tribulation hee knew God to be the Lord and humbled himselfe greatly before him Thus David in all times of his distresse had still recourse to God Ps 18.3 4. The Lord is my strength in whom I trust my shield my salvation and my refuge Thus Paul buffited by Sathan 1 Cor. 12 prayes three times So that the point is clear and plain that the only refuge of Gods Church and people in time of affliction and distresse hath ever been Gods bosome as a sure refuge And great Reason Because it is the Lord that hath the principal hand in all the tryalls afflictions of his people Reas 1 Now who can cure the wound better than he that gave it Deut. 32.39 Hos 6.1 It is he that killeth and maketh alive He woundeth and he healeth When we are judged we are chastned of the Lord. 1 Cor. 11.32 And he is said to be the God that heareth prayers and therefore to him shall all flesh come Secondly Reas 2 affliction bringeth men to a more clear certain and experimentall knowledge of God and of our selves 1. 2 Chron. 33.13 Of God as Manasses by his affliction knew that God was the Lord. 2. Of our selves for now the Lord awakens conscience and brings our former sins to remembrance that we had forgotten as Job hath it If they be bound with fetters Job 36.8 9. and holden with the cords of affliction then he sheweth them their works and their transgressions that they have exceeded When sicknesse comes and affliction seize upon us that we know not which way to turn our selves then if ever we begin to look up to God the thoughts of death and the thoughts of eternity will make the most desperate and hard-hearted sinner to look about him Object But do we not see Object that many that have been under Gods hand have had piercing sorrowes and sore afflictions and yet have not been humbled nor brought nearer to God but are as Ahaz that in time of his distresse 2 Chron. 28.22 he sinned yet more against the Lord. Answ 'T is true Answ this is not true of all neither doth affliction in its own nature drive us to God But this comes only from God who sanctifies affliction for the good of his chosen To wicked men they are the beginning of sorrowes and tend to their further ruine as they were to Pharaoh but they tend to the great benefit to such as love and fear God Rom. 8.28 to whom all things work for their best Is the time of affliction the time that God is to be sought unto by prayer Use 1 then let this minde us of our duty whether our afflictions be Nationall or personall to flye unto God as our only refuge There is a strange expression of the Prophet Hear the rod and who hath appointed it Mic. 6.9 Hear the rod What is that Why all Gods rods are speaking rods all Gods rods utter a voice or a cry and therefore must be hearkned unto Lam. 3.39 Man suffereth for his sin Our sufferings then do tell us of our sins and the Lord saith I will plead against them by the pestilence and by blood Afflictions are Gods messengers and alwaies come with a message from God that is that we finde out in our selves the cause of Gods displeasure and that we speedily meet the Lord by repentance And when Gods hand is upon us in what kind soever every soule should make this application to himself Jer. 2 1â— as to say Hast thou not procured this unto thy selfe in asmuch as thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God Surely it was a sad complaint that the Lord takes up I have corrected them but they have not been humbled The Lord help us to finde out the plague of our own hearts wherefore the hand of God is gone out this day against the Land so many waies And yet O the cursed Atheisme of our hearts that lay no more Gods judgments to heart the Pestilence hath spoken aloud to us the sword hath spoken aloud and this strange sicknesse and visitation that hath swept away so many hath spoken aloud all calling upon this Land and Nation for speedy repentance But we have not laid Gods judgments to heart we have not been humbled to this day Secondly Use 2 seeing the bosome of the Lord is the best refuge to flye unto in times of distresse we may see the happy estate and condition of Gods children above all the wicked in the world in their greatest miseries they are never left without comfort whereas wicked and ungodly ones God hears them not in the time of distresse 'T is true in time of misery wicked men wil cry call but God hears them not nor regards their cries They cried not to me when they howled upon their beds Hos 7.14 O when the Lord shall make no more account of our prayers then the very howlings of a Dogg who is able to put to silence the voice of desperation But now for the godly the Lord doth not only give them free liberty to come to the Throne of grace in times of misery but doth give them a comfortable assurance that they shall be heard Mat. 7. Ask and ye shall have And if earthly Fathers can give unto their children good things much more will our heavenly Father give not only what we ask but more abundantly Ephes 3.20 Above all that we are able to ask or think Enemies Tyrants Death Devills cannot make a true believer miserable that hath such a God to flye unto Thirdly Use 3 seeing the Lord hath recorded in his Word the prayers of his servants we may take notice of the great mercy of God towards us in this age of the world for whereas we are ignorant and know not how to pray the Lord hath provided for our weaknesse and ignorance and hath left us patterns of prayers that were made by the holy servants of God that so we might use them in the like case as Psalm 92. A Psalm for the Sabbath as most proper for that day So here A Prayer of Moses when the Church was in great affliction and distresse Dan. 9. So the Prayer of Daniel Nehemiah David c. which we may use in the like case as they did So that there is none in the Church that can plead ignorance but they may learn out of Gods Book how to pray The Lord deals with his people as a Father with his child bids him say after him Thus doth the Lord with his people Take unto you words Hos 14.3 and say thus Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously and so will we render the calves of our lips And the Lord foretells by his Prophet that he will powre upon every member of his Church this Spirit of supplication and of prayer Zach. 12.10 But may set forms of prayer be used Quest or may this Psalm of Moses be used in the
3.12 That it is faith in the Covenant that God hath made unto us in Christ that gives boldnesse and confidence when we go to God in prayer And one Reason may be taken from that unchangeable nature that is in God Reas 1 and his covenant made with his people Gen. 17. I will be thy God and the God of thy seed after thee by an everlasting Covenant And he will not suffer his truth to fail This doth Moses minde the Lord of in the entrance into his prayer Lord thou hast been our habitation in all generations in the daies of our fore-fathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob and as it is in this Text from generation to generation this they plead and that he will be the same to generations to come they rest upon Thus all his promises in Christ are Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 Besides his Word is unchangable as himselfe is Reas 2 yea Heaven and earth hall passe away and perish yet not one jot or tittle of the Word shall faile All the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ firme and faithfull and God will be sure at last to speak peace to his people May not a man rest upon that for the which he hath a word for Thy testimonies saith David are sure Ps 93.5 Ro. 10.8 And the Word is called the Word of Faith which cannot faile This serves to direct the Church of God in generall Vse 1 and every particular member of the same to wait for the Lords salvation in times of danger when they shall be brought into straights as the Church of God at this time then is the time to live by faith and to live upon promises and in prayer to plead his Covenant say Lord thou hast been our habitation in all generations leave us not nor forsake us for thy Name-sake though we have finned and provoked thee to wrath againstus yet own us for thy people and forsake us not O God of our salvation The Lord delights to hear his people wrestle with him in prayer and to get arguments to move the Lord withall It is a signe that we then pray in faith when the soul is lifted up to behold this faithfulnesse that is in God This lets us see upon what ground we must lay all our suits and requests that we put up unto God Use 2 the Covenant he hath made with his people gives boldnesse and confidence in prayer It is true our unfaithfulnesse in keeping Covenant with God is enough to stop our months and make us ashamed when we come unto him But when we come unto him thus Deliver me O Lord Ps 31.1 according to thy righteousnesse and disclaim our own and rest upon his faithfulnesse we may hope to prevail with him And therefore seeing Gods Church and children have such a Rock to flye unto and such a ground to build their suits upon with what boldnesse may they goe unto God and be assured of deliverance Before the Mountains were brought forth Text. c. MOSES here speaking of God and to God mentions his eternity saying That before the Mountains or the Earth or the World were made thou art God Wherein he affirms two things of God 1. That he was the Creator of the earth and the world 2. That he was from eternity long before Or ever thou hadst formed the earth or the world HEnce we learn Doct. 3 Thre was a time when there was no earth or world That there was a time when there was no Mountain Earth or World but God created them all The glorious Heavens and all the host of them the Earth and all the creatures therein the Sun the Moon and the Starrs had all God for their Creator Yet this point is warily to be understood of us for howsoever this work of creation is attributed to the first Person in Trinity we are not to exclude the Son nor the Holy Ghost for the whole Trinity did create the world Let us make man Gen. 1.26 This being a rule in Divinity That the works of God that are without are undivided for that which one doth all do Yet there is this difference in their order of working 1. The Father wills it 2. The Son works it 3. The Holy Ghost finisheth it Now that God Created all things at first it is clear In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Gen. 1.1 And I am the Lord and there is none other How proves he that but by this work of Creation Es 45.7 I form the light and create darknesse I make peace and create evill I the Lord do all these things And thus again doth he prove his Godhead Ier. 10.12 He hath made the earth and established the world by his wisdome And He spake the word saith the Psalmist and it was done Ps 33.9 He commanded and it stood fast And the Lord did without faintnesse and wearinesse Es 40.28 The everlasting God the Lord the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not nor is weary The visible creatures from the most glorious Angells to the most contemptible worm of the earth do all declare that there is a God and that this God is the Creator of them The visible creatures have in them all the print of an invisible God His power and his wisdome is engraven in them all yea in the smallest creatures doth Gods wisdome and power most of all appear Quest Quest 1 But when was this creation of all things Moses tells us when he saith Ans In the beginning the meaning is Gen. 1.1 In the beginning of Time For before the Creation Time was not but Eternity instead of Time And indeed the thoughts of man are here drowned here is the Ocean that we are not able to fathom what was before the world was And it is not meet that we should search into that for what are we to judge of eternity what hath plants to judge of sense or what have beasts to judge of reason or man to judge of Eternity that is himselfe finite But how did God create all things Quest 2 Not as man bringeth his works to passe by labour and pains no Ans for it is said Ps 33.9 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them He did but speak the Word and it was done the commanded and it was created God did but say Let there be light and there was light and all other creatures had their being at his command Seeing there was a time when there was no Mountain Earth or World Use 1 but that God was the Creator of them all then the heavens that are above us and the earth that is below us and all the creatures that are in the world they may serve to teach us this lesson that there is a God though these teach us not this lesson as the Scriptures teach us yet they are as a Christians Primer to teach us to
not that it is he that turneth man to destruction Secondly Vse 2 seeing these breakings and crushings yea death it selfe when we are brought to the dust are all from God and come from him Thou turnest man to destruction this may serve to abate the pride of many in these daies who spend their time pretious time as if this destruction would never come in eating and drinking ranting and roaring as if they were immortall or should never die or be called to an account of their waies think their bodies are not made of the same common mould with other men Whereas the consideration of mans mortality would much abate the pride of many had they this thought in their minds that they must shortly die and go hence and be no more Note when they shall come to see that which they never saw which they shall ever see and hear that which they never heard which they shall for ever hear and feel that which they never felt which they shall for ever feel whilst God himselfe liveth O how would the thoughts of these things humble them It was a witty answer of that Cynick Diogenes that when Alexander mockt him for being so often amongst the Tombes and Sepulchers of the dead answered O Sir I am looking for the bones of thy Father Philip but see no difference between them and other mens Why then should men be so proud and exalt themselves when they know not how soon they may be laid full low The ignorance hereof makes many to carry their heads aloft outface heaven and swell with pride and disdain of others whereas the due consideration of their own end would make them walk more humbly towards God and more meekly towards their Brethren And lastly Vse 3 since the Lord at his pleasure thus turns man to destruction to breakings and crushings yea to death it selfe it shall be our wisdome to prepare for such a change that we be not taken unprepared What man will have his evidence to seek when his cause comes to be tryed What man will go to sow when others go to reap Our life should be a continuall meditation of death and preparation for death since our weal or wo for ever depends upon it In the matters of the world men are wise they must say they provide for a rainy day in Summer for Winter and whilst they are young to keep them when they are old O where are our hearts Christians that we provide no better for death before it come And howsoever all men know that one day die they must and that repâ—ntance and other graces are to be had to make them truly happy yet here is the misery that men defer this great work to the last when many times it proves too late Now to that end I may awaken you that hear me this day Conlide rations to prepare for death in this weighty duty I beseech you take these few considerations to heart First that you would seriously consider with your selves the uncertainty of your lives thou that makest so small account of death consider with thy selfe what thy life is a puffe of breath in thy nostrills suddenly stopt and thou art gone Go to now saith Saint James you that say to day and to morrow Iam. 4.13 14. we will go into such a City and continue there a yeer and buy and sell and get gain and yet ye cannot tell what shall be to morrow for what is your life is it not a vapour c. What man when he goes to bed can assure himselfe that he shall rise again in the morning Who knoweth saith Solomon what the day travelleth withall and may bring forth ere night Eccles 9.12 Man doth not know his time and as fishes are taken in an evill net and birds in a snare so are the children of men Secondly consider the danger of deferring of repentance and this preparation for death to the last hower when all the infirmities of our nature will then seize upon us when extremity pain griefe anguish will so perplexeus that the best counsell will have little tast and the best prayers little sweetnesse in them this will prove a time of spending and not a time of storing What wise man then will deferre all this time Consider how often these purposes of repentance and turning to God at last have miscarried many thousands that are now in hell without hope of mercy that in their life time purposed at last to repent and to return to God whereas such as have often abused grace and mercy offered unto them the Lord doth often at last give such up to the hardnesse of their hearts that when they would they cannot repent and those melting qualmes which sometimes now thou meetest withall under the Ministry of the Word though thou wouldest give a world thou canst not meet with them again O the sad spectacles that we that are Ministers of the Word doe oftentimes meet withall Some in Spyras case who being exhorted to say the Lords Prayer answered O I cannot call God Father And some again like Nabal whose heart dyed like a stone within him And last of all do but consider with your selves that albeit thou maist enjoy thy memory to the last and maist have with thee some godly Ministers to instruct thee and to pray for thee yet how knowest thou whether his prayers for thee or thy own prayers for thy selfe shall then be heard and accepted Doth not Christ say that many at last shall seek to enter but shall not be able Did not those foolish Virgins cry Lord Lord open unto us yet were for ever shut out of the Marriage Chamber And doth not the Lord threaten that though Noah Daniel and Samuel should pray for this people yet I will not hear them Nay thy case may be such that though all the Angells in heaven and Saints on earth should intreat for thee yet God will not be intreated This is clear Because I have called Prov. 1.24 25.26 and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and ye have not regarded But ye have set at naught my counsell c. I will also laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear commeth O the misery of a poor soul when God shall shut out his prayers and shall be so far from pittying him in this time of distresse as that he shall laugh at his destruction And sayest Text. Return ye sons of men ALbeit as we have heard there is an inevitable necessity laid upon all Adams posterity by reason of sin that they must once die Thou turnest man to destruction So sure and certain it is that all men shall one day rise again Thou sayest Return ye sons of men q. d. At thy will and at thy word they shall at last return from dust and corruption again Though the bodies of men by reason of sin Doct. 3 All men at last shall rise again do tast of death and turn to dust yet by a
lives Is there any so vile or so wretched that if they were perswaded that they should dye this night before to morrow would they deck and trim paint and pounce and pamper those bodyes of theirs that so suddenly must feed the worms no no if men made this accompt of their life as at an howers warning they would provide better for that life that shall last for ever This was the reason why that evill servant fell to eating and drinking and beating his fellow servant Mat. 24.48 he thought his master would be long a coming A contrary example we have in Moses this man of God that albeit he might have inioyed the pleasures of Pharaohs Court with honour wealth and what not yet refused them all upon this accompt that they were but for a season All the pleasures comforts contentments and outward felicities that the world can afford us are but for a season short and momentany and must have an end And the end of a wicked mans pleasures ends in paine Son remember that thou in thy lif time Luk. 16. c. when one howers torment in hell will make the wicked forget all their pleasures on earth And therefore this should serve in the last place for Exhortation That we alwayes have death before our eyes and to think upon it to accompt of the present time and day as our last and so to live as if every day we should dye that we may be in a continuall readinesse for our dissolution and change when we shall goe hence and be no more There can be no worse deceipt then when a man deceives himselfe in this reckoning Vse 2 Luk. 12.37 He was worthily called a foole that said Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years eat drink and be merry And since it is the Lord that must teach us this wisdome we must pray unto him to teach us this lesson to number our dayes aright for till God teach us this wisdom we shall never repent forsake the world and seek for a better life And therfore I earnestly commend this duty to you and it is my desire to presse it upon my self that we all reckon this with our selves as though this day should be our last day and this nigh our last night that when the Lord shal call us hence he might find us so doing hitherto of the petition Lord teach us to c. That we may apply our hearts to wisdom HEre we have the second part at first propounded Part. 2 And that is the end of this petition or the use of this request viz. that we may apply our hearts c. These words may be taken in a double sence That we may apply our hearts to wisdom That is that seeing our life is so short here and so uncertaine we may no longer live in sin as we have done but may truly repent Doct. 3 live more wisely and circumspectly feare thy anger Men are never truly wise till they accompt of every day as their last day and be afraid to provoke thee by our sins as we have done this Moses accompts true wisdom And the words being taken in this sence the doctrine is That men are never truly wise till they accompt of every day as their last day Herein lyes true wisdom O that men were wise Deut. 32 29. then would they remember their latter end As if men were never truly wise till then There is nothing more naturall unto us then to perswade our selves of long life And that we shall still continue in a happie and flourishing estate It was Davids case to be thus lifted up in times of prosperitie I said saith he I shall neve be removed Psal 30.6 thou Lord of thy goodnesse hast made my hill so strong When God had setled David in his Kingdom had made him to prosper and given him the upper hand of his enemies He was ready to fall asleep and to make his reckoning that he should ever continue thus happie That his good dayes should last for ever and his prosperitie should never faile And this was the case of Iob that holy man In the time of his prosperitie he had such thoughts as these I said I shall dye in my nest Iob 19.18 and I shall multiply my dayes as the sand And againe my glory shal be renewed ver 28 and my bowe shall be strengthned in my hand What is this but to reckon without our host when we shall thus flatter our selves that we shall continue in our state whereas our very lives and being here with whatsoever we have and enjoy is only at his pleasure we have nothing soe intayl'd upon us here that we injoy in life and death but the Lord when it pleaseth him can either take us from it or it from us It is wisdom then to provide for our change before the evill day come upon us this is Solomons advice Eccle. 12.1 Remember thy creator in the dayes of thy youth while the evill dayes come not nor the yeares of affliction wherein thou shalt say I have noe pleasure in them q. d. certainly the time of sicknes and death will come when all these earthly comforts will fly away A man never comes to be truly wise till he thus comes to esteeme of his life and to provide for his change And indeed what man will have his evidence then to seek when his cause comes to be tryed In the matters of this world men are so wise in summer to provide for winter in health to provide forsickness We will count but such a one a foole that will then goe to sowe when other men goe to reape O where are our hearts that we are noe more spiritually wise for our souls Pro. 10.14 Wise men sayth Solomon lay up knowledg before hand And such prove themselves fooles at last With those foolish virgins that have not the oyle of grace in readiness when death comes Seeing that herein lyes true wisdom Vse 1 to be in a continuall readiness for our change this shewes that the wisdom of the world is but foolishness to God 1 Cor. 1. for whom doe men commonly judge to be wise men but such as have reaching heades to buy and to sell that can tell how to purchase lands and livings and grow rich in the world and grow great and mighty here All this wisdom comes from nature and may have nothing in it but nature If this be not guided by the word you shall see what reckoning and accompt the Lord makes of it When he saith they have rejected the word of the Lord Ier. 8.9 and what wisdom is in them what greater folly can there be in the world then for these vaine and foolish trifles the pleasures of sin that are but for a season to lose for ever a mans most pretions soul to passe away for earthly things with Esau the birth-right of our inheritance which such do that are not wise
for eternitie O then would we be loath to be accompted fooles in death as Nabal was who when he came to dye the text sayth His heart dyed like a stone within him let us take out this lesson whilst we are alive to number our dayes aright and to provide for death continually Secondly Use 2 seeing true wisdom is that when men are wise for their souls This may serve for exhortation that as we desire to approve our selves to be the sons of wisdom to make this our principal care to make sure for eternitie This is that one thing that is so necessary that if we misse of that we are undone for ever But how may we come by this wisdō Quest Saint Iames tels us Answ If any man lack wisdom let him aske it of God Jam. 1.5 And Moses his practice here may also informe us Lord teach us to number our dayes It is God that must be our Schoolmaster to teach us this wisdom And the humble he will teach in his way The humble and most self denying christian is ever the most wise christian whereas God rejecteth the proud sendeth the rich empty away Seldom doth any grace either grow or prosper in a proud man or in a proud heart The humble christian tastes of the kernell and sweetness of religions when the prond man hath only the shell Now in seeking this wisdom these Rules must be observed Come in a self-deniall of thy selfe and of thy owne wisdom 1 Cor. 3.18 let him that would be wise became a foole that he may be wise Seek it at Gods hand dy humble and hearty prayers earnestly nor coldly and uegligently Pr. 2.1 Search for wisdom as for treasure Saith Solomon the kingdom of God suffereth violence and violent take it by force Meditate much and oft of the doctrin now taught viz Of the frailty of mans life and our uncertaine being here that this grace must be had to make us happie That we may apply our hearts to wisdome A Gaine the words may be taken in this sence that is as we have heretofore lived in sin now we may live to God to repent and amend our lives and to walke more humbly and more holily with God And thus Moses seemes to expound the words This is your wisdome Deut. 4.6 and your understanding in the sight of the nations which shall heare all these statutes and say surely this nation is a wise and understanding people viz by keeping of the Commandements and doing them In this sence the thing that Moses prayes for is for wisdom and care to keepe the Commandements of God that for the time to come they might walk in his feare as obedient children before him and then the doctrine is That Heavenly wisdom doth consist principally in keeping the Commandements of God to live in faith Doct. 4 True wisdome consists in true obedience Repentance and true obedience to God This is true wisdom by the testimony of Moses himselfe Or thus true wisdom doth consist in true obedience to the will of God True wisdom and the knowledg of God is the candle of the soul to light it and to shine unto it in the wayes of God Thy word saith David is a Lanthorne unto my feete and a light unto my paths When we carry an awfull and reverent awe and dread of the maiestie of God and feare to sin against him this is true wisdom The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledg Pro. 1.7 but fooles despise wisdom And thus have the Saints and servants of God approved themselves to God in walking in the Commandements of God thus Enoch is said to walke with God Gen. 5.21 Lu. 1.6 And Zachary and Elizabeth walked in all the Commandements of God When we are holy as he is holy 1 Pet. 1. perfect as our Heavenly father is perfect when our desire is to walke in an universall obedience to all Gods Commandements with David Psal 119 O that my wayes were so direct that I might keep thy statutes so shall I not be confounded whilest I have respect to all thy Commandements These are truly wise and truly blessed Ps 119.1 Blessed are they that are undefiled and walke in the law of the Lord. And in this did Iob comfort himselfe and approved the uprightnesse of his heart to God Iob 23.10 He knoweth my way and trieth me and I shall come forth as gold But whence hath Iob this confidence verse 11. this he shewes My foot hath followed his steps his way have I kept A contrary example whereof we have in Iehu 2 Reg. 10.31 that howsoever he did many things that God had commanded him in the matter of Ahab yet this is left for a blot upon his name that shall never be wiped out Hos 1.4 Iehu tooke not heed to walk in the Commandoments of God with all his heart And hence it is that the Lord threatned to charge upon Iehu all the blood of the house of Iesreel And this is it the Lord requireth of his people A Son Honoreth his father and a servant his master If I be a father where is my honour c. So that the poynt is cleare that heavenly wisdom consists principally in this in walking humbly and holily before God and in keeping his commandements By this we are known to be Gods Reas 1 as a servant by his livery is knowne to belong to such a Master hereby we know And by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples c. Secondly we owe unto God our lives our liberties Reas 2 and all that we have and therefore when he commands he commands but his owne 1 Cor. 6.19 20. Ye are not your own but ye are bought with a price therfore glorifie God in your bodies and spirits for they are Gods we cannot serve a better master neither can we expect a surer reward We shal all be iudged at last Reas 3 according to things we have done in our bodies whether they be good or evill 2 Cor. 5.10 Rom. 8.14 Then such as have lived after the flesh shall dye And such as have lived after the spirit shall live Then we shall see the Difference betwixt him that served God Mal. and him that served him not Then those wise virgins that with the Iamps of an outward profession had the oyle of grace in their hearts shall be knowne from the foolish that wanted grace Vse 1 This lets us see how far the greatest part of the world are from this wisdom who want this feare of God before their eyes that live in all manner of iniquitie and prophannesse these reiect the word of the Lord. They cast away all care of keeping Gods Commandements And what wisdom is in them Ier. 8.9 Secondly noe less folly appeares in those that are so wise for the world such fooles for their souls Vse 2 wise for the earth but fooles for Heaven
sorrow shall be turned into joy and your hearts-shall rejoyce It is true affliction and the pangs of repentance do sometimes so dazzle the eyes of the godly that their priviledges are sometimes hid from them There is a seed-time for peace and a seed-time for joy which many times proves sharp and bitter Light is sowen for the righteous The time of repentance and godly sorrow is this seed-time which howsoever the godly sow in tears yet they shall doubtlesse come again with joy and bring their sheaves with them Worldly sorrow is comfortlesse that separates from God But godly sorrow causeth repentance unto life and brings peace at last in as much as it drawes us neer to God This also lets us see the misery of many thousands in the world Use 2 and what enemies they are to their own peace and comfort that hoodwink themselves and labour for nothing more then to keep sorrow from their hearts they will not be brought to see the foulnesse of their sins but labour to smother the checks of their owne consciences that when either by the Ministry of the Word or by some sharp affliction they have had their sins discovered and their consciences awakened fall to sports and pastimes and merry company and drink away care and to put away these melancholick thoughts as they call them out of their heads and use all means possibly to thrust out of their minds the thoughts of sin that they may not be troubled like a man in a burning Feaver that drinks cold water which at last doth but increase his fit Alas what cold comfort is this to a distressed conscience whereas the only way is to flie unto God to confesse sin and by true repentance and godly sorrow to lay the soul low at the footstool of the throne of grace with David and to beg for mercy O fill us with thy mercy WE have felt thy anger justly upon us for our sins q.d. so as thou hast justly turned away thy savour and shewed thy heavy displeasure against us Yet we beseech thee be a reconciled God unto us again and according to the extremity of our misery fill us with thy mercy Hence we-learn Doct. 2 Before we be filled with â—nercy we must feel our misery That before we can be filled with Gods mercy we must have a lively sense of our own misery Moses and the people here confesse their sins and the exceeding misery they had plunged themselves into by reason of sin and then they beg for mercy and cry and call for mercy and that for no small quantity but for abundant store of it Fill us with thy mercy Before we be filled with mercy we must feel our misery When Adam had sinned how did the Lord bring him into a capacitie of mercy and deliverance but by bringing him to see into what a bottomlesse gulph of misery he had plunged himselfe into Gen. 3.9 Adam where art thou And again Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee thou shouldeâ—â— not eat And this is the direction the Lord gives to his Prophet Es 58. Cause Jerusalem to know her abominations And this Doctrine is taught by our Saviour himselfe in that Sermon of his upon the Mount Mat. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted And Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse c. where our Saviour tells us that none can be satisfied with Gods mercies in Christ but the hungry and thirsty souls Look we upon all those godly converts mentioned in the Scriptures David Peter Mary Magdalen those poor Jewes that had imbrued their hands in the blood of the Lord Jesus and see how sensible they were of their sins and misery by reason of sin before they were filled with Gods mercy in the assurance of the pardon of their sins David he sits weladaying night and day and waters his couch with tears Peter weeps bitterly Mary Magdalen washeth the feet of Christ with tears the Jewes cry out Men and brethren what shall we do to be saved In a word all of them in some measure have had their hearts broken have felt the terrours of the Lord and their consciences touched with the apprehension of Gods wrath and have tasted of the bitternesse of sin before they have tasted of the mercies of God in Christ for the pardon of them This wounding of the heart and terrour of conscience for sin Reas 1 though it be no grace yet it makes way for grace in the soul as one saith though it wash not the hands yet it puts off the gloves It is as the needle that makes way for the third God first gives the spirit of bondage which is the spirit of fear and then gives a spirit of adoption which gives boldnesse and comfort when the threats of the Law have had their proper work upon the conscience to convince of sin unto condemnation then the sweet promises of the Gospell will prove seasonable to the humble soul to convince them of Christs righteousnesse to salvation Secondly Reas 2 that herein and hereby the Lord may make his children come to know the price and worth of mercy which the Lord will do to those upon whom he intends to bestow mercy How welcome will a pardon be to a condemned person that lookes every day for execution O how pretious will the least drop of Christs blood be to a wounded soul that pants and breaths under the heat of Gods wrath for sin No chased Hart doth more earnestly covet the soyle then such a distressed soul for Christ Besides Reas 3 Luk. 1.53 all the promises of mercy are made to such and such only He filleth the hungry with good things but sends the rich emptie away Luk. 5.31 The whole needs not a Physician but those that are sick Joh. 7.37 Matth. 5.5 6. This lets us see the reason Use 1 why most men have no more sense nor feeling of Gods mercy or else have but small tast of it the reason is they never yet felt the weight and burthen of their sins they were never truly humbled for their exceeding misery they never felt their extream need of Gods mercy and the blood of Christ to save their souls they did never truly hunger and thirst after it but like the Laodicean Church thought themselves well enough Rev. 3.17 and needed nothing but knew not that they are miserable and poor and blinde and naked Would you be filled with Gods mercy would you drink your fill of the water of life then you must hunger and thirst after it and finde your extream need of mercy beg mercy at Gods hand with tears Men hunger and thirst after the things of this life because they feel the want of them but they thirst not after mercy because they feel no want of mercy their stomachs are so cloyed with the love of the world with the profits pleasures and the delights of the flesh that they have
a loving Husband his Wife So if thou be a true servant of God thou maist assure thy selfe that God will let his worke appear to protect and defend thee And this lets us see the happy priviledge of the faithfull above all wicked and ungodly men Vse 2 whereas the wicked lye open to all miseries and dangers have no rock of defence to fly unto for shelter the faithfull have a sure rock of defence to flye unto in time of need Hath God made this known to thy Soul that thou art one that God hath taken into covenant with himselfe O happy and blessed for ever is thy condition Psal 144 15. Happy be the people that be in such a case Blessed be those folke that have the Lord for their God others may bee more rich in regard of these outward things but none more happy The prophet concludes the happiness of such when he sayth Ps 84.11 The Lord is a Sun and a shield the Lord will give grace and glory and no good thing will he with-hold from them that are upright 1. He will be a Sun to them that is as the Sun gives light and comfort so will God be all in all unto them 2. He will be a shield unto them nothing shall hurt them that are in covenant with him 3. He will give grace more to them then to all the world besides which is more worth then kingdomes 4. Glory I am thine sayth David O save me When Christ which is our life shall appeare then shall we appeare with him in glory 5. And lastly No good thing will he with-hold if he give the greater he will not deny the lesser If riches be good they shall have it If credit be good they shall have it if health peace prosperity c. if the Lord see them good for them they shall not want them But if afflictions povertie sicknesse c. be best they shall have them too See there what a portion they shall have that have the Lord for their God that are his servants and are in covenant with him All those gratious promises that God hath made in his word belong to thee And I tell thee that one promise is more worth then all thou hast in the world besides and will last longer and do thee more good yea more thou hast now to leave to thy posterity a promise that God will be thy God and the God of thy seed after thee which is more worth then all the portion thou canst leave them Let thy works be seene q. d. O Lord let all the world see and know that thou art a mercifull deliverer of thy people that thou art their mighty Protector so that it seemes they speake of some singular work and protection of God of his Church and people Hence we learne That of all the workes of God Doct. 3 there is none more excellent then this No work more excellent then Gods protecting his Church viz. the protection of his church people for this in a way of excellency is called the peculiar worke of God It is true indeed when the Lord doth punish the stubbornnesse and rebellion of his people their infidelity murmurings and unthank fullnesse c. then appears the power of God the truth Justice of God But in nothing more doth the Lord shew his power then in protecting of his Church and people against the face of their cruell and bloody enemies And this Moses here shews when he calls this in a way of excellency The worke of God Let thy worke in protecting and delivering us thy Church and people Appeare wherein Moses doth prefer this worke of God in taking care of his Church in protecting defending and delivering of it to all other the works of God whereby he makes his power knowne then by any other token of his besides As we may see in Pharaoh when did the Lord ever get himselfe a greater name then in delivering his people out of Egypt and over his armies at the red Sea Exod. 1. Come let us work wisely saith Pharaoh but the Lord let him see that there is neither wisdome nor counsell against him but the more he sought to suppresse the Church the more it multiplyed and increased Hamans plot against the Church was very dangerous and damnable Hest 3.7.9 but the plot that he contrived the Lord disappointed and himselfe fell into that pit that he had digged for others Zac. 12.3 The Church of God is such a heavy stone that never any lifted at it but was crushed in peeces So that of the Church the Lord speaketh thus Esa 59.16 I wondred that there was no intercessor therefore his arme brought Salvation unto him and his righteousnesse it sustained him What though the Church of God be but as a garden in comparison of the rest of the world yet it is a well fenced garden and though the godly in themselves are but few weake simple and so more shiftlesse then others yet they are strangely kept 2 Reg. 6.10 and strongly preserved and have more with them then those that are against them Not that the Church and people of God are free from perils and dangers It is enough that they are preserved in them and at last shal be delivered from them as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4.8 We are afflicted on every side yet are we not in distresse in poverty but not overcome persecuted but not forsaken c. Now that of all the workes of God there is none more excellent then the protection of his Church these Reasons further shew First Reas 1 because this shewes that God is still present with his Church and is ready to succour them in time of danger Gather together on heapes ye people and ye shall be broken in peeces Zeph. 3.14 The reason is there given for God is with us and againe rejoyce O Daughter of Sion be joyfull O Israel for the Lord thy God is in the middest of thee The Lord indeed is present every where but in a speciall manner he is present in his Church He walketh in the middest of the seaven golden Candlesticks that is the Churches Secondly Reas 2 in regard his Church and people are most deare unto him He loveth the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Jacob. Ps 87.2 Es 43.4 And Since thou wast precious in my sight thou hast been honorable aod I have loved thee And hence is it that the Church is called Esay 49 22. The beautie of the whole earth The fairest amongst women c. Cant. 14.13 All shewing the high esteeme that God hath of his Church and people Thirdly Rea. 3 the Lord is pleased thus to work for his Churches safety protection and deliverance for his owne glory that his power might and stretched out arme might appeare As the Lord said to Gideon Iudg. 7.2 the people that are with thee are too many for me to give the
the day with a cloud in the night with a Pillar of fire He clave the Rock in the Wildernesse and gave them drink And so goes on in that Psalm to set forth the great deliverances that God from time to time shewed unto his people But here was their sin For all this they believed not his wondrous works but limited the holy one of Israel And therefore this made way for his anger and he spared not their souls from death but gave their life to the pestilence This sin above all others provokes to wrath This sin of calling Gods power and goodnesse into question Reas 2 by such as have had experience of the same is quite contrary to the nature and being of Faith in the soul We can in nothing more glorifie God then by living the life of Faith Heb. 2.4 The just shall live by faith And this was the commendation of Abrahams faith that he staggered not at the promise of God through unbeliefe Rom. 4.20 So on the contrary part no sin doth more dishonour God as when we limit the holy one of Israel and dares not trust him in times of straights Joh. 5.10 He that believeth not hath made him a lyar And what greater disgrace can be cast upon any than to give him the lie Serves to admonish us by their sin Use 1 and the judgment of God upon them to take heed that we commit not the like but learn by the experience of Gods former mercies to be encouraged to rely upon our gracious God for time to come And if the Lord should be pleased to bring us into tryall by one means or another let the remembrance of Gods former love and mercy arme us against doubtings and distrust This consideration was that which armed David when he was to go out against Goliah The Lord hath delivered me from the Lyon and the Bear so shall he deal with this Philistine How comes David to conclude so confidently against Goliah Surely it was the experience he had of Gods former goodnesse and mercy towards him And this serves likewise to admonish us Use 2 in a speciall manner to take notice of those speciall and distinct acts of Gods providence goodnesse and mercy from time to time to wards us to the end we may have boldnesse and confidence in time of need Experience saith the Apostle breedeth Ro. 5.4 hope Upon this we may stay our hearts and comfort our selves in time of need He hath delivered us and he will deliver us O let us take heed that we despair not of Gods mercy and so murmur against the Lord lest thereby we provoke him to anger as this people did 1 Cor. 10.10 Neither murmur ye as some of them murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer Hitherto of the occasion of this Psalm A Prayer of Moses the man of God BEfore we come to the Psalm it selfe we are to speak of the Title or inscription which is part of it and is of no lesse authority then the Psalm it selfe and ought to be read together with the Psalm A Prayer of Moses the man of God In this Inscription we have 1. The person Moses 2 His praise The man of God 3. His practice He prayeth for the Church 4. The time when When the Church of God was in great affliction and distresse Moses the man of God 1 The Person or a worthy Prophet and servant of God And thus were the Prophets of old called a man of God or a servant of God a man inspired and guided by the Spirit of God He is the Pen-man of this excellent Psalm a man highly honoured of God if we look upon his Birth his Life his Death In all these God takes speciall care of Moses and his speciall providence is seen â—n them all First for his Birth 1 For Moses Birth Exod. 1.15 that he should be born at such a time wherein it was death to be born for now had Pharaoh published that bloody Edict that the Midwives of Egypt should destroy all the male-children of the Israelites Yet notwithstanding that the Lord should preserve him at such a time and cause him to be nursed up under the nose of that bloody Tyrant as the reputed Son of Pharaoh's Daughter This thing could not but clear the speciall care that God had of him and that he intended him for some speciall service in his Church Secondly 2 For Moses Life as in his Birth so in his Life Gods speciall providence still goes along with him in directing him to be an instrumentall Saviour unto his people and a great Prophet in his Church and to that end preserved him in the midst of many dangers when it was even death for him to come into Pharaohs presence Exod. 10.28 Thirdly 3 For Moses Death as God takes care of Moses in his Birth and in his Life so also for his Death and Buriall God disposeth of all these according to the good pleasure of his own will for the time When the place Where and the manner How as it is recorded that Moses the servant of the Lord dyed in the land of Moab Deut. 34.5 according to the Word of the Lord. This is that Moses that is the Pen-man of this Psalm a man highly beloved of God and so familiar with his Maker that the Lord was pleased so to manifest himselfe unto him that we never read of the like for the Lord talked with him as one man talks with another A man so powerfull with God in prayer and so full of such rare zeale in prayer wherein hee had such a notable dexterity and gift that we doe not read that God denied him any thing that hee sought at his hands especially for the Church He is the penman of that Psalme Which should teach us highly to esteeme this Psalm as an excellent prayer of his Vse The writings and speeches of great men and learned men that are in great esteeme in the World are highly esteemed and looked upon by us and we listen much unto them Loe we have here a psalm and prayer of a great Prophet a man highly in Gods favour how ought it to be highly esteemed of us For his praise 2 His praise he is here stiled A man of God which is his compellation or Title given him by the spirit of God The man of God Where Note That Moses Name is not barely set downe but with an Appendix or Attribute of Honour and such an honour then the which none can be greater The man of God From whence we learne Doct. 2 to be stiled A man of God The greatest honour to be called a Man of God or a Servant of God is the highest pitch of honour that can be given to the Sons of men As it is a great comfort in life so it is a high honour in death to be a Man of God This is an honour that remaineth to posterity a pretious name that
this was Eliah called the Chariot and Horseman of Israel because his prayers were so powerfull with God Secondly Use 2 this lets people know what a high esteem they ought to have of faithfull Ministers Let men so account of us saith Paul as the Ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God They are the Josephs that God hath sent into the land to open the Lords granaries to preserve the souls of Gods people from spirituall famine Had it not been that God had had these Moses Aaron Phineas Jeremie and Daniel amongst us and such faithfull ones that had stood in the gap Englands sin had brought Englands ruine before this day How forcible were the prayers of Abraham to spare the Sodomites What had God done at his request if there had been but ten righteous found in those Cities How did Moses bind the hands of God by his prayers when his wrathfull displeasure was ready to break out against the people Surely our daies of Humiliation Exod. 32.10 and our seeking of God have not returned in vain But God hath heard us And for the sake of some few in this Land God hath deferred his wrath that England hath not been a Boachim a Land of mourning and desolation And what may England now expect when these that have been the Chariots and Horsemen of our Israel and have hitherto stood in the gap and for whose sake the Lord hath spared the Land When these I say shall be judged the troublers of Israel as they that are the greatest Enemies of Englands peace Surely this high contempt of the Ministry of England this day is that which prognosticates no good to England this day This may serve to mind us of the Ministry of a necessary duty that belongs unto our calling Use 3 viz. that wee be frequent and oft in this duty of prayer not onely at Sermon time to begin and end the same with prayer which the most do But even in private to bee earnest Solicitors to the Throne of grace in the behalfe of our people What blessing can wee look for from God upon that Sermon that God is not sought unto by prayer I am sure it is not the least comfort that many a Faithfull Minister of Christ reapes to himself his conscionable discharge of this duty of private prayer for his Flock When he receives but little comfort in his publick Ministry And that Minister that minds onely preaching and neglects this duty of prayer may well question his owne heart that hee aims more at his own glory then Gods And last of all this may serve for Exhortation Use 4 That seing prayer is such an essentiall Duty of a faithfull Ministry and such as are teachers of the people should pray for the people And that by this meanes many mercies have beene obtained and many judgments have been removed this should move us all that are the Ministers of the word to be much in prayer Es 62.2 to give the Lord no rest untill he have mercy upon Sion Let us that be the Lords Remembrancers and the Watchmen of the Lords Flock never give the Lord rest nor let him bee still till we see that hee shall in mercy remove his Judgments which lie heavy upon us for our sins Let us that are the Watch-men of Israel take heed that the Lord put not up against us that wofull complaint Eze. 22.30 I sought for a man that should have made up the hedge and stood in the gap before me for the Land that I might not destroy them But I found none therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them and consumed them with the fire of my wrath What shall then become of those that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap to stay the wrath of God That shall be hedge-breakers and open a gap by their sinns their negligence and carelesnesse their scandalous lives How fearfull will Gods anger be against such one day as wee may see in that Chapter A Prayer of Moses the man of God THE last particular in the title is the time when Moses composed this prayer The time when Moses made this prayer viz. when the Church and people of God were in great affliction and distress now in the Wilderness being almost wasted and consumed with the plague and pestilence and other Judgements of God upon them for their sins Now in asmuch as they make this their onely refuge to fly unto God by prayer Doct. 4 The time of affliction is the time of prayer The Doctrine is That the time of affliction is the the time of prayer This Moses and the people of God at this time make their onely Refuge to fly unto God to humble themselves before him and intreat the pardon of their sinns and that the Lord would turn away his wrath and return again in favour and mercy towards them and indeed this is the Argument of this Psalm And this is such a remedy as the Lord himself prescribes Ps 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear thee and deliver thee Where the Lord prescribes this as the chiefest remedy and refuge in times of calamity and distress To seek unto God by prayer This doth Moses and the people of God at this time of great affliction and distresse when they were almost wasted and consumed with the Plague and Pestilence they fly unto God as their onely Refuge in this time of distresse And this hath been the practice of Gods Church and people in all ages The Jewes in Hesters time when Haman had laid his plot utterly to destroy them Hest 4. they make God their Refuge Thus when Senacherib sent a mighty Host against Hezechiah and his people 2 Reg. 19.17 2 Cron. 20. He spreads his blasphemous letters before the Lord and makes an earnest prayer unto God Thus was it with good King Jehosophat when the Ammonits Moabits came up against them that hee and his people were at that straight that they knew not what to do or which way to turne themselves yet flying unto God by prayer were delivered And this the Lord himselfe doth witnesse unto when he saith Hos 5.14 I will be unto Ephraim as a Lyon and as a young Lyon to the house of Judah c. till they acknowledge their offences and seek my face for in their affliction they will seek me early And so indeed they did for immediately they call on one another and provoke one another Come let us return unto the Lord Hos 6.1 for he hath wounded us and he will heale us And if wee look into particular Examples wee shall find that Gods servants in their greatest straights have still had recourse to God Jonas in the Whales belly Ion 2.1 2. Out of the belly of Hell cryed I and thou heardst my voice Manasses albeit in the time of his prosperity he forgat God 2 Chron. 33. yet in his
like time of the Churches misery and distresse or may we pray by a book Answ Answ There is no doubt but the Church of God and the particular members of it may use set forms of prayer Christ himselfe the great Doctor of his Church prescribes to his Disciples a form of prayer not only to be a pattern and sampler as some would have it Mat. 6.9 After this manner pray ye but also that they might pray in those very words Lnke 11.2 as When ye pray say Our Father c. The purest Churches have had their Lythurgies and set forms of prayer And for Heads of families where the spirit of prayer is wanting and such other qualifications as are necessary in prayer a set form may and ought to be used For every child of God though he have an honest heart yet hath he not ever a flowing tongue but is weak in invention frail in memory bashfull and fearfull Such may use the help of others in a forme prescribed before them with this condition That they take heed that they rest not in those beginnings It is requisite that the Nurse take the child by the hand at first to teach it to goe But she will not alwaies give it the hand The Lord lookes for a proficiency at our hands as in all gracee so in the gift of prayer Besides the daily occurrences that come in upon us in this life sometimes fresh temptations from Sathan troubles from the world and the workings of corruptions daily within us call for a powring out of our hearts to God and the inlargings of our requests which many times are not in our stinted prayers Besides God hath promised To him that hath shall be given By the conscionable use of thy small gift thou hast in thee thou shalt increase it and perform it daily with more comfort And that this prayer of Moses may be used in times of common Calamities It is the Churches constant practice to make use of severall Psalmes upon severall occasions to be sung in our Churches as Ps 92. Ps 22. Ps 39. Ps 102. c. Hitherto of the title of the Psalm Ver. 1. Lord thou hast been our dweling place in all generations MOses and the people of God begin this prayer of theirs with a Complaint of their great sufferings and grievous afflictions that they indâ—red not onely in Aegypt under Pharaoh and the Egyptians but now in the Wildernesse since the Lord delivered them and brought them out with his Almighty hand and stretched out arm And the first part of their prayer is a Complaint unto God that their estate was far worse then the estate and condition of their Forefathers And this is called A Prayer of Moses though indeed it bee but a Complaint Hence we learn That in times of misery and affliction Doct. 1 The very complaints of the godly are effectuall prayers with God the very Complaints and Sobs and Sighs of Gods people bee forcible prayers in the sight of God and loud cries in his eares This is a speciall point to be observed of us that our very complaints to God our sighs and groanes in times of misery and distresse are with God as powerfull and effectuall prayers Moses complaining and mourning now in their misery calls it a prayer A man may pray effectually when in his own feeling and apprehension his heart is utterly indisposed to prayer When a child of God is overwhelmed with grief and his thoughts perplexed and sore troubled that he is not able to conceive a prayer either for matter or method yet even then may this troubled and perplexed soul make an effectuall prayer unto God by his Complaints sighs and groanes unto God This was Moses case at another time when the people of Israel were in great distresse by Pharaoh and the Aegyptians who pursued after them with their Chariots and Horsemen and they were in that straight that they knew not how to escape Moses Exo. 14.15 wherefore cryest thou Saith God yet wee do not read that Moses spake a word But it is like that he groaned in spirit and yet this was a loud and effectuall prayer with the Lord. And such was the behaviour of Hannah in the Temple no voice of her at all was heard and yet then it is said 1 Sam. 1.13 that She poured out her soul before the Lord. Thus did Hezechiah Esay 38.14 Mourned like a Dove and Chatter like a Crane being much oppressed with grief And this was looked upon as an effectuall prayer with God Ps 77.3.4 How oft was David in such straights in his spirit That his spirit was overwhelmed within him and hee not able to make a distinct prayer unto God nor speak a word yet even then did David pray effectually to God This honour have all the Saints that their complaints their very sighs and groanes are accepted of him Ps 88. See the title of the 88. Ps A prayer containing a grievous complaint Whereas it is true of all wicked and ungodly men though they make many prayers Es 1.15 God will not hear them Albeit ye make many prayers I will not hear you for your hands are full of blood And again Will you steal Murther and commit Adultery and stand before me in my house Behold I see it saith the Lord And therefore cast you out of my sight O the misery of every wicked and ungodly man that whereas in times of affliction and distresse his onely refuge is to fly unto God by earnest and hearty prayer This man cannot pray if he pray he speaks in a language that God understands not Prov. 15.8 Psal 66.18 his prayers are abomination unto the Lord. If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not hear me Quest But what may bee the Reasons why the complaints and groanes of the godly are thus looked upon as powerfull and effectual prayers with God First Reas 1 Because the prayer that prevails most with God is not so much the labour of the lips as the labour of the heart And let a prayer be never so well composed for matter or Method and bee dressed with never so much Eloquence and variety of expressions Yet if the heart be not affected if the sighs and groans of the heart be wanting and faith within that makes the same effectuall they are not regarded at all with God Secondly Reas 2 because the godly in their greatest miseries and distresses that they can be brought into when they are not able to pray Yet they have the spirit within them that makes requests for them Rom. 8.26 with sighs and groans that cannot be expressed But he that searcheth the heart knoweth what the mind of the Spirit is And a complaint sigh and groan proceeding from the Spirit must needs bee heard and answered of God This may minister matter of singular comfort and consolation to maâ—y a poor distressed soul and wounded conscience Use 1 when as the
Lord withdrawes the comfort and feeling of his loving kindness and mercy from them and they apprehend the anger of God against them for their sins It is wonderfull to see how the servants of God at such times are cast down and humbled yea they are not then able to pray nor to call God Father but be for a time in a trance and as it were overwhelmed in the sence of Gods displeasure and for their lives cannot lift up their voice to God in prayer Now in such a case as this what is the comfort of a poor distressed soul thus humbled and amazed and cast down But to make their moane and complaint to God as Moses doth here Tell the Lord that thou canst not pray as thou desirest Complain unto the Lord and say O Lord what wilt thou have me to do wilt thou leave thy servant thus Say with Jehosophat I know not what to do Lord 2 Chron. 20.12 but my eyes are upon thee If we can but complain thus and mourn thus for our misery this is an earnest prayer in Gods sight as this of Moses and of David and Hezekiah Tell me you that are tender hearted Parents have not the sighs and moans and groans of your little Infants moved your bowells within you to pitty and compassion towards them as ever the requests that they have made unto you O the Lord doth as much yea more then you can do this way the very sighs and groans and tears of his children prevail with him much more than their words can The Lord is said to hear the groaning of the Prisoner Psal 102.20 Esay 38.5 Psal 39. And of Hezekiah I have seen thy tears And Hold not thy peace at my tears And I doubt not but Gods people have found as much comfort in their sighs and groanes and tears as in their requests in prayer Yet we must take heed that we abuse not this comfort to make us the more negligent and sloathfull in the duty of prayer in the times of health and prosperity No then we ought with all freedome of heart and tongue to exercise our selves in this duty But this comfort belongs unto such as in times of affliction are not able to perform the duty And this serves to discover unto us the misery of all wicked and ungodly men Use 2 what comfort can such have in times of affliction and distresse that cannot pray Prov. 28.9 He that turneth away his ears from hearing the Law even his prayers shall be abominable And as the Lord saith Ezek. 8.18 Therefore will I deal in fury my eye shall not spare neither will I have pitty and though they cry with a loud voice I will not hear them O the misery of a poor creature when God shall shut out his prayers and if they do pray that the Lord should make no more account of them then the howling of a dog Hos 9.4 for how can that prayer be effectuall when the person is not accepted 'T is true wicked men have sometimes good motions in them but they last not like that of Balaam O that my soul might dye the death of the righteous Thus in times of sicknesse and distresse the wicked may pray but these wishes and desires of theirs proceed only from some light in the understanding but not out of any affection in the heart and so quickly vanish away like the morning dew Hos 6.4 And hence is it that the Lord will laugh when the destruction of such a one commeth Whereas the complaints the sighs and groans of a broken heart proceeding from humiliation for sin and sence of Gods displeasure and a hope of Gods promises preserves the soule in life and sends it to God as a sure refuge in times of trouble So that the only hope to finde mercy and deliverance in time of trouble belongs to a godly and an humbled soul that formerly hath had acquaintance with God Iob 22.21 The prayers and sighs and groans of such onely are heard Lord thou hast been our habitation from generation to generation In this first verse we have the first part of their complaint And the words beare this sence q.d. O Lord thou hast been gracious to our forefathers to Abraham Isaak and Jacob and to other ages and generations after them thou wast a covert and defence unto them when they pitched their Tents from place to place and travelled from Country to Country Thou commandest saying Touch not my Annointed Ps 105.15 and do my Prophets no harm But thou dealest not so gratiously with us that are their posterity wee are in great affliction and distresse yea for our Rebellions and sins thou hast left us and goest not before us as thou didst with our Forefathers So that this was it that humbled Moses and the people of God at this time when they saw that their estate was far otherwise then their Forefathers and that God did not now deal so gratiously with them as hee did with their Forefathers Hence note That when a Nation Doct. 2 When a people decay in glory then it is time to seek to God Church or people decaies in beauty in riches in glory or strength then it is time high time and more then time to make their complaints to God to bee humbled for their sins and to meet the Lord by unfained repentance When a Nation or people upon whom his name hath been called where the Gospell hath been preached and his ordinances have been duly administred where God hath heretofore declared his presence When such a Nation or people shall decay in their former beauty and glory when the glory of Religion shall begin to be Eclipsed by Sects and Heresies that shall increase daily in the Church and when God by many apparent signes shall seem to depart from such a people in gard of his wonted presence then it is high time for such a people to humble themselves and to meet the Lord by repentance Thus did Moses and the people here when the judgements of God were upon them and they saw that it was far otherwise with them then with their Forefathers it was then high time to put up their complaints to God Lam. 1.12 35. Psal 107. Hereby the Lord wil make us know that hee is not tyed to any Nation Reas 1 Church or people no longer then they keep Covenant with him and walk in obedience before him as we may see of this Nation of the Jewes and those famous Churches of Corinth Ephesus Philippi Colosse c. once glorious and flourishing Churches but now have the Candlestick removed from them The Lord many times doth lay his hand upon a Nation and people to this very end Reas 2 to humble them and to make them looke home to humble them and to cause them to meet the the Lord by repentance for this end the Lord made the prodigall to tast of a Famine that was such a wanton in times of prosperity
Other sheep I have which are not of this Fold them also must I bring and they shall hear my voice and there shall be one Fold and one Shepheard And the Church is figured by one woman Rev. 12 And this woman hath Christ married to himself which shewes the unity of the Church in all ages Hos 2.19 'T is true this one Church of Christ may have many parts as the Sea hath many Chanells and is called by the name of the Country by the which it runs as the Germ an Sea the Baltique Sea c. so the Church of France the Church of England the Church of Scotland c. yet the Church of God is but one Militant Church upon the face of the whole Earth Reas And the Reason is because it hath but one Head As we account that but one Common-wealth that is under one King and governed by one and the same Lawes and is under one Government So is the Church of Christ one professing one and the same faith hath one and the same hope and Baptised into the same spirit and reserved unto one and the same glorious inheritance is but one This quite overthrows the Church Use 1 of Rome as no true Church of Christ who quite overthrow the Nature of the Church Catholick thus inlarged by God and confine the same to Rome What is Catholick but Universall And to speak in their language The Catholick Roman Church is as much as to say the Universall Church which must needs sound in the ears of any reasonable man to be most absurd Gods Church is not tyed to any one time much lesse to any one place but in respect of time and place is Catholick and Universall Secondly Vse 2 is this so that the Church of God is one and the same from generation to generation This may serve to unite the hearts of believers together in unity and peace The Unity and Onenesse of the Church should teach unity and concord amongst those that professe themselves members of this Church We are all of one house and habitation have one Father one Christ one Spirit one Bread one board one Bread to feed upon one Cup to drink on so should we be of one minde and of one heart Christians should cleave together and hold together If one member suffer all should suffer with it 1 Pet. 4.10 if one member be in honour all should rejoyce at it As every man hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another Those that are of the family of the Devill will do so Drunkards have a league amongst themselves what a shame then is it for Christians that professe themselves of the houshold of God to rent asunder the seamlesse Coat of Christ Surely the sad divisions that are in England this day like the divisions of Ruben cause great thoughts of heart and frustrates all our hopes of our desired peace O what a shame is it that there should be strife and dissention in that family where the Father is the God of peace and the son is the Prince of peace What an excellent Church and house of God was it in the Apostles time when the multitude of believers were of one heart and of one minde Such therefore as make these rents and divisions in the Church as too many do in these daies shew apparently that they are not of Gods houshold See that place of Paul Now I beseech you brethren Rom. 16.17.18 mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have received and avoid them for they are such as serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Ver. 2. Before the mountains were made or ever thou hadst for med the earth or the world even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God IN this second Verse Moses prevents an objection and removes a doubt that might arise in the minds of the people who might think thus Surely though the Lord did deliver our fore-fathers by his mighty power and defended and protected them in all dangers and straights yet now his power being not put forth for our succour and defence that are their posterity he is not now so able to save and deliver us No saith Moses that cannot be for the Lord is that mighty God from all eternity he is that eternall God and therefore cannot lose any of his power or strength but is now as able every way to save us as our fore fathers of old inasmuch as he doth continue the mighty God from all eternity from generation to generation thou art God Hence we may see what is the corrupt nature of man Doct. 1 In times of distress we are ready to uestion Gods power when we have not that we desire and when it goes not with us as we wish we are ready to question Gods power and to put off the cause from our selves and to lay the same upon God And hence is it that the Lord expostulateth the case with his people thus Es 50.2 Is my hand shortned at all that it cannot redeem or have I not power to deliver Behold at my rehuke I drie up the sea I make Rivers a wildernesse And again Es 59.1 2. Behold the Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot save neither is his ear heavy that he cannot hear But your iniquities have separated betwixt you and your God How did the people provoke the Lord to wrath against them Psal 78.19 20. when they said Can God prepare a table in the Wildernesse can he provide flesh for his people This the Lord was angry at Therefore the Lord was angry and the fire was kindled in Jacob Ver. 21. and wrath came also upon I srael And the reason is given because they believed not in God Ver. 22. and trusted not in his help And whereas God sware unto their fathers that he would give them the Land of Canaan to them their seed after them yet the Holy Ghost saith Heb. 3.19 They could not enter in because of unbeliefe This was the sin of the Prince of Israel that when the Prophet had told him of the great plenty that should be in the gate of Samaria 2 Reg. 7. To morrow this time he doubted of it and concludes against the words of the Prophet that it could not possibly be Though the Lord should open the windowes of heaven Ver. 20. But he saw it with his eyes but did not eat of it for the people trode him to death in the gate of the City Yea the Lord hath severely punished this sin in his own servants themselves that have been guilty of it as we may see in Moses the man of God Num. 20.8 12. that shut him out of the Land of Canaan And the Lord was so highly displeased with Zachary Luke 1.20 otherwise a good man who doubted of the
depend upon this short inch of time that is allotted us here Ver. 3. Thou turnest man to destraction and sayest Return again ye children of men FRom the beginning of this Verse to the eleventh we have the second generall part of this Psalm and that is his Naration in the which he sets down the common frailty and mortality of mankind from Verse 3. to the 11. and this he doth 1 In generall 1. By the efficient cause of mans frailty and mortality verse 3. Thou turnest man c. 2. By the instrumentall cause viz. The manifold miseries sicknesses and diseases these frail bodies of ours are subject unto As also from the composition of mans body which is made but of the dust of the earth and therefore must return to dust again 2. In particular by comparing it 1. To a Watch in the night that is the space of three houres ver 4. 2. To a Sleep or a Dream that is a vanishing thing and of no continuance verse 5. 3. To a Flower or Grasse that groweth up in the morning but cut down and withered ere night ver 6. Thus of the estate of mankind in generall Then verse 7 8 9. he applies this to themselves in particular now in great affliction and distresse in the Wildernesse and shewes that though the life of man be frail and short yet their estate at this time was far worse and more miserable and the Reason was 1. Because of Gods anger and terrible displeasure whereby they were pittifully wasted and con-consumed verse 7. 2. He sets down the speciall procuring cause why their estate was thus miserable viz. Their sins and rebellions which the Lord did now charge them with verse 8. Thou turnest man to destruction Text. THat is at thy will and pleasure and appointment is the life of man when it pleaseth thee thou turnest man to destruction that is to breaking and crushing even to dust and ashes Hence we learn Doct. 1 that the gretest stay and comfort of the godly under affliction is the consideration Greatest comfort to the godly in times of affliction that they come from God Hos 6.1 Am. 3.6 that their miseries and afflictions come from God He hath spoyled he hath wounded saith the Church They do not look so much upon the Assyrians that afflicted them but they look up higher and see Gods hand upon them and say The Lord hath spoyled and He hath wounded us Is there any evill in the City and the Lord hath not done it That is any judgment sicknesse afflictions or calamities but they come from the Lord it is he that sends them and laies them upon his people Thus when the Lord was minded to bring his Church from Idolatry he saith thus Behold I will stop thy waies with thorns and make a hedge that she shall not know her paths Thus the Lord threatned Senacherib 2 Reg. 19.6 Behold I will sond a blast upon him This is more clear by that of Moses Levâ—t 26.16 17. If ye will not obey me and do these commandments I will appoint over you fearfulnesse a Consumption and a burning Feaver the Sword Famine and Pestilence to destroy you And this truth is acknowledged by Job in his sharpest tryalls Iob 1.21 The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away even as it pleaseth the Lord so commeth things to passe 1 Cor. 11.32 And When we are judged we are chastned of the Lord. The Reasons will make the point yet more clear and plain unto us First in regard of his providence Reas 1 which ordereth and disposeth of all things in Heaven and Earth according to the purpose of his own will so that there is no room left for Fortune or Chance but as it pleaseth the Lord so commeth things to passe This doth our Saviour teach most clearly when he saith Are not two sparrowes sold for a farthing and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father Yea the hairs of your head are numbred Now if the providence of God be in such small things as in the fall of a Sparrow and the numbring of the hairs of our head how much more in the tryalls and afflictions of his children Secondly Reas 2 the miseries and afflictions of Gods Church and children must needs come from God because he ordereth and disposeth of the tryalls and sufferings of his people in the nature and kinds of their sufferings what they shall be how long they shall continue and the happy issue and effect of them as the Apostle hath it No man should be moved with these afflictions 1 Thes 3.3 for your selves know that we are appointed thereto God will have the rod lie upon the back of his servants sometimes a long time as upon the Church in Aegypt 430 years together where the Lord exercised them with cruell bondage under Pharath Sometimes shorter as those seventy yeeres they were in captivity in Babylon somtimes shorter Rev. 2.10 Ye shall have tribulation for ten daies Sometimes but for a night Sorrow may endure for a night c. Yea sometimes not so long but for an hower there is an hower of temptation and the time that God hath purposed and decreed being expired they shall see the salvation of the Lord. Seeing that the only stay and comfort of the godly in times of affliction and distresse Use 1 is the consideration that their miseries and afflictions of what kinde soever they come from God This should teach us at all times of distresse still to have recourse unto him by earnest and hearty prayer either to remove the rod if it be his good pleasure or else to sanctifie the same unto us and to give us patience under it This duty the Lord requires and looks for at our hands especially in times of affliction and distresse and for this we have both precepts and examples Ps 50.15 Call upon me in the day of thy trouble and I will hear thee and deliver thee Yea to that end he hath prescribed unto us a form of seeking him at such times Hos 14.2 3. Take unto you words and turn to the Lord and say unto him Take away all our iniquity and receive us graciously Secondly he hath made a gracious promise of hearing our prayers especially at such times Ps 50.15 Mat. 7.7 1 Ioh. 5.14 and that whatsoever we ask the Father in his Sons Name he will give it us Thirdly there is none else can help us Lord whither shall we go saith Peter thou hast the words of eternall life He is known for a sure refuge Ps 48.3 he is the God that heareth prayers Besides we have the examples of Gods servants who in all times of extreamity have ever fled unto God Psal 18.3 4. 2 Chr. 20 2 Chr. 33 by earnest and hearty prayer as David Jehosophat Hezechiah Manasses c. who ever had recourse unto God in times of misery and God was intreated of them Secondly the consideration
mould a piece of red clay that hath in it for a time a living soul which must return to God that gave it and the body this piece of earth return to the earth from whence it came And if we had no Scripture at all to prove this daily experience before our eyes makes it clear how all men even the wisest the strongest the greatest and the mightiest Monarchs and Princes in the world be but miserable men made of red earth and quickly turn again to dust In his first Creation Gen. 27. God made man of the dust of the earth And this is it the Lord pronounced of all mankinde Dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return This Job knew well and therefore said I shall say to corruption thou art my Father and to the worm thou art my Mother And to this agreeth that of the Psalmist Psal 49.19 Man shall enter into the generation of his fathers and they shall not live for ever Psal 89. And What man liveth and shall not see death And Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave And How dyeth the wise man as the fool Eccles 2.16 q.d. They are both made of one matter and are both subject to death alike Deut. 34. And Moses the servant of the Lord died in the land of Moab according to the Word of the Lord. It was not Moses greatnesse nor Moses goodnesse that could free him from the stroke of death For the Reasons see the second Doctrine of this Verse The Uses follow Seeing this is the estate of all the sons of Adam subject to misery Use 1 diseases sicknesses breakings and crushings whereby our bodies are not only deformed our beauty and strength abated and blasted but at last even brought to the dust What madnesse and folly then is it to make such account of this poor earthly Tabernacle as though it should last for ever which at the best is but an earthly Pitcher which though it go often to the water yet at last comes broken home a House made up of mud-walls which daily threatens ruine This shewes the fondnesse the vanity and folly that is in men and women that bestow so much time in painting in decking and trimming this poor carcase of clay that we know not how soon will to the dust Let such proud Peacocks and painted Tombs know they are at the best but a piece of red clay subject dayly to breaking and crushing An howers ficknesse will shake the Walls of thy House turn thy beauty into deformity and thy strength into weaknesse But rather let us deck our inward man with the graces of the Spirit because that beauty will last for ever that beauty cannot fade with years or sicknesse or miseries in the world but will endure for ever in life and death Secondly Use 2 seeing these bodies of ours are but a plece of living clay a little piece of red earth and we do not know how soon this brittle frail bodie of ours shall return to the earth again This may teach us to make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts of it for who will bestow much cost upon that he shall enjoy but a short time Will a Tenant for a yeer build and plant and lay out much cost and be it much pains upon that he must so suddenly part withall No he will provide for a more certain term Where are our hearts Christians and where are our thoughts that we mind no more our short stay here in this world and provide no better for an everlasting habitation We cannot assure our selves to continue here a year but are at an hours warning nay it may be not so much Whensoever it pleaseth the King to bid them stay that run at Tilt either in the entrance or at the middle of the race then he must come again Even so it is with us we have a short race to run here and when the Lord shall say Return thou son of Adam we must yield and away we must And therefore seeing that we are at this passe it stands us in hand to be prepared and to be in a continuall readinesse lest death take us tardy and so as death leaves us so shall the last judgment finde us If a man be charged to be ready for any service upon pain of death at an houres warning he will be sure not to be out of the way but alwaies in treadinesse Well let us know we are at lesse than an houres warning for whensoever the Lord shall but say Return away we must whether prepared or not prepared death will not stay O that men were wise Deut. 32.29 then would they remember their latter end that when the Lord comes whether at midnight or at the Cock-crowing or in the dawning of the day he may finde us so doing Ver. 4. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past as a Watch in the Night IN this Verse Moses proceeds to a farther description of the frailty of mans life And whereas our corrupt nature is such that we are ready to think we shall never die or not yet or not for many years though we see daily before our eyes such as are young and strong go before us yet cannot men easily be perswaded that their life is so short as indeed it is Now Moses comes to shew that even the longest life any man lives or yeares that he can attain unto is but a short life and very uncertain He supposeth thus Suppose that a man should attain to live a Thousand years which no man ever did as yet attain unto no the longest life that we read of in the Word is but nine hundred sixtie nine years that Methusalah lived But suppose saith he Gen. 5.27 that a man might live a thousand yeeres alas what is the space of a thousand yeers if we compare it to the eternity of God it is but as a day when it is past Now by this proportion let us mark how short the life of man is A thousand yeeres is but as a day then what is the ordinary life of man which is but sixty yeeres or eighty years surely it is not an houre a poor time to brag of as many do And in the end of this Verse as though Moses had said too much and pointed our the life of man too long he seemes to correct himselfe q. d. What said I that the life of man is as yesterday when it is past Nay I say It is but as a watch in the night Now a Watch was but the space of three houres Luk. 12.38 the night being divided into four Watches every Watch had three houres but a short time And thus Moses to beat down the pride of our hearts and those over-weaning thoughts of long life leads us to God the number of whose years saith Job cannot be known Job 36.26 That when we consider that eternity tâ—aâ—
render the cause of this their wofull misery and distresse 1. The more remote cause and that was the anger of God which they had justly procured by their sins verse 7. 2. Secondly by the more neer and speciall cause viz. their sins and rebellions whereby they had drawn down the anger and wrath of God upon them verse 8. For we are consumed in thy anger Text. c. WHence we may first of all observe how they compare their present estate now in the Wildernesse with the estate of other Nations and people and shew that their estate was far worse then theirs for others dyed now one and then one and so they were diminished but for them they were hastily consumed and suddenly swept away by the Plague and Pestilence now amongst them Hence we may observe first of all That it is a ground of humiliation to Gods people Doct. 1 Gods people should be humbled when it fares worse with them then with the wicked when their estate is worse then Gods enemies Moses gathers this as an argument to humble them and to move them to repentance and to seek unto God viz. That because of their sins they were in a far worse case and condition then the very enemies of God were For though their lives were short yet they confesse that theirs was far worse then the very Heathen themfelves for they were suddenly consumed by his anger When God is worse to his own Church and people then he is to his enemies when the Lord shall send Warrs in a Nation called by his Name and peace in other Kingdomes that are Antichristian sends famine in his Church and plenty to the wicked sends the Plague and Pestilence in his Church and health and prosperity to the wicked O here is matter of mourning and humiliation and it is that which hath touched Gods people to the quick and wounded them to the heart to see the enemies of the Church in better condition than the Church it selfe What a griefe was it for Godly Jacob to gravail into Aegypt Gen. to buy corn of the Egyptians that were the enemies of the Church What a griefe was it to the Church and people of God Lam. 5.6 when they say We have given the hand to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians to be satisfied with bread They that are our greatest enemies we have sought unto them for reliefe This was it that was such a trouble to David Psal 73. to see the wicked prosper and himself to suffer in distresse David had almost lost himselfe to behold and to take notice of this This must needs be a ground of humiliation to the godly Reas 1 when their estate is worse then the wicked Because this is a token of Gods displeasure against his people for their sins as it appears when the Lord threatneth them thus Deut. 28.43 The stranger that is within thee shall get above thee and thou shalt come down very low And again He shall lend to thee and thou shalt not lend to him ver 44. he shall be the Head and thou shalt be the Tail This will sin do make Gods people servants to their very enemies and the Lord will set his own people below them It is that which makes the enemies of the Church to insult Reas 2 and pride themselves yea and to censure the godly when they shall see themselves thus to prosper and the Godly cast down This lets us see how great Gods anger and indignation is against sin Use 1 that God should punish it so severely in his own people Israel was Gods Church Israel was Gods chosen one yet by reason of their sins their murmurings their infidelity that would not believe in his word that God would subdue those cursed Canaanites and give them their land to inherit but feared their strength their sons of Anack and their walled Cities therefore was the hand of God thus gone out against them and they perished thus miserably in the Wildernesse And how severely the Lord hath thus punished sin in his own people we may likewise see in Moses himselfe that because he honoured not God at the waters of strife the Lord would not suffer him to come into the land of Canaan And the like in David Yea the Lord Jesus Christ himselfe that had in himselfe no sin yet taking our sins upon him Gods hand lay most sore upon him And this should humble us at this time to consider how the Lord hath dealt with this Land and Nation and sent into every corner of the Land in every City and Country yea almost every Family the tokens of his anger and displeasure this strange and unwented kinde of disease amongst us that hath swept so many away Besides how heavy hath the hand of God layen upon the Land by the Sword Pestilence unseasonable times when other Nations and Countries have been free and yet Gods hand is not removed but his wrath is stretched out still Secondly Use 2 seeing the estate and condition of Gods Church and People is many times worse then their very enemies this may teach us not to measure the favour and displeasure of God towards us or others by the outward blessings or adversities of this life seeing the wicked do often flourish and prosper when the godly themselves do suffer great adversity David speaking of the wicked Ps 73.5 saith They are not in trouble like other men neither are they plagued like other folks Many times God punisheth most when he spareth most It is spoken as an argument of Gods wrath and indignation against desperate sinners Es 1.5 Wherefore should ye be smitten any more And again Hos 4.14 I will not visit your Daughters when they play the Harlots nor your Spouses when they play the Whores Was not this a token of Gods wrath and heavy displeasure that God should thus suffer them to go on in sin So on the contrary great afflictions are not alwaies arguments of a people cast off of God How heavy did the hand of God lie upon Job Hezekiah David c. yet dear and precious in Gods fight so true is that of Solomon that no man can judge of Love or haired Eccl. 9.1 by all that is before them For we are consumed in thy anger THere is one thing more yet to be observed hence Doct. 2 Though mans life be short yet sin shortens it viz. That though the life of man be short of it selfe yet it is made farre shorter than in Nature it is like to be by mans sin procuring some suddain and heavy judgment of God upon themselves This is that which Moses and the Church confesse here that the life of man is short of it selfe but yet by reason of their sins their life became more short for here they confesse that they were consumed by Gods anger Num. 14.26 28. and so it appears insomuch as of all that great number that came out of Aegypt being six
live and die in their sins Cain cries but why My punishment is greater then I can bear Pharaoh is troubled for what O take away this Plague of Thunder and Hail 1 Sam. 15.24 Saul mourns for what The losse of his Kingdome Ahab puts on sack-cloth for what For the evill threatned against his house O the deceitfulnesse of mans heart Here is the sorrow in wicked men let but the judgment be removed and Pharaoh hardens his heart again It is not sin as it is a breach of Gods Law neither is it the apprehension of Gods displeasure they so much care for or look after as the punishment of sin that thus affects them But now come to a child of God a gratious heart indeed that hath in it the work of grace his sorrow is principally for the evill of sin that God hath been offended and his righteous Law violate and if there were no danger at all in sin either of shame punishment here or hereafter yet this wounds their souls and grieves their hearts that they have dishonoured God and brought upon them Gods displeasure Beloved when we come once to see sin in this glasse in the glasse of the Law and in the wounds of Christ as it offends God and provokes his wrath then shall we mourn kindly for our sins and this sorrow will cause that repentance that is not to be repented of Secondly Use 2 seeing the anger of God is so terrible as no creature is able to bear it In thy wrath are we troubled this should stir us up to labour for reconciliation with God David that knew what it was to lie under the burthen of Gods displeasure exhorts us to kisse the Son lest he be angry Ps 2.12 If his wrath be kindled yea but a little saith he they only are blessed that trust in him And as this should make us affraid to provoke him to anger so when we perceive that he is offended as at this day the Lord hath shewed many tokens of his displeasure against the Land to look about us and to labour for reconciliation to come in unto him by Repentance and Humiliation for he is a strong God yea a consuming fire to all rebellious sinners When Jacob heard that Esau was angry with him he presently sends a present and speaks very mildly to his Brother Tell my Lord Esau c. And when Nabal had provoked David we see how Abâ—gal she came with her present to intreat for her life So when any great man is offended O what riding and running and labouring to win his favour again O where are our hearts that we labour no more for reconciliation with our God whose anger is provoked against the land this day But alas we are little moved with these signes of his wrath and tokens of his displeasure Verse 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee and our secret sins in the light of thy countenance IN these words Moses sets down the more nearer and more proper cause of all those grievous judgments of God upon them viz. their sins Wherein they confesse that the Lord had not only called to a reckoning and account their great sins of infidelity and murmuring against Moses and Aaron but even their most secret sins which they committed closly and whereof none else could accuse them In the practice of this people here Doct. 1 we may note this speciall point in generall namely Sight of sin ground of humiliation for sin That it is impossible for any truly to be humbled and to seek unto God unlesse they come first to see their sins the greatnesse and hainousnesse of them For so long as this people lived in sin and rebelled against God so long they stood out and were no whit humbled to seek unto God But now that the Lord by these heavy afflictions and grievous judgments upon them having tamed them and brought them under now they begin to enter into their own hearts and to call their waies to accompt Thus the Prophet directing the Church to this necessary duty of repentance when Gods judgments lay so heavy upon them exhorts them thus Lam. 3.40 Let us search and try our waies and turn unto the Lord implying thereby that there could be no true humiliation for sin nor turning to God by unfained repentance till they had first found out their sins It was a sad complaint that the Lord takes up of his people Ier. 8.6 No man repented him of his wickednesse saying What have I done And no marvell there was no repentance for sin because they never questioned their own waies to discover their sins And hence it is that the Lord commands his Prophet Ezek. 16.2 To cause Jerusalem to know her abhominations And to shew Israel her transgressions Es 58.1 and the house of Jacob her sins Conviction of sin is the Lords method that he useth to bring his people to repentance for sin Thus was David convinced of his sins by Nathan 2 Sam. 12.7 Acts. 2.23 Lam. 3.19 the Jewes by Peter And this is acknowledged by the lamenting Church Remember my affliction the wormwood and the gall my soul hath them in remembrance and is humbled In remembring I remembred an Hebraism that is by reason of thy afflicting hand upon me I came to search out the cause thereof which was my sins the happy fruit whereof was their repentance and their seeking of God So that the point is clear and plain that till we come to see sin with the odiousnesse thereof we cannot be humbled nor seek unto God Because none can repent him of that whereof he is ignorant Reas till the Lord be first pleased to open our eyes and let us see wherein we have offended and provoked his wrath against us we can never humble our souls as we ought before him It was David's sence of the heavy burthen of his sins that made him flie to God for pardon Make me to hear the voice of joy and of gladnesse Psal 32. that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Secondly Reas 2 the sight of sin is necessary to true humiliation for sin in regard it qualifies the soul for Christ for we shall never seek to Christ nor rest upon Christ till we feel the heavy burthen of sin The whole need not the Physician Lu. 5.31 but those that are sick And Christ calls such as travell and are heavy laden to come unto him Mat. 11.28 Neither will God ever bestow his saving benefits upon such that neither see their wants of them nor will not esteem them This serves first of all to direct the Ministers of the Word Use 1 that as they desire to see the fruits of their Ministry what foundation they ought to lay to do good to the souls of their people they are to take that course and to use those means that God hath chalked out unto them in his Word viz. To convince their hearers of their sins that so
they may be brought to humiliation for the same this is the sure way to finde comfort in our Ministry Christ tells his Disciples that he would send unto them the Comforter Joh. 16.7 8. and he should rebuke the world of sin and of righteousnesse First of sin unto Condemnation and of righteousness that is the righteousnesse of Christ unto Salvation There is no comfort to be ministred from the Word till men are first convinced of their sins 2 Cor. 7.7 Paul tells the Corinthians that he repented not that he had made them sorrowfull verse 10. and he gives the reason because godly sorrow causeth repentance And the Lord knowes that this is the reason why many a mans Ministry thrives no more in many a Congregation Ministers lay not a good foundation by bringing their people to the sight of their sins and convince not their Consciences of the danger of an unregenerate and impenitent estate The sweet promises of the Gospell are unseasonable when this goes not before What is this but to offer salves to them that know not whether they have sores or no to offer Physick to the whole that see no need of it Note That Ministry that doth not convince the soul of sinâ— doth seldome humble the soul nor break the heart and so seldome drawes a soul to Christ Seeing it is not possible for any to be truly humbled Use 2 and to seek unto God unlesse they first come to see their sins 1 Ioh. 5. this serves to discover unto us the reason why the greatest part of the world this day lye in wickednesse and go on securely in a course of sin the reason is they were never as yet throughly convinced of their sins I have heard it reported of a certain traveller that travelling in the night being dark forced his horse over a Bridge over a deep River that was lately fallen down and a planck laid over for foot passengers which when he saw in the morning his spirits were so far surprised with the danger that he had escaped that he fell down and dyed O if men did but consider the danger they are in they travell in danger every houre not of water but of fire Hell fire yet they see it not nor fear it not only such whose eyes the Lord hath opened to see the danger they have escaped in comming out of their naturall and sinfull estate these can tell of those great things that God hath done for their souls But since the sight of sin is so necessary to the attaining of godly sorrow and humiliation for sin Quest how may we come truly to see our sins First Ans we must look into the glasse of the Law I had not known sin saith Paul but by the Law And again Ro. 7.7 Ro 3.20 By the Law commeth the knowledge ost sin The Law serves to discover sin and the punishment of sin there we shall see the good omitted and the evill committed the least transgression whereof deserves death Secondly we must look into the glasse of the Gospell and thence take notice of the grace and mercy offered and that high contempt of the same This as our Saviour saith is the condemnation that light is come into the world and that men should love darknesse rather than light O the sins against the Gospell these are the soul-condemning sins for the which we shall have nothing to say for our selves at last Thirdly that we consider the most holy and pure nature of God against whom our sins have bin committed so holy a God that the very heavens themselves are not clear in his sight Iob 4.18 Es 64.6 and the very Angells themselves do cover their faces how much more is man abominable and filthy before him In his sight our best righteousnesse is as amenstruous and polluted cloth the consideration whereof made Job to abhor himselfe and to repent in dust and ashes and Abraham when he was to come into his presence to confesse himselfe to be but dust and ashes And last of all to help to convince us of our misery by reason of sin consider 1. The multitude of the sins of one day then what of a year what of our whole life 2. That all the world is the worse for our sins 3. That many thousands are now in hell for the same sins 4. That Gods wrath burns against sin compared 1. To a Bear robbed of her whelps 2. To an evening Wolf woe to that Lamb he first meets withall 3. To a consuming fire Heb. 12. â—â— Our God is a consuming fire The consideration of these particulars may help us to finde out the evills of our own hearts and to humiliation for the same for till we come to the sight of our sins we shall never truly repent us of them nor see the danger of sin how it provokes God to anger and wrath against us Thou hast set our iniquities before thee c. THe Church and people of God having in the former verse confessed that they were consumed by Gods anger and by his wrath they were sore troubled come now to acknowledge the proper cause of all those grievous judgments of God upon them and that was their sins they clear Gods justice and acknow ledge that he was most righteous and that it was their sins that had drawne down his wrath and heavy displeasure against them Hence we may note Doct. 2 what is the principall procuring cause of Gods anger Sin the cause of all judgments upon a people and what it is that drawes down Gods judgments upon a Land and people and so likewise upon particular persons viz. Sin Our open sins and our secret sins against God and against men these provoke the Lord to anger and draw down his judgments upon a Land and People Thus Danie confesseth their misery and captivity was justly inflicted upon them for their sins Dan. 9.5 We have sinned and committed iniquity and have done wickedly by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments verse 8. And again O Lord to us belongeth confusion of face to our Kings to our Princes and to our Fathers because we have sinned against thee they confesse the hand of God was justly upon them for their sins And this is that which the Lord threatneth by Moses Deut. 28.15 verse 21. that if the people would not hearken and obey He would make the Pestilence to cleave unto them untill they were utterly wasted and consumed which the Lord made good unto this people at this time in the Wildernesse This is acknowledged by the lamenting Church when they say Lam. 5.16 The Crown is fallen from our head wo unto us we have sinned Thus the Psalmist reckons up the great things that God had done for this people in the land of Aegypt Ps 78.12 in the field of Zoan gave them Manna from Heaven gave them water out of a Rock verse 32 Quailes to satisfie their lust yet
reason assigned was this Every man did that which was right in his own eyes Iudg. 17.6 What confusion is there at this day in Church and State and all under pretence of Liberty of Conscience Who doth not see that Sects and Heresies Blasphemies Contempt of Magistracy and Ministery in all places of the land is grown to such a head that if the Lord put not a stay to these spirits and licencious times what can be expected but Confusion The Apostle saith The Magistrate doth not bear the sword for nought Ro. 13.4 But as the Ministers of God are to take vengeance on them that do evil It is a sad condition that that Land and State is in when Magistrates that have the sword in their hands shall stand like a George on Horseback with his sword drawn yet never strikes How can such Magistrates approve their calling from God and look for protection from him that shew no more zeale for God Phinehas zeal in executing judgement upon Zimri and Cosbi Num. 25.11 12. brought a blessing upon the whole Congregation of Israel And the Lord shewed mercy to good Nehemiah Neh. 13.20 because he had shewed such zeal for God in punishing the profaners of the Lords Sabbaths The Lord knows this zeal for God is wanting in many Magistrates amongst us And indeed the want of the execution of Justice against the sins of these times is not the least cause wherefore things are at this passe in the Church and State as they are at this day and wherefore things prosper no better under our present Government O that all that are in Authority from the highest to the lowest would make it their care with David Ps 101.8 early to destroy the wicked of the land and to cut off wicked doers from the City of the Lord Can. 2.15 And take those foxes those little foxes that spoil the vines That Justice might run down like a stream and be duly administred without partiality that Sects and Heresies might be discountenanced and punished piety and godlinesse more incouraged that God at last may remove his anger from us and delight to dwell amongst us Thou hast set our iniquities before thee Text. c. THis Moses speaks for our capacities as if the Lord did keep a Register of our sins and set them before his sight The meaning of the words will appear by the contrary As when the Lord is said to cast our sins behinde his back as things he never means to call to minde but to put them out of his remembrance and to drown them in the sea as he did Pharaoh Now as the Lord is said to cast our sins behinde his back when he means not to punish them So he is said to set them before his eyes when he calls them to minde to punish them Whence we may note the happy fruit of affliction Doct. 3 Times of affliction discovers corruption when the Lord is pleased to send and sanctifie the same unto his people This makes them look home and to discover the evils of their own hearts and wayes which before this time they could not see In times of peace and prosperity many sins lie hid and undiscovered in Gods people but Gods judgements bring them to light Now that Gods hand is upon this people being miserably wasted and consumed with the Plague and Pestilence Now they can say Thou hast set our iniquities before thee c. In the times of Gods forbearance whilest they had their Manna and their Quails at full they were fat and wanton Jesurun waxed fat Deut. 32.15 and lightly esteemed the Rock of their salvation But now in their affliction and distresse they are taught to know themselves to look home and acknowledge that God called their sins to accompt and justly punished them for them This the Lord himself doth witness unto Hos 5.14 15. when he saith I will be unto Ephraim as a Lion and as a young Lion to the house of Judah I even I will tear and go away I will take away and none shall rescue I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face for in their affliction they will seek me early And so they did for in the next Chapter they say one to another Hos 6.1 Come let us return to the Lord for he hath wounded us and he will heal us c. Thus Esay Es 26.16 Lord in trouble have they visited thee they poured forth thei prayers when thy chastisements were upon them The Scriptures are ful of examples in this kinde how that in times of peace and prosperity many sins in Gods people have lyen hid and undiscovered which Gods judgements have discovered and brought to light Gen. 37.24.42.21 An excellent example wherewhereof we have in the Brethren of Joseph whose sin against their brother never came to Conscience for many years together untill they came into Egypt and were there stayed as spies Then their hearts smote them for their sin We have justly suffered these things for we sinned against our brother The like we may see in Manasses who did much evil in the fight of the Lord till he was carried captive into Babylon and there laid in cold irons Then Manasses knew that God was the Lord. 2 Chron. 33.13 And this we may see in the Prodigall whilest his purse was full he cared not for his father Luke 15. nor for his fathers house onely a famine makes him think of returning home Thus did Hagar grow proud and insolent in Abrahams house she then knew not her self but despised Sara her Mistris but being in the wildernesse in want was taught to know her self It is true the Philistines could not understand Sampsons Riddle Iudg. 14.14 how sweet should come out of sowre and meat out of the eater So worldlings cannot understand that tribvlation bringeth forth patience Ro. 5.3 2 Cor. 4.13 Heb. 12.11 and patience experience and experience hope and our light and momentany afslictions should cause us a far more excellent and eternal weight of glory But Gods children finde it true by comfortable experience that howsoever no visitation be sweet for the present yet afterwards it bringeth forth the quiet fruits of Righteousnesse unto them that are thereby exercised And it must be so in regard Because miseries and afflictions are excellent means to humble the heart of man Reas 1 and to abate its pride for such is our corrupt nature that in times of health peace and prosperity men are lifted up swell with pride and forget themselves Now there is no sin makes a man more odious to God then pride doth Iam. 4.6 God resisteth the proud Now the Lord many times layes sore afflictions upon his own children for this end and purpose to cure the evil And this is one end that God aimeth at in correcting man Iob 33.17 That he might hide the pride of man Miseries
soul will be humbled for It is not enough for men to sorrow and repent for open notorious and scandalous sins such as are Murther Whoredome Drunkennesse c. But our repentance must reach to lesser sins that is such sins as we have committed in secret that never came to the view of the world To clear this Take we notice first of all of Davids Example and Practice herein When Nathan by his parable had convinced him of his sins of Adultery and Murther and that his heart smote him for the same these sins he acknowledgeth 2 Sam. 12.13 I have sinned saith he against the Lord. And how heavy the guilt of those sins lay upon his soul Ps 51. we may see in that penitential Psalme of his by his manner of begging pardon Wash me cleanse me blot out restore me to the joy of my salvation c. Yet as though all this were not enough he accuseth himself of that which Nathan did not by acknowledging the very root and spawn of all those evils ver 5. saying Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me David will no longer flatter himself in his sinful courses and secret sins but confesseth all and begs pardon of all Ps 19.12 Cleanse thou me from my secret faults O how ready are these wretched hearts of ours to deceive us in this particular If our hearts smite us and our consciences accuse us for some grosse sin or other that we have committed and the world cries shame of and we confesse the same to God and beg pardon for it we think all is well In the mean time there is a world of wickednesse that lies hid in the soul we see not Gen. 6. the very thoughts and imaginations of our hearts being evil continually and all our righteousness even our best duties themselves are as a menstruous cloth and When we have done all that we can we are unprofitable servants and have cause to pray with good Nehemiah Neh. 13.21 O my God pardon me according to the greatness of thy mercy And without this sense of the universal depravity of our Natures and of those secret sins that cleave to us in our best duties our pronenesse to all evil our indisposition to any thing that is good the blindnesse of our Understanding the rebellion of our Wills the disorder of our Affections and that indeed we carry about us a very Body of sin and can be humbled for these and repent of these as well as for our grosse sins we are strangers to godly sorrow and true repentance And the first Reason may be taken from the nature of true Grace Reas 1 and godly sorrow for sin If this be true sincere and unfained it will set it self against every sin and will work an universal change in the whole man at least in an unfained desire and endevour in the heart though by and by it cannot subdue and bring under every sin yet it will set it self against it and will be humbled for it The nature of true Grace is to make the inside cleane as the outside it worketh faith in the soul and it is the nature of faith to purifie the heart Acts 15.9 and the heart being clean and pure the thoughts the words and actions of the life will in some good measure be sutable May be taken from the nature of God Reas 2 who is Omniscient and is privy to all our sins even to the most secret windings and turnings in the heart of man as it is in this Text Thou hast set our secret sins in the light c. There is nothing that ever we did but the Lord is privy to it Ps 119.168 Ps 139.4 All my wayes saith David are before thee there is not a word in my tongue but thou O Lord knowest it altogether and Job acknowledgeth Iob 42.4 There is no thought hid from thee And as the Lord sees and observes our wayes so he will not fail to judge every man according to his works 2 Cor. 5.10 Eccl. 12.14 And will bring every work to judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or evil So then whether we consider the nature of true Grace that albeit it cannot subdue every corruption by and by yet will it set it self against all and is humbled for all or that God sees and beholds our most secret sins and will not fail to punish them This shews the Doctrine to be clear That godly sorrow and true repentance doth reach to the most secret sins This serves to discover unto us in what a miserable estate and condition many in the world are in at this day Use 1 and how far they are from true repentance that flatter themselves that so long as they are not notorious sinners Drunkards Swearers openly prophane c. and are not guilty of such sins as all the world cries shame of they thinke they shall doe well enough O how far are such from the grace of true Repentance whose property is to set it self against our most secret corruptions since our most secret sins are such as the Lord will most severely reckon for Moses sin for the which the Lord would not suffer him to come into the land of Canaan was a secret sin in his heart yet how severely did the Lord punish this sin in his servant And Peter with Simon Magus to pray Acts 8. If perhaps the thought of his heart might be forgiven him So that there is no true repentance when men are not humbled for their most secret sins And Gods children that have the truth of grace in their hearts are as much humbled for their secret sins for their privy and close sins their sinful thoughts and lusts of their hearts hypocrisie neglect of duties coldnesse in prayer c. they be oft brought upon their knees for these And this shews the folly and madnesse of those likewise that if they can but commit their sins in the night when none can see them as to steale commit Adultery c. think all is well whereas though thou mayest hide thy sins from men yet even thy most close and secret sins are open and naked in the sight of God his All-seeing eyes were then upon thee he took thee in the manner Rev. 1.17 His eyes are like a flame of fire and his feet like fine brasse He sees in the darkest night and into the most secret corner and he will not fail to punish the sinner Seeing it is so sure a note of godly sorrow and true Repentance Use 2 to be humbled for lesser sins as greater for secret sins as those that are openly committed This may serve to justifie the wayes and courses of the godly against all those scoffs and taunts of wicked and gracelesse ones daily cast upon them for piety sake that they are so strict and so precise in every thing even in matters of the smallest moment that they love
singularity and deprive themselves of that liberty and pleasure that others enjoy they will not swear nor drink for company nor run with others into the same excesse of riot It is true indeed this they do not neither dare they do it and this is indeed the main cause why the world hates them But it is better that men should hate us for good then that God should plague us for evil Little doth the graceless world know what the terrors of the Lord are and how sensible a tender conscience is of sin especiall such as have been in the furnace of Soul-affliction Davids heart smote him for the very renting off of Sauls garment when his life it self was in his hand It is neither folly nor precisenesse in any to avoid the least sin that is so hated of God and will be so severely punished of him Let such remember that it was the sin of cursed Cain to hate his brother for good 1 Ioh. 3.12 And last of all Use 3 this serves to discover the wofull estate of those that covet nothing more then to shut their eyes yea and stiflle the checks of their own Consciences that when by the Ministery of the Word they are convinced of their sins and of the miserable estate wherein they stand by reason of sin labour by all means to keep this sorrow of heart from them like a poor condemned creature that stops his ears that he may not hear the Sentence of Condemnation passe against him whereas his onely way were to be humbled for his offence and to beg pardon there cannot be a more certain signe of an obdurate and hard heart then thus to stifle Conscience to hate reproofs that they might go on in a sinfull course without controlement Ps 141.5 Whereas a godly heart can say with David Let the righteous smite me for that is a precious oyle And by their judging of themselves they shall escape the judgement of the Lord 1 Cor. 11.32 That sin that is judged here shall not be judged hereafter Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance THere is one thing more observable in this Text viz. That the Lord having now by those sharp afflictions humbled this people they are brought at last to know and acknowledge that God had not onely set their iniquities before him but even their most secret sins in the light of his countenance Whence we learn Doct. 5 That our most secret sins that are committed are done God looking on The most secret sins are done God looking on Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance It is true Job 22.13 carnal hearts are ready to reason as Eliphaz with Job How doth God know can he judge through the dark Thick clouds are a covering to him that he seeth not These and the like are the carnal thoughts of carnal men Doth God know or is there any knowledge in the Most High Many a wicked and graceless wretch thinks the dark night will cover his sin and hide his abominations where as there is nothing that ever we did but the Lord is privy to it Ps 119.168 Ps 139.4 All my wayes saith David are before thee and There is not a word in my tongue but thou O Lord knowest it altogether And as Job hath it Iob 42.4 There is no thought hid from thee So that all our wayes words and thoughts are knowne to him Many are those glorious titles that are given to God in the Scriptures And amongst the rest this that He is the Searcher of the heart a property no way communicable to any creature for of him onely it is said Heb. 4.13 All things are open and naked before his eyes This is fully cleared by the Prophet David Ps 139.2 Thou knowest my down-sitting and my up-rising thou understandest my thoughts afar off verse 4. There is not a word in my tongue but loe thou knowest it a together And again verse 12. The darknesse hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darknesse and the light are to thee both alike Am I a God at hand saith the Lord Ier. 23.23 24. and not a God afar off Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him Do not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord There is no point of Doctrine in all the Scriptures more clear and plain then this That it is God that searcheth the heart sees all things and beholds our most secret thoughts and wayes The Reasons will make it more clear First Reas 1 his Omniscience is a special property of God an attribute of his His Knowledge is infinite hath no bounds nor limits he knows the Nature Reason and Causes of all things Heb. 4.13 All things are naked and open to his eyes or as the word is anatomized before him He is that God that fills heaven and earth with his presence and therefore must needs know and observe all our actions and take notice of our most secret sins Reas 2 Is given by the Prophet Ps 94.9 It is he that made the eye shall he not see It is he that made the ear shall he not hear He teacheth man knowledge shall he not know These were all absurd to think or imagine in God that hath in him perfection of all things Can the work be unknown to the workman or the creature to the Creator Since it is in him that we live and move and have our being Acts 17.27 The Lord at the last day will then lighten things that are hid in darknesse Reas 3 1 Cor. 4.5 Eccl. 12.14 and will make the counsels of the heart manifest and bring every secret thing to Judgement Therefore out of question he knows every secret thing yea he is privy to all those secret thoughts motions windings and turnings in the heart of man and every man at last shall receive judgement accordingly We shall now apply this Use 1 Seeing that our most secret sins are done and committed in the light of his countenance How may this strike terrour in the hearts of all wicked and ungodly men that live in the daily practise of many known sins Can therebe a greater terror to a malefactor then to know that the Judge himself is an eye-witnesse of his villany So what greater terror can there be to the wicked then this to have the Lord himself to behold their doings Many a wicked wretch thinks with himself that the sins he daily commits that no eye sees him nor beholds him could they be perswaded that but the eye of some godly man yea but a childe of five years old did see and beheld them what a terror would this have been unto them O where are our thoughts of the Lords All-seeing Presence whose eye is ever upon us Yea the more cunning and slight men have used in covering and concealing their sins the more doth the Lord abhor them and the greater
his favour again And because wee cannot come unto him without Christ who alone must stand betwixt the wrath of his Father and us We must come in his name and through his Mediation and intercession who will accept our prayers not for any worthinesse in us or them but for his sake alone It is he alone that must perfume our prayers with the sweet incense of his merits Rev. 8.3 Io. 16.23 and mediation without which our persons and prayers can finde no acceptation with him Seeing it is God alone that in all misery and distresse is sought unto Vse 2 as this example shewes This overthrows that erroneous Doctrine and practise of the Church of Rome who teach men to pray to Saints and Angels to Peter and Paul the Virgin Mary to this He-Saint and to that Shee-Saint c. we utterly renounce this Doctrine and abhor this practise as that which hath neither precept nor promise nor Example in all the Book of God to leave the Creator for ever blessed and fly to the Creature What greater dishonour can be done to God and Christ 1 Ioh. 2.1 since we have one Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins What is this but to leave the Kings son and to go to a servant to speak to the Father Nay what is this but to rob God of his honour and Christ of his office both to be an advocate and to make reconciliation are proper to the person of Jesus Christ 1 Tim. 2.5 There is one Mediatour even the man Christ Jesus Besides the Angels are but fellow-servantâ— Rev. 22.9 See thou do it not I am thy fellow servant As for the Saints in heaven they know not our wants Es 63.16 Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel know us not And no lesse folly and madnesse is it to pray to stocks and stones reliques and bones as the Papists do And the last is Use 3 we are taught hence where to go and speed in times of affliction and distresse Lord saith Peter whither shall we go thou haft the words of eternall life It is our duty then to repair and resort to God the Father through the merits of his son Jesus Christ What Parent can be more compassionate of the child in time of misery and distresse then the Lord is to his children in their afflictions yea such is his love and compassion towards them that though by reason of their affliction they are not able to put up a distinct prayer to him yet their very sighes and grones shall passe for powerfull and effectuall prayers Hezekiah mourning like a Dove and chattering like a Crane is heard and answered of God yea the Spirit helps our infirmities when we cannot pray as we ought Rom. 8. With sighes and grones that cannot be expressed We may rest assured the Lord is neer to them that draw neer to him Is our faith weaks he will strengthen us are weignorant he will instruct us do we want grace he will supply us is our love cold he will quicken it is our repentance imperfect he will perfect it are judgments amongst us he will remove them are we in distresse he will have mercy upon us do our sins trouble us he will discharge us are we in sicknesse he will restore us are we in misery he will deliver us So that every true believer may comfortably conclude that his wea kest prayers sighes and grones proceeding from a broken heart a hungring and thirsting desire after grace and mercy shall not return in vain but God in his due time will answer the desire of their souls We shall not want that grace that we unfainedly desire neither shall we be hurt with that corruption we unfainedly lament Return O Lord. THe words are not so to be under stood as if God at any time did totally leave and forsake his people for so God never departeth from his whom he once loved in Christ Howbeit in times of affliction and distresse the Lord seemeth to them thus to do as the Sun may be sometimes under a cloud yet will appear again so though the cloud of our fins may hide the face of God from us for a time yet he will pierce through them and shinâ— upon us at last But now whilst the Lord thus withdrawes himselfe from his people it is a most bitter time unto them they can have no rest nor peace till the Lord returne again and be appeased towards them Hence we may farther observe Doct. 3 that so long as the Lord is departed from us and turneth his angry countenance towards us there can be no peace Whilst God seemes to be angry there can be no peace no comfort to a poor sinner but extream sorrow griefe and perplexity of spirit We may see this in those sad complaints of Gods people that have felt his frowns angry countenance upon them for their sins how heavy intol lerable the sense of his displeasure hath bin we may see it in that sad complaint of David Ps 6.1 2. O Lord rebuke me not in thy anger neither chasten me in thy sore displeasure my Soul is sore vexed but Lord how long David could have no rest nor peace in his soul so long as he lay under Gods displeasure And thus prayes the Church O Lord correct me but with Judgment Ier. 10.24 not in thy anger lest thou bring me to nothing Yea the Lord Jesus Christ himselfe in the sense of Gods anger and displeasure cries out Mat. 27. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me What are a mans wife children gold silver lands livings or all the world when the soul shall combat with Gods wrath A wounded spirit who can bear Es 57. The poor soul scorched with the heat of Gods anger and displeasure for sin nothing can comfort it but the Lords returning again in love and favour Ps 4.6 Lord saith David lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us thou hast put gladnesse in my heart more then in the time that their corn and their wine encreased the whole world is not to be compared to it David having sinned and by his sins having eclipsed this favourable countenance of God towards him O how earnest is he in begging his gracious presence again towards him Ps 51.10 11.12 1. He prayes that God would turn away his angry countenance from him 2. That he would restore him again to the joy of his salvation 3. That he would not take away his Spirit from him But Quest why doth the Lord deal thus with his own children Reas No doubt the Lord doth it in much love towards them that hereby they might feel the bitternesse of sin and his anger and displeasure for the same that they might learn to prize his favour and loving countenance towards them at a higher rate then before they had done
prayers and complaints to God lay open our miseries and plead our long continuance in them Secondly Use 2 seeing Moses and the people of God here do labour to move the Lord to pitty and compassion from the consideration of their long continuance in their miseries We may take notice how prone we are when God hides himself from us for a short time which he may justly do when wee sin against him albeit it be but for a short time yet it seems unto us long A gracious heart cannot be long without Communion with God Ps 143.6 My Soul thirsteth after thee saith David as the thirsty Land None know the worth of God but the gratious Soul What were all the World without the Sun and what were a believing Soul without God Such as have tasted and seen how sweet the Lord is hunger and thirst more and more to be filled with his presence As Moses the more familiar he grew with God the more he desired to see of God when the Lord is provoked to withdraw himself at any time from his people which somtimes the Lord doth being justly provoked by the sins of his people This brings horror and terrour to to the Soul Thou didst turn away thy thy face saith David and I was sore troubled And again Hide not thy face from me Ps 43.7 else I shal be like to themthat go down into the pit Ps 63.3 Thy loving kindness saith David is better then life it self He accompts himself a dead man if God be not reconciled to him in Christ What life what comfort what joy in a mans Soul unlesse God vouchsafe his gratious and comfortable presence there Return O Lord how long VVE are farther to observe That in respect of Gods comfortable presence Doct. 5 God may turn aside from his people for a time Io. 13.1 God may turn aside for a time from his own people It is true God doth never totally leave or forsake his For whom he loves to the end he loves them His gifts are without repentance in some gracious operation or other his spirit is alwaies present yet in respect of his comfortable presence he may seem to turn away from his people for a time It was Davids case when he had fallen into those dangerous sins of Adultery and Murther for the present he lost the comfort of Gods gracious presence that he had formerly felt and therefore prayes Ps 51.8 Restore me to the joy of thy Salvation and make me to hear the voice of joy and gladnesse that the bones that thou hast broken may rejoyce Ver. 11. And Cast me not away from thy presence And thus he complains at another time Ps 22.1 Why hast thou for saken me why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring Doubtlesse at that time David wanted the assistance of Gods gratious presence in as much as his Soul is thus perplexed And thus again he cries out in much anguish and perplexity of Spirit Ps 88.14 VVhy hast thou cast off my Soul why hidest thou thy face from me It seems Davids comfort and assurance was much eclipsed at these times This was the case of Job Iob 30.20 I cryed unto thee and thou dost not hear me I stand up and thou regardest not And this was the sad complaint of the Church Lam. 3.8 VVhen I cry and shout he shutteth out my prayer O this hath been that that hath wounded the Souls and troubled the Spirits of the godly that the Lord hath seemed to shut out the prayers and not to come in to their succour in times of distresse The woman of Canaan Mat. 5.26 what might she think but that Christ had cast her off seeing he would not answer her and when he did speak called her Dog an answer able to have broke her tender heart yet at last comes in and grants her request The Lord deales many times with his Children as Joseph with his Brethren deals roughly with them Gen. 42.9 You are spies and to prison they must go yet at last fill their Sacks Saith he Thus doth the Lord seem to take day with his people and puts them off to a fitter time when mercy will be more seasonable and deliverance will be more welcome Neither let this seem strange unto us for the Lord may do this That hereby he might take triall of the graces of his Reas 1 in the hearts of his servants as their faith hope patience c. All which are now set on work whilst the Lord is pleased to suspend deliverance for else what would become of the patience of the Saints if there were no more but ask and have Secondly Reas 2 that whilst the Lord is thus pleased to withdraw himself and defer deliverance we might take occasion to search more deeply into our own hearts thereby to discover the greatnesse and hainousness of our sins which have plunged us into such a gulf of misery and labour to find out those secret sins unrepented of that caused the Lord thus to frown upon us and to hide his favourable countenance from us whereas if our miseries were light and quickly removed we should harâ—ly think our sins so great as indeed they are And that when upon our Repentance we have obtained peace and reconciliation again with God Reas 3 wee may prize it ever after at a higher rate and be the more careful that we do nothing that may interrupt our peace again with God or turn away his loving countenance again from us Every good thing that is hardly come by is more carefully kept and more hardly lost Gods favour and love being got with long seeking and often praying is highly prized and not easily parted withall And last of all God many times deferts to help his Church and people in misery and distresse Reas 4 because that seasonable time of their deliverance is not yet come After three daies he will raise us up Hos 6.3 and we shall live in his sight The Lord hath made every thing saith Solomon beautifull in his time Eccl. 3.11 And there is a time for all things under the Sun No doubt but Zachary and Elizabeth prayed for a child whilst they were young Luke 1. and no doubt but God heard them only they must leave the time to him in whose hands are times and seasons Daniel mourned three weeks of daies and receives no answer Yet see the place Dan. 10.12 13. From the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand c. thy words were heard God ever suspends deliverance for a fit time when it is most seasonable for his own glory and his peoples comfort Seeing the Lord deals thus with his own people thus to withdraw himself Use 1 and to withhold his comfortable presence from them for a time Wee are taught not to despair when we find that this is his dealing with us What though the Lord
should bring us low and deny his comfortable presence to us that we meet not with him in that comfortable way of his providence and mercy in the return of our prayers and seeking of him as heretofore we have done But that he seems to write bitter things against us and to call our sins to accompt and seems to withdraw the comfortable aspects of his favour and love from us for a time yet in an acceptable time deliverance will come Every vision is for an appoinâ—ed time Every vision that is every promise or every word of prophecy God makes good in his appointed time Es 28.10 Hab. 2 4. and the just shall live by Faith What though things stand at a stay in Church and State what though Parliament upon Parliament are rendred unfruitful what though Sects and Heresies increase and get head threatning all confusion And all this while God seâ—ms to stand a far off as one that will not be spoke withall Yet let us rest assured that God is the God of the abject his promise is that such as mourn in Sion shall be delivered and they shall have beauty for ashes Es 61.3 and the spirit of joy for the spirit of heavinesse Secondly Use 2 this may serve for matter of comfort and consolation unto all the faithfull that though by their sins they may rob themselves of the comfortable feeling of Gods favour and love for the present yet Jer. 31.3 Rom. 11.29 Joh. 10.28 with everlasting love he loveth them His gifâ—s are without repentance And no man shall pluck them out of his hand Sin may take away the feeling of his grace but not the possession thereof Though we often meet with repulses at Gods hand yet a believer hath no denyall but at one time or other in one kinde or other God answereth the prayers of his people It is our dutie then with Moses and the people of God here to ply the Lord with prayers and complaints and herein to presse the Lord with arguments as they do to move the Lord to take pitty upon us But Quest what arguments have we to use to God to strengthen our faith and to support our prayers These and the like arguments may we use in prayer Reas 1. As Moses here that we are his people even the sheep of his pasture a people upon whom his Name is called And will God forsake his people 2. Plead the Lords Nature that he is ready to hear that it is one of his glorious Attributes to be the God that heareth prayers Ps 65.2 3. Plead his promise that he will be with his in six troubles and in seven Iob 5.19 and that he will never leave them nor forsake them 4. Plead we the experience we have had of his mercy and goodnesse in former times Thou hast set me at liberty saith David when I was in trouble And let the consideration thereof strengthen our prayer and support our faith 5. Plead that we come in Christs Name and he hath said that whatâ—ever we ask in his Sons Name he â—ill hear us 6. And last of all we may plead the praises that wait for him in Sion that if the Lord will be so graciously pleased to hear and answer us we will ever give him thanks and praise These and the like arguments will be excellent props to stay our faith and to strengthen our hands in prayer What means our Saviour in propounding the example of the unrighteous Judge Luke 18. but to encourage us in our suites to God and to shew the blessed fruits and effects of importunate prayers Hitherto of the first argument that they use to move the Lord to take pitty on them viz. that they had been so long time in misery How long Lord The second argument that they use to move the Lord to pitty and compassion Arg. 2 is taken from their present estate and condition Let it repent thee concerning thy servants And is taken from the Covenant of grace made unto them in Christ viz. that I will be thy God and thou shalt be my people So then the force of their reason is this q. d. O Lord we confesse that we have grievously sinned and provoked thy anger and thou mightest justly have cast us off But Lord remember thy old Covenant towards us that we are thy Servants and thou art our Lord we are thy people and thou art our God we are thy children and thou art our Father O then be pacified and reconciled unto us thy poor and unworthy Servants for thou hast not plagued the very heathen that know thee not but even us thy Servants and thy own people And therefore we humbly intreat thee to be reconciled to us And as Moses useth this as a reason to move the Lord to take pitty upon them Doct. 6 To plead Gods covenant an excellent motive to move the Lord to pittie Neh. 1.10 11. because they were his Servants a people in Covenant with him We learn That it is a very forcible reason and good motive to move the Lord to pitty when we can prove that we are his Servants and so minde the Lord of his Covenant that he hath made with us in Christ Thus Nehemiah when he came to intreat the Lord in the behalf of the people pleads this as an argument to move the Lord to pitty and compassion Now these are thy servants and thy people whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power and thy strong hand O Lord I beseech thee let now thy ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name And thus doth the lamenting Church plead their case with God Lam. 2.20 Behold Lord and consider to whom thou hast done this q. d. O Lord thou hast not done this to the heathen people that have not known thee nor call not upon thy Name but to thy own people that know and fear thy Name Upon this very ground Ps 119.94 David grounds his request to God I am thine O save me And thus Jacob when he desired to be delivered from his Brother Esau pleads this Covenant that God had made with him Lord thou hast said I will do thee good And often doth David put the Lord in minde of his promise Quicken me O Lord according to thy word And Ps 119. Let thy mercifull kindnesse be my comfort according to thy word Whereas such as are not his servants neither are in Covenant with God cannot look to speed in prayer But of them the Lord speaketh thus What hast thou to do Ps 50.21 since thou hast cast my Covenant behinde thy back and hatest to be reformed There is no hope that ever such should obtain any thing at Gods hand that are not in Covenant with God Let a wicked wretch come to God in prayer to ask for any mercy or blessing at Gods hand either for himselfe or for the Church he doth but
no desire of mercy and these the Lord sends away emptie O fill us with thy mercy THey crave not here a small pittance or a light tast of Gods mercy but even to have their hungry souls filled and satisfied with mercy Hence we see Doct. 3 We should labour for a plentiful sense of Gods mercy that it is not enough for us to have some light tast of Gods mercy in Christ for the pardon of our sins but we must labour to have it in a plentifull measure To be filled with the fulnesse of God and the feeling of his love The Lord is a bottomlesse Sea of mercy able to fill every soule that comes unto him but we are like a vessell that hath a narrow neck which if it be cast into the Sea yet is not quickly filled but by degrees Even so the mercy of God is as the bottomlesse Sea able to fill every soul that hungers and thirsts after mercy Whence then is the cause that we are not filled with mercy Surely in our selves our Faith which is the mouth of the soul is so narrow that though the Lord be able and willing to powre his graces and mercies into our souls yet we cannot receive but drop after drop one drop after another And hence it is that in a long time we receive but a small measure of grace and mercy because the Lord must distill it into our hearts as we are capable to receive it now a little and then a little Es 28.9 10. precept upon precept and line upon line here a little and there a little It was only true of Christ Ps 45.7 that he received not the spirit by measure He was annoynted with the oyle of gladnesse above his fellowes But as for us we receive grace by measure Whilst we are here We know but in part 1 Cor. 13.9 And according to our knowledge so are our other graces proportionable Gods children in this life have not fulnesse or perfection of any grace but only so much as the Lord in his wisdome sees meet for them and we are still to be adding grace to grace Grow in grace saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 2. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby And the Apostle exhorts us to joyne to our vertue faith and to faith knowledge c. So that it is not enough for us to have some light tast of Gods love or of the graces of his Spirit but we must labour to have them in a plentifull measure to be filled therewith The best of Gods Saints in this life Reas 1 have no grace in perfection we are not capable of fulnesse of grace in this life but must pray still Lord increase our faith and with the Church here Lord fill us with thy mercy And Christ teacheth us daily to pray Thy Kingdome come The Lord is pleased thus to exercise his people with many wants and imperfections in his graces given them here Reas 2 to humble them and to keepe down the pride that so naturally is ready to rise in our hearts especially in spirituall gifts Paul lest he should be lifted up with the abundance of Revelations had that prick in the flesh that he should not be exalted above measure 2 Cor. 12.8 Thus many times are the godly kept low in their own eyes that they might walk the more humbly with God Seeing then Use 1 that it is not enough for us to have some light tast of Gods love in Christ for the pardon of sin but we must labour to be filled with the feeling of his love This serves to condemn the greatest part of the world even Professors themselves that when they have got a little tast and feeling of Gods love and of the work of grace in theirsouls have a little measure of knowledge of faith and other graces content themselves and think they have enough But this ought not to be If ever thou hadst any true tast of Gods mercy in Christ it will make thee hunger and thirst after more and therefore the Apostle Exhorts 2 Pet. 1.2 that As new born babes we should desire the sincere milk of the Word that we might grow thereby He adds If you have tasted how sweet the Lord is intimating thus much that untill such time as we truly tast how sweet the Lord is we shall never truly desire the sincere milk of the Word Seeing the cause why we are not filled with the mercy of God Use 2 even at our first conversion is not in God but in our selves even in the want of Faith which is the inlet of all grace into the soul It is our duty to encrease in Faith in knowledge repentance and obedience for as these graces grow and encrease in us so will the feeling of Gods mercy and love towards us in Christ encrease in us Such as have a great measure of Faith there will be a great measure of the feeling of Gods love Fill their Sacks saith Joseph Scanty sacks could not carry away any plentifull store of provision where Faith is weak the neck of the soul narrow and streight there will be but a little measure of the feeling of Gods mercy which should stir us up to grow in Faith because as our Faith grows so our feeling of Gods mercy grows Satisfie us early or in the Morning THat is with speed they that lust for a thing cannot indure to be delaied It is death to a thirsty man to belongwithout drink So they that have their Soules scorched with the sense of Gods anger O it is mercy they long for And such a Soul thinks every hour ten and every day a year till they be refreshed with Gods mercy All delaies to such distressed soules is death it self Hear me speedily O Lord saith David My Spirit faileth hide not thy face from me lest I be like unto them that go down into the â—it Satisfie us early or in the Morning q. d. Lord let us not lye any longer soaking in extream miseries lest we be even swallowed up in desperation but make speed to take pitty upon us The like we have by that of David Ps 5.3 Hear my prayer in the Morning where David intreats the Lord not to defer his mercy but to to make speed to his help So Moses here intreats the Lord to hear them in the Morning That is with speed that hee would not deferre to hear them but with speed to take pitty on their miseries and troubles Now when Moses and the people of God pray thus that God would not defer to help them they do not this with impatient minds but partly in regard of their own frailty lest if the Lord should suffer them to lie longer in misery their faith should fail them in their expectation of Deliverance Doct. 4 And partly to shew their hearty Only Gods favour refresheth a distressed Soul and longing desire and comfort and feeling of
dispensation to dispose of his people that many times we are no sooner rid of one misery but there comes another in its room yet at last the Lord gives peace And who doth not finde this true by experience in himselfe sometimes to feel much joy and comfort in himselfe yet by and by either by some sin that they have fallen into or by some cloud of affliction or other that joy is eclipsed and to be lost for a time As we see the trees in winter seem to be dead as though they would never grow again yet when the spring comes the heat of the sun revives them again So many a dear child of God either by some sin committed for want of keeping a stricter watch and walking more closely with God or by some storm and tempest of affliction and temptation seemes even to be void of comfort for a time yet when this winter and storm is over the presence of Gods love and favour cheers them up quickens their hearts Ps 6.38 and puts into them comfort and spirituall joy again Quest But what may be the Reasons why the Lord should thus be pleased to exercise his children in this life with such alterations and changes Ans I answer Reas 1 One reason may be from our selves There is such a world of corruption that lies lurking in our hearts that albeit we have tasted and seen how sweet the Lord is which should teach us for ever to walk both humbly and holily before him and to be afraid to offend him and provoke him lest his loving kindnesse should be turned into frowns and displeasure Yet alas we are many times what with the temptations of Sathan and our own inward corruptions so hurried about that we are often drawn to dishonour God and fall into those sins that turn his favours into frowns as it was the case of David after he had sinned so hainously he lost much of that comfort he had formerly felt and is fain to beg hard that God would restore him again to the joy of his salvation Ps 51.12 Secondly Reas 2 the miseries and afflictions of Gods children serve to set out the abundant riches of Gods mercy The more desperate the cure is the more obliged is the Patient to the Physitian And when the Lord shall raise us up from the depth of misery whereinto our sins have plunged us and give us comfort and deliverance this works abundance of love and thankfulnesse Mary loved much because many sins were forgiven her And David can say I Love the Lord becanse hee hath heard the voice of my weeping And thirdly herein and hereby Reas 3 the Lord will shew the priviledges of his people above all wicked and ungodly ones his Children either in darknesse they see light or after darknesse they shall see light Whereas of the wicked it is found true They cryed Ps 18.41 but there was none to save them even to the Lord but he answered them not Let us apply this Seeing our condition here is so variable and changable Vse 1 at one time full of joy at another time full of sorrow c. It shall bee our wisdom to take heed to our hearts how we pitch our Tabernacle here as to think that that health peace or prosperity that somtimes we enjoy is built upon such a foundation that will not be shaken It was Davids case to be ready to fall asleep upon his bed of worldly pomp and ease I said in my prosperity I shall never be removed thou Lord of thy goodnesse hast made my hill so strong But God-awakened him out of that sleep as he saith Thou didst turn away thy face from me and I was sore troubled We may sometimes have the joy of faith but it may quickly be clouded with infidelity we may now be full of hope by and by our hearts may be filled with fear now we may have a glimpse of Gods Tabernacle by and by his back parts are turned towards us As the flesh Iusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh so the graces of God themselves within us are continually in combat The consideration whereof should wean us from the world and make us more mindeful of that life where all tears shal be wiped away from our eyes and sin from our souls for whatsoever we here have and enjoy is movable but that Inheritance fadeth not Secondly Use 2 seeing the estate of Gods children in this Word is so uncertain and changable somtimes joy sometime heavinesse somtimes comfort somtime sorrow It should teach us this wisdom to take heed that we do not despair as if we were utterly cast off of God when the Lord seems thus to frown upon us But rather when wee have lost the comfortable feeling of his love and lost our hold of God seek again unto him for comfort as David did Ps 51.12 Restore me to the joy of thy Salvation and Make me to hear the voice of joy and of gladnesse that the bones which thou hast brâ—ken may rejoyce And where we have got it to make more accompt of it and to apply it to our souls Seeing what comfort we have in the feeling of Gods love Use 3 may not only be dimmed and weakned by our sins but even overwhelmed and Eclipsed as when a cloud hides the light and the heat of the Sun from us O how carefull then ought we to be of sin that we never dare-willingly and wilfully to put our hands to sin that robs us of our joy and comfort this will rob us of our comfort in prayer in finging of Psalmes in hearing and in all duties for the present and bring horror and terror in the soul instead thereof Certainly he is but a titular Christian that doth not find this true by experience in himself Hast thou been bold to sin against thy God to lie to deceive to commit uncleannesse c. Thou shalt presently feel thy joy and comfort for the present clouded and eclipsed till by repentance the breach be made up again betwixt God and thy soul and God becomes again reconciled All duty in publick and private will have little relish in them and yield but small comfort till thou hast been at the Throne of grace and there begged pardon and made thy peace O then let us dread sin that robs us of our comfort and overwhelms our soules with griefe and sorrow And last of all Vse 4 seeing the estate and condition of Gods Children in this life is subject to such alterations and changes This may stay us at this time wherein the Lord is pleased to suspend our desired comfort in rendring our Parliaments one after another thus successelesse and that Reformation in Church and State which our eyes have so long desired to see yet retarded and Sects and Heresies to make head amongst us threatning daily some farther distemper in the body politique of our State if not confusion at last Yet let us stay our selves upon
when he injoyed his Rachel they seemed unto him but a few dayes Which should serve for our instruction Vse that if the Lord lay many and great afflictions upon us and that a long time together to consider that the Lord might have laid a thousand times more for our sins and the joyes of their life to come will quickly swallow up the remembrance of them all so as we are with one eye to looke unto Gods mercy that our afflictions are no sorer and that our comforts at last will surmount them all as with the other eye to looke upon our present sufferings how bitter soever And the yeares wherein we have seene evill No doubt herein Moses had respect to the time of their affliction in Egypt Exod. 1. wherein passed many yeares even foure hundred and thirtie and now againe for the space of fourty yeares in the wildernesse q.d. O Lord we have been a long time in misery and sore affliction we beseech thee now at last let us receive comfort proportionable and answerable thereto Doct. 5 Whence we may further observe We may pray for mercy answerable to our misery that we may and ought to pray that God would bestow mercy answerable to our misery As we see a man that hath a great wound in his body the plaster must be made as large as the wound or rather broader so must we crave at Gods hand that our comforts may be not onely as great as our miseries but if the will of God be more plentifull A man that hath beene many yeares in misery and affliction had need of a great measure of comfort as a man that hath beene made weake by long sicknesse so as his strength is much decayed he must have a time answerable to recover his strength againe So here a child of God that hath beene long humbled and afflicted by Gods hand such stand in need of a great measure of comfort to recover the health of their Souls againe ver 16. Let thy worke appeare unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children IN this verse we have the fourth petition which Moses and the people of God do make unto God And the thing they here beg and crave at Gods hand is protection which they acknowledge to be the proper work of God And this protection of his they crave not onely for themselves but also for their posterity after them Let thy work HEre by the work of God we are to understand some speciall and singular work of God towards them in their protection safety and deliverance And for this they use a double Reason 1. Drawne from the end of their protection viz. the glory of God because this glory of God would appeare in protecting them from their enemies the cursed Canaanites whose country they were now going to inhabite 2. That so it might fare well with the Church of God after them And that the promise of God made unto their forefathers Abraham Izaac and Jacob might not be frustrate but the Lord would give them and their posterity after them the land of Canaan to inherit Let thy work appeare SEing Moses and the people of God crave protection at Gods hand and this they acknowledge to be a work of God We learne Doct. 1 from whom to seeke for protection in times of danger God the protector of his people and in times of distresse viz of the Lord. Because all our help comfort and protection comes from him He is the Lord high Protector of his Church and people Thou art the God of my salvation saith David Ps 15.5 on thee do I wait all the day He lookes not to men or Angels but unto God alone to be his Saviour and Protector Salvation saith he belongeth unto the Lord. Psal 3.8 Whatsoever the Instrument be that God useth in the deliverance of his Church and people it is not in their Horses and Chariots but God onely that saves Thus Jehosaphat and the men of Judah 2 Chron. 20. when they were at that great straight that they knew not what to do Our eyes say they are toward thee And hence is it that David was so confident and held himselfe so safe in danger that he rested upon Gods protection Psa 23.4 Though I walke throughout the valley of the shadow of Death I wil feaâ—e no evill for thou art with me And againe The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I feare The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid what became of Pharaohs plots from time to time against the Church did not God disappoint them and still delivered his people what became of Hamans plot Achitophels counsell And those that vowed they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul Acts 23.10 Was not the Lord their Protector And hence is it that he is calld the God of patience the God of Consolation and the God of comfort By whose power assisting us and Spirit inabling us we who can neither do nor suffer any thing as of our selves 2 Cor. 1.4 Rom. 15.5 are able to do al things thorough Christ Now the Reasons why we must only seek for protection comfort and deliverance in times of distresse only from God are Reas 1 It is his commandment that in the time of misery and distresse we should still have recourse unto him Ps 50.15 Jam. 5.13 Call upon me in the time of trouble c. Is any be aflicted let him pray And thus when the Lord hath foretold the great afflictions that should betide the Church the Lord directs them to this way of their deliverance take unto you words Hos 14.23 and turne unto the Lord. Yea hee prescribes unto them the very forme of words how they are to seeke him Take away our iniquities and receive vs gratiously Secondly this is our maine end Reas 2 wherefore the Lord many times doth humble his people and bring them low that we might fly unto him for help and succour this honour God gaineth by our afflictions to drive us home to him as it is said in their afflictions they will seeke me diligently Esa 26.16 Thirdly God only is to be sought unto for protection in times of danger because the power of all creatures is but finite and they are but servants to his hand of providence but it is he that is the great Lord Protector of heaven and earth And without him neither Satan nor his instruments have power so much as over one haire of our heads and therefore the Apostle exhorts us To goe boldly to the throne of grace Heb. 4.16 that we may receive mercy and finde grace to help in time of need Seeing all protection and safegard is from God Vse 1 it is his worke How may this condemne the preposterous course of many in these dayes that in times of misery and distresse seeke any where even every where rather then unto God for help and