Quest. You will say, you press us to believe, and all that you can do is but to bring conjectures ; you cannot give such infallible warning as Noah did.
I shall answer to this —
1. We may speak to you as the apostle did in Acts xiii, 40, ' Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken in the prophets.' Let me tell you, it is a ruled case — the despisers of the gospel shall surely meet with an unexpected judgment. The credit of every threat- ening stands upon two feet — the irresistibleness of God's power, and the immutableness of his counsel. Xow we cannot say God will change his counsel, though he may his sentence; yet w« may say, Take heed lest this be brought upon you : we know not future contingencies. God hath taken away that from a gospel ministry, because he hath given them a more excellent dispensation.
2. It is security and carnal contidence. If you neglect reformation, and depend merely upon present likelihoods, and say. It is impossible these things should be : Jer. iv. 14, ' 0 Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness. How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee ? ' vain
192 SERMONS UPOX HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XXXVIl.
thoughts, that is, reflections upon their present prosperity and great- ness. You know there is much spoken of depending upon an arm of flesh and creature confidence. Now when men neglect God's means, and trust to their own, this is a sure note of creature confidence in their present weh'are and prosperity. When we have no otlier shelter against judgments but prosperous armies, numerous siiips and fortifica- tions, how soon may God blow upon these things ? Who would believe that which God did twice to the state of the Jews, both by the Chaldeans and Romans ? who would have believed thirty years ago what hath happened in Germany ? who would believe what befell the churches of Asia and Greece, that they should be overrun so ? If we should speak to you of England being unchurched, a man would think this were an idle dream that ever chrisiianity should be banished from this island, that we should lose our church and our glory ; and if yet we should look to the spiritual causes of such a judgment, there is nothing so })robable as this. God may in justice remove the old light, because we have set up so many new ones ; and take away the candle- stick from us, because we are despisers of the gospel.
3. When prophets threaten, it is very likely it will come to pass, though we cannot absolutely determine future contingencies. Certainly if a sparrow lights not to the ground without God, the messages of his servants, and the words that are uttered by them with reverence and fear, you cannot but acknowledge God in it : Hosea vi. 5, ' I have hewn them by my prophets, and I have slain them by the words of my mouth.' Israel was a knotty piece of timber, and therefore God pursues them with blow after blow. When a prophet falls a-hewing ^vith blow after blow it is a sad intimation. I do not justify every idle dictate and fond suggestion spoken out of passion and discontent ; but when we make collection upon collection, when we show you the sin and the judgment out of scripture, it should not seem to you as an idle tale ; and when we speak to you, Ave should not seem as Lot to his sons-in-law, ' as if he had mocked,' Gen. xix. 14. All that you can pretend for your safety and security in such a case as this, is either your present strength or the mercy and free grace of God ; but to pretend grace and mercy and neglect duty, is but to choke conscience. Mercy will never be exercised to the prejudice of God's truth and justice.
4. This is certain, it is better to believe the threatening than to feel the stripes and blows. There can be no harm if we should take this occasion to humble ourselves before God. It is true, in uncertain cases this is a good rule — hope the best ; but yet it is good to prepare for the worst. Carnal hope such as is lifted up against the threatening in the word is but a bad nurse to piety. They that do not tremble at the word, but are left to be taught by sense, are taught in a sharp school of discipline ; they are taught by briers and thorns. It is better to learn by the word than by feeling blows and stripes : Pro v. xiv. 16, ' A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil ; but a fool rageth and is confident.' Usually, when we speak of the evil of the times, men go away ; and they fret and foam, and think we rail, and the word of God is to them but as a reproach ; God leaves them to be taught by briers and thorns, by their own sorrow and fears. So Pro v. xxii. 3,
VeR. 7.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 193
'A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and liideth himself — here is the very description of Noah — ' but the simple pass on, and are punished :' carnal men run desperately upon danger, and against warning.