Practical Reflections on the Late Earthquakes, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
What Fear of Evils to come is lawful, how far a Duty, and when ſinful. Of the Penal Fear of future Calamity: Inſtances of it as a Divine Puniſhment. What little Ground we have to expect a much longer Reprieve; we have none for Security, and Conſidence. The Doubtfulneſs of our Caſe ſhould awaken our utmoſt Concern, and Care to prevent Deſtruction.
2. LET us therefore apprehend the Caſe to be exceeding hazardous, as to our City and Nation; when we have had ſo many Warnings, and are not awakened to Repentance, and Reformation. Beſides the natural Fear of approaching Evil, which is not to be condemned as a Fault, becauſe inevitable, there is a ſinful Fear of Evils to come, and of the Tidings of them; proceeding either from Ignorance of God, Forgetfulneſs of his Care, or Diſtruſt of his Providence, or as unſutable to the Nature, Kind, and Degree, and Duration of the Evils we apprehend: Such a Fear, as hinders us in the performance of our preſent Duty, that infeebles our Spirits, and weakens our Hands as to the uſe of lawful Means; or puts us upon the uſe of prohibited unlawful ones: Such a Fear, as takes off the Sweetneſs of our preſent Mercies, by the Apprehenſion and Fear of future Evil; whereby we reflect upon God's Government, and overlook his Promiſes of Support and Deliverance, and become unprepared to encounter the Evils, that we may be called to ſuffer.
However, there is a Fear of probable, threatned, and approaching Calamity, that is both Allowable, and Commendable; a Fear of Caution, and Circumſpection, to excite us to prepare for the Worſt; to put on our Armour, and make Proviſion for an evil Day. David wanted ſuch a Fear, when he ſaid within himſelf, that his Mountain was ſo ſtrong, that it could not be moved, Pſal. 30.6. It is ſuch a Fear, as is oppoſite to ſinful Preſumption, and Hardneſs of Heart. And therefore Bleſſed is the Man that feareth always, in this ſenſe, Prov. 28.14. But he that is fearleſs, and hardneth his Heart, ſhall fall into Miſchief. We may and ought ſo far to fear, and apprehend the Poſſibility, and ſometimes the Likelihood, of bearing our Share in the like Sufferings, as our Brethren feel, ſo as may prevent our Security, and ſettling on our Lees, and a fooliſh Confidence, that the Cup of Trembling, which our Brethren have drunk ſo deep of, ſhall never be put into our Hands.
It may farther be conſidered, that there is alſo a Penal Fear of future Evils, which God inflicts as a Puniſhment on ſuch with whom he is diſpleaſed: Deut. 28.64, 65. The Lord ſhall ſcatter thee among all People, from the one End of the Earth even to the other; and there thou ſhalt ſerve other Gods, which neither thou, nor thy Fathers have known, even Wood and Stone. And among theſe Nations ſhalt thou find no Eaſe, neither ſhall the Sole of thy Foot have Reſt: but the Lord ſhall give thee there a Trembling Heart, and Failing of Eyes, and Sorrow of Mind. The wicked Nations which inhabited the Promiſed Land, were driven out by ſuch Fears: for theſe ſeem to be the Hornets, that God ſent amongſt the Canaanites, and Amorites, to drive them out of the Land, Joſh. 24.11, 12. Exod. 23.27, 28. There are many Expreſſions to this purpoſe in the Book of Job, chap. 15.21, 22, 24. & 18.5. Jer. 6.25. & 20.2. & 49.29. Iſa. 28.2. compared with 2 Kings 16. begin. Jer. 22.1. Ezek. 32.9, 10.
But this is quite another thing from what I am perſwading to: for we have probable Grounds to fear, what God may do as to this Nation and City: We have looked for Peace, that great comprehenſive Bleſſing, and as yet no Good comes: We are engaged in a War, that none can tell how, or when it ſhall be determined. We look for a Time of Healing, but our Phyſicians hitherto have been of little Value: Our Wounds are not healed, and we know not when they will: Though we have much to be thankful for, we have cauſe enough to be humbled, and to fear: Rejoice we may on ſome Accounts, but yet rejoice with Trembling.
Though God be long before he comes to take Vengeance; though he may reprieve us for a little while longer; though he have done ſo wonderfully hitherto, beyond what we could expect; yet we cannot thence conclude, that he will always ſpare, that he will not ſtrike. The Confidence of ſome in our Forces, and Confederates, and Fleets, and Armies; ſo many tried Souldiers, and ſuch accompliſh'd Officers, and experienc'd Generals, and mighty Preparations by Sea and Land; and the Confidence of Others, upon bold Interpretations of Scripture Prophecies, with particular Application of them to our Iſland, are not of Weight enough, to hinder our Fears from being juſt. God may ſuddenly cover the Heavens with Darkneſs, and confute all our vain Preſumptions in a Month or two, when we expect it not.
What God has done againſt Others, he may as righteouſly do againſt Ʋs, if we deſpiſe his Judgments, and go on in the like Sins. Behold, ye Deſpiſers, wonder, and periſh, Acts 13.41. Behold what I have done in other Places, and can do againſt you: For I work a Work in your Days, a Work which you ſhall in no wiſe believe, though a Man declare it unto you. Men little thought that Jeruſalem ſhould have been deſtroyed, as it was, as little as we expect England, or London, to be a Scene of Calamity. But we may live to ſee ſuch Effects of it, as may make our Eyes, and Hearts fail, before God has compleated his Work, Lam. 2.18, 19.
If the Prophet cried, My Bowels, my Bowels, I am pained at the Heart, my Heart maketh a Noiſe within me; I cannot hold my Peace, becauſe thou haſt heard, O my Soul, the Sound of the Trumpet, the Alarum of War, Jer. 4.19. Much more may we ſay ſo of the Fear of an Earthquake, which is unſpeakably more terrible; when every Man ſinks with his own Houſe, as his Sepulchral Monument; when the Roofs fall upon our Heads, and the Floors cleave under our Feet; and, whether by Day or Night, Tables, and Beds are ſuddenly cruſhed into the Diſorders of a Grave, and the Inhabitants periſh at once with their Habitations.
I know the Moſt do not love to hear of ſuch things, but Peace and Plenty, Victory and Succeſs, Liberty and Proſperity; and they are ready to ſay, you diſcourage, and diſhearten Men. But if a City or a Town be on Fire, or like to be ſo, muſt we not diſcourage Men by telling of it? It is true, God may ſave us by Prerogative; but if he proceed by Common Law, according to the common Rules by which he has acted towards other Nations, we muſt repent, or may expect to be deſtroyed.
God now ſeems to call us to Weeping, and Mourning, and Sackcloth, and Aſhes; but how little of ſuch a Spirit is found amongſt us? Behold Joy and Gladneſs, ſlaying Oxen, and killing Sheep, eating Fleſh and drinking Wine, ſaying, Let us eat and drink, for to Morrow we ſhall die, Iſa. 22.12, 13. But what follows in ver. 14. It was revealed in mine Ears by the Lord of Hoſts, ſays the Prophet, Surely this Iniquity ſhall not be purged from you till you die, ſays the Lord of Hoſts.
If the Matter be doubtful, whether God will preſerve and ſave us or no, the very poſſible Suppoſition that he may not, ſhould awaken a moſt ſerious Concern. Is there but an it may be that the Lord will be gracious and ſpare us? Is it uncertain? Is there but a peradventure? Cannot we tell whether the Lord will turn from his fierce Anger againſt us, or no? How ſhould we be concerned to look about us! What if our Unthankfulneſs, and Profaneneſs, and Formality, and Diviſions, our Unwillingneſs to be healed, after all the Overtures and Opportunities that have been before us; What if our Infidelity, and Sadduciſm, groſs Impurities, and more provoking Goſpel-Sins, ſhould make God reſolve to cast us off, and call this Iſland, that has been Immanuel's Land ſo long, Lo-ammi, Lo-ruamah, a People forſaken of the Lord? What if England, Scotland, and Ireland ſhould be a Seat of War, and a Field of Blood, as well as other Parts of Europe, that never ſinned againſt ſuch Light, ſuch Warnings, and ſuch Obligations as we have? What if a ſudden Earthquake ſhould ſwallow up a great part of theſe Countries, as it hath of others? Why may not the very Dregs of the Cup be reſerved for us, who have been incorrigible under all the Methods of Divine Providence to reform us? What Certainty have we that it ſhall not be ſo? Where is the Ground of our Confidence? What Aſſurance have we that God will ſpare much longer? What ſtrong Reaſons can we produce for the Entail of Liberty, Peace, and Plenty? There needs no Spirit of Prophecy to declare our Danger, conſidering our Guilt; but a more ſerious, and more general Spirit of Humiliation, Prayer and Reformation, to be poured out, to prevent it.
God has waited long, and tried us by various Methods of Mercy and Judgment; he has manifeſted how loth he is to deſtroy us, and therefore gives us many Admonitions and Items, formerly, and of late. He calls loud and often, by manifold Warnings; he lifts up his Hand on high, as if he would ſtrike, that we might turn to the Lord, and prevent it: he ſhakes the City, and threatens the Nation, but has not yet delivered us over to utter Ruine. He tells us by the Examples of others, what he can do with us, and what we may expect if we will go on. He doubles and trebles his Meſſages by the Voice of his Prophets, and by the Voice of his Providence. He calls us by what he hath done abroad, and by what he hath done at home, to repent and turn to the Lord, leſt Iniquity prove our Ruine: But have we not reaſon to fear that all his Kindneſs and Patience has but hardned us the more, and rendred us the more incorrigible, and ripe for Ruine? We continue our Rebellions againſt him, as if we were ſure he would never be weary of Repenting.
Being often reproved, and warned, and delivered, and yet Impenitent, ought we not to fear, leſt we be ſuddenly deſtroyed, and that without Remedy? How many Countries and Cities have been ſo? How many former Inſtances, and later ones, may be mentioned? And if we are ſpared, it is mere Soveraignty, and Prerogative.