Jeremiah VI. 4. Wo unto us for the Day goeth away for the shadows of the Evening are stretched out THE word Wo is often mentioned in Scripture especially in the Old Testament and is a relative Term significant of Evil and Misery to come For â—â—at same Wo which is now denounced against such or â—â—ch People will after this Life is ended fall down upon â—â—em in Punishment and Misery Hence doth arise that â—â—et Thought and Searching of Heart in the Creature toâ—ards the Creatour who is the Lord our God A doubt â—â—d fear doth naturally spring up in our minds as if God â—ould inflict pain and make us miserable in the future State â—â—d thereupon from this thing of Death which is the Inlet â—â—d Entrance thereinto we expect no Good but Evil. Here aâ—â—in our Spirits may be quiet and satisfied for it is evident â—â—â—re are several things which we are greatly afraid of at 〈◊〉 first apprehension and thoughts concerning them But â—â—â—â—er we have experienced the very same thing it self we â—â—d no dreadfulness or Evil at all in it but rather good â—â—d conveniency So that according to the common sayâ—â—â— herein We are more frightened then hurt and such may â—ath be Yea certainly so it is to the Children of God â—â—o are Heirs of Salvation which includes in it self both 〈◊〉 and Immortality There is a visible reason of that natural fear of Death â—â—cause it is altogether evil and to be abhorred what is seen to befall the Body as Pain Languishing Weakness distortion of countenance and then lying in the Grave and seeing Corruption and such like And yet all these Evil 〈◊〉 Terrible things do no more touch nor yet affect the man himself that is his Soul than when the Angel of the Lord smote Peter on the side and raised him up and his Chains felâ— off from his hands As all this was no great hurt to thâ— Soul nor yet to the Body of Peter Even so it wilâ— be when the Angel of Death shall knock off these Chain of Flesh wherein and wherewith at present we aâ—â— holden and fettered then also the Soul is Raised up oâ— of its earthly Habitation see Zech. 2. 13. and returns anâ— ascends up to God that gave it Nevertheless still there being a Wo pronounced in thâ— Text indefinitely against us which signifies as if it diâ— pertain to all Mankind both good and bad Saint anâ— Sinner and every one whither Godly or Ungodlâ— finding within himself some grief and vexation feâ—â— and anguish at this consideration of his present liâ—â— going away and at last it will come quite to an enâ— We must not flatter nor delude our selves as if theâ—â— was nothing at all to be feared in it for this Wo prâ—nounced by the Spirit of God doth seem to presuppose aâ—â— relate unto some future Evil. Again whatever is Nature General and Universal in every one as the fear of Deaâ—â— is This same thing can never be in vain but there â—â— some reality to which it hath Respect The Apostle saith As touching Brotherly love ye nâ—â—â— not that I write unto you for ye your selves are taught â—â— God to love one another So here it may be reasonâ—â— There is no need to be taught out of the Scriptures Hâ— that our present life and time goeth away For by tâ—â— common knowledge and experience that God hath givâ—â— to every Man they are sensible already Nay tâ—â—â— must know it whither they will or not that their lâ—â—â— and their Time goeth away But God willing more bundant to shew unto the heirs of promise the Immutabâ—â— of his counsel herein As also that the common and 〈◊〉 multitude of Mankind may be more without excâ—â—â— if they have not provided for their latter end Iâ— concerning this as here it too commonly happens that Man also knoweth not his time As the fishes that are taken in an evil net and as the Birds that are caught in the Snare so are the Sons of Men Snared in an evil time when it falleth suddenly upon them To give yet more repeated warning of all this God hath ordered it to be written also how that our Life and our Time goeth away For so it is expressed in the words of our Text Wo unto us for the Day goeth away for the shadows of the Evening are stretched out The words are Metaphorical and signifie the very same as what is aforementioned that our life goeth away But the Metaphor seems to be borrowed from the Sun that greater light which God Created and placed in the Firmament to Rule ouer the Day and to divide the Light from the Darkness For as long as that is above our Horison than it is Day but when it moves beneath the Horison then the shadows of the Evening are stretched out and the Night comes on Again it is not unknown to any one that is understanding in the Scriptures that the time of Mans present Life is often expressed by this manner of speech his Day If thou hadst known in this thy Day the things that belong to thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes To Day if ye will hear his voice harden not your heart as in the Day of Provocation and as in the Day of temptation in the Wilderness I have spread out my hands all the Day unto a Rebellious people For he saith I have heard thee in an accepted time and in the Day of Salvation have I succoured thee Behold now is the accepted time Behold now is the Day of Salvation In all these and alike places the word Day signifies all the time of Mans present life here on Earth And so it doth in this place of Jer. 6. 4. I shall not confine my self to the primary intent or exact coherence of the words as they are in the Text but I shall treat of them in the large and common signification aforementioned How that our Life and Time here on Earth passeth away and because I am given to understand that several do impute it as a fault and defect in my preaching In that I go on altogether in one continued discourse But I do not so much make mention of the words First Secondly Thirdly as other Ministers and Preachers do which as they say is more for help of the memory and for the edification of the hearers Therefore I who have thought good to become all things to all Men that I might gain Some have thought good to handle this our present Text in the following method of these two propositions and afterwards I may draw from thence some Practical Inferences which is commonly called the use or Application From the words Wo unto us for the Day goeth away I shall endeavour to shew together with the Reason or Reasons thereof that it is a melancholy and sorrowful consideration in all people to consider throughly how that our present Life goeth away And this I gather from the first introductory word Wo unto us Secondly Because
joyn themselves unto the Lord and love the name of the Lord to be his Servants If we are carefull and diligent and constant to do all this God will assuredly make up for our imperfection which we are apt to suppose our present misery in the time of the Restitution of all things Even what shall answer in kind to that same failure and imperfection as so is giving to the Eunuchs a place and a name better than of Sons and Daughters And to the Son of the stranger that had said the Lord hath utterly separated me from his people him will he bring to his Holy Mountain and make him joyful in his House of prayer Which is not separating him from his people for there it is that his people are gathered and assembled together It doth indeed seem disingenuous for it is not altogether so worthy as what proceeds from the principles of Love Prosperity and Thankfulness when people are as it were forced and driven to fear and serve God out of a sence of their Misery and Affliction But since there is a degree and tincture of that in the most healthful and prosperous person for he also is Subject unto Affliction and Misery through the fear and approach of Death And God doth accept of such a service though it is joyned with such thoughts of Heart as may be understood from Isa 56. Deut. 4. 30. 31. Therefore receive and follow this instruction All ye that shall hear or read these words O Man or Woman the more miserable thou art as to this world Do thou so much the more serve God and abound in well doing and than it will be better for thee at the end and distribution of all things then if thou hast been the most happy person that ever lived on this Earth When our Soul is vexed and disquieted within us Either because we have not good and comfortable things here or because whatever delights soon passeth away and we are gone there commonly at the very same time doth spring up a root of unbelief as if we were to be no more for ever And we being told and apprehensive that there is a good thing set out for the Sons of Men Hereupon indignation and anguish doth arise that our time here should pass away and yet that same good thing is not had by us Hence also is secret vexation when the Natural ends of our Creation are not answered And so pursue the reasoning part of all Trouble Melancholy Sorrow or such like and it will at length tend to this that therefore our Soul is full of troubles because our life draweth nigh unto the Grave Psal 88. 3. Thence doth arise more fretfulness of temper when the sting of Death doth put it self forth yet nearer towards us The reasonable Creature expected to have good in this life but the day goeth away and the good is not had The summer is ended and we are not saved And than again unbelief doth dictate and whisper that if the good thing be not had here we know not when it will be had When I thought to know this it was too painful for me Thus my heart was grieved and I was pricked in my reins So foolish was I and ignorant I was as a beast before thee Psal 73. 16 21 22. This last is just to be sensible of and groan under the present pain but not to apprehend any thing further And so is every one meerly as he is a Man But than as a Believer he is carried and advanced higher even to speak after that manner as he doth in the following verses Nevertheless I am continually by thee Thou hast holden me by my right â—and Here he comes to the knowledge of his Creator and Preserver and than afterwards he hints forth how that God will be the restorer of Mankind by giving â—hem a Resurrection and future state Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory This Faith and Knowledge of futurity is consolatory to all present Griefs Pain or Trouble As we are reasonable Creatures so we should use and exert forth this same reason when we are amidst and under affliction Why It is an Adverb of Interrogation and Reasoning art thou cast down O my Soul and why art thou disquieted within me Hope in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God Here the Psalmist doth endeavour to quiet his dissatisfied Spirit with this short thought and speech Hope in God But as it is elsewhere written I remembred God and was troubled Even so here the cure and remedy is to rise the same way as the Grief and Malady doth For as God is the Creator and orderer of all things and as himself speaks in his word Shall there be evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it And it is expresly said That the Lord doth cause grief So of all the griefs and evils which poor Mankind do endure in this vale of tears it is supposed that God hath an hand in it and that he is the Authour and Ordainer of them which indeed is true and thence it is because no chastening for the present seemeth joyous but grievous That hard thoughts do arise in the hearts of some against his Divine Majesty who either do not believe or not know throughly and consider further that the same chastening doth afterwards yield the Peaceable fruit of Righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby Heb. 12. 11. For the Lord will not cast off for ever But though he cause grief yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve thâ— Children of Men Lam. 3. 31 32 33 To such people who have Faith and Spiritual knowledge all the griefs and miseries of this present life do but lightly affecâ— them Because all things here are so very little fugitive and vain and nothing here is so evil but what may and can be endured and the Spirit of Man will bear uâ— against it as to outward temporal things But thâ— great thought and searching of heart is concerning whaâ— is said in this same Lamentations That the Lord wâ—â—â— not cast off for ever And so how God will shew anâ— approve himself unto us throughout eternity Hencâ— doth arise all the fear and doubt But here again this same word speaks peace to the Soul Hope iâ— God for I shall yet praise him for he is the health of mâ— countenance and my God The object of hope is gooâ— things or an expectation of good things and here is speech of assurance I shall yet praise him Indeed â— will be the business and employment in Heaven of sucâ— Souls as shall be saved to praise God for that exceeding and eternal Blessedness which he will give unâ—â— and invest them withall and make it so sure unâ—â— them that it shall never be taken from them noâ— they from it There it is and there only
that we wâ—â—â— rejoyce in thy Salvation and in the name of our God 〈◊〉 will set up our banners even when we have scaled anâ— are ascended up into the Kingdom of Heaveâ— Which from the days of John the Baptist Suffereth viâ—lence and the violent take it by force He that overcometh I will his God and he shall be my Son And yâ—â— ought in the mean while to praise our God for giviâ—â— unto us exceeding great and precious promises For aâ—fording us the means of grace and for the hope Glory and for putting us into a possibility of seekinâ— now and at last of obtaining those great and gloriâ—â—â— things that are spoken of thee O City of God Amidst all the castings down and disquietudes Soul Under all the thoughts which trouble us 〈◊〉 should go on still in the way of Duty with this Faith and assurance I shall yet praise God Though perhaps the affliction is so sore and the disappointment so vexatious that we are tempted in heart in like manner as Job's Wife did him curse God and die We may beat back and answer the temptation with a like saying of his Thou speakest as one of the foolish Women speaketh For this would be the utmost folly that can be if we should go the way and do those things to be miserable here and miserable hereafter also as that would be if we â—hould curse him whom we ought to praise What if we do now receive evil at the hand of God nothing â—s so sure as that we shall receive good at the latter and provided that like unto his Servant Job we do not sin in the mean while nor yet charge God foolishly I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God This thing health of my countenance is a relative term and doth answer unto and presuppose some sickness of Body or Mind which the Psalmist in probability was than under As sickness of Body is a forerunner of dying and Death the Subsequent word My God contains in it life for evermore For the same Creator that gave life at first will again renew and restore it Who turneth Man to Destruction will say return ye Children of Men. Herein he doth take care of and provide against the evil of Mortality Corruption and Dissolution The same God who is a very present help in the time of trouble is also all things sutable and proportionable to the several needs and requirings of his Creatures For thou hast been a strength to the poor a strength to the needy in his distress a refuge from the storm and a shadow from the heat Now what is more proper and sutable under scorching neat than to get into the shade and so when a storm beats upon us to get somewhat for refuge from it As it is written And when all things shall be subdued unto him than shall also the Son himself be Subject to him that put all things under him that God may be all in all So in the future state God will be all in all towards the making up the persection and happiness of his Creatures That he shall not be ashamed to be called their God By Providing for and securing unto them things worthy of so great and good a God and as much as a Creature can receive Behold what a mighty word of consolation is here As also it is a most quickening Exhortation to enforce that of the Apostle What manner of persons ought ye to be in all Holy conversation and Godliness looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God that ye may get the favour and love of God whilst ye are yet in the way But if these things are so as most certainly they are then some may be apt to put me in mind of my Text and ask how it comes to pass that a wo is pronounced for the day goeth away Which going away of the day doth set us yet nearer to these happy things Might it not be more properly said instead of that Wo pronounced Blessed and Happy it is for us that the day goeth away And truly because of that vanity and vexation of Spirit which is in all things under the Sun Because of that Tediousness and Irksomeness of life because of that finall variety of all the things below and it is all but almost the same thing over and over again In my thinking it would be Wo unto us if the day did not go away For we should be even weary and not able to abide here for ever if we might abide so in this state and as things now are But the answer to the former part of this objection may be had by discoursing on our second Proposition viz. Because that all the Wo's and Threatnings denounced in Scripture are therefore made known unto the Inhabitants of Earth in order that they may take warning and avoid that same Wo or Threatning we are to learn from the Scriptures and from out of the truth oâ— things how our conversation may be so ordered aright that the Salvation of God may be shewn unto us And then though our life goeth away we shall avoid the Wo that it will not belong unto us This is most certain that a Wo doth belong unto us and will at last fall down upon our head to our endâ—ess confusion and misery if we do not finish that work which God our Creator sent us severally on this this Earth for to do Said Jesus the forerunner who is entred before us into the vail I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day the night cometh when no man can work I have glorified thee on the Earth I â—ave finished the work which thou gavest me to do Christ's work was laying the foundation for all to build on He finished the Work which God gave him to do And so every Soul should Work out that which he hath wrought and accomplished for us Which same Work is to be done in this life that being the accepted â—ime for the Night or darkness of Death draws on and there is No work nor devise nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest And therefore if we neglect to finish that Work Wo unto us for the day goeth away for the shadows of the Evening are stretched out The Son of Man hath given to every Man his work and commanded the Porter to watch So that of necessary consequence there must be a Wo if that time should slip away and the same Work is not done for which that same time was originally set out and intended There is the same rule of contraries And seeing that the Scripture pronounces that Servant blessed whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing Then on the other hand that Servant or rather idle Person is cursed and a Wo is unto him if the Lord when he cometh shall not find him so doing but loytering or doing that which is sinful or evil There is a
our selves The Judge of all the Earth will do right so that Most certainly we shall fare better than they in the World that is to come From the things that have been spoken it appears That the way whereby we may avoid the Wo denounced against us upon the account of the day of our life going away is to do these three things especially First Be sure to finish that Work which God sent thee on this Earth for to do Secondly Stand in aw and sin not and abstain from all appearance of evil Thirdly Pray without ceasing unto God and labour earnestly to get all thy past Sins Iniquities and Transgressions pardoned And take it for a general rule besides to be followed and observed That whatever Trouble sorrow Melancholy fear or such like doth arise in thy mind there endeavour to know the true cause thereof And then take away the cause and the effect ceaseth Be sure to answer all the requirings of God in thee Turn you at my reproof Prov 1. 23. That is at the reproof of God in thy Soul and Conscience whither the Lord be upon thee with a still voice in the gentle motions and dictates of his Spirit or if he doth Instruct thee with a strong hand that thou shouldst not walk in the way of this people That thou shouldst not do such a thing or such a thing In all these or alike cases Do not turn away thy Ear nor yet ' be Rebellious For this Life is the time of tryal and the day of Temptation in the Wilderness wherein God doth prove thee whither thou wilt keep his Commandments or not There is a Wo pronounced or else implyed if thou shouldest turn away the Ear or be Rebellious Which same Wo though it is now in word only yet after the day of this life is gone will fall down upon thee in Punishment and Misery The Wo or Threatning of God is of the like Nature with that flying roll or curse that goeth forth over the face of â—he whole Earth For every one that stealeth shall be cut off as â—n this side according to it and every one that sweareth shall â—e cut off as on that side according to it Zech. 5. 2 3. Here the flying roll and curse is said to go forth over the face of the whole Earth That is for the present little time between It doth hover somewhat above them and it doth not pitch But at length it will light upon the hairy scalp of the sinner and it shall be done unto him according to the same flying roll curse or threatning when God shall wound the head of his enemies and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his Trespasses If we did live in Righteousness and Holiness before him all the days of our life we might serve God without fear as may be understood from Luke 1 74. 75. But as long as there is Fear Trouble Sorrow and a certain forebode or fearful expectation of a Wo to come we should do well to take heed 2 Pet. 1. 19. unto these as they may be Perceivable in our hearts for all these do give notice and warning of some real future Evils to which they do relate Nay yet further As saith the Apostle I know nothing by my self yet I am not hereby justified So when we comâ— to know nothing of Trouble Fear or Misery as to futurity and our Heart upon the utmost search and examination and enquiring diligently as to these thingâ— to come doth not meditate terrour as very few do comâ— up to this state yet still even here we should not livâ— securely nor over confidently but according to thâ— counsel of the Spirit of God who knoweth all things Pass the time of our sojourning here in fear And work oâ— our Salvation with fear and trembling But then here agaiâ— is a great difference between a fear which excites caution and care and another fear which hath Torment anâ— gendreth bondage as is the case of those who haâ—â— not a well grounded hope It is the mind of the most high God that his Seâ—vants as long as they are on this Earth should be keâ—â— in a Low Trembling and Dependant state and coâ—dition Accordingly we Read in the Scriptures Thâ—â— the best Saints have been most fearful and apprehensive partly of the Judgments Wrath and Indignation of Goâ— as also what is consequent to that of their own futuâ—â— state and condition When I heard my Belly tremblâ— my lips quivered at the voice rottenness entred into my bones and I trembled in my self that I might have rest in the day of trouble when he cometh up unto the people he will invade me with his troups Hab. 3. 16. For if when the Lord appeared on mount Sinah by his Angel only so terrible was the sight that Moses one of his best Servants and favourites Said I exceedingly fear and quake Much more shall we exceedingly fear and quake just as our Soul is taking flight into the invisible World where we shall come nearer unto and have a much more sensible and lasting apprehension of the great God himself then ever the Israelites had of the presence of his Angel on Mount Sinah The Lord shall judge his people It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God Which yet we must all do Unto thee shall all flesh come And when the Lord shall Judge his People even his own Saints and Servants by reason of the exceeding strictness thereof will have fears arising in their hearts also And enter not into Judgment with thy Servant for in thy sight shall no Man living be justified Psal 143. 2. A Wo being pronounced against us indefinitely in the Text for the day goeth away this reaches and extends to the House of God even his Children and Servants For the time is come that Judgment must begin at the House of God and if it first begin at us what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God And if the Righteous scarcely be saved wher shall the ungodly and sinner appear 1 Pet. 4. 17 18. The result of the whole is The Spirit of the Lord doth speak and his word is gone out indefinitely Wo unto us for the day goeth away Therefore all we dying Creatures should go softly all our years in the bitterness of our Soul We should be in a very low and trembling condition and wait all the days of our appointed time till our change come Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man Luke 21. 36. Do your utmost diligence that ye may be accounted worthy to escape that Wo which is pronounced For the day goeth away for the shadows of the evening are stretched out I shall now wind up the foregoing Discourse with these two practical uses and inferences The first use is of Warning The second