Secondly, God hath called out his workmen to set up a furnace. The workmen that God calls out in the world are not to make the fining-pot, but men that work in mortar and brick, fit to build a great furnace. And there are all sorts of them; — the Lord help us! God employs his workmen to build the furnace; — some by violence, some by treachery, some by folly; but all prepare a furnace. We may see them at work and hear them working every day, to prepare for this nation a furnace of God's wrath and displeasure.
THE FURNACE OF DIVINE WRATH.
Now, brethren, this I say, this saith the Lord, when God's workmen are setting up a furnace it is certainly our duty to be building an ark. The persons that were employed about Noah's ark (it is but another kind of allusion) were God's workmen to bring on a de struction that destroyed the old world, the world that repented not at the preaching of Noah. God called out his workmen; but Noah, moved with fear, built an ark. I have observed that the spirits of men do work towards and hearken after every thing that may keep them from fear: generally they do so; and oftentimes most weak and trivial things will put off our fear. But, saith He, " Noah, moved with fear," upon the warning of God that there would come a deluge that would destroy like this furnace, " built an ark/' He was moved with fear, and he built an ark. I have often wondered at that word, Ezek. xxi. 9-13. God threatens " a sword, a sword sharpened, and also furbished : it is sharpened to make, a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth ? He hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled : this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. Smite therefore upon thy thigh/' Why? "Because it is a trial/' saith he, " and what if the sword contemn even the rod ?" — all other meaner afflictions? After having spoken such a great and dreadful word of the sword being furbished and given into the hand of the slayer, " It is a trial," saith he. The meaning is this : Here the people themselves had thoughts of a thousand ways of escaping the sword ; and that it should not be a trouble, a trial, unto them, they would bear it this way and that way. Truly, I am ashamed of myself and most of the people of God with whom I con verse, to see that we have such thoughts; — that when God's sword is furbished, there is not a trial in it, — that we shall be dealt well enough withal. But prepare yourselves ; a trial it will be, a trial that will try all your carnal confidences, and consume them. It will try your profession of what sort it is ; and if it be found false, will consume it also. It is to try all your graces to the utmost, — all your faith, all your trust, all your self-resignation, all your readiness to leave the things of the world and to part with them. It will be a trial, friends. Think what you will, it will be a trial. " Because it is a trial," saith He. It is strange there should be such stupidity upon us, that when the sword is furbished and made bright for the slaughter, and given into the hands of the slayer, we should not BO much as think that it will be a trial, but make mirth. The reason is this, plainly, Because we have escaped former trials in the plague, and fire, and in the wrath of man. But saith the prophet, " This shall contemn every rod/' — go beyond all those rods we have under gone, and despise them. You think it is a rod ; but do not mistake;
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498 THE FURNACE OF DIVINE WRATH.
it shall contemn every rod, despise them, and will be a trial. You have had no trial ; neither your confidence nor your grace has been tried : but this will be a trial I do not believe these things are a vain divination.
Then what is our duty, if this be the posture of things with us ? Why, that which we are come together for this day; which is to cry to God for mercy, in this day of darkness, of gloominess, this day of anguish, —
1. For the whole nation. Let us pray to God that, if it be his holy will, however he shall deal with the nation, he would call in the workmen that seem to be employed about building the fur nace ; for their faces are filled with dread and terror, and it argues dreadful work when God employs such workmen: beg of God to divert them, otherwise to employ them ; beg of God to take them off, — that fierce, cruel men may not have the execution of God's judgments upon this poor land, — that God would take us yet into his own hands,— that men whose hearts are like the nethermost mill stone, that grind with blood and revenge, may not have the trial of the land.