Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 40
CHAP. XL. Ofthe iudgements of God, and how iust he is in iudgement, and how his promises and threatnings to Israel, appertaine to vsus.
LEt the wicked rebell as they will, and thinke how by their subtilties they may escape Gods threatned iudgements for a while; yet they shall be pursued from farre, and shall taste the heauie hand of God, both fearefully and wonderfully: as we see in Achab 2. Chron. 18. 33. and others: wherefore let the iudgements of God euer humble vsus, for if they doe not humble vsus, assuredly they fall vponupon vsus.
2 It is a good propertie of faith, to feare the word when we see not Gods iudgements: So beleeued Noah before the flood came. So feared Iosiah and hee had peace; so feared Ahacuck, chap. 3. This if we doe we shall escape punishments, as those did; but if we doe not, then we cannot escape.
3 As there was not one of the Israelites perished, so was there not one of the EgyptiansSee death and iudgement. escaped; which is a type of the last iudgement of God, wherein as not one of the wicked shall escape, so shall there not one of the godly perish.
4 We may not doubt, albeit we see not Gods promises forthwith accomplished: neither must we be secure, because we see his iudgements and threatnings delaied, as they did in Ieremies time: for though he tarrie a while, yet will he certainely come at last, and that more speedily to vsus than to them, because our sinnes are greater, for that we hauehave greater meanes of knowledge than they had.
5 They that mocke long at Gods iudgements, will mocke in the end and be mocked: wherefore it is good to pray for inward reuerence, before God sendeth outward vengeance. When the Lord accuseth and iudgeth vsus to shew himselfe iust and innocent, he will hauehave none other to witnesse against vsus than the mountaines, or the heauens and the earth: he will come to no court on earth but to his creatures, and his seruants hauehave vsed theMicah. 6. 1. Esai. 1. 1. same proceeding, as Moses calleth heauen and earth to witnesse, nay we are to call to witnesse the stones in the wal, the timber of the house, that they may giuegive their voyces on our sides, that we hauehave told them their sinnes, and that we hauehave spoken to their consciences,The Lord is iust when he doth iudge. and then the very beames of the Church and stones of the wall shall be witnesse of this controuersie. So that though men would beare one with another, yet the mountaines, the heauen, and the earth shall giuegive vp their voyce, that God hath not come suddenly vponupon vsus, but that he forewarned vsus. It were a great matter if a man should be iudge in his owne cause, yet the Lord so rules the matter, as that he will condemne none, but such as first shal see their iust condemnation. We shall hauehave all things laid plaine and orderly before vsus, as it is Psalme 50 so that we shall be driuen to confesse Gods plea to be iust against vsus: for howsoeuer men can daube and deceiue their owne conscience, howsoeuer they can smother and choke their owne sins and delude men; yet in the day of wrath, the sealed booke, the sealed booke shall be opened, and the recorder in our owne conscience shall giuegive sentence vntounto it, and then the Lord shall win and recouer his action at our hands, and we shall yeeld that he is iust.
6 There are places in the Scripture, where the Lord is a comforter, and there are places,How God is an accuser and an acquiter. wherein he is an accuser: the places where he is a comforter shew such persons or such times, wherein the Lord by his accusations hath so farre preuailed, that the people were humbled thereby. The places wherein he is an accuser, import such times and persons, to whom the Lord hath shewed many comforts and benefits, but they hauehave been vnthankfull, as are we in our times in our Realme, and in this place. For it hath been the wisedome of the Lord alwaies after his threatnings taking place to remember mercy, and after his mercies contemned to send out his threatnings, as Hose. 4. 1.
7 The manner of the ancient Church hath bin, that wheresoeuer mention was made inThe promises or threatnings of Israel appertaine to vsus. the word of the children of Israel, the Christians took that specially to appertaine to themselues. But now adaies in our age the case is farre otherwise, we are so loth to be accused, that our manner is to account our selues to be accused in nothing, but there where the Lord hath as it were, by name spoken vntounto vsus, and if the Lord hath written no prophecy specially to this land, then we thinke nothing cōcerneth vsus. Howbeit, as Paul saith, Rom. 2. That they are not onelyonly Iewes, that are Iewes outward, but they also which are Iewes inward: so I say, that they are not onelyonly the children of Israel, which came out of the loynes of Israel, but who so truly lay hold on the promises made vntounto Israel, are the true children of Israel also. But not to stand long on this point, I say, looke as Moses is more inferiour than Messiah, and as Iesus is better than Iosuah, & the kingdome of heauen better than Canaan, and the blood of Christ more precious than the blood of bullocks or of goates; so are we better Israelites, by faith taking hold of the promises made vntounto Israel, than they that descended only out of the body & loynes of Israel. So that if any will lay claime to the promises of Israel, he must acknowledge himselfe to be the child of Israel: but if any will let go his hold on this promise, he must also exempt himselfe from being the childe of Israel. He may well be of the line of Cain, Cham, or Esan, but the other he shall not be. And then if we will be the children of Israel in their promises, we must be the children of Israel also in their accusations. And surely there is good reason why we should so be, where as Iacob had two names, the one Iacob, the other Israel, we reade very seldome in the Scripture that the Iewes are named by the children of Iacob, but called for the most part the children of Israel. For the name of Iacob being giuen him at the time of his natiuitie, and the name of Israel being assigned him by the Angel for a name of benefit, because he wrestled with God, the Lord herein insinuateth, that the children of Israel, that is, the children of his benefits, must with a speciall care heare his word.
7 The not obseruing of the Iudgements of God, maketh vsus so loth to louelove his merciemercy, and so slenderly to feare his Iudgements.
8 It is a naturall thing to reforme our selues whilest Gods Iudgements are vponupon vsus.