God Sometimes Answers His People by Terrible Things, Half title – Letter
Mr. Adams's Sermon,
On Pſal. 65 5.
By terrible things in Righteouſneſs, wilt thou anſwer us, O God of our Salvation.
& ſometimes Anſwers His People, by Terrible Things in Righteouſneſs.
A Diſcourſe Occaſioned by that Awful Thunder-clap Which Struck the Meeting-Houſe in N. London, Aug. 31ſt. 1735. At what Time One was Killed outright and diverſe Others much hurt and wounded, Yet graciouſly & remarkably Preſerved, together with the reſt of the Congregation, from Immediate Death. AS IT WAS Delivered (Sept. 7th) the Lord's Day Following.
By Eliphalet Adams, M. A. And Paſtor of the Church there.
Pſal. lxxxi. 7.
-I anſwered thee in the ſecret place of Thunder-.
Reſpondi tibi in Loco Abſcondito Domus majeſtatis meae, perſonantibus Coram me rotis Igneis.
Chal. vel. Targ.
N.LONDON, Printed & Sold by T. GREEN, 1735
To my Dear Friends, THE FLOCK under my Paſtoral Care.
SINCE it is at Your Requeſt and Importunity, that the following Diſcourſe now ſees the Light, this will not only ſuperſede all other Apologies to the world for its being made Publick, of which I had no manner of tho't when it was firſt Compoſed; But alſo Juſtify me in a farther Addreſs to You on ſo awful an Occaſion.
I could not but take Notice of the Crowded Aſſembly when it was Delivered, Many (doubtleſs) being led by their Curioſity to hear ſome New thing and obſerve what our Sentiments and Diſpoſitions were under ſuch an Awful hand of God, And Oh that our Behaviour at this Day, may be ſuitable and becoming both in the Eyes of GOD and Men!
Moſes giving a relation of the Solemnity of that Day when the Law was given from Mount Sinal, thus Expreſſe h himſelf, Deut. 4.32, 33. But ask now of the days that are paſt which were before thee, ſince the day that God creared man upon earth, and ask from the one ſide of heaven unto the other, whither there hath been any ſuch thing, is this great thing is, or hath been heard like it, Did ever people hear the Voice of God, ſpeaking out of the midſt of the fire, as thou haſt heard and live?
Never was any Diſpenſation in all its Circumſtances to be Compared to that, It was a wonder how their frail Natures could Endure the Majeſty and Terror of the Lord, that they were not quite oppreſſed by the over-bearing Glory.
However, Somthing like this; We alſo have heard the Voice of God, ſpeaking out of the midſt of the Fire and yet we Live. And it is hard to ſay whither the greatneſs of the Danger, or the wonderfulneſs of our Preſervation be moſt to be Admired; And poſſibly one End of his, in bringing us into the Danger was to ſhew his great power and mercy in our Signal Preſervation & Eſcape.
We alſo like the People of Iſrael, were thrown into great fear and Conſternation, and perhaps like them were ready to promiſe, Let the Lord pleaſe to declare unto us his Will in a more familiar and gentle way and we will hear it and do it. If any ſuch Impreſſions were made upon us, no doubt the Lord approves of them ſo far as to deſire they may be laſting. Deut. 5.29. Oh! that there were ſuch an heart in them, that they would fear me and keep my commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children for ever.
Doubtleſs You are perſwaded, that it is not Enough to be a little ſtartled and put on a face of Seriouſneſs for a time, We muſt think on our ways and turn our feet into God's teſtimonies, And tho' frowns and Severities alone, be they ever ſo ſharp and awful, will not produce an happy change of Heart and Life, Yet by diſpoſing us to be more Serious and thoughtful, they may prepare the way for God's grace to Effect this deſirable Change; when every Valley is Exalted and every Mountain and hill made Low, then the Glory of the Lord may be revealed.
I have in the following Diſcourſe, taken the Opportunity, to recommend and preſs ſeveral particulars for the Amendment of our Conduct, which now it is put into Your hands, I truſt you will peruſe with a ſuitable regard, For are there not with us, Even with us Sins againſt the Lord? Every one may Know the Plague of their own Hearts and Diſcern the Error of their ways, if they would ſet themſelves diligently to Enquire, Let us then Search and try our ways and turn again unto the Lord.
God hath graciouſly begun of Late a good work in the Country, We hear of great Numbers of People asking the way to Zion with their faces thitherward; Why ſhould we be the Laſt to bring the King back to his Throne? Yea, why ſhould we come behind the very Chiefeſt Chriſtians?
It is Certainly our Intereſt as well as Duty, to get Near to our God and keep Near to our God, to walk in all his Ways and keep his Commandments, as he Commanded our Fathers; And who can tell what reſerves of Mercy of this Kind, he may have in ſtore for us? When he pleaſeth to work, there is Nothing can Let it, Then the hearts of the raſh ſhall underſtand Knowledge; the moſt ſtubborn tempers ſhall Yield and the Heart of Stone be Changed into An Heart of Fleſh.
If this may but be the fruit, even to take away all our Sin, If by this, our Iniquity may be purged, We ſhall have reaſon to bleſs the Stroke that drives us home to our God and directs our feet into the path of Life.
I truſt there will be but little Need to lay in Caution that you guard againſt ſuch Seducers and Sectaries who are ſtill ſaying, Lo here is Chriſt, or Lo there; And are ready to repreſent that it is ſafer taking on with them, againſt whom as yet no ſuch Severity hath been diſplayed, Since you are taught of God that Neither Love nor Hatred is certainly to be learned by any thing that is before us, Or if any thing of that nature be to be gathered, we are told that whom the Lord Loves he rebukes and chaſtens and that Judgment ſomtimes begins at the Houſe of God; Only let us be Humbled under the Lord's Diſcipline and let them remember that it is their wiſdom, not to be high-minded but to Fear.
I am now Growing into Years and as I would ask Your prayers for me, that while I am Continued, I may be Enabled to ſpeak the Word plainly and boldly, as a good Steward of the manifold grace of God; So God forbid that I ſhould Sin againſt the Lord in ceaſing to pray for You, or in failing (as I am able) to teach you the good and the right way.
We have Eſcaped this Time, but there will quickly come a time when we ſhall no Longer Eſcape, Man Goeth to his long home, And Death whith is approaching by Inſenſible ſteps ſhould never be out of our Minds;
Nor ſhould we forget the Time, when (as the Apoſtle Peter tells is) 2 Pet 3.10, &c—The Heavens ſhall paſs away with a great Noiſe, and the Elements ſhall melt with fervent heat, the Earth alſo and the works that are therein hall be burnt up; Seeing then that all theſe things ſhall be Diſſolved, what manner of perſons ought ye to be in all holy Converſation and godlineſs, Looking for and haſting to the Coming of the day of God, wherein the Heavens being on fire, ſhall be diſſolved and the Elements ſhall melt with fervent heat.
Hinally, Whatever good Impreſſions have been made upon any of us, by this late Awful Diſpenſation of divine providence, May the Lord our God, Keep this for ever in the Imagination of the thoughts of the heart of his people and prepare our hearts unto him. As we were ſeaſonably taught from, I Chron 29.18 by a meſſage in the mouth of his Servant, *The Rev'd Mr. WILLIAM WILLIAMS of Weſton.the ſame Day when the following Diſcourſe was delivered; And may we all of us give diligence that we may be found of him in peace, without ſpot and blameleſs.
I am Your Affectionate Paſtor, Eliphalet Adams.