There are three or four things I would mention, that I have upon my thoughts: —
1. The open discovery of the profaneness and villany of their hearts, in striving to hide from God and man the wickedness they had con trived, byadding a newwickedness unto it, which they had not thought of, — the murdering of that innocent person.1 God left them to dis cover the wickedness and profaneness of their hearts, that they would cover one sin with another, and God should not look through it.
2. The wisdom and justice of God, in making that which they concluded the means of hiding their plot from the eyes of men prove upon the matter the means of discovering it unto all men. They behaved themselves subtilely, but the hand of God was upon them ; there was " digitus Dei" plainly in the case. Their great design was, by the murder of that gentleman to conceal all. Saith God, ' I will discover all by the murder of that person/
3. See the hand and glory of God in this also. You are directed unto it this day, that though their wickedness and malice continue, God hath taken away their hearts. If wisdom and courage had not been taken from them, they might have ruined this nation ; but God hath taken away their hearts, and so long we shall be safe enough.
4. In this glorious act of God there is a spirit poured out upon the commonalty of this nation above their light and above their principles; which is the immediate hand of God: for every man's spirit follows his light and principles, but here it is beyond their
> The author alludes to the affair of Titus Gates and the death of Sir E. Godfrey. See note, vol. ix. p. 13. — ED.
556 THE DEATH OF THE EIGHTEOUS.
light and principles. Therefore glorify God in this, and let it en courage us to be instant in prayer day and night for this poor nation, the land of our nativity.
SERMON X.
THE DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS.
PREACHED JCJLY 1, 1681.
" The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart : and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness." — ISA. Ivii. 1, 2.
THIS is a text that the providence of God hath severely preached on to this congregation. I cannot look before me, I cannot look be hind me, but I see the footsteps of death. It hath been here, it hath been there, upon the right hand and upon the left. Sometimes God expounds the works of his providence by his word ; and sometimes he expounds his word by the works of his providence. To suit the word of God and the works of God, as the one interprets the other, is the sum and substance of all our wisdom here in this world.
God doth at this day expound his works by his word. The world is full of confusion, full of tokens of God's displeasure, full of judg ments, full of dread ; yet the world understands nothing of all these. Bring these works of God to the word of God, and we shall under stand them. We shall understand the world is full of sin and pro vocation, that God is displeased, that he is taking away rest from men, — shaking every thing within and without. Those who know not the word of God understand nothing of these works, but are filled with a multitude of vain thoughts. He expounds his works by his word.
And sometimes God expounds his word by his works, as he doth this day. He expounds this text ; so that in the works of God we may see the mind and sense of the Holy Ghost plainly, as in a glass. " The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and mer ciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come."
The general truth in these words is this: — That when God is bringing evils, distressing evils, upon a church, upon a people, in the ordinary way of his providence, he doth take away beforehand many of those who are most eminent and most useful. When in a particular manner " the righteous perisheth, and merciful men are taken away/' it is a time when God is bringing evils certainly. So, when God was bringing evils upon Jerusalem and the land of
THE DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 557
Judah, Jer. xxiv., he gathered all the good figs, and laid them aside. Many of them died, some went into captivity; but all that were good and were to be restored, God gathered them out from among them; and then came the universal desolation. "The right eous perisheth." Josiah is an instance of this, whom some think the prophet (though long before) had a particular respect unto in this text: ' Josiah shall perish; he shall be taken away/ To what end? 'That I may bring evil/ saith God. * Go thou thy way. Thou shalt perish, and be slain ; yet thou shalt go unto thy grave in peace, that I may bring evil/ I have often spoken it myselfj and heard others say, the taking away, the gathering in, as the word is, (" They shall be gathered"), of so many ministers, — many of them in the fulness of their strength, and fulness of their labours, and best of their designs for God, — has been a token that there was evil to come. And it is not only so as to ministers, but as to others in this congre gation, in a most eminent manner, such as I have never had expe rience of in the whole course of my life ; — so many persons of holi ness, worth, and usefulness, to be taken away, and gathered in out of one poor society in so short a time ! That is the general scope of the place.