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Let us therefore confider what thofe provocations were, that haftened the wrath of God upon his own Ifrael, a people that were nigh and dear unto him; a people upon whom he spent as much of the riches of his patience, as upon any people in the world; that fo we may reckon whereabout we are at this day, and what is like to be the lot of this finful and provoking generation; and we fhall find, by the confent of all the prophets, that these fins were the immediate forerunners, and proper cat fes of their overthrow.

First, The great corruption of God's worship among them kindled his wrath, and haftened their ruin, Pfal. cvi. 39, 40, 41, 42. They were defiled with their own works, and went a "whoring with their own inventions; therefore was the wrath "of God kindled against his own people, infomuch that he ab"horred his own inheritance, and he gave them into the hand "of the heathen, and they that hated them ruled over them; "their enemies alfo oppreffed them, and they were brought into "fubjection under their hand." They that will not bear the golden yoke of Chrift, fhall be galled with the iron yoke of men: nothing more provokes the anger of God, than the adulterating of his worship; a man will bear a thousand infirmities in the wife of his bofom, but unfaithfulness in the marriage-covenant breaks his heart. After the manner of men, so abused and griev ed, the Lord expreffeth himself, Ezek. vi. 9. "I am broken with "their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with "their eyes that go a whoring after their idols." Men cannot invent a furer, and speedier way to their own ruin, than to bring their own inventions into God's worship.

Secondly, Incorrigible obstinacy and impenitency, under gent. ler ftrokes, and leffer judgments, makes way for utter ruin and defolation, Amos iv. from the 6th to the 12th verfe. Scarcity, mildews, peftilence, and fword, had been tried upon them, but without effect; for the remnant that escaped those judgments, (although plucked as fo many brands out of the fire, in which their fellow figners perished) were not reformed by those gentler and moderated judgments.

Thirdly, Stupidity, and fenfelessness of God's hand, and the tokens of his anger, was a provoking caufe, and forerunning of their national defolation; they neither law the hand of God when it was lifted up, nor humbled themselves under it when it was laid on; the hand of God is then said to be lifted up, when the providences of God prepare and posture themselves for our affliction. When the clouds of judgment gather over our heads, and grow blacker and blacker, as theirs did upon them, and do

upon us at this day, but they took no notice of it, Ifa. xxvi. 11. "Lord, when thý hand is lifted up, they will not see ;" and (which is the height of stupidity) they all remained fenfelefs, and regardless, when the hand of God was laid upon them. Ifa. xlii. 24, 25. "Who gave Jacob for a fpoil, and Ifrael to the rob "bers? Did not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned ? "for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obe"dient to his law. Therefore he hath poured upon them the "fury of his anger, and the ftrength of battle; and it hath fet "him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned "him, yet he laid it not to heart."

O prodigious fottifhnefs! It was not fome fmall drops of God's anger, but the fury of his anger; not fome lighter skir mish of his judgments with them, but the ftrength of battle : It was not fome particular stroke upon fingle perfons, or families, but it fet him on fire round about, a general conflagration; yet all this would not awaken them.

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Fourthly, The perfecution of God's faithful minifters, and people, was another fin that procured, and a fign that foretold the deftruction of their nation. 2 Chron. xxxvi. 15, 16. “ And "the Lord God of their fathers fent to them by his messengers, rifing up betimes, and fending; because he had compaffion on his people, and on his dwelling-place: but they mocked "the meffengers of God, and despised his words, and misused "his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arofe against his people, till there was no remedy." There were also a num→ ber of upright fouls among them, who defired to worship God according to his own prescription; but a fnare was laid for them in Mizpeh, and a net fpread for them upon Tabor, Hof. v. 1. and this haftened judgment towards them: Mizpeh and Tabor were places lying in the way betwixt Samaria and Jerufalem, where the true worship of God was: and in thofe places fpies were fet by the priests to obferve, and inform against them; fo that it became very hazardous to attend the pure and incorrupt Worship of God, which quickly hattened on their ruin.

Fifthly, The removal of godly and ufeful men by death, in more than ordinary hafte, was to them a fign of defolation at hand. Ifa. Ivii. 1." The righteous perifheth, and no man lay"eth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none con"fidering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to 46 come." In this cafe God acts towards his people, as the husbandman in a catching harvest doth by his corn; he hurries it with a fhuffling hafte into the barn, when he fees a storm coming: or as a careful father with his fons that are abroad at

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fchool, who fends his horfe to fetch them home speedily, when he hears the plague is begun in the place. Upon this ground the prophet Micah bewails himself, Micah vii. 1. "Wo is me, "for I am as when they have gathered the fummer-fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage, there is no cluster to eat; my "foul defired the first ripe-fruit." 2 d. Alas! alas! what miferable days are at hand! what miferies muft I expect to fee! The pleasant clusters, (i.e.) the focieties of the faints, are gathered away by the hand of death; there are but few that remain, here and there a fingle faint, like grapes after the vintage is done, two or three upon the utmost branches.

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Sixthly, The general decay of the life and power of godlinefs among them that were left, foreboded destruction at the door this is both a provoking fin, and a fore-running sign of national calamity. Holea iv. 18. Their drink is powre. A me. taphor lively expreffing the deadnefs and formality of the people in the worship of God. It was like fowre, or dead drink, which hath loft its fpirit and relith, and is become flat. were their duties; no fpiritual life, affection, or favour in them: they heard, as if they heard not, and prayed, as if they prayed not; the ordinances of God were to them as the ordinances of men, of which the apoftle faith, that they perish in the ufing.

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Seventhly, To conclude; Mutual animofities, jars, and divifions, were to them manifest symptoms of national calamities and defolations for then Ephraim envied Judah, and Judah vexed Ephraim, Ifa. xi. 13. Hofea ix. 7. "The days of vifita❝tion are come, the days of recompence are come, Ifrael shall "know it: The prophet is a fool, the fpiritual man is mad, for "the multitude of thine iniquities, and the great hatred."

When such symptoms of God's indignation do appear upon any people, the Lord, by them, as by fo many glaring meteors, and blazing comets, forewarns the world that his judgments are Dear, even at the door. These signs all men ought to observe, and behold with trembling. If you ask, Why doth God ufually give fuch warnings of his indignation before it comes? realons are,

1. To prevent the execution.

2. To make them more tolerable.

3. To leave the incorrigible inexcufable.

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First, Warning is given, with defign to prevent the execu tion of judgments, Amos iv. 12. "Therefore thus will I do 66 unto thee, O Ifrael; and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Ifrael ;" (i. e.) Prepare thyself

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to meet me in the way of my judgments, by humiliation and interceffion, to prevent the execution. And what else was the defign of God in fending Jonah to that great city Nineveh, but to excite them to repentance for the prevention of their ruin. This Jonah knew to be the Lord's meaning, how pofitive foever the words of his commiffion were; and therefore he declined the meffage to fecure his credit; knowing, that if upon warning given they repented, the gracious nature of God would foon melt into compaffion over them, and free-grace would make him appear as a liar; for fo we must expound his words, Jonah iv. 2. "Was not this my faying, when I was yet in my country? "Therefore I filed before unto Tarfhish: for I knew that thou "art a gracious God, and merciful, flow to anger, and of great "kindness, and repenteft thee of the evil." 2 d. Yea, Lord, I knew before-hand it would come to this; thou fendest me pofitively to denounce thy judgments to Nineveh, mean time defiring nothing more than that the execution of them might be prevented by their repentance. And thus thy mercy hath exposed my reputation, in faving them from deftruction.

Secondly, God forewarns his people of judgments, to make them more tolerable when they come: expected evils are nothing fo heavy, as thofe that come by furprizal; for look, as the long expectation of a mercy makes it lefs fweet, our thoughts having anticipated and fucked out much of the sweetness beforehand; fo the expectation of judgments before they befal us, make them lefs bitter and burdenfome than elfe they would be, the foul having ioured and accuftomed itself to them, by frequent thoughts, and prepared and made ready itself to entertain them, as Paul did in my text. To prevent the disciples furprizal, and offence, at thofe days of perfecution that were coming upon them, Christ foretold them, and gave them fair warning before-hand, John xvi. 4.

Thirdly, He forewarns his people of approaching dangers, to leave the incorrigible wholly inexcufable, that those who have no fenfe of fin, nor care to prevent ruin, might have no cloke for their folly when judgments overtake them. "What wilt "thou fay when he shall punish thee?" Jer. xiii. 21, 22. As if he fhould fay, What plea, or apology is left thee, after fo many fair warnings, and timely premonitions? Thou canft not fay, I have furprized thee, or that thou waft ruined before thou waft warned. Thy deftruction therefore is of thy felf.

CHA P. IV.

Demonftrating the excellency of a prepared heart for the worst of fufferings; and what a bleed thing it is to be ready to be bound, or to die for Chrift, as Paul here was.

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Am ready.] O blessed frame of fpirit! how hard, but how happy is it to get a heart fo tempered! Every Chriftian can fay, I would be ready, and the Lord make me ready for fuffer ings; but few can say, I am ready, my heart is prepared and fitted for fuch a work: yet this example fhews us it is attainable: and what a bleffed thing it is to attain it, the following particulars will abundantly convince us.

First, Readiness for fufferings will bring the heart of a Chriftian to an holy rest and tranquillity, in a fuffering hour, and prevent that anxiety, perturbation, and diftraction of mind, which puts the finking weight into afflictions. The more cares, fears, and troubles, we have before our fufferings come, the more calm, quiet, and compofed we are like to be when our fufferings are come indeed. It is admirable to confider with what peace and patience Job entertained his troubles, which, confidering the kinds, degrees, and manner in which they befel him, one would think they should at least have startled and amazed him, and put his foul (as gracious and mortified as it was) into great disorder and confufion; but you find the contrary: never did the patience of a man triumph at that rate over ad verfity; he worthips God, owns his hand, and refigns himself up to his pleasure, Job i. 20, 21. And whence was this? Surely had his troubles come by way of furprize, he could ne ver have carried it at that rate; but in the days of his peace and prosperity he had prepared for such a day as this, Job iii. 25, 26. "I was not in fafety, neither had I reft; yet trouble

came; the thing that I feared (faith he) is come upon me." He laid it to heart before it came, and therefore it neither di stracted, nor brake the heart when it came. In like manner the prophet Habakkuk stood upon his watch-tower, (i. e.) he made his obfervations by the word upon the probable events of providence, whereby he got a clear forefight of those trouble fome days that were at hand; which though it made him trem ble in himself, yet it gave him reft in the day of evil, Hab. iii. 16, 17, 18. There is a twofold reft in the day of evil, viz. 1. A rest of deliverance.

2. A rest of contentation.

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