Sermons Experimental, Sermon 1 · Verse 3
VERSE. III.
The ſorrows of death compaſsed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and ſorrow.
THis tends as I think, to explication of what is foreſaid of Davids fervent love, and vowing himſelf Gods ſervant. For it may be demanded, What is the favour of God ſo great that thus maketh thee devoted to his fear?
I'le tell you; I was in miſery inextricable, and he helped me. Three things we have here to be noticed. Firſt, Davids ſtate, in this Verſe. Secondly, His behaviour, Verſ. 4. Thirdly, The event, Verſ. 5, 6.
Senſe. The ſorrows of death, compare Pſal. 18.5. Act. 2.24. foreign, the pains of Death; yea, as it were of a woman in travell: compaſſed me, as Pſal. 40.12. and 118.10, 11, 12. ſo that there appeared no poſſible way of eſcape. Pains of Hell, Sheol, that is, Mortiferi, Lethales, Deadly, and Mortall: Sheol, oftentimes in Scripture ſignifies the Grave, as Gen. 37.35. and 42.38. and 44.29, 31. ſometimes, Hell of the damned, Pſal. 86.13. Deut. 32.22. Pſ. 9.17. The ſumme is, Pulls and ſtraights of miſchief ſo great, as ſeem to threaten me with Death: In a word, ſo called; Firſt, Either by ſimilitude, like, or proportioned to them. Secondly, Effective, ſuch as threaten me with Death, and the Grave; Deadly, Helliſh are the pains and torments I feel.
Found me; See Gen. 44.34. Now ſo calls he the perils he was in from Saul, and other perſecuters, by Metonymie of the effect; ſorrows for perills, becauſe they wrought in him ſuch Deadly, and Helliſh ſorrow, as in the end of the Verſe.
Obſerv.But ſo ſee what ſtraights of trouble, what perplexed ſorrows, and inextricable pulls Gods deareſt Saints are ſometimes plung'd into, ſee 2 Kings 19.3. Children come to birth, and there is no ſtrength to bring forth; his whole Church ſee in like ſtraights, Exod. 14.10, 13. Three children, Dan. 3.21. Daniel himſelf, Dan. 6.16. ſee Pſal. 88.3.
What Reaſons? See Deut. 8.2. There was a nearer cut into Canaan then by the wilderneſſe; and ſuch as wherein they ſhould not have fallen upon ſo many exigents, Red ſea, Famine, Thirſt, &c. Why that way? Pſal. 10.4, 5, 6. the ungodly is ſo proud, he cares not for God, neither is God in all his thoughts; eſpecially when all things are proſperous, then flouriſheth this pride: That curſed nature we have all in us, except by grace, and gracious means, it be reſtrained, or reformed: Marry when extremity of pain, and perill comes, as David notes of the Iſraelites, Pſal. 78.34. and as it is noted alſo of Manaſseh, 2 Chron. 33.12, 13. then they ſought God; ſhortly then, it was to pull down their pride, and to drive them to their God in true devotion. Secondly, To prove what is in their hearts, as it is ſaid of Ioſeph, that the word of the Lord*Pſal. 105.19. tryed him; the baſeſt Perſian will be a*Heſt 8.17. Jew to enjoy their privileges: and I doubt not, but there are ſome who endure ſome fight of afflictions, but when it comes to matter of exigent, and extremity, ye then ſee them to flie off from God, and ſay, it is*Mal. 3.14, 15. vain to ſerve him. Thirdly, To glorifie his power, and mercy, and grace in their deliverance, or ſuſtentation, 2 Cor. 12.9. to ſee a creature ſo frail, with conſtancie to endure fire, frying, ſawing aſunder, Heb. 11.37. lie long as Lawrence and yet inſulting over the fury of Tyrants, and daring them to do their worſt; who can but ſay, Digitus Dei eſt hic, The finger of*See Exo. 14.13 God is here, and none but his? Fourthly, To teach us, ſaith*2 Cor. 1.8, 9. Paul, not to truſt in our ſelves, but in the living God; How loth is nature, how hard is it in grace, not to*Pro. 3.5. leave a little to our own wiſdome and power? that oft, till all other hold-faſts fail us, we forget to caſt our care upon God, or to relie upon him. The Lord to beat us off from theſe, ſometimes permits unto extremities.
Take heed how ye condemn broken reeds, Ʋse men of God in ſincerity for this; becauſe God writes*Iob 13.26. bitter things againſt them, leſt ye condemn the generation of the juſt; yet ſo did the wicked in Davids time, Pſal. 22.8. and Pſal. 71.11. You muſt Know: Firſt, That Gods love is not known by *Eccles. 9.1.outward things. Secondly, And what think you of our Saviour, A man of*Iſa. 53.3. ſorrows, and extremities, and who ſaw as many exigents as any? Yet of him proclaims the Father from heaven, He is my *Mat. 3.17.beloved Sonne, in him I am well pleaſed.
But, Secondly, is it not ſtrange, Gods children ſhould ſo judge of themſelves on this occaſion? Certainly it is true, what cenſure they would tremble to paſſe on others in like caſe, they ſpare not oft to paſſe on themſelves. Of all paſſages in the ſtory of Iob, that one thing wonders me; that with all the pleading of his friends, whereby they labour to prove him hypocrite, yet ſtill he maintains, not that he was without ſinne, but void of groſſe hypocriſie. Thirdly, Think not when thou comeſt to Gods ſervice, and haſt for Gods cauſe forſaken the world, as*Iudg. 17.13. Micah, therefore God muſt now bleſſe thee in outward things, eſpecially whileſt preciſely thou keepeſt this way. Firſt, Where is thy promiſe abſolute, and unlimited? I dare ſay, thou canſt not alledge one. Secondly, Haſt thou a privilege above all Gods ſervants? or hath God, or will he for thy ſake make another way then by the Croſſe? Act. 14.22. I know God is pleaſed to reſpect our infirmities, yet without ſome afflictions, and perhaps exigents, canſt thou hope to enter Gods kingdome? or think thou walkeſt with a right foot to the Goſpel? ſee 2 Tim. 3.12. Thirdly, Haſt thou not learnt, that God hath to this end ſanctified afflictions, to wean thee from the earth? or art thou ignorant of the ſinne, that hangs ſo faſt, and preſſeth down ſo ſore? Heb. 12.1. Knoweſt thou neither the ſtubbornneſſe of thy Nature, nor thy ſtrong propenſions to evill? Certainly it is true, there are of Gods own, many, whom rods amend not, they muſt be ſcourges, yea ſcorpions, as Rehoboams.
I found trouble and ſorrow. The word ſignifies ſuch ſorrows as are uſually joyned with*Iſa. 35.10. and 51.11. ſighing; it ſhould ſeem then Gods Saints are ſenſible of their afflictions, and they pierce them oft with ſorrows inexplicable; I ſpeak not onelyonly of thoſe, which come as chaſtiſements, but ſuch alſo as come as trialls: Hezekiah *Iſa. 38.3.weeps ſore, David makes his bed to*Pſal. 6.4, 6. ſwimme, his ſoul is vexed, groans, cryes; in one place, he*Pſal. 38.8. roars for the very diſquietneſſe of his heart.
Reaſons are; Firſt, Though they have put on grace, yet they have not quite put off nature; ſtrong*Heb. 5.7. cryes, and tears, we read even of our Saviour; and of his ſoul, that it was*Mat. 26.38. ſorrowfull unto death; he fears, and mourns, yet without ſinne: The fear of death, and ſorrow is naturall, yea according to rectitude of Nature. Secondly, Though they know God cannot hate his children, yet they know, he may be, and is oft angry with his Saints: The Lord was angry with Moſes, with whom he ſpake as a man with his*Num. 22. See Deut. 3.14, 15, 16. friend; and whether our exigents come for tryall, or for chaſtiſement, Gods children cannot alwayes eaſily diſcern. Thirdly, There are infirmities incident to the beſt Saints; Iobs *Iob 6.11.fear I confeſſe a little diſtruſtfull, in regard of Gods promiſe, 1 Cor. 10.13. yet ſuch blaſts, or blooms of diſtruſt, doth ſenſe of naturall infirmity oft caſt upon us. Fourthly, Oft times in afflictions extreme, Satan, ſhall I ſay, or Conſcience, preſents to our*Gen. 4.21. remembrance our ſinnes; and then if affliction be gall, and*Iob 13.26. wormwood, even unto Saints, who can wonder? Ʋse Chriſtianity is not Stoicall, much leſſe ſtockiſh: if there be grace, ſenſible it is above the ordinary rate even of a frown of the Almighty; but his word, his threat makes to tremble, the leaſt noiſe of wrath, makes them to melt, as*2 Kings 22.19. Ioſiah: There is ſomething like patience, that is not ſo, we call it ſtupidity, Ier. 5.3. thou haſt ſmitten, but they have not ſorrowed, Pro. 23.35. It is ſaid of Iob, in all this he did not ſinne with his mouth, neither charged God*Iob 1.22. fooliſhly, but who doubts but the loſſe of ſo many children pierced him as a father? except perhaps we think grace makes us foreign, without naturall affection; which Paul taxeth amongſt ſinnes that accompanied a*Rom. 1.31. reprobate minde.
Two faults, or errours, come here to be reproved. Firſt, Of them that when Gods hand is on them by loſſe of things deareſt, pleaſe themſelves in this, that they are not moved with their affliction, they feel not the ſmart of Gods viſitation; and herein they pride themſelves, as if they exceeded Iob himſelf in meaſure of patience; as if a man that had a mortified member ſhould think it his fortitude, that without ſenſe of ſmart, he endures the cutting, or ſearing of it; Nay, fear rather, leſt it be ſtupid; of ſuch patience he ſaid well, who ſaid, it was Virtus Aſinina. Secondly, There are another ſort of people, that when they ſee in any man mourning, or ſorrow, though never ſo moderate, preſently begin to condemn of impatience, or to perſwade to patience: in loſſe of friends or children, monitions in this kinde, to keep a mean in mourning, I blame not; howbeit, I finde never any Prophet, or Apoſtle, condemning mourning, no nor lamentation, ſee 1 Theſ. 4.13. and ſee Ieremiah *2 Cor. 35.25.lamenting the fall of Ioſiah.