IsA. XLTI. 24, 25.] the late fiery dispensation. 277
Hosea xiv. 8 ; Isa. xxx. 22. Assuredly every gracious heart had rather be rid of his sins than of his sufferings: Job vii. 21, 'And why dost thou not take away mine iniquity?' — or lift up, as the Hebrew- runs, to note that though Job had many loads, many burdens upon him, yet none lay so heavy upon him as his sin ; Hosea xiv. 2, ' Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously.' It is not, take away our captivity, and receive us graciously, but take away our iniquity, and receive us graciously ; nor is it to take away this or that particular iniquity, and receive us graciously, but take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously ; take away stain and sting, crime and curse, power and punishment, that we may never hear more of it, nor never feel more of it, nor never be troubled any more with it. Though their bondage was great, very great, yea, greater than any people under heaven were exercised with, yet their sins were a more unsup- portable burden to their spirits than their bondage was, Dan. ix. 11-13. And therefore they cry out, ' Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously,' And this was the usual method of David ; i when he was under sore troubles and trials, he was more importunate with God to be purged and pardoned, than he was to be eased under his troubles, or delivered from his troubles : Ps. li. 2, ' Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin;' ver. 7, 'Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean : wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow ;' ver. 9, ' Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities ;' ver. 14, 'Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, 0 God.' When Pharaoh was under the hand of the Lord, he was all for removing of the jjlagues, the frogs, the locusts, &c., Exod. x. But when David was under the hand of the Lord, he was all for the removing of his sins, and for the cleansing, purging, and washing away of his sins. Oh that all the burnt citizens of London would be more earnest and importunate with God to pardon, and purge, and take away all those iniquities that have brought the fiery rod upon them, than they are studious and industrious to have their credits repaired, their houses rebuilded, their trades restored, and all their losses made up to them ! Oh that they might all be driven by what they have felt, seriously to consider what they have done! ' No man saith. What have I done?' Jer. viii. 6 ; Hosea vi. 1-3 ; Isa. Ivi. 6 ; Ezek. xxxvi. 33, 37. Oh that they would all blame themselves more, and their sins more, and turn to him who has so sorely smitten them, and lay hold on his strength, and make peace with him, that so he may yet build up their waste places, and make up their breaches, and repair their losses, and never turn away from doing of them good ! Jer. xxxii. 41-44. But, 11. The eleventh duty tliat they are to learn that have been burnt up, is to prepare and fit for gi^eater troubles and trials. The anger of the Lord is not yet turned away, but his hand is stretched out still, Isa. ix. 12 ; Rev. xi. 18. The nations are angry, the face of the times seems sorely to threaten us with greater troubles than any yet we have encountered with. Ah London, London ! ah England, England ! the clouds that hang over thee seem every day to be blacker and blacker, and thicker and thicker : thou hast suffered much, and thou hast cause to fear that thou inayest suffer more ; thou hast been
^ See Ps. Ixxix. 1, 5, 8, xxv. 7, xxxii. 4, 5, aud xxxviii. 3, 4.
278 London's lamentations on [Isa. XLII. 24, 25.
brought low, yen, thou art this day brought very low in the cyes7of the nations ronnci al)oiit thee, and yet thou niayest be brought lower before the day of thy exaltation comes. i When God intends to raise a person, a city, a nation high, very high, he then usually brings them low, very low ; and when they are at lowest, then the day of their exaltation is nearest. It is commonly darkest a little before break of day. The hand of the Lord has been lifted up high, yea, very high, over us and against us ; but who repents ? who refui'ms ? who returns to the Most High ? who smites upon his thigh ? who says, What have I done ? Jer. viii. 6 ; who finds out the plague of his own heart ? who ceaseth from doing evil ? who learns to do well ? who stirs up himself to take hold of God ? who stands in the gap ? who wrestles and weeps, and weeps find wrestles to turn away those judgments that this day threaten us? Isa. i. 16-18; Ps. cvi. ; Hosca xii. 4. So long as sin remains rampant, and men continue impenitent, there is reason to fear a worse scourge than any yet we have been under. Pharaoh's stubbornness did but increase his plagues, Exod. ix. 17 ; the more stout and unyielding we are under judgments, the more chains God will still put on, Eccles. v. 8. When his hand is lifted up, we must either bow or break. Such as have been under the smart rebukes of God, and will not take Christ's warning to go their way and sin no more, John v. 14, have reason to fear hi^ inference, that a worse thing will come upon them. The face of present providences looks dismal ; dreadful sufferings seem to be near, very near, even at our very doors. Yet to prevent fainting, we must remember that God never wants chambers to hide his people in till his indignation be overpast, Isa. xxvi. 20. God hath ways enough to preserve his wheat, even when the whirlwind carries away the chaff. God can find an ark for his Noahs, when a flood of wrath sweeps away sinners on every hand ; and God can provide a Zoar for his JjOts, when he rains fire and brimstone upon all round about them. Look, as God many times by lesser mercies fits his })eople for greater mercies ; so God many times by lesser judgments fits his people for greater judgments; and who can tell, but that the design of God by the late judgments of fire, sword, and pestilence, is to piepare and fit his j)e()ple for gi-eater judgments ? That God might have inflicted greater judgments than any yet he has inflicted upon us, I have already proved by an induction of particulars. That greater judgments may be ])revented, and our present mercies continued and increased, it highly concerns us to repent, and to turn to the Most High. There are seven sorts of men who have high cause to fear woisor judgments than any yet have been inflicted upon them : —
(1.) Such wlio scorn and deride at the judgments of God, Isa. v. 19 ; Jer. xvii. 15, and xx. 8; 2 Pet. iii. 3-5.
(2.) Such who put off the judgments of God to others, who cry out, Oh ! these judgments concern such and such, but not us.
(3.) Such who are no ways bettered nor reclaimed by judgments.
(4.) Such as grow worser and worser under all the warnings and judi^ments, as Pharaoh and Ahaz did, Isa. i. 5; Jer. v. 3 ; 2 Chron. xxviii. 22, 23.
* Deut. xxviii. 43; 2 Chron. xxviii. 18, 19 ; Dcut. xxxii. 36; Pa. Ixxix. 8, cxxxvi. 23, and cxlii. G ; Isa. xxvi. 10, 11.