him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not As is the Good so is the Sinner and he that sweareth as he that feareth an Oath But if the Reason be demanded How comes it to pass and whence is it that any of God's Israel should fall in times of slaughter 1. Not to insist upon the Prerogative of God which might be the first thing whereby he is Lord of all his Creatures and his own People as well as others and therefore may dispense unto all according to the good-pleasure of his own Will 2. In the second place the ground of it may be this viz. That God cannot keep his Covenant with his People sometimes at any cheaper rate he cannot be faithfull sometimes to his Promise with his own People unless he let them feel some smarting Rod and taste of that Cup of which he makes his Enemies drink a full Draught God by Covenant stands bound to purge out the folly that is bound up in the hearts of his Children and truly sometimes lusts in the Soul are like rust in Iron deeply eat in and cannot well be gotten out without some severe and ruff usage 3. But thirdly The main Reason the grand and principal Ground why some of Israel may perish in times of common Calamity is this they sin as the world and so God leaves them to suffer with and as the world their provocations are like the wickeds therefore he is pleased to suit out an external punishment something like that that falls upon the rest of the world the Lord saith that sometimes the sin of his own People is not onely as the sin of the world but greater Jer. 5.28 They are waxen fat they shine yea they overpass the deeds of the wicked It is spoken of God's Israel The truth is though the sin of Saints shall never damn them they are interested in Christ and there is no condem nation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.1 and herein is much of the overflowing Grace of the new Covenant that notwithstanding the sin of Saints may have some such provoking ingredients as the sin of sinners hath not that yet sinners shall perish eternally under their sins but the Saints shall not come into condemnation yet I say the sin of a Saint may lay him under an external dispensation with the sinner the Saints sin against such light as few sinners do and such love as no sinner can and that makes their provocation more provoking than the sins of sinners When it is thus among the Lord's People the Lord is pleased to let them or some of them at least to fall by sore slaughter It is upon such a supposition that God threatens his People in Deut. 28.58 If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this Law that are written in this day that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful Name THE LORD THY GOD Then the Lord will make thy Plagues wonderful and the Plagues of thy seed even great Plagues and of long continuance and sore sickness and of long continuance The case supposed here is this That God's People may not keep to the Law of the Lord that they may not carry it like a people that know something of God that they may not carry it as a people that know what dread there is in the Name JEHOVAH which is a Name that speaks the Great God able to meet with avenge himself on all them that walk not with him in Truth and Uprightness that they may not carry it as those that have intrest in the Lord Intrest in the Lord doth not give a liberty unto sin but is the greatest engagement unto Holiness and souls may forget that Obligation under which they lie those bonds of God that are upon them that filial Child-like obedience which they are to render unto their Father and upon such defects God threatneth as you have heard Take his threatning in a few particulars and you shall see what sin may bring upon the Lord 's own People he threatneth first Plagues yea all kind of Plagues Judgements of every sort 2dly Such as should be wonderfull that should be full of terrour and amazement unto all that look upon them as God sometimes speaks to his People and tells them he will make them an astonishment to all round about them yea such as should make them a wonder unto themselves 3dly He threatens they should lie under Plagues of long continuance year after year we are apt to think a judgment must be terminated to and ended in such a space of time but God can stretch it out upon his own even for a long season 4thly All the Judgements of Egypt shall come upon them all the Judgements they were afraid of and proved a terrour unto their souls 5thly They might fall under such Judgements as they had not heard or at any time read of before he would create trouble to them Certainly if it be according to that word Lam. 3.33 that the Lord doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men though they are but the children of men the Lord doth not easily afflict them not at every turn contend with them much less will he upon light and slight occasions contend with his own People and the choicest of his own but when he finds them under provocations he is pleased thus to break out against them Observe that where you find God coming out to cut off his People by a slaughtering stroke you shall find some notable provocation was the procuring cause it was not for nothing Deut. 28.21 The Lord shall make the Pestilence cleave unto thee until he hath consumed thee from off the Land whither thou goest to possess it It was spoken to Israel upon what occasion the 15th verse will tell you But it shall come to pass if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe to do all his Commandments and his Statutes which I command thee this day that all these Curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee And so Ezek. 5.11 12. Wherefore as I live saith the Lord God surely because thou hast defiled my Sanctuary with all thy detestable things and with all thine abominations therefore will I also diminish thee neither shall mine eye spare nor will I have any pity A third part of thee shall die by the Pestilence and with Famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee and a third part shall fall by the Sword round about thee and I will scatter a third part into all the winds and will draw out a Sword after them c. Here are dreadful threatnings and it was upon great provocations there were great turnings aside from God corrupting his Worship polluting his Sanctuary the fire of God's jealousy burns hot about his Sanctuary and if he find his People in the matter of his Worship corrupted he breaks out against them with great severity It was upon some such account David shunned the
doth and other Nations do and yet have no more real love to him then those that never heard of Christ It is a very notable Scripture Jer. 12.2 Thou hast planted them yea they have taken root they grow yea they bring forth fruit thou art near in their mouth and far from their reins It may be well with a People they may be in an outward prosperous condition they may be flourishing and speak much of Christ and boast of him and yet Christ may not have one inch of their Hearts But you shall judge whether really men be for Christ or no by their dealings with his People if you find their enmity against the Saints grow let their boast be as it will instead of discovering glory in Christ they are become more at enmity with Christ then they were Let me allude at least to that word 1 John 5.1 Every one that loves him that begat loveth him that is begotten of him It is spoken concerning the Father and Christ men will say they love God why says John You cannot unless you love Christ for he that loveth him that begetteth loveth him also that is begotten So say I of Saints Do you love Christ if so you love them that are begotten of him To which I might adde a fourth and that is this 4. Doubtless there is cause at least to fear that the Branch of the Lord is not become glorious to those escaping ones who have endeavoured to hinder the efficacy and force of this dispensation upon the hearts of poor Creatures I will tell who I think are some way culpable herein they that have covered the dealings of Christ if there be as is shrewdly suspected any that have hid this present Work of God upon us and not let us know it in its full extent latitude †It was feared some 1000's were kept out of the weekly Bills it will certainly lie upon their score that have stood in the way of Christs Work and hindered that efficacy it might have had upon the hearts of poor Creatures But to all or any of those that are rather at a greater distance from Christ than brought nearer to Christ I shall onely say in brief that it is worth the minding God considers what influence and effect his dealings have upon the hearts of men when a Judgement is on their Backs the Lord considers whether it work any good effect upon them or no as in 2 Chron. 28.22 it is said of Ahaz That in the time of his distress he did trespass against the Lord yet more this is that King Ahaz God notes especially that under his hand a person became worse and worse and there is such a mark put upon him as is scarce put upon any in Scripture This is that King Ahaz that Ahaz that became worse in a day of distress God also strictly observes how his kindness works in that fore-cited place Rom. 2.4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance Observe the long-suffering of God and his forbearance that is in not cutting down his poor creatures when he hath them at some kinde of advantage as in a day of common Calamity if God spares them then he manifests his riches of Grace and Goodness towards them and if it be not answered with some suitable walking how doth the Lord interpret such a neglect He says they despise it And to end this Use let me take up some passages in that first of the Proverbs it is said vers 24. I have called and you have refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded The Lord calls by his Word and he calls by his Rod He calls by his gentle dealings his kinde usage his preserving in a day of Calamity is as much a Call as the Calamity it self and he saith unto them that answer not this Call and do not improve it aright vers 26. I will laugh at your calamity and mock when your fear cometh They that are for a time unaffected may have a time to be in distress when they may stand in need of kindness to be shewed unto them though they are preserved and kept alive Vers 32. The turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them If men turn away from the Calls of God not answering his expectation either under Preservations or his more severe dealings their turning away shall slay them and their prosperity shall destroy them Some think it may be because they are yet in prosperity there is no farther hazard but God saith their prosperity shall prove their destruction and bring forth Consequences more sad it may be then any of which they were afraid in the day when distress hung over their heads That is what I would say to the third Use from this point A fourth Use is this VSE IV. If the Lord should be beautiful and glorious unto those that escape I would here apply my self unto a Soul that may be tender and jealous over it self and fear lest after its escape Christ should not be rendered glorious unto it as he ought Some there are that take no pains to consider how things are and whether they go well or ill that is not the thing that much engages their hearts others are jealous over their Spirits knowing something the treachery of their hearts they are always apt to doubt and fear A Soul that knoweth how precious Christ ought to be and beautiful in its eye fears lest after such kindness received from Christ it should not see that beauty in him nor be taken with him as it ought May this be the case of any one of us at present I would speak four or five things that may be seasonable and helpful to the Soul in this case 1. Such is the Glory and Beauty of Christ that no Soul under Heaven is able to see him in all his Glory nor to admire him according to all those blessed Perfections wherewithal Christ is cloathed That expression may be heeded by you Ephes 3.8 where the Apostle speaking of Christs glory calls it The unsearchable Riches of Christ it is an Ocean without a bottom that cannot be fathom'd by him that searches into it most accurately and exactly it is like the Mines the bottom of whom is not found out though men have digged in and fetched Treasure from them for a long time together Let not a poor Heart think it is at present in a capacity of valuing of Christ according to all his Worth and Excellency for that the Soul cannot fully know What is spoken of God I may allude to and apply to Christ Job 11.7 Canst thou by searching finde out God canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection it is as high as Heaven what canst thou do deeper then Hell what canst thou know the measure thereof is longer then the Earth and broader then the Sea Such
slaughter to have Christ become glorious and excellent unto them And 2. That the issue of all those dreadful destroying Judgements that shall break forth in the world shall be the putting of glory upon the head of Christ and that glory upon Christ shall be to the good and benefit of those of Israel that shall escape the slaughter I shall begin with the first namely That it is a good issue of slaughtering-Slaughtering-Judgements upon them that out-live such calamities that Christ is become glorious and excellent in their accounts The Words do certainly relate to a Time of great slaughter such a slaughter that Jerusalem which was once a very populous City and the places of the greatest concourse in it which were the Gates for in the Gates Justice was executed and thither was a confluence of persons from all parts but such should be the slaughter that her Gates should lament and mourn and become desolate at this time there were some should escape God useth to have a remaining Remnant when his displeasure is at highest and what should this sad Judgement work upon them that should remain The Branch of the Lord should become glorious among them You read in the 78 Psalm vers 34 35. When he slew them then they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God and they remembred that God was their Rock and the high God their Redeemer When he slew them that is when he came forth with slaughtering Judgements as he did sometimes against Israel and particularly God smote them with Plagues more then once now what did they that remained and were left alive do they began to have more high and awful thoughts of the Lord then before the esteem of him was a little raised in their hearts they remembred he was their Rock and the high God their Redeemer thus far they went well onely that which followeth spoiled all in vers 36 37. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth and they lied unto him with their tongues for their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant if really the esteem of the Lord had been raised in their hearts they had been an excellent People and the Lords Judgements had wrought kindly You shall find the Lord complains for the want of such a spirit in Hos 11.7 God called there to the People and how He called by mercy I drew them with the cords of a man with the bands of love vers 4. that is I treated them kindly he called them by Judgements as you see in vers 6. The Sword shall abide on his Cities and shall consume his Branches and devour them what did God expect should be the answer unto his Call and the fruit of all his Dispensations it was that they should have exalted him honoured him and admired him at a greater rate then before but because they did not God took it ill and reckoned that his Providences had not a kindly reception among them Psal 2.6 Yet says he have I set my King upon my holy Hill of Sion which words are not onely a Prophecy concerning that Kingdom Christ shall have but declarative of that Kingdom he hath viz. his Providential Kingdom by which he manages and governs affairs in the World now in the management of it what doth he do sometimes as in vers 9. he rules them with a Rod of Iron and dashes in pieces like a Potters Vessel but what should they do that should out-live such Providences you shall see the Fruit that should grow upon this Root Kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way Christ expects when he is abroad with his Iron Rod and dashing Earthen Vessels to pieces as he hath this day they that stand on their feet not dashed to pieces as others of the same mould he expects higher thoughts of himself and to be more esteemed by them and if he fail of his expectation let them remember that they are but Clay and therefore in the way not out of danger Jer. 51.50 Ye that have escaped the Sword go away stand not still remember the Lord afar off and let Jerusalem come into your mind God was abroad with the Sword it may be the material Sword and it may be with such a Sword of the Angel as he hath lately been cutting withall what should the Escaped do Remember the Lord Remember him you will say what is that Give me leave to open it unto you a little because I shall use the term again anon To remember the Lord implies two things among others 1. To have the heart wrought up into the fear of the Lord to sanctifie his Name Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy that is sanctifie the Sabbath so remember the Lord that is fear him let his Name be great his honour be dear unto thee Remember thy Creator what is that it is Give up thy self unto the Lord remember who he is and what he is and what he calls for from thee when a People sin against the Lord they are said to forget him many times so suitably to remember him is to fear him to honour him and lift up his Name 2. To remember the Lord is to love and delight in him to have a great esteem of him as the Lord saith Jer. 31.20 Is Ephraim my dear Son is he a pleasant Child since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him Gods remembring Ephraim was his love to and delight in Ephraim so our remembring the Lord is our loving of and delighting in him and this is the frame that should be found upon the hearts of them that escape sore Calamities To fear and magnifie to love and delight in him This indeed is a right Spirit and it is called for elsewhere Ezek. 6.9 And they that escape of you shall remember me among the Nations whither they shall be carried Captives Time was when Israel had few and slight thoughts of God their Redeemer but when GOD had been at work among them by severe strokes those that did escape of them their Spirits should be much amended much altered for the better they should come and love him and fear him so as they did not before So Isa 10.20 And it shall come to pass in that day what day was that a day of great slaughter for vers 19. The rest of the Trees of his Forrest shall be few that a Child may write them a Child that is but a bad Arithmetician should be able to number them that should remain the smallness of them should be such It shall come to pass that the Remnant of Israel and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob shall no more again stay upon him that smote them but shall stay upon the Lord the holy One of Israel in truth staying upon the Lord is an Act of Faith and Acts of Faith do greatly glorifie Christ and speak the Heart much delighted in him if thou be'st not taken with him thou
own evil ways and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your Iniquities and for your abominations The time intended here is the time when they should escape Calamities that were upon that People and God should have wrought graciously for them Then shall you remember your Own evil ways not others onely though you may remember others also you may warrantably look abroad consider the National sins and evils but be sure thou forget not thy own and having remembred to loath thy self for them to be offended with thy self that thou shouldst have any hand in the procuring of any Judgement from the Lord. There is a great mistake very common whether in Practice or Judgement I will not stand to determine we are not careful to mourn over our miscarriages but when the Rod is on our Backs like Children while the Rod is on their Backs they will cry and mourn but when the Father is pacified then forget wherefore he was contending The time of your escape is to be a time for enquiry into your ways and mourning over them look a text or two one you have Ezek. 6.9 And they that Escape of you shall remember me among the Nations whither they shall be carried captives because I am broken with their whorish heart which hath departed from me and with their eyes which go a whoring after their Idols and they shall loath themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations observe what Fruit it is the Lord expects from them that are escaped they shall remember me and remember themselves too their ways and doings and then shall loath themselves to which adde Ezek. 7.16 Escape they shall but being escaped there is a Duty lies upon them They should be upon the Mountains as the Doves of the Valleys every one mourning for his iniquity The Babylonish Captives after they escaped out of Captivity out-lived the distress that had buried many you find that at that time there was found a spirit of mourning upon them Ezra 9.3 is an evident testimony of it And when I heard this thing I rent my garment and my mantle and pluckt off the hair of my head and of my beard and sat down astonied thus did Ezra and thus should every one that escapeth the Day of Gods Controversie Now what is the frame of your hearts truly all our hearing and knowing of what frame we should be in will stand for little unless you compare your Spirits and the Word together and see whether it be with you accordingly This you may be confident of we have all had a hand in the provocation of this day and if so we should have also an eye to look into our hearts and mourn over our evil ways which must be done if we would have a proof unto our selves that this Branch of the Lord is become glorious to us after our escape 2. The Lord expects of them that escape That they should perform their Vows make good the Covenant and Promises which they made in the day when they were in trouble and fear it is very common with men in a day when distress is threatned to make large Promises and when the distress is over to be as backward in performing as before they were forward in promising this was the case of that people Jer. 2.20 For of old time I have broken thy Yoke and burst thy Bonds and thou saidest I will not transgress when upon every high Hill and under every green Tree thou wanderest playing the Harlot the meaning is when distress was upon them they cried if God would but take off that distress and remove the stroke they would be a people not transgressing a holy people but how did they keep the Promise whenas upon every high Hill and under every green Tree thou wanderest playing the Harlot falsified their word abominably that is a great evil that the Lord cannot well pass by that is a known Scripture Eccles 5.4 5. When thou vowest a Vow unto God defer not to pay it for he hath no pleasure in fools pay that which thou hast vowed better it is that thou shouldest not vow then that thou shouldest vow and not pay in this kind delays are dangerous defer not to pay thy Vows for he hath no pleasure in folly it is folly for a man to promise unto God what he means not to perform Better it is not to vow then having vowed not to pay the Devil hath a double design upon creatures in days of distress and our own hearts much deceive us in it First I am perswaded the Devil puts poor Creatures many times upon a great forwardness to make Promises and many times our hearts do exceedingly deceive us by feeding us with some secret hopes by our Promises to buy out an indulgence from the Lord that we may escape the evil we fear and the second design of the Devil is when he hath brought the Soul to bind it self unto the Lord in abundance of bonds then to cool the heart as fast as he can and make it forget its engagements and so wraps the Soul in abundance of guilt I have found that there is no guilt defiles the Soul at a greater rate then the breach of Covenant for God will not endure to be mocked and have the Promises made unto him falsified God will put your Bonds in suit against you and require of you what you have been free to engage for Deut. 23.21 When thou shalt vow a Vow unto the Lord thy God thou shalt not slack to pay it for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee and it would be sin in thee it would be sin not to live up unto Engagements Examine your hearts what Engagements have you passed in the days of your distress it may be Visitations were near you you were in eminent hazard and your hearts troubled for fear did you not say Lord If thou wilt keep me this day if I may but out-live this distress never will I be so vain so earthly so carnal so slight in the Work of God as I have been Have you not past some such or the like promise to the great God Now Jesus Christ he is privy unto all that you have said and done though it were in secret he hath taken an account of all that you have engaged to be and do how do you perform you cannot comfortably conclude that Christ hath gotten ground in your hearts unless you have paid your Vows to the Lord. The Servants of God have been conscientious in the Case Psal 66.13 I will go into thy House with burnt-offerings I will pay thee my Vows which my lips have uttered and my mouth hath spoken when I was in trouble David had his troubles as well as other of his Neighbours and in his troubles he did sometimes make Promises unto God herein he was honest and faithful did conscientiously regard the performing the Promises he had past
engaged I have not long since met with a People that would eagerly make it their business to compare themselves and a Word together and see where their guilt was and get what light they could into their hearts this be confident of the God of Heaven is considering diligently Jesus Christ this Branch of which we are speaking is observing what is the Fruit of every Mercy as Deut. 32.15 But Jesurun waxed fat and kicked thou art grown thick thou art covered with fatness then he forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed the Rock of his Salvation when God had done much for him he considers how he had carried it but he found sad effects of all Jesurun waxed fat and kicked I would the goodness of God to us should have some more kindly reception and entertainment Now that which I shall do for the present shall not be to clear it up to you that Christ hath gotten ground upon you for as to that I shall refer you to what is spoken already but to lay some few things before you that may convince you if really you are short and wanting in this blessed issue af your Escape If really this effect be not wrought upon your hearts it will appear by these four or five things and I beg you to consider them seriously 1. If in the day when the Rod of God hung more eminently over your heads you were not considering and pondering what effect it should work and if the Spirit of God were not teaching and instructing your Souls that it was to produce a greater esteem of Christ in your hearts then I fear it is not done I fear Christ hath no more of you then he was wont to have You know this that God with his Correction is wont to give Instruction therefore saith the Psalmist Psal 94.12 Blessed is the man whom thou Chastenest and Teachest out of thy Law God is wont to tell the Soul where it is wanting what he calls for and what he would have wrought in the heart So Job 36 9 10. Then he sheweth them their Work and their Transgressions that they have exceeded he openeth also their Ears unto Discipline and commandeth that they return from iniquity He speaks here about a Day of Affliction and truly if the Lord hath not been teaching you and shewing you that you were wanting in your esteem of Christ it is much to be questioned he is not become glorious David Psal 119.67 said Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy Word how came he to be brought in unto God to walk with him and keep his Word and his Way better then he was wont to do God had been shewing him that he was out of the way and where he should be and so brought him in again Commune with your own hearts my Friends faithfully have you sat like Stocks and Stones under the Visitations of God when his Rod was upon others and threatned you Had you any of the Visits of God Were your Souls exercising themselves at a spiritual rate Did God make any approaches unto you Or did you live in that time without God If you did I fear you are without him still 2. If your souls have not been pressing after Christ and longing for a better frame towards him longing for an higher esteem of him it is doubtful the esteem of him is not raised in your souls such an esteem of Christ is not a frame that useth to steal upon the heart it knows not how It is for the most part the issue of much care and pains and great diligence and if thy soul hath been wanting herein it is to be feared that the interest of Christ is not to any great degree promoted in thee Some souls find sin very apt to creep in do they what they can and that it is a work a hard work to keep it down nor is it less difficult to encrease in our esteem of Christ Phil. 3. Paul would know more of Christ and the power of his Resurrection what course did he take in order to it saith he I go forward and I press on to the mark for the price of the high Calling of God in Christ Jesus He set himself unto the work with great diligence How have you been exercising your selves have you been crying unto the Lord in secret wrestling and pleading with him that he would carry on the Love of his Son in you What was it you asked of the Lord was it meerly to be kept from the evil of the day or that the work of Christ might be promoted in you by your escape If your hearts have not been exercised this way I fear the Branch of the Lord is not become glorious unto you though you are escaped 3. If in your Escape your great care is how to repair and piece up those outward dammages that you have sustained by this Visitation the Interest of Christ I fear hath not much gained in you possibly many of you may be sensible you have sustained outward dammages by this day if your hearts are only contriving how you may make up those breaches made upon your outward concerns you are not where you should be I fear many this day will be like to the Seamen and Mariners who after a storm when a calm comes they are busie in patching up their tackling and repairing the dammages the Vessel hath sustained by the storm but not so carefull to consider who hath preserved them in the storm and brought them to a calm but this is a bad frame if thou beest gained upon by Christ thou wilt say What shall I render unto the Lord for all his kindness To which add 4. If thy heart in this time of thy Escape be not affected w th that unkind usage which Christ meets with from many escaping-ones I shall fear that thou thy self also dost not use him kindly nor prize him much the more though thou hast an Escape from his goodness doubtless Christ meets with much unkindness from some that have escaped How many in an Atheistical spirit this day live as if there were no after-state nor eternal judgment as they 1 Cor. 15. cry Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall dye they have learned to know that Death hangs over their heads therefore what will they do why serve their lusts as much as they can make use of their time as they call it though it be to abuse time and turn the grace of God into wantonness Now when thou hast heard things how is it with thee If Christ hath gotten ground within thee these things will pierce thine heart The evil of wicked men is a great grief unto the Saints therefore it is said 2 Pet. 2. Righteous Lot was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked his righteous soul was vexed in hearing and seeing the dishonour that was done unto the Lord it was a burthen to him And so David saith Wo is me that I
sojourn in Mesech and dwell in the tents of Kedar that is among a people where God is dishonoured When thou lookest abroad in the World and seest how little sin is born down and how little the Interest of Christ is advanced among any that are escaped if thy Escape hath furthered Christ's Interest in thee this will grieve thy heart be careful and watchfull in the making a right use of this matter But to come to a second Use VSE II. Should the escaping dreadful Calamity work the heart to a prizing this Branch of the Lord then if any of you have a witness coming in against you that it hath not had this effect I must say the Lord will say unto you as unto them Deut. 32.6 Do you thus requite the Lord O foolish and unwise I would a little set before you the evil of this and the misery that may follow upon it 1. There is much sin in it your sin lyeth in this that you have hitherto crossed the design of God by what means you can the Designs of the Lord are very much for the advancement of Christ God saith his Son shall be exalted and extolled and made high and he works to this end by all means Word and Rod are both intended to this end he giveth you the Word to make way for Christ into the heart he comes with the Rod and why with that Rev. 3.20 Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me He knocks by the Word and he knocks by the Rod and it is all that the Door may be opened for the exalting of Christ If he do deliver and save you in times of trouble it is that he may be exalted Is he not made glorious If not you cross God's design Hos 11.4 I drew them with the cords of a man with the lands of love and I was as one that took off the yoke from their jaws and layed meat before them All this was that they might exalt the Lord. Now if it have not this issue upon you you are guilty of the great sin of thwarting Gods designs Further there is sin in this respect you pretend that you are for the exaltation of Christ this is that you pray for how oft have you prayed Thy Kingdom come how oft have you begged that Christ might become amiable and lovely to you and is not Christ yet made glorious not yet exalted If not your sin is this it is doubtful your Profession is much of it Hypocrisy and your praying mocking of God sins enow you need not be guilty of greater evils 2. It will endanger the intailing of punishment upon you if Christ be not become glorious to you To speak of two or three things briefly 1. It will be doubtful it will lay thee under the plague of an hard heart which is the forest of all plagues if the Lord's dealings do not soften thee and promote Christ's Interest in thee it is to be doubted it will set thee further from Christ and will leave thee under very great rockiness and stoniness of heart Not onely Pharoah's heart was hardned when the dealings of God in removing the Plague did not work kindly upon him but Israel had their hearts hardned also as you may see Heb. 3.8 9. Harden not your hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the Wilderness when your Fathers tempted me proved me and saw my works forty years c. This was the sin of Israel of old and possibly the like evil may befall thy soul And 2dly if thy Escape have not produced this effect to render Christ more glorious possibly thou shalt not yet escape for all this thou settest up thy Eben-ezer and sayest Hitherto the Lord hath preserved but it is but hitherto thou knowest not what a day may bring forth God can return this very Judgement and cause it to cut off thee and many more the face of things look something sad for the present * The Plague increasing at this time God is coming back some degrees in his displeasure and whose turn among us it may be to fall we know not it may be any of our conditions if God find us under hardness of heart do not say the bitterness of death is past remember that when the Caldeans had besieged Jerusalem and by the coming of Pharoah's Army the Siege was broken up presently the people were confident the Caldeans should come no more but see a little what God saith and also what he doth Jer. 37.7 8 9. Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel thus shall ye say unto the King of Judah that sent you unto me to enquire of me Behold Pharoahs Army which is come forth to help you shall return to Egypt into their own Land and the Caldeans shall come again and fight against this City and take it and burn it with fire Thus saith the Lord Deceive not your selves saying The Caldeans shall surely depart from us for they shall not depart And so it came to passe for in the 39th of Jeremy first verse it is said that Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon came and all his Army against Jerusalem and besieged it and in the next verse it is said the City was broken up These poor people were confident because the Caldeans were withdrawn and the Siege raised they should be in danger no more It may be we say the storm is over the Bill is much decreased but alas it may increase again and be yet more sore than it hath been Thus I say if Christ be not advanced in thee possibly thou mayest not yet escape this Judgment Or 3dly if not by this Judgment God can meet with thee by others he hath reserves of Judgments of divers kinds and can easily and quickly meet with them that are not in the frames they should be as God saith of Moab Isa 15.8 For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab the howling thereof unto Eglaim and the howling thereof unto Beer-Elim For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood for I will bring more upon Dimon lyons upon him that escapeth of Moab and upon the remnant of the Land God had been dealing with the Moabites in some way of Judgement and there was some of them remaining but though they had been emptyed from vessel to vessel their scent still remained and now God saith he will come forth with another stroke God hath every thing at his command and he can commission another Dispensation but let me tell you it is sad if after thus long being under the hand of God Christ be not advanced more in your hearts And this leads me to the third Use of the Point VSE III. If it be a blessed effect of Slaughtering-Judgements upon them that have escaped to have Christ become more glorious what shall we think of those who though they