Englands Face in Israels Glass, Sermon 8
PSAL. 106.24,25.
Yea, they deſpiſed the pleaſant land; they beleeved not his Word:
But murmured in their tents, and hearkned not unto the voice of the LORD, &c.
YOU have in theſe verſes foure ſins of this people. Wee have done with the firſt of them, which was this; They deſpiſed the pleaſant land.
I now goe on to the next ſinne, which is, their Unbeliefe; They beleeved not his Word.
That word was a word of promiſe; that promiſe was a particular promiſe of the land; they did not beleeve that. God told them that hee would give them the land; hee had ſworn hee would give it them. The ſpies come and tell them it was impoſsible that they ſhould poſſeſſe the land; they beleeve the ſpies, but they would not beleeve God: Here was their ſinne.
I will firſt ſhew the hainouſneſs of this ſin in this people.
And then ſhew what uſe we are to make of it: both, as briefly as I can.
The hainouſneſs of this peoples ſin appeares in this; They would not beleeve God: It was infidelity. There is a queſtion, among Divines, what was the firſt ſin that was in the world, (wee doe not ſpeake of the ſin of apoſtate Angels, but among men.) Some ſay it was diſobedience, ſome ſay it was pride, ſome make it an inordinate deſire of ſuperfluous knowledge, ſome one thing, ſome another; but, if you marke the ſtory well, you will finde that the firſt ſin was Unbeliefe: God had told them, that, in the day that they eate of that tree, they ſhould die. Moriendo moriemini; Dying, yee ſhall die; that is, As ſure as you live, you ſhall die, if you eate. The divell comes and tells them, they ſhall not die, but live in a better condition then they did before. Our firſt Parents beleeved Satan, but not God; Infidelity then was the firſt ſinne: that uſhered in Pride, Pride brought in an inordinate deſire of ſuperfluous knowledge, that brought in diſobedience, and that brought in the judgement of God upon them and all their poſterity. As unbeliefe was the firſt ſinne, ſo unbeliefe is a ſinne that is exceeding odious to God: God cannot endure to be diſtruſted, that hee may not be beleeved. Man is deceitfull upon the weights, and lighter then vanity it ſelfe; yet man loves not to be diſtruſted, but ſibi quiſ que credi vult, &c. as hee ſaith; Every man willingly would be credited. If man, I ſay, love not to be diſtruſted; ſurely, God loves it not, who is not onelyonly true, but truth it ſelfe; that ſame Prime, Originall Truth, whereupon all truth hath its dependence. Hee is light, in him is no darkneſſe at all: Hee is truth, in him there is no falſhood at all: There is none actively, hee cannot deceive; God is not as man, that hee ſhould lie, ſaith Balaam, Numbers 23.17. God cannot lie, ſaith the Apoſtle, Titus 1.2. It is not poſsible that God ſhould lie, Heb. 6. ver. 8. Now, if that man, that is a lyar, (every man is ſo, for, every man is a lyar,) If, I ſay, that man, being a lyar, doth not love to be accounted a lyar: if that man thinke it a great diſhonour to put up a lie; if a man will preſent death upon the point of a ſword to that man that ſhall give him the lie: if a lying man cannot endure to be accounted a lyar; what, can God endure it? Will God brook it? Hearken what the Apoſtle ſaith, 1 John 5.10. Hee that beleeveth not God, maketh him a lyar.
The ſin of the people was yet greater, becauſe God had not onelyonly promiſed to give them the land, and had given his word for it, though that had been enough, but he had given his oath for it; hee had ſworne that they ſhould have the land. This Moſes tells them in Deut. 1. that God had lift up his hand, and had ſworn that hee would give them the land.
An oath among men, is, as the Heathen man calls it, the greateſt bond of aſſurance that can be between man and man; there is reaſon for it. There are certaine principles, as theſe: That there is a God, that this God is preſent in every place, that hee is acquainted with every ſecret, that hee is a Patron of truth, that hee is a revenger of falſhood, that hee is a juſt God, and therefore will; and an omnipotent God, and therefore is able to plague every one that ſweareth falſely. There are theſe principles in the heart of every child of man: Though the concluſions that may be drawne from thence, may be, and ſometimes are, in ſome men obliterated and blotted out; yet the principles remaine in man: therefore it is preſumed, becauſe there are theſe principles in our hearts, that no man dares take that God to be his witneſſe, and call upon him to be a witneſſe and a Judge in that that hee knowes is falſe. Hence it comes, that an oath (as the Apoſtle ſaith) is ſet for the confirmation of all truth. An oath among men is the greateſt bond of aſſurance that can be given: Abimelech required no other aſsurance of Abraham for his covenant, but his oath; Sweare to mee, ſaith hee, Geneſ. 21.23. Jacob, when hee had purchaſed the birth-right of Eſau, requires no other aſsurance for the birth-right, but his oath; though Eſau were a profane man: Sweare to mee that I ſhall have it, Geneſ. 25. ver. 33. Rahab required no other aſsurance of the ſpies for her ſafety, and her fathers houſe; Sweare to mee, to confirme it.
Now, if there be ſuch a bond of aſſurance in an oath, between man and man; if an oath be the greateſt bond of aſsurance, that can be between man and man; and wee dare beleeve upon an oath: may wee not beleeve God upon his oath? God (ſaith the Apoſtle) to ſhew the immutability of his counſell to them that ſhould be heires of promiſe, bound himſelfe by an oath; that by two immutable things (by thoſe two immutable things, hee meanes his word and his oath) wherein it is impoſsible that God ſhould lie, wee might have strong comfort, Hebrews 6. ver. 18. Now here was the ſinne of that people, they would not beleeve God upon his oath. Happy people! happy they might have been, for whoſe ſake God was content to bind himſelfe by an oath for the performance of his promiſe: But, O wretched men, that will not beleeve God, no not upon his oath! They beleeved not his word.
Nay, yet further, their ſin is yet greater then thus; they did not beleeve God upon experience. For what was it they were affraid of? The Anakims, great men, men that might tread them downe, as wee doe Graſhoppers under our feet. But they had experience of Gods mercy: there was never people that had better experience of Gods power and mercy; it was never magnified as it was towards this people: therefore God, you well perceive, is never ſo offended when hee is diſtruſted, as when hee is diſtruſted upon experience.
You may ſee, in Pſalme 78.20. The people there were in want of bread; Indeed, ſay they, Hee ſtroke the rock, and the water guſhed out, and the ſtreames over-flowed: But, can hee give bread? Can hee furniſh a Table in the wilderneſſe? See, they had great and wonderfull experience of Gods power. They wanted water, God ſent them water miraculouſly out of the rock, and eaſily; hee did but ſmite the rock, and abundance of water guſhed out, and the ſtreames over-flowed: yet, they come and aske out of unbeliefe; yea, But can hee give bread? Hee that gave us water, can hee give us bread too? How did God take this queſtion? Looke in the next verſe, The Lord heard it, and his wrath was kindled againſt Jacob, and the fire burned againſt Iſrael, becauſe they beleeved not the word of the Lord.
What, will not men beleeve upon experience? Experience breedeth hope. Among men, if I had experience of a mans goodneſſe, if I have bought and ſold with him, and have ever found him a juſt, and an honeſt man, that never brake his day with mee; Dare not I truſt this man upon experience? May a man be truſted upon experience? a good man? and ſhall not God take it ill that hee cannot be truſted upon experience? You ſee the ſin of this people.
Let mee now come and make uſe of it. Let mee tell you, It was not onelyonly their ſin, it is our ſin too, It is the ſin of us all. The beſt of Gods children have need to mourne every day over their unbeliefe. They that doe not find this unbeliefe in themſelves, ſurely, are ſtrangers to themſelves. If a man were not a ſtranger to himſelfe, hee would finde ſuch a deale of unbeliefe, as would make him mourne continually under it, and ſtrive againſt it.
It is a wondrous hard thing (brethren) to beleeve Gods word, to beleeve a promiſe. Let mee give you but an inſtance in one promiſe, Hebrews 13.5. Let your converſation (ſaith the Apoſtle) be without coveteouſnes: Be content with thoſe things that you have. Why? For hee hath ſaid it, (this is the promiſe) hee hath ſaid, I will not faile thee, I will not forſake thee. He hath ſaid it. Who is that hath ſaid it? Pythagoras his ſcholars were wont to attribute ſo much to their Maſter, that when in their Diſputes it came to Ipſe dixit, He ſaid it, there was no more talking of it, all was well, they beleeved it. Behold, a greater then Pythagoras is here; Ipſe dixit, Hee hath ſaid it: and, I thinke, hee never ſaid a thing more earneſtly, then hee ſaid that. There are in the Greek five negatives in that ſentence: I doe not remember the like in all the Scripture beſides. The Grecians, when they are wont to deny a thing earneſtly, double the negative: The Spirit of God here is pleaſed, not only to double it, but alſo to treble it; foreign a thing cannot be ſpoken with more earneſtnes. Wee know not how to expreſſe it in our Engliſh, but wee tranſlate it thus; I will never leave thee, nor forſake thee. It is well ſo: It is, as if hee ſhould ſay, Beleeve mee upon my word, I will never leave thee; no, no, no, I will not leave thee. It is ſo earneſt, God never promiſed a thing with more earneſtnes then that.
And, beſides, wee have found in experience the truth of this promiſe many a time. Wee are here ſome of us twenty yeares old, and ſome of us fourty, and ſome ſixty, and ſome above; and, in all this time, wee have found how true this was: upon twenty, or fourty, or ſixty yeares experience, wee may ſay, God never left us yet, he never forſook us. Wee have been ſometimes in ſickneſſe, and ſometimes in danger, and ſometimes in want; God never left us yet, hee never forſook us: yet, notwithſtanding all this, wee dare not beleeve that ſame word, wee dare not beleeve it.
Doe not tell mee that thou doeſt, certainly thou doeſt not beleeve it. Even as Saul would needs juſtifie himſelfe to Samuel, when hee reſerved the beſt of the cattle, contrary to Gods command; I have kept Gods commandement (quoth hee) O thou bleſſed of the Lord. Haſt thou ſo, ſaith Samuel? Then what meanes the bleating of theſe ſheep in mine eares, and the lowing of theſe oxen? Mee thinkes, I might ſay ſo: thou ſayeſt thou beleeveſt the promiſe of God, that hee will not leave thee, nor forſake thee; Doeſt thou ſo? Doeſt thou beleeve it? Then what meane thoſe falſe weights, thoſe falſe meaſures, and thoſe falſe oathes? And what meanes that cunning overreaching of thy neighbour in bargaining, and that ſecret undermining of him in his eſtate? And what meanes thine inordinate carking, and caring? That ſame loſing of many a ſweet ſleep, and loſing many a ſweet Sermon for the things of this life? Surely, if thou didſt beleeve that God would not leave thee, nor forſake thee, thou wouldeſt, indeed, uſe thoſe meanes whereby the providence of God might be ſerved; thou wouldeſt never be thus worldly, thou wouldeſt never be thus covetous, thou wouldeſt never uſe this ſharking, nor theſe diſhoneſt trickes if thou didſt beleeve: As ſure as the Lord liveth, thou beleeveſt not that promiſe, I will not leave thee, nor forſake thee.
I could ſhew the like in many other promiſes. Good Lord, how ſlow of heart are we to beleeve any promiſe that God hath made to us, either concerning this life, or concerning a better, conſidering with mee theſe things that I tell you!
Firſt, conſidering how much ſeed of unbeliefe there is in the nature of every man upon the earth, even in the beſt of Gods children; and conſidering what a deep root this ſeed takes in all our hearts. Then conſidering that the time that God hath ſet for the performance of promiſes; is,
Firſt, uncertaine.
And many times long before a promiſe be performed.
Then conſider againe, that ſame wonderfull working of God, when his workes goe againſt his promiſe, as many times it ſeemes. God promiſeth many times a bleſsing, and hee ſeemes to goe againſt his word.
Then conſidering how buſie and ſubtile the divell is, labouring ſtill, as hee did with Eve, to diſcredit the truth of Gods promiſe.
Then conſidering how ready we are to liſten, as Eve, to the whiſperings, and ſuggeſtions of that ſubtile ſerpent. Certainly, brethren, we ſhould never pleaſe our ſelves in any meaſure of faith: but labour ſtill for a greater meaſure thereof, and never think we can lay hold faſt enough upon the promiſes of God. O, that is a ſafe courſe that Mr Luther gave; In all temptations, and conflicts, and combates, and agonies, ſtill urge the promiſe: whatſoever the divell can object againſt it, ſtill hold the promiſe. That that we would hiſſe at in ſchools, in diſputes among men, is a good courſe in diſputing with Satan: When wee cannot anſwer the Premiſſes, deny the Concluſion; hold to the promiſe. The Covenant of day and night may be altered, that there may be neither day nor night any more in their ſeaſon: but there is never a promiſe in the Covenant of grace but it ſhall ſtand for ever: Lord, I beleeve it, helpe mine unbeliefe. So much ſhall ſuffice concerning the ſecond ſin, They beleeved not his word. I come to the third, They murmured in their tents.
There is a three-fold murmuring;
There is murmur diſplicentiae, a murmur of diſpleaſure, of diſlike and diſcontent that is againſt God, when things goe with us otherwiſe then wee would have them.
Then there is murmur inobedientiae, a murmur of diſobedience againſt our Superiours, when wee thinke that they command us ſomething that wee conceive to be unreaſonable.
Then there is murmur invidentiae, a murmur of envy againſt our neighbours; when wee think they are in a better condition then wee are, wee diſlike it. The Grecians murmured againſt the Jewes, becauſe their women were neglected, Acts 6.1. Cain murmured, becauſe Abels ſacrifice was accepted, and his was not. Judas murmured at the box of Spicknard that was beſtowed upon our Lord. The elder brother of the prodigall child murmured that the fat calf ſhould be killed for his riotous brother, that had ſpent his fathers goods among harlots. This people murmured thus againſt Moſes, and Aaron; They envied Aaron the Saint of the Lord, and murmured againſt Moſes in their tents. This wee ſpeake not of now; this was not the murmuring of envie.
What murmur was it then?
The other two:
Firſt, a murmuring of diſpleaſure, and diſcontent againſt God.
And then a murmur of diſobedience, both againſt God, and againſt the Magiſtrate.
Firſt, I ſay, it was a murmur of diſcontent againſt God, and a fearefull murmur; you ſhall ſeldome heare of the like. I pray, marke this; When God promiſed them the land at any time, hee uſually promiſeth it to them out of his love; Becauſe God loved the fathers, therefore hee choſe the ſeed, Deuter. c. 4. ver. 37. In another place, Deuter. 7. ver. 8. The Lord ſet his love upon you, not becauſe you were many; for you were the feweſt of all people; but becauſe hee loved you, therefore hee brought you out of the land of Egypt. I thinke, there was never Nation had ſo many ſenſible demonſtrations of Gods love, as this people had: Doe you think that God would have brought them out of the land of bondage, with ſuch a mighty outſtretched arme, if he had not loved them? Doe you think he would have made a way for them in the ſea, and afterward have fed them with bread from heaven, and given them water out of the rock, and have guided them with a pillar of fire in the night, and a pillar of a cloud in the day, if hee had not loved them? Doe you think hee would have appeared to them in fire, and have ſpoken to them in an audible voice out of Mount Sinai, and have choſen them there to be a peculiar people to him of all the people in the earth, if hee had not loved them?
You will ſay, Who doubted of this love? O, I pray you, heare this people, hearken to this people; out of their impatience (and impatiency is ever full of miſconſtructions) they impute all this that God had done, to the very hatred of them. Would you thinke it? Look in Deut. c. 1. ver. 27. Becauſe God hated us, therefore hee brought us out of Egypt to deſtroy us with the Amorires. O ſinfull Nation, worthy to be hated indeed, not worthy to be loved, that takes Gods love thus for hatred. This was the murmur of impatiency.
The murmur of diſobedience againſt God and the Magiſtrate was in theſe words; O, that wee had died in the wilderneſſe! O, that wee were dead! They were but affraid of death, and they might have lived, if they had beleeved; they were but affraid of death, and, for feare they ſhould die, they wiſh, O, that wee were dead! I he like murmuring you ſhall finde oft times of this people: Fourty yeares long was God grieved, and vexed with their continuall murmuring. One while they murmured for want of water; after they had water, then they murmur at the bitterneſſe of the water. One while they murmur for want of bread; another time they had bread, and the bread of Angels, the bread of heaven; then they murmur becauſe they had nothing but bread. One while they murmur at the government of Moſes and Aaron; God puniſhed them for that murmuring: then they murmur againe becauſe God puniſhed them. They murmur at the tediouſneſs of the way from Egypt to Cadeſh-Barnea; now they murmur, becauſe they may not goe from Cadeſh Barnea to Egypt againe. Thus they were like ſwine: For, as the ſwine, whether full or empty, waking or ſleeping, is ever grunting: ſo this people were ſtill murmuring.
The Apoſtle, 1 Corinth. chap. 10. ver. 10. ſaith, that this is written for our example, that wee ſhould not murmur as they murmured, and were deſtroyed of the deſtroyer. Brethren, beware of this ſin of murmuring. I will not ſpeake of the murmuring of envie; you have in this Pſalme v. 16. They murmured one against another. I doe not ſpeake of that; but I begin,
Firſt, beware of that murmuring of diſobedience. Children, take heed how you murmur againſt your Parents. Servants, take heed how you murmur againſt your Maſters. Subjects, take heed how you murmur againſt your Soveraigne. Let nothing (ſaith the Apoſtle) be done with murmuring, and reaſoning. Doe all things without murmurings, and diſputings, Phil. chap. 2. ver. 14. foreign, as Chryſoſtome on that place excellently: It is a grievous ſin that ſame murmuring. It is better (ſaith hee there) for a man not to have his worke done, then done with murmuring. The voice of murmuring is but a low voice, it is not loud; it is rather muttered, then uttered; it is but a low voice: It may be the man heares thee not againſt whom thou murmureſt: But it is ſaid, The Lord heard the voice of this peoples murmuring, Deuteronomy chap. 1. And the Author of the book of Wiſedome, excellently; There is (quoth hee) auris zeli, an eare of jealouſie (hee ſpeakes of divine jealouſie; and that is a jealouſie as hot as fire) and there is an eare of a Jealous God, and the voice of murmuring (ſaith hee) ſhall not be hid: therefore, (ſaith hee) in the next verſe, Beware of murmuring. There is not ſuch a ſecret thought, that ſhall goe for nought. If wee muſt give an account to God for every idle word, ſurely, wee ſhall give an account to God for words of deſperate murmuring. That is for the one, Beware of that murmuring of diſobedience.
Then of the other, Beware, above all, of that murmuring of impatience. There are a generation of men that cannot be troubled with any thing that they would not be troubled with, nor can they want any thing that they would have; they muſt not be croſſed with wet nor dry, with wind nor raine, with foule nor faire weather; but their mouths are preſently ſet againſt heaven, and they will not ſtick to charge God fooliſhly, (as the people did) that God hates them.
I pray, let mee onelyonly give you a few remedies againſt this impatient murmuring.
The firſt is this; Conſider, that that ſame Diſcipline of God, at which wee murmur, is from God; Affliction comes not out of the duſt, as Eliphaz ſpeakes. There is nothing befalls thee in thine eſtate, but it comes from a Divine power, and is guided by a moſt wiſe providence; and wilt thou murmur at it?
The very ſavage beaſt, that is ready to flee at the throat of a ſtranger, will endure it ſelfe to be ſtricken and beaten by his keeper. Surely, thou art worſe then a beaſt, if thou wilt not ſuffer God thy Father, and thy Maker, and thy Keeper to ſtrike thee.
Then, ſecondly, againe conſider, God is righteous in all his waies, and holy in all his workes. Diſcat non murmurare qui malum patitur, Let not a man that ſuffers ill murmur; though hee know not for what ill hee ſuffers, hee can but ſuffer juſtly. There is nothing but it comes with due deſert, becauſe God is juſt, and it ſhall have a due profit. The judgements of God, ſome of them are ſecret, ſome of them open, they are all righteous; never murmur. We deſire that God would not enter into judgement with us: Shall wee enter into judgement with God? wee doe ſo, if we murmur.
Thirdly, conſider, that this ſame Diſcipline that thou murmureſt at, it may be it is not ſo much penall, as medicinal. Thou murmureſt, peradventure that thou art poore; if thou wert rich, peradventure, thou wouldeſt be proud of it. Thou murmureſt becauſe thou art kept low, Thou art a hewer of wood, and a drawer of water to the hoſt; peradventure, if thou wert higher, thou wouldeſt be more licentious. Thou murmureſt, peradventure, becauſe thou haſt a weak ſickly body; if thou wert more healthy, it may be, thou wouldeſt be more intemperate: God knowes what is better for thee, then thou doeſt for thy ſelfe: Therefore, as there was a law among the Perſians, that if any man had been beaten at the Kings command, hee ſhould have beene ſo farre from murmuring againſt the King, that hee was bound by that law to come and give the King thanks, as though it was a favour from the King; hee muſt come and give the King thankes, that hee was pleaſed to remember him. Surely, when God beates us with any affliction, with poverty, or abaſement, or whatſoever, wee ſhould be ſo farre from murmuring, that wee ſhould come and give God thankes that hee is pleaſed to remember us, and to make us againe to remember him, that otherwiſe might have forgotten him dayes without number.
Fourthly, and laſtly, conſider the fearefull judgement of God that falls upon murmurers. I could have ſhewed many examples, but remember this heavie judgement of God that at laſt fell upon this people for murmuring: the Lord bare with it a while: they murmured at Marah, hee bare with it; and at Rephidim, and hee bare with it; and at Taberah, and hee puniſhed them a little; and at Kebroth-Hattanah, and then hee puniſhed them a little: But at length hee would beare no more, but ſware; hee lift up his hand, that they ſhould never enter into the land of Promiſe; they entred not into that land. And, let mee conclude with that ſpeech of Gregorie; Nullus qui murmurat, &c. there are none that murmur that enter into the Kingdome of heaven; nor ſhall any but the ſons of peace, ever participate of that peace and tranquillity the Saints ſhall there enjoy. Let us therefore take heed of murmuring.
FINIS.