To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
THe Lord being provoked against this people by their sins, His an∣ger could not be appeased but by their destruction. Note hence:
That when Gods anger is once kindled against sin, [Doct. 5] * 1.1 it consumeth to destruction.
We are consumed in thy anger.
It is true, the Lords patience to∣wards sinners is great, and he suffereth
long the Vessells of wrath: He is a a God of mercy, and is not easily pro∣voked to strike: * 1.2 But as the Psalmist saith, If his wrath be kindled but a little, it consumeth to destruction.
Many were the provocations of this people, that notwithstanding God had given them much experience of his power and goodnesse towards them, * 1.3 giving them Manna from Hea∣ven, and Water out of the hard Rock, Quailes, to satisfie their lust, and their provocations were many and great; yet, * 1.4 He being full of compassi∣on, he for gave their iniquitie, and de∣stroyed them not: Yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. But such were their sins, and so great were their provocations, * 1.5 that He made way for his anger, and he spared not their souls from death, but gave over their lives to the Pestilence; Yea, * 1.6 Gods wrath was so kindled, that he abhor∣red Israel. And who can look upon sin but as a fearfull thing, and the grea∣test evill, and the wrath of God into∣lerable, when he shall but seriously
consider, how terribly his wrath hath broke out against sin.
It was for sin that God threw the Angells down from heaven to hell.
It was for sin that he drowned the old World, * 1.7 when their wickednesse was so great, that it repented the Lord that he had made man, and brought that Deluge over all the earth.
It was for sin that Sodome and Go∣morrah was consumed with fire and brimstone from Heaven. * 1.8
That Pharach and the Aegyptians were overwhelmed in the red Sea.
That the earth swallowed up Co∣rah and his complices. * 1.9
That Herod was consumed with worms. * 1.10
And how is the wrath of God come upon the Jewes at this day, to the ut∣most, sometimes Gods peculiar peo∣ple, now become a curse and reproach to all Nations, a scattered and dis∣persed people upon the face of the earth this day.
This will sin do, and this will Gods wrath and displeasure do, when sin hath so far provoked God, that
it breaks out upon us.
And what shall we say to all those miseries that this land and Nation hath of late years groaned under, as the Sword, Famine, Pestilence, Sick∣nesses and Diseases, Sects, Heresies, a Kingdome divided, a Church rent and torn in pieces, by unnaturall Bre∣thren; our Israel given to the spoile, and Jacob unto robbers: O, who can say, but that England's sin, hath brought England's misery, and that Gods anger that hath gone out against us, hath been wondrous great. Yea, if we look upon the Saints and Ser∣vants of God themselves, when by their sins they have provoked Gods anger, and kindled his wrath against them, how terrible and how fearfull hath he shewed his anger and dis∣pleasure against them?
As we may see in Moses, this ser∣vant of the Lord, that because he did not honour God at the waters of strife, was shut out of the Land of Canaan.
And David, who in the pride of heart numbred the people, the Lord let
him blood in the same veine, there dyed of the people for his sin, Three-score and ten thou sand men.
And this wrath of God, shall at last most clearly break out and appear, when he shall come in a flame of fire, * 1.11 rendring vengeance to the wicked.
And if the beams of Gods anger and wrath, sends forth such terrible lestruction upon us here, what will that wrath of his be, when it shall be fully powred out upon his poor crea∣tures in hell for ever? Our God is a consuming fire. * 1.12
Now this anger and wrath of God must needs consume to destru∣ction.
Because anger in God is as himselfe is, [Reas. 1] Infinite; what then can stand be∣fore it? the whole world and all crea∣tures therein, are but as stubble and chaffe before the fire; the very Moun∣tains melt at his presence, and in com∣parison of his greatnesse, the whole earth is but as the dust in the ballance, a flat nothing in respect of his inti∣nitenesse; this made Moses to say, Who knowes the power of thy wrath? * 1.13
the meaning is, that none knowes it, or can sufficiently take notice of it, to fear as he ought before him.
Because there is such an antipathy betwixt God and sin, [Reas. 2] that he must needs set himselfe against it and punish it: It is so contrary to that pure Na∣ture of God, as darknesse to light; there is nothing, wherein there is the like contrarietie in Nature, as there is betwixt God and fin. The sinner is no better then a proud Rebell to God, seeking to advance Sathan, and to set him in Gods Throne, wishing in his heart, there were no God, or that he were such a God, as either saw not his fins, or were not able to punish him for sin. And can any wonder then, that his wrath should break out to the destruction of the sinner.
Let us apply this.
Seeing the anger of God, [Use 1] thus once kindled, consumeth to destruction; O, how doth this concern every one of us to dread sin, which thus provokes him to wrath against us. O the misery of that wretched soul, that lies under Gods wrath! If all the infirmities that
human Nature is subject unto, if all the sicknesses and diseases in the world should seize upon one man; if all the tortures and torments, that all the Tyrants in the world could devise, to inflict upon a man to make him miserable; and all the creatures in hea∣ven and earth, should all of them con∣spire together, to make one poor crea∣ture miserable, all these were nothing in comparison of the wrath of God, who is a consuming fire.
How terrible hath the terrours of an accusing conscience been to many a poor creature, we may see in Judas, that was not able to bear them, but preferred death before them; and o∣thers daily that have made away their lives, rather then live in those horrours of conscience they have felt in them∣selves. What then is Gods anger and wrath when it shall be poured out to the full upon the soul of a sinner?
Why then do we not dread sin more, which is the only cause of his wrath, and who is never angry, but at sin? Art thou a Drunkard, a Swea∣rer, a prophane person, that livest in
the continuall practise of sin, Be not deceived (saith the Apostle) for these things sake, commeth the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. An impenitent sinner is like unto a man that goes continually upon a mine of Gun-powder, he may fear every step he takes, that he shall be blowen up.
Seeing Gods anger once kindled a∣gainst sin, consumeth to destruction; [Use 2] we may hence observe the difference, betwixt Gods anger towards his own Children, and wicked men.
'Tis true, God is many times an∣gry with his own people; and of them only it is said, * 1.14 His anger endureth but a moment, which implies, that God will be angry with them. Thus God was angry with Jehosophat, for making affinity with wicked Ahab God was angry with old Eli, for his indulgency towards his sons; and God was angry with David, for numbring the people: and so it may be said of every grosse and presumptu∣ous sin in the godly, it provokes God to anger.
But yet there is a great difference betwixt Gods anger towards his chil∣dren, * 1.15 and that wrath of his, that com∣meth upon the children of disobedi∣ence.
First, his anger towards his Chil∣dren endures but for a moment, In a little wrath, [unspec 1] I hid my face from thee for a moment, * 1.16 but with everlasting kindnesse wil I have compassion on thee. And of the godly it is said, * 1.17 He will not alwaies chide, neither keepeth he his anger for ever. But as for the wicked, it is not so with them, but those to∣kens of his anger and wrath, are but the beginnings of their sorrowes, and a fire kindled, that shall devoure to destruction.
It differs betwixt the godly and the wicked in measure; [unspec 2] God ever proportioneth the sufferings of his Children, according to their strength, He will not suffer them to be tempted above that they are able. * 1.18 But now the Lord never takes notice what strength a wicked man hath, to bear his pu∣nishments, but oftentimes they sink under the burthen of them, as Cain,
Saul, Judas, &c. They bring forth the quiet fruits of righteousnesse in the one; they make the wicked more desperate in sinning: they tend to the instruction of the one, they tend to the destruction of the other.
Thirdly, [unspec 3] Gods judgments are me∣dicines, to cure his children of the maladies of sin, and to fit them for mercy and deliverance. But as for the wicked, that are vessells of wrath, they tend to fit them for destruction; so as the Prophet saith, * 1.19 Hath he smit∣ten him, meaning indeed his own Children, as he smot them that smot him? meaning indeed the wicked. The Lord is not angry with them both alike, nor smites them both alike.
And lastly, [Use 3] seeing the anger of God is so terrible and insupportable, even a consuming fire, and lies so heavy many times upon his own Children, the malignity whereof is taken off by Christ.
It is our duty, that as we sin daily, [Use 4] and provoke him daily by our sins, so to be earnest solicitors to the Throne of grace daily, that the Lord
would not rebuke us in his anger, * 1.20 neither chastise us in his wrath: That the Lord would not deal with us according to our sins, nor reward us according to our iniquities; for if the Lord should, we were never able to answer him for one of a thousand, our provocations are so many and great, that we may say with the Church, * 1.21 It is the Lords mercy that we are not consumed. There is no way to escape Gods anger, but, as we sin daily, to repent daily, since we forfeit his mercies daily by our sins.
Gods an∣ger once kindled, consumes to destru∣ction.
Psal. 2.
Psal. 78.
verse 38.
verse 50.
verse 59.
Gen. 6.
Gen. 19.
Num. 16.
Acts 12.
2 Thess. 2.9.
Heb. 12. ult.
Verse 11.
Ps. 30.5.
Diffe∣rence be∣twixt Gods an∣ger to∣wards his children, and the wicked.
Es. 54.8.
Ps. 103.9.
1 Cor. 10.13.
Es. 21.24
Ps. 38.1, 2.
Lam. 3.22.