Meditation on Mans Mortality, Verse 8
VERS. 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee; our secret sinnes in the light of thy countenance.
THat wrath of God from which proceeds mortalitie, and all the troubles and calamities and alterations of this life that attend vponupon the same, is set forth here; 1. By the cause, 2. By the greatnesse of it.
The cause is the remembrance of our sinnes not knowne onelyonly but secret.
Whence we learne, that
1. It is sin, that first kindled that fire of GODS wrath, whereby we are consumed on this wise. God is not angry with his creatures for nothing. But there is a just cause of that wrath of God, from whence proceedes the mortalitie of mankinde. Yea, the greater and more infinitely wise the Maiestie of God is, the greater must that cause bee that prouoketh him to wrath. Its weaknesse to be prouoked with a small matter: Weaknesse nor no propertie of weaknesse can befall the Almightie God. Sinne therefore, whatsoeuer it is, can be no small matter, no trifle, that prouokes the infinite Maiestie of God to wrath, and to such a wrath as hath such deadly effects.
The use of this then is.
When we see any signes of Gods displeasure in the world; (as which way almost can wee turne our eyes but we see it? even the very prints of death, how his footing is in eueryevery Towne, yea, in eueryevery House?) presently to thinke of sinne, and the greatnesse thereof, and to make it a meanes to make vsus hauehave it in great detestation, in whom soever it is.
2. It is our sinnes that hauehave prouoked God to this wrath. It was not the sinne of Angells, that made God thus angry with mankinde: Nor the sinne of any particular persons that made him angry with them all. But it is our owne sins, that hauehave done this: All of us, eueryevery mothers sonne hauehave our parts, and hauehave joyned hands in prouoking the Lord to bring this universall mortalitie vponupon the world:
The true use therefore, that we are to make of this, Is not so much to thinke of sin in generall, or of this or that bodies sinne, when wee see the generall judgements of God; but to see and looke after our owne sinnes, wherein we hauehave trespassed against God, and broken his Law; and not rest till we hauehave found them out. Especially when the Lord by any speciall judgment shall come neerest vntounto vsus; (As the Lord hath lately to this family:) If we hereupon doe not make a speciall inquisition after our sinnes, and so by Repentance make our peace with God, wee hauehave cause even eueryevery one of vsus to feare a greater stroke, though this hath made many of our hearts to ake.
3. They are not onelyonly our greater sinnes, that hauehave prouoked God; but all our sinnes, great and small; not our publicke onelyonly, and knowne sins, but our speciall and hidden ones; eueryevery one of them hath his part herein. And if wee will not hauehave this wrath of God to pursue vsus eternally, we must learne hence, not onelyonly to hate and forsake our greater sinnes, and to repent of those that are great and notorious, but even of our smaller sins, of our lighter vanities also. Yea, herein we should not content our selues with leauing those sinnes which other and our selues knowe to bee sinnes; but we should seeke after our secret and hidden sins, whither there be not some sinnes in vsus that we nourish in our selues, and know not to be sins. And to this end, we should diligently search into the Law of God, and not be at rest till wee hauehave taken notice of them: and giuegive no leaue of continuance to any the least sinne, but hate and forsake all.
4. That all our sins are present before GOD. Our great, our small, our knowne, our secret sins, they are all in his presence, they are before his eyes, he knowes them, he sees, and beholds them. This should make vsus the more afraid & ashamed to sinne; because there is no sinne how secret soever, but we doe it in the face of God, he looking on. A seruant that hath any grace or louelove in him, whatsoeuer he may do behind his masters backe, yet he will not doe that before his Masters face which may prouoke and displease him; many things he doth priuately, that if he thought they would come to his Masters knowledge, he would not doe them: But there is no sinne ever so secret, though committed in our Closet, yea, though in our owne breasts onelyonly, but he knows it, and sees it, and beholds the committing of it.
Further, this noteth the hay nousnesse of all sin. For those trespasses that are committed before the face of a Gouernour, are accounted contempts. So is eueryevery sinne committed; it is committed in the eare and eye of God: and is therefore the more grieuous and odious.
5. God needs no other light to discerne our sinnes by, but the light of his owne face. It peirceth through the darkest places: the brightnesse thereof enlightneth all things, discouers all things. So that the sins that are committed in deepest darknes, are all one to him as if they were done in the face of the Sunne. For they are done in his face, that shines more, and from which proceeds more light then from the face of the Sunne. So that this, it ought to make vsus the more feareful to offend, Hee sees vsus when we see not him, and the light of his countenance shines about vsus, when we thinke our selues hidden in darkenesse.
6. They are not onelyonly then in his sight when they are a committing, and whilst the deed is doing; but euer after, when the act is past and gone, and forgotten, yet then is it before the face of God, even as if it were in committing: And how should this make vsus afraid to sinne? When our sinnes are not onelyonly in his sight while they are a committing, but so continue still for euer after they are past and done.
7. Gods sets our sins before him; this shewes he is so affected with them, hee takes them so to heart, that he doth in a speciall manner continue the remembrance of them. As those that hauing had great wrong, will store it vp, or register it, or keepe some remembrance of it or other, least they should forget, when time shall serue, to bee quit with those that hauehave wronged them; so doth God, and his so-doing is a signe, that he takes our sins deeply to heart; which should teach vsus to feare the more how we offend him. When God in any judgement of death, or sicknesse, or losse of friends shewes his wrath, wee should thinke and meditate of this; especially when he comes neerest vsus, Now the Lord lookes vponupon my sinnes; they are now before him; and wee should neuer rest till wee had by repentance moued him to blot them out. Yea, to this end we should our selues call them to remembrance. For the more we remember them, the more God forgets them: the more wee forget them, the more God remembers them; the more we looke vponupon our selues, the more he turneth his eyes from them.
And this also we are to manifest and acknowledge, as here Moses doth vntounto God himselfe by Prayer.