PROPOSITION I.

The design of God in delivering a people from eminent dangers of ruine, is to oblige them to forsake all sinful and wicked practices. The intent of delive­ring mercies, is to cause us to repent of our destroying iniquities. The main end of Gods exercising goodness towards us, is onely to effect some goodness in us. The design of special mercies, is to make us a special people. The Almighty God delights not to reduce a people from sin­ful courses, by laying them under such heavy judgments as may render them in­capable [Page 11] of committing those sins, which otherwise their wills incline them to; but the way of his pleasure is to confer such mercies upon them, as may sweetly con­quer their stubborn hearts, and gain their averse minds to himself. Hence when the sin and folly of an obstinate people hath reduc'd them to inextricable straits, the eternal God doth not suffer his de­stroying wrath to break forth against them, saying, I see them helpless and past recovery, now therefore will I ease me of my adversaries, and avenge me of my enemies; but compassion being kindled in his merciful breast, Now says the Lord I will lend a helping hand, and give them that experience, and those eviden­ces of my goodness, that shall for ever oblige them to me, and win them from proceeding in ways of rebellion against me. Thus all our deliverances lay us un­der perpetual obligations to devote our selves to the blessed work and service of our delivering God.

Our mercies are not beautiful Tombes in our way, wherewith we may delight our eyes; but Chariots to carry us on with more pleasure and cheerfulness in the ways of our gracious God. The end [Page 12] of deliverances is plainly seen, Luke 1.74, 75. That we being delivered from the hands of our enemies, may serve him without fear, in Righteousness and Holiness all the days of our lives. We are not delivered from enemies, to continue enemies to God; but an escape is given us from the hands of enemies, that we may resign up our selves into the hands of our God.

When God prevents our becoming mi­serable preys to unmerciful foes, 'tis to ob­lige us ever to praise him with thankful Hearts and obedient lives, Psal. 105.37. He brought forth that people with silver and gold; spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night, v. 39. He brought quails, and satisfyed them with bread from heaven; he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness, v. 43. And what was the design of all this favour? v. 45. That they might observe his Statutes, and keep his Laws. Although our mer­cies are Gods gifts, yet they greatly raise our debts. The favours we receive from our gracious God, are not as payments given to servants to discharge from work, but like the encouragements tender Pa­rents give to Children, to increase their dutiful service and obedience. 'Tis pro­mised. [Page 13] H [...]s. 3. u [...]. They shall fear the Lord and his goodness; or, ob tantam D [...]i beneficentiam, Grot. they shall serve and obey him for his goodnesses, in returning and restoring of them: that wonderful kindness was for this end, to ingenerate obedient love, and induce to constant loyalty to so blest a Redeemer.

Now had not these blessed intentions and gracious designs been in the heart of our God, he had never exercised his Almighty power for our help and relief, as of late he hath done: but he designing to reclaim us from sin, hath restrained his wrath, and revealed our danger; that so by giving us the advantage of such a mercy, we might render to him the glo­ry of it. And what can be more reasona­ble, than to give God the glory of that, whereof we have the profit? What more unjust, than to cross such gracious designs as these? And therefore unless we design to debar our selves from future mercies, it concerns us greatly to answer Gods de­sign in these; unless we intend by our incorrigibleness to bring irreparable ruines upon our selves, it highly concerns us by this goodness of God, to be led to that Repentance and Reformation inten­ded [Page 14] by it. For to what end hath this grace of God appear'd, but to teach us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and that we might live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world?

I shall now propose some few Reasons, why the glorious God condescends to strive with Man with thus much good­ness, rather than reduce him by forcible coactions, and destroying judgments; why he doth not ease him of his Ene­mies by his Almighty power, but endea­vour to make them friends by obliging favours.

PROPOSITION 2.

Such is the wickedness of our corrupt­ed hearts, that we are prone to proceed in sin, notwithstanding the Lord is using these means with us to reclaim us. We are apt to make use of our deliverances to further our sins, rather than improve them to the forsaking of them. For as the red Sea drinks in the River Iordan yet is never the sweeter; and the vas [...] Ocean all other Rivers, yet is not th [...] fresher: so we receive the most excellent mercies, and yet are but little the better. So entire is our cursed affection to ou [...] espoused Lusts, that whoever be dis-enga­ged, and whoever be displeased, we ar [...] [Page 21] too much resolv'd to continue in them. Hence the mercies God gives for encou­ragements to serve him, we turn to be instruments of sinning against him. When God doth most for us in ways of mercy, we are prone to do most against him in ways of sin. 'Tis reported of the Leo­pard, that 'tis most savage to those that do most for it. Too true it is of us; we are wretchedly most unkind, to those that shew most kindness to us. Felicitate cor­rumpimur, outward felicitie makes us abound in iniquity. After the receipt of special favours, we often loosen the reins to Impiety, and run more extravagantly after our own inventions. How many be­come more nimble in the feats of iniquity, by being anointed with the oyl of mercy? Men nurse the hateful brats of their devi­lish lusts, at the breast of Divine bounty. Our envenom'd natures extract food for the nourishment of abominable sins, from the singular favours of a gracious God.

As when the season grows warm, by fructifying rays of the Sun, the weeds spring up; so by the increase of mercies, there is often the abounding of iniquity, Hos 10.1. Israel is an empty vine: or, [...], vitis luxurians; a wild vine: ac­cording [Page 22] to the multitudes of his fruits, he hath increased the altars, i. e. Quo res habuit pr [...] ­speriores, eo magis indulsit Idololatriae, Gro [...] The more prosperity, the more Idolatry. 'Tis observed of the Spleen, the greater it grows, the less the body is: the more Temporal mercies, the less heavenly spi­rits and holy obedience. Hos. 4.7. As they increased, they sinned against me. Heb. [...] Sicut multiplicari eis, as I multiplyed to them; or, as I increased deliverances, ho­nour, riches; so they sinned against me. As judgments will not bridle us, so mer­cies will not break us off our sinning. Isa. 26.10. Let favour be shown to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness. In the for­mer verses the Prophet shews, that the people of God would serve him even un­der afflictions; but as for the wicked, nei­ther mercies nor afflictions work upon them. Mercies are messengers to instruct us our duty; but although for many years we have been called upon by them, yet how little have we learnt to love, serve, and obey our God by them? Noah mira­culously delivered, is abominably drawn into sin. He that had the highest proofs of the mercy and justice of God, mercy to himself, justice to the world, lyes drunk [Page 23] in his Tent; preserved from waters, over­come by wine: behold, you may see him guilty of the sin for which he saw the world condemned; you may see him to be rebuked for the sin he so often had re­proved: and he that was so holy before, now becomes a pattern of uncleanness, and example for future wickedness: thus prone are the best to sin after deliverance. Thus holy Hezekiah, 2 Chron. 32.24, 25. God delivered him from death, but he rendred not to the Lord according to the be­nefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up, not with thankfulness, but haughtiness; not in praises, but with pride. Deut. 32.15. Ieshurun waxed fat and kicked, then be for­sook the God that made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. Delive­rance had made way for his promotion; and he being promoted, God was reject­ed. Righteous Lot by distinguishing fa­vour escaping the flames of Sodom, fell into the fire of sin. The ashes of Sodom, the pillar of salt, made him not wise e­nough to shun the drunken bed of Incest. Who could have thought Lot should fall into such Impieties, upon the receipt of such mercies? but thus prone are we to abuse goodness, and ready to slight the [Page 24] greatest kindness: how often do we turn our Physick to poison?

How often do we make our Mercies Commeatus peccandi, Inlets to sin? 'Tis said concerning Eve, that God design'd her an helper to Adam, and made her of his rib; but the devil [...], took his rib, and made it a fatal dart. So God gives Mercies with good intentions, but Satan siding with our corrupt inclina­tions, makes use of them to our great disadvantage.

I shall now consider how it comes to pass, that Deliverances have no more In­fluence upon us, and how we become so prone to sin after them.

(1.) It arises from the mighty Power that accustomed sins have upon the heart. When highest Reasons are obliging to leave sin, the force of Custom prevents their operation. When men are soaked in Sensuality, flesht in Villany, thorough­paced in Rebellious courses, what is able to change them? Hereby the heart is so direfully hardned, the Devil's Kingdom so invincibly fortified, and sin itself so much endeared, that there is unspeakable diffi­culty in conquering of it. Ezek. 16.4. When delivered from Egypt 'tis said, Their [Page 25] Navil was not cut. The Navil is that whereby the Child is supplyed with nou­rishment in the Mothers Womb. So this expression means, Israel was still drawing in Egyptian Manners and Superstitions; be­ing accustomed to them, they still hanke­red after them, notwithstanding their great deliverance.

And although for a while a deliverance may seem to make some impression, yet as the water heated, redit ad ingenium, grows cold again: so affections to God wear off, and men are hankering after their former Lusts. So Ezek. 23.8. Neither [...]eft she her whoredoms brought from Egypt. Difficile est ab usitatis desinere: Accustomed [...]ins are hardly deserted: sins often renew­ [...]d, are hardly reformed; sudden mercies, [...]hough never so great, will hardly wear [...]ut continued sins.

2. The reason why our Deliverances work no greater Reformation, is, because [...]e fix our Eyes too much upon second [...]auses, and inferiour Instruments, with­ [...]ut a due acknowledgment of the hand [...]f God. Hence we are prone to con­ [...]eive our selves more obliged to Men than [...] God himself. How wickedly do ma­ [...] ascribe more to Humane Policy, and [Page 26] Heathenish Fortune, than to infinite pow­er and Heavenly favour? Hos. 11.3. They knew not that I healed them. Nescire dicitur qui gratiam non refert: He is ignorant who neither observes nor answers the merci­ful hand of God.

Attributing Deliverances to man, hin­ders the performance of duty to God. The reason why mercies are not seconded with obedience to God, is, because we look too much to second causes; so those Hab. 1.16. Their portion was fat, and they sacrificed to their nets, and burnt incense to their drags. Thus the Assyrian proudly ascribed all to himself, Isa. 10.14. By the strength of my hand have I done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent. How can the mercy of God be answered, if it be not owned? How can we requite God for delivering, if we deny the receipts of deliverance from him? If we look not upon our mercies as given by God, we shall give God nothing fo [...] his mercies.

3. Deliverances are no more influentia to reclaim from sin, because of our un­reasonable oblivion of them. Our grea­test mercies are but nine days wonders present impressions made by deliverance are soon worn off by neglect of future con­sideration. [Page 27] The sense of our Engage­ments to Obedience wearing off, our in­clinations to sin make head. When mer­cies are new, how frequent is our remem­brance of them? Whilst employed in our daily labours, our minds are admiring delivering love: When waking in the night, these are the objects of Meditati­on; when conversing with friends, these are the Theams we discourse of. Now somewhat must be done to requite this kindness; but too sudden a forgetfulness anticipates and prevents the performance of our acknowledged obedience. Deut. 32.17, 18. they are charged with abomina­ble sins; and it stands as a reason, because they forgot the God that formed them, and the rock that begat them. Did we not forget our mercies, our Consciences would force us to forsake our sins. Were our hearts more but Repositories for Gods favours, so much Iniquity would not be lodged in them. Forgetting Gods mercies, is not onely a base unworthy sin, but a breeding sin: many desperate sins arise from de­spising the kindness of our God. And oh, how unspeakably strange is it, that we can forget him, who doth so much to be remembred? That we can suffer his [Page 28] mercies to pass out of our mind, whose mercies are new every moment? How impossible would it be to live in unla­mented sin, did we live in the sense of undeserved mercies! Hence it is we are so prone to sin after deliverances, because we are so apt to suffer them to slip out of our labile memories.

4. This continuance in sin after deli­verances, arises from persons bolstring up themselves with sinful presumptions that the dangers of destruction are past. When men begin to apprehend all things are well, they are apt to take occasion to do ill. When men are conceiving the bit­terness of death is past, they little mind to reform the baseness of their lives. They care not how little they live to God, when they presume they shall live long. Eccles. 8.11. Because sentence is not speedi­ly executed, therefore the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in themselves to do evil, [...] Syr. roboratur: their hearts are strengthened, emboldned in them to go on in evil. [...], &c. Because of this delaying judgments, they go on with a full confidence, they sin with courage. This is as wind to their sayls, that drives them on briskly in sinful courses. With [Page 29] this did the wicked Jews under Divine comminations hearten themselves in their ways, Ezek. 11.3. saying, It is not near. Gods abstinence from judgments, was made an encouragement for continuance in sin. So Ezek. 12.21, 22. The days are prolonged. Carnal persons are willing to go on in sin as long as they can: and when dangers are a little gone off, they more boldly go on in desperate sinning.

5. This proneness to sin after such mer­cy, arises from flattering expectations, that in renewed returns of Distress, they shall ever meet with the same deliverance. How do men argue from their present safety, to their future security? How fond­ly do men conceive that God will be ever merciful, because of his present mercies? Did men wisely consider after deliverance, how soon they may stand in need of the same helping arm, how soon they may want the same mercy, they could not be so audacious as to slight and contemn it, left the next time they be deprived of it. Gods present deliverances are evidences of his power to deliver us again, but not as­surances of his Will to do it. 'Tis a groundless Supposition men go upon, who think Mercies are entail'd upon them, and [Page 30] inseparably annexed to them. We shall experience, if we do not leave off sinning, God can leave off delivering. If we can still forsake God, he can at last forsake us.

6. We are thus inclined to sin against God after deliverance, as we being de­livered, our hearts are brought off from their dependance on God, and we are magnifying our selves instead of God. When God hath given us our precious lives from the hands of devouring Ene­mies, we imagine we can live of our selves, and thence are regardless of living to God. Hos. 13.6. They were filled, and their heart was exalted, therefore have they for­gotten me. Their outward fruitfulness caused their sinful forgetfulness. Our hearts are apt to be set upon enjoyments, and not on the God that gives them. Hos. 4.11. Whoredome and wine take away the heart. The Hebr. word [...] signifies auferre, to take away by force; so did those things take away their heart from God by force; or occupare, to occupy. They occupy and take up that room in the heart God should have. Thus we having worldly enjoy­ments continued by deliverances, our hearts are detained by them, that we mind [Page 31] not God, care not how we go on in sin against him; mind not how little obedi­ence we yield to him, as if we could live well enough without him.

7. This proceeding in sin is partly cau­sed by persons apprehending themselves to be innocent, and their courses to be harmless, from the deliverances God gives to them. Carnal persons are apt to reckon their ways to be lawful, because they are spared and unpunished in them. Hos. 12.8. Ephraim said, I am become rich, I have found me out riches; in all my la­bours they shall find no iniquity in me, that were sin. As much as to say, Were my courses unrighteous, they would not be prosperous; whatever the Prophets charge me with, it appears by the dealings of God with me, that my doings are good; if I were so sinful, I should not be succes­ful. Thus corrupted persons will vainly argue from Gods delivering; were I so wicked, were my actions so displeasing, God would not have spared me, but deli­vered me to destruction. But oh how vain are these reasonings! God bears with long-suffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction; out of his mer­cy he gives a space to repent of thy sins. [Page 32] And who so wicked to conclude, that be­cause God exercises patience, therefore they are no offenders? This is a sign of Gods goodness, but not of thine.

PROPOSITION 3.

Sinning after Deliverance, is the most hainous sinning. It renders sin exceeding great, to commit it after great mercies. It is a great sin, to count any sin small, that is committed against a great God: yet sin hath its aggravations, and admits of degrees, according to the circumstan­ces under which 'tis committed. There are two things which render a sin most abominable; when sin is committed a­gainst light, and against love. They are no little nor light sins, that are aggrava­ted with convictions by light: nor are sins against love of an inferiour nature; nothing more intolerable to Man or God, than to have ill will for good deeds. 'Tis sinful to render evil for evil to man, much more to render evil for good to God. What more provoking sight can be be­held, than a man impudent in evil under judgment, and barren in good under mercies? Affronts to love, are more un­sufferable [Page 33] than Rebellion under displays of wrath. The highest unkindness, is the highest sinfulness. The sin of David is aggravated by the recording Gods kind­ness to him, 2 Sam. 12.7, 8, 9. I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul, and I gave thee thy masters house—And if that had been too little, I would moreover have given thee such and such things. Wherefore then hast thou despised the command of the Lord, to do this evil in his sight? To sin in the face of God when smiling upon us with unmeri­ted mercy, is one of the greatest contempts can be cast upon God. To manifest our sinfulness, when we enjoy the greatest testi­monies of goodness, is the height of mad­ness. To withdraw our necks from an uneasie galling yoak, to rebel under the severities of a cruel Tyrant, to cast off the service of an imperious Master, may admit some excuse; but to wax wanton under mercies, to despise the clemency of Heaven, to deny obedience to a loving Father, is an offence indefendible, a crime unpardonable. When God would lay a people under a conviction of the hainous­ness of their crimes, he repeats his gra­cious dealings to them. Ierem. 2.20. Of old time I have broken thy yoke, i.e. When [Page 34] thou wert in Egyptian bondage under in­tolerable slavery, I set thee free: And thou saidst thou wouldst not transgress, yet thou hast slighted my favours, and bro­ken thy vows; and under every green tree thou wandrest playing the harlot. And v. 22. this is noted for an indelible sin; such sins as these are not [...], not written, but engraven: they are of the deepest die, and most permanent stain: Hos. 7.15. Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me. It hath an allusion to men with broken bones; Oh what would they give for a healing Chirurgion? what price would they give to be free from pain? so these in distress would promise any thing to God for deliverance: but, says the Lord, though I bound them up and cased them, though I strengthen­ed them against the destructive assaults of their enemies, yet still with the highest wickedness and unkindness they imagine mischief against me: the more I did to engage them, the more they have done to dishonour me.

The people of Israel were charged with their sinning at Gilgal above all other places, Hos. 9.15. All their iniquity is in [Page 35] Gilgal. The Hebr. word [...] which we render all, signifies summum, praecipuum, i.e. their highest, chiefest, most notorious si [...] was at Gilgal; why there? because there it was they received abundance of mer­cies. Here was the great circumcision, when the reproach was rolled away, after they had past over Iordan, and arrived to the Land of Canaan, Iosh. 5.7. here Ioshua pitcht the twelve stones, the everlasting memorial of their wonderful deliverance out of Iordan, Iosh. 4.20. here was the beginning of the rest promised to them in the Land of Canaan. Now to be involved in sin, when encompast with so many mer­cies; to be forsaking God after such late experience of his goodness, this was the highest crime imaginable.

Now I shall lay down some particular aggravations of sins after deliverances, that so you may lament those you have committed, and labour to prevent them for the future.

1. Such sins most wretchedly cast a blot upon the most Holy God, as if he were a countenancer of sin, and a patron to per­sons Impieties, rather than a severe aven­ger of them. Christ was accounted a friend to Publicans and sinners, for shew­ing [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [Page 36] kindness unto them: and will not Atheistical wretches be ready to asperse the glorious God as a friend to sin, for improving his power to deliver such per­sons as improve his deliverance onely for sin? 'Tis reported of one prophane Dio­nysius, that when by his covetous pilfe­ring he had preyed on a Temples glory, and enricht himself with its Sacred Trea­sure, and after transporting his Treasures, escaping a fatal Shipwrack of which he was in danger, with the greatest impu­dence cryes out, How do the Gods love Sacriledge! Because he presumed they de­livered him a Robber, he imagined they loved Robbery: Psal. 50.21. Because I kept silence, thou thoughtst me altogether such an one as thy self, i. e. Quod tuis maleficiis delector, Muis. Gods patient forbearance, made him reckon God unrighteous as himself. To go on in sin when delivered from ruine, is practically to say, I am de­livered to sin. Such an Impiety was char­ged on the Jews, Ierem. 7.10. Will ye steal, and murder, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? They were not come to that height of profaneness, to de­clare it in so many words; but by their ungodly courses after his gracious delive­rances, [Page 37] they did as much as say it. What is this but to make God an unholy God? What greater aggravations of our sins can there be, than to cast dirt on the ho­liness of God, which is the aggravation of all his glory? Certainly, if God suf­fers dishonour by his exercising goodness to us, we shall suffer destruction for our abusing of it. God will shew no favour to those, who make him a favourer of sin.

2. Such sinning is so abominable, be­cause 'tis a justification of all our former sins. This is in effect to say, We have done well enough in sinning; God is not angry with us, therefore we will still go on in our former courses, and follow our old wickednesses. How provoking must this needs be to God? when instead of a humiliation for sins, he sees a justi­fication of them: instead of a contrite lamentation for our evils, he finds an audacious approbation of them. How can a holy God bear this at our hands? We cannot justifie the best of our actions before the Lord, how abominable then to justifie those that are apparent evils? It was very displeasing to God for Ionah to say, I do well to be angry. And shall we [Page 38] say, We did well to be proud and pro­fane, to be drunkards and swearers? and what else is our persistence in sin, but a testimony of our allowance of it?

3. Such sinning, implies a daring pro­vocation of God to destroy us. To de­spise God sparing and delivering, is to dare him to smite and destroy us. Not to care for deliverance, is as much as to say, we do not fear destruction, Isa. 5.19. Let him hasten his work that we may see it. This impudent expression either respects Gods power, q. d. let him do his worst, we fear not, as men that had over-grown Divine Justice, and become too big and too strong for the Almighties arm; or it may be spoken in respect of the Truths and threatnings declared by the Prophets challenging God to the accomplishment o [...] them. But will God suffer himself to b [...] dared by worms? can you daunt his un­alterable courage? can you hold the Al­mighties hands, or lay bonds on his judg­ments, that they shall not destroy you Will God suffer his creatures to insult ove [...] him? are we out of his reach, that we fea [...] no ruine? can we match him with equa [...] forces? sure we are nothing to him. How then can he indure a challenge from us [Page 39] How can he suffer our sins after mercies? By these sins we are like those, Iob 15.25, 26. Who stretch out their hands against God, and strengthen themselves against the Almighty, &c. But who ever contended with him, and prospered? It will be dread­ful to fall into the hands of a living God. And this will certainly be the portion of those that affront him with such daring provocations.

4. These sins are so hainous, as by them the delivering mercy of God is horribly undervalued. What is our Rebellion af­ter the reception of such mercies, but to declare we account not our selves obliged to God for them? What is this but to disown the greatness of the favours God bestows upon us? What greater dis-in­genuity can be exprest, than to diminish the greatest favours of God, in love to our devillish lusts? Every mercy that comes from so great a God, must needs be great: but to undervalue the choicest blessings and highest mercies, must needs be a point of the highest wickedness. VVas it a small mercy, that by our late delive­rance so many thousand lives have been continued, such multitudes of Souls have been kept out of Hell? Is it nothing in [Page 40] your eyes to be delivered from Popish sla­very? to have the glorious Gospel conti­nued amongst us? Is the security of Church and State, the miraculous preser­vation of Priviledges and Liberties a con­temptible kindness? shall all these things have no notice taken of them? shall they all be dis-regarded? will you say 'tis not worth while to leave sinning for these? dare you declare they deserve no obedi­ence? let your Conscience speak, would not this be horrid Blasphemy? could you bear such undervaluing of kindness from fellow-Creatures? how then can God from you?

5. Those Sins are the testimonies of the highest Ingratitude conceivable. In­gratitude is the worst of Sins; and sin­ning after Deliverance is the worst Ingra­titude. This is unkindness that pierces the heart of God, to rebel against him, dealing with us as the dearly beloved of his Soul. How ungrateful is't to assas­sinate a Prince, to whose care we owe our Lives and Fortunes? To rip open the bowels of her, to whom we owe our be­ing? So is it to dishonour a God, that is both our Protector and Benefactor, our Preserver and Deliverer. David was [Page 41] greatly incens'd at the Ingratitude of churlish Nabal, 1 Sam. 25.21. Surely in vain have I kept all this fellow had in the wilderness, and he requites me evil for good. Will not the Almighty thus complain of an ungrateful people; Surely in vain have I kept them from the hands of their bloody Enemies, in vain I have delay'd the execution of Judgment, since all my return is Dishonour for Deliverance, sin­ning for saving of them? May not God speak to us, after the manner our blessed Saviour spoke to the Jews? For which of my good works do you stone me? For which of my good Works do you sin a­gainst me? Will you oppose me, because I appear so often for you? Will you hate me, because I help you? Will you rebel, because I relieve you? Is this the fruit of my Goodness? The Lord was great­ly offended with his Vineyard, Isai. 5. because after all his care to make it fruitful, it brought forth wild grapes. I looked it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. When God bestows any Mercies upon us, his eye is upon us to see what improvement we are making of them: He looks to see what [...]hou dost with thy Time, thy Talent; [Page 42] His eye is upon thee, to see what use thou makest of Means, Deliverances, and all thy Enjoyments: And when he uses good means, he looks for good fruit; and if we ungratefully bring forth wild Grapes, we shall highly provoke him, and to our disadvantage displease him. How intolerable a Sin must it needs be, to fight against God with his Goodness? to mischief his Honour with his Mercies? Should you be an instrument of raising a decayed Friend, and he turn your Ene­my, and use the estate procured by you, to manage mischievous designs against you, would you not count it intolerable baseness? Now what less, yea how infi­nitely more is your abusing the Mercies of God, to the disadvantage of his Glory, and dishonour of his Name? Should a [...] neighbourly Physician freely endeavour the relief of a helpless Beggar, and after his cost and care, when this man is re­stor'd, he should make it his work to study the death of this worthy Friend, how intolerable Ingratitude would this be accounted? What else is our sinning a­gainst God, on his sparing of us? What is it but the destroying the Honour of him, who saved us from destruction? [Page 43] Deut. 32.6. Do ye thus requite the Lord, ye foolish people and unwise? When un­grateful Brutus was among those that came to destroy Caesar, he pathetically cryed out, Etiam tu Brute! What, thou my Son Brutus! Wilt thou stab me? May not God cry out upon us, What ye, oh People of England, will ye still be enemies? You whom I have so deliver'd? You whom I have so often preserved, shall I meet with these dealings from you? Of all people you are obliged to love and serve me, and will you improve all my Mercies against me?

6. By sinning after Deliverance, we most unjustly deny to Go [...] that which is [...]is Right and due fo [...] [...]livering of us. Deliverance is the price of God for our Lives and Services. God redeeming of us, we remain no longer our own, but are especially obliged to be his. What can we give to God for preserving our Lives, less than [...] and that's an unanswerabl [...] [...] for the exercise of [...]is Wisdome and Power [...] delivering of us. Can we then rob God of his due, without [...] height of Injustice? Is not this the most [...]tolerable Sacrilege? The Mercies of God are to hire us to Obe­dience. [Page 44] Will a Master suffer a Servant to be engag'd in the work of another, when he hath hired him for his own? Is it not a provoking sin, for you to be employ'd in the service of the Devil, when God hath hired you into his? The Apostle pressing the Corinthians to Obedience tells them, They are not their own, but are bought with a price. Thus may we be perswaded to Obedience, by considering, God hath bought our Lives, by saving us from Death.

7. Sinning now is so heinous, as here­by God is frustrated of his designs in granting such favours. What may God expect, when stretching out his hand to help us, but tha [...] then we will inclin [...] our hearts to honour him? What are th [...] designs of God in displays of Mercy, bu [...] to raise up Glory to himself? He exer­ciseth Goodness to promote his own In­terest in the world, not the Devils. Wi [...] God exercis [...] Mercy to his own disad­vantage? Will a [...]ational man put Wea­pons into the hands of those would slay him with them? Would you deliver [...] man to destroy you? Surely the Lord may justly expect Love for his Kindness Duty for his Mercy, Obedience for hi [...] [Page 45] Deliverance. Isai. 63.8, 9, 10. He said, Surely, they are my people, children that will not lye; so he became their Saviour. This verse contains a kinde of Expostu­lation that might be in God; Why should I save such a people as this? I have enough against them to destroy them. I have found their unfaithfulness to their promises, their unanswerableness to my gracious Providences, why should I deliver them? Then God comes to a Resolution, Mercy turns the scale, Good­ness prevails; I will try them once more; they are my people, children that will not lye; I hope they will not frustrate me any more: I may take this oppor­tunity to cut them off, but I will make experiment once more. But proving un­faithful, he became their enemy, and fought against them. How heinous a sin [...]s it to cross Gods ends, to walk con­trary to him!

8. Sinning now is so heinous, as 'tis not only a neglecting Duty, but despising Remedy. There are Peccata contra officia, and contra remedia; Sins against Duties in omitting things commanded, and sins against remedy, slighting and opposing [...]he means which are designed for re­covery [Page 46] from former evils. And now what sin can be greater, than to despise the means that are used to cure our bleed­ing wounds? what aggravates the sin of unbelief, and makes it the destroying sin, but because 'tis the contemning of that blessed Remedy which is provided for mi­serable sinners? Hence this sin binds on the sinners guilt with an eternal bond, and makes Salvation impossible. Thus also slighting deliverance is the highest sin, as thereby we bid open defiance to all means of recovering of us from sin & destruction. Neglecting Salvation hath a most provo­king influence on the wrath of God: Heb. 2.3. How shall we escape, if we neg­lect so great Salvation? VVill the Lord bear this affront to his mercy, that when he is willing to save, we declare we re­gard no Salvation? This will be an un­pardonable crime, there will be no esca­ping for us. To sin with deliverance, is no less than to throw away the healing balm that mercy provides, and resolve to make our wounds incurable.

PROPOSITION 4.

Sins after deliverance have a peculiar [Page 47] influence to procure and hasten destructi­on. Our present safety is no security a­gainst future Judgments: destruction de­ferred by Gods deliverances, will be hast­ned by our sinning after them: those whom undeserved mercies can't reclaim, incensed justice will speedily ruine. The Monuments of greatest mercies, have been made examples to declare the severity of Justice for the abuses of them. Such have experienced the most direful suffe­ring, to whom the Almighty hath been most long-suffering. VVitness the deplo­rable state of the hardned Iews, to whom the most singular favour was extended of any people on earth; yet now who more miserable than those rejected wretches, for their abusing favours? Justice will frown most sharply upon the disdainful affron­ters of mercy. No people are nearer an utter desolation, than those who heap up sin, when God is heaping up mercies. Although the Lord be most willing to smite, yet he knows not how to spare when provoked in this manner. Ier. 5.7. How shall I pardon thee for this.—When I had fed them to the full, then they committed Adultery, v. 9. Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? shall I not be [Page 48] avenged on such a Nation as this? These sins put God to a stand; he knows not how to go about a pardoning act, al­though he delights so greatly in it: how shall I pardon, Heb. [...] parcam: how shall I spare thee any longer? I can't with­hold the hands of my justice, I can't de­fer the punishment of these transgressions. Thence, v. 10. God gives a Commission to enemies, Go upon the Walls and destroy, &c. delay no longer: let those feel the smarting impressions of Justice, that de­spise the sweetest expressions of mercy.

This wrath of God against despisers of goodness, appears, 1 Sam. 12.24, 25. Consider how great things the Lord hath done: but if ye still continue to do wickedly, ye shall be consumed both ye and your King. When once a people rise to that height of Impiety, that the most obliging kindness Heaven can show, can't win their hearts to obedience; what can be expected from Heaven, but the severest vengeance an Almighty arm can bring upon them? Will not the Lord soon rush out upon a people with wonderful plagues, when they are knocking at the door of justice by such impenitent courses? The most gracious Prince would dispatch that man, [Page 49] who should impudently persist in traite­rous designs against him, after a delive­rance from death by his pardoning of him. Thus will the King of Heaven mi­serably destroy delivered sinners rebelling against him. Divine patience sheathing the sword of Justice, will at last desist its pleading for the abusers of it; and im­patient justice by its revengeful arm will avenge the quarrel of despised mercy: Ezek. 16.43. Because thou hast not remem­bred the days of thy youth: q. d. the kind­ness and favour I then extended to thee; the deliverances thou hadst from me: Be­hold, I will recompence thy ways upon thy [...]ead. Thou hast grieved me with sin, I will grind thee to pieces with judgments; thou hast recompensed me with hatred for [...]ove, I will recompense hatred for your [...]atred. Thus will God deprive those of mercies, that deprive him of the glory of [...]hem. 2 Kings 21.13. God there threa­ [...]ens to wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a [...]ish, q. d. He would take away all their [...]elicate enjoyments, as meat is thrown [...]ut of a dish. They shall feed on judg­ments, who were wanton when fed with [...]ercies: but the Hebrew signifies, Delebo Ierusalem sicut deleri solent tabulae. As im­pressions [Page 50] on tables are wont to be wiped out, so shall my impressions of goodness upon them: the former inscriptions of honour and prosperity shall no more be seen, but the prints of destroying judg­ments shall be found upon them. It shall no more be written, These are a people de­livered, but, These are a people destroyed for abusing deliverance. This fatal con­sequence of despising favours, may be il­lustrated from the words of God, Hos. 6.4. Oh Ephraim what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it passeth away. Many inter­pret your goodness, the goodness bestow­ed on you, or your mercies. So the sence is, My goodness that I bestow upon you, is but like a morning cloud, that is dissipa­ted and scattered, and doth no good to you, you are not the better for it. And as the early dew it passeth away, i. e. Gra­tiam & misericordiam meam malitia vestra absorbetis: You soon wear off the im­pressions of my mercy, as the moistnings of the early dew are soon dryed up by the earth; therefore v. 7. I have hewed them by the Prophets, my judgments are broken out upon them: or otherwise, The tokens of my mercy make but short impression on [Page 51] you; your goodness fades away, you soon return to sin: what now shall I do to you? I am resolved to try no more mercies; I have made you grow with my kindness like flourishing Trees, now will I hew you down; because you are so unprofitable, I will be unmerciful to you.

Here it will not be amiss to consider, how this persistence in sin after delive­rance, promotes and hastens the destructi­on of a people.

1. Hereby that peculiar respect that God hath for one people above another, is made to cease; and they are lookt upon no otherwise, than the vilest of people in the world. In Gods providen­ [...]ial dispensations, he bears some singu­lar favour to some, beyond what he doth to others, although these may be nothing more deserving than other Nations; and from this favour he confers singular Tem­poral Blessings upon them; and these he [...]alls his people, as especially cared for, [...]reserved and provided for by him. But [...] these despise his kindness, and con­ [...]mn his goodness, he then un-peoples [...]em, and casts them out of his favour; [...]nd then they become as liable to judg­ [...]ents, as the greatest abjects in the [Page 52] world. Thus was it with the people of the Iews, the Lord separated them from all the world for his care and charge: hence he did mighty things for them; but continuing long in their sins, notwith­standing his mercies, Hos. 2.9. he bids the Prophet tell them, Ye are not my peo­ple, I will not be your God; and this re­jection made way for that ruine now up­on them. In the 9th of Amos, the Pro­phet is threatning judgment against that sinful people, against which they fortified themselves with presumptuous boastings of their being Gods people, chosen by him, & so often owned by deliverances; but for their abusing mercies, God tells them, v. 7. Are ye not as the children of the AEthiopians unto me? saith the Lord, i.e. Non pluri [...] vos facio quam AEthiopes, Grot. You are now no more to me than the vilest peo­ple.

You have been under my care, and now ye are under my curse: ye remain un­changeable in your sins, as the AEthiopians in their colour, and therefore ye shall b [...] of no more account with me than they [...] VVhat though we have been more to God than any people on earth, and re­ceived more blessings then any Nation [...] [Page 53] near us, insomuch that we might be cal­led his chosen people for his care over us? VVill not despising mercies, sinning after deliverances, make him say, as Hos. 9.15. I will love you no more? VVhat shall we be more to him than the AEthiopians, if we be like them in sin? Ezek. 15.2. What is the Vine-tree more than another? i.e. If the Vine bring forth no fruit, what is it more than another tree? why should it not be burnt? VVhatever we have been, if we be fruitless and ungrateful, why should we not be punisht? If we be not bearing trees, may not God make us burning trees? If we be not bettered by deliverance, why may we not be destroy­ed?

2. Hereby the Lord is made in a man­ner to repent of delivering a people: when men have gratified their fellow-creatures with signal favours, and after such ex­pressions of respect have nothing but un­grateful returns; it makes them wish they had never bestowed their love on such unworthy persons. Thus the Almighty God, unjustly requited for mercies, is said to repent him of his conferring kind­ness on a people. But we must observe that golden rule; Quae [...] Deo [Page 54] tribuuntur, [...] debent intelligi: Those things which are attributed to God after the manner of men, must be understood as become the Majesty of God. So Gods repenting is an improper allusive term, ex­pressing not a change in Gods mind, but in his action: not implying such an af­fection in God as repentance, but allu­ding to the effect of such an affection in man, Gen. 6.6. It repented God that he made man, and it grieved him to the heart. This implies Gods wrathful indignation at mans miscarriage, but no disturbing alteration in the mind of God, who is ever the same. But to speak after the manner of Men, when a people conti­nue in sins after deliverance, God may say, Oh! it repents me that I have deli­vered a people thus to dishonour me; it repents me to do so much for a people, to do thus much against me. Oh! how near are such a people to destruction, of whose deliverance God repents him! How soon will they be involved in ruine, of whom God may be provoked to say, as David of Nabal, 1 Sam. 25.21. In vain have I kept all this man hath in the wil­derness; In vain have I preserved the lives and liberties of this people, since [Page 55] the fruit of all is onely to be rebelled a­gainst and dishonoured by them. If we thus make the Lord griev'd at the heart for bestowing mercies, God will grieve us to the heart by destroying judg­ments.

3. Hereby God is provoked to stop all proceedings in way of deliverance, and leave a people to successless shiftings for themselves: Iudges 10.12, 13. Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites? yet ye have forsaken me; I will deliver you no more. Sinning after deliverance, dis-engages God from appea­ring any more for us. And what can be more dreadful, than to hear God say in his wrath, Oh ye ingrateful people! I have once and again improved my wis­dom and power on your behalf, to pre­vent your ruine; but since ye go on still to provoke me, whatever your condition is hereafter, you must never look for help from me; whoever be your enemy, you must not look for me to be your friend: I will never stand up for such Rebels, nor dishonour my Name in delivering you to sin against me. We cannot want comfort whilst under promises of Divine assistance, and help from Heaven in our dangers; [Page 56] but if God stands off, we must inevitably fall into the hands of our enemies, and become preys to their greedy lusts. If God says I will add no more deliverance, there is none can promise deliverance to us. Oh miserable people, whom God thus forsakes in anger! we shall never see another deliverance, if the Lord should resolve I will add no more. We shall ne­ver out-live the dangers we daily live in, if God should determine to leave us to them.

Corruption in our ways under mercies, will cause a cessation of them. So it was with the people of the Iews, Hos. 1.6. Call her name Lo-ruchamah, for I will not add any more to the house of Israel, but I will ut­terly take away. I will add no more days of prosperity, years of plenty; no more gracious deliverances, or pledges of mercy, but I will utterly take away: I have been filling, but now will I empty you; the Hebr. [...] signifies obliviscendo, ob­liviscor, in forgetting I will forget them. I will no more be favourable to them, but forgetful of them; though they perish, I wo'nt remember them; they have not minded my mercies, I will not mind their miseries. Thus God puts a stop to [Page 57] the streams of mercy, locks up the store­house of blessings, and adds no more. David prays, Psal. 36.10. Oh continue thy loving kindness, &c. Hebr. signifies, Pertra­ha, draw out, lengthen out the tokens of thy love; but this will be onely to those that are drawn to God by them. They may call every mercy a Ios [...]ph, which sig­nifies, God will add more. But 'tis not so with ungrateful sinners, God will make an end of bestowing mercies, unless they make an end of abusing of them: God will cease deliverances, unless we cease disho­nouring him with them.

Yea, although a deliverance may be be­gun to a people, whereby they appear in a happy way to escape; yet persisting in sin, God will carry on the work no farther, but leave them to ruine. Hence then, what especial care should be used to reform our lives, and renew our repen­tance, lest our deliverance should be left unperfected? we are in no better capaci­ty to finish it now begun, than we were to begin it, if God stands off. Our pro­ceeding in sin, will hinder our God from proceeding in mercy. Indulging our pro­voking lusts, will endanger our precious lives. These merciful buddings of Pro­vidence [Page 58] may easily be knipt. This small glimmering light may soon be over-clou­ded; our door of hope may soon be shut. Shall we provoke a gracious God to say, I will add no more? Shall we make him complain of being weary of delivering? What makes a stop to our deliverance, but our continuance in sin? This makes God in the posture we read of, Ier. 14.9. As a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save. Hebr. [...] Pavidus, as one afraid of us, astonish'd at our iniquities. A man astonisht doth walk up and down this way and that way, knows not what course to take; so our sinning whilst God is deli­vering, makes God at a loss what to do. Sometimes he goes forward with delive­rance, sometimes it seems to stand still, another while it looks as if it were set back; and all this, because we amaze God with our daring sins. God told the people of Israel, admiring he went not on with deliverance, Isa. 59.1, 2. My hand is not shortned that it cannot save, nor my ear deafned that it cannot hear; but your iniquities separate between you and your God, &c. We drive God from us by our sins; and how then can our Salvation be carryed on? Shall we make God go back [Page 59] and repent of the good he hath seemed to design for us? our sinning will do it: Ier. 18.10. If it doth evil in my sight, I will repent of the good wherewith I said I will benefit it. Shall we not repent of sinning, rather than provoke God thus to repent of his purpose to deliver? Why will you blast all your hopes of escape, and wither that flower that's springing up? Oh then, if you desire a farther de­liverance, desert your former sins! or else God will resolve to add no more. By this most abominable persistence in sin, the Lord is provoked not onely to stop delive­rances, but to step into ways of judg­ments, and that with unalterable resolu­tions to destroy. Instead of enabling people against enemies, he enables ene­mies against them. Instead of delivering from cruel adversaries, he justly delivers them up unto them. Hereby his saving arm becomes a smiting hand, and mercy it s [...]lf is made an enemy. Hereby our greatest friend becomes an implacable foe; and whereas oftentimes before he had graciously sent Commissions from Heaven for deliverance, now in his wrath he dis­penseth commands, and issues out Writs to destroy.

[Page 60]This severity to a sinful people you may see, Isa. 63.9, 10. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them; but they rebelled and vext his holy Spirit, therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and fought against them. Now how can they hope to escape, that have a victorious God to oppose them! How miserably will those be ruin'd, that by despising Gods helping pitty, convert it to destroying enmity? Oh, that the terrour of Divine displeasure for such transgressions, thus exemplified in others, might have that sutable influ­ence on our hearts, as to prevent them in us! let others corrections be our ad­monitions; let Gods vindictive judg­ments on others, be instructive warnings to us: Rev. 15.4. Who will not fear thee, thy judgments are made manifest! Let o­thers confusion be a subject of our consi­deration; and know, if we continue Enemies to God, after his friendly, father­ly dealings, he will soon become our ene­my, and fight against us; then the deepest policy, the highest power can be no secu­rity to us.

But that which is the most direful con­sequence of this horrid sinning, is, that it brings the Eternal God to unmoveable [Page 61] resolutions, to accomplish the destruction of such a people. He will not be pre­vailed with to deliver those, whom his mercies could not prevail with to desist from sin. If we grow incorrigible under mercies, God will grow inexorable when under judgments. If a deaf ear be turn­ed to God, when by mercies he calls for duty; he will turn a deaf ear to us, when we in misery invocate his mercy: whatever hopes we may flatter our selves withal, we shall meet with no help from God, when thus provoked. Although such is the goodness of God, that he of­ten repents before he destroys; yet such provocations will make him weary of re­penting, and resolve to ruine: Ier. 15.6, 7. Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou hast gone away backward; therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, I am weary of repenting. I have long indulged you, but I will now spare no longer, but a­venge your sins: Some render it, Labora­vi rogans, &c. I have taken pains intreat­ing you to repent, till I am weary; but now ye that have wearyed me with your sins, shall be wearied with judgments: So v. 7. I will fan them with a fan in the gates: that is, I will scatter them about [Page 62] as the chaff is scattered with a fan; I will bereave them of children, and destroy my people, sith they return not from their ways. Thus impenitent sin­ning brings unavoidable judgments: and Divine vengeance will infallibly pursue such as persist in these hainous sins. No Sanctuary shall shelter these ungrateful wretches from the hands of justice; nor shall flattering intreaties prevent the ruine of such unrepenting sinners.

The deserved judgments that belong to these inhumane offenders of mercy, will be threatned with unalterable certainty. Thus you may see them denounced a­gainst an incorrigible people, Ezech. 24.13, 14. Because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged till I have caused my fury to rest upon you. Be­cause I have purged thee, q. d. I have en­deavoured to perswade thee, and oblige thee to leave thy filthy sins: Verba quae effectum notant, saepe de conatu intelliguntur: Estius. So God is said to do what he re­quires, desires, permits, or perswades to be done. Thus God had been inducing of them to obedience, reducing of them from sin; but under all, they were un­speakably [Page 63] obstinate; which caused these desperate resolutions in God against them. He would make his fury rest upon them: and their doom is confirmed with the highest asseverations conceivable, v. 14. I the Lord have spoken, i. e. I that am of undoubted faithfulness, and cannot lye; of infinite power, and can execute my pleasure; I have spoken it, and it shall come to pass; whatever evasions you think to make, however secure and careless you are, it shall come to pass, and I will do it. I will undertake the ruine of such as rebel against my mercies, and abuse the great­est instrument of raising my honour, viz. my patience; I will not go back, neither will I spare or repent. When I begin, I will carry on my work; I will not break off my judgments, since ye will not break off your sins; the sentence is irrevocable, you must expect no reversion of it, nor deli­verance from it. Now surely vengeance threatned with thus much certainty, will fall upon a people with intolerable seve­rity. When judgments are thus punctu­ally determined, it cannot be expected they should be a long while delay'd. What hopes now can we have, if persisting in sin after our many merciful escapes? Will [Page 64] not this grave-stone be laid upon us? Will not a consumption be decreed from the Lord of Hosts against us? What though we are spared this once, after all our for­mer evasions? Are we now out of dan­ger? Are there no instances to be found of a people preserved, delivered, as often as we, and at last the Writs of destructi­on were issued forth? What think you of that example, Amos 7. In the vision of the Prophet, the judgments of God on that people were shadowed by various de­structive things: v. 1. by Grass-hoppers, meaning the Army of the Assyrians, which were ready to invade them; but God from his infinite clemency prevented their ruine by them: v. 3. The Lord repen­ted for this, and said, It shall not be: V. 4. this people are threatned with another consuming judgment exprest by fire: where­by was signified either a drought, or the devastations of their Cities, by that un­merciful enemy and Element; or the ru­ining calamities which they were near in­volved in by Teglathphalasar; yet now a­gain he delivers them: v. 6. This also shall not be. But this Language is too good to hold always to unbettered sin­ners: now therefore, v. 7. God will wink [Page 65] no longer at their ungrateful sinning, he now is weary of repenting. The Lord stood upon a wall with a plumb-line in his hand: A Metaphor from those that build walls, they use a line to proceed exactly. Thus the Lord declares he would no lon­ger tolerate their abuses, nor use his cle­mency to deliver, but would exercise strictest justice till they were ruined: Hence v. 8, 9. a miserable destruction is threatned, I will pass by them no more, &c. Enemies shall now prevail, judgments shall effectually take place; I will use no­thing but strictness and severity. Now this leads me to the fifth Propositi­on.

PROPOSITION 5.

Destruction for sinning after delive­rance, will be the most dreadful destructi­on: what can be more clear than this, from the words of my Text? Should we again break thy commands, wouldst thou not be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor esca­ping? That is, no common calamity would then fall upon us; no ordinary punish­ment would be our portion; but we ex­ceeding [Page 66] the common measure and degree of sin, thou wouldst exceed the common degree of judgment: E dulcissimo vino a­cerrimum fit acetum; The sweetest wines make sowrest vinegar; the strongest per­fumes are fatal as poysons; abused mer­cy will be avenged with unusual miseries. No mercy is to be expected in judgment, when mercies are despised that kept off judgments. Kindness not effecting an answerable reformation, will abundant­ly aggravate revengeful destruction: Isaiah 29.1, 2. God threatens Ariel, sc. Ierusalem, that wonderful distress should fall upon it; and it should be to him as Ariel. Ariel was the Altar for whole­burnt offerings, Ezech. 43.15. Now to avenge their abuses of mercies there, God would make their City, once the richest of their mercies, an Altar on which their blood should be offered as a sacrifice to justice. Thus our mercies abused, may become knives to open our throats; our Cities and Towns so often delivered, may be as Altars, about which our lifeless bo­dies may be heaped as sacrifices about the Altar. The quintessence of all judgments, the substance of all Plagues, shall be ming­led in one cup, with all the dregs of [Page 67] wrath, for the despisers of clemency and mercy. Mercy is sweet that is extended to us in midst of judgments; and judgments severe, when executed on a people abound­ing with mercies. A deliverance cannot bring so great mercies, but sinning after it will usher in as dreadful judgments. By how much the greater the deliverance is we receive, so much the greater will be the destruction for sinning after it. A thick cloud hath been over our heads, and the favourable gale of mercy hath partly disperst it; but the ascending of sinful vapours will cause the Lord to re­turn our sins upon our heads, with over­whelming inundations of judgments; slighting the gales of mercy, preventing ru­ine, will bring most dreadful storms of vengeance. Our float of goodness may be turned into floods of misery. Our sun may set at noon-day; and our cisterns, now fill'd from the boundless ocean of un­merited benignity, may soon be filled from the vials of wrath, with the waters of Marah. Our destruction adjourned a while, may return with unexemplify'd terrour. The Lord threatned the back­sliding Iews, Deut. 4.25, 26. That if af­ter his kindness in conducting them from [Page 68] Egyptian slavery, with infinite mercies through a tiresome wilderness, to the blessed land of Canaan; (I say) if then they should sin against him, although they had remained a long time there, they should not prolong their days upon it, but utterly be destroyed from off it. Thus notwith­standing our sinful Nation hath many years been like an Eden, a Palace of Roy­al glory, a Canaan flowing with milk and honey, a Theatre of mercies, an unpa­ralleld monument of many deliverances; yet continuing in sin, will deface its envy­ed glory, and render it a stage for de­stroying judgments, and lay it waste with storms of successive plagues; and then it shall be said, This is the Nation that would never leave sinning, till it forced the Almighty to make it a ruinous heap, a Land desolate and not inhabited. What high time is it then to depart from sin, left an Ichabod be wrote upon us! which signifies, Their glory is departed.

With what terrour may we look on those words? Psalm 68.20, 21. Vnto God belongs salvation, but he will wound the hairy scalp of every one that goes on in sin: Though he will multiply salvations to such as serve him the more for them, yet [Page 69] will he glorifie his justice in destroying such as go on in sin after them. The Hebr. word [...] signifies altè imprimere; God will make a deep impression of the hands of justice on all such incorrigible persons. The heaviest judgments will fall on the contemners of the highest mercies. Judgment will be with most amazing ter­rour, on the contemners of the Almigh­ties favour. As Gods resolutions against such sins will make destruction irrevoca­ble, so his wrath backt with unlimited power, will make them intolerable.

Now here I shall endeavour to shew you for what reasons destroying judg­ments will be thus heightned by provo­king sins after deliverance.

1. Because the longer judgments are coming, the greater severity they are at­tended with, when falling upon us. The longer a blow is fetching, the deeper im­pression is made by its force. If God tarries long before he punishes, the grea­ter terrour will be in his punishment. The destruction of the old world was delayed for many years, but at last it was accom­plisht with the greater severity. Deus tar­dus est ad iram, sed tarditatem vindictae gra­vitate compensat. Whilst sinners ruine is [Page 70] deferr'd, God is putting himself into po­stures of judgment, whetting his glitte­ring sword, sharpning his terrible arrows feathered with our sins, that so he may make the more sharp and sudden destructi­on. There is Crudelitas parcens, sparing cruelty, as well as misericordia puniens, pu­nishing mercy.

The longer the cloud is gathering, the more dripping showre is expected when it falls. So the greater provocations are treasur'd up in the days of Gods patience, the more miserable destruction will be in the days of his vengeance: Isa. 42.14. A long time have I held my peace; I have been still and refrained my self; now will I cry like a travailing woman, I will de­stroy and devour at once. You shall know I have not lost my power, though I have exercised my patience; though yo [...] have shared so much in my mercy, I will at length proportion the severity of my justice, to the clemency of my mercy. I will destroy you at once; I'll give no more alaruming warnings, awakening calls, or monitory afflictions; but now will I bring ruine on a sudden, with una­voidable calamities: Iob 21.31. The wick­ed is reserved to the day of destruction; there [Page 71] will be a murdering day for rebellious malignants, they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath. The Hebr. [...] we Translate brought forth, signifies, Cum mo­ra & pompa deducere, Mer. To lead them to it with delay, to bring them to it by de­grees, and also with some pomp and splendour: but what is it they shall be brought forth to? What are they going to with their pomp and glory? oh 'tis but to a day of wrath; ad diem furorum, a day of wraths and fury; a day majorum poenarum, of greater punishment. When the wrath of God for every sin shall con­sume them, and increase their deferred torments. Sinners are brisk because judg­ment is delayed; but alas, sinners, though you go on with security, yet far from safe­ty, the day of wraths will come. Ier. 12.1. we read the wicked prosper; why are they not stopt in their courses? They take root, Hebr. pergunt, they go on: Non posuit Deus prohibitionem: Vatab. God doth not hinder them; are they happy therefore? will this always continue? No, v. 3. They shall be pulled out like sheep to the slaughter, they are set apart for the day of destruction. When a day is set apart, some eminent thing is intended in it. When a day is [Page 72] set apart for destruction, an eminent de­struction is implyed by it: a day is com­ing when sinners shall feel the smart of Di­vine vengeance for abuses of patience. This is call'd their day, as deserved by them, as peculiar to them: Psal. 37.10. The Lord knows their day is coming: Chald. dies calamitatis ejus: The day of his sig­nal and dreadful calamity is approaching; and the longer this day is coming, the more horrible it will be. As eternal con­demnation will be nothing the less for a present reprieve upon earth; so tempo­ral destruction will be nothing the more tolerable, for a patient toleration and con­tinued delay before it comes. We are little aware what is coming upon us, now our dangers are a little over; but whilst we are insensibly sinning after the expressi­ons of unmerited favour, the bottles of wrath are filling, and the clouds of ven­geance gathering; and who knows but suddenly they may ease and unburden themselves in a deluge of ruine upon us an undaunted people? Will not the pu­nishment of sins continued against light and love, distress and deliverance, so many years as we have enjoyed them, be of that nature that might make our [Page 73] hearts tremble to conceive it? will not the vials of wrath be unspeakably full, and the storm of vengeance most horrible, which hath been so long in gathering? Sinning after deliverance, renders the de­struction dreadful, as they make it in a peculiar manner our own. Now destructi­on lyes at our own door, and our selves onely are to bear the blame of it. In mercy God begins first, but in miseries we make the beginning. And what can be a more dreadful aggravation, than to have cause to say, Mercies are gone, God is departed, Enemies prevail? and what may we thank but our pride and pro­faneness, our ingratitude and ungodli­ness, after obliging mercies? what makes up the endless and intolerable torments of damned Souls, for ever banisht from the comfortable presence of the excellent glory, but this, that all that misery was procured by themselves? 'Tis observed of some Birds, that the lime is made of their own dung that is used to destroy them: The lime-twigs of Gods judg­ments, are made of the dung of our own sins. Our sins are the feathers, whereby [...]he fatal darts of judgments fly unto us. Propriis conficimur alis, wounded with [Page 74] our own weapons, with Arrows made from our selves: we do ill unjustly, and then suffer ill deservedly. All the judg­ments that spring up, are but from seeds of our own sowing. The Garment is ruin'd by the Moth bred in [...]t, and we by enemies of our own breeding. It was great aggravation to the misery of the Iews, that God told them, Ier. 4.18. Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee. I have delivered you, rescued you from miseries, and these now coming on you, you pull down upon your selves. This is thy wickedness; lay it not to enemies power, think not me unrighteous; this is all thy own. How miserable a condi­tion is this, to have no other comfort in calamities than this, to have God tell us this is our own? How sad when distressed to think, this is my slighting of mercy, my abusing patience, my persistence in drunke [...]ness, Sabbath-breaking, when I was delivered! Oh that I should be such an enemy to God and my self! Oh that I should bring such miseries on my self, by despising mercies! Nothing makes the condition of a people more hopeless, than their bringing themselves into a helpless condition. Hos. 13.9. Oh Israel, thou hast [Page 75] destroyed thy self: Thou wondrest at thy destruction, when it is from thy self. But in me is thy help. Learned Drusius trans­lates the Hebr. [...] alioquin; that is, other­wise thou hadst bad help from me. Had ene­mies ruined thee, I would have relieved thee; but since thou hast involv'd thy self in misery, thou mayst expect no mercy from me. I will not be the au­thor of deliverance to them, that are so wilfully authors of destruction to them­selves: you shall perish in the evils of your own procuring.

3. Destruction now will be greatly ag­gravated, because a people thus sinning, deserve to be exposed to the naked fury of incensed justice, without the least mi­tigation of their miseries by the interpo­sing of abused mercy. If we with un­grateful carriages contemn the help of mercy, we justly deserve to be utterly for­saken and cast off by it. And now, oh how dreadful will it be to drink the cup of Gods destroying fury, without any mixtures of relieving mercy! If mercy it self delivers us up to the cruel hands of inexorable justice, what then shall we experience, but vengeance without cle­mency, punishment without pity, and [Page 76] destruction without delay? Oh how sad will it be for helpless creatures to lye under the displays of vengeance, and none to cover them? to have innumera­ble iniquities crying for judgments, and none to plead for them? to have invinci­ble enemies opposing of them, and none to assist them? If mercy be dis-engaged, however fiercely the storms of wrath may be pour'd out upon us, there can be no shelter from it. Whatever wounds are made, there will be no salve to cure them. If merciful deliverances cannot prevail up­on us to reform us, will not mercy cease pleading for us? will it not say as Christ, Iohn 17.9. I pray not for them? I will put in no more intreaties for their salva­tion: Justice, take them, destroy them, ruine them, I have nothing to plead for them. How often doth mercy plead, as the merciful Vine-dresser did for the cum­ber-ground fig-tree, Luke 13.7, 8. Lord, let it alone this year also: let not thy wrath yet break out, let not thy fury ruine them, but spare them this time; try what they will do with one deliverance more? but when nothing is successful, mercy gives over; and what but intole­rable vengeance will then lye upon us?

[Page 77]But who can speak the dread of de­struction, that unmixed anger involves a people in? How dreadful will it be to fall into the hands of God, when armed with nothing but destroying indignation? How can our hearts endure, or our hands be strong, when all the Attributes of his glorious Majesty shall conspire together to make us miserable? When infinite wisdom shall be exercised in contriving, and in­finite power shall be engaged in executing the miserable destruction of a sinful peo­ple, it must needs be intolerable.

Here I shall take occasion to shew you the misery of a people, when mercy is dis-engaged from relieving of them; that so we may be fearful of depriving our selves of that blessed succour we have hi­therto enjoyed by it.

1. Mercy dis-engaged, all miseries en­dured are pure wrath. Such miseries are much of the nature of the Torments of the damned in Hell, whose plagues are a cup of vengeance without mixture. The happiness of Saints in all their sufferings, consists in enjoying ingredients of love in the bitterest cup that is mixed out to them: when outward distresses are most unpleasing to sense, they refresh them­selves [Page 78] with delightful objects, then visible to the eye of faith: Psal. 94.19. In the multitude of my thoughts, thy comforts de­light my Soul. But mercie dis-engag'd, there is no cordial to support us, no su­gar to sweeten the bitterest cup enforced upon us: Ezek. 7.5. Behold, an evil, an one­ly evil cometh. God never sends judg­ments alone to such as he favours; but designing the utter destruction of a peo­ple, he mixes a potion of onely fatal poy­sons for them: then he sends an onely evil.

2. Mercy being dis-engaged, the low­dest cries, and most importunate prayers that a people can put up, will be denyed and rejected. God will admit no Pray­ers from such as contemned his former re­turns of them. The ears of justice will only hear the cries of our sins, to avenge them; 'tis mercy hears the voice of our prayers, to answer them; or all the answer we shall have, will be by terrible things in righte­ousness. But mercy dis-engaged, we are deprived of that unspeakable privliedge of Audience with God; and then we may swelter in our miseries, roll in our blood, despair in our torments, without a redress.

[Page 79]Should we by our impudent continu­ance in sin, make mercy our enemy, our most urgent cries would prove unsucces­ful; and though joyned with floods of tears, would be unprofitable: for this will bring us under the doom of those, Zech. 7.13. Because when I called you would not hearken, therefore also when you cry unto me I will not hear. How just a retaliation was this from God, although a most dread­ful affliction! not to have the merciful ear of God in affliction, is the worst of afflictions. It is dismal now to find our hearts so strangely shut up, as not be able to pour out prayers: but how miserable then shall we be, if when involved in sinking troubles, God should shut out our prayers, & not be prevailed with by them? Oh ruining state, when we in distress shall be crying, Save Lord, or we perish, and then receive no other return, but, Perish you may, and perish you shall, for all the help you shall have from me. These sins so much overcome his mercy, that our prayers will never overcome his an­ger. And as it is an argument of the great­est sinfulness in man, not to pray; so of the greatest anger in God, not to hear prayers. These iniquities are so intolera­ble [Page 80] a slighting of him, that he will unmer­cifully slight all we do. Oh what will become of a Nation, when that key which was wont to unlock the Treasuries of bounty, the store-house of blessings, can do nothing? when that Embassador that was wont to prevail for a gracious Treaty, shall be denyed? when that suc­cessful friend shall be denyed admittance to the Court of Heaven? when that omnipotent engine can attract no com­passions? Whither now shall we go, when access is denyed to God? where shall we have supplies, if our former store-house be shut up? whither can we turn, when he turneth away our prayers? Will not our furious enemies prevail over us, when our most fervent prayers cannot prevail with God? What a shaking comminati­on was that, Ier. 11.11. I will bring an evil upon them, they shall not escape; and though they cry, I will not hearken. God will take no notice of their cries, who would take no notice of his kindness. What can be said worse to a people than this, I will not hear? If he will not hear, he will not help; if he gives no audience, he will give no assistance. This speaks the sum of all evils in one. The root of all mi­series [Page 81] lyes here, in Gods not hearing. This effectually seals men up for destruction. Ezech. 8.18. I will deal with them in my fury; and though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear. As lazy pray­ers will not prevail now, so the loudest Prayer shall not prevail then. Thou maist then spend thy breath, that now thou spendest worse, and not speed. Thou maist stretch out thy hands, and yet receive nothing: but disengaging Mercy may suffer like those, Isai. 1. When ye stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes; and when ye make many Prayers, I will not hear. Audire Dei est concedere, i. e. I will not grant what you ask. In the days of my Grace ye might have prevail'd, and did not pray, or did it formally; and now in the day of my fury ye may pray, but shall not prevail.

Neither can the Prayers of the greatest Favourites in the Court of Heaven pre­vail for a people under such circumstances. Should the dearest Servants plead with greatest fervency, they must be denied when Mercy is disengaged, Ier. 15.1. Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, my heart could not be towards this people. Standing is the Posture of Praying. Though these should endeavour to draw [Page 82] out my Affections to them by their im­portunate cries, yet they should never gain my heart: I cannot love them, I cannot yield it to them. Tantum medio­criter malis ob pios interdum parcitur, non ita contumaciter flagitiosis. God only spares those that are indifferently wicked for the sake of the godly, not those that are obstinately flagitious and ungodly. Ezech. 14. Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were here, &c. they should prevail only for their own Souls. Oh, says God, you think the cries of your Prayer shall drown the voice of your Sins; you imagine your earnest calls will make my bowels yearn to you; or if you cannot prevail alone, you will engage others: but I tell you, neither ye, nor my greatest friends that can most prevail, shall perswade me to spare so ungodly a people as you; they and you shall not effect your desires with me so.

3. Mercy disengag'd, the wrathful blows of Divine Vengeance will be (to speak after the manner of men) inflicted in a careless manner on a Mercy-contem­ning people. The Vine-dresser is most exact and curious in abscinding the luxu­riant branches of a fruitful Vine, but hacks and hews the unfruitful tree in a [Page 83] careless manner. Thus the Almighty God measures out and limits the Judg­ments that are out of Mercy to a fruitful people, to increase their fruit; but re­gards not how he strikes a barren gene­ration, that are only to be hewed down as cumber-ground trees. Whilst tender Affections remain in the heart of God to a people, he limits the proceeding of ene­mies, he restrains the rage of their foes; he afflicts pondere & mensura, with weight and measure: But when Justice only is exercised in Judgment, the worst of times, the most fierce enemies, the most astonishing manner is chosen in afflicting. When we are regardless of a mans life, we say, Let him eat, drink, do what he will, I will be no hinderance to him: Thus Mercy disobliged says, Let enemies wound, massacre, slay whom and how they will, I shall not help, I will not hinder. God permits enemies to do their worst, to go as far as they can, when he designs the ruine of a people. The Prophet prays, Jer. 10.24. Lord, cor­rect me, but with judgment, not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. In thy correction use moderation, for the anguish of thy anger is intolerable; the blows of thy wrath alone will bring us to [Page 84] nothing. The fatherly Anger of God is dreadful, but the fierceness of his Anger is fatal. If God doth not moderate his anger, we can never sustain the dreadful terrour of it.

4. Mercy disengag'd, we become un­der a total impossibility of receiving help from any means. If Mercy that should stop miseries be taken away, miseries must needs flow in. Whither shall the poor creature go, if Mercy be gone? If we re­sort to creatures for help, they all say, It is not in me: If God affords you no help, I cannot; if God withdraws his merciful influence, I have no efficacy. Psal. 3.8. Salvation belongs to God. 'Tis the honour of God, that he can easily save without any else, and that none else can save without him. However suitable means may be to relieve us, unless there be the harmonious conjunction of God with them, they prove ineffectual. Crea­tures can never help us in distress, if Mercy stands off. There is a counter­poising power to the ability of created agents, that may obstruct their success: there are unseen circumstances that may invalidate their attempts: there are in­tercurrent Causes, and unprovided-for Accidents, that may be unconquerable [Page 85] hinderances to their endeavours. The most suitable instruments voluntatem ha­bent, non potestatem, have only an impo­tent Velleity or Will, but no effectual Ability to help us. A Nation deserted by Mercy, is like a diseased, dying man, Head a king, Heart fainting, Wits con­founded, Spirits consumed, given over by Physicians, Friends stand behind the Curtains sobbing and sighing, weeping and bewailing; willing to relieve, not able. Thus 'tis with a Nation when Mercy is disengag'd, 'tis bleeding to Death, gasping for Life, its Friends de­jected, their Hearts melted; but dye it must, dye it will, none can help it. Let men be never so sollicitous, most unspeak­ably industrious to help a perishing Na­tion, they will be successless without mercy, for they are but media deferentia, non operantia, means of conveyance, not of efficience.

Mercy disengag'd, there can be no bind­ing the hands of Justice, no obstructing its fatal Blows, no stopping the floods of Vengeance, no perswading to spare, no prevailing to stay, no hindering its ar­rests, no opposing its violence; but de­struction will be unavoidable. The highest profession, the richest possessions, [Page 86] the strongest fortifications; will be no secu­rity; no shelter on earth, can secure from the vengeance of Heaven. The united forces of all Creatures, can no ways im­pede the actings of their Sovereign Cre­ator. Job 9.12, 13. He taketh away, and none can hinder him. If God will not with­hold his anger, the proud helpers must stoop under. However great the Patrons of our Cause may be, whatever Allies may consociate with us, whatever Assistants shall appear for us, yet they can never prosper to protect us, or succeed to de­liver us from the hands of resolved Justice. Our helpers must have the assistance of God, or they cannot procure deliverance for us. Had we thousands as strong as that world-bearing Atlas, they could never uphold us: had we a world of Con­federates, they could never preserve us, if Justice designs our ruine. The most potent Friends can never deliver those, who have the Omnipotent God to be their enemy. If Mercy will not help us, we must needs be helpless. Job 27.22. God shall cast upon him, and not spare; he would flee out of his hands. [...]ugere cona­ [...]itur, sed non effugiet. He shall strive to get out of his hands, but shall not escape. [Page 87] Neither Policy, Power, or Prayer, can prevail with, or succeed against God, when not seconded with the aid of Mercy. Dan. 4.35. There is none can stay his hand. None can deliver from the destroying hands of Justice, but victorious Mercy. What need then is there to be careful, that we disoblige not Mercy? What grateful carriage should we have under Mercies, lest we make them our enemies? And if Mercy be once against us, all things will work against us.

5. Destruction after Deliverance will be exceedingly aggravated by that self-confounding desperation that will be in our Souls, when God shall come out a­gainst us to vindicate the quarrel of abu­sed mercies, to avenge the contempt of former deliverances. Then we shall not only have God against us, but Conscience also will direfully torment us: the re­flecting on former deliverances, will cause as great terrour as present dangers. The very thoughts of contemn'd deliverances, will damp and destroy the confidence of the Soul in renewed Miseries. How can a man lift up his face before God to de­sire a mercy, that hath turn'd his back upon God when he obtain'd a mercy? [Page 88] How can he go to God for fresh sup­plies of Mercy, who getting a mercy, hath gone away from God? When God hath lifted thee up from a low condition, and thou hast gone on in a wicked life, with what face canst thou look upon God again? Canst expect a good look, when thou lookest to him? What canst expect but a denial from him, when thou hast denied obedience to him? Oh how will Conscience fly on thy face, and check thy Soul! Remember when you were in di­stress before, thou didst cry to God, and he delivered thee; but thou never didst love him the more, serve him the better for it. Then wilt thou imagine with thy self, Oh how can I go to God again! How can I think he will try me with further Mercies, who have been so un­faithful under those I received? How can I expect he will be prevail'd with to pro­long my Life, when I have heapt up provocations, after his former prolonga­tions of it? Oh what heart-faintings and failings will a sense of despised Mercy produce! What a Hell of Misery will this be to all thy Torments, that thou durst not approach to God? Will not inward troubles be a dreadful increase of distress [Page 89] in times of Judgment? And what in­ward trouble more heavy than this, to finde our hearts condemning of us, and to be clogg'd with the sense of abused Mercies? Wilt thou not fear God will tell thee, thy Prayer is an abomination? Wilt not dread lest he say, as Iephthah to the Elders of Gilead, after they had expell'd him, Judg. 11.7. Are ye now come unto me, when ye are in distress? What, are you so impudent after all your un­kindness to me, to seek kindness from me? What, do ye think I will shelter such enemies as you? Will not God say thus to us, when fleeing to him in distress? What, do ye that have forsaken me so long, flee to me now? Do ye that despi­sed my former Deliverance, come to me for another? Will not God say, Be gone, I'll admit you no more, I'll hearken nei­ther to your Prayers nor Promises? And then we may cry out as Salv. Quid digni­us, quid justius? non audivimus, non au­dimur; non respeximus, non respicimur. What more merited, what more just? We have not heard God, and we are not heard; we have not regarded, and we are not regarded. What confusion will this fill our faces withal? What a [Page 90] Calamity will this be to all our Misery? Oh take heed then of incurring any fur­ther displeasure from God, by abusing deliverance; lest when renewed dangers come upon you, thy mouth should be stopt, thy confidence dampt, and thy conscience thus checking of thee. But put Iniquity far from thee, and then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; then shalt thou have access to the Lord in thy troubles: and if destruction should come, thou maist cry for deliverance, and have gracious returns. Destruction for sinning under these circumstances, will be aggra­vated by that pitiless frame that shall be not only in God, but in man, to those that are involv'd in such deserved destruction. God will not pity, but be strangely hard-hearted to such hardened Sinners. Misery calls for pity; but there can be no pity, where there is no mercy, or where Mercy is disengaged: Ezech. 5.11. Neither shall my eye spare, neither will I have pity. He laid aside his tender com­passions; his bowels of mercy were shut up, and now he hath no tender affections to them.

Thus men also that may be preserved from our calamities, will have just cause [Page 91] to be pitiless to us. It was said of Vitel­lius, when going to Execution, with his Hands bound, divested on Robes, that men had no pity of him, Nam deformitas vitae misericordiam abstulerat, Tacitus. The impiety of his Life, had taken away mens pity for his Death. Will not our sin­ning after Deliverance give such cause of abstaining from pitying of us? Will not men say, They deserve to be miserable, that will not desist from being sinful. Oh dreadful aggravation of misery, to have all bowels shut against us! Extrema est miseria, cùm nemo miseri vices dolet. 'Tis extreme misery, the height of distress, when we are not only destitute of Help, but destitute of Pity. Jer. 22.18. Shall not say, Ah, my brother, or ah, my sister: They [...]hall not lament for him, saying, Ah, Lord, [...] ah, his glory.

I shall now endeavour to make some particular Vses of what hath been spo­ken.