Ebenezer, Sermons · Part 7
Great deliverances call for frequent Remembrances.
Thus were Rivers brought out of the Rocks: and with, or for theſe Rivers, God did cleave the earth, that is, either he provided channels for thoſe ſtreames to run in, that they might not be waſted on the ſurface of that ſandy wilderneſſe, but Preſerved for the uſe of his people; or elſe the ſtreames were ſo great and ſtrong, that they pierced the earth, and parted channells for themſelves.
Great Rivers of water, brought out of flinty Rocks, running into prepared channells, to refreſh a ſinfull thirſty people, in a barren wilderneſſe, I think is a remarkeable mercy.
2. As it was eminent in it ſelfe, ſo likewiſe is it exalted in its typicall concernment. Is there nothing but flints in this Rock? nothing but water in theſe ſtreames? nothing but the Rod of Moſes in the blowes given to it? Did the people receive no other refreſhment, but only in reſpect of their bodily thirſt? yes ſaith the Apoſtle, They drank of that ſpirituall Rock which followed them, and that Rock was Chriſt, 1 Cor. 10. 4. Was not this Rock, a ſigne of that Rock of Ages on which the Church is built? Mat. 16. 18. Did not Moſes ſmiting, hold out his being ſmitten with the Rod of God, Iſa. 53. 4, 5? was not the powring out of theſe plentifull ſtreames, as the powring out of his pretious Blood, in a Sea of mercy, abundantly ſufficient to refreſh the whole fainting Church in the wilderneſſe? latet Chriſtus in petra, here is Chriſt in this Rock. Had Rome had wiſdom to build on this Rock, though ſhe had not had an infallibility, as ſhe vainly now pretends, ſhe might have had an infaillability (if I may ſo ſpeak) yea ſhe had never quite failed. Give me leave to take a few obſervations from hence: as
1. Sinners muſt be brought to great extremities, to make them deſire the Bloud of Jeſus. Weary and thirſty, before rock-water come. Thirſt is a continually galling preſſure. When a ſoule gaſpeth like a parched Land, and is as far from ſelf-refreſhement, as a man from drawing waters out of a flint, then ſhall the ſide of Chriſt be opened to him. You that are full of your luſts, drunk with the world, here is not a drop for you. If you never come into the wilderneſſe, you ſhall never have Rock-water,
2. Mercy to a convinced ſinner ſeems of times as remote, as Rivers from a Rock of flint. The truth is, he never came neer mercy, who thought not himſelf far from it. When the Izraelites cryed, we are ready to die for thirſt, then ſtood they on the ground, where Rivers were to runne.
3. Thirſty ſouls ſhall want no water, though it be fetched for them out of a Rock. Panters after the blood of Jeſus, ſhall aſſuredly have refreſhment and pardon, through the moſt unconquerable difficulties. Though grace and mercy ſeem to be locked up from them, like water in a flint, whence fire is more naturall then water, yet God will not ſtrik the rock of his juſtice and their flinty hearts together, to make hellſire ſparkle about their eares, but with a rod of mercy on Chriſt, that abundance of water may be drawn out for their refreſhment.
4. The moſt eminent temporall bleſſings, and ſuitable refreſhment, (water from a Rock for them that are ready to periſh) is but an obſcure repreſentation of that love of God, and refreſhment of ſouls, which is in the blood of Jeſus. Carnall things are exceeding ſhort of ſpirituall, temporall things of eternall.
5. The blood of Chriſt is abundantly ſufficient for his whole Church, to refreſh themſelves; ſtreames, rivers, a whole Sea.
Theſe and the like obſervations flowing from the typicall relation of the bleſſing intimated, ſhall not further be inſiſted on, one only I ſhall take from the Hiſtoriall Truth.
God ſometimes bringeth plentifull deliverances and mercies for his Obſ. 19.people from beyond the ken of ſenſe and reaſon, yea from above the ordinary reach of much pretious faith. I mean not what it ought to reach, which is all the Omnipotency of God; but what ordinarily it doth, as in this very buſineſſe it was with Moſes.
I ſay plentifull deliverances, mercies like the waters that guſhed out in abundant ſtreames, untill the earth was cloven with Rivers: that the people ſhould not only have a taſt and away, but drink abundantly, and leave for the beaſts of the field.
From beyond the ken of ſenſe and reaſon, by events which a rationally wiſe man, is no more able to look into, then an eye of fleſh is able to ſee water in a flint: or a man probably ſuppoſe that divers millions of creatures ſhould be refreſhed with waters out of a Rock, where there was never any ſpring from the foundation of the world.
Now concerning this obſerve,
1. That God hath done it.
2. That he hath promiſed he will yet do it.
3. Why he will ſo doe?
Firſt he hath done it. I might here tire you with preſidents. I could lead you from that Mother deliverance, the womb of all others, the redemption that is in the bloud of Jeſus, down through many diſpenſations of old, and of late, holding out this propoſition to the full. One ſhall ſuffice me, and if ſome of you cannot help your ſelves with another, you are very ſenſeleſſe.
Look upon Peters deliverance, Act. 12. The night before he was to Preached at the Committee at Rumford.be ſlain, he was kept ſafe in a priſon. A priſon he had neither wil, nor power to break. He was bound with two-chaines, beyond his skill to unlooſe, or force aſunder; kept he was by 16 Souldiers, doubtleſſe men of blood and vigilancy; having this to keep them waking, that if Peter eſcaped with his Head, they were to loſe theirs. Now that his deliverance was above ſenſe and reaſon, himſelfe intimates, v. 11. he hath delivered me from the expectation of the Jewes. The wiſe ſubtile Jewes, concluded the matter ſo ſecure, that without any doubts or fears, they were in expectation of his execution the next day. That it was alſo beyond the ready reach of much pretious faith, you have an example in thoſe believers, who were gathered together in the houſe of Mary, v. 12. calling her mad, who firſt affirmed it, v. 15. and being aſtoniſhed when their eyes beheld it, v. 16. The whole ſeeming ſo impoſſible to carnall Herod, after its accompliſhment, that he ſlayes the keepers as falſe in their Helliſh truſt. A juſt recompence for truſty villaines.
The time would faile me to ſpeak of Iſaac and Joſeph, Gidron, Noah Gen. 22. 14. Gen. 39, &c.Daniel & Job, all preſidents worthy your conſideration. View them at your leiſure, and you wil have leiſure, if you inend to live by faith.
2. He hath ſaid it. It is a Truth abounding in promiſes and performances. I ſhall hold out one or two, It will be worth yourwhile to ſearch for others your ſelves. He that digges for a mine, findes many a piece of gold by the way.
Iſa. 41. 14, 15. Fear not thou worme Jacob, and yee few men of Iſrael, behold I will make thee, a new ſharp threſhing inſtrument having teeth, thou ſhalt threſh the Mountaines, and beat them ſmall, and ſhalt make the hills as chaffe, thou ſhalt fan them, &c.
To make a worm a threſhing inſtrument with teeth, to cauſe that inſtrument to beat Mountaines and hills into chaffe, that chaffe to be blowne away with the wind, that, that worm may rejoyce in God, to advance a ſmall handfull of deſpiſed ones, to the ruine of Mountanous Empires, and Kingdomes, untill they be broken and ſcattered to nothing, is a mercy that comes from beyond the ken of any ordinary eye.
Eze. 37 3. The Prophet profeſſeth that the deliverance promiſed was beyond his apprehenſion. Son of man can theſe bones live and I anſwered O Lord God thou knoweſt. The Lord intimates in the following verſes, that he will provide a means, for hisChurches recovery, when it ſeemeth as remote therefrom, as▪ dry bones ſcattered upon the face of the Earth are from a mighty living Army. This he calls opening their graves, v. 12, 13.
Becauſe he would have his people wholly wrapt up in his Allſufficiency. 3 Reaſ. 1.Not to ſtraighten themſelves, with what their faith can ken in a promiſe: much leſſe to what their reaſon can perceive in appearance. In the application of promiſes to particular trials and extremities, Faith oftentimes is exceedingly diſturbed, either in reſpect of perſons, or things, or ſeaſons. But when it wil wholly ſwallow up it ſelfe in All-ſufficiency, the fountaine of all promiſes, there is no place for fear or diſputing. Have your ſouls in ſpirituall trials never bin driven from all your outworks, unto this main fort? Hath not all hold of promiſes in time of triall given place to temptations, untill you have fallen down in All-ſufficiency, and their found peace? God accounts a flight to the ſtrong Tower of his Name, to be the moſt excellent Valour. This is faiths firſt, proper, and moſt immediate Object: To particular promiſes it is drawn out, on particular occaſions: here is or ſhould be its conſtant abode: Gen. 17. 1. And indeed the ſoule will never be prepard to all the Will of God, untill its whole complacency be taken up in this ſufficiency of the Almighty. Here God delights to have the ſoule give up it ſelfe to a contented loſing of all its reaſonings, even in the infinite unſearchableneſſe of his goodnes and power. Therefore will he ſometimes ſend forth ſuch ſtreames of bleſſings, as can flow from no other fountain, that his may know where to lie down in peace. Here he would have us ſecure our ſhallow bottomes in this quiet Sea, this infinit ocean, whither neither wind, nor ſtorme, do once approach. Thoſe bluſtering temptations which rage at the ſhore, when we were halfe at Land, and half at Sea, halfe upon the bottome of our own reaſon, and half upon the Ocean of providence, reach not at all unto this deepe. Oh if we could in all trials, lay our ſelves down in theſe armes of the Almighty, his Al-ſufficiency in power and goodnes, oh how much of the haven ſhould we have in our voyage, how much of home, in our pilgrimage, how much of Heaven in this wretched Earth! Friends throw away your ſtaves, break the arme of fleſh, lie down here quietly in every diſpenſation, and you ſhall ſee the ſalvation of God. I could loſe my ſelfe in ſeting out of this, wherein I could deſire you would loſe your ſelves in every time of trouble.
Haſt thou not known? haſt thou not heard that the everlaſting God, the Lord, the Creatour of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no ſearching of his underſtanding. He giveth power to the faint and to them who have no might, he increaſeth ſtrength. Even the youths ſhall faint and be weary, and the young men ſhall utterly fall. But they that waite upon the Lord ſhall renew their ſtrength, they ſhall mount up with wings as Eagles, they ſhall run and not be weary, they ſhall walk and not be faint. Iſa. 40. 28, 29, 30, 31.
To convince the unbelieving world it ſelf of his power, providence, Rea. 2.and love to them that put their truſt in him: that they may be found to cry, verily there is a reward for the righteous, verily he is a God who Pſal 58. 1. 1.ruleth in the earth. When the Aegyptian Magicians ſee reall Miracles, beyond all their jugling pretences, they cry out this is the finger of God, Exo. 8. 19. profane Nebuchadnezzar beholding the deliverance of thoſe three worthies, from the fiery Furnace, he owns them for the ſervants of the moſt high God, Dan. 3. 26. Daniel being preſerved in the Lyons den Darius acknowledgeth the power and Kingdom of the livingGod, Dan. 6. 26 Glorious appearances of God for his people beyond the reach of reaſon, wreſts from the World amazement, or acknowledgement, and in both God is exalted He will appear in ſuch diſtreſſes as that he will be ſeen of his very enemies: they ſhall not be able with the Philiſtians to queſtion whether it be his hand, or a chance happened to 1 Sam 6. 10.them, but conclude with the Egyptians, that fly they muſt for God fights for his people, Ex. 14. 25. If God ſhould never give bleſſings but in ſuch a way, as reaſon might diſcover their dependance on ſecondary cauſes, men would not ſee his goings, nor acknowledge his operations. But when he mightily makes bare his Arme, in events beyond their imaginations, they muſt vayle before him.
Conſider whether the mercy celebrated this day, ought not to be Ʋſe 1.placed in this ſeries of deliverances, brought from beyond the ken of ſenſe and reaſon, from above the reach of much pretious faith. For the latter I leave it to your own experience, to the former let me for the preſent deſire your conſideration of theſe five things.
1. By whom you were ſurpriſed and put under reſtrant. Now theſe were of two ſorts: 1. The heads and leaders, 2. The tumultuous multitude.
For the firſt, ſome of them being dead, and ſome under durance, I ſhall not ſay any thing: nullum cum victis certamen et aethere caſſis. I leave the ſtreame from the flint to your own thoughts.
2. For the multitude, an enraged, headles, lawles, godles multitude, gathered out of Innes, Taverns, Alehouſes, Stables, Highways, and the like nurſeries of piety and pitty. Such as theſe having gotten their Superiors under their power, their Governors under their diſpoſall, their Reſtrainers under their reſtraint, their Opreſſors, as they thought, under their fury, what was it that kept in their fury & their revenge, which upon the like occaſions and advantages, hath almoſt always bin executed? Seaech your ſtories, you will not find many that ſpeak of ſuch a deliverance. For a few Governors prevailed on, unto durance, by a godleſſe rout, in an inſurrection, and yet to come off in peace and ſafety, is ſurely a Work of more then ordinary providence.
2. Conſider the ſeaſon of your ſurpiſall, when all the Kingdom was in an uproare, and the arme of fleſh almoſt quite withered as to ſupply. The North invaded, the South full of inſurrections, Wales unſubdued, eIdem huic ur▪ bi dominandi finis erit, qui parendi ſuerit: Senec. de Ro.The great City, at leaſt ſuffering men to lift up their hands againſt us▪ So that to the eye of reaſon the iſſue of the whole, was if not loſt, yet exceedingly hazardous: and ſo to the Eye of reaſon your captivity endleſſe. Had they gone on as was probable they would, whether you had this day bin brought out to execution, or thruſt into into a dungean, or carried up and down as a Pageant, I know not, but much better condition, I am ſure rationally you could not expect.
3. The end of your ſurprizall. Amongſt others, this was apparently one, to be a reſerve for their ſafety, who went on, in all ways of Ruine. You were kept to preſerve them in thoſe ways, wherein they periſhed. Whether could reaſon reach this or no; that you being in their power, kept on purpoſe for their Reſcue, if brought to any great ſtraight, with the price of your Heads, to redeem their own, that they ſhould be brought to greater diſtreſſe, then ever any before in this Kingdom, and you be delivered, without the leſt help to them in their need, It was beyond your Freinds reaſon, who could not hope it, it was beyond your Enemies reaſon who never feared it, if you believed it, you have the comfort of it.
4. The refuſall of granting an exchange, for ſuch perſons, as they accounted more conſiderable then your ſelves, and whoſe enlargement might have advantaged the cauſe they profeſſed to maintaine, exceedingly more then your reſtraint, what doth it but proclame your intended ruine? This was the way of deliverance, which for a long Seaſon, Reaſon chiefly reſted on, the maine pillar of all its building, which when it was cut in two, what could in it be ſeen but deſolation.
5. The ſtraights you were at length reduced to, betwen your Enemies ſwords and your friends bullets, which intended for your deliverance, without the ſafeguard of providence, might havebin your ruin, peircing more then once, the houſe wherein you were. Surely it was then an eminent work of Faith to ſtand ſtill, and ſee the Salvation of God.
The many paſſages of providence evidently working for your preſervation, which I have received from ſome of your ſelves, I willingly paſſe over. What I have already ſaid is ſufficient to declare that to Reaſons Eye you were as dead bones upon the Earth. For our parts who were endangered ſpectators, at the beſt, we were but in the Prophets frame, and to any queſtion about your enlargement could Anſwer only, the Lord alone he knowes. And now behold the Lord hath choſen you out, to be examples of his loving kindneſſe, in fetching mercy for you, from beyond the ken of Reaſon, yea from above the reach of much pretious Faith. He hath brought water for you out of the flint. Reckon your deliverance under this head of operations, and I hope you will not be unthankfull.
You that have received ſo great mercy, we that have ſeen it, and all Ʋſe 2.who have heard the Doctrine confirmed, let us learn to live by Faith. Live above all things that are ſeene. Subject them to the croſſe of Chriſt. Meaſure your condition, by your intereſt in Gods All-ſufficiency. Do not in diſtreſſe calculate what ſuch, and ſuch things can effect, but what God hath promiſed. Reckon upon that, for it ſhall come to paſſe. If you could get but this one thing, by all your ſufferings and Dangers, to truſt the Lord, to the utmoſt extent of his promiſes, it would prove a bleſſed captivity. All carnall feares would then be conquered, all ſinfull compliances with wicked men removed, &c.Ʋſe. 3.
Be exhorted to great fErunt Homicidae, Tyranni, fures, adulteri, raptores, Sacrilegi proditores, infra iſta omnia, ingratus eſt. Senec. Benef. l. 1. Gratiarum ceſſat decurſus, ubi recurſus non fuerit. Bern. Serm 50.Thankfulneſſe, you that have bin made partakers of great deliverances. In great diſtreſſes, very nature prompts the ſons of men to great promiſes. You have heard the ridiculous ſtory of him, who in a ſtorme at Sea, promiſed to dedicate a Wax-candle to the bleſſed Virgin, as big as the maſt of his Ship, which he was reſolved when he came on ſhore to pay with one of 12 in the pound. Let not the Morall of that Fable be found in any of you. Come not ſhort of any of your engagements, no greater diſcovery of an Hypocriticall frame, then to flatter the Lord in trouble, and to decline upon deliverance in cold bloud. The Lord of Heaven give you ſtrength to make good all your reſolutions: as private perſons, in all godlineſſe and honeſty, following hard after God in every known way of his; as Magiſtrates, in Juſtice Equity and faithfull ſerving the Kingdome of Chriſt: Eſpecially let them never beg in vaine for help at your hands, who did not beg help in vaine, for you at the hands of God.
Conſider, if, there be ſo much gSi Tanti vitrum quanti Margaritum? Tertul.ſweetneſſe in a temporall deliverance, Vſe. 4.Oh what excellency is there in that Eternall Redemption, which we have in the Blood of Jeſus? If we rejoice for deing delivered from them, who could have killed the body, what unſpeakeable rejoyſing is there in that mercy whereby we are freed from the wrath to come. Let this poſſeſſe your thoughts, let this fill your ſoules, let this be your haven from all former ſtormes, and here ſtrik I ſayle, in this, to abide with you, and all the ſaints of God for ever.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Owen, Ebenezer (1648)