The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 6 · Query 4
4. Quere.
4 VVhen is the time which God takes to do theſe wonders for his Church?
1 VVhen God ſhall get himſelf moſt glory of the enemies of his Church and People: Then is the time God takes to do wonders.
If God had diſappointed Haman, at the beginning of his deſign, hee might thereby have delivered his Church: but hee had not then gotten ſo much glory out of him; and therefore hee ſuffers him to go on with his deſign, and bring it up to ripeneſs, that now it is ready to bee put in execution: and then God ſtepping in, in a wonderful and unexpected way, hee got himſelf a great deal of glory upon him.
Therefore doth God oftentimes ſtay till the enemies bee ripe, till they have digged graves to bury themſelves in; twiſted cords to binde themſelves withall: that thereby their confuſion might be greater, and Gods glory more viſible.
2 VVhen God ſhall get moſt praiſe from his …wn people. God is very deſirous of the praiſes of his Saints. As hee doth Bathe himſelf in their tears, ſo hee doth delight himſelf in their joyes. Hee loves to hear their Praiſes, as well as their Prayers.
And you know the greater the ſtraits out of which God doth help and deliver, the more are the hearts of the Saints inlarged with praiſes to him. And therefore God doth take ſuch a time for the declaration of his deliverances, as thereby the hearts of his People may bee mightily inlarged and affected with the mercy.
3 When God can do the Church moſt good, and work the compleateſt deliverance for them: Then is the time for God to do wonders for his Church.
You ſee this in the ſtory of Pharaoh. God could have wrought a deliverance for them, had hee but unwheel'd his Charets, as ſoon as hee came out of Egypt. But it had not then been ſo compleat a deliverance as they afterward had.
Though God had delivered them from that preſent trouble, yet their enemies had been alive, and they ſhould have heard of them again. And therefore God he lets them go on, and follow them unto, nay into the Red-ſea, and then to work a compleat deliverance for them, he ſhews a wonder upon them.
The like you have, Mich. 4.11, 12, 13. Many Nations are gathered together againſt thee, who ſay, let her bee defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, nor underſtand they his Counſell: for hee ſhall gather them as ſheaves into the floor. Ariſe and threſh, O Daughter of Zion: for I will make thy horns iron, and thy hoofs braſſe, and thou ſhalt break in peeces, many people: and I will conſecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their ſubſtance unto the Lord of the whole earth.
Where obſerve, God ſuffers Nations, and many Nations to gather themſelves together againſt Sion. And why did God do ſo? certainly they thought they ſhould have the day of Zion: and ſo they ſay, Let her bee defiled, let our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, they underſtand not the Counſell of God. For God ſuffers them to gather themſelves together, but for this end, For the compleater ruine of the enemys, and by that, for the compleater deliverance of the Church. So it follows, They know not the thoughts of the Lord: for he ſhall gather them. They gather themſelves together; and yet ſaith the Text, God gathers them: They gathered themſelves to ruine the Church: and God gathers them, to ruine themſelves. Hee ſhall gather them as ſheaves into the floor, and the fuller the load, the more welcome to the Husbandman. And then Ariſe and threſh.
4. A fourth time, wherein God doth wonderful things for his Church; is,
When the enemyes of the Church are carried on with moſt rage, and promiſe themſelves moſt ſucceſs againſt the Church and people of God.
You ſee that in the verſes before the Text, 9, 10. when the enemy ſaid in his heart, I will purſue, I wil overtake, I will divide the ſpoil, my luſt ſhall bee ſatisfied on them; I will draw my ſword, my hand ſhall deſtroy them. — Here they expreſt their fury and rage, and promiſt themſelves good ſucceſſe in all.
And this was the time for God to do Wonders, you ſee in the next verſ. Thou didſt blow with thy wind, the Sea covered them, they ſank as lead in the mighty waters.
It was ſo in the Powder-Plot: A Plot never to bee forgotten. When they had intended to have blown up, King, People, Nobles, Commons, Senators, Senate, Laws, and Law-makers; nay, three kingdomes at a blaſt: They could have buried all in one grave, and conſumed all in one Bonefire. Here was their rage, their fury. And did they not alſo promiſe to themſelves as good ſucceſſe in their way? Had they not then in their purpoſes diſpoſed of Crown and kingdom, and all the Chief Offices, and Revenues in the Land?— And now was the time for God to ſhew a wonder for the deliverance of his Church, which you know he did. A wonder of wiſdome in the diſcovery of the Plot, and a wonder of mercy, in diſappointing of it.
5. When Gods People are brought low, when all humane helps fail; when the Arme of fleſh is weak, when the ſtream of ſecond Cauſes is dry. Then is Gods time to ſhew a wonder for their releif; when wee cannot be releeved without a wonder; then God works wonders for our relief.
You ſee this Deut. 32.35, 36. The Lord ſhall judge his People, and repent himſelf concerning his ſervants: when hee ſeeth, that their power is gone, and there is none ſhut up, nor left.
When Iſrael was brought to thoſe ſtraits, the Red-ſea before them, the Egyptians behind them, and mountains on each ſide them: then ſaith Moſes, fear not, ſtand ſtill, and ſee the ſalvation of the Lord, Exod. 14.13. As if he had ſaid; you are now in ſtraits: your extremities are great: and now is the time for God to help: now is Gods time to do wonders for you. There are two times,
1. Mans Time.
2. Gods Time.
Mans time is, when ever wee are in need, when ever we are in trouble: but Gods time is, only when all helps fail; when no releif is in the arm of fleſh, then all is in God.
God is ever ready to put forth himſelf in deſperate caſes, becauſe then his mercy and power will bee moſt conſpicuous, his People moſt thankfull, and deliverance moſt glorious.
It is an old experienced Truth, Mans extremity is Gods opportunity. The depth of Mans miſery calls in for the depth of Gods mercy.
It may bee obſerved in all Eccleſiaſtical Hiſtories, that when deliverance approached, then was perſecution the hot reſt. The Scribes and Phariſees blaſphemed moſt, when their Kingdome was neereſt to ruine. In this, like the Devil, who roars moſt, when his time is ſhorteſt.
The greateſt darkneſſe is before the morning watch; when the morning is darkeſt, then comes the day, when trouble is greateſt, then comes deliverance.
You know, when the task of bricks was doubled, then was Moſes ſent to deliver.
The Ancient Tragedians, when things were brought to that ſtrait, that there could bee no poſſibility of humane help imagined, they uſed to bring down ſome of their Gods out of the Clouds, and thence was the phraiſe foreign, which was not much differing from that among the Jews— In the mount of the Lord it ſhall be ſeen.
Gods promiſes are never neerer fulfilling, than when to ſenſe and reaſon they ſeem furtheſt off from fulfilling. This was Abrahams caſe, when at Gods command hee was about to ſacrifice his Iſaca.
6. The time when God doth wonders for his Church, is,
When God doth give and hold up a mighty ſpirit of Prayer in his People to ſeek.
You ſee this in the deliverance of the Church out of the Babyloniſh captivity. In which deliverance God expreſſed many wonders of mercy to his Church. At which time God raiſed up A mighty Spirit of Prayer in them to ſeek. As you ſee in Dan. 9.2, 3. And this was propheſyed in Pſal. 102.13, 14, 15, 16, 17. Thou ſhalt ariſe, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, the ſet time is come. Why? how ſhall wee know, that Now is the time? hee ſhews in the 14th verſe. For thy Servants take pleaſure in the ſtones, and favour the duſt thereof; that is, they mourn, and they Pray. And therefore it is time for thee to help and deliver, as you ſee in the 17th verſ. Thou ſhalt regard the Prayer of the deſolate, and not deſpiſe their Prayer.
As when the Lord hath an intent to deſtroy a People, he doth either expreſly charge them, not to pray for them, as hee did Jeremy. chap. 14.11. Pray thou not for this people; and chap. 7.16. Pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry, nor Prayer for them, neither make interceſſion to mee: For I will not hear thee.
Or hee doth ſecretly dead and ſtraiten their ſpirits, that they cannot Pray.
So, when hee doth ſtirre up the hearts of his People to ſeek him; It is an evident demonſtration, that God will do great things for that People.
Hee hath told us, that Hee will not forſake them that ſeek him; when the eyes and hearts of Gods People are big with ſorrow, then is Gods mercy big with deliverance, ready to be delivered.
Wicked men have a meaſure of ſin to fill; as God ſaid of the Amorites. The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And Chriſt to the Scribes and Phariſees. Fill you up the meaſure of your Fathers, Mat. 23.22.
When the Harveſt is ripe; then will God put in his Sickle, Joel 3.13. put in the Sickle, for the Harveſt is ripe; for the wickedneſs is great.
In a word. God hath a bag for the ſins of the wicked, Job 14.17. And God hath a bottle for the tears of his ſervants, Pſal. 56.8. Hee bags up ſins; and hee bottles up tears. And when once his bag is full of the tranſgreſſions of the wicked: and his bottle is full of the tears of the Saints: Then ſhall ſalvation come to Zion; then will God stir up himſelf, for the relieving and ſuccouring of his Church.
When wicked men are ripe for Deſtruction, the Church ripe for Deliverance, then will God perform his whole work upon Zion, and will puniſh the fruit of the proud Doer.
7. When the glory of God is mightily concerned. His worſhip, his Truth, his Cauſe; Then is the time, God will do wonders. Though God will not do it for us; yet hee will do it for his own Names ſake. Hee will not ſuffer his glory to bee polluted.
And this was the Argument Joſhua had, Joſh. 7.8, 9. When Iſrael had ſinned, and God had delivered them up to their enemies, hee pleads with God. Lord, what will become of thy great Name! Though Iſrael deſerve not that thou ſhouldeſt ſtand out for them; yet let not thy glory ſuffer for their ſin; but let thy Name, which is ſo much concerned, draw thee out to relieve and help.
The like you have, Iſa. 48.9, 10, 11. For my Names ſake I will defer my anger; and for my praiſe will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. For my own ſake, even for my own ſake will I do it: For how ſhould my Name bee polluted? And I will not give my glory to another, 2 King. 18.35. Who are there among the Gods of the Countries, that have delivered their Country out of my hand, that the Lord ſhould deliver Jeruſalem out of my hand? Here you ſee now was Gods Glory concerned, and therefore to preſerve his own Glory, hee ſhews a wonder to help them.
And happy are they, whoſe deliverance is joyned with Gods Glory. Though God will not alway deliver for our ſake, yet will hee deliver for his Glory, for his own Name-ſake. As hee tells them in Ezek. 36.32. Not for your ſakes do I this, ſaith the Lord God, bee it known unto you; bee aſhamed and confounded for your own wayes, Oh houſe of Iſrael! But though hee would not do it for their ſ…kes; yet hee did it for his own ſake, even for the Glory of his own Mercy, as you ſee in that place.