And welfare those afflictions that send us home to God By this dealing of the Lord with a Nation and with a people Reas 3 by sharp and sore afflictions the Lord is pleased to humble them and thereby to fit them for mercy and deliverance And this is no other thing then what the Lord himself hath promised If a Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their wickednesse Ier. 18.5 I will repent of the plague that I thought to have brought upon them Thus Niniveh prevented her Judgement And this is the right way to stop the breach of Gods wrath and to call in his Judgements when they are gone out against us This serves to shew the monstrous impiety and prophanesse of this age Use 1 and time wherein we live that do not thus mark and observe the dealing of God with us We have seen the hand of God in a grievous manner upon the Land in generall The Lord hath rode Circuit amongst us and what Country nay what Family hath not suffered in these times the sword hath been in the bowells of this Nation and hath drunk much blood The Lord hath likewise sent forth other messengers of his anger against us as unseasonable years at one time making the fruits of the earth dung for the earth at another time making the Heavens as Brasse and the Earth as Iron that the Creature hath mourned to teach us to mourn and now again by an universall sicknesse and disease the like whereof no age can remember when so many are sick and weak and taken away by death Yet who makes this use of it as Moses and the people of God here who is humbled under Gods hand who mournes for sin the cause of all No no we can be content to passe over the Lords dealing thus with the Land as if these Judgements concerned us not we lay them not to heart Surely it is to be feared that the Lord wil come nearer unto us yet in the end Take we heed that it be not found true of us which the Lord speaketh I called for sackcloath and fasting Esa 22.13 14. but behold mirth eating and drinking c. when was there ever the like excesse of drinking then at this day but what saith the Lord This inquity shall not be purged untill ye die Secondly Use 2 this Doctrine serves to direct us what we ought to do and how wee ought to carry our selves in times of Common Calamitie Not to be gazers and lookers on of Gods Judgements But to search and try our waies to discover the sins of the Land and the evills of the times which should thus provoke the Lord to punish us in a different manner then our Forefathers in former ages as Moses here Surely it is a dangerous fin heedlesly to passe by Gods dealing with us at this time from former times How can we be humbled aright for our present miseries if we do not consider hiâ— former mercies This were to deprive God of his glory and our selves of confidence and comfort Lord thou hast been our dwelling place WE are farther to observe in this prayer of Moses Text. how they begin their prayer viz. with putting the Lord in mind of his former mercies shewed unto their Forefathers in times past and in former generations Thou hast been a Covert unto our Forefathers and good unto them guiding directing and protecting them Note hence That it is a speciall motive and reason to plead in prayer Doct. 3 To plead Gods former mercies a good Motive for futute to move the Lord to pitty and compassion to put him in mind of his former mercies and deliverances bestowed either upon us or our Forefathers The Prophet out of experience of former mercies prayeth for the continuance thereof Lord thou hast been favourable to the Land Ps 85.2 3 4. thou hast brought back the captivitie of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people thou hast covered all their sinne Thou hast taken away all thy wrath thou hast turned thy self from the fiercenesse of thine anger c. And hence he grounds his request to God Turn us O God of our salvation Ver. 4 and cause thine anger towards us to cease And thus do Nehemiah and Daniel begin their prayers for the Church Nehc. 1. Dan. 9. they mind the Lord of his Covenant and mercifull promise to his people And thus David persecuted by Saul hee pleads his cause with God thus Ps 4.1 Hear me O God of my righteousnesse thou hast set me at liberty c. Hee minds God of his former mercies and deliverances and thereby is confimed in his faith and confidence that God would not now leave him at this time of distresse And so when he was to go out against Goliah 1 Sam. 17.34 hee calls to minde the Lords mercifull deliverance from the Lyon and the Bear and grounds his hope of successe at this time also upon it And this hath been the care of Gods people to keep a Catalogue of Gods mercies and deliverances to strengthen Ps 22.21 their prayers in the like time of danger yea so carefull have the people of God been to keep in memory former mercies and deliverances that they have raised up monuments and given name to prisons times and places for perpetuall records of mercies and deliverances as Jehosophat called the place wherein the Lord had given him the victory 2 Chron. 20.26 to be called the valley of Beracha and the Jewes it is thought have their Purim to this day This is to give the Lord the honour and glory of his works Reas 1 when they are kept in remembrance 1 Sam. 12.24 Consider how great things God hath done for you saith Samuel to the people that his glorious works might be kept in remembrance amongst them Yea this is such a duty that we are often to presse upon our hearts Ps 103.2 as David did Blesse the Lord O my soul and for get not his benefits We cannot honour God more then to mind him of his former mercies and deliverances This makes a believer bold with God as we are with a trusty friend that we have had experience of It serves to strengthen our faith to quel our doubts and fears and causeth us with much confidence to rely on him Besides Reas 2 it is one of the greatest comforts in times of extreamities and dangers the experience we have had of Gods goodnesse and mercy Experience saith the Apostle worketh hope God being the same ever to his people In him is no variablenesse Jam. 1.17 nor shadow of change And hence it is that the godly in times of adversity can hold up their heads with comfort when wicked men are at their witts end and many times overwhelmed with sorrow This serves for our Direction Use 1 how to begin our prayers unto God the better to move him to pitty and to have compassion upon us viz. to remember the former mercies of
are convinced that repentance is necessary and grace must be had to make them die happily and their purpose is to leave sin and to cry God mercy yet they conceit they have time enough before them they may do this when they are old or when they lie upon their fick-beds then they will set to this work as time enough O that such men would consider this Doctrine 1. That many times death comes suddainly like a Flood when men think least of all on death Alas do we not see that on the Stage of this world some therebe that indeed do act a longer part and many there be that act a shorter some die in their youth passing as it were from one grave to another from their Mothers womb to another womb the earth How few live to the age of fiftie How many do we hear of daily that go well to bed at night and are found dead in the morning And why may not this be thy case Secondly consider that this is but one of the old Serpents wiles to put off our repentance and preparation for death to the last for Sathan knowes that if he can but prevail in that it is all one as if men resolved never to repent at all for we see by experience that not one of a thousand which take this course ever attain unto it for they adjourn from year to year and time to time so long that they come at last to be hardened in their sins that there is little hope of recovery In youth we appoint the time of age in age we appoint the time of sicknesse and when sicknesse comes the Lord knowes we are then most unfit for this great work Then comes the cares of disposing of our estates then comes pain and grief loath we are to die and in hope we are to live these things take off our thoughts of another life and so death feizeth upon us and away we must Thirdly do but consider that albeit thou livest to be old and hast thy understanding about thee and thy godly friends and acquaintance about thee that can exhort thee and pray for thee Alas how knowest thou whether God will hear thee at this time of thy death that wouldst not hear him in the time of thy life Nay is it not distributive justice now in God to refuse to hear thee then that refusest to hear him now It is not usuall with God to give grace in death who have despised grace in life See that place and tremble at it Prov. 1.24 25. c. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and ye have not regarded I will laugh at your destruction c. Besides thou dost but offer up unto God the Halt Mal. 1.8 the Blind and the Lame which is abhomination to him It is a most base and unworthy thing to offer that to God which a man would disdain and scorn to accept of But I hope God is mercifull Ob. 2 and though I am sinfull he is mercifull and I will rest upon that It is true Ans God is mercifull and thou maist say it for it is his mercy that thou hast not been long ago consumed that God hath not cut thee off and cast thee into Hell many years agoe 't is true it is his mercy But alas what is this to thee that hast so long and so often abused his mercy Is God mercifull the more unthankfull wretch thou to sin against so mercifull a God Ro. 2.4 Despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth to repentance Shall God be contemned for his mercy Ps 145.9 that ought the more to be loved and respected There is mercy with thee that thou maist be feared If God be so mercifull the greater the sin to sin against it And let such men know that presume thus of Gods mercy that as he is mercifull so is he just as he hath his Armes of mercy spread open to receive poor penitents so is Hells mouth wide open to receive the impenitent And how knowest thou that hast despised grace and mercy so often and so long a time but thou maist at last die in a Spira's case who in the time of his sicknesse being exhorted to say the Lords Prayer answered O I dare not call God Father And this hath been an observation I have made these forty years that such as have lived under a godly zealous and faithfull Ministry and have not been wrought upon it is often found true of such as was said of Nabal their hearts die like stones within them What little cause then have any to harden their hearts and continue in their sins in hope of mercy But did not the Thiefe upon the Crosse at last confessing his sin Ob. 3 and desiring Christ to remember him when he came into his Kingdome finde mercy at the last houre and so was saved Though men have much ingorance in them of the Scripture Ans yet this example they can remember and often alledge and all to this end to sooth up themselves in sin and to flatter themselves that they may repent at last Whereas this example as one saith is to keep us from desperation and is no cloak to sin Why should not the desperate condition of his fellow Thiefe that dyed with him asmuch affright us and terrifie us as his example comfort us And for this example of this penitent Thief we are to know that it was an immediate act of the divine power of Christ and it was not ordinary neither doth it prove that God will deal thus with thee It was not ordinary because he was saved without means but what was that to thee that enjoyest the means Besides one particular act of Gods power goodnesse and mercy can be no rule to go by The Sun once stood still at noon-day in Joshuah's time we must not look to see it so again Balaam's Asse once spake we must not look for the like any more Besides for ought we know this was the time that he was first called Now what is that to thee that hast been often called God hath often knocked at the dore of thy heart and to this day thou hast not opened unto him Besides this penitent Thiefe at this time shewed many excellent fruits of his repentance 1 Rebuking his fellow railing at Christ 2. Confessing his sin 3. And by making an excellent Prayer to Christ Now who can promise these things to himselfe when he comes to die O then to conclude seeing this is so that death comes as a flood suddenly and unexpectedly when men are not aware let it be our wisdome to be in a continuall readinesse that death finde us not unprepared There is nothing more certain then death nor more uncertain then where when and how we shall die They are as a sleep Text. IN these words lest Moses should seem to undermine and weaken the
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
sware in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest Yet he made good his promise to their seed and gave them that good Land to possesse it Which serves for the just reproofe of those Vse 1 who having matter of joy and rejoycing to rejoice in the Lord and to set forth the praise of his grace turn it into carnall joy and rejoycing into eating and drinking sports and pastimes As at this time we have indeed cause of joy and rejoycing for the great work of our Redemption by Iesus Christ But alas wee turn it into carnall mirth to feasting and reveling to carding and dicing and unto all prophanesse more liker Heathens then Christians But let such know that thus turn the grace of God into wantonnesse they will cause the Lord one day to turn their mirth into mourning and their carnal rejoycing into weeping and lamentation This was the case of this people though in Aegypt they were somwhat moderate yet when they came out of bondage whereas they should have rejoyced in the Lord Exod. 32.6 and set forth his mercy in their deliverance They set them down to eat and drink and rose up to play Use 2 Secondly seeing Moses and the people of God here will make this the end of Gods mercy to them in their deliverance and in being reconciled again unto them to rejoice in the Lord with joy and gladnesse Then Religion exceeds not mirth and joy neither is matter of dumpishnesse and sadnesse as many vertuous speak of it but it is matter of joy and gladnesse nay there can be no sound mirth joy or rejoycing without this when a man doth truly repent him of his fins is reconciled to God in Christ and feels his love shed into his heart this alone will yield matter of sound joy and solid comfort O say the cursed Ismaels of our times these professors are alwaies sad and heavy full of sighes and groanes and complaining there is no pleasure at all in their waies and courses c. Such are altogether ignorant of the life of a Christian as Christ said I have meat to eat that ye wot not of So hath a Christian joy that the world wots not of when a poor Prisoner that hath offended the Law shall have the King to come to his house and speak kindly and lovingly unto him How will this cheer up his heart then what greater comfort to a poor soul then when God shall put his spirit into the heart of a man and assures him of his love in Christ and where the spirit of the Lord is there must needs be comfort and joy for he is the spirit of comfort It is true in regard of our sins and corruptions we have in us matter of mourning and sorrow yet in regard of Gods love in Christ we may lift up our hearts and rejoyce O then all we desire to have matter of sound and solid joy in our souls let us labour to feel the love of God in Christ shed into our hearts this will make us joyful in sicknesse as in health in the Prison and at the stake as those blessed Martyrs were Ver. 15. Make us glad according to the daies wherein thon hast afflicted us And the years wherein we have seen evill IN this verse Moses and the people of God make their third Request and petition unto God and that is for comfort that the Lord would gladden their souls after their sorrows and afflictions Make us glad according to the daies c. And herein we have 1. What they pray for Comfort 2. That in their comfort that the Lord would keep some proportion that as he had a long time afflicted them for their sins so he would in mercy give them answerable matter of comfort and rejoycing For this is the Lords manner of dealing with his people the lower he humbleth any poor soul for their sins and the deeper sence they have of their misery the greater measure of joy and of comfort he usually bestowes upon them Observe we first of all from the coherence of this petition with the former 1. They pray for reconciliation verse 13. 2. For the feeling of his mercy verse 14. 3. Now for comfort in their misery verse 15. From which order in their requests we learn That the fountain of all true comfort to a distressed soul Doct. 1 Reconciliation the fountain of true comfort is our blessed reconciliation to God in Christ and the comfortable feeling of that love of his to our souls For till a man have truly repented of his sins and comes to be reconciled to God in Christ what dram of comfort can such a one have When the day begins to break then we know the Sun will soon arise In the dark night of affliction what comfort to a distressed soul but when the Sun of righteousnesse shall arise Mal. 1. with healing under his wings and Christ which is our life shall appear Here comes true comfort and the soul is here refreshed as the Sun-rising doth the world It fares many times with a poor soul Mat. 14.24 as it did with the Disciples in the ship they tugged all night but in vain but in the fourth watch of the night Christ came and relieved them when their hope was almost past Jacob wrestled all night with the Angell but about the break of the day he obtained the blessing When we have tugged long and striven hard with God by repentance and prayer at last he will come and in an acceptable time he will command salvation to his people Ps 9.18 The poor shall not alwaies be for gotten the hope of the afflicted shall not perish for ever Whereas wicked men that are in their sins and not reconciled to God they can have no peace they can have no comfort Es 57. There is no peace to the wicked saith my God 1 Sam. 16.23 We may see this in King Sanl what comfort had he in his Kingdome Wife Children Harp Musick or what else so long as God was angry with him and was without the feeling of his love all the world could not yield him one dram of comfort the evill spirit did still torment him A poor condemned Traytor what comfort can he have in wife children gold silver c. nothing will cheer up his spirit but the Kings pardon So a poor distressed soul feeling the anger and wrath of God pressing his soul unlesse God shew his loving countenance in the pardon of sin can have small comfort 'T is true wicked men may tast of worldly comforts and they may seem to have much peace in their consciences as any of the godly themselves for so saith Job Job 2â— Their houses are peaceable and without fear And they aâ—â— not in trouble as other men are Thus Saul when David played upon his Harp had some kinde of ease that the evill spirit for that time did not torment him and thus many wicked men can run to
the day with a cloud in the night with a Pillar of fire He clave the Rock in the Wildernesse and gave them drink And so goes on in that Psalm to set forth the great deliverances that God from time to time shewed unto his people But here was their sin For all this they believed not his wondrous works but limited the holy one of Israel And therefore this made way for his anger and he spared not their souls from death but gave their life to the pestilence This sin above all others provokes to wrath This sin of calling Gods power and goodnesse into question Reas 2 by such as have had experience of the same is quite contrary to the nature and being of Faith in the soul We can in nothing more glorifie God then by living the life of Faith Heb. 2.4 The just shall live by faith And this was the commendation of Abrahams faith that he staggered not at the promise of God through unbeliefe Rom. 4.20 So on the contrary part no sin doth more dishonour God as when we limit the holy one of Israel and dares not trust him in times of straights Joh. 5.10 He that believeth not hath made him a lyar And what greater disgrace can be cast upon any than to give him the lie Serves to admonish us by their sin Use 1 and the judgment of God upon them to take heed that we commit not the like but learn by the experience of Gods former mercies to be encouraged to rely upon our gracious God for time to come And if the Lord should be pleased to bring us into tryall by one means or another let the remembrance of Gods former love and mercy arme us against doubtings and distrust This consideration was that which armed David when he was to go out against Goliah The Lord hath delivered me from the Lyon and the Bear so shall he deal with this Philistine How comes David to conclude so confidently against Goliah Surely it was the experience he had of Gods former goodnesse and mercy towards him And this serves likewise to admonish us Use 2 in a speciall manner to take notice of those speciall and distinct acts of Gods providence goodnesse and mercy from time to time to wards us to the end we may have boldnesse and confidence in time of need Experience saith the Apostle breedeth Ro. 5.4 hope Upon this we may stay our hearts and comfort our selves in time of need He hath delivered us and he will deliver us O let us take heed that we despair not of Gods mercy and so murmur against the Lord lest thereby we provoke him to anger as this people did 1 Cor. 10.10 Neither murmur ye as some of them murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer Hitherto of the occasion of this Psalm A Prayer of Moses the man of God BEfore we come to the Psalm it selfe we are to speak of the Title or inscription which is part of it and is of no lesse authority then the Psalm it selfe and ought to be read together with the Psalm A Prayer of Moses the man of God In this Inscription we have 1. The person Moses 2 His praise The man of God 3. His practice He prayeth for the Church 4. The time when When the Church of God was in great affliction and distresse Moses the man of God 1 The Person or a worthy Prophet and servant of God And thus were the Prophets of old called a man of God or a servant of God a man inspired and guided by the Spirit of God He is the Pen-man of this excellent Psalm a man highly honoured of God if we look upon his Birth his Life his Death In all these God takes speciall care of Moses and his speciall providence is seen â—n them all First for his Birth 1 For Moses Birth Exod. 1.15 that he should be born at such a time wherein it was death to be born for now had Pharaoh published that bloody Edict that the Midwives of Egypt should destroy all the male-children of the Israelites Yet notwithstanding that the Lord should preserve him at such a time and cause him to be nursed up under the nose of that bloody Tyrant as the reputed Son of Pharaoh's Daughter This thing could not but clear the speciall care that God had of him and that he intended him for some speciall service in his Church Secondly 2 For Moses Life as in his Birth so in his Life Gods speciall providence still goes along with him in directing him to be an instrumentall Saviour unto his people and a great Prophet in his Church and to that end preserved him in the midst of many dangers when it was even death for him to come into Pharaohs presence Exod. 10.28 Thirdly 3 For Moses Death as God takes care of Moses in his Birth and in his Life so also for his Death and Buriall God disposeth of all these according to the good pleasure of his own will for the time When the place Where and the manner How as it is recorded that Moses the servant of the Lord dyed in the land of Moab Deut. 34.5 according to the Word of the Lord. This is that Moses that is the Pen-man of this Psalm a man highly beloved of God and so familiar with his Maker that the Lord was pleased so to manifest himselfe unto him that we never read of the like for the Lord talked with him as one man talks with another A man so powerfull with God in prayer and so full of such rare zeale in prayer wherein hee had such a notable dexterity and gift that we doe not read that God denied him any thing that hee sought at his hands especially for the Church He is the penman of that Psalme Which should teach us highly to esteeme this Psalm as an excellent prayer of his Vse The writings and speeches of great men and learned men that are in great esteeme in the World are highly esteemed and looked upon by us and we listen much unto them Loe we have here a psalm and prayer of a great Prophet a man highly in Gods favour how ought it to be highly esteemed of us For his praise 2 His praise he is here stiled A man of God which is his compellation or Title given him by the spirit of God The man of God Where Note That Moses Name is not barely set downe but with an Appendix or Attribute of Honour and such an honour then the which none can be greater The man of God From whence we learne Doct. 2 to be stiled A man of God The greatest honour to be called a Man of God or a Servant of God is the highest pitch of honour that can be given to the Sons of men As it is a great comfort in life so it is a high honour in death to be a Man of God This is an honour that remaineth to posterity a pretious name that
this was Eliah called the Chariot and Horseman of Israel because his prayers were so powerfull with God Secondly Use 2 this lets people know what a high esteem they ought to have of faithfull Ministers Let men so account of us saith Paul as the Ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God They are the Josephs that God hath sent into the land to open the Lords granaries to preserve the souls of Gods people from spirituall famine Had it not been that God had had these Moses Aaron Phineas Jeremie and Daniel amongst us and such faithfull ones that had stood in the gap Englands sin had brought Englands ruine before this day How forcible were the prayers of Abraham to spare the Sodomites What had God done at his request if there had been but ten righteous found in those Cities How did Moses bind the hands of God by his prayers when his wrathfull displeasure was ready to break out against the people Surely our daies of Humiliation Exod. 32.10 and our seeking of God have not returned in vain But God hath heard us And for the sake of some few in this Land God hath deferred his wrath that England hath not been a Boachim a Land of mourning and desolation And what may England now expect when these that have been the Chariots and Horsemen of our Israel and have hitherto stood in the gap and for whose sake the Lord hath spared the Land When these I say shall be judged the troublers of Israel as they that are the greatest Enemies of Englands peace Surely this high contempt of the Ministry of England this day is that which prognosticates no good to England this day This may serve to mind us of the Ministry of a necessary duty that belongs unto our calling Use 3 viz. that wee be frequent and oft in this duty of prayer not onely at Sermon time to begin and end the same with prayer which the most do But even in private to bee earnest Solicitors to the Throne of grace in the behalfe of our people What blessing can wee look for from God upon that Sermon that God is not sought unto by prayer I am sure it is not the least comfort that many a Faithfull Minister of Christ reapes to himself his conscionable discharge of this duty of private prayer for his Flock When he receives but little comfort in his publick Ministry And that Minister that minds onely preaching and neglects this duty of prayer may well question his owne heart that hee aims more at his own glory then Gods And last of all this may serve for Exhortation Use 4 That seing prayer is such an essentiall Duty of a faithfull Ministry and such as are teachers of the people should pray for the people And that by this meanes many mercies have beene obtained and many judgments have been removed this should move us all that are the Ministers of the word to be much in prayer Es 62.2 to give the Lord no rest untill he have mercy upon Sion Let us that be the Lords Remembrancers and the Watchmen of the Lords Flock never give the Lord rest nor let him bee still till we see that hee shall in mercy remove his Judgments which lie heavy upon us for our sins Let us that are the Watch-men of Israel take heed that the Lord put not up against us that wofull complaint Eze. 22.30 I sought for a man that should have made up the hedge and stood in the gap before me for the Land that I might not destroy them But I found none therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them and consumed them with the fire of my wrath What shall then become of those that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap to stay the wrath of God That shall be hedge-breakers and open a gap by their sinns their negligence and carelesnesse their scandalous lives How fearfull will Gods anger be against such one day as wee may see in that Chapter A Prayer of Moses the man of God THE last particular in the title is the time when Moses composed this prayer The time when Moses made this prayer viz. when the Church and people of God were in great affliction and distress now in the Wilderness being almost wasted and consumed with the plague and pestilence and other Judgements of God upon them for their sins Now in asmuch as they make this their onely refuge to fly unto God by prayer Doct. 4 The time of affliction is the time of prayer The Doctrine is That the time of affliction is the the time of prayer This Moses and the people of God at this time make their onely Refuge to fly unto God to humble themselves before him and intreat the pardon of their sinns and that the Lord would turn away his wrath and return again in favour and mercy towards them and indeed this is the Argument of this Psalm And this is such a remedy as the Lord himself prescribes Ps 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear thee and deliver thee Where the Lord prescribes this as the chiefest remedy and refuge in times of calamity and distress To seek unto God by prayer This doth Moses and the people of God at this time of great affliction and distresse when they were almost wasted and consumed with the Plague and Pestilence they fly unto God as their onely Refuge in this time of distresse And this hath been the practice of Gods Church and people in all ages The Jewes in Hesters time when Haman had laid his plot utterly to destroy them Hest 4. they make God their Refuge Thus when Senacherib sent a mighty Host against Hezechiah and his people 2 Reg. 19.17 2 Cron. 20. He spreads his blasphemous letters before the Lord and makes an earnest prayer unto God Thus was it with good King Jehosophat when the Ammonits Moabits came up against them that hee and his people were at that straight that they knew not what to do or which way to turne themselves yet flying unto God by prayer were delivered And this the Lord himselfe doth witnesse unto when he saith Hos 5.14 I will be unto Ephraim as a Lyon and as a young Lyon to the house of Judah c. till they acknowledge their offences and seek my face for in their affliction they will seek me early And so indeed they did for immediately they call on one another and provoke one another Come let us return unto the Lord Hos 6.1 for he hath wounded us and he will heale us And if wee look into particular Examples wee shall find that Gods servants in their greatest straights have still had recourse to God Jonas in the Whales belly Ion 2.1 2. Out of the belly of Hell cryed I and thou heardst my voice Manasses albeit in the time of his prosperity he forgat God 2 Chron. 33. yet in his
Lord withdrawes the comfort and feeling of his loving kindness and mercy from them and they apprehend the anger of God against them for their sins It is wonderfull to see how the servants of God at such times are cast down and humbled yea they are not then able to pray nor to call God Father but be for a time in a trance and as it were overwhelmed in the sence of Gods displeasure and for their lives cannot lift up their voice to God in prayer Now in such a case as this what is the comfort of a poor distressed soul thus humbled and amazed and cast down But to make their moane and complaint to God as Moses doth here Tell the Lord that thou canst not pray as thou desirest Complain unto the Lord and say O Lord what wilt thou have me to do wilt thou leave thy servant thus Say with Jehosophat I know not what to do Lord 2 Chron. 20.12 but my eyes are upon thee If we can but complain thus and mourn thus for our misery this is an earnest prayer in Gods sight as this of Moses and of David and Hezekiah Tell me you that are tender hearted Parents have not the sighs and moans and groans of your little Infants moved your bowells within you to pitty and compassion towards them as ever the requests that they have made unto you O the Lord doth as much yea more then you can do this way the very sighs and groans and tears of his children prevail with him much more than their words can The Lord is said to hear the groaning of the Prisoner Psal 102.20 Esay 38.5 Psal 39. And of Hezekiah I have seen thy tears And Hold not thy peace at my tears And I doubt not but Gods people have found as much comfort in their sighs and groanes and tears as in their requests in prayer Yet we must take heed that we abuse not this comfort to make us the more negligent and sloathfull in the duty of prayer in the times of health and prosperity No then we ought with all freedome of heart and tongue to exercise our selves in this duty But this comfort belongs unto such as in times of affliction are not able to perform the duty And this serves to discover unto us the misery of all wicked and ungodly men Use 2 what comfort can such have in times of affliction and distresse that cannot pray Prov. 28.9 He that turneth away his ears from hearing the Law even his prayers shall be abominable And as the Lord saith Ezek. 8.18 Therefore will I deal in fury my eye shall not spare neither will I have pitty and though they cry with a loud voice I will not hear them O the misery of a poor creature when God shall shut out his prayers and if they do pray that the Lord should make no more account of them then the howling of a dog Hos 9.4 for how can that prayer be effectuall when the person is not accepted 'T is true wicked men have sometimes good motions in them but they last not like that of Balaam O that my soul might dye the death of the righteous Thus in times of sicknesse and distresse the wicked may pray but these wishes and desires of theirs proceed only from some light in the understanding but not out of any affection in the heart and so quickly vanish away like the morning dew Hos 6.4 And hence is it that the Lord will laugh when the destruction of such a one commeth Whereas the complaints the sighs and groans of a broken heart proceeding from humiliation for sin and sence of Gods displeasure and a hope of Gods promises preserves the soule in life and sends it to God as a sure refuge in times of trouble So that the only hope to finde mercy and deliverance in time of trouble belongs to a godly and an humbled soul that formerly hath had acquaintance with God Iob 22.21 The prayers and sighs and groans of such onely are heard Lord thou hast been our habitation from generation to generation In this first verse we have the first part of their complaint And the words beare this sence q.d. O Lord thou hast been gracious to our forefathers to Abraham Isaak and Jacob and to other ages and generations after them thou wast a covert and defence unto them when they pitched their Tents from place to place and travelled from Country to Country Thou commandest saying Touch not my Annointed Ps 105.15 and do my Prophets no harm But thou dealest not so gratiously with us that are their posterity wee are in great affliction and distresse yea for our Rebellions and sins thou hast left us and goest not before us as thou didst with our Forefathers So that this was it that humbled Moses and the people of God at this time when they saw that their estate was far otherwise then their Forefathers and that God did not now deal so gratiously with them as hee did with their Forefathers Hence note That when a Nation Doct. 2 When a people decay in glory then it is time to seek to God Church or people decaies in beauty in riches in glory or strength then it is time high time and more then time to make their complaints to God to bee humbled for their sins and to meet the Lord by unfained repentance When a Nation or people upon whom his name hath been called where the Gospell hath been preached and his ordinances have been duly administred where God hath heretofore declared his presence When such a Nation or people shall decay in their former beauty and glory when the glory of Religion shall begin to be Eclipsed by Sects and Heresies that shall increase daily in the Church and when God by many apparent signes shall seem to depart from such a people in gard of his wonted presence then it is high time for such a people to humble themselves and to meet the Lord by repentance Thus did Moses and the people here when the judgements of God were upon them and they saw that it was far otherwise with them then with their Forefathers it was then high time to put up their complaints to God Lam. 1.12 35. Psal 107. Hereby the Lord wil make us know that hee is not tyed to any Nation Reas 1 Church or people no longer then they keep Covenant with him and walk in obedience before him as we may see of this Nation of the Jewes and those famous Churches of Corinth Ephesus Philippi Colosse c. once glorious and flourishing Churches but now have the Candlestick removed from them The Lord many times doth lay his hand upon a Nation and people to this very end Reas 2 to humble them and to make them looke home to humble them and to cause them to meet the the Lord by repentance for this end the Lord made the prodigall to tast of a Famine that was such a wanton in times of prosperity
God unto us and to our fore-fathers to put the Lord in minde how he hath heretofore been our God that he hath been seen upon the Mount when our fears were great and our dangers many and that therefore he would now in mercy be good unto us Thus O Lord thou hast been our God our refuge and our Dwelling place thou hast kept us a long time by thy power thou hast many and many a time commanded salvation to thy Church and people in times of their greatest dangers Therefore Lord defend us still leave us not nor forsake us O God of our salvation We should thus wrestle and strive with God Psal 85. as David did and as Moses and the people of God here did and say In time of famine thou hast fed us in times of persecution and dangers thou hast kept us when the bloudy sword was shaken against us thou didst preserve us in these times of ficknesse our habitations have been safe Ah Lord do not forsake us now leave us not at this time of trouble and danger but turn our hearts unto thee by unfained repentance and turn away thy heavy displeasure from us Secondly Vse 2 this serves to inform us how to get affiance and sure confidence in God in prayer viz. by recounting the antient mercies of God and experiments we have had of his love from time to time we ought to keep a catalogue of them and to repeat them oft to our own souls to that end we may grow up in experience of his power and providence and goodnesse towards us A Christians memory should be a Chronicle of antiquity And besides our own experience we have had of Gods mercifull dealing towards us we should remember what our fathers have told us and we should shew the same to our children Ps 102.18 that the children yet unborn may praise the Lord. This observation of Gods goodnesse to us will be a speciall prop to hold up our hearts and hands in prayer Ps 27.10 Put not thy servant away in anger thou hast been my help There is nothing can strengthen us more under our present sufferings then a fresh memory of Gods former mercies Lord thou hast been our dwelling place Text. THat is Lord thou hast been to our fore-fathers what a dwelling house is to men viz. a covert and a safe defence and a Castle to defend them and protect them from all hurts and dangers that though they had no dwelling place but travelled from Country to Country yet they had a sure defence for thou didst protect them and wast unto them their Dwelling place Doct. 4 The note is That Gods Church people have ever had a Dwelling place Gods people have ever had a dwelling place Deut. 33 27-29 Lord thou hast bin our dwelling place from generation to generation The Lord himself under his wings protects and defends his people and they are safe whom he keepeth The eternall God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting armes Happie art thou O Israel who is like unto thee O people saved of the Lord. Ps 127.1 2. Ps 91.1 If the Lord keep the City it is in safety The godly are said to dwell in the secret of the most High and to say unto God thou art my rock my refuge and my strong tower He shall hide me saith David in the secret of his Tabernacle Ps 27.5 The godly must not look to be freed from dangers it is enough that they are preserved in dangers How was the woman pursued in the Wildernesse by the red Dragon Rev. 12.14 yet God provided for her a habitation there for her selfe and her child which she brought forth So when the Church shall be persecuted by Tyrants she must not think that any earthly hold can keep her safe only here is her priviledge she hath the shadow of the Almighty Ps 91.1 Ps 18.2 1 Sam. 22.1 5. and the secret of the most High to fly unto How oft was David pursued by Saul sometimes by Absalom his own son yet still God provided for him a hiding place Object But hath not the Church Object and the particular members of it suffered Martyrdome slaughters c. Ans It is true Answ God suffers many times his children to fall by the cruelty of the enemies of the Church yet even therein they are more then Conquerors The primitive Martyrs in all their sufferings the Text saith They would not be delivered Heb. 11. because they looked for a better resurrection And God is pleased thus many times to suffer the wicked to prevail against their bodies for these Reasons 1. That herein and hereby the wicked might fill up the measure of their sins and so hasten their own destruction 2. Hereby God will have his truth witnessed yea sometimes with the very blood of the Saints 3. God will have it so for the utility and profit of his Church for the blood of Martyrs is the seed of the Church Yet still the promise is most sure God will be a hiding place unto his and the worst that Tyrants can do is but to kill the body and so hasten their happinesse and glory they can never prevail against the inward man nor overthrow their faith nor disappoint them of salvation But hereby our faith is exercised our patience tried and the bitternesse that we have tasted in our sufferings makes our deliverance but so much the more sweet and comfortable unto us And the Reason is Reason that neer relation that is between God and his people shewes that God must be their habitation they are his Sons they are his Spouse members of his body his friends his servants and shall not God be a house and habitation unto them Nay more they are so neer and dear unto God that he that toucheth them toucheth the apple of his eye Zach. 2.8 Such cannot want protection Seeing there is no protection and safeguard unlesse our God become our habitation and dwelling place Vse 1 This discovers unto us the folly of such who foolishly run from protection some one way and some another and never seek for Gods protection Some put their trust in strong holds in great and fortified Castles some in their wit some in their riches c. But unlesse the Lord be thy dwelling place and unlesse the Lord be thy protection thou canst have no safety though thou dwellest in an house of Ivory and in the strongest Castle made of stone yet unlesse the Lord keep thee every Sergeant of Gods judgment and every messenger of Gods vengeance will seize upon thee Seeing they only be in safety whom Use 2 the Lord covers and whom he protects with his armes and with his power we see then it is our wisdome to seek unto God for safetie and to creep under his wings for if he keep us all shall be well with us A prudent man foreseeth the evill Prov. 22.3 and hideth himselfe that is he flies to
promise concerning Elizabeth his wife that she should bear him a son that the Lord struck him dumb till the day that the promise was fulfilled So that the point is clear and plain that our corrupt nature is such that we often call Gods power into question in times of straights that we fall into Because it was the first sin of our Father Adam Reas 1 by the which Sathan entered into mans heart Gen. 3.4 and so drew him from God to question Gods love and the same is derived to all his posterity And this is the root and mother of all other sins by it we depart from God when we call Gods power truth promises Heb. 3.12 and mercy into question what is this but to make God a lyar 1. Joh. 5.10 and so dishonour God in a high degree As we cannot honour God more than by sanctifying his name Numb 20.12 and acknowledging his power in times of affliction and distresse So is God highly dishonoured when we doubt of his power and goodnesse and call the same into question Secondly Reas 2 as it is the work of Faith to see God to be of power All-sufficient to help and succour us in times of straights And herein appeared the truth and power of Abraham's faith that he doubted not of the promise through unbeliefe Rom. 4.20 for he was perswaded that what he had promised he was able to perform Whereas the unbelieving heart blocks up the gate of mercy against it selfe and makes a man uncapable of mercy If we examine our selves by this Doctrine Use 1 we shall finde that we are guilty in some measure of this sin when our estate goes not so well with us as we desire how ready are we to thrust off the cause of it from our selves and to lay it upon others When we are in health peace and prosperity and set free from trouble O then we can acknowledge and say that God is all-sufficient mercifull and gracious But if the Lord send affliction sicknesse tryalls times of adversity then we are ready to call all into question and think that Gods power is shortned we dare not follow God in the dark we can hardly confesse God to be almighty powerfull just mercifull at such times Iudg. 6.13 but are ready to say with Gideon If God be with us why is this befallen us We shorten Gods arme and call his power into question as this people did Can God furnish a Table in the Wildernesse Psal 78. He gave us drink indeed out of a Rock but can he give bread also This is that sin which this cursed nature of ours is most prone unto and therefore are the more carefully to watch ouer our own hearts against it Seeing it is the sinne of our nature thus to question Gods power Use 2 his mercy and goodnesse towards us especially in times of trouble and adverfity and to lay the blame on him Let us learn to know that God is alwaies one the same most mighty most just true faithful in his Covenant towards his people Though our condition change yet God changeth not he is one and the same from all eternity and cannot change But if our condition be otherwise with us than we desire Lam 3.39 Es 59.2 let us ascribe all to our selves Man suffereth for his sin Your iniquities have separated betwixt you and your God Your iniquities have turned away these things and your sins have withholden good things from you Let us condemn our selves and accuse our selves that we are thus afflicted and know that God is just and the arme of his power is not shortned towards his people Quest Quest But how comes it to passe that the Lord seemes thus to leave his people so long a time in such fore affliction and distresse as his people here Answ Answ The Lord doth this in much wisdome and love to his people First to bring them to a clearer sight of their sins and to work in them a greater measure of humiliation for the same then yet they have attained unto We are apt to think that a little sorrow for sin is enough and every light and slight confession will serve the turn But the Lord sees it meet that the foundation of our repentance and conversion should be laid deeper Secondly herein and hereby the Lord will exercise our graces which in times of Gods delaies are exercised in us How was the faith of Abraham exercised whilst he took Isaac in his hand three daies together when he went up to the Mount to sacrifice him How was the faith of Paul tried when he received this answer from God My grace is sufficient for thee though the temptation was not removed The Lord will have it so to quicken the prayers of his people seeking him The Canaanitish woman had divers denyalls in her suit to Christ in the behalfe of her daughter yet at last had a gracious answer returned unto her And this is ordinarily the fruit of sore afflictions they produce fervency in prayer and have at last a welcome deliverance Before the Mountains Text. c. even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God MOSES being now to have recourse unto God by prayer for his people flies unto the Covenant of grace made unto the Church in Christ pleads that minds the Lord of that and that gives him boldnesse in prayer Before the Mountains c. thou art our God Hence we learn That the knowledge of Gods Covenant of grace in Christ Doct. 2 gives boldnesse in prayer The knowledge of Gods Covenant gives boldnesse in prayer It is the knowledge of our interest in the Covenant of grace that God is our God kindles prayer as a Sacrifice kindled with fire from heaven and is much accepted of God Upon this ground we are to pray Gods Covâ—nant made with his Church and faithfulnesse in all generations in keeping promise with his people is the staffe and strength of prayer And this Covenant of grace the godly have been ever carefull to lay hold upon in prayer Heb. 10.23 Rev. 19.11 He is faithfull that hath promised And he that fits upon the white Horse is called faithfull and true Thus the Lord minds Jacob with his Covenant made with Abraham and Isaac his father Gen. 28. ver 15. and then confirmes the same unto Jacob Behold I am with thee and will keep thee which way thou goest Rom. 10.14 This made Paul to ask that strange question How shall they call on him on whom they have not believed implying thus much That where there is not faith in Gods Covenant there is no calling upon God Iam. 1.5 If any man lack wisdome saith Saint James let him ask it of God But how Let him ask in faith nothing wavering And again Let us draw neer with a true hears in assurance of faith sprinkled in our hearts from an evill conscience So that the point is clear and plain Ephes
it may be said of every grosse and presumptuous sin in the godly it provokes God to anger But yet there is a great difference betwixt Gods anger towards his children Difference betwixt Gods anger towards his children and the wicked and that wrath of his that commeth upon the children of disobedience First his anger towards his Children endures but for a moment In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment Es 54.8 but with everlasting kindnesse wil I have compassion on thee And of the godly it is said Ps 103.9 He will not alwaies chide neither keepeth he his anger for ever But as for the wicked it is not so with them but those tokens of his anger and wrath are but the beginnings of their sorrowes and a fire kindled that shall devoure to destruction It differs betwixt the godly and the wicked in measure God ever proportioneth the sufferings of his Children according to their strength He will not suffer them to be tempted above that they are able 1 Cor. 10.13 But now the Lord never takes notice what strength a wicked man hath to bear his punishments but oftentimes they sink under the burthen of them as Cain Saul Judas c. They bring forth the quiet fruits of righteousnesse in the one they make the wicked more desperate in sinning they tend to the instruction of the one they tend to the destruction of the other Thirdly Gods judgments are medicines to cure his children of the maladies of sin and to fit them for mercy and deliverance But as for the wicked that are vessells of wrath they tend to fit them for destruction so as the Prophet saith Es 21.24 Hath he smitten him meaning indeed his own Children as he smot them that smot him meaning indeed the wicked The Lord is not angry with them both alike nor smites them both alike And lastly Use 3 seeing the anger of God is so terrible and insupportable even a consuming fire and lies so heavy many times upon his own Children the malignity whereof is taken off by Christ It is our duty that as we sin daily Use 4 and provoke him daily by our sins so to be earnest solicitors to the Throne of grace daily that the Lord would not rebuke us in his anger Ps 38.1 2. neither chastise us in his wrath That the Lord would not deal with us according to our sins nor reward us according to our iniquities for if the Lord should we were never able to answer him for one of a thousand our provocations are so many and great that we may say with the Church Lam. 3.22 It is the Lords mercy that we are not consumed There is no way to escape Gods anger but as we sin daily to repent daily since we forfeit his mercies daily by our sins And in thy wrath are we troubled Text. MOSES and the people of God here confesse that they were exceedingly amazed and troubled by Gods anger and wrath gone out against them for their sin Whence we may observe Doct. 6 what it is that doth most affect the godly Sin most of all affects the godly wounds their souls and makes their hearts to bleed viz. The sense and feeling of Gods anger and frowning countenance against them for their sins that by their sins they have so far provoked God thus to frown upon them and to be displeased with them For as the loving kindnesse of God is better than life it selfe Ps 63.3 so the sense and feeling of his wrath and displeasure is that which wounds their souls to the quick so as there can be no comfort no joy no rest nor peace but sorrow griefe vexation and trouble of heart No doubt there were many things that troubled the heart of David in the matter of his sins of Adultery and Murther as the murther of his faithfull servant and subject Uriah the drawing of Bathsheba to the sin of Adultery and his drawing of Joab and others into the guilt of his sin besides the seandall that he had given to Religion But this was it that wounded him to the heart his sin against God and therefore he cries out Against thee against thee have I sinned nothing went so neer his heart as his offence against God and the sense of his displeasure Many times the wicked mourn for sin with worldly sorrow 2 Cor. 7. when by their sins they bring shame punishment or some detriment to their estate and the like Thus Pharaoh was troubled and took on Exod. 9.27 because of the Thunder and Hail and when that was over his trouble was over Gen. 27.38 Thus Esau wept when he had parted with his Birth-right for his own losse not for his offence against God And thus was Saul troubled when Samuel told him 1 Sam. 15.14 1 Reg. 11.21 that God had rent his Kingdome from him and Ahab when the judgment was denounced against his house Whereas in the godly the apprehension of Gods displeasure and the sin against him works the greatest sorrow though their sins were never so secret and should never come to light A gracious soul lookes more upon God offended then upon what he hath deserved This the Apostle calls a sorow according to God 2 Cor. 7 10. when it proceeds not from selfe love but because of God And this is that Zach. 12.12 which the Lord in some measure works in the hearts of all his And the Reasons are The first is taken from the nature of sin Reas 1 which is a Transgression of the Law By sin the most holy and righteous Law of God is violate and broken and hereby God is provoked A small offence against a Prince is made Treason so are sins committed against him being an infinite God Is given by the Apostle Reas 2 Ye have not received the Spirit of bondage to fear again but ye have received the Spirit of adoption Now such as have received this Spirit the Spirit of Adoption to be made the Sons of God these cannot but love God are affraid to offend God and much grieved if at any time by their sins they provoke God Is for tryall Use 1 whether our griefe and sorrow for sin be a godly sorrow and a fruit of true repentance yea or no. The vildest wretch its possible may some times have compunction and sorrow of heart for sin and they may wish that they had never committed such evills Ahab mourns and Judas repents himselfe and yet all was but worldly sorrow that brought death A wicked man and a very Hypocrite may go wonderfull far this way but upon tryall it will be found that their sorrow is conversant about the evill of punishment and not for the evill of sin It is the losse of credit detriment in estate shame punishment or the like that affects them selfe love works it in them and were it not for shame punishment hell or torment for sin they would
they may be brought to humiliation for the same this is the sure way to finde comfort in our Ministry Christ tells his Disciples that he would send unto them the Comforter Joh. 16.7 8. and he should rebuke the world of sin and of righteousnesse First of sin unto Condemnation and of righteousness that is the righteousnesse of Christ unto Salvation There is no comfort to be ministred from the Word till men are first convinced of their sins 2 Cor. 7.7 Paul tells the Corinthians that he repented not that he had made them sorrowfull verse 10. and he gives the reason because godly sorrow causeth repentance And the Lord knowes that this is the reason why many a mans Ministry thrives no more in many a Congregation Ministers lay not a good foundation by bringing their people to the sight of their sins and convince not their Consciences of the danger of an unregenerate and impenitent estate The sweet promises of the Gospell are unseasonable when this goes not before What is this but to offer salves to them that know not whether they have sores or no to offer Physick to the whole that see no need of it Note That Ministry that doth not convince the soul of sinâ— doth seldome humble the soul nor break the heart and so seldome drawes a soul to Christ Seeing it is not possible for any to be truly humbled Use 2 and to seek unto God unlesse they first come to see their sins 1 Ioh. 5. this serves to discover unto us the reason why the greatest part of the world this day lye in wickednesse and go on securely in a course of sin the reason is they were never as yet throughly convinced of their sins I have heard it reported of a certain traveller that travelling in the night being dark forced his horse over a Bridge over a deep River that was lately fallen down and a planck laid over for foot passengers which when he saw in the morning his spirits were so far surprised with the danger that he had escaped that he fell down and dyed O if men did but consider the danger they are in they travell in danger every houre not of water but of fire Hell fire yet they see it not nor fear it not only such whose eyes the Lord hath opened to see the danger they have escaped in comming out of their naturall and sinfull estate these can tell of those great things that God hath done for their souls But since the sight of sin is so necessary to the attaining of godly sorrow and humiliation for sin Quest how may we come truly to see our sins First Ans we must look into the glasse of the Law I had not known sin saith Paul but by the Law And again Ro. 7.7 Ro 3.20 By the Law commeth the knowledge ost sin The Law serves to discover sin and the punishment of sin there we shall see the good omitted and the evill committed the least transgression whereof deserves death Secondly we must look into the glasse of the Gospell and thence take notice of the grace and mercy offered and that high contempt of the same This as our Saviour saith is the condemnation that light is come into the world and that men should love darknesse rather than light O the sins against the Gospell these are the soul-condemning sins for the which we shall have nothing to say for our selves at last Thirdly that we consider the most holy and pure nature of God against whom our sins have bin committed so holy a God that the very heavens themselves are not clear in his sight Iob 4.18 Es 64.6 and the very Angells themselves do cover their faces how much more is man abominable and filthy before him In his sight our best righteousnesse is as amenstruous and polluted cloth the consideration whereof made Job to abhor himselfe and to repent in dust and ashes and Abraham when he was to come into his presence to confesse himselfe to be but dust and ashes And last of all to help to convince us of our misery by reason of sin consider 1. The multitude of the sins of one day then what of a year what of our whole life 2. That all the world is the worse for our sins 3. That many thousands are now in hell for the same sins 4. That Gods wrath burns against sin compared 1. To a Bear robbed of her whelps 2. To an evening Wolf woe to that Lamb he first meets withall 3. To a consuming fire Heb. 12. â—â— Our God is a consuming fire The consideration of these particulars may help us to finde out the evills of our own hearts and to humiliation for the same for till we come to the sight of our sins we shall never truly repent us of them nor see the danger of sin how it provokes God to anger and wrath against us Thou hast set our iniquities before thee c. THe Church and people of God having in the former verse confessed that they were consumed by Gods anger and by his wrath they were sore troubled come now to acknowledge the proper cause of all those grievous judgments of God upon them and that was their sins they clear Gods justice and acknow ledge that he was most righteous and that it was their sins that had drawne down his wrath and heavy displeasure against them Hence we may note Doct. 2 what is the principall procuring cause of Gods anger Sin the cause of all judgments upon a people and what it is that drawes down Gods judgments upon a Land and people and so likewise upon particular persons viz. Sin Our open sins and our secret sins against God and against men these provoke the Lord to anger and draw down his judgments upon a Land and People Thus Danie confesseth their misery and captivity was justly inflicted upon them for their sins Dan. 9.5 We have sinned and committed iniquity and have done wickedly by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments verse 8. And again O Lord to us belongeth confusion of face to our Kings to our Princes and to our Fathers because we have sinned against thee they confesse the hand of God was justly upon them for their sins And this is that which the Lord threatneth by Moses Deut. 28.15 verse 21. that if the people would not hearken and obey He would make the Pestilence to cleave unto them untill they were utterly wasted and consumed which the Lord made good unto this people at this time in the Wildernesse This is acknowledged by the lamenting Church when they say Lam. 5.16 The Crown is fallen from our head wo unto us we have sinned Thus the Psalmist reckons up the great things that God had done for this people in the land of Aegypt Ps 78.12 in the field of Zoan gave them Manna from Heaven gave them water out of a Rock verse 32 Quailes to satisfie their lust yet
reason assigned was this Every man did that which was right in his own eyes Iudg. 17.6 What confusion is there at this day in Church and State and all under pretence of Liberty of Conscience Who doth not see that Sects and Heresies Blasphemies Contempt of Magistracy and Ministery in all places of the land is grown to such a head that if the Lord put not a stay to these spirits and licencious times what can be expected but Confusion The Apostle saith The Magistrate doth not bear the sword for nought Ro. 13.4 But as the Ministers of God are to take vengeance on them that do evil It is a sad condition that that Land and State is in when Magistrates that have the sword in their hands shall stand like a George on Horseback with his sword drawn yet never strikes How can such Magistrates approve their calling from God and look for protection from him that shew no more zeale for God Phinehas zeal in executing judgement upon Zimri and Cosbi Num. 25.11 12. brought a blessing upon the whole Congregation of Israel And the Lord shewed mercy to good Nehemiah Neh. 13.20 because he had shewed such zeal for God in punishing the profaners of the Lords Sabbaths The Lord knows this zeal for God is wanting in many Magistrates amongst us And indeed the want of the execution of Justice against the sins of these times is not the least cause wherefore things are at this passe in the Church and State as they are at this day and wherefore things prosper no better under our present Government O that all that are in Authority from the highest to the lowest would make it their care with David Ps 101.8 early to destroy the wicked of the land and to cut off wicked doers from the City of the Lord Can. 2.15 And take those foxes those little foxes that spoil the vines That Justice might run down like a stream and be duly administred without partiality that Sects and Heresies might be discountenanced and punished piety and godlinesse more incouraged that God at last may remove his anger from us and delight to dwell amongst us Thou hast set our iniquities before thee Text. c. THis Moses speaks for our capacities as if the Lord did keep a Register of our sins and set them before his sight The meaning of the words will appear by the contrary As when the Lord is said to cast our sins behinde his back as things he never means to call to minde but to put them out of his remembrance and to drown them in the sea as he did Pharaoh Now as the Lord is said to cast our sins behinde his back when he means not to punish them So he is said to set them before his eyes when he calls them to minde to punish them Whence we may note the happy fruit of affliction Doct. 3 Times of affliction discovers corruption when the Lord is pleased to send and sanctifie the same unto his people This makes them look home and to discover the evils of their own hearts and wayes which before this time they could not see In times of peace and prosperity many sins lie hid and undiscovered in Gods people but Gods judgements bring them to light Now that Gods hand is upon this people being miserably wasted and consumed with the Plague and Pestilence Now they can say Thou hast set our iniquities before thee c. In the times of Gods forbearance whilest they had their Manna and their Quails at full they were fat and wanton Jesurun waxed fat Deut. 32.15 and lightly esteemed the Rock of their salvation But now in their affliction and distresse they are taught to know themselves to look home and acknowledge that God called their sins to accompt and justly punished them for them This the Lord himself doth witness unto Hos 5.14 15. when he saith I will be unto Ephraim as a Lion and as a young Lion to the house of Judah I even I will tear and go away I will take away and none shall rescue I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face for in their affliction they will seek me early And so they did for in the next Chapter they say one to another Hos 6.1 Come let us return to the Lord for he hath wounded us and he will heal us c. Thus Esay Es 26.16 Lord in trouble have they visited thee they poured forth thei prayers when thy chastisements were upon them The Scriptures are ful of examples in this kinde how that in times of peace and prosperity many sins in Gods people have lyen hid and undiscovered which Gods judgements have discovered and brought to light Gen. 37.24.42.21 An excellent example wherewhereof we have in the Brethren of Joseph whose sin against their brother never came to Conscience for many years together untill they came into Egypt and were there stayed as spies Then their hearts smote them for their sin We have justly suffered these things for we sinned against our brother The like we may see in Manasses who did much evil in the fight of the Lord till he was carried captive into Babylon and there laid in cold irons Then Manasses knew that God was the Lord. 2 Chron. 33.13 And this we may see in the Prodigall whilest his purse was full he cared not for his father Luke 15. nor for his fathers house onely a famine makes him think of returning home Thus did Hagar grow proud and insolent in Abrahams house she then knew not her self but despised Sara her Mistris but being in the wildernesse in want was taught to know her self It is true the Philistines could not understand Sampsons Riddle Iudg. 14.14 how sweet should come out of sowre and meat out of the eater So worldlings cannot understand that tribvlation bringeth forth patience Ro. 5.3 2 Cor. 4.13 Heb. 12.11 and patience experience and experience hope and our light and momentany afslictions should cause us a far more excellent and eternal weight of glory But Gods children finde it true by comfortable experience that howsoever no visitation be sweet for the present yet afterwards it bringeth forth the quiet fruits of Righteousnesse unto them that are thereby exercised And it must be so in regard Because miseries and afflictions are excellent means to humble the heart of man Reas 1 and to abate its pride for such is our corrupt nature that in times of health peace and prosperity men are lifted up swell with pride and forget themselves Now there is no sin makes a man more odious to God then pride doth Iam. 4.6 God resisteth the proud Now the Lord many times layes sore afflictions upon his own children for this end and purpose to cure the evil And this is one end that God aimeth at in correcting man Iob 33.17 That he might hide the pride of man Miseries
soul will be humbled for It is not enough for men to sorrow and repent for open notorious and scandalous sins such as are Murther Whoredome Drunkennesse c. But our repentance must reach to lesser sins that is such sins as we have committed in secret that never came to the view of the world To clear this Take we notice first of all of Davids Example and Practice herein When Nathan by his parable had convinced him of his sins of Adultery and Murther and that his heart smote him for the same these sins he acknowledgeth 2 Sam. 12.13 I have sinned saith he against the Lord. And how heavy the guilt of those sins lay upon his soul Ps 51. we may see in that penitential Psalme of his by his manner of begging pardon Wash me cleanse me blot out restore me to the joy of my salvation c. Yet as though all this were not enough he accuseth himself of that which Nathan did not by acknowledging the very root and spawn of all those evils ver 5. saying Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me David will no longer flatter himself in his sinful courses and secret sins but confesseth all and begs pardon of all Ps 19.12 Cleanse thou me from my secret faults O how ready are these wretched hearts of ours to deceive us in this particular If our hearts smite us and our consciences accuse us for some grosse sin or other that we have committed and the world cries shame of and we confesse the same to God and beg pardon for it we think all is well In the mean time there is a world of wickednesse that lies hid in the soul we see not Gen. 6. the very thoughts and imaginations of our hearts being evil continually and all our righteousness even our best duties themselves are as a menstruous cloth and When we have done all that we can we are unprofitable servants and have cause to pray with good Nehemiah Neh. 13.21 O my God pardon me according to the greatness of thy mercy And without this sense of the universal depravity of our Natures and of those secret sins that cleave to us in our best duties our pronenesse to all evil our indisposition to any thing that is good the blindnesse of our Understanding the rebellion of our Wills the disorder of our Affections and that indeed we carry about us a very Body of sin and can be humbled for these and repent of these as well as for our grosse sins we are strangers to godly sorrow and true repentance And the first Reason may be taken from the nature of true Grace Reas 1 and godly sorrow for sin If this be true sincere and unfained it will set it self against every sin and will work an universal change in the whole man at least in an unfained desire and endevour in the heart though by and by it cannot subdue and bring under every sin yet it will set it self against it and will be humbled for it The nature of true Grace is to make the inside cleane as the outside it worketh faith in the soul and it is the nature of faith to purifie the heart Acts 15.9 and the heart being clean and pure the thoughts the words and actions of the life will in some good measure be sutable May be taken from the nature of God Reas 2 who is Omniscient and is privy to all our sins even to the most secret windings and turnings in the heart of man as it is in this Text Thou hast set our secret sins in the light c. There is nothing that ever we did but the Lord is privy to it Ps 119.168 Ps 139.4 All my wayes saith David are before thee there is not a word in my tongue but thou O Lord knowest it altogether and Job acknowledgeth Iob 42.4 There is no thought hid from thee And as the Lord sees and observes our wayes so he will not fail to judge every man according to his works 2 Cor. 5.10 Eccl. 12.14 And will bring every work to judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or evil So then whether we consider the nature of true Grace that albeit it cannot subdue every corruption by and by yet will it set it self against all and is humbled for all or that God sees and beholds our most secret sins and will not fail to punish them This shews the Doctrine to be clear That godly sorrow and true repentance doth reach to the most secret sins This serves to discover unto us in what a miserable estate and condition many in the world are in at this day Use 1 and how far they are from true repentance that flatter themselves that so long as they are not notorious sinners Drunkards Swearers openly prophane c. and are not guilty of such sins as all the world cries shame of they thinke they shall doe well enough O how far are such from the grace of true Repentance whose property is to set it self against our most secret corruptions since our most secret sins are such as the Lord will most severely reckon for Moses sin for the which the Lord would not suffer him to come into the land of Canaan was a secret sin in his heart yet how severely did the Lord punish this sin in his servant And Peter with Simon Magus to pray Acts 8. If perhaps the thought of his heart might be forgiven him So that there is no true repentance when men are not humbled for their most secret sins And Gods children that have the truth of grace in their hearts are as much humbled for their secret sins for their privy and close sins their sinful thoughts and lusts of their hearts hypocrisie neglect of duties coldnesse in prayer c. they be oft brought upon their knees for these And this shews the folly and madnesse of those likewise that if they can but commit their sins in the night when none can see them as to steale commit Adultery c. think all is well whereas though thou mayest hide thy sins from men yet even thy most close and secret sins are open and naked in the sight of God his All-seeing eyes were then upon thee he took thee in the manner Rev. 1.17 His eyes are like a flame of fire and his feet like fine brasse He sees in the darkest night and into the most secret corner and he will not fail to punish the sinner Seeing it is so sure a note of godly sorrow and true Repentance Use 2 to be humbled for lesser sins as greater for secret sins as those that are openly committed This may serve to justifie the wayes and courses of the godly against all those scoffs and taunts of wicked and gracelesse ones daily cast upon them for piety sake that they are so strict and so precise in every thing even in matters of the smallest moment that they love
Lord should thus suffer his own people to lie thus soaking in affliction so long is not this an argument of his anger against them The Lord is never so displeased with his children as to hate them Ans neither are his sharpest corrections sent in his wrath though he seemes at these times to be angry A Father when he correcteth his Child the Child thinks his Father is angry with him yet even then he loves his Child dearly when he doth most sharply correct him So when the Lord laies his Rod upon us in the sharpest manner we think God is angry and wrathfully displeased with us when he doth that which a Father doth when he is angry Thus doth the Lord seem to us when notwithstanding he hath the bowells of pitty compassion even then towards then And last of all Use 3 this serves to discover unto us the difference betwixt the godly and the wicked in all those miseries and afflictions that lie upon them their sufferings many times are alike But to the wicked they are punishments indeed and the beginning of Gods eternall wrath and displeasure which at last shall seize upon them in soul and body for ever But to such as are in Christ the malignity of the Crosse is taken away and laid upon Christ and therefore not properly punishments unto them but chastisements and Fatherly corrections inflicted upon them in Mercy Ier. 10.24 2 Sam. 7.14 and not in Judgment and are as the rod of man for their Instruction and not for their Destruction they grow better by the rod are humbled by their afflictions provoked to prayer and to seek unto God with this people here Whereas wicked men when Gods hand is upon them they are not bettered by the rod but grow worse and worse more hard-hearted more carelesse and more secure under afflictions a fearfull signe such are none of Gods For all our daies are past away in thy wrath Text. HEnce we may observe how terrible the effects of Gods anger and wrath for sin is That mans life being so short of it selfe by Gods anger and displeasure for sin is made more short Note hence That when God is angry Doct. 3 the effect of his anger is terrible The effects of Gods anger terrible The infidelity and murmuring of this people brought ruine and destruction upon many thousands who were miserably wasted and consumed now that the wrath of God was kindled against them But herein we must be exceeding carefull Anger of God what that we conceive not amisse of God It is true the Scriptures frequently make mention of Gods anger and wrath but we must know there is a great difference betwixt these sinfull passions in our corrupt nature and these essentiall properties that are in God He is angry and sins not but our anger and wrath is mixed with sin and therefore evill Gods anger and wrath is as pure and holy as his mercy is being nothing else but the execution of his justice So that this anger and wrath in God are not in God according to passions whereunto God is not subject but according to the effect As when God chasteneth for sin he seemeth unto us to be angry and so we judge of God according to humane sense The termes thus explained we return to the Doctrine That the effects of Gods anger and wrath are very terrible His anger is a consuming anger and his wrath devoures to destruction Ier. 3.9 Ps 2.5 Heb. 12.29 Deut. 32.22 It is called a fierce wrath sore displeasure a consuming fire As Moses hath it For a fire is kindled in my anger and shall burn to the lowest hell The consideration hereof made the Church to pray so earnestly Turn us O God of our salvation Psal 85.4 5. and release thy anger towards us for ever Wilt thou prolong thy wrath from one generation to another How earnestly do they beg and in treat to be discharged of Gods anger and that they might enjoy his former favour and countenance again And if we look into those examples in the Word whom God hath made spectacles of his anger and wrath for fin who can but conclude that the effects thereof are terrible In the casting of the Angells out of Heaven Iude 6. In the destruction of the old World Gen. 6. Sodome and Gomorrah In the example of Corah Dathan Num. 16. and Abiram Herod The rejection of the Jewes c. Besides Gods severity towards his own people themselves when they provoked his anger against them as we may see in Moses David c. Because it is the wrath of God Reas 1 and so the highest wrath and the sorest wrath Now if the wrath of a King a mortall creature is as the roaring of a Lion O what is the wrath of God the wrath of man can but reach to the bodies and estates of men but the anger of God reacheth to the soul the anger of men is finite the anger of God is infinite as himselfe is Secondly Reas 2 the effects of the anger of God must needs be terrible in regard his anger is as himselfe is infinite Who knowes the power of thy wrath saith Moses And the duplication of the word anger and wrath denotes the heat and fury of his displeasure that Moses and the Church apprehended deeply the sense of Gods indignation against them for their sins for God is angry at nothing in his creatures but sin But do not the sins of the godly so far provoke Gods wrath Quest as utterly to deprive them of his love and favour No Answ we must take heed of such thoughts as these What though the sins of his people do deserve his anger and wrath yea his everlasting wrath and condemnation it selfe yet his anger and displeasure doth never exclude them out of his love He is angry and sins not since he is only angry at sin as a Father that sees a Serpent in his Childs bosome he hates the Serpent but loves the Child So here God is not angry with his children to destroy them but with their sins to save them And howsoever the sins of his Chosen may so far provoke the Lord to wrath as to turn his smiles into frownes which God many times doth by their sins and those fruits of his love are many times turned into the effects of his hatred in outward appearance yet then even then are they beloved of him and the Lord is about to do them good God never hates any whom he once loved in Christ Neither can any sin of any of Gods Elect cause the Lord to reject them though the Lord hates sin in them yet he still holds a fatherly affection towards them Let us apply this Seeing the effects of Gods anger and wrath are so terrible Use 1 we may hence observe the difference betwixt the anger of God and the anger and wrath of man Mans anger and wrath proceeds from corruption within which is quickly provoked to any
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
hearted to preach liberty to the captive c. Here you see to whom Christ is sent and here is a soul qualified for mercy not all and every one that lives under the Gospell that hath been Baptized and goes under the name of a Christian but such only as are sensible at their spirituall misery and thraldome by reason of sin I came saith Christ to seek and to save that was lost Miserable creature thou Luk. 19.10 if thou be not one that Christ came to seek and to save But if thou be not a lost creature a poor wretched damned creature in thy own apprehension thou wilt never have Christ to save thee Secondly till we thus see sin Reas 2 and are sensible of Gods wrath and displeasure for sin we shall never prize Christ neither are fit to receive any comfort from Christ When a poor soul comes truly to see fin and the wrath of God due for sin and that sin is a burthen too heavy for that soul to bear Christ will never be pretious to the soul The full soul loatheth the hony comb But take a poor wounded soul whose heart is truly humbled it is like a smitten Hart O to the soyle it flyeth Ps 42.1 As the Hart brayeth after the Rivers of water so longeth my soul after thee O God Let such a soul have all the treasure in the world presented unto him on the one hand and the least drop of the blood of Christ on the other hand O it is Christs blood that he priseth above all As Rachel said to Jacob Give me Children or else I die so saith a poor soul Give me Christ for the pardon of my sins or else I die and shall perish for ever This serves to discover unto us what is Gods manner of dealing in the work of mans Conversion and Salvation Use 1 the Lord works by contraries God brings men to joy by sorrow to blessednesse by the sense of our cursednesse as at the first Creation God brought light out of darknesse so doth God now bring life out of death and out of our deep apprehension of Gods anger and displeasure God founds and grounds our greatest comfort Well then would you know how it fares between God and your souls call to minde your sins past the sins of your youth the sins of your middle age and the sins of your riper years and see how your hearts stand affected towards them Can you think of them without griefe of heart have you as yet never felt the terrours of the Almighty for sin You never felt such a weight and burthen of sin that you were ready to sink under it O deceive not your own souls the foundation of grace and salvation is not yet laid But now if upon examination you finde the terrours of the Lord your hearts wounded that the remembrance of your sins is grievous unto you and that the burthen of them is intollerable here is a good mark that God intends much good to such a soul Seeing this is Gods manner of dealing in the work of Repentance and conversion to God Use 2 to work in the soul an apprehension of Gods anger and displeasure for sin Here is matter of mourning and lamentation in regard of the great security of this age wherein we live there is little fear or dread of Gods anger and wrath for sin amongst men a clear argument that men are far from this grace of true repentance The Lord be mercifull to a world of men that live amongst us even in the bosome of the Church if we had a fountain of tears with Jeremy we might weep them out to see the misery of the greatest part of the world that though they live in the bosome of the Church and partake daily of the Word yet are not wrought upon How many have we that are so far from grieving for their sins that it is their grief they cannot sin more freely Men cannot endure to meet with any check or controlment in their sinfull courses You that know the world and you that know the state of this place cannot but know how many we have that sit upon their Ale-bench and there despite the Spirit of grace glorying in their sin O that such would but consider that dreadfull place of the Apostle 2 Thess 2.13 That all might be damned that took pleusure in unrighteousnesse yet fear not damnation But the damnation of such doth not sleep And last of all Use 3 here is matter of admirable comfort and consolation to such upon whose hearts God hath been at work that have been under the Spirit of bondage and have layne under the threats of the Law have seen sin and have apprehended Gods displeasure in their souls for sin I may say to such a one as it was said to blind Bartimaeus Behold Christ calleth thee who for this spirit of heavinesse will give thee the spirit of gladnesse sorrow may endure for a night but joy commeth in the morning and Mat. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall rejoyce O Object but if I were sure that my sorrow were right I might have comfort but I fear my trouble is not so much for offending God by my sins as for fear of Hell and of wrath which sorrow even a wicked man may have and yet perish at last Even this fear of Gods wrath Ans of hell and damnation may be at the first in us and as a needle make way for the threed of godly sorrow thus much is intimated by that of Paul Ye have not received the Spirit of bondage to fear again Ro. 8.15 which word implyeth thus much that even the very godly themselves had at first in them the spirit of bondage to fear God for his wrath hell and damnation A degree of grace if I may so call it that for ought I know all Gods children at first in some measure or other passe under But how shall I know Quest that it is not my case at this present True sight of sin and humiliation of the soul that shall finde comfort Answ hath principally these three properties First when the heart is carried against sin with such an indignation as that there is a heart-rising against a mans most secret corruptions 2 Cor. 7.11 What indignation saith Paul hath it wrought in you A heart-rising against our most secret corruptions stirring in us is a good signe our sorrow for sin is sound It may again be known by that full purpose of heart that is in us not to sin again as those godly Converts mentioned in the Scripture Paul Zacheus Mary Magdalen Peter c. fell not into their sins again Thirdly it may be known by the blessed victory that the soul gets daily against sin when corruption weakens daily and grace growes more vigorous in the soul these may comfort the heart that such a soul is qualified for mercy Ver. 10. The daies of our years are threescore years and ten and
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
Hee that must shortly part with his house and home must away into another Country will be so wise as to turne his lumber into Silver and Gold that he may have somthing to live upon when he is gone Mat. 6.19 Lay not up for your selves treasures on earth saith Christ where moth and rust doth corrupt and where theeves breake thorough and steal But lay up for your selves treasures in heaven c. Christ commends Maries choice that she had chosen the better part Luk. 10. she sat at Christs feete she heard his heavenly doctrine Whilest Martha was busie for the body Mary provided for hâ—r soule what if Martha had let the pott seeth over for that time it had been a very tollerable neglect but now Mary carries the praise the lord knowes we have many Marthas few Maries for almost all be for the world looke after their bodies few for heaven that take care for their pretious Soule Vers 13. Returne O Lord How long let it repent thee concerning thy Servants MOses this man of God having in the former v. prayed unto God that he would teach them by his spirit to make the right use of the shortness and uncertaintie of their life Now he proceeds to make prayer unto God for himselfe and the rest of Gods people for favor and mercy And all the petitions of his prayer are either for Reconciliation to God or else For the fruits of their reconciliation to God In this 13. v. they pray for reconciliation that he would in mercy Returne againe unto them and be pacified againe toward them In the verses following they pray for the fruiâ—s of this reconciliation as 1. For the comfortable feeling of Gods love and favour againe towards them which they had broken off by their sinnes v. 14. 2. They pray for comfort against their miseries and long afflictions vers 15. 3. For defence and protection and the blessing of God upon their labours and endeavours especially in their journey towards the land of Canaan that God would defend them from their enemies and bring them at last into that promised land Returne O Lord. In this first petition and request wee are to note two things 1. What they pray for viz. Reconciliation with God Returne O Lord let it repent thee 2. And for this purpose they use 2. Arguments or Reasons to move the Lord to take pitty on them and to be favorable unto them 1. Taken from the continnance of their afflictions which were both long and tedious and very sharp and grievous How long shall we lie boyling in the furnace of affliction and how long wilt thou be angry with us 2. From their estate and condition we are thy Servants O then bee gratious unto thy Servants be not for ever angry with thy owne Servants but receive us into thy favour be reconciled againe unto us And turne away thy wrath and displeasure from us Returne O Lord q d. Although for our sins thou hast justly turned thy face from us and been angry with us yet be thou in mercy reconciled to us againe shew us thy favour and remove thy heavie hand For as the Lord is said to turne his back and to hide his face when he takes away the tokens of his gracious love and presence from a people even so when he doth manifest the signes of his love and gratious presence unto a people then is he said to returne againe Whence we may observe first of all when Moses and the people of God doe seeke unto God for mercy and reconcilation viz. when they have been well whipped in the school of affliction and humbled and tamed by the Lords corrections upon them for their fins We observe Doct. 1 Men never seek to God forreconciliation till they feel his displeasure That men wil never seek unto God for reconciliation untill such time as the Lord hath truly and thoroughly humbled them and caused them to feel his anger displeasure for sin staborn rebellious and hard hearted sinners will never truly seek unto God till such time as the Lord hath broken their hearts with the apprehension of their miserable estate by reason of sin and that they come to feele Gods terrible anger and displeasure against them for the same The Lord knowes that these hearts of ours are many times so hard that our greatest sins have little effect upon our souls to work that godly sorrow and humiliation as our sins have deserved But when the Lord shal be pleased to bring a sinner to the rack and there lay weight upon weight upon him and to the weight of his sins add the weight of his anger and sore afflictions this dealing of the lord with a poore sinner many times causes such a stream of teares which bathe the soul in the water of true repentance and bring the sinner to a heartie confession of his sins how were Iacobs sons wrought upon by their troubles in Egypt that their sin against their innocent brother selling him for a bondslave should lye hid for many yeares together should now come to conscience Gen. 42.21 We have sinned against our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besoughâ— us and we would not heare him therefore is this trouble come vpon us And thus David when the hand of God lay heavy upon him day and night then and not till then he flyes to God and by humble confession of his sins begs pardon at Gods hand Ps 32.4 5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee neither hid I mine iniquitie for I thought I will confesse against my self my wickednesse Es 26.16 and then thou forgavest the punishment of my sin The scriptures are cleare in this Lord in trouble have they visited thee they poured forth their prayers wheâ— thy chastisments were upon them and againe they being bound in affliction Ps 107.10 13 14. and Iron cried unto the Lord in their affliction and distresse Yea this is that which the Lord himselfe speaketh of stubborn and hard hearted siners Hof 5.14 15. I will be unto Ephraim as a lyon and as a young lion to the house of Iudah c. till they acknowledg their offence for in their affliction they will seeke me early So that miserable rebellious and hard hearted sinners will never seeke unto God till such time as he hath exercised them with the sense and apprehension of his terrible anger against sin besides the examples the scriptures afford us are many as Manasses 2 Chron. 33.10 11. the prodigall the jaylor and those cruell Jews Reas 1 Such only are capable of mercy from God when in the sense of their owne misery and apprehension of Gods displeasure they become fit objects of mercy full vessells can hold no liquor and proud and haughtie hearts are not fit for mercy Es 57.15 He will revive the spirit of the humble and revive the heart of the contriâ—e ones When our hearts are subdued
be stiled by this very name to be the God that heareth prayer O thou that hearest prayers to thee shall all flesh come Thus Hezekiah when that mighty Host of Senacherih was ready to fall upon him and his people Hee made the Lord his only Rock and Defence 2 Reg. 20.1 2. to fly unto And when he received in himself the Sentence of death still he flyes to God Ionas 2.1 2. And that fugitive Prophet Jonas Out of the belly of Hell cryed I and thou heardst my voice And great reason For This is one principall end Reas 1 wherefore the Lord correcteth his Children to make them fly into his arms for help and succour and to let us see how vain and helplesse all earthly helps and comforts are without him And this very end the Lord himself expresseth Hos 5.14 when he saith I will be unto Ephraim as a Lyon c. till they acknowledge their offences and seek me diligently Secondly Reas 2 in times of misery and distresse God only is to be sought unto Because the time of misery is the fittest and opportunest time of seeking God 14. Ps 50.51 Call upon me in the time of trouble c. There is indeed no time to the time of affliction either for us to pray or for God to hear prayer for now if ever the heart is in a right frame and temper of seeking God If there be any zeal and affection at all in the heart times of affliction and adversity draw them out and lay them out in seeking of God when the rod is upon us What a stay and comfort have the godly then to lean and rest upon Vse 2 in their greatest straights that they have still a God to fly unto The Lord doth never leave his Children comfortlesse whilst he affords them thus the means of comfort and deliverance This Honour have all the Saints Whereas wicked and ungodly men here is their misery they are destitute of the very means of deliverance they cannot pray Let them perform this duty Pro. 15.8.28.9 at any time God shuts out their prayers they are abomination to the Lord. Io. 9.21 God heareth not sinners If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not hear me Es 1.15 How doth the Lord protest against the Jews that though they should stretch forth their hands to him he would hide his eyes from them and though they should make many prayers he would not hear because their hands were full of blood O the misery of wicked men that whereas their only refuge is to fly unto God in times of misery and distresse that the Lord should not only shut out their prayers but that the same should become abomination in his sight who can put to silence the voice of Desperation But God doth somtimes hear the wicked Object 1 did not the Lord hear Ahab when he humbled himself 1 Reg. 21. and sate in ashes I answer Ans 1 It is not in mercy at any time that God hears the prayers of a wicked man no not when the Lord seems to grant them the things that they pray for for commonly they are temporall things not spirituall graces God bestows these indeed many times upon wicked men as gifts of his left hand rather in wrath then in mercy Whatsoever God bestows in love and mercy flows ever from Christ and from some promise made unto us in him But as for wicked men as they are not in Christ so have they no promise For all the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ But do we not see that many times the godly themselves pray Obj. 2 and God seems not to hear them did not David himself complain Ps 22.2 O my God I cry by day but thou hearest not and by night but have no audience And David prayed most earnestly for the life of the child 2 Sam. 12.14 and yet the child died God did not answer him according to his prayer God many times delaies his children Ans 1 when hee doth not deny to answer them for now is the time when the Lord is pleased to exercise his graces in the hearts of his servants as faith hope patience c. For what would become of these graces if there were no more but ask and have No doubt Christ heard the request of the poor Canaanitish woman at first but it was after many requests that hee answered her delighting in her often calling upon him Josias Jesus mercy mercy Secondly there may be some sin or other even in the godly themselves undiscovered and unrepented of that for the present may cloud their prayers and which may lie as a bar in their way that God doth not by and by return them an answer which when they have discovered and by true repentance have removed then God will not fail to return them a gracious answer Thirdly God many times denies this own servants in the particular thing desired As Paul that would have had the Buffettings of Sathan removed 2 Cor. 12. But the Lord answered him in another kind giving grace in the stead thereof to support him My grace saith he is sufficient for thee Thus doth God many times when wee ask for Silver give us gold Somthing or other equivalent thereto as when wee ask for Earthly blessings if hee give us Heavenly hee is not behind-hand with us Thus long life is promised as a blessing in the keeping of the fift Commandment to children that obey their Parents yet we know that many obedient children die young as Jesus did yet the Lord makes good his promise in giving them a better life Yea Christ himself when he prayed that the cup might passe from him yet did he drink of it yet was heard in his prayer when God gave him strength to bear it and withall an Angel to comfort him And last of all in all our prayers and requests that we put unto God we are tyed to certain conditions which not performed wee must not look to speed As first that all our petitions be according to his will If we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us All our petitions must bee put up in faith Iam. 1. Pray in Faith and waver not As wee aske good things at Gods hand so wee must ask them to a good end if our end be evill our prayers can not be good as Saint James hath it Ye ask and receive not Iam. 4.3 because you ask amisse that ye may spend them upon your lusts Let us apply this Seeing Moses and the people here Vse 1 having provoked Gods anger and displeasure against them by their sins do now fly unto him beg reconciliation again with him We are taught now at this time that Gods hand lies so heavy upon this Land so many waies to go unto him likewise and pray Return O Lord How long that he would bee pleased again to be reconciled unto us and receive us into
his favour again And because wee cannot come unto him without Christ who alone must stand betwixt the wrath of his Father and us We must come in his name and through his Mediation and intercession who will accept our prayers not for any worthinesse in us or them but for his sake alone It is he alone that must perfume our prayers with the sweet incense of his merits Rev. 8.3 Io. 16.23 and mediation without which our persons and prayers can finde no acceptation with him Seeing it is God alone that in all misery and distresse is sought unto Vse 2 as this example shewes This overthrows that erroneous Doctrine and practise of the Church of Rome who teach men to pray to Saints and Angels to Peter and Paul the Virgin Mary to this He-Saint and to that Shee-Saint c. we utterly renounce this Doctrine and abhor this practise as that which hath neither precept nor promise nor Example in all the Book of God to leave the Creator for ever blessed and fly to the Creature What greater dishonour can be done to God and Christ 1 Ioh. 2.1 since we have one Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins What is this but to leave the Kings son and to go to a servant to speak to the Father Nay what is this but to rob God of his honour and Christ of his office both to be an advocate and to make reconciliation are proper to the person of Jesus Christ 1 Tim. 2.5 There is one Mediatour even the man Christ Jesus Besides the Angels are but fellow-servantâ— Rev. 22.9 See thou do it not I am thy fellow servant As for the Saints in heaven they know not our wants Es 63.16 Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel know us not And no lesse folly and madnesse is it to pray to stocks and stones reliques and bones as the Papists do And the last is Use 3 we are taught hence where to go and speed in times of affliction and distresse Lord saith Peter whither shall we go thou haft the words of eternall life It is our duty then to repair and resort to God the Father through the merits of his son Jesus Christ What Parent can be more compassionate of the child in time of misery and distresse then the Lord is to his children in their afflictions yea such is his love and compassion towards them that though by reason of their affliction they are not able to put up a distinct prayer to him yet their very sighes and grones shall passe for powerfull and effectuall prayers Hezekiah mourning like a Dove and chattering like a Crane is heard and answered of God yea the Spirit helps our infirmities when we cannot pray as we ought Rom. 8. With sighes and grones that cannot be expressed We may rest assured the Lord is neer to them that draw neer to him Is our faith weaks he will strengthen us are weignorant he will instruct us do we want grace he will supply us is our love cold he will quicken it is our repentance imperfect he will perfect it are judgments amongst us he will remove them are we in distresse he will have mercy upon us do our sins trouble us he will discharge us are we in sicknesse he will restore us are we in misery he will deliver us So that every true believer may comfortably conclude that his wea kest prayers sighes and grones proceeding from a broken heart a hungring and thirsting desire after grace and mercy shall not return in vain but God in his due time will answer the desire of their souls We shall not want that grace that we unfainedly desire neither shall we be hurt with that corruption we unfainedly lament Return O Lord. THe words are not so to be under stood as if God at any time did totally leave and forsake his people for so God never departeth from his whom he once loved in Christ Howbeit in times of affliction and distresse the Lord seemeth to them thus to do as the Sun may be sometimes under a cloud yet will appear again so though the cloud of our fins may hide the face of God from us for a time yet he will pierce through them and shinâ— upon us at last But now whilst the Lord thus withdrawes himselfe from his people it is a most bitter time unto them they can have no rest nor peace till the Lord returne again and be appeased towards them Hence we may farther observe Doct. 3 that so long as the Lord is departed from us and turneth his angry countenance towards us there can be no peace Whilst God seemes to be angry there can be no peace no comfort to a poor sinner but extream sorrow griefe and perplexity of spirit We may see this in those sad complaints of Gods people that have felt his frowns angry countenance upon them for their sins how heavy intol lerable the sense of his displeasure hath bin we may see it in that sad complaint of David Ps 6.1 2. O Lord rebuke me not in thy anger neither chasten me in thy sore displeasure my Soul is sore vexed but Lord how long David could have no rest nor peace in his soul so long as he lay under Gods displeasure And thus prayes the Church O Lord correct me but with Judgment Ier. 10.24 not in thy anger lest thou bring me to nothing Yea the Lord Jesus Christ himselfe in the sense of Gods anger and displeasure cries out Mat. 27. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me What are a mans wife children gold silver lands livings or all the world when the soul shall combat with Gods wrath A wounded spirit who can bear Es 57. The poor soul scorched with the heat of Gods anger and displeasure for sin nothing can comfort it but the Lords returning again in love and favour Ps 4.6 Lord saith David lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us thou hast put gladnesse in my heart more then in the time that their corn and their wine encreased the whole world is not to be compared to it David having sinned and by his sins having eclipsed this favourable countenance of God towards him O how earnest is he in begging his gracious presence again towards him Ps 51.10 11.12 1. He prayes that God would turn away his angry countenance from him 2. That he would restore him again to the joy of his salvation 3. That he would not take away his Spirit from him But Quest why doth the Lord deal thus with his own children Reas No doubt the Lord doth it in much love towards them that hereby they might feel the bitternesse of sin and his anger and displeasure for the same that they might learn to prize his favour and loving countenance towards them at a higher rate then before they had done
should bring us low and deny his comfortable presence to us that we meet not with him in that comfortable way of his providence and mercy in the return of our prayers and seeking of him as heretofore we have done But that he seems to write bitter things against us and to call our sins to accompt and seems to withdraw the comfortable aspects of his favour and love from us for a time yet in an acceptable time deliverance will come Every vision is for an appoinâ—ed time Every vision that is every promise or every word of prophecy God makes good in his appointed time Es 28.10 Hab. 2 4. and the just shall live by Faith What though things stand at a stay in Church and State what though Parliament upon Parliament are rendred unfruitful what though Sects and Heresies increase and get head threatning all confusion And all this while God seâ—ms to stand a far off as one that will not be spoke withall Yet let us rest assured that God is the God of the abject his promise is that such as mourn in Sion shall be delivered and they shall have beauty for ashes Es 61.3 and the spirit of joy for the spirit of heavinesse Secondly Use 2 this may serve for matter of comfort and consolation unto all the faithfull that though by their sins they may rob themselves of the comfortable feeling of Gods favour and love for the present yet Jer. 31.3 Rom. 11.29 Joh. 10.28 with everlasting love he loveth them His gifâ—s are without repentance And no man shall pluck them out of his hand Sin may take away the feeling of his grace but not the possession thereof Though we often meet with repulses at Gods hand yet a believer hath no denyall but at one time or other in one kinde or other God answereth the prayers of his people It is our dutie then with Moses and the people of God here to ply the Lord with prayers and complaints and herein to presse the Lord with arguments as they do to move the Lord to take pitty upon us But Quest what arguments have we to use to God to strengthen our faith and to support our prayers These and the like arguments may we use in prayer Reas 1. As Moses here that we are his people even the sheep of his pasture a people upon whom his Name is called And will God forsake his people 2. Plead the Lords Nature that he is ready to hear that it is one of his glorious Attributes to be the God that heareth prayers Ps 65.2 3. Plead his promise that he will be with his in six troubles and in seven Iob 5.19 and that he will never leave them nor forsake them 4. Plead we the experience we have had of his mercy and goodnesse in former times Thou hast set me at liberty saith David when I was in trouble And let the consideration thereof strengthen our prayer and support our faith 5. Plead that we come in Christs Name and he hath said that whatâ—ever we ask in his Sons Name he â—ill hear us 6. And last of all we may plead the praises that wait for him in Sion that if the Lord will be so graciously pleased to hear and answer us we will ever give him thanks and praise These and the like arguments will be excellent props to stay our faith and to strengthen our hands in prayer What means our Saviour in propounding the example of the unrighteous Judge Luke 18. but to encourage us in our suites to God and to shew the blessed fruits and effects of importunate prayers Hitherto of the first argument that they use to move the Lord to take pitty on them viz. that they had been so long time in misery How long Lord The second argument that they use to move the Lord to pitty and compassion Arg. 2 is taken from their present estate and condition Let it repent thee concerning thy servants And is taken from the Covenant of grace made unto them in Christ viz. that I will be thy God and thou shalt be my people So then the force of their reason is this q. d. O Lord we confesse that we have grievously sinned and provoked thy anger and thou mightest justly have cast us off But Lord remember thy old Covenant towards us that we are thy Servants and thou art our Lord we are thy people and thou art our God we are thy children and thou art our Father O then be pacified and reconciled unto us thy poor and unworthy Servants for thou hast not plagued the very heathen that know thee not but even us thy Servants and thy own people And therefore we humbly intreat thee to be reconciled to us And as Moses useth this as a reason to move the Lord to take pitty upon them Doct. 6 To plead Gods covenant an excellent motive to move the Lord to pittie Neh. 1.10 11. because they were his Servants a people in Covenant with him We learn That it is a very forcible reason and good motive to move the Lord to pitty when we can prove that we are his Servants and so minde the Lord of his Covenant that he hath made with us in Christ Thus Nehemiah when he came to intreat the Lord in the behalf of the people pleads this as an argument to move the Lord to pitty and compassion Now these are thy servants and thy people whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power and thy strong hand O Lord I beseech thee let now thy ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name And thus doth the lamenting Church plead their case with God Lam. 2.20 Behold Lord and consider to whom thou hast done this q. d. O Lord thou hast not done this to the heathen people that have not known thee nor call not upon thy Name but to thy own people that know and fear thy Name Upon this very ground Ps 119.94 David grounds his request to God I am thine O save me And thus Jacob when he desired to be delivered from his Brother Esau pleads this Covenant that God had made with him Lord thou hast said I will do thee good And often doth David put the Lord in minde of his promise Quicken me O Lord according to thy word And Ps 119. Let thy mercifull kindnesse be my comfort according to thy word Whereas such as are not his servants neither are in Covenant with God cannot look to speed in prayer But of them the Lord speaketh thus What hast thou to do Ps 50.21 since thou hast cast my Covenant behinde thy back and hatest to be reformed There is no hope that ever such should obtain any thing at Gods hand that are not in Covenant with God Let a wicked wretch come to God in prayer to ask for any mercy or blessing at Gods hand either for himselfe or for the Church he doth but
and then may do a Char for a meals meat These can claim nothing as due in regard they are not in Covenant but are hang bies They cannot claim protection from the Master of the Family as a Covenant-servant may as David did Save me â—s 119.94 for I am thy servant and I keep thy Commandements It is a certain mark of a Servant of God to keep the Commandments of God if thou keep not the Commandments of God thou art no servant of God God takes no more pleasure in rebellious sinners then a Prince doth in rebellious Traitors Let us then use this reason and argument to move the Lord to pitty and compassion and to be pacified towards us even because we are his Servants and are in covenant with him Ver. 14. O fill us with thy Mercy in the Morning that we may rejoice and be glad all our daies IN the former Verse wee have heard how earnestly Moses and the people of God beg for Reconciliation againe with God and the arguments they use to move him to take pitty and compassion upon them Now in this fourteenth verse and so to the end of the Psalm they come to beg the blessed Fruits and Estates of this Reconciliation And first they pray for Mercy O fill us with thy mercy That is that God would grant them the lively sence and feeling of his love again towards them And in this request of theirs we have two parts 1. The Petition it self O fill us with c. 2. The end of their desire That we may rejoice c. 1. The Petition is of mercy and this is amplified 1. By the quantity of it Satisfie us or fill us It is a great measure that they require according to their great misery and need 2. By the time viz. In the Morning That is as I take it with speed or presently after their Night of their long and tedious afflictions or else in time convenient as some expound it 2d Part of the Verse is the Reason or the end why they so earnestly desire this lively sense and feeling of his love again towards them viz. Not to grow secure thereby as carnall men doâ— Nor yet to abuse it to carnall and worldly rejoicing as libertines use to do But to this end that feeling the love of God shed abroad in their souls they might have matter of joy and rejoycing to praise God that so they might be joyful and chearful in his service And that not for a day or a year but all our daies Where first of all we are to observe â— Coher their order proceeding in this prayer of theirs In the former verse they pray for Reconciliation again with God that he would pardon their rebellions and sins and receive them again into favour Return O Lord c. And now in this verse they pray for the blessed fruit of that Reconciliation viz. the comfortable feeling thereof in their souls O fill us with thy mercy c. The Doctrine is Doct. 1 That untill a man repent of his sins No comfort but in reconciliation with God Esay 57.20 21. and be reconciled to God he can have no true peace joy or rejoycing in his own Soul There is no peace to the wicked but they are like the troubled Sea that casts forth mire and dirt Thus will the conscience of wicked men rage and accuse them and cast up many thoughts of fears and desperation but can find no comfort till they be reconciled to God It is true wicked men have a kind of Drunken peace or rather indeed a Damnable security which Iob compares to a Dream Iob 20.7 And to the crackling of thornes under a pot soon in and soon out which is wonderfull in three respects 1. It is uncertain their Sun many times goes down at noon day As Nebuchadnezzar in the midst of his banquet had his mirth mar'd 2. It is unsound it is somtimes in the face but not in the heart For in the midst of laughter the heart is sad 3. The joy and rejoycing of the wicked doth end in misery Mal. 2.2 The Lord curseth their blessings though they may seem right to themselves yet the issue thereof is death Prov 16.25 Whereas it is the godly that enjoy sound and lasting peace joy and comfort It being grounded and founded upon this sure foundation Repentance for sin and Reconciliation to God What way sought David for comfort when Nathan had convinced him of his sin but by flying unto God by true repentance Wash me clense me purge me Ps 51.8 and then make me to hear the voice of joy and gladnesse This is Gods way of dealing ordinarily with his people as the ground of all true comfort Comfort ye Es 40.1 2. comfort ye my people saith our God speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem But how shall they be comforted The Lord tells them there Cry unto her that her iniquity is paâ—doned Sin pardoned brings true comfort and indeed there can be no true comfort nor peace till then How doth Christ comfort the man sick of the Palsey Mar. 2.3 but by telling him that his sins were forgiven him And thus Christ raised up Mary that sat weeping and blubbering at Christs feet by telling her that her sins were forgiven her So that the point is clear that till a man have repented of his sins and be reconciled to God and have embraced Christ he can have no true peace and comfort in his own soule And it must needs be so Because it is the nature of sin unpardoned Reas 1 to rob the soul of peace That man that truly knowes sin and the wofull fruites and effects of sin cannot but account the pardon of sin the greatest mercy When had this people peace but when they had left Aegypt the Wildernesse the Red-Sea and the Mountains behinde them And when shall a Christian look for peace but when his spirituall enemies sin and sathan are overcome Secondly Reas 2 such as truly repent of their sins and imbrace Christ God hath promised to look upon and shew mercy unto Es 66.2 To this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit And Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted And again Es 57.15 Thus saith the high and loftie one that inhabiteth eternity whose Name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones These are they God hath promised to look upon and to have respect unto to give them beautie for ashes Es 61.3 and the oyle of gladnesse for the spirit of heavinesse This then lets us see the happie priviledge of the faithfull Use 1 above all wicked and ungodly men in their greatest sorrowes there is still ground of joy Joh. 16.20 Ye shall weep saith Christ but your
sorrow shall be turned into joy and your hearts-shall rejoyce It is true affliction and the pangs of repentance do sometimes so dazzle the eyes of the godly that their priviledges are sometimes hid from them There is a seed-time for peace and a seed-time for joy which many times proves sharp and bitter Light is sowen for the righteous The time of repentance and godly sorrow is this seed-time which howsoever the godly sow in tears yet they shall doubtlesse come again with joy and bring their sheaves with them Worldly sorrow is comfortlesse that separates from God But godly sorrow causeth repentance unto life and brings peace at last in as much as it drawes us neer to God This also lets us see the misery of many thousands in the world Use 2 and what enemies they are to their own peace and comfort that hoodwink themselves and labour for nothing more then to keep sorrow from their hearts they will not be brought to see the foulnesse of their sins but labour to smother the checks of their owne consciences that when either by the Ministry of the Word or by some sharp affliction they have had their sins discovered and their consciences awakened fall to sports and pastimes and merry company and drink away care and to put away these melancholick thoughts as they call them out of their heads and use all means possibly to thrust out of their minds the thoughts of sin that they may not be troubled like a man in a burning Feaver that drinks cold water which at last doth but increase his fit Alas what cold comfort is this to a distressed conscience whereas the only way is to flie unto God to confesse sin and by true repentance and godly sorrow to lay the soul low at the footstool of the throne of grace with David and to beg for mercy O fill us with thy mercy WE have felt thy anger justly upon us for our sins q.d. so as thou hast justly turned away thy savour and shewed thy heavy displeasure against us Yet we beseech thee be a reconciled God unto us again and according to the extremity of our misery fill us with thy mercy Hence we-learn Doct. 2 Before we be filled with â—nercy we must feel our misery That before we can be filled with Gods mercy we must have a lively sense of our own misery Moses and the people here confesse their sins and the exceeding misery they had plunged themselves into by reason of sin and then they beg for mercy and cry and call for mercy and that for no small quantity but for abundant store of it Fill us with thy mercy Before we be filled with mercy we must feel our misery When Adam had sinned how did the Lord bring him into a capacitie of mercy and deliverance but by bringing him to see into what a bottomlesse gulph of misery he had plunged himselfe into Gen. 3.9 Adam where art thou And again Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee thou shouldeâ—â— not eat And this is the direction the Lord gives to his Prophet Es 58. Cause Jerusalem to know her abominations And this Doctrine is taught by our Saviour himselfe in that Sermon of his upon the Mount Mat. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted And Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse c. where our Saviour tells us that none can be satisfied with Gods mercies in Christ but the hungry and thirsty souls Look we upon all those godly converts mentioned in the Scriptures David Peter Mary Magdalen those poor Jewes that had imbrued their hands in the blood of the Lord Jesus and see how sensible they were of their sins and misery by reason of sin before they were filled with Gods mercy in the assurance of the pardon of their sins David he sits weladaying night and day and waters his couch with tears Peter weeps bitterly Mary Magdalen washeth the feet of Christ with tears the Jewes cry out Men and brethren what shall we do to be saved In a word all of them in some measure have had their hearts broken have felt the terrours of the Lord and their consciences touched with the apprehension of Gods wrath and have tasted of the bitternesse of sin before they have tasted of the mercies of God in Christ for the pardon of them This wounding of the heart and terrour of conscience for sin Reas 1 though it be no grace yet it makes way for grace in the soul as one saith though it wash not the hands yet it puts off the gloves It is as the needle that makes way for the third God first gives the spirit of bondage which is the spirit of fear and then gives a spirit of adoption which gives boldnesse and comfort when the threats of the Law have had their proper work upon the conscience to convince of sin unto condemnation then the sweet promises of the Gospell will prove seasonable to the humble soul to convince them of Christs righteousnesse to salvation Secondly Reas 2 that herein and hereby the Lord may make his children come to know the price and worth of mercy which the Lord will do to those upon whom he intends to bestow mercy How welcome will a pardon be to a condemned person that lookes every day for execution O how pretious will the least drop of Christs blood be to a wounded soul that pants and breaths under the heat of Gods wrath for sin No chased Hart doth more earnestly covet the soyle then such a distressed soul for Christ Besides Reas 3 Luk. 1.53 all the promises of mercy are made to such and such only He filleth the hungry with good things but sends the rich emptie away Luk. 5.31 The whole needs not a Physician but those that are sick Joh. 7.37 Matth. 5.5 6. This lets us see the reason Use 1 why most men have no more sense nor feeling of Gods mercy or else have but small tast of it the reason is they never yet felt the weight and burthen of their sins they were never truly humbled for their exceeding misery they never felt their extream need of Gods mercy and the blood of Christ to save their souls they did never truly hunger and thirst after it but like the Laodicean Church thought themselves well enough Rev. 3.17 and needed nothing but knew not that they are miserable and poor and blinde and naked Would you be filled with Gods mercy would you drink your fill of the water of life then you must hunger and thirst after it and finde your extream need of mercy beg mercy at Gods hand with tears Men hunger and thirst after the things of this life because they feel the want of them but they thirst not after mercy because they feel no want of mercy their stomachs are so cloyed with the love of the world with the profits pleasures and the delights of the flesh that they have
no desire of mercy and these the Lord sends away emptie O fill us with thy mercy THey crave not here a small pittance or a light tast of Gods mercy but even to have their hungry souls filled and satisfied with mercy Hence we see Doct. 3 We should labour for a plentiful sense of Gods mercy that it is not enough for us to have some light tast of Gods mercy in Christ for the pardon of our sins but we must labour to have it in a plentifull measure To be filled with the fulnesse of God and the feeling of his love The Lord is a bottomlesse Sea of mercy able to fill every soule that comes unto him but we are like a vessell that hath a narrow neck which if it be cast into the Sea yet is not quickly filled but by degrees Even so the mercy of God is as the bottomlesse Sea able to fill every soul that hungers and thirsts after mercy Whence then is the cause that we are not filled with mercy Surely in our selves our Faith which is the mouth of the soul is so narrow that though the Lord be able and willing to powre his graces and mercies into our souls yet we cannot receive but drop after drop one drop after another And hence it is that in a long time we receive but a small measure of grace and mercy because the Lord must distill it into our hearts as we are capable to receive it now a little and then a little Es 28.9 10. precept upon precept and line upon line here a little and there a little It was only true of Christ Ps 45.7 that he received not the spirit by measure He was annoynted with the oyle of gladnesse above his fellowes But as for us we receive grace by measure Whilst we are here We know but in part 1 Cor. 13.9 And according to our knowledge so are our other graces proportionable Gods children in this life have not fulnesse or perfection of any grace but only so much as the Lord in his wisdome sees meet for them and we are still to be adding grace to grace Grow in grace saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 2. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby And the Apostle exhorts us to joyne to our vertue faith and to faith knowledge c. So that it is not enough for us to have some light tast of Gods love or of the graces of his Spirit but we must labour to have them in a plentifull measure to be filled therewith The best of Gods Saints in this life Reas 1 have no grace in perfection we are not capable of fulnesse of grace in this life but must pray still Lord increase our faith and with the Church here Lord fill us with thy mercy And Christ teacheth us daily to pray Thy Kingdome come The Lord is pleased thus to exercise his people with many wants and imperfections in his graces given them here Reas 2 to humble them and to keepe down the pride that so naturally is ready to rise in our hearts especially in spirituall gifts Paul lest he should be lifted up with the abundance of Revelations had that prick in the flesh that he should not be exalted above measure 2 Cor. 12.8 Thus many times are the godly kept low in their own eyes that they might walk the more humbly with God Seeing then Use 1 that it is not enough for us to have some light tast of Gods love in Christ for the pardon of sin but we must labour to be filled with the feeling of his love This serves to condemn the greatest part of the world even Professors themselves that when they have got a little tast and feeling of Gods love and of the work of grace in theirsouls have a little measure of knowledge of faith and other graces content themselves and think they have enough But this ought not to be If ever thou hadst any true tast of Gods mercy in Christ it will make thee hunger and thirst after more and therefore the Apostle Exhorts 2 Pet. 1.2 that As new born babes we should desire the sincere milk of the Word that we might grow thereby He adds If you have tasted how sweet the Lord is intimating thus much that untill such time as we truly tast how sweet the Lord is we shall never truly desire the sincere milk of the Word Seeing the cause why we are not filled with the mercy of God Use 2 even at our first conversion is not in God but in our selves even in the want of Faith which is the inlet of all grace into the soul It is our duty to encrease in Faith in knowledge repentance and obedience for as these graces grow and encrease in us so will the feeling of Gods mercy and love towards us in Christ encrease in us Such as have a great measure of Faith there will be a great measure of the feeling of Gods love Fill their Sacks saith Joseph Scanty sacks could not carry away any plentifull store of provision where Faith is weak the neck of the soul narrow and streight there will be but a little measure of the feeling of Gods mercy which should stir us up to grow in Faith because as our Faith grows so our feeling of Gods mercy grows Satisfie us early or in the Morning THat is with speed they that lust for a thing cannot indure to be delaied It is death to a thirsty man to belongwithout drink So they that have their Soules scorched with the sense of Gods anger O it is mercy they long for And such a Soul thinks every hour ten and every day a year till they be refreshed with Gods mercy All delaies to such distressed soules is death it self Hear me speedily O Lord saith David My Spirit faileth hide not thy face from me lest I be like unto them that go down into the â—it Satisfie us early or in the Morning q. d. Lord let us not lye any longer soaking in extream miseries lest we be even swallowed up in desperation but make speed to take pitty upon us The like we have by that of David Ps 5.3 Hear my prayer in the Morning where David intreats the Lord not to defer his mercy but to to make speed to his help So Moses here intreats the Lord to hear them in the Morning That is with speed that hee would not deferre to hear them but with speed to take pitty on their miseries and troubles Now when Moses and the people of God pray thus that God would not defer to help them they do not this with impatient minds but partly in regard of their own frailty lest if the Lord should suffer them to lie longer in misery their faith should fail them in their expectation of Deliverance Doct. 4 And partly to shew their hearty Only Gods favour refresheth a distressed Soul and longing desire and comfort and feeling of
their harps to their pipes and to their pots and to merry company c. of whom it may be said Es 55.2 They lay out their labour for that which satisfieth not A poor comfort to give a Malefactor a cup of sack when he is going to execution The case of such miserable creatures is well desuibed by the Prophet Es 29.8 A man dreameth and lo he drinketh but when he awaketh behold he is faint and his soul longeth This Doctrine shall hold when all the seeming joyes of the wicked shall vanish away that the fountain of all true comfort is our peace with God when we come to be reconciled to him in Christ Because sin breeds enmity Reas 1 and sets God and men at odds and whilst this enmity continueth this mans person and actions are hatefull to God minde conscience and all is defiled Now what true comfort can such a one have whilst he abides in such a condition all the curses that are written in the book of the Law do wait upon him hardnesse of heart blindnesse of minde searednesse of conscience a continuall fear of hell Gods wrath and damnation to come all these doth the guilt of sin contract and draw upon us the misery whereof we shall never be set free from but by our reconciliation to God in Jesus Christ The Lord crowns all the sorrowes of his servants all their tears Reas 2 and pangs of their new birth whilst Christ is a forming in them with joy and comfort and all to provoke them to come in to God and to encourage them in prayer and seeking of him I love the Lord Ps 116.1 because he hath heard the voice of my weeping If the husbandman should alwaies think on his seed-time and of his labour and pains and never think of the harvest who would be a husbandman And what would become of the Christian in the midst of all his watchings fastings and temptations which here he undergoes were it not for this harvest of comfort at last Seeing then that all sound comfort flowes from our peace and reconciliation with God Use 1 this shewes that the doctrine of the Church of Rome is most vile hellish and uncomfortable who affirme that no man in this life can know or be assured whether God loves him or no and that no man can know whether his sins be pardoned and whether he be reconciled to God yea or no I will say to them as Job somtimes said to his friends Miserable comforters are ye Alas what comfort can a poor sinner have or what joy if it arise not from Gods mercy in the pardon of sin What is this but to set up a gibbet to torture distressed souls How can a poor creature have any comfort in the service of God in prayer hearing receiving c. whilst he cannot tell whether the Lord loves him or hates him We utterly renounce that cursed Doctrine and believe this to be the truth of God that all sound comfort stands in the feeling of Gods love towards us in Christ and in the pardon of our sins and we should never rest till we be able in some measure to say with Paul Rom. 8.38 I am perswaded c. This will make us cheerfull in prayer and in all other duties of his worship and service Seeing all sound and solid comfort ariseth from our reconciliation with God and untill then Use 2 there can be no sound or lasting comfort What mad men are they then that take a preposterous course to raise their comfort that have the Creator blessed for ever and flie to the Creature run to cards dice and merry company c. as if a man to escape a burning feavour should leap into the fire whereas there is no sound comfort to be looked for but only from God in Christ Poor soul go thou to him confesse thy sins to him beg for pardon as for life and death intreat the Lord that he would according to the multitude of his mercies do away thy offences that he would be a reconciled God again unto thee that he would lay aside his displeasure and give thee the feeling of his favour and love again there is no other way to procure sound comfort to thy soul Comfort us THe Lord before had exercised this people with pressing sorrowes and sore afflictions both in Aegypt a long time and after that in the wildernesse and now they beg for comfort Doct. 2 Hence we may observe what is the outward estate of Gods children in this life The outward estate of Gods children subject to alterations and changes it is subject to such alterations and changes that they are sometimes up and sometimes down sometimes full of sorrow at another time filled with comfort Here Moses and the people of God pray for comfort being for the present comfortlesse perplexed and much distressed the Lord trieth humbleth and proveth this people here in the Wildernesse That he might do them good at their latter end Deut. 8.16 look we upon the estate of the Church in generall and upon the particular members of the same and we shall finde that our condition here is like the daies of the year sometimes winter sometimes summer sometimes fair sometimes foul What a long night of affliction did this Church and people of God endure in Aegypt for the space of four hundred and thirty years yet at the last the Lord raised them up saviours Moses and Aaron by whom he brought deliverance unto his people What a condition was the Church in in Hesters time when all the Jewes were appointed as sheep to the slaughter yet God laughed the counsell of Haman to scorn delivered his people and brought ruine and destruction to their enemies What a condition was the Church in in Jezebels time that slew the prophets of the Lord insomuch that Elias thought himselfe alone yet what a suddain alteration was there when Eliah slew the Prophets of Baal and restored religion again How was the Church of God in Christs time pestered by the High Priests who had given commission unto Saul to binde and to deliver bound at Jerusalem all that made profession of Christ yet at another time had the Churches peace and multiplyed So changable hath the estate and condition of the Church of God been in all ages and times of it And if we look into particular examples we shall also finde it true that the estate and condition of the best of Gods children hath been subject to diversities of alterations and changes Joseph one while hated of his brethren at another time advanced under Pharaoh at one time cast into Prison at another time made ruler over the Princes Jacob one while wrestling with the Angell at another time going away with the blessing David one while persecuted by Saul at another time swaying the Scepter Job Job 42. at one time plundered out of all at another time as wealthy as before Thus God is pleased in his wise
dispensation to dispose of his people that many times we are no sooner rid of one misery but there comes another in its room yet at last the Lord gives peace And who doth not finde this true by experience in himselfe sometimes to feel much joy and comfort in himselfe yet by and by either by some sin that they have fallen into or by some cloud of affliction or other that joy is eclipsed and to be lost for a time As we see the trees in winter seem to be dead as though they would never grow again yet when the spring comes the heat of the sun revives them again So many a dear child of God either by some sin committed for want of keeping a stricter watch and walking more closely with God or by some storm and tempest of affliction and temptation seemes even to be void of comfort for a time yet when this winter and storm is over the presence of Gods love and favour cheers them up quickens their hearts Ps 6.38 and puts into them comfort and spirituall joy again Quest But what may be the Reasons why the Lord should thus be pleased to exercise his children in this life with such alterations and changes Ans I answer Reas 1 One reason may be from our selves There is such a world of corruption that lies lurking in our hearts that albeit we have tasted and seen how sweet the Lord is which should teach us for ever to walk both humbly and holily before him and to be afraid to offend him and provoke him lest his loving kindnesse should be turned into frowns and displeasure Yet alas we are many times what with the temptations of Sathan and our own inward corruptions so hurried about that we are often drawn to dishonour God and fall into those sins that turn his favours into frowns as it was the case of David after he had sinned so hainously he lost much of that comfort he had formerly felt and is fain to beg hard that God would restore him again to the joy of his salvation Ps 51.12 Secondly Reas 2 the miseries and afflictions of Gods children serve to set out the abundant riches of Gods mercy The more desperate the cure is the more obliged is the Patient to the Physitian And when the Lord shall raise us up from the depth of misery whereinto our sins have plunged us and give us comfort and deliverance this works abundance of love and thankfulnesse Mary loved much because many sins were forgiven her And David can say I Love the Lord becanse hee hath heard the voice of my weeping And thirdly herein and hereby Reas 3 the Lord will shew the priviledges of his people above all wicked and ungodly ones his Children either in darknesse they see light or after darknesse they shall see light Whereas of the wicked it is found true They cryed Ps 18.41 but there was none to save them even to the Lord but he answered them not Let us apply this Seeing our condition here is so variable and changable Vse 1 at one time full of joy at another time full of sorrow c. It shall bee our wisdom to take heed to our hearts how we pitch our Tabernacle here as to think that that health peace or prosperity that somtimes we enjoy is built upon such a foundation that will not be shaken It was Davids case to be ready to fall asleep upon his bed of worldly pomp and ease I said in my prosperity I shall never be removed thou Lord of thy goodnesse hast made my hill so strong But God-awakened him out of that sleep as he saith Thou didst turn away thy face from me and I was sore troubled We may sometimes have the joy of faith but it may quickly be clouded with infidelity we may now be full of hope by and by our hearts may be filled with fear now we may have a glimpse of Gods Tabernacle by and by his back parts are turned towards us As the flesh Iusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh so the graces of God themselves within us are continually in combat The consideration whereof should wean us from the world and make us more mindeful of that life where all tears shal be wiped away from our eyes and sin from our souls for whatsoever we here have and enjoy is movable but that Inheritance fadeth not Secondly Use 2 seeing the estate of Gods children in this Word is so uncertain and changable somtimes joy sometime heavinesse somtimes comfort somtime sorrow It should teach us this wisdom to take heed that we do not despair as if we were utterly cast off of God when the Lord seems thus to frown upon us But rather when wee have lost the comfortable feeling of his love and lost our hold of God seek again unto him for comfort as David did Ps 51.12 Restore me to the joy of thy Salvation and Make me to hear the voice of joy and of gladnesse that the bones which thou hast brâ—ken may rejoyce And where we have got it to make more accompt of it and to apply it to our souls Seeing what comfort we have in the feeling of Gods love Use 3 may not only be dimmed and weakned by our sins but even overwhelmed and Eclipsed as when a cloud hides the light and the heat of the Sun from us O how carefull then ought we to be of sin that we never dare-willingly and wilfully to put our hands to sin that robs us of our joy and comfort this will rob us of our comfort in prayer in finging of Psalmes in hearing and in all duties for the present and bring horror and terror in the soul instead thereof Certainly he is but a titular Christian that doth not find this true by experience in himself Hast thou been bold to sin against thy God to lie to deceive to commit uncleannesse c. Thou shalt presently feel thy joy and comfort for the present clouded and eclipsed till by repentance the breach be made up again betwixt God and thy soul and God becomes again reconciled All duty in publick and private will have little relish in them and yield but small comfort till thou hast been at the Throne of grace and there begged pardon and made thy peace O then let us dread sin that robs us of our comfort and overwhelms our soules with griefe and sorrow And last of all Vse 4 seeing the estate and condition of Gods Children in this life is subject to such alterations and changes This may stay us at this time wherein the Lord is pleased to suspend our desired comfort in rendring our Parliaments one after another thus successelesse and that Reformation in Church and State which our eyes have so long desired to see yet retarded and Sects and Heresies to make head amongst us threatning daily some farther distemper in the body politique of our State if not confusion at last Yet let us stay our selves upon
Midianits into thy hand lest Israel say my hand hath saved me Thus David when he was to encounter with Goliah The Lord saith he Saveth not with sword nor speare 1 Sam. 17.4.7 but the battle is the Lords That no flesh should rejoice in his presence 1 Cor. 1.19.31 But that he that rejoyceth should rejoyce in the Lord. And lastly Reas 4 because all power and might is with him to save and deliver the Churches cause is ever the Lords cause and the people are the Lords And to bring downe the wicked God can arme frogs and lice catterpillers and the smalest of his creatures and these being sent of him shall prevaile As Moses incourageth the people Exo. 14.14 the Lord shall fight for you therefore hold your peace Seeing that herein viz Vse 1 in the proction of Gods Church and people the work of God his power wisdome justice and providence doth appeare How may this stir up all Gods people to beg and intreat the Lord that his work may appeare to us at this time wherein so many are dayly plotting to undermine Religion the Gospell and ministery and all That God would now take care of his Church and people that we may at last see Sion in her beautie and that at last we may see the Church thoroughly purged all things which make for the beautie of the Church established Let all the Lords remembrancers give him no rest till he thus shew his work upon us and make Jerusalem the praise of the whole earth O that England might now see this worke of God when so many are wrastling against this worke Esa 62.6 7. Now Lord let thy worke appear and let thy power thy providence and mercy be seene in the defence and protection of thy Gospell and Church that all the world may see that thou art mind full of thy Church And let shame fall on them that be enmies to the work of the Lord amongst us That the Lord would regard the prayers of the destitute that it may be written for the generations to come Psal 102.18 that the people that shall be created may praise the Lord. Secondly Vse 2 this lets us see the happie priviledges of Gods Church and people above all the wicked in the world that have such a watchman and keeper that never slumbreth nor sleepeth Deut. 32.11 12. It is he that keeps them as the Apple of his eye that spreadeth abroad his wings and beareth them up as the Eagle her young ones And the ground of all is his people are his portion and Jacob is the lot of his inheritance O who would not bea member of his Church to whom these excellent priviledges belong and appertaine why should we not thus trust in him in the worst of times and in the sorest danger Nothing can stave off his mercy but sin let us be humbled for sin and meete him by unfeigned repentance let us awake him by our prayers as the Disciples did Christ and say Master save us lest we perish And last of all Vse 3 when the Lord shall declare his work and shall be pleased to send deliverance to his Church and people Zac. 3.2 that they are as a brand taken out of the fire It becometh the just to be thankfull and to looke up to the hils from whence our deliverance comes and to say with Mary He that is mighty hath done great things for me Lu. 1.49 and holy is his Name Many of us partake of many mercies and deliverances from God with those Nine Lepers but few returne thankes to God but hereby we may know whether any mercy or deliverance we receive from God bebest owed upon us in mercy or judgment by considering how our hearts stand affected in thankfulnesse to God after the same And thy glory unto their children HItherto we have heard their petition and that was for protection Now for their reasons to inforce their petition and they are two 1. If the Lord would be thus pleased graciously to heare them and protect them in their journey towards Canaan it would redound much to his glory For then should those Canaanites see and all the wicked of the world that there is a God that takes care of his Church and people and might be afraid to offend him 2. If the Lord would be thus pleased to prosper them and protect them then it should fare well with the Church and people of God for Ages to come His mercifull dealing towards them would be made knowne to their Children And thy glory to their Children The Lord had promised to give the land of Canaan to this people the seed and posteritie of Abraham The Lord had now begun to bring them onward of their journey thither and if the Lord should now have cast them off in the wildernesse then the glory of the Lord should have beene obscured and the ungodly Heathen would have blasphemed God and said that it was because he was not able to do it And therefore that the glory of God might not be thus obscured or dimmed or evill spoken of by their enemies they intreat the Lord to go before them to direct and protect them so as their enemies might have no cause to insult or they once to doubt of Gods promise From hence we learne Doct. 4 To plead Gods glory a good argument to move the Lord to pitty his Church That there is no greater argument to move the Lord to protect his Church and people in times of misery and distresse then this that it shall turne much to his owne glory Our Saviour teacheth us in this prayer left unto his Church as a pattern and platforme of all our prayers First to pray that his name may be hallowed and to conclude our pravers with for thine is the Kingdome power and glory To shew that we can use no better argument to move the Lord to grant us any thing we stand in need of Then when it shall tend to his owne honour and glory for of all things the glory of God is most dear to him so as he is most tender of it and will part with it to no other Esa 42.8 I am the Lord that is my name and my glory will I not give another It was our Saviours prayer and practise to seek his Fathers glory Jo. 12.28 Father glorifie thy name Joh. 8.49 50. and againe I seek not my owne glory but his that sent me Thus Moses was so set upon Gods glory Exod. 32.32 as that he preferr'd it before his own part in the book of life And thus those Seraphims cry one to another Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts Esa 6.3 the whole earth is full of his glory And those foure and twenty Elders say Rev. 4.11 thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and Honour and power c. And when this glory of God is set before our eyes and pleaded in our
put the Lord in minde to plague him for his sins Albeit there are many excellent and precious promises made unto the Godly in the word there not one of them belongs to a wicked man that is not in covenant with God And the Reasons are First Reas 1 It is the Covenant of promise made unto us in Christ that is the ground of our faith and it is faith by the which we are reconciled to God and without faith and reconciliation God lookes upon us as enemies to him and so is God an enemy to us and so long are excluded and shut out from all mercy and pitty from God God will not be moved towards those that are not in Covenant with him these are Loammi not his people Hos 1. nor God their God none of his house and family but may be called Loruami Hos 2.4 such as on whom the Lord will have no mercy Secondly Reas 2 such as are not in Covenant with God are notregarded of God The Gentiles were not in Covenant with God Eph. 2.12 and were therefore called Strangers from the Covenant of promise And all this while Christ esteemed of them but as Dogs as Christ said to the Canaanitish woman It is not meet to take the Childrens bread and to cast it to Dogs Mat. 15. Mal. 3. The Lord will be a swift witnesse against such Now what a grievous thing is it to have the Creator blessed for ever against his poor creature When Saul was an enemy to David yet David could fly to Gath and there secure himselfe from the rage of Saul But if God become our enemy whither shall we fly from him This shewes in the first place the miserable estate and condition of all unregenerate men Use 1 that be not in Covenant with God are none of his houshold servants All unbelievers all impenitent sinners they are none of Gods servants What account did the Lord make of Cain when he was cast off of God but as a vagabond and one that travelled without a passe lived from under Gods roofe and from under his protection Let such a one come unto God in prayer he can use no argument or reason to move the Lord to shew him any pitty or compassion Why God is not thy God What though thou be baptized and so a member of the visible Church so was Simon Magus thy Baptisme will no more prove thee his servant and one in Covenant with God then his Baptisme did him thy name may be called Loammi thou art none of his people neither is God thy God Let a wicked man that is none of Gods servants and in Covenant with God come and cry as Israel did My God I know thee Hos 8.2 God will say upon what acquaintance comest thou to me Dost thou call God Father so did Ephraim But God said Hos 11. ult that Ephraim did compasse God about with a lie If God should own a drunkard a swearer an unclean person or one that is prophane to be one of his servants and one in Covenant with him God might go to Hell and have such servants there Many great and pretious promises are made to Gods servants and such as are in Covenant with God as Saint Peter hath it 2 Pet. 1.4 promises concerning Justification pretious promises concerning Sanctification pretious promises concerning redemption remission of sins Adoption c. pretious promises concerning this life and concerning the life to come Now not one of them all belongs to thee if thou be not of Gods Family a Servant and one in Covenant with God 1. For pardon of sin the promise is God passeth by the iniquity of his people But what is that to thee that art none of his people God will not passe by thy sins 2. I will give you a new heart Eze. 21. saith God a promise made to such as he enters into Covenant withall but what is that to thee that hast thy old heart still So for the outward things of this life they are all promised in Christ All things are yours and ye are Christs But what are these promises to thee that art out of Christ Hath a wicked man riches honour prosperity c He holds themnot by Vertuâ— of any promise and hence it is that that which they think a blessing is a curse unto them Nay that which is most lamentable if thou be not in Covenant with God thou art most cruel to thy very posterity after thee for thus runs the promise will be thy God and the God of thy seed and I will Circumcise thy hear and the heart of thy seed after thee So that if thou that art a Parent art not in Covenant with God and on of his servants how injurious art thou to thy posterity I deny noâ—â— but God to shew the freenesse of hiâ— grace many times doth call home such unto himself that were the seed of wicked Parents yet if the Lord be not the more mercifull unto them thou inthralst them under the curse and many times it falls out that gracelesse Parents leave behind them a gracelesse posterity And let every one of us think what shall become of us when datch comes if we are not servants but out of Covenant with God nothing is ours but Hell This may serve in the second place to stir us up to labour toget into Gods service to become his servants to enter into Covenant with him so may we be bold to come to our Master to request any thing at his hand Use 2 and plead his Covenant made unto us in Christ And to take heed that wee think it not enough to professe our selves to be his Servants as many do in word and shew that get the Livery of Gods Servants upon them to hear the Word to receive the Sacrament c. as if to wear the Coat of Christ were enough to prove us to be Servants of Christ like those foolish Virns that had the Lamps of an outward profession and the names of Virgins when they wanted the oyl of grace in their hearts Mal. 1.6 This will not serve the turn If I be a Father where is my honour If I be a Master where is my fear saith the Lord If we fear to offend God fear to sin against him fear to break his Commandments fear to offend him If we enter into a straight Covenant with him to take him for our onely God to love him above all to trust in him and to make our portion and accept of the righteousnesse and obedience of Iesus Christ for Justification to life Then his promise is to give us all good things for this life and the life to come Then may we come with boldnesse unto him and claim the priviledge of Servants and the performance of his promise But if we rest upon the bare name of Servants it will not serve our turn We see in great mens houses all are not covenant-servants that retain thereto that now