Newcastles Call to Her Neighbor and Sister Towns, Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Peſtilence is yet the fruit of Mans Sin. The Sin of theſe Iſraelites here. All evill being for Sin, wee are to justifie God, his truth and people; and to take all blame to our ſelves.
Queſt. BVt is not God a God of merciemercy, grace, and goodnes?Our ſinne the cauſe of our ſorrow. Whence then is it that wrath, & hot anger is ſaid to goe out from the Lord, and particularlie this of Plague or Peſtilence? We muſt therefore conceive, and may eaſilie imagine, that in caſe of gods wrath, and of the breaking out of Peſtilence there is ſome great cauſe provoking him thereunto; ſeeing he doth not afflict willingly, or frō his heart,Lament. 3.33. nor grieue the children of men. The great God herein is like the litle Bee, which yeelds hony of its ſelfe, but ſtings not till it be angred or provoked.
The firſt in this Text, provoking the Lord to this great wrath, was the peoples murmuring againſt Moſes and Aaron, Pſal. 41.42.charging them with the death of thoſe rebels, whom God deſtroyed juſtly for their ſinnes, and their riſing accordingly againſt them: which as it is in its owne nature highly diſpleaſing to God who cannot indure his officers and faithfull ſervants ſhould either bee envied and maligned, as theſe two were by Corah, &c. or repined at, when for their ſake the Lord doth puniſh ſuch as wrōg them. So for the Circumſtances of it, it became exceeding great; for it is ſaid, But on the morrow (after Corah was ſwallowed up, and they were ſpared and eſcaped) all the Congregation of the children of Iſrael murmured againſt Moſes, The ſin of theſe Iſraelites here, aggravated.& againſt Aaron, &c. Where 1. for time, it was on the morrow immediatly after their 1. former ſinne. 2. God wrath executed on others 3. their owne ſparing. 4 their former and but yeſterdayes ſhew of repentāce, or forſaking the tents of the wicked. 2. For the perſons who ſinned, they were 1. for qualitie, the children of Iſrael, from whō God had cauſe to have expected better things. 2. For number, All the congregation of them, it was a generall ſin and conſpiracie. 3. For perſons againſ… whom; it was againſt Moſ… and Aaron: againſt Moſes a Prophet & Prince, againſt Aaron the Prieſt of the Lord, both which had lately, yea and now made interceſſion for them: they were neither afrayde to meddle with ſuch deare ſervants of the Lord, who prooved edge-tooles to them; nor aſhamed ſo ill to requite them for their love.
This was their ſin.Our like Sins cauſes of our Iudgments now. And when our ſins become like either for nature or for circumſtances, we have great cauſe to looke for like wrath: nay if ſuch ſins, as envying, hating, and riſing againſt Gods Miniſters and faithfull ſervants, and if ſuch circumſtances of ſin,2.4… as to ſinn upon ſin, and to multiply tranſgreſſions to ſin after examples of Gods wrath on others, after our ovvne ſparing and deliverances, and after former ſhewes of repentance: If for men in covenant with God to ſin againſt him, and to ſin as it were by conſpiracie and conſent; and if unthankfulneſſe againſt God and his Meſſengers and Servants deſerve wrath, and be followed with Peſtilence, then no marvell if wrath be gone out from the Lord againſt us of this place, yea, and Nation, and if the Plague be alreadie begun amongſt us, and ſo far proceeded as it is. But of the Sins more particularly for which wrath goeth out from God, and for which Peſtilence is ſent, I ſhall ſpeake hereafter on ſome other Grounds of Scripture.
Here wee may obſerve in the generall,Sin procures wrath That mans Sin is the cauſe of his Sorrow. Love to Sin procures Gods anger againſt the Sinner: And as here, The Plague of the heart and ſoule brings Gods Plague upon the bodie.1 Kings, 8.38. Remarkable examples hereof we have in the Angels caſt2 Pet. 2.4… out of heaven for ever becauſe of their Pride: in Adam caſt out of Paradiſe (and with him all Mankind) for diſobedience:Gen. 3.17. in a whole world of men, Gen. 6.for violence, ſenſualitie and ſecuritie:Math. 24.38, 39. in Sodom and other Cities, deſtroied ſuddenlie for Pride,Ezek. 16.49, 50. abuſe of Gods good creatures, Idleneſſe, and abominable Luſts:Lamen. 1.5. in the Iewes, both in their firſt Captivitie, when the Lord (ſo grievouſlie) afflicted them for the multitude of their Tranſgreſsions: 2 Chro. 36.14, 15, 16, with 17, &c.and in this their ſo fearfull diſperſion and ſcattering whereby they are broken off, Iſa. 50.1.Rom. 11.20.becauſe of unbeliefe.
But leaving other evils,Specially Peſtilence, which is both threatned, conſider wee, that God doth 1, Threaten peſtilence for Sin, as Levit. 26.14, 15, 16-24, 25. Deut. 28.15-21, 22. Ezek. 6.11, 12. Alas for all the evill abominations of the houſe of Iſrael: for they ſhall fall by the Sword, by the Famine, and by Peſtilence. So heere, theſe Murmurers were firſt threatned with Peſtilence for their unbeliefe:Numb. 14.11, 12. and here in my Text, it was inflicted for their Sin, which is already mentioned. So then 2, God doth alſo ſend,And inflicted for ſin… and Inflict Peſtilence for Sin: as ſee Exod. 12.29. Pſal. 78.50, 51. Amos 4.10. So David was met with for his pride, 2 Sam. 24.10. And ſo now muſt wee take this Peſtilence, and other like Sickneſſes to be juſtly ſent for our Sins: and why not the ſame, or like to the Sin of Irreverence among the Corinthians; who, becauſe they came to the Lords Table, and returned alſo from it, in their Sins, in their contentions, contempt one of another, diſ-reſpect of their Teacher, Saint Paul, their ignorance, and other Sins, it is ſaid,1 Cor. 11.30. For this cauſe many among you are ſicke and weake, and many ſleepe. Now this Sickneſſe and death among them is not improbably, by ſome, thought to bee that of Peſtilence.
Whence is this? 1.This is frō Such is the nature of Sin, The natur… of Sin.as that it being evill,Gen. 4.13. can bring forth nothing but evill: therfore doth one and the ſame word in the originall include in the ſignification of it, both Sin and Puniſhment. So that he that will ſinne, doth but hatch the cockatrice egge, & nouriſh a viper in his own boſom, which will be his deſtruction.
2.From God holineſſe. Such againe is the Holineſs and Iuſtice of God, that hee cannot ſpare obſtinate Sinners without impeachment to his Iuſtice, Man himſelfe being the Iudge to whom God ſeemes to appeale, ſaying, How ſhall I pardon thee for this? Ierem. 5.7.Seeing thou wilt neither ſeeke pardon, nor forſake thy Sin. Tell me, wouldſt thou that I ſhould violate my Iuſtice to ſpare thee in thy Sins? How canſt thou in reaſon expect it? Will yee infect one another with your evill examples, and company-keeping; by tempting and inticing one another to Sin, to my diſhonour, and ſhall I ſtill fit ſtill and doe nothing? ſhal not I ſend my plagues among you, to make you afraid one of another, and to ſever you one from another? Shall I not multiply my plagues till you, each of you ſee the plague of your owne heart, and ſeeke unto me for merciemercy, and for healing? If otherwiſe,Ierem. 5.9 Shall I not viſit for theſe things?
Vſe. Vſe 1 In our ſufferings to justifie God, his truth and people.Now that Gods hand is ſo heavie upon us, wee 1. See whom to thank; none but our ſelves, our pride, our unfruitfulneſſe, our ſenſualitie, our ſecuritie, our manifold defections from God, both in duplicate page duplicate page his truth and holineſſe, have procured theſe to us. The evils wee doe,foreign. and that willingly, are the cauſe of all the evils wee ſuffer unwillingly. Howſoever, let us in this (as in other evils) ever juſtifie God, …ament. 1.18.take blame to our ſelves, and accept of the puniſhment of our Sins: which Leſſon wee may learn of holy David, Pſalm. 119.…5.who having by pride, vaine-glorie, and ſelfe-confidence, provoked God to ſmite his people with Peſtilence,And to blame our ſelves. is yet ſoone touched in conſcience; and being tender-hearted, hee ſhewes himſelfe alſo wiſe, to ſee the cauſe in himſelfe, and unpartiall to judge himſelfe, taking the whole blame and ſhame onelyonly to himſelfe, ſaying, I have ſinned. 2 Sam. 2.10-17.— Is it not I that commanded the people to bee numbred? But theſe Sheepe, what have they done? I have ſinned greatly in that I have done. — I have done very fooliſhly. O worthy King! O moſt worthy example, even for Kings and Magiſtrates to imitate.
It becoms us at this time every man to ſearch and look into his own heart, to find out that Achan which troubleth the campe, that Ionah, who troubleth the ſea, and cauſes ſuch ſtorms of wrath, that Sheba for whoſe cauſe God layes ſiege to our townes and cities. How this may bee done, or how we may find out our ſinnes, as cauſes of preſent judgements, I ſhall indeavor hereafter to ſhew more fully. OnelyOnly now take we heed that wee doe not ſo far goe about to juſtifie our ſelves, as to tranſlate the cauſe of our ſufferings from our ſelves to other men, whether forefathers, Ezek. 18.2.ſuperiours, (we being in a ranke of inferioritie) Inferiors, (if we be governors and Magiſtrates, who are ready to account and call the people accurſed: David did not ſo, as vvee have heard:) Exemplarie judgements on a place befall chiefly for the ſinns of exemplary perſons: neither doth God ſhew himſelfe Judge from heaven, till his Vicegerents here on earth, too much and too long neglect to execute his righteous judgements: or laſtly, to the holy Prophets of God, 1 Kings 17.18. Numb. 41.as King Ahab layd the famine upon Elias, and the rebellious Iſraelites here the death of the conſpirators upon Moſes and Aaron. Neither let us blame Gods truth and religion as cauſes of our ſufferings, as did the idolatrous women of old, Ier. 44.18. and as did the heathen in primitive times of the Chriſtian church,Si coelum ſtetit, ſi terra movit, ſi fames, ſi lues, ſtatim Chriſtianos ad leonem acclamatur. Tertul. Apolog. cap. 39. proclaiming the innocent Chriſtians guilty of death, as oft as therwas either drought, famine, earth-quake, or plague: yea, as ſome I doubt are readie now to charge the truth we maintain againſt outlandiſh … novelties with theſe preſent evils, and to threaten the ſtate & kingdom with ruine: though neither ſtate nor Church were ever bleſſed with more peace, plentie & proſperity, then when the ancient truth of God, and doctrine of our Church was more unanimouſly taught and maintained then now it is. We may rather retort upon them,Ierm. 4.21.22.23. as Ieremy did upon thoſe women: do not ſuch things rather now come into remembrance with the Lord?
Howſoever, be we ſure wee doe not at unawares charge Gods juſtice in theſe our ſufferings, whileſt wee goe about to juſtifie either our Church and nation as innocent, guiltles, & never in better condition; or our ſelves and perſons, whileſt wee will ſee and acknowledge no ſinne (at leaſt by name or in particular) by our ſelves: being ready to aske,Ier. 16.10. Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced (and done) all this great evill againſt us? or what is our iniquity? &c. The Lord in no wiſe can indure ſuch pride: for this layes the blame on God himſelfe, and amounts to no leſſe then horrible blaſphemy: for in caſe of ſuch common & remarkable judgements, either God or man muſt bee acknowledged unjuſt: but proud man will rather have God to bee thought unjuſt, then himſelfe the ſinner, and ſo going from one to one, we may find ſin, it may be, in groſſe confeſſed the cauſe of this & like judgements, but every man for his particular will bee without fault, and will be ready to juſtifie himſelfe in his place, ranck and calling. Now then where muſt the fault lie, but in God himſelfe? what blaſphemy is this againſt God? when may wee once expect an end?
2. Wee hence ſee how Vſe 2 to get this wrath and great evill removed from us, or elſe ſanctified to us: to ſee ſinne and to purge it out, is the ſpirituall cure of this and all other evils, as wee ſhall ſee hereafter.
Vſe 3 3. In the meane time wee not repenting, may foreſee our owne utter ruine: wrath is now indeed gone out, but when will it take up?