Counsel to the Afflicted, Question 2 · Section 5
SECT. 5.
5. Look upon this affliction as a loud call from God to repent of and turn from all your tranſgreſſions; and therefore let this judgment awaken you to ſet upon a ſpeedy, zealous, and unfeigned exerciſe and practiſe of the duty of Repentance; for this is one main thing that God aims at when he ſends his judgments upon us, the ſtirring of us up to a preſent, and zealous, and incere repentance, Ezek. 18.30. I will judge you, O Houſe of Iſrael, every one according to his wayes, ſaith the Lord God, repent and turn your ſelves from all your tranſgreſſions, ſo iniquity ſhall not be your ruine. Rev. 3.19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chaſten, be zealous therefore, and repent. When the Lord contended with the Jews by the Sword and by Fire, his deſign in theſe judgments was to bring them to a ſpeedy and ſincere repentance, Joel 2.3,12. A Fire devoureth before them, and behind them a Flame burneth; the Land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a deſolate Wilderneſs; yea and nothing ſhall eſcape them,—Therefore alſo now ſaith the Lord, turn ye, even to me, with all your heart, and with faſting, and with weeping, and with mourning, and rend your heart and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God. When the Cities of Judah were burnt with fire, Iſa. 1.7. the deſign of God was to waſh away the filth of the Daughters of Zion, by the Spirit of Judgment, and the Spirit of burning, Iſa. 4.4. If therefore you would anſwer Gods deſign in this Fire, let this burning put you upon cleanling of your ſelves from all filthineſs both of the fleſh and of the ſpirit. God ſets a brand upon ſuch perſons for notorious ſinners, who are not led to repentance by ſuch an awakening judgment as fire, Amos 4.11. I have overthrown ſome of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were us a Fire brand pucked but of the burning, yet have ye not roturned unto me, faith the Lord. I might give you ſeveral reaſons why this judgment ſhould put you upon repentance and reforming your lives; ponder upon theſe two or three:
1. If you will not be reformed by this judgment, though this was a great and ſore puniſhment, God will lay far greater and heavier afflictions upon you, Lev. 26.23,24. If ye will not be reformed by theſe things, but will walk contrary unto me, then will I alſo walk contrary unto you, and will puniſh you yet ſeven times for your ſin.
2. If this judgment will not lead you to repentance, nor any other means that God ſhall uſe with you to turn you from your iniquities, you will periſh eternally, and be caſt both body and ſoul into Hell fire, and that is a far more dreadful fire, than that which conſumed your houſes and goods, Luk. 13.3. Except ye repent ye ſhall all likewiſe periſh.
3. God lays his command upon ſuch as are under affliction to depart from iniquity, Job 36.8,9,10. If they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction, then he ſheweth them their work, and their tranſgreſſion, that they have exceeded; he openeth alſo their ear to diſcipline, and commandeth that they return from Iniquity. Now 'tis a contemning of God, to rebel againſt his Commandment; and it muſt needs be a great provocation for a man to go on in his ſins, when God commandeth him to return from iniquity. Wherefore let this affliction prevail with you to ſet upon the work of Repentance and Reformation, and that you may do it the more effectually take theſe few directions.
1. See that you turn from, and caſt away, not only ſome, or moſt of, but all your tranſgreſſions, Ezek. 18.30,31. Repent and turn your ſelves from all your tranſgreſſions, ſo iniquity ſhall not be your ruine; Caſt away from you all your tranſgreſſions whereby ye have tranſgreſſed,—for why will ye die, O Houſe of Iſrael?
2. Your affliction ſhould cauſe you to caſt away your ſins for ever. Some deal with their ſins as Felix did with Paul, Act. 24.25. Go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient ſeaſon, I will call for thee. They put away their ſins for a little time, but afterwards when their afflictions are removed, and they have a convenient ſeaſon for the commiſſion of their ſins, they call for them and imbrace them again. When Pharaoh ſaw the Lightnings, and heard the mighty Thunderings, he was willing to let Iſrael go out of Egypt, and humbled himſelf for his ſin; but when he ſaw that the Hail, and the Lightnings, and Thunders were ceaſed, he hardened his heart and ſinned as much or more as ever, Exod. 9.27,28,34,35. But this is not ſuch a repentance as God expects in a time of affliction, he would have us abandon our ſins for ever, Job 34.31,32. Surely it is meet to be ſaid unto God, I have born chaſtiſement, I will not offend any more; that which I ſee not, teach thou me; if I have done iniquity, I will do no more. Hoſ. 8.14. I will ſend a Fire upon his Cities, and it ſhall devour the Palaces thereof; and what fruit did God expect that this fire ſhould produce? Such a forſaking of their ſins as to return to them no more, Hoſ. 14.8. Ephraim ſhall ſay, What have I to do any more with Idols?
3. Let this affliction cauſe you to reform your hearts as well as your lives, Jer. 4.14,15. O Jeruſalem, waſh thine heart from wickedneſs, that thou mayeſt be ſaved. How long ſhall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? for a voyce declareth from Dan, and publiſheth affliction from Mount Ephraim. Ezek. 18.31.—Make you a new heart, and a new ſpirit, for why will ye die, O Houſe of Iſrael?
4. Reform your Families as well as your own Souls: If you diſcern any thing amiſs in your Wives, or in your Children, or in your Servants, or in any that ſojourn with you, endeavour as much as lieth in you to reform it; for this God expects of all thoſe that return to him by true repentance, that they ſhould put away all iniquity far from their Tabernacles, if they be ſuch as have Families committed to their charge, Job 22.23. If thou return to the Almighty,—thou ſhalt put away iniquity far from thy Tabernacles, Job 11.13,14. If thou prepare thine heart, and ſtretch out thine hands toward him, if iniquity be in thine hand put it far away, and let not wickedneſs dwell in thy Tabernacles, Gen. 35.2. Jacob ſaid unto his houſhold, and to all that were with him, put away the ſtrange gods that are among you, and be clean. Joſhua did not think it ſufficient to ſerve God himſelf, but reſolveth to engage all his family to ſerve the Lord, Joſh. 24.15. As for me and my Houſe, we will ſerve the Lord.
5. Set upon the work of Reformation ſpeedily, make no delay, not ſo much as one day, Pſal. 119.60. I made haſt, and delayed not to keep thy Commandements. Heb. 3.7. Wherefore as the Holy Ghoſt ſaith, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts,—Sin is of that ſubtil inſinuating nature, that though a man be under convictions of an abſolute neceſſity of reforming his life, and take up (as he thinks firm and ſtrong) reſolutions to repent of his ſins, if he do not preſently ſet upon the work of repentance, if he put it off but a day, he is in danger of having his heart hardned, and of continuing in an impenitent condition, Heb. 3.13. Exhort one another daily, while it is called to day, leſt any of you be hardned through the deceitfulneſs of ſin.
6. You had need look to your ſelves that your hearts be ſincere and real with God in the exerciſe of repentance; for ſome that ſeem to be very forward and zealous in humbling of their ſouls, and reforming their lives in times of affliction, do but flatter and diſſemble with God, and do not turn to God with their whole hearts, but only in a feigned manner, Pſal. 78.34,35,36,37. When he ſlew them, then they ſought him, and they returned, and enquired early after God, and they remembered that God was their Rock, and the high God their Redeemer: Nevertheleſs they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lyed unto him with their tongues, for their heart was not right with him, neither were they ſtedfaſt in his Covenant. Jer. 3.10. And yet for all this her treacherous ſiſter Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, ſaith the Lord.
Now you had need take good heed to your ſelves, that you do not let this judgment paſs away without being brought to a true and unfeigned repentance by it; for repentance is a very hard work, and few perſons are wrought upon by their afflictions, to forſake their ſins and reform their lives, though God follow them with one affliction after another till he hath even conſumed and deſtroyed them, Rev. 16.10,11.—They gnawed their tongues for pain, and blaſphemed the God of Heaven becauſe of their pains, and their ſores, and repented not of their deeds, Rev. 9.20,21. The reſt of the men which were not killed by theſe plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they ſhould not worſhip Devils, and Idols of Gold and Silver,—neither repented they of their Murders, and of their Sorceries, nor of their Fornication, nor of their Thefts. Prov. 27.22. Though thou ſhouldeſt bray a Fool in a Morter with a Peſtel, yet will not his fooliſhneſs depart from him. And this is not only the caſe of profane men, but of moſt that profeſs themſelves to be the people of God, many of them when they are corrected for their ſins, do yet go on ſtill in their treſpaſſes: When God ſent ſuch heavy calamities upon the Jews, that they were more bitter than death, notwithſtanding they were by Profeſſion the people of God, and their calamities were ſo great; yet ſcarce any of them were led to repentance by them, Jer. 8.3.6. Death ſhall be choſen rather than life, by all the reſidue of them that remain in this evil family—But were they bettered by theſe great afflictions? Not a man of them are brought to repentance, as you may ſee, Verſ. 6. I hearkened and heard, but they ſpake not aright, no man repented him of his wickedneſs, ſaying, what have I done? every one turneth to his courſe, as the Horſe ruſheth into the battel. The like complaint the ſame Prophet brings againſt the Jews, Jer. 2.30. In vain have I ſmitten your children, they received no correction,—The Prophet Iſaiah complains alſo of the Jews that lived in his days that they were not at all reformed by their afflictions, Iſa. 1.5. Why ſhould ye be ſtricken any more? ye will revolt more and more; and yet their afflictions were exceeding great, as the following words ſhew, The whole head is ſick, and the whole heart faint, from the ſole of the foot even unto the head, there is no ſoundneſs in it, but wounds and bruiſes, and putrifying ſores,—Your Country is deſolate, your Cities are burnt with fire, your Land ſtrangers devour it in your preſence, and it is deſolate, as overthrown by ſtrangers. I may add this farther, that it doth exceedingly anger the Lord, when ſuch as are under affliction do not turn to the Lord that ſmiteth them, and provokes God many times to ſend upon them ſudden and utter deſtruction, Iſa. 9.12,13,14.—His anger is not turned away, but his hand is ſtretched out ſtill, for the people turneth not unto him that ſmiteth them, neither do they ſeek the Lord of Hoſts, therefore the Lord will cut off from Iſrael head and tail, branch and ruſh in one day.
It may be ſome will ſay, Seeing it is ſuch an hard matter even for ſuch as are in affliction to be brought to repent of, and turn from their ſins, what means ſhall we uſe that we may be brought to repentance now the afflicting hand of God is upon us?
I anſwer; 1. Sit down and conſider your wayes, that you may ſee what is amiſs in them, and wherein you have gone aſtray from God; conſider alſo ſeriouſly with your ſelves, into what endleſs and unſpeakable miſely and torments your ſins will plunge you if you do not repent of them: The Scripture hath many paſſages to this purpoſe, Rom. 6.21,23. What fruit had ye then in thoſe things, whereof ye are now aſhamed? for the end of thoſe things is death; for the wages of ſin is death. Rom. 8.13. If ye live after thefleſh, ye ſhall die,—Pſal. 9.17. The wicked ſhall be turned into Hell, and all the Nations that forget God. When David was in affliction, he was reformed by his afflictions, Pſal. 119.67. Before I was afflicted I went aſtray, but now have I kept thy Word. And by what means was he brought to a more diligent obſervation of Gods Word, when he was afflicted? It was by reflecting upon, and conſidering his wayes; as we may ſee, verſ. 59. I thought on my wayes and turned my feet unto thy Teſtimonies. There is a great efficacy in conſideration of our wayes to produce Reformation, Prov. 4.26. Ponder the path of thy feet; and all thy wayes ſhall be ordered aright; ſo that Text is rendered in the margent of our Bibles. It will not only make good men to reform what is amiſs in their wayes, but if a man that hath lived a wicked and ungodly life, would ſit down and ſeriouſly conſider his wayes, it might be a means of turning even of a wicked man from his ſins, Ezek. 18.27,28. When the wicked man turneth away from his wickedneſs that he hath committed, and doth that which is lawful and right, he ſhall ſave his ſoul alive; becauſe he conſidereth and turneth away from all his tranſgreſſions that he hath committed, he ſhall ſurely live, he ſhall not die. This Scripture ſheweth plainly, that conſideration (becauſe he conſidereth and turneth—) will help a wicked man to turn from all his ſins, by ſuch a repentance as ſhall ſurely ſave his ſoul; he ſhall ſurely live, he ſhall not die.
2. Give your ſelves much to hearing, reading, and meditating upon the Word of God. The Rod ſeldom doth good without the Word; but when the Word of God is accompanied with his Rod, when in our afflictions we give our ſelves to ſearch into, and meditate upon Gods Word, this will make our afflictions to work kindly upon us. There is a divine power goeth along with the Word, and therefore it muſt needs be an effectual means to lead us to repentance, to converſe much with the Word; ſee ſome places of this Scripture to this purpoſe, Pſal. 19.7. The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the ſoul. Joh. 15.3. Now ye are clean through the Word which I have ſpoken unto you. Epheſ. 5.26,27. Chriſt alſo loved the Church, and gave himſelf for it, that he might ſanctifie and cleanſe it with the waſhing of water by the Word. Who are harder to be reclaimed then young men who have ſtrong and unruly paſſions? And who are more hardly kept from ſin than great men who can do what they pleaſe, and none can controul them, yet both the one and the other may be brought to repentance and kept from ſin by taking heed to Gods Word. As for young men, we may ſee the power of the Word to reclaim them, Pſal. 119.9. Wherewithal ſhall a young man cleanſe his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy Word. David was a King and ſtood in awe of no man; yet was he awed by Gods Word, Pſal. 119.161. My heart ſtandeth in awe of thy Word. And though he was a King, yet he was ſo awed by the Word, that he durſt not ſin againſt God, Pſal. 119.11. Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not ſin againſt thee.
3. Confeſs to God and bemoan the refractorineſs and incorrigibleneſs of your hearts, and pray to the Lord that he would turn you from your ſins unto himſelf, Jer. 31.18,20. I have ſurely heard Ephraim bemoaning himſelf thus, Thou haſt chaſtiſed me and I was chaſtiſed, as a Bullock unaccuſtomed to the yoke; turn thou me, and I ſhall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God. 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. When Ephraim was in affliction and found a refractory ſpirit,—Thou haſt chaſtiſed me, and I was as a Bullock unaccuſtomed to the yoke, and went to God and bemoaned the hardneſs of his heart, and prayed to be turned, God promiſeth, I will ſurely have mercy upon him; that is, out of my mercy towards him, I will both pardon his rebellious and diſobedient carriage under his affliction, and ſubdue his refractory and rebellious ſpirit. That Gods having mercy on him, implies both the pardoning and ſubduing his ſins, may be gathered from Mic. 7.18,19,20. When the Jews were carried captive into Babylon, and found, that notwithſtanding all the great things that they ſuffered during the ſiege, and at the deſtruction of Jeruſalem, they were not turned from their ſins, they go to God, and pray to him to turn them; for they were perſwaded that though their afflictions had not turned them, yet if the Lord would put forth his Grace and turn them, then they ſhould be turned, Lam. 5.21. Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we ſhall be turned. Prayer is of that prevalency with God, that no iniquity ſhall be able to ſtand long before a praying Chriſtian, but Prayer will ſoon ſubdue the power and dominion of it, Pſal. 119.2,3. Bleſſed are they that keep his teſtimonies, and that ſeek him with the whole heart, they alſo do no iniquity. Prayers and tears will prevail over God himſelf, Hoſ. 12.3,4.—By his ſtrength he had power with God, yea, he had power over the Angel, and prevailed, he wept and made ſupplication unto him. Now if Prayer will prevail over God fear not but it will prevail over all manner of ſin.
4. When you feel any workings and ſtirrings of the Spirit of God upon your hearts, take heed of quenching or reſiſting the Spirit when the Spirit of God worketh upon you either in a way of conviction, or by ſtirring up godly ſorrow for ſin, or exciting purpoſes and reſolutions againſt ſin, or working in any other way upon our ſouls, and yield your ſelves to God, joyn in, and comply with the motions of the Spirit: all the workings of Gods Spirit upon our hearts, are in order to the bringing of us to repentance, that he may prevent our eternal miſery, Job 33.16,17. He openeth the ears of men, and ſealeth their inſtruction, that he may withdraw man from his purpoſe, and hide pride from man. See alſo, ver. 29, 30. Lo, all theſe things worketh God often times with man, to bring back his ſoul from the pit, to be enlightned with the light of the living. We had need attend to the workings of the Spirit, becauſe there is no mortifying of any one ſin, but by the help of the Spirit, Rom. 8.13.—If ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body, ye ſhall live. And though we can overcome no ſin but by the help of the Spirit, yet with the Spirits help we may overcome any ſin whatever, Gal. 5.16. This I ſay then, walk in the Spirit, and ye ſhall not fulfil the luſts of the fleſh. What would God have done for Iſrael, if they had hearkned to him, Pſal. 81.13,14,15. O that my people had hearkened unto me—I ſhould ſoon have ſubdued their enemies, and turned my hand againſt their adverſaries; the haters of the Lord ſhould have ſubmitted themſelves unto him—The ſame will the Spirit of God do for thoſe that yield up themſelves to be led and guided by him, he will ſoon ſubdue their ſins, and turn his hand againſt their iniquities, and make all their ſpiritual enemies become ſubject unto them.
5. Look unto Jeſus Chriſt to give you repentance, and to turn you from your iniquities. God hath exalted Chriſt to give us repentance, Acts. 5.31. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince, and a Saviour, for to give repentance unto Iſrael, and forgiveneſs of ſins. Becauſe we cannot of our ſelves turn from ſin, God ſent his Son to turn us from our iniquities, Acts 3.26. Unto you firſt, God having raiſed up his Son: Jeſus, ſent him to bleſs you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. If after you have applyed your ſelves to Chriſt in order to his turning of you from your iniquities, your ſins ſhould ſtill prevail over you, yet be not diſcouraged, but hope in Chriſt, that in his own good time, he will redeem you from all your iniquities, and you ſhall finde that he will not fail your expectation, Pſalm 130.7,8. Let Iſrael hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption, and he ſhall redeem Iſrael from all his iniquities. Pſal. 65.3. Iniquities prevail againſt me, as for our tranſgreſſions thou ſhalt purge them away.
6. Reſt upon God by virtue of his promiſes, to ſanctifie your afflictions for the purging out of your ſins, and leading of you to repentance. The Lord hath made many gracious promiſes of ſanctifying thoſe afflictions which he layes upon his people, and cauſing of them to purge and refine their ſouls. I will mention two or three, Iſa. 27.9. By this therefore ſhall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit to take away his ſin. Here are two things remarkable in this Scripture. 1. The end and deſign of God in afflicting his people, which is, that he may take away his ſins. This is all the fruit to take away his ſin. 2. A promiſe that the affliction, which God ſends upon his people, ſhall have this effect upon their ſouls to purge out their ſins. By this ſhall the iniquity of Jacob be purged. Jer. 24 7. I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord, and they ſhall be my people, and I will be their God; for they ſhall return unto me with their whole heart. This promiſe relates to a time of affliction, when the Jews were carried captives into the Land of the Caldeans, ver. 5. and herein the Lord promiſeth among other bleſſings, that this captivity ſhould produce in them an unfeigned repentance. They ſhall return unto me with their whole heart. Another promiſe to this effect we have, Zach. 13.9. I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as ſilver is refined, and will try them as gold is tryed, they ſhall call on my Name, and I will hear them, I will ſay it is my people, and they ſhall ſay, the Lord is my God. In the former verſe the Prophet ſpeaks of a time of great mortality. Two parts therein ſhall be cut off and die, but the third part ſhall be left therein; and then he foretels what ſhould befal the third part that ſhould be left, I will bring the third part through the fire; and then adds a gracious promiſe that they ſhould be refined by paſſing through the fire; that is, God thereby would purge and purifie their hearts and converſations: urge God daily with theſe promiſes, plead them at the Throne of Grace, and reſt upon God for the performance of them.