Moses his prayer. Or, An exposition of the nintieth Psalme.: In which is set forth, the frailty and misery of mankind; most needfull for these times. Wherein [brace] 1. The sum and scope. 2. The doctrines. 3. The reasons. 4. The uses of most texts are observed. / By Samuel Smith, minister of the Gospel, author of Davids repentance and the Great assize, and yet living.

And we fly away.

MOSES speaks not here of the people alone, that they were wasted and consumed: But joynes himself with them, The Lord hath

cut us off and we fly away. He joynes himselfe in the sin, and also in the punishment. They all had sinned, even Moses himself, and for his sin the Lord would not suffer him to come into the land of Canaan. His sin he here confesseth with the sins of the people, and Gods righteous Judgement upon them for the same.

Hence wee may observe. [Doct. 5] That the usuall manner of the servants of God, in their prayers hath been to confesse themselves sinners; And by their sins to have drawn down Gods Judge∣ments as well as the sinns of others; This doth Moses here, links himselfe with the rest of the people of Israel, in the case of Gods Anger.

Thus Daniel in that solemn prayer of his for the Church, that the Lord would make good his promise to deli∣ver them from their Captivity and Bondage, confesseth his own sins and the sins of the people. We have sinned (saith he) and committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy Judgements. And again,

O Lord, righteousnesse belongs to th••e, but unto us confusion of face as at this day. Thus godly Nehemiah when hee makes his prayer in the behalf of the Church, We have sinned against thee, both I and my Fathers house have sinned. If any man sin (saith Saint John) we have an Advocate, &c. He joynes himself with others that stood in need of Jesus Christ for their Advo∣cate. And who could have said more against Paul, then he against himselfe, when he confesseth that he was the Chiefest of sinners. And thus doth the poor Publican, the Prodigall, &c.

And it must be so: For

First, [Reas. 1] the godly have learned to give glory to God when his Judgements are gone out into the World; which they do when they acknowledge God to be just, and themselves to have sinned.

This Reason doth Joshua presse up∣on Achan. My Son, I pray thee give ••lory to God, and confesse thy fault. Hereby we clear his Justice, when wee take shame to our selves.

And this was Davids Reason, why he was so long and ample in the Con∣fession of his sins. That thou mightest be justified, &c.

Secondly, [Reas. 2] a child of God and true believer cannot but know, that hee lies under the guilt of many sins which must be taken off by true Repentance and godly sorrow. And hence it is that in hearty prayer when they confesse the sins of the Church they cannot, they dare not, exclude themselves.

Thirdly in a true and hearty Con∣fession of our sins, [Reas. 3] is grounded our hope and confidence, that God will hear and answer our prayers.

And hence it is that we shall find Gods people when in the most solemn manner, they have sought the pardon of their fins, they have grounded their hopes of Mercy, from their hearty con∣fession of their sins. Thus David, Wash me throughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin: for, saith he, I acknowledge mine iniquity. And a∣gain, David presseth the Lord with this, I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. And

in times of publick Humiliation much of the work hath been spent in Con∣fession of sins.

This serves for the just reproof of those, [Use 1] who seeing others plagued and afflicted, condemn them as justly pu∣nished, and yet they themselves as great sinners no whit affected. As we see it common in the World. O say some no marvel though the Lord plague them, they are such and such a people. Did Moses say thus of this people? did he so unmercifully single out himselfe and say, that it is but just that these Rebells be plagued, they murmured against me, and would not belive me: No, no, Mo∣ses joynes himself with them, and saith, We are Cut off, and we fly away: What Spirit then are those led by, that condemn others without pitty and compassion, and justifie themselves as if they were Righteous.

This may serve also for our instru∣ction. [Use 2] That we learn by Moses his Example, who though he was an ex∣cellent man of God, highly in Gods favour: yet he humbly joynes himselfe

with the Church in the Confession of his sins, as well as theirs. Acknowledg∣ing that his sins were the cause of Gods Judgements, as the sins of the people; though hee escaped and they were punished.

Thus should we do now, that so many places and Families, and per∣sons are visited with sicknesse whilst we escape; let us not think onr condi∣tion better then theirs, or that they were greater sinners then our selves: But let us know that our sins have been the cause to pull down Gods Judge∣ments upon others, as well as their own.

As Moses here acknowledgeth himself in the number of them that had sinned, and had compassion on them, and prayed for them.

Even so though others die, and thou escape, others are in misery when thou art free: O know that thou maist have a hand in their plagues; Thy sins may be deep in the cause of Gods Judgements on the Land. And therefore to have compassion on others miseries, to pitty them, and to pray

for them, and to acknowledge that it is not thy goodnesse above others, but the Lords goodnesse towards thee, that thou escapest, and art not wrapt up in the same misery.

Notes

• Num. 20.8.12.
• Gods ser∣vants confesse their own sins as the sins of others.
• Dan. 9.5.
• Ver. 7.
• Neh. 1.6.
• Luk. 16.13. Luk. 15.18.
• Jos. 7.19.
• Ps. 51.4.
• Ps. 51.3.
• Ps. 32.5.