weighty thing as I purpose to shew anon This is that the Lord saies in this Scripture Do what you may watch and pray and use the best means you can to escape in a day of calamity but remember when that is done all is not done nor is the great thing done remember after all whether you stand or fall in a calamity you must stand before the Son of man If you fall in a calamity that will not end all It is appointed to all men once to dye and after that the judgement if you do escape a calamity there will be a time when you must stand before the Son of man so that whether you stand or fall that is not the main thing nor especially considerable business but the great and main thing about which you are to be especially careful is how you may do to look Christ in the face at last how you may do to hold up your head before the Son of man Standing before the Son of man is taken three ways in Scripture 1. Meerly for appearing before him for appearing at his Tribunal so it is taken sometimes in the Scriptures for instance that in the Rom. 14.10 We shall all appear before his â—udgement-seat So 2 Corinth 5.10 For we must all appear before the Judgement-seat of Christ c. Revel 20.12 vers And I saw the dead both small and great stand before God c. That is the first sence it is taken in in Scripture meerly for appearing before the Son of man 2. To stand before him it is taken for an estate of honour and promotion as to stand before a Pâ—ince we reckon such a person is preferred and highly honoured as it was said of Solomon's servants Happy are thy servants which stand continually before thee and hear thy Wisdom as you have it 2 Chron. 9.7 And thirdly it is taken for standing with joy and comfort and boldness and it is upon that accompt that you have that expression Psal 1.5 The ungodly shall not stand in the judgement nor sinners in the Congregation of the Righteous They shall stand in one sence though not in another they shall all stand in it so as to come to it but they shall not stand with comfort so as to hold up their heads standing here is opposed to adjection of spirit of falling before the dreadful Majesty of God and our Saviour They shall not stand that is such dread shall seize upon their souls that they shall not be able to lift up their heads they shall be so filled with confusion and shame that they shall not be able to hold up their heads in that day So standing before the Son of man is taken in this sence in my Text especially that you may be able to stand before the Son of man is that you may be able to stand before him with comfort that you may lift up your head with joy when the Lord Jesus Christ shall appear In the prosecution of this great truth I shall propound the consideration of several things to you and I would do it so as I may best keep to the design of the text as the Lord shall inable me 1. I would indeavor to shew you that the standing before Christ is a much more serious and weighty thing then any calamity in this world can be whatever dread there is upon the heart at the thoughts of a calamity we may have much more fear and many more thoughts of heart upon the account of standing before the Son of man at his appearance and Kingdom 2. I shall indeavour to shew you that they that will not tremble at a judgement that they that are like to laugh a calamity in the face will yet tremble when the Son of man shall appear that will put such out of countenance as are not abashed by any calamity they meet with in the world 3. I shall shew you who they are that shall never be able to stand before the S n of man 4. Who they are and what they must be that shall stand before him And fifthly What is the best frame a soul can be in in oâ—der to a meeting with Châ—ist with the greatest confidence and boldness And sixthly and lastly conclude all in a little Application But first of the fiâ—st namely to shew you that the standing before Christ is a much more serious and weighty thing and ought to be more seriously thought of and more solemnly provided for then any common calamity whatsoever Many gracious hearts do tremble at the thoughts of a common calamity and truely there is reason why they should do so David himself did thus Psal 119.120 My flesh trembleth for fear of thee and I am afraid of thy judgements but you shall find that sometimes sinners themselves do tremble more and are much more affected with the thoughts of induring the presence of Christ then the bearing up under any common calamity that can befall them Isa 33.13 saies the Spirit of God there Hear ye that are afar off what I have done and ye that are neer acknowledge my might that is in my judgements which I execute saies he consider them see what weight and force there is in them But mark how is it with sinners in vers 14. The sinners in Sion are afraid Afraid of what Fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrite What is he afraid of Who shall stand before the devouring fire who shall dwell with everlasting burnings as if they should have said There is a might and there is a power and majesty of God appearing and shining forth in all his judgements but if you would have us speak our hearts and tell what we dread most it is standing before him in that great day when he shall appear as a devouring fire it is the being able to hold up the head at that season that doth distress us most and fill us with dread and fear I say the standing in the day of Christ is a much more difficult thing then the standing in a common calamity and I shall shew you in several particulars how that day will out-do every thing that can be in a common calamity I shall shew it you in eleven or twelve particulars 1. The day of Christ is more dreadful then a calamity in this respect that every calamity in this world is a call to repentance but the day of Christs appearance is onely a call unto judgement I say calamities in this world they are calls to repentance to a sinful people to return the voice of the word is the first call and sinners are deaf and will not hear that call and therefore God sounds an alarm by his judgements and by them he calls unto poor sinners to repent and turn unto him but now I say in the day of Christ there is no call unto repentance nor place for repentâ—nce he onely then calls to judgement you shall find calamities are calls to repentance and that is the fruit that God expects from them
do melt under them and have a sence of them not a dread and fear that discomposeth the soul and puts it by its duty but such as is an awful sence Psal 52.5 6. Observe what a mixture there is in the spirit of a Saint under Gods judgements Gods judgements as they are revelations of his righteousness making good his threatnings working out his glory so the righteous laughs but yet he fears too There is a holy dread and awe upon his soul when he seeth how much of majesty shines forth in them Yea hypocrites are brought to fear because of Gods judgements sometimes but now they that do not see what dread there is in them they are not affected Isa 26. When the judgements of God are abroad in the earth the inhabitants thereof shall learn righteousness that is the good inhabitants of the earth shall do so mercy doth not any good to the wicked nor will judgement because they mind not the majesty of the Lord therefore they are not affected that is a second inference 3. If it be thus that sad judgements must break in upon the world then how miserable will the wicked of the world be Truly they fall under a double misery miserable first in that they shall have the greatest part of present judgement Secondly In that they shall have an eternity of misery hereafter Miserable in that they shall have the greater part of present judgement Mind that Isa 33.13 14. Hear ye that are afar off what I have done and you that are neer acknowledge my might The sinners in Sion are afraid c. mark as if he should say Men at length begin to consider Oh present judgements are sad You that are near acknowledge my might you see much of terror is in present judgements but if such be terrible what will an after-judgement be what will devouring fire be therefore take heed where your lot is cast and among what sort of men you are 4. What should sinners do will such judgements break in upon the world what should sinners do they should come and submit to Christ Be any of you sinners I tell you dreadful things will be upon the world whether they be now begun or no I cannot tell you but such there shall be and what will you do your work is to come and close with Christ the second Psalm is worth your reading an hundred times over he tells you what he will do with the wicked he will break them in pieces he will scatter them Well what then Oh Kiss the Son lest he be angry come bow before him for that kiss is a kiss of subjection it is a dreadful thing to meet with an angry Christ He is a Lamb and he is a Lion he is a Lamb slain and come but and kiss him and he will be a Lamb slain to you if not he will be the Lion of the tribe of Judah to tear you in pieces Now knowing saith the Apostle the terror of the Lord we perswade men we perswade them to what why we beseech you to come and submit to Jesus Christ that is that that we pray of you and that we are earnest with you for and one text more I would give you to this purpose Isa 28.14 15 16. Take the sence of this text and you shall see it much to my purpose God was coming forth in dreadful judgements but the wicked of the world they think to secure themselves How When the over-flowing scourge shall pass over it shall not come nigh to us Why not why We have compounded with death and with hell are we at agreement I but saith the Spirit of God take a little of my advice do not give trust and confidence to your own ways But saith he I have laid in Sion a chief corner-stone and trust to that this is the meaning of it do not talk of your agreeing with Death and compounding with hell but to go to Christ to the foundation that I have set and laid for you to build upon for your safety security Will you ask your heart how it is with you Have you built on this foundation-stone if you have that is the way not to be ashamed be that believeth shall not be confounded 5. Must such judgements break in upon the worlâ— it should teach us and direct us in praying with respect to present judgements and that thus we cannot absolutely or peremptorily beg that present judgements might be stayed but with this reserve that pâ—ovided it be not the time when God is coming forth with his great work in the world if it be not that time that God would stay his hand and also if God do purpose to do dreadful things in the land that he would make them serve the designs of his glory and for the furtherance of those things which he hath to do in the world but I say absolutely we may not I think begg of God that he would remove such a judgement begg that he would preserve his people and do them good by it and if it be not the beginning of what he hath said himself shall come to pass then that he would divert it and stay his hand 6. If God be coming forth in judgements and such terrible ones too how good is it to be a Saint and to be found in a right spirit in the day when God contends and comes out with his indignation against the world I tell thee if thou art a Saint and that in a right spirit it will be well with thee in the day that God contends And thus I have dispatched the first Doctrine namely that dreadful providences must come upon the world and having done with this I pass on to the second note from the words 2. Namely that when God doth come forth with these dreadful dispensations he is especially thoughtful for and careful about the weal and welfare of his own people He doth not hurl his judgements into the world at all adventures carelesly and inconsiderately not caring where they light but his eye is much upon and his care much after his own people He hath a great respect to them in all that he doth in the world 1. In prosecution of this truth I shall first confirm it to you that in publike calamities God is very mindful of his people and his heart is much to them And 2. Give you the Reasons of it and then make a little Application But first of all for confirmation of the truth it is evident from two or three things that the Lord doth take a speciall care of his people in days and times of common calamity It is evident from what he hath done in such seasons in times past you shall scarce find a common calamity recorded in the book of God but you shall find some care taken of his people therefore though there is a true sence in that word that all things come alike to all I say a sence that hath a truth in it yet this
with the world Therefore by the way make this your care Touch not with the abominations of the Day in which you live for which you may conclude God contends rather suffer any thing in the world then put your self under the stroke of God by doing any thing against him and say not it is a little sin because Moses sinning but once with the people he fell with them in the wilderness 3. It is sometimes for want of making use of the means that the Lord hath appointed for preservation It is not good to sin against the use of means God doth great things but he doth use to tye us to the use of means Naaman he came to the Prophet and the Prophet bids him go to Jordan and wash seven times and he should be whole Now he was vexed at this and why would not other waters do as well but his servants incouraged him to use the means the Prophet had prescribed and if he had not he might have gone a Leâ—par to his grave So Christ he takes clay and spittle and annoints the eyes of the blind man therewith and bids him go wash in the waters of Siloam and he should receive his sight Now the neglect of the means the Lord is pleased to provide for us is enough to make us fall by the publike and common stroke The children of Israel as you read Acts 7.25 When Moses was full fourty years old he supposed that they would have understood he was to have been their Saviour and that they would have taken hold of him for their deliverance at that time but they did not see the means proposed and did not make use of it and what followed you shall find it was fourty years after before he returned unto them again as you may see at vers 30. This is plain that Moses did offer himself to them at that time as a deliverer appointed by God but they not see it and make use of it and therefore they continued in their bondage fourty years more I quote this to tell you that you ought to look up unto the Lord for what means he doth allow for the communication of that mercy that we wait for and by his providence he seems to point out to us That the neglect hereof may be the occasion of our falling 4. God doth sometimes suffer Saints to fall by common strokes to prevent some greater evils as you have it Isa 57. The righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart and merciful men are taken away none considering that they are taken away from the evil to come Truely God sometimes takes away his people in the beginning of a calamity and that because there are more dreadful things behind and that because he would preserve them from that evil he is pleased to suffer them to fall And these may serve as an account why notwithstanding Gods peculiar and singular care of his people he suffers sometimes some of them to fall in and by publike calamities And thus I have dispatched the Doctrinal part of this truth and I shall conclude what I have more to say to it in a little Application Is this true that God doth in a peculiar way in times of publick calamity look after his people 1. Surely then it should stir up all that have any mercy of this kind to give the Lord the glory of his goodness and speak good of his name that he is pleased thus to bear a hand upon his own people 2. The Lord taking this care for his people you ought to serve him in the making use of any thing that he prescribes you in order to self-preservation to wait upon the Lord in watchfulness and prayer and whatever means he doth direct you unto in order to preservation As the life of a Saint is precious in his eyes so should it be in yours and whatever God looks upon as a mercy worth the bestowing you should look upon as worth the receiving Ah souls let me tell you the judgements of God they are no slight things but things that carry a great deal of dread along with them and it is eminent kindness as I hope to shew you hereafter to be safe guarded at such times and under such providences 3. If it be thus that God in calamity takes a singular care of his people you also should take singular care to glorifie God and answer his providence and designe in and under common calamities Ever mark this in whatever thing God shews kindness unto his people they also stand much ingaged to shew kindness unto God as I may with reverence phrase it that is that they be careful to honor him But you will say How are we to carry it in such a day Why for answer First of all study the judgement well when the hand of God is abroad do not slight it do not make light of it but see that it is Gods hand and his hand in a more then ordinary way labor to see and be affected with that majesty that shines forth in it David saith My flesh trembles for fear of thee and I am afraid of all thy judgements Psal 119.120 He did not look upon the judgements of God with a slight spirit but did see much of the glory of God shining therein 2. You are much to study your own hearts such dealings of God without you do call upon you to be looking within you to be considering the frame of your souls it calls upon you loudly to be finding out the plague of your own heart 1 King 8.38 Every man is to study his own heart to labor to know that and see the sinfulness vileness and wretchedness of that I tell you souls the judgements of God that are abroad are not things of an empty sound but they do speak powerfully and plainly and are loud calls of God unto you that you should make it your business and the design of your souls to be more acquainted with your selves then ever 3. He calls to you to mourn over your own and others abominations Ezek. 9.4 The spirit of God speaks of them that mourn sigh and weep for the abominations of the wicked that is it that the God of heaven calls for at your hands And then lastly if this be a truth that the Lord bears a special eye of favour to his people in the day of their calamity then let every soul of you pass into the number of Saints There are three sorts of persons in the world and but one of the three that can promise themselves safety in a day of evil 1. Openly prophane 2. Secret hypocrites And 3. real Saints and of the three it is but the latter sort that can promise themselves any security 1. Of the openly prophane what shall come of them Isa 3.11 Wo to the wicked it shall go ill with them for the reward of their hands shall be given them 2. As for the secret hypocrites what shall become of them things shall go ill