Gods Three Arrows, Section 51
§. 51. Of the terrour of the beginning of Gods judgements.
II. *See § 47.GOD can make the beginning of a judgement terrible. I denie not but that the Lord doth oft times begin very mildly and gently: as he dealt with the Iſraelites in the wilderneſſe, bringing them aExo 15. 23.to bitter waters, making them to feele b—16. 3.the want of bread, and c—17. 1.water, (not ſtarving them) and dDeut. 25. 18.ſuffering Amalek to ſmite the hindmoſt of them: to try if they would learne to cleave cloſe vntounto the Lord. But afterwards his ſtroaks were more heavy upon them. Yet he can, and oft doth make the beginning of his judgements very terrible. At the firſt raiſing of the floud to drowne the world, eGen. 7. 11.All the fountaines of the great deepe were broken up, and the windowes of heaven. Was it not a terrible ſight to behold the waters fall downe from heaven, and riſe up out of the earth ſo faſt as they did? Immediately upon the fGen. 19. 23, 24.Sunnes riſing on the earth, the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimſtone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. How fearefull a ſpectacle was that even at the firſt ſight thereof. The Egyptian plagues give alſo evidence hereof. So doth the drowning of Pharaoh and his hoſte in the red ſea. For while they confidently purſued the Iſraelites, ſuppoſing to get over as ſafe as the gExo. 14. 24, 25Iſraelites did, on a ſudden The hoſte of the Egyptians was troubled, and their chariot wheeles taken off. In a word, ſtormes ſo aroſe, and waters ſo fell upon them, as they were all ſoone drowned. Such were many of Gods judgements in the wilderneſſe. Such h2 King. 19. 35the deſtruction of the Campe of the Aſſyrians: Such iLuke 13. 1, 4their death Whoſe bloud Pilate mingled with their ſacrifices, and theirs on whom the tower of Siloe fell: and kAct. 12. 23.Herods; and many other like judgements.
Gods almighty power makes his judgements to be very terrible. His infinite wiſdome makes him know when it is fit, at the firſt, and in the beginning, to manifeſt his terrour: anſwerably he doth ſo. For in wiſdome he ordereth all his actions: and that ſo as may moſt make to the glory of his name. Herein lEph. 3. 10.his wiſdome is manifeſted to be manifold, in that he can ſometimes by degrees encreaſing his judgements, and ſometimes by powring them out at once bring greateſt glory to his name. For by the former kinde of proceeding with men, he giveth evidence of his patience and long-ſuffering, in that though he be provoked to powre out the vials of his anger, yet he is ſlow to wrath, and would not that men ſhould periſh in his anger, but rather by the beginning of it, be brought to repentance. By the latter kinde, he giveth inſtance of his terrour when he hath to do with obdurate, and obſtinate ſinners.
Having to do with ſuch a God, as can make even the beginning of his judgement ſo terrible, how watchfull ought we to be, that we provoke him not at once to powre out the vials of his wrath againſt us? This ſeverity is uſually executed after contempt of milder proceedings (as hath been *§. 22.before proved) or upon the committing of grievous ſinnes that cry up to heaven for vengeance, as the ſins of mGen. 18. 20.Sodom did: or upon obdurate and obſtinate perſons that nPſal. 50. 17, 22hate inſtruction. So as men themſelves are the cauſe that Gods ſtroakes are ſo heavy. If a Lion that at firſt teares all to peeces, if a flaming fire that quickly turnes all to aſhes, if a raging ſtorme that ſoone overſets ſhip with all that's in it, if other like violent evils that affoord no time of ſeeking helpe and remedy be much feared: ſhould not the violent terrour of the Lord be much more feared?
The inference of the beginning of the plague upon the direction to make an attonement: and that as an enforcement of the reaſon (as hath beene ſhewed before, §. 40.) affoords this Doctrine. Gods wrath in the beginning of a judgement is to be pacified. But hereof we had occaſion to treat before. §. 32.