Page images
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

break upon us; we cannot imagine the rage of Satan to be abated, now that his kingdom haftens to its period, Rev. xii. 12. nor are his inftruments grown lefs cruel, and skilful to destroy, The land, indeed, hath enjoyed a long reft, and this generation is acquainted with little more of martyrdom, than what the hiftories of former times inform us of: But yet let no man befool himself with a groundless expectation of continuing tranquillity. Auguftine thinks that the bloody fweat which over-ran the body of Chrift in the garden, fignified the fharp and grievous fufferings which in his myftical body he fhould afterwards endure and indeed it is a truth, that thefe are alfo called the remains of Christ's fufferings, Col. i. 24. His perfonal fufferings were indeed compleated at his refurrection, that cup was full to the brim, to which no drop of fufferings can be added; but his fufferings in his myftical body are not yet full; by his perfonal fufferings he fully satisfied the wrath of God, but the fufferings of his people have not yet fatisfied the wrath of men: Though millions of precious faints have fhed their blood for Christ, whose fouls are now crying under the altar, How long, Lord! to how long! yet there are many more coming on behind, in the fame path of perfecution, and much Chriftian blood must yet be shed, before the mystery of God be finished; and notwithftanding this lucid interval, the clouds feem to be returning again after the rain. Thus you fee to what grievous sufferings the merciful God hath fometimes called his dearest people.

Now God may be faid to call forth his people to fuffer, when he fo hedgeth them in by providence, that there is no way to escape suffering, but by finning; whatsoever providence labours with fuch a dilemma as this, is a plain fignification of God's will to us in that cafe. We may not now expect extraordinary calls to fuffering work, as fome of the faints had of old, Gen. xxii. 2. Acts ix. 16. but when our way is fo fhut up by providence, that we cannot avoid fuffering, but by ftepping over the hedge of the command, God will have us look upon that exigence as his call to fuffer: And if the reafons be demanded, why the Lord, who is fo inclined to mercy, doth often hedge in his own people, by his providence, in a fuffering path; let us know, that in to doing, he doth both,

1. Illuftrate his own glory. And,
2. Promote his people's happiness.

First, Hereby the most wife God doth illuftrate the glory of his own nam clearing up the righteoufnefs of his ways by the fufferings of his own people: By this the world (hall fee, that how well foever he loves them, he will not indulge or pa

tronize their fins; if they will be fo difingenuous to abuse his favours, he will be fo juft to make them fuffer for their fins, and by thofe very fufferings will provide for his own glory, which was by them clouded in the eyes of the world. He hates not fin a jot the lefs, because it is found in his own people, Amos iii. 2. And though, for the magnifying of his mercy, he will pardon their fins, yet, for the clearing of his righteouf nefs, he will take vengeance upon their inventions, Pfal.

xcix. 8.

Moreover, by expofing his people to fuch grievous fuffer ings, he gives a fit opportunity to manifest the glory of his pow er in their fupport, and of his wifdom, in the marvellous ways of their escape and deliverance. It is one of the greatest wor ders in the world, how the church fubfifts under fuch fierce and " I will frequent affaults as are made upon it by its enemies.

86

turn afide (faid Mofes) and fee this great fight, why the bush "is not confumed," Exod. iii. 3. That flaming bufh was 2 lively emblem of the oppreffed church in Egypt; the crackling flames noted the heat of their perfecution, the remaining of the bush unconfumed in the flames, fignified the wonderful power of God in their prefervation: No people are fo privileg ed, fo protected, fo delivered, as the people of God. Much lefs oppofition than hath been made against the church, hath overturned, and utterly deftroyed, the mighty monarchies of the world.

Sic Medus ademit

Allyrio, Medoque tulit moderamina Perfes,
Subjecit Perfen Macedo, ceffurus et ipfe
Romanis

Affyria's empire thus the Mede did shake,
• The Perfian next, the pride of Media brake;
• Then Perfia funk by Macedonia prest,

That, in its turn, fell by Rome at last.'

And no lefs admirable is the wifdom of God, in fruftrating and defeating the most deep, and desperate defigns of hell a gainst his poor people. Now, you may fee the most wife God going beyond a malicious and fubtle devil, overturning in moment the deep laid defigns, and contrivances of many years, and that at the very birth and point of execution, Esth. vi. 1. foaring the wicked in the works of their own hands; making their own tongues to fall upon them; working out fuch mar

* Claudian, lib, 3. in laudes Stillicones.

vellous falvations with his own hand, as fills them with aftoDishment and wonder. Pfal. cxxvi. 7. "When the Lord tura"ed back the captivity of Zion, we were like them that "dreamed."

Secondly, As God provides for his own glory, by the fufferings and troubles of his people; fo he advanceth their happinefs, and greatly promotes their interest thereby.

For, First, Thefe troubles are ordered as fo many occafions and means to mortify the corruptions that are in their hearts; there are rank weeds fpringing up in the best foil, which need fuch winter weather to rot them: And, certainly, if we reckon humility, heavenly-mindednefs, contempt of the world, and longing defires after heaven, to be the real interest and advantage of the church; then it is evident, nothing fo much promotes their intereft, as a fuffering condition doth: Adversity kills those corruptions which prosperity bred.

Secondly, By thefe trials their fincerity is cleared, to the joy and fatisfaction of their own hearts; many a doubt and fear, which had long entangled and perplexed them, is removed and anfwered. When adverfity hath given them proof, and trial of their own hearts, one fharp trial wherein God helps us to be faithful, will do more to fatisfy our fears, and refolve our doubts, than all the fermons that ever we heard in our lives could do.

Thirdly, Thefe fufferings and trials of the church, are ordained to free it of abundance of hypocrites, which were its reproach, as well as burden, Amos ix. 9, 10. Affliction is a fur. nace to feparate the drofs from the more pure and noble gold. Multitudes of hypocrites, like flies in a hot fummer, are gene rated by the church's profperity; but this winter weather kills them: Many gaudy profeffors grow within the inclosure of the church, like beautiful flowers in the field, where they stand, during its peace and profperity, in the pride and bravery of their gifts and profeffions; but the wind paffeth over them, and they are gone, and their places shall know them no more ; to allude to that in Pfalm ciii. 16. Thunder and lightning is very terrible weather, but exceeding useful to purify and cleanse the air.

Fourthly, The church's fufferings are ordered and fanctified, to endear them to each other. Times of common fuffering, are times of reconciliation, and greater endearments among the people of God; never more endeared, than when most perfecuted; never more united, than when most fcattered, Mal. ïii. VOL. VII,

૦૧

17. "Then they that feared the Lord, ipake often one to ano"ther." Certainly there is fomething in our fellowship in the fame fufferings, that is endearing and engaging; but there is much more in the difcoveries that perfecution makes of the fin cerity of our hearts, which, it may be, was before entertained with jealoufy; and there is yet more than all this in the reproofs of the rod, whereby they are humbled for their pride, wantonnefs, and bitterness of their fpirits to each other, and made to cry, in the fenfe of thefe tranfgreffions, as Pfal. lxx. 8. "Remember not against us former iniquities."

Laftly, By thefe troubles and diftreffes, they are awakened to their duties, and taught to pray more frequently, fpiritually, and fervently, Ah! what drow finels and formality is apt to creep in upon the best hearts, in the time of profperity; but when the ftorm rifes, and the fea grows turbulent and raging, now they cry, as the difciples to Chrift, Lord, fave us, we perifh. They fay mufic is fweeteft upon the waters; I am fure the sweetest melody of prayer is upon the deep waters of afflic tion: For thefe, among many other righteous, wife, and holy ends, the Lord permits and orders the perfecutions and diftref fes of his people.

CHA P. III.

Shews, that it is ufual with God to premonifh his people of ap proaching trials and fufferings; with fome account of the man ner how, and the reafon why he fo forewarns them.

S Paul had many clear premonitions and fore-notices of the fufferings that should befal him at Jerufalem, that he might not be furprized by them when they came; fo it is ufual with God (though not in fuch an immediate and extraordinary a manner) to admonish the world, and efpecially his own people, of great trials and fufferings before hand. Amos iii. 7. Surely "the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth his fecrets unto "his fervants the prophets."

66

Thus, when he was about to bring the flood upon the world, he gave one hundred and twenty years warning of it before it came, Gen. vi. 3. and when he was to destroy Sodom, he faith, Gen. xviii. 17. "Shall I hide from Abraham the thing "that I do?" And the like difcovery he made about the fame judgment to Lot, Gen. xix. 12, 13, 14. So when the captivi ty of the Jews was nigh at hand, the people had many fore

warnings of it; God forewarned them both minifterially and providentially; he warned them by the prophets, Ezek. iii. 17.. "Hear the word of my mouth, and give them warning from

me And when the time drew nigh to execute the judgment determined upon Jerufalem, and the temple, how plainly did Chrift foretel them of it? Luke xix. 43, 44. "Thine "enemies fhall caft a trench about thee, and compass thee "round, and keep thee in on every fide, and fhall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee."

And when the storm was just ready to fall, their own histo rian tells us, a voice was heard in the temple, faying, Migremus hinc, Let us go hence. Which voice † Tacitus also men⚫tions in his annals, affirming it to be more than a human ' voice, telling them God was departing, and that it was ac-. companied with a rushing noise, as of perfons going out.. These were extraordinary warnings.' The like figns have been given to divers other nations, by dreadful eclipfes of the heavenly bodies, portentous comets, earthquakes, and other figus, *of judgment.

[ocr errors]

Now, though we have no ground to expect fuch extraordinary warnings, yet we have the most apparent and certain figns of approaching calamities; after which, if they furprize us, the fault muft lie in our own inexcufable negligence; for we have a ftanding rule to govern ourlelves in this matter, and that is this ;' When the fame fins are found in one nation, which have brought down the wrath of God upon another nation, it is an evident fign of judgment at the door; for God is unchange ́able, just, and holy, and will not favour that in one people, 'which he hath punished in another, nor blefs that in one age, which he hath curfed in another.' Upon this very ground it was, that the apostle warned the Corinthians, by the example of the Ifraelites, whofe fins had ruined them in the wilderness, 1 Cor. x. 6. "Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not luft after evil things, as they also lusted.” As if he should fay, Look upon thofe dead bodies which are, as it were, caft up upon the fame fcripture-shore for a warning to you: Follow not the fame course, left you meet in the fame curfe; if you tread the fame paths, expect the fame punishGod is as righteous now, as he was then; he hates, and will punish fin in you, as much as he did in them.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

ment.

Jofephus de bello Jud. lib. 7. cap. 2.

Audita major humana vox excedere Deos, fimul ingens motus 4xcedentium. Tacitus, lib. 21.

« PreviousContinue »