Sermon Upon the Wonderful Deliverance by His Majesty from Assassination, Part 1
I. I will endeavour to shew the way of watchful Providence in keeping Israel from the secret machinations formed against her by her Enemies.
The Psalmist informs us, Ps. III.2. That the works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein; and why should not our souls have pleasure in them, when we have so great an interest in him? if Providence saves us, it will deserve our deepest study and consideration; A wise man, as the same Prophet instructs us, Psal. 107.43. will observe these things, and by a due observation of them, shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord in them. There's abundance of love at the bottom of all Gods Salvations, but we commonly skim off that only which floats aloft, and do not profound into the mysteries of them.
(1.) It's worthy our strictest observation, how the watchful eyes of Providence, see and discover the evil designed against Israel when 'tis far off, and at a great distance; when designed mischief is yet in its first causes, perhaps in the heart of the Devil, or peradventure in the hearts of his … instruments. Psal. 139.2. He knows mens hearts afar off. This piercing eye observes the intended wickedness in the conception, long before it be come to the birth; he sees the Cockatrice Egg before it be hatcht into a Serpent; he sees a single spark of mischief long before they can blow it up into fire and flame.
Psal. 7. 14. Behold he travelleth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falshood: A wretched case this is, which the enemies of Israels peace most sadly lament; that they should have painful conception, pain all the time of their going, and at last after all the pangs, throes of hopes and fear, to bring forth nothing but a lie. If hope deferred makes the heart sick, Prov. 13.12. surely hope defeated will make it die.
The method of all the contrivances of hell against Israel is this; first, there's a deep rooted malice, an inveterate enmity in the heart, in all the seed of the serpent against the seed of the woman, and all the spiritual seed of that seed. Secondly, This malice in the heart fumes up into the head, and sets it a working how, and by what means to execute that propense malice: these ways and means are at first rude and unshapen, an informed mass and lump, an undigested heap of devilish matter; till thirdly, frequent consults, deliberations of the most refined wits, with whatsoever assistance can be had from below, lick it into some shape, and give it a more distinct order and method; and there it lies till opportunity gives it maturity, and helps by a favourable juncture to abstetricate it into the world.
All this Providence observes, and defeats one of these two ways.
1. Sometimes Providence gives a miscarrying womb; that tho they have conceived, yet the Embryo shall never have life; or if so, yet it shall prove abortive, and the pregnant womb of Malice shall never go out its full time.
2. Or if Permissive Providence suffers them to bring forth, yet they shall never accomplish their projects; the Infant shall be starved at Nurse. And for this the Church by the mouth of the Prophet prays, Hosea 9. 14. Give them, O Lord, what wilt you give them? give them a miscarrying womb, and dry breasts.
(2.) Watchful and wise Providence narrowly observes how these machinations against him, and his anointed do proceed, how they go on, how advance, and ripen: and yet tho his eyes be open, his mouth is shut, and he keeps silence; their Chariot Wheels run smoothly on, and God takes them not off; and this silence of Providence they interpret into consent, and conclude that God is heartily with them, because he is not declaredly against them, Psal. 50. 21. I kept silence, and thou thoughtest I was such a one as thy self.
Now tho it be not justifiable in humane Counsels, to suffer the enemies plots to rise too high, their designs to grow too ripe, and ready for execution, lest they should grow too unruly for their management, and not be able to bring 'em down again when they would, but rather to nip them in the …ud or flower, or however whilst the fruit is green. As the Physitian would run a dangerous risque both of his own credit, and Patient's life, that should extenuate and emaciate his body, upon a presumption that he can repair Nature, and restore the habit of the body when he pleases: tho I say this be not advisable in humane Politicks, and some great Statesmen have been severely censured for suffering Conspirators to go too great a length; yet is all this otherwise with the great keeper of Israel. He can sail the Ship within a Hairs breadth of a Rock and yet never strike, nor split; he can permit the Sword to be set at Isaac's throat, and in a moment stop the blow. Tho Providence suffers the enemies of his Church to play with their Conspiracies, whilst he plays with them, and at last baffles and fools them.
1. Providence suffers the conspiring enemies of his Church to play and please themselves with their own designs; he sees them admire the well concerted frame of their Plots, and hug themselves in the wit of the contrivance, the secrecy of carrying it on, the vast hopes of the success, the wondrous felicity of their hopes when enjoyed, Psal. 36.2. He flatters himself in his own eyes, till his iniquity be found to be hateful.
2. As they play with their own contrivances, Providence plays with them; diabolical policy is but the scorn and contempt of the divine Wisdom. Psal. 2.4. whilst they are imagining a vain thing, setting themselves, and consulting against the Lord, and his Christ, he that sits in heaven doth laugh; the Lord has them and their devices in derision. O happy that Person, that Cause, that Interest, upon whom the Lord shall graciously smile. O wretched those persons that cause that Interest at whom God laughs.
There was once a project set on foot, which whether it had more of seeming glory or real solly in it, is a great question, I mean that of the builders of Babel, Gen. 11. 4. Go to! let us build us a City, and a Tower whose top may reach to heaven, and let us make us a name, &c. God from his throne sees, observes all the progress they make in it: at last, v. 6. takes notice; This they begin to do, and now nothing will be restrain from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to! let us go down and confound their language! So that the whole of all these conspiracies and designs issue out in this, whether Men shall have their wills, or God shall have his: It's come to a tryal of skill, whether mens policies shall defeat Gods promises, or his wisdom confound their counsels; Jer. 44. 28. Whose words shall stand mine or theirs. Their word and sentence is, Israel shall be destroyed; Gods word and promise is, Israel shall be saved. The only point in issue is, whether Gods faithfulness shall prevail over their falshood, or their policies against the divine wisdom, truth, and mercy; and Solomon has foreseen and foretold what will certainly be the event of all, Prov 19. 21. There are many devices in a mans heart, but the counsel of the Lord that shall stand.
(3.) The watchful eye of Providence observes not only the length the enemies have gone, but what length it's meet and convenient to suffer them to go; and herein the divine wisdom is no less admirable than it is various.
1. Sometimes he permits them to come to the Critical juncture which they have fixt and concerted in their deep Cabals, just to the execution of their Plot, and then when hope and expectation is rais'd to the highest pitch, he steps in with his saving right hand.
He has suffered Israel to sink very low, but never so low but he was able to recover her, Deut. 33. 27. The eternal God is thy Refuge, and underneath are the everlasting Arms. Nor does he ever suffer the rage and wrath of enemies to rise so high, but still his infinite power is above them, Eccles. 5. 8. He that is higher than the highest, regardeth, and there be higher than they.
There is a period which the divine wisdomh as fixt to all the unruly ungovernable creatures in the world: These barrs he has prescrib'd to the raging waves of the Sea, Job 38. 11. Thus far shalt thou come, but no further; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed. Such limits he sets to the more outrageous rage of proud Tyrants, Isa. 37.29. Because thy Rage and thy Tumult against me is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook into thy nose, and my bridle into thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way which thou camest.
Pharaoh concluded he had got Israel into a snare, out of which no humane wisdom could extricate her, and as for divine wisdom he was secure: Thus he promises himself, Exod. 15. 9. I will pursue, I will overtake: (And this length Divine Providence lets him go) but when he threatens, I will divide the spoyl, my lust shall be satisfied upon them. I will draw my sword, and my hand shall destroy them. He quickly found he had reckoned without God, for now appears foreign, now God is seen in the Mount, and the extremity of the enemies hope, and of his peoples fear, is the opportunity of heaven to deliver.
God often suffers such a measure of humane, or inhumane wrath to break out, as will praise him, but that remainder of wrath which cannot praise him, he will restrain, Psal. 76.10.
2. At sometimes divine wisdom permits the counsels of his, and Israels enemies, to succeed and take effect, gratifies their malice so far, that they put their designs in execution; and it was a great length which he allowed the ever bloody Papists in Ireland, with their more subtile Consederates in England to proceed, when by the greatest variety of torments they cut off two hundred thousand innocent persons; but yet they reached not their utmost length.
It's not individuals, not single persons, that will glut their fury; Antichrist flies at higher game; 'tis the rooting out the name of Protestants, and destroying their remembrance from the earth, that is his quarry: 'Tis the extirpating the NorthernHeresy, which is the Eye-sore of that envious one; you shall read the whole of the Plot in Psal. 83.3, 4. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones; Come, say the… let us cut them off from being a Nation, that the name of Israel may be no more had in remembrance. Nothing less than total and final extirpation can satiate their thirst of blood; but here the Providence of God steps in, supersedes their conspiracies, and makes them rage in their disappointments.
And a watchful faithful God may he securely trusted to take his own time for the defeating of their counsels.
(4.) Providence is righteous as it is vigilant; he knows how to make all. their Engines recoil upon the heads of the Engineers. He delights to take the sly Fowlers foot in his own snare, and bring down their own violent dealing upon their own proud and projecting pates. As we reckon him the most acute Disputant that does not only answer the argument, but retorts it upon him that offers it; and him the most skilful man at his weapon, that cannot only put by a home thrust, but disarm his enemy, and wound him with his own Sword: Thus has God magnified his wisdom, in making his enemies plot against their own lives, and studiously overthrow their own quiet and peace.
Thus Goliah's Head was cut off with his own Sword; and the story is as famous as true of Alexander the VI. who inviting his Cardinals to a Feast, and ordering Poyson to be mixed with their Wine, while his own was free, by a fatal mistake of his Cupbearer was poysoned himself, with his Son Caesar Borgia; by a mistake I say of the Cupbearer, but none in the wise and righteous direction of Providence, which made him a felo de se, a selfdestroyer, who only designed single murder.
God is known by all his judgments, but these especially signalize at once his wisdom and his justice; when he dooms sinners to execution, and makes them their own Executioners.
This was that subject amongst many others which the Psalmist judged worthy of our most serious meditation, Psal. 9.15, 16. The heathen is sunk down in the pit which they made; for in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth, the wicked is snared in the works of his own hand, Higgaion, Selah; which last words, as Junius thinks, import, Res summi meditanda! A matter that deserves our most serious consideration, that we should lodge it in our memories, treasure it in our hearts, express a holy sense of it in a suitable conversation; and never to question, whether God can send instruments to execute his purposes of Grace and Mercy, when he can make his enemies to execute his sentence upon themselves.
The same Theme he cultivates in Psal. 7.15, 16. He made a pit and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch that he made; Strange Providence! To be buried in the grave he digg'd for another; and like Haman to be hang'd upon the Gallows which he had erected for Mordecai: v. 16. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing upon his own pate.
God has threatned of old and fulfilled it of late, Zach. 12.3. In that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensom stone for all people. All that burden themselves with it, shall be cut in pieces, tho all the people of the earth be gathered against it. The interest of a Redeemer, his Church and Gospel hath been a stone of stumbling, a rock of offence in the way of enemies; they have been heaving, lifting with all their strength and engines to roll it away, and when they have hoped they were just turning it over, we know not how, but it has come upon them with the greater swinge; and when some have been broken by falling on it, others on whom it has fallen have been grownd to powder.