Trouble of the Mind and the Disease of Melancholy, Discourse · Part 1 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
The Anger of God towards his People, is but for a ſhort ſeaſon; and why he is pleaſed to order it to be ſo.
1. HIS anger is but for a moment, if compar'd with the Eternity of Happineſs which he deſigns them: Their troubles and afflictions ſhall have a period, but their glory ſhall never have an end: They weep for a while, and they ſhall rejoice for ever: They are diſconſolate a few years on earth; but how little and inconſiderable are theſe to the vaſt durations of Eternity?
2. His Anger is but for a moment, if compared with the continuance of his Love. In his Favour is Life; that is, uſually the greater portions of out Life are laden with his Benefits; we have more pledges of his Love, than meſſengers of his Wrath: We have more Mercies than Croſſes: We have a thouſand eaſie Bleſſings for one ſharp Affliction: His Diſpleaſure brings a ſtorm, but his Favour ſhines when that is gone and paſt: We have many a fair Seaſon, to one dark and gloomy Day. The Reaſons why his Anger is but for a moment, are,
1. He remembers the frame of his poor people; for if his Wrath ſhould be long continued, they muſt utterly ſink and periſh; Pſal. 103.14. For he remembreth our frame; he knoweth that we are but duſt. One Frown cauſes us to ſink and tremble; what then would his multiplied Frowns and Diſpleaſure do? He knows our tenderneſs, with what evil inclinations our nature is corrupted; how prone we are to ſin; and how, if he ſhould be ſtrict to mark what we do amiſs, he muſt continually deſtroy the works of his own hands, and have none left to ſerve him here on earth: He remembers with what frailties we are daily beſet, and he pities us as a Father does the weakneſs of his Child: He could kill us in a minute, and take away our breath; how ſoon can he ſcatter a little duſt, and pull in pieces our frail conſtitution? For we are as unable to reſiſt his Anger, as the duſt to reſiſt the wind: he knows we are ſo weak, that if he let us alone, we ſhall ſoon decay; and that there needs not the Force of his Arm, and the Greatneſs of his Power, to cruſh ſuch worms as we are: As David ſaid, Is the king of Iſrael come out after a flea? 2 Sam. 24.14. ſo may we in our diſtreſſes ſay to God, Why doſt thou arm thy ſelf with wrath againſt us, whom one word of thy mouth can throw upon the ground, or ſend into the grave? It is not with him as with the great Oppreſſors of the world, that uſe their greater power to trample upon thoſe that are of unequal ſtrength; no, he delights to bind up the broken, to heal the wounded, and to comfort thoſe that mourn. Iſa. 57.16. For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wrath; for the ſpirit ſhould fail before me, and the ſouls which I have made. Such is the impatience, the unbelief, and the unſuitable behaviour of his people, that they give him cauſe enough to be always angry, but he does not proceed with the utmoſt rigour of his Juſtice; he freely pardons what with right he might exact. Pſal. 78.38, 39. Their heart was not right with him, They did flatter him with their mouth; but he being full of compaſſion, forgave their iniquity, and deſtroyed them not; yea, many a time he turned his anger away, and did not ſtir up all his wrath: for he remembred that they were but fleſh, a wind that paſſeth away, and cometh not again. And when our extremities are ſo great, and our ſenſe of his diſpleaſure is ſo very preſſing, that we know not what to do, we may deſire him to remember his own Greatneſs, and our Frailty; that we are his own handy-work, and that we are no more able to reſiſt his Power, than we are to change our own natures, and to be his Equals. Job 13.25. Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? Wilt thou purſue the dry ſtubble? Remember, I beſeech thee, that thou haſt made me as the clay, Job 10.9.
2. Reaſon why his Anger towards his people is but for a moment, is, Becauſe he is obliged to it by his Covenant. If they break my ſtatutes, &c. Pſal. 89.31, 32, 33. then will I viſit their tranſgreſſion with the rod, and their iniquity with ſtripes; nevertheleſs, my loving-kindneſs will I not utterly take from them, nor ſuffer my faithfulneſs to fail. He is obliged by the Covenant of Grace, to be their God, to uſe all the methods that his Infinite Wiſdom ſees neceſſary for their final Happineſs; and if his Anger, and their own Afflictions will contribute to this, tho their fleſh be pained, and their bodies ſmart, he will not fail to uſe thoſe ſeverities. His deareſt ſervants may by temptation, and their unwatchfulneſs, be overtaken by their ſpiritual Enemies; they may wound and hurt themſelves, and occaſion his departure; and to excite them to a due conſideration of their Folly, he will leave them for a ſeaſon. Their ſins are the object of his abhorrence, and he may ſend very ſore troubles upon them, tho they ſhall even then come upon a gracious errand, and promote their future welfare, when in the anguiſh of their ſouls they may conclude them to be the mark of his Eternal Wrath; he will not ſpare his rods, nor by a fond Indulgence ſuffer them to take their own courſe; for a Parent, you know, will correct his own child, tho he concerns not himſelf with thoſe that are ſtrangers to the Family. The Anger of God for your ſin may deprive you of your deareſt Comforts, your moſt kind Relations, your moſt beloved Children, your Eſtate, your Health, and your Eaſe; and yet in all theſe he may have a deſign to make you more full of Holineſs, and to bring you nearer to himſelf: This is an ordinary Diſcipline, wherewith he trains up all thoſe whom he will convey to Glory, tho their own Reaſon, and their gloomy Thoughts, may judg that it is for a quite contrary purpoſe. He has promiſed, That all things ſhall work together for our good; and he is faithful when he lays upon us the ſevereſt ſtrokes, becauſe they ſtir up our ſleeping Grace, and purge away our Sin.
3. Reaſon his Anger towards his people is but for a moment, Becauſe whatever his preſent diſpenſations are, he will never throw off the Relation of a Father to them; they do not render void the Kindneſs and the Grace by which he did at firſt adopt them to be his own. A Father when he frowns, and when he corrects, is ſtill a Father; and his bowels earn with him, when the rebellion and undutifulneſs of his child cauſes him to be ſevere. Tho we groan and weep through the bitterneſs of our grief, yet he changes not his Paternal care; as Chriſt, when he was a man of ſorrows, was pronounced by God to be his beloved Son, Pſal. 103.13. Like as a father pities his children, ſo the Lord pitieth them that fear him. None of our earthly Friends can be more tender-hearted than he is; only with this difference, that they would heal our wounds when they firſt begin to ſmart; and he being more skilful, does make our Cure to advance by ſlow degrees; he does bereave us of this or that enjoyment which we dearly love, becauſe he ſees it neceſſary for our Salvation; as 'tis many times expedient to cut off a gangreen'd part of the body, to ſave our Life. He will ſeparate between us and our Iniquities, rather than that they ſhould make a ſeparation between us and him; and there is nothing but a moſt tender Love in all this. Jer. 31.20. Is Ephraim my dear ſon? is he a pleaſant child? for ſince I ſpake againſt him, I do earneſtly remember him ſtill; therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will ſurely have mercy upon him, ſaith the Lord. If there were any ways more mild and gentle, that would equally promote our good, he would uſe them with the greateſt readineſs, if our own abſolute neceſſity did not require that he ſhould bring Judgments upon us. Nor would he uſe at all thoſe methods that ſeem to be rigid and ſevere. Thoſe that are his people, ſhould be in as much eaſe as other Men, and laugh and rejoice as much as they do; but only that he would by his diſpleaſure teach us, that knowledg of himſelf, that faith, and that patience, and thoſe other Graces, which without his ſeaſonable Corrections we ſhould never know. 'Tis more grateful to him to ſmile than to frown, to reward than to puniſh. Deut. 5.29. O that there were ſuch an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever. When we wander, his Goodneſs and his Love will not ſuffer him to ſee us run to miſery. His Anger will overtake us, to ſtop us in our haſty courſe, and to reduce us into the right way. He never ſtrikes but for juſt Reaſons, tho they may be for the preſent very much wrapt up in his own Decree. There are many people whom we are angry with, and reprove, whom notwithſtanding we do in the mean time moſt ſincerely love; and Chriſt has told us, Rev. 3.19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chaſten.
4. The Anger of God is but for a moment, becauſe he delights in Mercy, Pſalm 103.8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, ſlow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger for ever. It is long before he puniſhes, and 'tis with haſte that he comes to our help when we repent; and many times before. In the midſt of Wrath he remembers Mercy; he does not always inflict what we have deſerved, but conſiders what is moſt proper for him to lay upon us, and what we are able to bear; and therefore he gives to us ſome mitigations with our moſt bitter Cup. He is called the Father of Mercies, and the God of all Comfort; and tho Puniſhment does proceed from him, as well as Tenderneſs and Affection, yet he is no where called the Father of Judgments. Mercy ariſeth from his own Nature, and he delighteth in it, Micah 7.18. He retaineth not his anger for ever, becauſe he delighteth in mercy. His wrath is ſaid to be reſerv'd in Golden Viols, Rev. 15.7. i. e. it doth not flow forth all at once, but by degrees; but his Mercy is compared to a River, and a flowing Stream, Iſaiah 66.12: to the Oyl of gladneſs, to the ſmell of Myrrh, Aloes, and Caſſia. It is a Glory to this God to relieve the miſerable, and to help his Servants, when all their power and might is gone; and he ends the Controverſy with them, when there is cauſe enough on their ſide, that he ſhould purſue the Quarrel further. When he leads us into a Wilderneſs, yet he provides ſome Water, ſome refreſhment for us there. It is one of the great Wonders of his Providence, that he ſupports thoſe poor Souls that have no light of Evidence, no ſenſe of his Love, no hope, nothing but the fears of Wrath and Deſolation; and yet the matter of Fact, and our own Experience plainly tells us, that ſo it is, his everlaſting Arms are underneath, and his Power does maintain our Life, when we ſay, that he has forgotten to be gracious. He bottles our Tears when we weep, and hears our Groans when we lament, and proportions the Troubles that he ſends, that they ſhall not be too long, nor too violent. Jer. 30.11. I will not make a full end of thee, I will correct thee in meaſure, and will not leave thee altogether unpuniſhed. And thoſe Afflictions which his People ſuffer, are not in all reſpects proper Puniſhments, becauſe his Anger is mixed with mildneſs, and mitigated by the Interceſſions of a Mediator, Lam. 3.31, 32. The Lord will not caſt off for ever; but tho he cauſe grief, yet will he have compaſſion according to the multitude of his tender mercies.
5. That his Anger is but for a moment, is for his own Name ſake. His Nature is moſt inclinable to do us good; therefore the Prophets, to thoſe Idolaters mentioned in 1 Kings 18.24. ſays, The God that anſwers by ſire, let him be God; and he choſe that Element above the reſt, to ſignify how ſoon we ſhall have Mercy, it comes as upon the wings of the Wind, it is as ſwift as the rays of Light. Hoſca 11.9. I will not execute the fierceneſs of mine anger, I will not return to deſtroy Ephraim, for I am God and not man. A Man when he is greatly provoked by his Enemy, is not ſatisfied with having once made him feel his Anger, but carries on his Revenge to further degrees, and only ceaſes the purſuit with the Death of him that he firſt aſſaulted. But the Great God, tho he is able to Conquer thoſe that oppoſe him, with a total Defeat and Ruin, yet he ſuffers them to breathe and live, that they may Repent, and that he may cauſe his Goodneſs to ſhine with a greater Brightneſs to the World. He could follow them with one Blow after another, with a Succeſſion of new and greater Miſeries, but he reſtrains his Anger for his own ſ…ke. And it maybe a great Conſolation to poor afflicted People to conſider, that they have to deal with God, and not with Men, when they have ſinn'd; they have not to deal with Men that are full of Rage and Cruelty, but with a God that is gracious and full of Mercy; not with Men that may Careſs them to day, and Hate them to morrow, but with a God that is unchangeable, and even when they are in the Fire, or in the Water, his Love is ſtill to them the very ſame. Men think it a diſhonour to ſpare their interiors, if they do not by the loweſt Submiſſions teſtify their Sorrow for their Crimes; but the Great God is ſo far above all his Creatures, that he may when he will, think them below his Indignation, and magnify his Goodneſs in ſparing and forgiving them when they moſt deſerve to dye, Iſaiah 4.8, 9. For my names ſake will I defer mine anger, and for my praiſe will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. 'Tis his Power that moderates his Anger. Thoſe Perſons that have the leaſt ſtrength, either of Reaſon, or of Courage, are the moſt paſſionate, and inclinable to Revenge. In Puniſhments he ſhews his Dominion over his Creatures, but his Power over himſelf, when he forgives great Injuries, and is ſlow to puniſh great Affronts; and his Power in thoſe Acts of Grace is very great and illuſtrious. He is God, and not Man, there is more Compaſſion, and more real Pity in him, than in the moſt compaſſionate or tender hearted Man that we ever knew. He is God, and not Man, he whom we have offended, and who can deſtroy us, begins firſt to treat about a Reconciliation with us. This is not the manner and way of Men, who think that thoſe who have offended them, are to make the firſt advances towards a repairing of the Breach. There is no Attribute in the diſplaying of which the Great God glories, ſo much as in this of Mercy; and 'tis by this that he would be known, Exod. 34.6, 7.
6. That his Anger is but for a moment, is becauſe he would make a difference between the righteous and the wicked. The Afflictions that he ſends upon the Righteous, are to prepare them for Heaven and Glory. But thoſe Scourges that he uſes to the Wicked and Impenitent, are but the beginning of their Sorrows, the flaſhes of thoſe Flames that will conſume them for ever. The diſtreſſes of the Righteous are ſhort, and ſo are the Proſperities of the Wicked. The Righteous are weeping here, but they ſhall rejoyce hereafter. The Wicked have now their Heaven, ſuch as it is, and hereafter they go to an Eternal Hell, and there muſt they weep and wail, when the Good and Holy ſhall have all their Tears wiped away. The one ſhall find him to be a loving Father, and to have been ſo in all their Tryals and Calamities; and the other ſhall find him to be an Enemy, and to have been ſo tho they had many good things in the time of the preſent Life. The Righteous have Sweetneſs and Mercy mingled with their Sorrows here; but the Wicked ſhall have there, pure and unmingled and intolerable Wrath. Here, in the moſt heavy Strokes, the Servants of God find now and then ſome little Comfort, but his Enemies in that World muſt have no drop to cool their Tongues, no refreſhment, nor ſupport for ever. The ſame Sun that will cheriſh the Righteous with his everlaſting Beams, will ſcorch the Wicked, and fill them with an inexpreſſible Rage and Fury. God will throw them from all their heights, ſilence all their lofty Speeches, and ruin all their vain-glorious Deſigns, Dan. 4.17. The demand is by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know, that the moſt High ruleth in the kingdoms of men, that is, by the petitions of Angels, (Charnock, of Gods Dominion, p. 767.) who cannot endure that the Empire of God ſhould be obſcur'd by the Pride of Men. Beſides the tender reſpect that he hath to his own Glory, he is conſtantly preſented with the Solicitations of the Angels to puniſh the Proud of the Earth, that darken the Glory of his Majeſty. 'Tis neceſſary for the reſcue of his Honour, and neceſſary for the Satisfaction of his Illuſtrious Attendants, who would think it a ſhame to them to ſerve a Lord that were always unconcerned in the Rebellions of his Creatures, and would tamely ſuffer thoſe that ſpurn at his Throne. His Wrath to his Servants is with Mercy, and but for a moment; but to his Enemies it will be ſevere and abiding Wrath.