The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 6
A TREATISE OF THE Wonderful VVorkings OF GOD FOR HIS Church and People.
EXODUS 15.11.
Who is like unto thee, O Lord, amongſt the Gods! who is like thee, glorious in Holineſs! fearful in Praiſes! — Doing wonders!
WHen troubles are threatned, God doth charge us with two things, and undertakes to diſcharge us of all the reſt.
1. The firſt thing in Gods charge is Faith, Pſal. 55.22. Caſt thy burden upon the Lord, The burden of fears, of cares, of troubles; There is the charge; and the diſcharge followes: Hee ſhall ſuſtain thee.
2. The ſecond thing God doth charge us withall is Prayer, Pſal. 50.15. Call upon mee. But if you will take the charge and the diſcharge together. See Phil. 4.6. Bee careful for nothing. There is the diſcharge — But in all things make your requeſt known to God. There is the charge.
And there are two things which God doth charge us withall, when our fears are blown over, and they are
1. Thankfulneſs.
2. Obedience.
The former you may read, Pſal. 50.15.
The latter, 1 Sam. 12.24. And this hath been the practice of the Saints, when calamities and troubles hath been either felt or feared; they have betaken themſelves to thoſe weapons to incounter them with,
Faith and
Prayer.
You ſee in Heſlers time. And when God hath beſtowed deliverance, then they have betaken themſelves to Praiſes. You ſee in the ſame ſtory of Eſther, the Primitive Chriſtians had their Stationary-daies, their daies of Prayer, wherein they aſſembled themſelves together for the removal of the Churches preſſures lying upon them.
And no doubt, but they had their Solemn Feaſts, and times of Praiſes, when God had wrought his deliverances.
The want of Mercy ſends us to Prayer; the injoyment of Mercy ſends us to Praiſes.
But what need wee ſeek further for an inſtance? you ſee here it was the practiſe of Moſes.
The former Chapter tells you of his Dangers and Fears: The Egyptians purſued him, verſ. 8, 9, 10. Together with Moſes behaviour and demeanour, in theſe ſtraits, verſ. 13, 14, 15.
Where firſt you ſee his Faith, verſ. 13, 14. And the 15th. verſe implies his Prayer. Though wee read of none expreſſed, yet there is one implied. The Lord ſaid unto Moſes, wherefore cryeſt thou unto mee? ſpeak unto the Children of Iſrael, that they go forward. By which is implied, that Moſes his ſpirit did mightily wreſtle with God in Prayer, although wee read not of any words hee there uttered.
And in this Chapter you may read of his praiſes for that great deliverance which God had wrought for them. No ſooner was hee come to ſhoar, but hee ſingeth forth the praiſes of God, both for their own deliverance, and the enemies deſtruction.
So that theſe words that I have read unto you, they are a part of a Pſalm of Thankſgiving, for the glorious and wonderful deliverance of the Children of Iſrael from the hoſt of Pharaoh.
The ſumme of all you ſhall ſee in the 9, 10, 11. verſes, where you may read theſe three things,
1. Mans purpoſing.
2. Gods diſpoſing.
3. The Churches retribution.
1. Mans purpoſing, in verſ. 9. which was bloody enough.
1. The Enemy ſaid, I will purſue.
2. I will overtake.
3. I will divide the ſpoil.
4. My luſt ſhall be ſatisfied upon them.
5. I will draw my ſword.
6. My hand ſhall deſtroy them. Here was a bloody purpoſe, and all was done in their thoughts.
2 Wee have God diſpoſing in the next verſ. Thou didſt blow with thy wind: the ſea covered them: and they ſank as lead in the mighty waters. And then
3 Here is The Churches Retribution, ſet down in a way of Admiration of God excellencies; Who is like unto thee, O Lord among the Gods! Who is like unto thee, glorious in Holineſſe! fearful in Praiſes! Doing wonders!
Here is the Church Riding in Tryumph, in a majeſtick ſolemnity, admiring of God, and triumphing in him; as ſhe doth ſtill in all her ſongs of praiſes for Deliverances, See Judg. 5. and 1 Sam. 2. at the beginning, and moſt elegantly in Iſa. 25.9. Lo, this is our God: we have waited for him, and he will ſave us: This is the Lord, we have waited for him, and wee will bee glad, and rejoyce in his ſalvation.
Wee will hold you no longer in the Preface, that which I ſhall commend unto you, from the words, is this
Doct. The Wonderfull God, doth do wonderfull things, for his Church and people.
Hee doth not only do wonders ſimply: but great wonders, Pſal. 136.4. nay, mighty wonders, Dan. 4.3. Amazing, aſtoniſhing wonders, for his Church and people.
In the proſecution of this doctrin, wee will go through theſe five things. We will ſhew you,
1 The truth of it, That God doth do wonders.
2 The ground and reaſon, why God doth ſuch wonders.
3 What thoſe wonders are, which God doth.
4 When is the time, that God doth theſe wonders.
5 Whether God will do a wonder for us.