An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth, fortieth, forty-first, and forty-second,…

Secondly, God expects we should, and even wonders, if we do not turn upon such smitings. He looks upon them as hardened sinners, who melt not by every afflictive fall of hail from heaven. They are even resolved to be bad, who mind not being good or better, when evils fall upon either them or theirs.

Secondly, God expects we should, and even wonders, if we do not turn upon such smitings. He looks upon them as hardned sinners, who melt not by every afflictive fall of hail from heaven. They are even resolved to be bad, who mind not being good or better, when evils fall upon either them or theirs.

Fifthly, Hasten to make peace with God, when he gives signs and alarums of war.

God had no sooner said to Israel (Amos 4.12.) Therefore, (that is, because thou hast not taken the alarm by former judgement, therefore) thus will I do unto thee, O Israel (that is, I will bring some sorer judgement upon thee than any of those already brought) but he adds, and because I will do this unto thee (unless prevented by speedy repentance) prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. As if God had said, Consider (as Christ adviseth on another occasion, Luke 14.31.) whether thou art able with thy ten thousand to meet me with my twenty thousand (all the power of man is not only less by half, as ten thousand to twenty thousand, but indeed nothing at all to the power of God) and if not, as I know thou art not, then I counsel thee, while I only tell ⟨p. 195⟩thee I will do thus unto thee, but am yet a great way off (possibly) from coming to do it, prepare to meet me, send an Embassage of prayers and tears, and desire conditions of peace. It will be too late to call for a composition, or to think of a treaty, when the trumpets have sounded, and the battle is joined. If we get not (through Christ) our peace made before the day of battle and war in this world, I mean before temporal judgements ae actually come upon us, and have taken hold of us, we may smart soundly before we have our peace, and pay dearly for it, before we have it: But if we prepare not to meet God, and get our peace made through Christ, before the day of battle and war in the next world, I mean before Death and the Eternal Judgement come upon us, we shall not only smart soundly and pay dearly for that wretched neglect of our season, but must perish for ever, under an impossibility of having our peace made. The Day of Gods battle and war with the wicked in the next world, is Eternity. Here in this world God saith to the worst of sinners, to him that is but briars and thorns (