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.

Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, &c.

THe Church and people of God having in the former verse confessed, that they were consumed by Gods anger, and by his wrath

they were sore troubled: come now to acknowledge the proper cause of all those grievous judgments of God upon them, and that was their sins; they clear Gods justice, and acknow ledge, that he was most righteous, and that it was their sins that had drawne down his wrath and heavy displeasure against them.

Hence we may note, [Doct. 2] what is the principall procuring cause of Gods anger, * 1.1 and what it is that drawes down Gods judgments upon a Land and people and so likewise upon par∣ticular persons, viz. Sin.

Our open sins; and our secret sins against God, and against men, these provoke the Lord to anger, and draw down his judgments upon a Land and People. Thus Danie confesseth their misery and captivity, was justly in∣flicted upon them for their sins; * 1.2 We have sinned, and committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, by departing from thy precepts, and from thy judg∣ments. * 1.3 And again, O Lord, to us be∣longeth confusion of face, to our Kings, to our Princes, and to our Fa∣thers,

because we have sinned against thee: they confesse the hand of God was justly upon them for their sins.

And this is that which the Lord threatneth by Moses, * 1.4 that if the peo∣ple would not hearken and obey, He would make the Pestilence to cleave unto them, untill they were utterly wasted and consumed; which the Lord made good unto this people at this time in the Wildernesse. This is acknowledged by the lamenting Church, when they say, * 1.5 The Crown is fallen from our head, wo unto us, we have sinned.

Thus the Psalmist reckons up the great things that God had done for this people, in the land of Aegypt, * 1.6 in the field of Zoan, gave them Manna from Heaven, gave them water out of a Rock, * 1.7 Quailes to satisfie their lust; yet for all this, they sinned still, and believed not his wondrous works. But what followed, * 1.8 Therefore their daies did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble. To this agreeth that of the Prophet, Behold, * 1.9 the Lords hand is not shortned, that he cannot

save, nor his ears heavy, &c. But your sins have separated between you and your God, * 1.10 and your sins have hid his face from you.

But what are those sins, [Quest.] that in a speciall manner provoke God to anger against a Land and People?

All sin, [Ans.] even the least sin moves the Lord to anger: * 1.11 yet there are I confesse, some speciall sins, which do inflame the anger of God, and these be ca∣pitall and hainous sins, and such are

First, [unspec 1] Idolatry, * 1.12 to worship a salfe God instead of thetrue God, or the true God in a false manner; this the Lord can no more endure, then a Husband can endure the wanton behaviour of his Wife, but is exceedingly provoked by it. This appears by that golden Calfe that the Israe••ites made to wor∣ship, for this sin three thousand were slain, * 1.13 There fell of the people that day, about three thousand men.

O, it is a dangerous provoking sin in a Land and Nation, that have enjoyed the glorious liberty of the Gospell, to Apostatize, and fall from their first love, either to Babylonish

Idolatry, or to Sects and Heresies; this is a provoking sin, and causeth God to remove the Candlestick from such a people. The Lord lay not this sin to our charge.

The second provoking sin, [unspec 2] * 1.14 that stirres up the Lord to anger against a People, is Infidelity, or a distrusting of Gods power, or calling into questi∣on his promises, in times of tryall; that either the Lord cannot, or will not help: This was the great sin of this people, for the which the Lord was so wrathfully displeased with them, * 1.15 and for the which their daies did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

The third provoking sin, [unspec 3] * 1.16 is the blaspheming of the Name of God, Be∣cause of Oaths, the land shall mourn.

The shedding of innocent Blood is a provoking sin; [unspec 4] * 1.17 as a loving Father cannot endure to see his Child slain before his face, and the blood of his Child to be shed; no more can the Lord endure the wicked to shed the blood of his Children.

Again, the sin of Adultery, [unspec 5] * 1.18 Forni∣cation,

and uncleannesse, these are provoking sins, as appears in the firing of Sodome and Gomorrah.

It is true, every sin provokes the Lord to anger, but these sins especially encrease his anger against a Nation or People, * 1.19 by swearing, and lying, and killing, and whoring, they break out, therefore the Land shall mourn.

The point then is clear and plain, that the principall cause of Gods an∣ger and displeasure against a Land and people, is their sins.

Gods justice calls for vengeance upon the sinner. [Reas.] Now God is most righteous and just, and he will not fail to punish sin, in whomsoever the same is committed. The Angels (saith Saint Jude) that kept not their first estate, he hath reserved in chaines, &c. The sinfull World drowned, Sodom and Gomorrah burned, Pharach and the Aegyptians plagued; yea, the Nation and the People of the Jewes, fearfully consumed: all clearing this truth, that sin is the principal cause of Gods anger and is that which drawes down his judgments upon a people.

Seeing then it is sin that stirs up God to anger, [Use 1] and draws down his judgements upon a people; by the ef∣fect we may judge of the cause. Hath not the Lords hand of late years gone out against us the people of this Na∣tion, what by the Sword, the Plague and Pestilence, these late yeares of Drought and our present visitation by an unwonted Disease, and sicknesse generally over the land, whereof so many have been taken away by death: What do all these but declare that God thah a Controversie with us this day.

Do not those forementioned sins that pull down Gods Judgements up∣on a land and people, abound amongst us, and make head at this day? Ido∣latry and Popery in open and secret manner, seems to take root again; Sects and Heresies in former ages cried down, and for many years dead and buried, we have seen their resurrection again from that Bottomlesse Pit. What age did ever produce the like outrages and abominations that this day are rife amongst us; Swearing and

Blasphemy, Drunkennesse and Un∣cleannesse, Contempt of Christ and his Gospel, Thefts, Murthers, and all other abominations, the like never age produced? And unlesse the Lord put it into the hearts of those in present Authority to root out these sins, it is not to be expected that England shall long escape more heavy Judgements then yet we have tasted of.

And yet alas how few are the num∣ber of those that lay these things to heart. We hear and talk of our mise∣ries, but we are not affected with the cause of them, which are our sins, no man layes Gods judgements to heart, as to say, Alas, what have I done?

Secondly, [Use 2] seeing sin is the cause of all Gods judgements upon a Nation or People, this may inform us who are the great enemies of our state this day: Surely the greatest sinners. These are they that obstruct all our hoped for deliverance from our Parliaments and from our Councels. We have a long time looked for peace, for free∣dome, for settlement in Church and State: But when will it once be?

or indeed what hope can we have it will be, so long as Tobias and San∣ballats are amongst us; so long as our Chams continue their scoffing, our E∣saus their profaning, our Nabals their coveting, our Achans their thieving our Jezabe••s their whoring, and all of us our sinnings and rebellions a∣gainst God: Our Parliaments and Councels will be rendred weak, & they will not, they cannot help us. How can England look to prosper when the most high God is against us, and doth forsake us?

What hath been the ruine and over∣throw of Nations and Kingdomes but sin? What hath tumbled down Cities, ruined stately Houses, and o∣verthrown so many Noble Families, but sin? And when we shall see Reli∣gion countenanced, a faithful Mini∣stery set up and maintained. Discipline in the Church established, Justice duly administred, and wholesom Laws du∣ly executed, Piety incouraged, Sin duly punished, and the Kingdome of the Lord Jesus set up in the hearts and Consciences of men; Then there will

be hope of better times, that God will delight to dwell amongst us.

Seeing sin is the principal cause of all Gods Judgements upon a land and people; [Use 3] How then doth it concern all Superiours that are in the place of Ma∣gistracy, to look well to their places and Callings since the weal or woe of the Church and State depends up∣on them. How many foul and enor∣mous sins were committed in Israel; and the reason assigned was this, Every man did that which was right in his own eyes. * 1.20 What confusion is there at this day in Church and State, and all under pretence of Liberty of Consci∣ence? Who doth not see that Sects and Heresies, Blasphemies, Contempt of Magistracy and Ministery in all pla∣ces of the land, is grown to such a head, that if the Lord put not a stay to these spirits and licencious times, what can be expected but Confu∣sion?

The Apostle saith, The Magistrate doth not bear the sword for nought: * 1.21 But as the Ministers of God are to take vengeance on them that do evil. It is a

sad condition that that Land and State is in, when Magistrates that have the sword in their hands shall stand like a George on Horseback with his sword drawn, yet never strikes. How can such Magistrates approve their calling from God, and look for protection from him, that shew no more zeale for God?

Phinehas zeal in executing judge∣ment upon Zimri and Cosbi, * 1.22 brought a blessing upon the whole Congrega∣tion of Israel. And the Lord shewed mercy to good Nehemiah, * 1.23 because he had shewed such zeal for God in pu∣nishing the profaners of the Lords Sabbaths. The Lord knows this zeal for God is wanting in many Magi∣strates amongst us.

And indeed the want of the execu∣tion of Justice against the sins of these times, is not the least cause wherefore things are at this passe in the Church and State as they are at this day, and wherefore things prosper no better un∣der our present Government.

O that all that are in Authority from the highest to the lowest, would

make it their care with David, * 1.24 early to destroy the wicked of the land, and to cut off wicked doers from the City of the Lord; * 1.25 And take those foxes, those little foxes that spoil the vines; That Justice might run down like a stream, and be duly administred, with∣out partiality, that Sects and Heresies might be discountenanced and punish∣ed; piety and godlinesse more incou∣raged, that God at last may remove his anger from us and delight to dwell amongst us.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Sin, the cause of all judg∣ments up∣on a peo∣ple.
• * 1.2

  Dan. 9.5.
• * 1.3

  verse 8.
• * 1.4

  Deut. 28.15. verse 21.
• * 1.5

  Lam. 5.16.
• * 1.6

  Ps. 78.12
• * 1.7

  verse 32
• * 1.8

  verse 33.
• * 1.9

  Es. 59.1.
• * 1.10

  Eph 5.6.
• * 1.11

  Speciall sins that provoke Gods an∣ger.
• * 1.12

  Idolatry
• * 1.13

  Exod. 32.4, 28.
• * 1.14

  Infideli∣ty.
• * 1.15

  Ps. 78.33.
• * 1.16

  Blasphe∣my.
• * 1.17

  Blood.
• * 1.18

  Unclean∣nesse.
• * 1.19

  Hos. 4.2
• * 1.20

  Iudg. 17.6.
• * 1.21

  Ro. 13.4.
• * 1.22

  Num. 25.11, 12.
• * 1.23

  Neh. 13.20.
• * 1.24

  Ps. 101.8
• * 1.25

  Can. 2.15