304 god's withdeawing his pkesence,
[4.] Want of a due sense of the sin of others is a great sign that we are partially hardened from God's fear; as it is a sign men are totally hardened, when they do not only commit sin themselves, but have pleasure in them that do it. We have before us the sins of professors, the sins of the world, the provoking sins of the nation in the generation wherein we live, and the sins of all sorts of men ; and I think there is not in any one duty more spiritual wisdom required of believers, than how to deport themselves with a suitable frame of heart, in reference to the sins of other men. Some are ready to be contented that they should sin, and sometimes ready to make sport at their sins ; and for the most part it is indifferent unto us at what rate men sin in the world, so it go well with us or the Church of Christ. We understand but little of that, " Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because men keep not thy law," Ps. cxix. 136. I confess, I think there is little of this in the world, — that we can truly say, as he did, by the Spirit of God, that our eyes run down with water, because other men, all sorts of men, keep not God's law. There is a " sighing and mourning for all the abominations that are done among a people." What people? Truly, people that were ido- laters, and false worshippers, and very wicked, as that people were at that time ; yet God required there should be " sighing and mourning for all the abominations ;" and took special notice of the working of grace that one way, above all other things. And the Lord help us, I am afraid we have very small concern for the sins of other men. And it is resolved into these two principles: — want of zeal for God's glory, and want of compassion to the souls of men; which would make us deeply concerned for the sins of other men. Sin in the world is grown a common thing to us ; we do not rend our garments, when we hear of all the blasphemies and atheism in the world, — all the blood, uncleanness, profaneness, oaths. Every sin is grown common to us ; nobody is affected. " None taketh hold upon God," saith the prophet. What will be the end of these things? Yet we speak of them as commonly as of our daily food. This is not to be under the power of the fear of the Lord. There is a partial hardness upon us from the fear of the Lord, in that general and almost universal unconcernedness that is upon us about the sins of other men.
I thought to have spoken to the remaining heads of this partial hardness of our hearts from God's fear ; — the want of a due sense of God's judgments ; and the want of a due attendance unto and walk with God in a way of duty : but I shall waive them, and proceed to the fourth thing proposed to be inquired into.
IV. Why doth the holy God deal thus with a professing people? What reason can we find in ourselves why it should be so, in making
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this complaint? that we neither charge God foolishly as the author and cause of sin, nor go about to extenuate our own sins, but aggra- vate and burden our consciences with a sense of them. Why doth the holy God thus deal with us?
The reasons are of two sorts: — 1. What provokes God unto it, which are the procuring reasons; 2. What God aims at in it, which are the final reasons why it is thus with us.
1. What provokes God to it? I answer, three things: —
(1.) Unthankfulness for mercy received. Thus, in the chapter wherein is my text, it is said, verses 8-10, " Surely they are my people, children that will not lie : so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them : in his love and in his pity he redeemed them ; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit : therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them." God doth in this matter turn to be our enemy; he fights against us. Why doth he so? Because he hath redeemed us in his love, — because he hath borne us in his arms all the days of our lives^ — because he hath manifested that in all our afflictions he was afflicted, — because he had been a Saviour and heard us ; and under all these mercies received, we have rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit, have been unthankful and ungrateful : therefore he is become our enemy, and fights against us. I beg of you, brethren, that we may call over those innumerable mercies we have received from the Lord, spiritual mercies, temporal mercies, and consider whether these evils be not befallen us, — whether our unthankfulness for mercy hath not caused God to become our enemy, and to fight against us.