Two Treatises, Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Evincing the fourth Proposition. viz. That God usually premonisheth the World, especially his own of his judgments before they befal them.
SECT. I.
GOd first warns, and then smites, he delights not to surprise men when indignation was coming, he tells his people of it in the Text, and admonisheth them to hide themselves. Surely the Lord will do nothing but he revealeth his secrets to his servants the Prophets, Amos 3. 7. Thus when the flood was to come upon the old world, he gave them one hundred and twenty years warning of it, Gen. 6. 3. compared with 1. Pet. 3. 19. So when Sodom was to be destroyed, God would not hide it from Abraham, Gen. 18. 17. Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I do? The like discovery was made unto Lot, G…. 19. 12, 13, 14. So when the Captivity was at hand, Ezekiel was commanded to give the Iews solemn warning of it from God, Ezek. 3. 17. Hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
And when their City and Temple was to be destroyed by the Romans, how plainly did Christ fore…el them of it by his own mouth, Luke 19. 43. 44. Thine enemies shall cast a Trench about thee, and compass thee round and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee, and they shall not leave thee one stone upon another, because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. Iosephus also tells us that a little before the execution of this judgment upon them,Iosephus de bel. Iud. lib. 7. c. 2. Tac. lib. 21. a voice was heard in the temple, Migremus hinc, let us go hence, which voice Tacitus also in his Annals, mentions, Audita major humana vox, excedere Deos, simul ingens motus excedentium. It was more than an humane voice, telling them God was departing from them, and withal there was heard the rushing noise as of some that were going out of the Temple.
And as there were extraordinary premonitions of approaching judgments by revelation to the Prophets of old, and signs from heaven; so there still are standing and ordinary rules by which the world may be admonished of Gods judgments before they come upon them.
And the general rule, by which men may discern the indignation of God before it comes, is this; ☞ When the same provocations, and evils are found in one Nation, which have brought down the wrath of God upon another nation; this is an evident sign of Gods judgment at the door. For God is unchangeably holy and just, and will not favour that in one people, which he hath punished in another; nor bless that in one age, which he hath cursed in another. And therefore that which hath been a sign of Judgment to one, must be so to all.
Here it is that the carcases of those sinners whose sins had cast them away, are as it were cast up upon the Scripture shore, for a warning to all others that they steer not the same ill course they did. 1 Cor. 10. 6. Now these things were our examples. The Israelites are made examples to us, plainly intimating that if we tread the same path, we must expect the same punishment. Let us therefore consider what were the evils that provoked Gods judgments against his ancient people, whom he was so loth to give up, Hos. 11. 8. and so long ere he did give up, Ier. 15. 6. and we shall find by the concurrent accounts that the Prophets give,
1. That Gods worship among them was generally mixed and corrupted with their own inventions, for so it is said, Psal. 106. 40, 41. they went a whoring with their own inventions. And this so inflamed the wrath of God, who is a jealous God, and tender over his own honour, that he abhorred his own inheritance; yea, he expresses himself as a man doth whose heart is broken by the unfaithfulness of his wife, Ezek. 6. 9. Upon this account his professing people became the generation of his wrath, Ier. 7. 29, 30.
2. Incorrigible obstinacy under gentler correction, Amos 4. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Scarcity, Mildews, Pestilence, and Sword had been upon them; and still these that remained, though saved as a brand out of the fire, in which their fellow sinners perished, would not return to God; and this hastened on the general ruine, ver. 12. This presages the ruine of Nations indeed.
3. Stupidity and senselesness of Gods hand was a sad Omen, and cause of that peoples ruine; So Isa. 26. 10, 11. Lord when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see. No nor yet when his hand is laid on, Isa. 42. 24, 25. It is not some small drop of Gods anger that passes without observation, but the fury of his anger; not some light skirmish of his judgments with them, but the strength of battel: Not in a corner upon some particular person, or family, but that which set him on fire round about; yet all this could not awaken them. He hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battel, and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew it not, and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. Prodigious stupidity! to be in the midst of flames, yea, to be seized by them, and destroyed sooner than awakened. So you find again in Hos. 7. 9. Gray hairs were here and there upon Ephraim, yet he knew it not. Youth and Age are easily distinguished, and gray hairs do plainly distinguish them, being the plain tokens of a declining State, yet they took no notice of them. Such stupidity is ever more the forerunner of misery.
4. Persecution of Gods faithful Ministers and people, was another forerunning sign of their ruine, 2 Chron. 36. 16. They mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his Prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. There were also a number of upright Souls among them, that desired to worship God according to his own prescription, but a snare was laid for them in Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor; and therefore was judgment towards that people, Hos. 5. 1. Mizpah and Tabor were places in the way lying betwixt Samaria and Ierusalem, where the true worship of God was, and there were Informers or Spies set by the Priests to intercept such as would venture to serve God at Jerusalem according to his own prescription, this also foreboded the judgments of God upon that nation.
5. The decay of the life and power of Godliness among them plainly foreshewed their ruine at hand, Hos. 4. 18. Their drink is sour, where under the Metaphor of dead and sour drink which hath lost its spirit and is become flat; their formal, heartless, and perfunctory duties are severely taxed and condemned.
6. To conclude, the mutual animosities, and feuds among that professing people, evidently shewed judgment to be at the door. Hos. 9. 7. The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come, Israel shall know it: the Prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. This great hatred was one of the greatest sins, and saddest signs upon them. This Spirit of enmity sowed by the Devil among them hastened their calamity. If Ephraim will envy Iudah, and Iudah vex Ephraim the common enemy shall part the fray: when the whole Nation was under water, and the Roman Armies under the very walls of Ierusalem, their own Historians tell us, what bitter contentions and sharp conflicts continued among them to the very last. These things must be looked upon by all Wise and considerate men, no otherwise than we look upon Glazing Meteors, and Blazing Comets, portending judgment and ruine at the door. We have had indeed terrible Signs in Heaven, a dreadful rod of God shaken over us of late, which all men ought to behold with trembling: Yet I must say those Moral Signs of judgment forementioned, are much more terrible and portentous. According therefore to the evidence of these signs among us; let all upright hearts be affected and awakened with expectations of Gods righteous judgments. It is indeed below faith to expect evil days with despondency and distraction; but surely it is a noble exercise of Faith, so to expect them, as to make due preparation for them.
SECT. II.
ANd if we enquire for what End God gives such warnings to the world, and premonishes them from Heaven, of the judgments that are coming on the earth, know that he doth it upon a threefold account.
1. To prevent their Execution.
2. To leave the Careless inexcusable.
3. To make them more tolerable and easie to his own people.
1. Warning is given with design to prevent the execution of judgments; this is plain from Amos 4. 12. Therefore will I do this unto thee; there is warning given; and because I will do this, prepare to meet thy God O Israel: There is the gracious design of preventing it, by bringing them seasonably upon their knees at the foot of an angry God: You see the Lord expects it from all his Children, that they fall at his feet in deep humiliation, and fervent intercession whenever he goes forth in the way of judgment. What else was the design of God in sending Ionah to Nineveh with that dreadful message but to excite them to repentance, and prevent their ruine? This Ionah guessed at, and therefore declined the message to secure his credit, well knowing, that if they took warning and repented, the gracious nature of God would soon melt into compassion over them: Free grace would make him appear as a liar among the people; for to that sense his own words sound, Ionah 4. 2. Was not this my saying when I was yet in my Countrey, Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish, for I knew that thou art a gracious God. q. d. I thought before hand it would come to this; I knew how willing thou art to be prevented by repentance; therefore to secure my credit, I fled to Tarshish.
2. He forewarns of judgments to leave the Incorrigible wholly inexcusable, that those who have neither sense of Sin, nor fear of Judgment before, might have no cloak for their folly, nor plea for themselves afterward; What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? Ier. 13. 21, 22. q. d. What Plea or Apology is left thee after so many fair warnings? You cannot say you were surprized, before you were admonished, or ruined before you were warned.
3. God warns of Judgments before they come to make them the more easie to his people when they come indeed; thus in Iohn 16. 4. Christ foretold his Disciples of their approaching sufferings, that when they came, they should not be found amazed at them, or unprovided for them; for unexpected miseries are astonishing to the best men, and destructive to wicked men, Luke 17. 26, 27, 28.
Well then if it be so, let all that are wise in heart consider the Signs of the times, and seasonably hearken to Gods warnings. The Lords voice crieth to the Cit…, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name; hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it, Mica. 6. 9. 'Tis our wisdom to way-lay our troubles, and provide for the worst estate, whilst we enjoy the best: happy is he that is at once believing, and praying for good days, and preparing for the worst. Noah's example is our advantage. Heb. 11. 7. Who by faith, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an Ark. Preventing mercies are the most ravishing mercies, Psal. 59. 10. And preventing calamities are the sorest calamities, Amos 9. 10.
And let us heartily bewail the supiness and carelesness of the world in which we live, who take no notice of Gods warnings, but put the evil day far from them, Amos 6. 3. who will admit no fear, till they are past all hope; they see God housing his Saints apace, yet will not see the evil to come from which God takes them, Isa. 57. 1, 2. The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come; he shall enter into peace, they shall rest in their beds each one walking in his uprightness. They hear the cry of sin which is gone up to heaven, but cry not for the abominations that are committed, nor tremble at the judgments that they will procure.
O careless Sinners drowned in Stupidity, and sleeping like Ionah under the Hatches, when others are upon their knees and at their wits end! do Saints tremble, and are you secure? Have not you more reason to be afraid than they? If judgments come, the greatest harm it can do them, is but to hasten them to Heaven; but as for you, it may hurry you away to Hell: They only fear tribulation in the way; but you will not fear damnation in the end. Believe it Reader, in days of common calamity both Heaven and Hell will fill apace.