OF ESSEX COUNTY, AND COMMITTEE. Ill
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 secrets unto his servants the prophets ;' Amos iii. 7. When he is to send Moses for the deliverance of his people, he appears to him in a burning, unconsumed bush, Exod. iii. 2. a sign manifesting the presence of his power, to preserve his church unconsumed in the midst of burnings fiery afHictions. 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 serve 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 hio-h things, without some especial discovery 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 with 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 can- not finish? give over in the heat of the day? They never had any such revelation of the mind of God upon their spi- rits, 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 shewed 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 under- takings. 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,
Jolm xii. 35. R«?v. xvi. 10.
112 A MEMORIAL OF THE DELIVERANCE
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 ;' Psal. 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 will 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 gracious discovery which he hath given of himself, one thing answering an- other, it sets him in a frame of honouring God aright.
This might be of rich consideration could we attend it. For,
Use 1. Hence, as I said before, is apostacy from God's work. He 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 answers of prayers, gracious appli- cations of providences, with wise considerations 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 ; Psal. 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.
Use2. 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, ver. 5.
Ver. 5. * Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.'
* Before him,' at his face. ' The pestilence:' this is often
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reckoned amongst the weapons wherewith God fighteth with any people to consume them ;^ and as speeding an in- strument of destruction it is, as any the Lord ever used to- wards 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 work 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 ; Psal. xi. 6. xviii. 8. Prevailing fire is the most dreadful means of de- struction; 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 judgments, 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 consuming the Canaanites before their entrance is said to be v^Db ' at his faces,' or appearances, before him, before the entrance of the presence of his holi- ness. 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, dis- eases, and all sorts of judgments are wholly at God's dis- posal. * Affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground, yet man is born to trou- ble, as the sons of the burning coal lift up in flying;' Job V. 6, 7. When God intends the total destruction of a people, he commonly weakens them by some previous judgments. Let the truth of this be found upon them that hate us, and the interpretation thereof be to the enemies of this nation: but the Lord knows, all our hearts may well tremble at what will be the issue of the visitations of the last year.