judge yourselves, and speedily return to the Most High, Hosea vi. 1 ; Exod. xxxii. 9-15. Thus Peter did, and recovered the favourable presence of God presently. Mat. xxvi. 75 ; Mark xvi. 7. But if men will commit sin and lie in it, if they will fall and have no mind to rise, God will certainly withdraw his favourable presence from them, as you see in David and Solomon, Ps. li. 11, 12 ; 1 Kings xi. 9 ; Josh, vii. 1-5. This is further evident in that case of Achan, Josh, vii,, * The Israelites they came to fight with the men of Ai, and fled before them, for the Lord was not with them.' Why, what was the cause of God's withdrawing himself? See ver. 11, ' Israel hath sinned.' And ver. 12, ' Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but- turned their backs.' Their sins having betrayed them into the hand of divine justice, and into their enemies' hands also ; mark what follows, ' Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from amongst you.' If we will not stone our Achans, our sins, by the lively exercise of faith and repentance ; if we will keep up our lusts in despite of all that God does against us, we must never expect to retain the gracious presence of God with us. But,
[3.] Thirdly, Take heed either of neglecting gospel-worship, or of corrupting gospel-ivorship. Omissions will damn as well as com- missions, and omissions will provoke God to withdraw his presence, as well as commissions. When persons are careless in their attendance on gospel ordinances, no wonder if God withdraw his presence from them in their distresses. Cant. v. 2, 3, 6, and iv. 1-3. Cain went off from ordinances, and the Lord set a mark upon him, Gen. iv. 15, 16. Oh, the black and dismal marks of misery, that God has set upon many that have neglected gospel-worship, and for profit's sake, and for Diana's sake, are fallen roundly in with the worship of the world 1 2 Tim. iv. 10 ; Acts xix. 24, 36. 0 sirs, the great God stands upon nothing more in all the world than upon purity in his worship. There is notliing that doth so provoke and exasperate God against a people as corrupt worship. Corrupt worship sadly reflects upon the name of God, the honour of God, the truth of God, and the wisdom of God ; and therefore his heart rises against such worship and worshippers, and he will certainly withdraw from them, and be a swift and terrible witness against them, as you may see by comparing the scriptures in the margin together, i Corrupt worship is contrary to the unity of God. Now deny his unity, and you deny his deity, * For the Lord is one, and his name is one,' Zech. xiv. 9. It is con- trary to the sovereignty of God, ' He is the only ruler, the only potentate,' 1 Tim. vi. 15. It is contrary to the all-sufficiency of God. The heathen worshipped several gods, as thinking that several gods did bestow several blessings. They begged health of one god, wealth of another god, and victory of a third god, thus imagining to themselves several deities for several supplies. Their god was but a Jupiter, a partial helper, an auxiliary god, but ' our God is Jehovah,' who is abundantly able to supply all our wants, Eph. iii. 20. Now, if either we neglect his true instituted worship, or fall in with a false worship,
^Ps. cvi. 39-43; Ps. Ixxviii. 58-64; 2 Chron. vii. 19-22, and xxxii. 16-21; Deut. xxix. 22-29.
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with a devised worskip, with a human worship, with a worldly wor- ship, he will certainly withdraw his gracious presence from us. Will- worship accuses and charges God with weakness and folly, as if God were not careful enough, nor faithful enough, nor mindful enough, nor wise enough, to order, direct, and guide his people in the matters of his worship, but must be beholden to the wisdom, prudence, and care of man, of vain man, of sinful man, of vile and unworthy man, of weak and foolish man, to complete, perfect, and make up something that was wanting in his worship ! Heb. iii. 4-6 ; John iv. 23, 24. Now assuredly God will never keep house with them who give in such severe accusations and charges against him. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Take heed of a willing, wilful, and presumptuous running cross to divine commands, to divine warnings. The disobe- dient child is turned out of doors ; the disobedient servant shall have none of his master's smiles, the disobedient wife has little of her hus- band's company. A willing, wilful, presumptuous running cross to divine commands speaks out much pride, atheism, hardness, blind- ness, and desperate security and contempt of the great God. It speaks out the greatest disingenuity, stoutness, and stubbornness that is imaginable ; and therefore no wonder if God turn his back upon such, and if he disdains to be in the midst of such : Num. xiv. 42, ' Go not up, for the Lord is not among you, that ye be not smitten before your enemies/ Ver. 43, ' For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you ' — that is, on the top of the hill, lying in readiness to set upon you, and therefore are said, ' to come down,' ver. 45 — * and ye shall fall by the sword ; because ye are turned away from the Lord, therefore the Lord will not be with you,' ver. 43. See Deut. i. 42-46. But they presumed to go up to the hill-top, though they had not the presence of God with them, nor the signs of his grace and favour with them, nor the company of Moses with them ; but mark, they paid dear for their presumption. Ver. 45, ' Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and dis- comfited them even unto Hormah.' When men are without God's presence they are without God's precincts, and so out of his protection. To act or run cross to God's express command, though under pretence of revelation from God, is as much as a man's life is worth, as you may see in that sad story, 1 Kings xiii. 24. We frequently deny our presence unto disobedient persons, and so does God his. Disobedience to divine commands shuts the door against the divine presence, and will not suffer God to come in to succour us, comfort us, or support us, under our greatest troubles and deepest distresses. But,
[5.] Fifthly, Take heed of carnal confidence, of resting upon an arm offiesli : Ps. XXX, 6, ' And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved ;' that is, when I was prosperously settled in the kingdom, I began to conclude within myself that now there was an end of all my troubles, I should now live all my days in a prosperous estate, l David having taken the strong fort of Zion, and having vanquished his enemies round about, and all the tribes having submitted themselves to him, and having built a fair palace, and being quietly settled in his throne, he began to be puffed up with carnal confidence. Oh the ^ Adam in paradise was overcome, when Job on the dunghill waa a conqueror.
WITH HIS PEOPLE IN THEIR GREATEST TROUBLES. 573