Two treatises the first of fear, from Isa. 8, v. 12, 13, and part of the 14 : the second, The righteous man's refuge in the evil day, from Isaiah 26, verse 20 / by John Flavell.

SECT. I.

GOd first warns, and then smites, he delights not to surprise men when indignation was coming, he tells his people of it in the Text, and admonisheth them to hide themselves. Surely the Lord will do nothing but he revealeth his secrets to his servants the Prophets, Amos 3. 7. Thus when the flood was to come upon the old world, he gave them one hundred and twenty years warning of it, Gen. 6. 3. compared with 1. Pet. 3. 19. So when Sodom was to be de∣stroyed, God would not hide it from Abraham, Gen. 18. 17. Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I do? The like discovery was made unto Lot, G••••. 19. 12, 13, 14. So when the Captivity was at hand, Ezekiel was commanded to give the Iews solemn war∣ning of it from God, Ezek. 3. 17. Hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

And when their City and Temple was to be de∣stroyed by the Romans, how plainly did Christ fore∣••el them of it by his own mouth, Luke 19. 43. 44. Thine enemies shall cast a Trench about thee, and com∣pass thee round and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children with∣in thee, and they shall not leave thee one stone upon another, because thou knewest not the time of thy visita∣tion.

Iosephus also tells us that a little before the execution of this judgment upon them, a voice was heard in the temple, Migremus hinc, let us go hence, which voice Tacitus also in his An∣nals, mentions, Audita major humana vox, excedere Deos, simul ingens motus excedentium. It was more than an humane voice, telling them God was de∣parting from them, and withal there was heard the rushing noise as of some that were going out of the Temple.

And as there were extraordinary premonitions of approaching judgments by revelation to the Prophets of old, and signs from heaven; so there still are stan∣ding and ordinary rules by which the world may be admonished of Gods judgments before they come up∣on them.

And the general rule, by which men may discern the indignation of God before it comes, is this; ☞ When the same provocations, and evils are found in one Nation, which have brought down the wrath of God upon another nation; this is an evi∣dent sign of Gods judgment at the door. For God is unchangeably holy and just, and will not favour that in one people, which he hath punished in another; nor bless that in one age, which he hath cursed in an∣other. And therefore that which hath been a sign of Judgment to one, must be so to all.

Here it is that the carcases of those sinners whose sins had cast them away, are as it were cast up upon the Scripture shore, for a warning to all others that they steer not the same ill course they did. 1 Cor. 10. 6. Now these things were our examples. The Israelites are made examples to us, plainly intimating that if we tread the same path, we must expect the

same punishment. Let us therefore consider what were the evils that provoked Gods judgments against his ancient people, whom he was so loth to give up, Hos. 11. 8. and so long ere he did give up, Ier. 15. 6. and we shall find by the concurrent accounts that the Prophets give,

1. That Gods worship among them was generally mixed and corrupted with their own inventions, for so it is said, Psal. 106. 40, 41. they went a whoring with their own inventions. And this so inflamed the wrath of God, who is a jealous God, and tender over his own honour, that he abhorred his own inheritance; yea, he expresses himself as a man doth whose heart is broken by the unfaithfulness of his wife, Ezek. 6. 9. Upon this account his professing people became the generation of his wrath, Ier. 7. 29, 30.

2. Incorrigible obstinacy under gentler correcti∣on, Amos 4. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Scarcity, Mil∣dews, Pestilence, and Sword had been upon them; and still these that remained, though saved as a brand out of the fire, in which their fellow sinners perished, would not return to God; and this hasten∣ed on the general ruine, ver. 12. This presages the ruine of Nations indeed.

3. Stupidity and senselesness of Gods hand was a sad Omen, and cause of that peoples ruine; So Isa. 26. 10, 11. Lord when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see. No nor yet when his hand is laid on, Isa. 42. 24, 25. It is not some small drop of Gods anger that passes without observation, but the fury of his anger; not some light skirmish of his judgments with them, but the strength of battel: Not in a corner upon some particular person, or family, but that which set him on fire round about; yet all this could not awa∣ken them. He hath poured upon him the fury of his

anger, and the strength of battel, and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew it not, and it burn∣ed him, yet he laid it not to heart. Prodigious stu∣pidity! to be in the midst of flames, yea, to be seiz∣ed by them, and destroyed sooner than awakened. So you find again in Hos. 7. 9. Gray hairs were here and there upon Ephraim, yet he knew it not. Youth and Age are easily distinguished, and gray hairs do plainly distinguish them, being the plain tokens of a declining State, yet they took no notice of them. Such stupidity is ever more the forerunner of mi∣sery.

4. Persecution of Gods faithful Ministers and peo∣ple, was another forerunning sign of their ruine, 2 Chron. 36. 16. They mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his Prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. There were also a number of upright Souls among them, that desired to worship God accord∣ing to his own prescription, but a snare was laid for them in Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor; and therefore was judgment towards that people, Hos. 5. 1. Mizpah and Tabor were places in the way lying be∣twixt Samaria and Ierusalem, where the true worship of God was, and there were Informers or Spies set by the Priests to intercept such as would venture to serve God at Jerusalem according to his own prescription, this also foreboded the judgments of God upon that nation.

5. The decay of the life and power of Godliness among them plainly foreshewed their ruine at hand, Hos. 4. 18. Their drink is sour, where under the Metaphor of dead and sour drink which hath lost its spirit and is become flat; their formal, heartless, and perfunctory duties are severely taxed and condemned.

6. To conclude, the mutual animosities, and feuds among that professing people, evidently shewed judgment to be at the door. Hos. 9. 7. The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come, Israel shall know it: the Prophet is a fool, the spiri∣tual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. This great hatred was one of the greatest sins, and saddest signs upon them. This Spirit of enmity sowed by the Devil among them hastened their calamity. If Ephraim will envy Iudah, and Iudah vex Ephraim the common enemy shall part the fray: when the whole Nation was under water, and the Roman Armies under the very walls of Ierusalem, their own Historians tell us, what bitter contentions and sharp conflicts continued a∣mong them to the very last. These things must be looked upon by all Wise and considerate men, no otherwise than we look upon Glazing Meteors, and Blazing Comets, portending judgment and ruine at the door. We have had indeed terrible Signs in Heaven, a dreadful rod of God shaken over us of late, which all men ought to behold with trem∣bling: Yet I must say those Moral Signs of judg∣ment forementioned, are much more terrible and portentous. According therefore to the evidence of these signs among us; let all upright hearts be affected and awakened with expectations of Gods righteous judgments. It is indeed below faith to expect evil days with despondency and distra∣ction; but surely it is a noble exercise of Faith, so to expect them, as to make due preparation for them.

Notes

• Iosephus de bel. Iud. lib. 7. c. 2. Tac. lib. 21.