THIS Prophesy of Nahum is Di­rected against Niniveh the Metro­polis of the Kingdom of Assyria; It seems they returned to their Sins again after their remarkable repen­tance & reformation upon the Preaching of the Pro­phet Jonas, They quickly fell from their good reso­lutions & were become ripe for ruine, Either their repentance was not Sincere or else it was not Gene­ral or else the good Effects of it dyed away & were [Page 2] lost with that Generation; The Anger of God was mightily kindled against them, It could not be so Easily Quenched now as it had been before and accordingly we find very terrible threatnings de­nounced against them in this Book.

They were puffed up with their Conquests, their hearts were hardened in Pride and they seemed quite to forget and disregard the God that was above, Otherwise Sennacharib their King had never sent that Insulting and Insolent Message by the hand of Rabshekah, against the People of God in the Days of Hezekiah, Unto this probably the Prophet refers in that passage, v. 11. There is one Come out of thee, that imagineth Evil against the Lord, a wicked Coun­seller. This stirred the Jealousy and fury of the Lord, to revenge their Misdoings upon their guilty heads, v. 2. God is Jealous, and the Lord revengeth: the Lord revengeth and is furious, the Lord will take Vengeance of his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his Enemies.

It is true, the Lord is slow to anger, he bears a great while with wicked men that go on in their Sinful ways, But wo to them that make an ill use of this Patience and Long-suffering of his, to harden themselves in Sin, for he is also great in Power and will not at all acquit the wicked, as we find in the beginning of this third Verse. Let none Encourage themselves in Sin, because of God's present forbearance and his slowness to anger, for sooner or later their [Page 3] Iniquity will find them out unless they repent, and we may be sure that the day of Vengeance will be never the less terrible when it comes for its having been kept off so long: It is a noted Saying, That though Justice comes with Leaden feet, yet it strikes with Iron hands, Accord­ingly Interpreters understand the words of the Text as Expressing the Suddenness together with the force & Violence of those Desolating Judg­ments which should come upon the wicked Assy­rians, The Lord hath his way in the Whirlwind and in the Storm and the Clouds are the Dust of his feet. And so the words may be parellell'd with that passage in, Isa. 47. 11. Therefore shall Evil come upon thee, thou shalt not know from whence it riseth; And mischief shall fall upon thee, thou shalt not be able to put it off: And desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know. Whirlwinds come upon Men suddenly before they are aware of it and Storms beat upon our Habitations with unrelenting fury, Either of them bringing Certain Destruction when they come with greater Violence; How bold and strong are the Metaphors that are here made use of! How lofty is the tho't and yet how agreeable and lively is the Description of their ap­proaching fate! The Lord hath his way in the Whirlwind and in the Storm and the Clouds are the Dust of his feet. With what Pomp and Majesty doth the Lord Come forth of his place to Execuse Judgment on a Sinful People! Before he dealt [Page 4] mildly with them and sent his Prophet to stir them up to repentance, as one that delighted not in the Death of Sinners, But now the Day of his Patience is at an End, and he hath his way in the Whirlwind and the Storm, to bring swift and terrible Destruction upon them, As Conquerors, that have been Enraged by the perfidiousness of their Enemies, fly in hast to the Spoil, Their Eyes do not spare, Nor do their hearts move them to pity in the Day of Slaugh­ter, They pursue their flying Adversary from place to place, while mighty Clouds of Dust are raised by their Eager troops; So the Lord hath his way in the Whirlwind and in the Storm and the Clouds are the Dust of his feet; And as it is true in the Metaphorical sense, that the Lord hath his way, &c. so Doubtless it is in the Literal sense, from whence these Metaphors are borrow­ed, And it is in this Sense chiefly that I de­sign to handle the Words at this time.

A Whirlwind is occasioned by the meeting of two Opposite winds which prevent Each others passage and are therefore Necessarily both of them carried Sideways in a Circular motion, Now as the winds which do thus Encounter Each other are more or less Strong, so the Effects thereof are more or less Dreadful, We see how it whirls about the Leaves and other lighter things which it finds in its way when it is but moderate; But sometimes it is more Violent, breaking down and tearing up trees, Overwhelming houses and [Page 5] snatching up persons and things whatsoever it finds in its way, It makes dreadful havock while it lasts, And therefore the mighty force and surprizing suddenness of Divine Judgments is sometimes aptly Expressed thereby, Jer. 30. 23. Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind, it shall fall with pain upon the Head of the wicked. Storms also are oftentimes very terrible and leave dreadful Effects behind them, whether they be Storms of wind only or whether they be attended with rain or hail or snow, Not only are they pernicious to them that do business upon great Waters, that more faithless Element, But upon the Land too they frequently cause abundance of Loss and Damage, The fierce & Violent winds blow down all before them, A sweeping rain leaves little or no food, Some dreadful hail beats down and Destroys the tender herb and Standing Corn and hath not seldom been fatal both to the life of man & beast. And our Eyes have lately seen how Effectual some driving snow is to smother, bury & Destroy; Whirlwinds and storms, rain, hail and snow are all of them the Effects of Natural Causes, yet the Lord hath his way in them, as is affirmed in the Text; In the farther speaking to these Words, I shall First. Consider what we are to Un­derstand by it when the Lord is said to have his way in the Whirlwind & the Storm. Secondly, I shall Endeavour to Demonstrate & Prove the truth of this. Thirdly, I shall Consider what Im­provement we ought to make of this Truth.

[Page 6]1. I shall Consider, what we are to Understand by it when the Lord is said to have his way in the Whirlwind and in the Storm. For (as was noted before) this is true and may well be Un­derstood in the Literal as well as in the Meta­phorical sense, When therefore the Lord is said to have his way in the Whirlwind and the Storm and that the Clouds are the Dust of his feet, these things may be Intended therein.

1. That the Lord is the Author, Producer and Cause of all these things. The wind and the Pain, the snow and the hail do all acknowledge God as their Author, They are laid up in his treasures to be brought forth at such times and in such manner as he shall see Cause, Either with more gentleness and moderation, for the benefit of Mankind, Or else with more Violence and terror, for their Correction;

He is the Father of the Rain and it is he that hath begotten the drops of the Dew, He makes a way for the Lightning of thunder and hath laid up the Snow and the hail in his Store­houses, which no mortal Eye hath seen. Job 38. 22. Hast thou Entred into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail?

The Lord makes the bright Clouds and formeth the thick Clouds, filling them with his water and driving them to and fro under the whole heaven; These are his Sponges which suck up the moisture from the Earth or Sea until they [Page 7] are satiated and then he causeth them to distil it again upon the Earth, He giveth Ice like morsels and by the breath of the Lord Frost is Created. Job 37. 10, 11, 12. By the breath of God frost is given and the breadth of the waters is straitned, also by watering he wearieth the thick Cloud; he scattereth his bright cloud. And it is turned round about by his Counsels. He gathereth the winds in his fist, Prov. 20. 4. When he openeth his hand they fly abroad Over the face of the whole Earth; These are parts of his ways, the works of his hands who is the Author of all Nature, and the Lord is to be seen and Acknowledged in them; And altho' we read in, I Kings 19. 11. of a great and strong wind that rent the mountains and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord and that the Lord was not in the wind, Yet when the Lord is said not to be in the wind, the meaning is only, that he did not manifest himself to the Prophet, by any Distinct Voice in that Wind, as he did afterwards; and we are not to Un­derstand by it as if the Lord were not the Author, Causer and Producer thereof.

2. When the Lord is said to have his way in the Whirlwind and in the Storm and that the Clouds are the Dust of his feet, the meaning is that he Orders and governs all these things, and that both as to the times and places where they shall come and as to the height and Degree to which they shall arise. These things do all of them seem wild furious unto us, yet are they [Page 8] perfectly under the Divine Government. At his Word they rise, they rage within the bounds of his permission only and they are hushed again at his bidding; He that setteth bounds to the proud waves of the Sea, saying, Hitherto shall ye come and no farther, that stilleth the tumult of the People, doth also restrain these meteors within their proper Limits, They go wherever he sends them, they rise to that height which pleaseth him, and they are silenced again when­ever he will; Psal. 147. 15. He sendeth forth his Commandment upon Earth, has Word runneth very swiftly. It is the Lord that causeth it to rain upon the Wilderness where no man dwells, Upon one City and not upon another, that makes it Descend in smaller or Larger Quantities; He calls for the waters of the Sea and pours out floods upon the dry and thirsty Ground and faith to the Snow, Be thou upon the Earth. Job 37. 6. For he faith to the Snow, Be thou on the Earth; likewise to the small rain and to the great rain of his strength. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth, he maketh Lightnings for the rain; be bringeth the wind out of his treasuries, Psal. 135. 7.

Nor are these things Unmanagable by him when once they are risen to some Extraordinary height, but he can still them at a words speaking whensoever he pleaseth,

So our Lord Jesus Christ when his disciples were sorely distressed by a tempest in the Sea of Tiberias, awoke from his sleep, first checked [Page 9] his Disciples needless fear since their Lord was with them and then stilleth the Storm. Mat. 8. 26, 27. And be faith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose and rebuked the Winds and the Sea and there was a great Calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the Winds and the Sea Obey him? Yea, Even when Storms and tempests are raised by Satan, (as he is sometimes allowed to do it, and he did so particularly when he afflicted Job, so that the house fell upon his Children and De­stroyed them. Job 1 19) Yet they are still under God's Ordering and Government: And no more Damage shall be done thereby than he is pleased to permit.

3. When the Lord is said to have his way in the Whirlwind and the Storm and that the Clouds are the Dust of his feet, the meaning is, that he Executes his good, wise and just Purposes thereby. Every thing is at God's Command, All Creatures are his Servants, and he gives them Commission to Execute his Will when and as it pleaseth him; Not only the blessed Angels above are his Ministers; to Obey his Voice, ready to fly upon every Errand that he sends them about, but the meanest insects are formidable when he gives them Commission to Execute judgment. Winds and Storms, rain, hail or snow do perform whatever he appoints them; as the Psalmist ob­serves in, Psal. 148.8. Fire and hail, Snow and vapour, Stormy wind fulfilling his Word.

[Page 10]Here to be a little particular.

1. These things do Execute the Lords purposes of Mercy and bring great benefit to his People. Thus the Winds do move and fan the Air and make it more wholsom to breath in, When the Lord faith to the Snow, Be thou upon the Earth, It is meant as a Covering to the Ground to keep it warm and make it more fruitful, This Doubtless is partly intended by that Expression of the Psalmist, in, Psal. 147. 16. He giveth snow like wool. It is compared unto Wool not only on the account of its softness & Colour, but especially for its Warmth which it brings to the Earth: Who can reckon up the benefits of the Rain? Without it every thing would quickly be parched up and the World would soon become a barren and desolate Place; It is this which produceth that great Variety of excellent Fruits which our Eyes behold, It makes all Nature to rejoyce, It drops upon the Pastures of the Wilderness and the little Hills are girded with joy on every side, The Pastures are clothed with Flocks, The Valleys are covered over with Corn, They shout for joy, they also Sing. Psal. 147. 8, 9. Who Covereth the Heaven with Clouds, who prepareth Rain for the Earth, who maketh Grass to grow upon the Mountains, he giveth to the Beast his Food, and to the young Ravens which cry. Job 37. 12, 13.—That they may do whatsoever he Commandeth them upon the face of the world in the Earth, He causeth it to come, whether for Correction, or for his Land, or for Mercy.

[Page 11]2. By these things the Lord sometimes Designs to Convince men of his great Power and work in them an Aw of his Majesty. They are used some­times more for Terror than Execution, that men may learn to fear and tremble before the God of Heaven and be taught what they are to expect if they prove Disobedient to his Voice and pro­voke him to Anger with their Iniquities; So at the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, the Lord appeared in great Pomp and Majesty, to strike a greater dread into the People and prepare them to receive his Will with greater Reverence: Exod. 19. 16. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were Thunders and Lightnings and a thick Cloud upon the Mount and the Voice of the Trumpet exceeding Loud, so that all the People that was in the Camp trembled.

So when the People of Israel had Displeased the Lord by asking them a King, that they might be Convinced of their Sin and brought to fear the Lord their God, he sent Thunder and Rain very terrible. 1 Sam. 12. 18, 19. So Samuel called to the Lord and the Lord sent thunder and rain that Day and all the People greatly feared the Lord and Samuel, And all the People said unto Samuel, Pray for thy Servants unto the Lord thy God that we did not, for we have added unto all our Sins this Evil to ask us a King.

3. By these things the Lord sometimes sees it fit to Correct his People for their Sins. Their Transgressions do provoke him to Jealousy and [Page 12] that they may be made sensible of their faults, he toucheth them in a very sensible part, by Distres­sing them as to their Outward Enjoyments and Ordinary Comforts: The wind and the rain, the snow and the hail shall be sent or with-held for their Punishment. Sometimes they are afflicted for want of Rain and the Countrey is burnt up by excessive Drought, This Calamity was often sent upon the People of Israel, and we have frequently Experienced it Our selves; Sometimes again the Countrey is even drowned with Excessive Rain & abundance of Damage is done by mighty Floods;

The Lord sends forth the great Rain of his strength and causeth it to come for Correction, as in the before mentioned, Job. 37. 13.

Violent Storms are oftentimes fatal to mens Lives & to their Substance, producing Shipwrecks by Sea and terrible Desolations by Land; Thus God's Purposes are Executed and a Sinful People most justly Punished.

4. By these things also the Enemies of God and of his People are frequently Punished and Destroyed. Of this we have many Instances both in Sacred and Profane History; This was one of the Plagues of Egypt, There was hail and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the Land of Egypt since it became a Nation, and the hail smote throughout all the Land of Egypt both Man and Beast that were found in the Field and Destroyed every Herb and every Tree;

[Page 13]Such was that terrible Thunder Storm when Sodom and Gomorrha and the Cities of the Plain were destroyed by Fire from Heaven, so that the Assertion of the Psalmist was Literally fulfilled upon them even in this world. Psal. II. 6. Upon the wicked he shall rain Snares, Fire and Brimstone and an horrible Tempest, this shall be the portion of their Cup.

So when Joshua was fighting against the Ca­naanites, the Lord sent down great Stones upon them from Heaven, insomuch that there were more who perished by the Hailstones than by the Sword, Josh. 10. 11. And afterwards in Samuels time the Philistines that fought against Israel were Discomfited with great Thunder, 1 Sam. 7. 10. These things, viz. the Rain, the Snow & the Hail, the Wind & the Thunder are reserved in God's Treasures for these uses. Job 38. 22, 23. Hast thou entred into the treasures of the Snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the Hail? Which I have reserved against the time of Trouble, against the Day of Battel and War. In these respects the Lord is fitly said to have his way in the Whirlwind and the Storm in that these things fulfil his Word and execute his Purposes.

II. I am to Demonstrate and Prove the Truth of this, that the Lord hath his way, in these respects, in the Whirlwind and in the Storm and the Clouds are the Dust of his feet. Many Persons see the working of these things, what great and [Page 14] marvellous Effects they do produce, but they do not perceive, nor acknowledge the Hand that manageth them. They cannot see afar off nor look beyond Second Causes to the First; But it becomes us to Adore and Reverence him who hath the management of all these things, since it is so Evident and Demonstrable that the Lord hath his way in them, This will appear if we Consider—

1. That the Scriptures do every where Assert and Imply it whenever there is occasion to make mention of these things. They are still attributed to God's Hand, and Second Causes have not the Command of them, Now the Scriptures being sufficiently Proved to be the Word of God, are therefore a good ground for us to build our Faith upon. To be sure, we that have acknowledged them for our Rule, ought to give entire Credit unto whatsoever is related and asserted therein.

2. Even the Light of Nature may assure us of the truth of this, that the Lord hath his way in the Whirlwind and the Storm and the Clouds are the Dust of his feet. The Light of Nature Dis­covers a Superiour Being, who is Self-subsistent, the First Cause & the Last End of all other things; Reason cannot be satisfy'd or rest till it Centers here; We are even forced to this Conclusion since nothing can be solved without it, Now it is Na­tural to think and a Necessary Inference, that he who Made all things, must also Order, Dispose and Govern them; Hence it comes to pass that [Page 15] People of all Nations, who are furnished with Nothing but the Light of Nature, when they are Distressed by Violent Storms, do Naturally lift up their Hands, their Eyes and their Hearts to this Superiour Being that he would graciously appear for their help, However Lame and De­fective their notion of God may be in other respects, Yet they agree in believing that he hat the Command of Storms and Tempests, and that he is able to deliver them when they are Distressed on such Occasions, So the Mariners with whom the Prophet Jonas Sailed, fall to their Prayers when the Storm was hard upon them and stir up him to his Devotions too. Jon. 1. 5, 6. Then the Mariners were afraid, and Cryed every man to his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the Ship into the Sea, to lighten it of them; but Jonah was gone down into the sides of the Ship and he lay and was fast asleep. So the Ship-master came to him and said unto him, what meanest thou O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

3. It is very Evident that the Lord hath his way in the Whirlwind and the Storm and the Clouds are the Dust of his feet, in that we do not see all things Destroyed almost, and find them in the utmost Confusion. These are wild & furious things when once they are broken loose, what Desolations would they not cause, what Mischiefs would they not produce, did not the Lord restrain their Violence and say unto them, Peace, [Page 16] be still; Did not the Lord who fitteth upon the Water-floods, who maketh the Clouds his Chariot, and flyes upon the wings of Wind, curb their Violence and Check their force, all Nature would quickly be in the Utmost Confu­sion; So when once the Fountains of the great Deep were broken up & the Windows of Heaven were opened, when Storms and Tempests were left to rage without Controul, the World was drown'd and every Living thing dyed excepting Noah and those that were with him in the Ark, who were taken under God's immediate Care and Protection, The like or greater Desolations would Quickly happen again, did not the Lord bind in the great Deep as with swadling Bands, did he not stay his Rough wind in the day of the East wind, and Controul the Violence of Storms and Tempests.

III. And Lastly, I am to Consider what Im­provement we ought to make of this Truth, or Consideration, that the Lord hath his way in the Whirlwind and the Storm and that the Clouds are the Dust of his feet. Every Doctrine which either Nature or Scripture teacheth is singularly Useful, and this among the rest.

To be a little particular.

1. What we have heard upon this Subject may teach us that all men ought to fear and tremble before the God of Heaven.

[Page 17]Since all Nature is at his Command and every thing stands ready to Execute his Pleasure, He sendeth forth his Commandment upon the Earth, his Word runneth very swiftly, He sendeth forth Lightnings, they go and say here we are, He calleth for the Rain both the more gentle showers and the great Rain of his Strength, He mustereth up the Stormy Winds and they fly to fulfil his Word, The Hail, and the Snow descend at his bidding, Sometimes he lets loose more of their rage and fury, and then terrible Destruction is made upon the Earth, Ought we not to fear Him whom all Nature Obeys, who is clothed with Majesty and is terrible in his Doings? Job 37. 22, 24. With God is terrible Majesty,—Men do therefore fear him. Especially they that go down to the Sea in Ships, that do Business in great Waters, These see the Works of the Lord and his Wonders in the Deep, For he Com­mandeth and raiseth the Stormy Wind which lifteth up the Waves thereof, They mount up to heaven, they go down again to the depths, Their Soul is melted because of trouble, They reel to and fro and stagger like a Drunken man and are at their wits end, Again he maketh the Storm a Calm so that the Waves thereof are still, as we find it in that Elegant Description of the Psalmist. Psal. 107. 23, &c. It is the Lord that sets Bounds to the raging of the Sea, & faith to its Proud Waves, Hitherto shall ye come and no farther, that they return not to Over­flow [Page 18] the Earth, Surely men ought to fear Him, who is able to Save and able also to Destroy and that in this World as well as Eternally.

Verily, They are bold, Impious and fool-hardy People who refuse to tremble before the God of Heaven, who alone doth wondrous Works; Jer. 5. 22. Fear ye not Me, faith the Lord? Will ye not tremble at my Presence, which have placed the Sand for the bound of the Sea, by a perpetual Decree that it cannot pass it, and tho' the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail, though they roar yet can they not pass over it. The very Earth shakes and trembles at his Presence, the Foundations of the Hill are moved when the Lord passeth by, to teach us to rise up with Reverence and behold the Lord with an Aw upon our Spirits, when he hath his way in the Whirlwind and in the Storm; Such a profound Regard had Elihu for the Lord when he appeared with such Circumstances of Pomp and Majesty. Job 17. 1, &c. At this also my heart trembleth and is moved out of his place, Hear attentively the noise of his Voice and the sound that goeth out of his Mouth, &c.

2. What we have heard upon this Subject may further teach us what a sad and dangerous Condition they are in, who are still in a state of Sin and full of Enmity against God. These Persons are always Exposed, they stand in Jeopardy every hour, and every Evil that findeth them is ready to Slay [Page 19] them; there is no Creature but what is armed for their Destruction, waiting only for leave to Dispatch them out of the World; And we may observe, that it is to set forth the grievous Hazard and certain Ruin unto which wicked Men and the Enemies of God are continually Exposed, that the words of our Text are Introduced, The Ninivites had ripened themselves for Destruction by their Sins, and the Lord had Determined their Ruine which should come Suddenly and Irresistably upon them, He is flying to the Exe­cution, and is therefore said to have his way in the Whirlwind and the Storm and the Clouds are the Dust of his feet, How effectual and ter­rible the Stroke upon them would be, we are farther told in, v. 8,9,10. But with an over-running flood he will make an utter end of the Place thereof, and Darkness shall pursue his Enemies, What do ye imagine against the Lord, He will make an utter end; Affliction shall not rise up the second time; For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry. In the like hazardous Condi­tion are all Impenitent Sinners and Enemies of God, It is Easie with him to Cut the thread of their Lives, They go in Constant Peril whether by Land or Sea, and may well fear that every Storm and Tempest is Aimed at their Devoted heads; Every Creature is ready to rise up and Avenge its Masters Quarrel, and when ever it receives a Commission for that purpose it will [Page 20] Execute it Effectually, And then, No sooner are these Persons Dispatched out of this Life, but they drop into Everlasting Misery.

3. What we have heard on this Subject may farther teach in how safe and happy they are, who are taken under the Divine Protection, as all Godly Persons be. To use the Psalmists Expression, These People have hastened their Escape from the windy Storm and Tempest, They Dwell on high, i. e. more out of the reach of Evil, their Place of Defence is the munition of Rocks, They have made the Lord most High their Refuge and Habitation, and therefore no Evil shall befal them, nor any Plague come nigh their Dwellings, They dwell in the secret Place of the most High, and shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty; Either they shall be Distinguished and singled out to Preservation when terrible Storms do Come, as is oftentimes the Case, So the Lord remembred Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the Overthrow when Sodom and Gomorrha were de­stroyed; So the Israelites had Light and joy and safety in their Dwellings, when the Egyptians were afflicted with all manner of Calamities & Plagues; Or else if they do suffer by them, all shall be Sanctified and made to work together for their good, So that they shall gain more in Another and a better way than they can possibly lose; Nay if their Death should be hastened thereby (for even good Men are not Exempted [Page 21] from the stroke of Temporal Calamities, and when the Scourge slays suddenly, both the Righ­teous and the Wicked are sometimes involved in one common Ruin) Yet they are only trans­ported the sooner into Everlasting Joy, Nor will their Happiness tast ever the worse for the Sud­denness of their admission thereinto, So Elijah was taken up by a Whirlwind into Heaven, and had, doubtless, as true a relish of the Joys of the Kingdom as if he had gone thither by more slow and leisurely approaches; Upon the whole, It is certain that the Lord exerciseth a singular Care about them that trust in his Mercy, He knows them and all their Circumstances, and will never suffer any thing to befal them which shall be for their real Damage, as we find in this Chapter, v. 7. The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him. He knoweth them as the good Shepherd knoweth his Sheep, He accepts and approves of them, He will own his Relation to them and never leave them or forsake them.

4. What we have heard upon this Subject may farther teach us, that it is our Wisdom and Interest to be more Weaned from this World and its Enjoy­ments, which is the Place of Storms and Tempests and is oftentimes very Uncomfortable to Live in. What grievous Calamities are we here oftentimes Exposed unto, How tediously and Uncomfortably are we many times forced to lead our Lives in [Page 22] this Vale of Tears, this Region of Storms and Tempests; We are frequently Distressed with Difficulties so that we know not which way to turn, we are followed with Various Disasters and our Lives are not seldom in Imminent Danger; Why should we be Over-fond of abiding here below, Why should we cleave so Close to the Empty, Uncertain, Unsatisfying Enjoyments of this World, that are attended with as much or more Bitterness & Sorrow, than they can possibly afford us Delight; Why should we not loose our selves by Degrees from what we Enjoy here below, that when the Day of Parting comes it may not seem so very grievous unto us, Why should we not frequently aspire in our thoughts and desires to that Region of Happiness above where every thing is Calm and Serene, where the Lord will no more have his way in the Whirlwind and the Storm for our Correction and Terror, But in his Light we shall ever see Light, and there shall be nothing to Interrupt our Joy and Satis­faction to all Eternity.

5. What we have heard upon this Subject may farther teach us, to See and Acknowledge God's Hand in all those Storms and Tempests that come upon us. Since the Lord hath his way in them all whether they be Natural or Metaphorical, we ought to regard the Operation of the Lord and wisely to Consider his doing; There are but too many stupid and Inadvertent People that when the Lord's [Page 23] Hands is lifted up they will not see, when his Judg­ments are abroad in the Earth they will not regard them; Whatever Loss and Damage they do sustain by any Publick Calamity, they are affected a while with that, and set their wits to work to Contrive how it may be repaired again as soon and as well as possible, while God is Entirely overlook'd, and they act as if they thought some Chance only had befallen them; But it becomes us to Acknowledge God in all our ways, to Eye his Hand in every thing that happens to Us, to our Neighbours and to our Countrey; This is but a piece of due Respect which we Owe to the Lord, whose Works are all of them Great and Magnificent and therefore must not be heeded by us with a slighty and Incurious Eye, Even as the Actions of Princes and great Men, whether they exercise Mercy or Judgment, are more attended unto than the Actions of meaner People, Much more heedfully should we Observe the goings of the Lord, all whose Works are done in Judgment, who is Holy in all his ways and Righteous in all his doings.

Herein also we shall shew our Wisdom and better Consult our interest, since thereby we shall be more Capable of falling in with the Lord's design, So when the Psalmist had been recounting the Various dispensations of Divine Providence towards the Children of Men, the manifold Distresses which he sometimes brought them into and the strange Deliverances which [Page 24] he afforded to them, he Concludes thus in, Psal. 107. 43. Whoso is wise and will Observe these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord.

Particularly,

1. We ought to Acknowledge the Distinguishing Goodness of God at such times, so far as we and ours are Spared, Protected and Provided for. It may be those round about us are Considerable Suf­ferers at such times, Now we ought not only to pity and Sympathize with them, but to return our hearty Thanks unto God who hath Distin­guished us and doth not yet Call us forth to the Enduring of such grievous things; Let us be far from reflecting upon or Censuring them as greater Sinners because they suffer such things, The Lord might have called our Sins to remem­brance too and sent upon us the fierceness of his Wrath and Indignation, since we have de­served it as much, nay, perhaps more than some of them; Let the Long-suffering and for­bearance of our God towards us work upon our Ingenuity and lead us to Repentance; that so there may be no need of any hersher Methods to be used with us to bring us to our right Minds and a more regular Behaviour; Whenever we and what belongs to us have found a secure Shelter from the Fury of the Winds and the Violence of a Tempest, we ought to give Thanks to him who hath his way in the Whirlwind and the Storm and did not suffer it to Come [Page 25] near to us for hurt, So the Psalmist puts men upon Praising the Lord for his Goodness on such Occasions and for his wonderful Works to the Chil­dren of men, Let them Exalt him also in the Con­gregation of the People and Praise him in the As­sembly of the Elders, Psal. 107. 31, 32. So when we have found Protection and Safety in any Metaphorical Storm, we ought to Glorify God that afforded it unto us. Isa. 25. 3,4. Therefore shall the strong People Glorify thee, the City of the terrible Na­tions shall fear thee, For thou hast been a Strength to the Poor, a Strength to the Needy in his Distress, a Refuge from the Storm, a Shadow from the Heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a Storm against the wall.

2. We ought also to Acknowledge God's Righteous­ness and Justice so far as we are Sufferers on such Occasions. It is no Chance or Accident that hath befallen us now (as some men fondly dream) but a Necessary Chastisement inflicted upon us, by the Kind, Wise and Righteous Hand of God; God is now Calling to us in his holy Providence to Consider our ways and search out for what Reasons he is thus Contending with us; And we may be satisfyed that there is always Enough amiss in our Conduct to justify the greatest Severity which God useth in his Dealings with us, Nay, We must even then Confess that he Punisheth us less than our Iniquities have de­served, And that it is of the Lord's Mercies that we are not Consumed, because his Compas­sions do not fail us; We should therefore be [Page 26] far from Murmuring against the Righteous Hand of God on such Occasions, And if we feel our Hearts begin to rise and be hot within us, we should turn all our Displeasure upon our Sins which have Deserved these and might have brought down much greater Calamities upon our Heads.

3. When the Calamity is General we ought to Consider what the Lord's Intention therein may be, to hearken to his Voice and set in with his Design. Now we Ought as one man to Humble Our selves under God's Mighty Hand, to hear the Rod and him that hath Appointed it, accord­ing to that Direction, in Mic. 6. 9. The Lord's Voice Cryeth to the City, and the man of Wisdom shall see thy Name; hear ye the Rod and who hath Appointed it.

What hath been hitherto spoken, was Oc­casioned (as you may easily Conjecture) by the late terrible Storm which the Lord hath sent upon us and is yet so very Distressing unto us; The Hand of the Lord was so Visible therein, It was so very Manifest that the Lord had his way in this Storm and Came forth against us in a way of Judgment and Displeasure that I could not Omit taking this Publick Notice thereof; And there were these following Cir­cumstances especially, among others which might have been mentioned, that made it more Re­markable, rendred it still more heavy to be born, [Page 27] and shewed the Divine Displeasure yet more Visibly therein.

1. In that it happened so very late in the Year when it was the less to be Expected. We were comforting our selves that we had almost gotten through the Winter, which indeed had been very Moderate till then; We were almost ready to say as we find it in the Song of Solomon, The Winter is past, The Rain (& the Snow) is over and gone, The Flowers are ready to appear on the Earth, The time of the Singing of Birds is almost come, and the Voice of the Turtle shall again be heard in our Land, When, Lo we are cast back into all the Solitudes and Dif­ficulties of the Winter again.

2. In that the Snow Descended in so very great a Quantity, far beyond what is Usual and hath almost been known in the Memory of man. It is very surprizing to behold the Mounts and Hills which it hath left behind and the Earth seems almost to groan under the heavy Load, Inso­much that there is hardly any stirring from our Places about our Necessary Business or pro­viding our selves with those Conveniences of Life which yet it is very Uncomfortable to want.

3. In that it was so Quickly and so Terribly Repeated. Scarce had we recovered our first Surprize when we were Visited a Second time, [Page 28] and we might well perceive the goings forth of him that is Everlasting in his sore Indignation against us by the mighty Dust of his feet, The Lord saw it Necessary to follow his Blow and caused the Affliction to rise up the Second time that all those who were not sufficiently Awake­ned by the first Visitation might be more Ef­fectually startled by the Second, So the Lord promised himself that if the Egyptians would not believe nor hearken to the Voice of the first Sign that yet they would be Convinced by the Second; Exod. 4. 8. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the Voice of the first Sign, that they will believe the Voice of the latter Sign.

4. It was the more Awful and still a greater Token of the Divine Displeasure in that we were driven out of the House of God thereby. There was scarce a possibility of stirring out or so much as making an Attempt to go up to Publick Worship. The Lord, who will have Mercy and not Sacrifice, dispensed with our Attendance upon him in the Sanctuary for that time; And, Oh that we were sure that it was not because the Offerings which we were wont to bring before him, were Loath­som and Displeasing in his sight; We know that the Worship which God himself Commanded to the Jews, was once Unacceptable to him as Coming from them, whose Hands were defiled with Sin and their Hearts Pertinaciously set [Page 29] upon their Evil ways, He was weary to bear it, as the Prophet plainly tells them in God's Name; Isa. I. 11,—19. To what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices unto me, saith the Lord? I am full of the Burnt-offerings of Rams, and the fat of fed Beasts, and I delight not in the blood of Bullocks, or of Lambs, or of He-goats. When ye come to Appear before me, who hath Required this at your hand, to tread my Courts? Bring no more vain Oblations, Incense is an Abomination unto me: the New Moons and Sabbaths, the Calling of Assemblies I cannot away with: it is Iniquity, even the Solemn Meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed Feasts my Soul hateth, they are a trouble unto me, I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your Hands, I will hide mine Eyes from you: yea, when ye make many Prayers, I will not hear; your Hands are full of Blood. What should be the meaning of all this Displeasure? These were things of God's own Institution and Appointment, but they were Corrupted by passing thro' such foul Hands, The Worship was good, but the Offerers were Evil; and the Lord could not possibly Approve and Accept of them until they had Amended their Ways and Doings.

Whether our Publick Services are become as Unacceptable to God as theirs were or not, It seems they were of no such great Account with him as that he would please to Permit us to Offer them the last Sabbath, And it is more than probable that even this Day, many [Page 30] are hindred from going to the House of God in Company with us by the remaining Effects of the late Storm, whose Hearts are with us and who do account it a Considerable frown and Disadvantage to them that they are detained from joyning in the Publick Prayers and Praises of the Congregation. Doubtless, There are but too many who account it no Affliction at all to be Kept from going up to the House of God upon the Sabbath, They have unhappily Learned to make light of the Ordinances of the Gospel, and have forsaken the Assembling of themselves together for God's Worship in a very great Degree; This is such a Degenerate Practise as must needs be very Displeasing unto God: And who can tell what force this among other Sins might give to the Violence and Terror of the late Storm?

Oh! that it would please God Graciously to Open the Eyes of these People, as well as of all other sorts of Sinners, that we might once see them Panting after the Lord as the pursued Hart panteth after the Water-brooks, their Souls Thirsting, and their Flesh Crying out for the Living God, and saying, When shall we Come and Appear before God? God was Awfully Preaching to us the Last Sabbath, and Disciplining of us in his Holy Providence for our not Im­proving former Opportunities as we should have done. Oh! That it might Effectually Teach us to Husband our Seasons better for the time [Page 31] to Come, and be more Diligently Gathering Fruit unto Eternal Life.

5. And Lastly, It was the more Awful and yet greater token of the Divine Displeasure, in that hath brought upon us so great Distress, Loss and Suffering. How many have been driven to great Straits thereby and pinch'd with hard Necessity, And many have met with Considerable Losses [...]n their Substance and their Cattel, How have they Perished in Droves and been swept away in great Numbers by one Desolating Stroke! So terribly did the Storm serve to Smother and Bury at once, and perhaps we do as yet hear but of a small part of the Damage that hath been done; The Lord Pity the poor Sufferers and such especially, who being in Low Circum­stances are the less able to bear up under such an heavy Stroke,

And after he hath graciously Sanctified the Affliction to them and more Purified their Souls by the means of these Outward Calamities, may he please to make up to them their present Losses by that Effectual Blessing of his which maketh Rich, and grant them Experimentally to see that he is able to give them much more than this.

To Conclude, May this heavy Hand of God upon us serve to drive us home to our selves and put us upon a careful Searching our what it is that is so Provoking unto God in the midst of us: May [Page 32] it lay us all Prostrate at his Feet, who has all Na­ture at his Command, can easily come at us for our Correction and hath yet more Judgments in store to send upon us if these Suffice not for our Reformation; Particularly, May the late Tempest that hath been upon us, tend to allay the Storms that rage in our Breasts and make us Meek, Peaceable, Gentle towards all men and Easie to be Intreated, such as Christianity De­scribes and requires its Professors to be. May it still the Noise of Tumult and Contention in the Countrey and Check the spirit of Jealousy, Suspi­cion and Division that is strangely gone forth to the Disturbance of all Order and which Threatens the Ruin of all that is dear in the midst of us; If we may but be brought Nearer to God and to one Another, and learn at length to Live more like Christians and Dwell together in Unity as Brethren ought to do, we shall then have reason to bless the Means which brings about so much Good, however harsh it may be in the Operation. Then would the Lord Arise for our Help, He would rejoyce over us with Singing, He would rest in his Love, He would turn again and have Compassion upon us, He would Subdue all our Iniquities and Cast our Sins behind his Back into the depths of the Sea.