Gods Three Arrows, Section 44
§. 44. Of the matter of mourning which the provocations of Gods wrath give.
2. THe maine point that Anger is in God, and wrath may come from him, gives great matter of humiliation, in regard of the many great provocations thereof day after day. We know that fire is very fierce where it finds matter to worke upon. Would it not thereupon much grieve and perplexe men, to ſee deſperate fellowes in every houſe blowing up fire to make it catch hold on houſes. More deſperate are impudent and impenitent ſinners. For no fire ſo fierce, ſo fearefull as Gods wrath. No ſuch meanes to kindle and enflame fire, as ſin to incenſe Gods wrath. No ſuch danger and dammage can come by any fire, as by the wrath of God. Were not the patience of the Lord more then ordinary, whereby the fire of his wrath is kept from flaming Ier 9. 1, 2. Tu hominem quidem exacerbans, amicos rogas, & pecunia… expendis, & multos abſumis dies accedens & ſupplicans: & ſive ſemel, ſive his, ſive millies te repulerit irritatus, non recedis, ſed magis contendens majorem affer… ſupplicationem. Deo autem omnium exacerbato oſcitamus, & recedimus, & deli…ijs, & ebrietati vacamus, &c. Chryſ ad Pop. Hom. 46.out, our houſes, our villages, our Cities, our nations, yea, the whole world, and all therein would ſoone be utterly conſumed. O let not the conſideration of Gods wrath be paſſed over with an unrelenting heart, or with dry eyes. I am ſure, if it be well weighed, and deeply layed to heart, it will give juſt occaſion to every one of us to cry out and ſay, Oh that mine eyes were waters, and mine eyes a fountaine of teares, that I might weepe day and night for the many provocations of the wrath of the Lord. Oh that I had in the wilderneſſe a lodging of wayfairing men, that I might leave my people, and go from them: For they are all deſperately ſet to incenſe the wrath of the Lord more and more, till they and all they have be brought to nought. Were the terrour of the Lords wrath better knowne and believed then it is, it would certainely reſtraine mens exceſſe in provoking the ſame: and make them more carefull and diligent to pacifie it. If men be incenſed, what paines is taken, what friends are uſed, what coſt is expended, what time is waſted with waiting to pacifie them? If the offender be once, twice, yea many times rejected, yet will he not give over. Is any ſuch thing done to pacifie God?
To aggravate this point, let the Title whereby the Lord The terrour of the wrath of Iehovah. See The Churches Conqueſt on Exo. 17. 15. §. 72. of this title IEHOVAH. Prov. 19. 12.is here ſet forth, be noted. It is IEHOVAH. The wrath of Iehovah: that is, the wrath of that great God, who hath his being of himſelfe, who giveth being to all, on whom all depend, who hath power to ſave, and to deſtroy, who can inflict judgements that will make the ſtouteſt to quake, that can caſt body and ſoule into hell. The Wiſeman ſaith, that The Kings wrath is like the roaring of a Lyon. Now conſider, when a Lyon hath eſpied his prey, (ſuppoſe a Lambe, Kid, or any ſuch thing) and runneth and roareth after it, how that ſilly prey quaketh and trembleth. The Lyon hath roared, who will not be afraid, Am. 3. 8.ſaith the Prophet?
Now if the wrath of a King (who is but a mortall man, who may ſoone be taken away) who is not able to doe what he will, be ſo terrible; what is the wrath of the eternall, almighty Iehovah? The foreſaid wiſe man ſaith of the foreſaid wrath of a King, He that provoketh him Prov. 20 2.unto anger ſinneth againſt his owne ſoule, meaning his temporall life. But he that provoketh Iehovah unto anger, ſinneth indeed againſt his owne ſoule in the uttermoſt Horrendum eſt incidere in manus Dei viuentis, offendere Creatorem, recalcitrate Dominantis imperio, qui habet poteſtatem corpus & animam pouere in gehennam. Bern Serm. in feſto Mar Magd.extent that may be, even against his temporall, and eternall life. O then to heare, or to ſee any evidence, as now we doe, that wrath is gone from Iehovah, how ſhould it make us to tremble, to humble our ſelves, to fall downe upon our faces, as Moſes and Aaron *§. 24. Prov. 16. 14.here did, and to doe all that may be to pacifie the ſame. Where Salomon ſaith, The wrath of a King is as meſſengers of death, He addeth, A wiſe man will pacifie it. Let us therefore ſhew our ſelves wiſe, and be ſo farre from provoking and incenſing the wrath of Iehovah, as we do to the uttermoſt what lieth in us, to pacifie the ſame. For which there are *§ 27. 30.directions before preſcribed.