Fifthly. These things render impendent judgments inevitable, with- out repentance and reformation, when they are committed in a land of light and knowledge. Such the land hath been ; and wherein yet there is any defect therein, it is a part of the sin and punishment of the nation. See Isa. xxvi. 10. From the light that was in it, it might well be esteemed " a land of uprightness;" but how it hath been rebelled against, hated, opposed, maligned, and persecuted, in all the fruits of it, is rather (for the sake of some) to be bewailed than declared.
And thus much may suffice to be spoken unto the first supposition in our proposition concerning the sins of a church, nation, or people, which unavoidably expose them unto desolating judgments, when God gives indication of their approach, unless they are prevented by re- pentance ; and we have seen a little, and but a little, of what is our concernment herein.
II. Our second inquiry is, " Of what sort those judgments are, which, in a time of great provocation, are to be looked on as impen- dent, and ready to seize on us?" And they ai'e of three sorts: —
First. Such as are absolute, decretory, and tiniversal.
There is mention in the Scripture of judgments threatened, which God hath, as it were, repented him of, and changed the actings of his providence, that they should not be inflicted. See Amos vii. 3, 6. And there are judgments threatened, which have been diverted by the repentance of men ; as it was in the case of Nineveh. But in this case, neither will God repent, nor shall man repent; but those judg- ments shall be universal and unavoidable. And of this sort Ave have
THE DESIGN OF IMPENDENT JUDGMENTS. 61 7
three instances recorded in Scripture ; — two are past, and one is yet for to come: —
1. The first is that of the old world It is said that, upon their provocations, " God repented him that he had made man on the earth ; " that is, he would deal with him as if he had done so, — which must be by a universal destruction. He would not repent of the evil he had determined; but positively declared that " the end of all flesh was come before him." Nor did man repent; for, as our Saviour testifies, they continued in their security " until the day that Noah entered into the ark," Matt. xxiv. 38. Yet it may be observed, that, after things were come to that pass that there was no possibility of turning away the judgment threatened, yet God exercised forbearance towards them, and gave them the outward means of repentance and reformation, 1 Pet. iii. 20. They had amongst them the ministry of Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and that continued for a long season, in the patience of God.
[And let none please themselves, that they have the outward means of the ministry continued unto them ; for notwithstanding that fruit of God's patience, their destruction may be inevitable. For as God may grant it unto them to satisfy his own g.oodness, and glorify his patience ; so unto them it may have no other end but the harden- ing of them in their sin, and the aggravation of their sins, Isa. vi. 9-12. And this example of the old world is frequently proposed, and that to Christians, to professors, to churches, to deliver them from security in a time of approaching judgments.]^
2. The second instance hereof was in the Judaical church-state ; — the people, nation, temple, worship, and all that was valuable among them. This judgment also, in its approach, was such as Avith respect whereunto God would not repent, and man could not repent, although a day, a time and space, of repentance was granted unto them. So it is declared by our Lord Jesus Christ, Luke xix. 41-44. They had a day, — it was theirs in a peculiar manner, — a day of patience and of the means of conversion, in the ministry of Christ and his apostles. Yet, saith he, the things of thy peace are now hid from thee ; — so as that they must irrecoverably and eternally perish. So is then- state described by the apostle, 1 Thess. ii. 14-16.
But it may be said, If their destruction Avas so absolutely detex'- mined that it was impossible it should be either longer suspended or diverted, unto what end did God grant them a day — such a day of grace and patience — which they could not make use of ? I answer, He did it for the manifestation of the glory of his grace, righteousness, and severity; and that these two ways: —
' These brackets occur in the original edition, and are retained as they seem to indicate the digressive character of the remark contained in the paragraph. — Ed.
CIS THE DESIGN OF IMPENDENT JUDGMENTS.
(1.) In the calling, conversion, and gathering of his elect out of the perishing multitude of them that were hardened. During the conti- nuance of that day of grace and patience among them, for about the space of forty years, all the elect of that generation were converted to God, and delivered from the curse that came upon the church and nation. For although I will not say but some of them might suffer, yea, fall, in the outward public calamities of that season; yet they were all delivered from the wrath of God in them, and saved eteraally.