unto his wisdom and sovereignty, to time things as seems good to him. The times and seasons are hid in his own power, Acts 1. 7. Hidden from us, but in his power to state and settle and determine when and as he pleases. What is more agreeable unto so absolute a Sovereign; and so wise a one, than such an arbitrary timing of the dispensation of grace, whenever it shall have its course? men And for our own part; as we have that reason to adore sovereign wisdom and goodness, whenever they shall have their exercise in this kind; so in the mean time we have reason to be silent, and our mouths to be stopped, while God doth as yet defer and delay the time of that pouring forth of his Spirit. We have reason to be silent, if it be our lot in our age to be under the restaints of that blessed Spirit. When was there ever any age in the world, that might more fitly be pitched upon for the object, upon which justice should have its exercise in this kind? was there ever an age, wherein the Spirit was more grieved, more striven against? wherein God should have more cause and reason to say, My Spirit shall not strive with you? with whomsoever of all mortals it strives, it shall not strive with you! To cast our eyes abroad, and consider the state of the world; and to look on the state of things at home for the nations about us, we have heard how they have been for years together; what reformations do we hear of? what dispositions to return to God? cry because of the oppressions of the mighty; but none say, "Where is God our Maker?" every where there is that disposition to groan and languish and die under their pressure; but no inquiries after God: and whereas they cannot turn to him without him, (and we acknowledge that for a principle,) help in order thereto is not implored. We can feel what is externally afflictive; the divine absence we feel not: when his soul is departed from us, we are not concerned to be without the Spirit: as Jer. 6. S. Lest my soul depart from thee. He speaks of that presence of his as a soul to that people; as it truly and really is to a people professing the name of God: his special presence is the soul of such a people, as they are such a people; holds things together, keeps up and maintains life and order. Be instructed, lest my soul be gone. When his presence and Spirit retire and are withdrawn, it is as discernible in the state of things among a people, as a man can distinguish a carcass from a living man. God is gone, his soul is departed, the soul which he had put into such a people, which was active and at work amongst them. Well! but we are men still for all that, we are reasonable creatures, and have an apprehensive understand ing of the word, and faculties remaining to us; so that we might know, that such a presence is gone, and we are miserable thereby; and there might one would think, be some lamentings after the Lord: but where almost are they to be found? if we could have the world at will, enjoy what would gratify sensual inclination, God might be gone and keep away from us, and few would concern themselves with the matter. Have we any thing then to say, that the season is deferred of pouring forth this Spirit? No. If we consider the resistance and grievance and vexation, that it hath met withal in our age and amongst us; it is not strange, if God should determine, "My Spirit shall not strive with you; whatever good thoughts I may have towards those that shall succeed and come up hereafter." But yet notwithstanding, it is most suitable and congruous, that at one time or another so great a work as this, the recovery of religion from under so dismal a darkness and so great a death, should be done. And all these things together serve to evince, that this means hath an efficacy, which we have reason to believe both can and will do this work, so as to make religion to prosper and flourish in the world sooner or later. SERMON VIII.* WE E have shewn at large the efficacy of the means assigned in the text, a plentiful effusion of the Spirit, for bringing about a happy state of things to the Christian church; in one of those two things, that must be supposed to concur in making up such a happy state; namely, (1.) For the revival of the power of religion. + Without which the other branch, which we are farther to consider, would signify very little to the good state of the church. But this being presupposed, we now proceed to shew, how efficacious a means the revival of religion and the prosperous flourishing state of that, by the Spirit poured forth, would be. (2.) For bringing about an externally happy state of things in the church of God. And it would be so,-By removing the causes of public calamities: and-By working whatsoever doth positively tend unto public good. [1] By removing the causes of public calamities: both the deserving, and the working causes. First. What does deserve public calamities? What so far provokes divine displeasure, as to inflict them, or to let them befal a people. Nothing doth this but sin, that only troubles a people, and causes an unhappy and inprosperous state of * Preached June 26, 1678. + See page 256. It things, the hiding of God's face, as the text expresses it. doth as it were cause an ireful aspect in the countenance of providence; makes that otherwise shining, smiling face to be hidden and obscure, and clothes it with terror, that it is not to be beheld. The Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, nor his ear heavy that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you; in the language of the text, Isaiah 59. 1, 2. So it hath been threatened that it should be, and so in event it hath been, upon any of the more notable apostacies of the church of God. This hath constantly insued, his hiding his face; that is, his altering the course of providence, so as that its aspect hath become ireful and terrible. It is foretold, that so it should be upon such delinquencies. God says to Moses, Deut. 31. 16, &c. Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be amongst them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. And what will come of that? Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befal them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not amongst us? and the like you have, chap. 32. 18, &c. Of the rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. And when the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons and of his daughters. And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be; for they are a very froward generation, &c. Such threatenings you find unto the Christian churches too, in the 2d and 3d chapters of the revelations. There it is threatened to the churches of Ephesus, and Pergamos, and Sardis, and Laodicea; that inasmuch as there were such and such things, wherein they were notoriously delinquent; "If you do not repent, I will remove your candlestick, Rev. 2. 5. If you do not repent, I will fight against you with the sword of my mouth, ver. 16." (That means no doubt the threatenings of the word made, operative, and brought to execution: as in Hos. 6. 5. I have hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth.) "Except thou repent, I will come against thee as a thief, Rev. 3. 3. And, because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.Be zealous therefore and repent, ver. 16, 19." And thus it hath also in event been, according to the tenour of these threats. If you look over those Psalms, which are the records of the carriage and deportment of God's own peculiar people towards him, and of his dealing with them thereupon ; the 78th, 105th, and 106th; all hath but verified that one thing mentioned in Lev. 26. 23, 24. that when they should walk contrary unto him then would he also walk contrary unto them; that is, he hid his face, as you have heard the import of that expression. And it is with the same cloud that he doth as it were cover his face and them too. He covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, Lam. 2. 1. So he often did that people of the Jews. And so he hath the Christian churches too in great displeasure those seven in Asia, those in Greece, and in many other parts of the world that have been famous. : What is it now, that must counterwork that wickedness, which provokes God thus to hide his face? we know his Spirit must do it when he pours out his Spirit, he ceases to hide his face. That is a quick refining fire, purges the dross; without the purging of which the whole lump is called reprobate silver, rejected of the Lord. When the matter was consulted of, the blessed God is represented as it were disputing with himself, whether not to abandon and disinherit his Israel: and when at length the contrary resolution is taken up, what do you find to be the concurrent resolution with that of not casting them off and laying them aside? Jer. 3. 19. I said, how shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? thus the matter is resolved, as in a subserviency to the resolution not to cast them off; Thou shalt call me, my Father, and shalt not turn away from me. "I will put a sonlike disposition into thee, and so the relation shall be continued, and I will not disinherit thee." Thus the thoughts of that severity, of disinheriting and abandoning, came to be laid aside. But the Spirit poured forth removes also. Secondly. The working causes, as well as the provoking causes of such calamities to the church of God; both without and within itself. i. Causes without the church itself; the injurious violence of open avowed enemies, the atheistical, infidel, idolatrous world; and all reducible to that head, by which the church of God may be endangered. The effusion of the Spirit will remove this cause of public calamities, either, (i.) By subduing such enemies and breaking their power. And while God is among his people and hath not hid his face, they may venture to defy all the world. Gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand : for God is with us, Isa. 8. 9, 10. "Our matters are in a good state: for VOL, V. 2Q : |