Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB
[graphic]
[ocr errors]

are dust on you discouraged mem congregations, who in partaking of g serably tent and enter sions and dividing co God together; and sheep having no sheple and liable to pes gence

Likewise, the Le against us, in the calamities brough bypast. Som

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

ning and thunder from heaven, and kindles such violent fires on earth, that whole cities with their inhabitants are like to be consumed therewith. Upon our neighbouring countries dreadful inundations have been sent of late, for destroying the inhabitants with their cattle and effects. Again, God hath visited us with long continued drought, cold, and unnatural storms in the spring, and sometimes with frost in the midst of summer, which have brought on extraordinary scarcity and dearth of victual; so that there are great disorders committed in the land by riots and tumults for want of food, and multitudes of families are dissolved, and forced to wander begging their bread; and the cattle also are famished for want of grass and food to sustain them. In the mean time we are engaged in war with cruel enemies, who seize our ships, carry our countrymen captive, throw them into dungeons and noisome prisons, where they use them barbarously; yea, much of their blood is shed, and many valuable lives lost in our defence. And besides our other calamities, we suffer greatly through decay of trade and merchandise, and penury of money: in many places merchants, tradesmen, and artificers want business; there is no work nor hire for labourers, and for those who would use honest industry for bread, whether men or women: so that want is "come upon us as one that travaileth, and poverty like an armed man;" and many are reduced to extreme misery, and starving circumstances for lack of bread.

By all which proceedings it appears that God hath a peculiar controversy with Scotland, and threatens to punish her remarkably for her heinous sins and provocations. The Lord's hand hath been long lifted up against us, and now it is higher lifted than ever; and the higher it is lifted up, the blow is like to be the severer when given. He hath sent many lesser strokes and judgments upon us, as fore-runners and warnings of greater, which he hath still in reserve for us, if we repent not; for his magazine is far from being

exhausted. As there are many causes for these calamities of ours, so I think there is a principal one mentioned, Matth. xxiv. 12. "Iniquity doth abound, and the love of many is waxed cold." Infidelity, immorality, and contempt of the gospel, are come to a prodigious height: our hearts are become cold and frozen to Christ and his interest, to his people and holy laws; for which cause God is provoked to send such judicial cold and frosts upon our land and the fruits of the earth, so as to mar and diminish our crops, and reduce both men and beasts to the greatest straits. And yet so great is our impenitency and perverseness, that we will not see the Lord's hand, nor be reformed by all these judgments.

It might be well expected, when the Lord's judg ments are so visible in the earth, that not only his people by profession, but even the inhabitants of the world, would learn righteousness, according to Isa. xxvi. 9. But alas! so perverse are we in walking contrary to God, that neither the inhabitants of the world, nor these who profess to be separated from the world, will alter their course, nor learn righteousness; nay, instead of that, many are learning still more wickedness, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" Alas! hath he not been provoked to say concerning us, as he did concerning his ancient people, Lev. xxvi. 23, 24. "If ye will not be reformed by all these things, but will walk contrary unto me; then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will bring seven times more plagues upon you, according to your sins." And likewise to say unto us, as unto them, "When ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; and when ye fast, and make many prayers, I will not hear; but I will consume you with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence," as in Isa. i. 13. Jer. xiv. 12.

The sword, famine, and pestilence, are God's three mortal arrows, which he commonly threatens to shoot

against impenitent and incorrigible offenders. Two of these are already shot against us: the sword is drawn, and much of our countrymen's blood is already shed; and what further streams of it may flow before it be put up in its sheath, God only knows. The evil arrow of famine (as God calls it, Ezek. v. 16.) is let fly against us at the same time; and famine is the arrow which is the sorest of the three. When it was put to David's choice which of the three he would be the butt of, he would not choose famine. The prophet Joel doth bewail and deprecate this judgment in the most pathetic manner, and calls the whole land to fasting and prayer for removing it, Joel i. 10, 14. And we see, when God is most angry, and threatens to send his arrows upon a guilty people, he begins with the arrow of famine, as the sorest, as in Deut. xxxii. 23, 24. "I will spend mine arrows upon them; they shall be burnt with hunger." And we see what the Spirit of God saith of these who die by this arrow, Lam. iv. 9. "They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger; for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field," and therefore their death is most lingering and miserable. Likewise famine useth to bring on the most noisome and mortal diseases, and frequently the pestilence doth follow upon the back of famine. Is it not high time, then, for our land to take the alarm, when God begins to shoot his evil arrows? When the lion roars, it becomes us to fear, yea, to humble ourselves in the dust, and mourn for our iniquities, which kindle the fire of his wrath.

Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord, from whom we have deeply revolted: and particularly, let us mourn for, and turn from these sins which the word of God points out as bringing on famine; such as, 1. Ascribing our earthly comforts and blessings to other things than God, the true author. This sin we find threatened with scarcity and

famine, Jer. xliv. 17, 26, 27. Hos. ii. 5, 9. 2. Perverting of plenty to luxury and prodigality, sensuality · and excess, revellings and dancings, balls, and assemblies. We see how these are threatened, Isa. v. 11, -12, 13. Amos vi. 4, 6, 7. 3. Rejecting the bread of life, and despising the food of our souls. God useth to punish men for this sin, by depriving them of bread for their bodies, Jer. xi. 21, 22. 4. Men's minding their own things, more than the things of God, and neglecting to build his house and put respect upon his ordinances. Upon such accounts God brings on scarcity and famine Hag. i. 9, 10, 11. 5. Covenant-breaking, and dealing cruelly with the poor, or with strangers that live among us; it was for these sins that God sent a three years' famine upon the land of Israel, 2 Sam. xxi. 1.

Moreover, let us look upon all these temporal storms and calamities which are come, or coming upon the land, as warnings to prepare for a more awful storm that we must all meet with, namely, the storm of death and judgment; let us stand habitually prepared for that storm, and then other storms will not so much affect us. If it be asked, What we shall do to be safe in time of that trying storm? the answer is, Let us see that we be among the broken in heart, or sincere penitents, who are heartily grieved for all known sin: that we be true believers in Christ, who trust in nothing but his righteousness and merits for justification and salvation: that we be born again, and made new creatures by a saving change both in heart and life that it be our great business to clear up our evidences of peace with God through Christ, and of our title to the mansions which he hath purchased by his blood. O that God's judgments when they are in the earth, were means to awaken us to flee from the wrath to come, to Christ our refuge! When the floods of great waters are swelling up to the brim, our only safety is to secure a hiding place in Christ's wounds.

:

Let us follow the example of Noah, who, when he b

« AnteriorContinua »