VIII. Observation. When God is doing great things, he gives glorious manifestations of his excellencies to his secret ones.
The appearance on Sinai goes before his passage into Canaan: " Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets," Amos iiL 7. When he is to send Moses for the deliverance of his people, he appears to him in a burn- ing, unconsumed bush, Exod. iii. 2, — a sign manifesting the presence ' Deut. xxxiii. 17; Ps. Ixxv, 10; Zech. i. 18.
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of liis power to preserve liis cliurcb unconsmned in the midst of burning, fieiy afflictions. Unto this very end were all the visions that are recorded in the Scripture, — all of them accommodated to the things which God was presently doing. And this he doth, —
1. That they may thereby be prepared to follow him, and ser\'e him in the great works he hath for them to do. Great works are not to be done without great encouragements. If God appears not in light, who can expect he should appear in operation ? He that is called to serve Providence in high things, without some especial dis- covery of God, works in the dark,^ and knows not whither he goes, nor what he doth. Such a one travels in the wilderness without a directing cloud. Clear shining from God must be at the bottom of deep labouring "svith God. What is the reason that so many in our days set their hands to the plough, and look back again ? — begin to serve Providence in great things, but cannot finish ? — give over in the heat of the day ? They never had any such revelation of the mind of God upon their spirits, such a discovery of his excellencies, as might serve for a bottom of such undertakings. Men must know that if God hath not appeared to them in brightness, and showed them " the horns in his hand," hid from others, though they think highly of themselves, they'll deny God twice and thrice before the close of the work of this age. If you have no great discoveries, you will wax vain in great undertakings. New workings on old bottoms, are like new wine in old bottles, — both are spoiled and lost. The day is the time of work, and that because of the light thereof; — those who have not light may be spared to go to bed.
2. That they may be the better enabled to give him glory, when they shall see the sweet harmony that is between his manifestations and his operations, — when they can say with the Psalmist, " As we have heard, so have we seen," Ps. xlviii. 8. As he revealeth himself, so he worketh. When his power and mercy answer his appearance in the bush, it is a foundation to a prayer: " The good-Mill of him that dwelt in the bush bless thee." When a soul shall find God calling him forth to employments, perhaps great and high, yet every way suiting that light and gi'acious discovery which he hath given of himself, one thing ansAvering another, it sets him in a frame of honouring God aright.
Tliis might be of rich consideration could we attend it. For, — Use 1. Hence, as I said before, is apostasy from God's work. Ho appears not unto men; — how can they go upon his employment? Men that have no vision of God, are in the dark, and know not what to do. I speak not of visions beyond the Word; but answei-s of prayers, gracious applications of providences, with wise consideration ' .lolin xii. 35; Rev. xvi. 10.
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of times and seasons. Some drop off every day, some hang by the eyelids, and know not what to do: the light of God is not sent forth to lead and guide them, Ps. xliii. 3. Wonder not at the strange backslidings of our days : many acted upon by engagements, and for want of light, know not to the last what they were a-doing.
Use 2. Hence also is the suiting of great light and great work in our days. Let new light be derided whilst men please, he will never serve the will of God in this generation, who sees not beyond the line of foregoing ages.
Use 3. And this, thirdly, may put all those whom God is pleased to employ in his service upon a diligent inquiry into his mind. Can a servant do his master's work without knowing his pleasure ? We live for the most part from hand to mouth, and do what comes next ; — few are acquainted with the designs of God.
The going forth of the Lord with his people towards their rest, with reference to his harbingers, is described, verse 5.
Verse 5. " Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet."
" Before him," — at his face. "■ The pestilence : " This is often reck- oned amongst the weapons wherewith God fighteth with any people to consume them ; ^ and as speeding an instrument of destruction it is as any the Lord ever used towards the children of men. " At his feet went forth burning coals;" — a redoubling, say some, of the same stroke, — burning coals for burning diseases. When one blow will not do the luork appointed, God redoubles the stroke of his hand, Lev. xxvi. 22-25. Or, burning coals, dreadful judgments, mortal weapons, as fire and flames, are often taken in other descriptions of God's dealing with his enemies, Ps. xi. 6, xviii. 8. Prevailing fire is the most dreadful means of destruction, Heb. xii. 29 ; Isa. xxxiii. 14. In Exod. xxiii. 28, God threateneth to send the hornet upon the Canaanites, before the children of Israel; some stinging judg- ments, either on their consciences or bodies, or both: — something of the same kind is doubtless here held out. He sent plagues and diseases among them, to weaken and consume them, before his people's entrance. His presence was with Israel ; and the pestilence con- suming the Canaanites before their entrance is said to be V3S^, — " at his faces," or appearances, before him, before the entrance of the presence of his holiness. And the following judgments, that quite devoured them, were " the coals going out at his feet," which he sent abroad when he entered their land with his own inheritance, to cast out those " malse fidei possessores." Sicknesses, diseases, and all sorts of judgments, are wholly at God's disposal. " Affliction Cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the * Exod. ix. 15; Lev. xxvi. 25; 2 Sam. xxiv. 13; Ezek. xiv. 19; ISIatt. xxiv. 7.