They who would seek God so as he may be found they must seek him timely whilest he may be found So the Prophet Isaiah directs the Jewes Seek ye the Lord whilest he may be found Isai 55.6 with which agrees that of the Psalmist Psalm 32.6 For this shall every one pray unto thee in a time when thou maiest be found Tempore inveniendi in a time of Finding Clearly intimating that there may be a time wherein God though he be sought yet will not be found This is that he tells the Jews Isai 1.15 When ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you and when ye make many prayers I will not hear Not hear them when they pray no nor yet hear others praying for them So the Lord telleth his Prophet Jeremiah upon that account willing him to surcease his intercession on their behalfe Therefore pray not for this people neither lift up crie nor praier for them neither make intercession to me for I will not hear thee Jer. 7.16 And elsewhere he tells the Prophet Ezekiel concerning that Land Though these three men Noah Daniel and Job were in it they should deliver but their own souls Ezek. 14.14 20. So irrevocable is the sentence which God somtimes passeth upon obstinate and rebellious sinners such as have despised his grace and mercie that all means used for the procuring ana gaining his favour towards them shall be ineffectual and to no purpose Replic Replic Repentance at all times findes mercie True it may be said so long as they continue in their sins they can expect no other but repenting and forsaking them there is mercie to be found So it there followeth in that of Isaiah 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercie upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon And the Lord giveth all sinners to know so much by his prophet Ezekiel Chap. 18.21 33.14 which Texts for substance though not in expresse tearms speak what the former of them was cited for in our late public Lyturgie that At what time soever a sinner repenteth him of his sin God will qut away all his iniquities out of his remembrance Answ Repentance not promised to men at all times A. True plentie of such promises wee meet withall assuring mercie to repenting sinners but where is that promise that assures unto them Repentance when they will Qui promisit poenitenti veniam non promisit peccanti poenitentiam He that hath promised pardon to the sinner whensoever he repenteth hath not promised to give him grace to repent whensoever he will Saint Paul speaking of the Repentance of men ill affected to the truthes and Ministers of Christ he puts in a Peradventure about it 2 Tim. 2.25 If God peradventure will give them repentance This is God's gift and being so it dependeth not upon Man's will but His Will And elsewhere hee tells us of an heart that cannot repent So our former Translation not amisse renders that Text Rom. 2.5 where the Apostle speaking of and to such as despise the riches of Gods goodnesse not knowing that it should lead them to repentance he saith that After their hardnesse and impenitent heart they treasure to themselvs wrath against the day of wraths c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cor resipiscere nesciens as Beza translateth it A heart that knoweth not how to repent knoweth not how to go about this work And elsewhere we read of some upon whom this doom is passed That it is impossible for them to be renued again unto repentance Heb. 6.6 Such is the case of desperate and malicious Apostates whom God in his just judgment giveth up unto impenitent hearts that they cannot at least shall not repent Thus doth God in his just and righteous judgment as I said somtimes with-hold his grace from those that have sleighted and rejected it when it was offered Thenceforth hiding from their eies the things that belong unto their peace That he doth this and why he doth it you have seen Quest Q. But how doth he do it Answ 1. How God hideth from men the things belonging to their peace A. Here I shall not dare to attempt to follow God too close in tracing of those paths of his which Saint Paul calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viae impervestigabiles Rom. 11.33 How unsearchable are his judgments and his waies past finding out By the former Judgments as Grotius distinguisheth them understanding the Decrees of God by the latter the waies and means which he useth in the executing and bringing those decrees into act Both are to humane understanding inscrutable and untraceable fitter to bee admired and adored then curiously pried into Yet where God is pleased to hold forth a light unto us wee may safely follow him though it bee a far off And so shall I at the present in opening this great mysterie to you shewing you onely what is revealed and so may safely be asserted concerning it God hideth from the eies of men the things belonging to their peace Answ 1. By with-drawing the light 1. By taking away the light withdrawing and with-holding the meanes of grace from them This is one thing which the Lord threatneth against this unfruitfull Vineyard the people of the Jews sfaiah 5. ver 6. I will also command the cloudes that they rain no rain upon it That is as some saf ely if not somewhat too curiously expound it the means of grace and salvation should not bee continued unto that people as formerly He would bereave them of their Prophets take away their Teachers Which accordingly he did as may be collected from that Promise which the same Prophet maketh to the Church Isaiah 30.20 Though the Lord give you the bread of adversitie and the water of affliction yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy teachers So it had beâ—n with that people Prophets had been very scarce among them So much we may take notke of from that of the Psalmist Psal 74.9 where the Church lying under a sad desolation is brought in complaining We see not our signes there is no more any Prophet neither is there a-mong us any that knoweth how long They wanted their Seers as the Prophets sometimes are called And by this meanes were the things which belonged to their peace hid from their eyes And by a like means came they here to be hid from Jerusalems Means of grace with-drawn from Jerusalem by withdrawing those means of grace from them which formerly they had injoied Christ himself being taken away he also ordered his Apostles after a while to withdraw from them So much is insinuated in that Parable of the Mariage feast where the first guests that were invited though sollicited by messenger after messenger refusing to come the servants are then ordered by the Master of the Feast to
it had been otherwise with them So far is he then from taking pleasure in the death and destruction of poor sinners God not taking pleasure in the death of sinners This do tyrants sometimes they take pleasure in their bloody executions feeding their eyes therewith as with pleasing spectacles But so doth not our God in the destruction of his creatures To this purpose that of the Prophet Ezekiel speaketh fully Ezek. 18.31 32. Where the Lord bewayling the perversnesse of the people of the Jews in running on headlong to their own destruction he expostulateth the matter with them vers 31. Why will ye die O ye house of Israel then he professeth that he was not delighted in their destruction or the destruction of any other vers 32. I have no pleasure in the death of him that dyeth No though wicked persons and so most worthy to die yet God taketh no pleasure in their death So he elsewhere explains it Ezek. 33.11 As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked Object Why but doth not God will the death of the wicked How God willeth the death of the wicked Answ True he willeth it but he taketh no pleasure in it He willeth it as an act of Justice ordaining them to just condemnation for sin But he is not delighted in their destruction their misery Even as a just but merciful Judge he pronounceth the sentence of death upon a guiltie malefactor but it is with tears in his eyes God is delighted in mercy mercy pleaseth him as the Prophet hath it Micah 7.18 but so doth not the misery of his creature Appli Let it be taken notice of by every of us Not to the end that we should abuse this mercy Gods grace not to be turned into wantonnesse turn this grace into wantonnesse as Saint Jude saith of some in his time did Jude 4. taking occasion thereby to go on and continue in sin What shall we say then Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid saith the Apostle Rom. 6.1 Shall we therefore go on to provoke this God because he is so compassionate towards us so loath that we should perish what were this but to abuse this his lenitie and goodnesse to our own just condemnation But on the other hand let this goodnesse of God lead us unto repentance Gods goodnesse leading to repentance This is the right use of it as we may learn from the same Apostle Rom. 2.4 Be we hereby provoked to break off the course of our waies provoking sins and to come in unto this God by serious and unfeigned repentance This use will an ingennous child make of the indulgent affection of a tender hearted parent When he seeth the bowels of his father or mother yearning towards him bewailing his destructive courses if there be any spark of ingenuity left this cannot but work upon his heart and make him think of betaking himself to a new course which may be pleasing and contentful to so affectionate a parent Behold thus is our heavenly Father and thus is our blessed Saviour affected towards poor sinners And therefore let it have the like work upon every of us to provoke us to break off those sinfull wayes and courses which are so offensive to those pure eyes and come in unto our God by serious and unfeigned Repentance Christ still retaining the same affection towards poor sinners So doing now doubt not but we shall have comfortable experience of his grace and mercy What was the Lord Jesus so affected towards a stubborn and rebellious people that he so earnestly wisheth their good and so passionately bewaileth their calamity and will he not shew the like affection to poor penitent sinners such as by coming unto him seek for mercy from him Surely the Lord Jesus hath carried his bowels to heaven with him still retaining the same affection tovvards poor sinners that here he had upon earth Hovv ever he be not capable of expressing it in the like vvay He can hence forth weep no more All tears being wiped from his eyes as they shall be from the eyes of all his Saints vvhen they shall be translated to that blessed and glorious condition Yet still he retaineth the same affection towards poor sinners He that wept over Jerusalem here wishing that it had been othervvise vvith them then it vvas and vvas like to be he doth earnestly desire that those tears and that blood vvhich he here shed in the dayes of his flesh may be made effectual for the vvashing avvay the sins of poor sinners Which also they shall be to all those who turning away from them come unto him receiving him as their Saviour and Lord. But I shall not any longer dwell upon this which I take up from the general consideration of the words or from the manner of speaking Come we now to the matter taking a nearer and more particular veivve of this Lamentation The matter of this lamentation where the evil lamented Aggravations of it Wherein we shall take notice of two things the Evil of sin it self which our Saviour here bewaileth and secondly the Aggravations of that evil The evil bewailed is their stupidity their not knowing of what belonged to their peace The aggravations of that evil are two the one taken from the persons the other from the time The persons who were thus stupid Jerusalem If thou even thou The time the day of their visitation At least in this thy day These are the severals we have now to deal with Begin with the first The evil lamented The evil lamented their not knowing the things which belonged to their peace Here by way of explication three things Expli Three things are to be unfolded 1. What is here ment by peace 2. What were those things which belonged to Jerusalems peace 3. How it is said that they did not know those things Q. For the first What here meant by peace viz. All kind of happinesse by Peace here understand we prosperity felicity So the word was familiarly used among the Hebrews In as much as Peace is a comprehensive blessing they set forth all blessings under this Thus in their ordinary salutations they were wont to wish Peace Peace be unto thee and peace be unto thy house and peace be unto all that thou hast It is the salutation which David sends to Nabal 1 Sam. 25.6 And thus our Saviour sending forth his Apostles he puts this word into their mouthes directing them to salute the families where they came after that manner with an apprecation of peace Into whatsoever house ye enter ye shall first say Peace be to this hous Luk. 10.5 i. e. all kind of happinesse And so look we upon the word here in the text By peace understanding here all kind of felicitie Omnes foelicitatis partes as Calvin hath it all the parts and kinds of happinesse Happinesse both present and future
been should do this this is a thing which God cannot but take more heynously at our hands then at others So the Lord maketh his complaint concerning Israel Isaiah 1.2 3. I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me The oxe knoweth his owner c. But Israel doth not know my people doth not consider And may not he take up the like complaint against England God hath nourished and tendred us as children yet we have rebelled against him England hath not known England hath not considered Now this he cannot but take worse at our hands then at the hands of any other nation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And thou O England that thou shouldest do this that thou shouldest make such a return to thy God for all his mercies and favours This is an heinous aggravation of Englands sin And aggravating the sinne Threatning a proportionable judgment what can we expect but that it should also aggravate thy Judgment So it did Jerusalems here Her sin being uppon this account greater then the sin of any other place so was her Judgment as the verses following set it forth No one place that the hand of God fell so heavy upon as it did upon Jerusalem And have not we of this nation just cause to fear the like that in as much as our sins have exceeded the sins of other nations our judgments should exceed also And what is said of the Nation in general Application to the Town of Yarmouth in special let it be applied to this place in special Upon which it cannot be denied but God hath bestowed many singular mercies both Spiritual and Temporal Among other preserving us in the midst of this late fiery furnace which hath burnt so hot in most parts of the nation to this day continuing our peace and liberty not suffering the sword though shakē over us to break in upō us in an hostile way as it hath don upon māy other Cities Townes Now shal we stil persist and go on in our sinful provocations in sleighting of Ordinances profaning Sabbaths abusing creatures c. what can we expect but that as our sinnes upon this account shall be greater then the sins of other places who have not enjoyed the like mercies so should our judgments be Vse 2 For the preventing of which suffer a word of Exhortation Exhortation To indeavour an answerable return to mercies All of us be we excited to indeavour an answerable return to the mercies and favours bestowed upon us Publick mercies Private mercies Spiritual Temporal Take notice of all and study to answer all Looking upon these differencing and distinguishing mercies as so many obligations and Engagements upon us binding us to duty above others let it be our care to walk answerably In as much as God hath been pleased to exalt and prefer us above and before others let it be our endeavour to go before others in all grateful and exemplarie obedience That so these blessings which through the mercy and goodnesse of our God we have and do yet in so great a measure injoy may not be what otherwise they will as so many testimonies against us affording matter of a just Exprobration Which is a sad thing when God cometh to upbraid a people with his favours Mark it That is Jerusalems case the Text to whom our Saviour here speaketh as both Calvin and Beza taking it from Budaeus conceive of it not onely by way of Commiseration A sad thing for God to upbraid a people with his favours but also of Exprobration As pitying so upbraiding them Pitying them in regard of the Calamitie which he saw coming upon them but withall upbraiding them with the mercies and favours which God had bestowed upon them above others to which they had made a most unworthy return Even thou Thou whom I have done thus and thus for thou for whom I have done more then for any other place upon earth O it is a sad thing when God shall come thus to upbraid a people with his favours A thing which he is not ready and forward to do So much we may learn from St. James A thing which he is not ready to do Jam. 1.5 If any man lack wisedome let him ask it of God who giveth liberally and upbraideth not viz. those who receiving his blessings thankfully indeavour to make a right use of them But as for those who being ungrateful for them shall not walk in measure worthy of them them he will upbraid So he often doth ungrateful Israel as elsevvhere so Isaiah 5.1 2. vvhere comparing Israel to a vineyard Yet being provoked by ingratitude he will do it he reckons up what offices he had done to it in fencing and planting and mannuring of it c. accommodating it with all necessaries and conveniencies And this he doth by way of exprobration upbraiding them with those favours for which they had made so ill a requital And the like again Jer. 2.5 Thus saith the Lord what iniquity have your fathers found in me c. Neither said they where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt that led us through the wilderness And so he goeth on reckoning up the many favours he had done for that Nation which he doth in an upbraiding way inasmuch as they had shewed themselves so ingrateful and forgetful as they had done And the like doth our Saviour to those Cities in the Text forenamed Mat. 11.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He began to upbraid them Be thankful for and walk worthy of publick mercies O take we heed that we do not give God just cause to do the like by us And therefore what special mercies and favours God is pleased to bestow upon us take notice of them be thankful for them endeavour to walk worthy of them This do we for publick And this do we for private mercies Private mercies Is it so that God is pleased to bless any of us above other of our brethren in any kinde Be it in our Bodies with health and strength In our Estates with larger portions of this worlds goods advancing us above the common ranke In our mindes inriching us with inward gifts and indowments of wit wisdome knowledg c. O take we heed that these be not a matter of exprobration to us that by our abusing of them not improving them not walking worthy of them we do not give God just cause to upbraid us with them Considering that in this case every of these mercies will be as so many several aggravations of our ingratitude This is that which the Lord by his Prophet Nathan tels King David 2 Sam. 12.7 8. Where reckoning up the many favours he had done and was ready to do for him how he had delivered him out of the hand of Saul how be had set him upon the Throne of Israel giving him his Masters House and Wives and the House of Israel and of Judah
And saith he if that had been too little I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things then he cometh to expostulate the matter with him why he should so deal by his God as he had done Wherefore hast thou despised the Commandement of the Lord to do evil in his sight Thus God taketh the sins of his favourites more unkindly then the sins of any other And therefore is it so that God hath indeared any of us to himself by any special favours wherein he hath preferred us before others let us be so much the more watchful careful over our walkings that so he may never take up the like complaint against us as our Saviour here doth against Jerusalem O that thou even thou shouldest do thus and thus This it was that David took most heinously that his favourites and familiars should prove treacherous to him Psal 41.9 Yea mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted which did eat of my bread hath lift up his heel against me Some of his Courtiers friends Which our Saviour applieth unto Judas's dealing with himself Joh. 13.18 He that eateth bread with me hath lift up his heel against me This did exceedingly aggravate Judas's sin Had some of the Scribes or Pharisees done what he did it had been no strange thing But that Judas should do it one whom Christ had so far honoured as to admit him to so near an attendance upon his person to make him one of his Privy Counsel as it were this highly aggravated his offence O take heed lest the like aggravation lie against any of us And therfore the more gracious God hath been or shall be to any of us let us be the more grateful the more watchful the more careful to walk worthy of his mercies I have done with the former of these Circumstances these Aggravations Second Aggravation from the time Come we now to the latter which is taken from the Time and the Season In this thy day Q. And what is here meant by Jerusalems day The word Day explained A. Day in Scripture it hath divers senses and significations Literally and properly we meet with a Natural day and an Artificial day The one consisting of twenty four hours the Suns Revolution the other of the time of light from morning to evening Both which we finde in that one verse Gen. 1.5 And God called the light day and the darkness he called night And the evening and the morning were the first day By the first understanding the Artificial day by the latter the Natural But to let these pass as nothing to our purpose Tropically and improperly the word is diversly used 1. Sometimes for the time of mans life that space which he liveth upon earth Your father Abraham rejoyced to see my day saith our Saviour to the Jews John 8.56 the time of my manifestation in the flesh and abode upon earth I must work the work of him that sent me whilest is day John 9.4 that is whilest I live here upon earth 2. Sometimes it denotes the time of grace under the Gospel So the Apostle is conceived to use the word Rom. 13.12 where he saith The night is far spent the day is at hand The night the time of the Law which was a time of darkness and Ignorance wherein spiritual and heavenly mysteries were all clouded and vailed under shadows and figures In opposition thereunto the time of the Gospel is called the Day in regard of the clear manifestation of the grace of God and of the mysterie of salvation to all sorts not onely to Jews but Gentiles And so that other Text of the same Apostle is looked upon 1 Thes 5.5 Ye are the children of the day living in Gospel times As also that other prophetical Text Heb. 4.7 To day if ye will hear his voice saith David speaking of the time of the Gospel as it is there expounded 3. Sometimes it denotes any special opportunity apt and proper season for any transaction So that forenamed Text may be understood John 9.4 I must work whilest it is day that is whilest I have opportunity And so that other To day if ye will hear his voice whilest the time and season of grace lasteth whilest salvation is offered 4. And lastly by Day sometimes we are to understand a set time determined and appointed by God for some special purpose In this sense we find the word frequently used by the Prophets Jerusalems Day what the time of special grace And in these two last senses understand we the word here in the Text. Jerusalems Day was the time destinated and foreappointed by God and foretold by the Prophets wherein the light of the Gospel should shine forth unto her and that more clearly then ever heretofore and the offer of grace and mercy should be held forth unto her after a special manner Of this day this time the Prophets make frequent mention As the Prophet Isai chap. 60.1 Arise shine or be enlightned for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee So Zachary 9.9 Rejoyce greatly O daughter of Sion for thy King cometh unto thee Both which had their accomplishment in the coming of Christ in the flesh and particularly in his coming to Jerusalem at this time in this manner presenting himself to it as a King So he himself applies the latter of these Texts Matth. 21.4 5. And hereupon is this here called Jerusalems day the day that had been so often foretold the time wherein God did offer grace and mercy to her after a more special manner then ever he had done heretofore Before he had often made offers of that kind unto her as to the whole Nation of the Jews by sending his Prophets to her But now he doeth it by his Son So our Saviour sets it forth in that known parable of the Vineyard Matth. 21.33 c. A certain man planted a vineyard This vineyard was the Church of the Jews Isaiah 5.1 whom God took to be a peculiar people to himself performing like offices thereunto that the Husbandman would do to his vineyard Being thus planted he let it forth to husbandmen and went himself into a far Countrey God seemed to leave that Church wholly to the care of the Priests In process of time he sends his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits thereof verse 34. God sends his Prophets to this Church whom by the Parable goeth on they beat and slew vers 35. So they did the former Prophets many of them Againe he sent other servants moe then the first and they did unto them likewise verse 36. Before the Captivity he sent more Prophets to them then formerly who found no better entertainment then the former But last of all he sent unto them his son verse 37. God the Father sends his Son Christ into the world with a special messuage unto the Jews to require from them the fruits of all that grace
and favour which had been shewen to them And this was Jerusalems day The time of special grace and mercy offered unto them after a special manner and that by Christ himself wherein she had a special opportunity tendered unto her if she had but had the wisdome to accept it to lay hold of it and make use of it accordingly Even the time of her visitation as the 44th verse after the Text explains it But hinc illae lachrymae this was a matter of just lamentation The day was come and even now spent but Hierusalem had not an eye to see it a heart to make use of it And this i◠is which our Saviour here bewailes in them and exprobrates to them pities them for and upbraids them with O if thou even thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace At least what it here importeth At least There is yet a further Emphasis in that Interjection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et quidèm in hâc die tuâ saith the vulgar even in this thy day Hoc saltem tuo die saith Beza whom our Translations follow At least in this thy day that is though thou hast along time stood it out refusing and rejecting many offers of grace yet O that at the length thou wer 't wise Or If at least If after that thou hast slain so many Prophets so many servants of mine which have been sent unto thee with conditions of peace yet thou wouldest receive me their Master hearkning to the message which I bring Or at least If after all the unkinde and ungrateful repulses which my self hath hitherto met with by thy obstinate rejecting of my Person and Doctrine yet if now at the length in this my last Expedition the last journey that ever I shall make unto thee the last time of asking now at the day of grace and salvation as to thee is expiring If now at last thou mightest yet know c. Thus our Saviour here maketh use of this circumstance as a further aggravation both of his sorrow and their sin their stupidity and obstinacy that in this day of grace wherein God was pleased to make such a gracious offer of mercy to them they should yet stand it out to the last so neglecting and letting slip the present opportunity as they had done many other by the imbracing whereof they might yet have been happy So sad a thing it is for a people not to take notice of the seasons of grace and mercy vouchsafed unto them Obs Not to take notice of the seasons of grace a sad thing for their spiritual and temporal felicity and welfare so as to make a wise use and improvement of them This our Saviour here so sadly lamenteth in Jerusalem And this we shall finde the Lord elsewhere sadly complaining of in this people the people of the Jews As Jeremy 8.7 Yea the storke in the heavens knoweth her appointed times and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observes the time of their coming but my people know not the judgments of the Lord. Those poor creatures with many other meerly by a natural instinct they observe the times and seasons of the year and so order their going and coming accordingly but that people knew not the judgment of the Lord they tooke no notice of the seasons of mercy and judgment they saw not the judgements of God hovering over their heads that so they might use timely means for the diverting of them And this the Lord there chargeth upon them as gross stupidity And the like regardlesness of seasons and opportunities and the workings and dispensations of Providence he elsewhere complains of against them for by the same Prophet Jer. 5.4 Surely these are poor they are foolish for they know not the way of the Lord nor the judgment o◠of their God And by the Prophet Isaiah the like Isai 5.11 12. Where he denounceth a woe upon that people for not regarding the wor◠of the Lord not considering the operation of hi◠hands they had no regard of providential dispensations no regard of times and seasons whether of mercy or judgment This is a gros◠and deplorable stupidity a just ground both of Lamentation and Exprobration This is th◠thing which our Saviour upbraideth the Pharisees and Sadduces with They were curious observers of times and seasons in natural things but in spiritual and heavenly they were altogether stupid So he telleth them Matth. 16.2 3. When it is evening ye say it will be fair weather because the skie is red c. They were very observant of the usual prognosticks of fair or foul weather they could discern the face of th◠skie But saith he can ye not discern the signs of the times they were not so wise as to take notice of the choisest times and seasons such as that then was being the time of the Messias his comming unto them So Saint Luke hath it as the Syriack also rendreth that of Saint Matthew Luke 12.56 How is it that ye do not discern this time This time of grace wherein the promised Messia cometh unto you whom you profest to have so long looked and waited for and which the Prophets have so clearly pointed out to you and is now evidenced unto you by so many manifest signs and tokens as were you not wilfully blinde you could not but see this to be that time This he chargeth them with as grosse stupiditie And so indeed it is when men shall not take notice of the accepted time the day of salvation not see what belongeth to their peace in their day in the times and seasons of Grace which God vouchsafeth unto them Especially when God is pleased to manifest and make known his minde and will to them after a more clear and evident manner Especially when more clearly held forth That was Jerusalems case here in the Text. God had made known to them the things belonging to their peace formerly he had sent his Prophets to them from time to time for that purpose but now he did it more clearly by sending his Son to speak to them to tender himself to them in person Now this rendred their neglect and contempt a great deal more heinous and inexcusable that even in this their day they should not know c. For them to have been ignorant hereof at any time heretofore under the Law had been inexcusable but much more under the Gospel Even as for men to stumble in the twilight it argueth heedlesnesse but much more to stumble at noon-day as the Prophet speaketh of Israel in another sense Isa 59.10 Thus where God is pleased to afford men but a little light such as that was under the Law which Saint Peter compareth to a Candle a Light shinning in a dark place as that place is by some expounded 2 Pet. 1.19 for men not to give heed unto that light and take notice of the minde of God which is held
patience you have abused and whose grace you have rejected do in his most righteous judgment seal up your eies passing an irrevocable sentence upon you that seeing you will not see therefore you shall not see but that these things be now from henceforth for ever hid from your eies And so I am fallen upon the second Particular 2. The second cause of Jerusalems blindness Gods righteous judgment the second ground and cause of this blindnesse in Jerusalem .. The things belonging to her peace were hid from her eies as through her own wilful obstinacie so also through Gods righteous judgment And thus they were hid not onely for the present but also for the future 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But now they are hid from thine eies That is from henceforth so as now thou shalt not see them and that through the righteous judgment of God hiding them from thee Thus it is Daies of Grace have their dates Obs Days of grace have their dates Mark it This is the Observation which this passage naturally yieldeth us Daies of Grace have their dates Times and seasons wherein the Grace and Mercie of GOD is offered and tendered to the Sons of men for their acceptance they are limited they have their terms and boundaries beyond which they shall not extend Hence is it that they are called by the name of Daies If thou hadst known in this thy day Now a Day is a determined time However there are Winter-daies and Summer-daies some shorter others longer yet each is limited and measured by the motion of the Sun And so are the Seasons of Grace which God vouchsafeth unto the Sons of men upon earth though some are longer then others yet all limited all determined by God What the Prophet Habakuk â—aith of Prophetical Vision Hab. 2.3 The Vision is for an appointed time the same may be said of these gracious dispensations the offers and tenders of grace and mercie they are for an appointed time Daies of Grace have their dates their limits So have both National and Personal daies 1. National daies 1. Nationall days wherein God offers mercie to communities of men these are limited So it was we know with the old world concerning which we may hear God declaring his purpose Gen. 6.3 My spirit shall not ever strive with man for that he also is flesh yet his daies shall be an hundred and twentie years A long time God had striven with the men of that generation He had so done and that both outwardly and inwardly Outwardly as by his Works so by his Word which was preached to them by Noah whom Saint Peter calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Preacher or publisher of Righteousnesse of the righteous judgments of God in case they should not repent to which in the name of God he perswaded them By him it was that Christ went and preached to the spirits in prison as the same Apostle hath it 1 Pet. 3.19 This he did by the Ministerie of Noah or some others who were inspired by him In and by them he preached to the men of that generation who were then alive but at this time when Peter wrote that Epistle dead and their spirits their souls many of them in the prison of Hell And besides this Outward striving by his Word he did also strive with them Inwardly by the inward motions and operations of his Spirit pressing and urging their consciences to Reformation and Repentance Thus he had striven with them and that long but he will not ever so do My Spirit shall not ever strive with Man And thereupon hee limits them a time for their Repentance The daies of Man shall be an hundred and twentie years Not that the time of man's life should not afterwards exceed that number of years for we finde diverse after the Flood living much longer but so long should their day of grace and mercie last So long a time out of his gracious indulgence God would yet allow to that generation to bethink themselvs to reform their hearts and lives in which if once past and not improved for the end to which it was allotted them then they must look for no more mercie but a deluge of vengeance should sweep them off from the face of the earth To this I might subjoin that of Nineveh which had her fortie daies and no more allowed unto her for the same end Fortie daies and Nineveh shall be destroied Jon. 3.4 viz. except within that time they repented which condition God reserved to himelf Thus there is a time appointed and determined by God which though he do not declare to others yet he hath set down with himself how long hee will strive with a Nation a people how long he will wait for their Repentance which time being past then the date of mercie is out So it was with Jerusalem here she had had he Day a day of grace and that a long day wherein she might have seen what belonged to her peace but that day being now spent Now these things are hid from her eies 2. Personall days 2. And as Nationall so Personall dayes The times and seasons allotted unto particular persons for their accepting the offers of grace and mercie held forth unto them these also are limited So is not onely the Common and Generall day The time of this life beyond which the tenders of mercie do not extend The generall day the time of this life Now is the accepted time now is the day of salvation saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 6.2 speaking as he is conceived of the time of this life This is the day of grace If this day be gone mercy is gone As for those who have here abused the patience and long sufferance of God not considering that it should have led them to repentance so sleighting the offers of Mercie let them look for nothing but Juâ—tice hereafter That rich Glutton who would not out of his abundance spare poor Lazarus a crum of bread baing in hell may call and crie for a drop of water to cool his tongue with and yet go without it The Sacrifices of Grace and Mercie are onely so long as this day of grace lasteth during this life If this be gone then as the tree falleth towards heaven or hell so it lieth Death closing up the eies of impenitent sinners then are the things which belong to their peace their happinesse for ever hid from them But also Particular daies Particular days particular times and seasons and that during this life Certainly such times and seasons there are As there are appointed times for all other occasions To every thing there is a season and a time to every pupose under heaven saith the Preacher Eccl. 3.1 So it is to things Natural however to us they may be Casual and in themselvs Contingent or it may be Voluntarie left to the will of man yet they are all determined as for other circumstances so for the time and that by
hearts Thus the Lord is said to have done Pharaohs Exod. 4.21 And the like is said of Sihon King of Heshbon that refused to let Israel passe by him Deuteronom 2.30 The Lord thy God hardned his spirit and made his heart obstinate that he might deliver him into thy hand This hee did not onely by with-holding his grace from them but by delivering them up unto the perversnesse of their own spirits and to Satan to bee acted by him unto their ruine and destruction And after the like manner may God bee said to have hardned the hearts of this people the people of the Jewes not onely by with-holding his Spirit from them but also giving them up unto their own hearts lusts as rhe Psalmist hath it Psal 81.11 12. My people would not hearken unto my voice and Israel would none of mee So I gave them up to their own hearts lusts or as the margin readeth it to the hardnesse of their hearts and they walked in their own counsels and to the power of Satan to bee acted by him to bee blinded and hardned by him Yea even giving Commission to his Word to have such an accidental effect upon them even as the Sun hath upon the Clay to harden it So much wee may learn from that Text of the Prophet Isaiah cited by our Saviour Isaiah 6. ver 9 10. Where the Lord giving him his Commission to go unto that people hee bids him or rather foretelleth him what hee should do that hee should make their heart fat Make thou the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavie and shut their eies c. Now how shoula hee do this Why onely by preaching the Word to them But what then had the Word any such proper operation of it self Not so neither had the Prophet any such intention in the preaching of it but through their obstinate tempers it become so to them an occasion of their further blinding and hardening God in his just judgment suffering and ordering that his Word should have such a direfull effect upon them as that they should grow worse and worse by it untill they should attain to that height of impenitencie as should bee irrecoverable This it is The Word will have it work one way or other beeing as the Apostle saith the favour of life or of death 2 Corinth 2.16 Where it doth not open and clear the eye it will close and blinde it Where it doth not soften the heart it will harden it And in this way and by this means doth God in his most righteous Judgment hide from the eyes of men the things which belong to their peace which they have refused to see To these I might adde his sending of False Teachers Sending false teachers among them such as those the Prophet Jeremie speaketh of who cried unto the people Peace Peace where there was no peace Jeremiah 6.14 So lulling them asleep in carnall securitie that they shall not see what belongs to their peace in truth As also his sending of strong delusions Strong delusions that men should believe a lie because they have not received a love of the truth as the Apostle hath it 2 Thes 2.11 Sending a Spirit of Errour a lying spirit to them such as that was which seduced Ahab to his destruction 2 King 2.22 These and many other wayes God hath to carry on this his most just and righteous design But herein I shall follow him no further That which hath been spoken may be sufficient for doctrinal Confirmation and Illustration What now remaines is Application Where in the first place let me design you to make a stand a little Applic. Application to the Nation in general and look upon this Nation wherein we live as our Saviour did here upon this City Jerusalem and see whether there be any just cause to do what he did to weep over it mourn over it upon any such account Touching which let me first declare for my self that not having my Saviours eyes a prophetical eyeas he had I dare not pronounce the like sentence upon this that he doth upon that viz. that the things which belong unto Englands peace are now hid from her eyes No as my prayers have been and shall be so my hopes yet are to the contrary that God will yet be merciful to this Nation and I want not some grounds to bottom these hopes upon But yet let me shew you what two just causes of fear may be apprehended Her sad prognosticks paralelled with Jerusalems that God hath a sad controversie with it In the declaring whereof I shall as far as I may parallel it with this City of Jerusalem which I shall do altogether upon a Religious account not medling at all with the Civil of these sad prognosticks I might reckon up diverse But. I shall content my self to single out some of those which are most obvious 1 Not seeing what belonged to peace in his day Among which let the first and principal be our not seeing the thing which betmged to our peace in our day Where I shall not do what happily with too much evidence of truth I might descend to those particular times and seasons wherein mercy hath been held forth and offered unto this Nation in a more signal and remarkable manner Surely such Criticall daies England hath had and some of them within our mememorie seasons and opportunities which had they been laid hold of and improved as they might how happy might she have been I shall content my self with generalities Onely taking notice of that long day of grace and mercy which this Nation hath had during which the light of the Gospel hath shone forth to it and that in so clear and glorious a manner as I suppose without flatterie I may speak it it hath not done to any other nation under heaven Now have we in this our day known the things which belonged to our peace Hath Christ and his Gospell found that intertainment among the generality which he expected and it deserved The Generalitie I say True it is some there have been and at this day are who have sincerely imbraced both And so there were in Jerusalem some that cryed Hosanna to the Some of David Hosanna in the highest Matth. 21.9 15. But how is it with the greatest part do not they yet love darknesse rather then light setting light by the light of the Gospel and the Ministery thereof even Gadarene like preferring their swine before Jesus Christ A charge wherein I wish there were not too much truth Such sleight and slender entertainment hath the Gospell with the faithful messengers thereof found among the greatest part of this Nation A sad prognostick Specially if it be considered to what a height this disaffection is at this day improved Disaffection to the persons and Calling of Ministers a sad prognostick and risen even to the disclaiming and crying down of the Ministery it self So is it with some and not
now at an end Now are these things hid from thine eyes And questionlesse so may it be with some particular persons whom God in his just judgment hath given up to final impenitence so delivering them up unto Satan and themselves as that from thenceforth they never shall know the things belonging to their peace The doubtful supposal of a despairing sinner answered and satisfied Obj. But what then may some say may not this be our case And if so then it is in vain for us to strive to seek for what is not to be found to knock at that door which is shut uppon us as it shall not be opened A. In answer to this I shall deal as tenderly as I may so as I may not discourage or dishearten any soul that intertaines but a thought of returning and coming in unto God that begins so much as to cast a glance heaven-ward Wherein I shall do no other then what the Lord Jesus himself doth of whom it was prophecied that he should not quench the smoaking flax Matth. 12.20 Such was and is the gracious lenity and clemency of the Lord Jesus in his dealing with poor sinners in whom there are as yet onely some weak desires after grace some slender beginnings of conversion and faith And so shall I deal with all such Gods revealed will the onely Rule to walk by 1. Willing them in the first place to take notice what is their Rule to walk by Not the secret but the revealed will of God Secret things belong unto the Lord but those things which are revealed to us and to our children for ever Deut. 29.29 This is that which we are to look at and take notice of And therefore let not any upon this account disquiet and trouble their own soules with such anxious disquisitions as neither they nor any other for them whether man or Angel is able to resolve But apply themselves to the use of means This will men do as concerning their temporall estates They ne-over stand prying into Gods decree to enquire what portion in his secret purpose he hath layed out for them but they set about the work of their calling applying themselves to the use of means And so do you touching your spirituall and eternall estates Stand not to enquire how God hath diposed of you in his secret purpose but go about the work of your general calling apply your selves to the use of such means as God hath appointed to bring you home to himself by so waiting upon his good will and pleasure This is that which the Lord requires you to do And therefore in obedience to his command do it with that Poor impotent person John 5. lying at the pool untill the Angell shall come down and stir the waters attending upon Ordinances untill God by his spirit concurring with them shall please to work effectually by them inclining your hearts to look towards himself giving you a sight and sense of your own sinfulnesse and miserie making you to see and feel the need you have of Jesus Christ and heginning to draw your hearts towards him Which when you find let this be a comfortable evidence unto you that your day is not yet past Onely be not you now wanting to this grace of God The motions of the Spirit to be intertained in giving intertainment to these motions of the spirit in opening of the doore of your hearts that so the Lord Jesus who is now knocking at them may enter in Which in the feare of God be ye now perswaded to do Not knowing but that this may be the last knock this the last sermon that ever we shall heare or the last mention of the spirit that ever you shall feele Now therefore even now before you goe from this place strike up the Covenant betwixt Jesus Christ and your soules accepting and receiving him in all those Gospell Relations not onely as a Saviour casting your soules upon him so as to rest upon the alsufficiencie of his merit for the pardon of sin and eternall salvation but also as a Lord a Husband a Head giving your selves up undo him to be guided and governed by him by his word and Spirit so receiving him into your hearts as that he may dwell in you and rule over you and that for ever This being done now know you for your comfort that you are through grace and mercie exempted out of this black list Where Christ is received the day of grace is not past out of the number of those from whose eies the things belonging to their peace are hid God having thus revealed his Sonne Christ not onely to you but in you as the Apostle saith of himself Gal. 1.16 not oneiy revealed him to your eares but to your hearts as by his word so by his spirit inclining your hearts to close with him to receive him upon these Gospel tearms now he hath made you to know the things which belong unto your peace Which whilest he hath hid from others he hath revealed to you For which differencing mercie to close up all in a word blesse you God Vse Blesse God for his differencing mercy giving unto him the glorie of this his free grace which hath put such a difference betwixt you and others This doth our Saviour in the behalfe of his Disciples in the Text forecited Math. 11.25 I thanke thei O father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes The great miseries of his Kingdome God had revealed them unto the poore and simpler sort of people the poore received the Gospell whilest in the meane time they were hid from the Scribes and Pharises men worldly wise and learned And this our Saviour there acknowledgeth to be his work an art of his meere good will and pleasure Even so father for so it seemed good in thy sight v. 26. And the like doe you for your selves Seeing God hath now revealed unto you those things which he hath hid from others many others who upon a Naturall or Civill account are far your betters being preferred before you as in place and estate so in understanding and worldly wisedome Give ye unto him the glorie of this mercie acknowledging it to be an art of his free grace a singular favour vouchsafed unto you For which let your soules for ever bless him praising and magnifying him who hath thus now made you Children of light whereas others the greatest part of the world still sit in darknesse in the shaddow of death some of them having their eies already closed up so as they neither do nor ever shall see the things belonging unto their peace being already doomed and adjudged to everlasting darknesse You are now called into that marvellous light as Saint Peter calleth the grace of the Gospell 1 Pet. 2.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not undeservedly so stiled in as much as therein are revealed those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wonderfull things of God As the Apostles auditors of them at the day of Penticost that they heard them speake the wonderfull workes of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 magnifica the magnificent great and admirable things of God Such are the ministers of the Gospell wherein those wonderfull acts and Counsels of God touching the salvation of his Elect by Christ are revealed and held forth A misterie which the Angels themselves do earnestly desire to looke into as Saint Peter telleth us 1 Pet. 11.2 Being much taken there with when they sawe it more clearly revealed under the Gospel then it had been under the Lawe they even stooped bowed down as it were for so the word there used properly signifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as desirous to prie and looke narrowly into it Now these are the things which God hath revealed unto you And for this do you praise and magnifie his name for ever Taking this as a pledge and assurance of what hereafter you shall see Faith an assurance of Vision Your eyes being thus opened to see Christ by faith here you shall see him hereafter when you shall have a full sight of him see him as he is see him in his glory Which when you shall do then shall ye be made like unto him as St. John assureth you 1 Joh. 3.2 like him in glorie When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory Col. 3.4 Which beautifull vision the Lord of his free grace and mercie in Jesus Christ vouchsafe to everie soul of us Amen FINIS