The Freeness of the Grace and Love of God, Sermon 6
SERMON VI.
MICAH. 6.9.
The Lords voice cryeth unto the City, and the man of Wiſdom ſhall ſee thy name, hear ye the rod and who hath appointed it.
MEthinks I ſee a great rod, ready to be layd upon the back of this Nation, and I would therefore at this time endeavour to inform you what the voice of this Rod is, and have to that end choſen this Scripture to ſpeak unto.
In this Chapter then you have Gods controverſy with his own people; ſet down at the end of the 2. verſe. For the Lord hath a controverſy with his people, and he will plead with Iſrael; And then he chargeth them with
Firſt, Unthankfulneſs for many years in the 3.4. & 5. verſes, O my people what have I done unto thee, and wherewith have have I done unto thee, and wherewith have I wearied thee, teſtifie againſt me, for I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, &c.
Secondly, He Chargeth them with formality, and ſhews them the evill of it, in the 6. and 7. verſes, Will the Lord be pleaſed with thouſands of rams, &c. And then
Thirthly, He pleades againſt them in the 8. verſe. He hath ſhewed thee O man what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do juſtice and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. And then
Fourthly, He ſeals up the Sentence in this verſe of my Text. The Lords voice cryeth unto the City, and the man of Wiſdom ſhall ſee thy name, hear ye the rod and who hath appointed it.
Wherein you have three things eſpecially remarkable.
Firſt, The people the Lords voice cryeth unto, and that is unto the City, the Lords voice cryeth unto the City.
Secondly, You have en exhortation to hear the voice of the Rod. Hear ye the rod and who hath appointed it.
Thirdly, You have an Argument to preſs you ſo to do; It is your wiſdom, the man of wiſdom ſhall ſee thy name. The Lords voice cryeth unto the City, that is unto Samaria, and Jeruſalem, the Chief Cities: And the man of wiſdom ſhall ſee thy name: The diſpenſations of God in the way of his mercy or Juſtice are his name: As a man is known by his name, ſo God is known by his diſpenſations, which though they be dark to the world, yet the man of wiſdom ſhall ſee them and diſcern them: Therefore hear ye the Rod, and who hath appointed it the Rod; that is the Rod of Correction, Now there is
Firſt, The Rod of power and dignity, He ſhall ſend his rod out of Zion.
Secondly, There is a rod of Diſcrimination: Ezek. 20.37. I will cauſe you to paſs under the Rod, and I will bring you under the bond of the Covenant.
Thirdly, There is the rod of direction: Thy rod and thy ſtaff they ſhall comfort me,
Fourthly, There is a rod of Government, both Eccleſiaſtical and civil: As for Eccleſiaſtical ſaith Paul, ſhall I come unto you with a rod, and as for civil, he that ſpareth the rod hateth the Child.
Fifthly, There is a rod of Deſtruction, thou ſhalt break them with a Rod of Iron, and daſh them to peices like a potters veſſel, Pſalm 2.9.
Now it is a rod of Correction that we are to underſtand here, from whence I take up this Obſervation.
That when God viſits the tranſgreſſions of his people with a rod, it is their beſt wiſdom to hear the rod, and who hath appointed it; It is their true Intereſt and beſt wiſdom ſo to do.
For the opening and cleering hereof, I ſhall ſpeak to theſe 4. or 5. Propoſitions.
Firſt, That God doth not ſteal upon a people with his Judgements, but he firſt warns them before he ſmites them.
Secondly, When God ſmites his own people, he deals with them in the way of rod.
Thirdly, That Gods Rod is a teaching Rod.
Fourthly, That the meſſage of the Rod is commonly ſent to the great Cities, and to the great Towns of a Nation or people.
Fifthly, when God ſmites his own people with the rod, it is their beſt wiſdom and their duty to hear the rod, and who hath appointed it,
Firſt, Though God conſumes a Nation at once, and deſtroys a Nation at once at laſt; Yet he ſtill doth, and will, warn a people before he deſtroys them, God will not ſteal upon a people with his Judgments, but he firſt warns them, before he conſumes them: he hath his murdering peices which he will diſcharg in due time, but he will firſt diſcharg his warning peices: And God doth ſometimes warn people by his word, and ſometime by his works and diſpenſations, Ezek. 33.2. Son of man ſpeak unto the Children of thy people and ſay unto them, if I bring a ſword upon the Land, &c. And at the 7. verſe he applies it. So ſaith he, Thou O Son of man I have ſet thee for a watchman, unto the houſe of Iſrael; therefore thou ſhall hear the word from my mouth, and warn them from me; would you know what this warning is, why it is a warning by the word,
Sometimes God warns his people by his works and diſpenſations, by his Judgements upon others, and by his Afflictions upon themſelves, he brings a leſſer Judgement to prevent a greater; it is with the works of God as it with his word: Now God doth ſometimes hew down men by the word, yea he hews them down by the Miniſtry of the word; there is a time when God will hew down ſinners by the Miniſtry of the word, and lays them upon the ground a drying (as I may ſay) for Hell, before they come there; Matt. 3. The tree that bringeth not forth fruit, is hewn down and caſt into the fire, Hoſea. 6.5. Therefore I have hewed them by the Prophets, I have ſlain them by the words of my mouth, &c. There is a time of hewing down, a time when God will hew men down by the miniſtry of the word, and as he doth thus by his word, ſo he doth the ſame alſo by his works and diſpenſations; and though God may, and can deſtroy a people at once, yet he will not ſieſe upon them before he warn them: that is the firſt proproſition.
Secondly, When God ſmites his own people he deals with them in the way of the Rod, though he puniſh others with Scorpious, yet ſaith he, for you that are in Covenant with me, if you ſin I will viſit your trangreſſions with a Rod: look what worldly Afflictions come upon the Saints they are ſtruck with the Rod; what greater afflictions do you read of, than what fell upon Job, why yet it was the ſtroke of the Rod, Job 9.34. Let him take away his Rod from me; when God deals with his people I ſay, he deals with them in the way of the Rod, and if you aſk the reaſon, why God uſes the rod with his own people, I anſwer,
Firſt, Becauſe they are his own Children, Heb. 12.7, 8. If you indure chaſtiſement God deals with you as with children, if you be without chaſtiſement you are baſtards and not Sons. I know no better Argument againſt the Church of Rome ſaith Luther, than this, that ſhe reigns without the Croſs. If two children are fighting together, and a man comes and parts them, and ſtrikes one of them, and not the other, you will preſently imagine that the Child which he ſtrikes is his own; and ſo if you ask why God uſeth the rod to his people, I anſwer, becauſe they are his own Children. And
Secondly, As they are Children, ſo he loves them, and he that ſpareth the Rod hateth the Child: Now God doth not hate his Children, for every ſon that he loveth he chaſtiſeth, God loves his children, and therefore he deals with them in the way of the Rod.
Thirdly, There is much folly bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of Correction bringeth it out ſaith Solomon, and therefore God doth ſometimes correct his people becauſe of their folly.
Why do School-Maſters uſe the Rod but only to make children learn their leſſons; if they would learn without, he would not uſe the Rod; and why doth God uſe the Rod with his people but to learn them their leſſons; for theſe reaſons therefore doth God uſe the rod with his people.
But you will ſay; doth not God uſe the Rod with the wicked too, do not they come under the rod as well as the righteous.
I anſwer: Solomon ſaith the Rod is for the back of the fool, and wicked men are called ſools in Scripture, God doth ſometimes chaſtiſe the Godly by the wicked, the wicked are the rod in Gods hand, and ſometimes again, God doth puniſh wicked men by the Saints, the Saints being the rod in Gods hand: Sometimes I ſay wicked men are the rod for the Godly: Iſaiah 10.5. O Aſſyrian the rod of mine anger, and the ſtaff of their hand is mine indignation. And ſometimes the Godly, are the Rod of God, in the hand of God, for puniſhing the wicked, Jer. 51.19, 20. The portion of Jacob is not like them, for he is the former of all things, and Iſrael is the rod of his inheritance, the Lord of Hoſts is his name: Thou art my battle Axe and weapons of War, for with thee will I break in peices the Nations, and with thee will I deſtroy Kingdoms. So I ſay, as the Lord whips the ſaints by the wicked, ſo he alſo laſhes the wicked by the Godly, they being the rod in the hand of the Lord.
But you will ſay, is there no difference between theſe two?
I anſwer yes, for 1. There is a whipping rod, a rod of correction, and there is alſo a breaking rod; a whipping rod for the Saints, and a breaking rod for the wicked. In the 2. Pſalm it is ſaid, Thou will rule them with a rod of Iron, and break them in pieces like a potters veſſel.
Secondly, Though God doth Afflict his own people with the rod, the wicked being the rod in Gods hand, yet he will caſt that rod into the ſire, when he hath done with it, but though he doth alſo puniſh the tranſgreſſions of the wicked by the righteous, they being the rod in Gods hand, yet will he not caſt that rod alſo into the fire upon that Account: the Saints may rejoyce when they ſee the wicked punſhed, becauſe they know that themſelves ſhall not be thrown into the fire, but the wicked have no cauſe to rejoyce when they ſee the Godly afflicted, becauſe they may be ſure, they themſelves ſhall be thrown into the fire, when they have done their work; The Child may laugh when he ſees the rod thrown into the fire, becauſe he knows he ſhall not be thrown in himſelf.
Thirdly, Though God doth viſit the tranſgreſſions of his people with a Rod, yet it is a Rod that Chaſtizeth in meaſure, as you may find Iſaiah 27.7, 8. Hath he ſmitten him, as he ſmote thoſe that ſmote him, or is he ſlain according to the ſlaughter of them that are ſlain by him? In meaſure when it ſhooteth forth thou wilt debate with it, he ſtayeth his rough wind, in the day of the Eaſt-wind: and ſo in Pſalm 89.31, 32. If his Children forſake my Law, then will I viſit their tranſgreſſions with a rod, and their iniquity with ſtripes: And ſo 2 Sam. 7.14. I will be his Father and he ſhall be my ſon, if he committ iniquity I will chaſtiſe him with the rod of men, and with the ſtripes of the children of men; So I ſay, though God chaſtiſe his own people with a rod, yet it is in meaſure, but the bones of the wicked ſhall be broken, it ſhall fall very heavy upon them.
Fourthly, Though God doth viſit the tranſgreſſions of his people with a rod, yet it is in ſeaſon, it is but what is very ſeaſonable, they are ſo cut and lopt, as that they may grow again, Proverb. 13.24. He that ſpareth the rod, hateth his ſon, but he that loveth him chaſtneth him betimes, or in the morning, that is, he doth it in ſeaſon; but now the wicked are ſo cut off, that they never grow more;
Fifthly, Though God viſiteth the tranſgreſſions of his people with a rod, yet his loving kindneſs he will never take away from them: If they ſin, ſaith God, I will viſit them with a rod, but my loving kindneſs I will not take away from them, Pſalm 89.33. But it is not ſo with the wicked.
Sixthly, Though God doth viſit the tranſgreſſions of his people with a rod, yet he will not ſuffer the rod to reſt upon their backs: if your Garments be dirty or duſty, you take a Rod or a wand, and beat out the duſt, but when it is out, you do not let the rod reſt upon the garment; ſo God cauſeth his rod to paſs upon his people, but when their dirt and filt is out and removed, he will take away the rod from off them, and will not ſuffer it to reſt upon their backs: So that you ſee there is a vaſt difference between the rod of the wicked and the rod of the Godly in theſe particulars; The rod of the wicked is a breaking rod: but the rod of the Godly is a correcting rod; The rod of the Godly is thrown into the fire, the rod of the wicked is not ſo; The rod of the godly is ſeaſonable, the rod of the wicked is not; the rod of the godly is in love, the rod of the wicked not ſo: And laſtly, God will not let the rod reſt upon the back of the righteous, but the rod of the wicked ſhall never be removed, and that is the ſecond propoſition.
Thirdly, Gods Rod is a teaching rod, when God ſmites his people he deals with them in the way of the rod, and that is a teaching Rod, it brings a meſſage with it, For the cleering of this I ſhall ſhew you,
Firſt, what thoſe leſſons are which the rod teacheth.
Secondly, How this Rod teacheth.
Firſt, If you ask what leſſons this rod teacheth: I anſwer in the General; the Rod teacheth the ſame Leſſon that the word teacheth, the rod teacheth no new Doctrine; but more particularly, the rod hath a leſſon for
The Converted, and for
The Unconverted,
Firſt, If you be unconverted, the rod calls upon you to turn to God: If a drunkard be ſick, the rod of ſickneſs ſayes, O Drunkard leave off thy Drunkenneſs, and turn to the Lord, this Leſſon the rod teacheth; and it taught the Jaylor, and Paul, and the Prodigal; when the rod of miſery and poverty was upon the Prodigall, why then ſaies he, I will return to my Father, for in my Fathers houſe is bread enough: Thus the rod teacheth the Unconverted to turn to the Lord; Art thou in thy ſins ſtill therefore, O poor ſinner, and haſt thou gone on a great while in thy ſins, and hath God warned thee often by his word to turn to him, and doth he now come upon thee with his rod? why this is all but to teach thee the ſame leſſon ſtill, though in another way, and the leſſon is, Hear and your ſouls ſhall live, but if you will not hear the whipping, the correcting rod you ſhall hear, and feel the breaking, and the deſtroying rod; this is the leſſon which the rod teacheth the Unconverted,
Secondly, If you be Converted,
Firſt, The rod calls upon you to mortifie your ſins more and more, Proverbs 20.30. The blueneſs of a wound cleanſeth away evil, ſo do ſtripes the inward parts of the belly, Iſaiah 27.9. By this ſhall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; by this, that is, by affliction, by the rod; if therefore you have neglected any duty, that you have performed heretofore, or ought to perform, the rod now calls upon you to do it now, Remember your firſt works and repent.
Secondly, If you be Converted, the rod calls upon you to prize thoſe common mercies which you have not valued heretofore; you have had peace but you have not prized it, now the rod of war ſhould teach you to prize it; you have had a quiet habitation, but you have not prized it, now the rod of Tumult calls upon you to prize your quiet habitation, and to be thankful for it; this is another leſſon which the rod teacheth.
Thirdly, If you be Converted, the rod calls upon you to honour your own graces, Rom. 5.3. Knowing that tribulation worketh patience, patience experience, experience hope, and hope maketh not aſhamed. You know how it is with a Countryman, that makes hay, the hay lies abroad, and he ſees a black cloud a coming, and he calls to his men to cock up and gather up the Hay; why look into the Nation, and ſee what a cloud is over us, this calls upon the people of God to gather up their Evidences: Here is a black cloud over us, O all ye people of God, gather up your evidences, that by the dark night of affliction, you may have light to read your own Graces; this is another leſſon the rod teacheth.
Fourthly, If you be Converted, the rod calls upon you to ſympathize with others in their Afflictions; by your own Afflictions you are called upon to compaſſionate others in their Afflictions.
Fifthly, and Laſtly, If you be converted, the rod calls upon you to provide for your great and laſt change: David underſtood this, and therefore he ſayes, Lord teach me ſo to number my dayes, that I may apply my heart to true wiſdom, Pſalm. 90.12.
Theſe are the leſſons, which the rod teacheth.
Secondly, If you would know further what the Rod teacheth; I anſwer Negatively:
Firſt, The Rod doth not teach you any ſkill or knowledge of its own, but the ſpirit of the Lord in the Rod that teacheth, Bleſſed is the man that thou chaſtneſt, and teacheſt him out of thy law, Pſalm 94.12. By the Rod a man ſhall ſee that preſented to him, which lay hid before; when the glaſs is ſhaken you ſee that ſand, which you could hardly, or not at all perceive before; ſo when a man is ſhaken by affliction, his ſins are diſcovered to him; and a ſight of ſin is the firſt ſtep to Converſion.
Secondly, By the Rod you are humbled and broken, and made more fit and capable to receive inſtruction; when the young Horſe is once well broke, then he is afterwards fit for the ſaddle; now afflictions break men, and fit them for Gods ſervice, and for Gods work: If a narrow mouthed veſſel be in continual motion and unfixed, you cannot pour any liquor into it, you muſt firſt fix the veſſel, and then you may put what you will into it; ſo afflictions will fix you, and ſettle you, you have many a poor man, that no ground will hold him (as we uſe to ſay) till afflictions come, and then they ſettle him: If you ſow ſeed, you muſt firſt plow the ground, and then you ſow the ſeed; now what ſoul is there which doth not need Gods plow; why Gods Rod is his plow, and when this Rod comes and breaks, and humbles the heart, then it will receive the good ſeed of Gods word into the furrows of the heart; And further,
Thirdly, By the Rod a man will be forced to lay hold of, and ſtick to thoſe promiſes, which he could not lay hold on before; for when the Rod comes and brings him low, the man is glad to run to the promiſe; and truly it is a very great comfort to us, that we have a promiſe to run unto, when we are brought low with the Rod; and thus you ſee what leſſons the Rod teacheth, and alſo how the Rod teacheth, it is a teaching Rod: And ſo I have done with the third propoſition, the next follows.
Fourthly, As the Rod is teaching, and doth bring a meſſage with it; ſo this meſſage is ſent, eſpecially to the great Cities, and Towns of a Nation, or people, The Lords voice cryeth unto the City here in the Text; why, what City or Cities? It was Jeruſalem and Samariah; but did not Gods voice cry unto the leſſer Towns and Villages? Yes, but when a national Rod comes, the meſſage is eſpecially ſent to the great Towns, and Cities of a Nation. For,
Firſt, The Rod comes to avenge the Quarrel of the word; look therefore on that place, or people that have had the greateſt opportunities, as to hearing of the word, and having the means of grace, and yet have abuſed them; the greater controverſie hath the Rod with that place or people. Now great Towns, and Cities, have commonly the greateſt opportunities as to the word and ordinances, and many times they are moſt abuſed in and by theſe; and therefore the voice of the Rod is eſpecially to great Towns, and Cities: Wo unto thee Capernaum, and why unto Capernaum, and not to the Towns and Villages? Why, Woe unto thee Capurnaum, for thou haſt been exalted unto Heaven, in regard of the means, and yet haſt not repented; Mat. 11.23. therefore woe unto thee, above all the reſt of the Towns about thee: And ſo O Jeruſalem, Jeruſalem, ſaith Chriſt, I cannot but weep over thee; I would have gathered you but you would not, &c. Therefore I cannot but weep over you; though the leſſer Towns and villages ſhall be deſtroyed, as well as the great ones; yet I weep not over them but over Jeruſalem, for ſhe hath had the means of grace more abundantly, and yet hath not repented; and therefore I cannot but weep over it. When the Rod comes, I ſay, it comes more directly to the great Towns and Cities of a Nation.
Secondly, God will be ſure to puniſh thoſe that are the Ringleaders of Rebellion in a Nation: Now great Cities and Towns if they are not good, are ringleaders to other Towns to do evil: Even as a great Oke, which drops upon the leſſer trees under him, ſpoils their growth, and corrupts them: And ſo if a man be rich, and not good, he drops upon others, and ſpoiles others: So I ſay, great Towns if not good, ſpoyl and corrupt the leſſer Towns and Villages; as if they be good, they are an help and an encouragement to others in goodneſs; therefore the Lords voice cryeth unto the Cities; and they ſhould all hear the rod, and who hath appointed it: that is the fourth propoſition. The fifth and main followeth, that
Fifthly, When the Lord doth viſit the tranſgreſſions of his people with a Rod, it is their true intereſt, and beſt wiſdom to hear the Rod, and who hath appointed it.
There are three things in this propoſition.
Firſt, When God doth viſit the tranſgreſſions of his people with a Rod, it is their duty to hear what the Rod ſaith. And
Secondly, Not only to hear what the rod ſaith, but alſo to conſider who hath appointed it. And
Thirdly, It is their true intereſt, and beſt wiſdom ſo to do.
I ſhall not much inſiſt upon theſe. But for the firſt,
Firſt, When the Lord doth viſit the tranſgreſſions of his people with a Rod, it is their duty to hear what the Rod ſaith; for as you hear, Gods Rod is a teaching Rod; and therefore when the Rod comes, it is your duty to lay your car cloſe to the rod, to hear what it ſays; for otherwiſe you will be found deſpiſers of its meſſage. If a King ſend his Ambaſſadour to ſpeak and treat with another, and he turns his ear from him, and will not hear him; why, will not he be found a deſpiſer of the meſſage? Now the Rod is a Meſſenger, an Ambaſſadour, and it comes from Heaven; if you will not hear it, you deſpiſe the meſſage of the Rod; not hearing is deſpiſing, therefore when the Rod comes, hear the meſſage of it, my ſon deſpiſe not the chaſtening of the Almighty, ſaith Solomon, Prov. 3.11.
Secondly, It is your duty to hear the Rod, and alſo to conſider who hath appointed it; not only to hear the Inſtrument, but the Author alſo whereby the Rod is acted and guided: For
Firſt, Thereby you will honour God in his diſpenſations: It was the ſpeech of Mr. Dod when the Souldiers broke into his houſe and plundred him, ſaith he, it is the Lord that hath taken them away; he did not ſay this thing they have taken away, and they have taken away ſuch, and ſuch things; no, he would not give them that honour; but as Job ſaid when the Sabeans took away his goods, the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away; ſo ſaid he, I will not honour them ſo much, as to ſay that they have taken away any thing from me, but the Lord hath done it; and thereby he gives God the honour of his diſpenſations; and ſo muſt you, if you will hear the Rod, and who hath appointed it.
Secondly, By hearing the Rod, and who hath appointed it; you will much ſtrengthen your faith.
Thirdly, By hearing the Rod, and who hath appointed it, you will be inabled to ſubmit ſweetly to the ſharp anger of Gods diſpenſations; I was dumb and opened not my mouth, becauſe thou didſt it, ſaith David, Pſalm 39.9. So when Shimei curſed David, his ſervants would have taken off his head, no ſaith David, Let him alone, it is the Lord that hath bidden him, 2 Sam. 16.11. Mr. Fox makes mention of a young man a Martyr, that when he was upon the Cart going to the fire; his Father who was a Papiſt, came out of his houſe, and would have beaten him, but the people hindring him; Pray ſaid he, let him alone, for he is my Father. So I ſay by hearing the Rod, and who hath appointed it, you will ſubmit unto the Lord, becauſe he is your Father.
Fourthly, By hearing the Rod, and who hath appointed it, you will be led to prayer, and be brought to pray: Prayer becomes a man or woman, when they are under the Rod: Pray tell me, when the child is whipt by his Father, doth the child fall down to the Rod, and beg of the Rod to ſpare him; no but he falls down to him, in whoſe hand the Rod is, to his Maſter, or his Father, and cries to him O ſpare me, pray ſpare me: So be not ſtubborn, but fall down to the Lord, when you are under the rod; and ſay, Lord ſpare me; do not ſay to the Rod ſpare me, do not cry to that when it is upon your backs; no, but ſee God, and obſerve his hand, and cry to him for help. But then
Thirdly, As it is our duty to hear the Rod, and who hath appointed it; ſo it is alſo our true intereſt and beſt wiſdom to do it, becauſe it is the way to prevent further ſtrokes; when a child is under the Rod, and will not ſubmit; why ſays the Maſter, ſince you are ſo ſtout and ſo ſtubborn, I'le try who ſhall be Maſter, you or I; and ſo he ſtrikes on ſtill, till the child cries out I have done, why then ſays the Maſter I have done too: And thus it is with us, when we are under the Rod, if we be ſtubborn, and refuſe to hear the Rod of God, and who hath appointed it; well ſays God, I will try who ſhall be Maſter, you or I: what is the reaſon that ſome men go ſo long, ſo many years with the rod upon their backs; but becauſe they have not heard the Rod, and who hath appointed it; but now when a man ſhall ſay, Lord I have done, why then ſays God, I have done too, O ſoul.
Beloved it is our beſt wiſdom, and our beſt courſe, to hear the Rod, and who hath appointed it.
All that I ſhall ſay for Application, is this; It is our true intereſt, and beſt wiſdom, when the Rod comes, to hear the rod, and who hath appointed it, as hath been proved.
O then that men were wiſe, and did underſtand it in this day. O England, England, the Rod is in thy ſtreets at this time, certainly there is a ſwinging Rod hangs over this Nation: O England what ſhall I ſay unto thee, but what the Prophet ſaith here; Hear ye the Rod, and who hath appointed it: O London Hear thou the Rod, and who hath appointed it, O Norwich Hear thou the Rod, and who hath appointed it, O Yarmouth hear thou the Rod, and who hath appointed it, for you ſhall thereby honour God, and ſtrengthen your own faith, you ſhall be able to keep ſilence in the evil day; you ſhall be made more fit to pray, and the rod will be ſooner removed from you. Therefore as you deſire that God may have the honour of all his diſpenſations, and that your faith may be ſtrengthened, and that you may be inabled to be ſilent in an evil day; then hear the rod, and who hath appointed it.
But you will ſay, what ſhall we do that we may hear the Rod, and who hath appointed it; we do confeſs that there is a ſmart Rod upon the back of this Nation, and upon the back of our families, but what ſhall we do that we may hear the Rod, and who hath appointed it.
I Anſwer, Firſt, Stand, and look upon the Rod, and you will find two things eſpecially in the Rod;
1. Your Sin, and
2. Gods Deſign.
As for your ſin, look what ſin that is, which God holds before your face, before your conſcience, all the time he is ſtriking of you with the Rod, that is the ſin he ſtrikes you for. If a Dog worry a ſheep, you commonly go and beat the Dog in the face of the worried Sheep, that the Dog may thereby know and underſtand for what he is beaten: So when the Lord comes, and holds out one ſin for you to look on, eſpecially, then you may be ſure, the Rod comes upon you for that ſin.
Again, Look what ſin that is, which doth naturally bring the Rod, that is the cauſe of it: As for example, If a man be drunk, and do thereby bring himſelf into a feavor, will you not ſay that drunkenneſs was the cauſe of it?
Again, Look what ſin that is, which is moſt like the Rod of all others, that ſin is that which brings the Rod; as for example, Suppoſe the Rod of this Nation be decay of Trading; may we not think, that ſome Stoln wedg of Gold is in this Nation, which is the cauſe of this Rod, becauſe it is like it: Or ſuppoſe the Rod of this Nation be, the Lords forſaking of it; may we not think that Apoſtacy is the cauſe of it, becauſe it is like it; therefore if you would hear the Rod, and who hath appointed it, then obſerve what ſin that is which is the cauſe of it. But
Secondly, And ſo to conclude, as you are to look upon your ſin, ſo alſo upon Gods deſign in the Rod: Now God ſeldom or never gives any mercy to a people, but he firſt brings them into the quite contrary condition; as for example, If God intends to give you great aſſurance of his love, he will firſt ſuffer you to fall into great Temptations, and darkneſs, that he may thereby fit you for great aſſurance: Or if God intend to raiſe you to great honour in the world, he will firſt ſuffer you to lie under ſome great reproach, that you may be thereby the more fit for your honour; And ſo, if God intend to fix, and ſettle a Nation, he will firſt ſuffer it, to come into great confuſion, and tumult, becauſe the Lord will thereby prepare that Nation, for the glorious ſettlement which he intends.
How is it therefore with you? do you feel or ſee, the Rod of God upon this Nation, or upon your families, or upon the back of your own particular perſon? then hear ye the Rod, and who hath appointed it. For Gods Rod is a teaching Rod, and it brings many leſſons with it. Therefore what I ſay to one, I ſay to all, and to my own ſoul alſo, Hear ye the Rod, and who hath appointed it.