What is the glory of England? Take away the gospel, and what have we that other nations have not better than ourselves ? Alas, if we labour not to maintain truth, we may say with Eli's daughter, * The gloiy of God is departed from us,' 1 Sam. iv. 21.
Sarah had her handmaid ; and so hath religion been attended with pros- perity and peace, preservation and protection amongst us, even to the ad- miration * of other comitries. Shall we not, therefore, make much of that religion, which, if we had it alone, joined with many crosses and suf- ferings, yet were an inestimable and unvaluable blessing ? And shall we not now much more, considering it hath been attended by so many mer- * That is, ' wonder.' — G.
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cies, cherish and maintain the same all we can ? Do we think it will go alone when it goes, whensoever God removes it from us ? No, no. There- fore, I beseech you, let us highly esteem of the gospel, whilst we do enjoy it. If we sutler that to be shaken any way, our peace and prosperity will then leave us, and judgment upon judgment wiU come upon us. If we will uot regard the truth of God, which he esteemeth most, he will take away outward prosperity, which we esteem most.
But I come to the fifth point, that judgment must begin at the house of God.
Quest. Why doth God begin with his own chm-ch and people ?
Am. Reason 1. Usually because he useth ivicked men and the enemies of his church for that base service, to correct and punish them.
Reason 2. To take away all excuse from wicked men. That they, seeing how severely God deals with his own dear childi-en, might be stirred up to look about them, and consider what will become of themselves at the last, if they go on in their sinful courses. So many crosses as befall God's children, so many evidences against secure carnal persons ; for if God deal thus with the gi-een tree, what will he do with the dry ? If he scourge his children thus with rods, certainly the slaves shall be whipped with scorpions.
Reason 3. God begins with his o^vn seiwants, that his children might behest at last. If he should not begin %\ith them, they would grow deeper in re- bellion against him, and attract more soil and filth to themselves, and be more and more engaged to eiTor and corruption. God's love to his people is such, that he regards their con-ection before the confusion of his enemies.
Reason 4. Again, God doth this, that when he sends them good days after- wards, they might hare the more taste and relish of his goodness. After an afflicted life, we are more sensible of happy times. God deals favom-ably, therefore, with a man when he crosseth him in the beginning of his days, and gives him peace in his latter end.
This is a point of mai-vellous comfort and encouragement to the faithful servants of God ; for.
Use 1. Though God correct them sharply, yet he sheivs thereby they are of his household. When a man corrects another, we may know it is his child or servant, &c. God shews that we are of his house and family by the care he takes to correct us. The vine is not hated because it is pruned, but that it may bring forth more fi'uit ; the ground is not hated because it is ploughed, nor the house because it is cleansed.
Quest. But what is meant by judgment here ?
Ans. Judgment is correction moderated to God's children. Judgment is twofold in Scriptm-e. The statutes of God are called judgments, and the corrections of God are called judgments. The statutes are called judgments, because they judge what we should do, and what we should not do. Now, when we do not that we should, he is forced to judge us actually with real judgments.
The real judgments of God are either (1), upon the wicked, and so they are judgments in fury, for there is not the least taste of his love in them to wicked men. They can make no sanctified use of them, because they are not directed to them for their good; or (2), to God's children, and so they are m^oderate corrections; and therefore the prophet so often urgeth, ' Correct us, Lord, in judgment,' &c., Jer. x. 24. God always moderates afflictions to his own chilch-en, but as for the wicked, he sweeps them away as dung, as dross, and as chafi", &c.
Use 2, Again, it is a comfort to God's children that he begins xdth them frst. Rather than God will suffer them to perish and be condemned with
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the world, he begins with them here. They have their worst first, and the better is to come.
Use 3. This likewise is some comfort, that the time when God corrects his children is most seasonable and fit for them. God pruneth his trees in the fittest time. A plant cut unseasonably, dieth, but being cut in due time it flourishes the better. All the works of God are beautiful in their season. Every Christian may truly say, God loves me better than I do myself. He knows the best time of purging and visiting his people. ' This is the time of Jacob's trouble,' &c., Micah ii. 3. Therefore we should lay our hands upon our mouths, kiss the rod, and stoop under judgments, as considering God's time to be the best time, and that he knows better what is good for us than we do ourselves.