lord have spoken it and will do it Gods being against us is enough to make every thing to be hurtful to us There is no standing before him when he is angry nor can any creature give us relief Psal 76.7 Thou even thou art to be feared and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry Jer. 10.10 At his wrath the Earth shall tremble and the Nations shall not be able to abide his indignation Job 34.29 When he hideth his face who then can behold him whether it be done against a Nation or against a man only If God give charge to the contrary no creature can afford us any relief 2. Because there are not waters of true repentance brought to quench Gods anger Or there is not a turning and returning unto God Gods anger against such a People as he hath set himself against in Judgement it is as a burning flame and it will as the flame of fire rise and grow higher fieâ—er unless prevented quenched removed by unseigned Repentance and reformation Which though not efficiently causal yet qualifies the Subject for the receiving of the Mercy which God for his own sake will bestow through Christ Isai 66.15 For behold the Lord will come with fire and with his Chariots like a Whirlwind to render his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire Isai 5.24 25. Therefore as the fire devoured the Stubble and the flame consumeth the chaff So c. Therefore is the Anger of the Lord kindled against his People he hath stretched forth his hand against them hath smitten them and the Hills did tremble their Carkasses were torn in the midst of the streets For all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still The reason of this continuance of Gods anger is directly given Isai 9 12 13. where the same words are repeated For all this his anger is not turned away c. and the reason plainly given For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them neither do they seek the Lord of Hosts So long as there is
not repentance and reformation in a people there is no likelihood that Gods wrath should be pacified by Judgements formerly inflicted but rather that there will be a procedure to further greater and sorer Judgements For when the Soveraign God hath once taken a people thus into his hand it is likely in reason that he will have his will of them or bring them very low mend or mar them bow or break them Lev. 26.23 And if ye will not be reformed by these things and ver 27 28. And if ye will not for all this bearken unto me but walk contrary unto me then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury 3. Because where there is not repentance and reformation under Affliction there will be an encrease of provocation The Lords expectation is frustrated and thereby will he be provoked Besides such who thus frustrate Gods expectation they will grow more hardned in sin and security by affliction if not more bold to sin Zeph. 3.7 I said surely thou wilt fear me thou wilt receive instruction so their dwelling should not be cut off howsoever I punished them but they rose early and corrupted all their doings And this will be like to continue and encrease their affliction Hos 13.2 3. And now postquam moniti fuerint castigati Rivet After they have been warned and chastned they sin more and more Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud as the early dew it passeth away as the chaff that is driven with a whirlwind out of the floor and as a smoak out of the Chimney By which four similitudes the greatness and certainty of their calamity is denoted and that that flourishing prosperity which they hoped for should come to nothing Prop. III. The miseries of such a people will be like to proceed till there be a pouring out of the Spirit from on high upon them to their sound conversion Vntil the Spirit be poured upon us from on high c. Text. ver 15. If God hath once so far taken a people in hand as to set them under a dispensation of Judgement there is no grounded hope of their deliverance and release in mercy till God do in a gracious manner pour out his Spirit upon them or wonderfully work a saving change in them and among them by the effectual operation of his holy Spirit Till abundance of grace be given forth for the procuring and effecting of their found conversion The Spirit is given or poured out for that end that there may be Conversion And that either 1. The Conversion of sinners which is exprest in the Text by the Wilderness becoming a fruitful field Psal 51.13 Sinners shall be converted unto thee The Lord sends down his Spirit for this end to convince awaken convert regenerate and sanctifie sinners Joh. 16.8 11. to open their eyes to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God This is the work of the Ministry Act. 26.18 which works effectually only through the power presence and assistance of the Spirit accompanying of the same It is the work of the Spirit efficiently to deliver sinners out of the power of darkness and translate them into the Kingdome of the dear Son of God to make them of unholy profane proud and vain serious humble holy pious and conformed to the image and will of God to love those things of God which they have not loved nor regarded and to hate and abandon those things of sin world and vanity which they have loved and set their hearts upon 1 Cor. 6.11 And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Or 2. The Conversion of Saints and Christians Which is exprest in the Text according to the interpretation given by the fruitful field being counted for a forrest Peter was converted before Satan fifted him and made him deny his Master for saith Christ I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not But he must be converted again and therefore Christ sayes to him When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren Luk. 22.32 though the relative charge of state in believers is but once wrought it is wrought at once and continues for ever and the real change in their persons by sanctification is perfect in its parts yet this latter admits of degrees It is so wrought in the believer as that it needs constant carrying on in this life and it may so decay as to need to be done over again and so the Christian to pass under the work of Conversion again a second time Hence David prayes when he had as it were lost the work or effect of former Conversion that God would create in him a clean heart and renew a right Spirit within him Psal 51.10 Apprehending himself deprived in a manner of that holy disposition and power of godliness which God had formerly wrought in bm asi before he begged for pardon so here for the sanctification of Gods Spirit The word Renew I conceive hath reference to his former piety which he found greatly decayed in him wherewith he desires to be established again Jackson in loc Now this is the work of the Spirit to renew the work of Conversion and carry on the work of grace in believers He is given for this end for the furthering the work of grace and holiness in believers in renewed and more strong acts of repentance saith and obedience to make them more free from sin end pollution more and more conformable to the will of God in all things more abundantly fruitful in every good work to enlarge them in duty and to make their faces and conversations to shine that they shall in good carnest be engaged for God his service and glory Hence when the Spirit is poured out upon a people All or the generality of them or at least very many among them will be either enquiring for or walking in the way to Zion with their faces thitherward Jer. 50.4 5. In those dayes and in that time saith the Lord the children of Israel shall come they and the children of Judah together going and weeping they shall go and seek the Lord their God They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward Which last expression may intimate their sincere intention and fixed resolution to go on in the way they enquired after To set ones face is to fix the Affections and actions without declining to any other way Wilson Christ Diction Such a people will be bound for God having received the Spirit of God every one will go bound in the Spirit to the performance of his duty and the glorifying and honouring of God They shall be signally carryed out in seeking Gods face and doing of his will There would appear a right and full bent of Spirit for God in persons doing all sincerely in the name and in an evangellical manner exactly according to the
the working of his Spirit is in us so the presence of his mercyes and blessings will be with us his presence or absence will be much according as our spirits are working towards or from him 2 Chron. 15.2 The Lord is with you while ye be with him and if ye seek him he will be found of you but if ye forsake him he will forsake you So Psal 18.25 26 27. If any shall say Then setting aside what God in his Soveraignty may do We hope it will go well with us It is probable it will so For there are sure these workings of the Spirit among us In Answer hereto I shall only add that it will be needful to consider these things further 1. Whether these workings of the Spirit supposed among us may in any sense be said to be general That there are some few here and there one that keep themselves close to God and have a good measure of the Spirit breathing in them for whose sakes we fare the better is I suppose beyond question But whether there be a sufficient number to obtain the sparing or saving such a place of light and means as New-England is at least without the feeling of more sorrow first may yet be a question For I am ready to take this for granted that the same number of righteous persons that might save a sinning Sodom would yet not be enough to save a sinning Israel And that because of what the Lord sayes Am. 3.2 You only have I known of all the Familyes of the Earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities 2. Whether those workings of the Spirit that appear among us be for the most part effectual and saving Whether they be not mostly or in great part common and ineffectual and so issue only in formalities It is the inward saving and effectual operation of the Spirit that gives us grounded hope of the expectation of sure mercyes and blessings 3. Whether the breathings and workings of Gods Spirit are more or less among us then when we were first set under a dispensation of Judgement If they be less yea if they be not more there is little likelihood that we should be delivered from under that Judgment For it is not probable that that should remove anger which was not sufficient to keep it off If the want of such and such graces and fruits of the Spirit hath brought us under the Lords displeasure the same defect will sure be like to continue us there This therefore must not escape our consideration what difference there is betwixt us then and now That there is more sin and that iniquity abounds more since Gods hand hath been out against us I think is the general observation of all that take notice of any thing According to that Zeph. 3.7 I punished them but they rose early and corrupted all their doings 4. Whether the workings of the Spirit are now growing or decaying among us If there be more more of this gracious work of the Spirit breaking forth dayly it is well But if it grow more rare and less and less and the loss of good men and women in whom the Spirit of God eminently was is not in some good measure made up by the resting of the same Spirit upon others rising up in their stead our case looks threatning But I shall say no more in this matter Who is wise and he shall understand these things prudent and he shall know them For the wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them but the transgressors shall fall therein Hos 14 9. VSE 5. Of Exhortation 1. To all such among us as have any Interest at the throne of grace earnestly to pray that God would pour out of his Spirit upon us from on high Let Gods favourites among us be earnest in crying unto God in this matter If there be any strength for wrestling with God left improve all the Interest you have with God and with his Son that you may prevail for this blessing For Motive Consider Mot. 1. It is the manner of and is becoming to Gods people to supplicate and wait upon him for all their mercyes It is meet we should receive all our special blessings from God upon our knees Thus Gods Servants have done Psal 123.1 2. Vnto thee lift I up mine eyes O thou that dwellest in the heavens Our eyes wait upon the Lord our God until that he have mercy upon us We must not expect to receive any signal mercy unless God say the word and that in answer to our earnest prayers What ever mercy God bestows on his people he will be sought to by them for it When he hath any mercy to bestow on his people he is wont to stay till his people ask it though it is God that puts it into their hearts to ask it Hence we are bidden in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to let our requests be made known unto God Phil. 4.6 We must ask the Father in Christs name for all And therefore for this great blessing of the pouring out of the Spirit there is all reason that we should wait upon God by humble prayer As the Apostles were commanded to wait at Jerusalem for the promise of the Father the sending down of the Spirit Act. 1.4 and most or much of that time they spent in praying ver 14. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication And this no doubt was a special or main part of their prayer that God would accomplish his promise in the actual pouring down of his Spirit 2. Nothing else is like to do us good unless God will pour out his Spirit on us We have had experience of the inefficacy of means upon us to bring us into order and to a good frame Much and frequent instruction and warning by the word hath not done it We have been taught what people this day in the world more It may be said of us as Zeph. 3.5 The just Lord is in the midst thereof every morning doth he bring his Judgment to light he faileth not The word of the Lord hath been to us precept upon precept line upon line We have been in that respect planted in the house of the Lord But have we not been as the fig-tree barren Or as the Lord speaks of his Vineyard Isai 5.4 Wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes brought it forth wild grapes Judgements have not done it We have been under many But yet may it not be said of us after all as of them Am. 4. Yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord How true is it of us The people turneth not to him that smiteth them We have not received correction but refused to return Deliverances do not do it We have been respited And when we have seen there hath been respite have we not been secure still As it was said of Pharaoh Exod. 8.15 But when Pharaoh
of God in you But they in whom the Spirit of God dwells they are the excellent upon the Earth Psal 16.3 They are Gods Jewels Mal. 3.17 In that day when I make up my Jewels Mot. 3. If you do not get the Spirit of God to be in you you will be like to be guilty of New-Englands ruine I speak now to the Generation coming on upon the Stage if you or a considerable number of you do not take care to be right spirited for God that you may duely manage his work and carry it on and serve the God of you Fathers with a perfect heart and willing mind you will be like to destroy and lay this pleasant land desolate your irreligion will be an occasion thereof Psal 107.34 He turneth a fruitful land into barrenness for the wickedness of them that dwell therein Your sin your degeneracy your not owning and worshipping God in Spirit will provoke God to lay it desolate and then it will be charged upon you you will be reputed guilty of it as being you who have done it Zech. 7.11 14 But they refused to hearken c. for they said the pleasant land desolate There is the fault and there will it be charged And what a dreadful thing will it be to have the spoiling of such a blessed work as God hath here begun to ly at our door Mot. 4. While you are without the Spirit of God you are in extream danger You go in jeopardy of your lives the lives of your Souls every hour If this night thy Soul should be called for what would become of thee who hast none of the Spirit of Christ Assuredly Christ will say of you I know you not depart from me ye workers of iniquity And then how fearful would your condition be There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth This is the danger you are in while the Spirit is not given to you There is but a step betwixt your Souls and eternal death Sentence of condemnation is past upon you already Joh. 3.18 He that believeth not is condemned already Hell does as it were gape for you your condition is extreamly perilous Did sinners know in what danger of the lives of their immortal Souls they walk in every hour they are without the Spirit of Christ they would never sing care away with vain mirth and pastime or please themselves with some shew and formality of Religion only Oh the fearful amazing security of men and women that can sleep quietly and take their ease upon the brink of eternal misery Mot. 5. Consider you know not how little time you may have for the getting of the Spirit And therefore labour to get it quickly It is certain you have but a short time to work in but how short is uncertain We have seen and see dayly how suddenly they are cut down by the Sword and now by this sore disease God hath sent among us who in probability might have lived many dayes These especially are times wherin none can promise himself continuance of life Thou hast this day an opportunity of hearing the word of the Gospel and it may be mayst be something moved by it But who knows but that some of us here may never have another Oh that the present time could be improved by us all to strike the stroke for Eternity The present time is only ours and to know and improve that is our wisdom and duty 2 Cor. 6.2 Behold now is the accepted time now is the day of Salvation If we now improve it it shall be a day of salvation to us Heb. 3.15 While it is said To day if ye will hear his voice barden not your hearts If we neglect making out after the Spirit to day we know not what shall be on the morrow Jam. 4 14. None knows what a day may bring forth Prov. 27.1 Another day may bring the impenitent sinner into eternal flames God tells us that his Spirit shall not alwayes strive with men Gen. 6.3 And if the Spirit of God have once done striving with us then the time and hope of our getting the Spirit is past and gone also Now therefore while time and the day of grace lasts look about you lest the opportunity be lost and you be undone for ever If any shall now ask How shall we do to get the Spirit of God poured out upon us and dwelling in us There is a great deal of duty incumbent upon us in this respect We must not sit still and say It is not in our power to get the Spirit God expects that his word should stir us up to careful endeavours that we should up and be doing if so the Lord will be with us If we sit still we are sure to perish but if we stir up and set our selves to seek him who knows but the Lord may help us so to seek him as that he may be sound of us Something therefore of our duty in order hereto I shall endeavour to set before you in these following Directions And the same course is to be taken for the obtaining an encrease of the graces of the Spirit Direct 1. Labour for a serious considerate frame Duely to pender and weigh things especially matters of Eternity Seriously mind what your state what your danger what your work is That is the woful bane of many a Soul they do not consider Isai 1.3 My people doth not consider They do not throughly think of things some slight notions and workings they may have about them but it is not to purpose I believe there are many who think they are converted and have the Spirit of God who never set themselves to purpose to think what conversion was what sin is from which they should convert what God Christ and holiness is to which they should convert and what it is to have the Spirit of God It is a dreadful Judgement of God upon Gospel sinners that in seeing they see not they have some flighty sight and apprehensions of things but they do not see them really and to purpose They know every thing almost about Christianity but they feel nothing and so indeed know nothing Did men and women see things really and consider things serionsly and to purpose we should have other manner of endeavours for the Spirit for Conversion and Salvation then there are It would be a good step if sinners could get their hearts set upon and their thoughts seriously busied about those matters that lye betwixt God and their Souls and take up right and through apprehensions of those things which are of spiritual and everlasting concernment Hence is it wont to be said Consideration is half Conversion A giddy slighty generation that can scarce be serious or fixed in any thing that cannot get their hearts fixed seriously to think of things especially of a spiritual nature are not like to be a converted generation to he the subject of the pouring out of the Spirit We must therefore labour to set our
then we shall be fit objects for the Spirit who is the comforter to manifest his gracious work upon Isai 57.18 I will lead him also and restore comforts unto him and on his mourners Penitential mourners for sin stand fan in the way to be comforted by God Thus it is said the Spirit of the Lord was upon Christ for this end Isai 61.1 2 3. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tydings unto the meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted to preclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourn To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion to give unto them beauty for ashes the oyl of joy for mourning If we do not feel sin to purpose as it is to be feared few in these dayes do whatever common convictions many have there is little hope that we should have this blessed Comforter sent to us to take up his abode with us Mourning for sin cannot be too much if it raise the price of Christ in the Soul and draw out a more earnest desire of the applying work of the Spirit to be wrought in the heart Direct 5. Cry mightily to God for his Spirit Ask this boon of Heaven When you feel an utter want of the Spirit of God in you then run flee to the throne of grace and let your Soul cry out to the living God for this mercy Tell the Lord in humble manner what need you have of his Spirit what your misery is without it and earnestly beg of him that he will give you his holy Spirit to work faith repentance and all other graces in you And for your encouragement consider what Christ sayes Luk. 11.13 If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your Children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him and Prov. 2.3 4 5. But you will say We cannot pray without the Spirit Answ But yet go and present your selves before God and spread your case before him as well as you can Bemoan your wants your inability to good your insensibleness of your misery Plead as well as you can for mercy for the bestowing of his Spirit upon you Who knows but when you are endeavouring seeking and striving God may give in his holy Spirit to you and help you to pray to acceptation with him It is our duty to wait let God take his time way to work But be sure to pray that with great earnestness from a deep sense of your distress and danger that God will speedily help you Psal 70.1 Make haste O God to deliver me make haste to help me O Lord Psal 143.7 Hear me speedily O Lord my Spirit faileth hide not thy face from me lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit It must be with humble and earnest prayer on our part that the Spirit of God will come into our Souls if ever it come there Look therefore to the Infinite mercy of God in Christ to help in this matter Direct 6. Be exceeding diligent in the use of all means especially in attending upon the word of God for the obtaining of the Spirit As we must pray so we must use all due means with praying over them Seek for the Spirit wherever there is hope it may be found in all those wayes which God hath instituted for the giving forth of grace mercy and good to the Souls of men Let Sabbaths be observed Ordinances attended meditation self examination prayer secret Family and publick prayer reading the word of God And especially the Ministry of the word Oh wait there By that the word of God dispensed the Spirit is pleased to convey himself The Gospel is called the ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.8 We read of those upon whom the holy Ghost sell while they were hearing the word Act. 10.44 While Peter yet spake these words the holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word The Galatians Gal. 3.2 received the Spirit by the hearing of faith i.e. the word of faith which the Apostles preached Therefore attend diligently to the Ministry of the Word pray before you come pray when you go from hearing of the word that it might be a blessed means to conveigh the Spirit to you And when you come to the word attend with all your might hear as for your lives do not heedlesly let slip any one Sentence without your careful attention Expect wait long look when by what sentence by what word spoken God will let in his spirit into your Souls Oh if persons would set themselves in good earnest to attend upon the word of the Gospel as the word of God as the Ministry of the Spirit who knows what God might do for them Let the word of God be precious if ever you would have the Spirit of God with you and in you Dir. 7. Enquire seriously and consult with those that have the Spirit of God If you have any serious christian friend you can open your heart to be plain with him beseech him to be plain with you Enquire the way of the Spirit from those who have had experience thereof Jer. 50.4 5. In those dayes and in that time saith the Lord the children of Israel shall come they and the children of Judah together going and weeping they shall go and seek the Lord their God They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward Where you meet with difficulty in the way seek for instruction Listen what others what Christians of approved godliness and experience say concerning the way of the Spirit of God in their Souls if so be that you thereby might go forth by the footsteps of Christs flock and find him whom your Soul seeks after This is the direction the Lord gives to her Cant. 1.8 If thou know not go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock It is of exceeding use for persons whose desires are intensly set after the Spirit of God to be opening their hearts and conferring seriously one with another about the same Oh the holy breathings of the Spirit that have many times been kindled in the Souls of persons when they have been seriously and sincerely conferring concerning the things and wayes of the Spirit of God! Direct 8. Continue seeking striving and waiting in the use of all means till you find till the Spirit be poured out from on high upon you If the Lord do not come and give his Spirit to you presently yet take heed of giving over or slacking your endeavours Many being some way or other rouzed for a fit are very earnest but not finding the Spirit of God to come quickly they give over they are soon cooled and content themselves with their former formalities in the exercises of Religion Take heed we do not cast away our Souls here How many many perish here Rosolve never to give over seeking and waiting till God be gracious to you and pour out his Spirit upon you If God give you not the holy Spirit to be your Comforter resolve never to take comfort but ly down in sorrow Let nothing divert you from this seeking let nothing satisfy you till you have found the thing you seek for Hos 6.3 Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord. Importunity and constancy may at last prevail Luk. 11.5 10. Yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth c. and Luk. 18.1 And be spake a parable unto them to this and that men ought alwayes to pray and not to faint The Lord Jesus spake these things to encourage to importunity and constancy in prayer And for the prevalency and good effect of this we have the famous example of the woman of Canaan Math. 15.22 -28 Direct 9. Make this the business of your lives Look upon it as the main thing you came into the world for Lay out the strength of your Souls about it Drive on this as if you had nothing else to mind or do Make this your work to get the Spirit of God to be in you and all other things subordinate and subservient to this Do not think that for a sinner to obtain all the gracious operations of the Spirit in himself to get a due sense of sin as most odious and loathsome and to rest his Soul upon Christ as most pretious and to shew forth all the blessed fruits of the Spirit in his conversation is a work easily or quickly done And yet you must not rest till you come to this till there be the apparent manifest full breathings and operations of the Spirit in you As Mercy is not like to come to us till the Spirit be poured out upon us from on high So let us wait and labour till the Spirit be poured out upon us fingly and generally that the wilderness may become a fruitful field and the fruitful field be counted for a Forrest and so those mercyes and blessings which are consequent to this may be derived down to and setled upon us For a close let every sincere one whose heart is upon the work and glory of Christ heartily and earnestly joyn with the Psalmist in that prayer profession of his Psal 53.6 O that the Salvation of Israel were come out of Zion When God bringeth back the Capivity of his people Jacob shall rejoyce and Israel shall be glad FINIS