2. The counsel and duty thence inferred — Prepare io meet thy God, 0 Israel. Some understand these words as spoken in an irony. Now buckle on your harness, and see if you can meet with God, and grapple with him in the day of his wrath. But rather it is an exhortation, ' Prepare to meet him ; ' that is, to come to God, and to take up the difference, to prevent and pacify him ; God is angry, to give him a day of compromise ; for the covenant relation is mentioned : Jer. iii. 22, ' Behold we come to thee, for thou art the Lord our God.' The Septuagint renders it eroifial^ov rod iTriKoXecaOac top ©eov crov, — ' Be prepared to call upon thy God.'
The point is this, — That the great duty of a nation in danger of judgment is to give the Lord a compromise, or to make up the breach, and take up the difference between him and them.
Here he seemeth to have in store such judgments as would make any tremble to think of ; yet inviteth to repentance.
Why ' prepare to meet thy God ' ? Either to reverse the judgment or to mitigate it. To reverse the judgment. We must distinguish between God's sentence and God's decree ; Mutat sententiam, non decretum. God's threatenings do not always hold forth his irrevocable purpose. Or else a mitigation : Zeph. iii. 7, ' It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's fierce anger.' You put your eternal happiness out of doubt, it may be you shall have temporal mercies. I shall show —
[1.] What it is to give God a day of compromise.
[2.] Why this is the most proper duty for a people in danger.
First, What is it to give God a day of compromise ? Look to the wisdom of men in like cases : what kind of meeting they would give those whom they have offended, and whose power they are not able to resist ; even so do you deal with God. I shall only allude to such meet- ings as are described in scripture. And there we shall first take notice of that interview that was between Jacob and Esau, described in Gen xxxii. 33. Jacob was afraid of Esau, coming with four hundred men against him, and therefore taketh the best course to provide for
A FAST SEKMON PKEACHED BEFORE THE PAELIAMEN-T. 27
his safety : he sendeth presents, and an humble submission to him, to pacify him. And when he was come, lie boweth to him seven times. * And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced and fell on his neck and kissed him, and wept.' So when you hear of God's coming against you, put yourselves into a humble posture, and come bow yourselves before the Lord ; and in all probability it will be a gracious meeting and interview. Again, another instance is of the king of Assyria, when he was broken in pieces, and fallen under Ahab's power ; his trustv counsellors advised him thus, 1 Kings xx. 31, ' Behold now we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings ; let us 1 pray thee, put sackcloth upon our loins, and ropes about our necks, and go out to the king of Israel,' &c. When we are fallen under the displeasure and power of God, let us put ropes about our necks, and humble ourselves. You have not only heard, but know, that the God of Israel is a merciful God ; go lie at his feet, acknowledging that in justice he might destroy you ; but you are willing to put yourselves into his hands, to do with you as it shall seem good in his sight. One instance more is the king spoken of, Luke xiv. 31, that had but ten thousand, but there was another coming against him with twenty thousand. ' While he is yet a great way off, he sendeth an embassy, and desireth conditions of peace.' We are no match for God ; .what can worms do against him that cometh with mighty angels ? It is best to take up the matter, in humble way send to him, seek peace in Jesus Christ. Another instance is that of Tyre and Sidon : Acts xii. 20, ' Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon ; but they came with one accord to him, and having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace, because their country was nourished by the king's country.' The case is the same between us and God. He is highly displeased with a sinful people. Alas ! What shall we do ? our country is nourished by the king's country ; we cannot subsist without him, let us with one accord come and beg peace. Have we never a friend in heaven ? Yes, one that doth not forget us in all his exaltation, he that remembereth his alliance still, Heb. viii. 2, Xeirovpyb^ dyLcov, Jesus Christ ; in his name let us come and beg peace. One instance more, because I will not weary you, and that is of Adonijah: 1 Kings i. 50-52, • And Adonijah feared con- cerning Solomon, and went and caught hold of the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me to-day that he will not slay his servant with the sword. And Solomon said. Let him show himself a worthy man, and there shall not a hair of his head fall to the earth.' So should we capitulate with God, but at the horns of the altar, hold- ing out Christ as a buckler against the strokes of his justice, till he saith. Go to your houses in peace. Thus you may learn wisdom from men. Only there is a vast difference in the case: God is more mighty to destroy, and yet more merciful to save, than any man is, or possibly can be. The one consideration quickeneth us to humiliation, the other to faith.