render the cause of this their wofull misery and distresse 1. The more remote cause and that was the anger of God which they had justly procured by their sins verse 7. 2. Secondly by the more neer and speciall cause viz. their sins and rebellions whereby they had drawn down the anger and wrath of God upon them verse 8. For we are consumed in thy anger Text. c. WHence we may first of all observe how they compare their present estate now in the Wildernesse with the estate of other Nations and people and shew that their estate was far worse then theirs for others dyed now one and then one and so they were diminished but for them they were hastily consumed and suddenly swept away by the Plague and Pestilence now amongst them Hence we may observe first of all That it is a ground of humiliation to Gods people Doct. 1 Gods people should be humbled when it fares worse with them then with the wicked when their estate is worse then Gods enemies Moses gathers this as an argument to humble them and to move them to repentance and to seek unto God viz. That because of their sins they were in a far worse case and condition then the very enemies of God were For though their lives were short yet they confesse that theirs was far worse then the very Heathen themfelves for they were suddenly consumed by his anger When God is worse to his own Church and people then he is to his enemies when the Lord shall send Warrs in a Nation called by his Name and peace in other Kingdomes that are Antichristian sends famine in his Church and plenty to the wicked sends the Plague and Pestilence in his Church and health and prosperity to the wicked O here is matter of mourning and humiliation and it is that which hath touched Gods people to the quick and wounded them to the heart to see the enemies of the Church in better condition than the Church it selfe What a griefe was it for Godly Jacob to gravail into Aegypt Gen. to buy corn of the Egyptians that were the enemies of the Church What a griefe was it to the Church and people of God Lam. 5.6 when they say We have given the hand to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians to be satisfied with bread They that are our greatest enemies we have sought unto them for reliefe This was it that was such a trouble to David Psal 73. to see the wicked prosper and himself to suffer in distresse David had almost lost himselfe to behold and to take notice of this This must needs be a ground of humiliation to the godly Reas 1 when their estate is worse then the wicked Because this is a token of Gods displeasure against his people for their sins as it appears when the Lord threatneth them thus Deut. 28.43 The stranger that is within thee shall get above thee and thou shalt come down very low And again He shall lend to thee and thou shalt not lend to him ver 44. he shall be the Head and thou shalt be the Tail This will sin do make Gods people servants to their very enemies and the Lord will set his own people below them It is that which makes the enemies of the Church to insult Reas 2 and pride themselves yea and to censure the godly when they shall see themselves thus to prosper and the Godly cast down This lets us see how great Gods anger and indignation is against sin Use 1 that God should punish it so severely in his own people Israel was Gods Church Israel was Gods chosen one yet by reason of their sins their murmurings their infidelity that would not believe in his word that God would subdue those cursed Canaanites and give them their land to inherit but feared their strength their sons of Anack and their walled Cities therefore was the hand of God thus gone out against them and they perished thus miserably in the Wildernesse And how severely the Lord hath thus punished sin in his own people we may likewise see in Moses himselfe that because he honoured not God at the waters of strife the Lord would not suffer him to come into the land of Canaan And the like in David Yea the Lord Jesus Christ himselfe that had in himselfe no sin yet taking our sins upon him Gods hand lay most sore upon him And this should humble us at this time to consider how the Lord hath dealt with this Land and Nation and sent into every corner of the Land in every City and Country yea almost every Family the tokens of his anger and displeasure this strange and unwented kinde of disease amongst us that hath swept so many away Besides how heavy hath the hand of God layen upon the Land by the Sword Pestilence unseasonable times when other Nations and Countries have been free and yet Gods hand is not removed but his wrath is stretched out still Secondly Use 2 seeing the estate and condition of Gods Church and People is many times worse then their very enemies this may teach us not to measure the favour and displeasure of God towards us or others by the outward blessings or adversities of this life seeing the wicked do often flourish and prosper when the godly themselves do suffer great adversity David speaking of the wicked Ps 73.5 saith They are not in trouble like other men neither are they plagued like other folks Many times God punisheth most when he spareth most It is spoken as an argument of Gods wrath and indignation against desperate sinners Es 1.5 Wherefore should ye be smitten any more And again Hos 4.14 I will not visit your Daughters when they play the Harlots nor your Spouses when they play the Whores Was not this a token of Gods wrath and heavy displeasure that God should thus suffer them to go on in sin So on the contrary great afflictions are not alwaies arguments of a people cast off of God How heavy did the hand of God lie upon Job Hezekiah David c. yet dear and precious in Gods fight so true is that of Solomon that no man can judge of Love or haired Eccl. 9.1 by all that is before them For we are consumed in thy anger THere is one thing more yet to be observed hence Doct. 2 Though mans life be short yet sin shortens it viz. That though the life of man be short of it selfe yet it is made farre shorter than in Nature it is like to be by mans sin procuring some suddain and heavy judgment of God upon themselves This is that which Moses and the Church confesse here that the life of man is short of it selfe but yet by reason of their sins their life became more short for here they confesse that they were consumed by Gods anger Num. 14.26 28. and so it appears insomuch as of all that great number that came out of Aegypt being six
for all this they sinned still and believed not his wondrous works But what followed verse 33. Therefore their daies did he consume in vanity and their years in trouble To this agreeth that of the Prophet Behold Es 59.1 the Lords hand is not shortned that he cannot save nor his ears heavy c. But your sins have separated between you and your God Eph 5.6 and your sins have hid his face from you But what are those sins Quest that in a speciall manner provoke God to anger against a Land and People All sin Ans even the least sin moves the Lord to anger Speciall sins that provoke Gods anger yet there are I confesse some speciall sins which do inflame the anger of God and these be capitall and hainous sins and such are First Idolatry Idolatry to worship a salfe God instead of thetrue God or the true God in a false manner this the Lord can no more endure then a Husband can endure the wanton behaviour of his Wife but is exceedingly provoked by it This appears by that golden Calfe that the Israeâ—ites made to worship for this sin three thousand were slain Exod. 32.4 28. There fell of the people that day about three thousand men O it is a dangerous provoking sin in a Land and Nation that have enjoyed the glorious liberty of the Gospell to Apostatize and fall from their first love either to Babylonish Idolatry or to Sects and Heresies this is a provoking sin and causeth God to remove the Candlestick from such a people The Lord lay not this sin to our charge The second provoking sin Infidelity that stirres up the Lord to anger against a People is Infidelity or a distrusting of Gods power or calling into question his promises in times of tryall that either the Lord cannot or will not help This was the great sin of this people for the which the Lord was so wrathfully displeased with them Ps 78.33 and for the which their daies did he consume in vanity and their years in trouble The third provoking sin Blasphemy is the blaspheming of the Name of God Because of Oaths the land shall mourn The shedding of innocent Blood is a provoking sin Blood as a loving Father cannot endure to see his Child slain before his face and the blood of his Child to be shed no more can the Lord endure the wicked to shed the blood of his Children Again the sin of Adultery Uncleannesse Fornication and uncleannesse these are provoking sins as appears in the firing of Sodome and Gomorrah It is true every sin provokes the Lord to anger but these sins especially encrease his anger against a Nation or People Hos 4.2 by swearing and lying and killing and whoring they break out therefore the Land shall mourn The point then is clear and plain that the principall cause of Gods anger and displeasure against a Land and people is their sins Gods justice calls for vengeance upon the sinner Reas Now God is most righteous and just and he will not fail to punish sin in whomsoever the same is committed The Angels saith Saint Jude that kept not their first estate he hath reserved in chaines c. The sinfull World drowned Sodom and Gomorrah burned Pharach and the Aegyptians plagued yea the Nation and the People of the Jewes fearfully consumed all clearing this truth that sin is the principal cause of Gods anger and is that which drawes down his judgments upon a people Seeing then it is sin that stirs up God to anger Use 1 and draws down his judgements upon a people by the effect we may judge of the cause Hath not the Lords hand of late years gone out against us the people of this Nation what by the Sword the Plague and Pestilence these late yeares of Drought and our present visitation by an unwonted Disease and sicknesse generally over the land whereof so many have been taken away by death What do all these but declare that God thah a Controversie with us this day Do not those forementioned sins that pull down Gods Judgements upon a land and people abound amongst us and make head at this day Idolatry and Popery in open and secret manner seems to take root again Sects and Heresies in former ages cried down and for many years dead and buried we have seen their resurrection again from that Bottomlesse Pit What age did ever produce the like outrages and abominations that this day are rife amongst us Swearing and Blasphemy Drunkennesse and Uncleannesse Contempt of Christ and his Gospel Thefts Murthers and all other abominations the like never age produced And unlesse the Lord put it into the hearts of those in present Authority to root out these sins it is not to be expected that England shall long escape more heavy Judgements then yet we have tasted of And yet alas how few are the number of those that lay these things to heart We hear and talk of our miseries but we are not affected with the cause of them which are our sins no man layes Gods judgements to heart as to say Alas what have I done Secondly Use 2 seeing sin is the cause of all Gods judgements upon a Nation or People this may inform us who are the great enemies of our state this day Surely the greatest sinners These are they that obstruct all our hoped for deliverance from our Parliaments and from our Councels We have a long time looked for peace for freedome for settlement in Church and State But when will it once be or indeed what hope can we have it will be so long as Tobias and Sanballats are amongst us so long as our Chams continue their scoffing our Esaus their profaning our Nabals their coveting our Achans their thieving our Jezabeâ—s their whoring and all of us our sinnings and rebellions against God Our Parliaments and Councels will be rendred weak they will not they cannot help us How can England look to prosper when the most high God is against us and doth forsake us What hath been the ruine and overthrow of Nations and Kingdomes but sin What hath tumbled down Cities ruined stately Houses and overthrown so many Noble Families but sin And when we shall see Religion countenanced a faithful Ministery set up and maintained Discipline in the Church established Justice duly administred and wholesom Laws duly executed Piety incouraged Sin duly punished and the Kingdome of the Lord Jesus set up in the hearts and Consciences of men Then there will be hope of better times that God will delight to dwell amongst us Seeing sin is the principal cause of all Gods Judgements upon a land and people Use 3 How then doth it concern all Superiours that are in the place of Magistracy to look well to their places and Callings since the weal or woe of the Church and State depends upon them How many foul and enormous sins were committed in Israel and the
prayers as the principall end of our requests It is the greatest argument and motive to move the Lord to hear and grant our requests Because Gods glory is the chiefest good mans life yea Reas 1 mans salvation is not to be preferred before it which made Moses to wish rather to have his name blotted out of the booke of life then that God should be dishonoured by the Egyptians which would be ready to say that God brought them out of Egypt into the wildernesse but was not able to bring them into the land of Canaan Secondly Reas 2 such as our esteeme is of God himselfe such is our respect unto his glory If we esteeme of God as wee ought as our chiefest good his glory will be our chiefest end in all our actions Whatsoever yee do 1 Cor. 10.30 doe all to the glory of God It is true this glory is eternall with God and admits of no addition or diminution As the Sunne would still retaine his brightnesse though no creature had an eye to see it But hereby wee set forth our high esteeme of it not that God reaps any good by it but the fruit redounds to us God loves his glory as he loves himselfe And as we love him so we love his glory It is the end that God purposeth to himselfe in all his workes Reas 3 his own glory God made all things for his own glory Psal 19. the Heavens declare the glory of God It is the end of our Redemption Yee are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.20 therefore glorifie God c. It is the end of our Adoption to the praise of his glory Eph. 1.6 And therefore this being the end of all his workes to set forth his glory we are not to prefer any thing before it And such as prefer any thing before his glory as too many do in these dayes the Lord at last will powre contempt upon them Let us apply this Vse 1 This may serve for a prop and stay unto the godly in the land at this time wherein God hath shewed so many tokens of anger and displeasure against our land and Nation by those wofull Changes our eyes have seen and our dayly feares of farther miseries that the gospell it selfe is departing from us by the daily increase of Sects Heresyes with all manner of sin and profanesse which increasing in a nation and kingdome where the Gospell hath been sincerely professed and maintayned have ever proved a fore-runner of desolation if not the departure of the gospell from such a people Surely now is the time if ever that the Spirit of the faithfull should be kindled in prayer And in prayer that we set before our eyes Moses example here that the Lord will take the cause of his Church into his owne hand and root out these Sects and Heresies that are crept in amongst us and every plant that is not of his own planting And this must be the Reason and motive that we must presse the Lord withall His owne glory that doth now suffer And this will be a powerfull motive to move the Lord to heare and help Because he is most most jealous of his own glory And if the Lord would be pleased to save this Land and Nation deliver his people purge his Church this will redound to his own glory Say O Lord what will become of thy glory should the enemies of thy truth Gospell still prevaile shall thy vineyard be trodden down shall this Land and Nation in the which thou hast taken delight to dwell and where thy Gospell hath been preached and thy name called upon for so many yeares now at last become an Habitation of Ohims and Zijmes that the Lord would be pleased rather to humble us if it be his good pleasure by any other judgement then this spirituall Judgment of the Gospels departure from us If Master Herbert some yeares before our troubles began could say that Religion doth on Tiptoe Stand Ready to passe into America Land What would he have said if he had lived at this day to behold those abominable Sects that now have gotten head amongst us O pray pray that the Lord would take his own cause and his Churches cause into his own hand and plead his glory that doth now suffer Secondly Vse 2 by this we may try the soundnesse of our hearts and the sincerity of our prayers we put up unto God viz By our seeking of Gods glory above all our carnall Interests many men in time of sicknesse misery and distresse can pray to God for help and succour but their prayers are but the fruits of selfe-love whilest they mind their own Benefit and comfort more then Gods glory they can be content that God should serve their turns and supply their wants if poor to releeve them if sick to recover them or in any misery to help them But all this while they have no eye at all to his glory neither do they plead that at all in their prayers Whereas a gracious heart and a prayer formed according to Gods will that shall prevaile with God hath ever Gods glory the principal end of it and Argument in it to move God David in extreame sicknesse flyes to God to be his Physitian Psal 6.5 And what Argument doth he use to move the Lord to pitty him In death there is no remembrance of thee and who will give thee thanks in the pit q. d. Thou maist let me live if thou wilt which if thou wilt I shall praise thee and glorifie thy name If I die Who will give thee thanks in the pit Thus he Challengeth his life at Gods hand from this very ground the glory and praise that God should receive by his recovery The like we have else where What profit is there in my blood Ps 30.9 when I goe down to the pit Shall the dust praise thee shall it declare thy truth Shall the Dead arise and praise thee Ps 88.10 Selah It is a signe our hearts are sound and our prayers sincere when Gods glory doth principally affect us The Idolatry of the people whereby God was Dishonoured did most of all afflict Moses And the reproach done against God Dan. 32.19 by the blasphemous letter of Senacherib did more trouble the heart of good Hezekiah then all his threats against him and his people Esa 39.3.4 O well fare a gratious heart that can thus render Gods glory above all And lastly Vse 3 this serves for the just reproofe of many amongst us that albeit doe good things such as in themselves are lawfull commendable yet because they propound not Gods glory as the principall end of their actions can have no comfort in them If a minister of the word shall teach never so well and doe not propound the glory of God to himselfe therein but preach for gaine preferment vain glory c. Alas what comfort can he have in it So to give much to the poore as
a tale that is told 10 The dayes of our yeares are three-score yeares and ten and if by reason of strength they be foure-scere yeares yet is their strength labour and sorrow for it is soone cut off and we flee away 11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger even according to thy feare so is thy wrath 12 So teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisedome 13 Returne O Lord how long And let it repent thee concerning thy Servants 14 O Satisfie us early with thy mercy that we may rejoyce and be glad all our dayes 15 Make us glad according to the dayes wherein thou hast afflicted us and the yeares wherein we have seene evill 16 Let thy worke appeare unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children 17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish thou the worke of our hands upon us yea the worke of our hands establish thou it MOSES His PRAYER Or An Exposition of the Nintieth PSALM A Prayer of Moses the man of God A Word spoken in due time saith Solomon is like unto Apples of Gold Prov. 25.11 and pictures of Silver And hence it is that the Doctrine of Humiliation doth best sute with the times of Humiliation and the Doctrine of Mans Mortality those times wherein that of the Apostle of the Church of Corinth is true to us That many are sick and many are weak 1 Cor. 11.30 and many are taken away by death God having shaken the rod of his Anger and displeasure of late over this Land and Nation with unwonted diseases and suddain deaths of many that the learned Physitian cannot find out the Cause much lesse is able to prescribe a remedy The Consideration whereof hath set me upon this portion of Scripture at this time The Psalm you hear is a Prayer The Author and inditer of it is the Holy Ghost The Pen-man or Instrument that wrote it was Moses the man of God The Sum of it is nothing else but a pitifull complaint of Moses and the people of Israel The Argument of the Psalm of their wofull estate and condition in the which they now were in the wilderness by the heavie hand of God upon them for their sins whereby they were miserably wasted consumed And withall a humble sute petition that they make unto God that he would in mercy be intreated to spare them and be gratious unto them The Psalm hath in it 2. general parts 1. A Preface 2. The Psalm it self In the Preface we have 1. The person Moses 2. His praise The man of God 3. His practice he prayeth 4. The time when when the Church was in great affliction and distresse In the Psalm it selfe wee have three particulars 1. An acknowledgement of Gods goodnesse and mercy to their Forefathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob and to their posterity in protecting them from their Enemies and that in many dangers Even for his own names sake and his mercifull Covenant sake unto them v. 1 2. 2. From the third ver to the 12 there is a Narration in the which is set down the common frailty and mortality of mankind And this he doth 1. Generally from ver 3. to the 7. wherein Moses compares mans life to a watch in the Night to a Flood to Sleep to Grasse c. 2. In particular that their estate was far worse then the Common estate of the rest of mankind for whereas the life of man ordinarily is 70. years or 80. yeares their life was far shorter by reason of Gods Judgements upon them for their sins they were suddainly wasted and consumed 3. An humble Supplication of Moses and the people unto the Lord that he would in mercy turn away his Judgement and return again unto them in mercy and grant them gracious deliverance and his former favour Concerning the occasion of this Psalm The occasion of the Psalm It is like that it was penned by Moses when as the spyes returned from searching the Land of Canaan Numb 14. In the thirtieth of Numbers wee may see how the Lord commanded Moses to send twelve men of the heads of the tribes of Israel to search the Land of Canaan They return after forty daies and bring of the first fruits of the Land Now all of them Josuah and Caleb excepted discourage the people telling them that their Cities were strong and their walls high and that there were the Sons of Anak of the generation of Gyants and that these would devour them Onely Joshua and Caleb incourage the people to set upon that Land The people hearing this they murmured against Moses and Aaron exceedingly wishing that they had dyed in Aegypt Now the Lord hearing of the murmuring of the people was angry and told Moses that of all them that had seen his Miracles in Aegypt upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians and at the red Sea there should not one of them come into the Land of Canaan But that great multitude even six hundred thousand that came out of Aegypt that were above the age of twenty years Ioshua and Caleb excepted should perish in the Wildernesse as Numb 14.37 This being the occasion of this Psalm Wee may first note Doct. 1 what a grievous thing it is in the sight of God for those that have had experience of Gods mercy in former times to call his power into question and to despair of his mercy for future times This people had many times experience of Gods power his goodnesse and mercy in many great deliverances As in their deliverance from Pharaoh and the Aegyptians at the red Sea How did the Lord there fight for this people when Pharach and his Host pursued them when the Sea was before them the Egyptians behind the Mountains on each hand of them that they could see no means left them to escape Yet how did the Salvation of the Lord appear in their deliverance Besides hee had given them much experience of his mercy and goodnesse in the Wildernesse giving them Manna from Heaven and water out of a Rock c. And now after all this to doubt of his providence and to call his Covenant in question and to make God a lyer in that they would not believe that he would or was able to bring them into the promised land was such a sin as the Lord did punish most severely as we may read Numb 14. and 1 Cor. 10. Now this calling of Gods power and goodnesse into question by such as have had experience thereof must needs be a hainous sin Because God is so highly provoked by this sin See Psalm 78. Reas 1 Psal 78 the whole Psalm there the holy Ghost reckons up a large Catalogue of those mercies and deliverances he had bestowed upon this people Marvelous things did he in the fight of their Fathers in the Land of Egypt in the field of Zoan He divided the Sea and caused them to passe through He led them in
but only see it and die in the Land of Moah surely Moses his sin shut him out And of all that great number that came out of the Land of Aegypt even six hundred thousand that all above twenty years should perish in the Wildernesse was an undoubted argument they were guilty of some great sin that caused the Lord to be thus angry with them Object If this be so that extraordinary judgments are arguments of Gods anger how was it said of the blind man that lay under such an extraordinary judgment as to be born blind that neither this man sinned nor his Parents The meaning is not Answ that neither He nor his Parents were without sin no not such sins as might have justly brought that punishment upon them But neither the Mans sins nor his Parents were the cause why the Lord smote him with blindnesse John 9. but that the work of God might be made manifest in him Job though he were a a godly man indeed yet Job's sins might justly deserve all his miseries but God did not so much look upon his sins but that he might be a pattern and example of Faith Patience and of other Graces to his Church for ever Besides there be many grounds and causes wherefore the Lord is pleased many times to lay his hand and that heavy too upon his own Children and such as are both neer and dear unto him 1. As the exercise of their graces of Faith Patience Hope c. 2. To wean them them from the world whereunto our hearts are too much addicted 3. To quicken Prayer 4. To chasten us for our sins past and to make us more watchfull for the time to come c. But since the Lord in his Word hath denounced these judgments against us for our sins and doth not reveal unto us when he is pleased thus to try us his secret will and pleasure therein We are not to pry into his hidden counsells but into his will revealed which is that Man suffereth for his sin And howsoever we may erre in respect of Gods secret purpose in sending afflictions yet we shall profit thereby to humble our selves to justifie God as righteous to renew our repentance and hereby become fit for mercy and deliverance Whereas in times of affliction and distresse to look upon any other cause then sin may hinder our repentance and cause us to continue in our wickednesse Now that great and extraordinary ludgments and afflictions do argue Gods high displeasure these Reasons shew Reas 1 Because he is most just and righteous in his judgments as Abraham said to God Gen. 18.25 It is far from the Judge of all the World to deal unrighteously The Lord is ever most clear in himselfe from the least stain or mixture of iniustice in any of his judgments inflicted upon men Ps 119.137 Righteous art thou O Lord and true are thy judgments Reas 2 The second may be taken from that neer union and inseparable affinity that is betwixt Gods anger and sin Man suffereth for his sin Lam. 3.39 Miseries and afflictions yea all kind of iudgments spirituall and temporall are but the sinners harvest that he must look to reap by sowing the seeds of sin Pro 22.8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap affliction and the rod of his anger shall fail Let us apply this to our selves Use 1 Did Moses well to gather and conclude the exceeding anger displeasure of God against them by the greatnesse and grievousnesse of their punishment that they were thus hastily and fearfully wasted and consumed Alas then what may we think of our selves how hath the hand of God laine heavie upon us in this Nation In these later daies the sword hath been in the Bowels of the land and hath drunk much blood in every corner of it we have had the pestilence amongst us what Country hath been free we have had cleannesse of teeth when many have perished in the open fields and by the way side for want of bread The Lord hath made the Heavens as Brasse and the Earth as Iron that the like yeares have not been known Besides this strange sicknesse that hath been amongst us whereof fewe Families have escaped but some have been either sick or weake or suddainly taken away by Death that fewe that are living have knowne the like time of sicknesse and mortalitie Now what can we think by all these messengers of his Anger and wrath but that God is exceedingly angry and displeasedwith us Certainely the sins of this Nation the innocent blood that hath been shed the high contempt of the Gospel and Miâ—listers therof the great securitie unfruitfullnesse and unthankfullnesse of all sorts may mind us of some farther judgments yet at hand And yet alas who laies the Lords dealings to heart to take notice of Gods Anger and make but light account of judgments None consider in heart that the greatnesse of Gods judgments is an argument of the greatnesse of our sins It shall be our wisdom to lay Gods judgments to heart and to meet the Lord by unfained Repentance lest worser judgments overtake us at last Use 2 Secondly this serves to admonish us that according to the greatnesse of Gods judgments to increase our sorrow and Repentance for great anger argues great sins and great sins must have great Sorrow and great Repentance Quest 1 But is it an Argument that God is Angry when he takes men away by Death No it is not alwayes so Ans that the Lord is Angry when he takes men away by Death But when he takes them away by such a manner of Death as this people here with some strange kinde of Death horrible and fearefull for some sin as these people for their infidelitie murmuring Rebellion and despising of his mercy this is a token of Gods Anger 1 Cor. 10.10 Neither murmur ye as some of them murmured and were destroyed with the Destroyer Quest 2 But is it a token of Gods Anger for men to dy suddainly or by some strange kind of Death of the plague pestilence c No. Ans It is not alwaies a token of Gods Anger for men to dy suddainly or by some strange kinde of Death Pilate to make the Jewes odious and their religion hatefull mingled the blood of certaine Galileans with their Sacrifices here was an unwonted kind of Death And so those eighteene upon whom the tower of Silo fell these dyed not an ordinary kind of Death And yet Christ saith that they were not greater sinners then other men And many of Gods dear children and faithfull servants have dyed strange kinds of death and none more then the Son of God himselfe And therefore we may not judge a man out of Gods favour by the suddennesse or strangenesse of his death if his life hath been good his death cannot be bad Eccles 9.11 for as Solomon saith All things happen alike to all But now when we shall see a Man or Woman whose
consumeth to destruction Many were the provocations of this people that notwithstanding God had given them much experience of his power and goodnesse towards them Psal 78. giving them Manna from Heaven and Water out of the hard Rock Quailes to satisfie their lust and their provocations were many and great yet verse 38. He being full of compassion he for gave their iniquitie and destroyed them not Yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath But such were their sins and so great were their provocations verse 50. that He made way for his anger and he spared not their souls from death but gave over their lives to the Pestilence Yea verse 59. Gods wrath was so kindled that he abhorred Israel And who can look upon sin but as a fearfull thing and the greatest evill and the wrath of God intolerable when he shall but seriously consider how terribly his wrath hath broke out against sin It was for sin that God threw the Angells down from heaven to hell It was for sin that he drowned the old World Gen. 6. when their wickednesse was so great that it repented the Lord that he had made man and brought that Deluge over all the earth It was for sin that Sodome and Gomorrah was consumed with fire and brimstone from Heaven Gen. 19. That Pharach and the Aegyptians were overwhelmed in the red Sea That the earth swallowed up Corah and his complices Num. 16. That Herod was consumed with worms Acts 12. And how is the wrath of God come upon the Jewes at this day to the utmost sometimes Gods peculiar people now become a curse and reproach to all Nations a scattered and dispersed people upon the face of the earth this day This will sin do and this will Gods wrath and displeasure do when sin hath so far provoked God that it breaks out upon us And what shall we say to all those miseries that this land and Nation hath of late years groaned under as the Sword Famine Pestilence Sicknesses and Diseases Sects Heresies a Kingdome divided a Church rent and torn in pieces by unnaturall Brethren our Israel given to the spoile and Jacob unto robbers O who can say but that England's sin hath brought England's misery and that Gods anger that hath gone out against us hath been wondrous great Yea if we look upon the Saints and Servants of God themselves when by their sins they have provoked Gods anger and kindled his wrath against them how terrible and how fearfull hath he shewed his anger and displeasure against them As we may see in Moses this servant of the Lord that because he did not honour God at the waters of strife was shut out of the Land of Canaan And David who in the pride of heart numbred the people the Lord let him blood in the same veine there dyed of the people for his sin Three-score and ten thou sand men And this wrath of God shall at last most clearly break out and appear when he shall come in a flame of fire 2 Thess 2.9 rendring vengeance to the wicked And if the beams of Gods anger and wrath sends forth such terrible lestruction upon us here what will that wrath of his be when it shall be fully powred out upon his poor creatures in hell for ever Our God is a consuming fire Heb. 12. ult Now this anger and wrath of God must needs consume to destruction Because anger in God is as himselfe is Reas 1 Infinite what then can stand before it the whole world and all creatures therein are but as stubble and chaffe before the fire the very Mountains melt at his presence and in comparison of his greatnesse the whole earth is but as the dust in the ballance a flat nothing in respect of his intinitenesse this made Moses to say Who knowes the power of thy wrath Verse 11. the meaning is that none knowes it or can sufficiently take notice of it to fear as he ought before him Because there is such an antipathy betwixt God and sin Reas 2 that he must needs set himselfe against it and punish it It is so contrary to that pure Nature of God as darknesse to light there is nothing wherein there is the like contrarietie in Nature as there is betwixt God and fin The sinner is no better then a proud Rebell to God seeking to advance Sathan and to set him in Gods Throne wishing in his heart there were no God or that he were such a God as either saw not his fins or were not able to punish him for sin And can any wonder then that his wrath should break out to the destruction of the sinner Let us apply this Seeing the anger of God Use 1 thus once kindled consumeth to destruction O how doth this concern every one of us to dread sin which thus provokes him to wrath against us O the misery of that wretched soul that lies under Gods wrath If all the infirmities that human Nature is subject unto if all the sicknesses and diseases in the world should seize upon one man if all the tortures and torments that all the Tyrants in the world could devise to inflict upon a man to make him miserable and all the creatures in heaven and earth should all of them conspire together to make one poor creature miserable all these were nothing in comparison of the wrath of God who is a consuming fire How terrible hath the terrours of an accusing conscience been to many a poor creature we may see in Judas that was not able to bear them but preferred death before them and others daily that have made away their lives rather then live in those horrours of conscience they have felt in themselves What then is Gods anger and wrath when it shall be poured out to the full upon the soul of a sinner Why then do we not dread sin more which is the only cause of his wrath and who is never angry but at sin Art thou a Drunkard a Swearer a prophane person that livest in the continuall practise of sin Be not deceived saith the Apostle for these things sake commeth the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience An impenitent sinner is like unto a man that goes continually upon a mine of Gun-powder he may fear every step he takes that he shall be blowen up Seeing Gods anger once kindled against sin consumeth to destruction Use 2 we may hence observe the difference betwixt Gods anger towards his own Children and wicked men 'T is true God is many times angry with his own people and of them only it is said Ps 30.5 His anger endureth but a moment which implies that God will be angry with them Thus God was angry with Jehosophat for making affinity with wicked Ahab God was angry with old Eli for his indulgency towards his sons and God was angry with David for numbring the people and so
tribulation hee knew God to be the Lord and humbled himselfe greatly before him Thus David in all times of his distresse had still recourse to God Ps 18.3 4. The Lord is my strength in whom I trust my shield my salvation and my refuge Thus Paul buffited by Sathan 1 Cor. 12 prayes three times So that the point is clear and plain that the only refuge of Gods Church and people in time of affliction and distresse hath ever been Gods bosome as a sure refuge And great Reason Because it is the Lord that hath the principal hand in all the tryalls afflictions of his people Reas 1 Now who can cure the wound better than he that gave it Deut. 32.39 Hos 6.1 It is he that killeth and maketh alive He woundeth and he healeth When we are judged we are chastned of the Lord. 1 Cor. 11.32 And he is said to be the God that heareth prayers and therefore to him shall all flesh come Secondly Reas 2 affliction bringeth men to a more clear certain and experimentall knowledge of God and of our selves 1. 2 Chron. 33.13 Of God as Manasses by his affliction knew that God was the Lord. 2. Of our selves for now the Lord awakens conscience and brings our former sins to remembrance that we had forgotten as Job hath it If they be bound with fetters Job 36.8 9. and holden with the cords of affliction then he sheweth them their works and their transgressions that they have exceeded When sicknesse comes and affliction seize upon us that we know not which way to turn our selves then if ever we begin to look up to God the thoughts of death and the thoughts of eternity will make the most desperate and hard-hearted sinner to look about him Object But do we not see Object that many that have been under Gods hand have had piercing sorrowes and sore afflictions and yet have not been humbled nor brought nearer to God but are as Ahaz that in time of his distresse 2 Chron. 28.22 he sinned yet more against the Lord. Answ 'T is true Answ this is not true of all neither doth affliction in its own nature drive us to God But this comes only from God who sanctifies affliction for the good of his chosen To wicked men they are the beginning of sorrowes and tend to their further ruine as they were to Pharaoh but they tend to the great benefit to such as love and fear God Rom. 8.28 to whom all things work for their best Is the time of affliction the time that God is to be sought unto by prayer Use 1 then let this minde us of our duty whether our afflictions be Nationall or personall to flye unto God as our only refuge There is a strange expression of the Prophet Hear the rod and who hath appointed it Mic. 6.9 Hear the rod What is that Why all Gods rods are speaking rods all Gods rods utter a voice or a cry and therefore must be hearkned unto Lam. 3.39 Man suffereth for his sin Our sufferings then do tell us of our sins and the Lord saith I will plead against them by the pestilence and by blood Afflictions are Gods messengers and alwaies come with a message from God that is that we finde out in our selves the cause of Gods displeasure and that we speedily meet the Lord by repentance And when Gods hand is upon us in what kind soever every soule should make this application to himself Jer. 2 1â— as to say Hast thou not procured this unto thy selfe in asmuch as thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God Surely it was a sad complaint that the Lord takes up I have corrected them but they have not been humbled The Lord help us to finde out the plague of our own hearts wherefore the hand of God is gone out this day against the Land so many waies And yet O the cursed Atheisme of our hearts that lay no more Gods judgments to heart the Pestilence hath spoken aloud to us the sword hath spoken aloud and this strange sicknesse and visitation that hath swept away so many hath spoken aloud all calling upon this Land and Nation for speedy repentance But we have not laid Gods judgments to heart we have not been humbled to this day Secondly Use 2 seeing the bosome of the Lord is the best refuge to flye unto in times of distresse we may see the happy estate and condition of Gods children above all the wicked in the world in their greatest miseries they are never left without comfort whereas wicked and ungodly ones God hears them not in the time of distresse 'T is true in time of misery wicked men wil cry call but God hears them not nor regards their cries They cried not to me when they howled upon their beds Hos 7.14 O when the Lord shall make no more account of our prayers then the very howlings of a Dogg who is able to put to silence the voice of desperation But now for the godly the Lord doth not only give them free liberty to come to the Throne of grace in times of misery but doth give them a comfortable assurance that they shall be heard Mat. 7. Ask and ye shall have And if earthly Fathers can give unto their children good things much more will our heavenly Father give not only what we ask but more abundantly Ephes 3.20 Above all that we are able to ask or think Enemies Tyrants Death Devills cannot make a true believer miserable that hath such a God to flye unto Thirdly Use 3 seeing the Lord hath recorded in his Word the prayers of his servants we may take notice of the great mercy of God towards us in this age of the world for whereas we are ignorant and know not how to pray the Lord hath provided for our weaknesse and ignorance and hath left us patterns of prayers that were made by the holy servants of God that so we might use them in the like case as Psalm 92. A Psalm for the Sabbath as most proper for that day So here A Prayer of Moses when the Church was in great affliction and distresse Dan. 9. So the Prayer of Daniel Nehemiah David c. which we may use in the like case as they did So that there is none in the Church that can plead ignorance but they may learn out of Gods Book how to pray The Lord deals with his people as a Father with his child bids him say after him Thus doth the Lord with his people Take unto you words Hos 14.3 and say thus Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously and so will we render the calves of our lips And the Lord foretells by his Prophet that he will powre upon every member of his Church this Spirit of supplication and of prayer Zach. 12.10 But may set forms of prayer be used Quest or may this Psalm of Moses be used in the
mould a piece of red clay that hath in it for a time a living soul which must return to God that gave it and the body this piece of earth return to the earth from whence it came And if we had no Scripture at all to prove this daily experience before our eyes makes it clear how all men even the wisest the strongest the greatest and the mightiest Monarchs and Princes in the world be but miserable men made of red earth and quickly turn again to dust In his first Creation Gen. 27. God made man of the dust of the earth And this is it the Lord pronounced of all mankinde Dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return This Job knew well and therefore said I shall say to corruption thou art my Father and to the worm thou art my Mother And to this agreeth that of the Psalmist Psal 49.19 Man shall enter into the generation of his fathers and they shall not live for ever Psal 89. And What man liveth and shall not see death And Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave And How dyeth the wise man as the fool Eccles 2.16 q.d. They are both made of one matter and are both subject to death alike Deut. 34. And Moses the servant of the Lord died in the land of Moab according to the Word of the Lord. It was not Moses greatnesse nor Moses goodnesse that could free him from the stroke of death For the Reasons see the second Doctrine of this Verse The Uses follow Seeing this is the estate of all the sons of Adam subject to misery Use 1 diseases sicknesses breakings and crushings whereby our bodies are not only deformed our beauty and strength abated and blasted but at last even brought to the dust What madnesse and folly then is it to make such account of this poor earthly Tabernacle as though it should last for ever which at the best is but an earthly Pitcher which though it go often to the water yet at last comes broken home a House made up of mud-walls which daily threatens ruine This shewes the fondnesse the vanity and folly that is in men and women that bestow so much time in painting in decking and trimming this poor carcase of clay that we know not how soon will to the dust Let such proud Peacocks and painted Tombs know they are at the best but a piece of red clay subject dayly to breaking and crushing An howers ficknesse will shake the Walls of thy House turn thy beauty into deformity and thy strength into weaknesse But rather let us deck our inward man with the graces of the Spirit because that beauty will last for ever that beauty cannot fade with years or sicknesse or miseries in the world but will endure for ever in life and death Secondly Use 2 seeing these bodies of ours are but a plece of living clay a little piece of red earth and we do not know how soon this brittle frail bodie of ours shall return to the earth again This may teach us to make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts of it for who will bestow much cost upon that he shall enjoy but a short time Will a Tenant for a yeer build and plant and lay out much cost and be it much pains upon that he must so suddenly part withall No he will provide for a more certain term Where are our hearts Christians and where are our thoughts that we mind no more our short stay here in this world and provide no better for an everlasting habitation We cannot assure our selves to continue here a year but are at an hours warning nay it may be not so much Whensoever it pleaseth the King to bid them stay that run at Tilt either in the entrance or at the middle of the race then he must come again Even so it is with us we have a short race to run here and when the Lord shall say Return thou son of Adam we must yield and away we must And therefore seeing that we are at this passe it stands us in hand to be prepared and to be in a continuall readinesse lest death take us tardy and so as death leaves us so shall the last judgment finde us If a man be charged to be ready for any service upon pain of death at an houres warning he will be sure not to be out of the way but alwaies in treadinesse Well let us know we are at lesse than an houres warning for whensoever the Lord shall but say Return away we must whether prepared or not prepared death will not stay O that men were wise Deut. 32.29 then would they remember their latter end that when the Lord comes whether at midnight or at the Cock-crowing or in the dawning of the day he may finde us so doing Ver. 4. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past as a Watch in the Night IN this Verse Moses proceeds to a farther description of the frailty of mans life And whereas our corrupt nature is such that we are ready to think we shall never die or not yet or not for many years though we see daily before our eyes such as are young and strong go before us yet cannot men easily be perswaded that their life is so short as indeed it is Now Moses comes to shew that even the longest life any man lives or yeares that he can attain unto is but a short life and very uncertain He supposeth thus Suppose that a man should attain to live a Thousand years which no man ever did as yet attain unto no the longest life that we read of in the Word is but nine hundred sixtie nine years that Methusalah lived But suppose saith he Gen. 5.27 that a man might live a thousand yeeres alas what is the space of a thousand yeers if we compare it to the eternity of God it is but as a day when it is past Now by this proportion let us mark how short the life of man is A thousand yeeres is but as a day then what is the ordinary life of man which is but sixty yeeres or eighty years surely it is not an houre a poor time to brag of as many do And in the end of this Verse as though Moses had said too much and pointed our the life of man too long he seemes to correct himselfe q. d. What said I that the life of man is as yesterday when it is past Nay I say It is but as a watch in the night Now a Watch was but the space of three houres Luk. 12.38 the night being divided into four Watches every Watch had three houres but a short time And thus Moses to beat down the pride of our hearts and those over-weaning thoughts of long life leads us to God the number of whose years saith Job cannot be known Job 36.26 That when we consider that eternity tâ—aâ—
life hath been vile and prophane a blasphemer a contemner of grace and godlinesse an unclean person a drunkard c. and see some strange judgment of God upon upon him to die some cursed and miserable death we may say of them thus Surely this is the just judgment of God upon him for his sin as Moses sometimes spake of Corah Dathan and Abiram Num. 16. If these men die the common death of all men then hath the Lord not spoken So as when they saw them swallowed up of the earth for their rebellion against Moses and Aaron they surely might say Heâ—e is a spectacle of Gods judgments for their sins And it is good for us to observe Gods dealing amongst our selves that we might learn to fear him lest we be made spectacles of his wrath as others have been By thy anger by thy hot anger Text. BUt what Quest is the Lord subject to these passions to be angry and wroth Surely nothing lesse Ans neither are we to think that there is any such passion in God or that he is subject to these alterations and changes for then he should not be God But the Scriptures thus speak that God is angry and wrathfull full of displeasure c. for our understanding as when the Lord doth that which men do when they are angry then God seems to be angry As when men be angry they throw about them lay on load smite hard c. So when the Lord smites men laies blow after blow plague after plague stroke after stroke then he seems to be angry when he seemes not to spare but one judgment overtakes another Now by Gods anger in the Scripture Gods anger what we are to understand three things First his just will and purpose to punish sin either by temporall judgments here or by eternall hereafter and so that place is to be understood He that believeth not in the Son Iohn 3.36 the anger of God abideth on him that is Gods inward displeasure against the sin of unbeliefe with his purpose to punish it Secondly by the anger of God is understood those menaces and threatnings of punishment against sin either immediately by Himselfe or mediately by his Prophets and Ministers as Hos 11.9 Psal 6.1 Es 63.6 I will execute upon Ephraim the fiercenesse of my wrath That is that anger and wrath that I have threatned Thirdly by the anger of God is signified the effects of his anger which appears in sundry punishments and judgments and so that place is to be understood Eph. 5.6 For such sins comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience that is sundry judgments and punishments seize upon men for such sins And in this third sence and signification is the anger of God and his wrath to be taken here When Moses complains that they were consumed in his anger he means by those fearfull effects of his anger as the Plague Pestilence and the other judgments of God upon them for their sins Hence we may observe Doct. 4 the wonderfull blockishnesse and stupiditie that is in all men by nature Mans ignorance of God great who are no whit moved with such speeches as are agreeable to Gods nature as to say the Lord is just or the Lord will punish or the like But he must take upon him such passions as be in our nature as to say He is angry wrathfull full of displeasure and indignation and all too little to move hard-hearted sinners to fear before him This shewes our grosse ignorance and stupidity in the things of God that he is fain to descend so low as to speak thus to our capacities and understandings as that he is angry wrathfull and full of indignation otherwise we should understand little of God This proceeds from that bitter root of Adam's sin Reas 1 who having in his Creation a clear knowledge of God so far as the Creature was capable of and not contenting himselfe with that excellent knowledge Gen. 3.6 given him in his Creation but aspiring to be like unto God lost his knowledge of his Maker and brought this ignorance upon himselfe in his own understanding and upon all his posterity so that now we are without God in the world Eph. 2.12 strangers from the life of God through that ignorance that is in us Secondly Reas 2 this depravitie in our understanding is holp on by Sathan who hath blinded our mindes that we know not God nor his waies till we come to recover our selves out of the snares of the Devill 2 Tim. 2.26 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient as of our selves to think any thing as of our selves Which may serve to teach us hence Use 1 to wonder at that great ignorance that is in many Congregations Families and Persons at this day that are so ignorant of God and those glorious attributes of his but conceive of God as a man and call God a good man have very low and mean thoughts of God consider him not as Omnipotent Omniscient Omnipresent the searcher of the heart a consuming fire c. O did we but truly know God it would make us lay our selves low before him when we come into his presence as Abraham did Behold Lord I that am but dust and ashes and to cry out with the Prophet I am undone I am a man of polluted lips Secondly this blindnesse and ignorance of God that is in us by nature Use 2 should minde us of the necessity of an able Ministry in every Congregation whereby we may be taught to know God and have this blindnesse and blockishnesse of our nature cured in us Such set themselves against God and open their mouths against Heaven that oppose the Ministry of the Word and cry it down as many do at this day that think of all callings amongst us the Ministry may best be spared And indeed never was there greater affronts or more disgrace offered to their Calling then there hath been of late daies Whereas there is no Calling the Magistracy excepted whereby a Church or State receiveth more benefit then by a faithfull learned and painfull Ministry they are the strength of a Nation the Chariots and Horsmen of Israel they manifest Gods presence to a Land and Nation and when they are discountenanced silenced and forced to depart God usually is not far off with some fearfull judgment We are consumed in thy anger THe Lord being provoked against this people by their sins His anger could not be appeased but by their destruction Note hence That when Gods anger is once kindled against sin Doct. 5 Gods anger once kindled consumes to destruction it consumeth to destruction We are consumed in thy anger It is true the Lords patience towards sinners is great and he suffereth long the Vessells of wrath He is a a God of mercy and is not easily provoked to strike Psal 2. But as the Psalmist saith If his wrath be kindled but a little it
thing that crosseth it But Gods anger and wrath is ever at sin which is so contrary to that holy and pure nature of his that he will not fail to correct even in his own children O how happy were we if we could bring our hearts to this to be angry Eph 4.26 and sin not to make sin the object of our anger and wrath in our selves and others As Moses though he were the meekest man living yet when the people had made the golden Calfe he caused the same to be grownd to powder and made the people in a holy anger and indignation to lick up the dust thereof Thus was the zeal of Phineas kindled against Zimri and Cosbi and executing judgment upon them Gods wrath was appeased Secondly Use 2 seeing the effects of Gods wrath for sin are so terrible what then is sin the cause of Gods displeasure In all diseases we say the cause is worse then the effect Now all the plagues and judgments that God executeth in the World are but the effects of sin We have seen in our times the great alterations that have been in Church and State the Crown it selfe is withered many Noble Families and Houses brought down and laid in the dust Inheritances translated to others the Sword hath begot a new tenure confusion in the Church Sects and Heresies abound in every corner the Ordinances of God contemned and despised the Ministry slighted and disesteemed as if it were uselesse and might be spared never more open prophanenesse nor aparent signes of Gods anger and wrath against a people then God hath manifested against us with his unwonted judgmeÌ„ts and strange visitations by unwonted sicknesses and diseases Surely in the midst of them all we are to justifie God since England's sin hath caused all our plagues upon us this day and we are to confesse with the lamenting Church that it is the Lords mercy we are not quite laid wast That it might be said of England that we were a people that kept not Covenant with God And when we shall see Religion advanced discipline and order in our Church Sects and Heresies discountenanced Piety encouraged and Prophanenesse suppressed then and not till then may we hope that God will remove his wrath and turn away his anger from us And last of all Vse 3 this may serve for Exhortation to admonish all to take heed of sin we shall never escape Gods anger nor displeasure whilst we are guilty of sin sin laies us naked and open to all judgments But especially this concerns Magistrates that as they desire to keep off Gods judgments from a Land and Nation that they see that sin be duly punished When Phineas executed judgment the Plague ceased And this care ought Parents and Heads of Families to have that as they desire protection from God and to see his blessing upon their Families that they suffer not an Achan under their roof Ps 101. Zach. 5.4 Pr. 3.33 but purge their house as David did his For certain it is the curse of God is up-the habitation of the wicked whereas the habitation of the righteous shall prosper There is one thing more to be observed that as the effects of Gods anger and wrath are terrible So it is the sight of sin Doct. 4 Sight of sin and sense of Gods displeasure for sin ground of repentance and â—â—â—ious consideration of Gods anger and displeasure against sin that is the ground-work and foundation of true repentance There are many excellent fruits of godly sorrow and true repentance manifested by this people from verse 12. to the end yet if we observe well these two verses 8 9. we shall see it was the sight of their sins and the apprehension of Gods anger and displeasure for sin that set them upon their repentance The fight of sin and the apprehension of Gods anger and displeasure for sin ever goes before true repentance This Church and people acknowledge that God had set their their iniquities before him c. And withall had a deep sense of Gods anger and displeasure before they addresse themselves for pardon And surely this is Gods order of working in the great work of Repentance and Salvation first to cast down through the sight of sin and apprehension of Gods displeasure for sin and then to raise up in the apprehension of mercy in Christ Never did any truly repent but first apprehended the curse and Gods indignation against sin before Let this be duly thought upon as a most certain ground of truth that those whom the Lord intends to save he will first discover unto them their sin and Gods wrath due unto them even the curse of the Law which is eternal death of Soul and Body for ever before he ever give them the sweet apprehension of his favour and love in Christ The Scriptures are clear and plain in this point Come let us return unto the Lord Hos 6.1 for he hath wounded us Where we see the Lords order first to wound and then to binde up Thus dealt he with those Jewes Act. 2.37 who had imbrued their hands in the blood of the Lord Jesus they were first brought to see their sins by the Ministry of Peter and apprehend Gods wrath due for the same and then they cry out to the Apostles Men and Brethren what shall we do to be saved The Lord deals with a pure soul whom he intends to save as he said to Moses Deut. 28.66 Thy life shall hang in doubt before thee and thou shalt fear day and night Now it is with a soul in this plight as it was with Balshazar in his cups Dan. 5. when he saw the hand writing the joynts of his knees smote together thus doth the Lord strike the soul with amazement and fear whilest he shall see before him nothing but death hell and condemnation thus the Lord ordinarily breaks the heart and humbles the â—oul before he fills it with mercy Baloved let us not flatter our selves to think that repentance and reconciliation with God were a matter so easily got No no the Lord will have us into the furnace first and the Lord will make us to see our sins and to feel the waight and burthen of them Mat. 9.13 Es 55.1 Joh. 7.37 with the sence of his anger and wrath against sin before we can look for mercy The Scriptures are full in this particular And the Reasons are God hath so appointed it Reas 1 that all the Elect should thus be brought home to him Ioh. 16.8 I will send you the Comforter saith Christ and he shall rebuke the world of sin and of righteousnesse First of sin unto condemnation and then of righteousnesse viz. the righteousnesse of Christ unto salvation And thus the Prophet brings in Christ speaking thus Es 61.1 The spirit of the Lord is on me and the Lord hath annointed me and sent me to preach good tidings to the poor to binde up the broken
our time hath cut down so many some with one disease some with another confus'dly quickly and hastily this sin hath not been the least provoking sin of this land this day Our distrusting of Gods power and providence and murmuring against the Lord as though we should never see peaceable daies again or Religion established and the Gospell to flourish and that we shall never see those golden daies we have so long defired Even this sin of murmuring and distrusting of Gods power and providence is no small let and hindrance to our desired peace This this was the sin of this Church and people though they had had much experience of Gods power and goodnesse towards them in delivering them from their cruell bondage in Aegypt and that the Lord had now brought them to the sight of Canaan yet for their sin of unbeliefe and murmuring against Moses and Aanon the Lord would not suffer them to possesse that good Land but cut them off and swept them away by hundreds and thousands that they dyed in the Wildernesse And how severely God hath punished this sin in his own servants Numb 20 8.12 Luke 1.20 For the Reasons and Uses see the first Doctrine And we fly away MOSES speaks not here of the people alone that they were wasted and consumed But joynes himself with them The Lord hath cut us off and we fly away He joynes himselfe in the sin and also in the punishment They all had sinned even Moses himself and for his sin the Lord would not suffer him to come into the land of Canaan Num. 20.8.12 His sin he here confesseth with the sins of the people and Gods righteous Judgement upon them for the same Hence wee may observe Doct. 5 That the usuall manner of the servants of God Gods servants confesse their own sins as the sins of others in their prayers hath been to confesse themselves sinners And by their sins to have drawn down Gods Judgements as well as the sinns of others This doth Moses here links himselfe with the rest of the people of Israel in the case of Gods Anger Thus Daniel in that solemn prayer of his for the Church Dan. 9.5 that the Lord would make good his promise to deliver them from their Captivity and Bondage confesseth his own sins and the sins of the people We have sinned saith he and committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled even by departing from thy precepts and from thy Judgements And again Ver. 7. O Lord righteousnesse belongs to thâ—e but unto us confusion of face as at this day Thus godly Nehemiah when hee makes his prayer in the behalf of the Church Neh. 1.6 We have sinned against thee both I and my Fathers house have sinned If any man sin saith Saint John we have an Advocate c. He joynes himself with others that stood in need of Jesus Christ for their Advocate And who could have said more against Paul then he against himselfe when he confesseth that he was the Chiefest of sinners Luk. 16.13 Luk. 15.18 And thus doth the poor Publican the Prodigall c. And it must be so For First Reas 1 the godly have learned to give glory to God when his Judgements are gone out into the World which they do when they acknowledge God to be just and themselves to have sinned This Reason doth Joshua presse upon Achan Jos 7.19 My Son I pray thee give â—lory to God and confesse thy fault Hereby we clear his Justice when wee take shame to our selves And this was Davids Reason Ps 51.4 why he was so long and ample in the Confession of his sins That thou mightest be justified c. Secondly Reas 2 a child of God and true believer cannot but know that hee lies under the guilt of many sins which must be taken off by true Repentance and godly sorrow And hence it is that in hearty prayer when they confesse the sins of the Church they cannot they dare not exclude themselves Thirdly in a true and hearty Confession of our sins Reas 3 is grounded our hope and confidence that God will hear and answer our prayers And hence it is that we shall find Gods people when in the most solemn manner they have sought the pardon of their fins they have grounded their hopes of Mercy from their hearty confession of their sins Thus David Ps 51.3 Wash me throughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin for saith he I acknowledge mine iniquity Ps 32.5 And again David presseth the Lord with this I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid And in times of publick Humiliation much of the work hath been spent in Confession of sins This serves for the just reproof of those Use 1 who seeing others plagued and afflicted condemn them as justly punished and yet they themselves as great sinners no whit affected As we see it common in the World O say some no marvel though the Lord plague them they are such and such a people Did Moses say thus of this people did he so unmercifully single out himselfe and say that it is but just that these Rebells be plagued they murmured against me and would not belive me No no Moses joynes himself with them and saith We are Cut off and we fly away What Spirit then are those led by that condemn others without pitty and compassion and justifie themselves as if they were Righteous This may serve also for our instruction Use 2 That we learn by Moses his Example who though he was an excellent man of God highly in Gods favour yet he humbly joynes himselfe with the Church in the Confession of his sins as well as theirs Acknowledging that his sins were the cause of Gods Judgements as the sins of the people though hee escaped and they were punished Thus should we do now that so many places and Families and persons are visited with sicknesse whilst we escape let us not think onr condition better then theirs or that they were greater sinners then our selves But let us know that our sins have been the cause to pull down Gods Judgements upon others as well as their own As Moses here acknowledgeth himself in the number of them that had sinned and had compassion on them and prayed for them Even so though others die and thou escape others are in misery when thou art free O know that thou maist have a hand in their plagues Thy sins may be deep in the cause of Gods Judgements on the Land And therefore to have compassion on others miseries to pitty them and to pray for them and to acknowledge that it is not thy goodnesse above others but the Lords goodnesse towards thee that thou escapest and art not wrapt up in the same misery Ver. 11. Who knoweth the power of thy Anger even according to thy fear So is thy wrath IN this verse Moses seems to apply and to make use of the
former destruction of so many thousands of the people that were so suddenly cut off and swept away Who knoweth the power of c. q. d. what man living is able sufficiently to confider of the greatnesse of thy wrath and fearfull Anger against sin And who doth fear thee according to thy exceeding and unspeakable Anger to tremble at it as thine indignation and displeasure ought to be feared As if he should say surely few or none For Interrogations in the Scripture are often strong Negations And those that doe fear thee yet fall short of the measure of their fear that thy anger and wrath doth require Who knoweth THat is doth well consider it and acknowledgeth the unsupportable waight and burthen of it The first Instruction observable is That albeit we tast of Gods anger Doct. 1 yet few take notice of it Few take notice of Gods anger And that is ordinarily the case of desperate sinners that contemn the rod of Gods chastisements and profit not by them Jer. 8.6 as the Prophet hath it No man said What have I done And again Ezek. 16.43 I have brought thy waies upon thy own head yet hast thoâ— not had consideration of thy abominations Thus did the Lord call to weeping and mourning Es 22.12 13 14. to baldnesse and sackcloath and behold joy and gladnesse eating of flesh and drinking of wine But what followed this damnable security Surely this iniquitie saith the Lord shall not be purged till ye die Gen. 6. This was that damnable securitie of the old World in the daies of Noah though Gods judgments were threatned and even at the doore Yet they gave themselves to eating and drinking marrying c. till the Flood came and swept them all away And hence it is that we are commanded to hear the rod and who hath appointed it Mic. 6.9 Every affliction and every judgment from God utters a voice which we are to give ear unto and labour to finde out the Lords minde in wherefore the Lord sends forth such tokens of his anger and displeasure and not to do this when Gods hand is upon us argueth much security It is a dangerous thing when Gods wrath is gone out against a Land and Nation or any particular person to harden our necks against the stroak of the Almightie It was a sad complaint that of the Prophet Strangers have devoured his strength Hos 7.9 and he knoweth not O when the Lord shall inflict upon his people and plead against them with the pestilence and with blood Ezck. 38.22 and men shall not take notice of it but remain sencelesse under Gods hand this is the way to double Gods strokes and to kindle a fire that shall devoure to destruction He hath poured upon him the fury of his anger and yet he knew it not Es 42.25 and it burned him and he laid it not to heart Such look not up to God that striketh them nor to their sins Reas 1 that justly drawes down Gods judgments upon them but they rather look upon secondary causes or instruments and over-look God How usuall a thing it is for men to ascribe all their miseries and calamities that men suffer to destiny fortune or chance and sometimes to their own want of providence as if they might have prevented them and thus men through the wretchednesse of their own evill hearts they over-look God looking after the stone but not the hand that cast it Secondly Reas 2 it is the only fruit of Faith to behold God chastising us as a loving father for our good Now when men either want Faith or Faith is not exercised under the crosse no marvell though men over-look God and make not the right use of their sufferings whereas David in his greatest trials could comfortably conclude I know that thy judgments are just Ps 119 75. and that thou of very faithfulnesse hast caused me to be troubled This serves to admonish us Vse 1 that when the hand of God is gone out against us either against the Land in generall or against us in particular in any kind whatsoever in our bodies names estates c. that we take heed that this be not our case that we are insensible under Gods correcting hand but take notice of his anger and displeasure gone out against us In all extraordinary and strange judgments of God upon us we should look home Deut. 31.17 and say Righteous art thou O Lord and true are thy judgments And all these things are come upon us for we have sinned against thee This was Jobs care under his sore afflictions he puts not off the matter lookes not upon the Caldeans and the Sabeans that had plundered him of his substance but he lookes up higher even unto God and desires to finde out the cause of all his misery Iob 10.2 Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me Thus doth the Church in great afflictions first they acknowledge that their sins had deserved all their miseries and they desire to finde them out and to turn unto the Lord Man suffereth for his sin Lam. 3.39 Let us search and try our waies and turn unto the Lord. This is one main end of all those tokens of his anger and displeasure to humble the proud heart of man to make him look home and then is God glorified when he attains the end of his corrections laid upon us The Lord knowes this Land and Nation of ours is too too faulty in this that notwithstanding his wrath hath gone out against us by many tokens of his displeasure by the sword by the pestilence and by our late visitation of common sicknesse and unwonted diseases whereby many in all parts and corners of the Land have been suddenly swept away as it was the case of this Church and People here Yet how few lay these judgments of God to heart to be humbled for sin the cause of all We have had our daies of Humiliation but where is that Reformation the Lord lookes for at our hands We still complain of our miseries we groan under but we complain not of our sins the cause of all How can we look that Gods hand should be removed and his wrath appeased whilest Englands sins cry for fresh judgments upon us I am no Prophet nor the Son of a Prophet yet I am given much to fear that Englands's miseries are not yet at an end but that God hath yet a farther controversy with us When Moses intreated the Lord for his sister Miriam Num 12.14 God returned him this answer If her Father had spit in her face should she not have been ashamed seven daies q. d. How much more ought she to be humbled and ashamed since I have shewed my displeasure against her God hath many waies shewed his anger and displeasure against this Land and yet wee have not laid his Iudgements to heart why then do we not fear that he will yet plead against us with
lives Is there any so vile or so wretched that if they were perswaded that they should dye this night before to morrow would they deck and trim paint and pounce and pamper those bodyes of theirs that so suddenly must feed the worms no no if men made this accompt of their life as at an howers warning they would provide better for that life that shall last for ever This was the reason why that evill servant fell to eating and drinking and beating his fellow servant Mat. 24.48 he thought his master would be long a coming A contrary example we have in Moses this man of God that albeit he might have inioyed the pleasures of Pharaohs Court with honour wealth and what not yet refused them all upon this accompt that they were but for a season All the pleasures comforts contentments and outward felicities that the world can afford us are but for a season short and momentany and must have an end And the end of a wicked mans pleasures ends in paine Son remember that thou in thy lif time Luk. 16. c. when one howers torment in hell will make the wicked forget all their pleasures on earth And therefore this should serve in the last place for Exhortation That we alwayes have death before our eyes and to think upon it to accompt of the present time and day as our last and so to live as if every day we should dye that we may be in a continuall readinesse for our dissolution and change when we shall goe hence and be no more There can be no worse deceipt then when a man deceives himselfe in this reckoning Vse 2 Luk. 12.37 He was worthily called a foole that said Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years eat drink and be merry And since it is the Lord that must teach us this wisdome we must pray unto him to teach us this lesson to number our dayes aright for till God teach us this wisdom we shall never repent forsake the world and seek for a better life And therfore I earnestly commend this duty to you and it is my desire to presse it upon my self that we all reckon this with our selves as though this day should be our last day and this nigh our last night that when the Lord shal call us hence he might find us so doing hitherto of the petition Lord teach us to c. That we may apply our hearts to wisdom HEre we have the second part at first propounded Part. 2 And that is the end of this petition or the use of this request viz. that we may apply our hearts c. These words may be taken in a double sence That we may apply our hearts to wisdom That is that seeing our life is so short here and so uncertaine we may no longer live in sin as we have done but may truly repent Doct. 3 live more wisely and circumspectly feare thy anger Men are never truly wise till they accompt of every day as their last day and be afraid to provoke thee by our sins as we have done this Moses accompts true wisdom And the words being taken in this sence the doctrine is That men are never truly wise till they accompt of every day as their last day Herein lyes true wisdom O that men were wise Deut. 32 29. then would they remember their latter end As if men were never truly wise till then There is nothing more naturall unto us then to perswade our selves of long life And that we shall still continue in a happie and flourishing estate It was Davids case to be thus lifted up in times of prosperitie I said saith he I shall neve be removed Psal 30.6 thou Lord of thy goodnesse hast made my hill so strong When God had setled David in his Kingdom had made him to prosper and given him the upper hand of his enemies He was ready to fall asleep and to make his reckoning that he should ever continue thus happie That his good dayes should last for ever and his prosperitie should never faile And this was the case of Iob that holy man In the time of his prosperitie he had such thoughts as these I said I shall dye in my nest Iob 19.18 and I shall multiply my dayes as the sand And againe my glory shal be renewed ver 28 and my bowe shall be strengthned in my hand What is this but to reckon without our host when we shall thus flatter our selves that we shall continue in our state whereas our very lives and being here with whatsoever we have and enjoy is only at his pleasure we have nothing soe intayl'd upon us here that we injoy in life and death but the Lord when it pleaseth him can either take us from it or it from us It is wisdom then to provide for our change before the evill day come upon us this is Solomons advice Eccle. 12.1 Remember thy creator in the dayes of thy youth while the evill dayes come not nor the yeares of affliction wherein thou shalt say I have noe pleasure in them q. d. certainly the time of sicknes and death will come when all these earthly comforts will fly away A man never comes to be truly wise till he thus comes to esteeme of his life and to provide for his change And indeed what man will have his evidence then to seek when his cause comes to be tryed In the matters of this world men are so wise in summer to provide for winter in health to provide forsickness We will count but such a one a foole that will then goe to sowe when other men goe to reape O where are our hearts that we are noe more spiritually wise for our souls Pro. 10.14 Wise men sayth Solomon lay up knowledg before hand And such prove themselves fooles at last With those foolish virgins that have not the oyle of grace in readiness when death comes Seeing that herein lyes true wisdom Vse 1 to be in a continuall readiness for our change this shewes that the wisdom of the world is but foolishness to God 1 Cor. 1. for whom doe men commonly judge to be wise men but such as have reaching heades to buy and to sell that can tell how to purchase lands and livings and grow rich in the world and grow great and mighty here All this wisdom comes from nature and may have nothing in it but nature If this be not guided by the word you shall see what reckoning and accompt the Lord makes of it When he saith they have rejected the word of the Lord Ier. 8.9 and what wisdom is in them what greater folly can there be in the world then for these vaine and foolish trifles the pleasures of sin that are but for a season to lose for ever a mans most pretions soul to passe away for earthly things with Esau the birth-right of our inheritance which such do that are not wise
prayers and complaints to God lay open our miseries and plead our long continuance in them Secondly Use 2 seeing Moses and the people of God here do labour to move the Lord to pitty and compassion from the consideration of their long continuance in their miseries We may take notice how prone we are when God hides himself from us for a short time which he may justly do when wee sin against him albeit it be but for a short time yet it seems unto us long A gracious heart cannot be long without Communion with God Ps 143.6 My Soul thirsteth after thee saith David as the thirsty Land None know the worth of God but the gratious Soul What were all the World without the Sun and what were a believing Soul without God Such as have tasted and seen how sweet the Lord is hunger and thirst more and more to be filled with his presence As Moses the more familiar he grew with God the more he desired to see of God when the Lord is provoked to withdraw himself at any time from his people which somtimes the Lord doth being justly provoked by the sins of his people This brings horror and terrour to to the Soul Thou didst turn away thy thy face saith David and I was sore troubled And again Hide not thy face from me Ps 43.7 else I shal be like to themthat go down into the pit Ps 63.3 Thy loving kindness saith David is better then life it self He accompts himself a dead man if God be not reconciled to him in Christ What life what comfort what joy in a mans Soul unlesse God vouchsafe his gratious and comfortable presence there Return O Lord how long VVE are farther to observe That in respect of Gods comfortable presence Doct. 5 God may turn aside from his people for a time Io. 13.1 God may turn aside for a time from his own people It is true God doth never totally leave or forsake his For whom he loves to the end he loves them His gifts are without repentance in some gracious operation or other his spirit is alwaies present yet in respect of his comfortable presence he may seem to turn away from his people for a time It was Davids case when he had fallen into those dangerous sins of Adultery and Murther for the present he lost the comfort of Gods gracious presence that he had formerly felt and therefore prayes Ps 51.8 Restore me to the joy of thy Salvation and make me to hear the voice of joy and gladnesse that the bones that thou hast broken may rejoyce Ver. 11. And Cast me not away from thy presence And thus he complains at another time Ps 22.1 Why hast thou for saken me why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring Doubtlesse at that time David wanted the assistance of Gods gratious presence in as much as his Soul is thus perplexed And thus again he cries out in much anguish and perplexity of Spirit Ps 88.14 VVhy hast thou cast off my Soul why hidest thou thy face from me It seems Davids comfort and assurance was much eclipsed at these times This was the case of Job Iob 30.20 I cryed unto thee and thou dost not hear me I stand up and thou regardest not And this was the sad complaint of the Church Lam. 3.8 VVhen I cry and shout he shutteth out my prayer O this hath been that that hath wounded the Souls and troubled the Spirits of the godly that the Lord hath seemed to shut out the prayers and not to come in to their succour in times of distresse The woman of Canaan Mat. 5.26 what might she think but that Christ had cast her off seeing he would not answer her and when he did speak called her Dog an answer able to have broke her tender heart yet at last comes in and grants her request The Lord deales many times with his Children as Joseph with his Brethren deals roughly with them Gen. 42.9 You are spies and to prison they must go yet at last fill their Sacks Saith he Thus doth the Lord seem to take day with his people and puts them off to a fitter time when mercy will be more seasonable and deliverance will be more welcome Neither let this seem strange unto us for the Lord may do this That hereby he might take triall of the graces of his Reas 1 in the hearts of his servants as their faith hope patience c. All which are now set on work whilst the Lord is pleased to suspend deliverance for else what would become of the patience of the Saints if there were no more but ask and have Secondly Reas 2 that whilst the Lord is thus pleased to withdraw himself and defer deliverance we might take occasion to search more deeply into our own hearts thereby to discover the greatnesse and hainousness of our sins which have plunged us into such a gulf of misery and labour to find out those secret sins unrepented of that caused the Lord thus to frown upon us and to hide his favourable countenance from us whereas if our miseries were light and quickly removed we should harâ—ly think our sins so great as indeed they are And that when upon our Repentance we have obtained peace and reconciliation again with God Reas 3 wee may prize it ever after at a higher rate and be the more careful that we do nothing that may interrupt our peace again with God or turn away his loving countenance again from us Every good thing that is hardly come by is more carefully kept and more hardly lost Gods favour and love being got with long seeking and often praying is highly prized and not easily parted withall And last of all God many times deferts to help his Church and people in misery and distresse Reas 4 because that seasonable time of their deliverance is not yet come After three daies he will raise us up Hos 6.3 and we shall live in his sight The Lord hath made every thing saith Solomon beautifull in his time Eccl. 3.11 And there is a time for all things under the Sun No doubt but Zachary and Elizabeth prayed for a child whilst they were young Luke 1. and no doubt but God heard them only they must leave the time to him in whose hands are times and seasons Daniel mourned three weeks of daies and receives no answer Yet see the place Dan. 10.12 13. From the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand c. thy words were heard God ever suspends deliverance for a fit time when it is most seasonable for his own glory and his peoples comfort Seeing the Lord deals thus with his own people thus to withdraw himself Use 1 and to withhold his comfortable presence from them for a time Wee are taught not to despair when we find that this is his dealing with us What though the Lord
hundred thousand besides Children they dyed all in the Wildernesse all save Joshuah and Caleb above the age of twenty years some by the Pestilence some by sudden and fearfull fire from Heaven some swallowed up of the earth as Corah Dathan some killed by fiery Serpents and Scorpions and the greatest part by the Plague and Pestilence so that in the space of forty years they were almost all of them consumed This example of it selfe were sufficient to clear this truth that whereas the life of man is short of it selfe yet our sins many times makes it shorter as we may see in the old World drowned in the Flood Corah Dathan and Abiram smallowed up of the earth Herod eaten up of wormes Saul Judas the Children that mocked the Prophet Besides the experience we have in our daies of Drunkards Whormasters Theeves and Traitors who by their sins draw down Gods judgments upon their heads and shorten their daies As we see the Grasse though it be left to grow yet in time will wither of it selfe but if suddainly cut down with a Sith it sooner decayes A Leafe though it hang long on the Tree yet in the end it will fall of it selfe but by a storm is suddenly shaken down Thus it is with men 'T is true the sinner in committing of sin doth neither see nor perceive this being blinder then Balaam that saw not the sword drawn before him But Sathan that malitious enemy of mans Soul like deceitfull Laban that gave Jacob Leab instead of Rachel So doth Sathan deal with the sinner instead of profit and pleasure payes the sinner at last with some shamefull death the just wages and stipend of sin Because Reas 1 that all our sufferings are for the most part the fruit and stipend of sin Lam. 3.39 Man suffereth for his sin As the Lord said to Abimelech Thou art but a dead man because of this sin Gen. 20.3 the taking of Abraham's wife The wages of sin is death both Temporall and Eternall God hath joyned them both together The soul that sinneth shall die the death Ro. 6.23 Secondly long life is promised as the wages of obedience If ye be willing and obedient Es 1.19 ye shall eat the good things of the Land And on the contrary God often cuts off the wicked for their disobedience As a wise Parent will not correct his child where there is no fault so will he not spare when he is provoked Loathsome sicknesses foul diseases and sudden death are often Gods revengfull rods upon vile and wretched sinners Seeing the life of man Use 1 that is so short of it selfe yet is made far shorter by reason of sin this serves to justifie the Lords hand and righteous judgment upon the Land this day in his generall visitation by this unwonted sicknesse and suddain death of so many amongst us Is not England become the sinke of all those Sects and Heresies that ever crept into the Church And as if these were not enough to pull down Gods wrath the Land is guilty of Blood of Swearing of Lying of Whoring Sabbath-breaking contempt of the Word and Ordinances of Christ with these and the like abominations the Land is defiled and the Land shall mourn Hos 4.3 What hope have we to avoide our present judgments this day and yet live in those sins that cause them And how can we think to escape any Plague so long as we are guilty of the Plague of sin Secondly Use 2 since by our sins our daies are often shortned and cut off it shall then be our wisdome to discern betwixt the pleasures of sin and the miseries that accompany the sinner Sathan promised our first Parents that they should be like unto God but it was to make them miserable as himselfe How many a wretched man by his Drunkennesse Uncleannesse and other distempers shortens his own daies as the Prophet saith The wicked shall not live out halfe his daies which otherwise in the course of Nature they might attain unto But all those miseries whereunto we are subject by reason of sin in this life are no way to be compared to those fearfull punishments whereunto the wicked are reserved after this life for it is sin that shall shut them for ever out of heaven Rev. 22.15 Without shall be Dogs c. And They that commit such things shall never inherit the Kingdome of Heaven 1 Pet. 2.12 Which made the Apostle so earnestly exhort us I beseech you as Strangers and Pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which sight against the soul But we are consumed in thy anger IN these words Moses sets down the cause why they were thus hastily wasted and consumed in the Wildernesse which he confesseth here to be double 1. The more remote and improper cause and that was Gods anger in this verse 2. The neerer and more proper cause and that was their sins verse 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee c. First cause was Gods Anger Cause Gods anger which is described by the degrees of it 1. Anger 2. Hot anger 3. Sore displeasure But how do Moses and the people gather that God was so exceedingly angry with them But by that manner of death that they were so suddenly wasted and consumed with the Pestilence Hence we may observe Doct. 3 That great and extraordinary judgments and calamities Extraordinary judgments are arguments of Gods anger do argue the greatnesse of Gods Anger For Moses here inferrs and concludes the greatnesse of Gods anger and displeasure by the greatnesse of their punishment that seeing they were so miserably consumed and so fearfully plagued it must needs shew the Lord exceedingly provoked by their sins And this is that very use the Apostle makes of this their sudden destruction that came upon this people an argument to prove that God was displeased with them 1 Cor. 10.5 With many of them God was not well pleased In all extraordinary and strange judgments which the Lord brings upon us it is safe to say to our hearts as the people of God said Deut. 31.47 Are not all these troubles come upon us because God is not with us Ruth 1.13 This use could Naomi make of the death of her two Sons That the hand of God was gone out against her And this the very Barbarians could conclude of Paul Act. 28.4 when the Viper hung on his hand No doubt this man is a murtherer They conclude that it must needs be some great sin that Paul was guilty of that did cause that so sore a judgment It was a strange hand of God upon old Eli 1 Sam. 4.18 that he should fall and break his neck And no doubt his indulgency towards his children in their prophanenesse was the cause of it It was no ordinary death that of the young Prophet 1 Reg. 13.24 certainly his sin was the cause of it That Moses himselfe must not come into the Land of Canaan
pestilence and with blood and bring worser daies then England hath yet seen VVho knoweth the power of thy Anger c. THat is none doth sufficiently consider of thy Anger and wrath for sin and doth fear thee accordingly to tremble at it Surely they are very few and those that do fear thee and the power of thy wrath yet come far short of that measure of it that thy Iudgements deserve Hence we learn Doct. 2 that Gods wrath is a terrible wrath none knows it Gods wrath is more terrible Psal 2.5 nor is able sufficiently to conceive of it It is called a fierce wrath sore Displeasure when his wrath and anger is kindled it devours to destruction Our God is a consuming fire First it is the wrath of God The Lord revengeth the Lord revengeth Nahum 1.23 where the repetition of the words shows not only the certainty of his wrath but the severity of it Secondly it is a consuming wrath it devours to destruction when this fire is once kindled it will burn to the lowest Hell Deut. 32.22 For a fire is kindled in my Anger and shall consume to the lowest Hell c. Thirdly there is an increase of his wrath Rom. 2.5 Thou according to the hardnesse of thy heart treasurest up wrath As rich men add to their Treasures so God adds to the Treasures of his wrath as men adde to their sins so God adds to his wrath and when the measure of sin is full God then powres out his full wrath It is a powerfull wrath Who knows the power of thy wrath It is not like the wrath of man which howsoever hot and great yet many times wants power to accomplish it but it is a wrath that hath much power in it so that look how much more God is stronger then man Rom. 9.22 so is his wrath It is a suddain wrath and so much the more fearfull Their Damnation doth not sleep it travails as fast as mens sins and will be sure to meet them at their journies end It surpriseth them suddainly it comes as an Earthquake and as a Theef in the night And if we look but upon those examples whom God hath made spectacles of his wrath who can but acknowledge that Gods wrath is terrible The Angells were cast out of Heaven in his wrath the old world destroyed in his wrath Sodom and her Sisters consumed in his wrath Corah and his Complices swallowed up of the Earth in wrath Pharaoh and the Aegyptians drowned in his wrath The Iews once Gods Church and peculiar people now rejected in his wrath Besides experience daily before our eyes of Nations and Kingdomes flourishing Kingdoms brought low almost to destruction all the wofull fruits and effects of Gods anger and wrath For the Reasons and Uses see ver 7. Doct. 5. Who knoweth the power of thy Anger according to thy fear q. d. WHat man living is able sufficiently to consider the waight of thy Anger for sin ahd who doth fear thee accordingly surely very few And those that do fear thee yet come far short in the measure and degree of the fear that they ought to have Hence we may observe Doct. 3 what is the cause why men do either altogether shake off the fear of God Men fear God no more because they know not the power of his wrath or have little or no sence of his Anger and wrath for sin or else fear the Lord but little and lesse then they ought to do The Reason is plain because that few do truly and indeed acknowledge the Power of Gods wrath what a wofull thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God would you know why men feare Gods Anger no more and make so light accompt of his wrath and displeasure surely it is because they never yet knew the wonderfull and unsupportable waight and burden of Gods displeasure See how the Scriptures speak of this Anger and wrath of God Nahum 1.5 6. The Mountains quake at him and the Hills melt and the Earth is burnt at his presence yea the world and all that dwell therein VVho can stand before his indignation v. 6. and who can abide the fiercenesse of his anger his fury is poured out as fire and the Rocks are thrown down by him Yea the best of Gods Servants that have ever lived have been astonished and cast down with the beholding of Gods anger What a sad complaint was that of holy Job Iob 6.2 Iob 16.12 13. Esay 38.15 O that my griefe were weighed and my calamity laid in a ballance together it would be heavier then the sand of the Sea c. And again He hath broken me with one breaking after another and runneth upon me as a Giant Which shews that Jobs very inward and most noble parts were most afflicted with the sense of Gods anger and displeasure And thus likewise doth Hezechiah complain that God had bruised his bones like a Lion And David affirms the combating with Gods displeasure His Soul was sore vexed and the very pangs of Hel gat hald upon him And Jonas Ps 116.3 out of the belly of Hell cryed I. His wrath sets all on fire sets the conscience on fire as it did the conscience of Jadas and burnes that Sets the estate of a man on fire and consumes that fals upon a mans house and habitation sweepes away Sons and daughters his Anger sets all on fire If his wrath be but once kindled Hos 2.5 perishing and destruction is the issue of it Now whilest men cast off this feare of Gods wrath no marvell though men live in sin and cease not to provoke him day by day by their evill wayes the feare of God is wanting The Reasons are First Reas 1 it is onely the feare of God that is the chiefest Armour to keepe off Sathans temptations to sin How can I doe this great Wickednesse sayth Joseph and sin against God Gen. 39. It was the feare of God that kept him from consenting to his Adulterous mistrisse It was the feare of God that kept Job that he durst not give liberty unto himselfe so much as in a wanton looke And he professeth that he durst not oppresse nor wrong any and that for this very Reason Iob. 31.23 for Destruction from God was a terror to me He was not able to beare Gods wrath And from this ground Saint Paul exhorts men to obedience knowing saith he the terrours of the Lord 1 Cor. 5.11 we perswade men See that the consideration of Gode anger wrath against sin is an excellent preservative against sin But before we come to the Vses Quest this Question is to be resolved Whether a child of God may abstaine from sin for fear of wrath I answer Answ God children are principally to avoyd sin because of the evill of sin as that which most displeaseth God yea though there were no Hell at all or punishment to be inflicted yet in regard it